Ch.7123. Intersection. (3)

Since Cariel ran away.

Since he officially left on a holy pilgrimage.

There hadn’t been much change in the daily life of Sylphia, who had been his personal maid.

True to the Brendiar family’s habit of employing minimal staff, once she started looking for work, it seemed endless.

The wages she received were generous compared to servants in other mansions and noble houses.

The work wasn’t particularly arduous either.

When maids and servants employed by noble families and prestigious houses most commonly complained about having to be mindful of their masters’ moods as the most difficult part,

Even that was hardly a difficulty or major issue for her.

Except for the somewhat strict head maid.

Above all, while many came wanting to serve as servants and maids with respect and reverence,

Due to the firm resolve of the family head and his wife who disliked waste in such matters, the Brendiar household maintained just enough staff to keep up appearances.

Half of the gardeners, home security, and guard personnel were provided by the imperial family.

Without even that, the mansion might have been quite hollow inside despite its size.

“Don’t take your eyes off. Always cultivate the habit of watching carefully.”

The head maid had considered hiring a new nanny to attend to Lady Ermina,

But Ermina instructed that everyone, including herself, should share this duty.

Except for breastfeeding, Sylphia was perfect for the role since her main duties had diminished, so she ended up taking charge of caring for the second young master.

…She liked children. She had spent many years caring for them.

However, if there was one role she absolutely could not fulfill, it was breastfeeding.

So when the child would whine with hunger, Sylphia would soothe him and go find Ermina.

“That’s right. Yes…”

Holding the child in her arms while focused on nursing, she still looked pale, drained of color.

Normally she would have recovered quickly, but lately she had been so distracted that she was even neglecting to take care of herself.

“Sylphia. Where has Cariel gone that his mother still has no news of him?”

“Pardon?”

“Ah…”

Speaking as if lost in a dream,

She soon awakens from it and becomes dejected.

“Yes. This is… reality.”

Recalling and repeating something to herself.

With the child in her arms, she briefly recites a prayer and makes the sign of the cross.

“This is not… the time to be like this.”

“Lady Ermina?”

“I must be afraid. Even though I could learn all the truth if I went somewhere right now… I simply don’t have the courage. All of this is my fault. My fault. My lack of virtue, my inadequacy.”

Thanks to Rueld’s request, Sylphia couldn’t bring herself to reveal what she knew,

But Ermina seemed to be struggling, as if she had some idea even without being told.

Despite once appearing radiant and even sacred,

Now she was just like a ewe or doe who had lost her child.

She seemed to be forcibly controlling her anguished heart.

“……”

Is there truly no path where everyone can be happy?

Watching Ermina rock the child soothingly, Sylphia suppressed a sigh inwardly without showing it outwardly.

====

“Cough! Cough!”

Perhaps due to the mental burden despite her body being fine.

Geornia, who had been bedridden with flu-like symptoms for some time, was absolutely miserable.

‘Damn it.’

Still, she had managed to relay everything that needed to be conveyed.

The golden beast she encountered again.

…That wicked being in the form of a girl.

It welcomed her as if it had known she would return.

[So you came after all? If you had taken my goodwill at face value, things might have turned out well. This is your last chance to turn back. Are you really sure about this?]

Its attitude and provocations made it impossible to either retreat or advance.

Nevertheless, she had no choice but to move forward.

At that time, Geornia had asked in return.

Like an interrogation, an inquisition.

With anger and resentment mixed in.

“You. I hear you spouted nonsense about Cariel being cursed by the Demon King or something.”

“Me? What curse?”

The Demon King tilted her head, brazenly sucking her finger like a child and playing dumb.

“…If you don’t know, who would?”

“I might have been his salvation, but never his curse. I’m not responsible for making him that way in the first place. That’s entirely on you all. You! Who are you trying to blame? You drag me back when I’m dead without even a ghost to show for it, and blame me? Have you all completely lost your minds?”

“How dare you…”

“How dare I? What? Are you crazy? Why? Will you blame me for your death from old age later too? Why not say I’m responsible for people getting sick and dying, for a country falling, for rain and snow falling too? Oh, except when I was alive. I mean after I died.”

With a sly smile, it chided her, slapping her hand as if saying, “Stop blaming others!”

“Whether you believe me or not is your choice, but. Based on the tiny fragments of memory I have as a piece of the Golden One, let me tell you this much. The ones who mediated between me and Cariel were the old ghosts who built this country, okay? How desperate must they have been to bring me in? That’s how bad the child’s condition was, you know?”

“What does that… mean? Old ghosts?”

“If you don’t know, forget it! Anyway, to give you a hint about what you’re probably curious about, there’s human political malice and… someone’s intention pushing it. It’s too subtle to easily grasp, but… if their intention was to corner Cariel… I’d say it was quite successful.”

“How can I… believe that?”

“By the time I mentioned this, you must have some idea, right? It might be just a moment for me… but you’ve gone and looked into various things, haven’t you? Or did you just obediently swallow whatever they fed you?”

“……”

Of course.

Just in case, she had investigated many things.

The more she dug, the more kept surfacing.

Especially…

The political scheme led by Count Esdina to deliberately tame the new nobility.

…Cariel had been exposed to this, targeted, and had to politely accept and swallow all that malice, knowing full well it was poison, knowing it was vermin, having to chew and swallow it all down his throat.

And now, the Emperor and Princess were using this to tame the nobles of the opposing faction one by one.

…In other words, it had become a weakness and flaw for all those who had conspired at the time.

The problem was that since Prince Alesius was ostensibly leading this on the surface, they couldn’t respond immediately.

Those who orchestrated and led this were the core nobles of the aristocratic faction, led by the Count Esdina family.

But the main perpetrators were the heirs and children.

With so many people involved… it had reached a point where they couldn’t single out anyone for punishment or condemnation.

And if they did, they would necessarily have to implicate Alesius as well.

…And.

“Something’s clicking for you? But there’s one more thing beyond that, I bet. I’d stake my name on this not being the whole story. Oh, did I give away too much?”

“……”

Her words were like a poisoned apple, but there was no choice but to chew and swallow them.

The Golden Demon King, the Demon King of Wisdom, had always been like this.

Crushing lies, schemes, and resistance with overwhelming truth.

…Unparalleled malice that imposes despair and hopelessness in the name of truth.

That’s why only someone like Rueld, with indomitable will and integrity, with clear goals and purpose… only such a pure sword could point directly at it.

It whispers to parents with incurably ill children, promising to cure them.

To those who crave knowledge, it shows them the supreme source of boundless knowledge.

And commands them to kneel.

To those who yearn for life, it offers ways to extend their lifespan.

To those who want treasures, it gives them and even teaches them how to increase and protect their wealth.

It instills independence and self-reliance in slaves, awakening their resistance.

It whispers to blue bloods that anyone can be a king, emperor, hegemon, or monarch, inflaming their desires.

It even provides the blueprint, plan, and design.

She holds all the answers in this world.

Those seeking answers in life.

Those dreaming excessive dreams.

Idealists.

Those seeking truth.

Those looking for a path with no visibility ahead.

Even those lost in mazes.

…For those who have no solution except to pray to God in desperation,

How abominable and hateful is this being?

A being living in its own separate world.

It brought the largest invasion force in the history of Demon King invasions.

Yet even that it split and split again, allowing and treating even the human alliance as mere entertainment.

What exactly makes it different?

Why is it so absurdly unlike other Demon Kings?

“Enough talk. Let’s go see now. Or do you want to back out? That would be beneficial for you, but… it’s probably difficult at this point, isn’t it?”

With a smile, swinging and turning her back playfully.

The golden girl leads the way with dancing steps.

“From now on, I won’t speak to you. Watch for yourself and judge for yourself.”

And so.

Geornia came to look through the door of the room where Melineos lay in bed, half a corpse.

With Elhermina also in poor condition, appearing somewhat more mature, she absorbed the one-sided complaints.

“Is it my turn now?”

As Elhermina left the room, the golden one entered as if she had been waiting.

And then.

…She began to awaken Melineos to the cruel reality.

And the content.

…Even though it wasn’t a long and detailed explanation.

…Even a part of it contained meanings and implications too difficult to bear.

“Kuhak!”

Returning to reality once more, this time she had to desperately suppress not nausea but bloody coughing that nearly made her lose consciousness.

‘How… did things come to this….’

And now.

To think that she must deliver what she had seen and heard to everyone waiting.

As if she had suddenly become a messenger of destruction and despair.

Her heart began to rot away.

====

“No, I’m telling you, the sword really spoke to me!”

“Yeah, whatever. So what did it say?”

“It told me to get lost.”

“…Keep your tall tales within reason.”

“No, it’s true, I swear!”

Leo, whose turn had come to hold the sword.

And Luciri, who tried the sword afterward.

When Leo started saying strange things, Luciri seemed to be half-listening, dismissively saying “sure, sure” as if letting it go in one ear and out the other.

“We’ve waited a long time.”

“…Indeed.”

Cariel gave Luirin a look, asking if she wanted to try first.

“I’m not interested in such things.”

“If you pull it out and sell it, you could probably live without working for the rest of your life.”

“…Do you think it would come out if held with such intentions?”

Still, she seemed tempted as she grabbed the sword embedded at an angle and gave it her best effort.

“…Not a chance. Hmph!”

As Luirin stepped back two paces, Cariel could finally approach the sword.

He places the ordinary wildflower he had been holding near the embedded sword, one step away.

Though it wouldn’t stand out among the numerous flowers already placed there… but what did that matter?

“……”

Finally, Cariel took a deep breath.

Toward the rusty hilt that looked as if it were covered in layers of sand.

He slowly extended his hand.