During the return trip to the Renard estate, Elisha and Dante maintained a heavy silence. It was so noticeable that even Gabriel had asked, "Did you two have a fight?" while they were boarding the carriage before leaving work.
‘I wish we had just fought.’
As the Renard estate finally came into view through the carriage window, Dante cast a sidelong glance at Elisha.
No matter how he looked at her, she didn't resemble Elisha in the slightest.
Instead of her soft, flowing silver hair, she had frizzy orange hair, and her eyes were a common, ordinary green—a stark contrast to her pale blue ones. Beyond that, her skin, voice, height, and build were all completely different.
So, it was only natural that he shouldn't know. Since this magic had never been revealed to the world, it was normal not to even consider such a possibility.
‘If only the person in question wasn't Erich.’
To Erich, who was capable of developing new magic, "magic he had never seen before" wouldn't have felt like an unknown realm. And Müllen, who had served as his aide for years and already knew the extent of the Emperor's abilities, would have had an open mind regarding magical matters.
That must have been how he realized Lucy Forte was Elisha.
‘Should I tell her?’
That Müllen Cassus had figured out her identity, and that at this rate, everyone in the imperial palace would eventually find out she was Elisha?
‘No, that’s too much of a leap.’
The only reason Müllen Cassus could recognize Elisha was that he was someone who had watched Erich closely for a long time with genuine interest. It would have been difficult for anyone without that level of attention to reach "such a conclusion."
Usually, people would just stop at, "His Majesty has finally gone mad with talent scouting, and that person really is a talent."
Besides, they were on their way to terminate the written pact; if he said something like that now…….
“Elisha.”
As the carriage arrived at the estate, Dante jumped out first and called to her. Only then did Elisha pull her gaze from the distant horizon and look at him.
Under her indifferent stare, Dante swallowed hard before opening his mouth.
“This is a ‘what if’ of all ‘what ifs,’ but.”
“…….”
“After the written pact is dissolved, if Erich happens to find out your true identity……”
“I won’t leave.”
To Dante’s surprise, Elisha answered firmly before he could even finish his question. Dante blinked rapidly.
That was a fine resolve, but.
“Really? When you first made the pact, you……”
“That was because I thought Cardion wouldn’t need me anymore.”
She had assumed the only reason Erich sought her out was simply to bolster his military strength.
But now, Elisha knew better.
The series of incidents currently surrounding Cardion could not be resolved unless she lent her strength. No matter how capable Erich was, he would eventually reach his limit and collapse.
“Cardion needs me. To be precise, it needs my abilities.”
“That’s true, but it’s strangely annoying to hear.”
Dante chuckled softly and nodded.
He wondered if there had ever been a time when Cardion didn't need Elisha, but if she realized it now, wasn't that enough?
Strictly speaking, what Cardion needed wasn't just Elisha's abilities, but "Elisha" herself, though Elisha would never know that.
She had even left once, thinking she wasn't needed.
Dante smiled faintly as he continued his thoughts.
“Still, you should be prepared, Renard.”
As they walked through the back garden of the old residence in silence, Elisha spoke up first. Dante turned his head slightly and raised an eyebrow.
Elisha continued, looking at the flowers in the garden instead of Dante.
“Once the situation is all settled, I will leave Cardion……”
‘Don’t leave.’
“-so.”
At the voice that suddenly surfaced in her mind, Elisha furrowed her brow and caught her breath.
She didn't know why Erich’s words had to pop into her head at this very moment.
She knew those words weren't meant for her. She knew he had said them while delirious and not in his right mind.
“Yeah, maybe it would be better to leave now.”
Dante immediately chimed in, running a hand through his hair. By now, they had passed the garden and reached the entrance of the mansion.
Dante looked at Elisha naturally, but seeing her indescribable expression, he hurriedly changed the subject.
It wasn't as if she had to leave right this second, and she was the one who had announced she would leave in the first place.
Why did she have a face like she had just "sent someone away"?
“By the way, you’re using your transformation magic the whole time you’re in the mansion, right? Isn’t it exhausting to keep it up?”
It was convenient for him since he could call the servants easily, but still.
Faced with his rather desperate attempt to change the subject, Elisha stopped her train of thought and shook her head.
“It’s more exhausting to wait for the servants to leave so I can eat cold food.”
“Honestly, that’s part of the reason you invented transformation magic, isn’t it?”
“Stop talking nonsense and bring me the written pact.”
“As you wish.”
How could she never once play along with his jokes? At least her expression seemed to have softened, which was a relief.
Dante pouted his lips and immediately cast teleportation magic.
In the meantime, Elisha looked at the empty garden and fell into thought once more.
She knew well enough that relying on speculation wasn't a good habit. But once the train of thought started, she couldn't easily calm it down.
Who exactly was Erich’s remark directed toward?
It was certain that it wasn't meant for Lucy Forte.
‘No, you never know.’
Hadn't Erich told her disguised self that she was pretty? Of course, it might have been an objective observation, but Erich had never told anyone they were "pretty" before.
Besides, she hadn't left Erich’s side in this body.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
Just then, Dante’s voice came from behind her. Elisha turned her gaze from the empty air to look at him.
In his hand was the written pact they had drafted earlier.
“But I don’t really know how to dissolve this.”
“I do.”
Elisha took the written pact from Dante and took a deep breath.
The speculation was over. Now was the time to focus on what was right in front of her.
“Infuse your mana into the written pact.”
At Elisha’s words, Dante nodded slightly and channeled his mana into the document. The pact began to glow faintly, then floated up into the air.
That guy Erich had added such unnecessarily flashy features.
While Dante pouted, Elisha also channeled her mana into the pact and spoke.
“In the name of the executors of the pact, Elisha and Dante Renard, I declare here and now that the pact between the two executors has reached the end of its validity.”
As Elisha’s declaration ended, a majestic light erupted from the pact, and Elisha’s hair began to float in all directions.
Dante watched the scene, blinking slowly.
Suddenly, just for a fleeting moment.
He imagined Elisha’s true form as she invoked the incantation to dissolve the pact.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, sparks suddenly flew from the written pact.
Dante, and even Elisha, stared at the document with wide, startled eyes.
What was this?
“I don’t know what’s happening, but this didn’t go right, did it?”
Dante asked, his face full of panic.
If it were going to spark, the paper should have caught fire, but the written pact remained in perfect condition without a single scratch. Even worse, blood was trickling from the corner of Elisha’s mouth, who had recited the incantation.
Dante rushed toward Elisha, looking even more shocked than before.
“Elisha! Are you okay?”
“Don’t make such a fuss, Renard.”
“How can you say that! You’re bleeding from your mouth!”
Seeing the blood, had she suffered internal injuries? What on earth had gone wrong?
Dante pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to Elisha’s lips. Elisha wiped the blood away naturally and spoke.
“The pact won’t break.”
“Forget that, are you alright?”
“It seems it recognized my mana as someone else’s.”
To think that the mana she had when she made the pact and the mana she had now were different.
Elisha stared at her hands, her brow furrowing slightly.
When exactly had it changed?
“You’re injured, aren’t you? Should I call a physician? You can’t even use healing magic for internal injuries……”
“This written pact is an experimental model, so if I apply more than a certain amount of mana, it should dissolve automatically. It will work once I dispel the transformation magic.”
“Forget the pact, look after your own body first, for heaven’s sake!”
In the end, Dante couldn't take it anymore and shouted.
Elisha finally closed her mouth and stared blankly at Dante Renard.
It was a strange feeling.
It felt as if someone other than Dante Renard had said something similar to her before.
‘Elisha, please.’
Suddenly, someone’s voice flashed through Elisha’s mind.
Elisha frowned again, chasing after the distant memory.
‘Look after your own body first.’
“Ah.”
Soon after, Elisha closed her eyes and opened them slowly as the memory fully returned.
It was something she had heard from Erich, too. It was what he had said to her when she returned to the imperial palace on the day of the Shillan Plains monster attack.
She remembered Erich’s face, his voice lower than ever, speaking through gritted teeth. It was right before he had made "that" remark to her.
Perhaps the reason she had forgotten this until now was because she wanted to erase the memories of that time.
“Yeah, stop saying the same thing. Just go inside and get some rest.”
“There’s no need. I reflexively defended myself when the pact backfired.”
“And you’re in that state because you defended yourself?”
“Anyone else would have died instantly.”
“Stop saying such chilling things with such a straight face….”
That meant it had been even more dangerous.
Dante muttered in a voice filled with genuine pity. Regardless, Elisha dispelled the transformation magic she had been maintaining and picked up the written pact that was floating in the air.
Before long, the crackling sound lasted a little longer than before.
Whoosh!
The ashes of the burning written pact drifted down to the floor, gently.
Elisha slowly rotated her neck and let out a long breath.
“I think I performed long-distance teleportation about ten times without a break.”
“Don’t beat around the bush like that when you’re basically saying you’re about to die….”
A normal mage would have collapsed after three times.
Dante muttered again, his voice thick with pity. Elisha easily ignored his words and stepped into the residence.
“I’m tired, I need to rest.”
0 Comments