Chapter 283: Making a Fool of Himself
Night had fallen over Mary Geoise.
Saint Felix hummed a tune in his rough, gravelly voice as he traveled along the brightly lit path.
Beneath him crawled a newly purchased female slave.
Her slender frame stood in stark contrast to his broad, bloated body. She was clearly incapable of supporting his immense weight for long.
Her arms trembled violently. Sweat poured down her forehead as the crushing pressure bore down on her entire body.
Worse still, the skin on her palms and knees had already been scraped raw.
The road beneath them was smooth, but with Saint Felix pressing down on her back, every movement tore at her exposed flesh.
Despite the pain, she did not dare stop.
She bit her lip and stared blankly ahead.
More than the agony in her limbs, she feared the Celestial Dragon's punishment.
The countless methods they used to torment their slaves had long since been carved into her memory.
Behind them, scattered drops of blood stained the brightly illuminated path.
Saint Felix had noticed that she was slowing down.
However, he had not punished her yet.
It was not because he felt any pity.
The woman was merely a recent purchase.
Within the past month, three of his other slaves had already died. None had suffered this exact fate, but all had failed to survive his punishments.
Saint Felix was anything but merciful.
He was cruel and capricious.
The young woman had nearly been punished for slowing down, but Saint Felix had changed his mind.
Or rather, he had remembered what he truly wanted.
He enjoyed moving slowly through this district, savoring the fear and attention directed at him.
This part of Mary Geoise had been prepared as lodging for delegations from the various nations attending the World Conference.
To display their wealth and superior status, the Celestial Dragons had ordered every residence decorated extravagantly.
The floors were paved with priceless white jade. Massive stone pillars covered in intricate carvings supported the grand structures.
Every inch seemed to have been built with Berries.
The district could easily have been called a city of gold.
Yet the Celestial Dragons themselves rarely stayed there.
To them, the residences were no different from kennels built for pets. A wealthy master might spend a fortune constructing a doghouse, but he would never consider living inside it himself.
Many Celestial Dragons despised the area and avoided it entirely.
Saint Felix had once felt the same.
Then he discovered how much he enjoyed being watched.
People from countries across the world were gathered here. Moving among them while everyone lowered their heads allowed him to bask in his own supposed superiority.
It reminded him of how noble the blood of the Creator Gods was.
In his mind, the Celestial Dragons had been born to receive the awe and worship of the lesser beings beneath them.
As long as the slave continued carrying him, he had no reason to interrupt his enjoyment by punishing her.
Everyone who witnessed Saint Felix's arrogance chose to remain silent.
Before arriving at Mary Geoise, each delegation had been strictly warned not to offend the Celestial Dragons.
No one needed the consequences explained.
Anyone who angered a Celestial Dragon would suffer.
Perhaps someone somewhere possessed the power to escape such punishment, but none of those present believed themselves to be that person.
Even a king could not provoke a Celestial Dragon without consequences.
That was the privilege held by the World Nobles.
There had once been a king whose offense against a Celestial Dragon led to war.
His kingdom lost.
The nation was destroyed because of his actions.
Now, even monarchs accepted the rule without question.
Provoking those irrational lunatics was simply too dangerous.
Among the nearby observers stood two members of the Revolutionary Army.
Their appearances had been altered slightly, though they could still be recognized as part of the group Axel had brought into Mary Geoise.
One of them wore the clothing of a foreign delegation.
He spoke quietly to his companion.
"What a disgusting piece of filth."
His eyes remained fixed on Saint Felix and the woman crawling beneath him.
"He's treating a human being like an animal."
"Don't do anything reckless," his companion warned. "If you act now, our identities will be exposed."
Their conversation would not draw much suspicion.
Representatives from different nations frequently spoke to one another during the World Conference.
Kings often used their subordinates to voice opinions they could not express personally, and private negotiations between nations were common.
Furthermore, not everyone present rushed to kneel before the Celestial Dragons.
Most kings simply avoided them.
They might have submitted if directly confronted, but kneeling before another person in full view of their own subjects and rival nations would damage their dignity.
Many delegates therefore watched from a distance and whispered among themselves.
The behavior of the two revolutionaries did not stand out.
"But we can't just stand here and watch."
"There are no buts."
The second revolutionary's voice hardened.
"If you make a move, I'll kill you myself."
His companion looked at him in disbelief.
"If someone from one nation dies here, suspicion may fall upon another delegation. At worst, it creates a limited dispute."
"But if someone attacks a Celestial Dragon, the consequences will be far greater."
"You know that."
He glanced toward Saint Felix.
"Even if Officer Ivankov were here, he would make the same decision."
For the Revolutionary Army, completing the mission took priority.
Allowing the entire operation to collapse for the sake of saving a handful of people would be foolish.
It was better to abandon those few from the beginning.
Revolutionaries accepted danger when they joined the cause. Some had chosen that path willingly, while others had simply been left with no alternative.
But accepting the possibility of death did not mean throwing their lives away for nothing.
They were revolutionaries.
They were not wandering heroes who could save everyone they encountered.
Whether persuaded by his comrade's reasoning or discouraged by the threat against his own life, the first man finally abandoned the idea.
He lowered his head and looked away.
If he did not watch, perhaps the burden on his conscience would feel lighter.
People died every day.
Many died unjustly.
There were countless people who claimed to despise injustice, yet only a few ever stepped forward when they witnessed it.
That was because most tragedies occurred somewhere beyond their own lives.
Distance made indifference easy.
Seeing that his companion had made the sensible choice, the second revolutionary nodded and continued observing from the sidelines.
Saint Felix's procession carried on.
The female slave had already been crawling for too long.
At last, her weakened limbs gave out.
Her body tilted to one side and collapsed.
Saint Felix had been too absorbed in the fearful gazes around him to notice what was happening.
He was not a powerful fighter capable of reacting instantly, and his bodyguards were too slow to catch him.
The enormous Celestial Dragon tumbled from his living mount.
Bang!
The slave struck the ground first.
A muffled groan escaped her.
As Saint Felix fell, his heavy legs kicked wildly in panic. One foot slammed into the woman's abdomen.
She did not even have enough strength left to scream.
If she had, she would not have collapsed in the first place.
Her weak groan was immediately drowned out by Saint Felix's furious curses and the alarmed shouts of his bodyguards.
....
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