The first thing Brentian saw when he entered the Marquis's bedroom was Chloe, sitting on the bed, and then falling over.
“Your Highness!”
Startled by the unexpected situation, he instinctively ran towards Chloe and shouted.
“Wake up...!”
At that moment, red letters appeared in his eyes.
Anyone who looked at it could tell that the message was sent by Kavala using magic.
'Isn't that where the gold mine is?'
Brentian knew that Chloe had told Callius that she would secretly create a teleportation circle there.
He heard that she promised to stop Kavala and revive Ronheim with it.
But what about the Kavala's message that she would send magicians to point to that exact location and set up a moving magic circle?
Brentian's eyes rolled rapidly as if calculating something.
"They said a wizard would appear soon to set up a moving magic circle. Could it be that she was sent by Kavala? Was she in cahoots with Kavala from the beginning?"
From the beginning, everything was a scheme to completely bring Ronheim into the Empire's hands.
No, to be precise, it was a Kabbalistic scheme to obtain the power of the Holy Grail.
Kavala, what the witch wants is to obtain eternal youth through the power of the Holy Grail.
That's why she's been keeping such a close eye on Ronheim.
'Just youth!'
As a Brentian, he couldn't understand it at all.
How can they understand the base selfishness of destroying a kingdom and causing suffering to its people for the sake of one's own youth or immortality?
Brentian, who had been briefly fooled by Chloe's actions for Ronheim and its people, could not contain the anger boiling inside him.
'How dare you tempt our King with such a scheme?'
Chloe's slender neck looked like it could easily be broken with just three fingers.
Several people could attest that she had been very ill and unable to get out of bed for several days in recent days.
Even if she dies like this, no one will suspect me.
Brentian's eyes, looking down at the fallen and defenseless Chloe, were eerily sharp.
'Just a gesture.'
It was always best to nip the buds of misfortune in the bud quickly.
I writhe in a hazy state of mind.
'I have to explain to Viscount Creep that everything was a misunderstanding.'
Brentian is already suspicious of me.
He must have seen the message Kavala sent.
I desperately tried to wake up my mind, which was sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss.
It was painful, but I felt like if I didn't cheer up, I would fall into a deep sleep and never wake up.
Next to me was the illusion of Karl.
'Why are you struggling like this?'
'Viscount Creep will try to drive me out. He won't listen to me.'
'If this is not a place you can be, then leave, Chloe.'
'I will not leave Ronheim.'
'Why?'
'Because I fell in love with this place.'
All I could feel was hot tears welling up in my eyes, without being able to see anything.
'I want to be in Ronheim. This is my place.'
Ronheim was the first place where I, who had drifted without resistance, wanted to put down roots.
My place, where I belong, is a place where I feel happy imagining my future rooted here.
Have I ever felt this sense of belonging?
It was a feeling of fullness I had never felt before.
I won't be able to feel something like this anywhere else.
If I leave Ronheim, I will once again become a puppet of Kavala and Andrea and have to live a life I don't want to live.
I wondered if I had any hope if I could not escape their shadows even after running this far.
I desperately tried to get out of the darkness.
But as I struggled, black shadows kept crawling up my ankles, pulling me into the dark abyss.
Every time I lost strength, negative thoughts would pop up in my head one by one.
'I won't be able to adapt to the cold of Ronheim. I'm becoming increasingly unsure.'
Karl gently stroked my hair. It was a sweet touch.
'It's okay to give up, Chloe.'
It was a warmth that I could not deny at all.
For a moment, I thought, "Could that be it?" at that ticklish touch.
My body felt like it weighed a ton. I was fighting against a drowsiness that felt like death.
But why is that?
The warm touch of Karl brings to mind the embrace of Kavala from the past.
The warmth that seeps into my longing heart without mercy.
In my past life, I wouldn't have been able to reject the warmth, no matter how false I knew it was. No matter who it was.
But now I know.
That's not all the warm, loving touches are meant for me.
I learned that I shouldn't live my life intoxicated by the warmth that others give me and chase after it.
I also learned that things that are 'truly' for me are not only sweet, but can also be difficult and painful.
I gritted my teeth and shook off the illusion of Karl.
'I won't give up.'
It's different from before.
"I won't give up easily, I won't give in, I won't let others dictate my life. I'll keep trying."
At that moment, it seemed like I could hear Lhasa's voice in my ear.
"Don't keep relying on empty promises. They may be sweet in the moment, but they're not beneficial. They'll only weaken you. You need to cut them off from the things that keep lingering around you."
'...!'
I looked at the illusion of Karl.
That's not the real Karl.
But beyond the welcome, I remembered the existence of a real Karl.
Why do I wonder if the 'empty thing' that Lhasa spoke of might not have been Karl?
It was confusing.
'No, of course not. You're my most precious person, aren't you?'
'Well then, Chloe. I will always be there to comfort you.'
Karl's welcome smile, just like a real Karl.
Even if you had said it was a real Karl, I would have said the same thing.
Karl was such a being.
But why?
Why is Karl such a thing?
When did it start? Marl became a natural thing.
Why does Karl give me so much?
It felt like Karl lived only for me, to the point where he came with me to Ronheim.
I didn't think it was strange before, but now I am.
As I looked at the illusion of Karl in confusion, the illusion of Karl smiled and said.
'You decided so.'
The smile was very friendly, but somehow it felt uncomfortable.
That's just an illusion of Karl.
What's strange isn't Karl, it's the illusion.
Thinking like that, I tried to calm my confused mind.
Then, with difficulty, I turned away from the outstretched hand of Karl and turned my back on him.
Although the pain that was too much to bear alone was weighing on my body, I did not rely on the illusion of Karl.
'I have to wake up.'
The illusion of Karl called out to me from behind, but I didn't answer it and just flailed my arms and legs as if I was trying to get out of the water.
“Don’t let death consume you.”
The voice of Lhasa became my guide.
'Cheer up, Chloe. Get a grip, Chloe...!'
It is best to nip the buds of misfortune in the bud quickly.
But Brentian couldn't bring himself to harm Chloe, who had fallen unconscious.
He weakly lowered the hand he had been holding near Chloe's neck.
'My heart is like a chimney.'
He doesn't have the confidence to do something that would incur Callius's wrath.
He wanted to protect Ronheim and live in this land that had become as peaceful as before until the day he died. He was not willing to make the enormous sacrifice of being driven out of Ronheim by incurring Callius's wrath.
Even if it is to prevent Kavala, he cannot do something as foolish as burning down a house to catch a flea.
'First of all, it would be best to report this to Callius.'
The priority is to report to Callius that Chloe and Kavala are secretly communicating and that Kavala is attempting to set up a teleportation circle where the gold mine is.
Brentian knew his place.
'Acting unilaterally now would be nothing more than an abuse of authority against Callius.'
Before they were friends, the two were King and subject.
Brentian did not forget that fact.
It was when he turned his back to tell the others that Chloe had collapsed and to take action.
“I won’t... leave... Ronheim.”
“...?”
Brentian turned around in surprise at the sudden voice.
Chloe's eyelids were fluttering.
“Your Highness, are you awake? Your Highness!”
No matter how much he called her, she wouldn't wake up easily, and she would gasp and move her lips as if she were having a nightmare.
Brentian tried to shake Chloe awake, but stopped when he heard her mumbling.
“Because I... have come to love... this place.”
Tears flowed from her eyes.
“I want to be in Ronheim. This is my... place.”
“...”
Brentian's gaze wavered violently.
“Your Highness!”
Startled by the unexpected situation, he instinctively ran towards Chloe and shouted.
“Wake up...!”
At that moment, red letters appeared in his eyes.
Anyone who looked at it could tell that the message was sent by Kavala using magic.
'Isn't that where the gold mine is?'
Brentian knew that Chloe had told Callius that she would secretly create a teleportation circle there.
He heard that she promised to stop Kavala and revive Ronheim with it.
But what about the Kavala's message that she would send magicians to point to that exact location and set up a moving magic circle?
Brentian's eyes rolled rapidly as if calculating something.
"They said a wizard would appear soon to set up a moving magic circle. Could it be that she was sent by Kavala? Was she in cahoots with Kavala from the beginning?"
From the beginning, everything was a scheme to completely bring Ronheim into the Empire's hands.
No, to be precise, it was a Kabbalistic scheme to obtain the power of the Holy Grail.
Kavala, what the witch wants is to obtain eternal youth through the power of the Holy Grail.
That's why she's been keeping such a close eye on Ronheim.
'Just youth!'
As a Brentian, he couldn't understand it at all.
How can they understand the base selfishness of destroying a kingdom and causing suffering to its people for the sake of one's own youth or immortality?
Brentian, who had been briefly fooled by Chloe's actions for Ronheim and its people, could not contain the anger boiling inside him.
'How dare you tempt our King with such a scheme?'
Chloe's slender neck looked like it could easily be broken with just three fingers.
Several people could attest that she had been very ill and unable to get out of bed for several days in recent days.
Even if she dies like this, no one will suspect me.
Brentian's eyes, looking down at the fallen and defenseless Chloe, were eerily sharp.
'Just a gesture.'
It was always best to nip the buds of misfortune in the bud quickly.
***
I writhe in a hazy state of mind.
'I have to explain to Viscount Creep that everything was a misunderstanding.'
Brentian is already suspicious of me.
He must have seen the message Kavala sent.
I desperately tried to wake up my mind, which was sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss.
It was painful, but I felt like if I didn't cheer up, I would fall into a deep sleep and never wake up.
Next to me was the illusion of Karl.
'Why are you struggling like this?'
'Viscount Creep will try to drive me out. He won't listen to me.'
'If this is not a place you can be, then leave, Chloe.'
'I will not leave Ronheim.'
'Why?'
'Because I fell in love with this place.'
All I could feel was hot tears welling up in my eyes, without being able to see anything.
'I want to be in Ronheim. This is my place.'
Ronheim was the first place where I, who had drifted without resistance, wanted to put down roots.
My place, where I belong, is a place where I feel happy imagining my future rooted here.
Have I ever felt this sense of belonging?
It was a feeling of fullness I had never felt before.
I won't be able to feel something like this anywhere else.
If I leave Ronheim, I will once again become a puppet of Kavala and Andrea and have to live a life I don't want to live.
I wondered if I had any hope if I could not escape their shadows even after running this far.
I desperately tried to get out of the darkness.
But as I struggled, black shadows kept crawling up my ankles, pulling me into the dark abyss.
Every time I lost strength, negative thoughts would pop up in my head one by one.
'I won't be able to adapt to the cold of Ronheim. I'm becoming increasingly unsure.'
Karl gently stroked my hair. It was a sweet touch.
'It's okay to give up, Chloe.'
It was a warmth that I could not deny at all.
For a moment, I thought, "Could that be it?" at that ticklish touch.
My body felt like it weighed a ton. I was fighting against a drowsiness that felt like death.
But why is that?
The warm touch of Karl brings to mind the embrace of Kavala from the past.
The warmth that seeps into my longing heart without mercy.
In my past life, I wouldn't have been able to reject the warmth, no matter how false I knew it was. No matter who it was.
But now I know.
That's not all the warm, loving touches are meant for me.
I learned that I shouldn't live my life intoxicated by the warmth that others give me and chase after it.
I also learned that things that are 'truly' for me are not only sweet, but can also be difficult and painful.
I gritted my teeth and shook off the illusion of Karl.
'I won't give up.'
It's different from before.
"I won't give up easily, I won't give in, I won't let others dictate my life. I'll keep trying."
At that moment, it seemed like I could hear Lhasa's voice in my ear.
"Don't keep relying on empty promises. They may be sweet in the moment, but they're not beneficial. They'll only weaken you. You need to cut them off from the things that keep lingering around you."
'...!'
I looked at the illusion of Karl.
That's not the real Karl.
But beyond the welcome, I remembered the existence of a real Karl.
Why do I wonder if the 'empty thing' that Lhasa spoke of might not have been Karl?
It was confusing.
'No, of course not. You're my most precious person, aren't you?'
'Well then, Chloe. I will always be there to comfort you.'
Karl's welcome smile, just like a real Karl.
Even if you had said it was a real Karl, I would have said the same thing.
Karl was such a being.
But why?
Why is Karl such a thing?
When did it start? Marl became a natural thing.
Why does Karl give me so much?
It felt like Karl lived only for me, to the point where he came with me to Ronheim.
I didn't think it was strange before, but now I am.
As I looked at the illusion of Karl in confusion, the illusion of Karl smiled and said.
'You decided so.'
The smile was very friendly, but somehow it felt uncomfortable.
That's just an illusion of Karl.
What's strange isn't Karl, it's the illusion.
Thinking like that, I tried to calm my confused mind.
Then, with difficulty, I turned away from the outstretched hand of Karl and turned my back on him.
Although the pain that was too much to bear alone was weighing on my body, I did not rely on the illusion of Karl.
'I have to wake up.'
The illusion of Karl called out to me from behind, but I didn't answer it and just flailed my arms and legs as if I was trying to get out of the water.
“Don’t let death consume you.”
The voice of Lhasa became my guide.
'Cheer up, Chloe. Get a grip, Chloe...!'
***
It is best to nip the buds of misfortune in the bud quickly.
But Brentian couldn't bring himself to harm Chloe, who had fallen unconscious.
He weakly lowered the hand he had been holding near Chloe's neck.
'My heart is like a chimney.'
He doesn't have the confidence to do something that would incur Callius's wrath.
He wanted to protect Ronheim and live in this land that had become as peaceful as before until the day he died. He was not willing to make the enormous sacrifice of being driven out of Ronheim by incurring Callius's wrath.
Even if it is to prevent Kavala, he cannot do something as foolish as burning down a house to catch a flea.
'First of all, it would be best to report this to Callius.'
The priority is to report to Callius that Chloe and Kavala are secretly communicating and that Kavala is attempting to set up a teleportation circle where the gold mine is.
Brentian knew his place.
'Acting unilaterally now would be nothing more than an abuse of authority against Callius.'
Before they were friends, the two were King and subject.
Brentian did not forget that fact.
It was when he turned his back to tell the others that Chloe had collapsed and to take action.
“I won’t... leave... Ronheim.”
“...?”
Brentian turned around in surprise at the sudden voice.
Chloe's eyelids were fluttering.
“Your Highness, are you awake? Your Highness!”
No matter how much he called her, she wouldn't wake up easily, and she would gasp and move her lips as if she were having a nightmare.
Brentian tried to shake Chloe awake, but stopped when he heard her mumbling.
“Because I... have come to love... this place.”
Tears flowed from her eyes.
“I want to be in Ronheim. This is my... place.”
“...”
Brentian's gaze wavered violently.
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