Chapter 63
The Countess began to speak.
“The crest of that count’s house.”
She pointed to the ring on my hand.
“That is a very special magic stone.”
“A special magic stone?”
“Yes. In this world there exist only a handful of rare magic stones, and we call them Aeternum. Each Aeternum carries a unique magic, and the stone in that ring is the Nullification Aeternum. The nullification magic imbued within it cannot be replicated or undone by anyone.”
Aeternum. I quickly grasped its identity.
So this was the Aeternum.
Since the original story takes place ten years in the future, it was difficult to know the exact circumstances of the present. All I could do was piece together information and time to make deductions.
In the original work, apart from the imperial family, there was an organization that rivaled Chloan.
That organization planned to gather special substances and conquer the continent.
Vincente had been cursed by the Cursed Aeternum possessed by that organization, which was why he had changed his name.
I had used that to drive Vincente away.
So that’s why he was after the Count of Seymour’s crest.
In the original, it was also mentioned that Vincente made contact with the organization in order to use the Nullification Aeternum to break his curse.
At the same time, once Chloan learned of Aeternum’s existence, he too began collecting them to oppose the organization.
The Countess went on.
“The origin of Aeternum has never been clearly revealed, but we assume it is a fragment that fell from some kind of ‘substance.’”
“A fragment? What kind of substance is that?”
When the Duke asked, Countess Seymour shook her head.
“We cannot know. But judging from Aeternum’s mysterious power, it must be something unimaginably great.”
The true source of the fragments and the nature of that substance were never revealed in the original work either.
By the time Chloan defeated the organization, he had four Aeternum stones in total—the two he had originally possessed and two taken from the organization. Yet the final one was never discovered, even by the end of the story.
“Then Vincente… that man must have attacked seeking the Aeternum.”
“I had heard the rumors—that there was an organization hunting Aeternum. I never expected him to barge in today, though. I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
As Countess Seymour bowed in apology, I waved my hand.
“No, it wasn’t intentional, and you’re safe—that’s what matters. It’s just… you seemed too willing to sacrifice yourself, and that upset me a little. If anything had happened to you, I would’ve been left with regret and guilt.”
“…I’m sorry. Even if it was for Miss Ciela’s sake, I think I acted selfishly. It would have been better if I’d explained the situation and asked for help instead.”
“What matters is that you’re safe.”
I nodded, but then froze at her next question.
“By the way, Miss Ciela, what is your relationship with that man? From the way you spoke earlier, it sounded as if you knew him. His name was, if I recall…”
“Vincente, yes,” the Duke supplied.
Two pairs of eyes turned toward me, making my shoulders twitch.
I wondered why no one asked…
It would’ve been nice to quietly avoid it, but of course that didn’t happen.
I was prepared for this anyway.
From the moment I uttered Vincente’s name, I knew this situation would come.
I looked at the Duke and Countess Seymour, then slowly parted my lips.
“I learned about him by coincidence.”
I began my story.
In it, I mixed truth and lies.
I said that I had learned about the slave auctions, and when I heard that beastfolk would be sold there, I infiltrated the auction to win her over.
In the process of rescuing her, I had stumbled upon information about Vincente, the master of the place.
So, when things got desperate, I’d tested him based on what I saw back then. I never expected it to work so well. Something like that.
Though a flimsy story, my orphanage did indeed house a beastman named Hoyeon, and I had previously risked my life provoking the Duke of Creyman.
“You again…”
The Duke groaned, pressing his forehead as he listened.
Countess Seymour simply stared at me in astonishment.
“Why on earth would you take on something so reckless? What if you’d gotten hurt…!”
The Duke’s voice rose sharply.
Startled by his uncharacteristic outburst, I hurried to explain.
“I was as careful as possible. In fact, I hardly got injured at all.”
“That’s not the point! Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“That’s…”
There was no way I could say it.
To explain about Hoyeon, I’d have to reveal the original story I knew. Then he’d surely see me as suspicious.
I didn’t even understand why the Duke was this angry.
I did know from his actions that he valued me more than I thought.
But right now… he looked as though he had lost his composure entirely.
Even if I was precious to him, was this really so important that the cold, rational Duke would lose control? What was making him so uneasy?
Carefully, I answered.
“I thought it was my problem, and I didn’t want to burden Your Excellency.”
“Not once have I ever thought of you as a burden. On the contrary, I…”
He dragged a hand across his face. A deep sigh escaped through his fingers.
“I’m sorry for making you worry,” I said cautiously, seeing how deeply upset he was.
But the Duke shook his head.
“I’m not angry with you. I’m angry with myself.”
He lowered his hand and looked at me. His golden eyes wavered without direction, his voice dry.
“I said with my own mouth that I would protect you, and yet I didn’t even know what kind of danger you were in.”
“Ah…”
“That’s why I’m upset. Because I find myself so pathetic.”
“No, that’s only because I didn’t tell you. You don’t need to blame yourself.”
“But still…”
He lowered his head heavily, unmoved by my reassurance.
I didn’t understand this at all. I was supposed to be explaining myself, but somehow I ended up consoling the Duke.
But he really does look devastated…
Helplessly, I rolled my eyes, then said:
“Next time, if anything dangerous happens, I’ll tell you right away. I promise.”
“…Truly?”
“Yes, truly.”
When he looked at me, I nodded firmly.
The Duke gazed at me quietly, then finally nodded.
“I will trust your word.”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
I smiled faintly. He looked at me gently in return.
Then the Countess’s voice made us turn to her.
“Your Grace, how bad was the damage to the ballroom?”
At her question, the Duke’s expression darkened.
He slowly nodded.
“The building collapsed completely.”
“I see… then there must be many victims.”
She murmured gloomily, then lifted her head with determination.
“Will you take me there?”
As she asked, we pushed her wheelchair toward the devastated ballroom.
The sight before us made me gasp. The scale of destruction was worse than I had imagined.
Cries and groans of pain echoed nonstop. Blood pooled on the floor, and I saw people clawing with bare hands through rubble in search of partners crushed beneath the stone walls.
Unable to watch the gruesome scene, I turned my head slightly. The Duke’s voice sank low.
“At dawn I will send for aid from the House of Creyman. The situation will soon be brought under control.”
“There’s no need. This happened because of me, so I must be the one to resolve it.”
With that, the Countess wheeled herself forward. The Duke and I remained behind, watching her.
After a moment, she began to murmur, and soon a green light shimmered around her body.
That’s…
The light spread wider and wider until it covered the entire area.
It’s warm…
As the light enveloped me, I felt a gentle warmth.
I realized instinctively what it was.
Healing magic…
Little by little, the crying and groaning faded away.
And as the sounds ceased, so too did the light, gradually dimming until it vanished completely.
I turned to look back at the Countess—
Thud.
—only to see her collapse from her wheelchair at that exact moment.
