TOYLCG 46🍒

Chapter — 46

Silphid had never found things as interesting as she did lately. Of course, it had been fun even when Ariel was around.

But back then, Ariel hadn’t been able to properly control mana and often pushed herself too hard, so Silphid always felt on edge.

—Is this also the will of God…?

She didn’t know what God’s will truly meant, but she was glad that Aren was by Rosebell’s side.

When Silphid reached Litten, she was taken aback. The last time she had visited Litten, Rosebell’s condition had been so poor that the spirits couldn’t use their power at all.

—What is going on?

Even though she was seeing it with her own eyes, Silphid couldn’t believe it. The entire city of Litten had been turned into one enormous spell formation.

Judging that it would be difficult to approach with her own power, Silphid hesitated, wondering if she should turn back.

If things stayed like this, Rosebell would step in herself—and that meant she would overexert herself again.

—This is completely different from Ariel’s time… It’s growing far too fast. What is this?

The root of corrupt energy was human greed. Once power was given to someone with evil intent, stopping it was never easy.

But unlike Rosebell, who was steadily growing step by step, this corrupt energy was becoming stronger by the hour.

Greed and envy—calling it a mass of all negative emotions wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

—I should go back for now. This isn’t something an ordinary human can deal with…

As Silphid turned to return to Rosebell, she noticed a single doll.

—What is that blood-soaked thing?

The thick stench of rotting blood was strong enough to be sensed even from afar, making Silphid uncomfortable. She roughly memorized its appearance and then turned away.

Kane was running errands under his master’s orders. To be precise, it was no different from being demoted.

‘Showing up with a scar on my face? Am I out of my mind?’

No matter how he thought about it, he could only blame his own carelessness. But could this really be called carelessness?

He was one of the elite, yet his mask had been torn and his face scarred. For someone used to seeing others’ blood, seeing his own had been shocking.

“Damn it…”

Just thinking about that day made Kane feel anger rising even in his sleep. Making such a mistake—especially not as a novice—was unforgivable.

Still, it was in the past. Instead of being on the front lines, he was staying alive by doing petty errands like this.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Yes.”

“It’s me.”

“Come in.”

The two spoke casually, as if familiar.

“So, what is it this time?”

“You met Marquis Ophelia today, right? You should report.”

Melania clearly showed her displeasure at Kane’s actions.

“Tch. It was a failure.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Eprien young lady was there. I only managed to sell a bunch of ink. I’ll have to aim for brainwashing next time. And honestly, I don’t even know the terrain around there. If you’re going to help me, shouldn’t you do it properly?”

At Melania’s irritated words, Kane paused. Why had the Eprien young lady been there?

“Didn’t you say yourself that you’re a great sorceress?”

“Even if I’m a sorceress, how am I supposed to brainwash someone I’ve never met before? And the guy next to her was a mage. Did you know that?”

At her sharp reaction, Kane realized that Aren had been with her. Judging by how quickly she had identified him as a mage, she really was impressive.

“How did you immediately know he was a mage?”

“His mana was so sharp I thought I was going to be stabbed to death.”

“And you?”

“Should I make it obvious and get us all killed? He’s still young, so he doesn’t hide it well, but he seemed quite skilled.”

Although Melania explained in detail, Kane listened with a crooked, indifferent expression.

“Are you even listening to me properly? Listen carefully! You said you’d help me, but you haven’t helped at all!”

“All I can do here is run errands. I only follow my master’s orders. Don’t get arrogant and try to order me around.”

As Kane let out killing intent, Melania didn’t back down and gripped her pendant. Since neither trusted the other and were only using each other, there was no room for consideration.

If even one of them slipped up, the outcome would be death.

“I don’t know how important your master is, but tell him not to look down on people. My life is already a mess, so don’t provoke me.”

Kane closed his mouth. He knew better than anyone how frightening someone with nothing to lose could be.

Deciding it was best not to provoke her further, Kane took out some money from his pocket.

“This is from my master. He also wants to know what your future plans are.”

“When the Eprien ducal family contacts me, I’ll go. That’s enough, right?”

“What? Why there?”

“They’ll probably ask me to come sell ink. Now leave.”

At the clear dismissal, Kane let out a hollow laugh and turned away.

As soon as Kane left, Melania became busy.

She went through the notes she had made about the novel she remembered, trying to gather information about the Eprien ducal family.

“What? She just dies not long after?”

The information was so insignificant that it left her dumbfounded. The setting itself was ridiculous—a young lady who wasn’t even a villainess, who aimed for the crown prince, ended up ruined simply because she met the wrong man.

“It’s basically just working the female lead hard and then a happy ending… and I hate that.”

What Melania overlooked was the fact that she wasn’t the only one who had possessed someone.

The difference was that Melania had read the book to the very end, while Rosebell knew nothing.

But their attitudes were different.

One person carved out her own life to survive.
The other indulged in greed to bring a fixed future closer.

At the time, Melania didn’t realize that this difference could lead to disastrous consequences.

As soon as Kane returned from Litten, he immediately tore off the fake beard and artificial skin attached to his face.

This had been a rule the two distrustful partners had set from the beginning.

“Your Highness, it’s Kane.”

“Report.”

“The Eprien young lady visited Marquis Ophelia’s residence. The mage was with her as well.”

“And?”

“This time, the brainwashing couldn’t be carried out properly. She keeps asking for our help—should I ask what exactly she wants?”

“Forget it. We’ll use her, and when she’s no longer useful, we’ll throw her away. In the worst case, we can eliminate her ourselves. Just make sure your identity isn’t exposed this time.”

“…Yes.”

Kane had nothing to say. Considering his past failures, he should be grateful it ended at that.

“You may go.”

“…Yes.”

After Kane left, a new shadow appeared.

“It seems the young lady will stay at Marquis Ophelia’s residence for a few days. The stated purpose of her visit is to purchase thin paper for use in orchards within the marquisate. And… she cried a lot.”

“What? She cried?”

At the mention of her tears, the crown prince’s heart sank for a moment. He didn’t know why, but assumed it was just shock.

“She cried after seeing the portrait of the Duchess of Eprien. Also, the mage appears to have improved greatly compared to before.”

“What about the mage?”

“Even though I hid my presence, it felt like he was quietly staring straight at where I was.”

Archangelos could tell that many interesting things had happened at the ducal residence while he hadn’t been visiting.

There were many eyes watching, which was why things had been quiet—but it seemed more had happened than he thought. Someone had even dared to regularly change the maids, fully aware that he would notice.

And they deliberately chose maids he disliked. No matter how he looked at it, someone seemed to think he was unfit as the heir.

Still, what irritated him most was the situation at the Eprien ducal house. The reason the mage had begun training was obvious.

“A man who doesn’t know his place. All he can do is guard the young lady.”

After Kane’s incident, he had deliberately stopped visiting the ducal residence. But now, he felt it was time to go and remind them of their place.

From the beginning, she had been his. Having flies buzzing around her was bound to sour his mood.

“My lord.”

“What is it?”

“May I report on the investigation into Count Demetra from before?”

“Go ahead.”

“Not long after Melania completed the magic circle, the Eprien young lady visited… and after a sudden heavy rain that day, Count Demetra returned to his original state.”

At that moment, Archangelos’s expression stiffened. It felt as though the gears were slowly slipping out of alignment.

He hadn’t thought it was impressive, but had used her because she seemed useful—yet the results were not good.

Still, there was no one as helpful to him as Melania at the moment.

Archangelos immediately began drafting a letter to send to the Duke of Eprien.