Chapter 195

Late at Night, the Dermore House.

Even well past midnight, D’muehl Ron Dermore hadn’t left his office. Why? Simply because the Crown Prince Chartang’s mess became a whole lot worse, piling up work like there was no tomorrow.

Just as he was deeply engrossed in work, the mound of dirt on the corner of his desk began to stir. The Count immediately halted his task and squinted at it.

A little while later, the dirt mound transformed into a doll-like shape, its red eyes gleaming as it spoke up.

“Finally, I’ve caught him!”

Howling out of the Eye of the Abyss, Rakus, the Lord of the Immortals, had made his presence known. Despite the sudden nature of the announcement, the Count seemed to understand and asked back,

“You mean Sven Isaac?”

“Yes. There’s no rush, but we should wait for the perfect moment to take care of him.”

A month ago, the Count had sneakily infiltrated Arsen Academy during summer break to open the Abyssal Rift and summon Rakus’s minions.

The summoning was successful, and Rakus dispatched half of his minions to the Eastern Jungle.

Their sole purpose? To completely eradicate the ‘Sven Isaac’, who would one day become a significant threat from the Abyss.

After a long wait, Rakus finally pinpointed Sven’s base.

“What happened to the priests of the Holy Nation?”

“They were dealt with as ordered.”

Not just Rakus’s minions were on Sven’s tail; it appeared the priests were also investigating him for reasons unknown.

However, there was no longer any need to worry, as the Abyss Worshippers had taken care of all the priests.

“But there’s a new problem.”

“Hmm? What problem?”

“It seems the Knights of the Holy Nation caught on to our traces.”

Rakus’s eyes narrowed at his own words. Naturally, since the Knights, unlike the priests, were incredibly tricky opponents.

“Tch, how bothersome.”

When faced with death, those Knights chant their Prayer of Sacrifice without a shred of hesitation. This triggers a massive Holy Explosion that engulfs the area around them, capable of wiping out even the minions of the Abyss in an instant, necessitating utmost caution when dealing with them.

“How many Knights are there?”

“Two.”

“Hmm, that’s a bit of a bother…”

“Leaving them alive would be a distraction.”

The Count’s eyes gleamed with a cold light, and Rakus seemed to agree.

“Then we have no choice but to dispose of them. Understood, I’ll leave that to the Worshippers.”

“I’ll convey your orders.”

The Count replied politely and then pulled out a piece of paper.

“Lastly, I have news from the Order.”

“Speak.”

“The followers of the Immortal and the Giant wish to meet with you.”

The Immortal and the Giant’s minions referred to the Lord of the Immortals and the Giant King’s followers, respectively.

“Hmph, have they finally decided to give in?”

“When would be a good time for the meeting?”

“A night when the moon doesn’t shine would be best.”

“Alright, I’ll let them know.”

After writing a brief note on the paper, the Count looked back at Rakus, reminiscing, and muttered,

“So now we only have the Phantoms left.”

“You can ignore them.”

“Really? But…”

“Either way, they wouldn’t participate.”

Rakus’s certainty was striking.

Curious, the Count raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why is that?”

“Because of the mission given to them.”

“Is it related to the ‘Spirit of the Abyss’ you’ve mentioned before?”

“Exactly.”

Rakus nodded, his red eyes gleaming mischievously, gazing at the dark night sky.

“Among the seven stars that would illuminate the Abyss, there are those who can wield the power of spirits. If that star were to get its hands on the Spirit of the Abyss…”

“The Phantom Knights would be at a severe disadvantage in the war against the stars in the future, right?”

“Indeed. You remember well.”

Rakus smirked, looking utterly pleased.

“The Spirit of the Abyss is the only weakness of the Phantom Knights. So until we eliminate that potential threat or bring down the star that wields the spirits, they will never reappear in the world.”

After finishing up that long-winded conversation, Rakus suddenly seemed to remember something long forgotten and his red eyes gleamed brightly.

“Oh, by the way, when are we supposed to meet the Crown Prince?”

“Next week is scheduled for our audience.”

“Great! We can make contact then.”

Everything felt like it was falling into place seamlessly.

As Rakus left the desk and headed towards the window, he added, “With this, the plan is going smoothly.”

The gleaming red gaze was turned towards the stars that littered the dark night sky. Rakus glared at it with a loathsome expression, saying in a grumbling tone, “This time the Abyss will swallow the world of stars, and it will finally become the true world.”

Rakus’s eyes shimmered with an intense red glow, as if only he alone deserved to exist within the darkness of the Abyss – the only star in the sky.

Meanwhile, at that very moment…

Ulan was being led deeper and deeper into the forest by little Fertisha’s hand. Soon enough, she finally stopped.

“Yep, this should be fine.”

The place they arrived at looked no different from the scenery of the forest they first saw. It had big rocks and a pond just like before.

However, there was one thing that stood out as different. ‘It’s much deeper than before.’

It was the pond’s depth. The pond that had been shallow enough to see its bottom now appeared so dark that its depth was indiscernible.

Just as Ulan quietly stared at it, Fertisha asked, “How did you get in here?”

Her bright inquisitive eyes made Ulan reply honestly, “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I just opened my eyes and found myself here.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

It was indeed amazing for Ulan too. He’d never imagined he would enter Fertisha’s memories and converse with her as a child.

“Hehe, but I’m glad you came! I was getting bored all alone!”

Fertisha continued to tilt her head while giggling. With her pure smile, she asked, “So, can you tell me a story?”

“A story?”

“Yes! Your story!”

“What kind of story do you want to hear?”

“Anything is fine!”

The small Fertisha leaned against the rock with her legs bouncing excitedly. Seeing her with sparkling anticipation, Ulan nodded.

“Alright. I’ll tell you.”

It wasn’t hard to tell a story; he might even find a way to escape this place while talking with Fertisha.

So he started from when he grew up on the prairie until he came to the Academy.

…”And then I opened my eyes and found myself here.”

After a considerable amount of time passed, Ulan had shared the details leading to how he arrived. However, little Fertisha was more interested in another topic.

“Oh, I see. So when I grow up, that means you and I will be friends?”

“Something like that.”

Ulan nodded silently.

Just then, Fertisha tilted her head slightly, a perplexed expression crossing her face as her tiny lips moved.

“But… is that all?”

“What?”

“There are more stories, right?”

“More stories…?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

Fertisha leaned in suddenly, her bright red eyes glinting.

“I can see everything.”

“See what?”

“It’s similar to what you just said, but it’s like you’re sharing remnants of a different life.”

!…

Ulan’s eyes widened.

He finally understood what little Fertisha was saying. At the same time, he realized her eyes seemed reminiscent of someone else’s.

‘Laurea.’

One of the heroes and the next Saintess of the Holy Nation.

Right now, Fertisha’s eyes were reminiscent of the Reflective Eye wielded by Laurea. Feeling as if all his innermost thoughts were being seen through, Ulan debated before finally deciding,

“Okay, as you wish.”

“Then…”

“I remember my past life.”

He decided to share his secret. After all, now that he had been exposed, keeping it a secret wouldn’t serve any purpose.

And so, Ulan began his tale of the past life, starting from the moment he met Fertisha.

After joining the heroes in the previous life, he initially found out about her existence thanks to Laurea. One day in the midst of battle after battle, a sudden oracle was delivered:

“In the land of the fallen kingdom, amidst the ruins of ashes, there shines a brilliant star. This is the last starlight to illuminate the Abyss.”

Thus, the heroes searched every inch of the land ravaged by the Abyss War.

Eventually, they reached the Imperial Castle of the Rubens Empire and discovered a small forest at its northernmost tip, devastated by the Abyss.

“That’s where I met Fertisha.”

She had been splashing around in the pond, and when she spotted the heroes, her eyes widened in shock like a startled rabbit.

As Ulan reminisced about that scene clearly, he succinctly summed up the story after joining Fertisha.

“Wow, so that happened!”

Little Fertisha, who had been listening quietly, expressed a variety of reactions, from surprise to joy, and sometimes even anger.

How much time had passed?

As sunlight that illuminated the area around the pond faded away and moonlight took its place, Ulan’s tale of the past life finally came to an end.

“That’s all for my story.”

“Hehe, I really enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing!”

After briefly lingering in contemplation, she beamed a bright smile. Then she wrapped her arms around her legs and glanced at Ulan.

“Ulan’s world is so vast!”

“Vast, you say?”

“Yes, my whole world is this forest.”

Fertisha was like a bird in a cage.

Even though she had legs, she couldn’t leave the woods and, while she could see the sky, she couldn’t view the scenery beyond it—a sealed princess.

Perhaps because of her situation, she sighed softly.

“I’m envious. I wish to see outside.”

“Well, you could just go out, couldn’t you?”

“I want to, but they won’t allow me. I have to stay here until I get permission.”

“Permission, you say…?”

“The one in charge of this place.”

Fertisha spread her arms wide, as if wanting to embrace the entire forest.

“He said I’m not meant to go out yet. So I must stay here.”

Her small face filled with a gloomy expression for a moment. But then, as if she had never looked sad, she smiled brightly again, grabbing Ulan’s hand.

“But if you help me, it might be possible.”

“Me?”

“Yes! Because Ulan is incredibly strong!”

Fertisha nodded enthusiastically.

She then glanced down at her small hand.

“On the other hand, I’m lacking in power.”

Her little hands barely able to hold a pebble fiddled as she muttered.

“Since the moment I opened my eyes, there’s been no one by my side. Only those who keep an eye on me, and not a single friend.”

A bitter smile fluttered at her lips.

Concluding her self-deprecating murmur, her small eyes turned back to Ulan.

“So I’m asking you.”

Along with her plea, her hand reached out towards Ulan.

As if begging him to hold it.

“Will you take me outside?”

…

However, Ulan remained silent.

He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Little Fertisha patiently waited, and before long, she was able to hear the answer she had been hoping for.

“Hmm, it would definitely be tough to go out alone.”

“Exactly, that’s why I need your help.”

“Alright, I’ll do that.”

“Really? For real?”

Her eyes filled with surprise surveyed him.

Ulan nodded affirmatively.

“Yes. Let’s go outside together.”

“Yay! Sounds good!”

Fertisha beamed with joy, stretching her hand even further. But Ulan never grabbed it.

“Huh?”

No, he hadn’t even reached out for her hand. Instead, he just moved towards the pond.

Was she startled by his sudden action? Fertisha asked, her face filled with confusion, “What are you doing?”

His answer was still absent.

As Ulan reached his destination, he knelt down, extending his hand into the pond. Confused, Fertisha raised her voice again.

“I’m right here! What are you…!”

“No, it’s different.”

“…What?”

“You are not Fertisha.”

With a strong conviction, those words resonated powerfully.

The glimmering eyes that resembled gemstones shook violently in response.

“Wh-what do you mean…?”

“Unlike your past life, in this life, she introduced herself as ‘Tisha Rapidis.'”

From the first meeting at the capital until now, she had never once referred to herself as Fertisha.

And Ulan had never once called her Fertisha either.

‘But…’

When Ulan had narrated his past life, he had mentioned the name Fertisha multiple times.

However, the little girl before him didn’t seem shaken but rather responded calmly, as if affirming that she was indeed Fertisha.

This wasn’t the only evidence.

The fact that little Fertisha had been willing to take Ulan’s hand first would not have happened if she were truly the real Fertisha.

Prior to parting from Ulan, she had been so deluded that she would have thought holding hands meant having a child or something silly like that.

Based on these facts, Ulan reached his conclusion.

The one before him, who repeatedly requested stories, was not Fertisha but merely a copy of her existence.

“B-but I’m the only one here!”

At that moment, the imitation exclaimed, trying to counter.

It couldn’t hide its flustered expression, continuing to shout.

“There’s no one here besides me and you! If I’m a fake, then where’s the real one…?”

“The real one is right here.”

Immediately after his reply, Ulan plunged his hand deep into the pond. Moments later, he pulled something out.

Swish! Swish!

With a splash, a girl emerged.

It seemed she had gulped a mouthful of water during her ascent, as she began coughing uncontrollably.

“Cough, cough!”

But that was just a momentary issue.

She raised her head without wiping away herself and looked at Ulan with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

“U-Ulan. How did you…?”

“I caught a whiff of you from the pond.”

It was truly that simple.

And yet, it was the definitive way to tell the difference.

Unlike the real Fertisha, there was no scent emanating from the fake. There should have been some sort of essence that every human had.

Meanwhile, Fertisha’s eyes quivered rapidly.

As she watched the myriad of emotions swirling within her, Ulan tightly gripped her hand.

“Since you probably didn’t hear me, I’ll say it again.”

“Huh? What? What are you…?”

“Let’s go outside together, Fertisha.”

She appeared dazed.

For a fleeting moment, she didn’t seem to comprehend his words.

Meanwhile, Ulan recalled the memories of the real Fertisha. He empathized with the loneliness and isolation that came from herlong confinement in the woods.

Then, he remembered.

Chartang’s eyes as he looked at Ferisha, filled with longings of someone who couldn’t possibly be related by blood, eyes that burned with an unspeakable ugliness.

And in that instant, Ulan made his decision.

“I will rescue you from the Imperial Castle.”

“…?!”

“I swear on the name of a warrior, I will.”

Even if it meant facing Chartang directly.

With firm resolve, his crimson eyes blazed bright, as if flames had been fueled inside.

As if prepared to burn away everything in its path, like the fierce flames of a roaring fire.

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