Chapter 84 …
“Some people will surely find it suspicious, but none of them will raise an objection.”
Thanks to Mikhail’s calm voice, the heat that had rushed to my head slowly cooled. After taking a moment to steady my breathing, I replied in a cynical tone.
“Of course. And since he’s merely the son of an insignificant baronial family, the press will have an easy time tearing him apart however they like. That crafty Empress Consort really did find herself the perfect scapegoat to take responsibility for the government’s crime.”
A hollow sigh slipped out of me. I crushed all the newspapers at once and shoved them out of sight.
I had thought I was finally unraveling the mystery using every method at my disposal, only for the labyrinth itself to vanish in an instant. The suddenness of it left my mind reeling.
“Mikhail, at this point, it’s impossible to turn things around, isn’t it? No matter how loudly we insist that there’s another real culprit, no one will believe us.”
“Yes, my lady. On the contrary, the people of the Empire would only grow suspicious of our intentions.”
Clutching at straws, I desperately tried to find a new path forward. Honestly, I knew it was probably futile, but I felt like I wouldn’t be able to rest unless I checked.
“Even if he confessed, they’d still run tests, wouldn’t they? They must already have countermeasures prepared for that too. Judging by how boldly they moved, are they planning to manipulate the test results?”
“Most likely. With the government by his side, using his blood and flesh to fabricate the results wouldn’t be difficult.”
“…Right. That figures.”
I ran my fingers roughly through my hair, letting out a bitter laugh. I wanted to slam my fist against the desk and scream at the top of my lungs—but I didn’t even have the strength for that.
“My lady, are you all right?”
“No, I’m not. Valienor was lucky enough to have his false accusation cleared, but Lady Adelaide’s death has been reduced to nothing more than a sordid crime of passion. Haah…”
I never imagined things would turn out this way. Somehow, it all felt too easy.
Then again, this was the woman who had driven out both the Empress and the Crown Prince. There was no way she’d leave such an obvious trail behind. I’d underestimated the Empress Consort.
As I lay sprawled across the sofa, Mikhail carefully carried me to the bed. Like a wind-up doll whose spring had snapped, I went limp and let my body rest in his arms.
Davina and Jeremiah, who had been playing nearby, jumped to their feet and followed behind Mikhail. Their worried voices tickled my ears.
“Mikhail, what’s wrong with my sister?”
“Davina, don’t bother her. Let’s step outside for now.”
“No. She likes it when we lie next to her at times like this.”
“…Does she? Well, I suppose she did last time too.”
Taking advantage of my complete lack of resistance, my siblings wriggled their way onto the bed beside me.
Surrounded by their innocent chatter and soft warmth, I finally managed to calm my heart.
Before I knew it, the strength drained from my body all at once, and my eyelids slid shut.
When I opened my eyes again, it was bright outside.
I’d fallen asleep in the afternoon, but I couldn’t tell whether I’d only slept a few hours or lost an entire day.
“Why is it so quiet…?”
I couldn’t hear the familiar footsteps or voices of Davina and Jeremiah.
Lying face-to-face with Lily on my pillow, I absentmindedly stroked her fur as I voiced my question.
“Lily, did everyone go out? What time is it now?”
“Meoww. Myaaow.”
“How am I supposed to understand that?”
“Yeowi!”
“Twelve o’clock?”
“Myaa! Myaa!”
I laughed helplessly and gently scratched Lily’s soft belly. The cat didn’t seem to care where my hand wandered.
“Lily, life is exhausting. Still, since Father’s name has been cleared, we should return to Valienor as soon as possible. That’s better for you too, right?”
“Meow.”
“Okay. Let’s go back today or tomorrow. This place is dangerous for you as well.”
For a moment, the note Riccardo had asked me to pass on to Richard came to mind.
I hesitated briefly over whether to show it to Lily, but ultimately dismissed the thought. I was worried Richard might go meet Riccardo if he saw it.
“Meow?”
“What am I thinking about?”
“Meow.”
“About going home, eating good food, taking walks in the garden, and living peacefully?”
The cat’s round eyes narrowed suspiciously. Really—she was far too sharp and perceptive for a cat.
Smiling softly, I planted a quick kiss on Lily’s forehead and started to sit up.
Then—
“…Huh?”
The moment my waist lifted off the bed, a violent wave of dizziness struck me. Fighting back the urge to retch, I collapsed back onto the mattress.
What’s wrong with my body now? Don’t tell me I’ve grown frail again just because of a little stress?
This is ridiculous. I’m practically a human sea squirt.
“My lady, you’re awake?”
As if on cue, Hayden’s voice came from outside the door.
Judging by how cautious he sounded, he already seemed aware of my condition.
“Hayden! Something’s wrong with my body!”
“That’s only to be expected.”
He opened the door without hesitation and handed me the familiar shake.
Barely propping myself up against the headboard, I gulped it down as if it were an elixir of life.
“You drink it properly on your own now, even without my nagging.”
“I know, right? It even tastes good now.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
Hayden’s thick eyebrows lifted briefly before settling back into place.
I scraped up the very last drop of the shake and wiped my mouth.
Before long, the nausea vanished completely, and a warm sensation spread to the tips of my fingers and toes. Amazed once again by the shake’s effects, I asked Hayden,
“What exactly does this shake do? Mikhail gave me a rough explanation, but it still surprises me.”
“It helps magical power blend properly with the human body. Since you were born a Nephiti, the nature of your mana isn’t the same as that of ordinary mages.”
As he took the empty cup from me, he continued,
“Instead of fusing with your bodily components and being absorbed, your mana separates and solidifies into crystal form. In severe cases, that can even lead to death.”
Hayden paused, tilting his head as if confused.
“Given how healthy you are now, the mana clearly has been absorbed—but why it still hasn’t manifested… I’m not sure. There are too many variables. Anyway, think of the shake as a kind of nutritional supplement.”
“So if things go wrong, I might have to rely on this stuff for the rest of my life?”
When I smiled lightly and pointed at the cup, Hayden’s brow creased.
In a grave voice unlike his usual self, he warned me,
“This isn’t something to joke about. To put it bluntly, it wouldn’t have been strange if you’d died at any moment. The fact that you’re alive is a miracle.”
His face was deadly serious as he spoke of death—no trace of his usual playfulness.
“For the mana crystals scattered throughout your body to melt and be absorbed all at once, either the body or the soul would have had to change instantaneously.”
“…Oh my.”
He’s not going to realize my soul was replaced too, is he?
Startled, I flinched slightly, but Hayden must have mistaken my reaction for fear. He continued explaining gently,
“When someone experiences extreme stress or expends a lot of energy, they suddenly feel drained, right? There’s a similar condition called mana shock. It happens when you use more mana than your capacity allows.”
“But can mana shock occur even if you didn’t use any mana?”
“Good question. Since you showed symptoms similar to mana shock, at first I thought you might be about to manifest mana like a normal mage—but now I’m not sure. There are too many unknowns.”
“What’s the worst-case scenario?”
When I asked calmly, Hayden hesitated instead. He rolled the words around on his tongue for a long while before finally forcing them out, as though swallowing bitter medicine.
“Aside from death, the worst case would be reverting back to a Nephiti. You might fall into a very long sleep and have trouble waking up. Of course, that’s the absolute worst possibility, so don’t worry too much.”
“Ah… Is there any solution? Or some way to prevent it?”
“All you can do is return to Valienor as soon as possible, use that thing you named the ‘massage chair’ often, drink the shake frequently, and practice mana breathing exercises regularly.”
“If I keep doing that, could I eventually manifest mana?”
“In theory, you already have enough to manifest it. But since you don’t feel anything at all, it’s likely a psychological issue. Without a special trigger, manifestation will be difficult.”
I nodded and finally released the breath I’d been holding.
In short, the best outcome was for me to manifest mana and become a normal mage. The worst was death—or reverting to a Nephiti.
Either way, it meant living an ordinary life in Eldrian would be difficult.
Lily, who had been watching silently, rubbed her cheek against the back of my hand as if to comfort me.
The sight of the small ball of fur squirming around made me let out a weak laugh.
“Ha-ha.”
“And you’re laughing in a situation like this? You’re optimistic.”
“Should I cry instead?”
“Well, you do look prettier when you smile.”
We both chuckled softly.
“Don’t read the newspapers today. Get plenty of rest, then head back to Valienor.”
“I suppose I should. From the sound of it, things outside don’t look very hopeful.”
“Not really. The son of a certain baron has been officially identified as the culprit. I don’t know how they manipulated the test results, but his blood matched the criminal’s.”
“I guess that’s just how the world works. The truth doesn’t really matter.”
“You’re young, yet you talk like you’ve lived through everything.”
Grinning slyly, Hayden flicked my forehead with his finger.
Knowing it was his own way of comforting me, a warm feeling swelled quietly in my chest.
“No matter how things turned out, thanks to you, Hayden, Father’s name was cleared and I was able to take care of my health. I’m truly grateful.”
“It was nothing.”
Just as the conversation was coming to a warm close—
Bang! Crash! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Violent footsteps shattered the calm atmosphere.
Immediately after, Davina’s piercing sob echoed through the corridor.
