~Chapter 105~
‘She looks different every time I see her.’
The current Ailins looked like the middle-aged woman I first saw her as.
Her face looked worn out, like an old tree.
Maybe she had the same thoughts as me—she let out a hollow laugh filled with emptiness.
But it only lasted a moment. She turned her gaze to the companions who came with me.
“……!”
Suddenly, the surroundings became dark, so dark that I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed.
I quickly turned around and saw a faint ray of light.
The light slowly grew larger, and eventually a human shape appeared.
“Why are you making that face?”
Ailins, who had come close to me without me realizing it, asked.
“You’re scared because I’m getting my power back, right? The future you don’t want is getting closer.”
I couldn’t deny it.
If I wasn’t afraid, I wouldn’t have dared to enter Ailins’ past, just like Arkan said.
But she didn’t seem to mean any harm. She spoke again in a joking tone.
“Look, I can do something like this now.”
Ailins reached her hand toward the air. A round ripple appeared, growing bigger until it opened a new space.
“Carpea thrived because of divine magic. Do you understand what this means? It means the Empire was chosen!”
“It was thanks to divine magic that Carpea became prosperous. Don’t you get what that means? It means the Empire was chosen!”
A sharp voice pierced my ears.
I stared at the image in front of me, confused.
“Chosen? What a joke.”
Ailins chuckled.
“Is that…?”
“You’re probably right. That’s the current royal meeting. We’re spying on them right now.”
She grabbed my hand to help me focus and led me toward the meeting room.
“…!”
No one noticed us as they continued their heated arguments.
I looked down at my half-transparent hand, then turned to watch again.
“There are peaceful ways to avoid war. In Orphen—”
“Have you forgotten they already attacked the palace? That was a declaration of war!”
“I know that. But Carpea’s outer regions were destroyed 50 years ago in the war, and even suffered from a plague. Starting another war now is just nonsense!”
As the discussion became more heated, Erkisian raised his hand with a troubled expression. But Count Rowein didn’t stop speaking.
“…I must be foolish, because I don’t understand Your Majesty’s decision. Orphen has always wanted Dremokan. If we can’t give it up because it’s the symbol of the first Empire, then why was it declared heresy?”
The Emperor turned to him.
“Why can’t we let go of the heresy? Is it really worth keeping such a symbol at the cost of so many lives?”
“Count Rowein.”
Erkisian tried to stop him, but someone else on the opposite side responded in frustration.
“Look at it the other way—if Orphen wants it so badly, it must be useful.”
“Then why does the Empire throw people into underground prisons and accuse them of spying just for researching Dremokan?”
“…”
“For hundreds of years, people have died under the assumption that it might be useful someday. But in Carpea, Dremokan isn’t even worth keeping as a symbol anymore.”
Ailins burst into laughter and gently wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
“You wanted me to change my mind, right?”
“…!”
“You reminded me why I bowed to the Emperor, and you showed me what would happen if I made a different choice, didn’t you?”
She was right. I hoped seeing this would affect her.
I bit my lip and looked toward Ricardo, who sat beside the Emperor.
…What are you thinking?
I still didn’t know what he truly wanted.
Was it revenge on Harnen? Or was he following his ideals?
I thought I knew him well—but now I realized there was still so much I didn’t understand.
I knew Ricardo didn’t want Harnen’s dream. But he’d lived his whole life for him, so it must be hard to walk away.
I could criticize his choices, but I couldn’t blame him completely.
I’m not Ricardo. If I were, I might have chosen differently—but that’s just a guess. It doesn’t mean anything.
“They dared to raise a blade against me, and you say I should stay silent? Have you lost your mind?”
“Your Majesty, the war isn’t going in our favor. You must consider the chance of defeat.”
“My safety is the safety of the Empire. There’s no need to worry about innocent lives.
If I fall, then even their blood will have nowhere to flow.”
“Orphen has never won a war against us. This time will be no different.”
Ailins walked over to the Emperor with a bright smile.
“See? Nothing changes. Didn’t I tell you before? Just stay still and do nothing.”
She probably didn’t mean this situation when she said that in the past, but I couldn’t argue with her.
“If that’s Your Majesty’s decision, the Owen family will obey.”
I heard Leon’s familiar voice from the meeting room.
He raised both hands with a helpless expression.
Once Leon sided with the Emperor, other noble families quickly followed.
“Carpea will destroy itself. Even if I don’t do anything, that’s its fate.”
“…….”
“Poor child. Don’t look so sad. You’ll finally get what you want.”
Soon, Ailins will be unsealed. All magic in the Empire will disappear. My grandfather will recover, and I’ll return home.
…Isn’t that perfect?
But now I know—no one can be happy this way.
I stepped closer to Ailins.
“Why did you show me all this?”
“I told you. To show you that nothing changes, no matter what you do.”
“No. If I were you, I wouldn’t have shown this.”
She already knew I didn’t want war. If I decide right now to destroy the World Tree, Ailins won’t get the future she wants.
And yet, she still brought me here.
She kept telling me to do nothing, while showing me this nightmare of a future.
“Do you remember the promise we made?”
Ailins froze.
“Was it the one where I said I’d stop you?”
“…”
“On the night of the full moon, you asked if I came to save you.”
Back then, she looked happy at first—but the more we talked about the past, the more she told me to leave her alone.
That she just wanted revenge.
But if that’s all she truly wanted, she wouldn’t have asked if I came to save her.
Just bringing back the World Tree was enough. That could’ve been my only role.
“You tried to be saved through revenge, and I promised to save you another way, didn’t I?”
“…”
Ailins fell silent. I was waiting for her response when—
“Does the current Duke of Hessen think the same as his predecessor?”
The Emperor looked at Ricardo.
“Your father believed you’d become a great force. The royal family owes much to the Hessen family. If this war ends well, we’ll give you what you’ve long wished for.”
Then Ricardo, who had been deep in thought, let out a chuckle.
“Duke Hessen.”
One of his aides looked alarmed and called out.
“Oh, is it my turn?”
Ricardo let out another short laugh.
“How could I go against Your Majesty’s orders? Please do as you wish.”
“Yes, of course. Hessen has always been part of Carpea’s history. In every war, they’ve brought victory—”
“But the Hessen family won’t send a single soldier this time.”
I felt as if we made eye contact for just a moment.
It couldn’t be true, but it felt like Ricardo was asking me: Don’t you want to leave this world too?
The room exploded in murmurs.
“W-What did he just say…?”
“He means the Hessen family won’t join the war.”
Ricardo stood, as if his words had finished everything.
“How dare you!”
The Emperor’s voice rang with anger.
“If your father were here, he’d turn his back on you. Who knew his son would be such a coward.”
But Ricardo kept walking without stopping.
“Do you think you can bear the consequences of this betrayal?”
“As Your Majesty commands,” he answered calmly, grabbing the door handle.
I’m shaking my head at Leon, why would he agree to war..