IBRIP l CH 33

Chapter 33 

I bit my nails in anxiety.

But since I had possessed a character inside a novel, meeting the main character was an unavoidable event.

‘I did everything I could after being possessed.’

I saved him because I had to.

Even looking back, it was a brave and wise decision.

So surely, things wouldn’t turn out badly for me, right?

I’m a possessed person, after all. In novel terms, that makes me a protagonist.

And the protagonist doesn’t die. Especially not this early in the story!

Thinking that way, I forced myself to calm down and just waited, hoping the first crisis would pass smoothly according to the prophecy.

But the very next day…

As if it were a terrible nightmare…

I was killed.

By none other than the great hero of the continent, the main character of the original story—

Winter Orsus.

***

The Next Day.

The Duke of Rohia, Bern Rohia, returned home at dawn while everyone else was still asleep.

The night before, he had immediately reported the blood-written message—presumably left by Yubel—to Emperor Sillis.

—“It says to stay away from the sea. Whatever this disease is, it must be spreading from the sea.”

—“…There’s also a chance that it’s just a child’s doodle.”

—“Duke, you’re being too humble. I actually prefer people who are more shameless. That’s clearly written, no matter how you look at it. If that’s just scribbling, then all of my imperial decrees must be scribbles too.”

Emperor Sillis had been just as excited as Bern Rohia.

And it made sense. The first of the three saviors, [Igrio], had been born more than 10 years ago and still hadn’t fulfilled his purpose.

Worse, there were only bad rumors about him.

As the continent gradually fell into unrest, now a new savior—[Materia]—had finally started to act.

—“Will you notify the other nations as well?”

—“Of course. Keeping it a secret won’t help us. [Materia] doesn’t just belong to the Western Empire, but to the whole continent—officially, at least. Besides, how many spies from other countries do you think are hiding here in the Western Empire? There are probably a lot in Rohia territory alone.”

—“But will the other rulers even believe Your Majesty?”

—“That’s up to the emperors of the North, East, and South. If they ignore [Materia]’s warning and suffer losses, then it’s their fault. I’m quite curious to see the expression on Glass Orsus’s face when he hears this.”

Since the emperor had decided to share the prophecy with other nations, Bern had no choice but to step back.

But as things started to escalate, he began to worry—what if it really was just a baby’s random doodle and he had overreacted?

—“Take your family and move to the capital immediately. We still don’t know what kind of disease this is, and the main estate isn’t that far from Elahi. More importantly, we must keep [Materia] safe at all costs.”

The emperor had ordered the Rohia family to relocate to the capital. Bern had returned home to carry out the evacuation.

But as he rode in the carriage, one thought kept bothering him.

‘His Majesty ordered everyone to evacuate. But if we all leave, we won’t be able to prove whether Yubel’s message was really a prophecy or not.’

When Yubel was born, Bern had been overjoyed—as if the heavens had smiled upon him.

But as time passed, the weight of the name [Materia] began to crush him.

Bern had always preferred a modest life, enjoying a bit of authority here and there. He had never dealt with such a heavy responsibility before.

Now, he nervously tapped his leg, unable to handle the pressure.

‘People have already died of this disease in Elahi. If so, what if someone from there has already brought it here?’

And frankly, Bern wasn’t strong or righteous enough to resist that fear.

***

Meanwhile…

“Boris, wake up! We have to leave right now!”

“Ugh… Mother, what’s going on…?”

Boris frowned and twisted his body at the shaking hands trying to wake him.

He had stayed up late last night practicing swordsmanship.

To him, home was a boring place.

Back when he could take out his anger on Izana, it was at least somewhat entertaining. But now that he couldn’t even do that freely, the house had no real meaning to him.

Seeing Izana only made him more annoyed.

To earn his father’s approval, Boris had started training with the sword even harder than before.

He kept remembering the advice he had received from Josef not long ago.

‘If I can beat Oscar Tradi…’

Then Father will finally recognize me.

After all, he was the rightful heir of the Rohia family and the one who would succeed the dukedom.

Since the Rohia were originally scholars, it made sense that his father disapproved of his desire to become a knight without even having Aura yet.

So Boris had to try even harder.

He had to achieve something undeniable.

So last night, he trained until his whole body ached and only managed to sleep very late. Being shaken awake at dawn made him extremely irritated.

When he finally opened his eyes, his mother Yudis looked a little messy and disheveled—unusual for her—as she tried to pull him out of bed.

“Boris, we’re leaving for the capital right now. A disease is spreading not far from here. I explained it yesterday, so you should understand.”

At the word disease, Boris quickly grasped the situation.

‘Yubel, again?’

The name of his youngest sibling flashed through his mind, and annoyance appeared on his face.

Even yesterday, the entire mansion had been noisy because of that tiny brat.

Boris had stayed out longer just to avoid hearing it all.

“Only pack the essentials and come downstairs,” Yudis said.

Boris slowly got up, clearly irritated.

But then, another name came to mind.

‘That girl…?’

He glanced at his mother.

“Father is taking care of Yubel, so I just need to bring Josef,” Yudis said.

From the look of her biting her nails in anxiety, it was clear that there wasn’t even a bit of space in her mind to think of Izana.

“Mother, are we taking all the servants too?” Boris asked.

“We’re giving time off to almost everyone except a few. I told the head maid to let them return to their homes. There’s not enough time to take everyone, and many are worried about family back in Elahi. Yesterday, the kids from Elahi were crying so much it was noisy, wasn’t it?”

Boris thought for a moment, then spoke in a kind voice.

“Mother, please go take care of Josef. I’ll stay here and quickly pack what I need.”

Yudis looked surprised and widened her eyes.

“But…”

“Josef is younger than me. He must be scared. As the eldest, I shouldn’t be holding you back, right? Go ahead. I’ll pack up and go downstairs to help Father.”

Touched by how mature her son was acting, Yudis’s eyes turned red.

They say true character shows in a crisis—and it seemed that was true.

She gently patted Boris’s head and hugged him.

“I’ve always known how dependable and grown-up you are.”

She had been worried recently because he had been causing trouble. But now, Boris was proving himself just as she had hoped.

It was only natural. He was the son of Emperor Sillis, a man known as a wise ruler.

Sons resemble their fathers.

So, Yudis kissed Boris’s forehead and left to find Josef.

Boris watched her walk away… then instead of packing his things, he quietly slipped out of his room.

It seemed like the evacuation preparations had just begun since the maids weren’t rushing around yet.

Moving quickly, Boris searched the mansion for the head butler, Adrian.

Adrian was in his room, hurriedly organizing important documents.

“Adrian, give me the master key.”

“The master key? Young master, I can’t give that to you without the Duke’s permission.”

“There’s something important I need to get. But the room is locked.”

“If you tell me which room it is, I’ll bring the key for that one.”

“It’s not just one room. There are several items, and they’re in different places. I’ll be quick. Isn’t it better to just give me the master key instead of wasting time arguing?”