Chapter 83

“Do you have some kind of backup plan? Or are you just so ignorant of the ways of the world that you don’t understand the situation you’re in?” 

Tristan’s laughter made Vivian’s hair stand on end.

She pondered why Tristan had kidnapped her. The only connection between Tristan and her was Water Rose.

Could it be that he was desperate for money?

How did Tristan, who had suddenly canceled their meeting, know about the rural inn where we happened to be staying and kidnap me?

In a fleeting moment, many thoughts rushed through Vivian’s mind.

If this kidnapping was orchestrated out of a need for money, that was actually a relief. The best course of action was to promise him money to persuade him and then escape from here.

“If it’s Water Rose, I can arrange to buy it. Such a precious flower would surely please Her Majesty the Empress…”

Vivian couldn’t finish her sentence. Tristan’s face, which had been watching her, moved a little closer.

Without a smile, Tristan stared intently at Vivian.

After a moment of gazing at her, Tristan slowly bent down and reached inside his cloak. He took out a folded piece of paper and unfolded it in front of Vivian, whose hands were tied.

“Aitor Turner. He’s an extraordinary guy. So remarkable that mid-to-low-level wizards like me can’t even compare to him. A genius who might appear once in a hundred years. But with someone like him hunting me down, how can I live without fear? I need to create a reason for him not to pursue me.”

The paper Tristan held contained Aitor’s personal information. He waved it in front of Vivian, who was frozen.

Seeing Vivian’s hardened expression, Tristan lifted one side of his lips in a sneer. He seemed delighted as he pushed the paper closer for Vivian to see better.

“So, aren’t you curious why I kidnapped you, Young Lady? It’s not just for money. Look here, Young Lady.”

Tristan tapped his index finger on the writing on one side of the paper.

“Caspian Turner. This man is Aitor Turner’s adoptive father.”

It was a name she had never heard before. Vivian moved her gaze from the name Caspian Turner to Tristan’s face.

“Do you know who Caspian Turner is?”

Tristan laughed, showing all his teeth. His laughter, mixed with madness, seemed to anticipate something very amusing, causing Vivian to swallow dryly and shake her head slightly.

“What does Aitor’s father have to do with the current situation?”

In response to Vivian’s question, Tristan chuckled, acknowledging her intelligence.

“He’s a very important figure who will help me escape Aitor’s grasp. You see, Caspian Turner is…”

Tristan raised his eyebrows as if he were doing Vivian a favor, leaned in close to her ear, and whispered in a lowered voice.

“The person the Emperor killed.”

Vivian couldn’t immediately comprehend Tristan’s words. She couldn’t easily connect the story about Aitor’s adotpive father with the sudden mention of Emperor Henry.

Tristan was grinning wickedly as he watched Vivian struggle with her fragmented thoughts.

Vivian’s body gradually stiffened. She couldn’t fully believe his words. However, there didn’t seem to be any particular reason for Tristan to kidnap her and lie.

There was no falsehood in Tristan’s snake-like eyes. That realization made Vivian feel even more despair.

Seeing Vivian’s wavering eyes, Tristan laughed cruelly. He stepped back two paces and perched on a dusty piece of luggage.

“Aren’t you curious? Why did I kidnapped you, and why am I suddenly bringing up Aitor’s adoptive father in this conversation?”

Noticing some unknown filth on the tip of his shoe, Tristan frowned deeply and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it off irritably.

As he bent over to clean his shoe, Tristan spoke indifferently.

“There’s no more suitable hostage than you, Young Lady. The only daughter of a Ducal family in the Empire, who is to become the Crown Princess, and Aitor’s closest friend.”

While cleaning his shoe, Tristan glanced at Vivian, who was frozen as if she’d forgotten how to breathe, and let out a small laugh.

Tristan recalled the plans and actions he had taken to kidnap Vivian.

The Earl Moore family, with whom he had joined hands a few months ago to obtain money, had recently started struggling financially.

He had sensed that the royal family’s movements had been unusual lately.

Thinking that he needed to cut ties, Tristan came up with a good idea when he heard the name Vivian Dinever from the mouth of Earl Moore’s daughter.

He had to deal with the wizards the Mage Tower had sent after him. He had to deal with several wizards who had started tracking him down recently.

One of the things Tristan was scheming had annoyed someone high up in the Mage Tower.

While contemplating how to escape this crisis, Tristan learned about the wizards pursuing him, and among them, Aitor Turner caught his eye.

When Aitor Turner entered the magic school, he became a huge sensation among the wizards.

As Tristan investigated Aitor, he discovered that he was close to the Crown Prince and his fiancée. The fiancée’s name came from the mouth of Earl Moore’s daughter, and Tristan tried various ways to approach her, but it wasn’t easy.

Because she was the only daughter of a well-known family in the Empire, there was a lot of vigilance around her.

Using Water Rose as an excuse, he attempted to make contact, but sensing something suspicious, Tristan had to cancel the appointment that day.

Learning that the young lady Vivian would be going down to Raspol before her marriage, Tristan meticulously planned.

He calculated where the carriage should break down and arranged for them to stay at a small village inn at the foot of the mountain.

To perform a teleportation spell that mid-to-low-level wizards couldn’t usually use, he placed an item made of magic stone in the room where the young lady Vivian might stay.

Everything was going according to plan.

“By now, they must have realized that you are missing, Young Lady, and they have no choice but to meet my demands.”

Having wiped the dirt off his shoe, Tristan tossed the soiled handkerchief onto the floor.

“Aren’t you curious why the Emperor killed Aitor’s adoptive father?”

Tristan looked at a pocket watch he took out of his pocket, tilted his head as if pondering something for a moment, then put the watch back in his pocket and crossed his arms.

“To explain quickly, since there’s no time, Aitor’s adoptive father was a wizard with close ties to Emperor Henry. Whenever there was a sensitive issue between the Empire and the Mage Tower, Caspian handled it. At that time, even the Mage Tower’s head was pro-Empire, so nothing major happened, but anti-Empire wizards wouldn’t just sit by.”

It was all new information to Vivian. It was a story from before she was born, and she had no way of knowing the detailed affairs between the Mage Tower and the imperial family.

“Caspian mediated very well between them. His magic was top-notch, but he was also a good person, so many wizards followed him. Then one day, Caspian brought a child.”

The child Caspian brought was undoubtedly Aitor. Hearing Aitor’s story from Tristan made Vivian flinch.

“Caspian, who willingly became the parent of a child with unknown origins, left everything behind and left the Mage Tower with the child. What do you think happened when Caspian, who was the mediator between the self-centered Mage Tower and the Empire, left?”

Tristan laughed as if it were pathetic. He muttered that he found out later that relations with the Emperor had soured.

“In no time, the relationship between the two deteriorated, and there was an uproar to remove the pro-Empire head of the Mage Tower and set up an anti-Empire one.”

Recalling the events as if they were amusing, Tristan quickly erased the smile from his face.

“The turmoil didn’t subside for quite a while, and eventually, it reached him too. Poor fellow.”

He clicked his tongue in disdain. His words were sympathetic, but his expression was anything but.

“Caspian sought out the Emperor of the Empire to save his life. But what do you think the Emperor of the Empire did?”

Tristan asked Vivian. She already knew the ending, but she neither wanted to say it aloud nor believe it.

As Vivian’s peridot-colored eyes shook violently, Tristan seemed pleased and smiled.

“He turned his back coldly. That’s the kind of person Emperor Henry is. If it’s sweet, he’ll swallow it; if it’s bitter, he’ll spit it out… But isn’t it funny? That his adoptive son is now the Emperor’s wizard, working with them, just like his father. Heh heh heh. Hahaha.”

Whatever was so amusing, Tristan began to clutch his stomach and laugh.

“How… how can I believe what you’re saying?”

Vivian barely squeezed out her voice. However, she couldn’t hide the trembling in her voice.

“I have evidence.”

Tristan stopped laughing at Vivian’s question and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, as if he had been crying. Still affected by the laughter, he took a deep breath and exhaled, then twirled his index finger in the air.

Following Tristan’s finger, light began to form. In an instant, a magical formula appeared, and the light gathered and spat out an old envelope into the air.

“Letters exchanged between Caspian and Emperor Henry.”

Vivian held her breath as she looked at the envelope Tristan was holding and shaking. The seal on the worn envelope was the same as the small lark seal she had once seen on a secret imperial edict in her father’s study when she was young.

If what he said was true…

Vivian squeezed her eyes shut.

Aitor, whom she first met in front of the circus, Aitor, who became her friend in the Emperor’s forest, and Aitor, who talked about his adoptive father, flashed quickly through Vivian’s mind.

And Louis, who was by his side.

“Well, it’s almost time, so I should prepare.”

Tristan stretched as he looked at Vivian, who was trembling all over. He lowered the arm he had raised in the air and grabbed Vivian’s arm roughly, pulling her up.

“Just tell Aitor the truth if he asks about what you’ve seen and heard until now, Young Lady.”

Vivian, whose body had stiffened with tension, staggered, unable to keep her balance, but she didn’t fall because Tristan was holding her so tightly.

Tristan dragged Vivian into the center of the building.

He led Vivian to the center of a magic circle drawn at some unknown time and stared quietly into the void.

After a while, a warm breeze blew, and Aitor and Zero, who hadn’t been there a moment ago, stood there.

“Ha ha. As expected, they say you’re a genius among geniuses, and you found this place quickly.”

“Tristan…”

Seeing Aitor, Vivian felt like she was looking at someone else.

His eyes, once like the calm sea of a warm southern country, were now like the raging sea at the northernmost end, ready to swallow and destroy everything.

Next to him, Zero bared his teeth and growled at Tristan, raising his fur.

Feeling Aitor’s intense killing intent, Tristan gripped Vivian’s arm even tighter and pulled her towards him.

Zero crouched low, ready to pounce at any moment.

“You shouldn’t bare your teeth like that…”

Tristan lifted one corner of his mouth as he looked at Zero. At that moment, a red light began to ripple over the magic circle drawn on the floor.