"…Come in."
Robellion spoke to the shabby-looking young woman.
The maids and servants whispered among themselves as Selene stepped inside with her head held high.
Robellion led her into his luxurious room.
"Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Selene asked bluntly the moment they entered. Robellion swept his hair back with a bothered expression and said,
"I'm sorry."
It felt as if the sky had collapsed.
She had expected it—but hearing it out loud was a blow that left her reeling.
"…What do you mean by that?"
With an uncomfortable look, Robellion rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a few letters.
He placed them atop his massive mahogany desk.
"There's talk of a marriage proposal. I'm getting married next spring."
"…What?"
"I really am sorry. If you want money, I can give you some. Not a lot, but…"
Selene could barely keep herself upright, her body trembling.
"Young Master, actually… the reason I came today wasn't just to ask you to see me again."
"Then what is it? If not money, what do you want?"
"…I'm pregnant. It's your child. That's why I came, swallowing my pride."
Robellion's expression changed instantly.
"What did you say?"
"It's your baby. I want to keep it. I won't ask to be your mistress. Just give me a place in the countryside where I can live with the child.
I'll raise it quietly, on my own."
"Are you out of your mind? You want to keep the child?"
"I won't tell anyone. I swear."
"And I'm supposed to believe that? I'm about to get married! You're clearly going to use that child to blackmail my family for the rest of our lives!"
Fury twisted Robellion's once-handsome features.
Selene saw then, for the first time, the true face of the man she had loved.
She slowly turned away.
"…If that's what you want… then I'll raise this child without a father. Goodbye."
"Wait! Are you sure the child is even mine?"
Selene let out a bitter laugh.
"From this moment on, he isn't."
Selene disappeared the next day.
A week later, her body was found at the edge of a lake in a nearby rural village, discovered by a fisherman.
Jakiel clung to the barely recognizable body of his sister and wept uncontrollably.
Ever since becoming Zeros's apprentice, he hadn't seen her often—something he now regretted down to his bones.
Thinking back, from the moment she had entered that household as a maid, her expression had never once looked truly happy.
But he had been too preoccupied with the pocket money and sweets she'd give him to notice.
Jakiel focused his mind. He had to know what happened.
He placed his hand on the dull, ashen-colored diamond on his sister's forehead.
Until now, he had never imagined that the memory-reading spell he'd just learned would be used like this.
"Normally, memory-reading spells only work on the living.
But in special cases—murder, unresolved grudges, tragic deaths—the memory can sometimes remain even after death."
That's what Zeros had once said.
Jakiel's hand trembled. Part of him hoped he would read something—
Another part hoped he wouldn't.
But the moment his hand touched the diamond…
Selene's memories flooded into him.
The unborn child. The grueling life as a maid. Her relationship with Robellion.
And finally—
The mysterious attack by masked assailants.
There was no need to search further to know who they were. They had drowned his pregnant sister in that lake.
Young Jakiel trembled with fury and cried out:
"Monsters beyond forgiveness! I will not rest until you're punished—even if I have to sell my soul to do it! Curse be upon the Peridot bloodline that committed this evil! Until your entire clan is wiped from the earth, my wrath shall not end!"
One year later, Zeros's youngest son Louis died from worsening illness.
His second son, Robellion, married and had two sons. But he died on the eldest son's twentieth birthday.
The official cause was heart failure, attributed to a long-standing illness that had begun twenty years earlier. His funeral was held quietly.
Jakiel entered politics with Zeros's recommendation. As both mage and official, he displayed outstanding abilities.
He remained by Zeros's side until the old man passed of old age. Jakiel never married and devoted his entire life to work.
Eventually, he was appointed Grand Vizier of the kingdom for his brilliance.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
A flustered official burst into the room. King Minophon sat up, irritated—he had just been dozing off. His attendant helped him rise.
"What's the meaning of this noise in the middle of the night?"
"It's Nakil—there's news from Nakil—!"
"What happened in Nakil?"
"A plague has broken out. Over a hundred laborers working there, as well as nearby villagers, have died en masse!"
The king's eyes flashed with anger.
"There were already reports of something suspicious in that village, were there not? People were dying strangely."
"We thought it was just dysentery. That region lacks water, so they'd been drinking whatever they could find…But even the laborers who received clean water—"
The king straightened. All sleep had vanished.
"You're telling me they all died at once? Then the signs must have started at least a month ago!"
"That illness appeared gradually in the village,
but for the laborers, it came on suddenly in the past few days—stomach pain and diarrhea, and then… death."
"How many laborers are involved in the Nakil reclamation project?
Are you saying all of them died?"
"One hundred thirty, Your Majesty.
Yes—according to the report, not a single one survived."
The king gasped for breath.
His attendants rushed to his side and began massaging his body to help him recover.
After a moment, King Minophon managed to speak.
"Send an investigation team to Nakil at first light."
Leca and Mia peeked through the small window.
There were no torches lit inside—it was pitch dark. They summoned will-o'-the-wisps for light.
The room was dim and shadowy. There was no one inside.
But on the floor were traces of someone's recent presence: half-eaten food, dishes, and what looked like a chamber pot.
The door leading out of the room was open. Leca spoke.
"Whoever was using this room… they were here until very recently."
"How do you know?"
"The food hasn't spoiled. It must not have been more than a few days."
"The door is open, so… if we could get inside this room, we might be able to go through that door too."
"I could transform into a lizard and get through. But you, Lady Mia…"
"Don't you dare go in alone. We live together, we die together. Got it?"
"No. If anyone dies, it'll be me."
"There you go again with that nonsense."
Leca was carefully inspecting the wall. He knocked on it, touched the surface, and examined it closely.
"What are you doing?"
"These bricks… they're not that solid. I think I could break through just a little to make an opening."
"Just a little, huh…If I do it, I'll probably end up smashing the whole wall."
"I'll handle it."
Leca conjured something like a wooden mallet out of thin air and began chipping away at the wall.
It looked like a hammer, but it made no sound as it worked, and the bricks crumbled away neatly under his hand.
Eventually, a hole big enough for Mia to crawl through was created. Leca slipped through first in lizard form.
Mia squeezed herself through with effort, then dropped down with a small jump.
Inside, the room was desolate. Though it was late summer outside, the air here was oddly cold.
Beyond the open door, nothing could be seen—it was pitch black.
As soon as Mia was in, Leca returned to his human form. He crept carefully toward the door and peeked out.
Mia stepped up behind him and peeked over his shoulder.
It was silent.
All they saw were dusty stairs and a dark corridor. Cobwebs and bats lined the passage.
"The fire spirit said the salamander was here, right? Can you feel any mana?"
"…That's what's strange. I don't feel anything at all."
"What?"
"The spirit couldn't have lied…Which means—could it be…?"
"They might have escaped while we were on our way here."
Leca's voice was grim. Mia's confusion deepened.
"If that's true, then whoever has them isn't trying to lure us in…They just want to run away?"
"I can't be sure. It's also possible they're still here, just completely masked from detection."
"Right? This place is huge."
Leca nodded.
"A castle like this usually has hidden rooms. There could be a mana suppression device, or a space completely shielded from outside perception."
"This just gets more complicated…"
Leca stepped out cautiously.
He summoned a small will-o'-the-wisp and began walking forward, parting cobwebs as he went.
"Do you even know where you're going?"
Mia whispered, holding her breath.
"This is the top floor, so I figured we should head down and keep sensing for mana.
In Sibareth, prisons and secret places are usually either at the very top… or deep underground."
Together, they quietly explored the floor. There were several empty rooms.
Some had beds and furniture, but everything was old and worn.
"None of the other rooms feel lived in at all."
"Yes. Only that prison-like room seemed recently used."
Then—
"Who's there…?"
A chilling voice echoed from behind them. Mia froze in place, paralyzed.