Episode 128

But in the end, he never drew his sword.

Even he couldn’t understand his own choice.

Miek concealed his confusion behind a low growl.

“Consider yourself lucky to have come here as an envoy. Otherwise, my blade wouldn’t have held back.”

“Hmm. No need to go easy on me. Maybe it’s because you’re a bunch of cowardly union fools—so considerate, aren’t you?”

Chris smirked, and Miek clenched his fists tightly.

Still, he forced himself to suppress his anger.

He justified it with this excuse:

“No matter who the opponent is, even if they’re a demon, it’s not honorable for a knight to strike down an envoy before their business is done.”

Miek denied the sense of threat he’d just felt.

It made no sense to feel threatened by an opponent barely at four stars.

“I’ll deal with him when the time is right. With the right excuse, cutting off a few limbs won’t be a problem. Looking forward to it.”

His eyes flickered with cruel intent.

Meanwhile, Chris shrugged as he watched Miek’s hostile glare.

“Too bad. Well, whatever. This isn’t the only chance.”

Miek’s furtive, menacing looks made it clear he was itching for trouble.

“Maybe I can use him to shake up the Law Kingdom instead.”

A plan formed in Chris’s mind.

He would eliminate Miek while turning the situation to his advantage.

It wouldn’t be difficult.

Either way, the tension between the two only worsened the atmosphere.

The knights of the Law Kingdom glared at Chris as if ready to kill.

The young Viscount Roy, who had come along unintentionally, looked nervous, as if he himself had become a target. The similarly timid Alos whispered in a trembling voice, his heart pounding.

“P-Prince, please be a little more careful with your words from now on…”

“What?”

Alos looked like he was about to explode with frustration.

“T-This isn’t the Magic Empire. We’re in the union’s territory…”

Chris cut him off, asking casually, “Alos, do you know who we are?”

“…We are envoys representing the Great Dark Maga.”

“And yet? You’re saying we should shrink back like turtles just because the enemy scares us?”

“……”

“Don’t forget: our actions represent the Dark Maga. Even if this is enemy territory, even if there’s a blade at your throat, you must stand tall. Understand?”

Alos lowered his head, embarrassed.

“I-I will remember.”

Chris shrugged.

‘Honestly, I don’t care that much about the Dark Maga’s honor either.’

Still, he gave the warning for a reason.

He was in the middle of the succession trial.

Passing it perfectly was just as important as handling the Gold Cross matter.

Better to avoid any complaints about tarnishing the Dark Maga’s reputation.

At that moment, ignoring the surrounding tension, Jupien quietly asked while training his grip strength with a portable exerciser.

…By the way, despite Jupien’s doll-like appearance, he was a quirky workaholic who trained relentlessly, even following others on horseback by using light-footed movement, practicing anytime, anywhere.

“What’s the plan from here?”

“First, I need to meet Princess Olivia. The Law King won’t meet us demons personally.”

The moment he said Olivia’s name, his heart skipped a beat.

Finally, the meeting was about to happen.

‘We couldn’t meet for a long time in my previous life.’

Since leaving the family, he’d never seen her.

After the Age of Ruin began, Olivia met a horrific death.

Who didn’t suffer a miserable death during that era? But Olivia’s was among the worst.

Thinking of that made his chest ache.

Jupien frowned at Chris’s expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why?”

“You look like you’re in pain.”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not. Something’s off. Come here.”

Jupien placed his palm on Chris’s forehead.

“No fever. Or are you cursed to die? Hurry up and come back as my unlucky little brother.”

“What are you talking about? Why would I be your brother?”

“You’re younger than me, so you are. A brother I want to beat senseless and stomp underfoot.”

“Cut the nonsense and take your hand away.”

Chris pushed Jupien’s hand aside, composing his expression.

‘I have to be careful.’

Olivia doesn’t know me.

I have to treat her as a complete stranger.

“Anyway, I’ll cooperate with Princess Olivia to resolve this crisis. With her awakened Star Blood, she’ll be a great help.”

“Do you think she’ll cooperate? We’re demons, after all.”

Jupien asked skeptically, but Chris nodded firmly.

“She will.”

The Olivia he knew was the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to throw herself into fire for her people.

She wouldn’t refuse to join forces with demons.

But then—

“Princess Olivia is not available.”

“…What?”

“The princess is currently in long-term seclusion and prayer.”

A sullen-looking royal steward appeared and informed Chris’s group.

“Don’t even think about meeting the princess. Follow the guide we assign and investigate as you please.”

“As you please.”

Meaning they wouldn’t cooperate at all.

The assigned guide was likely a watcher ready to turn hostile at any moment.

“A warning: if you act suspicious during your investigation, we will behead you and exile your corpse immediately. Keep that in mind.”

With that, the steward vanished abruptly.

“……”

Chris closed his mouth.

‘This is troublesome.’

For his plan, Olivia’s cooperation was essential.

‘Strange. In such a crisis, she’s just secluded herself in prayer?’

It didn’t seem like the Olivia he knew.

Sensing something was off, Chris asked Mari.

“Is there any way to find out what’s going on with Princess Olivia?”

[Oh ho ho, certainly. I’ll be right back.]

Mari returned quickly.

In her hands dangled a pale-faced young ghost.

[This is a ghost who’s been hiding in the castle. You can ask him.]

The young ghost, trembling with fear, knelt before Mari as he was dragged along.

“I-I’ll tell you anything, just please spare my life!”

“…I’m not going to kill you. Besides, you’re already dead, so what’s the point? Do you know about Princess Olivia?”

[Y-Yes? Of course I do.]

“Why is she in seclusion? It can’t be some romantic notion of praying to the constellations to drive away the plague. Is there some other reason?”

[Well…]

The ghost’s eyes rolled nervously.

When he hesitated, Mari chuckled.

[Our little cutie is too tight-lipped in front of the young master. Maybe if I tear his lips up and down, he’ll start talking?]

[I-I’ll speak right away!!]

The ghost hurriedly continued.

[Oh, Princess Olivia has been secluded for a long time.]

“Long? Why?”

[Because of the death of the cursed prince.]

“…What?”

After a brief silence, an awkward question slipped out.

“…What does that mean?”

[Princess Olivia fell into deep despair after the death of her brother, the cursed prince.]

Perhaps sensing the heavy mood, the ghost glanced around before continuing.

[She blames herself for his death and has cut off all outside contact, living in seclusion.]

*    *    *

‘I never imagined Olivia would be like this.’

He had only thought she was doing well without him.

He took a step forward.

He was now at the remote rear of the Law Kingdom’s Argen Castle.

Though a demon, he roamed freely without anyone stopping him.

After all, this was a place no one dared to visit.

The former Law Queen, a devil’s pawn, had admitted her crimes and taken her own life before her son here.

It was also where her cursed seed was imprisoned.

The Tower of Sorrow loomed before Chris.

‘It’s been a while.’

He looked at the tower with a new perspective.

As a child, it had felt like an insurmountable despair.

Now, it was just a small tower.

No particular emotion stirred.

It was because of the Age of Ruin he had endured.

The horrific chaos that turned the world into a living hell had faded the memories of his childhood.

Just a thing that happened.

His hatred for his father, the Law King, was like a deep, calm lake.

‘Still, it wasn’t a place I wanted to return to.’

He came only because there was someone to meet.

The rusty door creaked open, revealing the tower’s interior.

As expected for a prison, it was bleak and cramped.

He climbed the familiar yet never fully familiar stairs and found the room where he had stayed as a child.

Still small.

A single window looked out onto an emerald river—the only glimmer of hope.

And there, a figure waited.

Someone he was meeting after a long time.

“Nice to meet you.”

Chris forced a smile to hide his emotions.

“Princess Olivia.”

*    *    *

Olivia looked exactly as Chris remembered.

A young girl in her mid-teens.

Emerald-green hair. Sapphire eyes that sparkled like jewels.

She looked like a fairy from a storybook, with an angelic face.

But she wasn’t exactly as he remembered.

Why was she so thin?

There was a fragile, almost pitiful air about her.

It wasn’t just her gaunt appearance that had changed.

“Main?”

Olivia frowned.

“Are you the envoy from the Dark Maga? The new sacred prince of Dark Maga, Prince Christian?”

She seemed to know something about Christian.

“I thought the royal steward was supposed to receive you. What are you doing here?”

Her tone was sharp, edged with suspicion.

Christian had never heard Olivia speak like that before.

Even when dealing with unforgivable sinners, she always spoke with warmth.

So it wasn’t that she was calling him “Main.” Had her personality changed? Maybe because of his death?

He was taken aback.

He hadn’t expected this.

What troubled him more was that it wasn’t just a change in attitude.

Her eyes were completely closed off.

He recalled what the young ghost Mari had told him.

Olivia’s despair had only deepened over time, to the point where she refused to go outside at all.

This was a problem.

Christian frowned.

He pushed aside the sadness of seeing his sister in such a state after so long.

If Olivia was like this, there was no way they could properly resolve this case.