Episode 160
“How…”
Wasn’t Tristan supposed to be confined to the Heilan Royal Palace?
Tristan, seeing Elonia’s fear, smiled with satisfaction and clung to Felix’s back. Elonia froze.
‘He’s definitely a man, right?’
It was hard to tell at first glance.
But according to Lucius, they were bound by love.
That was what Elonia couldn’t understand.
Felix, the epitome of Heilan authority, in love with a man? Felix, the most Heilan of all Heilans!
“Whether I’m a man or a woman is irrelevant.”
“…!”
Elonia flinched at the unexpected answer.
‘Did he read my mind?’
Tristan chuckled, seeing the question written plainly on her face.
He couldn’t read minds.
He had simply lived for a long time, and having once been weak himself, he was adept at reading the emotions of the weak.
He smiled, as if bestowing a great favor, and revealed a piece of information about himself.
“I’ve already died once and lost my physical body. My appearance is merely determined by the one who believes in and loves me the most.”
Now, let’s not dwell on trivial matters.
Tristan smiled gently, his eyes crinkling. Elonia, paralyzed by tension, couldn’t react.
Even the War Demon was just a novice compared to someone who had lived for centuries.
Tristan observed her languidly, like a lion surveying its prey.
As the suffocating silence stretched on, Elonia’s mind raced, considering her options and the potential consequences.
‘No holy relic, no Dad, no backup.’
She was used to fighting alone, but the realization of her solitude brought an overwhelming sense of despair and fear.
But she had to do something.
She had a responsibility.
Just as she tightened her grip on her sword,
“Seeing you in person, Your Highness, I finally understand. You may be close to a god, but you’re not one.”
“…What are you talking about?”
Elonia, startled by his nonsensical words, tightened her grip on her sword and swallowed nervously.
Her tension was palpable, and Tristan couldn’t suppress his amusement.
“Fear is not an emotion easily overcome, even in a second life.”
“…!”
A second life? Could it be…?
Elonia felt the blood drain from her face.
“As the new god of Heilan, I failed to recognize the one who devoted herself most to Heilan. Please forgive this inadequate god.”
Tristan bowed, his face devoid of any genuine apology, his eyes filled with the amusement of someone watching a cornered animal.
“Aha.”
And like a chain reaction, a gasp of delight escaped Felix’s lips.
He understood.
Why Lucius, who distrusted everyone, had tried to protect the princess. Why he had sided with Ravanta. Why Elonia had seemed so familiar.
It was all because,
“It was you, Chelon.”
Elonia was Chelon.
Felix’s eyes gleamed with a manic light as he smiled.
Lucius and Ricardo ran towards the audience chamber. Ethan blocked Lucius’s path.
“I apologize, Young Master, but Her Highness ordered that no one be allowed entry.”
“But…!”
“Ethan, I’m sorry, but please let us through just this once.”
“Ricardo! Wasn’t it your duty to keep the Young Master in his room?”
“There are circumstances.”
Their argument didn’t last long. The door, which should have remained closed until a decision was made, opened.
Ethan and the guards quickly straightened their posture, preparing to greet Elonia, but—
“My business is concluded. I’d appreciate it if you could show me to my room.”
It was Felix who emerged first.
The guards were naturally surprised, and Lucius froze upon seeing him. Felix greeted him cheerfully.
“Oh, it seems there was another guest.”
“H-how…”
Felix looked down at Lucius, his smile not reaching his eyes.
Lucius was momentarily paralyzed by fear. But Felix being alive meant something had happened to Elonia.
“Your Highness…!”
Lucius quickly looked past Felix. Elonia was standing in the middle of the audience chamber. He was relieved to see she was alive.
But she didn’t look at him, didn’t respond to his call. She stood frozen, her face filled with fear, as if she had fainted standing up.
Ethan and Ricardo also sensed something was wrong and rushed to her side.
“Your Highness, are you alright? Are you injured…?”
Elonia appeared unharmed. And the sword she should have used to strike Felix lay on the floor, clean and unstained by blood.
Just as they realized something was terribly wrong, Elonia swayed.
“Your Highness!”
Ethan quickly caught her, preventing her from falling. Elonia, seemingly unaware that she had almost collapsed, kept her gaze fixed on the floor.
Lucius cautiously approached her.
“Your Highness, did Tristan…”
“So, Princess of Ravanta, I’d appreciate it if you could show me to my accommodations.”
Felix’s triumphant voice drowned out Lucius’s question. Elonia finally spoke, her voice hollow.
“…Take King Felix to the guest room in the annex.”
Felix had succeeded in getting a response from Elonia when neither Ethan nor Lucius could.
He shrugged, smirked, and, urging the guards to lead the way, left the Main Palace.
Only after Felix was gone did Elonia murmur,
“He knows.”
“…!”
Ethan understood it as their plan being discovered.
But Ricardo and Lucius, who knew Elonia’s true identity, understood differently.
Many things could upset Elonia, but few things could break her spirit, especially when she was consumed by anger.
And yet, she was completely shattered.
‘No way.’
Lucius prayed it wasn’t true.
Ricardo, seeing the fear in their eyes, spoke to Ethan instead of Elonia.
“Ethan, I’ll take Her Highness back. Deploy knights to the annex.”
“…Alright.”
Ethan was worried about Elonia, but she couldn’t let Felix rest comfortably in the Ravanta Imperial Palace.
After Ethan left, Elonia finally started walking.
“Your Highness, where are you going?”
Ricardo asked urgently. Elonia stopped, then, after a long silence, replied,
“…Office.”
She didn’t look back, didn’t lift her head. She walked with heavy steps towards her office in the Imperial Princess’s Palace.
Only when she reached her office did she speak to them again.
“Leave me alone for a while.”
“But…!”
“Please.”
She was clearly not alright, but Elonia was adamant.
The door closed.
Ricardo and Lucius stared blankly at the closed door.
As dusk settled, Lucius returned to his room. He stopped short at the entrance.
“…Lord Tristan.”
“Oh, Apostle. You’ve finally arrived.”
Tristan was standing in front of his door.
The corridor was empty. Tristan’s form, like Philemon’s earlier manifestation in the Heilan Royal Palace, must only be visible to apostles.
There was no escape. Lucius reluctantly opened the door, feeling like he was entering a slaughterhouse, not his own room.
Tristan sat down without waiting for an invitation and gestured for Lucius to sit as well.
“Come, we have things to discuss. Sit down.”
“…”
“Hurry.”
Lucius reluctantly sat across from him.
Tristan leaned back against the sofa and observed Lucius carefully.
“It’s been three years, hasn’t it?”
“…”
“You’ve grown quite a bit. It seems you’ve recovered some of your strength here. You look healthier than when I last saw you.”
Lucius bristled.
Who was responsible for his current state? But the powerless couldn’t afford anger. Lucius avoided answering.
Tristan chuckled softly.
“Don’t be so angry. We were also quite surprised by your sudden arrival in Ravanta. But it turned out for the best.”
Tristan crossed his legs. He had spent so much time with Felix that even his mannerisms resembled the king’s.
He smiled slyly and asked,
“So, did you find the holy relic?”
“It’s as good as found.”
Lucius replied instantly, despite his fear.
Ravanta was already at a disadvantage. He couldn’t reveal another weakness. But Tristan knew him too well.
“Still lying, I see. You probably only found a few dead relics, didn’t you?”
Damn it. Lucius bit his lip.
He had always been confident in his ability to lie, but he couldn’t deceive someone who had transcended humanity. Tristan smiled brightly.
“That’s fortunate.”
As long as the holy relic wasn’t in anyone’s possession, it wasn’t a weakness for Tristan. He continued cheerfully, a triumphant glint in his eyes,
“Relax. We’re pacifists, in a way. Faith instilled through fear is useful, but it can’t compare to pure faith.”
“Ha.”
Lucius scoffed. Pacifists? Was that why they had committed such atrocities?
He knew about the chimera cores implanted in the hostages.
And three chimeras had already died in Ravanta. Three innocent lives lost.
Tristan, as if fanning the flames of Lucius’s anger, spoke sweetly, his words laced with venom.
“You’re not in a position to be angry. Your life is in our hands. We’re only letting you live because Heilan hasn’t become an empire yet.”
…He knew.
Killing Lucius now would only mean losing a valuable apostle’s power. Tristan hadn’t gathered enough faith to become a god yet.
That was the only reason Lucius could afford to be defiant, despite his fear.
Tristan knew that too. He looked at Lucius like a snake eyeing a mouse and said,
“But perhaps I’ll be generous. We won’t kill you. It’s rare for an apostle, still human, to experience love, and yet you have.”
“What…”
Lucius was speechless.
He had always known that the moment he lost his power would be the moment he died. Killing the hunting dog after the hunt was a Heilan tradition.
And yet, Tristan was smiling serenely, like a young girl talking about love.
“I adore people who are full of love. Love is the foundation of faith, the very essence of my being. How could I hate someone who is capable of such love?”
He sounded like a romantic poet. Was that why he had killed so many people? Because he valued love so much?
The Heilan royal family and the successive apostles knew the tragedy of the first apostle.
“I heard the first apostle died, crushed by the Calamity God’s excessive love. It’s impressive that you can still love after experiencing such pain.”
Lucius smirked, his voice laced with sarcasm. But Tristan, instead of being offended, replied with an ecstatic expression,
“How could I not love the one who tries to save me from the Calamity God? Isn’t it the same for you, Apostle?”
“…What do you mean?”
“You could have revealed that the Chelon princess was reborn as the enemy princess in exchange for your own life. But you didn’t. If that’s not love, what is?”
“…Don’t compare me to you. I haven’t received the Calamity God’s love like you, nor am I bound to him.”
Lucius had only heard the Calamity God’s voice once, when he was chosen as an apostle. He was different from Tristan.
“No. You were chosen among countless humans. You ultimately walked the path of an apostle. You’re the same as me.”
He couldn’t listen anymore. Tristan’s words were like a snake’s venom, slowly poisoning his mind.
Lucius turned his head away and changed the subject.
“So, you pity me for foolishly falling in love, and you’ll spare my life, even though you’ll take my power?”
“Yes. That’s right. But there’s a condition.”
Tristan’s expression turned cold.
“Find Alex and bring her to me. That’s the condition for sparing your life.”