In truth, Delight had received a letter about Serdin.
It was from the Empress of Ilnord.
The letter contained information stating that Serdin was deliberately approaching the princess with the intent to harm her.
At first, Delight was unsure of the Empress’s true intentions in sending the letter and had doubts.
But now, ignoring it was no longer an option.
“You must have known that counterfeit mana stones cause a rampage.”
“No! That’s not true!”
Serdin shouted desperately.
“Then what is this?”
They had already searched Serdin’s room.
And there, they found a transparent potion.
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why should I believe you?”
“…….….”
“If something happens to Ollia because I trusted you, no matter how many times I kill you, it wouldn’t be enough.”
The weight of Delight’s presence pressed heavily on Serdin.
Serdin’s lips trembled.
“I swear, it’s not true. I would never harm Ollia.”
The first thought that crossed Serdin’s mind in response to Delight’s suspicion was.
‘Ollia… she was the first person to truly treat me with kindness.’
Betraying the one who had first extended a hand to him was unthinkable.
However, he knew that such words would never convince Delight.
Serdin struggled to remain calm.
He had to prove his innocence, no matter what.
But before that—
There was something even more urgent and important.
Serdin’s eyes sharpened, and he quickly turned to Ollia.
“Ollia, are you okay?”
“Me?”
Serdin hurriedly checked her condition and spoke.
“You drank the tea Heiron gave you yesterday, didn’t you?”
“I ran into him at the garden.”
“He gave you a concoction made using a counterfeit mana stone.”
Serdin pulled out the antidote he had kept with him.
“That substance causes the side effect of mana rampage.”
“What do you mean?”
Delight’s voice became dangerously cold.
“If a mage consumes it, their mana spirals out of control. But if an ordinary person drinks it… their mind deteriorates, they go mad, and ultimately…”
“……….”
“They won’t be able to endure it and will die.”
“Are you saying Ollia drank that?”
Delight looked as if he was about to strangle Serdin at any moment.
But Serdin remained unfazed despite the threat in Delight’s voice.
“If she drinks this, she’ll be fine. Quickly, take this…”
Serdin hurriedly handed the vial to Ollia.
“You need to be treated immediately.”
“Zaire, summon the mages who were researching counterfeit mana stones. Bring the physician as well.”
Delight gave sharp and urgent orders as he assessed Ollia’s condition.
The tension was evident on both of their faces.
I observed them for a moment before speaking.
In truth—
“I didn’t drink it.”
I had accepted the teacup Hayron handed me when we met in the garden.
However, I didn’t take even a sip of what he gave me. Even if it was harmless tea, I had no desire to drink it.
“Really?”
Serdin’s face froze for a moment, his mouth slightly agape.
“But Hayron said you drank it…”
“That was a lie. He kept insisting I drink it, but I didn’t.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“Yes!”
“…Thank goodness.”
Serdin let out a sigh of relief, his body visibly relaxing.
‘So, this conflict between Hayron and Serdin happened because of that potion.’
And Derek got caught up in it as well.
I was beginning to understand what had happened.
“So, you really were trying to protect Ollia?”
Delight seemed to be piecing together what had occurred between Serdin and Hayron.
His voice, which had been filled with suspicion, had softened considerably.
“I would never harm her.”
Serdin spoke calmly and firmly.
“Ilnord has been conducting various experiments with counterfeit mana stones. One of them was the potion they tried to make Ollia drink.”
Upon realizing the depth of Ilnord’s schemes, Delight clenched his fists so tightly that his veins bulged.
He was barely containing his fury.
“I know very well that what they are doing is unforgivable.”
Serdin continued to speak in a composed manner.
“I also know that obeying the Emperor of Ilnord would only mean being used as a tool.”
“…….….”
“I refuse to be a pawn in such matters.”
This was why Serdin couldn’t follow the Emperor’s orders.
Delight stared at him in silence before turning his head away.
It was his way of showing that he no longer intended to accuse or pressure Serdin.
Just when it seemed like the situation was settling—
Hiel returned in a hurry, his face pale.
“Hiel?”
Zaire was the first to notice him and spoke up.
“Hiel, you’re finally back? You were gone for so long, I thought you wouldn’t return until the national founding anniversary was over.”
“Where is Luciel?”
Hiel was alone. There was no one with him.
“Have you not been able to contact Luciel? Or did he refuse to come?”
“…No. He couldn’t come.”
Hiel’s voice was filled with despair as he explained what had happened.
He and Luciel had a way to communicate.
However, no matter how many times he tried, Luciel never responded.
He couldn’t even determine where Luciel was.
“At first, I thought he was just somewhere far away, but then things started to seem strange.”
So, Hiel decided to search for Luciel himself.
That’s when he discovered that Luciel’s trail had vanished six months ago.
“It looks like Luciel has been imprisoned in the Ilnord Imperial Palace.”
“…What?”
Delight repeated the question briefly.
Everyone’s reaction was disbelief.
Only Hiel remained serious.
Seeing his expression, the gravity of the situation gradually sank in.
“Is this true?”
“I’m almost certain.”
“?!”
The word ‘almost’ was used because he hadn’t been able to enter the Ilnord Imperial Palace to confirm it directly.
“It must be a misunderstanding. Do you really think Luciel is someone who can be forcibly imprisoned?”
Delight refused to believe it.
And, to be fair, that was the natural reaction.
“………..”
But I couldn’t dismiss it so easily.
Sometimes, what seems impossible can actually happen.
Something must have changed the equation.
‘Could it be because of that contract?’
Luciel’s existence transcends the world.
Nature does not grant such beings complete freedom.
To continue existing, Luciel had to form a contract—or engrave a seal onto himself.
And the one he made the contract with was the founding emperor of Ilnord.
From that point on, Luciel’s contract was maintained through the bloodline of Ilnord’s emperors.
This contract allowed Luciel to retain his power as a dragon.
However, it also meant he could not harm Ilnord.
Originally, Luciel had chosen his first contract partner himself.
Naturally, he had made the contract because he had taken a liking to that person.
But once the contractor died and the contract was passed down through their descendants, everything changed.
The descendants repeatedly disappointed Luciel.
Eventually, he no longer wanted to have anything to do with Ilnord.
However, because of the contract, he couldn’t sever ties at his own will.
That contract became a shackle.
Over time, as generations passed, the contract holder’s bloodline weakened.
With that, Luciel’s freedom gradually increased.
As long as he did nothing to harm Ilnord, the contract remained in place.
From that point on, Luciel stopped staying near Ilnord and wandered the world instead.
Even when Ilnord summoned him, he ignored their calls.
As the years went by, the legitimacy of the Ilnord royal family also diminished.
The current emperor’s eyes only retained a faint trace of red, signifying how weak the bloodline had become.
As a result, the contract’s power had also weakened.
Naturally, this meant the contract holder had almost no influence over Luciel anymore.
‘Then they shouldn’t have been able to detain Luciel using the contract alone.’
Could there be another restriction within that contract?
If that’s the case, then it’s a little more understandable why he is trapped in Ilnord.
‘If that’s true, then Luciel might not be able to escape on his own.’
Someone had to go and rescue him.
Just as that thought solidified in my mind, Hiel spoke again.
“This is as far as I can go. There’s no way to find out more.”
Luciel was imprisoned in the Ilnord Imperial Palace.
Hiel had reached a dead end there as well.
“In order to pinpoint Luciel’s exact location and rescue him, we have to enter the Ilnord Imperial Palace directly. Right now, there’s no other way.”
“The Ilnord Imperial Palace, huh…”
Delight murmured thoughtfully.
If we wanted to retrieve Luciel, we would have to be prepared to suffer some losses.
That meant Delight would need to make a decision.
But Delight had always disliked Luciel.
The fact that he had invited Luciel in the first place had been surprising enough.
It was hard to imagine him going out of his way to deal with something so complex and dangerous for Luciel’s sake.
In the worst case, I would have to act on my own.
Leaving Luciel trapped wasn’t an option.
Hiel and I exchanged glances, both silently reaching the same conclusion.
Then, as everyone waited, Delight finally spoke, his voice slow and deliberate.
“I will go to Ilnord myself.”
A completely unexpected decision.
“I invited him as a guest, and if something happened to him, it’s my responsibility to ensure his safety.”
“Your Majesty, then…”
“I will go and find Luciel and rescue him.”
Delight’s words left no room for argument.
He had made his decision.
