“The Princess wants to meet Emperor Linel in person?”
Bellos doubted his ears.
“Yes. I will ask him to let go of her hand in exchange for curing Empress Zelda.”
“Will he obediently follow your will?”
“It depends on how much he cherishes and loves her.”
As Roxana, who had fallen in love with Linel, said, such things were a blow to her pride, but it was true.
“This is an opportunity for the Magic Tower Lord as well.”
“An opportunity...”
Bellos was unsure.
“If I hand over the healing potion, how do you plan to deal with Emperor Linel?”
“Empress Zelda tried to protect him but blocked the demon fire with her hand, and was infected with evil energy. So he must be suffering from guilt, right? I plan to use that.”
“Will you be able to influence Emperor Linel to that extent?”
“I have something in mind. The Magic Tower Lord just needs to follow my plan.”
Roxana continued with a refreshing expression.
“First, just bring Empress Zelda back to consciousness. Wouldn’t it be more heartbreaking to see her suffering while conscious rather than unconscious?”
“And then?”
“I’ll meet Emperor Linel and talk to him directly.”
“Do you think he’ll let you live? He’ll probably try to kill you right away?”
“I won’t meet him directly. Just show him my image. That way, I can talk to him more easily. That’s called illusionism, right?”
Roxana seemed to have already made a thorough plan.
“That’s not difficult. Well, let’s say it goes as planned. He has ill feelings toward you, but do you think he’ll want to remarry you?”
“So there are a few things I need. That’s what you, the Magic Tower Lord, need to do.”
“What is it?”
“First, I’ll make Emperor Linel drink a potion with a secrecy spell in advance so that he won’t reveal his deal with me to anyone else.”
At Roxana’s words, Bellos opened his mouth and let out an occasional empty laugh.
“It’s not a difficult potion to make, is it? I came here because I thought Logan might be able to make a potion like that.”
“Yes, it’s not difficult, but I don’t feel like it.”
“There is no beautiful ending, even in the process, my lord.”
Roxana said calmly as if giving advice.
“Don’t be sure that the Emperor will love you just because you get the ending you want.”
It was advice that came from the heart.
“Well? You’ll know when you see. I may not be as strong as Empress Zelda, but my body temperature is higher than others, right? It got even higher after taking the red potion.”
So wouldn’t Linel, who had hypothermia, keep her close?
That was Roxana’s belief.
After hearing all of her plans, Bellos’s head started to throb.
No matter how much the Emperor Linel took the secret potion, he wouldn’t simply follow Roxana’s will.
Roxana, who saw through Bellos’s true feelings, added one more thing.
“If his own brother’s life is at stake, then in the end, he has no choice but to let go of the Empress’s hand.”
Yes, there was Grand Duke Joseph.
Then the story could have been different.
“And what if I offered him a cure that would completely drive away the evil spirit? Two people’s lives are at stake.”
“How cruel.”
Bellos saw the strong obsession in Roxana’s eyes.
“It’s because of that cruelty that the Lord of the Tower has a partner.”
Bellos couldn’t refute her words.
“Even if Emperor Linel accepts you as his Empress, how can you endure that resentment?”
Bellos asked seriously.
Roxana certainly wouldn’t have overlooked that point.
Bellos was secretly curious about how the Empress would prepare for this part. Roxana smiled as if she had expected him to ask that question, then answered with a serious face.
“So...”
“Go ahead.”
He asked resignedly.
Bellos also had a clear idea of what she wanted, so he boarded the same boat as Roxana.
He couldn’t back out now.
“I need a memory-erasing potion.”
“...Are you trying to induce amnesia in Emperor Linel?”
Bellos said in an excited voice.
Logan, who was listing the herbs to be used in the healing potion Bellos had instructed behind him, was also startled by Roxana’s bold plan.
She really is a scary woman.
Bellos thought as he stared intently at Roxana’s face, which had not a single expression on her face.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not saying I’ll erase all of Emperor Linel’s memories.”
“Then, you’re saying you’re only going to erase his memories of Empress Zelda?”
“That’s right. I’d like to just let her suffer from the evil aura and die, but that goes against the deal we made with the Lord of the Tower, so I can’t do that, right?”
Roxana spoke as if Zelda’s life were in her hands.
“Hmm, I wonder how Emperor Linel will react...”
“You've seen the two of them closer than I have, and you still don't realize how terrible he thinks of the Empress.”
No way.
Bellos snorted at Roxana’s words. He had watched Emperor Linel lose his senses when he heard the news that she was locked in the wine cellar.
Bellos was a little surprised to see him in pain all over his body.
But on the other hand, he felt bitter.
Watching Emperor Linel, who tried to break the door that was covered with a demonic barrier to the point of breaking his own body, and Empress Zelda, who blocked the demon fire rushing toward him with her hands, he could see how deep their feelings were.
In fact, Bellos had no intention of taking Zelda as his companion in such a cowardly manner.
However, their love was stronger than he thought.
The owner of the magic tower realized that no matter what magic he used, he could not separate the two.
That was why he could not help but be tempted by Roxana's plan.
"Even if he is like that, will Empress Zelda, who recovered later, just stay still?"
When Bellos asked, Roxana raised the corners of her mouth without showing any sign of embarrassment.
"I have thought about that part as well."
Roxana whispered secretly.
Bellos could not readily ask what it was.
He did not have the courage to do so.
Although he was cooperating with the princess's plan, the conscience that existed in a corner of his heart kept prickling him from time to time.
He had not done anything particularly bad, but he was not a righteous person either.
“Listen carefully. Lord Magic Tower, go back and make her come back to consciousness. I don’t want you to make her better, just make her come back to consciousness. Of course, tell him that she drank the healing potion.”
Bellos doubted his ears.
“Yes. I will ask him to let go of her hand in exchange for curing Empress Zelda.”
“Will he obediently follow your will?”
“It depends on how much he cherishes and loves her.”
As Roxana, who had fallen in love with Linel, said, such things were a blow to her pride, but it was true.
“This is an opportunity for the Magic Tower Lord as well.”
“An opportunity...”
Bellos was unsure.
“If I hand over the healing potion, how do you plan to deal with Emperor Linel?”
“Empress Zelda tried to protect him but blocked the demon fire with her hand, and was infected with evil energy. So he must be suffering from guilt, right? I plan to use that.”
“Will you be able to influence Emperor Linel to that extent?”
“I have something in mind. The Magic Tower Lord just needs to follow my plan.”
Roxana continued with a refreshing expression.
“First, just bring Empress Zelda back to consciousness. Wouldn’t it be more heartbreaking to see her suffering while conscious rather than unconscious?”
“And then?”
“I’ll meet Emperor Linel and talk to him directly.”
“Do you think he’ll let you live? He’ll probably try to kill you right away?”
“I won’t meet him directly. Just show him my image. That way, I can talk to him more easily. That’s called illusionism, right?”
Roxana seemed to have already made a thorough plan.
“That’s not difficult. Well, let’s say it goes as planned. He has ill feelings toward you, but do you think he’ll want to remarry you?”
“So there are a few things I need. That’s what you, the Magic Tower Lord, need to do.”
“What is it?”
“First, I’ll make Emperor Linel drink a potion with a secrecy spell in advance so that he won’t reveal his deal with me to anyone else.”
At Roxana’s words, Bellos opened his mouth and let out an occasional empty laugh.
“It’s not a difficult potion to make, is it? I came here because I thought Logan might be able to make a potion like that.”
“Yes, it’s not difficult, but I don’t feel like it.”
“There is no beautiful ending, even in the process, my lord.”
Roxana said calmly as if giving advice.
“Don’t be sure that the Emperor will love you just because you get the ending you want.”
It was advice that came from the heart.
“Well? You’ll know when you see. I may not be as strong as Empress Zelda, but my body temperature is higher than others, right? It got even higher after taking the red potion.”
So wouldn’t Linel, who had hypothermia, keep her close?
That was Roxana’s belief.
After hearing all of her plans, Bellos’s head started to throb.
No matter how much the Emperor Linel took the secret potion, he wouldn’t simply follow Roxana’s will.
Roxana, who saw through Bellos’s true feelings, added one more thing.
“If his own brother’s life is at stake, then in the end, he has no choice but to let go of the Empress’s hand.”
Yes, there was Grand Duke Joseph.
Then the story could have been different.
“And what if I offered him a cure that would completely drive away the evil spirit? Two people’s lives are at stake.”
“How cruel.”
Bellos saw the strong obsession in Roxana’s eyes.
“It’s because of that cruelty that the Lord of the Tower has a partner.”
Bellos couldn’t refute her words.
“Even if Emperor Linel accepts you as his Empress, how can you endure that resentment?”
Bellos asked seriously.
Roxana certainly wouldn’t have overlooked that point.
Bellos was secretly curious about how the Empress would prepare for this part. Roxana smiled as if she had expected him to ask that question, then answered with a serious face.
“So...”
“Go ahead.”
He asked resignedly.
Bellos also had a clear idea of what she wanted, so he boarded the same boat as Roxana.
He couldn’t back out now.
“I need a memory-erasing potion.”
“...Are you trying to induce amnesia in Emperor Linel?”
Bellos said in an excited voice.
Logan, who was listing the herbs to be used in the healing potion Bellos had instructed behind him, was also startled by Roxana’s bold plan.
She really is a scary woman.
Bellos thought as he stared intently at Roxana’s face, which had not a single expression on her face.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not saying I’ll erase all of Emperor Linel’s memories.”
“Then, you’re saying you’re only going to erase his memories of Empress Zelda?”
“That’s right. I’d like to just let her suffer from the evil aura and die, but that goes against the deal we made with the Lord of the Tower, so I can’t do that, right?”
Roxana spoke as if Zelda’s life were in her hands.
“Hmm, I wonder how Emperor Linel will react...”
“You've seen the two of them closer than I have, and you still don't realize how terrible he thinks of the Empress.”
No way.
Bellos snorted at Roxana’s words. He had watched Emperor Linel lose his senses when he heard the news that she was locked in the wine cellar.
Bellos was a little surprised to see him in pain all over his body.
But on the other hand, he felt bitter.
Watching Emperor Linel, who tried to break the door that was covered with a demonic barrier to the point of breaking his own body, and Empress Zelda, who blocked the demon fire rushing toward him with her hands, he could see how deep their feelings were.
In fact, Bellos had no intention of taking Zelda as his companion in such a cowardly manner.
However, their love was stronger than he thought.
The owner of the magic tower realized that no matter what magic he used, he could not separate the two.
That was why he could not help but be tempted by Roxana's plan.
"Even if he is like that, will Empress Zelda, who recovered later, just stay still?"
When Bellos asked, Roxana raised the corners of her mouth without showing any sign of embarrassment.
"I have thought about that part as well."
Roxana whispered secretly.
Bellos could not readily ask what it was.
He did not have the courage to do so.
Although he was cooperating with the princess's plan, the conscience that existed in a corner of his heart kept prickling him from time to time.
He had not done anything particularly bad, but he was not a righteous person either.
“Listen carefully. Lord Magic Tower, go back and make her come back to consciousness. I don’t want you to make her better, just make her come back to consciousness. Of course, tell him that she drank the healing potion.”
“Are you telling me to tell her that the healing potion didn’t help?”
“Yes.”
“I'm the Lord Magic Tower, so that’s ridiculous.”
“Save your pride for a moment for the sake of something bigger. Now, listen carefully.”
Roxana began to tell Bellos how to behave when he returned to the monastery.
Linel waited for Bellos, staying by Zelda’s side.
He kept checking his watch, starting a minute after Bellos disappeared into the magic tower using teleportation.
“Don’t worry, Zelda. Lord Magic Tower will make a healing potion.”
Linel continued to knead her trembling body as if he was going to start a race.
Even while she was unconscious, her teeth chattered up and down.
According to Bellos, Zelda wasn’t shivering because she felt cold, but because she was overcome by fear and dread.
At first, it was hard to believe, but judging by her body being as hot as a ball of fire, it wasn’t because she was shivering because she was cold.
“You disobeyed the Emperor’s orders and went out again at a dangerous moment. When you wake up, you will be punished severely. The later you wake up, the greater the punishment.”
He faked an angry face and threatened Zelda.
Then his heart broke again.
“Why did you block the demon fire with your hands? Why! You’re such an idiot...”
However, he knew better than anyone that Zelda’s foolish actions had saved him.
That’s why he was even angrier.
Every time she started a fight, it felt like his heart was being torn apart in all directions.
Her face, with her eyes closed, had a terrified expression that he had never seen before.
It was like someone having a nightmare.
Zelda must be fighting alone in a nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from.
Linel’s tears fell down the side of his trembling mouth.
He quickly wiped away his cold tears.
“Haa...”
Her trembling was transmitted directly to the back of his hand.
Linel sighed and buried his face in Zelda’s chest.
Her heart was beating too fast.
Was her heart reacting like this because she was feeling extreme fear?
He swallowed his sorrow as he hit his heart with his fist.
“You should have just let it hit me. You know that, too, right? I’m the kind of person who shivers when I’m cold. It’s easier for someone who’s already shivered...”
Linel spoke quietly, stroking her soft blond hair.
His voice was already soaking wet.
It seemed as if Zelda would raise her hand and wipe away her tears at any moment.
However, her fists were clenched as if she were fighting someone in her dream.
“Wake up quickly. Since this happened because you did good deeds, I hope God will take away the evil spirits.”
Linel held her trembling hand tightly and brought it to his forehead, bowing his head and beginning to pray.
“God, grant my wish. If not, I will cut the budget for the temples in the palace, and I will arrest all the priests and throw them into the dungeons...”
He had never prayed properly before.
His prayers were almost like threats.
However, his earnestness was more sincere and intense than anyone else’s.
Bellos returned from the magic tower.
He watched Linel praying while holding her hand in front of the bed and cursing.
He wanted to tell Linel that if he prayed with such harsh words, his wish would never come true, but Bellos’s eyes were moist from his earnest prayer, and he needed time to collect his emotions.
“Your Majesty.”
Bellos called him, gathering his resolve.
“Potion.”
Linel jumped up from his chair and turned toward Bellos’s voice.
Bellos pulled out two potion bottles from his bosom.
He held up the one in his right hand first and said,
“This is a healing potion for Her Majesty.”
“What about the other one?”
Linel asked, nodding to the other potion bottle in Bellos’ left hand.
“This is... a potion for Your Majesty.”
“Why me?”
“Your Majesty didn’t get hit by the demon fire directly, but when the Empress blocked it with her hand, fragments of the flame flew around your body.”
The lie was easy to come up with.
Linel’s aides, who were standing in the bedroom as if they were dead, nodded their heads in agreement at Bellos’ words.
Linel took it lightly.
“My body has been cursed with hypothermia by a wizard for the past three years. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m telling you this because the remnants of it could affect Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Ah...”
Linel drank the potion in one gulp after hearing that it could affect Zelda’s treatment.
Bellos felt his guilt growing as he watched him drink the potion he had given him without any suspicion.
What he had just drunk was a potion with the secret-keeping function that Roxana had asked him to have.
And from the moment he drank the drug until tonight, all of his memories of Bellos would disappear.
It was an inevitable choice if he wanted to stay here and continue to watch over Zelda.
Furthermore, Linel would not be able to speak or write out what he was going to say to Roxana for a certain period of time.
After confirming that Linel had finished drinking the potion, Bellos approached Zelda.
“Lord of Magic Tower, if I just drink this, will I really be able to drive away the evil spirit?”
Linel asked earnestly.
“...Yes.”
In fact, it was a potion that only brought back consciousness.
Bellos tried to ignore the guilt that was coming back and uncorked the potion.
“Please raise Her Majesty for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Linel quickly held Zelda in his arms and raised her upper body.
“Will Your Majesty do it?”
The magic tower master asked, looking at him.
When he silently reached out his hand, the magic tower master handed him the potion.
Linel grabbed Zelda’s chin and brought the opening of the potion bottle between her trembling lips.
Fortunately, she swallowed the entire potion without spitting it out.
“He will come back to consciousness now.”
At Bellos’s words, Linel laid Zelda back on the bed with an expectant face.
“Euuuu, eugh!”
However, Zelda’s painful groans only grew louder, and even after several minutes, she did not come back to consciousness.
“Why hasn’t he come to?”
He asked, holding Bellos’ arm with a worried expression.
Bellos had been waiting for this moment.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, it was still painful.
Bellos raised both hands and pretended to check Zelda’s energy, then looked back at Linel.
“I am ashamed, Your Majesty.”
“What!”
At that moment, it felt as if Bellos’ words were pushing him off the cliff.
“The demon’s energy is much stronger than I thought.”
“...Didn’t you say that it wasn’t such a vicious demon?”
Linel’s eyes shook violently.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say sorry! Do something about it!!”
He mercilessly pushed Bellos’ chest with both hands.
Bellos’s body lurched backwards.
“Your Majesty, calm down.”
Raphael, who had been quietly watching the situation, tried to stop him, but it was no use.
“What if you lose face! What are you going to do if you just say sorry? Now?!”
Linel grabbed Bellos’s shoulders tightly as if he were going to turn them into dust and applied force.
“It’s not like there’s no way out. Just listen to him, Your Majesty. Tell him quickly, Lord of the Tower!”
Raphael looked at Bellos and expressed with his expression that the Emperor was extremely sensitive.
“She will regain consciousness.”
Linel’s distorted expression slowly cleared.
“However, regaining consciousness and driving away evil energy are two different things.”
“The evil energy is still in the Empress’s body? You’re not just a magician, you’re a lord of the magic tower! Why, why just that one...!”
“I’m sorry. I thought the potion I gave Her Majesty the Empress a little while ago would be enough, but it seems very different from the usual evil energy.”
“Then... what should I do to treat it once she regains consciousness?”
Linel wasn’t giving up, but he accepted the reality and began to look for an alternative.
“For now, we have no choice but to regain consciousness and watch. And for now, it would be best for Your Majesty to stay in place until Her Majesty the Empress wakes up, and for everyone else to leave.”
Linel nodded as Bellos suggested and sent his aides out.
“You stay.”
When Linel made a request, Bellos lowered his voice and replied.
“Your Majesty, close your eyes for a moment as soon as I leave.”
“What?”
“Then the things I haven’t been able to explain to Her Majesty will come to mind one by one.”
“...What do you mean?”
He asked with an expression that he didn’t understand.
“I chose that method because I thought it would be better than explaining it to you directly, so please forgive me.”
“The potion I drank a little while ago... does it have that kind of function?”
“Yes, that’s right. Then I’ll take my leave now. When you open your eyes again, you’ll meet someone.”
“Someone who helps with the Empress’s treatment?”
“Yes... That’s right.”
Bellos hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded and left the room.
Linel stared at the door that the magician had left behind, then closed his eyes as he had said.
‘Once you close your eyes, you’ll understand the magician’s strange feelings and words.’
In the five minutes that he had his eyes closed, a tremendous number of stories had gone through his head.
And when he opened his eyes again, someone was standing before him in a hazy form, just as Bellos had said.
It was an illusion that had appeared through magic.
“It wasn’t Nancy, the attendant of the cooking department. You’re Princess Roxana...?”
The information that poured out when Linel closed his eyes was vivid in his memory.
What was going on on the continent, Zelda's condition, Grand Duke Joseph's health, Roxana's existence, and what she wanted? He could roughly understand the situation. However, it was so absurd that he couldn't accept it. Roxana greeted Linel politely and said quietly, "Abandon Your Majesty."
“Yes.”
“I'm the Lord Magic Tower, so that’s ridiculous.”
“Save your pride for a moment for the sake of something bigger. Now, listen carefully.”
Roxana began to tell Bellos how to behave when he returned to the monastery.
***
Linel waited for Bellos, staying by Zelda’s side.
He kept checking his watch, starting a minute after Bellos disappeared into the magic tower using teleportation.
“Don’t worry, Zelda. Lord Magic Tower will make a healing potion.”
Linel continued to knead her trembling body as if he was going to start a race.
Even while she was unconscious, her teeth chattered up and down.
According to Bellos, Zelda wasn’t shivering because she felt cold, but because she was overcome by fear and dread.
At first, it was hard to believe, but judging by her body being as hot as a ball of fire, it wasn’t because she was shivering because she was cold.
“You disobeyed the Emperor’s orders and went out again at a dangerous moment. When you wake up, you will be punished severely. The later you wake up, the greater the punishment.”
He faked an angry face and threatened Zelda.
Then his heart broke again.
“Why did you block the demon fire with your hands? Why! You’re such an idiot...”
However, he knew better than anyone that Zelda’s foolish actions had saved him.
That’s why he was even angrier.
Every time she started a fight, it felt like his heart was being torn apart in all directions.
Her face, with her eyes closed, had a terrified expression that he had never seen before.
It was like someone having a nightmare.
Zelda must be fighting alone in a nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from.
Linel’s tears fell down the side of his trembling mouth.
He quickly wiped away his cold tears.
“Haa...”
Her trembling was transmitted directly to the back of his hand.
Linel sighed and buried his face in Zelda’s chest.
Her heart was beating too fast.
Was her heart reacting like this because she was feeling extreme fear?
He swallowed his sorrow as he hit his heart with his fist.
“You should have just let it hit me. You know that, too, right? I’m the kind of person who shivers when I’m cold. It’s easier for someone who’s already shivered...”
Linel spoke quietly, stroking her soft blond hair.
His voice was already soaking wet.
It seemed as if Zelda would raise her hand and wipe away her tears at any moment.
However, her fists were clenched as if she were fighting someone in her dream.
“Wake up quickly. Since this happened because you did good deeds, I hope God will take away the evil spirits.”
Linel held her trembling hand tightly and brought it to his forehead, bowing his head and beginning to pray.
“God, grant my wish. If not, I will cut the budget for the temples in the palace, and I will arrest all the priests and throw them into the dungeons...”
He had never prayed properly before.
His prayers were almost like threats.
However, his earnestness was more sincere and intense than anyone else’s.
***
Bellos returned from the magic tower.
He watched Linel praying while holding her hand in front of the bed and cursing.
He wanted to tell Linel that if he prayed with such harsh words, his wish would never come true, but Bellos’s eyes were moist from his earnest prayer, and he needed time to collect his emotions.
“Your Majesty.”
Bellos called him, gathering his resolve.
“Potion.”
Linel jumped up from his chair and turned toward Bellos’s voice.
Bellos pulled out two potion bottles from his bosom.
He held up the one in his right hand first and said,
“This is a healing potion for Her Majesty.”
“What about the other one?”
Linel asked, nodding to the other potion bottle in Bellos’ left hand.
“This is... a potion for Your Majesty.”
“Why me?”
“Your Majesty didn’t get hit by the demon fire directly, but when the Empress blocked it with her hand, fragments of the flame flew around your body.”
The lie was easy to come up with.
Linel’s aides, who were standing in the bedroom as if they were dead, nodded their heads in agreement at Bellos’ words.
Linel took it lightly.
“My body has been cursed with hypothermia by a wizard for the past three years. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m telling you this because the remnants of it could affect Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Ah...”
Linel drank the potion in one gulp after hearing that it could affect Zelda’s treatment.
Bellos felt his guilt growing as he watched him drink the potion he had given him without any suspicion.
What he had just drunk was a potion with the secret-keeping function that Roxana had asked him to have.
And from the moment he drank the drug until tonight, all of his memories of Bellos would disappear.
It was an inevitable choice if he wanted to stay here and continue to watch over Zelda.
Furthermore, Linel would not be able to speak or write out what he was going to say to Roxana for a certain period of time.
After confirming that Linel had finished drinking the potion, Bellos approached Zelda.
“Lord of Magic Tower, if I just drink this, will I really be able to drive away the evil spirit?”
Linel asked earnestly.
“...Yes.”
In fact, it was a potion that only brought back consciousness.
Bellos tried to ignore the guilt that was coming back and uncorked the potion.
“Please raise Her Majesty for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Linel quickly held Zelda in his arms and raised her upper body.
“Will Your Majesty do it?”
The magic tower master asked, looking at him.
When he silently reached out his hand, the magic tower master handed him the potion.
Linel grabbed Zelda’s chin and brought the opening of the potion bottle between her trembling lips.
Fortunately, she swallowed the entire potion without spitting it out.
“He will come back to consciousness now.”
At Bellos’s words, Linel laid Zelda back on the bed with an expectant face.
“Euuuu, eugh!”
However, Zelda’s painful groans only grew louder, and even after several minutes, she did not come back to consciousness.
“Why hasn’t he come to?”
He asked, holding Bellos’ arm with a worried expression.
Bellos had been waiting for this moment.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, it was still painful.
Bellos raised both hands and pretended to check Zelda’s energy, then looked back at Linel.
“I am ashamed, Your Majesty.”
“What!”
At that moment, it felt as if Bellos’ words were pushing him off the cliff.
“The demon’s energy is much stronger than I thought.”
“...Didn’t you say that it wasn’t such a vicious demon?”
Linel’s eyes shook violently.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say sorry! Do something about it!!”
He mercilessly pushed Bellos’ chest with both hands.
Bellos’s body lurched backwards.
“Your Majesty, calm down.”
Raphael, who had been quietly watching the situation, tried to stop him, but it was no use.
“What if you lose face! What are you going to do if you just say sorry? Now?!”
Linel grabbed Bellos’s shoulders tightly as if he were going to turn them into dust and applied force.
“It’s not like there’s no way out. Just listen to him, Your Majesty. Tell him quickly, Lord of the Tower!”
Raphael looked at Bellos and expressed with his expression that the Emperor was extremely sensitive.
“She will regain consciousness.”
Linel’s distorted expression slowly cleared.
“However, regaining consciousness and driving away evil energy are two different things.”
“The evil energy is still in the Empress’s body? You’re not just a magician, you’re a lord of the magic tower! Why, why just that one...!”
“I’m sorry. I thought the potion I gave Her Majesty the Empress a little while ago would be enough, but it seems very different from the usual evil energy.”
“Then... what should I do to treat it once she regains consciousness?”
Linel wasn’t giving up, but he accepted the reality and began to look for an alternative.
“For now, we have no choice but to regain consciousness and watch. And for now, it would be best for Your Majesty to stay in place until Her Majesty the Empress wakes up, and for everyone else to leave.”
Linel nodded as Bellos suggested and sent his aides out.
“You stay.”
When Linel made a request, Bellos lowered his voice and replied.
“Your Majesty, close your eyes for a moment as soon as I leave.”
“What?”
“Then the things I haven’t been able to explain to Her Majesty will come to mind one by one.”
“...What do you mean?”
He asked with an expression that he didn’t understand.
“I chose that method because I thought it would be better than explaining it to you directly, so please forgive me.”
“The potion I drank a little while ago... does it have that kind of function?”
“Yes, that’s right. Then I’ll take my leave now. When you open your eyes again, you’ll meet someone.”
“Someone who helps with the Empress’s treatment?”
“Yes... That’s right.”
Bellos hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded and left the room.
Linel stared at the door that the magician had left behind, then closed his eyes as he had said.
‘Once you close your eyes, you’ll understand the magician’s strange feelings and words.’
In the five minutes that he had his eyes closed, a tremendous number of stories had gone through his head.
And when he opened his eyes again, someone was standing before him in a hazy form, just as Bellos had said.
It was an illusion that had appeared through magic.
“It wasn’t Nancy, the attendant of the cooking department. You’re Princess Roxana...?”
The information that poured out when Linel closed his eyes was vivid in his memory.
What was going on on the continent, Zelda's condition, Grand Duke Joseph's health, Roxana's existence, and what she wanted? He could roughly understand the situation. However, it was so absurd that he couldn't accept it. Roxana greeted Linel politely and said quietly, "Abandon Your Majesty."
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment