CHAPTER 43
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
No matter how much Envy was Revilla’s strategist, there were too many documents that seemed to overstep his authority.
Yet, no one voiced a single complaint about Envy.
“He probably just couldn’t help himself.”
Asilia stared quietly at the document before her.
She had found a paper detailing methods of brainwashing people in painstaking detail.
The texture of the paper wasn’t from Revilla.
It was a bit smoother, and the ink didn’t smudge…
“This is from Whipolios.”
Asilia muttered and glanced around.
Inside a drawer, she found stones that glowed blue, likely mana stones. Some of them had a deeper hue, but beyond resembling mana stones, she couldn’t make much else of them.
Eventually, Asilia left the mana stones behind and searched elsewhere.
She wondered if she could find anything else useful, but even after thoroughly searching, she found nothing more.
Just as Asilia finished searching the room, a voice echoed in her mind—Cretess.
[You’ve taken too long. No more delays.]
It was a firm command.
Nodding, Asilia tidied the room and fixed her appearance.
When she stepped outside, a knight gave her a confused look.
“Are you leaving, my lady?”
“Yes. I must now carry out the Emperor’s orders.”
“Then I’ll report that you came and left.”
“I plan to meet Lord Tassion on my way. Handle it accordingly.”
At her words, the knights bowed respectfully.
With grace, Asilia left and returned to her office.
“Did you find anything?”
“Yes. What we suspected was correct. Envy Tassion appears to be the one performing the brainwashing. But… something feels off.”
“Off?”
“The document I found had detailed instructions on how to brainwash someone. But aside from that, there was nothing else.”
It felt like Envy had left that document there on purpose.
As if he didn’t mind if someone saw it.
“It’s hard to be certain. Even if he used mana stones, he did manage to brainwash many people. It wouldn’t be strange if he placed traps in the room.”
Asilia nodded.
If Envy had deliberately left the information there, the situation was even more unpredictable.
“Did you find a way to undo the brainwashing?”
“No. But there was one more thing. Records showed Tassion repeatedly requesting mana stones from Whipolios.”
She wasn’t well-versed in magic, but piecing together various facts gave her a hint.
“The wooden door…”
The door used to apply or remove brainwashing—was it truly only used for knights with head injuries?
What makes someone realize their thoughts and actions were not their own?
“Is it possible that brainwashing, once cast, requires ongoing reinforcement?”
“No. If the caster is strong enough, that’s unnecessary.”
“Then… if someone moves far from where the spell was cast, could the brainwashing weaken or be undone?”
To that, Cretess nodded.
“I’ve never cast such a spell myself, but if the caster is weak, then yes—it could wear off.”
They were finally getting somewhere.
That explained why those who returned from abroad were often branded as traitors.
It also explained why Envy needed mana stones from Whipolios.
All of it—just to maintain the spell.
Envy wasn’t a powerful mage. He couldn’t use mana on his own and relied on mana stones.
As a result, the brainwashing wasn’t perfect. When people distanced themselves from mana-rich Revilla, the effects began to wear off.
Caught between their own identity and the brainwashing, many ended up labeled as traitors.
“Then why do they act so self-destructively…?”
The paper hadn’t mentioned anything about such symptoms appearing when the brainwashing broke.
“That could be part of a final stage of the brainwashing.”
“Final stage?”
“How many symptoms did the Revilla knights show? Three?”
Asilia nodded.
Cretess explained using the knights as examples.
The first and most powerful brainwashing: loyalty to Revilla.
When that breaks, the second activates: prioritize completing your mission.
Then, when even that breaks, the final brainwashing kicks in—
Take your own life. Only then can you be free.
“Those labeled as traitors may have been displaying that third brainwashing stage. When it’s set up like that, even the brainwashed believe suicide is the only way out.”
But that was the final key.
Refusing that final command—was the only way to truly break free.
“…It’s monstrous.”
“They used people like puppets and crafted this scheme to make it work.”
The peace they lived in, propped up by Whipolios’ mana stones, could collapse at any moment.
“Is there a way to prevent the final brainwashing?”
“It’s probably the weakest of the three. A timed spell, basically.”
“You mean…”
“If someone falls unconscious for a few hours just as the third stage activates, the spell would wear off.”
Asilia parted her lips.
Then all those people—those who left Revilla—had died because of that final spell?
Fury began to rise within her, but she shook her head quickly to rid herself of the thought.
Now was not the time for that.
They had found a way to break the brainwashing. The next step was action.
“First of all, Envy Tassion…”
He had to die.
Killing him would be the first step.
Whether they destroyed the mana stones or knocked people unconscious—if Envy interfered and suppressed people again, it would be a disaster.
“The final mission.”
She would strike on that day.
Asilia made that vow to herself.
She would return.
To Moria.
A week passed.
In that time, Adrian had not been caught, throwing the imperial palace into chaos.
People feared what would happen if Adrian went mad and assassinated the Emperor.
“Lord Restantis. You will guard His Majesty. From now on, no one is allowed in or out of the palace until we catch that rat!”
“Yes, sir!”
A sense of grim determination washed over the knights’ faces.
“Wait.”
The one who interrupted Oswald’s order was none other than Envy.
He slowly walked in and looked around at the knights in the council chamber.
“Isaiah Heathclear—you will guard His Majesty.”
Cretess responded with a slight bow. Oswald’s face twisted in discontent.
“In terms of ability, no one surpasses Lord Restantis. He is the most suitable person to guard His Majesty.”
“I know.”
With a lazy expression, Envy walked up to Oswald.
“Thanks to you losing that rat, I can’t delay the mission I was planning. Understand?”
Envy tapped Oswald’s shoulder with annoyance clearly on his face.
Normally, Oswald would have exploded, but this time he stayed quiet.
As Envy left the room first, Oswald gave a look to Asilia and Cretess.
It meant: Follow him and carry out the orders before he can.
“…Are we going to kill the Emperor?”
Asilia asked quietly.
There was a trace of worry on her face.
Revilla and Moria were enemy nations.
And in any nation, the death of an emperor would bring chaos.
From Moria’s perspective, there would be no better opportunity than this.
“No.”
“…!”
“The reason we came to Revilla wasn’t to conquer it.”
Asilia let out a breath of relief.
She knew Zande’s actions were unjust.
She also knew he must atone for them.
But the bond of their shared past was not so easily discarded.
She didn’t want to be involved in killing the Emperor.
She hoped someone with stronger resolve than her would carry out that bloody task.
Zande and Envy Tassion—those who had turned people into puppets.
Their sins had to be paid for by every knight of Revilla.
“Asilia.”
As Envy entered the audience chamber ahead of them—
Cretess grabbed her hand. When she turned around, he looked at her with concern.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
He stepped closer and kissed her forehead.
“I’ll try to suppress the brainwashing. So be careful.”
“What are you two doing?”
Startled, Asilia flinched. When she turned, Envy was watching them with an annoyed expression.
Looking at their clasped hands, Envy clicked his tongue.
“Instead of completing your mission, did you go to Moria to kindle some romance?”
