Chapter 12.
“Secret love…”
“kite?”
“…I learned it from a secret book.”
“Secret… book? Well, fine. Then how did you know Noarain isn’t a surname from Theban?”
“That’s…”
I was at a loss for words.
How could I say, ‘Actually, I know the names, surnames, residences, and even the structure of the estates of every noble connected to Castium’?
After thinking, I eventually lied.
“Actually, I have a personal interest in the Theban Archipelago.”
Even as I said it, I doubted he’d believe it, but Calix was more naive than I expected.
“Really?”
He asked this, his eyes wide.
“Then, have you been to Thebes?”
“I have been there.”
Though it was to infiltrate the estate of a noble residing in Thebes to gather intelligence on Castium’s political situation…
But I have been, right?
His expression instantly brightened.
He seemed like a completely different person just from that, which surprised me a little.
“Then, did you see the schools of silver flying fish leaping above the ocean?”
“I saw them.”
“The long, echoing boat horns when ships dock in the harbor?”
“I’ve heard them.”
“…How was it?”
I looked at Calix without saying anything, and he belatedly explained.
“Ah, my mother always used to tell me. In Thebes, surrounded by sea on all sides, you can see schools of leaping silver flying fish wherever you look, smell the salt-filled ocean air, and hear the boat horns of ships entering the harbor.”
“……”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Thebes, but I haven’t had the chance yet. I don’t even get opportunities to talk with my mother anymore. So I was just curious about Thebes.”
A shadow from the clouds slanted across his lonely face.
Somehow, that image overlapped with my own childhood self.
The me who had lost my parents in a carriage accident and crouched in a corner after entering the orphanage.
Only then did I realize.
‘You’re just enduring too.’
I thought he was handling life’s adversities well for his age.
But he hadn’t overcome them. He was just enduring.
Straining not to collapse. Not to be swept away forever.
“…Thebes is.”
My lips opened on their own.
“It’s like a serene paradise where ancient gods reside. The sunlight sparkles as if dancing on the waves, and the sea responds to its call, rippling calmly with a transparent jade-green hue.”
“……”
“The shores are full of white sand and smooth rocks, and the cries of seabirds carried on the wind are as clear and crisp as a flute. The dense forests and fields inland are also filled with verdant greenery, a beautiful and tranquil place, as if left alone in the world.”
“…Thank you for telling me.”
He nodded with a serene face. Seeing that face somehow put me at ease.
That my clumsy, unpolished words had become a source of comfort for him.
On the other hand, it was also awkward.
That I, who used to kill people without a second thought, was now offering comfort to someone.
And for someone I had considered an enemy in my past life…
‘But seeing him in person, I can be sure.’
Ruin had called all of Castium’s bloodline ‘those filled with malice and greed, like Satan.’
But the Calix I saw was different.
He didn’t excessively punish those filled with malice who tormented him, nor was he dominated by greed.
He was just an ordinary child, living lonely in an abandoned palace, missing his family.
Yes, they were not demons.
I had indeed been brainwashed.
Just then, Calix spoke again.
“Actually, I know who sent Windsor to me.”
“Who is it?”
He looked around and pressed his lips tightly together.
“I can’t say. Anyway, even if I know who it is, I can’t formally object right now. Because my power is weak.”
“I see.”
“For now, we can only be careful. To prevent his servants from coming here.”
‘Is that even possible?’
Brookston would continue to expand his influence and pressure Calix.
Moreover, Calix didn’t even have Luminesca’s blessing…
I knew where the blessing Ruin stole from him currently was.
And I also knew what kind of power that blessing was.
Because I was the test subject who survived the longest in the secret research institute and earned Ruin’s trust.
‘But telling the current Calix this fact is very dangerous.’
A father, poisoned. A mother, secluded in the palace.
If he hears that his ability was also stolen, Calix would immediately want to go retrieve it.
‘But that place is crawling with the Institute’s underlings. Even going alone would endanger my life; I can’t let the Crown Prince get killed.’
In the long term, to stop the restarted ‘Arc Project,’ Calix’s power was also necessary.
That power would surely be a great force in destroying the Institute, and furthermore, the Iblis Empire.
Because his power was the most secretive of Luminesca’s blessings, and simultaneously the most powerful…
A power that had never once been revealed to the world.
While I was lost in thought, he took a step closer to me.
“Logy, so about that…”
Under the golden noon sunlight, his purple eyes shimmered once.
“Could you perhaps become my swordsmanship instructor?”
“Me, you mean?”
“If I call for a new person, they’ll likely be his subordinate.”
He added hesitantly.
“And you’re strong, so… I think you’re fully qualified to be my instructor… What do you think?”
Now that he mentioned it, I recalled Calix during his swordsmanship lesson.
His figure, ignoring the pouring sweat, biting his lip tightly, focused only on the tip of the sword.
‘He truly wants to become stronger.’
Just like I trained in swordsmanship to survive as a child…
I nodded faintly.
“Alright.”
Only then did Calix’s face brighten, as if relieved.
Seeing that expression, my heart also felt somewhat at ease.
However, there was one thing.
‘I need to learn about Brookston.’
I need Calix for my goal. So, before the Institute is destroyed, Calix must not be driven out or killed first.
For that, I needed to learn about Brookston’s plans or recent movements.
‘Who should I go through to find out?’
But I was just a maid who had been working at Eclipsia Palace for less than a month.
I couldn’t trust and entrust anyone, nor could I roam the imperial palace myself to find out.
I wandered the vast imperial palace, searching for places where information might gather subtly.
Like the laundry area or the kitchen, for instance.
But they only enthusiastically talked about which restaurants in the city were good lately or what decorations were on the latest fashionable dresses.
In despair, I slumped my shoulders and went outside.
‘Ah, if only there was one noble on Calix’s side at a time like this.’
Just then, a luxurious carriage brushed right past me.
Startled, as I had almost been hit, I took a step back when the coachman who stuck his head out shouted.
“Hey! Are you walking around without your eyes!”
At his words, I tilted my head. Where I was standing was the sidewalk. In other words, a place where carriages couldn’t go.
Crossing my arms, I retorted immediately.
“Isn’t this the sidewalk? I think it’s you who’s misplaced your eyes.”
“What? This green young girl…”
Just as he was about to say something to me, his face turning red…
“That’s enough. It’s your fault for driving on the sidewalk, isn’t it?”
A dignified voice came from behind. The coachman immediately bowed his head, and sounds of apology were heard.
I had guessed, given it was an uncommon luxury carriage, but it seemed a fairly high-ranking noble was inside.
Just then, the curtain opened and a man appeared. An elderly man with wheat-colored hair, vivid green eyes, and an impressively upright posture.
‘This person is…’
I immediately knew who he was.
He was the Frontier Count guarding ‘Cerillian’ in the empire’s far north, infamous for monster appearances. ‘Ian Rochester.’
‘Why is he here?’
As I wondered, he apologized in a sincere voice.
“My apologies for startling you. It was my fault for asking him to hurry.”
“It’s fine. I’m not hurt, so it’s okay.”
“That’s a relief.”
After speaking, he stared at me silently without a word.
Just as I was about to ask if something was wrong, he asked me in a pleased voice.
“By any chance, are you Miss Logy? The one who solved two riddles from the ‘Book of Endless Anguish’?”
Had the rumor spread that far already? I was flustered but answered calmly.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I was actually looking for you.”
“Why were you looking for me?”
He got out of the carriage. His movements, fitting for a knight who repels monsters, were without a single flaw.
“I heard Miss Logy solved my friend Harbor’s dilemma, and since I’m staying in the capital for a while, I wondered if you might solve this old man’s dilemma too, so I came to find you.”
“Ah……”
I pondered for a moment.
Of course, being the one to help seemed better. I could find out information about Brookston in return.
Ian, having been the empire’s shield for a long time and respected by many nobles, could easily obtain information about him.
‘But what if Ian is in cahoots with Brookston?’
Ian hasn’t yet stepped forward to voice his opinion on the current situation.
In simple terms, it’s unclear whether he’s for the Imperial faction or the Noble faction.
‘If I, working at Eclipsia Palace, ask for information in this situation, it could become dangerous.’
I could help without asking for anything in return, but if more nobles come seeking me out in the future…
My identity being revealed would only be a matter of time.
It’s a precious opportunity, but there’s no choice. Having made up my mind, I opened my mouth.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that would be difficult.”
