Episode 84: The Calm Before the Storm #2
Vacation had ended.
Yohan and Francia arrived at work on time.
As the two opened the door and entered together, the officials all rose from their seats in unison.
“Ah, you’re here. Special class Mage Lahart—huh?”
“Long time no see! Um…?”
“Uh… are you feeling okay?”
The officials’ reactions were subtle. It was because of Yohan’s face.
Yohan’s blue eyes, which usually shone brightly, now looked dull and lifeless, like a faded window.
The dark circles under his eyes revealed his sleepless nights, and his sunken cheeks spoke volumes about his exhaustion, more than words ever could.
“Good to see you all again…”
It wasn’t just his face that showed his poor condition. His deep, hoarse voice sounded cracked, as if all his energy had been drained.
Naturally, the officials’ gazes shifted to Francia standing beside him.
In stark contrast to Yohan, her skin glowed with vitality, and her red eyes sparkled with an intense vibrancy, as though they held the world within them.
“Um…”
“Ah.”
“Oh…”
The officials instantly understood and nodded knowingly.
“Huh? What’s going on? Why is everyone looking at me…?”
Francia tilted her head in confusion, puzzled by the attention.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just… yes.”
“Haha…”
“We’re just glad to see you’re in good health…!”
The officials awkwardly laughed and tried to brush it off.
However—
‘I’m jealous…!’
‘I wish the Count would grab me by the hair too…’
‘He must have enjoyed it so much, right…?’
The female officials instinctively licked their lips.
“Ah, so everyone’s gathered here.”
Their brief chatter was interrupted when Ricard, the deputy commander of the 2nd Division of Bureau, approached with several documents in hand.
“Deputy commander?”
“What’s the matter?”
When the officials asked, Ricard immediately began speaking.
“Prince Descartes will soon be appointed as the commander of the 2nd Division of Bureau. He had been stationed at the border but has now returned to the capital.”
Prince Descartes—a figure who had been exiled to the borders after losing the imperial succession battle with Fedelian.
Yohan and Francia already knew he was coming, having heard about it from Rudella.
“And Special-Class Mage Lahart.”
Ricard turned to Yohan and continued.
“The establishment of the Special Division for Demonic Lair Sealing has been delayed again. It seems the Empire is too unstable to address it for now…”
From the crown prince who had been dethroned for treason, to Cassis, who had escaped from the Tower of Confinement after being sentenced to death, to the unrest within the Grand Duchy of Lenokhohnen…
Even Rudella, who was once the crown prince’s fiancée, had severed ties with her family and disappeared. The noble houses that supported the crown prince were also on shaky ground, accused of conspiring in treason.
In such a situation, it was impossible to proceed with new initiatives. First, the crumbling foundations had to be stabilized.
“I understand.”
Yohan nodded indifferently. While work was piling up, he wasn’t concerned. After all, there was no one left to obstruct him anymore.
‘There’s still the Tower Master and the Archbishop of the Holy Nation, but… this should be fine.’
By dealing with the crown prince and Cassis, Francia no longer had to flee the Empire. There was no need to encounter the Tower Master or the Archbishop.
Thus, it made sense to remove them from the list of threats entirely. After all, neither of them had approached Francia purely because of her appearance.
If anyone were to get entangled, it would be the Holy Nation.
If anyone would draw their attention now, it would be Yohan. His ability to seal demonic was unprecedented.
“That’s all the news I had to share. You may all return to your duties. His Highness the Prince will not arrive until after lunch.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
With that, Ricard turned and walked back to his desk.
“Prince Descartes, huh…”
“The timing is odd.”
“Indeed. Almost as if it were calculated.”
“What a coincidence…”
The officials murmured among themselves. They weren’t oblivious and found it suspicious that Descartes had returned to the capital right after the crown prince’s downfall.
“Oh, come on. Surely the Emperor summoned him.”
“Let’s not overthink this.”
“Right. This is just a conspiracy theory.”
“Ah, I don’t want to think about it! I’m not listening!”
“This is exactly why I joined the Bureau in the first place!”
The suspicion didn’t last long. After all, weren’t these the very people who became civil servants to escape political strife and the complex struggle for succession? Their reaction was natural.
“Alright, everyone, back to work!”
“Yes, yes, let’s not make it weird.”
“Wait, what was I doing again?”
The civil servants feigned ignorance as if nothing had happened and immediately scattered back to their posts. They began poring over documents without missing a beat.
Witnessing the instant shift in atmosphere, Yohan let out a silent, bitter laugh. It became all too clear just how much the civil servants despised politics.
At that moment, Francia called out to him.
“Yohan?”
“Yes?”
“I should get back to work now. I’ve got some things to take care of.”
Francia, who had been tightly holding onto Yohan’s hand ever since entering the Bureau’s office, gently let go.
There was something subtly peculiar about her expression.
“Really? Need any help?”
Yohan asked, his face still haggard.
It wasn’t just that he wanted to help Francia-unlike the other civil servants, he didn’t have much to do.
The delay in establishing his department had left him idle.
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine on my own.” Francia said with a smile, shaking her head. Her eyes curved into a sweet crescent as she gazed warmly at Yohan.
“…Well, then, I’ve got way too much free time now.”
“Why not read the book I recommended to you?”
“Oh, right. I completely forgot about that. I’ll read it.”
“I’ll be checking your book report, so read it thoroughly, alright?”
“Uh… a book report?”
“That’s how serious I want you to be.”
When Yohan frowned and leaned back in dismay, Francia chuckled softly.
“Just keep yourself occupied. We’re leaving together after work, remember?”
“Got it.”
With a small wave, Francia stepped into her private office. It was a research room reserved exclusively for high-ranking mages.
Before entering, she glanced around suspiciously, but Yohan didn’t pry. It must have been work-related.
“Well then, I guess I’ll…”
Yohan returned to his seat and pulled out the books he had purchased with Francia earlier.
The stack consisted entirely of romance novels, but what really piqued his interest was hidden in Francia’s desk drawer.
“Of course, it’s this one.”
Yohan swallowed nervously.
‘The Count’s Forceful Training, Conducted in Secret’?
It was the book Francia had been reading.
With trembling fingers, Yohan opened the book.
One page, two pages, three pages…
As he turned the pages and read, he abruptly closed the book.
“….”
His lips parted and closed repeatedly, but no words came out.
The stiff trembling of his mouth revealed just how shocked he was.
“This is her taste?”
He was utterly dumbfounded.
***
Inside her private research room, Francia leaned against the door as it closed behind her, letting out a long sigh.
After a moment of stillness, she opened her eyes and turned to the documents spread out on her desk.
Her expression hardened, and her crimson eyes burned with determination.
“Hmm…”
The documents detailed the whereabouts of ancient artifacts whose locations remained unknown. These weapons had long been under investigation by the Bureau’s Second Division.
They were devastatingly powerful war weapons capable of annihilating entire armies or even erasing small kingdoms from existence.
Once deemed lost and abandoned to the archives, Francia knew better.
These weapons were real.
She had seen them in the Celestial Mage’s Library.
“All I need to know is what they are. Retrieving them is all that matters.”
Though these artifacts were horrifying tools of war that had taken countless lives during the Celestial Mage’s era, Francia sought them for one reason.
“Fedelian-I must kill that man with my own hands.”
Her crimson eyes glinted with a chilling resolve, radiating bloodlust and madness.
If he had orchestrated Cassis Lenochonen’s prison break, he was undoubtedly preparing to usurp the throne. His likely accomplice was the Kingdom of Tenerope.
She might have to eliminate not just the two of them but everyone involved in the conspiracy.
“I’ll likely have to take many lives…”
But she didn’t care. If killing that man would allow her to be with Yohan, she would gladly stain her hands with blood.
She no longer had the innocence that would shatter at the thought of taking a life.
And even if her hands turned crimson from blood, she believed it would be fine as long as Yohan would hold them.
“For Yohan, and for myself.”
The documents continued to flutter as she flipped through them.
At that moment—
“This one…?”
Francia’s hand stopped on a particular page.
It was a drawing of a double-edged sword with a soft golden glow from its hilt to its blade. Its name: Gladius Luminis.
A war weapon said to unleash devastating blasts of magical light, capable of annihilating tens of thousands of soldiers in an instant.
“…This is it.”
Her heart pounded violently.
The artifact’s image etched itself deeply into her mind.
“Let’s go.”
To the Celestial Mage’s Library, which had once granted her another chance.
Francia intended to fulfill both her revenge and her love.
***
The sky, bathed in a sickly green light, flickered like the dying breath of a decaying life. Rays of mixed vitality and decay descended to the ground, singing the world’s demise.
The earth cracked and crumbled, its fragments scattering like torn pages from a book.
Ashen dust swirled in the wind, whispering the names of those long forgotten.
It was the scene of an ending that hadn’t yet reached its conclusion—a landscape like a book left unfinished.
At the center of that ruin—
“Cough, cough…!”
A woman stumbled through an underground ruin, enduring pain as if her entire body was falling apart. She was searching for something.
Bookshelves that stood like fortress walls were packed with countless tomes, while tables, like rippling waves, were filled with faded artifacts.
Yet, the woman’s focus wasn’t on the towering shelves or the artifacts on the tables.
Her attention was fixed on a small bookshelf near the entrance of the library.
Thud. Thud.
Her frail, rough hands brushed away the clinging dust, revealing the cover of a book with green words.
Flip.
But it wasn’t what she was looking for, so she tossed it aside carelessly.
“Cough, cough…!”
Her coughing worsened.
The place was filled with dust—it was inevitable.
Still, she didn’t give up, continuing her frantic search. Her gaze, filled with obsession, bordered on madness.
One book, then another, and another, fell to the floor, spitting dust.
“Ack…!”
As the dust overwhelmed the library, the woman’s coughing grew even more severe.
Just as her coughs became unbearable—
“Found it…!”
A radiant smile spread across her face.
In her hand was a single book.
Its dust-covered cover bore just two characters:
回歸 (Return).
It was the Celestial Mage’s legacy she had been desperately seeking.
With this, she could meet him again.
“Finally…”
Complex emotions swirled in her green eyes—longing, tenderness, and a love bordering on madness.
Clutching the magical tome to her chest, she let out a soft laugh.
“Wait for me, Yohan.”
I’m coming back to find you.
"[TLN: Changing Transcendence Mage to Celestial Mage.]"
ReplyDeleteTwo paragraph later:
"Though these artifacts were horrifying tools of war that had taken countless lives during the Transcendence Mage’s era, Francia sought them for one reason."