Chapter : 107
When Timothy finally woke from his long coma, the first thing he did was see Achillan and Themis off.
By coincidence, the timing of Timothy’s awakening overlapped with the two entering the palace.
Although Timothy’s reason for seeing Themis off was to express his gratitude, there was no denying that his personal feelings were mixed in as well.
“I sincerely thank you for saving my life.”
He was accustomed to entering and exiting dungeons, but facing such a dangerous high-ranking demon was a first. It was on an entirely different level from the demons he had encountered before, leaving him no chance to properly respond before being overwhelmed.
I can’t help but think that something about the demons has changed.
Dungeon raids would undoubtedly become far more difficult going forward.
“I don’t know how I could ever repay this debt… Please give me the opportunity.”
He earnestly pleaded with Themis. It wasn’t just that owing someone didn’t suit his personality—he desperately wanted to grow closer to her.
Themis, as she was now, perfectly embodied the image of the great mage Timothy had admired and imagined since childhood.
“Jed, I have something urgent to take care of right now. I’m sorry, but could we talk later?”
After setting up a future meeting with Themis, Timothy waited for the right moment and slipped out of the Mage Tower.
Going back later might be an issue, but for now, I need to contact Lilia.
This was the first time he had gone so long without contacting Lilia. Since several incidents seemed to have occurred while he was unconscious, receiving a report on them was urgent.
His steps carried him to Sweetie.
“Welcome!”
Lilia, wearing her usual professional smile while working, froze mid-motion.
“Your reserved room is this way.”
She naturally led Timothy to the room, and the moment they entered, she locked the door.
“It’s been a while, Lilia.”
It was the first time he had seen her since entering the dungeon, and her face felt strangely comforting.
“You’ve finally woken up.”
After carefully securing the door, Lilia turned to him with a peculiar look in her eyes.
It seemed like relief—yet at the same time, there was a hint of resentment.
“What happened while I was out?”
“You stayed in the Mage Tower the whole time—didn’t you hear anything at all?”
Timothy was caught off guard by her question.
“What do you mean?”
“The mark of the rebels was found on Aren—the man we were pursuing.”
“What? But he wasn’t a rebel. Then we still need to keep chasing—”
“It was after his death.”
A rebel mark discovered on a mage who had died after going berserk.
“The first person to confirm it was probably Themis Moon. Didn’t she confront you about it?”
Lilia’s question was reasonable. Timothy didn’t understand it either. Why hadn’t she pressed him?
“I went to see her instead, and she just said it was only natural and suggested we talk later.”
“…She’s a strange one.”
Even Lilia couldn’t make sense of Themis’s behavior.
“How did Aren die?”
“He fought against Themis Moon’s group and died after exhausting all his mana. He was a high-ranking fire mage, so our side took heavy losses as well.”
As Timothy reviewed the documents Lilia quickly handed him, he let out a sigh.
Everyone sent to Therma—except Lilia—was listed as deceased.
“And the Temple?”
“We’re maintaining a good relationship with them, but honestly… I’m not sure it benefits us.”
The Temple had continued offering support, claiming they would help the rebels infiltrate the imperial palace once more.
But attempting another assassination of the emperor after failing once was no easy task.
Even the timing of the information they give us feels off.
The intelligence wasn’t wrong, but it was strangely mistimed or outright dangerous.
They infiltrated according to the emperor’s schedule provided by the Temple, only to find that the emperor was out. Or they were told security was lax, only for troops to suddenly be reinforced.
After several near-disasters that almost wiped out their operatives, Lilia began to grow wary of the Temple.
“There are only two factions that would have reason to target us, aren’t there? With the imperial family in chaos, the prime suspect is—”
“The Temple,” Timothy finished.
Lilia nodded. As expected. He understood the situation with barely any explanation.
“It seems the Temple is planning something. Helping us was likely just a way to use us as a shield to deflect their own crimes.”
“And even if we tried to claim that everything after the first palace terror attack had nothing to do with the rebels, no one would believe us now.”
Even if proof were presented, the Temple would simply manipulate public opinion and the rumors spreading through the streets to drag the rebels through the mud even further.
That was probably why they had so readily reached out to the rebels in the first place.
“I think it’s time to use the power of Information.”
It was time to tear down the boundary between the rebels and the Information Guild and use every piece of intelligence they had gathered so far.
“…And we could also join hands with the mages.”
At Timothy’s words, Lilia frowned deeply.
She couldn’t outright refuse—The image of Themis saving Timothy was still vivid in her mind.
I thought the Mage Tower would immediately strike the rebels after confirming Aren’s mark… but they didn’t.
Just the existence of a rebel mark on a berserk mage was reason enough for the Mage Tower to hunt down the rebels.
In fact, to prove to the imperial family that the Mage Tower had no connection to the rebels, they should have acted swiftly.
But the Mage Tower remained quiet.
Security was so lax that Timothy could casually visit Sweetie like this.
“You’ve seen for yourself what kind of person Rider is.”
Under normal circumstances, Lilia would have cut the idea down immediately. But seeing her hesitate, Timothy pressed on.
The rebels didn’t have the strength to take on both the corrupt imperial family and the Temple that supported it.
They needed the Mage Tower—an organization with unmatched power.
“We need them.”
“…Mages are my sworn enemies. They killed my parents and my comrades.”
Lilia spoke as if grinding the words between her teeth. Timothy knew this all too well.
“So are mine.”
He continued calmly.
“But the ones we should truly resent weren’t the mages.”
The mages were, in the end, nothing more than hunting dogs bound by leashes, forced to rely on the Temple’s power.
The mage who killed Lilia’s and Timothy’s parents had also gone berserk due to not receiving timely treatment from the Temple.
If there had been an alternative to the Temple’s treatment, mages wouldn’t have gone berserk—and the people Timothy and Lilia cherished wouldn’t have died so senselessly.
“We need to look at the bigger picture.”
“There are still countless people who can’t control their power. How are we supposed to trust those monsters? If they can’t be controlled, they should be killed. Every last one.”
Lilia was still trapped in the day her parents died.
Her hatred of mages was both the force that kept the little girl alive all these years—and the curse that was slowly consuming her.
Timothy found that deeply painful.
“…Themis said we’d talk when she returns. Since it’s about Aren’s mark, I’ll hear her out first. I’ll find the path that benefits the rebels the most.”
Lilia didn’t respond.
But the fact that she didn’t argue was enough for Timothy to see hope.
After checking on the current state of the rebels and Sweetie, Timothy returned to the Mage Tower.
Lilia watched his retreating figure, then climbed up to the hidden attic on the top floor of Sweetie’s building.
She stared blankly at a framed photograph on the table.
The image of herself smiling while holding her parents’ hands felt unfamiliar.
What is the right choice?
For revenge, the answer was simple: wipe out all mages. They were ticking time bombs, forever tormented by unstable mana cores.
…but to save the rebels, perhaps Timothy was right—perhaps joining hands with mages was necessary.
And the situation is growing more dangerous by the day.
She had already reported it to Timothy, but gates were opening one after another across the empire.
Recently, there were even reports of gates appearing near the capital—something unprecedented since the empire’s founding.
The only ones capable of dealing with all those gates were mages.
The mages who killed her parents and comrades.
And at the same time, the mages who could close the gates and protect those still alive.
Lilia stood at a crossroads.
