78 – shadow

Silverin pushed the priests away and ran to the center podium. Uncharacteristically for her, she seemed to have lost her composure. Then, he sat down on a stone podium and lifted the cube bottle that was on top of it.

Silverin hugged it tightly with her head bowed and was silent. As if he were trying to continue to feel the life and death of his disciple with his body.

Considering her disposition, this is an unusual behavior. It was only then that Price could guess how strong Silverine’s attachment to her pupil was.

Price approached Silverine, who was sitting still, and spoke cautiously.

“Forgive me for the rudeness. Throughout the ceremony, I thought I was reading the oracle of a long-dead man. But… Looking at Silverin-sama’s appearance, her heart seems to be full of life.”

“… .”

“Sometimes there are great men who twist fate with an iron will. That doesn’t turn everything upside down. There are things that cannot be escaped by human will. Like a death sentence from the stars.”

“… Are you saying that my pupil’s fate is twisted?”

“I think you know well, Silverin-nim. If the child is alive, Benemaril intervenes in fate. Only… That is all.”

Given Benemaril’s diabolical powers, the word twist of fate might be most apt.

Silverin just stayed there and didn’t say anything. The air currents around her were strange. Whether he was relieved or angry, Price couldn’t tell.

Price was silent. In any case, it was clear that Silverin’s emotions were undergoing a cataclysmic upheaval.

That’s right, Benemaril was the only evil to the flawless magician Silverin.

***

Damian’s wounds are mostly healed and the bleeding has stopped. And his heart was quickened again. But my body was still as cold as ice.

Lisa climbed on top of him and shared her body temperature. I clasped my hands together with him and pressed my legs and toes closely to his body.

It was always her place.

Blood is stained everywhere, and numerous corpses are scattered around here. They reunited after a long wait, but it is far from romantic.

Liza shared her body temperature with him and smiled lightly. It didn’t matter where you were. Damian’s greatest magic is that when you’re with him, you don’t care about any place.

Liza put her ear to his chest and listened to his heartbeat, recalling the places where she had been lying with him.

It was a damp cave, and it was also an eerie abandoned house. It was a barn with rats running around, and it was also on the top of the mountain of fallen leaves that I cleaned. No matter what their surroundings were, they were happy as long as they were together.

And so it will be at this moment. Even if the surroundings are stained with blood, this will also remain as a precious memory for both of them.

Liza firmly believed that even if they strayed for a while, they would return after untying all the tangled threads.

I had no doubt that when everything was over, we would eventually reminisce about the past as we lay together on a soft bed bathed in warm sunlight.

Then, something small broke through the air. It circled over Damian as if it had lost its way, then slowly lowered its altitude.

It gently landed on Damian’s bedside and folded its wings. It was a stitch stained with blood.

“… .”

She sensed something wrong right away. This was clearly something she hadn’t seen in her future. Unpleasant feelings immediately began to ripple.

Liza reached over and picked up Stitch, wiping away the blood.

The surface was engraved with initials that seemed to symbolize lovers.

***

Bibi wrapped her arms around her body in front of a window with a clear view of the outside and was deep in thought.

Beyond the door of the VIP room where she was, a splendid celebration was in full swing.

Bibi couldn’t enjoy the festival at all. She had long wanted to become a student of Eternia. However, her life was twisted and twisted, and now she was congratulating the new students by robbing the family’s storehouse. This kind of self-portrait felt funny.

Following that, a sudden letter sent her into trouble.

It contained information that the family was discussing their arranged marriage.

She smiled bitterly. Varianne was a person his father coveted, and he thought that mentioning the name might slow him down for a while, but it was no use.

I can understand why my father is in such a hurry.

Bibi dies when she is over thirty. It was because of the rare disease passed down from generation to generation. You have to endure well. Thirty-five. She only had about fifteen years or so.

Growing up as an only child, he could not have passed on the generations without her. From the father’s point of view, it’s worth rolling your eyes.

However, what bothers her is that only the position of the family, country, and father exists, and her position is not considered. Thanks to that, even a short lifespan could not live as desired.

She is destined to give up what she wants to learn, to choose who she loves, and to die exhausted as a seed to succeed the generation.

In that sense, her status as a princess of the Gainax family was a curse.

On the other hand, Bibi was most envious of the student who was born as an orphan and entered Eternia.

This is because you can pioneer a life based on your talent, regardless of family or country.

In the meantime, someone knocked on the VIP room and interrupted my alone time.

“Come in.”

A man with a strong physique opens the door and enters, bowing his head respectfully.

It was Franz, the 5th Prince of the Empire.

“After so much effort to bring people together, the person himself is in a different place.”

“What is the high-ranking person doing here?”

Franz slowly moved behind her with a glass of wine.

“You know, why do you ask? Just like you, I came here because I was fed up with banquets and all. At least there is no one I can talk to other than you.”

“Shouldn’t you be very busy courting talented people?”

Franz came to Eternia to expand his forces. To plan great things in the future by discovering people who would become sword masters or archmages in the future and enlisting them on the same side.

“It should be. But not now.”

“It’s fine. If not now, there will be very little chance in the future.”

Franz grinned at Vivi’s words.

“What you see is not everything. Especially when it comes to Eternia. Now is the time to cast the bait, enjoy the scenery, and take it slow.”

“… What do you mean?”

“Human beings are animals that are different from the outside. Even in everyday words, the meaning revealed on the surface and the underlying intention don’t match. And proud Eternia is, after all, an organization formed by humans.”

Vivi’s expression was slightly crumpled, as if the pompous prince was disapproving, but she did not interrupt the conversation or leave.

“Well, I’m not sure.”

“Aren’t you sure? The spies and aides write all over the report that ‘The best talent of the year is Zion Izarel’, so you believe it wholeheartedly.”

“You speak as if Eternia is hiding something great.”

The prince grinned mischievously at Vivi’s face.

“It would be nice to go down to the bottom and experience raw humans once in a while. It gives me good knowledge that I can’t get from any other book.”

“You should experience it first and let me know. I don’t want to go through unnecessary trouble right now.”

“hahahaha, then let me tell you about my experience. Did you know that I once worked as a gatekeeper in the capital city? I controlled trade and traffic in and out of the city in the capital city, and monitored and managed incoming goods.”

When Vivi opened her mouth to challenge her, Franz hit the head as expected.

“With my identity completely hidden, of course.”

“… .”

“It was my father’s order. Even thinking about it now, it’s funny. To the prince, what does a gatekeeper on the outskirts of the city mean? After waiting for the carriage for five or six hours to be checked, the horses excrete all over the road, and the stench swelled up, and I left the place. I had to keep it until the sun went down. Then I knew what a crime I had committed.”

“Even if I think about it…that’s a bit excessive.”

“It took a while before I understood my father’s will. We, the ruling class and high-ranking officials, often make the mistake of trying to count the world through reports and papers. In order to do so, you must directly experience the scene of life, experience the naked side of human beings, and develop insight.”

“So what did you get there?”

“Working as a gatekeeper, I understood one thing about human nature. Merchants and smugglers in and out of the gateway had one thing in common. They did not want to show off their most valuable, most brilliant objects. Rather, they hid them where they could not be seen by others. In the darkest, stinkiest, nooks and crannies. So that no one can look at it or steal it. And over time, I realized that soldiers, officers, criminals, and homeless people all share the same nature.”

“… .”

“I don’t think Eternia will ever display its most valuable talents in front of the so-called ‘greedy powerhouses’ like you and me.”

“That’s interesting. So, do you have any specific circumstances or evidence that you’re hiding something?”

“If you understand its nature, you can be sure without reports or evidence.”

Eternia keeps its best talent hidden away?

Vivi’s expression slowly hardened as she quietly listened to Franz.

“You seem to have a lot of fun solving the long-winded rumors… .”

It is said that Eternia hides a monster worse than Gale Varianne, who will become the ruler of the North, and Shion Izarel, the apprentice of the Sword Master, but it is highly unlikely that such talent is concentrated in one school year. It was a story that could not be easily understood.

Then, after a moment of silence, someone knocked on the VIP room.

“Come on in.”

Someone rushes in. It was Vivi’s aide, Gerald. He hurriedly approached Bibi, saw Franz’s face, stopped and hurriedly lowered his head.

“Forgive me for the rudeness. Greetings Prince Franz. You seem to have come at an inopportune time.”

Franz looked at it and said.

“Nope. I’ve already enjoyed it enough. It looks like it’s an urgent business. I’ll just leave.”

Then he looked back at Vivi’s face and said.

“It was a fun time.

“You’re the only one excitedly pouring out words and running away.”

“hahahaha, let’s pretend it’s your turn next time.”

Franz lightly said hello and left.

After Franz left the VIP room, Gerald, who made sure that the door was closed so the story wouldn’t leak out, approached Vivi and said,

“I have something to report about the student named Damien you mentioned earlier.”

“Tell me.”

“Considering the eyewitness accounts of the student, origin, and archmage, the two seem to have a fairly close relationship. It is presumed that no external cause or request was involved in the relationship between the two. And the Archmage… … .”

“I just had to stop. I don’t want to hear about her now. than that… Are you sure that Damian didn’t attend the entrance ceremony?”

“I am sure.”

There was a small ripple in Vivi’s mind.

“I know. thank you for your effort.”

Vivi turned her back to Gerald and looked out the window at the scenery again.

And in the midst of the ripples, the boat Franz floated floated in place as if it had been anchored without being swept away.

“Ah, I heard that Eternia’s combat department gives escort missions as external activity assignments, is that true?”

“Yes, it is. Entrusting a named escort request… Available.”

Vivi answered while deep in thought.

“then… .”

***

Sunlight peeks in between your eyelids.

Consciousness becomes clearer. I frowned and opened my eyes. In front of my eyes, pieces of pure white cloth flutter like the hem of a lace dress.

I rubbed my dry eyes and focused again.

The curtains fluttered in the wide open windows and the cool breeze.

Through the window, you can see the clear sky and feathery clouds. A white, soft bed. In addition, there is a lilac scent that makes the mind comfortable. I wasn’t in a labyrinth, I was definitely alive.

I raised my upper body with my throbbing arm. It was only then that I realized that something was pressing down on the side of my blanket.

A girl with long white hair. It was Trisha.

She was sleeping soundly on her stomach on the edge of the bed.