Chapter 59
“I want to know whether Your Highness can live a better life than you do now. Is that truly the purpose behind pursuing your goal?”
“Well, that is….”
Raphaella, who had been speaking without pause, suddenly fell silent.
What the duke meant by a “better life” was surely based on human standards. But she herself only wished to return as quickly as possible to her original place—the divine realm.
If I return before completing the full duration of this human form, what happens to this body?
A question she had never once considered before began to take root in Raphaella’s mind.
The original princess’s soul must already be in the cycle of reincarnation… so when I leave, will this body simply… die?
When Raphaella abruptly stopped speaking and stared off into space, William called out to her cautiously.
“Your Highness?”
“Hm? Ah, I was lost in thought for a moment.”
“Are you all right?”
“Y-yeah. I’m fine. And as for the answer to the duke’s question earlier… I’m sorry, but I’ll tell you later.”
“Yes. I will wait.”
Raphaella rinsed her mouth with the tea that had long since gone cold. Perhaps because of the tea, her mouth felt especially bitter and unpleasant.
Shaking off the uncomfortable thoughts, Raphaella continued speaking.
“Earlier, you asked how much secrecy we need to maintain regarding my abilities.”
“Yes. After the recent assassination attempt, I realized something. If you permit it, I believe it would be best to tighten security further and strictly control any information leaks.”
“Mm. I agree. Because my divine power is only half-complete.”
“…Pardon?”
William knew it as divine power, but in truth it was the power and authority of a god—something he could not say aloud.
In any case, for Raphaella to use her power again, she absolutely needed divine relics. And the position of the Duke of Klimt’s house would be quite useful for obtaining stronger divine relics more efficiently. Their status also made access to temples far easier.
“So, for me to use my divine power…”
Raphaella was just about to explain the necessity of divine relics.
At that moment, her gaze unconsciously drifted to the map she had spread out.
“Huh?”
Raphaella’s eyes widened.
The locations of the mirror fragments marked on the map had changed.
“Why on earth…?”
At first, she had confirmed three points located near a desolate iron mine on the edge of the continent. Now, however, the points had increased to four, and their position had shifted farther north.
And that place was where the Forest of Loss—the place Raphaella planned to visit with Leo—was located.
She had known that someone was gathering the mirror fragments, but she hadn’t expected them to move so quickly. She didn’t know the reason for collecting them, nor whether it was an individual or an organization.
Still, she had assumed that once gathered, the fragments would be stored in a secure place, like a hideout.
I was planning to raid it later and take them all at once.
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t guess why they were moving.
As Raphaella’s expression grew grave, William asked with concern,
“What is the matter?”
Raphaella was so anxious that she barely even heard his question.
Did they notice that I’ve started collecting fragments? But I only have one so far—there’s no way it would be that obvious.
Biting her lower lip, Raphaella stared at the clustered points on the map.
And of all places, they moved to where I’m planning to go. Is this a coincidence… or a conspiracy?
Bordering the Henten Empire where Raphaella resided lay the iron-mining nation of Rengton. Deep within its central mountain range was an astonishingly vast plain.
There were no vicious beasts that harmed people, the paths were not treacherous, and no poisonous plants grew there—yet no one ever went.
Because the moment anyone set foot on that plain, they would lose something.
It could be a trivial object, or a part of the body like hair or a finger. In more horrific cases, what was lost could be someone precious to them.
Thus, people called it the Forest of Loss.
Countless mages and scholars studied it, but they could not uncover how to avoid losing something, nor even identify any pattern to what was lost.
Eventually, the king of Rengton designated it a forbidden zone and sealed it off.
And now, the ones collecting the fragments had entered that very place.
It’s one of two things. Either they’re obsessed with collecting the mirror fragments… or they know the forest’s secret.
Raphaella fervently hoped it was not the latter. Humans must not know the forest’s secret—only then could she use it as planned.
“Your Highness.”
As Raphaella felt suffocated beneath the rush of thoughts, a large hand suddenly cupped her face.
“Huh?”
That large hand gently stroked her chin, easing the tension from the lower lip she had been biting.
With a worried expression, William took out a handkerchief and softly pressed it against her lips.
“You’re bleeding.”
“Ah…”
She hadn’t even noticed blood seeping from her lip, so deep had she been in thought.
“I don’t know what’s troubling you, but please calm yourself. Your Highness’s lips have committed no crime. If you truly need something to bite out of frustration, I would rather offer you my hand.”
Holding the handkerchief herself, Raphaella pressed it to her lips and shook her head quickly. If it were William, he truly would offer his hand without hesitation, so she hurriedly gestured that she was fine.
“Worrying won’t solve the problem. Please take a moment, breathe deeply, and calm down.”
William was right.
No matter how anxious she felt, there was nothing she could do right now. She had to remain steady and rational, and form a new plan.
As Raphaella pondered, she recalled how she had once drawn divine power from temple murals.
A rather amusing plan formed—one that could handle two matters at once.
Removing the handkerchief, Raphaella smiled mischievously at William.
“Duke. I have a small favor to ask.”
After hearing Raphaella’s plan, William readily agreed, though he tilted his head in confusion.
The favor itself was truly minor. Yet the expression on her face as she spoke was anything but light. With a sense of unease, William pressed his fingers to his forehead and made a silent vow—
That he would absolutely fulfill his role as Princess Raphaella’s moral and legal brake.
Late at night, someone paced anxiously in front of the Empress’s palace. Wrapped in a robe from head to toe, he fidgeted restlessly, peering toward the interior.
Soon, the Empress’s personal maid appeared at a brisk pace from inside. Only then did the robed man hurriedly rush toward her.
“Why are you so late? I told you this was urgent!”
“Her Majesty was asleep. No matter how urgent the matter, we cannot wake her at will.”
“What? Then are you saying Her Majesty is still asleep?”
“She coughed earlier. Fortunately, Her Highness the Crown Princess was awake, so I asked her.”
“Fine. Then hurry.”
The robed man grumbled irritably, but the maid cast him an annoyed glance and deliberately led him at an unhurried pace.
“I told you to hurry!”
Ignoring his impatience, the maid continued walking gracefully. Upon reaching the audience chamber, the man shoved her aside and flung the door open.
“I haven’t announced you yet!”
The maid cried out in alarm, but it was too late—the door was already wide open.
Inside the audience chamber, lit by flickering yellow candlelight, the Empress sat at a table. Seeing the man, she gestured to the maid, signaling that it was fine and that she should leave.
As the man hurried inside, the maid quickly closed the door.
Removing his hood, the man approached the Empress swiftly, then dropped to one knee and greeted her.
“I greet the moon of the Empire, Her Majesty the Empress. I beg your pardon for coming at such a late hour, but this matter is most urgent.”
“Rise and take a seat, Sir Gerard.”
Before even sitting down properly, the unsettled Gerard spoke in haste.
“It appears that the Black Serpent unit we planted within the relief corps has been completely wiped out.”
“!”
The drowsiness still lingering on the Empress’s face vanished instantly.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. The coded signals we exchanged regularly have ceased. At present, we don’t even know whether they’re alive or dead.”
“Is there no other possibility? For example, that they moved suddenly and missed the signal?”
“We infiltrated six seasoned operatives. For not a single one of them to send a signal means only one thing.”
The Empress muttered in disbelief,
“That can’t be. That child shouldn’t have the strength to handle all of them.”
“Indeed. No matter how well she handles spirits, spirit masters are fundamentally more inclined toward defense and manipulation of nature rather than direct offense. She would have been outmatched against assassins. Moreover, the Black Serpent unit was thoroughly prepared against spirits.”
Unable to restrain herself, the Empress slammed her hand on the table.
“Then what on earth happened?”
“Well… in my limited judgment…”
“Sir Gerard. Speak plainly.”
Glancing nervously at the Empress’s expression, Gerard answered carefully,
“I believe this was the work of Duke Klimt.”
