Edited

36.

“Shit.

It was the worst nightmare I’d had in a long time.

I hastily gulped down the water on the nightstand. My hands shook as I held the cup, and half the water ran down my chin and neck.

After a few deep breaths, I managed to calm down.

I couldn’t stop the tide of memories, and the events that followed flashed through my head one after the other.

The man laughed a sickening laugh, his body tense and rigid, and Nyx lay still like a doll with a broken thread. He looked like he was on the verge of death, so I wasn’t surprised that he suddenly fainted.

I seem to recall Ophelia tiptoeing over to him and saying something like.

“Maybe we should fix his leg.”

“He must have used up all his energy fixing my leg, what was that?”

I think Nyx, who was smiling at Ophelia, who was running toward me, was reluctant, so I said quite firmly.

“Let’s just leave him alone. I think he’s a pervert.”

“He’s the one who helped you. If we leave him here, he’ll be fodder for the beasts. Besides, he’s very strong, don’t you think the Lord will reward him?”

“What are you talking about? Did you see the look in his eyes? He must be crazy. He said some weird shit that made his eyes turn completely away. Let’s leave him.”

Ophelia has a past of being abandoned alone in the forest at a very young age.

My father introduced Ophelia as the daughter of a long-time friend who had been abandoned in the woods one day, but due to the strong divine power of the orphan girl, Duke of Macfoy brought her to the castle. No one was unaware of the fact.

Ophelia might not have found it easy to leave the emaciated Nyx alone, recalling her own past of being abandoned in the forest. I, being one of the people who knew Ophelia’s sadness and loneliness best, didn’t insist on taking Nyx for an extended struggle.

At that time, my father was a very wise person, so there was a vague belief that if the person was strange, my father would handle it well.

Now thinking back, even if I had left the fainted Nyx in the forest, Nyx would probably have knocked on the gates of Macfoy Castle where she lived.

Even though we had decided to take Nyx back to Macfoy for now, I couldn’t shake off an odd sense of unease, and it felt like I had grabbed Ophelia’s hem.

“He really laughed like some criminal. He’s weird. I don’t like him. Let’s just leave him now.”

“Aisa, don’t worry. Even if something happens, I’ll protect you. You know, there’s no one stronger than me. Just looking at him, I think one punch from me would be enough for this weak guy.”

Ophelia’s voice, so full of confidence as she spoke, made me laugh ironically, and I said’

“Sure. You’re the strongest person I know, so you’ll protect me.”

“And that guy. He only looks like someone our age. It’ll be fine.”

While watching Nyx being carried away by the knight, Ophelia muttered sympathetically. Surprisingly, at that time, Nyx, encountered for the first time in the forest, looked quite young to the naked eye. It was probably also magic, but no one noticed it back then. No one had seen magic before.

No one would have thought that the pervert picked up from the forest two years ago would turn out to be a criminal who caused a commotion in the Diazi and MacFoy families.

At that time, when Nyx, a former high-ranking clergyman with a wanted notice, was said to be almost forty, he looked so young that he could break down the Macfoy people’s guard. Perhaps it was because Nyx, who seemed frail as if he would die soon, played a part in breaking down the wariness of the Macfoy people.

Perhaps it was because Nyx looked so weak that my father, who recognized talents in Magic abilities, surprisingly easily took Nyx.

Unusually easy.

I remember my father rewarding him, claiming he was a talent who treated the young lady of Macfoy with abilities.

However, I couldn’t forget the grimace that Nyx directed towards Ophelia, and I didn’t like the guy at all. Especially the way Nyx looked at Ophelia after that seemed so filthy and sinister in my eyes that I just couldn’t see him as someone of our age.

At the end of the recollection, from the first time I encountered it to the day it entered Macfoy Castle, my face distorted completely. I wiped the cold sweat that had run down my face roughly.

‘Now that I think about it, back in that forest, he was also looking for Ophelia.’

It was a newfound realization.

‘It couldn’t have been avoided.’

For some reason, it became hard to breathe, so I opened the window wide. The night wind, heading towards winter, was terribly cold. As I faced the cold wind, my senses sharpened. My black hair danced in strands.

“I’ve had a dream about stars in a long time.”

I murmured to the empty air in a low voice. In reality, what I urgently wanted to do was to catch Ophelia and question her about everything one by one.

Just as the memory of <Ophelia and the Night> suddenly came to me, Ophelia also clearly knew something. Otherwise, it would be impossible to find Tartaros.

‘How did you find Tartaros? If you knew about Tartaros, why didn’t you intervene in the mass death incident? … Why act differently?’

It would have been wise to catch Ophelia, torture her, or coax her to find out everything she knew.

But I didn’t. No, I couldn’t.

Avoiding her now, that’s what I knew best.

I still couldn’t figure out how to accept <Ophelia and the Night>.

I couldn’t ask anyone. Asking would undoubtedly lead to being treated like a madman. At best, they might say I received something like an oracle from Mehra.

“….”

Staring blankly out the window for a while, the day began to dawn faintly.

The silhouette of the castle became clearer with a bluish tint. It was early, but already lights dotted various places in the castle, and smoke rose slowly from the chimneys.

Looking down from the highest point of Macfoy Castle, the scenery was completely different from the day I carried Arch.

After gazing at it for a while, I closed my eyes quietly. It seemed like sleep wouldn’t come anymore.

* * *

“Milan Diazi is coming in person.”

“What?”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard due to the restless night.

“Milan Diazi is coming in person.”

Erika repeated the same words without any emotion.

“What? After saying it’s uncertain. In the end, he’s coming in person? Why did they send the list only now?”

I impulsively complained about Diazi’s shoddy work.

“Diazi’s suddenly moved up the schedule, and it seems the letter got tangled.”

“Ridiculous. Why suddenly move it up? And why would someone of his age come all the way here?”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know that Milan Diazi holds his eldest son in special regard? The disappearance of Norma Diazi and enduring the position of the head for five years was a miracle. Considering that, I naturally thought he would come in person.”

“But…”

“Above all, since they found a person missing for over a decade, they should show some courtesy from their side as well.”

Erika said sharply, her eyes gleaming.

“Milan Diazi is a bit uncomfortable.”

I muttered, showing a face that clearly expressed my discomfort.

“Where can you find a comfortable person among the Diazi in the Empire? Wouldn’t it be difficult for even the Emperor to handle Diazi affairs?”

“Well, I’m uncomfortable with the Emperor as well. No, still, coming all the way from the east to the west. He’s retired. It would look quite significant in the eyes of others if Lord Diazi comes directly…”

“These days, it’s hard to consider Lord Diazi as retired. After suddenly taking on the role of acting head, he even attended this year’s tournament.”

Until Nicholas Diazi found a way to completely eliminate Nyx, he continued to pour his power regularly to maintain the seal. It was like he was completely tied up in Bagdad.

It subtly suited my taste, and I smiled faintly.

“There haven’t been significant changes since the list arrived today. However, there is a new name on the list—”

“By the way, Milan Diazi. How long has it been?”

I, who was suddenly nervous about the fact that Milan Diazi is coming in person, cut off what Erika was about to say.

It’s not like I’ve lost in a real fight anywhere, but when I faced Milan Diazi, I felt tremendous pressure. It might be better to say there was a sense of oppression. It was something about his aura.

‘But that was when I was seventeen. Now, am I not being pressed without energy to resist?’

While I was lost in such thoughts, Erika, holding the list, looked at the name written under Milan Diazi for a few seconds.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

Thinking that Erika could simply inform our family head about Lord Diazi being busy, and there was no need to go through the list one by one, she handed it over.

The next day, without even knowing that my family head would scold me for looking at useless things, I asked if I was seeing things in vain.

* * *

The next day, just before the sunset, I led my attendants and personally went to the entrance of the Macfoy to welcome the guest who had arrived.

The procession of Diazi knights, famous for their beauty as much as the procession of Romdak in the empire, was stunning. Once again, the residents gathered to see the famous Diazi procession, creating another long line. It was quite a spectacle.

Finally, the Diazi knights, lined up in the distance, began to come into view. The one running at the forefront was unmistakably Milan Diazi, as seen from his flowing silver hair.

Seeing the silver hair briefly reminded me of Norma Diazi, but it was just a fleeting thought, I swore.

‘A formidable person. He hasn’t aged at all during this time.’

Milan Diazi, without any signs of retirement, was still the same in both figure and charisma. It was another moment proving the fact that the gods focused when creating Diazi.

“Welcome to Macfoy. The Macfoy head welcomes Milan Diazi.”

I greeted Milan Diazi, descending from the horse. He was one of the few figures in the empire who deserved my proper greetings.

At the same time, I did not miss the imposing voice. My advantage as the head was my powerful voice despite my small stature.

Until now, everything seemed fine to me. The fact that I did not feel overwhelmed by Milan Gong’s energy like when I was seventeen was already a success.

If I hadn’t frozen like someone seeing a ghost when I raised my head with a repentant smile, it would have been perfect.

“Erika. Am I seeing things?”

If I hadn’t blurted out my thoughts about what I saw, wondering if I was seeing something unbelievable, some recovery might have been possible.

“…?”

Erika, who thought it was the most absurd thing she had ever heard from the head, froze her face in disbelief. But if the head had said one more thing like, ‘Isn’t that Norma Diazi?’, everything would have changed.

Both Erika and Aisa were in shock.

Erika witnessed the face of the Diazi head, who was the predecessor of the Diazi and the current acting head, solidifying with regret. She felt dizzy.

For ten years as an aide, Erika had experienced various unexpected situations. However, this time, she had no idea how to handle it.

‘I’ve crazy. I should have asked my doctor to check my head a long time ago…’

Erika looked to where the tip of Aisa’s index finger was pointing, hoping that Lord had sensed that she was doomed.

There, a shining halo adorned an angel. The angel grinned.

“Ugh…”

Unconsciously, Erika uttered a sound of disbelief.