“I know where your mother is.”
“……What?”
As he asked, Eleon felt an ominous premonition.
Looking back, what bothered him so much was the fact that people and things that had nothing to do with each other were closely connected like a spider web.
A person who has never had a proper deep conversation with him said she knew him well.
Although he couldn’t accept the ‘book‘ called the prophetic book, Mariela told him about his past.
「“Didn’t you put the sword that your father left as a relic in a box and secretly buried it in the backyard of the Grand Duchy palace?”」
「“That…… how….”」
「“It was early in the morning when you were sent to the battlefield. You thought you couldn’t take it to the battlefield.”」
That was true.
He buried him without the butler or gardener knowing.
Does she know all about that?
How far she knows?
Is that book about ‘my future’ really real?
Endless questions followed, but the only thought he had was to go find Elysia right now.
「“You didn’t say anything until now, so why did you say it now?”」
Mariela responded with a depressed look.
「“There’s nothing I haven’t done to save her.”」
Mariela looked at him and said earnestly.
「“Perhaps……You can save her.”」
That’s the only way she hasn’t tried it.
He didn’t have time to get mad at her for being suspicious or for saying strange things.
If Mariela’s words were true, Elysia was in danger. He couldn’t take his time.
He went to Crystal Palace and thought that if what she said was not true, it would be enough to ask.
But when he remembered what he saw at Crystal Palace, his teeth gnashed again.
Seeing Elysia suffering from a fever and an unknown illness, he thought that it would be nice if he could be sick instead of her.
However, when she regained consciousness, she regained her lost memories and forgot about him.
Besides… How does she know where my mother is?
The more he listened, the more exuberant the words he heard, so he didn’t know how to react.
Eleon barely spoke as he looked at Elysia, who was sitting there with an unfamiliar look.
“That’s hard to believe.”
His mother, Princess Lev, was born a female and met all the requirements of a typical Oder.
So, she is free to roam the mainland. There was nothing dangerous for her in this world of hers.
“Mom…. how much did my mother tell you?”
Eleon was very annoyed when Elysia called the Duchess ‘mom‘.
Elysia always called her mother.
And that was her choice.
However, he was concerned about the bond that seemed deeper than before between Elysia and Mariela, who called her ‘mom’ in a casual way.
Because as close as she was to Mariela, he felt that she was distancing herself from him.
“That there is a different world where there is a ‘book’ with my future written in it.”
“I see.”
Elysia bowed silently before him.
“What are you doing?”
“I sincerely apologize.”
Eleon was stunned.
Apologize?
Why? Why are you apologizing for?
“I never thought of letting the main character of the book know about it. It’s like a taboo.”
“Why?”
“Would you believe me if I told you that you would live according to plan?”
Eleon felt that the blood was not circulating well in his head.
“What would you do if you knew your future? Wouldn’t you want to find out everything and avoid the bad and take only the good?”
“I never thought about it.”
“Fate is set. You can’t go against the flow in this world. And you don’t know what’s going to happen to the butterfly effect if that changes. All possessors strive not to break the flow.”
“I see. But how can I accept this situation? From what you say, it seems that this is definitely out of the rules.”
Eleon replied a bit crookedly. He couldn’t say anything good.
“My mother just wanted me to live. She wanted to take me away from the original novel.”
“What bullshit the original novel is! Should I believe it?”
“Your mother was imprisoned. It must have been a way out of a dead end for those who wanted to blind you.”
“What are you talking about? Who is that?”
“A person who wants to become a god.”
A person who blindly worships the original novel as faith and dreams of being the absolute ruler of this place.
“Your blindness was something that had to happen. He’s a parasite on people’s desires. That person urges them to make blind you as he wishes.”
Elysia’s words made Eleon slightly stunned.
“But I find the contradiction that poison or curse doesn’t work because you are an Oder.”
He had never thought of it that way, but what Elysia said was true.
In the Empire of Constance, only a few stories about the ‘Oder‘ are known.
Things like slow aging, being as strong as when you were young, having black hair and red eyes, a superior body, and the skills of a sword master.
However, in reality, they were physically slightly out of the human category, and the only people who knew about it were the Emperor, Empress, and themselves.
Eleon was immune to poison or curses.
Poison, which would kill others instantly, and even fatal wounds from weapons couldn’t bring him to death. It was because the blood-infused divinity neutralized it, though it might temporarily collapse or go into shock. Even a fairly bloody sword wound would heal in a day or two, and after a few months, the scars would be gone.
He lost his eyesight due to an unknown poison.
It was something strange in itself, but he had never thought about it because he was not in a state where he could think normally.
“The only thing that can poison an Oder is the blood of another Oder.”
“…… what?”
Eleon doubted his ears.
What do you mean by another Oder?
“That’s why Her Highness Lev was imprisoned.”
He felt nauseated.
Even though Eleon covered his mouth and nose, the smoke-like red dust that entered his eyes reminded him of disgust.
“Where is she? Take me to my mother right now.”
* * * * *
The Crystal Palace shone as if it had forgotten the night.
With countless lights on, the guards surrounded the flimsy glass building.
Empress Seraphina’s eyes looked complicated as she looked at Sabiel who was lying helplessly on the bed.
In her eyes, Sabiel was a weak and pitiful son.
He is the only son of the Emperor, who grew up as a sacrificial lamb for God’s play.
It was one day that a ‘revelation‘ appeared in front of her.
“Seraphina Hayne. Get on your knees and accept God’s will.”
Who dared to call the Empress that?
But soon she had no choice but to do as he said and drop to her knees and rest her forehead on the cold stone floor.
The representative of God wore a black hood and covered his face with a white mask.
Surprisingly, he was floating in the air. Therefore, the man who moved without a trace told her.
「The Gods sent me in person to listen to your fervent prayer.」
Even then, Seraphina was in high spirits that everything would soon turn out the way she wanted.
However, the day she feared the most came.
I can’t believe Eleon can see now.
What God’s representative had commanded her was to confine Princess Lev in the dark.
He even gave detailed instructions on how to incapacitate Princess Lev.
Seraphina became the hands and feet of the Gods and drew the blood of Princess Lev.
After that, Seraphina imprisoned Princess Lev and she didn’t feel at ease for a single day.
It was even more so these days, as the emperor asked her to contact the princess to return home. She thought of secretly releasing Princess Lev and letting her return alone, but she couldn’t do it.
“Don’t Lev know that I was the one who drew blood from her?”
Even though she was wearing a hood and covering her face with a mask, the eyes of Princess Lev, who was looking at her as if she recognized her, were vivid.
“Sigh.”
Seraphina sighed heavily.
SWISH
A gust of wind blew from somewhere and blew out all the candles in the room.
Seraphina jumped from her seat and fell to the ground.
“Seraphina Hayne.”
The voice of a young man she had gotten used to hearing a few times called out to her.
“Yes. The servant of the gods is here.”
When Seraphina responded, the god’s representative raised the corner of his mouth as if he was satisfied with the quick response.
“The servant of the gods do what the Gods have arranged.”
“What is it?”
“Oder’s blood isn’t enough.”
Oder’s blood.
When Princess Lev was mentioned, Seraphina involuntarily froze.
“Hold on…hold on a second. What do you mean there’s not enough blood? Didn’t you blind Eleon?”
Princess Lev’s blood was used to make Eleon lose his sight.
Seraphina, who had been standing by Princess Lev’s side for a long time, felt her breath catch at the thought of that moment when she drew blood from Princess Lev.
“Didn’t he get his sight back?”
He did.
That was the reason why Seraphina was depressed these days.
“Does that mean that the gods want Eleon to lose his sight again?”
“How can humans understand the profound will of the gods?”
I didn’t say no.
Even the gods want Eleon to live like a blind man.
Seraphina was somewhat relieved when she realized the fact.
If Eleon were blinded again, Sabiel could prepare for the First Emperor’s abdication ceremony.
“I will get the Oder’s blood according to the Gods’ will.”
“Alright. Good job.”
Then the representative of God disappeared without a trace in the same way that he came.
“Phew.”
Seraphina got up from the cold stone floor and sighed.
“Lev’s blood.”
Seraphina looked at Sabiel’s pale face.
CLENCH
Her pursed lips were tense.
There is nothing a mother cannot do for her child.
The next day, Seraphina told the emperor that she would rest and quickly set out for Laurel Lake.
* * * * *
Laurel Lake was the largest lake in the Empire of Constance with abundant water coming down from the canyon.
Waves hit the big lake.
A boat was tossed by today’s swell due to strong winds. And the sailors, who live without leaving the boat all year round, frowned.
“Captain. What should we do?”
“It’s high waves. Where should I steer the boat?”
One of the sailors grinned.
“Yeah. Captain. Let’s step on land, we haven’t been on land for a while. Let’s go for a drink too.”
“Look at his face. Don’t you always smile whenever the weather sucks?”
Seeing the men laughing among themselves, the captain began to pull the boat closer to shore.
THUD
It was then.
There was a loud sound as if the boat was being shaken up and down.
“What is this sound?”
The entire boat was pushed down between two and a foot and then bounced in the water. It was as if there was a god, lightly pressing the boat under the water with his fingers, and then releasing his hand.
While the captain and crew were saturated with their first experiences, a black shadow passed below deck.
A woman who had been trapped in a prison made of thick bars raised her head.
A pair of red eyes looked at each other.
“What the hell is this?”
“Is that how you say hello?”
Eleon sighed and cut through the thick manacles and shackles holding Lev with a dagger.
Lev, who got up, approached Eleon.
“Put down your sword and let’s go to a safe place.”
After a while, the boat, which was heading to the safe shore to avoid the high waves, began to squeal in the water.
The last burst was buried in the tremendous sound of the ship tearing apart.
Eleon stood by the lake and watched the scene.
“Huh.”
Soon, Lev, who was completely wet, came out of the lake gasping for breath.
“It’s good to see you after so long, son.”
“I know where your mother is.”
“……What?”
As he asked, Eleon felt an ominous premonition.
Looking back, what bothered him so much was the fact that people and things that had nothing to do with each other were closely connected like a spider web.
A person who has never had a proper deep conversation with him said she knew him well.
Although he couldn’t accept the ‘book‘ called the prophetic book, Mariela told him about his past.
「“Didn’t you put the sword that your father left as a relic in a box and secretly buried it in the backyard of the Grand Duchy palace?”」
「“That…… how….”」
「“It was early in the morning when you were sent to the battlefield. You thought you couldn’t take it to the battlefield.”」
That was true.
He buried him without the butler or gardener knowing.
Does she know all about that?
How far she knows?
Is that book about ‘my future’ really real?
Endless questions followed, but the only thought he had was to go find Elysia right now.
「“You didn’t say anything until now, so why did you say it now?”」
Mariela responded with a depressed look.
「“There’s nothing I haven’t done to save her.”」
Mariela looked at him and said earnestly.
「“Perhaps……You can save her.”」
That’s the only way she hasn’t tried it.
He didn’t have time to get mad at her for being suspicious or for saying strange things.
If Mariela’s words were true, Elysia was in danger. He couldn’t take his time.
He went to Crystal Palace and thought that if what she said was not true, it would be enough to ask.
But when he remembered what he saw at Crystal Palace, his teeth gnashed again.
Seeing Elysia suffering from a fever and an unknown illness, he thought that it would be nice if he could be sick instead of her.
However, when she regained consciousness, she regained her lost memories and forgot about him.
Besides… How does she know where my mother is?
The more he listened, the more exuberant the words he heard, so he didn’t know how to react.
Eleon barely spoke as he looked at Elysia, who was sitting there with an unfamiliar look.
“That’s hard to believe.”
His mother, Princess Lev, was born a female and met all the requirements of a typical Oder.
So, she is free to roam the mainland. There was nothing dangerous for her in this world of hers.
“Mom…. how much did my mother tell you?”
Eleon was very annoyed when Elysia called the Duchess ‘mom‘.
Elysia always called her mother.
And that was her choice.
However, he was concerned about the bond that seemed deeper than before between Elysia and Mariela, who called her ‘mom’ in a casual way.
Because as close as she was to Mariela, he felt that she was distancing herself from him.
“That there is a different world where there is a ‘book’ with my future written in it.”
“I see.”
Elysia bowed silently before him.
“What are you doing?”
“I sincerely apologize.”
Eleon was stunned.
Apologize?
Why? Why are you apologizing for?
“I never thought of letting the main character of the book know about it. It’s like a taboo.”
“Why?”
“Would you believe me if I told you that you would live according to plan?”
Eleon felt that the blood was not circulating well in his head.
“What would you do if you knew your future? Wouldn’t you want to find out everything and avoid the bad and take only the good?”
“I never thought about it.”
“Fate is set. You can’t go against the flow in this world. And you don’t know what’s going to happen to the butterfly effect if that changes. All possessors strive not to break the flow.”
“I see. But how can I accept this situation? From what you say, it seems that this is definitely out of the rules.”
Eleon replied a bit crookedly. He couldn’t say anything good.
“My mother just wanted me to live. She wanted to take me away from the original novel.”
“What bullshit the original novel is! Should I believe it?”
“Your mother was imprisoned. It must have been a way out of a dead end for those who wanted to blind you.”
“What are you talking about? Who is that?”
“A person who wants to become a god.”
A person who blindly worships the original novel as faith and dreams of being the absolute ruler of this place.
“Your blindness was something that had to happen. He’s a parasite on people’s desires. That person urges them to make blind you as he wishes.”
Elysia’s words made Eleon slightly stunned.
“But I find the contradiction that poison or curse doesn’t work because you are an Oder.”
He had never thought of it that way, but what Elysia said was true.
In the Empire of Constance, only a few stories about the ‘Oder‘ are known.
Things like slow aging, being as strong as when you were young, having black hair and red eyes, a superior body, and the skills of a sword master.
However, in reality, they were physically slightly out of the human category, and the only people who knew about it were the Emperor, Empress, and themselves.
Eleon was immune to poison or curses.
Poison, which would kill others instantly, and even fatal wounds from weapons couldn’t bring him to death. It was because the blood-infused divinity neutralized it, though it might temporarily collapse or go into shock. Even a fairly bloody sword wound would heal in a day or two, and after a few months, the scars would be gone.
He lost his eyesight due to an unknown poison.
It was something strange in itself, but he had never thought about it because he was not in a state where he could think normally.
“The only thing that can poison an Oder is the blood of another Oder.”
“…… what?”
Eleon doubted his ears.
What do you mean by another Oder?
“That’s why Her Highness Lev was imprisoned.”
He felt nauseated.
Even though Eleon covered his mouth and nose, the smoke-like red dust that entered his eyes reminded him of disgust.
“Where is she? Take me to my mother right now.”
* * * * *
The Crystal Palace shone as if it had forgotten the night.
With countless lights on, the guards surrounded the flimsy glass building.
Empress Seraphina’s eyes looked complicated as she looked at Sabiel who was lying helplessly on the bed.
In her eyes, Sabiel was a weak and pitiful son.
He is the only son of the Emperor, who grew up as a sacrificial lamb for God’s play.
It was one day that a ‘revelation‘ appeared in front of her.
“Seraphina Hayne. Get on your knees and accept God’s will.”
Who dared to call the Empress that?
But soon she had no choice but to do as he said and drop to her knees and rest her forehead on the cold stone floor.
The representative of God wore a black hood and covered his face with a white mask.
Surprisingly, he was floating in the air. Therefore, the man who moved without a trace told her.
「The Gods sent me in person to listen to your fervent prayer.」
Even then, Seraphina was in high spirits that everything would soon turn out the way she wanted.
However, the day she feared the most came.
I can’t believe Eleon can see now.
What God’s representative had commanded her was to confine Princess Lev in the dark.
He even gave detailed instructions on how to incapacitate Princess Lev.
Seraphina became the hands and feet of the Gods and drew the blood of Princess Lev.
After that, Seraphina imprisoned Princess Lev and she didn’t feel at ease for a single day.
It was even more so these days, as the emperor asked her to contact the princess to return home. She thought of secretly releasing Princess Lev and letting her return alone, but she couldn’t do it.
“Don’t Lev know that I was the one who drew blood from her?”
Even though she was wearing a hood and covering her face with a mask, the eyes of Princess Lev, who was looking at her as if she recognized her, were vivid.
“Sigh.”
Seraphina sighed heavily.
SWISH
A gust of wind blew from somewhere and blew out all the candles in the room.
Seraphina jumped from her seat and fell to the ground.
“Seraphina Hayne.”
The voice of a young man she had gotten used to hearing a few times called out to her.
“Yes. The servant of the gods is here.”
When Seraphina responded, the god’s representative raised the corner of his mouth as if he was satisfied with the quick response.
“The servant of the gods do what the Gods have arranged.”
“What is it?”
“Oder’s blood isn’t enough.”
Oder’s blood.
When Princess Lev was mentioned, Seraphina involuntarily froze.
“Hold on…hold on a second. What do you mean there’s not enough blood? Didn’t you blind Eleon?”
Princess Lev’s blood was used to make Eleon lose his sight.
Seraphina, who had been standing by Princess Lev’s side for a long time, felt her breath catch at the thought of that moment when she drew blood from Princess Lev.
“Didn’t he get his sight back?”
He did.
That was the reason why Seraphina was depressed these days.
“Does that mean that the gods want Eleon to lose his sight again?”
“How can humans understand the profound will of the gods?”
I didn’t say no.
Even the gods want Eleon to live like a blind man.
Seraphina was somewhat relieved when she realized the fact.
If Eleon were blinded again, Sabiel could prepare for the First Emperor’s abdication ceremony.
“I will get the Oder’s blood according to the Gods’ will.”
“Alright. Good job.”
Then the representative of God disappeared without a trace in the same way that he came.
“Phew.”
Seraphina got up from the cold stone floor and sighed.
“Lev’s blood.”
Seraphina looked at Sabiel’s pale face.
CLENCH
Her pursed lips were tense.
There is nothing a mother cannot do for her child.
The next day, Seraphina told the emperor that she would rest and quickly set out for Laurel Lake.
* * * * *
Laurel Lake was the largest lake in the Empire of Constance with abundant water coming down from the canyon.
Waves hit the big lake.
A boat was tossed by today’s swell due to strong winds. And the sailors, who live without leaving the boat all year round, frowned.
“Captain. What should we do?”
“It’s high waves. Where should I steer the boat?”
One of the sailors grinned.
“Yeah. Captain. Let’s step on land, we haven’t been on land for a while. Let’s go for a drink too.”
“Look at his face. Don’t you always smile whenever the weather sucks?”
Seeing the men laughing among themselves, the captain began to pull the boat closer to shore.
THUD
It was then.
There was a loud sound as if the boat was being shaken up and down.
“What is this sound?”
The entire boat was pushed down between two and a foot and then bounced in the water. It was as if there was a god, lightly pressing the boat under the water with his fingers, and then releasing his hand.
While the captain and crew were saturated with their first experiences, a black shadow passed below deck.
A woman who had been trapped in a prison made of thick bars raised her head.
A pair of red eyes looked at each other.
“What the hell is this?”
“Is that how you say hello?”
Eleon sighed and cut through the thick manacles and shackles holding Lev with a dagger.
Lev, who got up, approached Eleon.
“Put down your sword and let’s go to a safe place.”
After a while, the boat, which was heading to the safe shore to avoid the high waves, began to squeal in the water.
The last burst was buried in the tremendous sound of the ship tearing apart.
Eleon stood by the lake and watched the scene.
“Huh.”
Soon, Lev, who was completely wet, came out of the lake gasping for breath.
“It’s good to see you after so long, son.”
