Episode 76. Just Hold On
"Huh? Callen! Look at this."
The border area between the Kingdom of Contana and Periat.
A small village near Periat.
David was scribbling on the ground when suddenly a blue line began to appear in front of him.
"Wow. This is so amazing."
When David's younger brother Callen ran over, the blue line grew larger and larger, reaching the height of an adult.
"Wow."
"Wow."
The two gaped, mesmerized, staring at the portal opening.
In this uncrowded place, the only curious thing was the sound of a deer neighing.
Suddenly, a blue light began to shine, leaving the two children completely transfixed.
Then, suddenly, a dog jumped out from within.
Growl. Woof!
"Oh my gosh, that's a surprise."
Callen stumbled, but David bravely stood in his way.
"What are you! Don't touch my little brother!"
Tears were about to well up in his eyes, but fortunately, a large dog suddenly wagged its tail and turned toward the portal's entrance.
A tall, handsome man suddenly burst out of it.
"Wow!"
Callen shouted, his mouth wide open.
And the next moment, as Groovy walked out, David couldn't hold back any longer and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Mom! Mom! There's an angel here!" Callen shouted, determined not to be outdone.
"Huh? Callen! Look at this."
The border area between the Kingdom of Contana and Periat.
A small village near Periat.
David was scribbling on the ground when suddenly a blue line began to appear in front of him.
"Wow. This is so amazing."
When David's younger brother Callen ran over, the blue line grew larger and larger, reaching the height of an adult.
"Wow."
"Wow."
The two gaped, mesmerized, staring at the portal opening.
In this uncrowded place, the only curious thing was the sound of a deer neighing.
Suddenly, a blue light began to shine, leaving the two children completely transfixed.
Then, suddenly, a dog jumped out from within.
Growl. Woof!
"Oh my gosh, that's a surprise."
Callen stumbled, but David bravely stood in his way.
"What are you! Don't touch my little brother!"
Tears were about to well up in his eyes, but fortunately, a large dog suddenly wagged its tail and turned toward the portal's entrance.
A tall, handsome man suddenly burst out of it.
"Wow!"
Callen shouted, his mouth wide open.
And the next moment, as Groovy walked out, David couldn't hold back any longer and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Mom! Mom! There's an angel here!" Callen shouted, determined not to be outdone.
"Dad! I told you a Prince came out of the blue light! Grandpa!"
Amidst the children's shouts, people came out of the small houses that were crammed together. Some wore aprons, while others held dentures. A man standing with a cigarette in his mouth noticed them emerging from the portal and dropped his cigarette on his foot.
"Ugh! Ouch, hot!"
Amidst the commotion, Lacrahan looked around and asked, "Who is the village chief? It's urgent."
As everyone looked in one direction, a woman who looked to be in her fifties stepped forward. Her ornate headband, which didn't match her plain attire, caught everyone's attention.
"Who are you?"
Lacrahan said, exhaling in exhaustion.
"Northern Grand Duke Lacrahan Adkins."
"...!"
Everyone gasped in shock at Lacrahan's words and covered their mouths. Lacrahan spoke to the village chief, who was looking shocked.
"Please help me. I beg you."
The village chief took off her ornate headband, spread it out on her palm, and gestured to Lacrahan to enter her house.
"Come here."
As Lacrahan, Groovy, and the wild dog followed her, quickly disappearing beyond the fence, the people peeped out their heads curiously toward the inaccessible place.
***
"What happened?"
The village chief entered the room with only a bed and pulled the blanket tightly open, as if to invite Bercheria to lie down.
"It's Bercheria."
At Lacrahan's words, the village chief's face was once again colored with shock.
"You are the kind person who helped Suho return."
Lacrahan, who had Bercheria lie flat on his back, poured out his words urgently.
“She couldn’t control her power because she only had half the divine water. It must be running wild inside her right now.”
The village chief closed hee trembling eyes. Then, her eyes widened, and she looked at Lacrahan.
“There must be a reason you came here and not anywhere else.”
Lacrahan spoke of a book he had seen in the library. He had read the hidden truth, and that an accident had occurred on his way here to share the divine water.
“This is it.”
When Lacrahan showed her his arms, the village chief let out a solemn breath. She then walked to the headboard, grabbed both railings, and pushed with all her might.
Crunch.
Suddenly, the ground beneath the bed opened, and the bed slid downward, disappearing into the floor as if on a slide.
“Let’s go too.”
As the village chief disappeared along the path Bercheria had just taken, Lacrahan and Groovy followed.
King!
Unable to bear to go that far, the dog, left alone, barked at the closed basement door, then collapsed on the floor with a whimper.
***
“Wow. Emperor Gerard is completely out of his mind.”
Laurent, who walked to the window when the outside suddenly became noisy, grimaced when he saw Gerard on his knees.
“Why?”
Beloveye approached, then frowned when he spotted Gerard.
“Even if he’s an Emperor, he’s so ungraceful. He’s clearly not in his right mind.”
Laurent crossed his arms and leaned his head against the windowsill.
“Even if it’s a big deal, is it easy for an Emperor to act like that?”
“No way.”
“Gerard is a perfect fit for the Kingdom of Contana, not Periat. Isn’t that right?”
Beloveye raised his shoulder, then let it go, returning to the table where they were drinking tea.
“He’s not even close to reaching Contana.”
Leaning against the windowsill, Laurent nodded in agreement with Beloveye.
“Actually, a person like Gerard is lacking in everything. He whines and wants to be recognized, but he’s not really good at anything either.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“In any case, he’s not the material to be Emperor.”
“In fact, it was Lyone who made Gerard Emperor.”
Laurent hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“What do you think of Lyone?”
Beloveye raised an eyebrow as if to ask what he meant.
“I don’t think about humans.”
“Oh, come on.”
He nodded lazily, running his hand through his blue hair, which was the color of the fresh ocean.
“Well, in some ways, she’s an interesting person.”
“Interesting in what way?”
Beloveye replied dismissively.
“An extra who imitates a villain.”
When he finished speaking and raised his gaze, Laurent nodded and turned his head out the window.
“As expected. You knew all this.”
“What’s all this?”
Lacrahan frowned, scanning the basement that resembled a laboratory.
The village chief shrugged.
“I’m Anna. This is our eccentric ancestor’s workshop. I don’t know what all this does. I just write down what I need to.”
Anna walked to the bookshelf and handed him a diary that looked exactly like the one in Lacrahan’s library.
“If you look, it’s written there. If a man and a woman come to visit one day and do this and that, what should you do?”
Anna gestured for him to turn over the diary with an annoyed expression, then reached into a deep drawer and pulled out a small box.
“Whew. I never thought I’d actually use this in my lifetime.”
She grabbed the ornate headband with both hands and ripped the fabric.
Then, with a clank, a small key fell out.
She used the key to open the box.
Inside, a small gem, radiating a twinkling light, awaited everyone.
Anna put on thick gloves, like those worn when baking bread, and picked it up.
“Do you know what this is?”
Groovy and Lacrahan looked at each other for a moment and then shook their heads simultaneously.
“This is a locust stone. I heard the higher-ups use it to protect themselves when passing through portals?”
She gently placed it on Bercheria’s tattooed foot.
"This is a secret that most people don't know, but all divine objects contain this locust. It just depends on how much is contained. Anyway,"
Anna rubbed her hands together as if she were waiting for a delicious meal.
"Actually, this thing has a unique ability to absorb and confine the power of the gods."
She stared at Bercheria's legs for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise.
"What are you doing? The Grand Duke needs to put your arm here quickly!"
Lacrahan finally strode over with his long legs and gently wrapped his arms around Bercheria's legs.
"Haa."
The moment he saw Bercheria's closed face, his heart skipped a beat again.
Please, just hold on, Bercheria.
Lacrahan whispered to her with all his heart.
If you just survive.
If you do, I won't ask anything more of you.
I'll give you everything you want, I'll do nothing you tell me not to do, and I'll only be by your side.
No matter how unreasonable your demands, no matter how absurd your wishes.
'If you just survive. Whatever it is.'
Lacrahan desperately wanted her to understand his wish.
And at that moment...
"...!"
Bercheria's protective aura evaporated from the entire Periat.
Beloveye approached, then frowned when he spotted Gerard.
“Even if he’s an Emperor, he’s so ungraceful. He’s clearly not in his right mind.”
Laurent crossed his arms and leaned his head against the windowsill.
“Even if it’s a big deal, is it easy for an Emperor to act like that?”
“No way.”
“Gerard is a perfect fit for the Kingdom of Contana, not Periat. Isn’t that right?”
Beloveye raised his shoulder, then let it go, returning to the table where they were drinking tea.
“He’s not even close to reaching Contana.”
Leaning against the windowsill, Laurent nodded in agreement with Beloveye.
“Actually, a person like Gerard is lacking in everything. He whines and wants to be recognized, but he’s not really good at anything either.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“In any case, he’s not the material to be Emperor.”
“In fact, it was Lyone who made Gerard Emperor.”
Laurent hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“What do you think of Lyone?”
Beloveye raised an eyebrow as if to ask what he meant.
“I don’t think about humans.”
“Oh, come on.”
He nodded lazily, running his hand through his blue hair, which was the color of the fresh ocean.
“Well, in some ways, she’s an interesting person.”
“Interesting in what way?”
Beloveye replied dismissively.
“An extra who imitates a villain.”
When he finished speaking and raised his gaze, Laurent nodded and turned his head out the window.
“As expected. You knew all this.”
***
“What’s all this?”
Lacrahan frowned, scanning the basement that resembled a laboratory.
The village chief shrugged.
“I’m Anna. This is our eccentric ancestor’s workshop. I don’t know what all this does. I just write down what I need to.”
Anna walked to the bookshelf and handed him a diary that looked exactly like the one in Lacrahan’s library.
“If you look, it’s written there. If a man and a woman come to visit one day and do this and that, what should you do?”
Anna gestured for him to turn over the diary with an annoyed expression, then reached into a deep drawer and pulled out a small box.
“Whew. I never thought I’d actually use this in my lifetime.”
She grabbed the ornate headband with both hands and ripped the fabric.
Then, with a clank, a small key fell out.
She used the key to open the box.
Inside, a small gem, radiating a twinkling light, awaited everyone.
Anna put on thick gloves, like those worn when baking bread, and picked it up.
“Do you know what this is?”
Groovy and Lacrahan looked at each other for a moment and then shook their heads simultaneously.
“This is a locust stone. I heard the higher-ups use it to protect themselves when passing through portals?”
She gently placed it on Bercheria’s tattooed foot.
"This is a secret that most people don't know, but all divine objects contain this locust. It just depends on how much is contained. Anyway,"
Anna rubbed her hands together as if she were waiting for a delicious meal.
"Actually, this thing has a unique ability to absorb and confine the power of the gods."
She stared at Bercheria's legs for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise.
"What are you doing? The Grand Duke needs to put your arm here quickly!"
Lacrahan finally strode over with his long legs and gently wrapped his arms around Bercheria's legs.
"Haa."
The moment he saw Bercheria's closed face, his heart skipped a beat again.
Please, just hold on, Bercheria.
Lacrahan whispered to her with all his heart.
If you just survive.
If you do, I won't ask anything more of you.
I'll give you everything you want, I'll do nothing you tell me not to do, and I'll only be by your side.
No matter how unreasonable your demands, no matter how absurd your wishes.
'If you just survive. Whatever it is.'
Lacrahan desperately wanted her to understand his wish.
And at that moment...
"...!"
Bercheria's protective aura evaporated from the entire Periat.
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