Time (2)

A silent warehouse filled with stagnant air.

Sophien's breath tickled the tip of my nose. She was set atop me. The Emperor at the moment was too close. I, sensitive to hygiene, was instinctively uncomfortable with this approach, but was it because it was Sophien? It was bearable.

"…"

At this moment, the Emperor's biosignals seemed to be constant as usual. Her breathing was regular, and her pupils were dilated as usual, but there was a small problem with the heart rate. Her heart was trembling.

…She wasn't joking.

"Your Majesty."

Sophien licked her lips.

"Don't worry. I'm just curious. My ancestors must have given birth to me by doing this kind of thing."

"That kind of thing is not a kiss."

"…"

Sophien didn't answer. Her eyes drew dark lines.

"Then…"

Smack-

Suddenly, her lips touched once and darted away. It seemed too childish to even call this a kiss, and it just seemed we'd accidentally bumped into each other. But Sophien's heart pounded louder.

"I can hear your heartbeat."

"…I see. This is wonderful."

She nodded in acknowledgment, then suddenly lowered her face. She rested her head on my shoulder.

"Your Majesty?"

"…Headache."

That one-word Sophien muttered-

In an instant, crimson energy overflowed from her body. The red aura of a death variable filled the warehouse in less than a second. Immediately I moved the Snowflake Obsidian around my chest and heart.

Thud-!

A huge shock hit me the very next moment, threatening to crush bone.

"…Ugh."

I clenched my teeth, tasting the blood leaking between them.

"Your Majesty."

I looked at Sophien in my arms. However, the red mana had already reached her eyes. She was filled with a killing aura and had lost all sense of reason. Sealed deep in Sophien's heart, this was the murderer who killed her mother.

"Your Majesty."

Sophien stared at me with empty eyes, condensing mana into her hands. Her fingernails were elongated horribly, making them sharp enough to slice through both Iron Man and the Snowflake Obsidian. If I were hit, I wouldn't survive.

"…Your Majesty."

However, Sophien didn't attack. She continued to stare at me without moving.

"…"

Time passed without a word, and the red aura that filled the warehouse gradually faded. Now, Sophien was resisting by herself, and if so, I had a duty to help her as her servant.

"…Excuse me."

I placed my hand against the back of her neck and pressed the acupuncture point very lightly. The strength she held was released in an instant, and she fell into my arms.

"…"

It was a short period of tension, less than a minute. However, it had been a close call.

—Deculein. Are you okay?

Keiron asked from my chest.

"Yes."

Thanks to the timely Snowflake Obsidian coating — although my bones still felt a bit shaky — there was no problem beyond that. If it hadn't been for the Snowflake Obsidian, I would have died today.

I let out a small sigh.

"Let's keep this a secret."

─…Will it help Her Majesty?

"Of course."

─…

Sophien was breathing lightly in my arms. I ran my hands through her red hair.

─But, will Her Majesty's love be one-sided forever? Can't it go both ways?

"…I don't know."

I smiled a little.

"I don't think it's impossible."

─…Really?

Just now, when our lips lightly touched, there was a very small ringing in my heart. If there were anyone other than Julie that Deculein could love, Sophien, the noblest on the continent, would be the one. Identity was a necessary condition for Deculein's love.

"So, please keep it a secret."

─Okay.

"And for the time being, please stop educating Her Majesty about combat."

─…Okay.

I caught my breath.

"Also… I will."

I was sleepy, which was a rare thing. It must have been because of the instantaneous consumption of 3,000 mana while defending against Sophien's strike.

"…I will sleep too."

I closed my eyes while cradling Sophien in my arms. Keiron didn't answer, and my consciousness slipped away.

…

After about half an hour, I heard a rustle from my arms. Sophien exhaled a short breath as if waking up, but she didn't move.

"…Is it you, Professor?"

She dug into my arms.

* * *

Annihilation. The picture of a destroyed land, a place where life didn't grow. Beasts and demons were swarming here day and night, there was no grass or water, and the concentration of mana in the air was so high that a gas mask was essential. The Altar and adventurers explored Annihilation without fear of death. However, it was impossible to sustain life inside without external resources.

"…"

The Emperor's younger brother, Kreto, was in such a place. He was staring at the crystal ball at the Altar's base called Sanctuary.

"People are coming."

The crystal ball given by Quay illuminated the entire continent, making it an oddity to the wizard Kreto. He could observe anywhere he wanted without limit.

"Yes. They weren't kidnapped."

The scene projected by the crystal ball now was of a certain procession. Here, countless humans were approaching the Sanctuary. Each one was carrying a bag on their back.

"They're coming by their own will."

Quay said. Kreto turned to him.

"They believe in and follow my revelations. It is a voluntary belief and faith."

"…Are you going to preserve them too?"

At Kreto's question, Quay smiled a little.

Preservation. It was a very small privilege that Quay, who claimed to be a god, promised Kreto. Even if everything were reset in the continent's recreation, Kreto's existence would be preserved.

"No. Their original sins can't be washed away. Only you still have that privilege. But their souls will remain. They will be reborn with the same soul, but they will lead a different life than now."

"…What good is it?"

Kreto's jaw trembled as he clenched his teeth tight.

"Regeneration, in which both memory and body disappear, would be no different from death."

"If you look at it narrowly, you are right. But human memory is only at the human level. All their years, from a cosmic point of view, are just a speck of dust."

"I am human too."

Kreto responded firmly. Quay shook his head with a caring look.

"…No."

And he put his hand on Kreto's shoulder.

"You are different."

"…"

Maybe it was because he lent his body to Sophien, but Quay felt strangely fond of Kreto. Kreto being born and Sophien's strong ties to his blood were all Quay's plan — a very small step toward his final goal.

"You will get what you want. When the continent is recreated, the magic of the new continent will all start with you. The magical knowledge in your head will become the foundation of a new world."

Therefore, Kreto was a child who contributed to his faith just by existing. This kind of privilege was natural.

"…"

But Kreto turned away without a word. He left without agreeing to or denying Quay.

"I will give you time. Humans think a lot, don't they?"

Quay would be happy to give him the time he needed to think about it. He already knew what the answer would be.

* * *

Meanwhile, Epherene, who had briefly returned to the Floating Island, was snooping around the magic shop. She held her thick wallet tightly clasped.

"Must you buy from the Floating Island?"

Allen asked. Epherene nodded.

"Of course. The equipment back there is very outdated. The Floating Island is advancing day by day. How can I work with a facility from three years ago…"

"Still, the Floating Islands are too dangerous. Purge officers may be monitoring you."

Purge officers. From a religious point of view, it was a profession like a heretical inquisitor, a group of armed forces on the Floating Island. Their targets were usually magic killers who invented and distributed magic deemed too dangerous, but Epherene caught their eye this time. In the magical world, the crime of damaging the mystery of magic and mana was that huge.

"What about it? With your talent, you can run away in one step."

"I also don't want to be caught…."

"Huh?"

At that moment, a familiar head caught Epherene's eyes. A child wandered around with many very expensive magical items in her arms. Epherene quickly approached her.

"Lia!"

"…?"

Lia. She thought she was an adventurer, so how did she get to the Floating Island?

Epherene asked warmly.

"How did you get to the Floating… Island?"

"…"

Lia was silently staring back. Even Epherene was taken aback by the state of her face.

"Huh…"

Her face was too slim. Her eyes were sharp for some reason, and her lips were also pouty, making her look completely different from the gentle Lia of the past.

"…I came up with a letter of recommendation. Because I am an adventurer."

Lia answered briefly. Epherene scratched at her temple.

"Hmm… huh?! But why are your hands like that?"

There was something strange about Lia's hand. No, she was missing a hand, and there was nothing at all past her wrist.

"I didn't have this hand from the beginning."

"…What?"

"I had a doll's hand, but it broke. I'm going to change it now."

"Oh… why did it break?"

"While training. Then, I'll be going."

Lia lowered her head and walked away. She didn't seem to have anything more to say or couldn't afford to speak anymore. Epherene watched her leave and muttered blankly.

"…What's happened?"

It was pretty disturbing. Why was such a good and cute kid that tired and acting like a stingy graduate student?

"Epherene! Let's buy things now. We do not have time."

Allen pushed Epherene's back. Epherene went into a shop, and as soon as she entered, she found the research equipment that was just right for her.

"Whoa. It was just what I was looking for. Excuse me. How much is it?"

She cautiously asked after the price but was immediately astonished.

"Five million Elnes?! Just this microscope and this set of mana solution?! Five million Elnes is everything I have!"

"Yes. It is an advanced magical item."

"It was all over the place in the Professor's lab!"

The microscope was lying around in Deculein's lab. She had a vivid memory of holding one of those to make the demon core, but it was five million Elnes…

* * *

At that moment, while Epherene was astonished at the prices on the Floating Island…

Lia, who returned to the Yukline mansion again, had her hand-assembled by the puppeteer Deculein hired.

Chi-jik- Chi-jik-

The mana connecting the doll's hand to her blood vessels sparked.

"It doesn't hurt, right?"

Suddenly, the puppeteer asked. She seemed curious about the muted reaction Lia showed at the pain of surgery.

"I'm used to the pain."

"Haha. I see. Heheheh."

The old woman chuckled, and Lia looked at her and thought about the quality of the doll. She didn't question her as she was a puppeteer hired by Deculein, but she seemed to be greater at her craft than expected. At this point, she was almost at Arlos's level.

No, was this Arlos?

"I guess it's really hard to study under Yukline."

The puppeteer commented. Lia thought for a moment but then nodded.

"…It's really hard."

His teaching was, of course, perfect. It only pointed to the most important aspects, giving her near-essential enlightenment every night and every morning. However, his words and deeds touched her core. It poked her self-esteem, and the occasional show of contempt brought her instinctive rage boiling.

"But he will acknowledge me."

Still, it wasn't because of him that she was engrossed in herself now. This desire to be recognized rose in her heart not because it was Deculein but because he resembled Kim Woojin.

"Then it looks like you're going to fight until you explode all of a sudden."

Lia twisted her lips.

"…If we fight, I'll win."

Then a smile appeared across the puppeteer's lips.

"Haha. Really?"

Chijik—!

It was a large spark. Lia flinched, and the old woman tapped her wrist.

"Done. You'll be able to move it like your own body. It will not be broken, and it will completely assimilate with you."

"…Let me try."

While she evaluated the hand by moving her wrist, Lia's eyes went wide.

"…It's perfect. It's perfect."

"Haha. Yes. But, it looks like I'll have to fix it soon."

"Why?"

"I was negotiating a price with the head of the family here, and I took a peek at your curriculum."

Curriculum? Lia tilted her head.

"Next week, there will be something called practical training."

"…"

Then, Lia's gaze naturally returned to the window. Deculein was reading while sitting at a tea table in the middle of the Yukline Garden.

"…I can do anything. If I fight directly with him, I only need to avoid his face."

He wasn't Kim Woojin from the neck down, so she could do it…

By the way, if it was practical training, did that mean they were going outside? Lia, tired of indoor training, smiled.