Chapter 208

Kiiiiiing.

The elevator began to descend slowly.

Chalrrr.

Thick iron chains climbed higher and higher.

When I glanced down, I could see a vertical passage extending hundreds of meters underground.

Inside the passage, luminous flowers from the wooden workshop bloomed, so it wasn’t entirely dark.

Chalrrr.

Only the sound of the chains clanking endlessly echoed.

Jayrilis pointed at the workshops lined on each floor.

“Indeed. Not a single workshop is without light.”

As we passed each floor, the glass doors of the workshops were momentarily visible, with bright lights shining within.

“Why, why is there such a number?”

“Bring the synthesis reagent! Quickly!”

“Do you feel sleepy in the face of this great discovery?”

“Help me.”

“How many hours did you sleep yesterday?”

“I think I got about 2 hours this week.”

“Today is Sunday!”

The top talents of the Empire, the magicians, were igniting flames with their lives.

I pressed my hands together and prayed lightly.

Jayrilis looked at me and asked.

“What prayer did you utter?”

“I prayed that the blessings of the God of Radiance would dwell within them, so that even working all night, illness would not find them.”

“You did not pray to return home to rest, did you?”

“That depends on how much Your Excellency adjusts the supply schedule for your knight’s armaments. Since it is both you and I who made them work, I cannot raise such a prayer, can I?”

“Hahaha. Indeed.”

Hearing her laughter allowed me to momentarily forget my guilt.

And just as I had momentarily pushed aside my guilt, a greater guilt came flooding in when Jayrilis jabbed me in the side with her elbow.

Thump.

“Gah!”

It wasn’t enough to break a bone, but it was strong enough to leave me wondering if I would end up with a bruise.

…To bruise me now, it would take a hefty man wielding a sledgehammer.

“Ahem, ahem! Your, Your Excellency?”

I looked up at her, coughing and bending forward.

Jayrilis looked down at me with a languid gaze.

Yet, within her eyes, a fiery heat dwelled.

“I was alone back then.”

It was enough to make one feel tempted to jump off.

The Emperor continued gracefully.

“Now this place is mine, and you are by my side.”

I gripped the railing of the elevator and raised my body again.

Jayrilis grasped my forearm.

Her grip, as hard as steel handcuffs, held me firmly in place.

Her voice echoed in my ears.

“I did not come here to provoke your guilt. From this moment, the thing I intend to offer you is that I should have the guilt towards you. But understand. Both then and now, I am more fearful of being left behind.”

Clunk.

Before I could fully grasp what she meant, the elevator stopped.

* * *

Jayrilis led me towards a workshop that seemed to be pulling me in.

The closer the workshop was to the central elevator shaft, the smaller it became; the farther down the hall, the larger it was. Jayrilis arrived at the workshop at the very end of the corridor.

Magical circles were etched in silver and gold around the door, as if something was being kept inside.

Besides that, there were dried flowers, curious pieces of ore, and the skins or feathers of beasts.

I had a feeling I could guess which magicians were gathered here.

Jayrilis opened the door, and the mages welcomed us.

“We are honored to meet His Excellency, the Emperor, the Sun of the Empire, and His Grace, the Duke Valencianus, the Pillar of the Empire.”

They had long hair, regardless of age or gender, with colorful silks woven into those long braids, which draped over one shoulder.

“Your Excellency, are they not spirit mages?”

I greeted them with a somewhat surprised feeling.

Spirits are understood by people as the spiritual intelligences dwelling in various plants, animals, and objects.

Spirit mages naturally communicate with them and use their powers.

High-ranking spirit mages could create or relocate a forest overnight.

However, they had become nearly extinct in this world due to the past.

Those who became mages by directly receiving and utilizing the essences that comprised souls were extremely vulnerable to corruption, and many spirits and spirit mages had been consumed by it.

Seberik and the kelpie we had slain were typical examples.

“Thanks to the grace of His Excellency the Emperor, we are studying in a safe place.”

A woman who seemed to be two or three years older than me stepped forward and respectfully bowed her head.

In her braided brown hair, yellow and dark brown cloths were woven.

“Lady Denia?”

She had a somewhat capricious but clever expression, with brown hair and was a member of the royal family with high nobility on her maternal side.

She was also one of the five royals who had held my hand during the “Great Escape,” which had left the casinos and the royal family laughing.

Moreover, she was the greatest talent of her age, a powerful earth spirit mage.

Upon seeing me, she seemed startled, as if she had seen something terrible and fearsome, and soon bowed her head with an expression as if conceding her pride.

“It has been a long time. Valenciaunos.”

“Why treat me so formally? We are the same subjects.”

“Hahaha.”

She laughed awkwardly.

Spirit mages find it easier to assess the prowess of others than general mages or knights do.

I was a royal with the might of Yongchan, harnessing powers nearly as formidable as a sword master and high magician, a mage who could wield the flames of incantation.

And I had slaughtered my relatives under the orders of Jayrilis, so it was no wonder she was startled to see me.

…Of course, setting aside a sliver of remorse, it was not my concern if she was afraid of me.

Jayrilis spoke loudly enough for all the spirit mages in the workshop to hear.

“The reason I have called you today is to implant the essence of the flame spirit into my brother, the Duke Valencianus of the Empire. I will host the procedure, and you are to assist me.”

* * *

I listened to Jayrilis’s declaration in a daze.

Implanting the essence of a spirit into a person? Even someone as skilled as I was could barely grasp what that meant.

But upon reflection, it didn’t seem too significant.

Every noble had a strong mixture of heterogeneous blood, so having a different intelligence enter wouldn’t markedly change anything.

At that moment, an old spirit mage raised one hand.

“Your Excellency. However, implanting the essence of a spirit into a human carries great risks. Regardless of success or failure, the essence of Duke Valencianus could alter his very nature.”

Denia too looked at me with a mixture of dissatisfaction and concern.

“If you are thinking of this as a gift from His Excellency, I would recommend declining. Accepting the essence of a spirit means part of your essence becomes that of a spirit. Of course, you would gain stronger restorative abilities, have a lesser chance of dying, and be able to wield flames much better, but this is still crossing a line. Among spirit mages, there are many who lost their sense of self as the price for accepting too many spirits. Humans… have to live as humans.”

I feigned contemplation before looking at Jayrilis.

“Valenciaunos. Choose.”

She appeared anxious.

Anxiety ultimately stemmed from fear.

Fear was an emotion that did not suit a sword master, a high magician, or the Emperor at all.

I remembered the cold touch that had rested on my neck amidst the excruciating pain when I could barely open my eyelids.

“You are making me childish. You are making me weak.”

If I were to lose to Marcus this time, he would likely gamble my life against Jayrilis.

She must be the ruler of the Empire and the world, not a player sitting at the table.

If I were to drag the Emperor from the clouds above down to the clouds below, that would mean a reversal of roles.

…Above all, there was no reason to refuse, especially if I could become stronger.

I did not think Jayrilis would make a mistake.

Having already integrated Yongchan, what more could change if I were to further merge?

In fact, the proportion of Yongchan among the various bloodlines constituting my body would likely decrease, helping to delay the Yugwai transformation rather than hinder it.

I boldly opened the front of my shirt and walked toward the bed.

“Your Excellency. I am prepared.”

Jayrilis nodded, while Denia wore a look of astonishment.

Denia approached closely and asked.

“Valenciaunos. May I ask you one thing?”

“Of course.”

“Why are you so loyal?”

I whispered, listening to the sound of Jayrilis approaching with other spirit mages.

“You said earlier that one might cease to be human, that humans should live as humans?”

“Yes.”

“This is how I choose to live as a human.”

“!”

I had once sacrificed my life for Jayrilis.

Of course, not everyone could afford to lay down their lives for someone or something.

But at least for those who could, when someone or something fell in the middle of the street and a runaway carriage was hurtling toward them, they might reflexively throw themselves in to save that someone or something.

Wouldn’t they be happier than those who couldn’t?

I had seen many things in the world before my return.

Among the royal aristocracy, there were those who threw away their subjects like discarded shoes and sought refuge with the Empire, or those who squandered all their wealth digging escape tunnels to hide in.

How trivial a life is that, living solely for one’s own safety?

As I pondered these things, Jayrilis came into view.

“I look forward to your cooperation, Your Excellency.”

I smiled brightly, and she maintained an infinitely serious expression.

A moment later, a heat engulfed my whole body, as if it was ablaze.

* * *

“More, more, more!”

“Denia!”

Denia summoned the spirits of earth and wood as though she would faint.

All the other mages had already collapsed.

Empress Jayrilis had melted dozens of essences from the powerful fire spirit Ifrit, which had been consumed by corruption, and implanted them into Valencianus’s body.

During the process, when the essence of fire tried to burn Valencianus’s body, it was Denia’s task to send the spirits of wood and earth to burn instead.

It was easier to think of it as just adding firewood to one side to keep the flames from spreading.

“This isn’t human.”

That was the evaluation for both twins.

Empress Jayrilis pushed the essence into his heart with focus unblinking, while Duke Valencianus consciously restrained his almost reflexive resistance to accept the essence.

Though Denia did not quite understand it, it was a sensation Valencianus had experienced before.

“When foreign matter that cannot coexist with good and evil enters one’s body, it stiffens. At that time, one must relax their legs to avoid the reflex response of the spine. Conversely, if one tenses up their back, they can endure the pain.”

The increasingly strange sensation I felt was weakening the human heart, but Valencianus was not afraid of the changes to his physical form.

He had returned for 40 years to change.

“I am the Conqueror Duke Valencianus, and I will secure my sister Sererassie and Lady Trentia, along with the talents lost in my past life, and ensure that Jayrilis becomes the Emperor who is praised.”

That was how he defined his essence.

For Valencianus, what blood flowed through his body was far less important than that.

Denia could not comprehend his figure, drenched in cold sweat to the point of soaking her platinum hair as she endured the pain.

However, for a brief moment, she thought how enviable those twins were.

“Helena. Hadrian. The same goes for you.”

The three of them, including her, had been granted survival and the freedom to live according to their aptitudes.

Hadrian had become the Imperial Treasurer, and Helena had become a knight and officer of the Order of Imperial Knights.

She had also become a spirit mage, but unlike Sererassie, she might not have thrown herself entirely into her work simply because she didn’t enjoy that power.

If one does not admire power itself, one must admire the things that power can do.

“We are almost done.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Denia felt blood begin to pour from her nose as she wrung out every last ounce of her energy to call forth the spirits.

Vines of wood and hands of stone sprang forth and were immediately ignited and disappeared.

For the very first time in a long while, she pondered what she would fervently devote herself to.