IYDGMYD - Chapter 123

“As expected, it’s a short-distance movement magic circle.”

Luca reported after examining the remains of the magic circle left behind by the group of magicians sent by Kavala.

"It was a simple magic circle that could be created within a few days. Perhaps Kavala stationed her troops in the northern territory and waited for the magic circle to be completed."

She stationed troops in the nearby northern territory.

I had a nagging suspicion.

It seemed like Callius had the same thoughts as me.

He pointed to the Elbern County, located not far from Ronheim, on a map he had spread out on the table.

“Just as Chloe said, Count Elbern has called in his troops for military training.”

He added meaningfully.

“It is also said that Prince Andrea and Margrave Dnieper Blanco were seen in the Elbern County.”

It gave me goosebumps.

“Andrea... came all the way to the North?”

I expected that Kavala would station troops there, but I didn't know that Andrea would come in person.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist.

“Why on earth is Andrea...”

Why did he come all the way to this cold northern region, when he had no desire for hardship at all?

He has no talent for swordsmanship, yet he plans on leading an army and directly invading Ronheim.

I couldn't understand it at all.

Kavala, who wanted to invade Ronheim for her youth, and Andrea, who came to the north to harm Callius, despite the hardships.

I thought of Edzel, who was barely saved with his life, charred black.

The sight of that terrible Edzel felt like the sight of Ronheim trampled by Kavala.

Anger welled up.

"I understand the purpose of Kavala, but what exactly is Andrea's purpose? Does he, too, desire immortality? Did he hatch this scheme for such mere selfish reasons?"

Callius stopped me by covering my hand as I was about to slam my fist on the desk in anger.

Then he told me something unexpected.

“Perhaps Andrea’s purpose is different.”

“What is that?”

“It will be my death.”

His voice was calm and composed as usual, but tinged with conviction.

It was surprising that he knew that Andrea hated him so much that he wanted to kill him.

I thought Andrea was just going crazy with self-esteem, but if Callius knew, maybe there was some connection I didn't know about.

My doubts were quickly answered by Callius.

“He can’t just leave me alone.”

Callius frowned.

“Because I know his secret.”

"Secret?"

Andrea has a secret he wants to hide, even leading the army himself.

It was a story that even I, who was living a second life, did not know.

Of course, that doesn't mean I thought Andrea was innocent and had no secrets.

What was surprising was that he was so picky and timid that he was moved by a secret.

'Even when he was committing all sorts of illegal acts with Viscount Pelsus, he never got his hands dirty.'

What kind of secret is it?

Callius spoke to me in a calm voice, wondering what was going on.

"I once snuck into the palace to kill Kavala. That's when I happened to overhear. Andrea..."

Despite his calm gaze, the story he told me was one that completely shattered the order of my disgusting and terrible world, the world I had left behind when I came to Ronheim—the world I had built in the Arrental Imperial Palace.

Callius said that he had sneaked into the palace and heard Andrea and Dnieper talking in a dark hallway of the palace.

“You are my biological father...!”

“Please be careful what you say, Your Highness. Many ears are listening in the palace.”

“The Marquis can speak nicely to Mother for me, yes?”

It seemed that Andrea was being unreasonable towards Dnieper.

"Oh my god..."

"I accidentally made a noise and quickly ran away, but Andrea must have caught a glimpse of me. He yelled at me to grab my black hair. Luckily, it was a dark place where they could have that conversation openly, so I was able to escape."

Although Dnieper was chasing from behind, Callius said that he had happened to see Kavala's shadow.

It is said that Callius, whose original goal was to assassinate Kavala, focused on Kavala's shadow shimmering ahead rather than the Dnieper pursuing from behind.

“I thought that as long as I killed Kavala, then it didn’t matter what happened after that.”

“But how did you survive?”

Callius stared at me and then shrugged.

“I was lucky.”

Andrea's secret was so shocking that I didn't even think to ask Callius about the details of the story he was covering up.

I was so shocked, dismayed, and disgusted that I was speechless and slumped back in my chair.

“So that’s why.”

Now I know for sure why Andrea hated Callius so much.

I also came to understand why Kavala and Andrea had so thoroughly ruined me.

Surprisingly, they were connected to each other by a single root.

I hugged my shoulders and cried.

“That’s why. Andrea... wasn’t the Emperor’s biological child.”

Andrea was so anxious to kill him because he thought Callius had discovered it in some way.

And he was so restrained by me, the Emperor's only blood relative and the only heir to the throne.

“Andrea was the illegitimate child of Kavala and Marquis Dnieper Blanco...”

Marquis Dnieper Blanco.

He was the adopted younger brother of Kavala, and I heard that he had caused a great strife in the Blanco family when he was young, was driven out, and became a mercenary.

It was Kavala who brought him back from his wandering mercenary life.

After the death of the former Marquis of Blanco, Dnieper took over the family and remained firmly by Kavala's side as her loyal right-hand man.

'It wasn't just friendship.'

As my thoughts expanded to that point, I intuitively realized something I had never really wanted to know.

The reason why Dnieper, who was supposed to become the successor to Marquis Blanco in place of Kavala, who became the Empress, was kicked out overnight...

'Is it because the former Marquis Blanco knew that Andrea was the child of Dnieper, not the Emperor?'

It seems the timing was perfect.

I shook my head, not wanting to think any deeper about the relationship between Kavala and Dnieper.

“This is absolutely ridiculous.”

Could this be the reason why the royal family always sent Callius to all kinds of battlefields under ridiculous pretexts?

I never understood why the royal family, Kavala, and Andrea were so desperate to kill Callius, but now it all makes sense.

I looked at Callius with a feeling that I couldn't quite put into words, but it wasn't positive at all.

Behind all the misfortunes and trials that Callius and I had experienced, there was a hidden, unpleasant truth.

***

The secret of Andrea's birth was quite shocking.

However, it was the Arrental royal family's business that he was not the Emperor's biological son and that he could never become the next Emperor.

A quiet underwater secret that no one knows about yet.

Although I was angry, I couldn't neglect my immediate daily life because of it.

“It is recorded that the saints of all time knew for themselves how to use the power they possessed.”

Granada spoke plainly, with her usual dry expression and gaze, and spread out the records of the Saintess of the past before me.

“It will be helpful for you to keep this in mind, Madam.”

“All of this?”

I looked up at Granada, who was standing at the desk with a tired face after looking at the enormous amount of records.

But Granada, without batting an eye, pointed to other records beside the desk that I hadn't noticed.

"These are records of what the Saintess preached about the meaning of sacrifice and prayer. This, too, will be helpful to you, Madam."

“Granada...”

“Would you rather be at ease knowing nothing?”

I bit my lip and shook my head.

“No. I’ll see everything.”

No one forced me to live as a Saintess.

It was I who said I would take on that role.

The corners of Granada's mouth, which had been dry, curved slightly.

"The more extraordinary your abilities and the higher your position, the heavier the burden of responsibility you must bear. Just deciding to shoulder that burden is already a great achievement. So don't rush, just take it slow, one step at a time."

Her speech was stiff, but it felt warm.

“I’ll do my best.”

I decided to completely break the habit of being scared when something happens and thinking out of habit that it's difficult, I'm not confident, and I can't do it.

Didn't I tell Karl clearly?

I'll overcome it. I'll protect what's precious to me. I'll be brave.

Even at this very moment, Luca was struggling to set up a moving magic circle. For my revenge.

'Almost there.'

I remembered Kavala's curse I held within me.

Callius wanted to quickly break this curse, but I just left it alone.

When the curse was lifted, Kavala, the owner of the curse, would know that the curse had been lifted.

"It'll be trivial if you find out already. I'll tell you on the right day, with some really interesting facts."

That I, the one who had sent her to Ronheim, even given a wedding present, was the thief who had stolen the Holy Grail, and that I was the key to the Holy Grail that she had been searching for so desperately.

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