Chapter 181
The Beniti Purge Order was carried out overnight.
The pillar that had shared history with the Continent crumbled under the dawn.
Now, if one were to borrow a trite saying, immutability is merely a fantasy.
I thought this in the particularly bleak Snowfield.
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth for no reason.
It’s cold.
We took charge of the aftermath concerning Beniti.
Originally, since it was a matter related to a coup, it would have been right to hand it over to the Imperial Family...
But the lingering taste would have been too unpleasant this way.
I managed to obtain permission from the Emperor with difficulty.
He granted it more readily than I had expected.
*Should I say... it’s a relief?*
The season when only chilly winds remained.
Emilia’s eyes, surveying the empty Mansion, were complicated.
Perhaps it was because she was realizing that her family’s lifespan had run out.
Her blank, stiff expression simply lingered here and there.
I couldn’t even offer any particular comfort.
*......It must have been precious to her.*
I knew.
How proud Emilia was of her lineage.
And how much she admired the stories of her noble predecessors.
For the Villainess, ‘Beniti’ was more than just a surname; it was a landmark representing her life.
The sense of loss from that must surely be agonizing.
She’s a delicate person.
No matter how much she pretended to be strong.
No matter how much she pretended to be an adult, a submerged wound remained unchanged.
The girl was merely enduring the phantom pain of something severed.
One is unable to show any weakness.
“I’m fine.” “Since I intend to carry on the Beniti name, I must become a person worthy of it.” “It’s just that right now... I feel exhausted from everything.” “So, please don’t worry about me.”
Her voice was clearly trembling.
I couldn’t help but feel pity for her.
However, I had no intention of deliberately shattering her faltering steps forward.
No matter how precarious the path seemed.
“Because this is my pride.”
“I will be different from you.”
Because it was the path that child had chosen.
If she wished to walk it, I would simply stay by her side.
Pushing aside various thoughts, I fumbled along the bookshelf.
The scent of old books settled on the bridge of my nose.
*Thump—.*
“Ah.”
Then, a sensation caught my fingertips.
I subtly peered beyond it.
Was it worth rummaging through the Duke’s Chamber for so long?
As I went through countless bookshelves one by one, I soon found something in one spot.
Hidden behind the bookshelf was none other than a mana-locked device.
I murmured.
“Found it.”
Aha!
I channeled mana into my index finger and unlocked the device.
With a brief touch, the Barrier smoothly disengaged.
Subsequently, a small opening was revealed beyond the bookshelf.
No... rather than a hole, it looked more like a drawer.
I carefully grasped its handle.
*As expected, it’s here.*
It was just like the original story.
Even in the game, after the Deron raid, you could find this gimmick by searching the Duke’s Chamber.
A special item could be obtained from this ‘Secret Drawer’.
Should I call it a hidden secret?
“Hmm.”
*Rustle—.*
It wasn’t particularly powerful or valuable.
Rather, from a Player’s perspective, it was merely a scrap of paper.
However, at this moment, it was more important than any other item.
And it would be precisely the words someone suffering from loss needed.
I slowly opened the drawer.
*Creak—.*
Soon, a paper envelope was revealed inside the drawer.
It looked quite well-preserved.
Fearing it might get smudged, I carefully picked it up.
Afterwards, I checked the contents to see if they were what I was looking for.
“......That’s a relief.”
A short breath of relief.
My memory was hazy regarding this part.
Fortunately, the necessary item was carefully preserved.
I carefully took the letter.
Because there was someone I needed to deliver it to.
[The Will of Driven Beniti]
The Predecessor Duke’s will.
Or a letter.
I tucked it into my pocket and moved.
Towards the girl who must be suffering from loss.
***
Emilia Beniti.
Since that day, the girl had been constantly plagued by melancholy.
Perhaps it was because of the fleetingly shattered legacy of her Predecessors.
The Vain One couldn’t shake off her unsettled feelings.
A single vow echoed in her ears.
“I will gladly bear that name.” “Because this is my pride.”
The path.
The one she had chosen to walk.
The girl’s stomach churned.
Had she truly made the right choice?
The absence of a home, a place to belong, was enough to weigh heavily on her.
No matter how much she pretended to be an adult, she was still too young to have even had her coming-of-age ceremony.
Emilia was being consumed by a somber sense of loss.
Just as she was sinking into that abyss.
“......You have something to give me?”
The boy sought out the girl.
The Golden Snake approached, as always, with a meaningless smile.
Lingering nearby, he soon held out something.
It was none other than a neatly folded letter.
“A letter...?”
“I happened to find it, you see.”
“What sudden whim made you bring something like this...?”
Emilia tore at the envelope from various angles.
Before long, her blue eyes stopped at a certain point.
It was because of a short sentence written in the recipient field.
For a moment, her breath caught.
[To my beloved children.]
The sender was not identified.
However, the girl immediately recognized its identity.
Unlike the luxurious paper, the handwriting was like ants crawling.
Though it was not at all Noble-like, yet the ink was pressed down with sincerity.
Emilia unconsciously murmured the name of the letter’s owner.
“......Father?”
It was Driven Beniti.
The Predecessor Duke and the twins’ father.
The familiar, crooked handwriting proved it.
Since he had injured his arm in battle, his own writing had always been like a bad scrawl.
The Vain One fiddled with the letter, having forgotten any other reaction.
Then, she turned her eyes towards the boy who had handed it to her.
“You seem surprised.”
The Golden Snake was smiling.
However, unlike usual, it wasn’t a joyful feeling.
It was merely a smile holding a hint of bitterness and sadness.
For some reason, the Villainess’s eyes welled up.
“I found it while tidying up the Duke’s Chamber... specifically, the bookshelf. I took a quick look, and it seemed appropriate for you to read it, Lady.”
The boy explained softly.
Before his words even finished, Emilia had already unfolded the letter.
Beyond it, familiar bad handwriting greeted the girl.
The rich scent of paper tinged her nose.
An image formed in her watery pupils.
《To Emilia and Ruska.》
The first sentence was as follows.
Her hands trembled naturally.
The girl composed herself and slowly read the letter.
《I don’t know how long it’s been since I last wrote a letter like this.》
《As you both know, my handwriting is terrible.》
《However... there’s something I absolutely must tell you, so I’ve picked up this pen.》
《I don’t have much time left to live.》
Emilia couldn’t tear her eyes away from the letter.
It was as if he knew his own impending death.
A strange confusion swirled before her eyes.
《This letter will probably be my will.》
《Still, it’s a relief.》
《I’ve been given a good opportunity to say goodbye to you.》
《I should also thank Gaston Gallimard, that troublesome old man.》
《If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to choose this end.》
《Despite everything, he’s a good old man.》
Only words she couldn’t understand.
Her mind was a jumble.
Yet, even those contents felt scorching to the girl.
The letter he left her, with his characteristic bad handwriting, his easygoing tone, and even the clumsily smudged ink, existed.
The strong scent of the past made Emilia’s eyes sting.
She swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump in her throat.
《My chatter has gone on too long.》
《I’m not good with words, you see. I couldn’t think of anything grand to say.》
《I merely... wanted to tell you that I worry about you two being left alone.》
《Surely, from now on, it will be a series of trials.》
《I had hoped you would never suffer throughout your lives.》
*Shimmer—.*
Light gradually seeped from the letter.
Afterwards, the surroundings shimmered like mist.
After she rubbed her eyes, two familiar faces stood in her vision.
It was none other than the Predecessor Duke and his wife. They were faces the girl longed for.
The illusion flickered before her eyes as if it were real.
A voice reached Emilia’s ears with clarity.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
“Father...?”
“I wanted to watch you, my tiny children, every single day, grow up and eventually become adults... but I left too soon, and for that, I am only sorry. I pray that you both become proper adults.”
“......”
The scene was infinitely vivid.
As if her deceased parents had returned.
Her chest tightened with the gentle resonance.
“Do not doubt the path you choose to walk.”
If it is a path you believe is right, do not hesitate in your steps.
As your father did, and as your predecessors did, do not lose your inherent pride.
Conversely, if you think a path is wrong, pause for a moment.
Look around you, re-evaluate yourself, and then find a new path.
You are the proud children of the Snowfield, and the Blessing of Snow will accompany your every step.
I won’t tell you not to cry.
No, rather, cry your heart out.
Collapse, despair, weep and blame the world.
But when morning comes, shake it off as if nothing happened.
Burn your life with pride, as if you never lost it.
That is the path we Guardians have walked.
“Please, do not lose your pride.”
*Flash—.*
The letters glowed brilliantly.
Soon, the letter transformed into a single snowflake and floated upwards.
A message was fluttering in the air, leaving Emilia’s hand.
Her blue-tinged eyes simply looked up.
“It’s already the end.”
“......”
“I’m sorry if I sound like I’m just nagging. But... please know that this is your father’s true heart.”
The snowflake also looked down at the girl.
A gaze that passed in an instant.
Emilia’s eyes were filled with heavy tears.
The emotions she had tried not to shed were welling up to their limit.
Finally.
《I love you. More than anything in the world.》
When she read that sentence,
Or when she heard the fading voice.
The Vain One could no longer hold back her tears.
Hot streaks traced down her pale cheeks.
Her stomach churned.
“Ah...”
It was terrifying.
After her parents died, everything was a mess.
She was betrayed by those she trusted.
She and her sibling had to live a life of survival.
Yet, she fought fiercely, and almost went astray a few times.
In the end, she killed her uncle and destroyed the legacy of her ancient predecessors with her own hands.
She cut off a part of what constituted her identity.
But.
*I mustn’t cry.*
She tried not to cry.
She tried not to waver.
She was an adult.
Now, she was the last in the lineage to lead Beniti.
Realizing the responsibility placed upon her, she decided to build a wall around her heart.
The overflowing emotions gushed out in sobs.
“......Ugh.”
She broke down at this scene.
A dazzling, spreading beauty.
Emilia carefully cupped the fluttering snowflake in her hands.
By then, the afterimages of her parents had scattered into the wind.
Only then did she realize.
*Illusion Magic.*
It was an illusion.
Someone had shown her an illusion, matching the contents of the letter.
So that a farewell could easily melt into the thin words.
Emilia savored the rich scent of the Snowfield.
If someone could do this...
“Lady.”
Indeed.
It could only be you.
Wiping her eyes, Emilia looked up at the Golden Snake.
The white reflected beyond his thinly opened eyes was a warm gaze, as always.
A voice that gently melted her frozen heart.
The girl couldn’t suppress her childish impulse.
Her stumbling body fell.
*Whump—!*
“Oh dear.”
The embrace that gently received her.
Emilia tightly hugged the boy’s body.
“Such a display of affection, even I would be embarrassed...”
A playful joke was thrown out.
Normally, she would have shuddered, but now, even this teasing was welcome.
A faint pulse began to spread, as if her heart were heating up.
The girl buried her face as if melting into that warmth.
His characteristic cool scent wafted around her.
“Don’t cry.”
“Ugh, ugh...”
“Everything will be all right now.”
Emilia struggled to swallow her sobs.
A faint whimper escaped.
A brief monologue.
*Why are you...*
Always teasing her.
It was making her embarrassed.
Tormenting her.
Yet sometimes, he held her like this.
Comforting her warmly
Believing in her was a matter of course.
So she wouldn’t waver and would walk the right path.
You, who stay by my side, why do you...
“You can do it.”
“Because you are the Lady.”
It is giving me a new life.
Saving me and Ruska who were bound by our Family.
When I waver as if I’m about to collapse, you smile as if you’ll collapse with me.
When I reach the right destination, you genuinely rejoice.
How could I not harbor feelings for such a kind person?
Emilia felt her tear-soaked heartbeat.
She tightened her embrace even more.
“You...”
If.
If I were to name this feeling.
“......Thank you. For everything.”
It would surely be love.
Her lips parted.
Her voice, half-choked with sobs, scattered in the swaying Snowfield wind.
Emilia conveyed it, struggling to compose her breathing.
Her affectionate gratitude to the Savior of her life.
It was the clumsy first love of a girl.
“Don’t mention it.”
The Golden Snake smiled softly.
He whispered a calm promise into her ear.
He was embracing the warmth held in his arms.
“I will always be on your side.”
The two stood there like that.