Chapter 9: Bleak Reality Suffocates

The Emperor’s companion.

The being called the Magic Empress with awe and reverence.

Melineos.

And since she had become part of the golden bloodline that led the Berg Empire, she naturally took the national name of Berg and the surname of the golden bloodline.

Melineos Berg Enzul.

The Enjul Clan had not been of royal blood from the beginning, but by now, that history had spanned nearly 300 years.

About 20 years after the invasion of the Demon King of Grief.

It is recorded in history as a period of massive turmoil and chaos.

It was an era of instability that most races could not escape, but the chaos and conflict were particularly pronounced within the human nations.

Royal authority had been weakened by the Demon King Invasion.

Nobles, acting with arrogance, began to indulge their greed under the guise of recovering from the damages.

The land was ravaged by the aftermath of the war, and to make matters worse, a prolonged period of famine followed.

Furthermore, it was a time when warriors and barbarians from all over the continent, who had come as mercenaries, brazenly formed groups and roamed the land.

Thus, the profession of the knight emerged prominently on the historical stage as a necessity.

However, in the very beginning, even those knights were nothing more than selfish rioters and bandits possessing martial power.

The war continued relentlessly for another ten years.

Without trust in one another, they intimidated and trampled their opponents solely through strength.

It was an era called the age of barbarism, where even faith had collapsed.

It was at that precise moment that the Enjul Clan, acting as minor lords, served as protectors of the Religious Order.

The Pope of that era highly valued this and consecrated him.

Furthermore, centered around him, the spirit and culture of chivalry began to be established and systematized on a large scale.

Under the Pope’s permission, councils were held across the continent, and restrictions based on regional characteristics began to emerge.

He who is a knight shall have no false requests, pledges, or oaths in his vows.

Thou shalt not fight willfully.

Thou shalt not torment the weak.

Thou shalt not invade a church while armed.

Thou shalt not kill an unarmed cleric.

Thou shalt not covet another’s possessions through force.

The restrictions began to cover everything from the most fundamental to the most trivial matters.

Naturally, the number of knights who shunned the vows increased.

Movements of organizations to punish those who were knights in name only began to arise.

A representative example was the mages and Magic Path Walkers who sought the truth.

They had long been rejected and called heretics, viewed with disdain by the Religious Order.

However, using this as a turning point, they resolved to comply with the Order.

Only then did they finally become part of the Order’s community.

The image of the righteous and fair mages and Magic Path Walkers, who defeated the vow-breakers and vow-refusers—those who were lawless and violent yet possessed powerful strength—was established during this period.

The previously wicked mages and witches, known for communicating and making terrible deals with demons, began to be regarded as sages possessing vast knowledge.

Thus, the human race, which had taken over vast territories but failed to manage or handle them properly, only increasing their population.

However, the Great Berg Empire, which endured without splitting, proclaimed itself an empire, and its influence began to spread rapidly across the land.

It could be said that the successive oaths of loyalty from lords seeking to fall within its sphere of influence led to the empire as it stands today.

The knight is the protector of the Order and the shield of the people.

The mage lights the dark path with keen reason and profound knowledge.

All of this is the providence of God.

“……??”

She was the Empress of that great empire.

And yet.

“Mother, are you awake?”

Her body would not move.

It was as if her entire body was being crushed by something.

Trembling, she barely managed to lift her arm, but even that fell helplessly, like a bird that had lost its wings.

But fortunately.

There was someone who caught it with one hand.

“……?”

El?

Empress Melineos.

The only daughter of herself and the Emperor she loved so dearly.

But what was happening?

The girl holding her hand with her left hand seemed to have an empty right arm for some reason.

When she looked up, she saw that the girl’s left eye was covered by something like a golden eyepatch.

A haggard complexion.

Her porcelain skin had lost its vitality and was pale, looking as sorrowful as marble.

“Ah… ugh….”

Her voice wouldn’t come out.

Melineos immediately grasped the situation.

‘A dream?’

It wasn’t a simple dream.

The ability that made her the one called the Great Mage.

This was a type of prophetic dream.

Her innate ability that had saved Heroes through countless crises.

An intuition beyond intuition.

In her childhood, it had been limited to simple premonitions, but by the time she was called a Hero, she had reached a level where she could utilize it, if not perfectly, to some extent.

However, even this was largely one-sided.

This was not something to control, but something to accept.

But what on earth was this situation?

Why was our daughter’s state so wretched….

“The peace of the empire hangs by a thread, but please be at ease. Uncle Lueld has also steeled his heart.”

Uncle?

El? What is happening?

There is no way you would call others that.

Even if it were Hero Lueld.

‘Stay calm.’

Melineos. Do not be shaken; focus on the phenomenon.

What is needed is cold reason and the power of observation based on it.

Assess the situation. And remember.

This provides a clue to a future that will arrive.

Not necessarily, but if things go wrong, a future that will certainly arrive….

An ominous future.

“Ugh… ack!”

“Do not push yourself.”

No, she had to ask.

What on earth happened.

However, words would not come.

It felt as if the inside of her throat had been scorched by fire.

A sensation similar to when her lungs burned from high temperatures after being exposed to a dragon’s breath.

The difference was that back then, it was a terrible pain of internal burning from sudden high heat.

Now, it felt as if the aftermath had ended, leaving her completely ruined….

“I sometimes reflect on whether all of this is just a bad dream, or a nightmare.”

A nightmare?

Yes, it is a nightmare.

Melineos desperately hoped that her daughter would move beyond sentimentality and provide her with the information she needed.

“It has not even been ten days since we sent Father away. Also, after Mother… after you collapsed, I have managed to complete the coronation successfully.”

…….

He… died?

What on earth did Lueld do?

Tears leaked out naturally, as if her internal organs were being torn apart.

Without any effort to squeeze them out, they just flowed.

Not the current her, but Melineos, the original owner of this body… was weeping, drenched in sadness and grief.

“Perhaps this will be the last time.”

The last?

“…In a few days, he will come.”

He?

“As a pillar of the empire, I will remain faithful to my role. Even if I must give my life.”

“Ugh… ugh!”

“…Do not worry. Even if I die, would I not be following Father? It is an honor I will gladly accept.”

No. That cannot happen!

Even if I must die first!

You, you….

“If the capital falls, Alessius will take care of Mother.”

…So that child was alive.

“Then, I shall leave now. Please, be at peace.”

“!!!”

Even knowing this was a dream.

Melineos screamed inwardly.

A whirlwind of emotions surged within her.

And she realized.

That the current Melineos had not many days left to live.

Elhermina’s steps as she left the Empress’s room were unwavering.

Even so, at a glance, she looked incredibly precarious.

Click!

The empty place, devoid of even servants, held a desperate void amidst the splendor.

How much time had passed?

As if to break that void, the door opened.

……A girl entered.

“Ah, I wandered around so damn much. I wondered what kind of trick this was out of nowhere, and as expected, it was you, wasn’t it?”

The girl who walked in with heavy steps resembled gold.

A glamorous appearance and a matching, bold stride.

She wore a practical white dress for ease of movement, but even this looked very simple and ordinary compared to her beauty.

That was because she radiated an overwhelming presence.

Even if her condition were at its worst, how could one not recognize her?

Above all, that unknown, strange atmosphere.

A ferocious pressure that felt as if it would not just crush, but tear apart the air and the space itself.

It truly awakened memories like a nightmare.

Clatter!

Kicking a chair close to the bed, she plopped her backside onto it and crossed her legs.

Naturally, her thoughts were broken, and she focused her senses on the girl again.

“You rascal. So the reason you invited me to such a pleasant place is… ah, what is this? You didn’t invite me, but I just happened to get dragged along? My, my, my, this is becoming quite pleasant.”

She seemed to be deducing something and quickly reached a conclusion.

Yet still.

Melineos could not fully determine what this situation was, nor the identity of the girl who had arrived before her.

“I see. If you or your lot mix and stir things up and gaslight him, there’s a possibility that Kariel could become a Demon King on one hand. Is that the possibility? Wow, this is truly interesting.”

“……?”

What… are you talking about, now?

“Since your body is in that state, it’s hard to grasp the situation, right? I’ll tell you simply.”

For instance.

Kariel became the Demon King.

And he is plunging the world into misery.

An explanation that ended in less than five seconds.

Yet, what a concise and terrible summary.

“Half of the Nine Heroes, including your husband, are dead. Seeing that, Lueld has now steeled himself to kill his own son.”

Then suddenly.

“Hmm, hmm….”

The girl covered her mouth.

“Pfft! K-keke! Ah, wait. This is… pfft! K-keke! Kehehehe!”

As if she could not contain a surging burst of laughter.

No, it didn’t end there.

“Khahaha! Ah! Ahahaha! Wow, crazy! Hey, hey! My teeth are rotting! It’s sweet! Too sweet! Wine! Bring some wine and cheese! Wow, seriously! This scenario is too exciting! What is this paradise on earth?! You rascal! Do you intend to drown me in this happiness?!”

Trembling all over as if struck by a shiver, the girl laughed joyfully, pleasantly, and gleefully.

Half-collapsed, forgetting even to hold her stomach, she flailed and laughed and laughed again.

“Ah! My teeth are rotting! It should be moderately sweet! What is this?! I didn’t particularly intend to take revenge, but it turns out it could proceed like this? Wow! Really! Truly! The Great Demon King’s insight! As always, it is simply marvelous!”

“Ugh, ugh!”

“Ah, your vocal cords are completely toasted, so don’t struggle. You should enjoy this situation too. Isn’t it so funny?”

The Golden Girl burst into laughter.

Soon, that smile, that laughter, turned into madness, shaking the entire vast palace she was in.

“Ah, I think I’m going to cry! This is too pleasant! I’d like to see the ending if possible… well, it seems your mind can’t take any more. Is this like an observed parallel world? I’m truly curious about the principle. To think it’s hard to grasp even with the Realm of Wisdom, it’s practically a psychic power, isn’t it? By the way, the ‘me’ here is quite a lucky one, isn’t she? I bet everything was just too enjoyable….”

Then, as if she had never laughed.

Returning to a blunt expression, the girl asked.

“So, do you know who I am?”

“…….”

At that mischievous question, Melineos realized.

That the thing before her was something worse than a nightmare.

And.

I know this.

I knew that thing well.

“But, if I take this memory back to reality, I don’t mind, but another slaughterhouse will open for Kariel. Hmm, then would it become a bit similar to the current world? Or would I cut his throat to prevent it?”

She continued to ponder.

What pondering?

“Making a child roll in hell is quite pleasant, but I generally prefer things that are aged. Wine and cheese that emit a thick scent after aging… anyway, various other things too.”

Therefore.

“This memory, unfortunately, leave it quietly and go.”

“?!?!”

“You’ll remember it someday, but not now. And, on the other hand, isn’t it truly a relief?”

Since I’m being generous.

“It means I’ve protected the friendship among you Heroes, doesn’t it?”

No.

It cannot be!

This memory, absolutely, absolutely must be taken back!

“Do not resist, novice.”

In the first place.

“No matter how much you scribble with magic or the Demonic Path before a Demon King, in my eyes, you and your teacher are nothing more than ants.”

That was true.

Although Melineos herself was called a Great Mage and a Great Witch.

The decisive ability she contributed to the world as a Hero was.

Precisely this… prophecy, vision.

It was thanks to the ability to glimpse the future.

But… if she could have glimpsed, predicted, blocked, and dealt with this harmony in advance.

Demon King.

Why… only after death, such a trick…?

No.

‘You’re… not dead?’

If so.

Who is this girl before her now?

The moment Melineos realized this and was about to let out a scream of horror along with a shiver.

Her consciousness snapped, like a severed rope.

-Ah, I wanted to see the ending.

With that one lingering word.

Waking up abruptly in bed, drenched in cold sweat.

“What… dream… was it?”

She shuddered instinctively at the severity of it.

She couldn’t remember anything at all.

She must remember.

She must never, ever forget!

She only trembled for a while from the remaining anxiety.

“Are you okay?”

“…….”

Ah.

He is alive.

For reasons unknown, at that kind question, Melineos shed tears and threw herself into his arms.

My other half.

My everything.

He embraced her.

Not as an Emperor, but as a hero and her rightful understander.

At least.

Empress Melineos never, ever wanted to forget this happiness—the fact that she could possess and monopolize him.