episode_0047

It was when the darkness faded and the mist was cleanly brushed away.

The landscape of the contaminated palace, tainted in peculiar black, disappeared without a trace, and dirty streets covered in ash-like gray appeared in all directions.

It was a familiar street.

It was the slum scenery that I first saw when I witnessed Mother in the memory link of Narin Unni.

At the moment I took a step as if possessed.

Boom! A firecracker exploded.

I hurried towards the direction where the firecracker went off. Since I ran in a frenzy, the time it took to arrive was short.

The sunlight shone brightly in the azure sky. The cheers of countless people rang in my ears. People were passing by in a splendid procession, drawing parallel lines and moving along the main street.

It was a parade.

“Could this be…?”

A sense of foreboding overwhelmed me.

I had been watching this parade for a long time.

It was a ceremony that I never missed at the National Foundation Day event, and it was an obligation I participated in every year as a member of the royal family.

“It’s the National Foundation Day march…”

The only strange thing was that the slum still existed.

The slum, which had been completely eradicated when I turned eight and transitioned to a new world. So, could it be assumed that the current scenery was from before that time?

As my thoughts reached that point, I pondered where this place was.

“Lestalido, Mother, they said this is the mental world… Mother’s mental world of Rahilt.”

In other words, the National Foundation Day scenery I longed for was a memory of Rahilt. It must have been a memory seen by Rahilt before he turned eight.

“Then, can I see Rahilt’s childhood…?”

Despite knowing it was not the right time, my anticipation grew.

Rahilt’s childhood that I was not even allowed to see. Could I engrave his childhood, cuter than anyone else in the world, with my own eyes?

I ran straight ahead.

The crowd was not a problem. They were all mere illusions, passing through me like ghosts.

I felt anxious that I might spend a long time searching. But my worries were unfounded.

My eyes quickly caught Rahilt’s presence, to the point of absurdity.

“Rian…!”

I found him.

Very small, shorter than now.

His golden hair, as if faded from the sun, was unmistakable to me.

It was Rahilt’s color. His soft, fluffy hair like cotton. I ran straight to Rahilt’s side.

“Rian!”

What was he like when he was young?

Were his eyes squinted? Were his lips plump? How did his chubby cheeks feel? Perhaps he was even more graceful back then… or not.

Finally, in front of Rahilt.

Bending down in front of him, I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.

“I can’t see your face…”

His shadowed face was blurry, as if covered with noise.

To put it in modern terms, it felt like the male lead in a romance game.

For some reason, I only noticed later that he was holding hands with someone.

Following the connected hand, my gaze rose.

“Ah…”

Beautiful.

It was the impression I had when I saw the woman holding young Rahilt’s hand.

Her fiery red hair, more passionate than a red rose, swayed gracefully and smoothly, even though it was not properly combed.

Her flawless white skin, so smooth that even cheap cosmetics seemed to hide her beauty, had not a single blemish.

Her features, as if condensed with all the beauty in the world, were distinct and deep.

But most striking were the woman’s blue eyes.

The eyes, like beautiful aquamarine carved into stone, gave me a very familiar impression.

“She looks just like Rian…”

The only thing visible in the face covered by a mask was the unmistakable eyes of a woman. I was convinced that she was the mother of Rahilt.

“This person is the government of the Empire…”

Indeed, she possessed a beauty that could captivate the Empire.

The aura emanating from her was a masterpiece that could sway a country alone.

“It’s a national rule that villains are beautiful, but this is too much…”

Even I, who had a high self-esteem, felt overwhelmed by her beauty.

It was unbelievable that a woman who took care of a child and dealt with dirty work in the slums could possess such beauty. I dreaded imagining how beautiful she must have been in her prime.

“So even an angry face can be beautiful…”

The woman was engaged in a struggle. Despite arguing with a considerably large man, there was no sign of her backing down.

Even though all that remained was her own body, her presence was formidable. She was indeed the woman who once shook a country.

“Ah…!”

The woman, who had been shouting loudly, let out a new sound for the first time.

Due to a push from a man who couldn’t control his temper, she lost her balance.

The government collapsed on the busy street where the parade was taking place.

Rahilt, who was holding her hand, was naturally dragged along.

“No…!”

At that moment, as the falling government desperately pushed Rahilt towards safety.

The government, relieved to see Rahilt fall safely onto the ground, smiled with relief. My heart fluttered at the sight of her motherly face.

The moment when the beauty that tilted the world was crushed was fleeting.

Crack!

A merciless cracking sound brushed past my ears.

The wheels of the carriage, which was parading, got stuck on the roadside and trampled over her head.

Her skull was crushed under the merciless weight, and the once magnificent beauty faded in an instant.

Rahilt was sitting on the ground, staring at her mother. I couldn’t tell what expression he had. Damn it, her face was not visible.

Soon, her body was dragged away by the guards.

“She died well.”

“She will finally rest in peace.”

The mockery of the crowd gathered around Rahilt, pointing a knife at his neck. I averted my eyes from the ruthless words, but no one paid attention.

Of course, that’s how it would be. I was just an intruder in this memory.

Afraid of getting hurt, I covered Rahilt’s eyes and ears, but it was futile.

Rahilt effortlessly passed through my hand, grabbed the money pouch held by the government, and left.

“Rian… Rian…!”

I called out his name as he returned to the slums. However, young Rahilt did not look back.

He just walked away, clutching the jingling money pouch tightly. He showed no reaction.

A while later, he stopped at a shelter made of planks and scraps. Rahilt opened the door. The sound of scraping rusted iron was dreadful.

“This is…”

The interior was dreadful. It was so dirty and cramped that it was doubtful how anyone could live in such a place. Insects crawled, and sharp wooden thorns protruded from the floor.

Above all, a man bleeding to death caught my eye.

I instinctively deduced that he was a member of the Empire.

“Damn it…”

He left a dying wish. As he lay there, barely conscious, his resentment was palpable.

The culprits who killed the Empire then mocked him.

“There’s no money in the world that can’t be handled.”

“If you raise them well, you can at least break even with the women.”

“Anyway, the higher-ups are more ruthless. Maybe it’s because they make the most of what they’ve learned.”

“Alright, let’s take the kid with us for now.”

Their tendrils slowly reached out towards Rahilt. As the hands filled with desire approached Rahilt, blood rushed to his head. I swung my fists wildly at their forms, but it was all in vain. There was no way I could reach the illusion.

The moment of reversal was fleeting.

Black smoke emanated from Rahilt’s hands.

It was the same phenomenon of clouds that had been displayed at the magician’s mansion.

In the face of the clear abnormality, they hesitated and retreated, but unfortunately, the house was despairingly narrow.

The clouds enveloping them displayed physical force.

Crack.

The sound of bones breaking echoed throughout the body.

Simultaneously, a terrible scream resounded.

At the age of five, he took a life for the first time.

“Please… stop…”

If it had ended there, it would have been better.

Following that, the presence of the palace guards who had been monitoring Rahilt became apparent. They probably received orders to bring him to the palace now that the magician and the government had all been killed.

I know the outcome after this.

Rahilt manipulated the black smoke to turn all of them into a pile of corpses.

“…”

That was the end of it.

Rahilt did not pursue the pile of corpses. He simply sat among the bodies, filled with a sense of satisfaction.

“No… you can’t stay here…”

I don’t know. I really don’t know.

I don’t understand how a child can stay so nonchalantly in a house filled with corpses, or if they are not afraid of retaliation.

The turning point of fate was approaching.

From far away, beyond where Odokani was sitting, the resounding roar of the palace guards was heard louder than ever.

“Where is the child of the magician!”

“To the one who finds him, gold shall be given!”

“If captured, we shall bestow a title upon him!”

The impoverished area was in an uproar at the thunderous proclamation. The man who had been staring at Rahilt through the broken window with a sense of lust gradually turned his gaze into a subtle desire.

He approached, indifferent to the surrounding carnage. It was an action as if his vision was paralyzed by desire.

“Hey, little one, why don’t you come with me? It’ll only take a moment…”

From the seemingly affectionate gesture, a vile greed emerged. Sensing this, Rahilt blocked the man’s face with black smoke and left the shelter.

“We found him! The child of the magician!”

“I can’t believe he was holed up inside the house….!”

“It’s our mistake for not confirming anything. Quickly, chase after him!”

They were furious. It was understandable, as who would have thought that a child would continue to stay in a house full of corpses.

Rahilt ran.

With the short legs of a child, he ran with all his might. Through the narrow alleys, over the walls, avoiding people’s gazes, he ran continuously.

Thud, thud, thud!

A man dressed in pitch-black robes leaped agilely through the air. With an unusual leaping ability, he quickly caught up to Rahilt. He was a face I recognized.

He had no scars crossing his face yet, and unlike the present, he had a considerably younger face.

“I won’t let you escape, child of the magician!”

The chase began.

His pace quickened with each step. His hair fluttered in the cold wind, adding urgency.

As if determined to eliminate an intolerable presence, the sword of the knight commander Ruslet flashed brightly.

“No, Lian…!”

What are you trying to do?

He’s just a child.

Rahilt, who is nothing but a child with no sins to his name.

If I could stop it, I wanted to kneel before Ruslet’s eyes.

Even though I knew it was just an illusion and a memory, it was difficult to face it head-on.

Crash!

Rahilt was pushed against the wall by a tremendous force. The swirling dust completely obscured Rahilt from view.

“Now, quietly await the judgment of the new royal family…”

It was a haughty voice.

Perfect complacency.

He walked into the thick dust. Rahilt approached the wall where he was pinned.

Rahilt dug into the gap of arrogance and complacency as if it were his nature.

Thud, shiik!

“Ugh, ah… aaaaaaah!!!”

Ruslett had no idea what had just happened in that moment. But searing pain engulfed his face instantly.

As he knelt on one knee, Rahilt emerged smoothly.

His body kept twisting as if he had sustained a wound.

His shaky legs pounded the ground.

“Rian…”

I could only watch as he moved further away.

“I’m sorry.”

Guilt weighed heavily on me.

“I’m really… sorry…”

What have I done?

What was I thinking when I approached Rahilt without hesitation?

I knew Rahilt had a tragic past. Yet, I approached him without any hesitation. I thought I could make him happy as much as he had suffered. That was the extent of my thoughts.

But hearing stories from others and directly facing the past were different in terms of gravity.

“What kind of feelings are you…”

Why did he bring me, a member of the oppressive regime who had kidnapped him, to the palace?

How could he be polite to someone like me who had brought him misery?

Did I even have the right to help him?

I, who had grown up benefiting from his misfortune.

I, who had failed to help him under the excuse of being young.

Disgusting.

Unbearably disgusting.

“Ugh… huk…”

I muttered an empty apology to his retreating figure.

“I’m sorry… Rian.”

At that moment, Rahilt stumbled to a stop and turned around.

Is he looking at me?

Even though I know he wouldn’t.

I selfishly wish for a miracle to reach Rahilt, who lived through his childhood.

Thud!

Rahilt, who had turned around, ran again.

This time, he disappeared from sight completely.

With no one to rely on and no clear goal to pursue, he forcibly embraced the unbearable freedom.

…

……

The world was engulfed in white mist.

A parallel world was being constructed along with accompanying phenomena.

Thud, thud.

A man with a strong physique emerged from the thick mist.

“Knight Commander Ruslett…?”

It was not a normal appearance.

Completely black from head to toe.

It looked like a puppet mimicking Ruslett, with shadows falling off its body.

Thwack!

Ruslett charged.

He then swung his sword at me. It was definitely an attack with the intent to kill.

I struck the sword face with my fist.

Clang!

It was easy.

The current Ruslett wouldn’t have fallen so pathetically. It would be more appropriate to see this as the inexperienced Ruslett who chased after young Rahilt.

I struck the head, resembling Ruslett’s form, with the back of my heel.

Crack!

It wasn’t the sound of a human skull breaking. It sounded more like popping a water balloon.

Soon, the black figure resembling Ruslett completely melted away.

Just then, the mist dispersed. It seemed like dealing with it from the beginning was a condition to move on to the next stage.

Swoosh.

The fog clears sharply, and the world is completely reshaped.

“Where is this…?”

Familiar to the eyes.

A place visited so often, long ago grown tired of. But now, a place of pleasure filled with unforgettable memories.

I danced with Lahelet for the first time.

We shared many stories and had a great time.

Before I knew it, I was stepping into the banquet hall of the palace.

“That is…!”

A pair of a man and a woman dancing gracefully.

The man, just looking at him makes your heart flutter.

My beloved, whom I had earnestly wished for happiness.

It was Lahelet.

On the other hand, the woman holding hands with Lahelet and matching his steps was familiar to me.

“Sigh…”

Her voice was low and husky.

The veins on her wrist were clearly visible. Perhaps the veins on her forehead were also standing out.

I feel anger at the mention of her name.

“Rashera…”