Chapter 78 The Shadow
Silveryn pushed past the priests and ran to the central stone podium. She seemed to have lost her composure, uncharacteristically for her, and sat down on the podium to pick up the Rosenthal Cube that was there.
Silveryn held it close with her head bowed in silence, as if she were continually trying to sense the life and death of her disciple through her body.
Given her character, this was unusual behavior. It was then that Price could finally guess how strong her attachment to her disciple was.
Price approached Silveryn, who was sitting quietly, and spoke with caution.
“Forgive my impertinence. Throughout the ritual, I thought I was witnessing an oracle about a long-deceased soul. But seeing your demeanor, it seems that the child’s heart is filled with life.”
“…”
“Sometimes, there are those whose iron will can beat fate. Yet, even they cannot reverse everything. There are things that cannot be escaped by human will alone. Like a death sentence decreed by the stars.”
“Are you saying my disciple’s fate has been twisted?”
“I think you are well aware, Silveryn. If that child is alive, then Venemaril has intervened with fate. Only… that’s the only explanation.”
Considering Venemaril’s devilish power, the phrase ‘twisted fate’ might be the most appropriate.
Silveryn remained still, not saying much else. The air swirling around her was strangely anxious. Whether she felt relieved or angry, Price could not tell.
Price stayed silent. Regardless, it was evident that a surge of emotions was sweeping through Silveryn.
After all, Venemaril was the one sore spot for the flawless mage, Silveryn.
***
Damian’s wounds had almost completely healed, and the bleeding had stopped. His heart had regained vitality, but his body was still as cold as a slab of ice.
Liza lay on top of him, sharing her body heat. She interlocked her hands with his and pressed her legs and toes against his body.
That spot had always been hers.
Blood stained the surroundings, and numerous corpses were scattered nearby. Although it was a long-awaited reunion, there was nothing romantic about it.
Liza shared warmth with him and laughed lightly. Where they were didn’t matter. The greatest magic Damian had was that wherever he was with her, the place became irrelevant.
Liza laid her head on his chest, listening to the heartbeat, and reminisced about the places they had lain together before.
It had been a damp cave, a creepy abandoned house. It had been a barn with scurrying mice and a pile of fallen leaves like a mountain. No matter the surroundings, as long as they were together, they were happy.
And so it would be at this moment too. Even if the surroundings were stained with blood, this, too, would remain a precious memory.
Even if they were momentarily apart, Liza firmly believed that after untangling the entwined thread, they would return to each other’s side.
She had no doubt that, when all was said and done, they would lie together on a soft bed bathed in warm sunlight, reminiscing about the past as they were now.
During this time, something small tore through the air and flew toward them. It circled above Damian as if lost, and then, gradually lowering its altitude, the object gently landed beside Damian’s pillow. It was the bloodstained Stitch.
“…”
She immediately sensed something was wrong. This Stitch was certainly not part of her foreseen future. An unpleasant sensation began to ripple within her.
Liza reached out, picked up the Stitch, and wiped off the blood.
Engraved on its surface were initials that seemed to symbolize a lover.
***
Vivi was wrapped in her arms in front of a large window with a clear view outside, deeply lost in thought.
Beyond the door of the VIP room where she was, a lavish celebration was in full swing.
Vivi couldn’t enjoy the festivities. She had longed to become a student at Eternia. Yet her life had become so tangled that now she was using the family coffers to congratulate the new students. She found her current situation laughably pathetic.
Then a letter that had abruptly arrived agitated her further.
It contained discussions within her family about her strategic marriage.
She let out a bitter laugh. Varienne was indeed the kind of man to entice her father, and she had thought that mentioning his name would delay matters for a while, but it had been to no avail.
She could somewhat understand her father’s haste.
Vivi was doomed to die past thirty, due to an illness passed down sporadically through generations. She would be lucky to make it to thirty-five. She had roughly fifteen years left.
Without any siblings, her family line would end with her. From her father’s perspective, it was enough to make one’s eyes flip.
What tormented her, however, was that only the positions of her family, the nation, and her father mattered. Her own stance was not accounted for, not even considered in the equation. Hence, even her short lifespan could not be spent as she wished.
She had to give up what she wanted to learn, couldn’t choose whom she loved, and was to be consumed and die merely as a seedbearer to continue the lineage.
In that sense, being the noble daughter of the Gaius family was a curse.
In some ways, Vivi envied the student who had been orphaned and admitted to Eternia.
They were not bound by family or country and could carve out their life based on their talents.
During this thought process, someone knocked on the VIP room, interrupting her solitary time.
“Come in.”
A well-built man entered and bowed with respect.
It was Franz, the fifth prince of the empire.
“You went to great lengths to gather people here, yet you find yourself in another place.”
“What brings such an esteemed figure here?”
Franz, holding a glass of wine, slowly approached Vivi from behind.
“You ask, yet you know. I, too, am weary of banquets and such and have sought you out. You seem to be the only person who can sustain a conversation.”
“Shouldn’t you be busy winning the goodwill of the talented individuals?”
Franz had come to Eternia to expand his forces, to identify and recruit those who would become Swordmasters or Great Magicians, to plan great things with them for the future.
“Indeed I should. But not now.”
“Well, you probably won’t have much chance in the future.”
Franz chuckled at Vivi’s words.
“What you see isn’t all there is, especially when it comes to Eternia. Now’s the time to cast the bait, enjoy the scenery, and watch patiently.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Human beings are animals with different insides and outsides. Even commonplace words can have surface meanings and underlying intentions that don’t align, and that’s what being human is all about. And even a place as esteemed as Eternia is ultimately an organization made up of humans.”
Vivi’s expression soured as she seemed displeased with the prince’s grandstanding, but she did not cut off the conversation or leave.
“I don’t quite understand, actually.”
“Are you unsure? Your spies and advisors must surely have written in their reports, ‘The top talent this year is Sion Israel, she’s absolutely the best,’ and you firmly believe it.”
“You speak as if Eternia is hiding something truly significant.”
The prince looked at Vivi’s face and smirked unpleasantly.
“It might be good for you to go down to the bottom once and experience raw humanity. It will enlighten you with valuable knowledge that no book can provide.”
“Then please experience it first and let me know. Right now, I do not wish to undergo unnecessary effort.”
“Ha, then let me share my experience. Did you know I once worked as a gatekeeper for the capital? I was in charge of regulating the trade entering and leaving the city, supervising and managing the goods brought in.”
As Vivi was about to interject, Franz preemptively cut in as if he had predicted it.
“Of course, I was completely disguised.”
“….”
“It was my father’s command. Looking back, it’s amusing. What business does a prince have as a gatekeeper on the outskirts of the city? If I had the carriages wait for five or six hours for inspection, the horses littered the road, and the stench was overwhelming, and I had to stand guard until sunset. At the time, I thought I must have committed some crime.”
“That does seem… a bit excessive.”
“It took a long time for me to understand my father’s intentions. Those like us, the ruling class or high-ranking officials, often make the mistake of trying to comprehend the world through reports and documents. A good ruler mustn’t merely stamp approvals. They must read the non-obvious phenomena and make accurate judgments. To do so, one must directly experience the field of life, come face-to-face with the raw facets of humanity and thereby develop insight.”
“And what did you gain from there?”
“While working as a gatekeeper, I understood one aspect of human nature. The traders and smugglers passing through the gate had one thing in common. They didn’t want to show off or reveal their most valuable, shining goods to others. Instead, they hid them in places unseen by others. In the darkest, stinkiest, most out-of-the-way and dirty places. So that no one else could covet or steal them. And over time, I realized that soldiers, officers, criminals, and homeless all shared the same nature.”
“…”
“I don’t believe Eternia would show its most precious talent in front of so-called ‘greedy power holders’ like you and me.”
“That’s interesting. Then do you have any concrete evidence or circumstances to suggest they’re hiding something?”
“If you understand that nature, you don’t need reports or evidence to be certain.”
Eternia is keeping its best talent securely hidden?
Vivi’s expression, which had been calmly listening to Franz, gradually hardened.
“You unfold your grand narrative quite interestingly…”
To think Eternia is hiding a monster greater than Gale Varienne, the ruler of the North, or Sion Israel, the disciple of the Swordmaster—that such talent would coincide in a single school year seemed improbable. It was a story not easily accepted.
Then, breaking the brief silence, another knock came at the VIP room.
“Come in.”
Someone entered hastily. It was Vivi’s adjutant, Gerald. He approached Vivi quickly but stopped upon seeing Franz’s face and hastily bowed.
“Forgive my intrusion. Your Highness, Prince Franz, it seems I’ve come at an inopportune time.”
Franz replied upon witnessing this.
“No, I have enjoyed my time sufficiently. It appears you have urgent matters to attend to. I shall take my leave.”
Then, turning back to Vivi, he said,
“I had a pleasant time.”
“You just spout your words and run off.”
“Haha, next time it will be your turn to speak.”
Franz took his leave with a light nod and left the room.
After Franz exited the VIP room and Gerald confirmed that the door was securely shut to prevent the conversation from leaking out, he approached Vivi and said,
“I have a report about the student named Damian, as previously mentioned.”
“Let me hear it.”
“Assembling the eyewitness accounts of the Grand Magician and that student’s origin, it appears that their relationship is rather close. It’s assumed that no external justification or solicitation is involved in their association. And the Great Magician is…”
“That’s enough. Right now, I’d rather not hear about her. More importantly…are you certain that this Damian did not attend the entrance ceremony?”
“It is certain.”
A small ripple stirred in Vivi’s heart.
“Alright, thank you for your work.”
Vivi turned her back on Gerald and cast her gaze out the window once more.
And within that ripple, the vessel Franz had launched did not get swept away but floated along as if it had anchored.
“Ah, I heard that Eternia’s combat division assigns escort missions as extracurricular activities. Is that true?”
“Yes, that is correct. Assigning an escort request is… possible.”
Vivi answered, deep in thought.
“Then perhaps…”
***
Sunlight slipped between my eyelids.
Consciousness gradually sharpened. I scrunched up my forehead and opened my eyes. A swathe of white fabric, like the hem of a lace dress, waved before me.
I rubbed my dry eyes and refocused them once again.
The windows were wide open and the curtains fluttered in the gentle wind.
Beyond the window, a clear sky and clouds like feathers could be seen. A white and fluffy bed. And with it, the scent of lilacs made my heart feel at ease. I wasn’t in the labyrinth, I was certainly alive.
Wincing, I propped up my upper body with my throbbing arm. Only then did I notice something pressing against the side of my blanket.
A girl with long, silvery hair. It was Trisha.
She lay at the edge of the bed, in a hunched posture, sound asleep.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel