Episode 33. The Weight of the Name Bercheria
Owl, who had been sleeping clinging to Laurent's shoulder, opened his eyes wide and lifted his head.
The lizard's gaze was fixed directly on Bercheria.
She lowered her gaze, then slowly raised it again.
"Prince Laurent. I'm sorry, but whatever you wanted, you couldn't take it from me."
"Bercheria."
The weight of that name weighed heavily on Bercheria's chest.
Now she realized.
If she kept running like this, she would eventually end up in another predicament.
The end of running would be failure again.
"I won't let anyone take what's mine anymore."
It was time to learn to protect herself.
To protect the weight of the name Bercheria.
A light suddenly turned on at the entrance to the imperial portal.
A blue light shimmered above the head of the royal guard knight dozing before it.
Usually, he neglected his duties of guarding the portal.
Since this portal itself was impossible to enter without permission, all one had to do was stay in place at the appointed time.
The guard knight, who had firmly believed that today would pass without incident as usual, suddenly jumped to his feet in surprise when the ground shook.
“What, what!”
Suddenly noticing the portal light up, he fumbled for his horn and blew it long. A long blast, poo...
Repeatedly echoed, and he saw torches ignite at the top of the castle.
He swallowed hard and pulled out his sword from his waist, clutching it tightly with both hands.
Sometimes, during breaks, the guard knights would joke about the side effects the wizards who created this portal had mentioned. They said monsters from different dimensions could emerge.
Or that the spirits of dead wizards would possess it and try to prey on people.
They used to pass the time joking about such trivial things.
His hands trembled as he remembered that story.
“It’s okay. It’s just a malfunction. That can happen. It’ll just go out if it keeps going like this.”
The portal split in half in front of the royal knight, who was muttering to himself.
And then, suddenly, the shadow of a woman with disheveled hair appeared.
“Who, who are you!”
The knight shouted, pulling out even the courage he had been nursing.
The woman emerged from the portal, her brown hair falling in front of her face, walking like a ghost.
“If you don’t speak, I have no choice but to kill you!”
No matter how loudly he screamed, there was no response from the woman.
“Damn it.”
The knight raised his sword and rushed toward the woman.
Anyone who emerged from the portal, if they posed a threat to the imperial family, could be immediately executed.
During the War of the Three Continents, soldiers from the Kingdom of Contana, who had seized a portal near the border, had poured through it into the imperial palace.
Gerard, who had been caught off guard and had suddenly taken over the imperial palace, had suffered a humiliating fate.
Had Lacrahan not followed and annihilated them all, Periat would have belonged to the barbaric Contana by now.
Since then, Gerard has meticulously managed the portal, and he has revised the law to allow for immediate killing if something unexpected emerges from it.
“I warn you for the last time! Stop, or I will kill you!”
Pooh—
A trumpet sounded from afar, and the faint, if still palpable, sound of horse hooves hitting the ground.
“Haah.”
Just as the knight, emboldened, was about to approach the woman with his sword,
“Huk!”
He dropped his sword in surprise at the sight of the woman’s face through her hair.
“Ke, Princess Kelita! What the hell is going on!”
As the knight approached her and tried to support her, she flailed forward, as if every bone in her body had vanished.
“Ugh!”
The knight shouted, lifting her into his arms.
“Who the hell could have taken the Princess? Princess!”
Kelita, trembling, replied in a voice that sounded like a sigh.
“Lacrahan.”
With only four words left, she lost consciousness.
There was one thing that always weighed on Bercheria’s mind.
The rope that had been thrown as if it had been waiting for her when she escaped the tower.
Up until now, she had been robbed of many abilities by her mother, but she never had the chance to find out what those abilities were.
So, if she fell from this tower, would she survive or die?
Or would a terrible future await her, her body crushed and barely clinging to life?
If she knew the answer, she might have thrown herself without hesitation.
That day, when her mother hadn't been in the tower for days, what choice would she have made if there had been no rope?
"Because I was the one who helped you escape the tower. Der'Ansis is so good at many things, but among them, we're incredibly good at pulling out tough, thin ropes."
Laurent's words were a shock to her.
Until now, she had believed she had escaped on her own.
It was her own will that had driven her out of her mother's embrace.
For the first time, Bercheria believed she was making her own choices in life.
And that's why she wanted to take responsibility for her future, step by step.
A life where she made all the decisions, where she acted according to her own desires.
Trapped in that narrow tower, it was the world she had dreamed of her entire life.
But that wasn't the case.
Even her escape wasn't her own, but the will of a Prince from a neighboring country she didn't even know.
The moment she realized this, Bercheria's heart sank.
What have I been doing all this time?
Born as an Awakened God, she's not only failed to protect all the people living here, but also endangered them.
And now, afraid of her mother's return, she's running away?
Bercheria looked at Lacrahan, who sat before her.
His deep gaze was calmly fixed on her.
"That's why I'm walking. If I can make it rain when needed, or stop it. People won't have to die anymore."
"Let's stop overthinking and start with what's necessary. First, we need to regain our strength until your presence is revealed."
It was her good fortune to meet Lacrahan immediately after leaving the tower.
A stroke of luck brought about by her choice.
Had she not saved the children, Bercheria's life would have unfolded differently.
Lacrahan was the only person who approached her without purpose.
Even now, far from feeling resentful for sharing her divine substance, he was struggling to find a safer path.
Bercheria, who had always avoided the idea, was now looking at herself objectively for the first time.
This was the world outside the tower she'd dreamed of her entire life.
Her wish had been granted, yet she still thought only of running away from her mother.
It was no different from being trapped in the tower.
“Is your goal to take me to Der'Ansis? Or do you need my power, like my Mother?”
Bercheria, the greatest being protecting this land, the goddess of weather.
That was her name.
So now was the time to live up to that name.
“I will not allow anyone to take what's mine anymore.”
Bercheria stood up and turned her gaze straight toward Lacrahan.
“Lacrahan.”
Her expression was uncharacteristically tense.
Bercheria placed a hand on his face and leaned in closer.
Her deep eyes, like the night sky, radiated a sense of unwavering confidence, no matter what happened.
“Let's get married.”
Laurent's breath caught at her voice.
“What happened to you, what you will be responsible for in the future—I don't want to think about that right now. Until I marry you and regain both my strength and my divine essence.”
Bercheria's golden eyes sparkled with light from within.
"I intend to use you."
Lacrahan, who had been watching her, tilted his lips upward.
"Use me."
Owl, who had been sleeping clinging to Laurent's shoulder, opened his eyes wide and lifted his head.
The lizard's gaze was fixed directly on Bercheria.
She lowered her gaze, then slowly raised it again.
"Prince Laurent. I'm sorry, but whatever you wanted, you couldn't take it from me."
"Bercheria."
The weight of that name weighed heavily on Bercheria's chest.
Now she realized.
If she kept running like this, she would eventually end up in another predicament.
The end of running would be failure again.
"I won't let anyone take what's mine anymore."
It was time to learn to protect herself.
To protect the weight of the name Bercheria.
***
A light suddenly turned on at the entrance to the imperial portal.
A blue light shimmered above the head of the royal guard knight dozing before it.
Usually, he neglected his duties of guarding the portal.
Since this portal itself was impossible to enter without permission, all one had to do was stay in place at the appointed time.
The guard knight, who had firmly believed that today would pass without incident as usual, suddenly jumped to his feet in surprise when the ground shook.
“What, what!”
Suddenly noticing the portal light up, he fumbled for his horn and blew it long. A long blast, poo...
Repeatedly echoed, and he saw torches ignite at the top of the castle.
He swallowed hard and pulled out his sword from his waist, clutching it tightly with both hands.
Sometimes, during breaks, the guard knights would joke about the side effects the wizards who created this portal had mentioned. They said monsters from different dimensions could emerge.
Or that the spirits of dead wizards would possess it and try to prey on people.
They used to pass the time joking about such trivial things.
His hands trembled as he remembered that story.
“It’s okay. It’s just a malfunction. That can happen. It’ll just go out if it keeps going like this.”
The portal split in half in front of the royal knight, who was muttering to himself.
And then, suddenly, the shadow of a woman with disheveled hair appeared.
“Who, who are you!”
The knight shouted, pulling out even the courage he had been nursing.
The woman emerged from the portal, her brown hair falling in front of her face, walking like a ghost.
“If you don’t speak, I have no choice but to kill you!”
No matter how loudly he screamed, there was no response from the woman.
“Damn it.”
The knight raised his sword and rushed toward the woman.
Anyone who emerged from the portal, if they posed a threat to the imperial family, could be immediately executed.
During the War of the Three Continents, soldiers from the Kingdom of Contana, who had seized a portal near the border, had poured through it into the imperial palace.
Gerard, who had been caught off guard and had suddenly taken over the imperial palace, had suffered a humiliating fate.
Had Lacrahan not followed and annihilated them all, Periat would have belonged to the barbaric Contana by now.
Since then, Gerard has meticulously managed the portal, and he has revised the law to allow for immediate killing if something unexpected emerges from it.
“I warn you for the last time! Stop, or I will kill you!”
Pooh—
A trumpet sounded from afar, and the faint, if still palpable, sound of horse hooves hitting the ground.
“Haah.”
Just as the knight, emboldened, was about to approach the woman with his sword,
“Huk!”
He dropped his sword in surprise at the sight of the woman’s face through her hair.
“Ke, Princess Kelita! What the hell is going on!”
As the knight approached her and tried to support her, she flailed forward, as if every bone in her body had vanished.
“Ugh!”
The knight shouted, lifting her into his arms.
“Who the hell could have taken the Princess? Princess!”
Kelita, trembling, replied in a voice that sounded like a sigh.
“Lacrahan.”
With only four words left, she lost consciousness.
***
There was one thing that always weighed on Bercheria’s mind.
The rope that had been thrown as if it had been waiting for her when she escaped the tower.
Up until now, she had been robbed of many abilities by her mother, but she never had the chance to find out what those abilities were.
So, if she fell from this tower, would she survive or die?
Or would a terrible future await her, her body crushed and barely clinging to life?
If she knew the answer, she might have thrown herself without hesitation.
That day, when her mother hadn't been in the tower for days, what choice would she have made if there had been no rope?
"Because I was the one who helped you escape the tower. Der'Ansis is so good at many things, but among them, we're incredibly good at pulling out tough, thin ropes."
Laurent's words were a shock to her.
Until now, she had believed she had escaped on her own.
It was her own will that had driven her out of her mother's embrace.
For the first time, Bercheria believed she was making her own choices in life.
And that's why she wanted to take responsibility for her future, step by step.
A life where she made all the decisions, where she acted according to her own desires.
Trapped in that narrow tower, it was the world she had dreamed of her entire life.
But that wasn't the case.
Even her escape wasn't her own, but the will of a Prince from a neighboring country she didn't even know.
The moment she realized this, Bercheria's heart sank.
What have I been doing all this time?
Born as an Awakened God, she's not only failed to protect all the people living here, but also endangered them.
And now, afraid of her mother's return, she's running away?
Bercheria looked at Lacrahan, who sat before her.
His deep gaze was calmly fixed on her.
"That's why I'm walking. If I can make it rain when needed, or stop it. People won't have to die anymore."
"Let's stop overthinking and start with what's necessary. First, we need to regain our strength until your presence is revealed."
It was her good fortune to meet Lacrahan immediately after leaving the tower.
A stroke of luck brought about by her choice.
Had she not saved the children, Bercheria's life would have unfolded differently.
Lacrahan was the only person who approached her without purpose.
Even now, far from feeling resentful for sharing her divine substance, he was struggling to find a safer path.
Bercheria, who had always avoided the idea, was now looking at herself objectively for the first time.
This was the world outside the tower she'd dreamed of her entire life.
Her wish had been granted, yet she still thought only of running away from her mother.
It was no different from being trapped in the tower.
“Is your goal to take me to Der'Ansis? Or do you need my power, like my Mother?”
Bercheria, the greatest being protecting this land, the goddess of weather.
That was her name.
So now was the time to live up to that name.
“I will not allow anyone to take what's mine anymore.”
Bercheria stood up and turned her gaze straight toward Lacrahan.
“Lacrahan.”
Her expression was uncharacteristically tense.
Bercheria placed a hand on his face and leaned in closer.
Her deep eyes, like the night sky, radiated a sense of unwavering confidence, no matter what happened.
“Let's get married.”
Laurent's breath caught at her voice.
“What happened to you, what you will be responsible for in the future—I don't want to think about that right now. Until I marry you and regain both my strength and my divine essence.”
Bercheria's golden eyes sparkled with light from within.
"I intend to use you."
Lacrahan, who had been watching her, tilted his lips upward.
"Use me."
Lacrahan pushed his chair aside and stood up, meeting Laurent's gaze as if to show off, before leaving.
"I like selfish women."
Bercheria also gave Laurent a brief greeting and followed Lacrahan.
"Huh."
Laurent, left alone, let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh. Revealing that I brought you the rope was a real trump card."
Laurent stared blankly at the door through which Bercheria had disappeared.
Lauren's brow furrowed as Owl, who had been hanging on his shoulder, licked his tongue.
"What are you talking about? Why give up? Beloveye. Do you think those people look like people you love?"
Laurent shook his head and rose from his chair.
“Of course, becoming the Emperor of a unified continent is appealing. That’s our ultimate goal. But you know,”
He said, his expression serious for the first time in a long while.
“I don’t want to give up Bercheria. Me too.”
“Your Majesty, the Emperor!”
Gerard, who had been sleeping, suddenly jumped out of bed at the sudden noise.
“What is it now! Are all these bastards crazy?”
Gerard’s face was a mess.
It was understandable, since he couldn’t sleep because of that damn Bercheria.
He summoned the captain of the royal guard and had him urgently bring in wizards and witches from the dungeons to replenish the portal with mana, but none of them would survive to act human. He assumed he’d been awakened for a similar reason, but a completely unexpected word came out of the royal guard’s mouth.
“Your Majesty, the Emperor. Princess Kelita.”
“...What?”
“The Princess just came through the portal.”
Gerard’s face contorted.
“What are you talking about? Kelita came at this hour?”
The royal guard stammered, explaining the situation just now.
Gerard put on his robe and headed toward where Kelita was.
The sudden commotion had left those following the Emperor in disarray.
“Continue.”
Gerard gestured, and the guard knight continued what he had just said.
“Suddenly, the portal lit up, and Princess Kelita emerged. I seriously suspected it was a momentary dimensional shift. Because...”
Gerard approached the gathering crowd.
They spotted Gerard, parted ways, and bowed.
Through the gap, Kelita lay on the bed, a mess.
The guard knight’s voice, still unfinished, came from behind him.
“Because Princess Kelita was in disarray. I helped her up, even though she was staggering.”
Gerard slowly walked toward Kelita.
“I asked who had done this, and she told me a name.”
Gerard looked down at the filthy Kelita, who could hardly be considered the Emperor’s sister.
“Tell me. The name.”
The knight leaned even closer to Gerard and whispered,
"It was Lacrahan."
"I like selfish women."
Bercheria also gave Laurent a brief greeting and followed Lacrahan.
"Huh."
Laurent, left alone, let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh. Revealing that I brought you the rope was a real trump card."
Laurent stared blankly at the door through which Bercheria had disappeared.
Lauren's brow furrowed as Owl, who had been hanging on his shoulder, licked his tongue.
"What are you talking about? Why give up? Beloveye. Do you think those people look like people you love?"
Laurent shook his head and rose from his chair.
“Of course, becoming the Emperor of a unified continent is appealing. That’s our ultimate goal. But you know,”
He said, his expression serious for the first time in a long while.
“I don’t want to give up Bercheria. Me too.”
***
“Your Majesty, the Emperor!”
Gerard, who had been sleeping, suddenly jumped out of bed at the sudden noise.
“What is it now! Are all these bastards crazy?”
Gerard’s face was a mess.
It was understandable, since he couldn’t sleep because of that damn Bercheria.
He summoned the captain of the royal guard and had him urgently bring in wizards and witches from the dungeons to replenish the portal with mana, but none of them would survive to act human. He assumed he’d been awakened for a similar reason, but a completely unexpected word came out of the royal guard’s mouth.
“Your Majesty, the Emperor. Princess Kelita.”
“...What?”
“The Princess just came through the portal.”
Gerard’s face contorted.
“What are you talking about? Kelita came at this hour?”
The royal guard stammered, explaining the situation just now.
Gerard put on his robe and headed toward where Kelita was.
The sudden commotion had left those following the Emperor in disarray.
“Continue.”
Gerard gestured, and the guard knight continued what he had just said.
“Suddenly, the portal lit up, and Princess Kelita emerged. I seriously suspected it was a momentary dimensional shift. Because...”
Gerard approached the gathering crowd.
They spotted Gerard, parted ways, and bowed.
Through the gap, Kelita lay on the bed, a mess.
The guard knight’s voice, still unfinished, came from behind him.
“Because Princess Kelita was in disarray. I helped her up, even though she was staggering.”
Gerard slowly walked toward Kelita.
“I asked who had done this, and she told me a name.”
Gerard looked down at the filthy Kelita, who could hardly be considered the Emperor’s sister.
“Tell me. The name.”
The knight leaned even closer to Gerard and whispered,
"It was Lacrahan."
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