Chapter 82
Josef was the first person she asked, but even he couldn’t give her a proper answer. It was an unfamiliar phenomenon, so of course, he didn’t know.
In the end, she had no choice but to ask the Great Archmage, who, with evident displeasure, was forced to step outside the Mage Tower.
And that brought them to this moment.
“A shadow army.”
Without Roina, the Great Archmage was neither kind nor easily approachable. He was indifferent to all things, arrogant, and lacked consideration for others. Because he was someone who could afford to be that way.
“A shadow? What are you talking about? Explain it properly.”
Is he trying to be difficult again? Seriously.
“Why are you even out here?”
“I don’t really understand either. When I came to my senses, I was already here.”
Did even the memories transfer? He murmured to himself.
Veronica simply tilted her head with an innocent expression.
“You can’t stay like that. You know that, don’t you?”
“Hehe.”
She flashed her signature smile—an adorably mischievous grin, even sticking out her tongue slightly.
“Come on, just help me out a little. You know someone like me, don’t you? Someone who was threatened by the Crown Prince.”
Roina.
The moment Veronica formed the three syllables of that name with her lips, the gazes of the other three people in the Amasto Marquisate’s drawing room turned toward her.
Wary gazes.
As if she had touched a nerve.
Scary~.
Veronica thought to herself, still far too at ease.
“Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
She smiled brightly. By now, everyone present had realized that there was something off about her smile. It was undeniably charming, but there was something missing—something fundamental, like fear.
“For now, return to your place. I’ll come to you soon.”
“No!”
She shouted, her expression twisting in anger for the first time. She was unable to suppress her frustration, her lips jutting out in a sulky pout. The contrast from just moments ago was so stark that everyone was left stunned.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know that’s a lie? I waited a thousand years! No one ever came looking for me! I want a name, too!”
“I don’t want her to see you in this unstable state. The erosion has progressed significantly. That vessel isn’t meant for you. Have you truly fallen so far that you treat even life as something trivial?”
‘What the hell is even happening right now?’
Maili whispered to Josef beside her. Josef frantically shook his head.
His expression screamed, ‘How should I know? And do you even have a sense of awareness right now? Just shut up and stay put.’
Seventeen years of being siblings was enough for Maili to get the message. She pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. In the meantime, Veronica’s appearance began to change in an unsettling way. The whites of her eyes turned black, while her irises became stark white. Her pupils stretched into long, vertical slits. It was an inhuman sight.
Maili and Josef, watching from the sidelines, felt a chill crawl up their spines.
The Great Archmage reached out his hand, but Veronica forcefully rejected him. With a sharp clap, she slapped it away.
“Hmph, I want to see the light too. I’ve held back long enough, haven’t I? My Master, the one who abandoned me and crossed into this world without a second thought… I’ll swallow them whole.”
‘If we become one, there’s no need to worry about separation.’
She said this with a giggle.
It was the same adorable and charming smile as before—yet now, no one found it lovely. It was like a hollow reflection in a mirror, a cold and lifeless imitation of an expression, nothing more than a mechanical movement.
“So that’s why you imitated Roina’s memories?”
Veronica scoffed and turned on her heel, dashing away. Lutan made no attempt to stop her. He merely stroked his chin in contemplation. Josef and Maili, who had been watching everything unfold, widened their eyes in disbelief and turned to Lutan for an explanation. But the Great Archmage, unfriendly to all except Roina, showed no intention of providing one.
“What… was that?”
In the end, Josef mustered the courage to ask.
Gulp.
The sound of him swallowing nervously was audible.
“A shadow. One of the primordial fragments of magic. Though now, it’s been tainted by many other things.”
Lutan let out a sigh, as if nursing a headache. In a secluded place like the Mage Tower, where he could exist without interference from others, there was no risk of such corruption. But in the Imperial Palace, where that fragment had resided—he had failed to consider how easily it could fall into depravity.
It must have been overcome with joy upon seeing Roina. It had waited for her to come find it, and when she never did, rage had taken over. The original body lay in a deep slumber underground, making it impossible for Roina to ever reach it. And she had no idea that she had even left behind such a legacy.
Lutan swallowed down another sigh of regret. He, too, had neglected the duty she had entrusted to him. After she disappeared, he had been consumed by deep sorrow and loneliness, unable to even check on the remnants of her magic—let alone what shape they had taken. If the other fragments were in a similar state, this would be a major problem. He now felt the urgent need to take swift action.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.