Episode 47. The Curious Boy, and Bercheria
Bercheria couldn't believe it.
"Go to Periat and find Bercheria, marry her, and..."
"So he's telling you to take me to the Kingdom of Contana, is that what you're saying?"
Dipper asked, his face a bit surprised.
"How do you know that?"
"Ha."
Bercheria let out a long sigh.
She couldn't even begin to fathom what the Supreme Being was thinking right now.
Why was he trying so hard to block Lacrahan and Bercheria's relationship?
A strange sense of rebellion kept surfacing.
"Bercheria."
Dipper suddenly grabbed her hand and knelt, causing her shoulders to jump in surprise.
"Bercheria. This is fate. The fact that I gave you the Muha Egg, and that we met again after traveling back in time. This! This is all something I can only explain as fate."
Bercheria sighed and rubbed her eyes.
The cold air tingled under her palms.
“Muha, the God of the Earth.”
“Yes.”
“I have one more question. How did you know Emperor Gerard would come to the North?”
“Ah. That noisy man.”
Dipper shook his head.
He knew everything happening on Earth without necessarily wanting to know.
Especially where mana flowed or where mana was being used, it became so concrete that it was almost like seeing it with his own eyes.
“I saw it.”
Dipper closed his eyes and slowly moved his lips.
“What I really ‘saw’ wasn’t the Emperor. It was the mana boy beside him.”
Dipper’s mysterious silver eyes gleamed in the darkness.
“Emperor Periat is coming to the North with a strange boy.”
“Bercheria.”
Leaving the study and opening the bedroom door, Lacrahan scanned the empty room.
Clearly, when he left, he had made Bercheria promise not to move from this room.
“She’s a very disobedient type.”
Lacrahan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Pulling his pocket watch from his pocket, he checked the time and pondered for a moment.
Should he go find Bercheria, or do his own thing?
“...”
Leaning back, he looked at the bed, then turned and headed toward the library.
“Even if she doesn’t listen, she’s not the type to act irresponsibly.”
The square was bustling with people preparing for a wedding, and Bercheria had clearly made it clear to him that she would attend.
Therefore, he trusted that she would return on time, no matter where she went.
Lacrahan wanted to confirm a thought that had suddenly occurred to him while he was working.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
A servant passing by with cleaning supplies greeted him.
“The wedding preparations are almost finished. Are you heading that way?”
“No, to the library. If anyone asks for me, could you tell them to come that way?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Lacrahan strode past him and walked briskly down the hallway.
The Edkins family, from which Lacrahan was born, had established itself in this land long before the Atal family, the Emperors.
They had long enjoyed wealth and the respect of the people.
Their natural aversion to political interference meant they never sought power, but neither did they simply stand by.
As ice-attributed wizards, they had firmly established their position within the nation.
Lacrahan passed a plaque at the library entrance inscribed, "Those who know not the past cannot dream of the future." Up until now, while searching for information on the sacred object, Lacrahan had focused solely on Bercheria.
Since it was Bercheria's sacred object, he had assumed it was only natural that it was carved into her. But upon reflection, it was also possible that Lacrahan had been a factor.
When things don't work out, it's essential to consider a different perspective.
At least, he reasoned, it wouldn't be a pointless endeavor. After all, Lacrahan, Edkins, wasn't born into an ordinary family.
Everyone in Periat knew the Edkins family.
He walked to the deepest part of the library, took out the books about his family, and began to read them one by one.
The pattern created by Bercheria's sacred power was vivid on his arm, supporting the book.
Lacrahan unconsciously tapped his lips with his index finger.
After the wedding ceremony today, the two would spend their first night together.
Lacrahan had resolved one thing when he told Bercheria about his marriage.
Even if it was a marriage of necessity, he would treat her with even greater sincerity than a real marriage.
Of course, Lacrahan would not be the first to demand a divorce.
From now on, this marriage would be concluded solely according to Bercheria's will.
He had spoken of the marriage out of fear of losing Bercheria, but since then, he had never regretted it.
Lacrahan didn't want to take responsibility for his own words.
He wanted to hold onto Bercheria by any means necessary.
If he could keep her by using the sacred power engraved on his arm as collateral, that wouldn't be a bad idea.
But Bercheria's life was at stake, so he couldn't bring himself to do so.
He planned to do everything he could to return Bercheria's staff to her.
If that were to happen, order in Periat would be restored.
The Emperor would once again realize that he was merely an Emperor, not the law, and the people would live in peace at home, grateful for Bercheria's return.
Lacrahan imagined Bacheria holding her staff, then raised an eyebrow.
"It would be quite magnificent."
With her wavy blond hair and Bercheria's confident demeanor, not only Lacrahan but everyone who witnessed her would surely fall in love with her.
He pondered this for a moment, then quickly lowered his head back to his book.
Only until the people came calling for him a few hours later, before the wedding began.
Lacrahan turned the pages with concentration.
Bercheria straightened her back and glanced down at the scenery beneath the tree.
The two were now aboard Muha's new nest. They had climbed onto Muha's back to see if the Emperor and his entourage would pass through the portal, but Muha had abandoned them in his nest and gone off somewhere else.
“Even if you activate the portal two or three times, all the mana dissolved in the nearby land will disappear. You’ll need at least a week to ten days to generate enough to open another one.”
“So that’s why you brought someone who can create mana.”
“I think that’s the boy.”
Bercheria glanced behind her anxiously, but Dipper reassured her.
“Don’t worry. Muha will be back soon. He must have gotten hungry after being carried around for a few days.”
“Yes.”
“Anyway, the boy is very peculiar.”
Bercheria looked towards Lacrahan’s castle with a hint of worry.
People inside the castle might be looking for her right now.
They need her more than anything to proceed with the wedding they’ve been preparing for all day.
Muha needs to return before it’s too late.
Bercheria still felt uneasy, gazing at Lacrahan’s castle in the distance.
“I didn’t even know there was such a boy in this land. I was a little surprised.”
Dipper gazed at Bercheria for a moment, then lifted his fingertips and turned Bercheria's cheek, which was staring into the distance, to himself.
A hand, larger than her face, carefully touched her and then withdrew.
"Ask me what makes that boy so special."
Black and white. His gray eyes, perfectly in the middle, were composed of fine lines like fine threads and transparent pupils.
Sitting in this void, staring into Dipper's eyes, she felt as if she were floating in the middle of space.
"Why, so special?"
"They're the same."
Bercheria frowned, as if she couldn't understand.
"What?"
"With you."
Dipper lifted his masculine, square jaw slightly.
His downcast gaze, unlike his typically strong image, was profound.
"The energy I sense from that boy's mana is the same as yours, Bercheria. As if something that was once one had been split in two."
The idea of sharing energy with a stranger she hadn't even seen sounded strange.
"Swish."
Muha was flying behind Dipper.
Dipper, checking behind him, smiled faintly.
"I thought it wouldn't take long, right?"
He stood up, dusting himself off, and offered Bercheria a hand.
The woven branches made it difficult to step on.
Bercheria, who stumbled as she tried to stand on her own, lightly grasped Dipper's outstretched hand.
Immediately, he covered her hand with his.
Bercheria leaped to her feet, not by her own strength, but by his.
Dipper brushed the leaves off Bercheria's dress with his hand.
He was doing something no ordinary noble would do, without hesitation.
Bercheria, who was not prejudiced, accepted such behavior without a second thought.
"Are they people I should be wary of?"
"Of course. Even now, the lands near the imperial palace are constantly sending out messages warning us to beware of them."
She looked up at the sky, her face still expressionless.
"Bercheria."
At Dipper's voice, Bercheria lowered her head to meet him.
He was looking at her with a faint smile.
"Have you ever thought about going back?"
Bercheria's eyes widened at the unexpected question.
"Where?"
"To the tower."
She looked at Dipper's right and left eyes in turn, as if grasping the question.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"No way. Oh, of course, I'm confused and scared by the sudden onslaught of so much, and I'm worried about how I'll get through this."
"Yes."
"If you're asking if I want to go back, absolutely not."
A smile spread across Dipper's face.
"I understand. You don't want to go back to the tower."
"Yes, absolutely not. No matter what, I won't go back."
Bercheria turned her head in the direction where the tower had disappeared.
The foggy, damp atmosphere remained, but the tower where she had been trapped was no longer there.
The tower that had imprisoned Bercheria for so long was now engraved on her body, and on Lacrahan.
"Then you just have to choose. Will you follow me, or will you stay here?"
Despite his strong, masculine body, Dipper's voice was soft and unforced.
Behind him, Muha, who had arrived at some point, was leaning his head against the edge of the nest, watching them.
Bored, Muha yawned loudly.
"Let's get on sooner, Bercheria."
The two climbed onto Muha's back, who was resting his chin on the nest, watching them.
Bercheria couldn't believe it.
"Go to Periat and find Bercheria, marry her, and..."
"So he's telling you to take me to the Kingdom of Contana, is that what you're saying?"
Dipper asked, his face a bit surprised.
"How do you know that?"
"Ha."
Bercheria let out a long sigh.
She couldn't even begin to fathom what the Supreme Being was thinking right now.
Why was he trying so hard to block Lacrahan and Bercheria's relationship?
A strange sense of rebellion kept surfacing.
"Bercheria."
Dipper suddenly grabbed her hand and knelt, causing her shoulders to jump in surprise.
"Bercheria. This is fate. The fact that I gave you the Muha Egg, and that we met again after traveling back in time. This! This is all something I can only explain as fate."
Bercheria sighed and rubbed her eyes.
The cold air tingled under her palms.
“Muha, the God of the Earth.”
“Yes.”
“I have one more question. How did you know Emperor Gerard would come to the North?”
“Ah. That noisy man.”
Dipper shook his head.
He knew everything happening on Earth without necessarily wanting to know.
Especially where mana flowed or where mana was being used, it became so concrete that it was almost like seeing it with his own eyes.
“I saw it.”
Dipper closed his eyes and slowly moved his lips.
“What I really ‘saw’ wasn’t the Emperor. It was the mana boy beside him.”
Dipper’s mysterious silver eyes gleamed in the darkness.
“Emperor Periat is coming to the North with a strange boy.”
***
“Bercheria.”
Leaving the study and opening the bedroom door, Lacrahan scanned the empty room.
Clearly, when he left, he had made Bercheria promise not to move from this room.
“She’s a very disobedient type.”
Lacrahan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Pulling his pocket watch from his pocket, he checked the time and pondered for a moment.
Should he go find Bercheria, or do his own thing?
“...”
Leaning back, he looked at the bed, then turned and headed toward the library.
“Even if she doesn’t listen, she’s not the type to act irresponsibly.”
The square was bustling with people preparing for a wedding, and Bercheria had clearly made it clear to him that she would attend.
Therefore, he trusted that she would return on time, no matter where she went.
Lacrahan wanted to confirm a thought that had suddenly occurred to him while he was working.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
A servant passing by with cleaning supplies greeted him.
“The wedding preparations are almost finished. Are you heading that way?”
“No, to the library. If anyone asks for me, could you tell them to come that way?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Lacrahan strode past him and walked briskly down the hallway.
The Edkins family, from which Lacrahan was born, had established itself in this land long before the Atal family, the Emperors.
They had long enjoyed wealth and the respect of the people.
Their natural aversion to political interference meant they never sought power, but neither did they simply stand by.
As ice-attributed wizards, they had firmly established their position within the nation.
Lacrahan passed a plaque at the library entrance inscribed, "Those who know not the past cannot dream of the future." Up until now, while searching for information on the sacred object, Lacrahan had focused solely on Bercheria.
Since it was Bercheria's sacred object, he had assumed it was only natural that it was carved into her. But upon reflection, it was also possible that Lacrahan had been a factor.
When things don't work out, it's essential to consider a different perspective.
At least, he reasoned, it wouldn't be a pointless endeavor. After all, Lacrahan, Edkins, wasn't born into an ordinary family.
Everyone in Periat knew the Edkins family.
He walked to the deepest part of the library, took out the books about his family, and began to read them one by one.
The pattern created by Bercheria's sacred power was vivid on his arm, supporting the book.
Lacrahan unconsciously tapped his lips with his index finger.
After the wedding ceremony today, the two would spend their first night together.
Lacrahan had resolved one thing when he told Bercheria about his marriage.
Even if it was a marriage of necessity, he would treat her with even greater sincerity than a real marriage.
Of course, Lacrahan would not be the first to demand a divorce.
From now on, this marriage would be concluded solely according to Bercheria's will.
He had spoken of the marriage out of fear of losing Bercheria, but since then, he had never regretted it.
Lacrahan didn't want to take responsibility for his own words.
He wanted to hold onto Bercheria by any means necessary.
If he could keep her by using the sacred power engraved on his arm as collateral, that wouldn't be a bad idea.
But Bercheria's life was at stake, so he couldn't bring himself to do so.
He planned to do everything he could to return Bercheria's staff to her.
If that were to happen, order in Periat would be restored.
The Emperor would once again realize that he was merely an Emperor, not the law, and the people would live in peace at home, grateful for Bercheria's return.
Lacrahan imagined Bacheria holding her staff, then raised an eyebrow.
"It would be quite magnificent."
With her wavy blond hair and Bercheria's confident demeanor, not only Lacrahan but everyone who witnessed her would surely fall in love with her.
He pondered this for a moment, then quickly lowered his head back to his book.
Only until the people came calling for him a few hours later, before the wedding began.
Lacrahan turned the pages with concentration.
***
Bercheria straightened her back and glanced down at the scenery beneath the tree.
The two were now aboard Muha's new nest. They had climbed onto Muha's back to see if the Emperor and his entourage would pass through the portal, but Muha had abandoned them in his nest and gone off somewhere else.
“Even if you activate the portal two or three times, all the mana dissolved in the nearby land will disappear. You’ll need at least a week to ten days to generate enough to open another one.”
“So that’s why you brought someone who can create mana.”
“I think that’s the boy.”
Bercheria glanced behind her anxiously, but Dipper reassured her.
“Don’t worry. Muha will be back soon. He must have gotten hungry after being carried around for a few days.”
“Yes.”
“Anyway, the boy is very peculiar.”
Bercheria looked towards Lacrahan’s castle with a hint of worry.
People inside the castle might be looking for her right now.
They need her more than anything to proceed with the wedding they’ve been preparing for all day.
Muha needs to return before it’s too late.
Bercheria still felt uneasy, gazing at Lacrahan’s castle in the distance.
“I didn’t even know there was such a boy in this land. I was a little surprised.”
Dipper gazed at Bercheria for a moment, then lifted his fingertips and turned Bercheria's cheek, which was staring into the distance, to himself.
A hand, larger than her face, carefully touched her and then withdrew.
"Ask me what makes that boy so special."
Black and white. His gray eyes, perfectly in the middle, were composed of fine lines like fine threads and transparent pupils.
Sitting in this void, staring into Dipper's eyes, she felt as if she were floating in the middle of space.
"Why, so special?"
"They're the same."
Bercheria frowned, as if she couldn't understand.
"What?"
"With you."
Dipper lifted his masculine, square jaw slightly.
His downcast gaze, unlike his typically strong image, was profound.
"The energy I sense from that boy's mana is the same as yours, Bercheria. As if something that was once one had been split in two."
The idea of sharing energy with a stranger she hadn't even seen sounded strange.
"Swish."
Muha was flying behind Dipper.
Dipper, checking behind him, smiled faintly.
"I thought it wouldn't take long, right?"
He stood up, dusting himself off, and offered Bercheria a hand.
The woven branches made it difficult to step on.
Bercheria, who stumbled as she tried to stand on her own, lightly grasped Dipper's outstretched hand.
Immediately, he covered her hand with his.
Bercheria leaped to her feet, not by her own strength, but by his.
Dipper brushed the leaves off Bercheria's dress with his hand.
He was doing something no ordinary noble would do, without hesitation.
Bercheria, who was not prejudiced, accepted such behavior without a second thought.
"Are they people I should be wary of?"
"Of course. Even now, the lands near the imperial palace are constantly sending out messages warning us to beware of them."
She looked up at the sky, her face still expressionless.
"Bercheria."
At Dipper's voice, Bercheria lowered her head to meet him.
He was looking at her with a faint smile.
"Have you ever thought about going back?"
Bercheria's eyes widened at the unexpected question.
"Where?"
"To the tower."
She looked at Dipper's right and left eyes in turn, as if grasping the question.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"No way. Oh, of course, I'm confused and scared by the sudden onslaught of so much, and I'm worried about how I'll get through this."
"Yes."
"If you're asking if I want to go back, absolutely not."
A smile spread across Dipper's face.
"I understand. You don't want to go back to the tower."
"Yes, absolutely not. No matter what, I won't go back."
Bercheria turned her head in the direction where the tower had disappeared.
The foggy, damp atmosphere remained, but the tower where she had been trapped was no longer there.
The tower that had imprisoned Bercheria for so long was now engraved on her body, and on Lacrahan.
"Then you just have to choose. Will you follow me, or will you stay here?"
Despite his strong, masculine body, Dipper's voice was soft and unforced.
Behind him, Muha, who had arrived at some point, was leaning his head against the edge of the nest, watching them.
Bored, Muha yawned loudly.
"Let's get on sooner, Bercheria."
The two climbed onto Muha's back, who was resting his chin on the nest, watching them.
"Kkeek."
A huge shadow rose across the night sky, stirring the wind.
A huge shadow rose across the night sky, stirring the wind.
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