CHAPTER 24
Asilia held her throbbing forehead.
It had been five days since she used Cretes’ power to stop Isaiah’s rampage and put him to sleep.
Since that day, Asilia had investigated Isaiah’s symptoms from various angles.
There was more information on Revilla in Moria than she expected.
Revilla conducted brainwashing on the trainees who endured harsh training on the day of their knighthood ceremony.
Immediately after, during the celebratory party and the following mission, they verified whether the brainwashing had taken effect.
Those successfully brainwashed became knights of Revilla. Those who weren’t—were eliminated during the mission.
All under the false label of “mission failure.”
“If this is true…”
Revilla was manipulating people to place them under its control.
She might have doubted foreign information in the past.
But after seeing Isaiah—collapsed like that—she couldn’t deny it anymore.
“Your Majesty, it’s late. Perhaps you should rest now,”
Huimos, who had been lingering nearby, approached with a worried expression.
He was concerned that Asilia might collapse next—especially since she had just woken up after being asleep for a week.
“Huimos.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Have you read all the materials here… about Revilla?”
“Yes. Most of the information is what I had already gathered. Is there something troubling you?”
Asilia looked at him, slightly surprised. But only for a moment—she quickly cleared her throat and asked:
“There’s so much information about Revilla here. Not just for diplomatic reasons—it’s almost like someone purposely compiled it. Was there a reason for that?”
“It was by His Majesty the Emperor’s order.”
“…The Emperor?”
Huimos only nodded in response.
As if to say, I was only following orders, as a servant should.
“So then… is all this information accurate?”
“Well, some of it might be a few years old, so there could have been changes—but the core facts likely haven’t changed.”
Asilia nodded slowly.
Was there a specific reason they had to gather this much information about Revilla?
It would certainly help her, but it was hard to know how much of it she could trust.
“If this information is true… then I may end up like Isaiah.”
The symptoms of brainwashing were said to activate for two reasons:
One—when you begin to doubt Revilla.
And two—when you disobey orders given to you.
Asilia had fallen into a week-long sleep because she had disobeyed.
She acted for Moria—when her actions were meant to be for Revilla.
The brainwashing had perceived that as rebellion.
“…His Majesty is deeply worried about that.”
“Worried I’ll lose my mind because of the brainwashing?”
Huimos nodded without answering verbally.
He wanted to say that it wouldn’t happen—but he wasn’t confident.
Isaiah had been one of the most outstanding knights, always at the top of his class during training.
There were even talks of him becoming the youngest-ever commander.
Even he ended up like that.
Who was he to say you won’t lose your mind?
“I want to ask you something.”
“I’ll answer as best I can.”
“Do you know how to undo the brainwashing?”
Huimos shook his head.
If he knew, Cretes wouldn’t be sitting idly by. He would’ve already broken the spell cast on Asilia.
And if they had known, they wouldn’t need to undermine trust in Revilla—they could simply undo the brainwashing and let the truth reveal itself.
“Priest Renoah might know more than I do. He’s deeply interested in various magical techniques and once studied abroad in Whipolios for a short time.”
Studying abroad?
Asilia’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Revilla prioritized itself and rejected foreign influences.
They rarely permitted their citizens to study abroad—and rejected most foreigners from entering Revilla.
The reasoning was that outsiders could cause unrest and steal information from the great empire of Revilla.
By contrast, Moria had quite a few foreigners.
Some came to study, and Asilia had seen what looked like a few exiles as well.
“Moria seems to have a lot of foreigners. They don’t seem restricted from attaining high positions, either.”
“We don’t block those who want to naturalize. And once someone becomes a citizen, they’re the same as everyone else—so there’s no reason to stop them.”
“But doesn’t that disrupt order? It could lead to issues.”
Huimos looked confused, as if he didn’t understand why accepting foreigners would cause disorder.
After a moment of thought, he spoke:
“Anywhere people live, there will always be disputes and conflict.”
“…”
“Everyone has different personalities, and their parents raise them in different ways.”
Different habits, speech, even preferences.
With so many differences, conflict is inevitable.
In the end, Huimos was saying—it makes no sense to try and suppress something so natural.
“Is that just Moria’s stance?”
“Probably not. There are many other countries that accept foreign exiles besides Moria.”
Asilia nodded at his matter-of-fact answer.
She didn’t want to accept it—but she had to.
It was Revilla that was strange.
The moment she thought that, a sharp pain struck her head.
Shaking off the thoughts, Asilia stood from her seat.
“Then tomorrow, I’ll go find Renoah. For tonight—per your advice—I’ll return to my room.”
“Thank you. Honestly, if Her Majesty slept in the library again tonight, my salary would’ve been halved for revealing this place’s existence.”
“…Did they say they’d cut your pay if I didn’t return to my room?”
Huimos only smiled.
Asilia let out a small laugh as she left the library.
Arriving in front of her room, she grasped the doorknob and exhaled softly. Beyond the door—Cretes was surely waiting.
She blinked slowly and swallowed.
Was closing the land route also to keep me from returning to Revilla?
At the very least, Cretes knew Revilla’s true nature.
And he didn’t tell her immediately—because he thought she wouldn’t believe him.
He wanted her to discover it gradually, on her own.
So then… was it true that he wanted to give her freedom?
Fidgeting with her fingers, Asilia let out a long sigh.
Whatever she thought—she couldn’t know Cretes’ true feelings.
So, she had to face him directly.
Gathering her courage, she turned the knob and stepped into the room.
“…You’re here?”
As the door opened, Cretes greeted her.
He must’ve just bathed—a towel lay over his still-damp hair, and a single droplet trickled down his cheek.
Had he not been sleeping well these past few days?
His face was as beautiful as ever, but the shadows under his eyes seemed darker than usual.
“…If you stay like that, you’ll catch a cold.”
There was a note of concern in her voice, and Cretes’ eyes widened.
He hadn’t expected her to speak first.
Especially since he hadn’t explained anything about closing the land route.
“I’m usually healthy… but if you’re worried, then…”
With a snap of his fingers, Cretes removed the towel and instantly dried his hair. Smiling like he expected praise, he said:
“There. No chance I’ll catch a cold now, right?”
His sparkling expression was like a puppy’s. When Asilia let out a breath of disbelief, Cretes relaxed and sighed with relief.
“I have a question.”
“A question?”
“Did you close the land route to keep me from going back to Revilla?”
Cretes’ face showed momentary surprise—as if he hadn’t expected that question. But it passed quickly, and he answered honestly.
“Yes.”
“You did it… because you knew what kind of place Revilla is?”
“That too, yes.”
There was no hesitation in his voice.
He looked directly into her eyes, as if he didn’t want to lie to her.
“Then why didn’t you tell me what kind of country Revilla really is?”
“Because you wouldn’t have believed me.”
It wasn’t wrong.
And his words were entirely honest.
Asilia nodded slowly—and got to the heart of it.
“There’s one thing. I’d like to propose a deal.”
