Chapter 583
“Ugh!”
In the stillness of the night, when everyone else was asleep, Philia woke up drenched in cold sweat. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her heart pounded loudly in her chest. The nightmare that had just overwhelmed her shattered and vanished in an instant.
What was that dream about?
Someone had died, and she was crying bitterly.
Sliding out of bed, Philia took a sip from the water on her bedside table. It was the first time in her life she’d experienced such a vivid nightmare. Not even back when she lived in the slums of Bratz had she had anything like this.
“It was just a dream,” she whispered to herself, trying to convince herself it was meaningless and that she barely remembered it. But the unease lingered, and unable to fall back asleep, she threw on a shirt and stepped out of the bedroom.
Creak.
The second floor of the Romandro estate was filled with traces of her and Roel.
The petals decorating the walls, the paintings Roel and Vivi had made together, their neatly placed shoes—all of it brought a small measure of comfort to her unsettled heart.
‘Are they sleeping well?’
Philia checked on Roel and Vivi, who were curled up together, fast asleep. Only then did she manage to shake off the inexplicable chill creeping over her. Yes, this was a peaceful, stable life—what could possibly be frightening her?
She worried about Ian and his friends out on the battlefield, but she trusted them. Just as he had ten years ago, Ian would surely return alive. And His Majesty would claim a complete victory.
“Oh my, dear, what are you doing up at this hour?”
Just as Philia was about to return to her room, she heard a voice. Vivianna, just waking up, was greeting Romandro, who had just come home.
He’d been practically living at the palace, guarding the empty Ministry of Magic, so it was unusual for him to be off work at this hour. Something must have happened.
As Philia started down the stairs—
“Where’s Lady Philia?”
“She’s sleeping upstairs.”
“Ah, I see. Vivianna, come here for a moment.”
Romandro’s footsteps stopped abruptly at the mention of Philia’s name. Normally, he would have asked about Vivi first. Something felt off.
Philia followed them quietly into the dining room, careful not to make a sound.
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“Something, yes.”
“Is it about Ian?”
Still half-asleep, Vivianna’s voice rose in alarm. Romandro hushed her gently, pressing a finger to his lips, then pulled a letter from his coat.
“Vivianna, look at this. It’s a special dispatch from the Ministry of Magic. I’m not even sure if I’m reading it right. The Emperor himself is sending a confirmation letter, but it hasn’t arrived yet.”
“What does it say? Bariel’s forces have taken Agiar and are pursuing Rutherford… Oh, that’s good news! Everyone’s unharmed.”
“The problem is the part about Ian.”
“Hm…”
Philia pressed her back against the wall, clasping her hands tightly. What could possibly be in that letter to make Romandro react like this? Should she reveal herself and join them?
While she hesitated, Vivianna let out a puzzled hum.
“Hmm?”
“Am I reading this right? It’s not just me, is it?”
“That Ian is the Emperor from 100 years in the future? What on earth does that mean?”
“Exactly! What kind of nonsense is this?”
Philia’s eyes widened slightly. Her heart stopped, and time seemed to freeze.
Still, Romandro continued.
“I don’t know the full details, but apparently, the Emperor from 100 years ahead has somehow possessed Ian’s body—meaning, Philia’s son’s body.”
“Wait, hold on. Honey.”
“There’s also something about Ian being a bastard, but that part is… well.”
Romandro scratched his head and gave his wife a bewildered look. Ian, the bastard, was supposedly a divine agent? Could he even believe this?
But the letter was in Ian’s own handwriting, sealed with his stamp, and the Emperor’s confirmation letter was expected soon. Still, the whole thing sounded so unreal.
“Well, to be honest, Ian was always a bit extraordinary. He knew a lot about the palace, even things we didn’t.”
He twisted his beard, recalling memories. Extraordinary? No, from the moment they met in Bratz ten years ago, Ian had been untouchable—not just because of his magical bloodline, but because of the secret that he was the Emperor from a century in the future.
“Honestly, I never thought I’d regret not going to the battlefield. If Ian were here, I’d be grilling him for every detail.”
“So… you’re saying the Ian Philia knows and the Ian now are different people?”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m struggling with. I don’t know how to tell Philia. Ian didn’t add anything else, so I guess he wants her to know, but can she accept it? Maybe it’s better to wait for a more flexible situation.”
“I don’t think any situation could soften the blow. It’s like your child has been replaced.”
“Ah, that explains why I felt a bit awkward around Philia. I thought it was just Ian’s personality. After what happened in Bratz before.”
“Well, their personalities do match to some extent.”
Romandro gulped down some cold water to calm his excitement. The two of them stared at each other silently for a long moment, then both rubbed their foreheads and looked away.
It’s fine. After all, the Ian they first met and the Ian now are the same person. It’s just that the secret of him being the future Emperor has come to light.
But for Philia, it was an entirely different matter.
“How am I supposed to tell her this?”
Her child had changed. The body was the same, but the mind was different. Could she still call him her son? After all, he carried her blood. Vivianna, a mother herself, could understand the turmoil Philia must be feeling.
Sliding backward without realizing it, Philia bolted out of the estate. The sound of the front door opening made Romandro and Vivianna turn their heads sharply, but by then, Philia was already crossing the garden.
“Haah, haah…”
This can’t be happening. This can’t be.
Tears fell freely as Philia ran wherever her feet took her. Her thin slippers tore instantly, but she didn’t stop.
Could Romandro’s words be true? How was she supposed to understand that her son Ian was… not really Ian?
“Ugh…”
She grabbed the corner of an alley and gasped, tears mixing with her breath.
Was the boy who used to smile brightly at her gone? The child who whispered “I love you, mother” in her arms—had he vanished from the world?
“In a world where it’s hard to live alone, thank you for taking me in. Now, please seek only my mother’s happiness.”
Suddenly, Ian’s voice from their engagement ceremony echoed in her mind.
The feeling then had been a warm, rising emotion—something only a mother could feel for her child.
Philia brushed her wet hair back and blinked, her eyes trembling.
‘I have to see Ian.’
If she met him, if she talked to him, maybe the confusion would ease. Maybe she could come to terms with the Ian she gave birth to and the Ian who existed now.
She roughly tidied her tangled hair and clothes, glancing around. The alley was dark and silent.
“Ah.”
Oh no. She’d run too far, lost in thought at this late hour. She was about to turn back—
“Mom.”
A faint, thin voice stopped her.
Startled, she turned around and saw something emerging from the shadows of the alley.
“Mom.”
‘A doll?’
A small doll was walking all on its own.
How was it moving? The question barely crossed her mind before instinctive fear made her step back, eyes fixed on the doll.
It looked strangely familiar. Its straw-like hair was blonde, and the cheap, opaque green gems represented green eyes. Philia immediately recognized it as a likeness of Ian.
“W-what is this?!”
How dare they—how dare they make something like Ian!
Filled with fear, Philia looked around and shouted, then looked up at the sound of sinister laughter.
“…!”
A human figure hung upside down from the building above. The moment she recognized it, a black cloth dropped over her.
“Please, don’t hurt me! Ah—!”
The man landed lightly and clamped his hand over Philia’s mouth, holding her down until she fainted.
When her struggling stopped, he nodded in satisfaction. The doll began clapping and bobbing in a strange dance.
“That’s enough now!”
“The nightmare seems to have worked!”
“Looks like it did!”
Another doll perched on the man’s shoulder opened its mouth wide, mimicking his words. It looked similar to the one walking on the ground but had longer hair. It was also modeled after Philia.
The man glanced around with a lively gesture, checking for witnesses, then dragged the black cloth behind him and disappeared into the darkness.
In the deep night, the only witness was a stray cat.
Whoosh!
Xiao Xi lowered his body slightly and yanked hard on the reins. The soldiers behind him responded instantly, breaking formation with sharp shouts and fanning out to either side. They quickly herded Rutherford’s group to one flank, encircling them.
At the front, Xiao Xi swung his blade cleanly across the back of a fleeing puppeteer. At the same time, he deftly dodged the burst of magic from a spellblade. The enemy’s strength was nearly spent—Xiao Xi could see it clearly in their movements.
“Captain Jarrett, are you all right?” Xiao Xi called out.
“Of course,” Jarrett replied.
Having mages mixed in with the enemy made things a bit tricky, but the arrival of reinforcements was enough to shake their resolve. Xiao Xi seemed well aware of this and said confidently, as if to show off:
“More reinforcements will be here soon. They’re not far off.”
Jarrett let out a short laugh and looked up at Xiao Xi. He remembered the time Xiao Xi had saved him from the brink of death. Now, the roles were reversed. How amusing and strange time could be.
“Can you handle the spellblade?” Jarrett asked, turning toward the mage.
Since Jarrett himself was a spellblade, he was signaling Xiao Xi and the soldiers to keep the spellblade occupied.
“No problem,” Xiao Xi said, tightening his grip on his sword.
“Berrick really comes in handy at times like this.”
“Haha! That’s right!”
Thanks to training with Berrick, and years of building strength to protect the emperor, Xiao Xi was confident he could hold off a spellblade who was running on empty magic reserves. He dismounted with that certainty.
“By the way, where is everyone else?”
“Nakina is escorting Barsabe, and Captain Hale and Berrick have gone down the cliff to chase after Rutherford.”
Down the cliff? That was an area impossible to support from here.
Xiao Xi nodded, straightened his stance, and clashed swords with the spellblade who lunged at him.
Clang! Clink!
He was not at all outmatched in strength. In fact, it was the spellblade who trembled. After exhausting so much energy, facing Xiao Xi was no easy task.
Clang!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Xiao Xi found his rhythm once more—
Several beams of light shot straight up from cracks in the cliffside. Below, their own battle was raging on.