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Episode 208 Change (3)
The doll princess, Silis Riven di Estiria.
The only princess of the current Estirian royal family, she is said to have lost her wits in an explosion accident when she was young. All she has left is an extreme self-defense mechanism that is triggered by a certain amount of external shock.
It's a rumor that most people in the kingdom know.
But the current Silis is different from that fact.
Just by facing him, you can feel a subtle pressure. A unique presence that cannot be compared to anyone else in the royal family.
She revealed her true self and was by no means a doll.
“Rise, Marquis Esperance.”
A clear voice brushed past my ears.
The Marquis stood up immediately.
Immediately afterwards, Silis moved his hand lightly.
A beautifully landscaped garden.
A table and two chairs were set up on the neat lawn. Cilicia sat down first, and the Marquis sat across from him.
Platinum eyes tilted forward.
“I heard that the recent undead outbreak in the south has finally come to an end. The nobles of the Marquis of Esperenza have played a major role.”
“I just did what I had to do, Your Majesty.”
“Thanks to this, the neutral nobility’s position has been raised. On the other hand, the candidates for the throne are desperate to pass the responsibility down. It was an unexpected variable, but it worked to our advantage.”
The 1st and 2nd princes are moving busily.
The foundations he had built in the southern part of his kingdom had collapsed, as even the nobles under his command had neglected their duties and devoted themselves to running away with their wealth secretly.
It is a tasty prey for the Marquis of Esperance.
If we drag this into politics, it will greatly diminish the royal authority. Even if we cannot hold them all accountable, the factions of the two princes will become considerably more unstable.
He cut down the nobles who followed him as if it were a favor to his power.
Moreover, the situation of the three princes is more serious.
The union, which was the superficial support force, collapsed, and the glory of the corpse that helped in the dark disappeared from the kingdom. It was a huge blow that was truly impossible to recover from.
You can see the forces dispersing with your own eyes every moment. I heard that the third prince is locked in his house and won't come out.
The plan is going smoothly.
It was the chaos that Silis wanted.
“And there’s news about that. The Church of Luas has sent a letter to the royal family, saying that they’re sending Archbishop Joseph, one of the seven archbishops, to deal with the undead situation and the massacre of the parish.”
"archbishop……."
The Marquis let out a voice.
I had hoped that they would actually send an archbishop, but that meant that the Luas Church was taking this matter very seriously.
“When that time comes, the royal family will summon the marquis who has achieved the highest merit. And Kalia, who subdued the black magician who caused the massacre… and that wizard Asheran.”
“I will prepare.”
Silis nodded.
This was the end of her business.
Next it's the Marquis' turn.
Silis asked.
“But, Marquis Esperance. Why did you insist on meeting me in my dreams instead of going through a contact?”
The Marquis swallowed.
He lowered his head and spoke softly.
“……I have something to report to you in person.”
* * *
1. We infiltrated the secret social gathering held by the prince and found a hidden secret laboratory.
And then we learn that some kind of experiment is being carried out involving the royal family, the court wizard, and Wintert, and we secure the guardian elves.
The Marquis of Esperance explained the facts in detail.
Silis, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
“Asher… You seem to be a much more capable wizard than I had expected. Not just for magic, but also for the security of the old royal palace.”
“It is clear that he is an exceptional man.”
From the beginning to the present.
The ash-haired wizard helped Cili's plans in many ways. He was also an unexpected variable that worked in her favor.
but.
'There's no guarantee that it won't cause trouble in the future.'
A gray wizard who moves upon request.
There was a good chance that they would end up on the other side someday. There was no reason for Silis to trust a wizard he had never met before.
Of course, I have no intention of hastily ruling it out.
If we just keep moving like we are now, it won't be so bad. It would be best to leave it like this and leave it to the Marquis of Esperanza.
Silis, who had made a decision, continued speaking.
“So, did you find Leonil’s lab?”
“Yes, I found it.”
Foreign mission to rescue Linus Baltimog.
It succeeded in weakening the royal family's power by killing three court magicians, including the fourth-ranking Brick Medwar.
The kingdom's magic castle, where the court wizard resides.
Even in Silis, it is not easy to see where many high-ranking magicians reside. However, it was easy to predict that their situation would be dire by now.
But the most important thing is.
“Have you figured out the purpose of that experiment?”
“I haven’t figured it out exactly, but…….”
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The Marquis closed his mouth.
He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve, and finally brought up the story of the 'blue crystal from which one could hear a heartbeat.'
And even speculation about its identity.
“…….”
Silis' expression, which had been listening, gradually hardened.
Her eyes were rippling with tears, her fingertips were trembling slightly. Her once emotionless face was distorted with shock and disbelief.
The Marquis said urgently.
“Ha, but nothing has been decided yet…….”
"stop."
The garden of dreams was silent.
No one can be free here without her permission. Only Silis's voice lingered in the space where no sound had been heard.
“Marquis, you must have guessed correctly. If it were so absurd, you wouldn’t have even guessed it.”
“…….”
“I thought they had all disappeared when the new ministers and magicians disappeared or died…… I didn’t know they would still be here. My ‘mother’s’────”
In that moment, emotions welled up to the tip of my tongue.
I barely managed to suppress it by gritting my teeth, but it felt like the anger and hatred I had held back until then toward the kingdom would explode at any moment.
The 'special bloodline' she inherited was seething with excitement.
How much time has passed?
Suddenly, Silis flashed with magical power.
The dream space became distorted and three people appeared.
A close aide who is absolutely loyal to Silis.
A sacrificial lamb who once lost everything to the kingdom like her.
“Lorian, Adele, Florna.”
“Did you call, Your Majesty?”
“We will bring forward the ‘coronation’.”
… … !
The Marquis opened his eyes wide.
As soon as his voice was free, he shouted.
“Your Majesty! If that happens, many innocent people will……!”
“So?”
Silis approached the Marquis.
“You said so. There is hope in this kingdom, so please give me just one chance. After hearing those words, I searched for a way to change the kingdom to a more peaceful one. For that, I didn’t even hesitate to live as a doll for over 20 years… But in the end, this is what I got in return.”
A pure white hand grabbed the Marquis' neck.
It was the power of an untrained woman. That was why it was so painful.
“And who is innocent? You? Or me? No, there is no innocent here. As long as this kingdom remains.”
"majesty……."
“If that’s how you’re going to stop me, just ignore me like you did before.”
Just like before.
The last words pierced the Marquis' heart.
The Marquis, who had been locking eyes with Silis, eventually lowered his head.
“……I will follow your orders.”
Silis, who had released his strength, turned around.
Then he whispered to everyone in his dream.
“I will end the succession dispute before the end of this year.”
A command, not an opinion.
No one objected. Silis slowly examined the faces of the four people and withdrew his magic power.
Damn it.
There's a crack in the garden.
Then, the world shattered into pieces and darkness fell, and immediately after that, my distant mind returned to reality.
“…….”
Silis sitting in a wheelchair.
She got up and walked to the window. Through the iron-barred window, she could see the vast city.
Sunny day.
The capital of the prosperous kingdom was full of life. As I watched people passing by like ants, I could almost hear their laughter.
Without even knowing whose blood, flesh, and ‘heart’ the present peace was made of.
So, it wouldn't matter if you took it away again.
Because it wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.
“Right, Mother?”
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of my mother's heartbeat, still in my memory, lingered in my ears.
* * *
The blacksmith shop of the Marquis of Esperance.
Excluding the royal bloodline, it was equipped with facilities that were incomparable to those of a regular blacksmith, as befitting the highest noble in the kingdom.
The piled up materials were enough to attract the craftsman's attention.
Linus got his hands on a Danes Steel ingot, the highest grade of metal.
“Hey, it’s all true, right? Huh, I didn’t know you’d prepare all this. How on earth did you manage to seduce the Marquis? Oh, and by the way, I heard the Marquis has a daughter. Is she your son-in-law?”
“…….”
“No? Well, that makes no sense.”
The Marquis of Esperance granted Verden's wish.
After convincing the men in just a few days, he provided them with all the materials they requested and even lent them his blacksmith shop until the staff was completed.
It's literally like turning over the writer's fortune.
Even if it is part of the conservatism, it is excessive. Because of that, the people of the Marquisate did not look kindly on Verden… … .
'It's none of my business.'
It's a fair wage.
There was no reason to care about what other people thought.
This is the moment I have been waiting for since the rooftop.
It's time to take a step forward by creating a new staff.
“Oh, put the ingredients down here. It’s easy to use.”
Linus laid out the ingredients on the table he was pointing to.
Breath of the elements.
Magic Crystal.
The roots of the soul tree.
The staff used by Verden, and even the Oculus.
“How long does it take to produce?”
“Three to four weeks at most? If I’m in good shape, I might finish before that. With rune technology and top-level metal forging, it’s not easy, so don’t whine.”
A month at the latest?
'It'll be a bit empty without Oculus, but… … there's nothing I can do about it.'
Until then, we have no choice but to hire temporary staff.
Well, I can tolerate that much.
“Then leave it to me.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll pay for your life, so go and wait comfortably.”
Linus answered vaguely and picked up the steel ingot.
First, it seems that he is thinking of making a special tool to replace his lost arm. He has a craftsman-like aura from his back.
'I guess there's no need to worry.'
Verden went straight out of the forge.
He felt empty as the space bag seemed empty. Soon, the sound of hammering from afar saw him off.
* * *
“……Is this a summons from the royal family?”
“Yes, the Archbishop himself is coming. You and Kalia, who are deeply involved in resolving the case, as well as I, will be going to the capital.”
And that's not all.
There are also paladins of the parish who have suffered physical defects like Gloss. They too will be heading to the capital on the Marquis's flying machine.
“When is the date?”
“It’s not decided yet. Well, it won’t be that urgent, so I’ll pass it on to your information provider when I hear from you.”
Archbishop.
Aren't you the highest ranking priest of the Luas Church? I never thought we would meet like this.
'It's a bit of a hassle, but… … it's not bad.'
Verden helped the Luasians.
He punished the person who massacred the parish and contributed to reducing the sacrifice of the clergy. The archbishop must not have come simply to check on the situation.
It was very likely that the Luas Church would give a direct reward.
'I wish I had the chance to meet the Archbishop alone.'
Golden Bone, a magical item stolen from the black magician Viola.
It was sealed by the spirit of the commander itself, and could not be released unless one possessed the divine power of an archbishop. To be honest, it was a long shot.
But I never thought an opportunity like this would come.
Verden nodded, revealing his curiosity as a wizard.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Okay, then let’s go.”
The Marquis nodded lightly.
Unlike before, it was a somewhat complicated face. It didn't seem to be because of the staff production… … There was no way to know the reason.
“See you next time.”
“Haha, you’ve worked hard, Asher. See you later.”
After saying goodbye like that, Verden left the mansion.
Following the guidance of the Red Faith Knight, there was a robed elf at the gate. Blue and forest spirits flickered inside his robe.
“Brother, here it is!”
Karans waved his arms vigorously.
He seemed glad that the stifling life of being locked in a room was over.
It is more convenient for Verden to move alone, but… … .
'Well, I guess it's okay.'
Karans is a good listener.
And back in Aserne, he had a role to play. A guardian elf who could stand toe-to-toe with a fifth-tier court wizard was never going to be a burden.
Verden and Carans.
And the two spirits headed to the city of Aserne where Ferne was.