ITYVA 69🔐

Chapter 69

“…Elaie.”

I called out to him slowly.

Seeing a guardian-like figure, my emotions surged so intensely that my throat felt tight.

“I… I’m so angry.”

“I know.”

“I can’t bear it.”

I muttered through gritted teeth.

“So, my daughter…”

A large hand rose above my head.

Then, a low voice spoke.

“What do you want from me?”

The Water Spirit King asked his contractor.

I looked straight at him and demanded:

“Destroy this entire place.”

He stared at me quietly.

I calmly added:

“And if Dante is hiding somewhere here, make sure not a single bone remains.”

I meant, so he could never even dream of cursing Harnen.

“…As you wish.”

With that soft voice, a translucent blue barrier enveloped me.

At the same time, a deafening roar unlike anything before erupted from all around.

Everything that had barely remained intact shattered and collapsed, yet nothing was clearly visible because the translucent shield wrapped around me.

The roaring continued for a long while before finally stopping.

The barrier melted and disappeared from above.

I blinked once and slowly looked around.

The outer walls had completely collapsed, dust swirled everywhere.

Even the remnants of the building’s form were entirely gone.

“I’ve destroyed this entire place as you wished. There’s nothing left to recognize.”

“…”

“I hope it was a choice you won’t regret.”

“…Thank you, Elaie.”

I muttered my thanks.

Elaie, staring at my face, let out a soft sigh.

“To think my daughter would be this enraged… when I should be making her happy instead… I really don’t like it.”

A burst of blue light erupted around him as he muttered his dissatisfaction.

When I blinked against the sudden brightness, Elaie and I were standing outside the mansion.

It was still pitch-dark outside, given the late hour.

“Do you want anything else from me?”

Elaie’s voice reached me again.

I shook my head.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Alright. Call on me anytime you need my strength.”

His clear fingers gently brushed through my hair and fell away.

Elaie, about to return to the Spirit Realm, paused.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you something.”

“…?”

“The sorcerer who blocked all your affinity with nature has undergone a single regression.”

I widened my eyes at his unexpected words.

“Excuse me? Regression…?”

“I checked the mana that lingered in the air, and mana from another timeline coexisted. That can only be explained as regression.”

He crossed his arms and tilted his head slowly.

“That person now possesses mana beyond human limits. The mana from before and after the regression are overlapping.”

“…So that’s why it was possible.”

That was why he could block all my affinity with nature and weed out all Baharman’s mansion’s spies at once.

Finally, I understood.

“It won’t affect your affinity, already imbued with my power, but it doesn’t hurt to know.”

“Thank you for telling me, Elaie. That was a huge help.”

I bowed slightly to him.

Elaie, who had been quietly watching me, slowly spoke.

“Yes… I hope you’re smiling the next time we meet.”

Now that I thought about it, every time I recently saw Elaie, things had been far from good.

I nearly died while pouring healing magic on the injured As, almost got kidnapped soon after my natural affinity was blocked due to Millan’s schemes, and now I had been tearing through the mansion trying to deal with Dante.

Feeling a bit guilty, I averted my gaze.

Elaie chuckled softly and patted my head.

“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t call me when you need my help.”

“Yes…”

Smiling once more, Elaie returned to the Spirit Realm.

I tore my gaze from the spot where he had vanished, spread my hands, and ignited fire above them.

“Well, let’s find the hidden one.”

Before using a teleportation spell, Dante had been severely injured.

Even if he tried using the spell in that state, he couldn’t have escaped the mansion’s perimeter.

I asked the Quiels to check whether Dante was inside the mansion, then walked while illuminating my surroundings with the flames in my hand.

The sky, thick with clouds, was pitch-black, without a single star.

I began surveying the collapsed mansion.

It had fallen neatly and completely.

If Dante had been inside, he surely would not have survived.

‘I hope that’s the case.’

I thought grimly as I picked up a stone from the debris.

“Quiel?”

The Quiels, who had been searching the mansion, returned.

Unfortunately, they reported that Dante was not inside.

“Ah… I see.”

Noticing my disappointment, the Quiels hovered around me with concerned faces.

I patted their heads to reassure them and asked them to search outside the mansion instead.

They nodded vigorously and disappeared into the air.

I raised the flames in my hand again.

“I had hoped he’d be inside the mansion.”

It was unfortunate, but it was fine.

If he wasn’t inside, I could catch him outside.

I moved forward again.

“Dante?”

I entered the large garden in front of the mansion.

Filled with trees and grass of all sizes, it was perfect for hiding.

In contrast to the mansion, which had crumbled into a handful of debris, the garden still exuded the fresh scent of life.

“Dante, are you here?”

Of course, there was no answer.

Drip, drop.

Raindrops began falling.

Everything around me got wet, but I ignored it and continued searching for Dante.

“Hm, not here either.”

“…”

“Where could Dante be? Does he want to play hide-and-seek with me?”

Swish! The rain grew heavier.

I wandered aimlessly around the garden, letting the rain pour over me.

How long had I been doing that?

“…”

At some point, the rain stopped.

Puzzled, I turned and saw As holding an umbrella over me.

“You don’t have to wander around anymore.”

“…”

“Dante is already gone.”

Amid the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella, his voice reached me.

A warm hand reached out and wiped the rain off my cheeks.

I blinked in daze, reacting a beat late.

“…Ah.”

He had already gone.

That’s why I couldn’t find him.

“I lost him.”

Maybe because I had been standing in the rain, my head was spinning slowly.

I tilted my head, leaning into the warmth of his hand on my cheek.

When I rubbed my cheek slightly, his hand, which had paused, gently cupped my entire face.

“I have news to tell Einra.”

“News?”

“Yesterday, an envoy from Belzesti arrived at the palace.”

“…An envoy?”

Surprised by the early visit, I looked at As.

His hand left my cheek.

Reluctantly, it slowly withdrew as it lingered nearby.

“Duke Cervante sent Marquis Hasseluna.”

Marquis Zerus La Hasseluna.

He was a man in his mid-40s with a dignified presence, one of the three major power holders in Belzesti, including Duke Cervante.

‘I didn’t expect Duke Cervante to send such a heavyweight.’

Well, after all, Baharman’s mansion had aimed to eliminate the reincarnation of the Velarisian Emperor. Perhaps it was only natural.

Of course, the main culprit would soon disappear.

“…Wait a second.”

“When I destroyed the mansion, I didn’t manage to get the Duke…?”

Even if someone was a traitor, executing a high-ranking noble summarily violated the law.

My face went pale, and As, as if noticing my worry, smiled softly.

“You don’t need to worry about the Duke. I’ve taken care of it.”

“Ah…”

As my anger subsided and I regained my senses, I realized how recklessly I had acted without thinking.

I groaned, covering my face with both hands.

“I’m sorry, As. I messed up the whole plan because of me, didn’t I? I only wanted to gather information, but I got too angry and…”

A soft laugh reached me as I mumbled my apology.

Peeking up, I saw As smiling at me.

“It’s okay. The only thing you can’t do by yourself is leave me.”

“Huh…?”

Something in his words felt unusual.

While my pupils trembled slightly, As stepped closer.

“By the way, Einra, I’ve been waiting patiently.”

His red eyes twisted mischievously as they met mine.

“You… have to give it, right?”