As the carriage door opened and Serdin stepped out.
He was no longer the small child who barely reached their waists.
Now thirteen years old.
Although he still had a youthful appearance, he had grown significantly, giving off an unfamiliar feeling.
Standing before the three, Serdin greeted them politely and spoke.
“It has been a long time. I have returned to my beloved homeland.”
Only then did the awkward silence, which had been lingering unnoticed, finally break.
“Come on in. You’ve grown a lot. You must have endured much.”
The Empress wore the same smile she had shown to Serdin in the past.
That false kindness and smile had sent Serdin off to the enemy nation.
Now, I knew the true face behind that smile.
“I am glad to see you again.”
However, Serdin chose to smile brightly.
As if trying to remind them of the young Serdin who had desperately sought their approval.
He smiled once at the Emperor, who barely acknowledged him.
Then another smile at the Crown Prince, who seemed to be holding back from spitting insults at any moment.
And lastly, he smiled even more warmly at the Empress, who was the only one displaying a kind smile.
The Empress, who was clasping and patting his hands in response, suddenly directed her gaze behind Serdin.
“And what are all those behind you? Are they all your belongings?”
Seeing the excessive number of carriages returning with just two people, the Empress was puzzled.
“Oh, those are…”
“These are gifts from the Emperor of Promian for Prince Serdin,”
Hugo answered in Serdin’s stead.
“Not for Ilnord?”
But the Empress pressed on, deliberately seeking clarification.
With a single word, she aimed to declare Serdin’s gifts as imperial property.
Hugo immediately understood why the Emperor of Promian had entrusted him with these items directly.
Although still respectful, he spoke even more firmly.
“These are personal gifts for the prince.”
Hugo stepped forward and handed a document to the Emperor.
“This is a certification written personally by the Emperor of Promian, listing the items as the prince’s property. I request your confirmation.”
The envelope bore the grand seal of the Promian imperial family.
The Emperor, who had been silently observing the situation until now, opened the envelope and checked the document.
No matter how he looked at it, it was undoubtedly a document written by the Emperor of Promian. It was even enchanted to ensure no possibility of forgery.
“I see. It seems the Emperor of Promian has shown considerable favor toward Serdin.”
The Emperor returned the document to Hugo as he spoke.
“Serdin, these are your personal belongings. Take good care of them.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“………”
With even the Emperor’s acknowledgment, the Empress closed her mouth with a peculiar expression.
“Look at that. Doesn’t it seem strange to give such lavish gifts to a hostage?”
The Crown Prince said, deliberately provoking the Empress.
Could it be that Serdin was truly recognized in Promian?
Even at a glance, the sheer volume of the gifts was overwhelming and left her feeling confused.
However, she no longer had any authority to interfere.
***
The moment they entered the room.
A cold air wrapped around his body. No matter how much the room was cleaned, the traces of the years it had been empty did not disappear.
Looking at the oddly hollow and empty room, it finally felt real that he had returned.
He slowly moved forward and entered the room.
The first thing he did was place the decorative lamp gifted by Violyana on the bedside table, just as she had instructed.
Even though it was just one small item filling the space, the room felt warmer than before.
It didn’t feel so lonely.
“Is that why she gave this to me?”
Serdin smiled softly as he gazed at the decorative lamp, then walked over to stand in front of the mirror.
He quietly stared at his own reflection.
Red eyes.
Can I really survive with just this one thing?
Honestly, he wasn’t confident.
He had no idea why these eyes symbolized the imperial family’s legitimacy or what they could actually accomplish.
First, he needed to figure that out.
‘I must keep what I know a secret.’
He had only just returned.
Except for Hugo, he couldn’t trust anyone in this place.
It’s okay if it takes a long time.
Until then, he could continue living as the pitiful Serdin, begging for his family’s affection.
After all, they were the family he had abandoned.
At some point, Serdin’s red eyes, reflected in the mirror, were glowing brightly and unwaveringly on their own.
***
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed, filling the laboratory with smoke.
“Another explosion?”
Cough, hack.
“Even the smallest mistake leads to an explosion.”
Delight dusted off his clothes as he stepped out of the lab.
I wanted to go inside and take a look too, but Delight vehemently opposed it, saying it was too dangerous.
So, I had no choice but to wait in the room next door with Blueny.
Delight had just sat on the sofa across from us and taken a sip of water when—
“It seems impossible to analyze the components using only the counterfeit magic stone.”
Zaire reviewed the results of the past month’s experiments as he spoke.
“But we did achieve some progress. We have completed the analysis of the stabilizer provided by Her Majesty the Empress.”
“How was it?”
Blueny asked, filled with anticipation.
“There were toxic components. It appears the poison’s paralyzing effects suppress the berserk tendencies.”
“Then the poison…”
“The more the stabilizer is consumed, the more it accumulates in the body, ultimately causing it to deteriorate.”
In the end, it came down to two possibilities: either the body would immediately be overwhelmed by berserk energy, or it would later deteriorate due to poison accumulation.
“I had no idea…”
Blueny was shocked at the realization that she had almost given that stabilizer to Delight.
“Don’t worry. Even if I had consumed it, I’d have been fine.”
“Exactly! Dad wouldn’t collapse just from taking it once!”
“…Ollia.”
Delight looked at me with a hurt expression.
It was problematic that my true thoughts had slipped out without me realizing it.
When I made a face of regret, Delight glared at me and added:
“Your dad is incredibly strong and healthy, right?”
“Of course, that’s obvious!”
Phew. That was close.
Delight almost got sulky just now.
Thankfully, it ended well.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief, only to meet Blueny’s eyes.
“Hehe.”
Please pretend you didn’t see that. I winked at her as a request.
It had already been a month since Serdin left, and we began full-fledged exchanges with Ilnord.
During that time, we had been diligently researching the counterfeit magic stones.
Today’s experiment had to be stopped due to an explosion, so we had returned early.
“Not much progress again today.”
Though I hadn’t mentioned it to Delight, there was something that had been bothering me.
“Suppressing the berserk energy with poison…”
As expected, the stabilizer made by Ilnord had no consideration for the safety of the user.
Its sole purpose was to suppress the berserk energy.
‘Still, the fact that the deadly poison can suppress the berserk energy is something.’
A thought suddenly came to mind.
In the past, when black magic and holy power existed, the two abilities were opposites.
However, because of this, injuries caused by black magic could be healed with holy power.
Likewise, holy power could also be weakened by black magic.
‘Is such a counterbalance necessary?’
Since the counterfeit magic stone was artificially created, its compatibility was complex.
Black magic and holy power.
It wouldn’t be easy to find a perfect counterbalance like those.
“It’s definitely going to take a lot of time.”
Ten years. Maybe even more.
For some, that would feel like an unbearably long time.
For others, it might feel as short as ten nights.
I am neither of those.
To me, ten years is simply ten years.
If I keep repeating days like today, one day I’ll reach the end.
‘See you in ten years.’
The counterfeit magic stones you’ve created, and you who continue to make them, I’ll end them both.
***
When Serdin closed his book and looked out the window, it was already evening.
Just then, Hugo arrived with Serdin’s meal.
Ever since returning to Ilnord, Serdin always dined alone in his room.
However, instead of eating right away, Serdin looked at Hugo.
“Is something missing?”
Hugo asked, puzzled, as today’s meal was similar to usual.
Serdin finally spoke.
“Hugo. Let’s eat together.”
“With me?”
“Yes, I want to eat with you.”
“……..”
“We’re eating in my room anyway, so no one will see us.”
Serdin pushed the food in front of him toward the center of the table and looked at Hugo.
“…It would be an honor.”
Hugo spoke softly as he sat across from Serdin.
He picked up a spare fork and knife.
Only then did Serdin smile in satisfaction and begin eating.
“Let’s eat together every day from now on.”
Dining like this reminded him of the banquets he had attended with Violyana in Promian.
I was right to say it. Tonight’s dinner tasted especially delicious.
