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Chapter 29
Slave Market (4)
The day before the raid on the slave market.
Freed from brainwashing, Diold went straight to the king and queen for an audience.
“What is it this time?”
The royal couple looked fearful, as if dreading what kind of trouble their son had caused now.
They didn’t trust him.
Seeing their faces filled with resignation and sighs, Diold immediately dropped to the ground and pressed his forehead to the floor.
“Father, Mother. I’m sorry for causing you so much worry all this time.”
“D-Diold?”
Startled by the sudden action, Edwin stood up abruptly. Louise looked just as taken aback.
“Stand up at once. A nation’s heir should not grovel so easily.”
Urged by his father, Diold slowly rose to his feet.
The couple hesitated when they saw their son’s eyes.
‘His eyes…’
They were clear.
Red irises that hadn’t held such clarity since early childhood now shone with alertness and determination. Seeing the resolute expression on the crown prince’s face, the two instinctively understood.
Their son had changed.
For the better.
Their gaze shifted to Lilliana and Eustinas standing behind Diold. The saintess, leaning on her staff, spoke gravely.
“Your Majesties, your son has been under the brainwashing of a demon for a long time. All his misdeeds stemmed from that.”
“Brainwashing…? Diold?”
“Thankfully, it was within my power to resolve it.”
Eustinas smiled gently.
Hearing her explanation, the couple sank into their seats, dumbfounded.
Understandably so.
They’d thought their eldest was simply born reckless, constantly causing trouble—but it turned out he had fallen victim to demonic influence without their knowledge.
It was a shocking realization.
“…The saintess speaks the truth. Even if I was brainwashed, the damage I caused the people is immense. If you wish to strip me of my position, I will accept it without objection.”
Kneeling once again, Diold spoke with weight and sincerity. There was no trace of the formerly debauched prince in him.
“Since Mother is still in good health, if you were to produce a second son, I would gladly step aside…”
“Enough, Diold. That’s enough.”
Edwin pressed his forehead, stopping his son’s outpouring of remorse.
A sigh escaped his lips.
“Good heavens… what on earth…”
It was a thunderbolt of a revelation, but its truth was undeniable.
The saintess had vouched for it.
And given the drastic change in Diold’s demeanor and gaze, it was impossible to believe this was a lie.
‘What should I do now…?’
Distrust of the crown prince was deeply rooted among ministers and the populace alike.
Whether Diold remembered his past actions or not, both posed a problem.
If he did, the guilt would eat at him. If he didn’t, he’d still be held responsible for what he couldn’t even recall.
Edwin closed his eyes tightly and placed a hand on Diold’s shoulder.
“Stand up now. If what you say is true, then this isn’t your fault.”
“You… believe me?”
“There’s no reason not to.”
At Edwin’s words, Louise also gave a firm nod.
Hope flickered in Diold’s eyes, previously dulled by resignation. Then Lilliana, quietly watching from behind, spoke.
“Father, Mother. There’s something I’d like to request.”
“What is it?”
Unlike their wayward son, their daughter was always the clever one. Hiding his fatigue, Edwin asked.
“There’s a slave auction house being run by the demon who brainwashed him. I’d like to request troops to help us apprehend them.”
“Troops? That’s a bit…”
Regardless of parental love, lending military power was a dangerous matter. After all, even he had once overthrown his father to seize the throne.
As he began to decline the request, Edwin suddenly realized something.
‘Ah. She intends for Diold to lead the troops himself.’
He knew well that his son had secretly acquired slaves. It was likely he’d been heavily involved.
Having Diold clean up the mess himself would be symbolic.
If Diold personally led the raid on the slave market, it would be a chance to redeem his shattered reputation.
“So be it.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Diold’s face brightened.
Edwin felt nostalgia seeing that expression—it felt as though his intelligent son from long ago had returned.
“By the way, who was the demon who brainwashed you? A servant in your palace? An intruder?”
“…Well…”
Diold hesitated for a moment.
The House of Bia was a founding noble family that had supported the kingdom since its establishment.
If it became known that such a prestigious house had harbored a demon, the political repercussions would be immense.
But still…
“The demon is my mentor, Duke Bia, Father.”
There was no other way.
“Well done, Cedric. Now, during the chaos, please secure the captured slaves.”
Having sent my telepathic message to Cedric, I leaned against the fountain with a sigh of relief.
[Telepathy: 100,000p]
[Allows you to deliver your message to someone far away.]
[Mental Immunity: 100,000p]
[Completely blocks all forms of mental attacks.]
[Extra Life: 100,000p]
[Allows you to revive once after death.]
When I opened my status window, the list of newly purchased skills appeared.
A whopping 300,000 points spent. I was now completely broke after blowing all the points I’d saved over ten years.
‘Doesn’t matter.’
I’d saved them for this moment.
And the synergy from using my knowledge of the original storyline and clairvoyance had been massive—I’d basically shown Cedric godlike foresight.
‘In the original story, Izumi had to risk his life to gather that intel…’
Originally, Izumi was the one who infiltrated the slave market in a guard’s helmet.
With a tip from Lilliana, he deduced that the password Ricardo set was the initials and birthdate of his old lover, Serena Raiden. He succeeded in breaking in and, in the end, smashed everything—including Ricardo’s skull.
That future was now erased.
With this much of a show, even Cedric couldn’t help but be impressed.
It was a bit forced, but unavoidable.
‘The more I interfere, the more the original storyline falls apart.’
Everything worked smoothly this time because the story was still in its early stages. Fewer changes meant fewer ripple effects.
‘This is probably the only time I’ll get to show this level of foresight.’
Anyway.
This was more than a good deal.
And I wasn’t worried about being broke—soon, I’d earn a massive amount of points.
After the slave market episode comes—
“Eustinas.”
My thoughts were interrupted.
I turned my head and looked at Lilliana. Her expression was conflicted.
“How do you even…?”
She opened her mouth, hesitated, then let out a sigh.
‘Well, I must seem incredible.’
What I was doing would be unthinkable for any normal person. Even Lilliana, the smartest in our group, couldn’t see the future like I could.
Also…
“Are you upset I left you out of the plan?”
“What?”
“You looked like you wanted to fight with us.”
That part couldn’t be ignored.
Lilliana flinched as if struck in a vulnerable spot.
We were at a plaza fountain slightly removed from the slave auction house. Cloaked soldiers in disguise stood guard around us.
I was here to observe the auction hall using clairvoyance—but Lilliana was here purely by choice.
In short, unlike me and the three men who were central to the operation, she wasn’t of much help. That must’ve bothered her—someone so prideful.
“…I see.”
She sat on a bench, her expression dark.
“I’m a failure who can’t even use magic properly. Now that Diold’s mind is restored, there’s no reason for me to step up.”
Exactly what I expected.
Unlike Diold—who, despite brainwashing, could use advanced geomancy—Lilliana couldn’t cast a single spell. A rare occurrence for someone in the magically gifted royal family.
That fact had always weighed heavily on her.
What made it worse was her perfect memory.
She was smart enough to remember all the casting principles after seeing them once—but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t use magic. It must have felt like being trapped in a gilded cage.
“Even if you can’t use magic, it’s fine. You’ve helped us in other ways.”
In the original story, Lilliana never managed to use magic.
Instead, she used her memory skills to learn medicine and served as the party’s healer. But really—
With a saintess in the group, was that even necessary?
‘There’s a better way.’
Lilliana didn’t lack magic.
It was the opposite.
She had too much magic—so much that she couldn’t control it.
Think of it like electricity.
If lightning strikes a home outlet, of course it’ll fry the system.
‘Knowing the theory doesn’t solve everything—but!’
I’m different.
Even though I had no magic, I’d spent ten years writing magic research papers—because of someone.
“The reason doesn’t matter. What matters is what you want to do.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I can help you use magic.”
Lilliana flinched where she stood.
“I’ve lived 24 years without ever casting a single spell. On what grounds are you making that claim?”
“Don’t worry about that. But if you do end up using magic—then you’ll have to do me one favor in return.”
“…I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
“Then just think about it. You can decide after you succeed.”
“…If you put it that way…”
Lilliana nodded slowly.
I smiled to myself.
Just wait, my bishop.
‘I’ll turn you into a perfect mage.’
Don’t underestimate a grad student with twenty years of experience.
Ah—before that.
“Princess.”
“…What now?”
“When you feel completely lost, sometimes giving up is the best choice.”
“…? That contradicts everything you just said. Are you messing with me?”
“Not at all. Just remember it. There’ll come a time when you’ll need to.”
I smiled as I offered her a piece of advice—one she would need soon.
