As they entered the castle, lanterns that seemed to have been set up in advance were lit, illuminating the path.
“Your Highness, you must not look back.”
Darion warned once again.
He appeared to be afraid of falling into an illusion, and Ern was curious about why he was so cautious.
A mage of Epherna’s caliber should be able to resist illusion magic, even if caught by it, provided they are not in a completely unguarded state.
The same applies to Ern and Darion.
They had reached a level far beyond ordinary people and were not easily affected by illusion magic.
Especially now, with heightened vigilance, the chances of falling victim to such magic were almost zero.
“Sir Darion, you said you haven’t yet inspected the entire interior of the castle?”
“Yes. Although we have removed most of the curses, it was so filled with them recently that we couldn’t even set foot inside.”
Inside the castle, the Grand Palace.
Epherna moved to the Duke’s bedroom.
The Summer Sun within her was speaking.
It said its ‘mark’ was nearby.
Arriving at the bedroom without looking back, as Darion had instructed, she could sense it.
‘Something is here.’
Something that had been waiting for her all along.
It took the form of an object.
Hidden so that it was not apparent and could only be recognized by her.
She was able to find it.
“This is it.”
A seal once engraved by the Sky King Temur for Ern.
Although the attributes were different, a similar sun mark was engraved on a small plate.
‘I didn’t engrave this.’
It was impossible due to the timing.
Therefore, it meant that the previous owner of the Summer Sun had engraved it.
Whether it applies to her as well was uncertain, but it was worth investigating.
She infused energy into the mark on the plate.
Epherna had previously engraved her mark onto Ern during their engagement incident.
Using that experience, she channeled energy, and the ‘Will’ engraved on the seal flowed into her mind.
The sun spoke.
– Gather.
– Combine.
– Achieve.
– Melt into eternity.
The owner of the mark had sworn.
To gather, combine, and achieve.
However, it seemed that the owner had died before fulfilling the vow, and only the remaining energy and lingering thoughts faintly remained on the plate.
‘I received the Summer Sun before I was five years old.’
It was a story from more than 14 years ago.
The previous owner must have died around that time.
Who held the Summer Sun until 14 years ago?
There was no need for deep thought.
The previous Duke of the Eastern Principality.
The ruler before the one Ern killed.
He was the previous owner of the Summer Sun.
‘The puzzle pieces are coming together.’
Gather, combine, achieve.
This implies the essence of the Mythical Era.
The Spring Leaf, the Summer Sun, the Autumn Wind, the Winter Blizzard.
Gather the four essences and fulfill your wish.
Could this interpretation be correct?
Though there is no concrete evidence, the suspicion is clear.
What, then, was the reason for the previous Duke’s vow?
With whom did he make the promise?
Solving one mystery only leads to another.
The answer to that mystery is surprisingly easy to guess.
‘Evergreen.’
This was also a conjecture without concrete evidence, but a theory supported by strong suspicion.
Just then,
“Dodge—!!”
I heard Erne’s desperate voice.
A desperate voice from Ern was heard. With a pounding heart, Epherna turned around. B
efore she could see what was happening, the scene before her changed.
“…Huh?”
In the Smallhaven district of the Eastern Principality.
Epherna had been teleported to a shack, not knowing where she was.
*****
Never look back.
This was Darion’s repeated warning.
Ern and Epherna hadn’t taken it seriously.
They weren’t foolish enough to disregard a warning given directly by him.
As proof, they had avoided being caught by illusions because they hadn’t looked back.
The same applied to Darion.
As the one who gave the warning, he had never considered looking back while walking through the castle.
—Son.
Until the voice he thought he had forgotten long ago spoke.
—Son.
Darion was a hero.
He possessed the strength and mental fortitude befitting his title.
He was not so weak as to be easily deceived by the whisper of a phantom.
—Live happily, please.
A horrifying sensation, as if every fold in his brain was being manipulated.
The illusion capable of inflicting such pain on someone who had surpassed even the superhuman realm was the absolute technique of the Eastern Principality.
It was a true technique that could easily lead to the annihilation of even the Astrape Special Forces, far beyond the illusions Epherna and Ern had experienced.
—You don’t have to be a knight. Just live like Mom.
Darion, glancing back without thinking, didn’t turn his head due to his superhuman patience.
However, his gaze was no longer that of a valiant commander.
Thud—!!
The clash between his platinum shield and my fist created a tremendous noise.
Nothing broke.
Darion lifted his heavy feet from the ground.
His fist, carrying the weight of the world, boasted the ultimate destructive power that could even push back the Demon King.
It felt like a mountain was approaching.
I needed to evade.
That was my decision, but Epherna was behind me. She seemed distracted, fiddling with the plate without moving.
“Dodge—!!”
Mana swirled around both hands.
I had reinforced my body threefold and cast enhancement magic.
I thought I could withstand it.
Creeeak—!!
The result of receiving the Empire’s strongest shield head-on was staggering.
I groaned in pain, as if all the nerve bundles in my muscles were being torn apart.
Darion’s eyes were blurred. Evidence of being caught in an illusion.
“This, this idiot…!”
Had he fallen for the illusion despite his own warnings?
I gritted my teeth, but nothing changed.
If his mind was lost, I had to bring it back.
I strengthened my grip and seized his arm.
Using the power of my eyes, I deployed my magic.
As a mage who trains the body while studying magic, I am the only one on the continent.
The combat techniques I use are unknown even to Darion. So, even if he allowed the first strike, there was no reason for me to be at a disadvantage.
The magic of fire, earth, and lightning attributes I deployed battered Darion’s entire body. Naturally, the enhanced Darion’s physique was unharmed.
It merely removed some of the light armor that hadn’t been reinforced for durability.
But it bought more than enough time for Epherna to escape via teleportation.
‘This will do.’
Epherna escaped.
There was no longer a need to worry about Darion while fighting.
Four layered body reinforcement.
It had been a long time since I fought properly.
It had been almost seven years since I had used any combat techniques other than the Sword Form.
Even though I had been training steadily, the fact remains that it had been a long time since I was in a real battle.
“That’s true for endurance as well.”
It had been seven years since the war ended.
A sufficient amount of time for even the sharpest spear to dull.
Simon, Bergamot, Belladriel, Solendril, Darion, Gerard.
And me.
Not a single hero remained unscathed.
So, it’s manageable. Because, unlike others, I haven’t weakened despite getting dull with age.
I quietly recited.
“###”
Magical Awakening.
The realm of powerlessness.
*****
An old shack in a district like Smallhaven was unimaginable.
She didn’t know why she had been moved here.
‘Was someone trying to bring me here?’
Sher looked at the plate in her hand.
The mark, though faded, still emitted a faint light.
What does it want?
She needed to understand it.
– Dodge-!!
The words Ern had shouted to her earlier.
Epherna, who had been concerned about that, decided to defer her actions for now.
She attempted to use mana.
It was to use teleportation.
“… The mana isn’t moving.”
Without the ability to move mana, teleportation was impossible.
While will-based mana could be used to create fire, that was all it could do.
How could she reach the castle when she didn’t even know the location of the shack?
“…Mister will be alright, right?”
He was a strong person.
Strong enough to accept being compared to Simon or Bergamot, and potentially interfere if not careful.
Rationalizing it didn’t hide the ache in her chest.
She wanted to fly out immediately to help him.
The sun plate in her hand buzzed and pointed towards somewhere.
The direction was the only drawer in the shack.
“…”
Epherna thought calmly.
From over three kilometers away from the castle, rushing there now would likely mean arriving only after everything was over, with an 80% chance.
The probability of it being a meaningless action was very high.
Epherna detested making mistakes due to emotional and incorrect judgments.
Epherna opened the drawer that the solar plate indicated. Inside was an old diary that looked like it had been there for at least ten years.
The title of the diary was.
[Eternal Resting Place]
