Chapter 93
“For the past year, I’ve continued experimenting and discovered that mana can be extracted—albeit in minuscule amounts—even from a monster’s core…”
To be honest, I had no real interest or talent for listening to academic research presentations, so I only came out of loyalty to Christina. But before I knew it, I found myself paying close attention.
The artifact Christina was holding up and explaining now was a small device that could extract mana from a monster core. She had hounded Lucy and me for monster cores, and it seemed she had managed to create something quite impressive.
[To extract mana from something like that… Disgusting.]
[Still, the human who made that is amazing.]
[Humans really do make the strangest things.]
The butterflies beside me flitted their wings and whispered among themselves.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one surprised by the artifact Christina held.
If even the spirits acknowledged it, she must’ve worked incredibly hard.
“She’s incredible. I always wondered what she was doing holed up in the lab.”
Lucy, sitting next to me, murmured, and I nodded in full agreement.
After Christina opened the symposium with her artifact, other spiritists took turns presenting their research results.
I listened to the subsequent presentations, reflecting on my past self who had once thought this would be boring.
Among the presenters were familiar faces I’d often passed by in the northern tower—half curious about them, half surprised by what they’d made.
Last year, I didn’t even leave my room because I was so overwhelmed by the attention I got on the first day. So I never got the chance to see things like this.
Although I’d originally planned to listen only to Christina’s presentation and leave, I ended up staying for all the ones in the same session, laughing softly when I realized how much time had flown by.
Later, while grabbing a quick lunch in the building’s staff cafeteria, Christina—her cheeks flushed—asked how it was. I showered her with praise before standing up.
“Huh? Asila, where are you going?”
Lucy looked up at me with surprise. She had assumed we’d stick together.
“I have another appointment, sorry.”
She didn’t question it and just nodded. The real issue was Christina, who wailed as if I was abandoning her.
When I asked her if she wasn’t planning to wander around anyway, she shrugged and said I wasn’t wrong—making me chuckle as I left them behind.
“Redin.”
Outside, a silver-haired man extended his hand toward me as if he had been waiting.
I took his warm hand without hesitation, and together we began walking slowly down the now less-crowded hallway.
Earlier that morning, the corridors had been packed with people moving from booth to booth. Now, with most people off having lunch, it had quieted down somewhat—but it was still fairly crowded.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright going alone?”
The quiet between us was broken when Redin spoke first.
I didn’t respond right away but eventually gave a slow nod.
Redin had always told me I could lean on him whenever I needed. And I wanted to—but there are things one must face alone.
And this… this was something I absolutely couldn’t rely on him for.
“I need to overcome this myself. It’ll really be the last time.”
His gaze remained fixed on me, eyes shimmering like clear glass. Emotions swirled within them—most prominent among them: concern.
Soon, we reached the door guarded by two knights and stopped.
Knowing how worried Redin was made me oddly happy, even though I knew exactly what awaited me behind that door. I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.
I could feel him looking at me.
Still smiling faintly, I leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the lips.
He froze, completely caught off guard—adorably stiff.
“Thank you. But I can do this. I have to.”
Flashing him a bright smile, I turned toward the knights, who stepped aside in response to some silent cue, and I opened the door.
The pleasant smile I had worn just moments ago vanished without a trace.
Inside, sitting perfectly composed on the sofa, were three people—and a fourth standing behind them.
All of them were those who had left nothing but deeply unpleasant memories for me.
How did this cast of characters even come together?
Suppressing the painful memories that threatened to rise, I took my seat on the sofa opposite theirs, with the tea table in between, steam still rising from the untouched refreshments.
The Emperor of Chelsia. The Empress. The Crown Prince. And the Grand Duke of Chelsia’s North.
Blood relatives who were worse than strangers—and my ex-husband, who was worse than any of them.
Truly, whoever planned this meeting must be the devil himself.
I stared at the four of them, all visibly tense, before pulling a file from my coat.
The reason I’d come to face those I never wanted to encounter again—even by chance—was simple: to collect a debt.
When I had gone to Chelsia to purify the Empress’s mysterious contamination, I hadn’t received payment due to the Emperor and Crown Prince’s excuses. They claimed they couldn’t pay until the Empress regained consciousness.
So I had gone to the Cold Palace first, which was one of my other objectives. But I collapsed there, and they used that as an excuse to avoid paying altogether.
The idea of dragging myself back to Chelsia Palace just to collect payment made me sick.
Redin’s solution was this: since the royal family had already announced they would attend the research symposium, and the Spirit Tower had approved it, they would be coming here anyway.
So why not get what I’m owed now?
Not a bad idea. I didn’t want to waste any more time on them, and the debt had to be paid.
No one was in the mood for tea anyway, so I had the staff clear the now-cold refreshments and placed the file on the table.
Their eyes followed my every move—amusing, really.
Rather than immediately demand the Emperor sign for payment in return for his oath to Angela, I turned my gaze toward the Empress.
“Have you experienced any discomfort since then?”
These royals had once tried to weasel their way out of payment by claiming she was unconscious.
The Empress looked fine now and had been awake for some time, so they probably wouldn’t use the same excuse—but you could never underestimate their audacity.
Might as well be certain.
The Empress flinched at my flat-toned question.
When she didn’t respond for some time, I lifted my head and met her gaze.
She twitched again, lips parting.
I raised a brow.
“Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
Only then did she seem to gather the will to answer. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke.
“…My, my chest… a bit.”
There was no reason to hold back.
“Nix.”
[Yeah.]
[Let’s get this over with quickly.]
[Right, then we can go back and see silver-hair human again, Asila.]
[Cheer up!]
Trying to comfort me, the butterflies brushed against my cheek before fluttering toward the Empress.
The crimson light they scattered grew stronger.
Even if spirits are invisible, the mana particles they emit can be seen by ordinary people. Judging by how everyone in the room began to shudder slightly, they could see it.
I ignored them and focused solely on the butterflies’ senses.
Whether it was my natural ability or the influence of my inherited elven power, I had recently started to perceive what the butterflies felt during our communion.
If the Empress’s condition had any issues, it could disrupt the plan—so I watched the butterflies with sharp focus.
After a while, the butterflies slowly began to disappear, until only a few returned and landed on my shoulder.
They didn’t say much—knowing I had shared in their experience.
I gently stroked them and turned to the Empress.
“There’s nothing wrong. No symptoms that would cause physical pain.”
And even if there were, it wouldn’t be from the last incident.
I looked directly at them all.
The butterflies had zeroed in on the Empress’s chest, but they had also examined her entire body.
Not even a trace of contamination remained. After the spirits turned back time, there was no lingering magic or taint—if anything, her body was cleaner than most.
There was no loophole to exploit, and if they tried anything, I was fully prepared to crush them with force.
I opened the file, took out a pen, and pushed it toward them.
“What I’m requesting isn’t—”
“Wait. Please, wait a moment.”
The Empress’s voice stopped me. She sounded almost desperate.
Her brown hair was swept up into a bun. Time had added faint lines around her eyes, yet she still looked elegant.
To me, though, she was simply a stranger—not even that.
Especially since I’d never had any meaningful connection with her, unlike with the Emperor or Crown Prince, I felt nothing.
But perhaps because of that, her next words grated on me even more.
“I am not a citizen of the Chelsia Empire, nor am I someone to whom Your Majesty should speak so informally. Regardless of your title, please show proper respect.”
My words could’ve been considered rude—even to a queen—but it was she who spoke first in an insolent tone.
I expected her to retort or at least point out my rudeness—but her next line froze my face.
“Don’t be so cold to us. We are family, after all.”
THE AUDACITY!!!!! AHHHHH! HOW DARE! FAMILY??!!!