Episode 143
Artius had given his permission.
Valerian, escorted by the Imperial Knights, entered the dungeon where Simon was being held.
He spoke to Simon, who was huddled on the floor, his head bowed.
“Prince Simon.”
Simon didn’t answer. Valerian, persistent, asked,
“Why did you come here? Of your own free will?”
Simon remained motionless, his head buried in his knees.
Valerian sensed something was wrong.
“Does Princess Olivia know you’re here?”
“…Sister Olivia—”
Simon finally reacted, and Valerian, his eyes filled with anticipation, waited for his answer.
“—doesn’t know. I heard she’s still unconscious, distraught over the loss of Sister Chelon’s heirloom.”
Simon, his gaze still fixed on the floor, mumbled. He seemed agitated.
“Did you really help the Resurrectionists escape?”
“Yes.”
This time, his answer was immediate. Valerian, grabbing the bars of the cell, leaned closer and asked,
“Are you sure?”
Simon’s eyes darted around, his breathing shallow and rapid.
He was lying.
“Are you hiding something?”
Simon turned away.
“You’re lying, aren’t you?”
“…No. I helped Marquis Hellington escape.”
He continued to deny it, his words sounding like a desperate attempt to convince himself.
Valerian sighed and knelt down in front of him.
“Your Highness, we have something in common.”
He changed the subject abruptly. Simon, his eyes narrowed suspiciously, looked up at Valerian, who was now at eye level with him. Valerian smiled faintly.
“We both have older sisters. Older sisters who are much older than us, and rather intimidating.”
“…”
Simon remained silent, unsure of Valerian’s intentions.
Valerian, undeterred, continued, his voice light and playful,
“We’ve always been trying to earn their approval, haven’t we? We’re good at reading their moods, thanks to years of practice.”
Simon still didn’t respond, pretending not to understand.
“Your Highness, are you hiding something?”
“There’s nothing to—”
“Yes, there is. You suspect your sister, don’t you?”
Valerian’s orange eyes, usually so warm and gentle, turned sharp and piercing.
“How… did you…?”
Simon, startled by his sudden change in demeanor, blurted out the truth, then quickly covered his mouth, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Valerian, his expression turning somber, murmured,
“I’ve suspected my own sister before, so I know the signs.”
He had been tormented by conflicting emotions.
His desire for his sister’s approval and his sense of duty to do what was right. But no one had listened to him, so he had chosen to remain silent, waiting for Elonia’s intervention.
But Simon didn’t have to suffer in silence.
“Your Highness, we can help you. So please tell us the truth.”
Valerian, looking directly at Simon, who was trembling, his arms wrapped around his knees, repeated his earlier question.
“Where is Princess Olivia, and what is she doing?”
Thud!
Elonia landed on solid ground, a space even deeper than the basement. It had been a long fall, but she had landed gracefully, minimizing the impact.
“Damn it…”
How was she supposed to get out of here? She looked around.
It was a circular arena, surrounded by rows of seats, like a gladiatorial arena.
‘The research log mentioned confining the test subjects to a single space.’
This must be it. The perfect place to observe the animals tearing each other apart.
She looked for an exit, but there was none.
“Could the Tite Knights be here as well?”
They had definitely entered the watchtower, but she hadn’t seen them anywhere, not even in the basement. If they weren’t in the basement, then they must have been transported here, just like her.
“I should look for them. It’s better than being alone.”
She felt like she was being watched, like she was the entertainment in this arena.
Just as she was about to start searching,
A growl echoed through the arena. She turned towards the sound.
It was coming from the entrance.
‘Damn it, not again.’
She couldn’t see anything beyond the dark entrance, but it had to be those creatures.
She reached for her sword, then realized she had thrown it earlier, to save the knight.
“Is there anything else…?”
She patted her legs, but she hadn’t been carrying the dagger, Alexia’s heirloom, since reading Philemon’s diary. She no longer felt the phantom weight of the dagger, no longer felt the need to carry it.
“…”
She could handle herself. She was proficient in unarmed combat.
And she could cast magic without a staff, without even moving her fingers.
Just as she was thinking she could handle this,
“…Huh?”
Her magic wasn’t working.
She tried again, focusing her mana, but it was useless. Her mana wouldn’t gather.
Thump, thump.
She couldn’t tell if it was her heart beating or the sound of approaching footsteps.
Thump! The ground trembled as the creature took its final step.
It was the latter. The creature, emerging from the darkness, finally revealed itself.
“…”
Elonia, looking up at the monstrous figure, several times, no, dozens of times larger than her, almost stopped breathing.
It was different from the animals she had encountered in the basement. It was a grotesque amalgamation of several creatures.
‘A chimera…?’
Chimeras were creatures of myth, mentioned only in ancient scriptures.
A massive body, larger than a bear, large horns protruding from its head, sharp talons like an eagle’s, fangs like a tiger’s, and thick, leathery skin. A single creature combining the deadliest features of various beasts.
The research log had mentioned a chimera core as one of the ingredients.
Elonia, her voice filled with despair, murmured,
“I’m screwed.”
And at that moment, the chimera charged.
“Where is Princess Olivia, and what is she doing?”
Simon, at Valerian’s question, bit his lip. Valerian pleaded with him,
“Please tell me, Your Highness.”
“…”
Simon remained silent, but Valerian, his gaze unwavering, won the silent battle of wills.
Simon finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper,
“She’s at the Bereta estate. As I said, she’s still unconscious, distraught over the loss of Sister Chelon’s heirloom.”
But it was the same answer as before. Valerian frowned.
“Your Highness, please tell me the truth.”
“I am telling you the truth.”
Simon slowly lifted his head, meeting Valerian’s gaze.
“It’s true. Sister Olivia didn’t do anything. It’s just that…”
He trailed off, then continued, his voice low and steady,
“If I were Felix, I would want to eliminate Sister Olivia, who has sided with Ravanta.”
In Heilan, blond hair was a symbol of royalty.
But in Ravanta, it was a common hair color.
They could easily find a woman with similar features, cover her face, dye her hair blond, and then present her as Olivia, the High Priest. And Olivia would be eliminated.
“So you confessed to protect her? To protect the princess?”
“…Yes. His Majesty isn’t merciful. I couldn’t let them execute my sister without proof.”
“It sounds like you don’t care about your own life.”
“…”
Simon turned away.
Valerian chuckled dryly. He could hardly recognize the timid prince from their academy days.
Quiet people were the most dangerous when they were determined.
“Princess Olivia is a friend of Her Highness. His Majesty wouldn’t harm her without proof—”
“High Priest, you seem to have lived a sheltered life.”
Simon interrupted him, glancing at him sideways.
“We were released from our hostage status thanks to the princess’s kindness. She’s compassionate. That’s why she treated us, the Heilan prince and princess, with such kindness, and even befriended my sister.”
Simon’s fingers traced patterns on the rough stone floor.
“But if false evidence is presented, if everyone demands her execution, even Her Highness won’t be able to protect her.”
Valerian fell silent.
He was right. Elonia was kind and compassionate. She couldn’t abandon those in need.
And her compassion always favored the victim. Both Valerian and Simon had benefited from her kindness.
If they were told that Olivia was harming others, Elonia would choose to protect the victims, not Olivia.
He suddenly remembered Elonia’s troubled expression.
“…Your Highness, Her Highness seemed troubled earlier. Did you say something to her when you were first brought here?”
Simon might be timid, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew how to exploit Elonia’s kindness.
Valerian’s suspicion was confirmed. Simon, staring at his scratched fingers, murmured,
“I don’t understand why she’s so kind to us. It doesn’t make sense, not just because she helped us with the Dianne Rossi incident at the academy.”
There was no such thing as unconditional kindness.
It had been Olivia’s motto, and the general consensus in Heilan.
Simon looked up, his voice filled with a bitter resignation.
“Heilan deserves to be destroyed. His Majesty believes that as well. But Her Highness… she thinks differently.”
Her actions spoke louder than words.
She hated Heilan, but she didn’t want to punish the innocent.
“War is the quickest way to destroy a nation. But there’s a faster, more peaceful method, the method Her Highness prefers.”
“…No way.”
Valerian, his eyes widening in shock, jumped up. Simon smiled faintly.
“If Brother Felix dies, the throne will be mine. So I proposed a marriage of convenience. In exchange for Heilan, I asked for her to guarantee Sister Olivia’s safety and freedom.”
“You proposed to Elonia?”
A voice, filled with disbelief, echoed from behind them.
Valerian quickly turned around, but the intruder had already reached Simon’s cell.
Thud!
“Ugh…!”
Simon’s head hit the bars as someone grabbed him by the collar. A furious roar echoed through the dungeon.
“You bastard! How dare you threaten my sister?!”
“Ugh.”
“L-Llewellyn!”
It was Llewellyn. What was he doing here? He should be at the academy.
Before Valerian could ask, another voice echoed from behind him.
“Young Master!”
Valerian turned around again.
Llewellyn wasn’t alone.
“Lucius, what are you doing here?!”
Ricardo and Lucius had also entered the dungeon.