MAD - Chapter 48



Before leaving for the border, Elze had promised to have a small tea party with Crown Princess Iarin. It was a farewell tea party since they would not see each other for a long time once they reached the border.

It was just a regular tea party, but the attendees were a bit unusual. Elze, Iarin, and Shan were all gathered in one place.

It was unusual for a man to join a tea party for women. However, Iarin wanted to meet Shan and Elze together. And since they were going to leave for the border anyway, there was no need to worry about what other people thought. So the three of them made a date and had tea at the Crown Princess Palace.

“This is Shan Cirxus of Targayel.”

Shan greeted Iarin with a polite bow. Iarin received Shan’s greeting with a slightly nervous expression.

Iarin had probably heard a lot of rumors about Shan, but this was the first time she and Shan had had such a close conversation. Whatever rumors Iarin had heard, they probably weren't good.

Rumors about Shan were full of absurd things. Among them were things like that he eats people every night, or that he is actually a demon pretending to be human. However, the one person who found these rumors plausible was Shan Cirxus.

“Nice to meet you, Count Targayel.”

“Thank you for inviting me to the tea party today.”

When Shan greeted her in a completely normal manner, Iarin also relaxed a little. Then Iarin looked back at Elze. She quietly called Elze’s name.

“Erzenes...”

It was the first time Elze saw Iarin since the trial. She looked much healthier than before. Unlike the past when she looked like a porcelain doll that could break at any moment, her eyes were now full of life. She didn't even try to cover her neck as much as possible.

She looked like an ordinary woman of her age. Knowing how many twists and turns she had gone through to become so ordinary, Elze felt a sense of pride in her heart. Iarin hesitated, watching Elze’s expression, and then asked a vague question.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

Iarin also saw all of this in the courtroom. Elze knew why she was asking that, but smiled at Iarin as if nothing had happened.

When Elze acted like that, it was Iarin who was more flustered. Not knowing what to do, she kept picking up and putting down her teacup and talking nonsense.

“That, Elijah’s Elze thing, I don’t think it’s strange at all, I actually think it’s cool... Oh, what I mean is..."

After wandering around for a while and talking incoherently, Iarin took a deep breath and then shouted out loud.

“Whether you are Elijah’s Elze or Targayel’s Erzenes, you are still my precious friend!”

Iarin was out of breath because she spoke so hastily. After catching her breath, she muttered with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“...Yes. That’s what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t think of anything for a while.”

The sight of Iarin with the aforementioned cheeks was very lovely. Elze laughed out loud even though she knew it was rude.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Iarin smiled bashfully in response to Elze's thanks.

“Thank you. I have so much more to thank you for.”

While the two women were chatting amicably, Shan sipped her tea in silence. Elze glanced back at Shan and almost burst out laughing again.

He looked cute with his blunt face among the bright floral patterns and lace decorations. Shan had an indifferent expression but was eating the sweet cakes and cookies that were served as dessert.

It seemed very odd that Shan was eating cake with a fork instead of a sword. That made him even cuter. Elze was thinking of giving him a kiss on the cheek, but Shan felt her gaze and turned to Elze.

“...?”

He gave her a puzzled look. Elze gave him a small smile. Shan tilted his head slightly and smiled along. It was nice to see Elze smiling, but Shan was curious as to why she was smiling.

It was at that time that the three of them were having tea time together. When the conversation was in full swing, Iarin brought up a heavy topic.

“Why did you just ignore the Lord Seraph?”

Iarin said with an angry look in her eyes, which was unusual for her.

“Spread a scandal about me.”

“You don’t have to do that, Your Highness.”

Elze comforted Iarin.

“Even if it weren’t for that, there are many things that could bring down the prestige of Duke Seraph. However, I...”

Iarin blinked. Elze spoke softly to her.

“I am worried that Seraph’s shaking might cause harm to Your Highness.”

“Erzenes, for your sake!”

Iarin said, shivering.

“You know what he did to me.”

She knows. The person who witnessed the horrible things that Enoch Seraph did to Iarin the closest was Elze. Iarin looked at Elze with sad eyes and said.

“Enoch can no longer give me nightmares, but I am still in his clutches.”

“...”

“Because of Enoch, I became the Crown Princess and was locked up in the palace for the rest of my life. This is not a position I wanted. I want to abandon Seraph and Baluar and just live as Iarin.”

"Your High Priest..."

“I’m sick of the palace. I’m curious about the world beyond these high walls.”

Iarin looked up at the sky. Large birds with their wings spread were flying freely across the sky.

“Seeing the blue sea, climbing the distant mountains, feeling the wind blowing across the vast plains...”

As if she had been thinking about it for a long time, Iarin listed the things she wanted to do without hesitation. However, before she could finish speaking, she lowered her gaze to her feet. Looking down at the ground instead of the sky, she muttered bitterly.

“Of course, it’s a wish that I can’t fulfill before I die.”

Elze, who had been listening quietly, quietly called out to Iarin.

"Your Highness."

Elze spoke to Iarin, who was looking at her with her eyes wide open.

“If, really if.”

When Elze decided to rebel, the person who was most concerned about her was Iarin. If she brought down Raymond, Iarin would naturally lose her position as Crown Princess. Elze wanted to know Iarin’s thoughts because she wanted her to be happy.

“If you had to choose between the Crown Princess and freedom... which would you choose?”

And to Elze's question, Iarin answered without a moment's hesitation.

“Of course it’s free.”

A great sense of relief washed over her body. Elze exhaled and said.

“Thank goodness. Now that I know Your Highness’s intentions, it is done.”

At Elze's appearance, Iarin asked cautiously.

“Erzenes, are you by any chance... planning something right now?”

Just as Elze was about to answer Iarin, the maids who had been standing far away approached Iarin with quick steps and spoke.

“Your Highness. The priests of Ines have come to visit.”

Iarin looked back at the maid in surprise and asked.

“The priests?”

“Yes. His Highness the Crown Prince is already receiving the priests.”

“No, why did you say it so late?”

“I’m sorry. I just heard the news now...”

Iarin bit her lower lip at the maid's words. Raymond was not paying attention to Iarin, so this was happening. A brief feeling of insult crossed Iarin's face. However, she soon spoke calmly.

“Yes, I’ll get ready and go out now.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

And so the tea party ended abruptly. Iarin went in to clean up the tea party and reorganize her clothes, while Elze 
and Shan walked slowly out of the Crown Princess Palace.

But something was strange. Instead of a carriage returning home, a group of imperial knights had gathered in front of the palace. They stopped Shan and Elze and spoke.

“You must come with me, Count.”

As the knights continued to act without explanation, Shan's face sank. Shan said with the corners of his lips turning up in a crooked manner.

“Your momentum is really strong. If you say we don’t want to go, are you going to take us by force?”

“That, that...”

“Try doing that sometime.”

“...”

There was no one here who could forcibly drag Shan away. The knights who had confidently charged in were daunted by Shan’s words and looked around among themselves. Then, the highest-ranking knight among them hesitated and spoke.

“It is an imperial edict...”

Elze and Shan looked at each other. Shan whispered to Elze.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Elze frowned and answered Shan's whisper.

“It’s you I’m worried about.”

For now, there was no choice but to follow them. The two followed the knights to the main palace. Elxe felt strange as they got closer to the main palace. Her heart was pounding so hard. She was tormented by the reason why it was pounding so hard.

As she climbed the stairs and entered the hall, her heart pounded even harder. Shan, who noticed that Elze was having a hard time, held her arm tightly. Elze nodded that she was okay, but her nod was weak.

With each step she took, the sound of her heartbeat grew louder. It was a moment when the thumping sound shook her eardrums so much that she thought they would burst.

One person caught Elze’s eye. He slowly turned around to face Elze. The moment they faced each other, the sound that had been beating loudly just a moment ago suddenly stopped.

“!!”

The man was dressed strangely. He had his eyes covered with a patterned cloth, and his long, white hair was tied neatly in a ponytail. It was the first time she had seen him. However, Elze called his name without realizing it as if she had known him for a long time.

“Ilwooz...?”

Elze couldn't figure out why she called it Ilwooz. It just felt like it had to be that way. The moment she called it Ilwooz, her breathing suddenly became easier and the surrounding scenery came into view.

In the hall were the Bishops of Ilwooz and Ines, Crown Prince Raymond, and several attendants. Crown Prince Raymond had a distorted expression on his face as if he was dissatisfied with something.

Elze looked around hurriedly. Shan was looking at Elze with a stern face. Just knowing that he was there made her feel a little calmer.

“Erzenes, are you okay?”

Just as Shan was about to say something more, a faint exclamation was heard.

"Ah...!"

The one who burst out in cheers was Ilwooz. He walked quickly towards Elze. Elze looked at Ilwooz with great caution. She was tense, worried that he might attack her. However, Ilwooz did not attack Elze.

“...?”

He knelt before Elze. And following Ilwooz, the four bishops knelt behind him.

Elze looked around in confusion, not knowing what to do. However, everyone else was also confused. Everyone, including Raymond, was speechless at the sight of the most noble person on the continent kneeling.

But the surprises were not over yet. The knelt Ilwooz and the bishops all bowed their heads toward Elze.

"OMG!!"

Raymond, who had been watching, couldn't hold back his breath and cried out in shock. However, Ilwooz and the bishops remained unshaken.

The movement of bowing so that his forehead touched the floor loosened the string that had been holding Ilwooz's hair. With his long white hair falling down in a fluttering manner, Ilwooz whispered in a faint voice.

“I see the Savior...”

Elze just blinked at Ilwooz's words. She was beyond embarrassed and couldn't think of anything. She wished he'd say it was a joke, but Ilwooz was extremely serious.

He slowly raised his head, but still remained on his knees, straightening his back and looking at Elze.

“...”

Ilwooz's eyes were covered with a cloth. But for some reason, Elze seemed to have met his eyes. It felt like his gaze was piercing through people.

He slowly extended his hand toward Elze. The sleeves of his shirt fell, revealing a bit of his white forearm. Ilwooz whispered softly.

“Would you like to go to Inesian with me...?”

The situation was unbelievable, and even Ilwooz's voice was hazy. Elze really felt like she was dreaming. Not knowing what to do, she looked back at Shan, but instead, she only ended up with another worry.

Shan was glaring at Ilwooz with hostile eyes. If they had been embarrassed together, they would have been embarrassed, but there was no reason for him to be so wary.

In the mountain-to-mountain difficulties, Elze decided that she had to solve Shan first. Elze called him in a small voice.

“Shan, what’s wrong?”

“...”

Shan just glared at Ilwooz without answering. His gaze was so filled with anger that it felt like Elze's skin was burning.

However, Ilwooz, who was directly receiving that gaze, was calm. He even smiled slowly. Shan’s eyebrows narrowed at Ilwooz’s smile. His eyes became even more sinister.

At the sight of Shan like that, the bishops of Ines looked like they wanted to strike Shan down right away. However, they did not carelessly interfere between Shan and Ilwooz.

It was Raymond who broke the silent standoff that had continued for a long time.

“Oh, Ilwooz.”

Raymond's face was almost as grey as it was pale. Raymond spoke awkwardly, bending his leg so as not to be rude in looking down at the kneeling Ilwooz.

“What on earth is going on?”

But Ilwooz did not answer Raymond's question. When Ilwooz nodded, the bishop stood up and answered on his behalf.

“It’s something related to the prophecy that was given to the continent.”

Raymond had no right to even hear what was going on. Raymond, who had never been treated like this in his life, glared.

He trembled with humiliation, but Raymond was of no importance here. No one cared about his feelings, and at best, only his entourage was worried.

But what Raymond wanted was not their attention, but Ilwooz's. He couldn't have what he wanted, even though it was right in front of him. A feeling hidden deep inside Raymond stirred. It was his inferiority complex.

Inferiority complex towards Targayel...

The emotion that even Raymond had not been aware of until now inflated to a huge size the moment he recognized it. The emotion that filled his entire body was enough to suffocate him.

They were just disposable parts that were used as needed. They were inferior to Raymond and therefore could be manipulated at will.

But they were receiving awe beyond recognition from the object of his desire. At the sight, his mind turned red and he was suddenly filled with fear.

What if they take my place? What if the things that were under my feet rose above my head?

But whether Raymond was afraid or not, things were progressing steadily without him. Elze moved her lips and spoke with difficulty.

“Right now... I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Elze looked at Shan, then back at Ilwooz. Elze spoke slowly to him, who was smiling.

“A savior? What is that? And why do you want me to go to Inesian?”

Elze's words were full of confusion. Ilwooz, who had been kneeling until now, slowly got up.

Elze stood face to face with Ilwooz. He was taller than she had expected, standing up straight. Ilwooz spoke slowly.

“Because I brought the Savior...”

Elze asked urgently without realizing it.

“Bring it here? Where did you get it from?”

Ilwooz didn't answer right away. His smile deepened. The deepening smile made Elze uneasy. The moment those lips opened, it felt like something irreversible would happen. Elze wanted to hear Ilwooz's words, but she didn't want to hear them.

But the dice that had already rolled could not be stopped. Elze's eyes went dark at Ilwooz's next words.

"In Korea."

What he spat out with clear pronunciation was undoubtedly Korean.

"Ah..."

It was nonsense. She felt like all the blood was draining from her body. Her face turned pale and her legs started to tremble.

“Elze!”

Shan quickly grabbed Elze. Elze leaned against Shan. Her lips trembled. Shan, who did not understand Korean, asked Elze urgently.

“What was that guy talking about? Why is he doing that!”

But Elze didn't have the presence of mind to explain to Shan. She tried to catch her breath and stay calm.

Elze remembers her past life in Korea. However, like a faint memory from her childhood, she has buried it somewhere deep inside her. She only recalls it occasionally when she has a chance to recall it.

The reason Elze had such fond memories of Korea was because she knew that she had completely died there. She had no regrets about her past life, so she focused more on living the life that was right in front of her.

However, Ilwooz pulled out all of Elze’s deeply buried memories and said that he had brought Elze from Korea. The past that was suddenly brought out was dizzying. Ilwooz continued to speak quietly in front of the confused Elze.

“The Savior was born here from the beginning, and was destined to live here...”

Ilwooz's voice continued in a soft voice.

“But due to some problem, it got twisted and took a long time to come back...”

He extended his hand to Elze again. He smiled quietly and spoke in the continental dialect again.

“Savior, but now the time has come to explain everything... This is the call of destiny...”

His hands were smooth and white, without a single callus. They were smooth hands as if they had never done anything in their lives, but they did not feel fragile. Elze felt as if his hands were covering her in a big way.

“So please come with me to Inesian..”

Elze took a step back from Ilwooz.

“Elze.”

Shan softly called Elze's name. When he called her name, strangely enough, her heart, which had been trembling just a moment ago, calmed down. Elze looked up at Shan.

Following Ilwooz and not following him were both the right choices. Elze was standing in the exact center of her heart, split in half. Shan seemed to have noticed Elze's confusion.

“It’s okay whichever you choose.”

“But you...”

You don't like Ilwooz, I don't know why.

It was something that she couldn't say so openly in front of Ilwooz. Elze stopped talking and looked up at Shan. Shan, who was looking at Elze, let out a short sigh and said.

"Let's go."

Shan's hand gently cupped her cheek. The warmth she felt and the affectionate gaze firmly held onto Elze's wandering heart.

“I don’t know what it is, but is it important to you?”

Elze nodded. She didn't know what Ilwooz's purpose was. But aside from that, there were many things she wanted to ask him.

How does he know Korea, why does she have memories of her past life, and why was she born here and given the vain title of savior...?

Ilwooz was a man who knew all the secrets. If she talked to him, it seemed like all the questions that Elze had been holding onto would be completely resolved.

Elze, like Shan, felt an inexplicable wariness toward Ilwooz. However, she also felt a little happy because he knew Korea. Shan continued to talk to Elze, who was hesitating so that she could feel at ease.

“I’m fine. I was curious about your secret too. Are you going to tell me everything now?”

Shan said in a deliberately cheerful voice. Elze gave a small nod of agreement. If I was going to hear the whole story from Ilwooz, it was only right to tell Shan too.

“That’s fine.”

Shan grabbed Elze's hand.

“I will follow you wherever you wish.”

He stared at Ilwooz intently and spat out words as if chewing on something.

“Even if it’s hell.”

“...”

Ilwooz did not answer or look at Shan. He treated Shan as if he did not exist, and only looked at Elze with a fervent gaze that was burdensome. Now was the time to make a decision. Elze slowly called Ilwooz's name.

“Oh, Ilwooz.”

Ilwooz looked at him with a look of great anticipation. However, Elze’s answer was contrary to his expectations.

“I will not go to Inesian.”

“...!”

At Elze's words, Ilwooz opened his lips slightly. It was a gesture that clearly showed how surprised he was.

“I’m curious and want to hear what Ilwooz has to say. But...”

Elze held Shan's hand tightly. She could feel his hand trembling slightly. Elze smiled at the tension she felt from the trembling.

“That’s just the past. The present is more important to me.”

Elze said, squeezing Shan's hand tightly.

“I can’t sacrifice this moment with the person next to me because of the past.”

At Elze's answer, Ilwooz put his hand to his forehead.

"Ah..."

He lamented and tried to persuade Elze.

“Because the Savior does not yet know her true identity... She judges him thus...”

Ilwooz said in a mournful, shaking voice.

“That’s usually the way the devil’s whispers work... Beautiful, seductive, and making you feel like that’s all there is to the world...”

Ilwooz held out both hands to Elze as if pleading. The way he held out his hands, begging her to please hold them, was almost pathetic.

“I will tell you the whole truth...”

But Elze did not answer. Looking at her unwavering, determined eyes, Ilwooz realized that her determination would not change. Ilwooz lowered his head and muttered.

“I can’t help it...”

And Ilwooz slowly raised his head. His white hands pulled down the cloth that had been covering his eyes. With the sound of the cloth rustling, Ilwooz's eyes were revealed.

“!!”

Elze opened her eyes wide when she saw Ilwooz's eyes. The eyes, which contained rainbow-like colors, were something that no human could have. And they were also the eyes that Elze had seen in a nightmare she had once had.

His colorful eyes turned to Elze. With those inorganic eyes, Ilwooz spoke softly.

“Just a little bit... Just a little bit, I’ll be rude...”

Elze, who suddenly felt uneasy, grabbed Shan's hand.

“Shan, we have to run away...!”

But before she could even finish saying that they should run away from here right now, a pure white light enveloped the entire area.

***

The Pope of the Church of Ines, Ilwooz, was not a human creation. He was a position given by God.

When the lifespan of the previous Ilwooz expired, another Ilwooz that inherited the power of the gods appeared and continued the Pope's mission.

This time, Ilwooz was an orphan from the slums. It couldn't have been easy for an orphan who didn't even have parents to protect him to live in the slums.

One day, while struggling to survive, the boy disappeared. In the slums, disappearing a single person was a common occurrence, so no one paid attention.

And when the boy reappeared three days later, he had completely changed. His short, unkempt hair had grown into long, white hair that hung down to his waist. The boy spoke with his face more than half covered by his long hair.

"I am Ilwooz."

Everyone pointed fingers and laughed at his ridiculous nonsense. But the boy did not give in, and wandered around the slums, saying that he was Ilwooz. Of course, no one believed him.

But some paid attention to the nonsense. They were the priests of Ines who came quietly to find the boy. The priests looked down at the boy with an intimidating look on their faces and said,

"Show me evidence that you are Ilwooz."

The boy was calm, even though he should have been trembling in fear at the priests' presence. He simply lifted his hair without saying a word and showed his face. Then, the priests knelt before the boy and paid homage to what was revealed.

"Oh, Ilwooz."

What was revealed between the hair that had been covered were brilliant rainbow-colored eyes. The boy sighed softly and whispered.

"I've been waiting for you."

And thus, this year's Ilwooz was born.

Upon entering Inesian, Ilwooz first headed to the sanctuary. The sanctuary was made of pure white marble and had a shallow floor filled with water drawn from the lake of Inesian.

Ilwooz lay down there and closed his eyes. Dreams and reality mixed together above the darkness that had descended. The illusions flowing before his eyes were the memories of past Ilwoozs.

A day, a week, a month passed, but Ilwooz accepted the memories without even taking a sip of water.

The memories of the Ilwooz were a history in themselves. In the waves of memories that accompanied the rise and fall of the continent, the Ilwooz saw that the prophecy of the continent's destruction that they had only heard of through rumors was true.

The prophecy, which was written in a book and spread, was a famous story that even people who were interested in the Church of Ines would know.

However, opinions were divided among Ines' followers, even among priests and bishops, and various interpretations emerged.

The Ilwooz of the past desperately searched for the Savior. However, they only made mistakes and failed repeatedly. After countless attempts, they came to the conclusion that Ines had hidden the Savior in another dimension to hide him from the devil.

A few generations ago, Ilwooz, after much effort, succeeded in finding the dimension where the Savior resided and brought the Savior from there.

Ilwooz was delighted to have succeeded in summoning an exotic-looking woman with black hair, black eyes, and pale wheat-colored skin.

But she was not a savior.

Ilwooz tried to send her back to her original world. However, Ilwooz, who had already exhausted all his power, could no longer twist the dimension. The woman who was suddenly dragged to another world was frustrated for a while but soon began to adapt.

After wandering around the continent, she founded the Kingdom of Ryeo and reigned as its Queen. Since then, the Queens of Ryeo have maintained friendly relations with Ilwooz for generations.

And the Ilwooz went out again to find the savior. But the next Ilwooz, and the one after that, did not find the savior. In the end, even now, as the millennium draws near, the savior has not been found.

But this time, Ilwooz was different. Ilwooz, who would face the thousand-year disaster, had the strongest power of any Ilwooz in history.

"The Savior is here."

He found the Savior in one go with his own power. He also found out that his life was running out. At the moment of his life, Ilwooz succeeded in twisting the dimension and bringing the Savior.

But even though he gathered all the strength he could muster, all he could do was bring her to this world. The last bit of strength was lacking, and everything shook. Ilwooz ended up losing her.

However, he could feel that he had been reincarnated on the continent. Being in another dimension and being within the same continent felt different.

Ilwooz was happy with his half-success and tried to calmly find the savior. However, Ilwooz, who had spent most of his energy, wandered around for a long time and finally found her near Millennium.

So he thought it was all over now.

Ilwooz never doubted the destiny given to him. He was Ilwooz, chosen by God, and he had to bring in a savior and prevent the disaster that would destroy the continent. That was the mission he had been striving for as Ilwooz his entire life.

Although fate had tangled up and a demon had taken up residence next to the Savior, he considered it a minor problem compared to the grand scheme of things. He firmly believed that if he found the Savior and brought her here to tell her the truth, she would destroy the demon without hesitation. That was the fate that Ines had decided.

But why is that?

The Savior had chosen to reject fate and settle for the present. Ilwooz could not understand the situation and did not want to understand it. His heart felt like it was being torn in two by the rejection of his entire life spent searching for the Savior.

So Ilwooz thought that if he showed the Savior the raw truth, he would realize it, and thus put the demons to sleep and bring peace to the continent.


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