Eliya snapped out of her thoughts.
“First, let’s get that done.”
It’s too early to give up.
For now, she would do what she can.
A list of items she received from Epona.
It was filled with herbs and food ingredients good for magic, as well as various scents.
Eliya roamed around the magic tower city.
Every time merchants saw her appear through teleportation, they jumped in surprise.
But after they witnessed her ordering an amount equal to half their daily sales, they couldn’t help but laugh.
Thus, Eliya zipped around using teleportation, popping here and there.
She quickly transported the load of goods back home as well.
The kitchen head was left dazed by her constant appearances and disappearances.
It wasn’t until Eliya started stacking up the goods without vanishing that the kitchen head finally spoke.
“Miss…? What are all these ingredients…?”
“Make sure to add a certain amount to the menu from now on. Especially don’t forget to brew this and that tea every morning. Judas will be eating it. Some ingredients are medicinal and can be problematic if overdosed, but Judas is healthy enough; he should be fine. Just to be safe, consult Mei and Gale, the two physicians, about the amounts. Be careful when processing, as cooking can change their effects.”
“Y-Yes…!”
The kitchen head hurriedly jotted down Eliya’s words.
It was the first time in five years of working for her that he encountered such a verbose employer.
“Did you understand everything?”
“Yes, of course…!”
Having conveyed all she needed to, Eliya immediately teleported to the next location.
The two physicians in the mansion.
Mei and Gale.
Gale had been responsible for the candidates at the training facility before it was disbanded and brought to the mansion.
Anyway, she informed them about the medicinal herbs as well.
‘Will this be enough…’
Even after delivering everything, Eliya found it hard to feel relieved.
Epona’s words not to have expectations lingered in her mind.
It was cruel yet realistic advice.
Eliya knew.
No one in the world understands this power like she does.
The power of a god.
She can use magic, but it’s not just mana.
It’s not even divine power.
It’s something that transcends both.
Judas’s power is somewhat similar, but it is different from the fragmented power of the moon.
Though distorted, her power is the sun itself.
She would never have imagined it could negatively affect Judas.
‘…It’ll be fine.’
Eliya decided to believe that.
She steadied her heart.
With Judas momentarily set aside,
there was one last thing left to do.
Though her schedule was thrown off by hearing of Judas’s death from Epona, she had originally come to receive the restored dark magic.
And with that dark magic, Eliya had something to do.
Two individuals still imprisoned underground.
One was a member of the royal wizard order, abducted after their magic circuits were burned out to render them powerless.
And then there was Angra.
She needed to glimpse their memories.
Eliya headed towards the underground prison, believing everything would work out.
*
“Eek…!”
As soon as the member of the royal wizard order saw Eliya, he was utterly shocked.
No wonder.
To him, Eliya was like an incomprehensible disaster.
Burning out the magic circuits in a person’s body?
And that too, without harming their life?
Such a thing shouldn’t be possible.
It’s an impossible phenomenon.
It’s neither magic nor miracle.
It was akin to a natural disaster, something beyond human imagination.
However, the wizard known as the reincarnation of the mythic era accomplished this terrifying feat with utmost ease.
“P-please spare me… I made a mistake, I’m so sorry… Eek…”
The wizard begged, burying his head in the ground.
Eliya found his constant begging bothersome.
‘Still, since he’s mentally crumbling, it should be easy to interrogate him.’
Eliya began casting the prepared spell, carefully calibrating it to ensure his mind wouldn’t break.
She first slipped in a suggestion, intending to break down his mental resistance to make him docile.
Then, through memory interference, she peered into his memories.
Eliya’s head was quickly filled with someone else’s memories and emotions.
She filtered and read only what she needed from them.
It wasn’t an easy task.
The magic that interferes with another’s mind equally harms one’s own.
It felt like reliving lives that belonged to others in her brain.
Even if it was just a fragment, she had to become the person in that scene.
Eliya’s brow twitched as she gleaned into the memories.
It was painful, but she had to push through.
Finally, after quite some time, she confirmed all the necessary memories.
“Phew…”
She had retrieved everything she needed.
The unfortunate part was that crucial details often weren’t from the wizard’s own experiences.
There was a lot she gained from what he heard from others.
However, the usefulness remained unchanged.
She quickly jotted down the obtained information before it could slip from her mind.
[The royal wizard order is indeed a group of dark wizards. They have learned dark magic while being wizards, seeking stronger and more diverse powers.]
[The emperor seems to be trying to achieve something through dark magic. However, the ultimate goal remains unknown. The head wizard of the royal order appears to know that goal. Could it be related to their interest in the sun symbol?]
[Confirmed the alliance between the empire and the Molsin Church. Especially, the royal wizards frequently provided magical assistance to the Molsin Church whenever requested.]
[Judas killed a wizard called ‘Taboo,’ who had been helping the Molsin Church since a long time ago. He essentially served as the Molsin Church’s contact within the royal wizard order. It’s assumed he primarily dealt with magic related to the mind. He was also close to Angra.]
[The one who communicated most with the empire was Bishop Angra. However, shortly after Angra departed on a pilgrimage, Pope Nadap took over that role.]
It was confirmed that Angra played a crucial role.
However, there was one question.
There was no information about Balak in the wizard’s memories.
‘Did he hide it meticulously… Or was the information shared by going through many figures?’
She didn’t doubt for a moment that Balak had colluded with the empire and the Molsin Church to kill her.
He would surely hate her, a bastard child.
‘Is this the extent of what I can extract from the wizard?’
Due to the aftermath, the wizard fell unconscious, frothing at the mouth.
If needed, she could use him as a witness when exposing the empire’s information, so she had to keep him alive.
“Provide him with enough nutrition and let him rest.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After entrusting him to the guard, she headed towards Angra.
Chained, he looked up at Eliya with a face that still seemed aggrieved.
“Why are you doing this… Why! What did I do so wrong! Aren’t you afraid of the heavens!”
“…….”
With a frustrated expression, Eliya looked down at him.
Crazy flames blazed in her eyes.
The intense mental magic she cast had only added fuel to the fire.
But if he shouted loudly like this, she felt like she’d just want to kill him instantly.
‘…Be patient. I can’t kill him yet. I need to check the memories, and he might be of use later.’
Eliya gathered herself, recalling Judas.
Slowly closing her eyes, she opened them again, still burning with intensity, but more composed than before.
“You’ll understand why you’re in this situation soon.”
She began rummaging through the memories, just like she did with the wizard.
Even though he had lived far longer, it was easier than with the wizard.
How could it not be?
His memories showed clear signs of being artificially cut and removed.
Memories from about ten years ago until he embarked on pilgrimage were completely gone.
Even memories prior to that were sparse.
It was evident he was trying to hide something.
‘This is… too much has been erased.’
The memories that made up Angra now only consisted of being a religious follower and a pilgrim.
Childhood memories, learned experiences, emotional recollections – all gone.
Without past memories, Angra had essentially become a different being altogether.
What the original Angra was like, she had no idea.
‘What on earth was this person trying to hide to go to such lengths?’
It was unfortunate that she hadn’t yet restored the magic for reviving memories.
Eliya hurriedly summarized what she had unearthed.
[A faithful believer in the Molsin Church from long ago. However, there are clear traces of multiple information being cut out.]
[Angra was once searching for the being known as the ‘Child of Revelation.’ There are indirect evidence and circumstances suggesting they found it in a village that fell to ruin due to an attack, but Angra’s memories hold none of that. Who is the Child of Revelation? What were they searching for? Where is that village?]
She understood what the concept of the Child of Revelation was.
It was a future savior mentioned in the Molsin Church’s scriptures.
According to the Molsin Church’s revelations, a golden beast resembling a sun would one day incinerate the world.
A being who descended to slay that beast.
The savior, the Child of Revelation, forged from gold and glowing ivory.
‘What was he going to do by seeking that being…? Was it genuine faith as a mere religious follower?’
Ultimately, Eliya couldn’t obtain any meaningful information from Angra either.
Not about Balak.
Not even about Judas.
One thing puzzled her.
‘Why did he erase memories of Judas?’
It wasn’t a significant issue, but…
His memories didn’t contain any of the children freed from a status of slavery.
There were also no memories related to the assassin Treddito Hayes, who came to kill him.
Therefore, it seemed natural that there would likewise be no memories of Judas.
‘Still… a few traces of some people remained. But with Judas, there’s nothing at all. Just a coincidence…?’
Eliya pondered various possibilities as she exited the underground prison.
Ria, who had been waiting at the entrance, approached her quietly.
“Miss, you don’t look well. Are you okay?”
Without realizing it, Eliya shot a glare at her.
Ria flinched in fear, then lowered her gaze.
Seeing that made Eliya recognize her own state again.
Her nerves were frayed due to the intense flames.
It was the first time in years she had felt this on edge.
“…I must have focused too hard. I need to rest a bit.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Raising her head once more, Ria smiled as if she were okay.
Lost in other thoughts, Eliya failed to perceive that smile as familiar.
Eliya ascended to her bedroom.
A fever was boiling inside her.
It was the effect of a large spell used for an extended period.
After a long time, she felt that warmth again.
‘Judas…’
She yearned for Judas.
She knew where he was.
To be honest, she didn’t need to know.
With the rings and necklace connected, she could summon him or go to him anytime she wished.
Yet, Eliya didn’t do that.
She took a step back from the situation.
‘If I touch Judas, then…’
She tried not to think about it.
Just remembering him disrupted all her other tasks, making her want to look away.
But inevitably,
as soon as she found a gap in thought, her mind would fill with thoughts of him.
‘What should I do…?’
If it were a relationship she merely exploited, then it would be fine for him to die for her sake.
But it couldn’t be that way.
Now she understood the reason.
She knew why she felt this way.
That’s why she didn’t want to know.
She had developed a weakness.
Eliya suddenly halted.
One step away from her bedroom.
At the threshold separating the hallway and the room.
Just one more step to the bedroom.
If she didn’t step forward, she would remain in the hallway.
In truth, there’s no line at all.
It was merely the spot where a door used to be, perceived as a sort of line.
She and Judas.
They thought they hadn’t crossed a boundary.
Holding back to avoid dependence.
To prevent weakness.
Yet, looking back now,
there was never a line in the first place.
Even if there was, it was already….
*
That night.
Eliya gazed down at the soundly sleeping Judas.
Dim moonlight poured through the window.
Illuminating a potted plant.
A pot from five years ago.
Having bloomed four times, this year, the anemone is only growing flower buds.
Eliya stared at it with dead eyes before looking back at Judas.
Slowly,
she climbed onto his bed while wearing her pajamas.
The soft and thin fabric brushed against her.
But her body didn’t touch his.
If it did, it would drain his magic.
It would be fatal for him.
That was unacceptable.
He smelled so good.
The sweet and slightly cool scent was even tempting enough to be delicious.
She resisted the urge to touch him.
A cold chill.
At the same time, a warm and cozy embrace.
Her desperate desire felt thick enough to be tangible.
But that was impossible.
She could only feel him through her imagination.
His solid body.
Big and sturdy enough that she should draw him in with outstretched arms.
A chest adequate for leaning against him.
Thick arms and large hands that should embrace her.
A pulsing heart that thumped loudly against her ear.
Breath resting upon her head.
And a low voice that tickles when he speaks softly.
The more she imagined, the thirstier she became.
It was like a thirsty castaway being told not to drink water in front of them.
Thump, thump.
Her heart raced fiercely.
The fiery madness inside her, which she couldn’t stabilize during the day, rampaged within her.
She wanted to escape that painful heat.
The desire to struggle awakened a sort of violence, or primal urge to destroy.
Despite her tumultuous inner world, Eliya maintained a calm expression.
Only her eyes, however, burned like a raging sun.
She looked over Judas closely.
His face. Body.
And that sturdy neck.
“……”
In the darkened room, Eliya, whose body was acutely warm, was obsessively gazing down at the defenseless sleeping Judas.
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