Episode 60: Making History
The moon gently embraced the Topaz Palace.
Snowflakes descended from the sky, settling softly on the garden, deepening the tranquility.
The white lilies, bowed by the cold breath of winter, drooped their heads, and the moonlight spread over them like frost.
It was a sleepless night.
Rudella gazed blankly at the garden. The scenery outside the window was serene, yet it left a faint resonance in her heart.
A mix of embarrassment and anticipation made her cheeks flush whenever she had a moment to herself. Her unrelenting heartbeat was tormenting her.
...To be honest, Rudella hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. She had suggested it, thinking it would be fine to be a little selfish since it was the last time.
But Yohan accepted her proposal. She couldn’t deny that there was some pity and sympathy in his actions, but Rudella was still satisfied.
Whatever his feelings might be, the fact that he acknowledged her and paid her attention remained unchanged.
That was why Rudella was awake, even at a time when she would normally be fast asleep. Her mind was in such a chaotic state that she couldn’t sleep at all.
Her cheeks constantly flushed, her heart raced, and she fidgeted with her hands, clenching and unclenching them. She simply couldn’t stay still.
The realization that the man she had longed for so deeply had finally looked her way refused to let her heart rest.
“Fufu…”
Before she realized it, she had let out a soft laugh. The smile blooming on her lips showed no signs of fading.
Although things weren’t completely resolved yet, and there were many hurdles to overcome if she were to truly connect with Yohan, she didn’t mind.
She believed she could convincingly persuade Lady Fervache.
That was how sharp and undeniable the evidence and information she held were.
‘…I’ll have to deal with the Crown Prince.’
Taking a deep breath, Rudella rose from her seat. The faint moonlight streaming through the window flowed down her shoulders.
Click.
With a small key she always wore around her neck, she opened a safe filled with various magical tools, documents, and mana canvases.
The magical tools were used for recording sounds, the documents detailed the crimes amounting to treason that the Crown Prince had committed, and the mana canvases, which captured moments like paintings, added authenticity to the evidence.
These were all pieces of evidence Rudella had painstakingly gathered over the years to leash the towering sun, just in case.
The Crown Prince, who was destined to become the Emperor, was not someone easily controlled.
Hiding evidence that could threaten the Crown Prince in the Topaz Palace was risky, but she judged this place to be the safest.
She couldn’t trust the families loyal to the Crown Prince, nor could she entrust anyone else to hide it.
After all, wasn’t there a saying that the darkest place is under the lamp?
For that reason, Rudella had hidden the evidence in the safe in her chambers.
‘With this much…’
No matter how flawless the Crown Prince appeared to be to the public, he would not escape his downfall.
From secretly contacting Dark Mages, amassing his own private army, to colluding with foreign powers for personal gain, his misdeeds were countless.
‘The position should… go to the Second Prince.’
The Second Prince was the only member of the Imperial family who had ever contested the throne with Fedelian, but he lacked support from factions and fell short in every way compared to the Crown Prince.
Thus, the Crown Prince had taken the position.
Currently, the Second Prince lived a quiet life in the outskirts, but with Rudella’s assistance, he could claim the throne.
After carefully returning the evidence to the safe, Rudella rang the bell on the table.
Ding.
Before long, a servant entered her chambers.
“You called, my lady.”
“Summon Vera.”
“Yes.”
Though it was late at night, Vera had been handling most of Rudella’s tasks lately, so it wasn’t an issue.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
After a short wait, Vera knocked three times and entered the chambers.
“I heard you summoned me.”
“Vera.”
“Yes.”
“Send a message to the second prince, Descartes.”
Hearing this unexpected order, Vera’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…You mean His Highness, the Second Prince?”
“Yes.”
Quick-witted and loyal to Rudella, Vera could immediately grasp the implications of her words.
“I will deliver the message discreetly.”
Rudella simply nodded in response and began focusing on drafting a letter.
Although persuading Lady Fervache had not yet been accomplished, it was necessary to prepare in advance.
For Yohan’s sake.
***
Time passed.
Eventually, the day they had prepared for arrived, and Yohan, along with the elite members of the Bureau, set out for the County of Ekarsi.
The officials who reviewed the documents Yohan had drafted harbored no doubts about their plausibility.
After all, they had personally witnessed Yohan closed a rift of demonic lair during the war with Sanburk. To question his abilities now would be strange.
Thus, the First and Second Divisions of the Bureau mobilized simultaneously to close the rift of demonic lair.
“….”
“….”
However, an awkward tension lingered between Yohan and Francia as they traveled to the County of Ekarsi.
Francia, for some reason, seemed to be avoiding him.
Even though Yohan had mentioned helping Rudella while trying not to hurt Francia’s feelings, he wondered if it had been a mistake.
His mind was a tangled mess of thoughts.
But contrary to Yohan’s concerns, Francia was truly fine.
Even though there had been no love between them, she had essentially snatch Yohan from being with another woman and forced responsibility upon him.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t jealous or angry, but Francia could understand Yohan’s actions.
Yet…
Francia struggled to act as she had before.
Even though she had previously assured him she wouldn’t be upset, facing reality left her with complicated emotions.
“Hmm, hmm…”
Francia cleared her throat unnecessarily. The stifling atmosphere felt as if it was suffocating her, and Yohan seemed to feel the same way.
“…Do you have something to say?”
“Uh… no? Just…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. Words simply refused to come out. For the first time, Francia realized how difficult it was to string together words into a coherent sentence.
“…Never mind.”
Francia trailed off and turned her gaze elsewhere. Normally, she would have teased him or made light-hearted jokes, but now, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
‘This is maddening.’
Yohan exhaled a deep, heavy sigh.
This was to be expected. What woman would welcome such a situation with open arms?
All he could do was wait and hope time would resolve things.
***
The officials entered the County of Ekarsi and arrived at the village where the demonic lair had appeared.
Unlike before, when the village was bustling with people, it was now deserted.
The demonic lair had appeared in a nearby mountain path, so the emptiness was only natural.
“We are entering in the zone of demonic lair now! Stay on high alert!”
At the forefront of the group, Fedelian unsheathed his sword and issued commands.
He was the commander-in-chief for this operation.
This incident would go down in history, and it was essential for someone of Imperial blood to serve as its symbol.
“Graaaah!”
“Kiieeek!”
As they advanced along the mountain path, monsters charged at them, saliva flying everywhere.
Slash!
However, breaking through the vanguard was impossible.
The forces deployed for this operation represented the Imperial Bureau’s maximum combat capability.
Unless a swarm of high-level demonic beasts appeared, there was no significant danger.
“This is the rift!”
They soon arrived at the rift’s entrance of demonic lair.
As they moved deeper in, the number of monsters increased, but it didn’t take long to eliminate them.
“Is this it?”
“No matter how many times I see it, these rifts always leave a bad taste in my mouth.”
Thick, black mist billowed out from the rift, obscuring everything inside with impenetrable darkness.
“Speical-Class Mage Harsen?”
Deputy Commander Ricard called out to Yohan.
“Yes.”
Drawing on his mana, Yohan approached the rift without hesitation and stood before its ominous expanse.
“Raise all defenses to maximum! The operation begins now!”
“Yes, sir!”
The unified cries of the knights and officials echoed through the mist-shrouded mountain trail.
“I’m starting now.”
Yohan reached out toward the rift. Pure blue mana began flowing from his shoulder, wrapping around his arm and hand.
As Yohan’s mana made contact with the rift, crackle! A fierce magical wave erupted. A whirlwind stirred, sending the black mist swirling like a storm.
“Is it working…?”
“Something is definitely happening.”
“Could it be…?”
Gulp.
The officers guarding Yohan swallowed hard. If this worked, it would be a historic moment.
After all, if the rift of a demonic lair, which had plagued the continent for ages and claimed countless lives, could finally be closed, it would mark a monumental turning point.
Fwoooosh!
The black mist that had been spreading outward suddenly began to condense in one place. The officers, sensing something unusual, raised their weapons in unison, but nothing extraordinary happened.
Crackle…!
The rift, which distorted the very fabric of space with electrical-like waves of mana, continued to writhe. Yohan poured his mana into it, focusing even more intensely.
Sweat dripped from Yohan’s forehead. The mana consumption was tremendous, and it felt as though his very life force was being drained. Yet, he couldn’t stop.
It wasn’t merely that he didn’t want to stop; The rift seemed to instinctively devour his mana, as if it were alive, pulling the energy from him relentlessly.
Shhh…
The dark mist that had been wandering through the air dissipated, and the gaping rift, which had resembled a tear in space, began to mend itself, inch by inch.
“It’s closing!”
“It’s closing up!”
Hope lit up the officers’ faces.
But one person among them couldn’t celebrate.
…So it’s true.
It was Fedelian. His eyes remained cold as he watched the rift closing itself.
This ensured Yohan Harsen’s value would skyrocket. Even as the crown prince, Fedelian would no longer be able to touch him lightly.
‘This is deeply unpleasant.’
The thought of not being able to deal with Yohan Harsen as he wished left Fedelian feeling thoroughly repulsed. But now, there was nothing he could do. Yohan had essentially become a hero.
Still, Fedelian wasn’t worried. After this incident, the Emperor would undoubtedly do everything in his power to make Yohan his son-in-law.
It was a marriage proposal directly backed by the Emperor himself. Even if the House of Fervache opposed it, refusing would be nearly impossible.
And with Fedelian lending his own support, the engagement with Raeliana was all but guaranteed.
While Fedelian’s mind whirled with calculations…
“Oh! Oh!”
“It’s working!”
The rift was fully sealed.
“Wooooaaahh!!”
“It’s closed!”
Cheers erupted like waves among the officers. As the black mist dissipated, sunlight broke through the darkness, illuminating the mountain path.
“Hah…”
Exhausted from the immense drain on his mana, Yohan collapsed onto the ground. He couldn’t move a muscle.
Had it not been for his unique constitution, where mana replenished itself the more it was used, he might have died. That was how much mana the rift had demanded.
“Yohan!”
The first person to rush to him was Francia. Yohan’s face was pale. His skin was ice-cold, his strength completely drained, and his eyes dimmed with fatigue.
“This is serious…”
Francia’s expression stiffened as she knelt beside him to assess his condition. The aftereffects were far worse than she had expected.
“Are you in any particular pain?”
“Not really.”
Yohan smiled lightly, noticing Francia’s worried expression.
“That’s a relief.”
“…What is?”
As she tilted her head in confusion, Yohan’s smile deepened.
“It doesn’t seem like Francia hates me.”
His voice was quiet, but the sincerity behind it pierced her heart. Realizing that he had misunderstood, Francia froze for a moment.
“That would never happen.”
Smiling, she leaned her forehead against his.
“I like you far more than you think, Yohan.”