<Episode 81>
Count Juppes looked at me with somewhat pitiful eyes.
I stared at him and spoke quietly.
“I know. Isn’t this my maternal grandmother’s home country?”
“Yes, the Hacardella family that ruled the principality inherited it from generation to generation, but it was lost in the flow of history……Their relic was called the ‘Crown of the Spirit King’. It is said that, as its name suggests, it was a relic in the shape of a crown.”
Principality of Hacardella.
As I learned from history, my grandmother’s home country was a country that favored Naiad, the Spirit King of water, and there was only a short record of it being destroyed a few years before the disaster began.
[The reason why there are so few records, unfortunately, is because it was a weak country, but the biggest reason was that not long after its destruction, disaster struck and the world was in ruins.]
My maternal grandmother, who was a hero that saved the world, lived quietly after marrying my grandfather, leaving no records of herself or her motherland. After she died from a difficult childbirth, she returned to her native land after having a funeral as the Duchess of Bastevan.
“…….”
Would anything have changed if the Principality of Hacardella had remained?
As I touched the area where the name of the principality was written with my fingertips, I was overcome by a feeling that I could not accurately express.
[Destroyed immediately after the onset of the disaster, owned by the forest kingdom of Dryas.
Forest Artifact – Source of Life]
“It is said that it was a relic in the form of a seed covered in the brilliance of vibrant colors. It has never been used, so there is no way to know… but perhaps, as its name suggests, it possesses a power closely related to life…”
“I….teacher, I have a question.”
I sensed something strange as the lesson continued and asked Count Juppes.
“Why have all the countries that appeared so far been destroyed? The Spirit Kings loved them and even gave them treasures with such great powers.”
I didn’t pay attention to it when I was studying their story in history, but when I thought about their relation to the relics of the Spirit Kings, I couldn’t ignore the strangeness.
Starting with the Empire of the Wind, although there is a gap of many years…….
Wind, light, earth, water, forest..…
“The only royal family whose name has been passed down uninterruptedly is Lumen, the Empire of Light… and the Principality of Hacardella, which is an excluded/forgotten family.”
No, it could not be said that their lineage had continued.
Before I learned about history, I was so ignorant that I didn’t even know that my grandmother’s home country was the Principality of Hacardella.
“Grand Princess. There have been more than once that I have questioned the flow of history.”
Count Juppes answered in a calm voice.
“But if we think about it the other way around, what if no matter how much love they received from the great Spirit Kings, they ultimately couldn’t overcome the great flow of fate? Then, there would be no phenomenon that we wouldn’t dare to understand.”
“……..”
His tone seemed as if he wanted to soothe me, but I tilted my head to one side and lowered my gaze out of confusion.
“Still, don’t be too depressed. There is still a country that has survived and achieved prosperity and still receives the blessing of a Spirit King.”
Was there a country that had not been destroyed?
The moment I raised my head with sparkling eyes, I realized what he was trying to say and made a shocked expression.
Yeah, it existed..….
[Still Existing, owned by Roshan, the Fire Empire.
Artifact of Fire – Traces of Blood]
“This relic has only been passed down in name, due to the pressure from the Ruairi royal family, very little is known about its exact power and form. However, His Highness the 2nd Prince, who is the Grand Princess’s fiancé, will definitely know about it. So when the opportunity arises in the future and you get to ask him about it, please let me know.”
“…So, this relic was not lost and still exists today?”
“Yes, which country favors the Spirit King of Fire? It is the country that has received the blessing of the Spirit King, which is now almost the only one that has survived through all these years.”
Although the Fire Spirit King Phoenix was currently said to have disappeared without a trace.
The Roshan Empire was the only one standing strong, away from destruction.
It is truly a strange fact.
I should definitely ask Ashmed.
Perhaps, it was the only relic of the Spirit Kings that I had the possibility of seeing with my own eyes.
[Fell decades ago, owned by the Kandel Duke family.
Artifact of Electricity – Spear of Explosion]
“……Huh? The Kandel Duke family owned an artifact?”
Why? I asked in confusion.
It wasn’t a descendant of a royal family…..it was just a Duke’s family, right?
“Not all the spirit masters whom the Spirit Kings loved founded a country. The glorious ancestors of the Kandel family were satisfied with the status of nobles. Of course, the poor descendants ruined it all.”
“……..”
It’s a pity.
I expressed my condolences to the unknown ancestral spirit master of the Kandel family.
But since Meinhardt was still alive, hope was not completely lost…….
“The Spear of Explosion is said to be a relic in the shape of a dazzling golden trident. In fact, the fall of the Kandel Dukes occurred not that long ago compared to other fallen countries, and it is said that the relics were lost hundreds of years before the tragedy, so their whereabouts have not been found.”
……These *** people, can’t even manage such important items properly?1I don’t really get why there are a lot of curses in novels…
I frowned, my expression twisting.
They were nothing else, they were precious treasures given directly by the Spirit Kings.…It was truly pathetic.
“Well, the long story has finally come to an end.”
“……Huh, wait a minute. So the relic of light wasn’t passed down?”
Feeling like something was missing, I racked my brain, and when I realized that I had yet to hear anything about the relic of the Empire of Light, I asked.
“Ah…please ask the Grand Princess’s father about that. I’m also curious. How did the Relic of Light become nowhere to be found…”
However, Count Juppes sighed deeply and spoke as if he felt even more sorry than I did.
“…….”
Were my ancestors equally incompetent?
Haha.
I let out a fit of laughter, that sounded like I wasn’t laughing at all.
And the form of the relics of fire ‘Traces of Blood’ that Ashmed later heard about…
“……I think it was a wide and deep bowl made of brass? It should be around the same shape. I pricked my finger on a sharp needle sticking out in the middle, and the blood flowed down the needle column.”
The names of numerous spirits were engraved on the edge in the language the spirits used.
He said that three small needles moved on their own and pointed to the name of each spirit.
“Is it really a relic that tells us about the attributes of a spirit master?”
“I think so. I also conducted an attribute test with it before.”
As the name suggested, the Traces of Blood was a relic that had the power to find out what type of spirit blessing a child of the Ruairi royal family was born with.
“…….”
……It didn’t have any attack power?
I gradually came back to reality, staring at the tombstone moving further away.
Was it just my imagination that made me feel as if the soft breeze blowing at that moment carried a sad longing for a fallen country that disappeared into the back of history thousands of years ago?
“Who knows all the secrets….”
I leaned against the window of the carriage, rested my chin, and muttered softly.
***
“This is the place…….”
I muttered in a daze, filled with emotion.
It was Litera.
The Sanctuary of Wisdom, the Spiritist Society!
“Do you like it that much?”
“Huh!”
Ashmed looked down at me and laughed a little, as if he couldn’t believe it.
After a long period of hardship, we finally arrived at Litera, a building with a castle-like exterior built on top of a majestic, steep cliff.
The external walls were all painted grey and light blue.
“Welcome. Aren’t you tired from the journey?”
“Grandma Mekaila!”2I like her name ( ◜‿◝ )♡
A welcoming voice was heard.
I turned around and smiled brightly, looking at the elderly woman who had not changed much from a few years ago.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness, the Second Prince of Roshan.”
“How have you been?”
“I have been okay, you have grown up a lot. Edith, you too. When I look closely, I can see Siorn’s face in you..…I think I can see Atara too.”
The hem of her white dress fluttered in the blowing wind and moved under the blue sky.
As she gently touched my cheek with her wrinkled hand and muttered something with a faint smile on her face, I took a deep breath and looked around.
“Oh my. Am I already getting senile? I’m leaving my precious guests outside. Now, why don’t you come with me? I’ll show you around.”
Mekaila spoke after completely erasing the traces of emotion she had briefly revealed, and after staring at Meinhardt, who stood silently like a shadow next to us for a moment, she turned away.
Ashmed and I followed Mekaila and stepped onto the steep staircase leading to the high castle.
***
“There are about four days left until the exam, so spend the meantime doing what you want to do.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Because it was a public place, I couldn’t use the title “grandmother” like before.
So I responded by referring to Mekaila as the chairman.
The maids will unpack and organize the luggage in the living quarters……Where has Mainhardt gone?
After Mekaila left, I looked everywhere for Meinhardt, but he was nowhere to be seen.
.…First, let’s take a look at Litera and look for him later.
I set out to explore Litera with many thoughts in mind.
Thank you for the chapter! 🙏🏼
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