Chapter 98

Because of her, a dark sorcerer had awakened.

And because of the awakened dark sorcerer, countless people had died.

Now, one of those victims had appeared before her to blame her directly…

It was enough to stir her guilt.

Her arms tightened around the raccoon.

“Yes, it’s a mistake…”

A grave mistake, indeed.

She muttered to herself, chewing over Masetike’s words.

“If I had known things would turn out like this, I should have destroyed that soul entirely.”

It was undoubtedly Eched’s fault. Simply killing the dark sorcerer’s body had been a careless move.

But everything was already spilled water.

Regretting it now wouldn’t change anything.

“So now that your identity has been exposed, what will you do? Start a fight here?”

This was the Imperial Palace.

A place teeming with knights and mages.

Masetike, as if reading her thoughts, sneered.

“Do you think you can hold out until they arrive?”

“Why not? If I die… well, it can’t be helped.”

“Yes, you’ve always been like that. Always acting as if you had no attachment to life.”

His face, as he reminisced about the past, looked strangely forlorn.

Looking at him like that, it seemed he wasn’t entirely consumed yet…

But despite showing glimpses of humanity, the dark magic emanating from Masetike grew increasingly intense.

It was now noticeable even to those sensitive to such things.

“Shaterian, you know, what if everything had remained as it was? If you had stayed as your original self.”

He was referring to the version of her who had taken her own life in a prison cell.

Masetike seemed to know everything already.

That this world had changed the moment her past-life memories resurfaced.

It was like looking at Gusto, who had accepted the soul of a dark sorcerer and thus knew everything.

He had thrown a fit, claiming she wasn’t truly Shaterian…

“Do you like it better now?”

“I…”

She couldn’t easily answer that question.

Her chest felt tight, and her lips wouldn’t move.

Seeing her hesitation, Masetike let out a bitter laugh.

“Anyway, I have no regrets. I won’t give up halfway, either.”

“Masetike, it’s not too late. You can still turn back.”

Before he was completely consumed by the dark magic.

But Masetike shook his head.

“It’s already too late.”

There was no more time to persuade him.

People who had sensed the dark magic were already rushing to this spot.

“Mas…”

“This is the end of our conversation.”

“What?”

A storm suddenly erupted.

The wind swirling around Masetike whipped up the rain, making it impossible to keep her eyes open.

The fierce wind seemed to pull her in, so she deliberately dropped to the ground.

Clinging to the ground made it somewhat easier to withstand the storm, but she wasn’t entirely free.

She dug her fingers into the earth, clutching at grass.

With her other arm, she held the raccoon tightly to her chest. She couldn’t let go, or the lightweight raccoon might be swept away by the storm.

Masetike’s figure disappeared into the whirlwind.

Only after he had completely vanished did the storm subside.

“Why…”

Her mind was tangled with questions, but there was no one left to answer them.

Still sitting on the ground, she could feel the squelching footsteps of people rushing toward her, the vibrations of their approach resonating through the earth.

For some reason, she felt utterly drained and couldn’t bring herself to stand.

It seemed the frightened raccoon had inadvertently drained her divine power.

She let herself lose consciousness.

***

‘Do you like it better now?’

It was a question she couldn’t easily answer.

If she said yes, she’d feel guilty for those who had died. If she said no, she’d pity herself.

Though she hadn’t answered at the time, she liked it better now.

The predetermined death was gone, and she could imagine a future with the person she loved.

But what had driven Masetike to embrace dark magic?

‘I should’ve asked him that.’

She regretted not asking.

That might have been her last chance to talk to Masetike.

Pushing away her spiraling thoughts, she slowly opened her eyes.

The gloomy sky continued to pour down rain.

“Chief? Are you awake?” 

Someone asked from beside her.

She turned her head and saw a physician tending to her. With a clearer mind than she’d expected, she nodded.

“Orgon… Where is His Highness the Crown Prince?”

She remembered hearing Orgon’s voice just before she lost consciousness.

“His Highness left after hearing you had only fainted. He took the raccoon you were holding with him.”

“Is the raccoon okay?”

“Yes. Since you were holding it so tightly, it wasn’t hurt.”

“That sounds like you’re implying I was hurt.”

“Your injuries have already been treated with divine power. They weren’t severe, just scratches from something sharp.”

She recalled the stones and branches that had grazed her as the wind centered around Masetike had pulled at everything.

If the raccoon were here, it would surely boast about how she had saved it.

Thinking such things, she tried to get up, but the physician hurriedly stopped her.

“I need to see His Highness.”

“His Highness instructed that you stay in bed and not leave.”

Despite his abrupt departure, he had left such instructions?

‘He’s thorough, as always.’

But insisting further would only cause trouble for the physician.

She reluctantly lay back down.

The physician performed another examination and handed her a restorative tonic.

The tonic seemed to have a sedative effect because, as she lay still, sleep began to overtake her.

When she woke from a deep, dreamless sleep, Orgon was sitting by her side.

Looking up from the documents he was reading, Orgon met her gaze.

“You’re awake? You look well-rested.”

Though the sun was hidden behind storm clouds, Orgon’s face seemed to shine.

She stared at him blankly, then pulled the blanket higher and let her head fall back.

“This must be happiness.”

“What?”

“Sleeping at work and still getting paid…”

“You’re clearly fine if you’re spouting nonsense.”

Ignoring his exasperated expression, she turned slightly.

Something between her legs felt odd.

Looking down, she saw a round lump under the blanket and quickly threw it off.

The raccoon, curled up between her legs, blinked sleepily at the sudden light.

[What?]

How shameless for a creature that had been sleeping between her legs.

Not to mention, it had drained her divine power and caused her to faint.

Though she had recovered in just a few hours, it had been no minor inconvenience.

‘I’m letting this slide.’

It absolutely wasn’t because she felt sorry for how frightened it had been earlier.

She gently covered it with the blanket again.

The raccoon turned in a circle, settling back into a comfortable position, and soon grew still.

“It’s just like a dog…”

Orgon shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe this creature was a Divine Beast.

“Anyway, what happened?”

She assumed Orgon had heard the situation from the raccoon and asked him directly.

As expected, he answered without needing further explanation.

“By the time I arrived, Masetike had already fled.”

“What about pursuit?”

“The Holy Knights are tracking him.”

“The Holy Knights? What’s gotten into them to move so quickly?”

Then again, this wasn’t just any matter—it involved a dark sorcerer. Swift action was necessary.

Especially since Anella could be in danger.

“And the Knight Commander contacted me.”

“Eched?”

News from her estranged husband.

Her eyes narrowed instinctively.

“He hasn’t found any information on the World Tree yet, but he met an informant in the Astrea Empire who provided details about a dark sorcerer who supposedly died 300 years ago.”

Information obtained after two long seasons of searching.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely good news.

Eched’s return would be further delayed.

Worry began to creep in.

It was a different feeling from when she first heard Eched had left the capital.

It was undoubtedly because of the unexpected threat posed by Masetike.

After all, he had declared his intent to kill Eched.

Orgon, as if sensing her unease, spoke up.

“Don’t worry. Masetike will be caught soon. And even if he encounters the Knight Commander, there’s no way the Knight Commander would lose.”

Would that really ease my worry?

Still, she nodded as if reassured.

“Eched wouldn’t lose… Did you mention me?”

“I just said you were fine. No need to tell him you were hurt—it might distract him.”

That was a relief. She didn’t want him worrying about her and letting his guard down.

‘I hope nothing happens…’

She glanced up at the stormy sky.

Lightning flickered occasionally, making the already gloomy weather seem even worse.

Thinking of Eched, likely out in the rain investigating, she couldn’t help but sigh.

She tried to ignore the unease that had crept into her heart.