Chapter 59
Short red hair and dark green eyes.
The eldest son of Count Soner, the one who inherited the flame’s awakening ability for generations, and the knight known as the Emperor’s right hand.
That was Dicardo.
‘Why did I awaken as a plant-user?’
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, what manifested in him was the power to control plants.
Of course, its potential was extremely high. In unpredictable gates, that ability proved invaluable for both survival and combat.
But still, Dicardo harbored an inferiority complex.
Why was he not born a flame-user?
‘If I had been, I could’ve been of much greater use to His Majesty.’
The Soner family’s pride was to be the most steadfast knights and the Emperor’s loyal sword.
Especially since the current Emperor wielded ice and water abilities, Dicardo’s sense of inadequacy only grew stronger.
Though the difference in their ranks was vast, having an ability opposite to the Emperor’s would have made it easier to support him as his knight.
Perhaps because of this, the once bright-natured Dicardo grew into a twisted and cynical man.
And then the Duke appeared before him.
A flame archmage with even more vivid red hair and red eyes, as if mocking him.
Of course, it grated on him, but to be honest, Dicardo underestimated the Duke.
‘He’s just a mage.’
In his arrogance, he thought magical powers were nothing but a supplement compared to those of Awakeners.
But one day, when a gate went berserk and monsters poured out everywhere, threatening massive destruction, he happened to witness the teenage Duke Ariel sweeping everything away outside.
A massive pillar of fire roared past him, obliterating monsters in its path.
And Dicardo realized—
That a mage’s flame had just saved his back when he had let his guard down.
‘No. No, that can’t be!’
He refused to believe it.
How could a mere mage take down monsters in one strike, even if they had escaped outside the gate?
And worst of all, no one else had witnessed it.
Which meant Duke Ariel would have every chance to brag about his feat.
But strangely enough, the Duke acted as though nothing had happened. With his usual cold and arrogant expression, he simply stood before the Emperor, sneering at Dicardo.
That stung his pride even more.
After that, his inferiority complex spiraled out of control.
‘Impossible! A mage couldn’t—!’
As one of the nobles steeped in Awakener supremacy, he stubbornly denied it, clenching his teeth, resisting with everything he had.
Years passed.
‘And yet, in my desperation, I nearly injured the Prince. Truly, could there be anyone more pathetic than me?’
Because of him, conflicts arose once again, troubling the Emperor and even drawing Duke Ariel’s blood.
‘It’s my fault.’
When those flame-like eyes—colder than the Emperor’s ice—pierced through him, Dicardo felt shame.
He looked back at his childish and lowly past, so unworthy of being the Emperor’s right hand.
After that, Duke Ariel was constantly on his mind.
Perhaps it was more accurate to say that he was conscious of him.
‘This must be guilt.’
But even so, apologizing to the leader of the opposing faction, who didn’t even acknowledge his existence, was not something easy to do.
Then, one day, an opportunity arose.
‘So, who will volunteer?’
A duel between a mage and an Awakener.
Someone had to step forward to face Duke Ariel.
But whether one won or lost, the duel spelled trouble.
So when the Emperor gathered the Awakeners and asked the question, Dicardo stepped forward without hesitation.
‘I will do it, Your Majesty.’
No one else volunteered.
He thought for certain the Emperor would immediately order him to proceed. But instead, His Majesty fell into silence.
Confused, Dicardo looked at his sovereign, only to feel as though His Majesty’s eyes were colder and sharper than usual, piercing into him.
‘Why…?’
But then the Emperor nodded, as if nothing was wrong. So Dicardo, after some hesitation, went ahead and set up a tent.
And now, he stood before the Duke.
‘Ugh, that traitor bastard!’
‘Why are you sucking up to mages all of a sudden?’
‘What’s wrong with you lately? Have you lost your mind?’
Kael, the Awakener knight who wielded wind and was called the Emperor’s “left hand”—and Dicardo’s close friend—scowled at him in disapproval.
But Dicardo was the kind of man who never backed down once he had made a decision.
And yet—
‘I didn’t expect him to look that displeased.’
He had braced himself for this, but even trying to talk to the Duke made Ariel’s demeanor turn sharp as a blade.
And then, before Dicardo could even properly speak, another mage came running in, baring his teeth.
But strangely enough—
Hearing that flimsy little mage chatting familiarly with the Duke left a bitter taste in Dicardo’s mouth.
The mage’s glittering, androgynously beautiful face only made it worse.
Suppressing his irritation, Dicardo kept his eyes fixed solely on the Duke.
Even if those red eyes glared at him with contempt, at least they were looking at him.
That alone sent a chill down his spine in a not-unpleasant way.
“I have been chosen as Your Grace’s opponent in the upcoming duel. I came to inform you of this,” he said bluntly.
The Duke raised a brow.
“You could have just submitted a report.”
“I wanted to tell you in person.”
The more Dicardo spoke, the more the Duke’s expression darkened.
Dicardo felt like a dumb bear and grew dispirited.
Did Awakeners really annoy him just by speaking? That fluttering mage kept using an irritatingly sweet tone, clinging shamelessly, and yet the Duke didn’t scold him.
That only made Dicardo feel… slighted.
And then it hit him.
…Slighted?
He couldn’t believe it.
‘Of course the Duke would find me unpleasant. After everything that happened between us. But why am I…’
Why was he thinking this way?
Why did he smirk when he saw the clingy mage get his hand smacked away?
“Is that all you had to say?”
The Duke’s cold voice, not even bothering to call him by name, made Dicardo’s shoulders shrink.
‘I really must be insane.’
He forced himself to straighten his expression, nodded, and withdrew.
As the Duke sharply turned away, his red hair whipping through the air, Dicardo swallowed the strange sense of regret that rose in his chest.
‘At least I’ve repaid a debt once.’
And then he froze.
Somehow, His Majesty himself had stepped outside the carriage, glaring directly at him.
‘Y-Your Majesty?!’
Could it be because he had lowered himself before a mage?
Not even before monsters had he seen such an expression on His Majesty’s face.
Dicardo felt utterly dejected.
And yet, when he thought of the duel, and the chances it would give him to face Duke Ariel again, he couldn’t deny a flicker of anticipation.
Surely, this was guilt.
If he kept apologizing during those encounters, surely the weight on his heart would lighten.
So he consoled himself with that thought, trudging away.
Damn it!
I could barely recall what that bear-like knight was mumbling about. Something about being my duel partner. But clearly, given how resentful he looked, this was his chance to volunteer.
I even waved away the clingy junior mage who had been pestering me.
That wasn’t the issue.
‘Why is this thing popping up again?!’
My heart was pounding chaotically because of the status window floating before me.
When that so-called “plant Awakener,” Dicardo, spoke again—
[Precondition for Multi-Engraving Quest.
Awakener showing interest (2) discovered!]
That damned window had appeared.
[Awakener candidate discovered, but Multi-Engraving Quest condition not met.
Quest generation failed.
Please try again later.]
A few seconds later, other windows appeared, but still—
‘If I fulfill that precondition someday…’
Wouldn’t that ominous Multi-Engraving Quest actually trigger?
This crazy system.
Don’t tell me—
Don’t tell me it’s trying to turn me into the original heroine of the story?!
