EP.200 After the Curtain Falls (6)

The office of the First Princess, Lruiel, located in the Royal Quarters.

In a room filled with papers scattered here and there, the scent of ink lingered, enveloped in an unusual silence. The silence was broken by Lruiel’s short breath.

Huh…

A look as if she had taken a hit.

Lruiel’s lips parted slightly. Her breath escaped through the gap.

Hmm…

Her eyebrows arched. Eventually closing her eyes, Lruiel bowed her head deeply. Her shoulders and back trembled slightly. What could be heard was laughter.

“My personality would be impossible to act out… ”

Lruiel raised her head and curled her finger to wipe away the moisture from her eyes. There was a hint of wetness at the corners of her eyes. With a voice that felt a little ridiculous, Lruiel spoke.

“That’s quite a sharp evaluation, Professor.”

“Uh… Is that so?”

“It is. It’s as if you’re saying, ‘Where would you find another weirdo like you?’”

Lruiel pretended to slice her neck jokingly.

“If someone heard that, it could easily be charged as royal defamation. But…”

She exhaled sharply and concluded her sentence.

“I find it rather endearing. I truly like you. I really appreciate your honesty.”

Unfiltered behavior.

Words spilled just as they came to mind.

A sincere human without a facade.

‘What a rare individual.’

In the scheming and intrigue-laden royal castle, someone like the professor in front of her was quite hard to come by. Not just rare in the castle; sincere people were rare anywhere.

‘Those who live without pretensions.’

Those who are honest with themselves.

Those who possess the confidence that comes from that honesty.

“A person like you is truly a dime a dozen.”

Because they are so rare.

“That’s why they seem attractive.”

Muttering to herself, Lruiel tapped the table lightly. A smile still lingered on her lips.

“You’re right, as you said, a weirdo like me is not common.”

“Eh? Why all of a sudden…?”

“Weren’t you aware? You’re quite the weirdo yourself.”

She truly seemed oblivious.

Tilting her head in confusion, with blinking blue eyes, Lruiel casually shook her head.

‘A weirdo who doesn’t realize they’re a weirdo is truly the most dangerous kind…’

She didn’t voice the latter thought.

Just buried it deep inside, Lruiel exhaled long and slow. With that breath, she felt a bit of strength drain away.

Huuu…

The shoulders that were tense, the corners of her eyes and lips that had been carefully crafted, all felt meaningless in front of the professor.

…

Lruiel silently gazed at Rania sitting across from her. Watching her blink in confusion, she couldn’t help but smile.

A sincere human.

Because she lives with honesty, her words always carry truth.

It takes a hundred words to justify a lie, but when speaking the truth, there’s no need for embellishments. A single expression, a few words creating a sentence is enough.

“That personality would be impossible to act out…”

Just a single sentence, a single line.

Ah…

Lruiel laughed out loud.

A unique personality, an impression shaped since childhood to avoid being underestimated by others. A quality that no one could easily imitate.

To feel a sense of fulfillment from that, is that too naive an interpretation?

Lruiel chuckled softly.

‘… Dreams are just interpretations.’

She felt lighter.

Though the direction may be a bit strange, nonetheless, the professor before her trusts her. That fact makes Lruiel happy.

Thank you…

A small voice barely audible floated in the air.

2.

“So, have you traced the whereabouts of my brother? I heard Sir Kalt has begun his investigation.”

Rania shook her head silently.

“I was told there aren’t any traces left. The answer was that it’s at a level where finding him is impossible.”

“That’s… surprising.”

Lruiel said, fiddling with the corner of her lips.

“If even Sir Kalt couldn’t find any traces… then finding my brother definitely seems impossible. What will you do now?”

“Given the current situation, I’m considering visiting someone who seems most connected to this.”

“You mean the king of this country.”

Rania remained silent.

Silence meant agreement.

“I wouldn’t particularly recommend it.”

Lruiel tapped the table softly.

“You won’t gain anything from meeting him.”

… Nothing to gain?

“My father is a puppet at this point.”

The image of her father, which she had seen growing up.

Lruiel continued.

“He overlooked all quarrels among kin, and all power struggles. When I was very young, he still fit the category of a ‘normal’ human, but…”

Not anymore.

In the face of a sister’s death, he only displayed his usual blank expression. He remained indifferent even at the death of his own child.

“At this point, he’s just a simple puppet, devoid of humanity, more like a mechanism running this country.”

… Is that so?

“It’s just what I’ve felt after observing my father for the past decade. He is now a person incapable of human connection. There won’t be any information to gain.”

“Then for now…”

What should be done, what do you plan to do?

Lruiel lowered her gaze at Rania’s questioning look, which directed at the empty teacup.

Well…

Refilling the teacup, savoring it, Lruiel contemplated her future course of action. The thought wasn’t lengthy.

“I guess I must cut it out.”

Cut it out?

“Like pruning away branches and uprooting rotten roots.”

Thud.

Setting the teacup down, Lruiel narrowed her eyes.

“I see this as an opportunity, professor.”

Opportunity.

“In the current royal castle, there is no heir to the throne. The Second Prince is out on the battlefield, and Ayla is not in Apuria. The only one left here is me.”

With a light tap at the back of her neck, Lruiel chuckled.

“It’s time for the unleashed mad dog to bark.”

From the very birth of this country until now, Lruiel is unaware of the presence that has been lurking behind the scenes. She also doesn’t know what it has yearned for throughout centuries.

‘I may know nothing.’

But that was okay.

What she had to do was as it always had been.

“Until that child sits on the throne, my duty will be to pave the way for them.”

The vow she made whilst watching the deaths of her sisters.

The potential she saw in her remaining sister.

Recalling those, Lruiel smiled. It was not a soft smile. It was a provocative smile that suited her fascinating image well.

“Trust is a value that can only be upheld through mutual effort. I have the obligation to do my best in my place.”

Watching her, Rania reflected.

‘… At first, I was uncertain.’

The Fourth Princess, Ayla.

Until now, Rania hadn’t really shared Lruiel’s belief in the potential of that girl she trusted so much.

However, after witnessing a series of events that occurred recently, her view had changed.

There is certainly something special about that girl. It’s not just the talent blessed by the star. Rather, her value shines brighter because she has rejected the star.

Because she wasn’t dependent on the star.

Because she stepped forward by her own choices.

The step that girl took was undoubtedly valuable. She proved her worth by herself.

“A child blessed by the star, appearing once in a generation within the royal family.”

Unconsciously, Rania mulled over the words she had previously regarded as trivial.

Because the royal family was blessed by the star.

Because they were borne from the bloodline chosen by the star.

She had just accepted the rumors that spread. But now she began to question the facts she had once thought were obvious.

‘The star is providence. The most fair rule.’

The star symbolizes the scale.

A fair scale must always remain balanced. If the star has consistently blessed the royal family, hasn’t that been to maintain balance against a tilted scale?

The shadow cast upon the royal family.

The light needed to dispel that shadow.

So, it was a blessing given by necessity.

‘If that’s the case…’

If there’s someone who can remove the lurking darkness from the royal family.

‘It must be that child alone.’

That is the stage given to Stella.

Perhaps it’s just a simple speculation, but Rania had a hunch that this speculation could be the truth. She looked at Lruiel across from her.

In her golden eyes shone certainty.

Watching the princess who felt a similar potential to herself, Rania couldn’t help but smile softly.

… You’re just like a princess.

“I am attempting to live as myself.”

Both extended their hands without concern for who would go first.

Exchanging light handshakes, they both stood up from their seats.

Thus, each headed to their respective stages.

One stage has drawn to a close.

And another stage is about to begin.

Though they could not see what was hidden beyond the stage, they shall simply do their best in what they can do at the moment, as they had always done.

3.

In the unexpected vacation that Apuria was enjoying, I spent the day meeting various people one by one.

“Professor Rania, I brought you coffee!”

Sometimes chatting with Ayla, who comes with an irresistible bribe, answering her questions and spending the day, or…

“Senior, I feel like I’m dying. The work never ends…! Every time I submit documents, a new pile comes flying in…!”

Patting Kalt’s back, who was screaming at the influx of paperwork, I teased him, “Well, you’ve become somewhat superhuman, right?” and enjoyed the day.

Of course, I helped him with his paperwork afterward.

Seeing Kalt giving me a look of genuine admiration after a long time was quite enjoyable.

“What on earth is that elf doing?”

Among those experiences, the most memorable was the conversation with the Master of the Black Tower, Yetual, who had been tormented by Cardi. With tired eyes, he lamented to me, and I could only smile bitterly.

‘It’s not surprising that a thousand-year-old elf would be such a grumpy old man.’

He is the kind of veteran who even calls the king of a thousand-year-old elves a ‘youngster.’ Considering that grumpy old man is filled with a thousand years of wisdom, it can be overwhelming just to think about it.

“Always with that old-man demeanor.”

“What did you say, Raniel?”

“I didn’t say a thing.”

I playfully looked at the person before me.

After recovering a bit, it was time to meet someone I had procrastinated on seeing.

“Cardi.”

The ancient elf.

The former great sage, Cardi van Armiel.

“When are you going to give me this green tea?”

I pointed at the cup on the table. The thick green liquid inside the cup. He claimed it was elven traditional green tea, but to me, it certainly didn’t seem that way.

“Wouldn’t water be better?”

“It’s good for you. Just drink it.”

“Ugh, damn… ”

I pushed the teacup away.

No matter how good for me it was, that was pushing it.

“It just crossed my mind.”

Before Cardi could add another word, I switched topics.

“If I were the dean of Apuria, I’d probably be losing my hair. I’ve been thinking that lately.”

What on earth does that mean?

As I saw Cardi regarding me with a perplexed expression, I shrugged and continued.

“Think about it, Cardi.”

“What are you saying?”

“An incident occurs almost every day, we’ve repaired building damages twice in less than a year… And we’ve faced disaster in Apuria twice in just one year!”

While the skull mug was seen a lot, that was generally a battlefield issue.

“We suspended classes again after barely a month back from the last break. On top of that, knights from all over are rummaging through Apuria with their eyes shining… Isn’t it strange that I’m not losing hair?”

“What’s the point, Raniel?”

“I mean… it just is.”

A worn-out shop.

Now familiar enough that I had begun to see the occasionally creaking chairs as friendly, I leaned my chin on my hand.

“There have been a lot of incidents this past year, right?”

“That’s true.”

“And I’m preparing to deal with all the fallout.”

“Fallout?”

“Yeah, fallout.”

I pointed at my eyes.

“Kalt needs his eyes treated, and we need to investigate the shadows that lurk behind the royal family… it got complicated considering everything, you know. Dealing with the aftermath is the most irritating part. I feel like it’s always like this.”

“So, you sympathize with the dean’s struggle, is that it?”

“Exactly! I don’t truly know if I’m going to lose my hair, though.”

With a sigh, I buried my face on the table.

As I poked the terribly tasteless green tea with my hand, Cardi spoke up.

“… Is your body feeling better?”

“It shouldn’t be bad. I’m recovering. The total worth of the potions you’ve poured into me could build a mansion, so I better be fine.”

“Then, that’s a relief.”

Cardi set down the glass he was cleaning.

Then he walked away toward somewhere in the store. It was the storeroom. A dusty storeroom.

Thud thud.

Before long, he returned to the table, brushing off the dust from his clothes. A box was in his hand. I pointed at the box and asked.

“What’s that?”

“Clothes I used to wear long ago.”

Creek, the box opened with a sound.

Inside the box was a robe. Shaking it off in mid-air, Cardi draped the robe over his shoulders.

“Oh, that robe…”

My eyes widened.

It was a robe I had seen somewhere.

“The robe of the first Master of the Tower, Armiel…!”

The robe displayed in the artifact storage on the top floor of the Ashen Tower. It was the emblem of the Ashen Tower and an item known as a phantom robe because it couldn’t be replicated with the same design by any means…

As I gazed at the robe, shining with excitement, Cardi tilted his head slowly.

“… Armiel ‘Sir’?”

Cardi squinted his eyes and looked at me. I lowered my gaze slightly, covering my mouth.

“Uh, well…”

“What kind of strange honorific is that? Raniel.”

“I’m not honoring you! How many mages respect the first master…?”

I was also one of them.

At least until I learned that Cardi was Armiel.

‘Though he is indeed someone admirable…’

It feels a bit off to make an ancient grumpy old man a role model.

‘But anyway…’

I sneaked a glance at Cardi wearing the robe. As expected, it was no wonder it was called the phantom robe. It had a perfect design, unmatched by any robe I had seen.

Gulp.

As I stared at the robe as if enchanted, Cardi tapped the table.

“Raniel.”

“Huh, yes?”

“Don’t you think taking a month off from your teaching position would be possible?”

“A month off? All of a sudden?”

“I’ve got a place to go.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“A place to go?”

“Yeah. Considering your body has healed.”

“I can take a vacation, but… ”

I questioned.

“Where are we going that would require a month?”

What returned was an answer I couldn’t have imagined.

“The land of ashes.”

Cardi spoke.

“My homeland, Arcadia, which turned to ashes hundreds of years ago.”