Side Story.17

What kind of boy was he, what kind of person could bear such a great destiny and realize it in the end?

The mermaid who told him stories wore a troubled expression at the young Krshunie’s question.

But, as always—

[……Krshunie. You are smarter than anyone. I love your cleverness. But that boy is surrounded by outstanding heroes. It may be very difficult for you to find your place.]

‘For example, the “most perfect creature” that providence created and sent into the world……?’

[Yes. He will live as the only transcendent for perhaps an eternity, in the place where our mermaid tribe disappeared.]

Krshunie didn’t like it.

He wanted to share in that boy’s great destiny, even if it meant eating just a fragment of it.

So Krshunie begged the mermaid, as if throwing a tantrum.

Tell him how, among all those heroes, he could be recognized and stay by the boy’s side.

[……There is only one way. Use alchemy.]

‘Alchemy?’

The mermaid, after pondering for a while, gazed at Krshunie with a determined look and said,

[You were not born with the right to handle mana. But if you use a part of a creature imbued with powerful mana, you can create a special drug.]

‘A creature imbued with powerful mana…….’

[That will be your strongest foundation, your special ability…….]

As Krshunie muttered softly, the mermaid smiled sadly, looking at the boy she loved.

[And I will be the source of all your alchemy.]

At that moment, the mermaid split her own chest and handed him her blue-glowing heart.

[My heart, my flesh, my mana……. I give you all of it. But in return, I will no longer be able to live and breathe with you……]

Her sorrowful voice mingled with the waves and scattered.

‘Thank you. But I have a question.’

Krshunie stared at the mermaid’s heart in his hand, his eyes so clear they seemed empty, and asked, looking at the radiant sky, the deep blue sea, the pure white foam.

‘What remains for you after this?’

And the name of the mermaid who loved him.

‘Krshunia.’

He called it, perhaps for the last time.

Then, the mermaid, filled with dazzling, shattering beauty, said,

[Don’t forget me. If all your life, breath, and memories are imprinted with me, that alone will be enough.]

It was incomprehensible.

But Krshunie had to admit that Krshunia’s heart and flesh were very useful to him.

However, even the mermaid’s great body couldn’t satisfy his endless thirst.

A greater power, richer mana……

‘Not enough.’

More, even more precious materials, even more powerful mana.

More brutally, scraping up everything, no matter what.

‘Krshunia, if you had left something like this…… you should have told me.’

Driven by such obsession, he searched and licked everything the mermaid who loved him had left, and finally discovered it.

‘So this was your sacred relic.’

At first glance, it looked like a white veil, but upon closer inspection, it was a net filled with dense holes.

A relic that would later be called “Binding Krshunia.”

“I’ve had a lot of bad experiences lately. I’ve also heard unbelievable stories, so I’ve worried a lot about how to handle the aftermath.”

Krshunie snapped out of his recollection and gazed at the princess, as beautiful as the mermaid’s delicate ornament.

“Unbelievable stories? I’m curious, could you tell me?”

“Of course I should. After all, you’re involved.”

What?

Krshunie raised his eyebrows in surprise at the princess’s unexpected, calm tone.

Meanwhile, a maid standing behind the princess stepped forward and bowed her head.

“One of my maids witnessed a shocking scene a few nights ago.”

Was the princess always this cold?

He had thought she was just a weak person unable to hide her vulnerability, stuck between Adelstein and his brother.

“Speak.”

The noble command was given.

The maid, erasing all emotion, answered with a polite and respectful expression and tone.

“It was precisely four nights ago. I was returning from delivering a late-night snack to the soldiers and passing through the garden.”

Ah, no.

“I heard something strange. The sound of movement, and a beast’s rough breathing. Thinking it odd, I secretly entered the depths of the garden where the sound came from. And I saw it.”

The maid slowly raised her head. Her clear, light brown eyes looked straight at Krshunie.

“Krshunie Polaris, standing right here, was definitely feeding a Saharan beast. The Saharan ate what Krshunie gave it, struggled in pain, vomited blood, and died.”

Krshunie looked slowly at Princess Seiya.

The princess waited calmly for the maid to finish, her expression unchanged.

“I reported this fact to the princess in detail. The merciful princess wondered if there might be a reason for your actions, and did not bring this to public attention.”

“That’s enough. You may go, Dritesa.”

“Yes, Princess.”

The maid returned to her place.

Only Princess Seiya’s meaningful gaze and Krshunie’s unreadable smile remained.

“Your maid is prone to delusions.”

“My maids would never lie. Never.”

A tense exchange left no room for gaps.

Ah. This is troublesome.

Krshunie twisted his head, his indifferent face somehow chilling, and spoke.

“Are you suspecting me?”

“You’re awfully confident. You know well what kind of fallout would follow if I told Adelstein and Hyperion about this.”

The princess’s point was true.

Adelstein and Hyperion did not trust him. Of course, they would doubt him if the princess spoke.

Ha, Krshunie felt a bit tired.

Everything was predetermined anyway.

Even if Krshunie hadn’t intervened, Adelstein would have eventually set his goal to kill the beasts that disrupted order, and Hyperion Luar would have helped him.

But Krshunie’s greatest desire was not for everything to flow naturally, but to direct it himself.

Specifically, to obtain a power that surpassed the magic of Hyperion Luar, the most perfect creature providence had ever made.

The only clue to reaching that goal was alchemy, and he had several mermaid bodies filled with powerful mana to use as sources.

But that was limited, so naturally Krshunie reached out to the beasts.

He killed beasts, ground them into powder, extracted their blood, processed them in various ways……

But no matter what method he used, he couldn’t surpass “magic.”

So, he modified his goal from separating Hyperion Luar from Adelstein to imitating as much as possible from his side.

“It would be wise to confess before it’s too late. Killing beasts with poison, and the sudden deaths of hundreds of citizens after eating beasts…… Are all these things related to you?”

Unexpectedly, the princess of Ilarya had interfered and threatened to ruin things.

Krshunie gazed at the princess with a cold look.

“If you’re already convinced of everything, why ask?”

Krshunie spoke in the calmest tone.

“If you tell Adelstein, I’ll be immediately punished and expelled.”

The princess’s face twisted slightly at his words.

“I’d like to get rid of someone as unpleasant as you, but…… Adelstein seems to cherish you quite a bit. You have rare and mysterious talent.”

The princess, speaking softly, lifted her clear violet eyes.

Krshunie was reflected in them.

“So I’ll make a proposal. Whatever plan you have, it doesn’t matter. The responsibility for the deaths of Ilarya’s citizens…… I won’t pursue it any further.”

In the quiet space, only the princess’s voice echoed.

“But before that, just one thing. Do not do anything that harms Adelstein. Right now, swear on everything you have before me.”

A strange light appeared in Krshunie’s eyes.

He had been worried that Princess Seiya’s interference would ruin his plans, but this was a stroke of luck.

Do not do anything that harms Adelstein? That’s obvious.

Krshunie couldn’t help but smirk.

Everything he had done and all his plans were only to become the closest aide to the great master of destiny, Adelstein.

There was no way he would harm him.

All his worries were for nothing. He hadn’t expected her to be such an easy, naïve woman.

“Even if you hadn’t pressed me, I would never harm Adelstein. But since you’ve shown me such broad mercy, I’ll comply and swear.”

The princess listened quietly to Krshunie’s gentle answer and turned away.

“I’ll trust your answer.”

Following her, the line of maids soon made the princess’s shadow disappear.