Chapter 117: Sophien (3) (1/2)
My heart doesn’t beat; my lungs don’t work. My body temperature was rapidly dropping, and my peripheral nerves, including my fingers and toes, grew numb as my organs shut down. My body was already dead.
However, Iron Man postponed death. Instead of using the heart and lungs, my blood vessels artificially contracted and repeatedly relaxed to transport blood and oxygen. It was just a workaround to save some time, but it was good enough. All so that my death would not be discovered by the Sophien of this world. So that her next memories could continue normally.
I reached the basement of the Imperial Palace, the wooden gate. The door was already open as if in wait.
“…”
I stepped out into the basement, reaching the middle of the darkness with my slow stride.
“You knew it was going to be like this.”
I heard a voice at that moment, prompting me to glance over. It was the Devil’s Mirror still assuming Sophien’s form.
“It’s over. You are dead.”
“…”
I nodded. I consumed 60,000 mana in an instant and took a huge amount of dark energy in without any preparation. From that point on, there was no chance of survival.
“I know.”
“Why did you do that if you knew? I’m curious.”
I just closed my eyes. I had quite a few thoughts. Among them, there were Deculein’s, and there was also Kim Woojin’s. But there was only one answer to his question.
“It was a promise, and I didn’t want to lose.”
My body was already broken, and my brain was slowly wasting away, but strangely, I smiled. In that state, I opened my eyes and stared directly at him.
“I didn’t want to hand over the world and Sophien to a twisted demon like you.”
“…”
The demon’s face hardened. Then, the bastard nodded.
“Then, congratulations. You won.”
That was the last thing he said. I first lost my sight, and then I was deafened. There was only silence. Inside the emptiness, I felt death approaching me.
…It felt so cold to the touch.
* * *
“…”
Sophien woke up. Her head was somewhat cloudy from the mixed memories, but the distinction was clear. Deculein had kept the promise he had made with her.
“…Persistent bastard.”
Sophien smiled as the words left her. He had indeed witnessed all her deaths. Of course, as if any other methods of death other than sickness were out of the question, he left as soon as she got well.
“But…”
Sophien looked around. Two mugs full of cold coffee on the tea-table; it was just as it was when Deculein left.
“You said you were going to face me.”
Sophien frowned and grabbed the teacup. Her magic warmed the coffee, and she took a sip. She proceeded to wait, tapping the table gently with her fingertips. How long would it take him to get here from the basement, she wondered.
“…”
Sophien watched the clock.
Tick, tock – Tick, tock-
The second hand moved inexorably forward, but Deculein didn’t return. No matter how large the Imperial Palace was, it wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. Did her idleness transfer to him?
It was then when Sophien, feeling testy, crossed her arms and began to mutter under her breath-
-Your Majesty!
A loud cry rang out from outside the room. Sophien opened the door with Psychokinesis.
“What’s the fuss?”
“This is trouble! In the basement of the Imperial Palace…”
Sophien’s eyes widened as an explanation followed in a hurry. She jumped up, her legs moving before she could think, with dozens of servants and knights in tow.
“Your Majesty! Here, we don’t know-“
Sophien urgently arrived at the basement. A man was standing by the wooden door leading in.
“…”
Sophien stepped forward, her eyes going blank. With every step, the world grew a little dizzier, and she staggered.
“Huh…”
When she finally reached him, she let out a laugh at the absurdity of it. Without realizing it, she had begun to clench her fists, turning her knuckles white.
“…You said we would meet at the end of my process.”
Deculein. His whole body was eroded by dark energy, and he stood as if leaning against the basement wall. All his vital functions had already stopped, and his veins had turned black. He looked like a corpse.
“Did you mean to come back looking like this?”
Sophien felt a cold headache forming. Unexpectedly, the countless moments of her life were rewound before her.
“…”
This was the man who stayed with her long memories, like a trace left in her regression’s history.
“Y-Your Majesty. You can’t. The dark energy will spread-“
“Shut up.”
She ignored the minister’s advice and moved into the man’s sight. She looked into his face, observing his closed eyes.
—I will be watching Your Highness everywhere.
She recalled what he said when the bastard left.
—Even if I leave your sight for a while… I will always be with you through your process.
Sophien looked at the sword around his waist. It was the treasured sword handed down from generation to generation to the Imperial Emperor.
—…Can I ask you for one promise?
‘If now… if I commit suicide, you will come back to life.’
—No matter what happens… don’t take your own life.
‘Did you know this when you said that?’
—Cherish your life… Your Highness.
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‘Was that an arrogant conviction that I would kill myself for you? This fucking bastard.’
You could have just said that if you were going to die.
“…”
Feeling a torrent of emotions she’d never experienced before, Sophien suddenly noticed a piece of paper sticking out of his suit pocket. She stretched out her hand to pluck up the fragment.
“Your Majesty.”
The eunuch Jolang called out to Sophien. Sophien looked back to him, stiffening. There was a hint of laughter on Jolang’s normally expressionless face for some reason.
“The two knights are now being detained in the Imperial Palace Prison.”
“Knights?”
“Yes. It’s Julie and Keiron, who dared to fight without permission in the Imperial Palace.”
“…Gosh.”
Sophien sighed
“A fucking mess happened while I was sleeping.”
* * *
Emperor Sophien personally visited the Imperial Prison. Julie and Keiron were isolated in separate cages, set side-by-side. She glanced between the two.
“Who won?”
There was no answer.
“Are you ignoring what I said? Or are you saying it was a street fight, not a duel?”
A duel and a fight were different. A duel between knights was treated somewhat sacredly, but in the case of a fight, the story was different. In severe cases, sparring in the Imperial Palace could even lead to execution.
“…I lost.”
Julie finally answered, prompting a grin from Sophien.
“Okay. It would be strange if you won.”
“Your Majesty.”
Then, Julie’s expression turned to one of fear.
“Perhaps, Professor Deculein…”
“He’s dead.”
“…!”
Julie raised her head. Seeing that startled face, Sophien clicked her tongue.
“Looking at you, you’re the fool that is likely to follow him soon.”
“…”
Julie bowed her head without saying a word. Sophien looked to Keiron next. He was on his knees.
“Keiron.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have anything to say?”
“…How are you feeling, Your Majesty?”
“…”
Sophien spoke to the servant next to her without answering him. She didn’t want to quarrel here.
“Let both of them go. It was a duel between knights.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Jailer!”
The jailer ran quickly to open the cages. Julie couldn’t stand easily as she was still in shock, but Keiron moved to stand behind Sophien as always. Sparing one final glance for Julie, Sophien left.
“Enough. Everyone go back now.”
“””Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty…”””
After sending back all her servants, she stalked through the corridors of the Imperial Palace.
Stomp, stomp-
Keiron and Sophien’s footsteps echoed through the halls, overlapping each other. Moving in sync with the stride of the Emperor was the basics of being an escort knight.
“…Keiron.”
“Yes.”
“There was a 『Bibliography』 in Deculein’s inner pocket.”
Sophien handed the paper she held to Keiron. Keiron took it without a word.
“If you look at it, it says you were following a Nescĭus.”
“Yes.”
“Are you still?”
“Yes.”
At Keiron’s answer, Sophien smiled deviously. Deculein, was it this clever bastard’s intention, or had it turned out like this by chance? If not…
‘Why are my feelings moving like this when I think of him?’
“The power that the small demon seized belongs to me.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Sophien stopped and turned to Keiron. He immediately knelt on one knee. Sophien leaned over and looked down upon him.
“Then I will ask. What is the punishment for a thief who dares to steal from the Emperor?”
“Death.”
* * *
The next day, Sophien left at dawn. It had been a long time since she had left the Imperial Palace. She didn’t tell anyone except Keiron and set the wagons off on purpose, with the eyes and ears of the Imperial Palace spreading the news here and there.
Many high-ranking families harbored fears and expectations, thinking, ‘Isn’t the Emperor going to visit us?’. As well, the officials of the Imperium were equally nervous. But Sophien’s destination was to visit neither of them. After a three-day journey, she captured the Nescĭus, whom Keiron was pursuing.
“…Is this the image that I’m afraid of?”
To Sophien, the Nescĭus was just a skeleton covered in a black robe. It wasn’t scary at all.
“Cut it down.”
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“Hmph. You look painful to watch. You coward.”