Chapter 4
The damp dawn air, as if heavy with dew, filled her lungs with every breath.
Elisha blinked slowly, staring at the distant horizon. The scene was completely
different from what she was used to. Instead of neatly pruned trees, there were
trees scattered sparsely; instead of white marble, there were roofs of reddish
clay. These were all things that couldn't be seen in the Imperial Palace, and
thus, the view was very strange to Elisha.
When I went on subjugation campaigns or expeditions, I usually used
teleportation magic. And she rarely left the Imperial Palace otherwise. Elisha
tilted her head slightly to the left, closed her eyes and opened them again. She
hadn't gone out because there was no reason to leave the Imperial Palace. She
wasn't the type to enjoy going out without a reason.
But now, a reason had appeared. Elisha tucked a strand of hair, fluttering in
the wind, behind her ear and let out a soft breath.
"Eli, sha." The image of his figure from that time, barely managing to call her
name with his fading breath, kept flickering in her mind. A face as pale as
death, white hairs scattered among his black locks, the wrinkles around his eyes
carved by time, and the smile that distorted all those features.
"Finally, I have, a favor, to ask of you." The previous Emperor, Bernard.
"After, my funeral, is over......" Even as he gasped for air, Bernard continued
his speech. It was in front of everyone. Not just Elisha and Eric, but also the
royal guards and aides who stood by him, and even the high-ranking nobles who
handled state affairs. Therefore, Bernard's request wasn't directed at Elisha
alone.
"With Eric, a state marriage......" The final wish Emperor Bernard left for
everyone.
Elisha closed her eyes gently and steadied her breath. Eric was right, and her
prediction was correct. Bernard was the type who, once he said something,
fulfilled his promise no matter what, and Elisha, as promised, had become a
talent more capable than Eric.
"Capable talent." That was precisely the problem. The Archmage of the Imperial
Palace. An honorary position that couldn't be bought with wealth or status,
attainable only through pure skill. So, for the nobles, it was naturally
advantageous for Elisha to be adopted into a noble family rather than grumbling
about her origins. Although that was all a story from before Elisha left the
Imperial Palace.
I wonder if he knows by now. That she had vanished. Elisha thought, tilting her
head slightly to the right. She had left a letter in Eric's office just in case,
but it didn't really matter if he didn't read it. In the end, this was what he
always wanted. So, in a way, everyone had finally found their proper place.
There was only one problem, however. "I’m usually asleep at this hour." Staring
at the sun slowly rising behind the horizon, she let out a small sigh. She had
left the Imperial Palace to fulfill her promise to Eric before it was too late,
but...
"I have no idea where to go now." The area where Bernard found her? She didn't
even remember it clearly anymore. In the first place, she had almost no memories
from before that. Besides, even if she went there, all she’d find were the
remains of a ruined past. There was no need to waste her mana on a pointless
endeavor. It’s not that her mana would be exhausted by just one long-distance
teleportation spell.
"I just want to sleep first." This time, Elisha tapped the ground with the tip
of her foot and tilted her head. It seemed best to search for a place to stay
nearby first. She seemed to remember from a book that there were places where
travelers could stay.
"Perhaps I should head to the city center first." The problem, if there was one,
was that she hadn't left the capital, so everywhere looked like a city center.
"......How troublesome." As the small mutter drifted with the wind, a small
magic circle appeared under Elisha's feet. Eric probably wouldn't search for her
anyway, so staying in the capital for a few days wouldn't be too bad. It might
be interesting to observe how people lived in the meantime.
As she finished her thought, a bright light exploded from the magic circle.
Elisha, with her usual expressionless face, blinked once. For now, she just
wanted to rest.
"Elisha has......" At the same time, inside the Emperor's office.
The man who saw the scepter and the letter neatly arranged on the desk as if on
display, pursed his lips and muttered. He was Eric's old friend and the
commander of the First Imperial Magic Knights, Dante Renard. He had been
summoned to the Imperial Palace at dawn, so he thought the matter was urgent.
"Vanished, really?" "Yes." "Maybe she just wanted to breathe some fresh air for
a bit......" "Elisha is someone who doesn't even step outside the Imperial
Palace unless it’s for something special." "Maybe she felt a bit restless now
that the wedding is real, so she just went out for a moment......"
Before Dante could finish his sentence, Eric snatched the letter with a violent
motion and shoved it at him. Dante slowly read the letter thrust into his hands
without any ceremony. This handwriting, this phrasing, this confidence...
"This is definitely from Elisha," Dante finally muttered, running a hand through
his platinum blonde hair. His purple eyes were still scanning the letter. The
part about Eric being someone who couldn't even manage his own affairs... well,
from Elisha's perspective, that made sense. But that wasn't the important part.
"I’d rather die than marry you!" Just as Dante finished speaking, Eric's face
contorted. Watching him, Dante spoke again as if possessed. "But really, instead
of marrying Elisha, you’d go to a monastery......"
"Dante Renard." "My apologies, Your Majesty."
It had been a very long time since he’d seen such a dazed expression. Dante
rolled his eyes and apologized. At the same time, a heavy silence filled the
office. It was a moment where only the sound of their breathing filled the room.
"That, at that time." Eric, still scowling, opened his mouth. It was a voice
closer to a monologue than to words directed at someone. "It was just a
meaningless remark from a naive child."
It was something everyone would have taken lightly, like a child saying they’d
marry their mother when they grow up. It was a tantrum that should have faded
with time.
"For a meaningless remark, you were very consistent with it. And it’s true that
you didn't like Elisha. I even heard you two argued just before the previous
Emperor passed away," Dante, who was listening to Eric, spoke cautiously. Eric
immediately narrowed his brow.
"She suddenly appeared and threatened my position. It would be strange to
welcome that, wouldn't it?" A small girl who appeared out of nowhere and
received the Emperor's blatant favor. Eric naturally couldn't see her in a good
light, and moreover, he couldn't help but feel his position was threatened. It
wasn't that he ever hurt Elisha. Of course, it was true they argued recently,
but...
"That is a separate matter." "Fine, let’s say it is." "......" "Anyway, the
urgent matter now is that the 'Archmage' Elisha has vanished," Dante finally
spoke, staring at the scepter on the desk. "Your takeover of power has just
finished and your foundation hasn't been properly established yet. If the
Archmage's absence becomes known, the blow will be significant." And some might
try to exploit this moment to make a move against the Empire.
A rather cold voice cut through the air in the office. Eric pressed his forehead
with his fingertips and nodded. "I will issue a gag order to the maids of
Soltaire Palace, and we will officially announce that Elisha has gone on a
temporary leave."
"You won't be able to stall for long. Rumors have a way of spreading." People
would already find it suspicious for her to take a leave just before her
wedding; if she didn't show her face for several weeks, it would naturally raise
questions. It wouldn't be long before Elisha's disappearance came to light.
At Dante's words, Eric closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. An unreadable
light flashed in his blue eyes. "So we have to find her," Eric then said in a
low voice. "Whether she’s within the Empire or went abroad. We just have to find
her and bring her back."
Just as Eric finished speaking, an ominous feeling took hold of Dante. Oh, no.
"Dante Renard." Then Eric called Dante's name in an impeccable formal tone.
Dante unconsciously swallowed and looked at the ruler in front of him. He hated
troublesome tasks, but he had a premonition that he was about to be burdened
with the most troublesome of them all. Although being summoned to the Imperial
Palace as soon as he woke up was already a bad sign.
"I’m saying this just in case, but don't ask me. I may not look it, but I’m a
very busy man," as soon as the thought occurred to him, Dante spoke first. Eric
completely ignored him and continued.
"Come to think of it, you always enjoyed treasure hunts since you were a child."
I never once did such a thing. "I’ll grant you a leave as well." I don't want
such a leave. "Search the entire continent if you have to, and find Elisha."
"Why do my bad premonitions always come true......" Dante Renard muttered, his
eyes full of agony. Without even casting a glance at Dante, Eric stared calmly
at the scepter placed in front of him.
Elisha was someone who kept her promises, no matter what. Now that he had
learned that lesson well and painfully from this incident, it was time to use
it. Once she was found and brought before his eyes, then.
"We’ll have to make a new promise."
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