episode_0190

Episode 190

“Sera, do you want to become such a strong king?”

“Yes?”

“Roberts, Laurencia, and Sancerine. Everyone is trying to start a rebellion because of you. No, I don’t blame you. If they hadn’t been willing to do that, it wouldn’t have happened. Rather, I should say that I am impressed.”

Is that how it appears from Fehat’s point of view? It may be natural. The system of six families that has been maintained for over a hundred years is about to collapse in an instant because of me.

“It was not intentional. However, if they have foolish ambitions… it is also their duty as royals to help them realize their worth.”

“Umm…”

Fehat stroked his beard. He still had a strange look on his face, as if he were worried, lost in thought, or proud.

“Of course, I have no intention of opposing that. It is self-evident that a country will collapse even if it is left to rot on the inside. But I’m worried about the empire. Didn’t you also sympathize with Laurentia’s rebellion? I’m worried that they won’t wait for our Lustier to reform.”

It’s an empire…

Even in the novel and here and now, the empire has revealed its ambition for the kingdom. In the novel, it literally swallowed up the kingdom in an instant, but here where I am, thanks to blocking it in advance, no significant action has been shown yet.

Perhaps more than Carmel, the nobles, or Eila, they are the biggest enemies I have to overcome. Of course, this is something that needs to be considered after solving the immediate problem.

Fehat’s gaze was kind and gentle as he looked at me, whose expression was somewhat serious. It was as if he was watching a child struggling with his studies.

“I’m sorry for bringing up the topic of state affairs at a time like this. Hmm, let’s change the topic. How are you, Sarah? Are you doing well with Queen Carmel and your mother these days?”

Is this the story of Carmel…

I feel a little sorry for Fehat. Although he had a serious accident in the beginning, he has supported me as a good father since then.

Taking Carmel away from Fehat and making her my woman is not just pleasant. But it can’t be helped. Because I had to have Carmel at all costs.

“Yes, our relationship has become very good. This is also thanks to my father.”

“It seemed like that. Even beyond the relationship between daughter and mother.”

what…?

I was surprised, but I looked at Fehat without showing it as much as possible. Fehat was just stroking his beard calmly.

“Did you know…? Since when?”

“…Ever since you gave me that medicine, I’ve been testing the ingredients with a magic item every time I drink wine before going to bed. So I found out. The wine that Carmel pours for me contains medicine, and its effect is to make me have visions of sleeping with her.”

I knew that Carmel was using tricks like that. This is also described in the novel.

However, I had no idea that Fehat would have noticed that, or that the butterfly effect caused by my actions would have caused that.

“When I stopped taking the medicine, I began to see many things. At some point, Carmel always talked about nothing but you. Even though she was faking a smile, it felt like she was walking on thin ice. It was probably thanks to you that her attitude changed, Sarah.”

This is something that would cause outrage even in a normal home. The sin of coveting the king’s woman is a great one. Even if you are a member of the same royal family or the heir to the throne, it is a sin that cannot be forgiven.

I couldn’t figure out Fehat’s intentions. It wasn’t easy to say it out loud. If necessary, you can also summon the Book of Enekra…

“The queen and princess, my only family, have been deceiving me all along. How did it feel to disdain the king, the royal family, and the entire kingdom, Serah?”

On the outside, Fehat didn’t seem that angry. But you don’t know what’s going on inside. Because there are many types of anger. Just because it doesn’t burn right away doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

“I’m sorry, father.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“Deceived my father, and violated my mother’s body several times. As my father said, that would be an unforgivable sin. According to the laws of the kingdom, even a princess will never be able to avoid severe punishment.”

“You don’t look like you’re reflecting.”

“Yes. I don’t regret it. If I could turn back time, I would do the same thing. I love my mother that much. And it was also for the good of the kingdom.”

Fehat stroked his beard, still unable to tell what was on his mind. He asked, looking at me intently.

“For the kingdom? How can it be for the sake of the kingdom that a daughter and mother, even though they are step-steps, share a wrong love?

“Mother, Carmel approached father in order to take advantage of him. The purpose is to destroy the Lustier Kingdom… I have done everything to stop such evil intentions, as much as to take control of my mother.”

“Hmm…”

Enekra’s curse, Mystilia… It’s a very clear fact to me, but there’s still too little evidence to convince the king. Fehat’s gaze glanced at me several times.

“I understand.”

What do you want to know? I rolled my head and narrowed my eyes to read Fehat’s thoughts. But what Fehat said was completely beyond my expectations.

“Sera, I will give you Carmel.”

“Yes… Yes?”

“No, it would not be appropriate to say that I would give it to you. According to what you said, it seems like the queen’s feelings were never for me.”

“ suddenly…? Really?”

“Didn’t you just say it with your own mouth? You say you truly love the queen… That’s your personality, but you didn’t have the slightest hesitation. If that were the queen’s will, it would be useless for me to stop it.”

“You don’t plan on punishing me?”

“You said you did it for the kingdom? Moreover, if something like that happens within the royal family, it only gives the nobles a reason to rebel. Moreover, if you lose both the queen and princess at the same time, the blow will be severe. In order to firmly protect the royal family, such an incident should never occur now.”

That’s a cool decision. It’s a realistically correct decision… but is this sincere?

The Fehat I know is by no means a cold-hearted person. Rather, he was a person shaken by human emotions to the point where he seemed inadequate.

How could there not be anger? As a man who lost his wife to his daughter?

“What about your father as an individual? Don’t you hate me?”

“Umm…”

Fehat scratched his chin. There was a strange warmth in his eyes, where it was difficult to read his emotions.

“Speaking as a father, I support you no matter who you love or what you do, Sarah. I was definitely disappointed that they had tricked me… but I can forgive that much within my family.”

“Father…”

I’m crying for no reason. Of course, Fehat is only the father of Princess Sera in the novel, and not my real father. But as an orphan, I began to feel like I had a father for the first time.

“Please make your mother and Carmel happy instead of this old father. That’s all I want from you. Oh, and if possible, don’t get caught.”

Fehat smiled gently and lightly patted my shoulder. I felt like crying a little.

* * *

next day,

In Monaz’s class, I asked a question about Aela’s grimoire.

“’A song praising life’… I’ve never heard of it. However, judging from the various circumstances the princess mentioned, it seems that it is a special type of grimoire.”

“What if it’s a special form?”

“It’s literally a song. A type of grimoire that is passed down by word of mouth. It was created in a time when writing did not exist.”

“Uh… can you call that a grimoire?”

“Of course. The definition of a grimoire is ‘a recording system that stores spells and mana in a magically effective way.’ This is also possible through word of mouth. However, it is not easy to be passed down compared to books with substance, so most of them have been lost as of now.”

Um… Well, it’s not that I don’t understand. Oral literature also falls into the category of ‘literature’.

“So, does that mean Aila has to speak up every time she uses magic? It didn’t look like that…”

Of course, it’s not certain. When I cast the Talisman of Stealth or the Curse of Anger, or when I activated the Curse of Pain in the form of a six-pointed star, I was just activating something that had been installed in advance. When those curses were engraved, a ‘song’ may have been played.

Monaz crossed her arms for a moment, lost in thought. After talking for a while, he spoke as if he had come to a conclusion.

“I’m not sure.”

“Hmm… It’s a meaningless answer considering I’ve been thinking about it for so long.”

“Yes. Because magic is personal and mysterious. There is absolutely no way to answer this question. Even if it is a grimoire in the form of a song, it cannot be said that its activation is necessarily accompanied by a voice. The possibility of that happening is high, though. But…”

“But?”

“I get the impression that the magic you mentioned is not the power of the grimoire. Instilling a curse through an object, especially using an object such as an amulet, feels incongruous with the period in which the grimoire was created. Those are things that the magician himself has acquired, and isn’t the true power of the grimoire something else? Of course, it’s all just a hypothesis.”

Well… that’s definitely true. I also agree with Monaz’s opinion.

According to what Carmel secretly mentioned, it seems that Aila acquired the ‘song praising life’ and even changed her physical shape into her current body with ideal beauty.

It was clearly different from Shimasa’s magic. Even with my magic vision, I couldn’t see through it. It means that the body has truly transformed into that appearance, rather than just deceiving the appearance.

The true power of a song that praises life is probably the power to manipulate the body. It would be reasonable to see it that way. It is an ability that is quite different from a general curse.

Well, actually, Carmel is a better person than Monaz to ask this question… but I still feel a little uncomfortable because of what happened last time. Of course, we need to discuss it properly before leaving for Seine.

“Anyway, I’m really glad that the princess has opened her eyes to the path of becoming a wizard. Even the purification spell was successful. Now, it is no exaggeration to say that he is a truly worthy mage.”

“Well, to that extent… I just did what was written in the book.”

Moreover, I used up more than 1/3 of the mana stored in the grimoire in one shot. Suddenly, Leelia, who purifies the curse as if she were breathing, seems amazing again.

“Good. Even the feeling of acknowledging one’s own shortcomings… Then, let’s move forward with today’s progress.”

Monaz smiled brightly, as if she was truly happy with her student’s growth. I couldn’t help but sigh as I looked at the thick book he took out.