He put his hand through the iron bars and grabbed Sernia by the collar.
"What on earth have you investigated and how far have you gone...! Do you want to die? How dare you talk such nonsense to me? I could snap your neck right now!"
Sernia smiled coldly even as her throat choked.
The more excited Andrew became, the more she could feel him wavering at her words.
She only threatens him with words, but he doesn't actually shut her mouth or ignore what she says.
Sernia said forcefully.
“Your father said at first that no matter how much he wanted to save his wife, he couldn’t do something like that.”
“Don’t lie. Who would believe something a Kavala spy would say?”
“Your mother suffered from an illness that even the power of the Saint could not cure?”
“...!”
Andrew's gaze shook violently.
Her mother was in poor health.
Ilya prayed for healing for his mother several times, but Andrew's mother only got better then and suffered again.
Ilya said that his mother was suffering from a mental illness.
"Illnesses rooted in the mind have such a powerful force that they eventually afflict the body. I can cure physical illnesses, but mental illnesses depend on the patient. Please understand your mother, Andrew. She is fighting so hard for you."
Ilya said that curing mental illness is much more difficult than curing physical illness or breaking curses.
It is important to believe that she will get better on her own.
But Andrew's mother spoke with a dry, hopeless look in her eyes, as if it were a habit.
“I won’t get better. This pain will never end, Andrew.”
His mother's voice, as she spoke with a face dark with the shadow of depression, sounded very lonely.
Although the family did not understand the mother, they all tried their best for her.
But in the end, his mother allowed her mental illness to consume her body, and she passed away.
Sernia claimed.
"I heard your father regretted refusing Empress Kavala's offer and sought her out again. The Empress possesses a talent for achieving what even a Saint cannot: moving people's hearts."
The ability to move hearts.
Andrew's grip on Sernia's collar loosened.
If what she said is true, Kavala could certainly have cured her mother.
Because his mother said she was suffering from a mental illness.
"But it was already too late. If your father had changed his mind a little sooner, your mother might still be alive and well today."
What if his mother were alive?
Andrew imagined a home where his healthy mother was alive and well.
If his mother had been alive, his father might not have collapsed so miserably.
Besides, Hillen might not have been sick either.
Hillen's symptoms were similar to his mother's.
Illness of the mind.
After his mother passed away, Hillen suffered from an unknown pain just like his mother.
Seeing his father rely on alcohol and neglect his family made things even more difficult for Hillen.
It was so hard for Andrew to see Hillen dying like his mother.
'Can Kavala cure Hillen?'
A conflict arose in his heart.
"What on earth have you investigated and how far have you gone...! Do you want to die? How dare you talk such nonsense to me? I could snap your neck right now!"
Sernia smiled coldly even as her throat choked.
The more excited Andrew became, the more she could feel him wavering at her words.
She only threatens him with words, but he doesn't actually shut her mouth or ignore what she says.
Sernia said forcefully.
“Your father said at first that no matter how much he wanted to save his wife, he couldn’t do something like that.”
“Don’t lie. Who would believe something a Kavala spy would say?”
“Your mother suffered from an illness that even the power of the Saint could not cure?”
“...!”
Andrew's gaze shook violently.
Her mother was in poor health.
Ilya prayed for healing for his mother several times, but Andrew's mother only got better then and suffered again.
Ilya said that his mother was suffering from a mental illness.
"Illnesses rooted in the mind have such a powerful force that they eventually afflict the body. I can cure physical illnesses, but mental illnesses depend on the patient. Please understand your mother, Andrew. She is fighting so hard for you."
Ilya said that curing mental illness is much more difficult than curing physical illness or breaking curses.
It is important to believe that she will get better on her own.
But Andrew's mother spoke with a dry, hopeless look in her eyes, as if it were a habit.
“I won’t get better. This pain will never end, Andrew.”
His mother's voice, as she spoke with a face dark with the shadow of depression, sounded very lonely.
Although the family did not understand the mother, they all tried their best for her.
But in the end, his mother allowed her mental illness to consume her body, and she passed away.
Sernia claimed.
"I heard your father regretted refusing Empress Kavala's offer and sought her out again. The Empress possesses a talent for achieving what even a Saint cannot: moving people's hearts."
The ability to move hearts.
Andrew's grip on Sernia's collar loosened.
If what she said is true, Kavala could certainly have cured her mother.
Because his mother said she was suffering from a mental illness.
"But it was already too late. If your father had changed his mind a little sooner, your mother might still be alive and well today."
What if his mother were alive?
Andrew imagined a home where his healthy mother was alive and well.
If his mother had been alive, his father might not have collapsed so miserably.
Besides, Hillen might not have been sick either.
Hillen's symptoms were similar to his mother's.
Illness of the mind.
After his mother passed away, Hillen suffered from an unknown pain just like his mother.
Seeing his father rely on alcohol and neglect his family made things even more difficult for Hillen.
It was so hard for Andrew to see Hillen dying like his mother.
'Can Kavala cure Hillen?'
A conflict arose in his heart.
He felt like he could do anything if he could just cure Hillen.
But...
"Shut up."
Andrew turned around, letting go of Sernia's collar.
'I will never join hands with that witch.'
He couldn't do something like that.
Andrew loved Ronheim, his fellow citizens, his neighbors, and the King of Ronheim, Callius.
To abandon them and stand on the side of Kavala is to betray all his loved ones.
There was no way he could live happily after doing something like that.
Sernia continued to try to seduce Andrew, but Andrew turned away from her and did not say another word.
'Why is this so hard?'
I shivered under the blanket.
Callius's words that I would soon get used to the cold of Ronheim were meaningless, but I had a hard time adjusting to the cold and became more and more exhausted day by day.
'It feels like a cold air is radiating from inside me.'
Is it just because it's so cold that it feels that way?
When I covered myself with a blanket, the blanket should have warmed up with my body temperature, but the inside of the blanket was as cold as ice.
My body felt like a corpse that had lost its warmth.
My skin was pale, almost bluish, and my fingernails were purple.
I was worried that all the blood inside me might have frozen.
The function of the body has reached a point where it cannot digest and will vomit out no matter how much the chef brings in food that is good for digestion.
'How much time has passed?'
No one showed it to me, but I was probably losing my mind.
I've often had situations where I felt like I'd only been lying down for a short while and the sun had set, or I felt like I'd slept for a very long time and no time had passed at all.
How long have I been lying in bed?
My mind was more complicated than usual.
The thought of having to take revenge on Kavala and Andrea, the need to investigate Andrew's sister, Hillen, and the fact that Sernia could not be left alone forever swirled through my mind.
But continuing to think was something that required energy.
I've been realizing that lately.
Everything was so disjointed and jumbled that I couldn't even begin to untangle my tangled thoughts.
'Does Karl know I'm doing this?'
I haven't seen Karl in quite some time because there were people around me all the time.
I wonder how Karl is doing. I miss him so much.
But I felt frustrated because there was nothing I could do right now.
'I guess I'm going to die. I didn't come to Ronheim to die in vain.'
I tried to grit my teeth and muster up some strength.
But even getting up wasn't easy.
It was a time when I was wasting time, neither sleeping nor awake.
In my dim vision, I saw a red bird circling around my head.
Suddenly, I came to my senses.
'It's a message from Kavala.'
Since Sernia hasn't contacted her, is she trying to communicate with me directly?
I sat up nervously and leaned against the head of the bed.
Then the red bird became a halo of light and carved a picture and words on my knee.
'What?'
While the drawing was being completed, I first read the completed text.
[I'm really worried about how you're doing.]
"What are you up to? Why did you contact me directly?"
I tried hard to calm my anxious mind.
But the letters that appeared next made my efforts go down the drain and sent my barely held-up mind plummeting into the abyss.
[I see you haven't had any good news, so I thought of a good idea because I thought you might be having trouble doing what I asked you to do.]
'A brilliant idea...?'
Long sentences continued to appear on my knees.
[I'm about to set up a teleportation circle in Ronheim. The magicians of the Magic Tower will arrive soon. Please welcome them secretly.]
Only then was the painting completed, and the finished painting was a map of Ronheim.
One place on the map was shining.
It was the exact location where I had intended to place the magic circle, where the gold mine that Callius had gifted me was located.
Kavala thought the same thing as I did.
I felt dizzy.
'What should I do?'
My thoughts were racing with thoughts of having to stop my plans and the Kavala.
'I can't breathe.'
I was dizzy from hyperventilation.
Lamia, who had been by my side the whole time, had gone out to get firewood, so unfortunately, there was no one around to help me.
'I need to come to my senses... and...'
It was a moment when everything before my eyes went black.
"This is Viscount Crippe. I have come to convey an urgent message from the Marquis. Please excuse me."
The Kavala message still remained unscattered on my blanket, but I had no time to think about it.
The moment I saw Brentian coming in, I blacked out.
But...
"Shut up."
Andrew turned around, letting go of Sernia's collar.
'I will never join hands with that witch.'
He couldn't do something like that.
Andrew loved Ronheim, his fellow citizens, his neighbors, and the King of Ronheim, Callius.
To abandon them and stand on the side of Kavala is to betray all his loved ones.
There was no way he could live happily after doing something like that.
Sernia continued to try to seduce Andrew, but Andrew turned away from her and did not say another word.
***
'Why is this so hard?'
I shivered under the blanket.
Callius's words that I would soon get used to the cold of Ronheim were meaningless, but I had a hard time adjusting to the cold and became more and more exhausted day by day.
'It feels like a cold air is radiating from inside me.'
Is it just because it's so cold that it feels that way?
When I covered myself with a blanket, the blanket should have warmed up with my body temperature, but the inside of the blanket was as cold as ice.
My body felt like a corpse that had lost its warmth.
My skin was pale, almost bluish, and my fingernails were purple.
I was worried that all the blood inside me might have frozen.
The function of the body has reached a point where it cannot digest and will vomit out no matter how much the chef brings in food that is good for digestion.
'How much time has passed?'
No one showed it to me, but I was probably losing my mind.
I've often had situations where I felt like I'd only been lying down for a short while and the sun had set, or I felt like I'd slept for a very long time and no time had passed at all.
How long have I been lying in bed?
My mind was more complicated than usual.
The thought of having to take revenge on Kavala and Andrea, the need to investigate Andrew's sister, Hillen, and the fact that Sernia could not be left alone forever swirled through my mind.
But continuing to think was something that required energy.
I've been realizing that lately.
Everything was so disjointed and jumbled that I couldn't even begin to untangle my tangled thoughts.
'Does Karl know I'm doing this?'
I haven't seen Karl in quite some time because there were people around me all the time.
I wonder how Karl is doing. I miss him so much.
But I felt frustrated because there was nothing I could do right now.
'I guess I'm going to die. I didn't come to Ronheim to die in vain.'
I tried to grit my teeth and muster up some strength.
But even getting up wasn't easy.
It was a time when I was wasting time, neither sleeping nor awake.
In my dim vision, I saw a red bird circling around my head.
Suddenly, I came to my senses.
'It's a message from Kavala.'
Since Sernia hasn't contacted her, is she trying to communicate with me directly?
I sat up nervously and leaned against the head of the bed.
Then the red bird became a halo of light and carved a picture and words on my knee.
'What?'
While the drawing was being completed, I first read the completed text.
[I'm really worried about how you're doing.]
"What are you up to? Why did you contact me directly?"
I tried hard to calm my anxious mind.
But the letters that appeared next made my efforts go down the drain and sent my barely held-up mind plummeting into the abyss.
[I see you haven't had any good news, so I thought of a good idea because I thought you might be having trouble doing what I asked you to do.]
'A brilliant idea...?'
Long sentences continued to appear on my knees.
[I'm about to set up a teleportation circle in Ronheim. The magicians of the Magic Tower will arrive soon. Please welcome them secretly.]
Only then was the painting completed, and the finished painting was a map of Ronheim.
One place on the map was shining.
It was the exact location where I had intended to place the magic circle, where the gold mine that Callius had gifted me was located.
Kavala thought the same thing as I did.
I felt dizzy.
'What should I do?'
My thoughts were racing with thoughts of having to stop my plans and the Kavala.
'I can't breathe.'
I was dizzy from hyperventilation.
Lamia, who had been by my side the whole time, had gone out to get firewood, so unfortunately, there was no one around to help me.
'I need to come to my senses... and...'
It was a moment when everything before my eyes went black.
"This is Viscount Crippe. I have come to convey an urgent message from the Marquis. Please excuse me."
The Kavala message still remained unscattered on my blanket, but I had no time to think about it.
The moment I saw Brentian coming in, I blacked out.
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