Given the current situation, it might seem that no one would buy gemstones, but the nobles based in the capital continued to indulge in luxury and hold banquets.

This itself could be seen as a sign of decline, but many nobles who had lived in the safe capital all their lives were unaware of the turmoil happening outside.

Even hearing rumors about the increase in demonic beasts, many felt it had nothing to do with them, so they continued living as usual.

Some, even knowing about it, didn’t care as long as their taxes were paid on time, and they turned a blind eye to the exploitation happening in their territories.

Thanks to this, the Lapis gemstone store was still thriving. Given this, the Debov family must have seemed so tempting.

However, with the duke’s protection, all these dangers would disappear.

After making such a significant offer without hesitation, the duke seemed to have finished his business and stood up to leave.

“Wait, just a moment!”

Seeing the duke about to leave after delivering his message, Yuri called out urgently.

“By the way.”

And the duke, as usual, only said what he needed to say.

“It is not my child.”

Yuri, who had tried to stop the duke, was momentarily stunned by this statement.

What did he mean? The duchess was pregnant, yet the duke said the child was not his?

Every time the duke spoke, his words were so shocking that Yuri’s agitation never fully turned into anger before it fizzled out.

“So, it’s useless to vent your feelings about blood ties to me.”

“……”

“But even I feel uneasy about killing an innocent child in the womb.”

“Then, then……”

“I will let you meet her after she gives birth.”

“…Really, is that so?”

“Yes.”

Was it okay? Was it really okay? After all, the duchess was his wife.

Yuri, confused by the duke’s calm tone, felt a mix of emotions.

“—Your Grace!”

Perhaps that’s why Yuri impulsively grabbed him again.

This time, as the duke had finished his business and was about to leave, Yuri asked impulsively.

“Calling your wife by her name as if she were a third party……”

As if she were less than a wife.

“Are you trying to emphasize that you have no responsibility?”

Or……

The duke turned his head slightly to look at Yuri and replied.

“You might feel that way.”

“……”

“But if I didn’t feel responsible, I wouldn’t have come here at all.”

The duke stared at Yuri’s face for a long time.

“Your eyes……”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps it’s because you are twins……”

The duke’s expression seemed to be recalling something.

But ultimately, it was impossible to understand what he meant.

“I regret to inform you.”

And with those words, the duke was gone as quickly as he had arrived.

Anger, grief, bewilderment, longing, self-reproach, and frustration……

Yuri stood there for a long time, unable to process the whirlwind of emotions.

* * *

His already weakened body.

Despite hiding the news of Saena’s death to prevent further shock, the former Count of Debov could not survive the year and passed away.

Sage, who had to suddenly inherit the title, could not give much attention to Yuri. He was busy enough dealing with his own affairs.

Thanks to the presence of the Kramer Third Knight Order in Delvon, Sage managed to avoid overworking himself or being killed by an invading lord.

Yuri occasionally helped with Sage’s affairs, but compared to his own, Yuri had more freedom to collect traces of his twin sister.

Her tree, her doodles, the traces of codes and various records she had left behind.

It was only natural that Yuri started reading Saena’s translation notes, which she had worked on the most.

And the last unfinished translation she had been working on.

[Conversations with a Guardian Spirit]

The content was as follows:

The author, who had been grieving the loss of his daughter, somehow entered the spirit realm.

There, he conversed with various spirits and realized something.

‘If only I could die in her place, I would gladly do so……’

This was a wish the author had repeatedly murmured.

Through the dialogue with the Guardian Spirit, the author discovered a way to fulfill this wish.

‘If only I could die and let her live, how wonderful would that be.’

This wish felt like his own.

Except for the fact that they were siblings, not father and daughter.

Was it because of his earnestness? For some reason, Yuri did not feel that the content of this book was just a fictional tale.

‘What if this really happened?’

Stories from the Arles-Promesa era, by current standards, were often dismissed as fiction due to their incomprehensibility. Yuri had thought the same.

But Saena had said:

‘The Arles-Promesa era may be ancient, but it was not a time of lesser civilization. It’s just that we can’t understand the higher level of things they had. How can we, who have lost our Guardian Spirits, understand the era when most people had them? That’s why it seems fantastical to us.’

Then……

If the content of this conversation was true……

‘Could there be some possibility for me, like the author?’

A shiver ran down his spine.

Finding a purpose in his remaining life…

Yuri immediately began studying Arlesian.

‘If only I had known this, I would have studied with Saena when she was……’

The regret was overwhelming.

The dialogue had been translated halfway by Saena, with the beginning and end parts more focused.

The most crucial part, where the author entered the spirit realm, was still untranslated.

Thanks to the extensive Arlesian knowledge that had been forcibly instilled by Saena, Yuri quickly grasped the basics. The rest, he would have to learn.

Even if it took years, or even a lifetime, it was something he had to achieve.

* * *

The atmosphere in the study was heavy.

A man was intensely working on something, his hands moving rapidly.

“Master.”

“What is it? I told you not to disturb me.”

“…The count has arrived.”

“What?”

A man with black hair and violet eyes, who looked to be in his early middle age, with a few strands of white hair at his temples, had a nervous disposition.

He ran his hand through his hair irritably.

“Tell him I’m not here.”

“But he knows you are here……”

“Just give him a plausible excuse and tell him to come back later!”

“Yes, yes!”

The servant, drenched in sweat from his outburst, quickly answered.

“I knew this would happen.”

But before the servant could relay the message, someone else burst in.

Perhaps he had anticipated this, as the man who entered without waiting for an announcement was also in his early middle age.

The same black hair, but blue eyes.

“Brother.”

The younger man called out, sighing.

“Yuri Debov.”

The two brothers, one with his mother’s eyes and the other with his father’s, faced each other.

“Why did the busy count come here?”

“What else? Because of you!”

“Because of me? Why?”

“It was a hard-won opportunity, and you turned it down again?!”

“I told you before, stop doing pointless things.”

“Why don’t you just get married already? How long do you plan to live like this?!”

“I’m not the count, and what if I don’t get married? Just leave me alone!”

“It’s not just about marriage! How long do you plan to cling to the shadow of a dead person?!”

“……”

“And what, you want to restore the Covenant? If it were that easy, why would there only be four Oathkeepers left in the empire? And now, what?! You want to bring Saena back? Are you in your right mind?!”

“……”

“Even the current dukes can’t do that! You know how unrealistic your claim is, don’t you?”

Yuri, the younger brother, did not want to agree, but the deep depression on his face betrayed his lack of progress in his research.

Out of frustration, Sage continued his persuasion.

Sometimes with a tender tone, sometimes with force, and sometimes with logic.

But Yuri Debov remained silent, only listening to Sage without giving any agreement or promise.

‘This is how it always is, isn’t it?’

Feeling a mix of suffocating frustration and a throbbing pity, Sage made a decision.

“I didn’t want to resort to this, but I have no choice.”

Yuri understood his brother’s feelings, but he couldn’t let things continue like this.

“To continue living like this, I will no longer provide you with financial support!”

“Brother!”

The former Count of Debov had passed the head of the house to his eldest son, Sage, along with most of the business enterprises.

This did not mean he had left his younger son, Yuri, with nothing. He had left him a fertile local estate and a considerable inheritance.

But Yuri had spent all of it on his research and now depended on his brother financially.

He had squandered all his wealth on ancient books and artifacts from the Arles-Promesa era.

“I can see the end! I can’t stop now!”

It was clear that he was close to the end.

However, he made no progress at the final stage.

It was clear that the content was important, but despite applying various translation techniques, including those from the scholarly community and renowned scholars, the research had stagnated.

“I’ve been hearing that for years, you know?!”

“This time, it’s really true!”

Yuri desperately defended himself, knowing that stopping now would be disastrous.

“I’ve surpassed Saena’s translation skills, and that’s why I’ve been able to translate more than what she left behind. And in there, there’s something very important……”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear any more! Just get married! Then you can continue your research or not, and I won’t stop you!”

Sage cut off Yuri’s rambling with a stern warning.

“Ha!”

Yuri threw the pen he was holding onto the desk and shouted back.

“Do as you wish, Count!”

Both brothers understood each other’s positions.

However, there were things they couldn’t let go of, and those things kept them at an impasse.

As a result, the distance between them grew even deeper.

* * *

In the end, Yuri did not get married.

Sage did not change his decision either.

To put it bluntly, Yuri’s finances were not just at rock bottom; he was in debt.

Then, an ancient manuscript appeared on the market.

The Bellua Antiquarian Bookstore, where Saena used to be a regular, had become Yuri’s haunt.

One might wonder who would buy books, especially ancient manuscripts, during such turbulent times, but the old shopkeeper seemed to have a knack for business and had managed to keep the bookstore running.

But it seemed that the end was near. The shopkeeper announced that this would be his last book before closing the store, adding that it contained many unfamiliar character arrangements.

Unfamiliar character arrangements—this was certainly a significant clue.

‘I have to buy it.’

Yuri had a hunch, but he had no money.

After much deliberation, Yuri sent a letter to Duke Kramer, urgently requesting a meeting.

Fortunately, the duke did not ignore his request and agreed to meet him.