Episode 179
Tristan gracefully descended from the spire, his face a mask of false concern.
“My, my, you both look exhausted. Shall we take a break?”
“If I had the time, I’d rather spend it stabbing you.”
Elonia retorted sharply. Tristan chuckled.
“Just like Alex’s daughter. Such a fiery temper.”
“Anyone would lose their temper in your presence.”
“Chelon!”
Felix, enraged by Elonia’s insult, stepped forward, but Tristan stopped him with a wave of his hand.
“Tristan.”
“Shh.”
Tristan was in control now.
Elonia gripped her sword, and Lucius also prepared to attack, but neither of them made a move.
Tristan smiled, satisfied.
“You’re both quite intelligent.”
He snapped his fingers nonchalantly.
The dark clouds spread, engulfing all of Ravanta. Elonia and Lucius looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with a growing sense of dread.
Tristan smiled sweetly, his voice laced with menace.
“I won’t die alone. I’m sure you understand.”
Understand my ass. Elonia wanted to punch him in the face.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and asked,
“Why are you so devoted to Felix? Willing to sacrifice everything for him?”
Felix flinched at her blunt question, a vein throbbing on his forehead. Elonia continued her verbal assault.
“Did he treat you better than the Calamity God?”
“Infinitely better.”
Tristan replied instantly.
“Enough to endure being hunted by the Calamity God’s apostles?”
Lucius asked. Tristan, his voice calm and steady, replied,
“Freedom requires sacrifice.”
“Do you think the other gods will welcome you, even if you become a god?”
“That’s a foolish question, Apostle.”
Tristan chuckled.
He had spent an unimaginable amount of time in the divine realm.
And it was no different from the human world.
“They’re also swayed by power. The gods humans fear might be the lowest-ranking gods in the divine realm, oppressed by higher-ranking gods, who are in turn oppressed by even higher-ranking gods. So it’s a simple matter of accumulating more faith than them.”
The world was ruled by the strong.
It wasn’t just a human concept. Tristan had learned that in the divine realm.
He looked at the two stunned children and tilted his head.
“Are you surprised that the gods are no different from humans?”
“…”
“I didn’t expect such naivety from you, Chelon Heilan, even if the apostle is still young and inexperienced.”
“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you noticed? You, treated like a slave in Heilan, were raised like a treasure here, simply because you’re the sole heir. If you had been born to a slave mother in this life as well, your fate wouldn’t have been any different—”
“Shut up!”
Elonia’s voice echoed through the spire, so loud that Lucius almost winced.
Her face was flushed with anger.
“My father isn’t like that! He would never do that!”
“We heard rumors that the Emperor of Ravanta abandoned his newborn daughter. Were we misinformed?”
“Shut your mouth, Tristan!”
Lucius shouted, defending Elonia.
Even healed wounds could still hurt. The scars remained.
But Elonia stopped him. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, her gaze cold and sharp, the earlier fury replaced by an icy calm.
Felix flinched at her sudden change in demeanor, and Elonia, a sly smile playing on her lips, asked,
“Tristan, is that your story?”
“…!”
Tristan’s face, for the first time, showed a flicker of surprise.
Elonia smiled triumphantly.
Lucius, understanding her intention, though surprised by her sudden change in tactics, nodded, exchanging a look with her. Tristan, his composure faltering, stammered,
“M-my story? What are you…”
“It was strange. Even if Heilan’s history books are unreliable, the scriptures wouldn’t lie.”
Elonia twirled her rapier nonchalantly, then pointed it at Felix.
“Felix, I visited Heilan before the war ended.”
“…What?”
Now it was Felix’s turn to be surprised. He frowned, his eyes narrowed.
“I missed Olivia and Simon, so I wanted to see them. But then I overheard your and Vermon’s conversation, and I changed my plans.”
“No way…”
Felix’s face paled.
Killing the hunting dog after the hunt was a Heilan tradition. But Chelon had been constantly brainwashed.
“What? You promised to end this if I unified the continent?”
Elonia’s voice was cold and sharp, her rapier slicing through the air.
“That’s why you lost. You shouldn’t have pushed the hunting dog too far.”
Felix finally understood Chelon’s death.
Why hadn’t he realized it sooner?
Chelon’s death had been unexpected. Which meant—
“Y-you mean you deliberately let Artius kill you…?”
Felix asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
That was impossible. He had taken precautions, ensuring she couldn’t harm herself. She couldn’t have removed her restraints and killed herself.
“Yes.”
Thud.
Felix froze, as if he had been struck by lightning. Elonia repeated, her voice firm and steady,
“I asked Artius to kill me.”
“…!”
Both Felix and Tristan were speechless. They hadn’t expected that.
Felix, running a hand through his hair, stammered,
“Why? Didn’t you care about Olivia and Simon—?”
“Do you think those things matter when you’re cornered?”
Elonia looked down at Felix, her gaze cold and piercing.
Felix had never feared Elonia before. She was smaller than him, and as long as he had the tools to control her, she wouldn’t be able to harm him.
“Felix.”
Elonia took a step towards him.
“Even a pet dog bites its owner when it’s abandoned. What about a hunting dog?”
Felix, for the first time in his life, felt true fear.
A fear greater than the fear he had felt before Artius.
“The only option left is to bite the owner before dying. That was the only way I could fight back against Heilan.”
“…So you’re going to kill me now?”
“I killed Dolce. Why not you?”
“…Tristan!”
Just as Tristan, snapping out of his daze, moved to protect Felix,
Lucius stepped forward.
“Dolores.”
“…!”
Tristan’s body stiffened at the name that escaped Lucius’s lips. He stared at Lucius, his gray eyes trembling.
Lucius smiled brightly, his voice filled with a chilling amusement.
“So that was your real name.”
“H-how…”
Tristan’s composure crumbled. He stammered, his lips trembling, and Lucius, his eyes crinkling, thanked him.
“If it weren’t for this situation, we wouldn’t have discovered your true identity. Thank you.”
“How did you know that name?!”
“I saw the Calamity God’s memories.”
Lucius’s unwavering answer made Tristan freeze.
No, there was still hope.
If he thought a mere name was enough to defeat him…
“The first slave, crushed by a god’s love. And the forgotten princess of Heilan, Dolores Heilan.”
“…What?”
Felix gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief.
A shadow of fear crossed Tristan’s face, and Elonia, meeting his gaze, smirked.
“Is that your real name?”
Philemon, flying towards the spire, froze as her eyes met Tristan’s.
She blinked, and then she saw black hair.
“…!”
She didn’t need a mirror to know.
She was Alexia. And she was…
“The Ravanta Imperial Palace…”
At least it was a familiar place.
She had to hide before anyone saw her.
‘But how…? This is Ravanta, so why am I in Alexia’s form…?!’
Just as she was frantically searching for a hiding spot,
Footsteps.
The sound of shoes against grass grew closer. Someone was approaching.
And the owner of the footsteps was someone she knew, someone she loved.
“Artius…”
Artius walked towards her, his gaze fixed on her. Alexia, frozen in place, stammered,
“A-Artius, no, Your Majesty, I’m not suspicious, I…”
“Philia, you’ll catch a cold out here.”
“…?”
Philemon, a mixture of relief and anxiety in her eyes, looked at Artius.
Did he see her as Philemon?
Artius, his eyes filled with warmth, reached out towards her. She knew this gesture. He was about to stroke her hair gently—
“Philia, your face is cold. Let’s go inside.”
“Artius…?”
His hand passed right through her.
And his gaze wasn’t focused on her. Just as Philemon, her confusion growing, was about to call out to him again,
“Artius—”
“I’m fine, Your Majesty.”
“…!”
Someone interrupted her.
The voice came from right behind her.
The same voice as hers, but with a different tone.
“You’ll get sick if you stay out here. And Chloe said I’m past the critical stage now.”
A softer, gentler, more fragile voice.
A voice that tugged at your heartstrings, evoking a protective instinct.
She turned around and saw a familiar face, pouting slightly. Artius, his face filled with concern, said,
“Your fever just broke this morning. Please take care of yourself, for the baby’s sake.”
“But… cough.”
“Philia!”
Artius’s face paled at her small cough. He quickly removed his heavy cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
And Philemon realized,
‘That’s the real Philemon.’
The woman in Artius’s arms was the real Philemon.
The real Philemon, her cheeks flushed, smiled happily. Artius hugged her tightly, then, his face slightly red, said,
“Philia, about the baby’s name…”
“Have you chosen one already?”
“Of course.”
“But we don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.”
“It doesn’t matter. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, I like the name □□□.”
“Isn’t that too common?”
“It’s best for them to grow up ordinary.”
Artius smiled like a boy, and the real Philemon smiled back.
Philemon finally understood.
‘Tristan…!’
She had met Tristan’s gaze before losing consciousness. He had seen her in Ravanta, in Philemon’s form. He had realized the truth.
That she was the one who had brought Chelon Heilan back, as Elonia.
He had trapped her in this phantom realm to prevent her from interfering.