Chapter 341: Empress and Sophien (2)

Swoooooosh...

Beneath the falling rain, I looked at the Imperial Palace's main gate, my stance rigid as I stared at the firmly closed door.

I seemed to understand Sophien's current dilemma and the depth of her struggles. It might even be that this was an anticipated matter rather than a sudden development, for now Sophien was in the process of becoming human.

For over a century, endlessly repeating death, having known and witnessed only the meaninglessness of existence, Sophien would come to love merely a man such as myself...

"Count Yukline, what is your decision regarding this matter?"

Now, my faction stood by my side. However, to call them a faction was perhaps an understatement, and they were indeed wretched individuals, tainted and corrupted by the Altar.

"What in the world is that Empress thinking..." continued one of them.

The tone was contemptuous and grating because the most insignificant wretch referred to the most noble woman without honorifics, calling her merely as

that Empress

.

"... What that Empress might be contemplating remains unknown for now. Our sole concern is our task. Indeed, the lighthouse stands ready," I replied.

The lighthouse was a guide leading the comet that would descend upon the continent, and on that day the continent would face destruction only to be reborn again, either by my will or by Quay’s.

"However... before that," I continued, shrugging off my overcoat and tossing it aside without a thought. "As a loyal subject, I must display at least this much."

Thud.

I knelt upon the grounds of the Imperial Palace, where dirty mud squelched and seeped, and violent wind and rain lashed against my entire body.

“C-Count Yukline?”

The men beside me were flustered, hesitating uncertainly, unsure whether they too should kneel or do something else entirely.

"I will wait by myself until the Empress makes her appearance," I said to them.

“Pardon? But—”

"It is more convenient for us if the Empress does not move until the lighthouse commences operation."

I offered my explanation for it, which, in fact, was nothing more than an excuse.

"However, the Empress has abruptly initiated a lockdown of the Imperial Palace. This is not timely. Even if I stand opposed to her, I must still, in some manner, attempt to discern her intentions, even in this fashion," I concluded.

The Empress must, without fail, come to the lighthouse, to the Land of Destruction, and thrust her blade into my heart, for it was my role to be crushed by the master of this continent.

***

The following day, Demonicide's headquarters.

"... What in the world is going on?" Ria muttered, tilting her head as she listened to Ganesha and received news from the newspaper and crystal orb. "Is this how politics works?"

The Empress had placed the Imperial Palace on lockdown, an act traditionally signifying her displeasure and deep contemplation regarding her subjects.

First among them, Deculein rushed forward to kneel, followed swiftly by the Pro-Empress faction nobles who likewise prostrated themselves without delay, which resulted in the area before the Imperial Palace becoming a bustling assembly of nobles.

"Ria, don't you think this might be the opportune moment?" Ganesha asked.

"An opportune moment?" Ria repeated, blinking her eyes.

"Yes, the opportune moment to assassinate Deculein. Apparently he's kneeling without magic, without escort, without anything~"

"

Um...

not particularly, no. But, when can we expect the analysis?" Ria asked, abruptly changing the subject.

The numerous mages gathered at Demonicide remained absorbed in analyzing the lighthouse and continuing the research from the Floating Island, but their appearances were utterly disheveled.

"Well, why don't you go and take a look~?"

"... Okay," Ria replied, pushing open the office door.

The moment Ria stepped into the corridor, a piece of magic paper fluttered and drifted in, and she picked it up before walking to the center of the main living room.

“... There’s a lot.”

There are so many people here. Two hundred, all gathered in one place, discussing the Floating Island's documents together. Two hundred heads, all stumped by just one of Deculein's magic spells,

Ria thought.

"Look here, if you would. This particular spell, I've already undertaken its analysis."

“That is wrong.”

“Why?”

"... I do not know. Moreover, Deculein... he is really a genius of the century. How can such a talent be labeled a plagiarist professor?"

Sweeping her eyes over the room, Ria saw many mages, though Louina remained out of sight.

"

Um

, where's Professor Louina?" Ria asked.

"

Oh

, in there—she suddenly entered that room alone."

"Okay," Ria replied, knocking on the door where a mage pointed.

Knock, knock—

Within the room, no response came.

Knock, knock—

Since there was no reaction from within the room again, Ria chose to open the door without further hesitation.

“

Um

, Professor Louina...?”

"

... Gasp!

" Louina murmured, frozen in an awkward crouch, her gesture attempting to conceal some documents."

“What are you doing?”

"

Um...

" Louina murmured, her eyes rolling as if in thought, then she scratched the back of her neck and chuckled.

She isn't good at lying either. It seems she must have figured something out,

Ria thought.

"Why? What is that? What are you trying to hide?" Ria asked, her eyes squinting.

"I-It's nothing important."

"I don't think it's anything important, though. Did you perhaps find out anything about the spell?" Ria continued.

"

Um

, you see..." Louina muttered, licking her lips as if her mouth had gone dry.

"You figured it out, didn't you?"

"

... Sigh

," Louina murmured, nodding with a weary expression before sinking into the chair with a somewhat despairing look. "Yes, I figured it out. Sort of."

“... Sort of?”

"This is Deculein's lighthouse spell, broken down into three hundred parts," Louina replied, holding hundreds of magic documents.

“... Three hundred parts?”

"Yes, well, I didn't actually do much myself here because I had my protégés gather it all, piece by piece. The lighthouse's purpose is... that is, I think I know its purpose... and that purpose is..."

Suddenly, Louina’s lips pressed shut as she touched her eyes and nose, and then let out a sigh.

Ria felt as though she understood what that meant.

"Is it about the destruction of the continent?"

"...

Oh

," Louina murmured, her eyes widening in surprise.

While Ria had known it all along, Louina was a stranger to the Altar's purpose.

No, I don't think even the Altar's followers know its purpose yet,

Ria thought.

"That's right, the continent's destruction. This lighthouse is drawing an extraterrestrial comet, planning to drop it upon the continent," Louina said, rising from her seat and tapping her telescope. "We've already observed what that comet is as well."

“

Oh

, really”

"... You don't seem particularly surprised, do you?"

"No, I had somewhat of a feeling."

"Is that so? I guess you really are the adventurer Her Majesty chose after all," Louina muttered, a bitter smile on her face.

However, Ria's expectation and Louina's expectation differed slightly in nature, with Ria's being a vague anticipation based on the quest line and Louina's an empirical prediction through magical analysis, research, and observation.

Therefore, Louina's prediction was supported by evidence, allowing it to be officially announced across the entire continent through newspapers and the media, and she could thus expose the Altar's true purpose with rational backing.

"What kind of comet is it?"

"Well, we haven't settled on a name, but its scale is roughly half the size of our continent."

On a side note, Ria, having a background in Science and Engineering and having studied geoscience long ago, knew that even an asteroid merely one-tenth the size plummeting would spell the destruction of a planet and that if it were half the size of the continent, all hope would vanish the moment it approached the orbit.

"There is still one thing I haven't interpreted yet... but might it not be needed? We already know their purpose with certainty," Louina added.

"Then why don't you just reveal it instead of staying here?" Ria asked.

"... Because even if I reveal it, I don't believe it can be stopped. It would only cause societal chaos," Louina replied, a hint of resignation in her voice. "I merely

know

the purpose, really. I know no way to stop it. Not a single method. It is a magically flawless and perfect spell."

Louina fluttered the paper held in her hand.

"It's perfect. Honestly, I was amazed by just looking at it. How could Deculein have created such a spell?"

With a flush rising to her cheeks, Louina seemed utterly mesmerized by Deculein's spell, displaying a profoundly mage-like demeanor, even as she admired the enemy bent on the destruction of the continent.

"But, why would he use such talent for this purpose?" Louina muttered, letting the paper fall as Deculein's spell flowed from her fingers.

"... It's okay," Ria replied, picking up the paper with a slightly determined expression. "I don't know much about magic, but even so, there are definitely flaws."

"... Flaws?" Louina repeated, her weary face turning towards Ria.

"Yes, a spell that is perfect must be complicated, isn't it? That means only the caster who created it would be able to handle it, right?" Ria replied.

"...

Oh

," Louina murmured, her eyes widening as if she had belatedly understood the truth.

"We should keep this document as proof of Deculein's war crimes, and then we can wait for the moment he tries to activate the lighthouse," Ria said, returning the paper to Louina. "That's when we can kill him."

... Deculein, too, would be hoping for that himself,

Ria thought.

Ria, now seemingly understanding Deculein's meaning, merely swallowed the rest of her words.

"... Yes, you are right. Deculein really had become a terribly bad villain as of now," Louina replied, gripping the paper once more and immediately resuming her study.

"What are you doing?" Ria asked, tilting her head.

"Did I not mention there was one part yet uninterpreted? I am attempting to analyze that again," Louina said.

***

... In the Imperial Palace’s basement library, Sophien strolled, extending a finger to trace the covers of countless books and selecting only those volumes bearing the distinct trace of Deculein as she felt the texture of paper, leather, and ink, then cradled an armful of them before settling into a chair.

"... You had read a great deal, it seems," Sophien muttered.

The books that particularly carried Deculein's scent, hundreds in total, were all first editions of rare texts, stored exclusively in the Imperial Palace's basement. Indeed, he was a man who loved books.

Rustle—

Opening the cover and turning the pages, Sophien read the book Deculein had been reading.

Rustle—

After reading through everything from History of the Imperial Palace, Records of Magic, and Legends of the Ancient Era, to Evidence of Holiness, Sophien suddenly decided to turn on the crystal orb she held close.

Before the main gate of the Imperial Palace, Deculein remained on his knees, waiting for Sophien.

"Although you must not be feeling well."

Sophien was concerned for Deculein because his body was not normal and he was dying, which meant that even a mere storm would adversely affect him.

"... But tell me, if I am indeed to bring your death with my own hand..."

Sophien allowed her imagination to wander.

And you become the great villain unifying all evil, as you said, while I become the sovereign who eradicates it...

"Will I not have gained the most valueless thing by killing that which is most valuable to me?"

To Sophien, the role of Empress was worthless, for not only the title of Empress but the entire world held no value for her, and everything on the continent combined was less valuable than Deculein.

"As time progresses, do those very thoughts grow increasingly clear, and...?"

Thud.

At that moment, footsteps echoed from the library's darkness, and a chilling ripple of mana could be felt.

Whooooosh...

The wind in the basement did not wander but approached in a straight line, ruffling Sophien's hair, and at this, Sophien suddenly turned to look, her eyes widening.

“... Sophie.”

Someone called her Sophie—a name her parents had sparingly used only during the Empress’s earliest youth.

"It has been a considerable time."

The man who spoke as he pleased, walking steadily forward as if greeting a welcome friend, was an old man in his early years of aging.

"... Rohakan," Sophien said, speaking his name.

"Yes, it has been a considerable while," Rohakan replied, a smile playing on his lips.

"... You were supposed to be dead."

Sophien raised her body and glaringly analyzed the authenticity of Rohakan, discerning whether he was a false body, an illusion, or indeed returned to life.

"

Haha

, I am indeed dead, yet I am no mere illusion. To fragment my consciousness, leaving it as a time capsule, was a simple matter for me before my death," Rohakan replied. He then approached Sophien without hesitation and seated himself opposite her. "Be seated, for the time I can maintain this form is brief."

Sophien stood, glaring at Rohakan, but he merely offered a smile.

"Have I not told you that I had glimpsed the future?"

Sophien remained silent.

"I knew you would suffer at this moment. I knew of your contemplation. Therefore, I left behind my will. For there are words I must share with you."

Seeing Rohakan speak at length on Sophien's distress and concerns, as if discussing her private emotions, she twisted her lips in a sneer.

"You knew that I would find myself in this state?" Sophien said.

"That is correct," Rohakan replied, gesturing toward the ceiling with a finger. "However, Deculein, that one, is more commendable than I had anticipated."

"Commendable?" Sophien said, her brow furrowing.

"Yes, though I failed in protecting you, does not Deculein offer you protection even now?"

Sophien silently tilted her head, her piercing stare cutting toward Rohakan like a knife's edge.

"Sophie, you are being cured," Rohakan continued with a light chuckle.

For some reason, Sophien could empathize with the thought that she was being cured.

"From the way I see you, you are more vibrant than ever before."

At this moment, Sophien was neither dead nor decaying, for the dullness of her eyes had vanished and she was more vibrant than ever.

"How many days do you anticipate it will take?"

Considering the matter, a human was capable of suffering only while living because in death even torment could not be felt, and therefore this very pain, this anguish, this choking sadness and tears born of love must be the irrefutable evidence of existence.

"Until that time, I will be at your side," Rohakan continued.

Sophien stared into Rohakan's eyes.

"I will clarify all matters regarding your questions..."

A faint smile touched Rohakan's lips.

"And furthermore, I will assist your efforts to kill him," Rohakan concluded.