Chapter 46
“…Fine.”
Lynette curled her knees up and hugged them.
“I’ll treasure myself. Is that enough?”
At her flat reply, Sillian gave a wry smile. As though he already knew her words were empty. That she would once again throw everything away for Euphen, no matter what she said.
“Tell me how guiding is really possible.”
“Even if I told you, nothing would change.”
“Why not?”
Lynette frowned. If there were any way to let Eshar guide Euphen, then it wouldn’t matter if she disappeared.
“If His Highness the Crown Prince could truly be guided by his real Guide, then I wouldn’t have to keep playing the role of a ‘fake,’ would I?”
“That is what I wish for more than anyone else…”
Sillian trailed off and let out a low sigh.
“But it’s impossible.”
“Why? You keep saying it can’t be done, but never why!”
“Do you know why Espers and Guides first came into being?”
At his question, Lynette blinked.
“Well… wasn’t it after the monsters appeared? To fight them back, people awakened.”
“Say it in more detail.”
It was the kind of thing one might ask a child. Tilting her head slightly, she slowly recited what she knew.
Hundreds of years ago, ‘monsters’ appeared in the world. Humanity resisted desperately, but they were no match for the creatures.
In the midst of those slaughter-filled days, people awakened as Espers. They were powerful, but they suffered dire side effects… pain, mental collapse, eternal sleep.
Just as despair deepened, Guides awakened. Through simple contact with Espers, they dispelled those side effects.
Thanks to them, Espers could use their powers without fear, and humanity was no longer threatened by monsters. Now, monsters remained only in legend, but the power was still used to protect mankind.
“Whether monsters really existed or not, that’s how Espers and Guides are said to have begun, right?”
“That is how the story spreads.”
“You sound like you know something different.”
“What I’ve heard… is a little different.”
“What’s different?”
“I was told that long ago, people begged a dragon for its power.”
Lynette blinked. In her previous life, she had researched Espers and Guides extensively, but she had never once heard the story of seeking power from a dragon.
But what does it matter?
Whether power came from a dragon or appeared one day on its own, the result was the same. Her brows knit slightly.
“They say the first person who asked for power was someone loved by the dragon.”
“And?”
“And so the dragon shared its strength.”
“You mean that person became the first Esper?”
“No.”
Sillian let out a faint laugh.
Lynette couldn’t even guess at what he was trying to say, or why they had to talk about such far-fetched nonsense.
“They say the one who first received that power was perfect as they were.”
“So they didn’t need a Guide?”
“Correct.”
Her eyes widened at the unfamiliar idea.
“But… Espers are supposed to suffer side effects-”
“They do now. But the very first person received everything directly from the dragon. It’s said there was no penalty at all.”
Lynette pinched the bridge of her nose and pushed her hair back.
“I’ve never read anything like that in the books I found.”
With a small sigh, she added,
“And even if a dragon gave them power with no penalty… what does it matter?”
“They say that person was a ‘hero’.”
“Sillian.”
“And that hero drew many people to their side.”
“What are you even trying to say?”
“They founded a nation.”
“That must be the Empire.”
At her answer, Sillian suddenly laughed. Lynette blinked, startled by his reaction.
But isn’t it? The nation founded by Espers eventually became the Empire.
That was what countless fairy tales said, what people had always claimed. Minstrels sang about the Empire’s founding as though it were a legend, even centuries later.
“No. It was ‘Etel.’”
“…Etel?”
Lynette tilted her head at the unfamiliar name.
“A country that existed hundreds of years ago.”
“…Haah.”
She let out a long sigh. Why did she have to sit through a history lecture?
“Etel fell. Other nations rose in its place. And then, once again, it changed hands.”
“…And your point?”
“Even so, the hero’s bloodline endured.”
Lynette frowned and absent-mindedly tugged at the grass at her side.
“Was my story too long?”
When she gave the faintest nod, Sillian gave a soft chuckle.
“The reason I told you all this… was to let you know, I am a descendant of that hero.”
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