Episode 11. One Thing Clear
“What is this?”
Gerard turned nervously, the wine glass in his hand clanking at the voice behind him.
“Portal permit.”
The man sitting at the reception table laughed, running his hand through his red hair.
“I thought it couldn’t be issued to outsiders, but the Emperor is so blatantly breaking the law.”
Gerard took a sip of wine and chuckled.
“I am the law of this land, and yet it is illegal? How absurd.”
“The law of Periat was passed down to the Emperor.”
“That’s right.”
“As expected. The more you learn about this empire, the more fascinating it becomes.”
The content seemed sarcastic, but the tone was so formal that Gerard chuckled obliviously. The man sitting across from him had unusual red hair and eyes, unlike most people in the Periat Empire.
“Even if the war is over, there’s something more fascinating than a Prince constantly crossing the border like a thief.”
The red man also laughed heartily.
“He didn’t cross like a thief.”
“Then?”
The red man crossed the table and pressed his handsome face close to Gerard’s.
His brazen demeanor, as if he had given the courtesy due to the Emperor of the Empire to a dog.
“He crossed with grace, as befitting a Prince of the Der Ansis Empire, Your Majesty.”
Gerard frowned, then burst into a hearty laugh, seemingly unable to resist.
He remembered what his mistress, Lyone, had said before they came here.
Gerard frowned and stood up, watching the lizard flick its long tongue.
“Use the portal permit or eat it, and you can go now. I need to rest now.”
“What is this?”
Gerard turned nervously, the wine glass in his hand clanking at the voice behind him.
“Portal permit.”
The man sitting at the reception table laughed, running his hand through his red hair.
“I thought it couldn’t be issued to outsiders, but the Emperor is so blatantly breaking the law.”
Gerard took a sip of wine and chuckled.
“I am the law of this land, and yet it is illegal? How absurd.”
“The law of Periat was passed down to the Emperor.”
“That’s right.”
“As expected. The more you learn about this empire, the more fascinating it becomes.”
The content seemed sarcastic, but the tone was so formal that Gerard chuckled obliviously. The man sitting across from him had unusual red hair and eyes, unlike most people in the Periat Empire.
“Even if the war is over, there’s something more fascinating than a Prince constantly crossing the border like a thief.”
The red man also laughed heartily.
“He didn’t cross like a thief.”
“Then?”
The red man crossed the table and pressed his handsome face close to Gerard’s.
His brazen demeanor, as if he had given the courtesy due to the Emperor of the Empire to a dog.
“He crossed with grace, as befitting a Prince of the Der Ansis Empire, Your Majesty.”
Gerard frowned, then burst into a hearty laugh, seemingly unable to resist.
He remembered what his mistress, Lyone, had said before they came here.
“Be careful of that red-haired prince, Your Majesty. Something feels off.”
How strange.
Lyone was the perfect mistress, but she had one flaw: she didn’t know people well.
“How naive.”
The Der Ansis Empire, one of the three continents protected by the sea god.
Born into a royal family where hands were particularly precious, Prince Loren was beloved by everyone, noble and common.
It was because he was the only one destined to inherit the throne, and another reason.
That lustrous, flowing crimson hair.
That was the biggest reason Loren was so beloved.
The people of Der Ansis believed that red hair was a sign of connection with the sea god, Belofai.
A human connected to the gods.
Everyone was thrilled that this mysterious being was born as the imperial prince.
So, how could Loren have felt anything strange?
"I heard Princess Kelita departed for the portal today. Would you be willing to grant me this permission?"
"I don't care about that. Now, I must deliver what I promised."
"Oh, I was careless, Your Majesty."
Loren pulled a massive purple laborato from his bosom and placed it on the table.
"So this is the famous whale's tear."
Gerard gazed at the jewel with greedy eyes.
Loren smiled, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair.
While Gerard was off guard, Loren would undoubtedly become the most dangerous man on the Three Continents.
But that was still a long way off.
“Owl. Come here.”
Loren extended his hand, and the lizard, which had been rustling snacks on its plate, busily climbed onto his arm.
How strange.
Lyone was the perfect mistress, but she had one flaw: she didn’t know people well.
“How naive.”
The Der Ansis Empire, one of the three continents protected by the sea god.
Born into a royal family where hands were particularly precious, Prince Loren was beloved by everyone, noble and common.
It was because he was the only one destined to inherit the throne, and another reason.
That lustrous, flowing crimson hair.
That was the biggest reason Loren was so beloved.
The people of Der Ansis believed that red hair was a sign of connection with the sea god, Belofai.
A human connected to the gods.
Everyone was thrilled that this mysterious being was born as the imperial prince.
So, how could Loren have felt anything strange?
"I heard Princess Kelita departed for the portal today. Would you be willing to grant me this permission?"
"I don't care about that. Now, I must deliver what I promised."
"Oh, I was careless, Your Majesty."
Loren pulled a massive purple laborato from his bosom and placed it on the table.
"So this is the famous whale's tear."
Gerard gazed at the jewel with greedy eyes.
Loren smiled, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair.
While Gerard was off guard, Loren would undoubtedly become the most dangerous man on the Three Continents.
But that was still a long way off.
“Owl. Come here.”
Loren extended his hand, and the lizard, which had been rustling snacks on its plate, busily climbed onto his arm.
Gerard frowned and stood up, watching the lizard flick its long tongue.
“Use the portal permit or eat it, and you can go now. I need to rest now.”
He twitched his eyebrows at Loren, as if to urge him to hurry up and leave.
Loren, seemingly helpless, lifted the lizard’s shoulder and then lowered it.
He placed his hand on his chest and bowed with a simple gesture.
“Your Majesty, Emperor of the Periat Empire. Have a good night.”
“Oh, right.”
Loren, about to turn away, looked at Gerard again.
Gerard chuckled and said.
“Don’t lose your permit. If you enter the portal without it, you’ll be shattered.”
Loren, too, smiled, hid lips that quirked into an alluring smile.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
He strode out, leisurely strolling down the dim hallway.
Then, suddenly, he burst into laughter.
“You snobbish.”
The lizard on his shoulder opened its mouth as if laughing, its tongue flicking out.
Loren’s red eyes flickered for a moment, as if thinking, before covering his mouth with his hand and whispering something to the lizard.
Gerard always acted as if he knew everything that happened in Periat, but in truth, he knew nothing.
Why did Loren cross the border and enter this empire?
While he seemed to enjoy his leisurely time, what did he secretly yearn for?
"Owl. Awakened of Bercheria are always born with blinding beauty, right?"
Loren stroked Owl's green hair with the tip of his index finger.
"I want to meet her soon."
Beneath his crimson eyes, his beautiful lips curved in an arc.
"My Bercheria."
Each god who protected the continent possessed their own unique divine artifact.
They never separated from their bodies.
These divine artifacts, possessing special powers, controlled their powers from running wild and prevented the Awoken from being consumed by them. The divine artifacts were the very reason human bodies could withstand the power of the gods.
In other words, if the divine artifacts disappeared, the Awoken who held the power of the gods would go mad, and the continent they protected would also be destroyed.
“Could it be right now?”
Lacrahan asked incredulously.
“Are you telling me you lost your staff?”
Bercheria slowly shook her head at Lacrahan’s question.
“If you knew where it was, you couldn’t say you lost it.”
Bercheria placed a hand on the tower’s wall.
“The staff is here.”
“...What?”
Lacrahan’s brow furrowed.
“Could it be that this tower is...”
“Yes. This tower is Bercheria’s staff, and the hidden sacred object.”
His crimson lips parted thinly.
“How could you not know it was right before your eyes?”
The sacred objects possessed by the guardian deities changed form as needed, so their existence was not properly known to humans. However, one thing was known to all: Bercheria’s staff.
Bercheria, the goddess of weather, possessed the most powerful power among the gods, so it was said that her sacred objects did not change form except in special circumstances. More precisely, it was more accurate to say that they could not change.
If Bercheria continued to use her powers without the staff, she would be consumed by power and driven mad faster than any other god.
For this reason, the staff became more symbolic to Bercheria than any other god's sacred item.
"How could you survive without it?"
"Not exactly. It was always with me."
"It was a true prison, wasn't it?"
"And another thing."
Bercheria walked slowly to stand before Lacrahan.
"While I was here, I slowly lost my powers."
"What does it mean to lose powers?"
"Because I was born as an Awakened God, I am mentally more mature than humans. I understand the ways of the world and the ways of life without having to see them."
Everything came naturally to her without being taught, even though she was physically trapped in this stuffy, dirty tower.
"So I know my powers well. But I couldn't stop them from fading away year after year."
"...Was that your mother's doing?"
"I still don't know for sure."
She couldn't tell Lacrahan everything yet, so she kept her words brief and hidden.
She couldn't bring herself to lie, so her answers were vague.
"When I escaped this tower, I had no intention of returning. Or even if I did, I thought it would be a long time in the future."
It was a moment of choice.
Should I continue living trapped here, or should I go out and end my short life?
"But why did you come back now?"
"Because something happened."
"A thing happened?"
"Yes. Because I met you."
Lacrahan blinked his dark, deep eyes, as if he couldn't comprehend.
"Am I the thing?"
"Yes."
He couldn't understand what she was saying.
Even though he couldn't read the flow of the conversation, his heart pounded without reason.
A fresh breeze blew into the tower.
The wind that had ruffled her blonde hair stirred his again. He felt as if his and Bercheria's fates were becoming deeply intertwined.
The sensation he'd felt when he'd first picked her up after she collapsed returned to his fingertips.
Her thin body, her blonde hair hanging limply.
Mysterious eyes narrowed.
“Lacrahan. When I’m with you, my lost powers return.”
This was completely unexpected.
“Just being there gives you your powers back?”
“I don’t know how it happened either. Why you, or if it could happen with anyone else? But one thing I know for sure is this.”
Bercheria took a step closer to him, closing the distance.
Their faces met, and her scent washed over him.
“I told you all my secrets.”
“Wait a minute, Bercheria...”
“What I’m saying is,”
Bercheria interrupted him.
When she descended the tower, she had been filled with selfishness. She simply wanted to escape this place, to be free.
But as she met the children and began to regain her strength little by little, thanks to Lacrahan, she began to realize who she was.
She is Bercheria, born by the will of the Supreme God. Nothing in this world happens by accident.
Neither her powers returning to her thanks to Lacrahan, nor her escape from the tower.
She didn't know what these tangled coincidences were trying to tell her, but one thing was certain: now was the time for Bercheria to make her move.
She couldn't let these opportunities go to waste.
Perhaps the Supreme Being was testing her one last time.
So, Bercheria was determined to do everything she could to find the divine water.
"Lacrahan. There's only one thing I want."
"...Tell me."
Whatever it was.
Whatever the sacrifice.
Bercheria had to focus on regaining her strength.
"We must stay together. Until I regain all the abilities I've lost."
At her unhesitating words, Lacrahan clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his hands stood out.
The golden eyes that clashed calmly seemed to penetrate deep within him.
"My offer has been the same from the beginning. Don't leave my side, not even for a moment, Lacrahan."
Inexplicable feelings were slowly welling up within him.
Loren, seemingly helpless, lifted the lizard’s shoulder and then lowered it.
He placed his hand on his chest and bowed with a simple gesture.
“Your Majesty, Emperor of the Periat Empire. Have a good night.”
“Oh, right.”
Loren, about to turn away, looked at Gerard again.
Gerard chuckled and said.
“Don’t lose your permit. If you enter the portal without it, you’ll be shattered.”
Loren, too, smiled, hid lips that quirked into an alluring smile.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
He strode out, leisurely strolling down the dim hallway.
Then, suddenly, he burst into laughter.
“You snobbish.”
The lizard on his shoulder opened its mouth as if laughing, its tongue flicking out.
Loren’s red eyes flickered for a moment, as if thinking, before covering his mouth with his hand and whispering something to the lizard.
Gerard always acted as if he knew everything that happened in Periat, but in truth, he knew nothing.
Why did Loren cross the border and enter this empire?
While he seemed to enjoy his leisurely time, what did he secretly yearn for?
"Owl. Awakened of Bercheria are always born with blinding beauty, right?"
Loren stroked Owl's green hair with the tip of his index finger.
"I want to meet her soon."
Beneath his crimson eyes, his beautiful lips curved in an arc.
"My Bercheria."
***
Each god who protected the continent possessed their own unique divine artifact.
They never separated from their bodies.
These divine artifacts, possessing special powers, controlled their powers from running wild and prevented the Awoken from being consumed by them. The divine artifacts were the very reason human bodies could withstand the power of the gods.
In other words, if the divine artifacts disappeared, the Awoken who held the power of the gods would go mad, and the continent they protected would also be destroyed.
“Could it be right now?”
Lacrahan asked incredulously.
“Are you telling me you lost your staff?”
Bercheria slowly shook her head at Lacrahan’s question.
“If you knew where it was, you couldn’t say you lost it.”
Bercheria placed a hand on the tower’s wall.
“The staff is here.”
“...What?”
Lacrahan’s brow furrowed.
“Could it be that this tower is...”
“Yes. This tower is Bercheria’s staff, and the hidden sacred object.”
His crimson lips parted thinly.
“How could you not know it was right before your eyes?”
The sacred objects possessed by the guardian deities changed form as needed, so their existence was not properly known to humans. However, one thing was known to all: Bercheria’s staff.
Bercheria, the goddess of weather, possessed the most powerful power among the gods, so it was said that her sacred objects did not change form except in special circumstances. More precisely, it was more accurate to say that they could not change.
If Bercheria continued to use her powers without the staff, she would be consumed by power and driven mad faster than any other god.
For this reason, the staff became more symbolic to Bercheria than any other god's sacred item.
"How could you survive without it?"
"Not exactly. It was always with me."
"It was a true prison, wasn't it?"
"And another thing."
Bercheria walked slowly to stand before Lacrahan.
"While I was here, I slowly lost my powers."
"What does it mean to lose powers?"
"Because I was born as an Awakened God, I am mentally more mature than humans. I understand the ways of the world and the ways of life without having to see them."
Everything came naturally to her without being taught, even though she was physically trapped in this stuffy, dirty tower.
"So I know my powers well. But I couldn't stop them from fading away year after year."
"...Was that your mother's doing?"
"I still don't know for sure."
She couldn't tell Lacrahan everything yet, so she kept her words brief and hidden.
She couldn't bring herself to lie, so her answers were vague.
"When I escaped this tower, I had no intention of returning. Or even if I did, I thought it would be a long time in the future."
It was a moment of choice.
Should I continue living trapped here, or should I go out and end my short life?
"But why did you come back now?"
"Because something happened."
"A thing happened?"
"Yes. Because I met you."
Lacrahan blinked his dark, deep eyes, as if he couldn't comprehend.
"Am I the thing?"
"Yes."
He couldn't understand what she was saying.
Even though he couldn't read the flow of the conversation, his heart pounded without reason.
A fresh breeze blew into the tower.
The wind that had ruffled her blonde hair stirred his again. He felt as if his and Bercheria's fates were becoming deeply intertwined.
The sensation he'd felt when he'd first picked her up after she collapsed returned to his fingertips.
Her thin body, her blonde hair hanging limply.
Mysterious eyes narrowed.
“Lacrahan. When I’m with you, my lost powers return.”
This was completely unexpected.
“Just being there gives you your powers back?”
“I don’t know how it happened either. Why you, or if it could happen with anyone else? But one thing I know for sure is this.”
Bercheria took a step closer to him, closing the distance.
Their faces met, and her scent washed over him.
“I told you all my secrets.”
“Wait a minute, Bercheria...”
“What I’m saying is,”
Bercheria interrupted him.
When she descended the tower, she had been filled with selfishness. She simply wanted to escape this place, to be free.
But as she met the children and began to regain her strength little by little, thanks to Lacrahan, she began to realize who she was.
She is Bercheria, born by the will of the Supreme God. Nothing in this world happens by accident.
Neither her powers returning to her thanks to Lacrahan, nor her escape from the tower.
She didn't know what these tangled coincidences were trying to tell her, but one thing was certain: now was the time for Bercheria to make her move.
She couldn't let these opportunities go to waste.
Perhaps the Supreme Being was testing her one last time.
So, Bercheria was determined to do everything she could to find the divine water.
"Lacrahan. There's only one thing I want."
"...Tell me."
Whatever it was.
Whatever the sacrifice.
Bercheria had to focus on regaining her strength.
"We must stay together. Until I regain all the abilities I've lost."
At her unhesitating words, Lacrahan clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his hands stood out.
The golden eyes that clashed calmly seemed to penetrate deep within him.
"My offer has been the same from the beginning. Don't leave my side, not even for a moment, Lacrahan."
Inexplicable feelings were slowly welling up within him.
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