"Will I die... or will I live?"
Even with negative emotions filling his heart, a cold sweat slid down Arad's pale face.
Of course, he did not want to die.
If possible, he would rather the boy before him... no, all three people before him died right in front of him.
He did not care whether they were saviors or whether the Source World would be saved because of them. Anyone who wanted his life had to die.
But Arad knew very well that this was merely wishful thinking.
At the very least, hatred and imagination alone were useless.
"...No matter what, I am the supreme commander of the Principality of Libian. With the king gravely ill, my standing is even higher than that of the royal family."
"The people adore me deeply as well, hoping that I will become the nation's first Saint in history."
"You... dare kill me?"
As Arad spoke these outwardly fierce but inwardly timid words, he hugged his severed arm and slowly edged backward.
"The supreme commander of the Principality of Libian?" Merlot finally spoke, saying mockingly, "Never mind that you are merely the commander of a small country. Even if you were the king of a great nation, once you touched the absolute taboo of the Blood Sacrifice Ritual, death would be unavoidable."
"But you have no evidence to prove it." Arad forced a smile. "Even if you take that Scroll recording the Blood Sacrifice Ritual outside and tell the world that it belongs to me, I absolutely will not admit it."
"As long as I refuse to admit it, you have no way to convict me unilaterally. I can simply say that you are framing me."
"In that case, even if you are the Crown Princess of the Empire and the Pope of