C996
"Para?"
The king of an unnamed country rolled his cloudy eyes to the left.
"I've never heard that name. Are they a race like elves?"
He shook his head, indicating that it was an unknown race.
"Your Majesty. Para is not a race."
The priest with a carefully trimmed white beard stepped forward.
"They are humans like us, but more sensitive to mana. That’s why they are called Para."
He lowered his gaze as he explained that the Para were mana-sensitive humans.
"The High Priest is right. I have treated Para before, and they were ordinary humans, no different from us."
The healer also nodded, confirming that Para were not a different race.
"I see."
The king seemed to understand and turned his gaze back to the Sage who was wearing The Fallen’s face.
"But why have you mentioned this Para name?"
He lowered his white eyebrows, seemingly not understanding the reason.
"Before I explain that, there is a correction I must make."
The Sage raised his long, slender finger. Even his fingers resembled the current Fallen.
"The Para are not human, but a race completely different from ours."
He shook his head, contradicting the priest and healer’s opinions.
"What?"
"No, how can that be...?"
The priest and healer swallowed, looking at the Sage who seemed to be dismissing their opinions.
"While the Para’s bodies are no different from humans, their mana flow is clearly distinct from ours. The cross-shaped mana holes in their eyes create an alien frequency. It is more similar to elves or trolls than humans."
The Fallen lowered his finger as he explained that the Para were fundamentally different from humans.
"Hmm..."
"Mana flow..."
The priest and healer scratched their cheeks and ears, seemingly unable to refute The Fallen’s words, as they didn’t know that aspect.
"It doesn’t matter if they are human or of another race. Why have you mentioned these Para?!"
The king frowned, seeming impatient. Even at this moment, his hair and eyebrows were falling out one by one.
"Because the Para are the answer to stopping Your Majesty’s aging."
The Sage smiled faintly as he said that the Para could cure the king’s illness.
"Is, is that true?"
The king approached the Sage, his chin trembling.
"Tell me! What must be done!"
He clasped his hands, saying he would do anything if he could cure his aging.
"Since this is information that no one else knows yet..."
The Sage looked around cautiously.
"Everyone, leave!"
The king, understanding the Sage’s implication, shouted for everyone to leave the room as he gestured with his hand.
"Hmm, understood."
The priest and healers left the audience chamber with sour expressions, licking their lips.
"You too, leave!"
The king stomped his foot, telling the guard knights standing like statues in front of the pillars to leave as well.
"Your Majesty. We must remain in case of any unforeseen circumstances..."
"Enough, leave! Do you think the Sage looks like someone who would harm me?!"
He cut off the guard captain’s words and scowled, insisting that they leave.
"...Understood."
The guard captain slightly bit his lip and led the knights out the door. Judging by his wrinkled expression, this wasn’t the first time this had happened.
"Now tell me."
After confirming that everyone had left, the king tightly grasped the Sage’s hand.
"The way to cure my illness!"
He bit his lip, saying he would do anything.
"The blood of the Para race I mentioned before..."
The Sage nodded calmly as he looked at the king’s hand.
"It will become the elixir to cure Your Majesty."
"What...?"
The king released the Sage’s hand that he had been holding.
"Blood, do you mean we have to kill them?"
He opened his eyes as if he hadn’t even considered that possibility.
"That’s right."
The Sage didn’t lose his smile even while talking about killing humans.
"Currently, Your Majesty’s mana flows in the opposite direction of natural mana. Your body can’t handle the stress, so you are aging rapidly."
He shook his head, saying it was an abnormal illness that couldn’t be cured with human medicine or treatment.
"But as I mentioned before, the Para have a different mana flow than humans. What makes this possible are the mana holes in their eyes and their hearts."
The Sage raised his finger to point at his own eyes and heart.
"In the past, the Para tribe built a kingdom called Sirken and enjoyed prosperity, but now they have fallen and only a small number remain. Even so, there should be enough to cure Your Majesty’s illness."
He smiled gently, saying that fortunately the treatment was possible.
"Eyes and heart..."
The king swallowed as he looked at the Sage’s eyes that were shining gently.
"Do you mean we have to kill these Para?"
"That’s right. No, it’s the only way."
The Sage nodded, saying that killing the Para was the only way for the king to survive.
"But killing people is human sacrifice, right?!"
The king bit his lip, seemingly not having considered taking the lives of others to save his own.
"As I said at the beginning, the Para are not human."
The Sage gestured with his hand as if telling him not to worry.
"But..."
"How do you feel when orcs, trolls, or elves die, Your Majesty?"
He cut off the king’s words and mentioned the names of the monsters.
"Well, I don’t feel much of anything."
The king lowered his eyebrows, saying he wouldn’t feel anything.
"Then how do you feel when you pluck the medicinal herbs that grow from the ground?"
"That would feel even less significant."
"It’s the same."
The Sage smiled gently, saying that was all.
"The Para may look like humans, but they are not. You don’t need to feel anything about their deaths, like plucking plants."
He shrugged, saying it was a simple matter.
"Your Majesty doesn’t have much time left. Are you going to abandon all this wealth and glory and leave? For the sake of simple monsters?"
The Sage pointed to the vast expanse of the kingdom visible through the window and tilted his chin.
"Hmm..."
The wrinkled fingertips of the king trembled as he examined the prosperous kingdom following the Sage’s finger.
"You don’t need to feel tormented. It’s no different from ordering the extermination of monsters."
The Sage knelt down and took the king’s hand.
"Leave it all to my hands. If you grant me the authority to mobilize the knights, I will take care of everything and create the elixir for you."
He bowed his head, asking for the authority to command the knights.
"The knights?"
The king narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Sage.
"Yes."
The Sage nodded calmly, as if making a reasonable request.
"As befits a mana-sensitive people, all Para can use magic, from young children to elderly people on the verge of death. We need strong warriors to capture them."
He smiled faintly, saying they needed to use the knights to capture the Para tribe.
"Is, is that all that’s needed?"
The king opened his trembling lips, as if he were hypnotized by the Sage’s words.
"There is one more thing. We need some time to prepare techniques to interfere with their magic."
The Sage looked up, saying that once those preparations were complete, they could capture all the Para with minimal casualties. His golden eyes began to shine ominously.
"Haah..."
The king swallowed after meeting the Sage’s gaze. He placed his wrinkled hand on the window, facing the panoramic view of the kingdom.
"Are you sure?"
He lowered his voice deeply, as if he had made a decision.
"Of course. Only my hands and those of the knights will be stained with blood, so don’t worry."
The Sage bowed, telling him to trust him.
"Very well. If we’re going to do this, do it thoroughly."
The king nodded, telling him to capture the entire Para race.
"Certainly."
The Sage said he would do as instructed and stepped back. He left the audience chamber without showing his back.
"..."
Raon bit his lips as he watched the Sage’s sinister golden eyes visible through the door.
'Somehow I feel like I can see what’s going to happen next.'
It pained him to see the word "tragedy" descending upon that kind village.
-This king feels the same.
Wrath also seemed to feel the same, exhaling a cloudy breath.
'Son of a bitch.'
Raon frowned as he looked at the aging king.
'A cowardly con man who doesn’t have the courage to get his hands dirty sits on the throne.'
The king rejected the responsibility of the massacre by saying he would leave it to the Sage. Seeing the epitome of human ugliness made anger build up inside him.
'I want to kill him right now.'
Just as Raon was expressing intense anger towards the king, a piercing sound was heard. Time stopped again, and a blue dimensional gate opened before his eyes.
"I don’t know what you want to show me, but..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the shining dimensional gate.
"I will do anything to save that kid."
Without hesitation, he immediately entered the dimensional gate.
* * *
As he opened his eyes again, he saw a large cave dug into the mountainside.
"..."
Merlin was crouching by the entrance of the cave with her head bowed.
'This is...'
Raon looked around. Judging by the location, it seemed to be the mountain next to the village.
"Sigh..."
As Merlin sighed deeply with her head bowed, a crunching sound came from inside the cave.
'Could it be a bear?'
As he tensed thinking it might be a bear or a monster, what emerged from the cave was a knight in silver armor and blue hair. He looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
"Princess. Are you crying again?"
The blue-haired man approached Merlin’s side, bowing at the waist.
'Princess? Ah!'
Lokta Deport! Raon gaped as he realized that the blue-haired knight was the Dragonian Lokta Deport he had absorbed while wearing Eden’s helmet.
"I’m not crying. And don’t call me princess..."
Merlin shook her head without raising her face.
"But you are crying. And how else could I address the princess?"
Lokta knelt down, saying he could see everything clearly.
"How can I be a princess..."
Merlin sobbed, insisting that she was definitely not a princess.
"You are the daughter of Queen Cela, so of course you are a princess."
Lokta continued to call Merlin princess.
'On purpose...'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Lokta and Merlin.
'He called Merlin princess in the mental world too.'
When they met in the mental world, Lokta had also called Merlin princess and said he was sorry he couldn’t protect her.
"Queen Cela is the queen of Sirken, and ... is her daughter, so of course she must be a princess." (E/N: ... is probably the name of 'Merlin')
"But our village isn’t that Sirken kingdom..."
Merlin shook her head, saying that the Sirken kingdom didn’t exist.
"The legacy of Sirken continues in this village. It’s small, but a place that no one can touch."
Lokta grasped the sword he was wearing on his waist, saying that the village where Merlin lived was the embodiment of Sirken.
"Especially with Queen Cela and Princess ... here!"
He nodded confidently as he uttered the queen and princess’s names.
'Wait. ...princess?'
Raon massaged his temple as he looked at Lokta.
'Did you hear her name?'
-No, I didn’t.
Wrath also shook his head, saying he had only heard "princess."
'I see it’s not audible.'
Just like when he was talking to Cela, and now with Lokta, whenever Merlin’s real name was about to be uttered, there was a crunching sound that made it inaudible.
"But I’m not Cela’s biological daughter."
Merlin bit her lip, saying he knew that.
"Whether she was born directly or raised by her hand, that doesn’t matter. Queen Cela considers her her daughter."
Lokta nodded, saying that was all that mattered.
"..."
Merlin remained silent for a moment before slightly raising her head.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Lokta smiled gently for the first time.
"Queen Cela is waiting for you to call her Mom."
He gestured slightly, telling her to try it today.
"But it won’t come out of my mouth."
Merlin sighed, saying her tongue felt stiff.
"Besides, I don’t have crosses in my eyes and I can’t use magic..."
She shook her head as if she were ashamed.
"Those things aren’t important to parents."
Lokta smiled faintly.
"Our circumstances are a bit… no, very different, but in any case, it’s not important."
He lowered his chin, saying that Cela wouldn’t care about those things at all.
"Hmm..."
Merlin slightly straightened her back, seeming to feel better.
"But where are you going, Uncle?"
She blinked, looking at Lokta who was carrying luggage on his back.
"I’ve been feeling a bit stiff staying here, so I’m going to go out and train a bit. I’ve already received permission from Her Majesty the Queen."
Lokta nodded, saying he would leave his residence for a while.
"Ah..."
Merlin’s chin trembled at Lokta’s words about leaving.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be back in a month."
Lokta laughed, saying he was just going to sharpen his combat senses.
"No, it’s, it’s okay. Have a safe trip."
Merlin nodded weakly, hiding her disappointment.
"Yes. I’ll be back. And..."
Lokta greeted Merlin after completely exiting the cave.
"Princess, you just need to be honest."
He smiled brightly, saying that everything would be fine if she did that.
"Well then."
Lokta left those final words and slowly descended the mountain.
"..."
Merlin only got up after Lokta had completely disappeared. She clenched her fists as if making a decision and returned to the village.
"Haah..."
Merlin slowly caught her breath and opened the door to enter the house.
"I told you not to stay out so late!"
Cela put her hands on her hips as if she were angry.
"Ugh..."
Merlin looked at Cela as she bit her lips, seemingly remembering Lokta’s words. However, she pressed her tongue as soon as she saw the blue crosses in Cela’s eyes.
"...I’m sorry."
Merlin bowed her head and fled to her room.
"Honestly."
Cela frowned and then went back into the study.
"..."
Raon let out a long sigh as he watched Merlin, drained of her usual energy.
'She’s completely different from the Merlin of the present.'
He felt an ominous feeling rise in his chest as he seemed to understand why the same Merlin had such a different personality.
"Haah..."
Raon let out a long sigh as he looked up at the ceiling with a speck of dust on it.
* * *
"Nngh..."
Merlin let out a groan of pain as she sat in front of Lokta’s cave.
"It didn’t work again."
She bit her lip, saying she had failed at magic again today.
"Why only me?"
Merlin shook her head vigorously, saying she understood the theory and could feel mana better than anyone, but for some reason she couldn’t complete the magic.
"..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the flame extinguish hopelessly on Merlin’s fingertips.
'As he said, there’s nothing wrong with the flow of magic.'
The Merlin of here possessed mana of no lesser purity than her current self, but she always failed and couldn’t succeed even in a small spell.
'What’s the reason?'
-Confidence.
Wrath frowned as he looked at Merlin.
'Confidence?'
-That’s right. That girl lacks confidence to the point you wouldn’t think she’s the crazy woman from reality.
He snorted, saying that was the reason.
'Is confidence that important?'
-Magic and sorcery require mental strength even more than martial arts. How one views themselves determines the flow.
Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that Merlin’s shattered confidence was suppressing the flow of magic.
-Originally, this young crazy woman could have wielded magic stronger than the adults here.
He nodded, saying he was sure.
-However, there’s something strange…
'Something strange?'
-The talent of the crazy woman here seems better than the current crazy woman.
'What do you mean?'
Raon narrowed his eyes at Wrath. He couldn’t understand how the same person could have better talent here.
-This king doesn’t know the theory well enough to explain it accurately either. But the power that is felt from this young crazy woman’s soul is different from the present.
Wrath scratched his head, saying he couldn’t explain it exactly either.
'...Is there something wrong with her soul?'
Merlin’s appearance here and in the present was the same, but there were differences like the cross in her eyes and her assertiveness, so it seemed like it couldn’t be explained for now.
'I don’t know.'
After observing Merlin for about two weeks since he entered this mental world, she was just a normal girl with a lot of shyness.
She liked Cela, but she didn’t have the courage to call her Mom, and even though she said she wasn’t trying very hard, she practiced magic all day in secret.
'She’s so different from the Merlin of now...'
Just as Raon was shaking his head, feeling the disparity with the masked Merlin called crazy, there was a roar. A massive crashing sound echoed as if something huge had fallen, and crimson flames began to rise from several parts of the village.
"Huh...?"
Merlin’s chin trembled as she saw the black smoke rising from the village.
"W-what’s happening?"
She swallowed and got up, running towards the village.
-It has begun.
Wrath let out a short sigh.
'Yes.' Raon sighed as he watched Merlin's back trembling anxiously. 'Being powerless is truly frustrating.' It was incredibly frustrating to be able to predict what would happen but be unable to do anything. It felt like he was back to the time when Derus had him on a leash.
'But I have to go.' Raon closed his eyes and opened them again as he ran after Merlin towards the village. 'To see the end of this world...'
-
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