Episode 137

Lucion von Terium, the man who would soon become emperor of this empire, was actually the reincarnation of Hertz, the king of monsters?

I was left completely speechless by the unbelievable truth.

But combining what Theodore and Askan had said, I couldn’t dismiss it so easily.

‘Come to think of it, every time I ran into him, I did feel something…off.’

“If he really is Hertz, then why has he been so quiet all this time?”

From what I heard, his ambition was to merge the demon realm and the human world into one.

[He’s probably biding his time. After all, he still doesn’t have his full strength back because of the seal I placed on him.]

Askan looked at me quietly as he spoke.

[Actually… it seems the reason you keep getting targeted is tied to all this too.]

“What do you mean?”

Was everything that happened to me somehow connected to this?

[Like I said, he’s trying to kill me.]

“Right. And to do that, he’d have to use the contractor…”

Mid-sentence, realization struck me, and I pointed to myself.

“So he’s been trying to kill Askan by using me?”

At my words, Askan gave a silent nod.

[This time, he won’t want to fail like he did with Sionna.]

“Then… if we had never formed a contract in the first place, you and I might have been safe.”

[Were you really safe before our contract?]

“…….”

I was at a loss for words.

‘…No, I wasn’t.’

After all, even before the contract, I had nearly died when I fell ill under that curse for two whole weeks.

[Even back then, he was targeting you to push me into making a contract. He figured if he put your life on the line, I’d have no choice but to intervene.]

Askan looked away from me, as if he couldn’t bear to meet my eyes.

[I just thought… if you were going to be hunted by him no matter what, it was better for me to protect you through a contract.]

“…….”

[I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I thought I’d explain it someday… but I was afraid you’d end up hating me.]

Seeing him say that with drooping eyes in his boyish form, my heart softened.

[…I couldn’t just sit back and watch Hertz toy with your life like that.]

Until now, I had never understood why I was constantly being targeted.

Why I had to suffer from an incurable illness from such a young age.
Why accidents happened around me endlessly, every single day.
Why I had to survive countless brushes with death.

Even now that I knew the reason, doubts still lingered.

But…

“You don’t have anything to apologize for. It’s Hertz — that bastard is the one at fault.”

If anything, Askan would’ve been safe if he hadn’t contracted with me.

“You chose to risk your life to protect me by making that contract, Askan.”

At my words, Askan’s eyes widened as he looked at me.

“So from now on, you’d better keep protecting me, Askan.”

When I said that with a smile, Askan hesitated for a moment, then replied with a voice that sounded like he was about to cry.

[Yeah. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll protect you. This time… I won’t lose again. I won’t regret it a second time.]

He buried his face in his hands, clearly thinking of my mother.

This curse that had started with my mother… no, it had been continuing since Tias Disel, hundreds of years ago.

And if I wanted to break free from it all, I had to be the one to end it.

Clenching my fists tightly, I steeled myself.

* * *

The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, I went to my father’s office.

“Father, it’s me, Sierra.”

I knocked on the huge double doors, which looked several times taller than I was, and heard my father’s voice from inside.

“Sierra? Come in.”

Opening the door, I stepped inside and found him already at work, papers scattered across his desk even this early in the morning.

“You’re up early today.”

“I woke up right away. Father… did you even sleep at all?”

Looking at his appearance, it was obvious he had stayed up all night.

Then, my eyes caught some documents on his desk—documents related to my mother.

“Father, those papers…”

“I’m looking into restoring Sionna’s lost name and status from when she was young.”

He said while tidying up the mess of documents.

“Sionna would sometimes mention it in passing. That she was curious about her real family. She didn’t have any memories of them, but she always felt a deep longing.”

“…….”

“I want to return her name, Isabella Chetwind, to her—even if it’s a bit late.”

“I’m sure she would be very happy.”

I smiled as I said that.

When had it started? This ability to talk so comfortably with Father about Mother.
It felt like a small, but significant change.

“But more than that, didn’t you come because you had something to say?”

“Oh, right.”

I looked straight at him and said,

“Father, I want to travel south tomorrow, along with Catherine and Harry.”

“To the south?”

“They’re family I only just met. Two days just wasn’t enough time with them.”

Harry and Catherine had wanted to stay longer at Drenihan, but they couldn’t leave the Chetwind estate unattended for too long.

So, they would be leaving Drenihan tomorrow and returning to the south, promising another meeting in the future.

The Aisil Lake, where I could meet Bergeus, wasn’t far from the Chetwind territory.
I planned to accompany the count and countess as a cover to arrange a meeting with Bergeus.

If I said I was traveling alone to the distant south, Father would never allow it.
He knew full well that I was still under threat from certain forces.

But if I went along with the Count and Countess of Chetwind—especially under the excuse of not wanting to part from newly found grandparents—his response would be different.

And just as I thought, Father seemed to mull it over before finally speaking.

“How long will you be staying in the south?”

“A week will be enough.”

“If that’s what you want, then go. But even if it’s a short trip, you must have proper escorts. Your grandfather has already been breathing down my neck about it.”

“Of course! I’m bringing the best knight in the empire with me, so you don’t need to worry.”

“The knight you brought from the capital, I assume.”

I nodded.

“And… I would appreciate it if you kept my trip to the south a secret.”

Since it involved negotiating with Bergeus, it would be best if neither the Crown Prince—no, Hertz—caught wind of it.

After the dark sorcerer incident, we couldn’t rule out the possibility of spies within the Drenihan estate.
Meeting Bergeus needed to be handled with utmost secrecy.

“There’s already a lot of gossip going around about me being chosen by the Holy Sword. People are saying I’m greedy, trying to claim not just Drenihan but now even the Chetwind title. I’m already called an ‘unworthy little duchess.’ I don’t want to pour more oil onto that fire.”

“I understand. And don’t worry about those fools spreading nonsense. They’ll be dealt with soon enough, so don’t trouble yourself over it.”

Father said with a chilling smile, as if to reassure me.

* * *

On my way out after seeing Father, I ran into Catherine in the corridor.

“Catherine, good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Thanks to your care, yes.”

Catherine smiled warmly as she replied.

“Catherine, you don’t need to be so formal with me anymore. I’m your granddaughter, after all.”

“Oh my, would you prefer that? Then… alright, Sierra.”

Catherine chuckled a little awkwardly, then suddenly pulled me into a hug.

“Catherine?”

She let out a soft laugh and said,

“I still can’t believe we’re really family. Having such a lovely granddaughter like you makes me the happiest woman in the world.”

Hearing her excited voice right next to my ear made me smile naturally as well.

“Oh, Catherine. I’ll be heading south with you tomorrow.”

“Really, Sierra?”

“Yes. Two days just felt too short. Would it be alright if I joined you?”

“Of course! The Chetwind estate is your second home now. Honestly, I was sad at the thought of parting so soon, so it makes me really happy that you’re coming with us.”

As Catherine spoke brightly, clearly delighted, I hid my guilty conscience behind a smile and nodded.

Aisil Lake, where Bergeus was, was protected by a barrier that ordinary people couldn’t easily pass through.

To reach it, I needed the authority tied to Chetwind’s name.