Chapter 78 - Shadow (1)

Silveryn rushed to the central stone platform, pushing past the priests. She seemed to have lost her composure, unlike her usual self. She collapsed onto the platform and picked up the cube vial that was there.

With her head deeply bowed, she hugged it tightly and remained silent. As if trying to continuously feel her disciple's life and death through her body.

Given her personality, this was unusual behavior. Only then could Price guess how strong Silveryn's attachment to her disciple was.

Price carefully approached Silveryn as she sat quietly and said, "Forgive my rudeness. Throughout the ritual, I thought I was seeing an oracle for someone long dead. But... seeing your reaction, that child's heart seems full of life."

"..."

"Sometimes great individuals emerge who bend fate with an iron will. But even then, they cannot overturn everything. There are things that cannot be escaped by human will. For example, a death sentence from the stars."

"...Are you saying my disciple's fate is twisted?"

"I think you know well. If that child is alive, Benemaril has intervened in fate. That's... all there is to it."

Considering Benemaril's demonic power, saying fate was twisted might be most appropriate.

Silveryn just sat there quietly, without saying anything in particular. The air around her felt strange. Price couldn't tell if she was relieved or angry.

Price remained silent. Whatever the case, it was clear Silveryn's emotions were in turmoil.

After all, Benemaril was the one and only sore spot for Silveryn, the flawless mage.

***

Damian's wounds had almost completely healed and the bleeding had stopped. And his heart had regained its vigor. But his body was still ice-cold.

Lisa laid on top of his body to share body heat. She interlaced her fingers with his and pressed her entire body against him, down to her legs and toes.

That place had always been hers.

Blood stained everything around them and countless corpses laid scattered nearby. Though they reunited after a long wait, it was far from romantic.

Lisa smiled lightly while sharing body heat with him. Where they were didn't matter. Damian's greatest magic was that when she was with him, any place became irrelevant.

Lisa pressed her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat while remembering all the places they had lain together.

It had been a damp cave, a creepy abandoned house, a barn where mice scurried about, and atop a mountain of fallen leaves gathered while cleaning. Wherever they were, they were happy together.

And this moment would become the same. Though their surroundings were stained with blood, this, too, would remain a precious memory for them both.

Lisa firmly believed that even if they were separated briefly, once all the tangled threads were unraveled, they would return to each other.

She had no doubt that when everything was over, they would lie together like this on a soft bed under warm sunlight, reminiscing about the past.

Just then, something small cut through the air as it flew. It circled above Damian as if lost before slowly descending.

It gently landed by Damian's head and folded its wings. It was a blood-stained Stitch.

"..."

She immediately sensed something was wrong. This hadn't appeared in her future visions. Unpleasant emotions began rippling outward immediately.

Lisa reached out and picked up the Stitch, wiping off the blood.

Initials that seemed to symbolize lovers were engraved on its surface.

***

Bibi stood lost in thought by the large window, arms wrapped around herself.

Beyond the VIP room door, a splendid celebration was in full swing.

Bibi couldn't enjoy the festival at all. She had wanted to become an Eternia student for a long time. But her life had become more and more twisted, and now she was spending her family's wealth to congratulate the admitted students. Her current situation felt laughable.

Then, a suddenly arrived letter troubled her further.

It contained news that her family was discussing her arranged marriage.

She smiled bitterly. She had thought Varianne was someone her father would covet, and mentioning his name might delay things for a while, but it had been useless.

She could somewhat understand why her father was rushing.

Bibi would die before turning thirty. It was due to a disease that ran sporadically through generations. At best, thirty-five. She only had about fifteen years left.

As an only child, there was no one else to continue the family line. From her father's perspective, it was enough to drive him mad.

What troubled her was that while the positions of family, country, and father existed, her own position wasn't a consideration. Because of this, she couldn't even live her short life as she wished.

She was destined to die as a breeding stock for continuing the family line, unable to pursue what she wanted to learn or choose who to love.

In that sense, being Duchess Gainax was a curse.

On the other hand, Bibi most envied the students who were born orphans and entered Eternia.

They could pioneer their lives based on talent, unbound by family and country.

Just then, someone knocked on the VIP room door, interrupting her solitude.

"Come in."

A well-built man opened the door and bowed respectfully.

It was the Empire's Fifth Prince Franz.

"You gather people with such effort, yet stay elsewhere yourself."

"What brings such an esteemed person such as yourself here?"

Franz slowly approached behind her, holding a wine glass.

"Why ask when you know? Like you, I'm sick of these banquets and such, so I came here. You're the only one I can have a proper conversation with anyway."

"Shouldn't you be busy trying to win the favor of talented individuals?"

Franz had come to Eternia to expand his influence. To discover future Sword Masters or Archmages and recruit them to his side for greater ambitions.

"I should. But not now."

"Really? If not now, you'll hardly have another chance."

Franz smiled at Bibi's words.

"What's visible isn't everything. Especially at Eternia. Now is the time to cast the bait and observe the scenery slowly."

"...What do you mean?"

"Humans are creatures whose outside and inside differ. Even in everyday words, humans rarely have surface meanings that match underlying intentions. And even the great Eternia is ultimately an organization made up of humans."

Though Bibi's expression was somewhat crumpled as if displeased with the prince's pretentiousness, she neither cut off the conversation nor left.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Not convinced? I suppose you firmly believe your spies and aides' reports that all say, 'Sion Izarel is this year's greatest talent.'"

"You speak as if Eternia is hiding something tremendous."

The prince looked at Bibi's face and smiled unpleasantly.

"It might be good to go down to the bottom once and experience raw humanity. It gives you knowledge you can't get from any book."

"You try it first and let me know. For now, I'd rather not take unnecessary trouble."

"Haha, then let me tell you about my experience. Did you know I once worked as a gatekeeper in the capital? I controlled trade and city access volume, monitored and managed imported goods."

As Bibi opened her mouth to object, Franz preemptively cut her off, "With my identity completely hidden, of course."

"..."

"It was Father's order. It's still funny thinking about it now. A prince as a city outskirts gatekeeper? Carriages would wait five or six hours for inspection, horses would defecate everywhere making it stink, and I had to guard that place until sunset. I thought I must have committed some crime."

"Even I think... that was a bit excessive."

"It took a long time to understand Father's intention. Ruling classes and high officials like us often make the mistake of trying to measure the world through reports and documents. A good ruler can't just stamp documents. They must read and accurately judge phenomena that don't appear on paper. For that, you need to experience life directly and develop insight by experiencing humanity's raw aspects."

"So what did you gain there?"

"Working as a gatekeeper, I understood one aspect of human nature. Merchants and smugglers passing through the gate had one thing in common. They didn't want to show off or display their most valuable, most brilliant items. Instead, they hid them where others couldn't see. In the darkest, smelliest, most remote, dirtiest places. So no one would covet or steal them. And over time, I realized soldiers, officers, criminals, homeless—all shared this nature."

"..."

"I don't think Eternia will display its most precious talent before 'greedy power seekers' like you and me."

"Interesting. Do you have any specific circumstances or evidence that they're hiding something?"

"If you understand that nature, you can be certain without reports or evidence."

Eternia is keeping their best talent hidden?

Bibi's expression, which had been quietly listening to Franz, gradually hardened.

"You tell quite an interesting long-winded tale..."

The idea that Eternia was hiding a monster greater than Gale Varianne, who would become ruler of the North, or Sion Izarel, the Sword Master's top disciple, was statistically improbable to have so much talent in one year. It was hard to accept.

Just then, breaking the momentary silence, someone knocked on the VIP room door.

"Come in."

Someone entered urgently. It was Gerald, Bibi's aide. He approached Bibi quickly but stopped and hastily bowed upon seeing Franz's face.

"Forgive my rudeness. Prince Franz, I pay my respects. I seem to have come at an inappropriate time."

Franz saw this and said, "No. I've enjoyed myself enough. It seems you have urgent business. I shall take my leave."

Then he turned to look at Bibi's face and said, "It was an enjoyable time."

"You're running away after excitedly talking all by yourself."

"Haha, next time it'll be your turn."

Franz gave a light greeting and left.

After Franz left the VIP room and confirming the door was closed so no conversation would leak, Gerald approached Bibi and said, "I have something to report about the student named Damian you mentioned before."

"Tell me."

"Judging from eyewitness accounts about his background and the Archmage, they seem to have quite a close relationship, and there appears to be no external justification or solicitation involved in their relationship. And the Archmage..."

"That's enough. I don't want to hear about that woman right now. More importantly... are you certain that a student named Damian didn't attend the entrance ceremony?"

"Yes, certain."

A small ripple stirred in Bibi's heart.

"I understand. Good work."

Bibi turned her back to Gerald and looked out the window again.

And in those ripples, the boat Franz had launched stayed floating in place like it had dropped anchor.

"Ah, I heard that Eternia's Combat Department gives escort missions as external activity assignments. Is that true?"

"Yes, that's correct. Designated escort requests are... possible."

Bibi answered while deep in thought.

"In that case..."

***

Sunlight pierced between my eyelids.

Consciousness became gradually clearer. I frowned and opened my eyes. A white piece of cloth fluttered like a Wraith's garment before my eyes.

I rubbed my dry, rough eyes and focused again.

Curtains fluttered in the cool breeze through the wide-open window.

Beyond the window, I could see a clear sky and feather clouds. A white, soft bed. Additionally, there was a calming scent of lilac. I wasn't in the labyrinth, and I was definitely alive.

I raised my upper body with my aching arm. Only then did I realize something was pressing down on the side of my blanket.

A girl with long white hair. It was Trisha.

She was sound asleep, lying face down at the edge of the bed.