Episode 94: Execution
Yohan and the inspectors, who had crossed the border for their mission, successfully escaped Tenerope after regrouping with reinforcements.
Before returning to Rozino, however—
Yohan, who had collapsed from exhaustion after the battle, slowly opened his eyes in the temporary shelter prepared by the reinforcements.
“…”
Judging by the lack of light inside the tent, it seemed to be late at night. No sounds of conversation could be heard, so it appeared that everyone else was asleep.
“Hah…”
Yohan let out a breath and leaned back onto the makeshift bed. His entire body ached as if weighed down by heavy iron, and a searing pain coursed through him, as though his magical circuits had burned out.
Still, there was one piece of good news.
“I Succeeded in manifesting my mindscape domain.”
Although he still lacked the knowledge to use transcendent-level magic, just the fact that he had opened his Mindscape meant he was now a full-fledged transcendent mage.
Reaching this level in less than a year since formally learning magic was unbelievable growth. Perhaps only mages who had reached the pinnacle of magic could boast such progress.
Frankly speaking, rather than feeling joy about such growth, Yohan felt more bewildered. He knew he had talent, but was it really to this extent?
‘If I’d known, I would’ve learned magic sooner.’
That way, he wouldn’t have had to avoid certain people or events—he could have just resolved everything by force if necessary.
In any case—
Yohan believed there were three key reasons for his explosive growth.
First, his physical constitution was extraordinary. The more he used magic, the more his mana grew—so much so that his mana recovery outpaced its consumption.
Second, the purity of his mana was increasing by the day, making his magic far more powerful than others of the same rank.
Lastly, he learned rune inscriptions at an unprecedented speed, which allowed him to master magic without much hindrance. Of course, that required considerable effort on his part as well.
Thanks to the harmony of these three factors, Yohan had reached the threshold of transcendence in just six months.
“But why did this happen?”
Yohan furrowed his brows and stroked his chin. He remained puzzled. He hadn’t been like this in the past.
Back then, his mana growth had stagnated, and its purity wasn’t particularly high. The only thing consistent was his quick mastery of rune inscriptions.
“It started after I met Francia.”
That was the first time he’d truly put in effort. While he hadn’t felt anything off at the time due to his focus on becoming an special-class mage, in hindsight…
“Should I look into it?”
The best course of action would be to ask Francia directly.
‘I’ll talk to her when I return.’
It wasn’t a pressing issue, just a minor curiosity on Yohan’s part. It wouldn’t matter even if he didn’t uncover the answer—but wasn’t it worth wondering?
Why had his mana surged explosively after meeting Francia?
“Hmm…”
While he was lost in thought, Eris stirred and groggily looked over at Yohan.
Noticing her gaze, Yohan smiled faintly.
“You’re awake.”
“…Ah.”
Their eyes met.
Eris’s ashen gray irises flickered with emotion.
The prince who had saved her life just before she was about to die…
The image still lingered in her mind.
Yohan, clearing away the rubble to lift her into his arms.
Yohan, shouting to keep her conscious until the very end.
Then, like an arrow piercing her mind, Eris suddenly remembered the things she had said.
“You’re so handsome…”
“I wish you were my lover.”
“Your skin is so nice.”
Oh, no!
Under normal circumstances, she would never have said such things aloud.
Even her nanny would have widened her eyes at such absurd remarks.
Eris trembled with embarrassment, her face burning as she buried it in her hands.
“Haaah…!”
Overwhelmed, she couldn’t even bear to look directly at Yohan. She pulled her blanket over her head to hide.
The blush spreading across her cheeks turned her entire face red. Her pale, snow-white skin was nowhere to be found—only a bright red, flustered girl remained.
“Are you feeling all right?”
Yohan asked. Eris peeked out slightly from under the blanket and nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to speak, so she answered with a small gesture.
“That’s a relief.”
Yohan smiled softly, gazing at her with gentle eyes.
Under his warm gaze, Eris felt a heavy weight drop into her chest.
Before, she might have endured with sheer rationality, but ever since he had saved her life, she found it hard to even meet his eyes.
“Ah, wait.”
Yohan leaned forward, gradually closing the distance between them. What was he doing? What was he planning to do? Eris’s body froze completely.
As countless thoughts swirled in her mind, Yohan’s hand reached out toward her.
“This kind of hair ornament doesn’t really suit you.” he said with a smile, carefully removing a piece of wood stuck in Eris’s hair.
The moment his fingers brushed against her, her heart pounded wildly.
“Ah…”
The sudden closeness made Eris’s heart race, and she found it hard to breathe. She felt strangely disappointed that all he did was remove a wooden shard from her hair.
“T-thank you…”
She half-covered her face with the blanket, stammering out her thanks.
“Is Special-Class Mage Lahart all right…” she asked cautiously.
“Yes, perfectly fine. It seems we have a very skilled healer here.” Yohan replied.
Although he was still in pain, it was undeniable that his condition had significantly improved compared to before.
“That’s a relief…”
Eris murmured softly, her voice barely audible.
After that, silence fell between them. The awkwardness was palpable and uncomfortable for both of them. Yohan wasn’t immune to it either, especially since Eris had been acting strangely all this time.
‘This feels familiar…’
Though the situation was different, it reminded him of Rudella. Yohan finally reflected on his own behavior.
‘I’ve been too kind.’
His habit of sugar-coated words and excessive consideration, cultivated since his academy days, had clearly led Eris to misunderstand.
‘I really need to work on that…’
But changing a habit ingrained for nearly ten years wasn’t something that could happen overnight.
‘Still, I’ll be more mindful and restrain myself…’ Yohan thought, shaking his head as he closed his eyes.
At that moment—
“Oh, both of you are awake. Are you feeling better?”
Francia entered the tent.
“Francia? What are you doing here?” Yohan asked.
“I’m a mage under the Bureau’s Second Division, you know?” she replied with a small smile, sitting on a stool beside his makeshift bed. She brought a towel soaked in warm water and gently pressed it to his forehead.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Did you heal me?”
“Yes, I did.”
Francia frowned slightly as she wiped his hands with the towel.
“If it weren’t for me, you would’ve been in serious trouble. Your magical circuits were a mess, your body was covered in wounds, you were anemic, and you even had mana poisoning. You were in a precarious state.”
It was no surprise. Facing off against a Grand Swordmaster and two special-class knights simultaneously while recklessly opening his Mindscape was far from normal.
Expecting to come out unscathed after that would’ve been pure arrogance.
“You promised me, didn’t you? That you’d run away if things got dangerous.”
“…”
“You always break your promises with me, Yohan.”
Her hands, which were carefully cleaning his body, grew firmer as she spoke.
“I told you not to overdo it, but you did. I told you to retreat, but you fought instead. How many times has this happened now?”
After finishing her scolding, Francia turned her gaze to Eris.
Eris was peeking at Yohan’s exposed body, unable to hide her curiosity.
“…I also told you not to smile at other women like that, but you ignored me. Yohan, are you a playboy? Is that what you are? You’re not satisfied with me alone, and now even two women aren’t enough for you?”
Yohan had no response. He lowered his head deeply.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Forget it.” Francia huffed, though she continued tending to his wounds with care. If she found any fresh injuries, she used healing magic to treat them.
Meanwhile, Eris covered her mouth with both hands, replaying Francia’s words in her mind.
“Two? She said two, didn’t she?”
What was their relationship? Wasn’t Yohan engaged to the Lady of House Fervache? And now there’s another woman?
Could it be that Yohan Lahart was indeed the womanizer she had suspected him to be?!
Eris’s eyes trembled as the shock hit her.
But it wasn’t entirely bad news.
Didn’t that mean she also had a chance?
He was her savior, the man who had swept in like a comet to rescue her when she was sure she would die. He was a prince who perfectly fit her ideal type…
Second or even third was fine. What was so bad about polygamy? Most high-ranking nobles had concubines anyway. Yohan Lahart certainly deserved it.
Even though the four great families didn’t engage in such practices, that didn’t matter to her. The important thing was that there was a space for her to step into.
“Hmm…!”
Eris shook her head, trying to dispel her thoughts. Couldn’t this heart-pounding feeling just be a fleeting emotion?
She shouldn’t let a momentary impulse steal her heart. Yet, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Yohan. Her eyes kept drifting toward him.
“…”
At that moment, Francia turned her gaze toward Eris. Her eyes were sharp, piercing—like looking at a bug clinging to a fine dish.
“Ahem.”
Startled by the faint hostility in Francia’s gaze, Eris awkwardly cleared her throat and turned her head.
“Yohan, are you feeling well?” Francia asked.
“Yes, no issues,” Yohan replied.
“Then, how about a short walk?”
“A walk?”
“Yes.”
Yohan was puzzled by her sudden suggestion but didn’t refuse.
“Sure.”
“Let me help you with your coat.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary—”
“Hush.”
“…”
Rising from the makeshift bed, Yohan quietly allowed Francia to assist him.
“We’ll be back shortly.” Yohan said, nodding at Eris.
“Y-yes…!” Eris replied, flustered.
With that, Yohan and Francia stepped out of the tent. Outside, only a few soldiers and knights on guard duty were present.
Leaving the temporary shelter, Yohan and Francia walked quietly, their steps slow and deliberate, through the forest.
“I heard that Fedelian Rozino is dead.” Francia said.
“Yes. Though, I wasn’t the one who killed him…”
Yohan paused mid-sentence and asked,
“What I’m about to say might be unpleasant. Are you sure you want to hear it?”
Francia chuckled.
“Go ahead. I’m not naïve enough to scream just because someone died.”
Reassured by her response, Yohan continued,
“I don’t know who did it, but Fedelian Rozino’s body was completely destroyed. Only his head was left intact for identification.”
He had searched for clues but found nothing. It was as if someone had erased all traces with powerful magic, leaving no evidence behind.
Even tracking the remaining mana was impossible—it wasn’t human mana to begin with.
“So now I’m wondering whether I should investigate further. The most likely suspect is Tenerope, but finding the culprit seems impossible…”
Yohan’s voice trailed off, his lips curling in frustration.
“Well, does it matter? You could just take credit and say you dealt with him,” Francia suggested.
“But…”
“Everyone would believe it. After all, you were the one who cornered him.”
“That’s true.”
“Exactly. So don’t worry about it too much.”
Yohan nodded slowly. Even the imperial family probably wouldn’t care. With the throne usurper gone and Tenerope branded a traitor, the matter would likely end there.
“I also heard that Young Grand Duke Lenokhonen’s was captured?” Francia asked.
“Yes. He’ll be formally executed according to protocol.”
“Both of our tormentors have been utterly defeated.”
Francia smiled in relief and gently took Yohan’s hand. Their fingers interlocked naturally, her slender, delicate hand warm against his.
“It’s all thanks to you, Yohan.”
“I was just doing my duty.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
Smiling, Francia rose slightly on her toes to meet his height and pressed her lips softly to his cheek.
“…”
Yohan was taken aback by her sudden show of affection. Francia, her face flushed red, smiled shyly.
“You’ve changed everything, Yohan. Thank you, truly.”
“I didn’t do much…”
“No, it’s all because of you.”
Lifting their clasped hands, Francia lightly kissed the back of Yohan’s hand.
“Meeting you was the greatest fortune of my life.”
Yohan had changed everything.
All Francia had done was help him fully realize his talent.
Once again, she expressed her honest feelings.
“I love you. Truly.”
Francia recalled her previous life. The hellish scenery flickered before her eyes, haunting her thoughts.