DSFL | Chapter 111

~Chapter 111~

I blinked blankly at Edmund’s words.

‘…So, if he saw the contents of the original story through an illusion, then his situation is different from mine.’

Because I only saw it through the novel.

“Didn’t you try to find out who sent the package?” I asked.

“I did. But as you can see, Ailins isn’t in a free position….”

So basically, because of the imperial family, he couldn’t act freely.

Anyway, if he had seen the contents of the original story through this pouch, then it perfectly matched what Arkan had explained about the conditions.

The problem was… how could I get my hands on it?
I definitely couldn’t just steal it.

But I didn’t have any more time to waste here. I decided to go with the straightforward method.

I’d just use Ailins’s name!
No matter how I thought about it, this was the fastest way.

“The truth is… that person asked me to take this item.”

Edmund hesitated.

“…She asked you to take this?”

“Yes, yes. I don’t know the details, but she said the item in your possession was absolutely necessary. She begged me very earnestly!”

I shamelessly stretched my hand toward the pouch. Edmund flinched and hid it behind his back.

“Lord Edmund…?”

It looked like his body moved before he even thought about it.

“Ah… if it’s Lady Ailins’s request, then I can’t refuse….”

Awkwardly, he held the pouch out to me. But just as I grabbed it, he tightened his grip.

We ended up pulling against each other. I frowned.

“What are you doing…?”

“Haha! I don’t even know why I’m acting like this. Maybe I’ve grown too suspicious. But really—are you sure Lady Ailins asked you to?”

“Would I really come all the way here just to lie?”

The lie came out of my mouth smoothly without even blinking. Finally, with a doubtful look, he let go of the pouch.

“Thank you.”

I gave him a bright smile. Edmund reluctantly nodded.

“I’m only handing this over because you’re Idette’s friend, understood?”

“I’ll remember that.”

“If it were anyone else, I would have checked many times. But since Idette herself gave you my address, I guess I have no choice.”

I did feel a little guilty… but quickly pushed that thought aside.

Well, lying is still better than outright stealing, isn’t it?

***

Inside a dark room.

Erkessian was lost in thought as he stared out the window.

‘The nameless magician.’

In Dremokan, there was a magician who had been asleep for a very long time.

As a child, Erkessian believed gods truly existed. After all, if they didn’t, how else could the empire have flourished on the divine arrangement of mana?

Looking back now, that belief seemed ridiculous. But back then, he had been serious.

‘…I really was foolish.’

A magician who had saved countless lives, who had even saved the empire.

And yet, that same magician had no way to save herself.

When he discovered that the empire’s glory had been built on the sacrifice of just one person, it had left him hollow—and furious.

Was the great empire he believed in really built on such a fragile foundation?

If mighty Carpea could be shaken by just one person, then it was nothing but a sham castle. An unbearable insult.

All those praises for the imperial family were, in truth, for the magician who had disappeared.

And the words of those ignorant people suddenly felt pathetic.

…If not for that woman?

Carpea would’ve been nothing more than a forgotten small nation in history.

Erkessian could not accept that fact.

If the truth—that the royal family had concealed the great magician’s existence—were revealed, then the empire’s authority would surely crumble from its roots.

‘That must never happen.’

The great magician was already gone.
She was the past—time that could never return.

But Ailins’s seal would not last forever.

The World Tree that maintained the seal had begun to grow, and soon its blossoms would bloom.

When that happened, the wrath of the corrupted great magician would undoubtedly strike Carpea.

‘Even so, Carpea still needs mana.’

There was a time when he thought his ancestors were foolish—entrusting the empire’s fate to a woman who didn’t even follow Carpea’s authority.

But as he grew older, seeing the world with his own eyes, he finally understood.

They had no other choice.

It was the best—and perhaps the most perfect—decision they could have made.

〈Eki, you can achieve anything you wish. So don’t cry.〉

When he once cried bitterly over a broken toy, his mother had said:

〈If something breaks, you fix it. If it can’t be fixed, then you buy a new one.〉

〈But…〉

〈And if you just sit there crying, does anything change? No. You need to get up and find a way to feel better.〉

Her words had been true.

A broken toy could be repaired. And if it couldn’t, a new one could replace it.

What mattered was his own feelings.

The same applied to Ailins.

Carpea didn’t need her as a person.
They only needed her mana.

‘Then a replacement must be found.’

Erkessian’s eyes shifted toward Idette, who was just entering the palace.

She was lovely. Perhaps not as perfect as him, but that didn’t matter.

‘Idette… you will accomplish something for Carpea that no one else can.’

Far greater than a fleeting Empress’s throne that would vanish with age and death.

Erkessian didn’t want her glory to be just for a moment.

That was his form of love.

He was someone with clear priorities:

Carpea.

And the woman he loved.

How beautiful would it be if the things he loved could remain forever?

‘And for that, every obstacle must be removed.’

He showed no mercy to those who stood in his way.

He had tolerated Ricardo’s actions only because he thought Ricardo shared his beliefs.

Targeting Harness had been about revenge against Ailins, and Erkessian respected that.

What Ricardo wanted was for Idette to take Ailins’s place.

So Ailins’s fate wasn’t really his concern—so long as Carpea stayed safe.

But now, the hunting dog that once guarded Harness had turned and bitten its master before running away.

At first, he had been furious. But thinking about it again, it was almost laughable.

Running away with its tail tucked—what cowardice.

‘…So the former duke was betrayed badly too.’

Erkessian rubbed his chin and spoke.

“Sir Rio.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He smiled lightly and asked,

“What should I call someone who defies His Majesty’s command?”

“Call him whatever you like.”

Then, catching Erkessian’s gaze, Rio quickly bowed his head.

“If you forgive him, then next time someone else may dare to defy His Majesty as well. May I humbly suggest you name him a ‘traitor’—to restore the Emperor’s dignity.”

“So you think so too, do you?”

Erkessian smiled brightly, his deep dimples showing.