Episode 154
Noah couldn’t comprehend the situation.
“B-but that’s impossible. I saw her…”
Ronald looked at his trembling daughter. He didn’t think she was lying, but there was no body, not even a broken flowerpot, beneath the window.
And he had only heard Noah’s scream.
He patted her shoulder gently.
“You must have had a nightmare. I’ll bring you the aromatherapy candle I bought the other day. The scent will calm you down.”
“B-but Father.”
“Noah, look. There’s really nothing down there.”
“…”
Noah, though still uneasy, couldn’t deny the truth. She checked again and again, but Olivia’s body was gone.
She reluctantly went back to bed, the scent of the candle lulling her to sleep.
The next day, though she had slept thanks to Ronald, Noah was still anxious. She needed proof.
‘I need proof that I didn’t kill Princess Olivia.’
She was a princess. If she had truly died, the Peace Treaty Zone would be in an uproar. If that was the case… she would turn herself in.
That was why she had ventured out into the Peace Treaty Zone.
Noah, having confessed everything, looked at Elonia anxiously.
“Y-Your Highness. Princess Olivia is alive, right? I must have imagined it that night, right?”
Elonia was speechless. She had disobeyed orders and risked her life just because of a hallucination? And it was suspiciously coincidental that the chimera had appeared on the very day Noah had left the safety of her home.
But Noah’s expression seemed genuine.
‘Or maybe not. Noah is a good actress.’
Elonia’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. Noah, sensing her doubt, quickly added,
“I’m not involved with any cults anymore!”
“…”
“R-really! There’s no reason for me to be! My family in Delan is probably dead by now! Why would I do something like that?!”
Noah waved her arms frantically, protesting her innocence.
She wasn’t the type to tell such obvious lies. She was more likely to put on a convincing performance.
Elonia released her collar and gave her the answer she craved.
“Olivia is fine. She hasn’t even been near your neighborhood.”
Olivia’s innocence had been proven long ago. But it was still strange.
Olivia appearing before Noah twice, and vanishing instantly both times.
‘Was Noah hallucinating?’
No, that was unlikely. Hallucinations needed a trigger, and the only traumatic experience Noah had with Olivia was having her hair pulled at the academy. That wasn’t enough to cause hallucinations.
Just then, Elonia’s gaze fell upon the chimera’s corpse.
“…!”
A sudden realization struck her like lightning.
Think. If animal carcasses could be reanimated, why not humans? If they could stitch together animal parts to create a chimera, why couldn’t they create a phantom Olivia?
“Noah, when did you first see Olivia?”
“Uh, well… about two weeks ago.”
“Exactly!”
“T-two weeks ago! Exactly two weeks ago!”
It coincided perfectly with the day Marquis Hellington and his accomplices escaped.
The woman who had freed them, the woman who resembled Olivia, must have been a phantom.
‘Noah, in her misguided attempt to help, must have encountered the fake Olivia on her way to free the prisoners.’
The phantom Olivia was just a tool to eliminate the real Olivia. And they might have become aware of Noah’s existence through the phantom.
Felix, having discovered a traitor, must have decided to eliminate Noah as well, releasing the chimera where she would likely be.
‘But the chimera was also bait.’
Elonia finally understood why they had released the chimeras in places like the academy and the Peace Treaty Zone, places where royalty would inevitably intervene.
Felix and Tristan’s true goal lay elsewhere.
Tristan was close to becoming a god. He was going after one of the three things he needed to achieve his goal.
Elonia, her heart pounding with urgency, teleported towards their true destination.
Meanwhile, Tristan, observing Ravanta through the chimera’s eyes, clicked his tongue. The chimera he had sent to the academy, following the one sent to the Peace Treaty Zone, was dead.
But it didn’t matter. He had achieved his goal.
He had gathered enough faith to animate chimeras without using dead holy relics, and he had confirmed what he needed to know.
Tristan, his gaze shifting from the now-empty space where the image had been projected, turned to Felix.
“Your Majesty, do you remember where you saw the Ravanta princess now?”
“…No.”
Felix shook his head. Tristan had achieved his goal, but Felix hadn’t.
He frowned, muttering,
“I’m sure I’ve seen her somewhere before… I remember the face of that traitor who’s still breathing Ravanta’s air.”
He had recognized Noah instantly, even though he hadn’t seen her in seven years. But he couldn’t place Elonia’s face.
Where could it have been? He searched his memories, but nothing came to mind. It was unusual for Felix, who never forgot a face.
He pushed aside the nagging feeling and asked Tristan,
“Tristan, you finally saw the princess’s Sword Magic. What do you think?”
“Better than expected. She defeated it alone, something that required two Sword Masters and a renowned magic professor.”
Tristan smiled faintly. Lucius hadn’t been exaggerating.
“We’ve also confirmed why the faith gathering has slowed down. I didn’t expect them to distribute the potion of luck so inefficiently… Ravanta’s response was surprisingly swift.”
“It must be Lucius’s doing. He must have advised the princess.”
“Well, it was a futile effort.”
Tristan’s gaze shifted towards a distant estate, surrounded by lush greenery.
A figure with white hair came into view, and Tristan smirked.
“Found him.”
Lucius, after Elonia and Valerian left, remained in his room, experimenting with his Holy Power.
He tried imbuing his sword with Holy Power, mimicking Elonia’s fighting style, but the results were unsatisfactory.
‘It’s difficult to create a weapon of destruction with Holy Power, which is meant for healing.’
He sighed, feeling useless.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t been much help in the past either. There had been times when he had been paralyzed by fear, trapped in darkness, unable to escape.
But he wasn’t like that anymore. He had taken a step forward.
‘Don’t push yourself. Her Highness will notice.’
And Valerian would scold him during their next treatment session.
Lucius decided to focus on regaining his physical strength instead. He felt embarrassed relying on Ricardo for support.
He walked briskly around the garden, his breathing becoming ragged, and looked up at the sky.
“…!”
A large creature was flying overhead. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, it was a chimera.
The Luneus estate, though located on the outskirts of the capital, was situated on high ground, offering a clear view of the Imperial Palace. The chimera was heading towards…
‘The Peace Treaty Zone!’
No, not just there. Another chimera was flying towards the academy.
“What is going on…?”
Two chimeras in the heart of Ravanta?
Was he hallucinating? The Imperial Palace must be in chaos.
“Her Highness is in danger.”
He murmured, but then remembered Elonia had already defeated a chimera.
She was strong. He knew that, but his precognitive dream made him anxious. What if today was the day she was in danger?
‘…I promised Philemon.’
He had promised her they would both be safe.
He owed the Ravanta Imperial family a great debt. He couldn’t let them suffer.
He rushed towards the stables.
“Coachman! I apologize, but please…”
He stopped mid-sentence. There were two chimeras. Where was Elonia?
If he hadn’t lost his powers, he would have been able to sense her location, even from this distance.
He tried to think rationally.
‘Chimeras might look like monsters, but they’re born from Holy Power. So they must be vulnerable to mana. Then…’
The academy had many mages, but the Peace Treaty Zone didn’t.
Elonia would be at the Peace Treaty Zone.
He shouted again,
“Coachman! Take me to the Peace Treaty Zone, quickly!”
But the coachman didn’t respond, didn’t even turn around. Lucius had shouted, standing right beside him. It was strange.
Lucius, growing increasingly anxious, placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Coachman! Can you hear me? Take me to the Peace Treaty Zone—”
The coachman’s head turned slowly, and Lucius’s words died in his throat.
The coachman removed his hat, revealing his hair.
It was blond, stained with blood. A familiar shade of blond.
And his face, devoid of emotion, his eyes empty and lifeless… Lucius recognized him instantly.
“L-Lady Chelon…?”
It was Chelon Heilan. Elonia’s past self, standing before him, breathing.
Lucius’s mind went blank.
‘That’s impossible.’
The dream couldn’t have come true today.
He had just seen Elonia less than a day ago. She couldn’t have been killed by Artius in such a short time. Chelon Heilan couldn’t have been resurrected at the cost of Elonia’s life.
He stumbled backwards, collapsing onto the ground, his body refusing to obey him.
“No… impossible…”
He couldn’t speak properly, couldn’t breathe.
His heart felt like it was being squeezed. It was a pain far worse than the physical pain he had endured when testing the holy relic.
Chelon approached him, her steps slow and deliberate, the scent of blood and death clinging to her.
She held out her hand, as if inviting him to follow her.
“Lady Chelon…”
She didn’t answer, her hand remaining outstretched.
Lucius, tears streaming down his face, looked up at her, and at that moment,
“Who the hell do you think you are, impersonating me?!”
Crash! Something fell from the sky.
Mint-green hair fluttering in the wind, the refreshing scent of mint replacing the stench of death, amethyst eyes shining brightly despite the sunlight behind her.
“Lucius, are you okay?”
It was Elonia.