When the Emperor went into a frenzy, he would not discriminate against anyone.
The frenzy itself was caused by an inability to control his power while in a state of unconsciousness.
It was random and indiscriminate, making it extremely dangerous.
As a result, even though he was the Emperor, they had no choice but to confine him when these episodes occurred.
Finding a way to stop the frenzy was nearly impossible, and unless a cure was found, this cycle would continue until the day he died.
There was a growing fear that this frenzy would eventually shorten the Emperor’s lifespan.
However, the Emperor’s mana frenzy was unlike any other.
It was so unique that there was no possible solution.
Therefore, the Emperor’s weakness had to be kept a closely guarded secret.
For the past ten years, this situation had not changed.
But then, a few seconds ago, Zaire’s gaze shifted to the princess, who had reached out to grab the hem of the Emperor’s pants.
The Emperor’s eyes were still unfocused, yet he slowly lowered his head to look at the princess.
Despite still being in a frenzy, the mana avoided the princess.
It had already been some time since the frenzy began, so there was no way the Emperor still retained his sanity.
Considering the duration of the frenzy, it was impossible that the Emperor had already regained his reason.
Even though he had lost his sanity, his unconscious mind was still protecting the princess.
Was that even possible?
Zaire unintentionally let out a breath of admiration. He was amazed.
At this moment, even though the Emperor couldn’t recognize anyone else, he still distinguished his daughter.
“It’s like a miracle.”
There were no other words to describe it.
Even after losing his sanity, the Emperor was still somehow protecting the princess.
Such a thing seemed impossible.
Zaire had always thought that the Emperor’s affection for the princess seemed like a sudden whim.
He believed that one day, the Emperor might change his mind.
But he had entirely underestimated the Emperor’s fatherly love.
Just then, Delight’s mana started to surge dangerously again, as if it had detected Zaire and the others.
“Everyone, move back.”
The Emperor’s subordinates retreated cautiously, careful not to provoke him. They continued to back away until Delight lost interest in them.
The Emperor’s frenzy didn’t stop; it simply bypassed the princess.
Could they really leave the princess behind and retreat?
They pondered this while staying prepared to act at any moment.
“Princess! You mustn’t!”
The princess, who had been quietly observing her father, suddenly moved quickly.
She clung to the Emperor’s leg. The moment Zaire saw this, he realized his mistake.
Even though the Emperor didn’t attack the princess in his unconscious state, holding on to him like that was a different matter.
If the Emperor kicked out, the princess could be thrown into the air.
If that happened… it was horrifying to even imagine.
“I’ll get the princess out of here. If anything happens, you must hold off the Emperor.”
Zaire left these instructions with the knights and mages guarding the door.
Then, with a determined heart, he began to move towards the princess.
Slowly.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
The Emperor blinked as he looked at his daughter, then slowly opened his arms as if to embrace her, and collapsed onto her.
And soon, he lost consciousness.
The mana blades that had been threatening everyone until just moments ago vanished, and the room fell silent.
It was the shortest frenzy in recent memory.
Over the past ten years, the Emperor’s frenzies had only grown longer.
Yet this time, it lasted only half a day.
‘What… exactly happened? Did His Majesty recognize the princess even in his frenzy? Or… does the princess have some special ability?’
Zaire muttered to himself as he stared blankly at the princess. Then he shook his head, a hollow smile on his face.
“That can’t be.”
He felt foolish for even considering it, even for a moment.
“The idea that the princess could calm the frenzy caused by the side effects of the experiments is absurd.”
Seeing Delight’s change due to the princess’s presence, Zaire had momentarily hoped for such a miracle.
In any case, it was a relief that the princess wasn’t harmed.
Zaire, as usual, followed the routine steps.
First, he placed Delight on the bed.
Although he considered calling the royal doctor, he knew there was nothing the doctor could do after one of the Emperor’s frenzies.
Instead, he gave a few instructions to the waiting mages.
“Report anything that shows even a slight promise among the researched treatments. We must develop a mana remedy, no matter the cost.”
It wasn’t that they had given up due to a lack of solutions. A select few mages who knew of the Emperor’s condition had been continually researching a cure.
They had gathered everything rumored to be effective in controlling mana, including rare herbs and ancient potions.
However, nothing had worked so far.
Still, they had to keep trying.
The mages headed to the laboratory, and Zaire returned to the bed.
He pondered over the fact that the Emperor had recognized the princess during his frenzy and that, unlike before, the frenzy had ended in just half a day.
This was undoubtedly a significant change from previous incidents.
Zaire’s gaze shifted to Violyana, who sat next to Delight. Even in his final moments, Delight had protected his daughter, ensuring his body didn’t crush her.
Perhaps because of her age, the young princess seemed completely unaware of the situation, showing no fear after entering the room.
Instead, she looked up at him with a clear, innocent expression.
What should be done with the princess?
Should he call Monia to take her back to her room?
But just as he was considering this, the princess tightly clung to her father’s arm, as if refusing to let go.
Zaire hesitated.
He had no solid reason, but he felt a vague certainty that the Emperor would never endanger his daughter under any circumstances.
Moreover, the Emperor, even while unconscious, appeared very at peace with his daughter by his side.
If that was the case, wouldn’t the Emperor be pleased to see the princess when he awoke?
A smile slowly spread across Zaire’s face.
“Considering the potential risks, I should send the princess back to her room… but please, stay by His Majesty’s side and share your warmth.”
Perhaps that was what the Emperor needed most at that moment.
And instinctively, Zaire felt that it would be safer for the two of them to remain alone together.
As if understanding everything Zaire had said, the princess smiled brightly, as if to assure him she could be trusted.
Seeing that smile somehow eased his mind.
Could it be that, without realizing it, he wanted to rely on the princess?
On such a small, innocent child?
‘Maybe so,’
He admitted quietly, gently patting the princess’s head before stepping back.
This was all a risky gamble, but strangely, he didn’t feel anxious at all.
***
The door closed.
Thanks to Zaire’s retreat, only Delight and I remained in the room, with him lying there almost unconscious.
In truth, Delight wasn’t deliberately avoiding me. It was just that my body was naturally enveloped in mana, allowing me to slip closer to him safely.
And so, I was able to approach Delight until I was right in front of him.
Although the mages were waiting outside the bedroom, the Emperor’s intense mana was already in a frenzy, easily overshadowing the flow of any other mana.
This allowed me to approach unnoticed and stop his frenzy.
It was thanks to the special power of my mana that I could suppress the mana of other mages.
This was possible because I possessed nearly two centuries of trained mana.
But to think that this frenzy was a result of experimental side effects.
Zaire’s muttered words still echoed in my ears.
The word ‘experiment’ kept bothering me.
It was nearly impossible to force an experiment on a mage as skilled as Delight.
But if he had indeed undergone an experiment…
‘Was he living like this, knowing the state of his own body?’
Without even taking care of himself. What could he have wanted so badly?
His sleeping form looked no different from when he was a child, but everything else had changed so much.
‘You foolish disciple.’
At the very least, you should have taken care of your own body.
Don’t worry. You have a reliable teacher by your side now.
I’ll find a way to take responsibility for you.
I’ll use any means necessary to heal you, so your body doesn’t get completely ruined.
I gently tapped my sleeping disciple’s head. This was how I used to make promises to my young disciple.
