Chapter 386: Loneliness
「Fairies originally belonged to the Fantasy Species—beauty, illusion, and flowers. But among Fantasy Species, they were at the very bottom. It was only because of the rules of illusion that fairies had an extremely low sense of presence, until they merged into mountains, stones, and grass. Still, being such a weak Fantasy Species was unacceptable to the fairies themselves.」
「So, it chose to shed its identity as a Fantasy Species and stole the residual rules from the battlefield where King Pegira once forced the Fantasy Species to slaughter each other. Using those rules, it transformed itself into life. Eventually, five demigod-level fairies were born, and your mother was one of them—the Fairy of the Lake.」
Olivia’s face gradually calmed, and then she looked at Corleon with eyes filled with longing, softly asking,「Then do you know where the other four fairies are?」
Corleon did not look at『Olivia』but said,「Demigod-level fairies are still inferior to those among the Fantasy Species, yet he needed the qualities of fairies to add a layer of illusion to his bloodline—to conceal and dilute the mark within his bloodline that belonged to him.」
「So he killed the remaining four types of fairies and had Aivas extract their essence, placing it into containers, allowing that essence to carry his bloodline into the cradle.」
「The reason he chose the Fairy of the Lake as the cradle for new life was simply mbecause she shared the same origin with those bloodline-bearing fairies.」
「@￥%……」That was a scream beyond what any conventional life form could perceive.
Had an ordinary person heard it, they might have forever fallen into nightmares.
Just like being affected by the sound of the Slumbering Horn.
However, this was the Clock Tower, so this kind of sound was just ordinary here.
Only after the sound vanished did Olivia speak again. She was furious.「…That old bastard really is terrible.」
Corleon said,「Pure self-centeredness—or perhaps, he had no choice but to be so. Without such extreme purity, how could he exist? In fact, to reach the highest level of purity, he personally erased his original empire.」
「It was an empire of immense power, whose territory wasn’t limited to just a continent but stretched across the vast starry cosmos. Children born as commoners could attain the physique of knights by adulthood. With minimal training, they could become Grand Knights. And in the empire’s army, the lowest-ranked soldiers were Tier Six beyond the limit. Only demigods could be appointed generals. The strongest nobles were comparable to deities.」
「They claimed stars as territories, used gods as kindling, and sought to make the empire eternal.」
Olivia couldn’t stand the idea of such a wicked old man having such a glorious past. She said,「But his empire still vanished.」
Corleon said,「Yes, it vanished. No matter how powerful the empire’s warriors were, they ultimately could not touch the depths of the root. So long as the will of those beings beyond gods shifted slightly, this mighty empire was instantly corrupted.」
「The sun might stir a Great Annihilation; the moon could send the world into Eternal Sleep; time could reverse to the primordial; space could collapse into chaos.」
「To such beings, creating a world suitable for humans might require time, but destroying one would need only a thought. They wouldn’t even need to exert themselves, because such power is instinctive—like breathing is to humans.」
「So Pegira personally destroyed his empire, forging himself into the purest weapon. The will he held fast to was merely to prove that life had meaning, to prove that everything he had experienced existed, and could not be casually erased by those exalted beings.」
Corleon’s voice was calm. Olivia couldn’t tell whether it carried recognition or disdain.
Not that she cared about those things. She frowned.「But if Cicero doesn’t have his bloodline, then what about the kingdom’s future? I don’t want to have kids. I’ve seen the lively girls in the monastery—after they got married and gave birth, they completely changed. Their eyes held nothing but their children. How could someone like that become a strong warrior, let alone go to battle?」
「So if succession by bloodline follows after me, wouldn’t the kingdom be left without a king? I was even planning to push Cicero to have another child soon.」
Corleon said,「That’s a matter for the future. Besides, it doesn’t matter if there’s no kingdom.」
Olivia looked at Corleon.「If there’s no kingdom, what happens to the Church?」
Corleon stood up and said,「The Church is the Church. The Kingdom is the Kingdom. Whether the Kingdom exists or not has nothing to do with the Church, and vice versa.」
Olivia stood up too, struggling to understand.「Then what’s the relationship between the Kingdom and the Church right now?」
Corleon said,「Nothing much. But if you insist, I suppose you could call it a cooperative relationship.」
「The Senate needs the Church’s recognition to justify its authority and gain support from the lower class. Meanwhile, the Church needs a stable Senate that can make Greenwood a better place.」
「That’s all.」
Olivia still didn’t understand.
Corleon said no more and headed for the hall’s side door.
Olivia quickly followed.
Corleon glanced at her and said,「I’ll take you somewhere interesting today.」
At once, Olivia stopped in her tracks.
Based on her experience, Corleon’s idea of “interesting” was merely what he considered interesting—and it was often based on her humiliation.
Like putting on dresses unfit for combat. Or placing weird things on her head. Or enforcing a long list of behavioral rules.
Still, after a quick mental rundown, she begrudgingly followed.
Even if she resisted, she would appear the very next moment wherever Corleon wanted her to be.
That complete lack of control—Olivia hated it.
Corleon pushed open the door and stepped out. Beyond it was the ground floor of the Clock Tower.
He walked to a small table in the center. Olivia stood beside him. Just then, the Clock Tower’s door opened.
Melia entered.
She glanced at Olivia and gave a serene smile. Olivia responded with a big grin.
To Olivia, Melia was her only companion from childhood until now.
Even after Corleon began formally『instructing』her, they rarely saw each other.
After seeing Olivia, Melia bowed slightly, not daring to look at Corleon. She said,「The Church currently has sufficient manpower. Phil has also taken over most of my duties. I’m no longer needed. Therefore, I humbly request permission to leave the Church.」
Melia’s words wiped the smile off Olivia’s face, replacing it with confusion. She glanced at Corleon but dared not speak.
Corleon ignored Olivia’s glance and looked at Melia. He said,「You are free, and naturally may choose to stay or leave. I should not stop you. But I still want to ask—you are aware of the filth outside. Even so, do you still want to leave?」
Melia kept her head bowed.「I don’t know if I can endure such filth. Even the mere gossip among the children at the monastery makes me furious. They are good children, but even they can be like that. I imagine the world outside would be even more hurtful.」
「But I feel I can no longer stay at the monastery. After the children were relocated, what follows are tasks I cannot take part in—cannot comprehend. I feel lonely. I once regretted not heeding my grandfather’s wish when I was young—to find someone and build a family of my own.」
「But after countless sleepless nights, I still cannot imagine what life with such a person would be like. Perhaps I must endure this loneliness.」
「I feel as though I wander outside human society. I am not like Agamemnon, with a clear goal. Not like Oscar, who finds joy in confinement. Not like Olivia, loved by her father.」
「I am just an ordinary person. So I think I should return to the world of ordinary people—only there can I find belonging.」
After listening to Melia’s calm confession, Corleon merely sighed.「Since you’ve decided, you may leave at any time. Remember—you are free.」
Melia bowed deeply.「Thank you for your permission.」
Corleon replied,「This is your right—granted by the Lord.」
After speaking, Melia knelt to the ground and said again,「Aside from that, I have one unreasonable request. I want a child.」
Olivia’s eyes widened. Her gaze darted toward Corleon.
Then, she felt as if her head had been flicked again—hard enough to shake her brain, but not so hard she couldn’t endure the pain silently.
Melia’s forehead pressed tightly to the stone floor. She continued,「Though your mercy lets me know my grandfather still exists in the Hall of Heroes, it is still just that—the Hall of Heroes. His bloodline should not end here. And I, too, want a child.」
「I’ve seen the girls at the monastery. After becoming mothers, it was like they became whole. I also lived with Alice. I saw how she changed when raising her child. Back then, I didn’t understand—but now, I envy that change.」
「So after leaving the monastery, I want to have a child. I want to raise a child.」
「It’s an unreasonable request—but a selfish one too. I deeply know that a child with only a mother and no father suffers greatly while growing. But I cannot bear this loneliness.」
「I confess to you. Whether you permit it or not—because this is my sin.」