“So, is this why you did this to my dad?”
Are you trying to kill Delight just like you killed me?
Before I knew it, my anger had turned into a killing intent.
“Well, it’s admirable that you’re standing up for your father like this.”
Vitian seemed amused by my reaction.
He raised an eyebrow and stared at me intently before continuing.
“But what do you think you can do?”
As if it was only natural that I couldn’t do anything.
“If you die here too, Delight will be truly heartbroken.”
A smirk formed on one side of his lips.
“From the moment you stepped into Ilnord, this was your fate.”
Vitian, the Emperor of Ilnord, sneered.
“How considerate of you to come here willingly to die. What a pleasant surprise.”
Vitian had never trusted Serdin from the start.
No, trust didn’t even matter to him.
From the beginning, he had only intended to use Serdin and discard him mercilessly.
In fact, when he realized that Serdin had been deceiving him, he might have even been pleased.
“Ten years ago, King Soren reported to me that the Emperor of Promian had never been subjected to experimentation.”
Vitian spoke as if he were telling an amusing fairy tale.
“But something about it still nagged at me.”
He waved a document back and forth.
“The conditions of the test subject described here were too similar to the Emperor of Promian. So, I decided to take a little gamble.”
“……”
“And, as expected, our experiment was correct. Just look at that pathetic state. Hahaha!”
Vitian’s unpleasant laughter echoed through the air.
“Watching him squirm like a bug is quite entertaining.”
He dared to mock Delight.
“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for all this time.”
“…..…”
“So, this is the end for you.”
Vitian smirked at us like we were trapped rats.
“This place will be your grave.”
“……”
“…Ugh!”
Delight coughed up blood. His frail appearance made it seem like he could stop breathing at any moment.
“Ollia… You have to get out of here… quickly…”
Delight barely managed to speak to me with difficulty.
But his body refused to obey him.
As I carefully laid Delight down and turned toward Vitian—
“Ollia! Watch out!”
Suddenly, Serdin appeared and stepped in front of me, blocking Vitian’s path.
“Do not lay a finger on Ollia.”
Serdin shouted at Vitian.
“Why are you here?”
I told him to stay somewhere safe.
When I turned around, I realized that the others had come with Serdin as well.
Aside from Serdin, who recklessly stood in front of me to protect me, everyone else had gathered around Delight.
Luciel was trying his best to keep the others safe, but he was struggling.
Everyone was in terrible shape.
“You were next after the princess anyway. I can’t let someone who dared to deceive me live. There’s no need for you to interfere, so step aside.”
Serdin didn’t back down and retorted.
“It was you who deceived and used me from the beginning, Your Majesty.”
Vitian’s eyes narrowed.
“So the Empress wasn’t just spouting nonsense. Ever since you returned to Ilnord, you never trusted me for even a moment.”
“I knew that you only saw me as a disposable pawn to be used and discarded whenever it suited you.”
Serdin replied calmly.
Vitian let out a quiet laugh.
“You’ve grown clever. You used to be an annoying fool, begging for affection.”
“…..…”
No father should say such things to his son.
Hearing that made me even angrier.
Yet Serdin only clenched his fists and stood firmly in front of me, protecting me with all his strength.
His back looked strong and unwavering, but I could tell—just standing there was already pushing him to his limits.
I pushed Serdin aside and spoke firmly.
“Serdin, step back.”
“No. No matter what happens, at the very least, I must—”
“Step back.”
There was no time to persuade him.
When I gave my order in a firm voice, he hesitated and turned to look at me.
“Do as I say.”
Serdin looked confused, as if he had so much he wanted to ask me.
But in the end, he silently obeyed and stepped back.
Now, nothing stood between me and Vitian.
I glanced behind me.
There was Delight, collapsed on the ground, with Blueny and Zaire anxiously watching over him.
Serdin, still filled with unease, couldn’t take his eyes off me, while Luciel stood quietly beside him, watching over me.
We were completely cornered.
‘This situation is really bad.’
I tried to think of a way to turn this around, but nothing came to mind.
Meanwhile, Vitian stood there, brimming with confidence, as if everything had already gone exactly as he wanted.
“What a shame that your wedding ended up like this, Princess.”
Vitian sneered at me with a relaxed demeanor.
Tch.
A bitter smile formed on my lips.
Slowly, I turned my head to face him.
“It’s true that if things continue like this, we’ll all die here.”
“At least you understand your situation.”
“That’s true—at least, up until now. But this situation isn’t over yet, is it?”
“…Oh? Don’t tell me you actually think you can turn this around?”
He looked at me with amused curiosity before continuing.
“You’re a strong-willed child. If you were my daughter, I would have cherished you.”
“Ugh.”
I gagged instinctively.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“What?”
“How dare you even suggest that you could be my father?”
I couldn’t tolerate that statement.
“The only person worthy of being my father is Delight.”
“Haha! You really do love your father. Well, I suppose raising you all this time was worth it!”
Vitian laughed loudly, leaning back as if genuinely entertained.
“Are you expecting Serdin to protect you? Or maybe that barely conscious Delight? Or perhaps that powerless dragon?”
“……”
“There’s no one here who can save you.”
His voice took on a rare, serious tone.
“Even the fact that I’m entertaining this conversation with you is a special act of generosity on my part.”
“…..…”
“You’re going to die here anyway, so shouldn’t you at least say everything you want to before then?”
“……”
I listened to his words in silence.
And I made a decision—I wouldn’t forget a single thing he said.
“But I think that’s enough for now.”
Just as he was about to finish speaking with a satisfied expression—
“Why do you keep acting like you’ve already won?”
Facing Vitian, who was looking down at me arrogantly, I spoke in a calm, subdued voice.
“You haven’t changed at all.”
My cold voice resonated slowly.
“Not when you were the crown prince, and not now, as the emperor.”
His aged face overlapped with the image of him from his youth.
Ah, the only difference is that he has aged disgracefully.
“You are still cowardly and insufferable.”
“Oh dear. I thought you were commendable, but you’ve turned out to be as arrogant as your father.”
Vitian frowned as he spoke, as if my sudden change in tone and demeanor was strange to him.
I paid no mind and continued speaking to him.
“You are so consistent.”
And that’s exactly why I’m not happy to see you.
“No matter if you’re a princess, you are far too arrogant. How dare you speak in such a manner—!”
As Vitian, unable to hold back any longer, shouted at me, I smirked and—
In an instant, with explosive force—
Crack! Crash!
I shattered all the counterfeit magic stones around us into tiny fragments.
“!!!”
“Well, that takes care of those annoying fake magic stones. Now then…”
I leisurely looked around.
In truth, from the moment I told Serdin to step back, I had been preparing to cast magic.
To instill fear in my opponent effectively.
As expected, his face was now twisted in shock.
“You… it can’t be…!”
“Why? Even with those rotten eyes of yours, can’t you recognize me?”
There was no need to confirm.
Using such a large amount of mana in one go must have changed my appearance.
My hair must now be glowing with an orange hue.
One of my eyes must have taken on a blue tint.
And under the sunlight, those colors would appear even more vivid.
My orange hair, dyed like the setting sun, fluttered like a victorious banner.
The very description that had become legendary on the battlefield.
Right now, in his eyes, my image must be overlapping with that of Seirna.
“Hah… This is absurd.”
Vitian’s voice trembled violently.
Though overshadowed by shock, his face was already consumed by fear.
“S… Sherina…!”
“It’s been a while.”
I greeted the Emperor of Ilnord lightly, his face now stripped of all composure and filled with nothing but panic and terror.
The Archmage Sherina.
A figure long thought to be dead had resurfaced.
I had never intended to reveal myself again.
But you… you just had to force my hand.
You’d better be prepared for the consequences of dragging me back into this.
