Ch.7023. Intersection (2)

Ten days ago.

“Rueld. It’s quite difficult to see your face.”

Geornia, wrapped in her long silver hair as if it were a blanket, appeared to be someone whose age would be difficult for anyone to guess just by looking at her exterior.

Nevertheless, if there was anything that hinted at her years of experience, it was her composure and demeanor.

She was half-lying on the large sofa in the guest room.

Then she glared at Rueld as he entered, with an air of haughtiness.

“…I’m ashamed.”

“Why do you look like death? Are you already scared of being scolded by me? Or what? Did you hear some strange news from the children?”

“……”

Geornia and the blonde elf Hamern standing behind her remained standing without showing any particular reaction.

However.

Their vibrant gazes, lush as verdant forests, were meticulously tracking Rueld’s every move.

“I’ve been contemplating for days… but since avoiding it won’t solve anything, I’ve decided to make a decision.”

“…What decision do you mean?”

“Melineos. It seems that child had a prophetic dream.”

“Why tell me that? Don’t tell me it’s related to Kariel?”

“What’s with that reaction? As if you’re hearing this for the first time?”

Rueld thought to himself.

If she was specifically telling him, there must be a valid reason.

Above all.

…Rueld himself was currently in a state of great confusion after hearing what Patina had reported to him.

The fact that she had reported to him first, rather than anyone else… was probably a kind of courtesy.

And soon, when that information would be passed up his chain of command…

“Looking at your expression, it seems you’ve figured something out?”

“……”

“Melineos doesn’t remember her dream, and it was the Golden Beast that made it so.”

“…What?”

What was she talking about?

Why was the Golden Beast, the Demon Lord of Wisdom, being mentioned here?

“I don’t know the details. It’s probably just fragments. A being of that caliber could influence even the tiniest speck.”

“Is Melineos… safe?”

“From what I’ve examined… yes. Nothing unusual.”

That made him even more anxious.

What kind of intentions, what kind of mental calculations had that crazy beast made?

To cause such a disgrace even after death.

“Today or tomorrow… I intend to glimpse what that entity really is. I can no longer overlook this.”

“……”

The information Rueld himself had encountered was shocking enough, but to think there was even more to it.

No.

“…Perhaps it’s related to the information I’ve come across.”

“What… else? What more is there?”

Why is she suddenly making me so anxious?

“Let’s discuss it where everyone is present. By now… they should all have received the information.”

“Oh damn! Why does more keep coming up? What are you all hiding from me?!”

“…I’m ashamed.”

====

“…Is that statement true?”

“It’s the testimony of Alesia, the 4th Saint of the Order, bearing the name of Protection.”

Princess Elhermina was overwhelmed by the shocking revelation that made her feel as if everything had gone dark before her eyes.

This wasn’t something to be laughed off as a joke.

Moreover, she wasn’t one who enjoyed jokes.

Perhaps that was why.

She didn’t have even the slightest emotional leeway to view it as such.

“Is there a possibility it’s a lie or an exaggeration?”

“…I believe reports about the birth of a holy relic in Kariella of Baroness would have been transmitted to both the Order and within the Empire.”

“…Yes. I also received additional information that a young knight named Ruel, whose full name wasn’t included, made a significant contribution while continuing his knightly duties.”

Elhermina said, brushing up her red hair.

“And of course, we all know that’s Kariel.”

“……”

“Patina. Tell me in detail, from beginning to end, what this so-called saint told you.”

Patina respectfully and calmly recounted what she had heard.

This was content that couldn’t be documented, so she hadn’t prepared a separate report.

Nevertheless, Patina’s complexion and language showed no hesitation, as if she was accustomed to such matters.

Kariel, who had saved a passing village.

Saint Alesia and Luke, the second son of Baron Baroness, along with their small battalion, who joined him there.

The group that accompanied him to Kariella, where they glimpsed the memories of Saint Kariel during a memory excavation operation conducted by Filbar of the Edenrevan Regiment, who had been dispatched to understand the past holy era in commemoration of Saint Kariel’s feast day…

“A holy relic.”

That story, even after hearing it, was fascinating and made her ponder many thoughts.

However, that wasn’t all of the important content.

Originally, Alesia had wanted to accompany him, but Kariel had refused.

The content he revealed while doing so was crucial.

“Unconditional affection. Even kindness was… too precious a grace for him now.”

A sigh escaped her.

It was obvious when she thought about it… but why had she…

It felt like being trapped in a merciless nightmare while awake.

“So, he’s saying he shouldn’t be involved with someone cursed like himself?”

She didn’t know what the curse was.

But he had spoken of it as a demon lord’s curse.

Above all, the mention of collusion with a demon lord gave her an ominous feeling.

“Was there really a curse… some external influence… that we couldn’t perceive?”

This is where it becomes crucial.

The point at which Kariel was exposed to it.

If it was congenital… this becomes very serious.

If he had been afflicted with it during his time as a hostage… this too becomes serious.

But if he had noticed the reality of such a curse after returning to the Empire… no, I skipped one possibility.

What if he was exposed to it right after returning to the system? Or if it happened in recent times?

“……”

Or perhaps truly.

When he infiltrated the treasury… was he inevitably entangled?

In this case, the inevitability suggests that there might have been external or internal covert forces that facilitated it, which wouldn’t be surprising at all.

Then why specifically Kariel?

Or conversely, was it because it was Kariel?

Her thoughts became complicated.

Despite there being no reason for it, she felt as if the air was growing cold.

No.

Regardless of her rising heartbeat, her body temperature might be rapidly dropping along with her blood color.

In many ways, it didn’t make sense, but if she was feeling dizzy, her blood pressure was definitely dropping.

Or was it the opposite?

“…Could you repeat the content you just mentioned once more to His Majesty?”

“If you command it.”

“……”

Elhermina had directly heard from Geornia about the ominous signs read in the prophetic dream of her mother, Melineos.

That alone was giving her a headache, and now another issue had emerged unexpectedly.

And in a form worse than she could have imagined.

“Alesia, was it? The 4th Saint? Of Protection?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“…She showed such interest in Kal… Is it even possible to harbor such affection from a brief encounter? Ah… yes. Given that Kal’s appearance is outstanding compared to his peers, I suppose it’s possible…”

Elhermina felt a strange sense of self-deprecation.

Regret came too late, and longing even more so.

Lingering attachment remained constant, occasionally swelling.

“If it benefits him, I could gladly bless it. If her presence by his side can provide him comfort.”

“…Your Highness.”

“But we’ll have to see.”

It might be a love like measles.

It might be a love close to impulse.

Or perhaps a passion based on instinct, faithful to desire and lust.

It doesn’t matter at all.

Even if the beginning was inappropriate, if she can ultimately love and cherish him with sincerity and truth.

…Doesn’t love sometimes originate from hatred and dislike?

She had no intention of denying the countless forms, the diverse forms of love.

Pure and innocent love isn’t the only beautiful and flawless form.

Even if it rolls in mud and gets battered here and there.

If it can bloom within, she was ready to accept it willingly.

“It seems I can no longer just watch.”

But if things have become entangled and exposed in such a worst-case manner.

She could clearly envision how her father would respond, and what attitude Rueld would display.

“I hope the knot unravels well.”

She had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy.

Even someone as astute as her couldn’t come up with a clear answer in this situation.

====

“We’ve found traces near the Kingdom of Metran.”

They were just a bit too late.

They had somehow detected that he had boarded a ship heading to Dabas, but that was it.

There was no way to grasp the situation after that.

So all Rueld could do was infiltrate Dabas to gather more information.

In the early morning mist that gently crossed the forest.

After feeding her hawk and sending it into the air, Patina examined a small rolled piece of paper and spoke.

Simple signals and alerts can be handled with beacon fires, but these are affected by weather.

Above all, it’s impossible to convey complex content, so at that point, using people to deliver messages is the only option.

But even the fastest person has limits.

That’s why using trained birds or specific animals is a quite ancient method of information transmission.

And an even faster and more systematic means of communication is using special incantations or magic.

While methods and approaches vary, what the Empire can institutionally utilize is generally limited to magical means.

In this case, the problem of needing a magician to accompany arises, but the Empire has always been generous with support in this regard.

In the ancient Great Empire of Vera, where such means were not available, they operated a system called relay stations, but even that had clear limitations.

From there.

The Berk Empire reached a compromise by combining relay stations and magical communication, scattering relay communication stations throughout the empire.

But even that, being fixed in position, was hard to feel effective unless it was on the route or nearby.

From there again.

The utility of communication birds trained with magic or special conditioning emerges.

Especially in situations like now, when infiltrating another country.

“Right.”

In the forest that reminds one of a damp wetland due to the rain the night before.

Rueld, who had scattered the firewood that was emitting only a small smoke without a flame, stood up.

Inside, he wore the distinctive knight uniform, but over it, he had draped a coat-like garment.

The brown coat with a hood might look like that of an ordinary traveler, but even this is a magical item.

From now on, he must cross a foreign country, and if that’s not enough, he must also infiltrate another foreign country without permission.

Personal danger is not an issue.

But he couldn’t overlook the diplomatic friction and conflict that might arise due to his presence, so he was going to be extremely cautious.

“Additional locations will be communicated as they are identified.”

“Metran. Why did he go there of all places?”

For Rueld, every part of the continent evoked many thoughts.

There were battles and battlefields everywhere.

And all the connections and bad relationships formed there.

But now, he didn’t care about any of that.

“……”

He repeatedly recalled what had happened ten days ago.

The Emperor, his brother, had persuaded Rueld to prioritize this above all else.

…Even though Rueld himself wondered if this was the right thing to do now.

Princess Elhermina had repeatedly emphasized that it was impossible without him.

If she said she wanted to go herself, she must have been truly anxious.

“Let’s depart.”

Although the personnel consisted only of Rueld himself and Patina, who followed under the pretext of accompanying him.

If a foreign country had discovered this, they would have been in a state of panic and restlessness.

Everyone on the continent knows that he would never commit such a dishonorable act.

…Nevertheless.

In a situation where a knife is held to one’s throat, no one can remain calm.

Although Rueld was alone, the fact that he had entered foreign territory.

That’s what it meant, after all.

‘Ermina.’

How long can it be hidden?

Although Geornia had considered the circumstances and didn’t pry.

By the time her postpartum recovery is complete, she might sense something amiss.

No.

By now, she might have already begun to grasp the situation.

Even as he rode on horseback, Rueld kept recalling what he had heard then.

Geornia, who had gone to reconfirm Melineos’s dream, had told him a shocking truth.

No, perhaps it wasn’t the truth.

Geornia, after sorting out the situation.

After coordinating opinions with everyone present, she had instructed Rueld.

[You must call Kariel and ask him directly what’s going on. And using all available means and methods… this must be resolved.]

Otherwise.

[…We’ll all have to watch with our own eyes as that child becomes a demon lord and reduces the Empire to ashes. Would it be just the Empire? I don’t think so.]

So, Rueld.

[If you don’t want to harm that child with your own hands, this is your only chance.]

Above all, what’s most serious is.

[The Golden Beast might be alive or could be resurrected.]

This is an unprecedented crisis that absolutely cannot be overlooked.

[Put in all your effort. If that’s not possible.]

Rueld, you will face a choice that you’ll regret more than any other time.

[To prevent such a tragedy. For your sake, for that child’s sake, and for all of us.]

By all means.

[Bring that child safely back to the system.]

Perhaps.

The situation might have deteriorated beyond the point of no return.

But…

“……”

That doesn’t mean giving up.

Why has the situation deteriorated to this extent?

Until he hears the truth directly from that child’s own mouth.

He will continue to ask himself this question, akin to original sin.