Chapter 260: Dancing with the Emperor (4)
Clank-! Claank-!
Amid the resounding noise of blades clashing, Sophien walked down the hallway. She wandered through the old house, watching the back of the man who was leading her. As an emperor, today might be the first time she’d looked at someone’s back for so long.
“…Did you say the professor in the mirror?”
“Yes. Your Majesty.”
Sophien went through her memories when she was suffering from poison and dying. The Professor spent all his time with her through 「The Demon’s Mirror」 and eventually died.
“You mean the timeline is separated?”
“I don’t know for sure. But I am not a soul, but a memory, a spirit.”
Deculein was still neat, and his tone was firm and polite.
“My mental powers that had deferred death remained in the underworld and even survived Your Majesty’s regression. It’s not the result I wanted, but maybe it’s Your Majesty’s wish that I’m still here.”
“Wish…? But where is Deculein now?”
Sophien asked. Deculein answered quietly.
“Perhaps he’s talking to ghosts from the underworld. Among the ghosts of this old house, there are still souls worthy of respect, which are clear and pure in spirit. Like Iggyris.”
“…By any chance. Was it you, Deculein, who signed that?”
“Yes.”
Deculein’s signature is written on the poster. Perhaps Deculein saw it and recognized his other existence.
“Your Majesty, stay here until the sun comes up.”
He guided the Emperor to a cramped room where someone like a gardener might stay.
“This place is the boundary between the underworld and this world. It is a very small crack that I observed with my Vision. When the sun comes up, go out through this door. An eclipse will arrive soon. Before that, you must leave.”
He pointed to a small door in the back corner. Sophien looked at him and asked.
“What about you?”
“…”
“What are you going to do?”
Deculein didn’t say anything as he faced the Emperor.
“I have a lot of things I want to tell you.”
The Professor in the mirror shared all her deaths and left the moment she overcame death.
“Like an imaginary friend, the man who has been with me in my memory.”
Her voice calmed down. Deculein still wore no expression.
“Do you know?”
When Sophien read the records of the Imperial Palace, when she found out about the existence of this old house, the first thing that came to her mind was this Professor. Thinking that, by any chance, there might be traces of that Professor in the underworld. No, she hoped it would.
“I have more memories with you than without you.”
Hundreds of years. Even in her boring daily life, they were always cherished by her idle mind.
“The current Deculein does not remember those days.”
Sophien pretended it wasn’t a problem and ignored it. Pretending it was nothing, she pushed herself to her boredom. However, it was painful.
“It sucked.”
“Your Majesty.”
Deculein called her. Sophien looked up at him.
“I am Deculein, and Deculein is me. He will soon remember. But why did Your Majesty prepare an event like this?”
“…Tsk.”
Sophien’s brow twisted.
“Are you still worried about Julie even like that?”
“…No.”
Deculein shook his head. He wasn’t smiling now, but he was acting the same way he had been back when he was dealing with her dying self. Polite and calm.
“I am concerned about Your Majesty.”
“…”
“Just as I am the only one who remembers Your Majesty, you are the only one who remembers me.”
“…What?”
Her heart fluttered. Sophien scratched her collarbone involuntarily, but Deculein continued.
“Your Majesty is precious. For me as the Professor in the mirror, for me living in this world, and for this world as well. Maybe that’s why I’ve remained here…”
* * *
“…Forget it, Professor. I will give up.”
The Empress told me. The blood-stained space was restored to normal, and her killing aura faded away. She smiled bitterly, sipping her tea.
“You have the utmost respect and courtesy for the royal family. I don’t want to become a shabby member of the Imperial family even when I die. If you want to serve Sophie, I have to let you.”
A fundamental respect for the Imperial family. I desired to respect those who were at the top of the class system.
“However, be aware of what I said. Sophie is sure to become a disaster. You might regret it someday.”
The Empress’s words settled in my mind like pieces of a puzzle. The reason why Freyden poisoned Sophien in the distant past, now I thought I knew their motives.
“And one more person is waiting for you.”
“Is it Decalane?”
“No.”
The Empress shook her head.
“Iggyris. He has a lot to say to you.”
Iggyris von Kreil Freyden, the former head of Freyden and father of Julie, Zeit, and Josephine. He was a wealthy man who produced three undisputedly talented people.
“He says he doesn’t want anything from you anymore. He has been watching you here.”
Creek-
The door behind me opened. I looked back.
“Then, you both talk now. It’s time for me to go. Goodbye, Professor. Take care of Sophie, that monster.”
The Empress scattered like mist, and Iggyris, who approached without a sound, looked at me. After staring at me for a long time without saying a word, he reached out a hand.
…He was asking for a handshake.
* * *
Boooooom-!
In the square of the old house, the battle was still in full swing.
Boom-! Clank-!
Raging mana and swords kicked up sparks. Fragments of shattered blades littered the square, and Adrienne’s one-man-army destructive magic sent flesh and organs splattered across the stone.
Splash-!
But even though they were decapitated, their legs cut off with a sword, and even their entire body torn apart by destructive magic, they wouldn’t die. It was the same for allies as well as enemies.
“What is this—”
A soldier from the Altar advanced with his hand to his cut throat. Nearby, a giant monster used its severed head as a blunt weapon. Julie was astonished.
—The old house is like the underworld when the sun goes down. When a person dies, they move until their body rots and becomes dust.
A voice explained the current phenomenon. Julie’s eyes widened at the familiar sound. She hurriedly turned around.
-Hold on until the sun comes up. I’ll help too.
A ghost’s form trembled in the air. Julie knew that silhouette, even though it looked blurry and faint. She still remembered.
“Lord?”
─…Yes.
Iggyris. The father of Freyden, whom she did not dare to call father even at the moment of his death.
“Ah…”
Her hands trembled, and she felt as if a dagger had been driven through her chest.
“How come in a place like this-“
“Julie. Back off.”
She slowly approached her father, but a flash of steel from the side stopped her.
“…Don’t go any further.”
Deculein. He glared at Julie and Iggyris before using the Snowflake Obsidian. The frozen metal blocked the space between the spirit and Julie like a fence.
—Professor. You still can’t give up.
Iggyris sighed, and Deculein snapped back.
“Sir Iggyris. You too. If you go any closer to Julie, I will kill you.”
─How? How can you kill me when I’m already dead?
He asked with a sneer. At that very moment, mana gathered in Deculein’s hand, lighting up the darkness.
An artificial sun.
“Iggyris. You are a monstrous creature, but you will still burn. Don’t do anything presumptuous.”
─…
As Iggyris murmured silently, this time, Julie moved.
“Stop, Professor Deculein.”
She waved her sword lightly. The cold air it emitted froze the artificial sun.
“…Julie.”
Deculein frowned. She stared at him with contempt and beckoned.
“Step aside. I’m doing this for you.”
“Ha.”
Without realizing it, she laughed and bowed her head in disbelief.
“How many lives have you taken so far while saying it’s for me?”
“…”
“Lives without sin… how many?”
Deculein didn’t answer. He didn’t even glance at her but turned to Iggyris.
“Sir Iggyris. Stop it.”
-Didn’t I already tell you? I cannot grant your request.
“…It is foolish.”
Deculein glared at Iggyris’s soul with rage in his eyes.
“Did you two talk?”
“…”
Deculein didn’t say anything, but Iggyris sighed as if it couldn’t be helped.
-Okay, Professor. Then… Julie.
Iggyris looked to Julie again. To her, his body was just hazy smoke, but his eyes were clear.
—I’ll give you a choice.
“…Choice?”
—Julie. If you hate Professor Deculein to death. If you hate him enough to kill him.
Iggyris looked back at Deculein. He took a step in this direction.
-Find me.
“This is your last warning.”
Iggyris’s voice and Deculein’s words overlapped.
—If not, go to the Professor, not me.
Whoooosh…
A cold wind swept by, taking Iggyris’s soul away with it, but Julie found his traces left as a mark on her map. If she hated the Professor, it meant she should go there.
“Julie.”
“…”
Julie’s eyes slowly widened as she looked up. Deculein was facing her with sorrow in his eyes.
“Don’t go.”
Julie shook her head.
“Don’t show that face to me. It suits you better when you always stand like a giant tree.”
“If you go to Iggyris, you will die.”
“…”
He said she would die. Julie looked at the map held in her hand. Of course, Deculein was a villain. At least for Julie. However…
Now it seemed that his warning wasn’t false.
“Professor.”
Probably because Julie knew that Iggyris didn’t love her. That he never, even once, loved her.
“I will only ask you one thing.”
Nevertheless, Julie put the map away.
“Do you think I am alive now?”
“…”
A heavy silence fell over Deculein.
“I’m not.”
Julie clenched her jaw. She let out a hot breath through her tightly closed teeth.
“The time you betrayed me, no, long before that. I was already dead.”
“…”
Deculein sighed. He lowered his head slowly, then raised it again.
“…Julie. Even if you are dead.”
Julie. The knight whose dream was lost to Deculein. A woman who was dying and coming to life at the same time, drenched in his love and obsession.
“I hope you are alive.”
Julie did not answer. She turned around and swung her sword behind his back.
Crush—!
The pawn of the Altar, their heart pierced by it, froze, and she rushed into the battlefield before he fell. It was a rejection that suited Julie.
* * *
On the other hand, the Altar, having entered the old house, first set guards on the gate and patrolled the surrounding area. Once the advance squad was sent, the nobles and servants trying to escape were detained and, if necessary, killed.
“Hey, Syrio.”
“Hey! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!”
“What should we do about her?”
At that moment, the giant knight showed the child he held, hanging like a chicken from his hand. He was Jaylon, one of the most powerful people in the Empire; he sided with the Altar.
“She said she was an adventurer.”
“Let go! Let me go! Why are you doing this?!”
Lia was hanging in Jaylon’s hand and crying out.
“Adventurer? Why is an adventurer here… huh? Wait.”
Syrio paused.
“Aren’t you Lia?”
“…Eh? Do you know me?”
Lia paused for a moment.
“Oh, of course, ~. We’ve met before. Hey. You can let her go. These are the kids who helped our residents with this and that.”
There were several side quests cleared to get rewards. Of course, besides helping the Altar directly, Lia had a history of helping needy villages.
“…Were you that kind of person? Okay. I’ll let you go. I see you are a nice kid.”
Lia, who was saved thanks to him, breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she set her feet back on the ground. The Altar’s purpose was not to eradicate the Empire in the first place. If only their God manifested, it wouldn’t matter what happened to the rest.
…Of course, God’s will would be a little different.
“But why did you come here? If you suddenly attack the Imperial Palace… it doesn’t make sense. It’s very dangerous. No, did you break through all those troops?”
Lia, who was familiar with the surprisingly easy setup of the Altar, had been caught on purpose so she could ask these questions.
“Hmph. These bastards were the first to destroy our temples.”
Jaylon said, grinding his teeth. Lia thought about it and then nodded. This event was familiar. There was a trigger along the lines of, ‘if you destroy more than a few temples, the Altar will directly invade the empire.’
But, still, suddenly attacking the Imperial Palace was a bit unreasonable.
“They suddenly attacked us first! This is just retaliation. So…”
It was then.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!
A scream and the sound of running reached their ears.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!
It came from a hallway in the middle of the old house. Some crazy girl was running around in there.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!
“…”
“…”
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!
Those from the Altar followed her with their eyes as she screamed and ran away.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!
Not only Lia, but everyone from the Altar was curious, so they kept watching.
“Wait a minute. That’s Epherene.”
Syrio said, startled. Jaylon, standing next to him, raised an eyebrow.
“Epherene? Oh, that time, wizard? What now? It seems that she’s about to die.”
More than thirty ghosts were chasing her. She would either be deprived of her body, her limbs would be ripped off, or both.
“Hey. Don’t you know what happens if she dies?”
But Syrio tapped Jaylon’s shoulder with a serious look.
“What happens… oh.”
“…”
Realizing it too late, Jaylon spat out a frustrated grunt. Syrio warmed up his mana.
“What are you doing? We need to save her right away.”
Right now, Sophien’s powers, albeit incompletely, had been transferred to Epherene. If Epherene died in such a situation, due to the nature of the power, it would return to Sophien. They had finally brought out Sophien’s powers, but all their efforts would be in vain if that happened.
Jaylon drew his sword and shouted.
“Damn it. What are you doing?! Come on and help her! If she dies, you will die by my hands!”
The soldiers from the Altar hurried to Epherene.
Aaaaaaah-! Aaaaaaah-!
She was easy to find, thanks to her screams.
“Help me…?”
Boom-!
A group of Altar warriors arrived like VVIP escorts.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly surrounded, Epherene blinked several times while Jaylon and Syrio laughed.
“Hey. Stay still; we will save you.”
“That’s right. It’s been a long time~, Deculein’s disciple. It’ll be really bad if you die, you know? So, just stay behind us, alright~?”
“…Epherene! Where have you been?!”
Lia jumped into Epherene’s arms.
“Huh, Lia? Lia, what the hell? No, what is all this now?”
Epherene watched the Altar, still bewildered, protect her from the ghosts.