“… My apologies. It seems you have gone through a lot of hardships.”
“Rawiya forgives you. Thanks to His Majesty’s acceptance of me and Kiran, we’re fine now. This happened while running away a long time ago.”
Rawiya deliberately showed her missing ear and giggled.
Then she playfully elbowed the one called Kiran.
“Rawiya wants Kiran to take off his hood. It’s fine to reveal his face in front of His Majesty the Emperor; it’s called ‘courtesy’.”
Is Kiran very young? Or is it due to a lack of basic education?
Rawiya appeared to be in her late twenties. But the way she insisted on saying her own name is something a five-year-old would do. There might be a reason for that, so Lacius calmly gazed at Kiran for the time being.
Kiran didn’t even greet them when he first entered.
Even if His Majesty liked people, he wouldn’t tolerate arrogance. There must be a reason for this as well.
“Tada, Rawiya calls this child Kiran. Originally, he didn’t have a name, so Rawiya gave him one.”
“… … !”
“Rawiya thinks Kiran is beautiful, even though Kiran doesn’t have a tongue!”
Giggle.
Rawiya held Kiran’s face with both hands, laughing sharply.
It’s a gruesome scene.
Kiran was much younger than Rawiya.
Gray hair and gray eyes.
A lifeless appearance, as if he were already dead.
He stood hunched over, his gaze fixed on the ground, almost motionless.
Visible needle marks lined his mouth.
‘They must have gone through hell.’
There was no need to explain further what they had been through before fleeing to Terran and applying for refugee status.
Lacius frowned and looked at the emperor.
“Are they receiving appropriate mental treatment?”
“Of course. But there is no improvement.”
“What exactly happened before they came to Terran?”
One of them went insane, while the other succumbed to depression and lost their sense of self.
Painting wizards are very rare, so when they applied for refugee status, the emperor hid the fact as a top secret.
Neither Lacius nor the Crown Prince could meet them
The only thing he knew was that the Painting Wizards lived right next to his majesty’s bedroom, receiving ironclad protection.
Not only knights but also wizards were called upon to keep watch for twenty-four hours.
Back then, he thought it was simply because the painting wizards’ existence held great value.
But now he realized that was not the case.
His Majesty seemed to want to give them rest.
“Are you curious about what happened to Rawiya and Kiran?”
“It’s fine. In exchange, Rawiya will only answer six questions.”
Rawiya extended her bandaged hand, revealing her spread fingers. Lacius hadn’t noticed it before, but Rawiya only had six fingers.
“Thank you. First, I’m curious about how you lived before coming to Terran.”
“Rawiya had a terrible life. She was born and raised in a dirty and terrible place. She’s locked up in a cage, and she paints, and paints, and paints, and paints, and paints.”
Madness gleamed in her widened eyes. At the same time, Kiran’s body trembled.
“And then Kiran was born. Rawiya couldn’t just leave Kiran alone. So she took the opportunity and ran away.”
“And you got caught.”
“That’s right. They are ruthless. They cut off young Kiran’s tongue and beat Rawiya. A lot. That’s why Rawiya’s hand hurts. Her throat hurts too.”
Many people coveted the painting wizards because of their rarity.
He knew that fact, but he didn’t expect to hear such testimony firsthand.
Did Shay’s experience differ from theirs?
‘Has Shay been chased too? Or, has Shay managed to stay safe?’
Questions lingered in his mind. He wanted to know about the past that Shay claimed she had lost.
That way, he could protect her faster than anyone else if she were to face a dangerous situation. He also wanted to know the limits of her power to give life to her paintings to prevent her from collapsing again. That’s the reason he came here.
Lacius closed his eyes and opened them.
“May I ask how and to what extent you can summon a painting?”
“Are you talking about Rawiya’s abilities?”
“That too, but I’m wondering if you experience any abnormal symptoms when you draw a painting and summon them?”
He had to be careful.
He must not give away the fact that he knew a painting wizard.
Otherwise, the Emperor would definitely interrogate him.
So Lacius phrased his question as if he were inquiring about what they could contribute to Terran and what precautions they needed to take.
“Hmm, I’m not sure if it’s considered an abnormal symptom… but Rawiya feels cold. Painting wizards, in general, feel cold. So we have to be in warm places.”
In an instant, Lacius’ eyes flashed.
Rawiya put her finger to her lips, tilted her head, and continued.
“If it gets too cold, it will be a big problem. If our bodies freeze, we die. That’s how Rawiya’s mother died.”
“… I’m sorry for your loss. Does getting too cold mean you used a lot of power?”
“The more elaborate the painting, the greater the power required. However, there are limitations to our power. Kiran has much more remaining power than Rawiya.”
Kiran nodded, as if agreeing. Rawiya continued.
“At first, Rawiya had ten powers. But now, they have decreased, and there are only three left. Kieran has eight.”
This, too, was a riddle-like, ambiguous statement. Power is not something that can be quantified and represented graphically. Perhaps it’s just a feeling. If that’s the case, it could be assumed that more power is drained when enlarging the conjured painting.
“In that case, you can’t use it recklessly.”
This wasn’t a question.
Lacius muttered to himself quietly. In response, Rawiya clapped her hands.
“That’s right! But Rawiya remembers. They told us to have many children so we wouldn’t run out of power quickly.”
Lacius understood how the organization that captured and tortured them was increasing their powers and how they were maintained.
They were undoubtedly cunning individuals.
After being silent for a moment, Lacius chose his words.
“Rawiya, have you ever conjured a large object then?”
“Rawiya was a ‘support.’ Rawiya was too weak to become a ‘solo.’ So we conjured things together.”
Support? Solo?
These were unfamiliar terms.
The emperor gave a detailed explanation from the side.
“It is said that painting wizards were divided into ‘solo’ and ‘support’ based on the magnitude of their powers. Supports need to come together in groups when they need to summon something great.”
However, Shay conjured pictures alone as much as she wanted. She could even create life alone.
In an instant, Lacius felt a chill run down his spine.
Shay, who had lost her past, had no way of knowing just how remarkable of a being she truly was.
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