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chapter 40
“And the Akranse jewel you entrusted… after examining it, it turned out to be genuine.”
“Genuine…?”
“That means it really was recovered by the church after the suppression campaign. Based on the testimonies of those imprisoned there, expert opinions, and interrogating the priest… it seems they intended to use it to resurrect Akranse.”
“…!”
So that’s how they tried to bring the already-dead Akranse back. The details of the event and the church’s objective gradually became clear.
“I don’t know the exact method, but I think they tried to control Akranse using a spirit stone.”
“They wanted a ‘weapon’ without a consciousness, then.”
“Exactly. After all, the only force the church had was the Holy Knight, and even someone loyal to a group will inevitably face unpredictable situations when their ethics or beliefs are tested.”
The church may have been corrupt, but not everyone within it had abandoned the gods or fallen into darkness.
As an example, the Seventh Star denounced the church both before and after the reincarnation.
Caesar said,
“That Holy Knight disappeared just before the divine trial. They call it a divine trial, but it was really heresy judgment, so it makes sense that he went into hiding. We need to find him and make contact.”
“If I recall correctly, even before the reincarnation, he disappeared and was later captured.”
“Captured?”
“Yes. He was found while rescuing kidnapped children…”
“A remarkably consistent man.”
Before the reincarnation, he had ultimately been sentenced to death in the divine trial. If they could save him this time, he would be a significant asset.
“And about the experiments.”
“Yes?”
“The priest said they were experiments to extract ‘hatred.’”
“…Hatred, you say?”
Elley frowned slightly, unsure if it matched the meaning of hatred she knew.
Caesar nodded.
“Grudge, resentment, hatred—that seems to be it. They believed firmly that if they extracted it and concentrated it into the spirit stone, Akranse would be resurrected.”
“In the end, Akranse was resurrected by the Abyss Sorcerer, so it’s not entirely wrong. But is it really possible to extract emotions?”
“Well… I’d like to investigate further, but the priest’s mental state isn’t exactly stable.”
Caesar gave a crooked villainous smile.
Seeing that smile, Elley decided not to ask why the priest’s mental state was unstable.
The disappearance incidents known as urban legends within the empire weren’t entirely false.
People really had vanished.
The priest of the Zerkino Temple and those who had been imprisoned…
And those Caesar and Lirian rescued from the capital.
Among them, the priest was taken by Caesar to a place ‘children need not know about,’ while the others were recovering under Ersioni’s protection.
“Many wish to return home, but there are also many who want to stay and take revenge on the church. The more people who share the same goal, the better. I plan to train them to become a force to oppose the church.”
As a result, the Zerkino incident weakened the church’s power and strengthened Ersioni’s forces.
With subsequent incidents—the disappearances, illegal experiments, whistleblowing, and other unsettling church-related events—the public’s attention naturally turned toward Elley, the former prince.
Though the ‘adoption’ plan was blocked by Lirian’s strong opposition, Elley, like before the reincarnation, officially remained at the ducal estate.
“….”
“….”
Rational judgment aside, hearing that he had kept the girl for eight years went from “perhaps…” to “as expected…”
Once the official discussion ended, a heavy silence hung between the two.
He had expected such a moment eventually—but honestly, he didn’t want to imagine it. Now, barely five years into being a doting father, Elley stared at his future daughter thief.
He broke into a cold sweat.
‘I wasn’t this nervous even when meeting the Abyss Church’s leader alone.’
In the apocalyptic world, there were traitors who hoped for the Abyss’s victory rather than humanity’s. They called themselves the Abyss Church.
Naturally, they were Elley and Lirian’s archenemies—but even in those high-stakes situations, Elley hadn’t trembled like this.
“I’ll be straightforward.”
As Caesar spoke in a heavy tone, Elley’s mind raced with every possible thought:
What if magic suddenly strikes? Should I just say sorry unconditionally? Should I kneel even now? Did I really do something that wrong?
‘Wasn’t forehead kisses something the three brothers also gave to Lirian…?’
If the three brothers had heard that, they would have been shocked, but Elley was sincere, so he felt a bit wronged.
It was an embarrassingly personal memory.
Lirian knew, yet had remained silent. He had discovered this just yesterday, and now it was being revealed in front of many.
Embarrassing, but thanks to that, he had tossed and turned in bed last night.
‘Surely, the soul’s age follows the body’s age.’
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost his composure so quickly.
It was as if he had become a true seven-year-old again.
As he tensed, Caesar’s hand reached toward him, and Elley instinctively shut his eyes tight.
‘Right…!’
It was a reflex.
Though he had lived twenty-seven years, his mind reacted as if still trapped in the abused childhood, his body moving on instinct.
Then…
“Thank you.”
Thud.
Contrary to his expectations, an adult’s firm hand rested on the boy’s shoulder.
Elley blinked in surprise.
“No matter what your intentions were, the fact that you helped Lirian doesn’t change.”
“….”
“As a father, and as an adult… thank you.”
At that moment, what he saw was not his past self, pushed along by the world and aged over time, but a ‘true adult.’
“Of course! The past is the past. In front of me! Absolutely! Not allowed! Until Lirian grows up! Do you understand?”
Caesar shook Elley’s shoulders.
Elley could only awkwardly nod.
Meanwhile, Lirian, who had dropped a bomb like that yesterday, was enjoying breakfast unaware of his family’s complicated feelings.
“Yum yum.”
Gripping a small child’s fork, Lirian scooped up a whole piece of fried chicken.
And popped it into his mouth.
“How does that all fit in his cheek?”
The second sibling muttered quietly as he watched.
To him, Lirian’s magical pocket was always a subject of study.
“Lirian, you should eat some carrots too.”
When Lirian picked out only the carrots from the fried rice, Ressa gently scolded him.
The fork, busy exploring the plate, froze abruptly.
“Hurry up.”
Faced with his mother’s words, Lirian faced a life-and-death dilemma.
Should he eat the carrot like a proper child?
‘…No! That’s a betrayal of the carrot!’
Lirian believed he had specially saved the carrot.
Thus, this was a kind and righteous attitude toward the carrot!
“I don’t want to. I won’t eat the carrot.”
“Lirian.”
“Carrots are gross!”
“If you don’t eat carrots, you won’t grow tall. Didn’t our daughter say she wants to grow?”
Lirian’s eyes wavered.
“I—I’ll grow even if I don’t eat them!”
She tried to resist, but…
“Hmph, small people stay small.”
Seeing Jeril chew raw carrot confidently, Lirian’s proud shoulders deflated like a popped balloon.
Surprisingly, Jeril wasn’t picky at all.
He ate carrots and even broccoli, which Lirian hated most.
As a result, some ten years later…
Recalling her youngest brother grown, Lirian’s eyes widened.
‘No…!’
She realized he had grown much taller than her.
“Whoever leaves carrots on their plate won’t grow tall.”
Ressa delivered the fearsome warning.
Lirian’s face fell.
Frantically glancing around, she noticed all three older brothers were finishing their plates nonchalantly.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Seran, I heard someone came out of the Magic Tower. Are you going to meet them now?”
“Yes, Mother. Yura seemed interested in the magical circle blueprint I fixed, so I want to hear his opinion and evaluate the commercial potential first.”
“Ah, if it’s a magical circle blueprint, it must be for magical tools.”
“That’s right. The magical tool market for scrolls is still a blue ocean, so aiming here seems best to establish a guild.”
“Don’t overdo it. If you need help, tell us anytime.”
Seran smiled gently at Ressa.
“I’m an Ersioni. Don’t worry.”
A very noble statement from the eldest son of a ducal family.
Even skilled wizards of the Magic Tower, no matter how talented, wouldn’t dare act arrogantly in front of the Ersioni.
Though the Magic Tower’s wizards often looked down on outsiders, the ducal family was an exception.
After all, in Ersioni—
“Oh! Looks like it’s time to wrap things up.”
Because of the feared ‘Demon King.’
“Elley, come on in. Did you sleep well?”
“Ah, yes. Good morning.”
“You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right? Come on and eat.”
As Elley entered the dining room with Caesar, Ressa pulled out a chair for him.
Caesar grumbled.
“Honey, what about me?”
“You—why are you holding him for so long?”
“We were talking man to man.”
Elley’s shoulders flinched.
And then…
Suddenly!
Lirian stood up from his seat.
