Ch.3813. Nothing Has Ended

“El, are you truly alright with this?”

“What exactly are you referring to?”

“The speculation that something harmful affected Kariel, and consequently affected us as well. And, I’m concerned that addressing your master in such a manner might narrow your standing. It leaves me with regret.”

The Emperor and the Imperial Princess.

Along with the Empress and the Head Chamberlain.

The four of them proceed down a corridor that is both magnificent and spacious, yet enveloped in a gentle silence.

Throughout the corridor, the contrast between areas with open windows and those without created stark differences in light and shadow.

However, thanks to the elderly Head Chamberlain who led the way with a magical lamp, they were spared any discomfort or anxiety from such issues.

Vaguely bright light can disorient one’s vision.

Yet light that is too weak fails to illuminate surroundings clearly.

The optimal intensity of light, with qualities and composition that don’t strain the eyes.

Even such trivial matters could be considered products of contemporary magical arts.

“I showed a firm attitude because it was necessary. You know, don’t you? A wounded beast is likely to be targeted anywhere, anytime.”

“Then, about Kariel?”

“Do you mean someone’s machinations? A curse? Calamity? Or the conjecture that someone might have made comprehensive moves targeting Kariel himself?”

“…This is too vague a speculation. It’s not something that can convince or make others understand.”

“I don’t care.”

“So, it is as I thought?”

The Emperor exhaled a long breath.

The Empress thought it sounded almost like a sigh.

“Father. You know well that’s not what’s important, don’t you? Whether someone actually did something or not, what difference does it make? It’s not as if our past actions will disappear, is it? That’s why I said I don’t care either way. In the end, the need for atonement and apology remains unchanged, regardless.

However, if there was even the slightest external pressure or influence involved in this unknown matter, I will use that as a pretext to burn everything to the ground.

I will incinerate everything connected to it without a trace, without the slightest error.”

And then.

“Only by laying down such a bridge, even in this manner, might there be a chance—truly, truly, even the slimmest of chances.”

For Kariel.

For everyone including Lueld and Ermina, who repeatedly antagonized, opposed, and tore at him.

…This is a gentle yet cruel falsehood.

Yet, perhaps.

It might also be the most devastating fact, packaged under the name of truth.

“Doesn’t everyone in the world only want to see what they want to see, and hear what they want to hear anyway?”

“……”

The Emperor finally let out a sigh.

“And it’s not good in many ways for an outsider to adopt an attitude as if they’re judging us over this matter.”

If problems arise, they are the Empire’s to handle.

And the way to resolve them, whether through apology or punishment or whatever it may be.

“We must end it at our level.”

The Imperial Princess laid out her thoughts indifferently.

“There’s no time to waste on regret. Therefore, we must prevent the situation from worsening any further. Also, for the sake of a better future.”

“…Do you think it can be reversed?”

“That is…”

At this point, the Imperial Princess trailed off.

“I don’t know. Not at this moment.”

At least.

If Lueld hadn’t shown her that letter.

The Imperial Princess would still be filled with vain hope.

Believing things had worked out.

That at least the final knot hadn’t become tangled.

But the moment she read the contents Lueld handed over.

The Imperial Princess realized she had been under a massive delusion.

“I’m simply trying to protect both sides.”

The hero and saint who saved the world.

And…

====

“Let’s take Kariel to our country when we find him.”

As Geornia spoke while picking her elongated ear in the guest room, Hamern’s eyebrows trembled anxiously.

“Will that be alright?”

“Lueld can’t possibly make a fuss over something like this. Much less mobilize an army? Even for an Emperor whose military strategy and mercenary skills are said to be the best on the continent, with such a flimsy justification, how could he?”

“But justifications can be manufactured, can’t they?”

“That’s why Elhermina is the problem.”

Geornia had seen it.

And shuddered again.

The overwhelming sight that dyed and covered the room in pure white.

“She’s now completely made the Great Demon King’s legacy her own.”

“But wasn’t that what you handed over to her, Geornia?”

“I didn’t hand it over; that woman snatched it at the right moment.”

The Great Demon King’s legacy handed over by the demon tribe who surrendered to the Human Alliance totaled 3 items.

But does possession alone make one the owner?

It does not.

And in the qualification assessment, Elhermina boldly claimed it.

“It’s like having to eat something you know is poison.”

You can’t refuse to accept it.

And if that bomb disappears from sight, only to return later as an unimaginable calamity.

How would one handle it then?

“Sealing it would be the right answer… We should have just left it in the demon realm!”

“Wouldn’t that be problematic in its own way? If someone became capable of handling it, became a Demon King and invaded…”

“It’s fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, that the other owners are still inept.”

Geornia clicked her tongue and sprawled on the sofa.

“Those things probably know Kariel’s whereabouts too.”

How vexing.

“How do you plan to report this news to the higher-ups?”

“We need to observe a bit more.”

There are still many unresolved questions.

And if.

If, as the Imperial Princess deludes herself, some influence was indeed involved.

There must certainly be a purpose behind it.

“Did the demons make a move?”

To make an offer that absolutely cannot be refused?

Or was it simply human malice reaching its extreme?

We don’t know yet.

But we will soon find out.

For that purpose, they’ve exposed even the flaws they could have hidden.

To grasp what they call the truth.

====

My head felt like it was about to split open.

Screech—

Screech, screech—

“Ugh!”

I wondered if it might actually break.

After struggling for a while.

I found myself in a place I’d never seen before.

“Where is this…?”

A barren land.

A red sky.

Not a single plant, not even a withered, twisted tree in sight.

The ground, not so much white as pale like ash or bone dust.

Even a wasteland that seemed as if everything was fading away.

I wondered if anything could be more barren and bleak than this.

“What on earth…?”

Just then, a small light descended from the distance.

Without knowing why, I vaguely headed toward it.

A small winged angel was standing there.

‘An angel?’

The angel, resembling a child, looked at me and then turned away, flying off.

Slowly.

…As if telling me to follow.

Screech—

“Kuk!”

The headache struck again.

No, it was fundamentally different from a headache.

After several minutes of panting and groaning while sitting down.

“……”

I couldn’t understand.

Why am I here?

As I blindly headed toward where the baby angel was, it flew off somewhere again.

Beyond the wasteland.

Following and following, I reached that place where.

A pit lay before me.

“……”

For reasons I couldn’t understand, my heart sank with anxiety.

The angel was there.

I quickly called out to the angel to come here. I gestured. I cried out.

But.

The angel shook its head while crying.

With hands clasped in prayer.

Without raising its drooping wings again.

The angel continued to cry.

I… pondered.

And then.

I stepped into the pit.

……

A familiar place.

“…?”

So I couldn’t understand.

For a moment, I wondered if all this was a dream, and a chill ran through me.

Did I just doze off?

But why am I here?

It’s a familiar place.

So familiar that it gave me goosebumps beyond the chill.

My whole body trembled involuntarily.

Sitting in a chair, in front of a desk in this situation.

‘Why….’

Is this my room?

I definitely left home?

I had left, hadn’t I?

Was it all a dream?

Was it all imagination?

Uncontrollable emotions surged like a torrent.

My hands trembled, but… I barely suppressed the agitation with deep breaths.

Nothing changes by trembling with fear.

‘It’s not too late even now.’

After composing myself, I habitually opened the window as I always did…

“……”

Why is it so high?

It was a height I used to jump down from without a second thought.

Instinctively, I felt that if I jumped now… I would die, not just get hurt.

Looking again, my hands and feet had become very small.

The world hadn’t grown taller; I had become smaller.

“How?”

No, it’s too early to panic.

Let’s focus on what needs to be done now.

So first…

…I need to go through that door.

From there, I feel suffocated as if hitting a wall.

I don’t even want to approach it.

For me, that door was an exit to another nightmare.

Worrying about who might enter when I open the door.

Always tense at the faint footsteps from outside the door, stiffening my shoulders, pretending to be engaged, pretending to be dedicated, working hard, hard…

…But.

If I don’t go out, nothing will change.

I put my ear to the door and listen carefully.

…There’s no sound at all.

It was truly as quiet as a grave.

Opening the door quietly, I stepped into the corridor.

…An eerie silence greeted me.

My mind was dizzy with alternating anxiety and joy.

My feet trembled, and I couldn’t put strength in my ankles, but…

‘First… I’ll say I came out to drink water because I was thirsty. I called but no one answered, so that’s why I came out.’

This excuse will do.

I’ll add that I was also planning to go to the bathroom while I was out.

Hoping not to encounter anyone.

Suppressing any sound as much as possible, heightening my senses and hearing to the maximum.

Barely.

Really barely.

…I reached the front door.

The large main door is another barrier for me.

I don’t want to touch it.

I don’t even want to approach it.

Afraid of what might happen if I do.

I’m scared.

“……”

But to leave this place, this is now the only way.

The windows are firmly closed.

I tried to open them, but they wouldn’t budge.

However, the main door had a small gap.

It wasn’t even locked.

Why would locks matter when opening from the inside anyway.

…No, if it were a confinement cell, that would be different, but no, no. That’s not what’s important.

“……”

After quickly scanning the surroundings, checking the stairs and landings.

Minimizing the sound of my footsteps as much as possible.

I approach the front door.

Inserting my hand through the open gap.

Just as I’m about to pull it to open the door.

Thump!

—My shoulder was grabbed.

“Cal.”

Right behind my ear.

I heard breathing.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Cold sweat flowed, and my mind became hazy.

Everything in front of me turned white.

My chin trembled, making my teeth chatter involuntarily.

“Isn’t it time to study?”

“……”

Breathing.

Between calm breaths.

Like grinding teeth.

I can’t hear it.

“Why are you here? Answer me, Cal.”

“I, well…”

“Don’t stutter. Speak clearly.”

“I, I was… thirsty…”

“Then shouldn’t you not be here?”

“……”

“You lied, didn’t you?”

“N-no, I didn’t.”

“You lied, Cal. To your mother.”

“I, I really…”

“You just need to tell the truth.”

That I want to leave this house.

That I’m scared.

That I can’t breathe!

“But you lie! Why! To your mother! How could you do such a disrespectful thing! Who taught you such behavior!”

“N-no! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

Belatedly, I turn around and bow my head deeply.

Still.

Her voice lingers beside my ear.

Along with that dreary breathing.

“Cal. Did you think you could escape from me?”

“?!”

“Give up. You will stay here forever.”

You can’t escape.

“Because I am your mother.”

My throat was grabbed.

“Ugh!”

“So if you want to leave, leave this body behind.”

Are you sleepy?

If you die, you can sleep forever.

Are you tired?

That too is a blessing you can feel because you’re alive.

“It seems you don’t want to live with your mother forever?”

“Ugh! I’m s-sorry—!”

“When trust and dependence lead to eternal life! When we should be together forever even in heaven! I don’t want to be apart! Never! So why don’t you understand this desperate heart! Atone! You must atone! With your father and mother! This small wish to live happily together! Why don’t you understand it! Whyyy!”

I can’t breathe.

I struggle, but with such a small body, not even resistance—.

“When I say I love you… why don’t you understand, Caaaaal!”

“Kuhak!”

It feels like it’s going to break.

Hands, arms, I tried to resist desperately.

Everything was meaningless.

‘I am…’

Going to die like this…

……

Gold flickers before my eyes.

The whole world is being buried in gold.

Like a passing shower.

What’s pouring down is a spectacle like countless petals scattering in the wind all at once.

The massive tree, with its golden leaves glistening, stands with its trunk bent vertically, as if forcibly erected.

It stood like that.

Below it, like a flowing river of gold, leaves like gold coins spread endlessly to the edge of the world, to the vast plains beyond where the eye could see, and beyond.

“…?”

Where is this?

“I asked you to save me! To save me! Why! Why only me! Why must only I suffer like this!”

“An ugly, fleeting, and irritating bug, indeed.”

As a dark figure screams, a golden figure pours out mockery with a sneer.

“You! A mere specter daring to speak to me like that!”

“Take note, little bug. Despite appearances, I was once the master of ten thousand demons. How dare a lowly creature like you act as if we’re equals? You want to die?”

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Ah, my eardrums are about to fall out.”

The golden figure, who was pretending to pick its ear.

“…And who are you?”

Suddenly, it tilted its head, looking at Kariel.

——

“?!”

Right after opening my eyes.

“Our handsome brother? Are you feeling a bit better now?”

The first thing I realized and felt was.

A presence that seemed to embody the epitome of motherhood, impossible to conceal with just a thin layer of clothing.

A truly enormous woman’s bosom.

The reason I immediately recognized this was because.

…It wasn’t the first time I’d been embraced with my face buried in such a chest cavity.