Chapter 108

Chapter 108

The Heroine of the 1st Playthrough Remembers My Training.

Episode 108: The Banquet Of The Sun And Moon (2).

“Ah…”

I instinctively knew I was dreaming.

It was that place again.

An empty, stark white space.

I held no animosity towards the dream itself, but recalling what happened after waking from it did not put me in a good mood.

“…I need to wake up soon.”

I already knew how to awaken.

“Dark Light.”

I needed to find that paradoxical entity.

Perhaps due to previous experiences, although completely ethereal last time, this time I could faintly feel my hands and feet.

“…Was it that way?”

As I followed the dim memories and flew for a while, I saw the ‘Dark Light’ just like before.

“I found it.”

As I cautiously approached the ‘Dark Light,’ surprisingly, it spoke to me.

“■■■!”

It was a strange sensation.

I was sure I was hearing something, but it was inaudible.

“A little more…”

As I waved my arms and moved closer, something hidden under the ‘Dark Light’ became visible.

—Swoosh.

A horrifying sight of a woman, bloodied and bound in chains, with her wings impaled by a spear.

“…!”

Startled by the ghastly scene, I stepped back, and that’s when I saw what the ‘Dark Light’ was concealing.

At first, there were four.

No.

It wasn’t four.

How could I have mistaken the number?

Beyond hundreds, thousands, something densely packed stretched to the horizon.

A body that shouldn’t exist trembled.

I was mistaken.

It wasn’t ‘Dark Light.’

It was simply ‘Light,’ and it had only become dark because it was blocking the ‘Darkness.’

“…!”

The moment I realized this, I instinctively knew the ‘Darkness’ was watching me.

I couldn’t see a face or even eyes, and I couldn’t tell what it was, but it definitely wasn’t a good feeling.

“■■■■ go!”

And once again, the ‘Light’ shouted.

At the same time, gravity felt several times stronger, and I plummeted downwards.

“Ha… Ha…!”

It felt as if my blocked airways had suddenly cleared, and I gasped for breath.

“…Master?”

“…Lu… cia.”

My words came out as if I had swallowed thorns.

Suddenly, Lucia started shedding tears.

“…hic…sob…thank goodness. If something had happened to you, Master… I…I.”

Shocked, I hugged the hiccupping Lucia and patted her back.

“…It’s okay. Don’t cry. Nothing happened.”

After a long while of crying in my arms, Lucia finally calmed down, but I still comforted her and asked,

“…So, why were you crying?”

“…sob…you… you wouldn’t wake up.”

Her answer made me chuckle lightly.

It seems I had overslept because of that strange dream.

“There’s no need to cry just because I slept deeply.”

“…But… you hadn’t woken up for days…”

It felt like I had been struck unexpectedly.

“…Days? Lucia. How long did I sleep?”

“…You’ve been asleep for a whole week.”

“…What?”

I exclaimed in surprise at Lucia’s response.

“…A week, you say.”

I had been asleep for quite some time.

But aside from feeling stiff from the long sleep, I actually felt better than usual.

“Maybe my body needed to adapt due to rapid growth?”

As I pondered the reason for my deep sleep, Lucia hugged me again.

“…Master… you’re really okay, right? If you hadn’t woken up by the time we reached our meeting place, I was planning to cancel everything and take you back to the Uruella family.”

I swallowed a sigh of relief.

“…I’m glad I woke up in time.”

I wasn’t sure I could handle the aftermath of breaking a promise with the princess.

“I’m really okay. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Really…really…you’re okay?”

“I told you I’m okay.”

“Hehe… then… I’m relieved…”

Lucia giggled softly, then suddenly staggered and collapsed into my arms.

“…Lucia?”

Was it the dream, or was I suddenly recalling something from a midterm?

“….”

“Lucia! Snap out of it!”

No matter how much I shook Lucia’s shoulders, there was no response.

“…Could it be.”

Had she gone to see the same thing as I did?

The thought of Lucia visiting that ominous place sent shivers through my body.

“Lucia! Lucia!”

Calling her again with no response, I pounded on the carriage with all my might.

—Bang! —Bang!

“Stop the carriage! Something’s wrong with Lucia! Stop!”

Shortly after, the carriage slowed sharply, and a girl in a white suit rushed inside.

“You’re awake, young master.”

“Yes, but it’s Lucia! Something’s wrong with her.”

The girl examined Lucia’s body.

It was a short few minutes, but it felt like an eternity to me.

After the examination, the girl sighed softly.

“…Hoo.”

“Why is Lucia like this? Is she sick?”

“You two really are alike. When I examined you, Miss was just like this… Don’t worry. It’s just fatigue. She’ll wake up after a good sleep.”

“Fatigue? Don’t talk nonsense! Are you sure you saw right? To sleep so deeply from just fatigue…!”

As I continued to shout in panic, the girl placed her hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down.

“Young master. Please lower your voice. Miss Lucia hasn’t slept a wink the entire week you were asleep.”

“…”

It was exhausting enough to stay up all night, but to do so for a week, it was no wonder she passed out like this.

“…Ah… I’m sorry for shouting. That…”

“Marzan.”

“Yes, thank you, Marzan.”

“You’re welcome. We’ll be at the meeting place soon. Please take care of Miss Lucia until then.”

Marzan gave a small smile and then left.

Left alone, I muttered to myself while looking at Lucia.

“…Stupid.”

It wasn’t because she was unwell; she had just accumulated so much fatigue that she’d stayed awake for an entire week—what a foolish thing to do.

…But I wasn’t in a bad mood.

“Sleep well.”

I slightly lifted the corners of my mouth and gently pulled Lucia’s cheek.

Lucia woke up just as we were about to arrive at the meeting place.

“…Hehe… I brought a lot of different things to do in the carriage.”

Lucia regretfully looked at a box she pulled out from under the carriage seat.

“…”

I hated to say it, but I thought it was a good thing she had slept a bit.

“How was she planning to use that in the carriage?”

Even though I had conquered numerous adult games, I couldn’t imagine what use there would be for the items packed in the box.

I pretended not to see and got out of the carriage.

“…Then, Lucia. See you at the palace.”

“…Yes. I’ll go ahead and wait for you.”

Lucia started to run ahead and waved her hand out the window until I was out of sight.

“It was about time. There were times when Lord Eddard and Lady Kiara were like that,”

Alfredo said this while laughing heartily.

“My father and mother?”

“Of course. The situation was reversed with them though.”

Bored of staying inside, I sat next to Alfredo.

“Young master, it’s still cold outside. You’re dressed lightly, why not come inside the carriage?”

“The cold doesn’t bother me.”

Ever since I absorbed the ‘Essence of Ice,’ my resistance to cold has skyrocketed.

I’d need to be hit with high-tier ice magic to even feel a chill.

“Tell me more about mother instead.”

“…Well, let’s do that. Lady Kiara was… uncharacteristically noble in a good way. She treated us mixed-bloods without prejudice,”

Alfredo continued while smiling warmly.

He began telling stories of how mother first took in mixed-bloods.

How she subdued Uncle Gordon, who wouldn’t listen, by fighting him one-on-one.

How she ran away from the battlefield after my father proposed.

How she left the name Parvoli and entered as a concubine to my father.

And…

How mother eventually passed away.

“…She loved you that much, young master.”

The stories about my mother from Alfredo felt completely different from the ones I had researched about Parvoli Kiara.

“…”

As I sorted through my complex feelings, a soldier shouted from the city walls.

“Halt!”

Alfredo, who had stopped the carriage, laughed loudly.

“Look at that, we talked so much that we’ve already arrived. It’s one thing for you, young master, but entering the royal court would be a hassle for me, so I’ll turn back here.”

“Aren’t you tired? Rest a bit before going.”

“It’s alright. There’s a lot left to do. If I don’t go back soon, work will pile up.”

Feeling slightly guilty, I responded to Alfredo.

“…It didn’t have to be you driving the carriage.”

“Heh, don’t worry about it. I volunteered. No matter how much work there is, serving you, young master, is my top priority. It’s an honor for this old man to serve you.”

Alfredo smiled kindly.

“…Then, please take care of yourself. Young master.”

I nodded and walked towards the main gate, where a soldier approached and said,

“Please state your identity and purpose of visit.”

The carriage and my attire were obviously high-end, so the soldier was quite accommodating.

After all, a soldier of the palace would know whose family crest was on the carriage.

‘…We’ve really arrived.’

I looked up for a moment.

Gazing at the white city walls, it felt suffocating.

For at least a week…

I had to survive in this palace.

I shook my head and with a short sigh, I spoke.

“…The third son of Calliope. Yujin Calliope. I am here at the invitation of Her Royal Highness.”