IFLDMHF | Chapter 125

Episode 125

— They say I have divine power. And a lot of it. So, I ended up joining the temple.

— …Really?

— Yes! So, I want to repay the favor. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.

— Help, huh.

“Help, huh.”

It wasn’t just the appearance that overlapped.

Evgenia smiled faintly at Damien, who had momentarily held his breath.

“Not right now. If there’s ever a time when I need a favor, I’ll let you know. I hope you won’t refuse then.”

— Not right now. But if that day ever comes, I hope you won’t refuse.

The physique was different, and so was the voice.

Not to mention, that person had spoken in a tone so detached that it bordered on cynical.

“Please remember your promise to help with anything.”

Evgenia’s insistence on ensuring he would keep his word was starkly different.

In any case, Evgenia in the past had never been like this.

Cold and rigid, leaving no room for gaps—if anything, she was…

“…!”

The moment Damien felt an inexplicable sense of dissonance, his mind went blank.

“Anne?”

Evgenia spotted Anne deep in conversation with Gressel in the main lobby.

Anne, who had instinctively brightened upon seeing Evgenia, widened her eyes in shock upon noticing Damien standing beside her.

Then, as if she had seen a ghost, she hastily grabbed Gressel and disappeared elsewhere.

“…?”

Why is Anne acting like that? Even when the butler mentioned that the High Priest was at the ducal residence, she had quietly left the scene.

Unlike the puzzled Evgenia, Damien kept his eyes fixed on Anne from start to finish.

In his eyes, filled with confusion, a bolt of realization struck.

Meanwhile.

“So… the reason you were so desperate to find me wasn’t because you were sick, but because you think your condition has improved?”

The Tower Master, meeting Euclid after a long time, couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

During his absence, there were numerous records of Euclid trying to contact him—more times than in the past three years combined.

On top of that, he had even heard that Duke Rudion had sent a distress signal.

Fortunately, the Tower Master had always instructed his mages that any request for help from the Duke of Rudion should take top priority.

Thanks to that, even in his absence, the Tower had dispatched mages to the ducal territory immediately to assist with rescue efforts.

The fact that Euclid had been in an accident was somewhat surprising, but on second thought, not entirely unexpected.

‘It must have been the Duchess’s doing.’

Given Euclid’s personality, the only thing that could put him in danger was her.

In any case, with so many accumulated calls and the butler mentioning that Euclid was in his bedroom instead of his office at this hour, the Tower Master naturally assumed he had been gravely injured.

Of course, seeing the High Priest at the ducal residence, he had thought, ‘Ah, Evgenia must be looking after Euclid’s health,’ and felt relieved.

But then—

‘He says he feels better.’

“I used magic while you were away, Tower Master. And I experienced no symptoms.”

Euclid explained concisely.

In reality, though, he had used more than just a couple of spells when saving Evgenia.

He had cast teleportation magic to ensure he wouldn’t lose sight of her and surrounded her body with protective spells.

That wasn’t all. He had placed defensive magic around them to prevent further collapses of earth and stone and continuously cast purification magic to keep the air from becoming scarce or contaminated.

All the while, he had persistently sent distress signals to the Tower. It was, without a doubt, the day Euclid had used the most magic in his entire life.

Though he hadn’t cast any protection spells on himself and ended up injured, he had suffered no adverse effects from using magic.

That only reinforced his certainty.

His condition might have improved.

“Also, I had no aftereffects from using magic last time. So, I’d like you to check.”

Euclid made his request politely.

His voice was calm as usual, but he couldn’t entirely hide the hope in his expression.

It had been so long since the Tower Master had seen him this eager.

Even when Euclid was first told about his condition as a child, his face had been full of resignation rather than expectation.

Unconsciously, the Tower Master let out a sigh, running a rough hand through his hair.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

He hadn’t anticipated this, but he understood the situation.

Just looking at the improved weather in the North made things clear.

Could he really say, “Your condition hasn’t improved,” without even checking, when Euclid was so filled with hope?

But pretending not to know the answer would be deception.

“……”

Noticing the deep crease in the Tower Master’s brow, Euclid swallowed dryly, a foreboding sense of unease creeping in.

“Was I… mistaken?”

“……”

“Even so, shouldn’t we at least check?”

At Euclid’s trembling voice, the Tower Master finally nodded.

“Fine. It’s not difficult. Let’s check.”

The Tower Master, speaking decisively, immediately reached out toward Euclid.

A black mist seeped from his hand, circling around Euclid’s heart before dissipating.

Suppressing his tension, Euclid asked, “How is it?”

“…What do you think happens when something with a will finally believes it has obtained what it longed for, only to realize it was all an illusion?”

“There you go again. Stop speaking in riddles and explain it clearly.”

Euclid frowned.

The Tower Master had a bad habit of making cryptic remarks only he understood.

It had always been annoying, but in his current state of heightened nerves, it was even more aggravating.

Seeing that he had no intention of upsetting Euclid, the Tower Master gave a bitter smile.

Even though Euclid would never admit it, everything the Tower Master said had always been a precise warning within the limits of what he was allowed to reveal.

“Fine. I’ll put it simply. You said you experienced no symptoms, right? That’s just temporary.”

“What do you mean…?”

“To put it bluntly, it’s the calm before the storm.”

Even as he watched Euclid freeze, the Tower Master continued his merciless declaration.

“Soon, you’ll experience pain worse than ever before. That means your heart is reaching its limit.”

Euclid clenched his eyes shut.

His ears buzzed.

“…Is there no chance that your diagnosis is wrong?”

Slowly opening his eyes, Euclid asked, still clinging to hope.

The Tower Master shook his head.

In Euclid’s golden eyes, which had been shining with hope, a deep self-loathing now took root.

But there was nothing the Tower Master could do except watch.

“I see…”

Forcing the words out, Euclid turned his head, trying to hide his devastated expression.

Even though he knew it had already been seen, he didn’t want to show his disappointment.

Yet despair greater than ever raged inside him.

A lifetime of suppressing his feelings and resigning himself to fate had crumbled in an instant.

If he had never met Evgenia, he wouldn’t be suffering this much now.

Would it have been better not to know these emotions at all…?

“It’s time for you to make a decision.”

Watching Euclid clench his fists until his knuckles turned white, the Tower Master spoke flatly.

“I told you before. There’s only one way for you to survive.”

But even as he said it, he didn’t expect much.

After all, Euclid was someone who hated conflict and sought peace by nature.

Euclid had been ill for so long that a subtle sense of defeatism had seeped into his very being. Despite this, he cared deeply for those around him—so much so that he had once resolved to quietly die rather than burden others with the consequences of his actions.

‘Of course, when someone like that loses control, they truly go mad.’

Even now, the response to his words was all too predictable.

‘That matter was already settled long ago.’

However—

“…….”

Euclid pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

The Tower Master, who had been prepared to give his usual lecture about considering what was truly best for him and his nephews, was momentarily taken aback.

‘Is he hesitating? Thinking it over?’

Until now, Euclid had never so much as pretended to listen to his advice.

There could only be one reason for this reaction.

‘He’s fallen in love.’

The person in question was obvious.

Clicking his tongue in exasperation, the Tower Master shook his head.

A fragment of a very old memory surfaced.

—Your love will ruin you.

That belief hadn’t changed.

But…

Would it truly be the same this time?

The Tower Master gazed at the silent Euclid with a peculiar expression.