C999
"Mom...."
Evelyn called out to Cela in a deflated voice like a child’s, due to the blood flowing down her throat.
“Yes, my daughter.”
Cela smiled gently as if only that made her happy. However, unlike her smile, her complexion was darkening rapidly. A final burst of energy before death. Death had crept up behind her.
“Evelyn.”
After wiping the blood from her hands with her sleeve, Cela stroked Evelyn’s purple hair.
“You probably don’t remember, but when you first used magic, you hurt a child next to you. The impact of that remained in your mind, the reason why you couldn’t use magic.”
She smiled faintly, saying it was because of her kind heart that she couldn’t use magic.
“Even if you can’t use magic, you are still a Para, and my daughter.”
Cela hugged Evelyn with trembling hands.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I was too….”
Evelyn closed her eyes, blaming herself as if all of this was her fault.
“You haven’t done anything wrong. But….”
Cela shook her head and then raised a finger.
“If you want to marry a good man, you’ll need to be more proactive.”
She pinched Evelyn’s cheek with her finger as if she were joking.
“M-Marriage…?”
“I have one last request. Forget today. I want you to leave this place, marry a man who loves you, have children, and live a normal and happy life.”
Cela asked her to do what she couldn’t, kissing Evelyn’s forehead.
“M-Mom! Together… Ah.”
She hit Evelyn’s nape as she raised her head, rendering her unconscious.
"......."
Cela lovingly looked at the sleeping Evelyn before turning her back.
“Lokta.”
She carefully handed Evelyn to Lokta and nodded.
“Please, take care of Evelyn.”
Cela stepped back after asking Lokta to take care of Evelyn.
“Your Majesty….”
Lokta bit his trembling lips as he saw death reflected in Cela’s eyes.
“It was an honor to serve you.”
He ran west while carrying Evelyn. The sound of his footsteps echoed as Lokta charged directly forward, unfazed by the numerous knights blocking his path. With a roar, Lokta removed his armor and leaped, his body glowing with blue light as the form of a massive dragon emerged.
In his true form, Lokta flew north with Evelyn in his arms, breaking through the knights’ encirclement.
“Stop them!”
“Fire sword auras and astral energy!”
“Cut off his wings!”
The high-ranking knights shot sword auras and astral energy to stop Lokta.
“Not so fast!”
Even while coughing up blood, Cela erected a wall of mana to block all the cuts that threatened her daughter. With a tremendous gust of wind, Cela repelled the knights as she watched Lokta fly away with a weary smile.
‘Be happy.’
As she said goodbye to Evelyn for the last time, a grotesque sound of bones and flesh reconnecting came from behind her. The Sage, whose face Cela had shattered with a lightning-infused fist, slowly got up. As if time were rewinding, his body and face began to restore to their original form.
“So it was you.”
The Sage nodded calmly as he touched his fully restored face.
“I thought the mana flow was strange. Now I understand.”
He smiled faintly as if everything now made sense.
“You….”
Cela swallowed as she looked at the Sage.
“What the hell are you?”
The man called Sage was clearly dead. She had shattered his face to the point that even a troll with good regeneration couldn’t have survived. But this man had recovered his crushed flesh and bones, returning to his original form. Despite knowing numerous spells and magic, she had never seen anything like this before.
“I’m just an ordinary person who wants to change the past.”
The Sage shrugged as if that was all.
“Of course, right now, the only thing I want is to save our poor king….”
He licked his lips as he looked at the sky where Evelyn had disappeared.
“Never….”
Cela raised her heavy arms and clasped her hands.
“You will never have that girl!”
She forcefully condensed the mana escaping her hands, creating a brilliant light.
“I suppose it’s right to indulge your final struggle.”
The Sage smiled and raised a finger. A massive explosion occurred when Cela’s and the Sage’s magic collided head-on, spreading to the center of the royal capital.
“You won’t escape!”
Cela survived the explosive vortex and became an absolute wall that blocked the Sage and the knights for over 10 minutes.
But finally, due to the effects of her wounds, her breathing ceased, and she sank to the cold ground without even closing her eyes.
“As you wished, I may not be able to find that girl. However….”
The Sage clicked his tongue briefly as he looked at Cela’s eyes, which still held determination even after her last breath.
“Your daughter will come to me on her own.”
He nodded with certainty and cracked a cold smile.
* * *
It took Evelyn a week of crying, rage, lamenting, and anger before she finally came to her senses.
“Revenge….”
Evelyn untied the bandage around her neck and clenched her fist.
“I will have my revenge.”
She vowed to kill not only the so-called Sage, but also the King of Lothair who ordered all of this, the knights, and even the citizens who had thrown stones at her people.
“Princess.”
Lokta knelt down to meet Evelyn’s gaze.
“The path of revenge is too treacherous. Whether you succeed or fail, only hell awaits you afterwards.”
He shook his head as if he couldn’t agree, although he understood Evelyn’s feelings.
“Don’t you remember the Queen’s last request?”
Lokta sighed as he mentioned Cela’s name.
“Haven’t you forgotten her wish for you to forget that day and live happily, marrying a good person, right?”
He tilted his head, begging her to listen to Cela’s last words.
“I know. I remember everything.”
Evelyn nodded, saying she remembered all of Cela’s words and her last breath.
“But I can’t. I can’t just bury Mom in my heart and continue living like this.”
She set her eyes firmly, saying she absolutely couldn’t stand it.
“If you don’t help me, Uncle, I’ll do it alone.”
Evelyn gritted her teeth, saying she would take revenge on the Lothair Kingdom even if she had to do it alone.
“Haaa….”
Lokta let out a long sigh and put his hand on his forehead.
“This isn’t the kind of initiative Your Majesty expected….”
He shook his head again before looking at Evelyn.
“Then I would like to know how you plan to take your revenge.”
Lokta sat down, saying that was important.
“First, there’s something I need you to do, Uncle.”
Evelyn spoke immediately, as if she had been waiting for this.
“Me?”
“Gather external forces who hate the Lothair Kingdom and gather monsters. You can do it with your Dragonian abilities, right?”
She nodded, saying she knew Lokta’s abilities.
“It’s true that Lothair is a powerful nation, so there are many factions that have been harmed by them, and I do have the ability to create guardians like other dragons. However….”
Lokta shook his head calmly.
“That alone won’t be enough. The Lothair Kingdom is a major power not only in the south, but across the entire continent.”
He lowered his gaze, saying it was impossible to win.
“Of course, that’s not all.”
Evelyn shook her head calmly.
“I’m going to enter the Lothair Kingdom myself.”
She nodded, saying she would infiltrate the Lothair Kingdom directly.
“What? What do you mean…?”
“I plan to infiltrate Lothair as a new mage.”
Evelyn exhaled a cloudy breath, saying she would go in directly to open a path for revenge.
“If I enter as a mage and gain merit, I will eventually have the opportunity to meet the King and the Sage. I will end everything at that time.”
She revealed a chilling murderous intent, saying she would erase everyone involved in this incident and the name of the Lothair Kingdom.
“It’s dangerous! They will suspect your identity!”
“I’ve heard that there are places that professionally wash identities. With money, I can create a new life. And….”
Evelyn bit her lip as she looked at the surprised Lokta.
“If we don’t take a risk, revenge is impossible. As you said, Lothair is a powerful nation.”
She showed unwavering eyes, saying this was the only way.
“Ah, those eyes.”
Lokta let out a long sigh as he saw Evelyn’s determined gaze.
“Like Lady Cela. She told you to find a man and get married, but to think you would develop initiative in this direction….”
He grabbed his head in despair.
“Will you go even if I try to stop you, right?”
“Yes. Even if you tie me up, I will find a way to break free and leave.”
Evelyn nodded, saying she would do it no matter what.
“...I understand.”
Lokta sighed and nodded.
“But you must prepare thoroughly. That Sage has the ability to find the Para.”
He raised his hand, saying they needed to block that magic first.
“That’s already taken care of.”
Evelyn nodded and put her hand over her eyes. As a soft light emerged, the red cross that had been reflected in her eyes disappeared.
“That monster used the Para’s mana flow to find Mom and me. All we have to do is make that unique mana flow the same as other people’s.”
Evelyn shook her hands, saying it was a simple spell.
“No, no….”
Lokta opened his eyes as he looked at Evelyn.
“When did you do that…?”
He let out a gasp, remembering that Evelyn had been crying all week.
“I created it while I was thinking about it.”
Evelyn casually spoke about creating an impossible spell, as if she had just eaten bread.
“Princess, were you a genius?”
“I don’t know either.”
Evelyn shook her head calmly.
“It’s just that since that day….”
She raised both hands to the empty air.
“I can see and feel the flow of mana.”
Evelyn nodded, saying she could now read not only magic, but the phenomena of this world.
“Ha….”
Lokta blinked in disbelief.
“Now you understand. It’s dangerous, but I’m not trying to break a rock with an egg.”
Evelyn nodded, saying there were many possibilities.
“As you’ve seen, Uncle, there aren’t many mages in the Lothair Kingdom.”
“Indeed, most of those who chased us were knights.”
Lokta nodded as if he had just realized.
“I’m young, so if I show even moderate talent, I’m sure I can gain their trust.”
Evelyn hit her chest with her fist, saying she was confident in herself.
“There’s a possibility….”
Lokta let out a short sigh and nodded.
“I admit it. But Princess, you seem like a completely different person.”
He narrowed his eyes, saying she had completely changed.
“I’m still shy. But Mom told me to be proactive, so from now on, I will act according to my thoughts. For revenge.”
Evelyn clenched her fists audibly as she said the word “revenge.”
“That’s not what she meant….”
Lokta let out a long, weary sigh.
* * *
The day she turned fifteen.
Evelyn set off for the Lothair Kingdom as a new mage. As she had predicted, the kingdom was dominated by knights, making mages a rare and valuable presence.
“Lothair….”
Evelyn closed her eyes as she looked at the main gate of the Lothair Kingdom, where she had once entered holding Cela’s hand.
‘This is hell.’
But she had to go. Before, she had only felt fear and trembles, but now her heart was beating with a different meaning.
“Phew.”
Evelyn let out a deep sigh before entering the kingdom.
“Excuse me….”
As soon as she set foot in the royal capital, a young man in the kingdom’s uniform approached her.
“Are you Miss Merlin?”
“Yes.”
Evelyn nodded as she heard the name Merlin, the former archmage that Cela had loved the most.
“I’m Bellin, a third-rank assistant in the magic tower. This way, please!”
The man who introduced himself as Bellin bowed, saying he would guide her.
“Thank you.”
Evelyn returned the greeting and followed Bellin towards the upper part of the royal capital.
‘It’s gone.’
The platform they had built to execute the villagers was gone, replaced by new and clean walls.
“That’s the royal palace. Only royal mages are allowed to enter.”
Bellin shook his head, saying that the palace wasn’t a place one could enter freely.
“The magic tower is this way.”
“I see.”
Evelyn relaxed her clenched hands and followed Bellin towards the magic tower.
“The Tower Master should be waiting. Despite his appearance, he’s a good person….”
Bellin talked about various things related to the Tower Master and the tower, but none of it registered in her ears.
‘Just wait a little longer.’
Evelyn bit her lip as she looked at the palace through the window of the magic tower.
‘I will erase everything you cherish.’
* * *
10 years later.
Evelyn came out of the magic tower, wearing a robe adorned with a golden lion.
“Congratulations, Miss Merlin!”
“Finally, you’re going to the palace!”
“Becoming a royal archmage in just 10 years, it’s unprecedented in history!”
Her fellow mages bowed their heads and offered words of congratulations.
“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you.”
Evelyn gestured with her hand with a thin smile.
“We will definitely attend tomorrow’s ceremony!”
“Don’t forget about us even when you go to the palace!”
“Please call me later too!”
The mages greeted, saying they would surely attend tomorrow’s inauguration ceremony.
“Of course. We will continue to see each other often even after I leave.”
After greeting the mages, Evelyn entered her private quarters near the magic tower.
“Haah….”
She sat on the luxurious bed and let out a suppressed sigh.
‘10 years. It’s been 10 years.’
It had been 10 years since she entered the Lothair magic tower.
During that time, she had improved her magical skills and had achieved many merits, but the King and the Sage had never sought her out. The Sage made public appearances occasionally, but the King remained locked in the audience chamber, not meeting with anyone, so she hadn’t even seen him once.
‘But….’
Tomorrow, she would have no choice but to leave. Tomorrow was the day she would leave her research post at the magic tower to become the royal archmage of the palace. Even the King who had been hiding would have to show himself on a day like this.
‘I must end it all tomorrow.’
If the King hid in the audience chamber again, who knows when he would come out. She had to erase this kingdom tomorrow when both he and the Sage revealed themselves.
‘My heart is racing.’
She had certainly become stronger now. She could even block the magic used by the Sage, but her heart was still beating hard because she wasn’t sure of victory.
‘But I have no other choice.’
As Evelyn lay on the bed with her hand on her forehead, she heard a small resonance in her ear.
[Princess.]
It was Lokta’s message. He was communicating with her through the artifact she had given him.
[Tomorrow is the day. Are you mentally prepared?]
“Yes.”
Evelyn nodded as she looked at the blue light.
[This is truly your last chance. You can still stop now.]
Lokta posed a heavy question, as if asking if she was really going to do it.
"......."
Evelyn closed her eyes without answering immediately.
‘10 years….
It’s been long.
Living in Lothair for 10 years, I’ve felt many things.
There are good people here, and bad people too. Just like the village where I lived, this is where ordinary people live. There were people who treated me humanely, people who became my teachers, and precious friends and colleagues.
Every time I think of them, an echo of questions resonates in my heart, wondering if I’m really going to do this.
I want to give up and leave this country, and I want to live like that. But I can’t. The King, the Sage, the knights, and the high-ranking officials of this country are monsters who committed a massacre knowing that the Para were human.
“I will.”
Evelyn nodded after a brief but deep contemplation.
[...I understand.]
Lokta lowered his voice as if to obey and disappeared.
“I will. No….”
Evelyn bit her lip as she covered her head with the blanket, just like when she was a child with Cela.
“I must do it.”
* * *
A massive platform was erected in front of the palace, and a dazzling curtain of light descended upon it.
It was the most splendid inauguration ceremony in history, as the royal archmage was changing for the first time in 20 years.
Evelyn bit her lip as she looked at the platform that rose as high as the castle walls.
‘Death and light, huh….’
Seeing the platform of blood that had insulted and beheaded her people now transformed into a platform of light that was welcoming her, she felt like laughing at herself and them both.
“His Majesty the King is entering!”
As she waited beneath the platform, she heard the knights’ chilling shouts from inside the palace. She slightly raised her head to see a man’s back ascending the platform.
‘So he wasn’t dead after all.’
She had thought he might be dead since he hadn’t appeared for so long, but the King was alive and well, climbing the platform.
‘And….’
He too. Evelyn bit her lip as she saw the man climbing the stairs one step behind the King. The monster called Sage. She had to kill him today without fail.
“It’s been a while since I’ve come out like this.”
The King stood at the edge of the platform, looking down at the citizens below.
'That face....' Evelyn bit her lip as she saw the King, who looked like a handsome man in his twenties. 'So he did perform human sacrifices.' During her 10 years in the Lothair Kingdom, she had secretly investigated the events of that day and was horrified. The King had captured the Para under the pretense that they were in league with demons, and he had used their blood to treat his own illness that caused rapid aging. That smooth skin and those clear eyes were stained with the blood and flesh of her people.
"I haven't been able to show my face due to the heavy workload, but I will try to be more attentive from now on." The King greeted the citizens, saying they could see him more often now. The crowd cheered, "Long live King Sipilen!" They didn't know what kind of person he was and simply shouted in celebration.
"Now, we should call today's protagonist." The King stepped back and nodded. "Merlin Priares. Come up here." He gestured, looking down at her.
"Yes." Evelyn nodded and climbed the stairs leading to the platform. With each step, she remembered the people dying in the village engulfed in flames, her people being humiliated at this very place, and her mother smiling even as she faced death. She ascended the platform, carrying that hatred and anger in her heart, and stood before the King.
"Welcome."
"You've worked hard."
The King and the Sage, monsters with human masks, greeted her with smiles.
"Let's begin without delay." With the King's gesture, the Sage stepped forward. "In recognition of your great achievements, including the subjugation of monsters in the Myuran Mountains, the development of brilliant magic, the restructuring of the magic tower system, and the enhancement of the kingdom's protective magic, we hereby appoint Merlin Priares as the royal archmage of Lothair."
As he finished speaking, the King stepped forward holding a red cloak and a staff.
"You've done well." The King placed the cloak on her back, saying he was grateful for her many achievements. For a moment, she felt like breaking down because of the repulsion, but she managed to hold it together and stand tall.
"Merlin is the name of an ancient archmage. Honor that great name and use your power for the kingdom henceforth."
"I understand." Evelyn forced her lips apart and stood tall.
"Good. Now that you have become the royal mage, I must grant you a wish. Is there anything you desire?" The King nodded, telling her to speak her mind now that she had become the Royal Archmage.
"Your Majesty...." Evelyn slowly closed her eyes and then opened them, feeling like the moment for revenge had arrived. Looking at the King's smooth skin, she twisted her lips into a smile. "Do you remember what happened 10 years ago?"
"10 years ago?" The King narrowed his eyes. "I've been so busy that I'm not sure which incident you're referring to."
"The people called Para who lived in the southwest. Do you remember their deaths?"
"Ah! I remember that." He nodded calmly. "They looked like humans but were allied with demons!" The King still treated the Para as monsters, not people.
"I see. I’m so glad." Evelyn smiled and raised her head. "If I hadn’t given in to revenge."
The King’s eyes trembled slightly. Eyes of uncertainty and suspicion. He clearly knew that the Para were human, but he had massacred them for his own survival.
"What are you...." The King opened his eyes as if to ask what she meant.
"I am the last survivor of the Para you killed." Evelyn extended her right hand as she spoke. Her nails dug into her palm, causing red blood to flow. "What color does this blood appear to your eyes? Is it black like a demon’s?" She bared her teeth as she sprinkled the red blood gathered in her palm towards the King and the Sage. "Do you call us demons because our mana flow is different, because we have crosses in our eyes? Your souls are the true demons!" Evelyn shouted, unleashing the resentment and anger she had accumulated for 10 years.
"G-Grab this woman! She’s a demon!"
"Subdue her!"
"Block the exits!"
At the King’s shout, the knights and the Sage moved to his side.
"Mom told me to be proactive. So I prepared." As Evelyn snapped her fingers, red and blue lights emerged around the platform and its surroundings. "This is the path of revenge I’ve prepared for 10 years." With those words, the air twisted and a barrage of multicolored magic fell. A massive explosion erupted, overturning the sky and earth, causing the gathered knights, the Sage, and the nobles to sink into a pool of blood without even leaving corpses behind.
Among the knights were Masters and Grand Masters, but none could withstand Evelyn’s magic, melting into chunks of flesh.
Evelyn walked through the blood and approached the edge of the collapsed platform.
"D-Don’t come any closer!" The King was still alive, screaming in terror.
"I won’t simply kill you." Evelyn molded the remaining blood in her palm into a blade and plunged it into the King’s chest.
"Kuk! Kuaaaaaagh!" The King’s skin began to blacken and wither as if the blade was absorbing his life force, causing him to age rapidly.
"Aaaaargh...." He crawled on the ground, drooling in obvious agony and shock from the intense pain.
"This is...." Evelyn lifted the King, revealing her red eyes to the citizens below the platform. "This is your country’s king." She shook her head after recovering all the mana contained in the Para’s blood. "Your horrible king killed us and drank our blood to avoid death, calling us demons. Who do you think is the real demon?" Evelyn revealed to the hesitant citizens what the Para’s deaths truly meant. As she grabbed the King’s neck and applied pressure, a grotesque sound of flesh reconnecting emerged from the pool of blood. The Sage began to revive, his body restoring to its original form.
"So you won’t die yet." Evelyn gritted her teeth as she saw the Sage revive, looking the same as before.
"Ha...." The Sage smiled as he stretched his newly regenerated neck. "So it was you." He nodded calmly, as if he wasn’t surprised by the situation. "I knew you would return. You have eyes that can only seek revenge." The Sage smiled as if he had anticipated everything. "But can you subdue all of this alone?" With his gesture, the dead knights began to revive from the pool of blood, and more knights gathered beneath the platform. "You must have run out of prepared tricks." The Sage shook his head as if telling her to give up.
"I’m not alone." As Evelyn shook her head, the kingdom’s walls collapsed, and a dragon emitting blue light rose into the sky. Amidst the resounding roar that seemed to overturn the earth and sky, it raised its head.
"Today...." Evelyn raised her chin, revealing the red cross in her eyes that she had hidden to take revenge. "I will erase you and this kingdom."
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