Ch.129Ruide’s Choice (5)

Insights can be gained from the most trivial things.

Just like Newton who thought of gravity after seeing an apple fall.

‘I was trapped in my preconceptions.’

Ruide was feeling something similar.

When you change the most essential element, everything else follows naturally.

If they made Damon, who was friendly to Windsor, the Emperor, many other troublesome problems would disappear.

“Thank you, sister Irene.”

“Hmm?”

“For showing me there’s such a gentle approach.”

Irene tilted her head, then smiled brightly.

Ruide glanced at Damon and asked.

“When will you become Emperor?”

“Peacefully, I’d need to become the family head first and push for it.”

‘…That will take a long time.’

Victoria was still healthy, after all.

It would be a long time before Irene inherited the position of family head.

“If we use more extreme methods, it could happen right away.”

“Nothing would be more disgraceful than ascending to the throne with Windsor’s power.”

“You understand well?”

“An emperor who relies on such shortcuts doesn’t last long. I’ll handle it myself. I only ask one thing of you. When I become Emperor, support me.”

“I promise you my full support. You’re a child who understands the way of righteousness.”

Irene seemed quite pleased with Damon.

‘What exactly did he do…’

Though he could imagine.

Irene wasn’t exactly a gentle person. Damon must have struggled quite a bit… but it seemed he actually liked that about her.

Irene shuffled through some documents in front of her, then asked with a somewhat serious expression.

“I heard an Academy student died.”

“That’s right.”

“And you tried to save them but failed.”

“More accurately, it’s still in progress.”

Ruide replied calmly.

“There are still many experiments I haven’t tried.”

“You didn’t announce it because it would be troublesome?”

“…People would say predictable things. But now it doesn’t matter.”

If Damon became Emperor, such worries would be meaningless.

No, it would actually be beneficial.

It would give him reasons to turn against the Imperial family, accumulating bit by bit.

It would be annoying for a while, but…

He didn’t mind being annoyed if the reward was sweet enough to make it worthwhile.

“I’m going to send the students back. They don’t seem to want to be here anyway. And it’s…”

Ruide yawned deeply.

“Boring. Damon, have you achieved your original purpose?”

“Purpose? You mean awakening the fools of the Empire to their senses?”

“No. Investigating the Windsor Duchy.”

Damon chuckled.

“So you noticed.”

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have abandoned your students to follow me.”

Damon nodded.

“I’ve achieved my goal, Ruide. I have no regrets. No, it’s actually more than I deserved. I learned in less than a month what would have taken me ten years to learn here.”

‘What exactly did he do…’

Though he could imagine.

Irene wasn’t exactly a gentle person. Damon must have struggled quite a bit… but it seemed he actually liked that about her.

“By the way, Rui.”

Irene looked at the report with a puzzled expression.

“The circumstances of Sophia Queensberry’s death. It’s a bit strange.”

“Strange?”

“According to Charlotte’s report, there were no magical beasts in the area.”

Ruide thought that was strange too.

“The possibility of Charlotte being wrong is zero.”

Irene stated firmly. Ruide agreed with that.

“But the wounds were impossible for a human to inflict, she said.”

“What if it wasn’t a magical beast, but a magical human?”

Irene rested her chin on the back of her hand.

“It could be a magical human with special abilities.”

“I would have sensed it.”

‘Besides, Victoria was there too.’

Sophia’s death was certainly suspicious.

But there was a reason he hadn’t looked into it carefully.

He wasn’t particularly curious.

And knowing wouldn’t change anything.

“…Are you concerned?”

“No. Just…”

Irene raised one corner of her mouth deeply.

“I feel like investigating might reveal something interesting. What do you think? Why don’t you look into it yourself?”

**

It was best to follow his eldest sister’s words whenever possible.

Unlike Amelia, Irene could be merciless.

She might actually confine him.

“What a bother.”

He muttered his habitual phrase. It had been a while since he’d said it. He’d been living quite diligently lately.

Still, stepping on the crunching snow improved his mood.

“This is the place.”

This was an area where it always snowed.

So while the traces were faint, they couldn’t fool Ruide’s eyes.

He found the spot where Sophia had been crushed. Around it…

“…Animal footprints.”

And they belonged to quite a large animal.

At least it wasn’t the trace of a magical human.

He had briefly suspected the “memory mage” the healer mentioned, but from this moment, that suspicion was eliminated.

“Hmm…”

Ruide blinked. He recalled what Ella had told him before he came here, saying her analysis was complete.

-There’s nothing wrong with your magic, Lord Ruide.

-It’s a world theory that even if you swap the present and past, changes don’t occur immediately.

-In reality, it’s a different world. Sophia who died an hour ago…

-Just give me the conclusion? My head hurts.

-I-I’m sorry! Then to conclude…

“The magic was successful. But Sophia from one hour before the incident already had her soul destroyed.”

That was Ella’s conclusion—

And Ruide trusted Ella completely.

“…Sophia was definitely alive. She was having conversations just like everyone else.”

But a body without a soul couldn’t possibly move.

That meant one thing.

“Someone possessed Sophia’s soulless body and pretended to be her.”

The only people in the world who would do such a vile thing were black mages.

And among the black mages Ruide knew, the one capable of this was…

“The Sin of Lust, Lilith.”

The Seven Deadly Sins were the main villains of the original novel.

They had quite a hierarchy among themselves. The power gap between lower and higher sins was enormous.

Lust was positioned at a fairly high rank. If Lilith had possessed someone, killing her would be extremely difficult.

The suspect quickly came to mind.

Ruide’s eyes lowered.

“I see. So you were the culprit.”

It could only be his familiar and Great Spirit, the “Nine-tailed Fox.” She had reacted sensitively to souls several times before.

Then everything fits.

These large footprints belonged to Miho’s true form.

There was a reason Charlotte couldn’t sense any magical beast aura.

“Why would she hide that fact from me?”

Ruide narrowed his eyes.

He could summon her directly and ask, but he couldn’t trust her. Even apart from this incident.

“Liar.”

It was common knowledge that nine-tailed foxes were deceitful by nature.

But since it was certainly vexing, he would punish her.

Ruide yawned and reduced the magical power flowing to Miho to 1/10.

He wouldn’t restore it until she was on the verge of death.

“Rui.”

While he was thinking these meaningless thoughts, a voice came from not far away.

Irene was approaching with her hands in her black coat.

With snowflakes lightly dancing around her, blending with her snow-white skin, there was a certain elegance to the scene.

“Did you find out?”

“My familiar was the culprit.”

Irene stroked Ruide’s head.

“She was a more likable pet fox than I thought. I didn’t like her because she was playing with other women while neglecting her master.”

Irene said with a smile.

‘…Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to pay much attention to Hersy lately.’

The number of conversations he’d had with Hersy in the North could be counted on one hand.

She probably felt somewhat neglected.

“Do you know why she killed her?”

Ruide looked toward the First Emperor’s tomb.

“Well, because she saw something she shouldn’t have.”

The reason Miho killed Sophia was actually simple to figure out.

Killing her near here meant that the black mage had seen the “First Emperor’s tomb.”

Though he didn’t understand why she wouldn’t mention such a praiseworthy deed.

“The First Emperor’s tomb would certainly be troublesome if seen.”

“Yes. And what was inside Sophia was a black mage…”

Ruide was speaking normally when he felt a strong sense of déjà vu and his pupils began to tremble.

“…You knew?”

“I’m hurt, Rui.”

Irene smiled brightly and lowered herself to Ruide’s eye level.

Her blue eyes glinted somewhat frighteningly. It was 90% warmth and 10% madness.

“I’ve never hidden anything from you.”

“How…?”

“Have you forgotten? This area is my responsibility. I couldn’t possibly not know what happens at the first line of defense.”

“Ah.”

Irene smiled enigmatically.

“Of course, I don’t know what’s inside. So what did you see?”

‘This was an interrogation…!’

Ruide bit his lip.

He felt inexplicably frustrated.

“Rui.”

Irene stood up and gently embraced Ruide.

She stroked his head and whispered.

“If you do such admirable things like hiding things from your sister, I’ll have no choice but to put a collar around your slender neck.”

Ruide’s body trembled.

Irene held Ruide’s shoulders and asked once more.

“Won’t you tell me?”

“……”

Ruide slightly averted his gaze and spoke in a small voice.

“…Dellin is our ancestor.”

“Yes.”

“The First Emperor was a bad person.”

“Yes.”

“Dellin asked for revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“She asked to erase the Empire.”

“…!”

Irene seemed momentarily surprised, then her smile gradually deepened.

Ruide sighed at the all-too-predictable reaction.

“I’ve decided to make my own choice.”

Irene blinked.

With a deflating sound, she spoke softly.

“I won’t take away what belongs to you. Don’t worry.”

“…Really? Don’t suddenly declare war or anything.”

Irene spoke quickly, as if she couldn’t hold back.

“So, what is our youngest’s choice?”

“My choice is…”

One of the headaches, “Sophia’s death,” was resolved by choosing the path where Damon becomes Emperor.

In fact, from the moment he heard that Damon had decided to become Emperor, the answer was already determined.

What remained was one thing.

The decision about what happened at the First Emperor’s tomb.

Whether to attack the Empire or find another way.

In fact, from the moment he heard that Damon had decided to become Emperor, the answer was already determined.

Just as he learned from Irene, he would strike at the core with a single blow.

“I’m going to save Dellin.”

“I’m going to save the First Emperor too.”

“And.”

Ruide spoke with an innocent face.

“I’m going to kill the First Emperor.”

Irene couldn’t hold back anymore and pushed Ruide down onto the snow.

She straddled her brother, pinned his wrists, and brought her face close.

Ruide was flustered. Irene’s blonde hair tickled his cheeks.

Irene whispered distinctly into his ear.

“I would have respected whatever choice you made… but this, you know Rui.”

“S-sister?”

Irene raised her head. Ruide couldn’t collect himself after Irene’s sudden action.

Above all, a red flush had appeared on Irene’s white face.

“It’s an extremely pleasing choice.”