Chapter 212
“Right, the important thing now—”
“Let’s just finish you off and be done with it. I’m tired.”
Clearing out the last remaining leader of the dark mages.
Just as a sharp wind surged toward Trienne, Kazhan’s voice cut in.
“Wait! If you kill him, Ysaa will suffer. If you happen to know how to break the curse of puppet magic—”
“I already got rid of it. Well, more like disrupted it, I guess?”
“Huh?”
“I told you earlier—I helped.”
Kazhan’s eyes widened slightly. So that’s what she meant.
‘Then… is Ysaris safe now?’
Rather than forcing his still-paralyzed body to move, Kazhan lowered his gaze to look at his wife.
‘If she hid Ysaris from the Uzephian Empire, she must have at least some attachment to her. And someone like her—the Dark Tower Lord’s own teacher—would have no reason to lie to me.’
Having calmly assessed the situation, Kazhan let out a sigh of relief. The tension that had gripped his body finally eased.
“Thank you. Uzephia will not forget this kindness.”
“Kindness, huh… Well, I suppose it is a kindness. But I’d like a proper reward for my help.”
“Is there something you need?”
“Yeah. Since I’m here anyway—Tennilath’s—”
“How?!”
Trienne’s voice, shrill and convulsive, tore through the conversation. His twisted lips trembled with outrage as he shrieked.
“How did you dismantle dark magic?! Why do you scorn us like this?! How did you even get here?! What are you?!”
“Why would I tell you?”
An irritated voice. Before it, Trienne—now no better than an insect—struggled to look up at Lena, but his frozen posture made it impossible. At best, he could only see Lena’s chin.
“You—you could achieve something far greater than this! Join us instead! Whatever you desire, we can give it to you! Even the conquest of the continent—!”
“Hey.”
Lena tilted her head slightly, meeting Trienne’s eyes. Golden currents flickered in her reptilian-slitted pupils, radiating instinctive dread.
“You’re noisy.”
In that moment, Trienne realized something with lightning clarity.
The oppressive, instinctive terror. The power to cast magic without incantations. The ability to manipulate language itself—not just spells. The ageless youth spanning centuries.
This woman was not human.
A being from beyond the lost annals of ancient history. The arbiter of the continent. The master of all magic.
In other words—Rekiana’s true identity was—
“Dr—!”
Slash. Thud.
Trienne’s head hit the floor before he could finish. Thick blood pooled from the dark mage’s abruptly ended life.
“Hmm… Guess that wraps things up?”
‘There were still small fry left, but this much should count as a decent extermination, right?’
Lena nodded to herself, satisfied.
Turning away in high spirits, she was met with three pairs of eyes staring at her—and her expression instantly soured.
“What? Want me to drop you off in Uzephia?”
* * *
Kazhan’s group returned to Uzephia with Lena. Though they hadn’t asked for her help, she had business with Ysaris and a reward to collect—so they hitched a ride on her long-distance teleportation magic.
The journey back was smooth. With the Empress and Crown Prince kidnapped mid-New Year’s festival, the entire empire was in chaos.
“Your Majesty, at least eat while you work.”
“Leave it.”
In the end, Kazhan barely had time to rest, let alone tend to Ysaris.
After entrusting Ysaris and Mikael to the royal physicians, he buried himself in paperwork for two full days, catching only scraps of updates.
“Her Majesty the Empress has awakened.”
Thud!
“I’ll be back.”
Kazhan, who had been anxiously awaiting Ysaris’ recovery, bolted from his office the moment he heard the news. He’d been assured of her stable condition repeatedly—so why had it taken her two days to wake?
The fact that she’d been captured by dark mages only deepened his unease. Without even knocking, he barged into the Empress’s chambers.
Bang!
“Ysaa.”
Kazhan’s eyes landed on Ysaris, sitting up in bed with one hand pressed to her forehead—as if nursing a headache.
‘Is something still wrong? Could there be lingering effects of dark magic the physicians missed?’
Worried, he reached out to her.
“Are you alright? If your head hurts—”
Slap!
Kazhan froze. The stinging pain from her strike was achingly familiar.
Just like hundreds of times before.
A creeping sense of dread settled in, but he forced himself to stay calm.
“Ysaa, it’s me. Your husband, Cain. We’re back in the palace—you don’t need to be on guard.”
She must be startled after everything that happened. She doesn’t understand the situation yet.
…Or so he tried to reassure himself.
“I know. You.”
Ysaris slowly lifted her head—and the look in her eyes, the hatred in them—
Like storm clouds blotting out a clear sky, it pierced his heart with cold finality.
“That’s why I slapped you, Your Majesty.”
Ah.
This was a nightmare.
Kazhan desperately wished this moment was just a nightmare.
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