Chapter 224: A Wooden Pocket Watch. (4)
—…It’s been a while, Luna’s child.
In the darkness of dreams, Decalane appeared.
“…”
Epherene was frightened, but it lasted only for a moment. Now, she didn’t tremble anymore. She didn’t even step back. This was thanks to the well-timed self-realization that she acquired with the attributes of object and origin. It was hard for a regular person to have any one of those two talents, but she had both.
Epherene knew it’d be a waste of her potential if she ran away in fear.
“Bring it on.”
Epherene provoked him and prepared herself, mana sparked off of her. Then, Decalane smiled a little.
—You’ve changed. But child, I have no intention of fighting you.
“What bullshit…”
—Should we sit down?
Two chairs and a table appeared in the darkness. Decalane shuffled over and sat down, then pointed across to the empty one.
—Sit down.
“…What?”
Epherene was flustered for a moment. But, Decalane nodded calmly to assure her.
“…What kind of trick is this?”
—It’s not a trick. I just want to talk.
“Talk?”
—That’s right. Come and sit, and I’ll tell you everything that you don’t know. Not just about my son, but also things about your father.
“…”
Deculein and her father, and the relationship between the two. Decalane was suspicious, but his proposal was tempting. Epherene asked back with a thorny tone.
“…Why all of a sudden?”
—It’s not sudden. I’ve wanted to tell you that up until now. But there was a hindrance.
Decalane smiled before pulling out the chair with Psychokinesis to make it easier for her to sit.
—Are you going to listen or leave? I’ll respect what you want.
“…”
Curiosity and doubt were rising from the bottom of her chest. There was a tiny spark of resentment in the corner of her heart at her father and Deculein. Unable to bear it anymore, Epherene sat down and glared at Decalane. He smiled brightly.
—What do you want to know, child?
“Your objective. Why, how, for what reason are you coming into my head?
—It’s simple. I tried to implant myself into your body.
“My… my body?”
—Yeah. You probably didn’t know, but the byproduct remains in you, and I can keep visiting you like this.
“…You’re crazy!”
Epherene glared at Decalane with absolute disgust in her eyes.
“So filthy…”
With a grin, Decalane continued.
—It was your father’s suggestion.
Epherene frowned.
“…What?”
—I told you, child. Kagan Luna didn’t love you.
“…”
Her expression hardened; Decalane kept a smile on his face, then tapped the table between them.
—In the distant past, your mother gave birth to you and ran away.
“…Mother? My mom?”
—That’s right.
Epherene didn’t know what her mother looked like. She didn’t have any pictures or portraits left; only her name existed on a tombstone in her hometown.
“What are you talking about?”
—It was Iliade’s conciliation. If she abandoned the Luna family, they would give her money. Your mother gladly accepted.
“…”
Epherene’s mouth hung open.
—As a result, Kagan resented the Iliade. He loathed your mother, and also you who looks like her. The only thing left in his life was magic, and he lived like a madman obsessed with magical theories… but.
Tak-
A chess knight appeared on top of the table. Then a soldier, a pawn.
—Your father, Kagan, lived in delusion.
Behind their ranks, a large King sat down.
—He met me.
Epherene clenched her fists.
—He offered you to me, who was troubled by succession issues. He gave you to me so I would help him get his revenge. To destroy Iliade and to find his wife and kill her.
A smile alit Decalane’s face.
—That guy wasn’t normal.
“That’s bullshit. Bullshit, stop talking nonsense—!”
Epherene roared. Her loud outcry knocked down the king and the pawns on the table.
“You don’t have any evidence! My dad-“
—Evidence.
“Yeah—!”
Epherene jumped up, almost overturning the table, and glared at Decalane.
“How can my dad hate me?! How can he-“
—He would have told you.
Decalane’s voice was chilly. His eyes that resembled Deculein’s hardened.
—That byproduct has always been with you.
“What…”
Suddenly, Epherene met Decalane’s eyes and followed them.
—Luna’s child.
…To her wrist. The bracelet on her wrist, what her father left behind. Knowing her attributes.
—That’s a byproduct.
“…Oh.”
—You become a wizard, you going to university, the object that’s been given to you, all the emotions you’ve felt, and all your actions, were induced by him.
Decalane spoke.
—Your life is fake. It has never been real.
“…”
Epherene’s eyes turned dark. She lost her focus, and her breath became shaky. The more she folded into herself, the deeper Decalane’s smile grew.
—Do you get it now? Your life has absolutely no value-
“…Then.”
But, Epherene eventually clenched her teeth. She straightened herself up just before she crumbled and rubbed her runny nose.
“He knows about that and didn’t tell me.”
—Who?
Epherene stared at her wrist.
“…The Professor.”
Saying that, she looked at her hands again. The wood steel laid on her palm.
—…Hmm.
Decalane leaned back. Then, he looked at Epherene with eyes full of contempt.
“The Professor knew everything, and he still let me hate him. He said that he killed my father.”
Deculein’s voice suddenly came to mind and lingered in her ears.
“…Just like you’re trying to break me, thinking I might be broken already.”
Epherene raised her head. Her face was already swollen like a steamed bun, but she placed the wood steel on the table between them.
Boom—!
The wood steel knocked over the pawn and king.
“This is my knight.”
—…Tsk.
Decalane shook his head, and Epherene spat out the words through clenched teeth.
“I don’t play chess because it’s too difficult, but this is dozens of times stronger than the pawn, or king, or whatever.”
Kwaaaaaaa…
At that moment, the darkness around her began to shake. Epherene gathered mana into the wood steel.
“I won’t break.”
She wiped away her tears. Her heart felt like it was going to tear; no, it had already been torn.
“Because that’s what the Professor wants.”
Screeeeeeech—!
The world in her subconscious was being torn apart. Between the collapsing fragments, Decalane stared at Epherene.
…Eventually.
“Heu!”
When she opened her eyes again, Epherene was back in Sylvia’s cabin.
“Kugh!”
Epherene jerked up and put a hand to her chest.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—
She calmed down her beating heart.
“…Uh.”
She found a bracelet next to her bed. It was her father’s that she always wore, always more precious than her life…
“It’s been disconnected.”
Like a stretched-out rubber band, it sprawled out over the table.
“…”
Epherene stared at the bracelet for a while without saying anything. That was the only thing she could do.
*****
The next afternoon, in the city of Yuren where the sun was shining brightly. Epherene walked along the street with Sylvia and Allen.
“…”
“…”
“…”
All three of them were silent, feeling dejected, exhausted, and awkward with each other for no reason.
“The bookstore.”
Sylvia pointed, breaking the silence. There was a signboard for a bookstore set in the middle of the shopping district, pointed at a fairly large building for a bookstore.
“O… okay, let’s go there.”
Epherene reacted first, and Allen followed with a nod. They went inside the bookstore together.
“Hmm?”
As soon as they went in, Epherene’s eyes widened.
“…There’s a lot of people.”
The bookstore was crowded, and most of them were robed, wizards. It wasn’t even a bookstore on the Floating Island. What was going on?
“What is this?”
Sylvia frowned with dissatisfaction. Allen spoke.
“Yeah. Look at this; there’s going to be an event today.”
“Event?”
“Yeah.”
Epherene looked at where Allen was pointing. There was a poster.
[#3333 Yuren Reading Competition! It will be a live radio show!]
“Live radio show… what’s a live show?”
“I don’t know.”
Sylvia went off to look for a book, leaving Epherene to stare at the poster.
“Huh?”
A puzzled voice echoed behind Epherene. Epherene and Allen looked back.
“Oh, is that you, Lia?”
One of the members of the Red Garnet Adventurers. Lia was there. She bowed down with books in her arms.
“Hello!”
“Yeah, hi. It’s been a while. What brings you here?”
“I am going to participate in the reading competition here.”
“…Reading competition?”
“Yes, the reward is huge, you know.”
Lia replied with a big smile, but her face quickly darkened.
“Ah, that’s right. I’ve also heard the news of the Professors death….”
“Oh, that? It’s fine.”
“…What?”
“Really, it’s fine. It will be so fine that you won’t even remember.”
Lia tilted her head while Epherene glanced at the reading competition that had been prepared.
—Everyone, prepare well! The Princess is also participating in the quiz!”
She didn’t know what a live radio show was, but anyway, they seemed to be busy doing something.
“What will they give you if you win?”
“Oh, the prize money alone is thirty thousand Elnes, and you will be invited inside the palace. By the way, what do you mean by fine? I heard that the Emperor is in critical condition; is she alright?”
“Prize money and an invitation inside the castle….”
“Excuse me, Epherene? Epherene?”
Lia was strangely talkative, but Epherene was only looking at the platform in the middle of the bookstore.
—Are you ready for the live radio show?
—Yes!
Epherene was suddenly filled with curiosity.
“Lia, can I still apply right now?”
“What? Oh, yes, you can. But, is Her Majesty alright?”
“Yup, she’s fine.”
“Oh! Whew, whew, whew…”
Leaving Lia behind, whose face was filled with great relief, Epherene went over to sign up.
“Excuse me; I’d like to apply for this. I’m also a wizard.”
“Oh, okay. Fill out your name and submit it.”
“Okay…”
Epherene nodded as she took the application, and then.
Boom—!
“Ugh!”
There was a huge tremor, and the entire bookstore sank underground.
*****
…This was outside the world and an ideological space that didn’t belong to the continent or the universe. There was only one lake and one person in this place as vast as a desert and unbound to any providence.
She looked into the lake, and the lake spoke to her.
—What are you doing, god?
A voice that connected to the far-off continent. The person called god answered in a low voice.
“I’m fishing.”
—Does life exist there, god?
“It doesn’t.”
They grabbed the fishing rod and shook it. No life could be caught by the bait, so didn’t they get bored?
—I am grateful. But the boiled beef isn’t far away.
The priest of the Altar spoke in code. He said that the time to regain his body and to arrive at the continent would soon come.
“Okay.”
They nodded. The happiness was faint, but the punishment for apostasy was necessary.
“Wait.”
Then, they pulled out their fishing rod. Since there was nothing to catch, it held no bait. But, when they placed a hand over it, a lively shrimp was created and strung up.
Poong—!
Throwing the line into the lake, the god mumbled.
“…Is fishing in a meaningless lake meaningless, or does it have value in itself?”
Thinking about that epiphany, they lost themselves in thought.