CHAPTER 340 THE EMPEROR AND SOPHIEN (2)

I gazed at the main gate of the Imperial Palace in the rain, conscious of Sophien's struggles. She was becoming human, as she came to understand the meaning of life through loving someone like me after living through hundreds of years of death.

"Sir, what are you going to do?"

My subordinates were with me, but they were superficial and corrupted by the Altar, making them unreliable.

"What is the emperor thinking…?" One of them asked me. The way this insignificant bastard called the noblest creature on this earth without giving her her due respect made my blood boil.

"I don't know yet. We'll do our job. The lighthouse is ready." The continent's fate, whether it be through my will or Quay's, will be determined when the day comes.

"But… before that." I discarded my coat, "I must show myself as a servant." I knelt on the muddy pavement, to the confusion of my subordinates.

"Count, Count?" They hesitated to follow my lead.

"I will wait alone until the Emperor emerges. It's for the best if She doesn't move until the lighthouse is activated," I explained. "Even if I stand against Her, I must try to determine Her intentions."

* * *

The next day, at the Masal's residence.

Lia and Ganesha were tilting their heads as they listened to the breaking news through the crystal ball.

The Emperor had shut the Imperial Palace. Closing the Palace was traditionally an expression of dissatisfaction, so Deculein had been the first to run over and get down on his knees. He was quickly followed by the pro-Imperial servants. It was now crowded with nobles of all kinds.

"Lia, isn't this the right time?"

"For what?"

"To kill Deculein! He's on his knees without magic, an escort, or any kind of countermeasures."

"Uh, I don't know. Not really. Rather, when will the analysis be done?" Lia said while avoiding Ganesha's eyes.

Many wizards were still engrossed in analyzing the lighthouse, but they didn't look so good.

"I don't know, go check for yourself~."

* * *

As Lia entered the hallway, a piece of magic paper flew by. She grabbed it and walked to the living room.

"There's too many people," she thought, as she saw 200 of them gathering and examining materials from the Floating Island.

She approached one of them and asked:

"Where's Professor Louina?"

"She went in there," the wizard replied, pointing to a door.

Lia nodded, headed toward the door and knocked. After waiting for a few second and hearing no answer, she knocked again. When there was still no response, she decided to open it.

"Professor Louina?"

Louina stiffened and tried to hide some documents.

"What are you hiding?" asked Lia suspiciously.

Louina scratched her head and laughed awkwardly.

"I-It's nothing."

"Did you find out something about the spell?"

Louina licked her lips.

"Oh, that's…"

"You did, right?"

"…Haah."

Louina nodded and sat down, looking depressed. "Sort of."

"…What is it?"

"…"

Louina raised a stack of documents.

"This is Deculein's lighthouse formula decomposed into three hundred parts."

"…Three hundred?"

"Yes. Well, I didn't do anything. My disciples put it together one by one. This lighthouse… its purpose… it's…"

Suddenly, Louina's mouth shut tight. She sighed as she rubbed her eyes and nose.

"Maybe the continent's destruction?" said Lia bitterly.

Louina's eyes widened. Rare were the ones that knew the Altar's purpose. Perhaps not even the members of the Altar.

"That's right. This lighthouse is trying to attract a comet and drop it on the continent."

Louina rose and tapped her telescope.

"We have already found the comet."

"Oh?"

"…You don't seem very surprised."

"I had a feeling it would be the case.."

"Wow! As expected of the adventurer chosen by Her Majesty."

Lia smiled bitterly at her. She anticipated it thanks to the questline, while Louina had composed an empirical prediction through magical analysis, research, and observation. Thus, there was evidence of Louina's predictions, unlike hers.

She could officially announce it across the continent.

"The comet's size is estimated as half the continent's size."

Lia fell silent. She knew that an asteroid a tenth of that size was enough to destroy the planet.

"There's still one thing I haven't figured out yet…" said Louina with an uncertainty showing on her face. "But that could be unnecessary, right? We already know their purpose."

"So why are you here instead of revealing it?"

"…Even if I reveal it, I don't think it can be stopped. I think it would only cause chaos." explained Louina. "I just know their intent. I don't know how to stop it; I can't. It's flawless."

Louina waved the papers.

"It's perfect. I was amazed while reading it, honestly. How was Deculein able to create something like this?"

Her cheeks flushed, a mix of excitement and shame enveloping her as she found herself captivated by the intricate spellcasting technique of her enemy.

"But why would he use his talent for something like this?"

Louina muttered and put the paper down. Deculein's spell flowed down from her fingers.

"…It's okay."

Picking it up, Lia shook her head.

"I may not know much about magic, but I know one thing. A perfect spell like that must be tricky to activate, only the wizard who invented it could handle it."

Louina's eyes widened.

"We can use this document as evidence of Deculein's war crimes and strike when he turns on the lighthouse. Then… we can kill him."

Louina gave a slight nod. She seemed hesitant about something.

After a brief pause, she determinedly reclaimed the paper, recommencing her in-depth analysis.

"What are you doing?"

"As I said, there's one part that I haven't figured out yet. I'll analyze it again."

* * *

…In the basement of the Imperial Palace, the library.

Sophien walked, reaching for bookshelves, sifting through the covers of countless books, searching for any trace of Deculein's presence through the textures and scents of paper, leather, and ink.

"…He sure did read a lot."

Hundreds of books held his scent, all first editions only kept at the Imperial Palace. Gosh, he was a book lover.

Rustle—

Sophien read the books he had read.

Rustle—

The history of the Imperial Palace, records of magic, and tales of ancient times. Evidence of divinity. She then activated her crystal ball.

"..."

Deculein was still kneeling in front of the Palace.

"You must be unwell," she said with a worried expression.

Deculein was dying. Even a mere rainstorm would be harmful to him.

Stomp.

Footsteps echoed in the darkness of the library, followed by the faint energy of mana.

The wind blew underground, making Sophien's hair sway.

"…"

Sophien looked around.

"…Sophie."

Sophie? That was a nickname only her father and mother called her when she was very young.

"It's been a long time."

A middle-aged man was walking toward her, smiling at her.

"…Rohakan."

Sophien scrutinized him. Was this a fake body, an illusion, or had he come back to life?

"Haha, I'm not fake. Before I died, it was easy for me to fragment my consciousness and leave it like a time capsule."

Then, without hesitation, he sat across from Sophien.

"Sit down. There isn't much time."

Sophien stayed motionless, but Rohakan just smiled.

"Didn't I tell you? I saw the future."

"…"

"I knew you would be suffering now, and I knew what you would be thinking. So, I left my will and I have something to talk to you about."

Sophien twisted her lips, sneering at Rohakan.

"You knew."

"Yes."

Rohakan pointed to the ceiling.

"But that guy, Deculein... He is more amazing than I thought."

Sophien's brow twitched.

"He did what I couldn't."

"…"

Sophien tilted her head. Her gaze was sharp, like a sword aimed at Rohakan, but he continued to grin.

"You are being healed."

Healed? Sophien could somehow agree.

She wasn't rotting anymore. Her lifeless eyes had regained their vitality. Thinking about it, humans could only suffer when they are alive.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know…"

A soft smile tugged at Rohakan's lips.

"I'll help you kill him."