episode_0269

Episode 269

Adrian Eldritch.

It’s a name I’ve never heard of. Even in the biography of Luke the Great, the names of his surrounding vassals were not illuminated. If you’re a professional historical researcher, you might know.

I was thinking of meeting Luke the Great from the past. But when I thought about it, I couldn’t meet him this way.

Encountering fragments of the past is a phenomenon that occurs due to the mana remaining in holy relics or fetishes.

The person who created the royal monument was not King Luke himself, but the wizard of the time.

“Nice to meet you, Adrian. My name is Sarah Lustier. As I just said, I am the current princess of the Lustier Kingdom and the rightful heir to the throne.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you like this. It is truly an honor that transcends time.”

“But among the words you introduced earlier… what is King Mage?”

“Yes?”

Adrian looked at me in confusion.

“Are you kidding? King Mage is the right-hand man of His Majesty the King who rules the kingdom… He protects the royal family from evil witchcraft and prospers the people through abundant knowledge… Has he really disappeared? King Mage’s tradition?”

Even in history books covering the founding period, I have never heard of such a name. In terms of role, it would be something like a court magician.

“Hmm… there are similar positions left. A court magician. Although it is not a position worthy of being called the king’s right hand man.”

“Huh… That’s not possible… Are you saying that the status of mages in this land has fallen to that level? ”

“Still, powerful mages are one of the assets that Lustier has an advantage over other countries. However, it cannot be denied that the country’s status was relatively inferior compared to the founding era.”

“Phew… Is that so, I see. Okay…”

Adrian seemed quite disappointed by my words. But soon he raised his head and looked at me again and asked.

“Well, Princess Sera. May I ask why you came to see me? I suspect that he must have had an essential purpose in trying to meet people from the distant past by using such unusual means.”

“Of course.”

I looked at his face for a moment.

The fact that Adrian is the first King Mage and the person who created the royal tomb means that he was the one who tried to destroy the story of Enekra by court magicians, including Monaz.

In the end, the reason I wanted to meet Luke was to find out the truth about those days. Even if it wasn’t Luke, there was a lot of information that could be obtained through this person.

“Do you know the name Enekra?”

“Enekra?”

I watched his expression closely. He furrowed his eyebrows, lost in thought, and seemed to know nothing.

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of it. Are you someone who lived in my time?”

“Yes. She seems to be a great witch. I don’t know exactly who this person is… but the kingdom is currently in great danger due to a group that worships that witch. Named black goat sashimi.”

“Huh…”

That’s probably the future he would most like to prevent. The hidden truth is revealed, and the kingdom is shaken.

Adrian and I each hold cards that we don’t know about. I played a card from the future, and Adrian played a card from the past.

I planned to make the most of it.

“Those who believe in witches and deny the goddess are gradually gaining power. Two provinces have fallen into their hands, and the war has become tiresomely long. What they claim is that the Lustier royal family has been suppressing the Black Goat Society by hiding the dirty truth.”

“This is terrible propaganda.”

Dismissing it like that, Adrian frowned. His expression was as if he had been drinking extremely bitter but strong alcohol.

“Please do not fall for the propaganda of such a traitorous cabal, future king. Those who try to deny the legitimate royal family are bound to come up with an excuse somehow. It would be a completely unfounded story.”

He seemed a little excited. He seemed like a loyal subject who was worried about the future kingdom. I tried another move.

“The court magician of my time already told me. About the secret duty given to them since time immemorial. Even the royal tombstone was for that purpose.”

The civil war was a blatant lie, but this is the truth. It is the most difficult thing to deal with when truth and lies are contained together.

Adrian was about to say something, but narrowed his eyebrows even further. I said to him.

“As the person who erected the royal monument and the first King Mage, you must know something. That’s why I came into contact with your consciousness while you were still asleep. Wouldn’t it be too disadvantageous to fight with only them knowing the truth?”

It was clear enough that he was not a person who pursued immediate self-interest.

The royal tombstone and the attempt to thoroughly bury the past into the distant future are all actions he would not have taken if he had pursued his own comfort.

So, they will definitely respond to the lure of a kingdom crisis.

“Is that… really? That cult… has become so powerful?”

“Yes.”

“How pathetic!”

He let out one word like a sigh. Then he ground his teeth until they made a clicking sound.

“What are you doing? The magicians of that era! Not only has the status of the Demon Lord fallen to the ground, but those dirty things are eating away at the country? They’re like half-baked guys who will do tricks on the street!”

He took a deep breath as if he were angry. I spoke to him calmly.

“Enough of your complaining, what I want to know is the truth. Did the witch named Enekra really exist?”

Adrian gritted his teeth again. The hat in my arms was already crumpled.

“…Yes, princess.”

“Then are the rest of the claims true?”

“What do they claim?”

“It is said that Enekra contributed a great deal to the great achievements of Luke the Great, and yet, he was mercilessly abandoned after the kingdom was established. And as if that wasn’t enough, Enekra is said to have tried to kill herself and everyone who knew her.”

“How great it would have been if that were the case.”

“Yes?”

“Your Majesty is saying that you were too gentle to back off from that woman. I tried to tell him that he must be killed, but he said that Lu Li had already sent him outside. I told you several times that someday there will be trouble…!”

“I see. Are you…”

“Yes! Since Your Majesty was born as a military person, you were somewhat dark in this respect. That nonsense about letting them live their lives freely… Oh my, what a slip of the tongue. He also gave orders that were unreasonable. Ha…”

“So what did you do?”

“I am your one and only King Mage. Isn’t this something we can’t just sit by? We immediately sent a chase team… but they were killed by that evil witch. For now, the only regret I have is if I had come forward myself.”

I was listening to him as calmly as possible.

There is no particular point of contradiction. I was just confirming facts that I already knew to some extent.

But for some reason, my body feels hot. My heart seemed to be beating faster and faster.

This is just a story from the distant past…

“Adrian. Let me ask you something.”

“Phew… Yes, please ask.”

“The ‘why’ is missing from the story so far. Why did Enekra have to be kicked out?”

Adrian looked at me strangely and said.

“Oh, I left out something important. That witch, Enekra’s hair color was… black.”

“…He had black hair…?”

“Yes. It’s proof that you have the blood of the devil. On such a topic, she even dared to harbor a dirty love affair with His Majesty… She was an evil woman who could not be left alive.”

I was at a loss for words for a moment.

This is too insignificant a reason to kill and hate people.

Was that a good reason in the distant past? I’ve never seen a record like that before. However, Adrian’s confident attitude made it seem as if he had not the slightest doubt about what he had just said.

“The current queen of the Lustier Kingdom, that is, my mother has black hair.”

“What?”

Adrian raised his eyes fearfully. I continued quietly.

“Neither the royal family nor the nobles raised any objection to that fact. People with black hair are already commonly found in Luli. Although there is still some degree of outdated discrimination.”

“Up to that point… You fell to that point? Our great kingdom, which I and His Highness Luke founded… has ended up in such a muddy place…?”

Adrian clenched his teeth. His eyes were no longer filled with the respect of a future royal audience, but with hostility.