Chapter 140
Olivia’s body began to tremble.
But Chris did not stop.
Even if it hurt.
She had to face the truth.
“And finally—the glass flower from the Sky Island, the meteor fragment submerged in the Dead Sea, and the Eye of the Ancient Dragon. These are the materials that Duke Vintz acquired at an astronomical cost. Do you know what purpose these materials serve?”
“…What is it?”
Chris spoke slowly.
“The Emerald Tablet.”
“!!”
“It’s an artifact sealed within the Law Kingdom. Do you know if the materials I just mentioned have any effect on the Emerald Tablet?”
She did.
There was no way she wouldn’t.
Tears began to stream down Olivia’s face.
“When combined with countless sacrifices, these materials complete the Emerald Tablet. And if a bloodline descended from the Constellation’s lineage possesses the completed Emerald Tablet, they can wield power akin to the Constellation itself.”
“…….”
The bloodline descended from the Constellation.
That meant the Argen royal family of the Law Kingdom.
“All of this points to one thing.”
Then, Chris said quietly but firmly:
“The mastermind behind this incident is none other than Law King Pentagel III.”
Chris revealed the whole truth.
“Law King Pentagel III is trying to complete the Emerald Tablet to become a god himself.”
* * *
Yes.
This was the full story behind the recent ‘Fall of the Star’ incident.
A horrific event caused by the Law King, who was revered as the most sacred being in this world.
“It’s all because of greed.”
Chris sneered.
What Pentagel III truly desired was to rule over the Gold Cross.
Not just as a hollow spiritual figurehead, but as the true master.
“He almost succeeded, too.”
But his dream didn’t last long.
Because of the Four Kings.
The Four Kings had cooperated in this scheme to turn the Law King into their puppet.
As long as the Four Kings held the secret of the Law King’s sins, he could not defy them.
The Law King knew this but, blinded by greed, chose to endure it.
Because the Law King was controlled by the Four Kings, the Gold Cross slowly fell into ruin.
At the final moment, the Four Kings struck decisively.
Just before war broke out, they revealed the truth of the Law King’s crimes.
Naturally, the entire Gold Cross was thrown into chaos, and before any battle could even begin, the Gold Cross collapsed from internal strife.
In the midst of this, Olivia’s fate was doomed to destruction.
“I have to stop this at all costs.”
The problem was Olivia.
Right now, she was alone, stunned by the shock.
“After all, the Law King was not a bad father to Olivia in his own way.”
So it was natural she was shaken, but there was no time to waste.
“The Law King will soon realize something is wrong. If we delay any longer, things will get harder.”
At the latest, they had to move today.
As Chris was lost in thought, there was a knock at the door.
“May I come in?”
“!!”
It was Olivia.
Surprisingly, her voice was calm.
Her face, when she entered, was the same—quiet and composed.
Chris had expected her to be sobbing, but she was just quietly subdued.
“Are you alright?”
“No, I’m not.”
“…….”
“But the shock isn’t as great as I thought. Maybe… I had some inkling already.”
Olivia’s expression turned bitter.
“I already knew that my father had a dark side, different from the image he showed.”
She knew the Law Kingdom’s rot better than anyone.
So it made no sense that she hadn’t known the Law King’s true nature.
“Actually, what shocked me was something else.”
“What is it?”
“Before that, I want to ask you something. The ‘Pledge’ you mentioned when we first met—is it still valid?”
Chris had brought up the idea of a ‘Pledge’ when they first met.
“Of course. As I said then, I want to continue working with the princess. You could call it an alliance. No betrayal, and full support for each other’s goals.”
The reason for formalizing it as a ‘Pledge’ was trust.
Once bound by a ‘Pledge,’ neither could betray the other, allowing for deeper cooperation.
“I see. Then, what is your goal? Be honest, and put it on the line in the ‘Pledge.’”
If one lied about their goal, the ‘Pledge’ would be nullified.
“To rise to the top of the Magic Empire.”
“!!”
“And to prevent the coming destruction—the war that will break out between the Magic Empire and the forces of Light. To do that, I plan to interfere with the alliance’s affairs, and I hope the princess will be my strength then.”
Was Chris’s answer unexpected?
Olivia fell silent for a moment.
“Don’t you doubt me?”
“No, I believe you. You seem different from the others.”
He might seem unpleasant and harsh, but judging by what he did in the Duchy of Vintz, Chris was no villain.
He was far kinder than the hypocrites of the Law Kingdom who painted themselves as saints.
“Then, I have a request too.”
“What is it?”
“Help me bring my father to justice.”
“!!”
Olivia looked at Chris with heavy, sunken eyes.
“This is the condition I ask of you.”
A moment of silence passed.
Of course, punishing the Law King was only natural.
But it was surprising that Olivia herself brought it up first.
“…It’s because of my older brother.”
Olivia bit her lip tightly.
“I found out while investigating Duke Vintz’s laboratory. Duke Vintz framed my brother’s mother.”
Duke Vintz, a master of manipulation magic and a skilled alchemist, had fabricated evidence that Chris’s mother had consorted with demons.
“…But no matter how cleverly disguised, the Law King, my father, couldn’t have failed to see through it. He deliberately made that judgment. In other words, it was my father who branded Chris as the Seed of the Demon.”
“…….”
Olivia’s voice trembled precariously.
“Why… why didn’t I know? Even though I knew my father was a terrible being, why did I turn away and ignore it?”
If Olivia hadn’t turned away, blaming her own helplessness for ignoring the Law King’s horrors—
If she had faced it—
She might have realized it was the Law King who framed Chris.
But while she looked away, Chris died.
That thought overwhelmed her, and Olivia could no longer hold back.
Clenching her fists tightly, she spoke with a trembling voice.
“As the saint who must bear the Law Kingdom’s future, and for my brother’s sake… I will bring my father to justice.”
Chris nodded gravely.
“I understand. I will help you punish the Law King. After all, my goal was to bring down Law King Pentagel III as well. But there is one condition.”
“…What is it?”
“After we punish the Law King, you must let go of your thoughts about your brother.”
“……!!”
Chris spoke firmly.
“I understand your longing for your brother, but holding onto it will only eat you up.”
Olivia bit her lip hard.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Why not?”
Chris said.
“You will be my ally now. I won’t allow you to be destroyed by misguided feelings.”
Just as Olivia was about to protest—
Thud.
His hand covered her head.
Olivia tried to push it away urgently, but couldn’t.
Strangely—
It felt warm, just like when ‘Chris’ used to gently stroke her hair in the past.
“It’s okay to grieve now. I will help you take revenge. But after that, you must let it go.”
“I… I…”
“Your brother wouldn’t want you to be like this.”
“!!”
Olivia couldn’t answer.
He was right.
‘Chris’ wouldn’t want her to fall apart like this.
No, more than that—
The touch on her head reminded her so vividly of Chris that she closed her eyes, unable to say a word.
Just like when she was with her brother before.
* * *
They decided to depart immediately for the Law King.
There was no time to waste.
Suddenly, urgent news arrived.
“B-Big trouble!! The White Lion Knights from the Luxen Kingdom have been dispatched! They say they’re coming to check on the situation in the Duchy of Vintz!”
Viscount Roy shouted, his face pale.
‘The Law King’s doing.’
Chris frowned deeply.
The Law King had noticed something was wrong in the Duchy of Vintz and was making a move.
“W-What do we do? The Luxen Kingdom is right next to the Duchy of Vintz. Especially the White Lion Knights’ captain is a six-star Master-class knight.”
Alos stammered, his face white as a sheet. Viscount Roy looked equally pale.
Chris looked at the two terrified men and said bluntly:
“What do you mean, what do we do? You two handle it.”
“…Huh?”
“Jupien, Olivia, and I are going after the Law King. I’m leaving the White Lion Knights of Luxen Kingdom to you, Alos. Viscount Roy will help you.”
“Me? Me? Really?”
Alos and Viscount Roy both turned even paler, and Chris chuckled softly.
“Do your best. Using the Dark Mage’s reputation and the backing of the Bursen White Nation, you should be able to hold them off for about a day.”
“W-Wait a minute?”
“Then I trust you.”
Thud!
Chris kicked his horse’s side, and it let out a loud neigh as it charged forward.
Jupien, Olivia, and Evan followed behind.
Alos and Viscount Roy were left behind, muttering in despair.
“…That bastard.”
“…Damn demon.”
Muttering similar words, the two flinched and looked at each other.
A wistfulness clouded their eyes.
“…Let’s stay strong, Lord Alos.”
“…And you too, Lord Roy.”
Bound by their shared enemy—the demon Chris—they had forged a camaraderie that transcended the divide between the Maen and the forces of light.
As they rode at full speed, Evan spoke up.
“Are we heading to the Law Kingdom? The defenses there will be tight. We can’t break through on our own.”
No matter how weak the Law Kingdom’s military might was said to be, the four of them alone stood no chance.
“Wouldn’t it be better to fall back and seek reinforcements?”
“Reinforcements? From whom? There’s no one who would help us.”
Chris was right.
This was Gold Cross.
There was no way to get aid from the Dark Mages.
And the other nations within Gold Cross wouldn’t lend a hand against the Law King.
‘Unless we had irrefutable proof that the Law King is behind all this…’
No, even with solid evidence, they wouldn’t act so easily.
‘Dragging this out would only give the Law King time to prepare.’
They had to strike while the Law King was still unaware of the situation and off guard.
Their only chance to capture the Law King with just the four of them was now.
“Fortunately, we don’t need to go to the Law Kingdom. The Law King isn’t there right now anyway.”
“Not there?”
“Yeah. He’s somewhere not far from here.”