“Then, how about this? What is your intention and purpose in searching for Angra?”
Eliya asked.
Balak answered.
“If you tell me that, will you answer me?”
“Depends on what the Duke says.”
A purely political conversation just probing the opponent’s intentions.
This was the nature of a conversation with a daughter he barely saw a few times a year.
And on her birthday, no less.
Balak pondered.
Toppling the empire.
Is it okay to say that?
Eliya is a tremendous wizard.
In the future, she will undoubtedly surpass him.
If she becomes an ally, she would be the most dependable.
But…
“That’s…”
Balak reached a resolution.
“I cannot tell you.”
He has no idea what Eliya hopes to gain by pressing him.
But he knows her ultimate goal.
The destruction of the Bevel family.
He understands her nature as well.
There’s no way she will agree to a deal just by telling her about the plan to topple the empire.
In fact, she would likely try to sabotage that plan.
She might even inform the royal family of this truth and ally with them.
The chances of that are high, considering Eliya despises even mixing glances with the Bevel family.
She won’t hesitate to use any means necessary for her goal.
So then.
Should he turn back now?
Is there absolutely no way to sway Eliya other than revealing the plot to topple the empire?
What information would be valuable to Eliya?
Judas.
It stings, but Balak must acknowledge Eliya’s favoritism.
However, he knows nothing about Judas.
Maria.
Eliya’s biological mother.
She was Eliya’s color, light, and sanctuary.
But should he really give out that information?
No, he shouldn’t.
His conclusion after much deliberation remained unchanged.
Balak had nothing to give Eliya.
Before he knew it, his grown-up daughter had everything she needed.
It had been too long for a father to give her anything.
“…I see.”
Eliya didn’t press further.
She smiled leisurely as if she knew this would happen.
She quietly affirmed her speculations.
Everyone calls her the reincarnation of a myth.
Balak would have predicted that value long ago.
Clues intertwine.
Balak, Angra, the Molsin Church.
He deduces a conclusion by piecing everything together.
Balak attempted to use the Molsin Church to kill her.
To eliminate threats posed by his direct descendants before they became substantial.
That fact didn’t feel lonely all of a sudden.
Such feelings were indulgent.
He didn’t care as long as she was there.
He’ll clear away the cage.
He momentarily observed Balak’s expression.
A face tinged with slight guilt.
It sickened her.
Eliya didn’t believe he genuinely felt remorse or responsibility.
It probably wasn’t an act either.
It felt more unpleasant because it seemed sincere.
An incompetent head of the family who neglected his family.
He even failed to eliminate the dangerous bastard child, and now she had grown up to an uncontrollable size.
He’s convinced it’s all his fault, berating himself as a sinner, feeling guilty; he must think he’s not a bad father like that.
The trait of being ‘good’ is terrifying.
The moment one believes they’re somewhat good or kind, they stop thinking about the rest of the problems.
Goodness is right.
Eliya gleaned Balak’s sentiments like that.
It was unpleasant, but she didn’t bother to show it.
“I understand.”
Eliya stood up without confirming her various certainties with Balak.
Silence is golden.
The more secrets, the better.
Information imbalance creates meaningful gaps.
“Then, our negotiations have collapsed. Regrettably.”
She leaves coldly with a soft smile.
In the end, Balak couldn’t tell Eliya any truths.
*
Traditor Heis.
The name of the assassin who invaded on Eliya’s birthday five years ago.
After a long time, Eliya figured out his identity.
A slave extracted by Angra from Judeca.
The activities prior to Judeca were brief.
Abandoned right after birth, wandering the streets, before being captured by a slaver and entering Judeca.
Angra, having noticed him, purchased him and freed him from slavery.
In return, it was for assassination.
The target was Eliya.
In short, Traditor was an undercover assassin trained by the Molsin Church.
When Eliya learned this, she was perplexed.
Why would the Molsin Church target her?
The Sun Church and the Molsin Church do not get along. They seem to be on friendly terms, but…
Considering the religious rivalry, targeting her seemed odd.
Why go through the trouble?
Crushing a sprouting wizard from an opposing faction seems justified.
But would the Molsin Church be willing to take on that burden?
To eliminate Eliya, they would have to take excessive risks.
Moreover, is Eliya’s death that meaningful to the Molsin Church to warrant such risk?
It’s not.
Investing money and time elsewhere would yield far greater rewards.
Eliya supplemented this fact with Narcissi’s testimony.
Balak was secretly communicating with Angra.
The combined clues yielded a clear conclusion.
Balak had bribed Angra.
To indirectly have Eliya killed through the Molsin Church.
Thus, Balak could distance himself from the assassination’s justification.
The ultimate reason is, of course, to restrain her power.
To eliminate herself, who poses a threat to his other direct descendants.
It was Balak who decided to have any identity enter the Knight training facility.
It had been part of his plan from the very beginning.
It was hardly surprising.
Instead, she firmly solidified her animosity and recalled her purpose.
The destruction of the Bevel family.
It was obvious why Balak couldn’t reveal the truth.
How could he confess to the person involved that he tried to kill her?
She was no longer a frail child.
As a wizard and a noble, she held sufficient power and influence now.
Balak had to regard her with respect and caution.
‘After all, I didn’t need an answer. Just observing the reactions led me to the conclusion.’
Angra’s location is updated regularly, and if desired, she could capture him.
The reasons she’s leaving him unchecked are threefold.
One, to keep an eye on what Angra and Balak are up to.
There was still no evidence to substantiate their dealings.
And the second.
Angra was also the one who pulled Judas out of Judeca.
How to deal with him is still undecided.
What to say to Judas has yet to be determined.
Lastly, three.
Just like discovering the connection between dark magic and the royal palace by chance through the information guild, Angra might just as well be related to dark magic.
There’s a possibility he wiped Judas’s memory using dark magic.
With nothing confirmed, she’s currently crouching down.
Judas. Angra. Judeca.
Overlapping paths with Traditor.
Once, Eliya suspected Judas.
For just a short while.
She quickly dismissed the thought.
Traditor had spent a long time with Angra.
There was secure evidence of him having been trained on the Molsin Church’s grounds.
The proof was clear.
In contrast, Judas hadn’t spent much time with Angra.
After leaving Judeca, he was sold somewhere else quickly.
Moreover, the timing was different.
Angra had freed Traditor from Judeca half a year prior to Judas.
Since Traditor, no assassins have come.
Around that time, she must have completely awakened the crazy flames of fire, and Balak must have given up and sought alternative methods.
For various reasons, Judas is a trustworthy person.
‘It’s not just… for that reason.’
Eliya sets a central criterion when her judgment is difficult.
Verifiable facts.
Unverifiable speculations.
She distinguishes information into two categories.
Judas is linked to Angra.
Angra sent an assassin to kill her.
That is a fact.
Judas might also be one of Angra’s minions.
That’s speculation.
Judas came to find her.
He acted as if he disliked her, which annoyingly piqued her interest, and they went through various events together.
A few times, Judas saved her.
If he were the assassin, he shouldn’t have done that at those times.
Moreover, Judas almost died because of her.
All of these are verifiable facts.
Thus, it would be illogical to conclude that Judas is the assassin.
It’s a contradiction.
After finishing her private meeting with Balak, Eliya returned to the hall of the temple.
A spacious area.
Golden lighting. Red carpets.
Beautiful noble ladies and young men danced and laughed in a variety of hues.
To Eliya, everything felt monochrome.
A colorless space.
In that space, the only exception was a golden-eyed figure shining brightly…
Like the sun rising in the night sky, they stood out.
Eliya stepped toward her escort, Judas, but suddenly paused.
‘…Who is that?’
A woman in a green dress stood in front of Judas.
*
Waiting for Eliya…
“Excuse me…”
A woman approached.
I was looking around when I asked.
“Me?”
“Yes, yes! You’re Judas, right?”
“Yes, that’s me, but… who are you?”
“Oh!”
She looks like she just realized something.
With one hand elegantly holding a wine glass, she lightly lifted the hem of her skirt with the other.
She lowered her knee a bit and gracefully greeted.
“I’m Anun, from the Prudein family.”
Prudein?
I know that family.
I finally got a good look at her appearance.
Dark green eyes.
Bright red hair that sometimes looked orange.
‘Is she from Gawain’s family?’
The full name of my master, Gawain.
Gawain Gallahaid Prudein.
Gallahaid was the name of Gawain’s master.
He might have added it as a middle name out of respect.
“Judas, you must know Gawain, who is my uncle.”
“So you’re his niece. Nice to meet you.”
Just then, a huge figure approached behind Anun.
It was Gawain.
“Uncle!”
“Hmm. Have you made your introductions?”
“Hehe… not quite yet…”
I looked at the two blankly.
I didn’t quite understand what they were discussing.
“Judas. You’ve probably heard, but this is Anun. My niece. I’ve been meaning to introduce her to you when the opportunity arises, and today seems fitting.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Now that you’re officially appointed as a knight, you need to establish your place properly. Although I still don’t think you and the lady are certain…”
“…?”
Anun shyly smiled.
“Uncle has told me so much about you.”
“About me?”
“Anun, keep the unnecessary talk to a minimum.”
Well, well.
Pretending not to, but he must have been praising me behind the scenes, right?
Smiling nervously, Anun quietly said.
“He always gets awkwardly shy like this. I’ll tell you more later.”
Then she shyly smiled again.
“So, um, if it’s not too much trouble, would you like to dance with me…”
“Hold on.”
At that moment.
A cold, sinking voice interrupted.
Like ice water was poured over us, the three of us froze.
In contrast to the subdued voice, there was a feeling of fiery heat.
Instinctively sensing a threat to life.
Even though she had done nothing wrong, she tensed up.
Turning stiffly, Eliya stood there.
Eliya, who left saying she had something to discuss with Balak.
‘What’s up with her…?’
Eliya’s eyes… flickered with the colors of insane flames.
“What’s going on?”
Eliya slowly approached.
Click, clack.
Every time her high heels hit the floor, their bodies shuddered.
“Sir Gawain?”
“Y-Yes, Lady…”
It was the first time I had seen Gawain this tense.
“This is?”
“A-Anun, Prudein… my, my niece…”
Eliya stared silently at Anun.
It was a gaze that seemed to peel away a person.
Color drained from Anun’s face.
She looked as though she might faint.
While I didn’t feel quite the same, I was also a bit startled.
Why is she acting like this… it’s frightening…
“A-Anun, Prudein. It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Eliya…”
Eliya’s gaze shifted back to me.
Her golden eyes gazing up at me.
‘W-What, why… why does she look at me like that…’
Eliya crossed her arms, looking between Anun and Gawain.
“So, what’s your business?”
Gawain answered.
“Nothing much. Just to congratulate Judas’s appointment, and I thought it would be nice to introduce my family…”
“That’s it?”
Eliya’s gaze returned to Anun.
Anun nodded vigorously, almost too quickly.
So fast, it left an afterimage.
“Then that’s good.”
Eliya lowered her arms and brushed past me.
While she didn’t say to follow her, it felt like I should.
I slightly bowed my head to Gawain and Anun before following Eliya.
“I was unsure, but did I really lack in attentiveness…”
Gawain’s mutterings fell away as we distanced ourselves.
I silently walked behind Eliya.
The atmosphere felt strange.
‘Why do I feel like I’m getting scolded…?’
Did I do something wrong?
I don’t think so…
“Um, Lady?”
I called out to her as she walked ahead.
Eliya didn’t turn to answer.
“Yeah.”
“Uh… are you angry?”
“No?”
“Is it because of your conversation with Duke Balak?”
“Not particularly… I expected that result, so I’m just… Why do you ask?”
“Well…”
You seem strangely angry right now, so I thought I’d ask.
“…Everyone’s looking at me weird. What’s up with that?”
“Lady, your eyes… they look like when you use magic.”
“…Me?”
Eliya looked around.
She touched her eyes a few times too.
That won’t let you see your own eyes!
She looked at me again.
“Do I still look like that?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, she stepped closer.
Striding boldly.
She stood so close, gripping my face with both hands.
Then she yanked me towards her face.
“W-What?! What is this?!”
“Just hold still.”
You think I could remain still in a moment like this?!
“W-Wait, there are people around…”
“Behave yourself until I tie you up.”
Eliya tiptoed slightly, pulling my face toward hers again.
Her face,
Her big eyes, her elegant nose, her red, plump lips,
Rushed right toward me.
It felt like we were going to collide.
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