Chapter 85
“P-please, stop… spare me… huff.”
The Count crawled on the floor, clutching Everett’s ankle. Both of his legs were already broken and immobile, and blood ran from wounds all over his body.
Everett clicked her tongue and struck the Count’s hand with her staff.
“Ahhh!”
The moment the back of the Count’s hand was crushed, the staff shattered and flew into the air.
“You shouldn’t touch things recklessly.”
Everett lifted her leg and stomped on the Count’s head. The pressure from above made his face flush bright red, as if it would burst.
“Gah… p-please… spare me… huff…”
“Hmm… you’re holding up better than I thought. Maybe it’s because you have so much fat.”
Everett lifted her foot from his face with a hint of surprise. The Count wheezed and gasped for air.
“I hope you don’t die too quickly.”
Everett bent her knees and squatted lazily.
“Well, this should do for now.”
She lightly tapped the Count’s forehead. Time seemed to freeze as Everett’s consciousness flowed into him. This was her ability to steal memories through the “carousel of life” that humans supposedly see right before death.
Everett swiftly traced the Count’s memories backward—from birth, infancy, adolescence, to the time he went to sea as an adult.
In those memories, she saw a mermaid caught in the Count’s hand.
“…Hah.”
It was Amelia, with her white-blond hair and blue eyes. The following memories poured into Everett rapidly.
As time passed, Amelia’s gaze grew lifeless and her body accumulated injuries. The tank she was confined in was never free of blood, and her pale lips murmured words no one could understand.
Yet even within these harrowing memories, there was a moment when Amelia smiled.
‘Eldin…’
Everett’s eyes quickly scanned the fleeting memories and found Eldin. Amelia had shown her genuine smile only when she was with him—but even that was brief. After Amelia was trapped in the tank, the scenes that followed were always the same.
They showed Amelia suffering inside the tank while Eldin watched helplessly from outside, a child’s sobs filling her ears.
Then, suddenly, Amelia disappeared as if the Count’s memory had cut off. Through the swaying, drunken vision of the Count, Everett saw the empty tank and young Eldin shedding tears with vacant eyes.
“You… stole the mermaid, didn’t you!”
The Count shouted and swung his staff at Eldin’s shoulder. The blow immediately swelled into a large, blue bruise. Yet Eldin appeared unaffected, staring blankly at the tank.
The Count scoured the mansion and the entire estate but could not find Amelia. During the long time he gave up, Eldin said only one thing:
“Mom is dead.”
His empty eyes gazed beyond the memories, at Everett. A small, fragile child with no unscathed part of his body looked up at her.
“Ugh.”
Everett staggered out of the Count’s memories, coughing as she exhaled. The ability also carried the drawback of bringing in the subject’s emotions.
‘Good thing I didn’t bring Kaiden…’
She steadied herself against the wall. For the first time, she felt relieved her magic reserves were low. Otherwise, she would have absorbed not only her own magic but also Kaiden’s overflowing power and probably killed the Count hundreds of times over.
‘But… a few dozen times should be fine.’
Everett’s eyes flashed red. She swung her hand, summoning every healing potion from the mansion’s storage. The potions poured over the Count.
“Huh?”
The Count looked at Everett in confusion. Slowly, all of his wounds began to heal.
“You… are saving me? Th-thank you!”
He scrambled to his knees. Everett didn’t answer but continued staring at the floating potions. There were about 200 in total.
Only ten potions were needed to fully heal the Count, meaning she could do it twenty more times.
Everett gazed at the Count and asked,
“Do you know the benefit of living a long life?”
“Eh? What… do you mean?”
“That you’ll know every form of torture invented over centuries.”
Everett grabbed the back of the Count’s head and slammed him to the floor. Instantly, his nose and facial bones shattered, blood spurting out.
As he neared death from the shock, Everett poured potions over his face. The premium elixirs seeped into his body, realigning broken bones and repairing torn flesh.
“Uh… uh?”
The Count’s face went pale as he realized what Everett intended next. He staggered, trying to escape the room.
At that moment, a bullet lodged in his thigh, and he collapsed. Everett walked behind him, murmuring in a low voice,
“Hang in there. I’m not as kind as those children.”
Exiting the mansion, Everett exhaled. She was still not satisfied.
‘But it’s time to go back now.’
She clicked her tongue and snapped her fingers. Time in the mansion reversed instantly.
“Huff.”
A man called the Commander looked around, sword in hand.
“Why… am I here?”
The soldiers standing in the garden also looked around in confusion.
“Uh… why are we all here?”
The maids gathered in the lobby tilted their heads, rising from their knees in puzzlement.
“Huff… huff, huff.”
The Count sank to the floor, gasping. His heart pounded like it would burst. He stared at the intact door, bewildered.
Everett, seeing the mansion returned to normal, slowly flew toward the duchy.
“I missed you.”
Kaiden took Everett’s coat from her as she returned through the window. She smirked lightly at his reaction.
“It’s only been an hour.”
“But it felt like an hour.”
Kaiden approached Everett. She laid down on the bed, exhausted.
“You okay?”
Kaiden’s expression hardened as he brushed her forehead. She could feel the restrained, angry magic. Everett shrugged and rose.
“I’ll check on the kids for a moment.”
She quietly left the room.
Opening Eldin’s door, she saw the two children asleep, clutching each other. A small cat lay between them, purring softly.
Everett silently stroked Gold’s nose, then Fernan’s forehead, and finally brushed Eldin’s cheek with a gentle hand.
“They’ve held up so well while we were gone. Haven’t they?”
Everett whispered to Kaiden, who followed her, and he gazed at the children lovingly before turning his eyes to her.
“We have to make sure they don’t get hurt anymore.”
Kaiden carefully held Everett’s hand. It was rare to see her so unsettled.
“Share your burdens with me. They’re our children.”
Kaiden emphasized “our,” and Everett silently looked at Eldin and Fernan before nodding.
“Let’s go back to bed first. We don’t want to wake them.”
They left the room with careful steps.
Eldin, waking later than usual, blinked. Gold, snuggled against him and Fernan, radiated warmth as he slept.
Looking up, Eldin saw Fernan deeply asleep as well, his body warmer than usual. He quietly chuckled at the peaceful scene.
“Huh?”
A white envelope rested on the desk. Eldin carefully sat up.
‘This… is from Yuricien, isn’t it?’
He grinned as he took the letter. Inside the white envelope was a short note.
Dear Eldin,
I’m heading to the imperial capital with Diana. It’s time to reveal her existence to the world. I have things I want to say and request, but I have to leave in a hurry, so I’ll stop here for now. Don’t worry; I’ll write to you properly later. Oh, this time, I’m sending a stone I picked up by the sea. I thought you might like it.
Your friend, Yuricien, with Diana
As usual, a small stone representing the region was included. Eldin blinked as he held it. Compared to the last time, it felt far more familiar.
‘From the sea…’
It seemed Yuricien’s location was near the ocean.
‘Maybe that’s why it feels so familiar. But it didn’t feel like this at other seas.’
Eldin studied the stone curiously. He placed it next to the rice stalks in the drawer and quietly returned to bed, lying beside Gold and Fernan.
‘Ah… this feels nice.’
Stretching, Eldin realized he enjoyed the time spent lounging in bed after waking up. He lay in the warm blankets, reflecting on Yuricien’s letter.
‘But how will she reveal Diana’s existence? What magic will she use?’
He closed his eyes, the warm sunlight lulling him back to sleep.
“Hmm, so that magic was the one the child set.”
Everett twitched her eyebrows, holding a teacup. Eldin, drinking tea with her, widened his eyes.
“Magic?”
“It was a special magic cast over the entire imperial palace. It extended eastward. I was going to break it but decided to leave it—good thing I did.”
“You can even see that?”
“If you focus, you can. You might be able to do it too.”
