172 – Post-processing (4)
“Lord Ian, what joke are you talking about?”
Things at the mansion were resolved and the heart was recovered from the devil’s corpse, but everything was not over yet.
Rain, who visited with Yulia, frowned as if she were angry and glared at Yulia and me.
It wasn’t just that he was angry, his hand subtly moved towards the hilt of the sword, and if he said one more word, he was ready to pull out the sword.
“It’s not a lie. “You may not believe it, but it’s all true.”
“To summarize what Ian said, it is as follows. “In fact, His Highness is not a man but a woman, but he was pretending to be a man with the help of the Great Devil.”
When he nodded and gestured for him to continue, Lane sighed and continued.
“And it was Your Majesty’s birth mother who implanted that great devil, and during this test, she brought out that devil, and Prince Ian defeated it alone without anyone finding out, so she can no longer turn into a man. Is that correct?”
“Exactly. “It’s just as you said.”
“Lord Ian, let me ask you one last question. “Are you trying to joke with me?”
“It’s not a joke, it’s the truth.”
Since it was originally assumed that Euclid was not in good health, the plan was to have him leave for the academy under the pretext of recuperation and then die from the worsening of his illness.
However, if that were the case, Euclid’s fiancée, Lane, would have to wait for Euclid, who would not return, for several years, so she came forward like this at Julia’s intention, but she did not believe her at all.
“So how can you believe something like that!!”
“Really, would you like to ask Nana as well? Or do you have any memories that only you and Julia Lane have?”
“Memories? That… If I had to say one thing, I guess it’s just that the first letter Lane sent me had a strong scent of orange on it?”
“…… !!”
For the first time, Raine’s face, which was filled with only suspicion and disbelief, began to crack.
“Well, how did you do that…?” ?”
“And again….”
As Julia began to say things that only Lane and Euclid would know, the cracks on Lane’s face got worse and soon completely broke down.
“Can you believe it now?”
“… ….”
While Rain was standing blankly, unable to keep up with the sudden change in the situation, Julia stepped in front of her and spoke.
“… Lane, she says saying sorry doesn’t mean anything will happen… Really beautiful….”
“… No, thanks.”
When Raine raised her head and wiped her face, interrupting Yulia’s apology, Raine spoke with a somewhat refreshed expression.
“… I had no talent. Still, as a member of the Sword Saint Family, she wanted to help the family in some way.”
While she was wondering if she could be of any help other than the sword, what she heard was an engagement with Euclid.
Even though my swordsmanship skills were poor, I thought that marriage to the royal family could be of some help.
She promised herself that she would live as a good wife even if she could not give her true love to Euclid, who gave her the opportunity to serve her family.
“Now I understand why Lord Nana sometimes looks at me in a bad light. Without knowing His Majesty’s pain, she even suspected that His Majesty was seeing another woman….”
“Well, it’s my fault, it’s Lane’s fault…” .”
“…… Thank you for saying that. “I feel like the lingering attachment I’ve been holding onto for so long has been cut off.”
With those last words, Lane turned his back on us and headed towards the setting sun.
“Hey!! “Where are you going?!”
“Re, Rain!!”
She shouted urgently, wondering if she was trying to commit suicide due to her sudden behavior. When Lane paused for a moment, she looked back at us and spoke softly.
“… “Now I will live for myself, not for the Sword Saints.”
That was her last day seeing Lane at the Academy.
*****
“It’s already winter.”
A few months later, when I saw the snowflakes falling on the bridge of her nose, the words I had only thought in my heart came out of my mouth without me realizing it.
She had been working as a maid at her mansion for several months, and Yulia had become accustomed to her work as a maid. She came to my side and handed me an open umbrella.
After handing Yulia her umbrella, I hugged her so that she wouldn’t get wet in her eyes either.
Then, although her face was blushing, Julia obediently hugged me and asked.
“Hey… “It’s cold, so why don’t you go into the mansion?”
“Yes, I have something to think about.”
I took out the letter that arrived this morning from my pocket and opened it so that Euclid could see it.
There was still concise information written on the letter the size of a business card from Elaine, and I burst out laughing when I saw the cute handwriting.
[Arrived at the main house. A duel with my father soon.]
[PS, Rain doesn’t come out of the room. What’s the matter?]
She had been missing since that day, but it seemed she had returned to her home.
At first, she said she was going to live for herself from now on, so I was worried that she might go on a trip or enter a temple on her own, but now that her whereabouts were known, both Julia and I felt relieved.
‘By the way, is it soon…? .’
A few weeks ago, I received a letter saying that I had obtained her magic sword, and not long after that, this letter arrived.
Considering the time it took to send the letter, would Elaine have already finished the duel with the Sword Saint and reached a conclusion by now?
It’s not that I’m ignoring Elaine, but I felt like it wasn’t long before she would face the Sword Saint.
‘A lot has happened in about a year.’
It was the most dense year of my life that cannot be implied in one word, ‘a lot of things.’
Enter the academy, meet Nanga and Jinta, and become a count… As I listed them all one by one, I felt like I was the main character in a mass-produced fantasy novel.
“Then shall we go in now? “I just heard that it was completed.”
“That… “Really?”
“I have to do it, because it’s a waste and I can’t rely on doping forever.”
It was essential to take the elixir in order to become stronger myself, rather than temporarily becoming stronger due to the medicine.
‘You can become stronger through training, but it takes too much time.’
Unless there was a guarantee that Great Sword Chung would wait until I became strong enough, I had to become strong in a short period of time, even if it meant risking my life.
When I went back with Yulia under the umbrella, Jessica, who was waiting in front of the mansion door, looked at us and frowned.
“Ugh… !!”
As Jessica frowned, Yulia angrily got away from me and I shook off the snow that had accumulated on the umbrella and handed it to Jessica.
“Is Hori ready?”
“Yes, but do I really have to do it? There is no need to take such risks just to become stronger….”
“I told you, you never know when they might come again. Last time I sent the Archdemon, who knows what I’ll send next time? “I need to get stronger quickly while I have time.”
“I want… “How did you get involved with people like that?!”
If you ask how we got together, all I can say is that it was a connection from our past life.
‘But when did he become possessed?’
Considering the period when Ganryu was active, it must have been around 500 years, so does that mean they have been waiting for 500 years?
If I had been possessed first, I would have done something similar, but even so, I thought I was too obsessed.
I entered the mansion and walked to the second floor, where Hori was waiting. A eerie Magi greeted me from the moment I entered the second floor.
It wasn’t severe enough to pose a danger to me or others, but Jessica swallowed her saliva as the energy was still something that couldn’t be ignored.
“There is no need to follow along.”
“If you drink that medicine, you will be knocked out for several weeks! “Then let’s go together!”
Looking back at Yulia, she seemed to think the same thing and nodded her head, making up her mind.
From noble mtl dot com
In the end, unable to separate the two people, I headed to the room where Hori was waiting with them.
“hehehe, Ian, you’re here!!”
When we arrived at the room, Hori welcomed us with a triumphant expression. The magic energy coming out of the medicine bottle placed behind his back made it look as if Hori was emitting magic energy.
“Is that medicine on your back?”
“Yes!! Devil’s essence that permanently increases the user’s physical abilities!! This is a masterpiece of my entire soul!! But because the material is so precious, it has never been tested on humans yet….”
No one yet knows whether this drug will be a failure or a success.
In addition, it was unclear how effective it would be, so gambling was more suitable than doping.
“Didn’t you say that you only make medicine that you can take?”
“That’s right…. But I can’t do that this time, so if something goes wrong, I’ll die too. In Jessica’s hands….”
When I turned around and looked at Jessica’s expression, she had a murderous expression on her face, as if she would naturally do that.
“There is no need to kill him. I asked you to make it for me. “This time, I didn’t intentionally add any side effects.”
Until now, side effects were added to drugs that did not need to include side effects, but this time it was different.
Due to the nature of the drug, there was no way to avoid side effects, so to compare it, it was closer to surgery, which carries great risks.
“So, if I die, don’t kill him. “It’s just that I was weak.”
“Mr. Ian… !!”
With Hori looking at me with deep emotion, I took the cap off the bottle and smelled it before drinking it.
It’s terrible. From the moment the lid was opened, a terrible scent that could not be compared to strong alcohol or sewage filled the room.
No matter how much I try to become stronger, I feel a strong resistance to saying such things.
“It’s better to drink it all at once. “I can’t guarantee the taste because I don’t have time to worry about the taste!”
“This is really helpful advice….”
“hehehe what!!”
After hitting Hori’s head one last time before losing consciousness, I took a sip of the medicine.