...What do you mean by that?
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
Presepe looked at Ivan with a puzzled expression.
Ivan did not answer that question and asked another one.
"Do you know about the western forest?"
Western forest...
Presepe's gaze turned toward the 'Forbidden Forest' written on the map.
"That area is swarming with monsters. It has always been that way, long before Ateloia was created."
"..."
"Invasion by monsters was a daily occurrence for the villages near the Forbidden Forest. Stolen, killed, and devoured."
But what about that?
I don't think you intend to tell me not to go there because it's dangerous after coming all this way.
"It is the duty and instinct of monsters to harm humans. But sometimes, there are bound to be interesting things."
"Yes...?"
"To be precise, for a monster to try not to harm humans, or..."
"..."
"Things that go beyond that."
At the unexpected words, Presepe's eyes narrowed.
"And so, life is sometimes born between monsters and humans. It is quite amusing."
Ivan laughed.
"This being is called a mutant, and it is divided into two types: those with strong human blood and those with strong monster blood. The former is not a problem as they live like humans, but the issue lies with the latter."
The reason was simple. In the latter case...
"Because the moment the monster's blood fully awakens, it gains tremendous power."
Therefore, there were occasionally cases where people who lived ordinary lives like the former awakened.
"If it were a true monster to begin with, it could control that power, but the probability of properly handling it with only half a bloodline is extremely low. Therefore, it is bound to run wild."
"..."
“Isn’t it fascinating?”
"The Archmage is..."
Presepe, who had been silently listening to Ivan's story, finally slowly parted her lips.
"Why are you saying this to me?"
She didn't understand.
This was the first time she had ever heard of such a mutant, so she wondered why he went out of his way to come find her to tell her.
"Well, I wonder why?"
Ivan asked back in a low voice.
"Presepe, is it because your mother, the executed Lady Vanessa... lived near the Forbidden Forest before entering the harem?"
...my mother?
At the sound she was hearing for the first time, Presepe wore a slightly dazed expression.
"Furthermore, a highly suspicious murder involving monsters occurred out of the blue in the capital. And Lady Presepe used that as an excuse to escape the dreadful Imperial Palace."
"..."
"Even if they are only half-breeds, monsters do not persecute or cast out beings who share their blood. On the contrary, they care for them. Especially if they are in danger, they even rescue them. This is because they know it well themselves: that maintaining and increasing their population is advantageous."
"So, Archmage, are you saying... that I am that mutant?"
Presepe asked blankly.
Ivan did not answer, only smiled.
"...I'm sorry, Archmage, but I'm just an ordinary person."
Presepe continued speaking with a look of disbelief.
"If everything the Archmage said were true, and if I were that mutant, I would have already gone berserk. Don't you think so?"
"You never know."
Ivan snickered and answered.
"As Lady Presepe mentioned earlier, things in the world don't always go according to plan."
"..."
"And even more so if it involves monsters."
Ivan saw it clearly.
The basement of the magic tower, a secret space accessible only to the great mages of that era.
In that place filled with books containing subversive ideas, forbidden magic books, and the secret records of wizards.
A book of prophecies said to have been written from the perspective of the Demonic Cult thousands of years ago.
And what was written in that book of prophecy was...
"...So you are doubting me?"
It was absurd. If she had that kind of power, she would have killed all those damn bastards right from the start.
"Rather than doubt, I suppose you could say I wanted to find the answer together."
“What?”
Ivan let out a smirk, then slowly took a step.
Toward Presepe, who was glaring at him.
“What are you doing now...?”
Presepe hesitated and stepped back, but Ivan's movement was faster.
"I know that Grand Duke Fenrir took Lady Presepe out under the pretext of protection."
Ivan, who had suddenly come right up to Presepe's nose, spoke in a whispering voice that was utterly sinister.
"But if it's that kind of protection, I can provide it, too."
"..."
"Especially if what Fenrir is doing for you includes more than just protection. I'm good at it. Whatever it is."
Ivan's long fingers slickly ran through Presepe's disheveled silver hair.
"Wouldn't I be better off?"
You won't be disappointed. I promise.
...At that incredibly eerie voice, she felt goosebumps all over her body.
"Get out of the way...!"
Presepe pushed Ivan away with all her might. Even after being pushed back, Ivan wore a nonchalant expression. That look made Presepe feel nauseous.
"..."
Ivan, pale as a shadow, stared with a smile at Presepe, who was glaring at him while
gasping for breath.
Yeah, maybe she really doesn't know anything.
Judging by her reaction, it seemed true that she had no information.
However, Ivan did not think that all of this was entirely unrelated to Presepe.
Anyway, the goal for now was to make Presepe come find him of her own accord.
"You will soon realize that I am the only one who can truly be of help to you, Lady Presepe."
Ivan's mouth curved into an arc.
He pictured Presepe, who could not trust or rely on anyone, and who was the only one in the world, collapsing.
It felt like a shiver ran down his spine just imagining it.
“I’m going out.”
However, Presepe showed a completely different attitude from what Ivan had expected.
"I don't understand a single thing you're saying. There's nothing left to talk about."
Presepe's resolute demeanor, which Ivan had expected to be weak, came as a complete surprise to him.
Ivan had no intention of staying at this mansion for long anyway. Although he didn't know the reason, Fenrir seemed to be excessively hostile toward matters related to Presepe.
You will eventually come looking for me.
Ivan stared at Presepe with a persistent gaze, then nodded as if to say he understood and turned around.
And then, just before leaving the study.
Standing in front of the door, he looked back at Presepe again.
"For some reason, anyone who enters the Forbidden Forest must have their name added to a register. This applies whether they are found unconscious, or even if they are found dead."
"..."
"By the way, Lady Vanessa was on that list, around the time she was about to become a concubine."
"... What?"
"Really, have you never heard anything from Vanessa? Any story related to this?"
In that moment, Presepe's face froze.
[Presepe, listen carefully to my words. You...]
Just before being executed.
It was because she remembered her mother, who held her tightly in her arms and mumbled something... Vanessa's voice.
[...They say.]
Presepe still couldn't remember what was said earlier, but...
[So...]
It seemed like she could vaguely remember many things that happened after that.
[...Go to the Forbidden Forest.]
“Let’s wait.”
Ivan grinned and said.
"Until you choose me, not Fenrir."
That was the last time. Ivan strode out of the study without any lingering regrets, and Presepe was left alone with a blank expression on her face.
"..."
Presepe, slumped in the chair, had eyes filled with confusion.
It must all be a complete lie.
Ivan is just that kind of person—a despicable human being who will stop at nothing to manipulate others to his liking.
But what about what her mother said?
Did those words really have no meaning at all?
...Memories of her mother, Vanessa, were scarce. It might have been a different story if she had lived her life as the real Presepe, but she rarely appeared unless it was a section covering the minimum information required for the game.
And amidst all that, Vanessa had not a single memory of talking about her father or bloodline.
Other than the fact that during the reign of the former Emperor, she was of the commoner class but happened to catch the eye with her beautiful appearance and became a concubine...
"If Ivan says so... the first time the Emperor met ny mother was also..."
Vanessa said that before entering the Imperial Palace, she was born and raised in a village very far from the capital.
A small, impoverished village. Known for being from such a place, she was looked down upon even more by people.
If it is near a forbidden forest swarming with monsters, that place too would be a place of bound and impoverished hearts.
Besides, telling a daughter who will be left all alone to go to a place where she has no connections? No matter how she thought about it, that didn't make sense.
However, assuming Ivan's words were true, Vanessa's suggestion to go here was not strange.
[Forbidden Forest]
The letters clearly written on the map were reflected in Presepe's violet eyes, which were filled with chaos.
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