32 – Escape

I watched Riana, who was openly displaying disbelief on her face, and continued earnestly.

“But it’s not impossible, is it?”

“No… that’s not the problem. Ugh, listen carefully. Let me explain why I can’t do that.”

Riana ran a hand through her hair and explained the reasons to me one by one.

“Announcing it after the Hero’s appointment ceremony means… we need to accomplish everything within a week at most. Realistically, it’s impossible to create perfect evidence to pin the blame on Duchess Elysia in such a short amount of time.”

It was an undeniable truth.

The moment I uttered that Elyssia was in league with a dark sorcerer, an all-out investigation would commence, revealing this to be a fabrication.

“Besides, the North won’t sit idly by. Even if Dale has become a hero, it’s an irrefutable fact that the North greatly contributed to making him one… The repercussions would likely be significant, beyond our ability to handle.”

That’s fine.

It’s Dale who will suffer, not me.

“And fabricating evidence won’t be so simple. The very nature of rifts is uncharted territory, so to claim she created one, we’d need to unearth at least a dark sorcerer collective of considerable size. Discovery aside, subduing such a force will prove exceptionally difficult.”

If it doesn’t exist, we’ll conjure it, and with Lorraine, subduing it should be manageable enough.

If all else fails, I can request assistance from the family.

“Above all, Duchess Elyssia has no reason to create a rift. Rumors of her ambition for the family head position are widespread, coupled with her lifetime of sacrifice for the North. Claiming she intended to ruin the North by causing a rift defies all logic.”

We’ll just spread the word that she did it because she feared losing her chance at the head position.

As it was in the North, people have a tendency to believe what they want to believe, not the truth.

As I nodded, lost in these thoughts, Liana sighed as she gazed at me.

“Even so, do you truly intend to proceed? The chances of success are exceedingly low.”

Hearing those words, I nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“But isn’t it… intriguing?”

“…”

Liana stared at me for a moment with sunken eyes, before averting her gaze and speaking.

“… I suppose it is?”

With those final words, we decided to move forward with the ‘Elyssia’s Dark Sorcerer Conspiracy and Rift Generation’ project.

* * *

Now that we had a goal, a detailed plan was necessary.

Of course, as things progress, there are many moments when such a plan becomes meaningless, often leading to situations where things unfold in the complete opposite direction…

Even so, existing plans often serve as a signpost, making them an absolute necessity.

Thinking along those lines, I looked toward Liana, who, lost in thought, began to share various ideas with me.

“Leaving everything else aside, we need to decide on two things first.”

The first was to locate or create a dark sorcerer collective within the North that could be readily utilized for the plan.

The second was the manner in which we’d entwine Elyssia with said dark sorcerers.

“The first one is more or less covered since I have a few places in mind… The real issue is the second one. How do you intend to connect Duchess Elyssia, someone with absolutely no connection to dark sorcery?”

At those words, I shared a saying I had once heard.

“Propaganda can be achieved with a single sentence, but refuting it requires dozens of documents and evidence. But by the time you attempt to refute it, people are already swayed by the propaganda, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

It is said Goebbels spoke it, but the truth is, it’s just pure propaganda, a tale I shall spin for you.

Liana, finding favour in these words, nods as she replies.

“…They are… apt words.”

Whether such words deserve such praise, I cannot be certain, yet I nod in acquiescence.

My thoughts then forged onward.

‘The key, after all, is how much satisfying doubt we plant in the minds of those who wish to see Elysea fall, or simply crave the spectacle.’

For truth holds no currency with them.

Only gain or excitement are their desires.

Thus, if we scatter morsels for them, they will gnaw, tear, savor, and relish, eating away at Elysea’s image until, even should the truth emerge, it will be too tattered to mend.

‘And so, Elysea will fall far from the battle for succession.’

Doomed to remain locked away in the North, never to enact her vengeance.

Therefore, the task is to craft a few potent clues, to weave a “grand incident” that fuels their convictions. I begin to deliberate.

Sharing these musings with Liana, I begin to mold the shape of our scheme.

Liana, incredulous yet drawn in, nods her assent.

“Then I shall seek out any useful black magic covens in the North. Ah, and could I trouble you for some tea? I wish to bring some to the Holy Maiden.”

“Me too.”

I quell Lorraine, whose face is now right next to mine, nodding my agreement.

* * * * *

Gu poison grown within gu poison.

No phrase could better capture Siren’s essence.

For she had spent eons growing in solitude, nurtured by the despair of others.

Thus, loneliness and cold were her birthright, a permanently bound curse from which she could never escape, not even in a distant future.

Yet, upon meeting Damian, this conviction began to waver.

The first to extend a hand to her.

The first to reveal the warmth of companionship.

And…

‘The one who, of late, uses “busy” as a shield, leaving me lonely once more.’

Siren purses her lips, a touch of peevishness upon her face, as she steals longing glances at Damian.

But he, consumed by his tasks, does not return a single one.

A pang of disappointment stabs through her. She wanders aimlessly nearby, but he remains absorbed, blind to her presence.

“……”

And so, feeling pointlessly glum, I approached Lorraine, my first friend, who stood nearby.

“Ah! So sorry! I’m just terribly busy today! I promise I’ll play with you next time! Really!”

Lorraine, equally preoccupied, vanished somewhere, leaving me stranded in the dorm.

Because of that, I had no choice but to face my second friend (we’re not exactly on good terms), Myangmyang.

We were left to pass the time with relentless fist-fighting training, a flurry of *nyangnyang* punches.

“Myamya mmyamyang.”

Unlike the old days, perhaps because I’d been eating well, my hands were quicker than Myangmyang’s now.

I tapped Myangmyang on the head, easily claiming victory.

“Myuh… not fair…!”

Hearing the wails of the defeated, I shrugged victoriously, then glanced at Damian.

Still, Damian showed no interest in me, and I couldn’t help but feel deflated once more.

‘……’

It seemed today would continue like this.

Having no other recourse, I settled onto the sofa to read the novel Lorraine had lent me, opening it to a story of two lovers.

Frankly, I found the concept of love difficult to grasp, hard to put into words.

Yet the descriptions in the book felt somehow similar to the feelings I had when I thought of Damian, and I narrowed my eyes.

‘I don’t really understand.’

Deciding to ask Lorraine when she returned, I rose from the sofa to resume my magic studies.

Through the window, I saw a couple kissing.

I’d seen this action in books, so I understood that this was an expression of love.

But *why* they wanted to do such a thing, why they *desired* to do it, remained beyond my comprehension.

Staring blankly, I suddenly recalled when Liana had kissed Damian on the cheek long ago.

“Hmm.”

The memory stirred something, *something*, I thought, turning around.

Damian had apparently finished what he was doing, and he stood up, stretching.

I felt like we could finally play together, and together with Myangmyang (silly thing) I scurried forward.

But suddenly, the thought of what it would feel like to kiss or *lip-touch* Damian flashed through my mind.

“……”

The instant that thought arose… Damian’s red lips filled my vision.

The instant she saw them – lips that looked so soft, so yielding, unbelievably warm.

…A heat bloomed quickly across her face, a dizzying swirl in her mind.

‘…?’

Confused, not understanding why she was reacting this way.

Damian started towards her, calling her name.

“Siren, what’s wrong?”

That was when his scent, that uniquely warm scent of Damian’s, struck her heart with a violent thud.

She couldn’t stand it any longer; she had to flee.

* * * * *

I blinked, dumbfounded, watching Siren suddenly bolt.

She’s normally glued to my side; such a sudden retreat was perplexing.

It occurred to me that I might have been neglecting Siren lately, causing her to run. I resolved to pay her more attention.

Having decided that, I started wrapping up my current task, when…

Lorraine and Liana came into view, entering the room.

‘The investigation must be finished.’

To conclude everything in just one day, they must have already known where to focus their efforts.

I greeted Liana and Lorraine, who were carrying documents, and decided to depart immediately for the location Liana had chosen.