Chapter 129
I looked at the young man in front of me with tense eyes.
I wasn’t sure why he was staying at the Duke’s residence instead of the Marquis’ estate, but the person my father mentioned was none other than the man who had declared me a ‘Grand Princess’ yesterday.
The former High Priest, who had managed to have me recognized as his daughter without even needing a formal blood test at the temple…
‘The Great Sage, Raizel.’
I knew all too well about the Great Sage’s name and reputation.
Because he roamed the continent without a fixed residence, countless people had tracked his whereabouts to seek his counsel and wisdom, and even Terencium had been keeping an eye on him.
‘But to think his true identity was the former High Priest…’
I wasn’t sure if Master knew, but it was definitely a secret unknown to most people.
Moreover, according to my father, he had suddenly resigned as High Priest to fulfill some mission. The temple had hastily appointed a new High Priest, but they were still secretly searching for him.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
As I found myself unable to look away, fascinated by finally meeting the Great Sage in person, he asked gruffly.
“Huh? Ah, well…”
Yesterday, I had clearly seen him as an old man, and my father had mentioned that his real age was immense.
Yet, the person in front of me now, despite his white hair, looked like nothing but a young man, which was quite curious.
But that wasn’t what I truly wanted to ask.
“I heard that yesterday, you briefly showed my true appearance.”
After holding Raizel’s hand, I had wondered why everyone looked so shocked… Apparently, my appearance had momentarily changed to pink hair and pink eyes.
It was astonishing enough that he claimed to see my true form, my soul, but for such a thing to actually be possible…
“I was just so amazed and curious about how that was possible that I couldn’t help but stare. If that made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”
“Hmph!”
This man might be my only hope.
Not wanting to offend him, I clasped my hands tightly and looked up at him politely. At that, the corner of Raizel’s lips twitched.
“Well, if that’s the case, I suppose it can’t be helped. I can understand why you’d be surprised.”
“Exactly! I always thought divine power was only for healing. Oh, of course, enhancing vitality is already amazing, but still!”
“Hmph, divine power is inherently incredible. It’s just that no one has truly unlocked its full potential. If one reaches the pinnacle of divine power, magic becomes trivial.”
“Wow! Really?”
“Of course. Otherwise, how do you think the Saintess of the past was able to protect this world from demons?”
“Wow, that’s incredible.”
I clapped enthusiastically, playing along, and Raizel’s attitude softened considerably.
For some reason, he reminded me of certain high-ranking officials who would get ridiculously happy whenever I praised them, which made me feel a bit more at ease.
‘Well, he may look young, but he’s still an old man inside.’
Then,
“We’ll need to see each other regularly for the purification process, but at least you have a pleasant personality. Considering you managed to maintain such a pure spirit despite being under a terrible illusion… Well, enough of that. Come closer. I need to check your necklace. That’s where I sense the strongest demonic energy.”
At his lengthy statement, I froze.
‘Purification? A terrible illusion? Demonic energy…?’
Every single thing he said was shocking, so much so that I didn’t even know which part to ask about first.
“What are you just standing there for? I told you to come here.”
“Y-yes!”
Startled, I hurriedly stepped closer and instinctively reached up to remove my necklace.
“…I can’t take it off.”
As I spoke with a troubled expression, Raizel nodded knowingly.
“As expected, mind control. Well, to maintain such an illusion, that would make sense… Hmm?”
Just then, as he examined the necklace up close, he suddenly stopped.
“This is strange. If it were merely the medium of an illusion spell, the power shouldn’t be this strong…”
“A medium for an illusion spell?”
“Yes. The magic of deception that distorts perception and awareness is notoriously difficult. Moreover, for something like this to persist for so long without leaving a trace… no matter how much one borrows a demon’s power, there must be a medium…”
“W-wait a moment!”
Startled, I cut off his words.
“What did you just say? What kind of power?”
“I said demon’s power…”
Raizel blinked in confusion, then suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“…Don’t tell me. Do you have no idea who kidnapped you and how all of this happened? Your father didn’t tell you anything?”
When I dumbly shook my head, Raizel stomped his foot in fury and yelled.
“That **** fool! He just brought you to me without explaining anything? Was he trying to dump the hard part on me?!”
Clearly agitated, he spent a long while ranting about my father, completely forgetting I was there.
Then, with a troubled expression, he finally spoke.
A long conversation followed.
After a while, I asked in a daze.
“So… the thing my father did to completely separate the Principality from the Empire was…”
“Eliminating the demon worshippers operating within the Empire. But he couldn’t get rid of them all. Those *****s are experts at hiding like rats. Well, since being exposed as a demon contractor leads to immediate execution by fire, they’ve certainly learned to run.”
“…Demon worshippers.”
It was a term I had never heard before.
According to Raizel, they were people who made contracts with demons for personal gain, ambition, or long-cherished desires—souls utterly beyond salvation.
I swallowed hard and asked,
“Do they really use humans as sacrifices?”
“Yes. They offer human mana to the demons.”
Since mana was connected to the heart, that essentially meant taking lives.
But…
“How is that even possible?”
How could demons take mana from humans? I couldn’t understand the connection at all.
When I tilted my head and asked, Raizel scoffed.
“They’re capable of far worse. Brainwashing and manipulating people’s minds are among their greatest specialties. Those under their spells betray their friends, lovers, and family without even realizing something is wrong.”
“…”
I had the feeling that Raizel was deliberately avoiding giving me too many details, as if he didn’t want to tell me the full story.
Deciding that I needed to investigate further, I spoke again.
“Then… the reason I repelled divine power before was…”
“Even if the traces are erased, there’s nothing that can be done about something already consumed by demonic energy. Young people these days don’t even know how to use divine power properly, so they probably didn’t understand what was happening and just panicked.”
I was at a loss for words.
Listening to this conversation was leaving me with a heavy heart.
I had suspected my situation was similar to a ‘curse,’ but I never imagined it was connected to demons.
“But… why didn’t they just kill me?”
Hearing all this, I could understand why they would want revenge on my father. It also made sense that they’d covet me as a sacrifice, given the abundant mana I possessed.
So why had they spared me?
Raizel looked slightly surprised, as if he hadn’t expected a child like me to ask so bluntly.
“That… even I don’t know. I thought I might be able to find some clues after seeing you again, but… Why did they leave you alive while keeping this necklace on you…?”
As he examined my necklace once more, his expression suddenly twisted.
“This… It looks broken.”
“Oh, yes. It cracked a little.”
I answered casually, then froze.
It was only after returning to my childhood that I had noticed the necklace was damaged.
I closed my mouth and stared at Raizel.
This man had provided answers to many things I couldn’t understand until now.
‘Maybe… even my return from death…?’
“Fortunately, it’s not completely shattered.”
Raizel’s words snapped me out of my thoughts, and I tilted my head.
“Fortunately? If this necklace is the medium for the illusion spell, wouldn’t it be better to destroy it?”
“No. Even if it’s just a medium, we don’t know what side effects destroying it might bring. It would be better for you to purify it first rather than break it outright. But…”
Raizel suddenly stopped speaking, his face darkening.
“Why does it contain such a strong power…?”
His gaze shifted between the blood-red gemstone of the necklace and the area near my heart.
“…A seal.”
Raizel’s quiet muttering sent a shiver down my spine.
I flinched and shrank back slightly, making Raizel look at me with conflicted eyes.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
He quickly added an apology and lightly grasped my hand, murmuring something under his breath.
A soft white light flowed out, spreading through my body in a strange yet soothing sensation before fading away.
I felt a little calmer.
“There’s no need to be impatient. I don’t yet fully understand their schemes, but we’ll uncover the truth in due time. And just as you’ve found your parents, now you must also find your true self.”
Though his tone was firm, his words were deeply comforting.
More than anything, the thought that I could finally find my real self made my eyes well up with tears.
“Great Sage, honestly… I never imagined a day like this would come. All this time, I just thought there was something wrong with my eyes.”
“Well, it’s not like people with divine power on my level are common—”
“When Diana said she could see my true form, I was so happy, but at the same time, I had no way to prove it…”
“…What?”1I knew it! That’s why she was so special!
“…Huh?”
“What did you just say?”
“…What?”
Sniffling, I looked up at Raizel, confused.
His eyes had widened to the size of lanterns.
