20 times? 30 times? No. It could be more than that, Sezh couldn’t be sure. She just randomly wanted to count how many times Yerena beat her in order to relieve her anger.

Looks like today she has to protect her face better. She guessed that today maybe she would get 30 in minimum. She wanted to avoid as best as she could to put any cotton ball in her bleeding nostrils like last time.

However, surprisingly Yerena didn’t get a chance to assault her anywhere today, not even once. At the time being, Yerena who returned back altogether with Sezh was giving Sezh her steep swears as usual. Words like ‘This damn kid’ and ‘This good for nothing stupid bitch.’

At the very moment Yerena lifted her hand, more than ready enough to slap her cheek while roaring a heavy stream of her top drawer blasphemy. Luna came.

There were expensive medicines, ointment, and something else that Luna brought on her hands that day. Luna never broke her streaks even a day to help Sezh treat her wounds everytime she was abused by her mom or anyone else. Those stuff that she brought today were so out of league from something that Luna usually used to treat her wounds. The variance was also quite numerous.

The next thing she knew is the one who sent those medicines is Lady Lize. The calm and soft Lady Lize even wrote her a letter. If she was asked to tell what the content of the letter is, Sezh will summarize it like this.

[ … Princess. It is a medicinal herb that is insignificant to give, but it is said that the effect is fruitful. The face of yours was hurt a lot because of Princess Lillian, but I hope it helps. Will you come to my palace with Raytan tomorrow? Although I can’t see you myself because I’m not feeling well, I will definitely ask Marie how much Princess’s condition has improved. If it doesn’t work, I, with a good grace, would send you another more.]

Things about the medicines were just a mere excuse, Lady Lize’s true intention is to prevent Yerena from abusing her. If the ireful Yerena chose to squeeze her like a rat again today, Sezh couldn’t help but be defenseless to acquire some new injuries.

In the past, She has been beaten to a real serious degree a few times. Not enough with just swelling marks on her face, she also got the black and blue bruises all over her body. Everytime Yerena manhandled and made her turn into a sort of shoddy living meat. She would as well keep her from going anywhere.

But the situation is different this time.

No one but The Emperor himself gave his permission for her to do the tutoring with Raytan.

Even Lady Lize sent her medicines and her maid to Sezh’s palace as an excuse to make sure that Sezh didn’t get assaulted by Yerena.Her intention succeeded, Yerena didn’t hit Sezh or anything that day.

Moreover, even if she didn’t go that far to help her today, Lady Lize was the one who talked directly about the quarrel and made a negotiation with The Emperor. Until now, Sezh still had no idea what things exactly that she uttered to The Emperor.

Lady Lize who was radiating a gentle and warm aura …

Of course Sezh was so thankful toward Raytan, but she was feeling absolutely grateful for Lady Lize from the bottom of her heart. Sezh honestly believed that she was owing endless debts towards her today.

She, fortunately, was the one who told The Emperor about the fight. She made her get The Emperor’s consent for the tutoring, and she saved her from Yerena’s abuse.

This was a replete of irony. They don’t even share a single drop of blood, but Lady Lize poured her with her care. Sezh was feeling more affectionate to her than to her own mother.

Thence, Sezh vowed. She will do anything to stop Lize’s death which was caused by Yerena, the accident that happened in another future that she already witnessed.

Thanks to Raytan and Lady Lize, Sezh could get through this horrible day. With her tired body, Sezh climbed into her bed.

***

“Ha …”

The archmage, who was sitting in front of his desk, sketched his face in nothing but dejection. He once again took a hale of fresh air. His face, where the wrinkles remained, turned to scrutinize any possible scenery at the other side of the window.

Living his daily life as an imperial archmage indeed was already making him have a lot of hustle and bustle everyday. Even so, the thing that made him feel restless today was not that. Several days ago, a flood was penetrating the temple. It was the troubling one. Since the underground waterway of the building was affected too.

Repairing the ruptured waterway is not a huge problem. The real problem is there was something surreptitious that never reached anybody’s ears or eyes. As soon as he heard the news, the archmage got something in his head. His intuition said that perhaps the scariest thing he would never want to imagine could happen.

Turns out his guess was right.

“Why, Why this …”

Under the blackcolored water, there was a hidden secret space. The place where they trapped ‘him’.

The Archmage peeped down his old eyes inside the mentioned space. But the thing that greeted him was just a tomb that contained nothing, utterly tenantless. As soon as The Archmage realized what was happening, he abruptly got up from his seat.

Years ago, when the former archmage showed him the tomb, he told The Archmage about ‘him.’

Monitoring and keeping a guard from ‘him’… That’s the most important and essential duty as an archmage. Hundreds of years have already passed. However, keeping control of the tomb is the task that he must not dare to neglect.

Last year, when The Archmage did the annual check up on it. The tomb was still in a fine condition. Then why, this sudden, what is the reason?

‘He must die’

There was only one thing that came into his mind.

‘Doesn’t Your Highness already see it as well? Those black strained hair, scarlet dipped irises… ‘

The serious conversation from the old times.

They must dispose of him from the world at all costs. Nevertheless, Raytan was never letting his life be stopped. He is alive, up until now.

The Archmage weighed if maybe the broken seal could be linked to Raytan.

“Your Highness said …”

The Archmage murmured but didn’t finish the sentence. He closed his mouth, lost in thoughts.

‘Don’t you know it too. Even after we threw him into the water, or when we left him behind alone in the forest, he still survived. We don’t know, something scarier might happen if we bite off more than we can chew.’

The Archmage recited his memory from a long time ago. The gloomy face of the Emperor that he never seen any match with before and …

‘Let’s observe the situation first, it will still not be too late to take action later. Beside that, for me… I know you will always be there.’

The look that The Emperor gave to him with his clean blue eyes.

The archmage knew. The Emperor is not that kind of wicked person. Also, The Archmage himself is a person who served a big loyalty to The Imperial for a long time. He didn’t want to give his emperor an additional fear.

“Right… Nothing weird happened prior to now.”

The tomb was empty, but there were no things happening anywhere. Prince Raytan was also the same, he never did something peculiar up to this day.

So far.

Maybe ‘he’ who disappeared … already escaped out of Delhender. That theory was made on account of the empty tomb already being found many days ago. If he really disappeared, then there was nothing more to worry about. Of course he still should prepare for the worst but.

“For now, Prince Raytan … let’s just keep an eye on him.”

At the time being, that is the wisest thing he can choose.

“Archmage.”

He heard the knocking sound, the sole source was from behind the closed door. The Archmage who was lost in thoughts whilst biting his lips, lifted his head and pored over his gaze to the door.

“Come in.”

When the door opened, a priest entered the room, in his hands there were piles of paper.

“This is the documents you’ve been asked for.”

“That’s right. Just put it there.”

What The Archmage asked him is various documents that were provided by the temple.

Among them were journals written very long ago and ancient books from other empires across the sea. The Archmage thought that he should scoop out more on those literatures to find out anything that could be related to ‘him’.‘

He’ was a human that lived far hundreds of years before them. So, without a doubt, he most likely can only harvest a little spoon of information.

“Do you need other assistance for anything else?”

“It’s enough with just that for today. By the way, it seems like there was quite a commotion outside. Has something happened?”

“If you didn’t even ask, I was about to tell you something concerning that.”

The priest sidled his feet full of anticipation, trying to get closer to The Archmage. He opened his mouth revealing the story in a low tune.

“Today there’s a quarrel among Princess Lillian, Prince Raytan, and Princess Sezh.”

“… Really?”

The Archmage’s pupils got enlarged right away.

He knew that Prince Raytan and Princess Sezh often went through the mill of nuisance by other Imperial Children. And today, it was not a one-sided bullying but a ‘quarrel’?

“It was a hotchpotch of turmoil. Plus ….”

“Plus?”

“He, put a fire on Princess Lillian’s hair.”

“… What?”

“Princess Lillian said it herself. It was Prince Raytan’s doing… And I did a recheck too, ended up getting the maid’s confirmation.”

“…”

“In spite of that, as what The Archmage knows. Isn’t Prince Raytan not able to use any magic? In addition to that, it’s not any other magic, but manifests a fire. Even the priests couldn’t do such magic. The Prince couldn’t have mastered such ability with just one day .”

The priest painted up a puzzled expression on his face.

“Again, if he really has such power to do that, he should have gotten the ticket. I’m talking about the ticket that someone on the list will get. *So, I came here and explained it to you..* I don’t know why things like that happened but …”

[* Actually I was contemplating for so long with this sentence. I did a cross checking with gtrans but the result was still confusing me. The alternate translation could be: ‘So I explained carefully and sent it back’. As to refer to the ticket that Raytan should get if he really could do magic.]

“…”

A long time ago, When the real proper mages existed in Delhender, the concept of a wizard was much narrower than it is now. At that period of time. Who is called as a mage is the one who naturally could spell magic to manifest elements. Those elements are fire, air, water, and earth. Among those elements, fire is the strongest one.

However, in today’s era, everything was changed. The mages who can use those elements were gone and vanished. For that reason, all the mages that were gathered in the palace now were just a pack of people that could use a feeble magic ability than other ordinary people. They couldn’t do anything more than that.

So, it’s impossible for Raytan to burn someone’s hair like what the staff have been telling him before.

If it really is.

“Archmage?”

No reply be thrown out. The priest looked at him in a confused stares.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Should I call the physi-“

“No need.”

“Yes?”

“… Just leave. I have something to think about alone.”

There was no tenderness in The Archmage’s voice.

In the end, the priest had nothing to do other than giving his farewell greetings and leaving the room. The priest stepped aside from the place where he stood before. The Archmage beat his lips. He evaluated all the information that he just collected, stared down at the table blankly.

After taking a very wide length of time. The Archmage mumbled with a trembling voice.

“Maybe… “

Prince Raytan. Pitch-black hair like a night. Red stained eyes that remind one of the color of blood. …. And today’s occasion about the usage of fire. This must be. The ability that is similar to ‘him’.

“All of these things … If everything was already fated from the start … “

‘He’ who was sealed for generations. What if he destroyed or weakened a body and made it as a new ‘bowl?. What if he transferred those powers?

Living in harmony with that legend. He will come back to destroy everything.

“No way … “

Those wrinkled eyes widened instantaneously.

Resting a displeased expression, The Archmage closed the two of his eyes.