157 – Fog-4

“It’s good. Your complexion has improved.”

Farseer, who was looking into Celia’s determined eyes, quietly nodded.

“Thank you for your concern. But… I didn’t come for that. To begin with, I don’t deserve to be happy.”

Farseer smiled bitterly.

“You don’t have to do anything worthless. Haven’t you already given everything?

Whether it’s magic, sword, divine power, or power. A human being who has reached the pinnacle in a field, at some point identifies himself with that ability.

Farseer could understand what a sacrifice she had made. It was a short moment, but it was a big decision.

“Still, if I look carefully, I wonder if there are still some left?”

Both Farseer and Nerwen were looking at Celia with serious faces. The girl who used to be a saint smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.

“I heard the plan, but I don’t know much about magic… Maybe I can be of some help?”

The wizard let out a sigh.

“You’re right. You’ve lost your holy power, but your attributes as saints haven’t changed.”

Those who have received the power of a god once, even if the god withdraws that power, the attribute of ‘a person who can receive the power of a god’ remains.

Even if all the water in a large wooden box is drained, the size of the box itself does not decrease.

And if wine, not water, has been in the box for years, the smell of grapes will permeate the trees.

“I’m a mage, and I can use it. I won’t deny that, but this…”

Unlike Celia, whose complexion improved, her condition was gradually deteriorating.

On the side of the remaining arm, at the tips of the fingers, black veins sprouted red and red, one eye was completely closed, and the other eye was stained black with thread veins.

Still, it wasn’t such a trivial thing that was hurting her right now.

“I didn’t want to write you.”

“I want to be used.”

But Celia’s gaze was firm. Farseer bit his lip and looked at her.

“Make a choice you won’t regret. You’re still young, and there are plenty of opportunities.”

“Thanks for your concern. But… I still have to do it.”

Reluctantly, Farseer nodded. Celia responded with a peaceful smile.

However, there were also people who couldn’t take a good look at it.

“Stop it. Ugh… I really don’t know. Is this really the only way?”

Nerwen, who had been listening quietly, interrupted.

“If you find a way, you’ll find it. There’s just no time to find it.”

It was Nerwen who thought there would be a way if it was Farseer, and that’s why he came looking for her.

But, as always, Farseer’s solution was extreme.

“Can you wait like this?”

Farseer smirked, as if convinced that Nerwen would never do that.

“Where you’re walking around a secluded forest, casually meeting new people, doing something to fill your stomach. How many years can you wait like that?”

“Kuh…”

It’s just that he got used to it, but Nerwen’s condition couldn’t be said to be normal.

A sense of helplessness enveloped her like a ghost.

“Still, take care of your own body. It’s not a good look… It’s got some nasty demons on top of it. It won’t wash off easily.”

“If I had intended to use it for a long time, what would I have done with this arm? Not much left. Not much left…”

Farseer’s small body trembled. Nerwen sighed.

“Do you have time to stay like this? Anyway, Enerel hates what you did. Now that we’ve figured out what the Magic Tower is related to, it might come looking for you right away.”

Nerwen said these words out of concern for Farseer, but the wizard didn’t blink an eye.

“I see… luck follows. It’s good. I don’t hate such an efficient deployment…”

“Are you aware of the seriousness of this matter?”

“Of course I know. To do a big job, but to make a small sacrifice…”

Farseer choked and was unable to speak. His relaxed face was instantly stained with pain.

Clutching her teeth, she opened her closed eyes. An ominous aura swirled around her.

The veins in the eyes were dyed black to the extent that it was impossible to distinguish between pupils and non- pupils.

“There’s no reason to be afraid.”

Nerwen could see blood pouring from Farseer’s clenched fists.

/////

“Did you want this?”

Eleanor never thought that there would be a day when she would look at the emperor with such sharp eyes.

“I didn’t mean to do this from the beginning. But after I messed up, I thought about it. What should I do?”

Although old and emaciated, the emperor was still emperor. Even though his head was stiff and his body was weak, his will was alive and well.

“Your Majesty… How much do you have left?”

“I don’t know. It might be tomorrow, and if I’m lucky… it might last a year. Now, only God knows.”

Complex emotions rushed through Eleanor’s head.

father dies I didn’t commit a crime, I didn’t lose a fight, just because ‘I’ve been around too long’

It was as if he vaguely knew what kind of emotion Farseer’s wish for the eternal life of all people flowed from.

“Why did you just… tell me?”

If only there was more time. At least, if I had known this a few months or days ago, I would have been able to organize my mind a little bit.

Lament permeated Eleanor’s words. It wasn’t what she wanted, but there was a deep resentment underneath.

“I’m sorry, my daughter.”

Knowing that, the emperor bowed his head and apologized. Even that small movement seemed to cut away his lifespan.

“Rather, let me bear the burden.”

Eleanor shouted impatiently.

The fact that she was not the emperor’s lumber was felt keenly through this incident.

There was no way she could touch the emotions of the entire empire, as she couldn’t even count the emotions of a good and quiet person like Enerel.

“He’s not going to be happy about this.”

Thanks to the magically animated crystal ball, she could hear the details of the conversation between the Emperor and Enerel.

He seemed to waver for a moment, but it wasn’t because of his greed. The authority of the emperor, even its enormous dominance and infinite power, were not what he had hoped for.

It was only because of duty that he stopped him for a moment. A duty that he, who had nothing to do with the Empire, had to shoulder due to his goodness.

“What more do you ask of him, how much more duty must he shoulder!”

It was self-hatred. Eleanor did not want the emperor to repeat the crime she had committed.

“You can’t, Eleanor. I’m sorry.”

For a moment, Eleanor felt the sadness and remorse in his eyes. He saw the emperor’s senility, which made it difficult even to handle her wrath.

“It’s nothing to be sorry for me…”

However, it was something she could not back down from.

“Why on earth can it be done without him? Even if it’s not me, there are enough people from the imperial family left in the empire.”

“You don’t know. What kind of people they are.”

The emperor had no children. All of the remaining members of the imperial family who could become emperors were all ‘non-chosen’ people.

Their growing power would naturally lower the current emperor’s authority. Naturally, the emperor prevented them from gaining power.

The humans of the imperial family were gripped with regret that their father or themselves could have become emperor, and the emperor even suppressed them.

Naturally, they harbored the emperor’s grudge, and became just as arrogant and vicious as that grudge.

“Even though I know that among them… there are none worthy of being an example. Even so, if you look carefully, you might find someone of good will…”

“It’s a problem to find, and even if you look for good and strong people, it’s meaningless. There are too many of them, and of course they will divide the empire.”

After pondering the emperor’s words, Eleanor was able to understand the meaning of his words with difficulty.

“We need a strong emperor.”

“Whoever I choose as the next emperor, there will be countless aspirants with similar succession rights. They will have a sense of kinship and know each other’s weaknesses.”

The people of the imperial family have a certain degree of kinship, but the moment one of them attains the title of emperor, that friendship will melt like snow.

“But a hero is different. Even if you have that power… as long as you have external support such as the Mage Tower and the Church, you have to risk your life to stand against that authority.”

He is a warrior who overturned the capital once and swung his sword at the imperial guards since he was not an emperor. Even a person with a fairly large liver will not be able to rebel easily.

“Even so…”

Eleanor bit her lip. I could see why he had to become the emperor and not a human from another imperial family.

“You didn’t tell me why I couldn’t be there.”

Pain spread across the Emperor’s face.

“I’ve been trying not to tell you all my life. I thought I was almost there…”

“You must listen. Your Majesty the Emperor… Father.”

The emperor looked at her daughter for a few minutes. Sometimes with sadness, sometimes with remorse, sometimes with pain.

“That’s because of the blessing of the imperial family.”

“Why the hell is that…”

“You are a person who does not inherit the blood of the imperial family. I am sorry for deceiving you until now, Eleanor…”