37 – The Engagement Annulment’s Conclusion, Part 1

No matter how affluent a city may be, not all of its districts are perfectly paved.

Where there are those bathed in light and receiving everyone’s attention, there were also bound to be those dying coldly, unnoticed by anyone.

Therefore, it was, in a way, a natural course of events that the alleyways on the outskirts were poorly maintained and excessively muddy.

“If there was an artificial sun, it could bring warmth to the North, even without Damian.”

… Raindrops, carried on dark clouds, began to pour down.

Elysia, feeling the sticky mud clinging to her shoes, tried to ignore him.

The offer, to become self-sufficient, to stand on one’s own, was so excessively sweet it made taking the first step nearly impossible.

‘If that were possible…it could solve all the problems.’

The countless troubles plaguing the North? The tangled web of political strife? The problem that was Damian?

Not only could it render all the issues that bound and gnawed at her utterly meaningless,

but it would also allow for the complete eradication of the parasites clinging to the North all this time.

Therefore, if his words held truth, accepting it was the right thing to do.

But there were far too many catches to simply embrace it, forcing her to retreat a step.

As she refused the deal and attempted to flee, he spoke with a mocking tone.

“There’s no other way, is there? And yet, you’d still run?”

“……”

The words halted her retreating foot.

As the man had said, persuasion was nearing impossibility, and stealing the power came with a tremendous risk to bear.

And so, hesitation, like mud clinging to her boots, felt ever more persistent.

“…What’s the reason for making such an offer?”

“A grand purpose. It is merely that.”

A ludicrous answer returned, yet the hesitation had clung on so stubbornly that she found it hard to dismiss it.

…And so, deciding to listen a little longer, she inquired further.

“Creating an artificial sun is, as far as I know, practically impossible. Even if one were created, it would require a constant influx of vast energy. I don’t know if that’s realistically feasible.”

“The artificial sun is nearly complete. The energy is a problem that can be solved by converting living beings.”

“…Living beings? Are you referring to humans?”

“Humans or monsters. Anything with lifeforce.”

“……”

Hearing those words, her mind spiraled.

Starting with how many humans would need to be sacrificed to maintain it,

…even to the thought that if she were to accept, perhaps she could somehow satisfy it with something like a war.

Such thoughts swirled in her head, and all sorts of assumptions and solutions arose.

But to execute any of them, she first needed to accept the man’s offer, and so the hesitation grew stronger.

“…Allow me some time to consider it.”

The conditions were too good to accept so readily, so she decided to ponder it further.

As if he’d anticipated it, he indifferently nodded, tossing a letter to her as if flicking it away.

“Time isn’t much on our side, so it’s best you decide quickly. Once your mind is made up, use this to contact me.”

A black envelope.

The moment I received it, a mess of thoughts scattered, but having more options couldn’t hurt. So I accepted it and turned away.

* * * * *

“There, there, little master. Does it hurt?”

“Stop exaggerating.”

I poured potion onto Lorraine, who was whimpering, then wrapped it with a bandage.

Truth be told, just the potion alone would be enough to completely heal her.

But since she claimed it hurt, I figured bandaging it up might be better. As I busied myself swathing her in gauze, Lorraine spoke to me.

“Then, I suppose I’ll be off to training soon.”

At her words, I told her to wait a moment, then brewed a generous amount of tea. I poured it into a thermos and handed it over.

“Ah… Thank you.”

Lorraine accepted the thermos with a hesitant air, perhaps feeling guilty about skipping out on Damian’s guard duty to train.

I patted her back gently.

“If you feel bad, then hurry and finish your training, and get back.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll finish as quickly as possible.”

Watching her response, I suddenly wondered why Lorraine insisted on being Damian’s guard.

‘… Is she bound by some kind of contract?’

Otherwise, there seemed to be no need for her to be so attached to guard duty.

Puzzled, I waved to Lorraine.

“Be careful on your way.”

“Then, I’ll be training nearby. If you sense any danger, I’ll return immediately, so please try to stay within the quarters.”

I nodded. Lorraine hesitated for a moment, then bid farewell and quickly left the lodging.

Watching her go, I decided to take a shower, and turned to head in that direction.

*

After my shower, I noticed Siren reading a book.

It seemed she was analyzing the artificial sun in order to modify it, so I stroked Siren’s hair.

Just then, Liana stretched and bid me farewell.

“Well, I need to go report to the Saintess, so I’ll be going now.”

At her words, I poured the remaining tea, leftover from Lorraine’s portion, into a thermos and handed it to her.

Liana, beaming, told me,

“Thank you. Oh, and come to think of it, the Saintess wishes to meet you soon, I hear.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ll let you know again after scheduling it. Rest well.”

I waved goodbye to Liana as she left, then sprawled out on the nearby sofa.

Perhaps it was from finishing such a major ordeal, I felt rather drained, and as I stared blankly at the ceiling…

Daisy came tumbling over, launching herself into my arms.

“Myaaang!”

She snuggled into my embrace, rolling around and showering me with affection.

Amused by Daisy rubbing her face against mine, I stroked her head, then fell into thought.

‘I need to become stronger.’

Because things were different from the original story, I had no idea what might happen, and if I relied solely on Lorraine and remained complacent, I would face a terrible end.

So, rather than depending on Lorraine, I decided to grow quickly, to be able to resolve things myself, and I narrowed my eyes.

‘Either gain new powers, or significantly increase the ones I already have.’

Both were good options, and as I pondered which to pursue first, someone cautiously knocked on the door.

“Young Master. Dale is here to see you.”

“Let him in.”

“Yes.”

With those words, Dale entered shortly after.

The moment I saw Dale, a mischievousness bubbled up within me, and I said, a smile playing on my lips,

“Did you come looking for a pill to become a woman, perhaps?”

At that, Dale’s expression hardened instantly as he said to me,

“…Are you crazy?”

From Dale’s perspective, the fact that he had become a woman seemed to be quite stressful, as he scowled fiercely, his eyes narrowed.

I told Dale it was a joke, but just as I was about to ask why he had come…

“Still, just in case, give me a few if you have any left.”

“…?”

A rather shocking sound reached my ears.

I frowned and stared at Dale, who, still scowling, told me,

“No, dammit. It’s not like that, it’s for infiltration or gathering information.”

“… Let’s say you’re right. So why did you come?”

Deil bristled as if stung by the phrase, ‘Let’s say you’re right.’

But perhaps realizing that continuing on that thread would lead nowhere, he swiftly cut himself off, pulling out a different topic.

“No… ha. Ah, forget it. I came to tell you that the Hero Appointment Ceremony is going to happen sooner than expected, or so it seems.”

“Is that so?”

“The Archbishop said they’ll do the testing tonight, and the ceremony tomorrow morning, apparently?”

It was progressing even faster than he had anticipated.

No, ‘rushed’ might be a more accurate description than ‘fast.’

He couldn’t understand why they were trying to deal with it so hastily, so he looked at Deil, but Deil only shrugged, equally clueless.

“Don’t know? Apparently, something came up, so they have to do it quick?”

His words sparked a single hypothesis in his mind.

Perhaps the rush to hold the Hero Appointment Ceremony was because he had discovered the Artificial Sun.

Of course, it was just a baseless conjecture, so it was possible he was wrong, but for some reason, he had a strong feeling that it was the reason.

‘Whatever the reason, the fact remains that things are moving with urgency.’

He was about to give Deil some instructions to prepare for this when…

“Young Master, the Duchess requests your presence.”

He was informed that Damian’s mother was calling for him.

He left Deil lingering in his quarters and went straight to see Damian’s mother, Eleanor Carsaril.

Considering her personality, she only called for Damian when something significant was happening.

Entering her quarters with a touch of trepidation, he was met with Damian’s mother, wearing a warm, kind expression.

“Come in, dear.”

He offered a polite bow at her words, to which she waved her hand and chuckled.

“That courteous bow never gets any easier to get used to. Now, come sit here. I have something important to tell you.”

“Yes.”

He took the seat she indicated, and as he settled in.

Damian’s mother produced a document related to the annulment of his engagement and began to speak.

“The annulment ceremony will be completed faster than planned, just as you wished. The reason is unclear, but the Northern side, who had been dragging out the schedule, is now hastily trying to finalize all the contracts.”

The mention of ‘the North’ brought Deil’s words about the ‘Hero Appointment Ceremony’ to mind.

He could intuitively sense that this whole situation was caused by the discovery of the Artificial Sun.

“So,” she said, watching me as I nodded to her words, acknowledging her meaning. “Tomorrow evening, then, we bring everything to its final knot. If there’s aught you’ve yet to finish, see to it before then.”

…Tomorrow evening meant the moment the Hero Appointment Ceremony concluded, the annulment ceremony would follow immediately.

With these words, I sensed that matters were taking a complicated turn.

*

With things moving so urgently, I’d need to pick up my own pace a bit.

Thinking this, I returned directly to my quarters and spoke to Dale, who was waiting there.

“I have a task for you.”

Dale responded with a lukewarm expression.

“And that is?”

I smiled softly, and told him of the plan I had conceived some time ago.

“The moment I’m appointed Hero, announce at the ceremony that Elyssia is in league with a black magician and has caused the rift.”

“……”

Dale laughed incredulously at my words.

“You’re a goddamn lunatic, you know that?”

I’d already heard that from Liana.

I simply smiled calmly in response.