NOVEL WEB Chapter 77
The illusion shattered, revealing a white mask.
Behind it… a cold, hard floor could be felt.
Am I lying down?
“…Did I faint?”
A nod. The Nameless Captain showed concern and nodded.
“Umm… I’m sorry for worrying you.”
I tried to get up while rubbing my aching temples. But—
thud.
The Nameless Captain grabbed my shoulder.
shake shake.
“No, it’s fine.”
I brushed his hand away and sat up.
I let out a heavy sigh and contemplated my state.
Nothing seems… off, except for my depleted mana.
Mana depletion, huh?
“How much time has… what the—”
I couldn’t finish my sentence as I glanced at Balamir, who had been quite the reliable alarm clock, and found myself at a loss for words.
“…Why is that person fainted over there?”
I blinked and looked at the Nameless Captain.
“Did you knock him out like that, Captain…?”
A nod.
“…Why?”
shake shake.
Is it a secret? No, can you really just take down the head of the Royal Guard like that?
“…Do you think Balamir had something to do with this?”
shake shake.
The Captain shook his head and after a moment of thought, pulled out a small notebook from his pocket and quickly scribbled something down.
[Look behind.]
Behind?
I slowly turned my head, and at that moment, a chill crawled down my spine.
“…Huh.”
One of Arisa’s manuscripts… the last page is torn.
The page with doodles. The one that had shown me the illusion was shredded and one side looked as if it had been burned.
“So… does this mean Balamir saw this happen?”
shake shake.
“You knocked him out before he could see it?”
A nod.
A rather proud nod.
“You’re really strong… Captain?”
Now he doesn’t nod, just juts out his chin.
I even hear a little snicker from behind the mask.
After watching this somewhat ridiculous sight for a moment, I bowed my head.
“First of all… thank you. But what should we do about this?”
It looks as if even touching it might rip the remaining pages apart.
While I was contemplating that, pat.
The Nameless Captain started patting my head.
“…W-what out of the blue—”
The Captain thumped his chest.
“You’re going to take care of this, Captain?”
nod nod.
“…Are you sure? You really don’t have to…”
He shook his head and tidied up my messy hair. Then he gave me a light pat on the back and took out his pocket watch to show me.
“…Less than an hour left.”
nod nod.
“Umm… Well, in many ways, thank you.”
I bowed my head to the Captain and stood up. A persistent dizziness hit me, but I wasn’t about to fall over.
The Captain returned to his previous position and landed another blow on Balamir’s neck.
…Is he extending the fainting time?
The Captain doesn’t seem like a sane person either.
“Phew…”
I let out a breath and flipped to the cover of the [Seal of the Demon King].
Familiar handwriting brushed upon my sight.
Maybe it was from having seen the illusion, but I felt like I could hear their voices too.
And finally.
What I had seen, heard, and felt before the illusion broke.
Arisa’s figure, her voice, her emotions.
They didn’t fade; they remained vividly intact.
Arisa. I.
Faced each other.
Though brief, we clearly exchanged words.
Arisa recognized me.
Even though my appearance had changed, she knew I was Ronan. She wasn’t surprised; her expression said she expected it.
No, maybe she was a little surprised.
Because I was prettier than she thought?
Well, I do look pretty nice.
And.
Arisa Eustetia.
She knew about my reincarnation.
She thought I would read this manuscript.
Even though she tucked it away in the Forbidden Library, she predicted I would read it one day. Arisa did.
It was something easily predictable.
I would have hidden such information in the Forbidden Library myself.
Thus, it isn’t merely an illusion.
It’s not just words left behind to guess my response.
Her expression, voice, tone, and quivering were all vivid. It was indeed Arisa. Not a mere act.
Then, was that Arisa’s soul? Arisa herself?
I couldn’t tell. It’s something Arisa couldn’t possibly achieve.
If she could pull that off and maintain it for 400 years, then Kaloso and Luna must be alive as well.
That means Kaloso or Luna is still living.
If Luna is alive, then Paulo is alive too.
I’ve heard the relics haven’t returned.
Everyone is alive.
At least for certain,
Arisa is definitely alive.
Arisa, who knows all the secrets, is alive.
The image I saw at the end was undoubtedly real.
That’s all that matters.
I closed the book. Set it down on the podium without a hint of regret to reclaim it.
Though my head did feel heavy, there was still something to check.
What I needed to check was not for the distant future. It’s for the right now.
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I placed my hand on the revision and recalled the keywords.
‘Eustetia, Side Branch.’
‘Behrhaigen.’
‘Black Magic Tower.’
‘System, Southern District, Sewage Facilities.’
*
The allocated time ended.
Balamir, coming to his senses, shot a sharp look at the Nameless Captain, but the Captain cynically ignored him and walked away.
As soon as we stepped out of the Forbidden Library, I found someone.
“…Ellie.”
It was my father, wearing a worried expression.
He didn’t know I had collapsed inside.
If that’s the case… he must be looking that way because he fears the betrayal due to learning the secrets of the Eustetia family.
I want to believe that my father had no bad intentions in hiding it. I want to believe that.
Thus, I shook my head towards my father and spoke as gently as I could.
“I’m fine.”
“…Really.”
“Yes. You don’t have to worry.”
I didn’t specify what was fine and what shouldn’t be worried about.
But my father nodded weakly, understanding my intention perfectly.
Then a stern-looking woman standing behind my father spoke.
“Today’s schedule concludes here. It was an honor to be in the presence of the spring of the empire, Eustetia. And the embodiment of the empire’s dagger, the Nameless One. This has been Julai Petrona. Thank you.”
The stern-looking woman was named Julai Petrona.
I nodded to Julai and then to Balamir, who was still sulking behind her.
“Thank you for today.”
As Balamir, who had been maintaining a stiff expression, received my greeting, he promptly knelt down, donning his usual gentle smile.
“It was an honor to accompany Miss Eliaernes Eustetia, the spring of the empire and the cherry blossom of Eustetia.”
This formality feels overwhelmingly burdensome.
“Um… Yes. You’ll keep quiet about what happened today… regarding the information I found, right?”
“That’s correct. However, I must submit a list written in manuscript form to His Majesty. I can take an oath about what I know, yet I can do so in a public setting for trustworthiness. Would you like to visit the audience room?”
“No, that’s unnecessary. If I can’t trust the royal family, who can I trust?”
Of course, I don’t trust them.
But… there’s no reason to hide it in secrecy.
So, I nodded vaguely.
“If there’s another opportunity, I’ll see you again.”
“Yes.”
Balamir stood up and headed toward the audience room with Julai across the corridor of the royal palace.
Just like that, only my father, the Nameless Captain, and I remained in front of the Forbidden Library.
“Uncle Kerian must be busy.”
“He probably is. He’s handling the Nameless One’s affairs all by himself.”
My father trailed off and stared briefly at the Nameless Captain before looking back at me.
But he doesn’t say anything.
It’s as if he’s waiting for me to speak.
I looked at my father for a moment and took a step closer.
“I really am fine.”
“…Aren’t you surprised?”
“Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised. But… to be honest, I don’t really mind.”
Yeah. It doesn’t matter at all.
What does it matter if I’m not a descendant of Arisa Eustetia?
It doesn’t make me weaker, either.
I didn’t awaken the vision of Eustetia.
I haven’t inherited any elixirs, secrets, or family legacy that have been passed down through generations.
I don’t flaunt the name Eustetia or act like the descendant of a hero.
I’m just a human who is strong.
I’m just a human who stands tall.
I’m just a human who was born with a bit of a nasty attitude.
And, there’s nothing shameful about our family.
Well… I can’t say for sure about that.
There’s information about Eustetia in the Forbidden Library, but I haven’t read it.
I wanted to hear it from my father rather than read it.
Before I read, think, and judge for myself, I wanted to hear from my father.
…What’s it called again?
Still… huh.
Because we’re family.
I wanted to prioritize and trust what my family said.
Anyway, from my perspective.
I might not know the past, but the present Eustetia doesn’t seem shameful to me at all. We can be proud.
That’s why it doesn’t really matter.
Well, it doesn’t matter, but I still have something to say.
Quite a bit, actually.
I lifted my gaze to look at my father.
He seemed to be having a silent conversation with the Nameless Captain.
I tugged at my father’s coat, pulling it gently.
“Dad.”
“Huh? Yes, our daughter. Why are you calling?”
“Are you busy today?”
“Well, I am busy. I have to meet with noblemen from the royal family in 30 minutes.”
“Hmm… Then I guess that can’t be helped.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to eat together. But since you’re busy, let’s wait for another time.”
Dad let out a huff of air.
After a moment…
“Looks like I do have the time.”
With a serious and heavy voice, my father spoke.
“Really? Just 30 minutes from now—”
“Thinking about it, it’s actually tomorrow. Haha, maybe I’m getting old and forgetting things often. Hahaha!”
It sounds like he’s definitely skipping out on work…
“…Really?”
“Of course! This dad never lies.”
“Hmm…”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at my father.
He… averted his gaze as if he felt guilty.
Seeing that made me chuckle softly.
Yeah, I guess… It’s okay to cut a few corners.
He’s the head of the Eustetia Duchy, after all.
If they’re unhappy, they can handle it themselves.
And… this isn’t the kind of thing that would make a ruckus for a name like this.
“Alright then.”
“Yay! Let’s go! What does Ellie want to eat? Daddy will buy everything! If you want, we can rent a whole restaurant! Hahaha!”
“Today, let’s go with what Dad wants to eat. Oh, and I’ll drop off Yurasia at the Academy first.”
“Hm? Aren’t we going to have dinner together?”
“…Yurasia said she’s not feeling well.”
I might not care since they are my parents, but for Yurasia, dining with a high-ranking employer… it would be awful.
“Hm, alright. I can’t help that. Then I’ll wait outside the palace.”
“Okay. I’ll be there soon.”
My father stepped away with a lively gait.
And the Nameless Captain followed behind him.
…?
“Are you leaving too, Captain?”
Suddenly the Captain flinched.
“Well, it’s not that I don’t want to… is it because of the mask that I can’t eat?”
nod nod.
“Then why are you going?”
The Captain tilted their head.
They looked super deflated.
“…Well… okay. I’ll go with you.”
The white mask seemed to brighten a little more.
…What a peculiar person that woman is too.