Episode 4
As for me, I was the youngest Hero and the only spearman on the continent.
My childhood—scraping by from trash bins to fill my starving stomach—changed after I met Huo
My talent awakened.
Victories followed one after another.
When my name spread across the continent as a Hero, people claiming to be my biological parents came looking for me—
“I told you, didn’t I? He’ll do anything for me. Look! He bought me a whole mansion for my birthday! We’re rich now!”
They were all con artists.
From that moment on, I decided I didn’t need family. I had six comrades.
But then why—
“Please! Yuritie!”
—did those bastards betray me?
Of course, I’ll never know.
They’re all corpses now.
After being transported to this era and sent to an orphanage, I visited the library every day. Through books, I learned about the current world.
That was when a subordinate of the Second Empress took notice of me.
“Her Majesty the Second Empress is searching for a clever child like you. Would you like the honor of becoming His Highness the Crown Prince’s study companion?”
It was a lie.
If they were truly looking for a smart child to serve royalty, they would have chosen from among the nobility.
There was only one reason the Second Empress picked me.
Because I could interpret ancient language.
Ancient language was simply the language I had used 700 years ago.
When I opened my eyes, I had merely aged seven hundred years.
For some reason, I could also read and write the current language—but ancient language was far more familiar, so I read books suited to me.
And just then, Bellavita happened to need someone who could decipher ancient texts.
What the Second Empress needed was precisely this:
A clever but powerless orphan.
Perfect to use and discard.
In this era, ancient language was an elite tongue passed down only among the Seven Clans and a handful of high-ranking nobles.
For a parentless orphan like me to know it?
To Bellavita, it must have felt like heaven itself had handed her a gift.
If a mere child handled the translations, she could use the records to pretend she was my descendant—and no one would expose her lies.
Who would believe the wild claims of a child?
Bellavita had been using private records filled with my—
Yuritie Clurion’s—personal stories,
and passing them off as tales inherited from her “ancestors.”
In short, she was a fraud.
Once I finished translating everything, she would likely kill me at a convenient time.
In exchange for deciphering my own ancient diary, Bellavita offered generous compensation and opportunities to study within the imperial palace.
An ordinary naïve child might have been thrilled.
But I wasn’t ordinary.
Seven hundred and twenty-three years had passed since my time.
Originally twenty years old.
In total—
Seven hundred and forty-three.
“Are you hesitating? If you dare refuse my offer, I’ll have no choice but to imprison you.”
A laughable threat.
Still, the Second Empress was useful.
I had a reason to infiltrate the imperial palace.
More desperate than hers.
If she was willing to take me in?
I was grateful.
I hummed as I ate another brownie.
The only remaining variable was when Bellavita would try to eliminate me.
But I knew how to determine that.
After she disposed of the Crown Prince.
More precisely—after she gave birth.
Right now, Bellavita was heavily pregnant.
When the Emperor was alive, she wielded power through his favor.
Now that he was dead, she relied on the child in her womb.
That child would be promoted as the “descendant” of Yuritie and the imperial bloodline—the ultimate prodigy.
And there was one more factor.
The First Empress’s absence.
The First Empress had not appeared in public even before Bellavita entered the palace.
Which meant something had happened.
Was that coincidence?
The current Crown Prince was Kazen Huo니스, the Emperor’s only child from his sickbed.
Bellavita’s child might be a prince—but still only the Second Prince.
As long as Crown Prince Kazen lived, her child could never become Emperor.
So of course she would be trying to kill him.
But that wasn’t my concern.
The grandson-of-the-grandson-of-the-man-who-sold-me-out—Crown Prince Kazen.
The Second Empress who was selling my name.
No real difference between them.
In my era, only the strong survived.
I clicked my tongue at the statues of the Seven Heroes beyond the window.
Still—
The Crown Prince was lucky.
Because we shared the same enemy.
“Her Majesty the Second Empress? She’s an angel! And of the noble bloodline of Hero Yuritie!”
Dare to impersonate me?
The enemy of my enemy is my ally.
For now, the Crown Prince and I had the same primary target: the Second Empress.
I’ll help you first, grandson of Huo
I smiled.
In return, you’ll open that warp gate for me sooner rather than later.
* * *
“I’m here! Tell Her Majesty that Tie has arrived!”
The guards at the Second Empress’s palace recognized me immediately and opened the doors.
“Yaaawn… You’re here? You come so early.”
It was noon.
But shamelessness? Easy.
“I wanted to see the fairy, so Tie ran here the moment she woke up!”
“Puhahaha! Again! I told you I’m not a fairy!”
Bellavita smiled lazily and beckoned me closer.
“Come here, cute child.”
She stroked my cheek.
“You’re a clever one. You know exactly who to charm. I like children like that.”
“Wow… Fairy Empress is kind like a fairy…”
I like you too.
You’re easy.
“So what brings you here this morning?”
Noon is not morning.
“Tie felt sad because Fairy Empress looked tired! So Tie brought a tea that makes you healthy!”
“Tea?”
I dragged a chair closer and hopped up beside her.
“It might be humble for Fairy Empress, but I worked very hard. Will you try it?”
“The aroma is nice. The headache medicine you gave me before worked very well too.”
As I pressed her hand, I measured her mana.
Different.
I could distinguish mana types.
Hers was gray.
In my era, there were usually two kinds:
White mana—used by priests.
Black mana—used by mages.
Gold, blue, green, and red existed, but were rare elemental types.
But hers?
Ash-gray.
What did that mean?
“By the way, what is the Crown Prince doing these days?”
She asked casually.
“I don’t know… Tie waited in the classroom for a long time, but His Highness never came. So Tie couldn’t see him.”
“He’s skipping lessons?”
Her smile deepened in satisfaction.
“If he neglects his studies, that’s actually better. After all—”
After all, she planned to depose him.
She flipped through the book I translated and nodded.
“Excellent. I knew I had a good eye for people.”
“Did Tie help?”
“But you are still lacking.”
“I-I’m sorry! Tie will do better! (Then you do it.)”
Under the tablecloth, I gave her a double middle finger.
“I hate it when children cry.”
“S-Sorry! Tie won’t cry! (Then do it yourself.)”
“If you’re so weak, I may have to replace you.”
“I won’t cry! I’ll be useful! (You mean you’ll replace me because you hate me.)”
Then I noticed a red chest beside her.
It gave off a strange scent.
“Curious?”
Bellavita smiled slyly.
“This is a precious elixir. Even a royal like the Crown Prince can’t easily obtain it.”
“Elixir?”
“Would you like to see?”
