episode_0060

The moon gently embraced the topaz palace.

Snowflakes fell from the sky and settled over the garden, adding to the tranquility.

The white lilies bowed their heads, pressed by the cold breath of winter, and the moonlight spread over them like frost.

A sleepless night.

Rudel was staring blankly at the garden. The scenery outside the window was tranquil, but left a faint resonance.

A mixture of embarrassment and anticipation made her cheeks flush whenever she had the chance. Her heartbeat continued to pound.

…Actually, I didn’t know that Rudel would end up like this. I suggested that since it was the last time, it would be okay to be this greedy.

But John accepted the offer. It cannot be said that there was no sympathy or pity in it, but Rudela was still satisfied.

No matter what his feelings were, it was no different in that he was conscious of her and looked at her.

So, Rudella was awake even though she would normally be asleep. Something was wrong with her mind, and she couldn’t sleep at all.

My cheeks kept getting hot, my heart was pounding, and I was fidgeting with my hands for no reason. I couldn’t stay still.

The fact that the man she had longed for was looking at her did not leave her heart still.

“Huh huh…”

She smiled without realizing it. The smile on her lips didn’t seem to disappear.

It wasn’t over yet, and there were still many hurdles to overcome to connect with John, but she didn’t care.

Because I judged that I could definitely convince Princess Perbache.

The information and evidence she had was sharp.

‘…I have to deal with the crown prince.’

Rudel took a deep breath and stood up, the moonlight streaming dimly through the window streaming down her shoulders.

Click.

When I opened the safe with the small key I usually wore around my neck, it was full of various magical tools, documents, and mana canvases.

The magic tool was used to record sounds, and the documents were a ledger containing crimes that amounted to treason that the crown prince had committed up to that point.

The Mana Canvases, which capture moments and record them like paintings, add authenticity to the evidence.

All of these were pieces of evidence that Rudel had been collecting for a long time, in preparation for the unexpected, in order to put a leash on the high sun.

Because the crown prince, who would become the emperor in the future, was not someone who could be easily controlled.

It would have been dangerous to leave evidence that could threaten the Crown Prince in the Topaz Palace, but she decided it was safer here.

It could never be entrusted to a family that worshipped the crown prince, and it was impossible to hide it from someone else.

Isn’t there a saying that “it’s dark under the lamp”?

So Rudella hid the evidence in a safe in her quarters.

‘To this extent…’

No matter how perfect a crown prince he may seem to the outside world, he will not be able to avoid being dethroned.

Not only did he make contact with the magic practitioners, but he also gathered soldiers separately and hid them, and colluded with other countries to pursue his own interests.

‘For that position… just push the Second Prince.’

The Second Prince was the only member of the royal family who fought with Fedelian for the throne, but he had no faction supporting him and was inferior to the Crown Prince in every way.

Thus, the position of Crown Prince was taken by Fedelian.

He is now living a quiet life in the outskirts, but if Rudella provides him with both material and spiritual support, he can easily inherit the throne.

Ludella put the evidence back in the safe and rang the bell on the table.

Daughter-

After a while, a servant opened the door to the residence and came in.

“Did you call?”

“Call Vera.”

“Yes.”

It was late, but Vera had been handling most of Rudella’s work recently, so it wasn’t a problem.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Let’s wait a moment, Vera came into the room after knocking three times.

“I heard you called.”

“Vera.”

“Yes.”

“Contact the 2nd Prince, Richard.”

Her eyebrows twitched as she was suddenly called in while she was handling work.

“…Are you speaking to His Highness the Prince?”

“Yeah.”

Vera, who was quick-witted and had always served Rudella, could not have not known what those words meant.

“I will tell you secretly.”

Rudella nodded in response and focused on writing the letter.

It was not yet time to persuade Princess Pervace, but preparations were needed first.

For John’s sake.

* * *

Time passed.

The day that had been announced had arrived, and Johan headed to the Ekarsi County with the elite members of the civil service.

The officers who checked the contents of the document written by John did not doubt the possibility.

I had seen with my own eyes that Johan had repaired the cracks in the cave during the war with Sanburg, so it was strange not to believe it.

Anyway, the first and second officers were moving at the same time to repair the crack.

“… … .”

“… … .”

However, there was a somewhat awkward atmosphere between Johan and Francia, who were on their way to the County of Ecarsi.

Because Francia had a strange look of avoidance.

Even if it was true that he was helping Rudella, was it a misjudgment to say that he didn’t want to hurt her?

John’s mind was tangled and complicated.

But contrary to his worries, Francia was actually fine.

Even though there was no love between the two, it was no different from intercepting John, who was supposed to be with another woman, and forcing him to take responsibility.

It would be a lie to say that she wasn’t jealous or angry, but… Francia could understand Johan well enough.

‘What should I do with this atmosphere…’

However… it was difficult to treat it like before.

I told you before that I wouldn’t be angry and that it was really okay, but now that it turned out as I expected, I have complicated feelings…

“Ahem…”

Francia cleared her throat for no reason. The awkward atmosphere seemed to be suffocating her. It wasn’t much different for Johan.

“…Do you have anything to say?”

“Uh… No? Just…”

She couldn’t continue speaking. Her tongue wouldn’t move. She had never realized how difficult it was to string together words one by one and form sentences.

“…No.”

Francia looked away, trailing off. Normally, she would have expressed her affection and continued to make silly jokes, but strangely, no words came out.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

John took a deep breath. It was natural for this to happen. What woman in the world would welcome such a situation?

Just wait for time to tell.

* * *

The soldiers entered the Ekarsi County and entered the village where the lair had appeared.

Unlike before, when it was bustling with people, the village was empty. This was natural, as a den had appeared on the mountain path not far away.

“We are now entering the cracked cave! Everyone, don’t let your guard down!”

Fedelian, who was in the lead, raised his sword and spoke. He was the commander-in-chief of this operation. Since this was an event that would be remembered in history, the royal bloodline had to remain as a symbol.

“Clarak!”

“Kieee!”

As we entered the mountain path, demons rushed at us, spitting out spit.

Scratch!

However, it was impossible to break through the knights standing in the vanguard, because the military force deployed for this operation was at its maximum.

There was no danger, unless a horde of special-class demons came out.

“This is the cave ahead!”

Eventually, we reached the front of the crack. The further we went inside, the more demons there were, but it didn’t take long to sort them out.

“Is this it?”

“I feel dirty whenever I see the cave.”

A pitch-black fog rose slowly from within the crack. The inside was filled with darkness that made it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

“Harsen Special Wizard?”

Vice-Chief Ricardo called Johan.

“Yes.”

John, who had drawn up his magical power, stepped forward without hesitation and stood in front of the crack.

“Raise your alert to the max! The operation begins now!”

-yes!

The shouts of the knights and soldiers echoed through the dark mountain path.

“Let’s get started.”

John reached out towards the crack. Pure blue mana began to coil around his shoulder, wrapping around his arm and hand.

As John’s magic power touched the crack, a strong wave of magic power occurred. A gust of wind arose and black fog swirled around like a storm.

“Is it possible…?”

“Something is happening.”

“By any chance?”

Gulp.

The necks of the officers guarding John from the side fell heavily. If they succeeded… it would be a historic moment.

Because it would be possible to close the den that had been eating away at the continent for a long time and causing many people to die.

Hwaaak!!

The spreading black fog suddenly gathered in one place. The officers who sensed something was wrong all raised their weapons, but nothing special happened.

Dismissal…!

A crack that twisted space itself, sending out waves of magical power like electricity. Johan concentrated more on pouring out his mana.

Cold sweat ran down John’s forehead. His magical power had been drained considerably. He felt as if his vitality was being sucked away. But he couldn’t stop.

It wasn’t simply that he didn’t want to stop. As if instinctively devouring mana, the cracks took away John’s magic power.

Saaa…

The black fog that had been wandering through the air began to disperse, and the cracks that had been rippling like torn space slowly began to heal and fit together.

“All, closed!”

“Closed!”

A look of anticipation appeared on the faces of the officers.

But there was one person who couldn’t be happy in this place.

‘…It really was.’

It was Fedelian. He watched the cave close with cold, sunken eyes.

This makes it certain that Johan Harsen’s value will skyrocket. Even if he is the crown prince, he will not be easily touched.

‘I feel pretty dirty.’

It was very frustrating not being able to deal with Johan Harsen, but there was nothing else I could do now. He had become something of a hero.

But there was no need to worry. After this incident, the Emperor would do his best to make Johan Harsen his son-in-law.

It was a marriage proposal that the Emperor himself had proposed. Even if the Duke of Pervace had opposed it, it would have been nearly impossible to refuse.

Moreover, since Crown Prince Fedelian was also expected to lend his support, it was safe to say that the engagement with Lariana was virtually confirmed.

While all sorts of calculations were taking place in Fedelian’s head.

“Uh uh…!”

“It’s possible, it’s possible!”

The crack was completely healed.

“Wow!!”

“Closed!”

The shouts of the soldiers echoed like boiling waves. As the pitch-black fog cleared, sunlight that had been hidden in the darkness illuminated the mountain path.

“Hoo…”

Due to the extreme consumption of magical power, Johan completely lost all his energy and sat down on the floor. He was unable to move his body at all.

If it weren’t for my constitution, which grew stronger the more I used my magic power, I might have died. The magic power required by the crack was that considerable.

“John!”

Francia was the first to run to him. Johan’s face was pale. His skin was as cold as ice, and his energy was fading and his eyes were dull.

“This is bad…”

Francia’s face stiffened as she knelt down to examine Johan’s condition. The side effects were much more serious than she had thought.

“Is there anything in particular that hurts?”

“Nothing in particular.”

John smiled faintly as he looked at Francia’s serious expression.

“That’s fortunate.”

“…What is it?”

As she tilted her head, John smiled even more deeply.

“I don’t think Francia started to hate me.”

The voice was low, but the sincerity contained within pierced her heart. Francia paused for a moment, thinking that he had misunderstood.

“That will never happen.”

She smiled and rested her forehead against John’s.

“Because I like John a lot more than he thinks.”