Episode 124
It wasn’t a difficult request. It wasn’t physical contact; it was just calling his name.
It was a small favor, hardly a significant repayment for his help.
I smiled brightly at Heron. He smiled back faintly, his eyes on me.
“Heron.”
As I called his name, I had a feeling I might never see him again after returning to the Empire.
So I added, without thinking,
“Come visit the Empire again sometime.”
Heron’s eyes widened slightly at my words, and then he chuckled, his shoulders shaking.
“Why, why are you laughing? Did I say something wrong?”
I asked, flustered, and he shook his head.
“It’s just… so like you, Valerie. It reminds me why I liked you.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Let’s not talk about this. We should discuss what to do after arriving at the Holy Kingdom.”
He seemed relieved, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he spoke. He was back to his usual languid, nonchalant self, as if nothing had happened.
I wanted to ask why he laughed, but I didn’t think he would tell me, and I felt like I shouldn’t ask.
Cesar, having sent Lily off, was preoccupied with other matters.
“And what did the Crown Prince say?”
“He said he would proceed after the succession ceremony.”
“Is that so?”
Tap, tap.
Cesar tapped his fingers on the desk, calculating the time it would take to travel from the Empire to the Holy Kingdom. He had to finish his preparations in the Empire by the time Lily’s task was completed.
“Do they use portals in the Holy Kingdom? Do they use teleportation scrolls?”
“I’m not certain, but if they used them within the Empire, there would be records of the coordinates and destinations. But as you know, although magic and divine power share the same origin, they’re also incompatible to some extent. And the Holy Kingdom blocks magic and related intrusions, so they probably don’t use them often.”
“I see.”
Cesar stood up and looked out the window at the empty garden. The mansion felt too quiet without Lily, who used to flutter around like a bird.
“I was hoping for a quick resolution and her return. But now, I wonder if it would be better if it took some time…”
Lily, who had excitedly explained her plan, seemed to be focused only on removing the Holy Kingdom’s power, not on the aftermath.
Even if Lily succeeded and regained her freedom, the remaining forces in the Holy Kingdom might still target her.
Even though Lily had power and he was confident she wouldn’t be harmed, Cesar wanted to prevent any such attempts.
And he couldn’t just stand by and leave everything to her, not knowing what they might do to her in that place that triggered such a violent reaction from her, a place where she might have already suffered.
“Ha. Honestly,”
He vividly remembered Lily’s tears, even though it was an act.
‘You shouldn’t have confessed if you were going to do this. You shouldn’t have tricked me with sweet words, saying this was my home…’
He was the one who had taken the fake scenario as reality.
He had instinctively moved towards her, wanting to comfort her as she sobbed, her heartbroken voice echoing his own feelings.
‘Don’t come near me!’
Lily’s cry had brought him back to his senses, but he regretted his actions.
His own heart ached, so Lily, who had to act as if it was real, must have also been in pain.
The image of her crying lingered in his mind even after she left for the Holy Kingdom, and he wanted to see her, to hold her close and apologize.
Cesar suppressed his emotions and focused on work. It was the only way to keep his mind off Lily.
After finishing his work at the Dukedom, Cesar went to the trading company he ran.
Wilhelm greeted him with an exasperated look.
“What brings you here today, Master?”
“Did you finish the task I gave you?”
“How could I possibly finish yesterday’s task tod…”
Wilhelm, seeing Cesar’s sharp glare, quickly shut his mouth.
He felt like dying, with Cesar visiting the trading company every day in a foul mood after seemingly being overjoyed.
“Yes. I’m almost done.”
Wilhelm cautiously gauged Cesar’s reaction.
“Finish it as soon as possible. I’ll be reviewing everything you’ve been working on, since I’ve been busy with Dukedom affairs and haven’t been able to pay attention to the trading company.”
To be precise, Cesar had been preoccupied with finding a way to shake the Holy Kingdom to its core, using his secret information network, but Wilhelm was already tired of Cesar demanding information about a region they barely had any intel on.
“Understood. But I have a question.”
“What is it? If it’s something trivial, I’ll cut your salary.”
Wilhelm gulped at his chilling response and asked,
“Why are you suddenly gathering information about such a distant kingdom?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“I figured you would say that. Then, since gathering information within the Empire has its limitations, would it be alright to send someone there and investigate directly?”
“Send someone there…?”
“Yes.”
Cesar, hearing Wilhelm’s suggestion, smiled brightly for the first time since Lily left.
“Yes. I can go and welcome her personally as soon as I’m done here. There’s no rule that says I have to welcome her at the Dukedom.”
Wilhelm shuddered, rubbing his arms at the sight of Cesar smiling brightly and muttering to himself.
‘I arrived, but the journey was arduous.’
I wasn’t physically tired, but I was mentally exhausted.
Because of the strict surveillance during the journey, I hadn’t been able to properly talk to Heron since we left the Dukedom.
They seemed wary of me befriending any of the priests, as another priest joined us in the carriage from the second day onwards, preventing me from talking freely with Heron.
So, whenever I was briefly alone, I would ask the spirit to relay messages.
‘But I finally arrived.’
Although I couldn’t see much from inside the carriage, I could sense a familiar energy, telling me we had entered the Holy Kingdom’s territory.
I felt a sense of both familiarity and unease, this place where my power originated, remembering that it was also a source of exploitation.
‘And it’s like a prison. They haven’t even let me see outside for a while now.’
They had become even more vigilant, confining me to the carriage.
During the long, boring journey, I tried to recall my previous memories, preparing for the inevitable chaos upon arrival.
‘Ordinary spirits can’t even approach that place, so they don’t know its location, right?’
The bird had repeatedly emphasized that it was safer to go there with the guidance of the Spirit King of the Wind, since it was a heavily guarded and restricted area in the Holy Kingdom, protected by barriers and double surveillance.
And it warned me that if I went alone and was caught, I could face dire consequences.
‘It’s a good thing they don’t know I’ll be reborn even if I die. They think I’m a different being altogether.’
Although it didn’t seem to matter since I would lose my memories if I died and was reborn.
‘Heron promised to summon the Spirit King of the Wind after we arrive, right?’
Once I was guided there, destroyed the jewel storing my divine power, and reabsorbed the remaining divine power in this land, this tiresome connection would finally end.
‘Since it’s divine power accumulated over a long period, absorbing it all at once might be too much for my body. But if I succeed, the Holy Kingdom will no longer be under its protection.’
‘If there was such a method, why didn’t you use it before?’
‘I told you, I lose my memories when I die. I tried it when I first learned about it, but I failed, and after dying, I didn’t remember. So I couldn’t do it.’
The method she told me was something I already knew. It was the same method I used to transform between human and bird forms.
I could reabsorb the divine power imbued in this land by focusing on extracting it.
Just then, I swayed. The carriage lurched, as if going downhill.
‘If I were a bird, I would definitely have motion sickness.’
I steadied myself and waited, and the door suddenly opened.
“What’s…”
And my arm was pulled. The hand was gentle, but the gaze directed at me was cold.
“We’ve been waiting. The training is ready.”
“What kind of training?”
“We’ve heard you’ve been living in… an unrefined environment. Naturally, you wouldn’t have the proper mindset, so we’ll help you with that.”
Their words made me frown. I knew what kind of “training” it was.
‘Brainwashing. Surveillance to prevent escape, and indoctrination.’
In my memories, it was a suffocating, oppressive time.
A white robe, similar to theirs, was placed over my clothes. I felt a wave of nausea as the scene from my memories replayed itself.
‘I was planning on observing for two weeks and then making my move.’
But seeing the High Priest’s smiling face, I made up my mind. I would leave this place within a week.
Repeating this life, as that bird said, was tiring.
It was time for me to be happy.