Chapter 32: Their Circumstances (2)
Isrion found Riel quite endearing.
It wasn’t because of the memory loss caused by the incomplete blood transfusion or the nonsensical ramblings she spouted with a dazed expression.
She had Lariel’s apricot-colored eyes and silver hair similar to his white hair. It made him content, as if imagining that this might be what their child would look like if he and Lariel had one.
The reason he wholeheartedly taught her the basics in place of the busy Lariel was purely because of that. In some ways, Isrion was closer to being Riel’s true teacher.
Thus, Lariel’s top disciple and her youngest disciple maintained a fairly good relationship.
Had Isrion not eventually reached out with dark intentions toward Lariel, their relationship might have remained smooth until the end.
<Rion, that’s enough. Thank you for helping me all this time.>
<Lara?>
<Riel will never reach my level… but I’ll have to be satisfied with this.>
<Wait, Lara. What are you thinking right now?>
<You know I don’t have much time left. I thought I’d start wrapping things up.>
Isrion looked at Lariel with a stunned expression. He had only recently begun to secretly enjoy the fact that her pink hair was turning white like his, but time had been cruelly swift.
Even though mages live long lives, Lariel had already surpassed 300 years. Her wrinkled smile tried to comfort Isrion, but it couldn’t pick up his heart, which had fallen to the ground.
She must live.
Lariel could never die before him.
…No.
‘Even in death, we’ll be together.’
Isrion’s eyes glinted dangerously. The act of pretending to be a gentle, obedient younger man, as per her preferences, was over.
Now that he had taken over the position of Mage Tower Master, there was nothing to stop him.
Immortality. Eternal life. Rejuvenation. He devoured every book in the tower that carried the highest restrictions. Whenever even the smallest clue appeared, he would dig into it fiercely.
But completing the research on immortality, a feat no one had ever perfectly achieved, before Lariel’s death was impossible.
Every day felt too short. Consumed by anxiety, Isrion barely slept, burying himself in books, until he eventually found a subject that could serve as a compromise.
The soul.
He saw the answer in the very thing that barbarian shamans were said to handle.
His magic, specialized in ‘seeing,’ had finally allowed him to perceive even souls.
<Lara, I’ve found the answer. A way to fulfill both your wish and mine.>
<Huh?>
<Make a contract with me. I’ll fulfill your dream. And then…>
A smile, hiding madness, bloomed brightly.
<Will you marry me?>
Isrion deceived Lariel. Strictly speaking, he didn’t lie, but blinded by the impending death of the woman he loved, he forcibly bound her to him.
Thus, Isrion—
Killed Lariel himself.
To be precise, he stole her soul and sealed it in a pendant.
The torrent of curses emanating from the humming pendant did not last long. It was a waste of time to argue with a lunatic who would just smile and accept everything calmly.
Instead, Lariel compromised. She set one condition for Isrion, who was using her body to create new life.
—I want my child to be happy. At least as accomplished as I was as a mage. You know what I mean—my research on life magic should shine in its entirety.”
<Then, will you marry me?>
—…Fine, let’s get married. But I’ll only accept a new body after you keep your promise.”
From that moment, Isrion meticulously designed a single life. Pouring all his abilities into it, he even planned for happiness that an ordinary mage could never feel.
Around that time, he began to peer into the future with the highest probability among countless possibilities. This was when rumors that Isrion had killed Lariel started spreading.
<Master, where are you?>
He even predicted that Riel would come to him, grabbing him by the collar out of nowhere. Smiling kindly at the artificially created hybrid, who was still so short she was practically hanging off his clothes, he said:
<I’ve made a contract with her, so you won’t see her for a while. By the way, could you lend me a hand? I might need help raising Lara’s child.>
<Your child, Master?>
<They haven’t been born yet, but you could say I’ll give birth to them in about ten years.>
<…What nonsense is this?>
<Haha, it’s just something like that. Anyway, you’ll help, won’t you? When the time comes, I’ll pass on the Mage Tower Master position, imbued with Lara’s will, to you. So, for now, you’ll have to follow my instructions as my disciple.>
Isrion wasn’t a god, but he prepared everything he could for Lariel’s child. Simply observing the continent’s political landscape and waiting for the right timing and people completed more than half of the preparations.
All he had to do was add a little seasoning. To subtly guide the direction, ensuring the path didn’t deviate.
From remote mountain villages on the continent to the last fairy egg and even a phoenix on the verge of being born—everything was used for the future he envisioned. Secretly watching Chloe, who began falling for the Grand Duke after just a few encounters, also became an amusing pastime.
‘They’ve fallen much faster and deeper than I expected.’
This wasn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, it was proof that his choice had been correct.
With just a little push, they were perfect opposites who could always be drawn to each other.
It felt as if he had arranged the perfect match, filling him with satisfaction. The end of the long-prepared contract was just around the corner.
All that remained was to eliminate any unforeseen variables.
‘That’s almost done, too.’
Isrion smiled faintly. For someone who had caused disaster across the continent, there was no trace of guilt—only a sense of relief.
The first step was temporarily accelerating Ray’s growth with Elle’s help. The second was awakening Ray’s dormant mother. The third was orchestrating a situation to force a territorial battle.
This led to a massive volcanic eruption. It was an exceptionally easy way to clean up trash.
The sight of Ray wrestling with lava alongside her mother and eventually reuniting as a family was nothing short of a clean, satisfying conclusion.
The pendant hummed with complaints only he could hear, but he wasn’t the type to shrink from such things. Instead, he shrugged nonchalantly, claiming he hadn’t directly killed anyone.
‘Now, the only thing left is…’
His green eyes turned to the small hybrid mage. Laughing softly at the apricot-colored gaze that met his sullenly, he said:
“This marks the end of my role. There are no more dangerous variables, and Chloe will live happily ever after.”
“…What are you scheming?”
Sensing something off in his tone, Riel tried to grab Isrion, but she was a step too late.
Clutching the pendant hidden within his robe, he smiled radiantly before scattering into the air.
“I’m off to enjoy some overdue dates with my love, so take good care of the Mage Tower!”
“You scoundrel!”
***
The mourning ceremony lasted several days.
Although the lives lost could not be restored, the Imperial Mages and Chloe assisted with the capital’s reconstruction, which had been scorched by fire. Lucas, disguised and cloaked to evade his bounty, also lent a hand.
Even though he acted as if it were the most dreadful task, Lucas eventually helped after being told to atone for his sins. As a result, he was given a spare room in the Mage Tower. Though Isrion hadn’t returned yet, and Lucas was still under a curse, he seemed fine as long as he wasn’t obsessing over revenge.
Perhaps it was because he didn’t have time for such thoughts. After all, he had been saddled with the role of babysitter for a pair of mischievous beings.
“Please, just stay still…! Argh!”
「Friend of a friend! Your touch is so clumsy!」
“You little…! Stop it, I said!”
Chirp! Chirp!
Chloe froze at the scene that greeted her upon opening the door. The room was a mess—one side burned, the other soaked. But more than the state of the room, it was Lucas, being bitten by Elle and pecked by Ray, that left her speechless.
“…What are you all doing?”
At the sound of her familiar voice, the chaos came to a halt. As if waiting for this moment, Elle fluttered over to Chloe and tattled:
「Friend! Friend’s friend hurt the new friend!」
What on earth was this nonsense?
Confused by the repeated use of the word ‘friend,’ Chloe glanced at Lucas. Gritting his teeth as if he understood the fairy’s words, he yelled:
“I just tried to pet the phoenix once! There was no need to breathe fire on me!”
「That’s not true! I breathed water!」
Chirp! Chirp!
“You were trying to put out the fire the phoenix started, weren’t you?”
「Friend! Friend’s friend keeps yelling!」
Chirp! Chirp!
“You little pest…!”
“Enough, all of you.”
Letting out a sigh, Chloe waved her hand lightly. As the room returned to its original state, she scolded her friend:
“I told you to watch over them properly.”
“Chloe, this is unfair! I didn’t even do anything…!”
“Yelling at kids who aren’t even a year old is hardly admirable, is it?”
Lucas clamped his mouth shut. Glaring begrudgingly at the tiny creatures huddled at his feet, puffing out their chests, he refrained from taking any further action.
‘At least they haven’t caused any major trouble.’
Chloe sighed in relief. Originally, Lucas had planned to stay at the Grand Ducal Mansion to monitor Tehis, but with Isrion likely to remain absent for a long time, plans had changed.
Instead of strictly forbidding magic for an extended period, he would wait for Isrion at the Mage Tower. He had also agreed to take on the role of babysitter for the children who had suddenly been relocated to his room last week.
Riel, busy with her duties as acting Mage Tower Master, couldn’t spare the time, and Chloe herself had been preoccupied recently. In this sense, Lucas’s presence was a blessing.
…Though it didn’t seem like a smooth ride for him, it was better than nothing.
‘It’s a beneficial arrangement for him, too.’
At the very least, it was better than being dragged to the empire, tortured, and executed.
Shaking her head, Chloe soon conveyed the reason for her visit.
“I’ll be gone for a few days. Take good care of the kids until I return. No fighting.”
Kaishan’s coronation was just around the corner.
Helping to stabilize the North before then left her with a tight schedule.
Translator
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Heyhihello
I’m confused- so Riel is the product of experiment between Lara&Isrion =silver hair& peach eye
So what about Chloe I know Isrion planned everything but for what I feel stupid I’ll re read