Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The Emperor's True Reason
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‘I already know one part of it, but….’
She had long since figured out the true nature of the magic cast on the castle. After all, she had heard it directly from the NPC who served as the original template for Minerva—no one else.
A magic that brought no harm to humans, but rather offered aid. The lord himself believed the curse had taken hold perfectly and praised himself for it, but she knew the reality was entirely different.
Still, it was worth hearing why the emperor had let that bastard run wild unchecked.
Even in the game, the emperor was only described as passively allowing the former lord to disband the Silver Dawn Knights on a whim, with no explanation given for why.
Players had groaned as they scraped together info and racked their brains for theories, none of which were 100% certain. If she could hear the truth straight from Minerva’s mouth, she’d welcome it with open arms.
“Very well, Lady Minerva. What do I need to do?”
“For now, just listen to what I have to say, dear. Help comes after that.”
Minerva picked up a pastry from the table and crunched into it before speaking.
“How much do you know about the castle’s magic?”
She swallowed the words “everything, right up to my throat.” There might be changes from the game, after all.
The knights’ quarters, which in the game had been a simple building with an attached training ground, had become a massive castle. Other things could have changed too.
“I know that the man found some ancient curse somewhere, and to torment or kill the Silver Dawn Knights, he begged—offering a fortune—to have it cast on the castle.”
“That’s the story on the surface.”
“…On the surface?”
“The one who cast that magic was me. So naturally, I’m the only one who knows the truth—and since I’ve kept silent, of course it stayed that way.”
So far, it matched.
Minerva’s crimson tongue flicked out between her lips, sensually licking the pastry crumbs from her fingers before slipping back inside. Her slightly glistening index and middle fingers reached for the next one.
“Aurora’s father… hmm, maybe I shouldn’t use that title anymore? Anyway, the ‘curse’ he brought me wasn’t a curse at all—it was magic. A very advanced spell, usable only by a select few powerful enough.”
Crunch. The pastry crumbled between her front teeth.
“You’ve lived in that castle and felt it firsthand, so you must realize how convenient it is. Just be careful not to let things vanish willy-nilly, and you can defy the laws of the world to duplicate anything infinitely.”
It was definitely convenient.
If the magic covered the entire castle, sure—but if limited to a specific spot, it could infinitely supply food or weapons. An outrageous spell.
In the extreme, you could stuff gold in a box, cast the magic, and produce infinite gold. If it could restore bread or even soup, why not gold?
Minerva clearly hadn’t used it that way, so it wasn’t omnipotent—there were limits, but the details were unknown.
“That’s why I never corrected the misunderstanding. If word got out that it wasn’t a curse, the world would plunge into chaos. I don’t want that. You think the same, don’t you?”
I nodded. It was obvious with even a moment’s thought.
“One more thing. If I’d refused his request to cast the curse, he’d have cooked up some other scheme for sure. So I let him believe his plan had succeeded.”
She grabbed a few more pastries, crunched through them, licked her fingers again, and continued.
“And finally, one more—a purely personal reason… I just didn’t like the guy.”
‘So there was a difference after all.’
In the game, Arcana—the original NPC for Minerva—hadn’t bothered correcting the former lord’s delusion because she cared for nothing outside her magic research.
Whether the lord mistook her magic for a curse or what consequences followed, if it didn’t relate to her studies, it was beneath Arcana’s notice.
Here, though, it was because she disliked the lord—and there was a touch more consideration for the Silver Dawn Knights.
‘More human than in the game.’
Arcana had been exceptionally skilled at annoying people.
“I understand completely. So the next thing you promised to tell me is…”
“Why Kaikilia spared that bastard’s life? Of course I’ll tell you.”
The castle magic matched what I knew, so no need to hear more.
I cautiously shifted the topic. Time to ask what I’d truly been curious about.
“Publicly, it’s said Kaikilia went mad with power and killed anyone who might even slightly threaten her throne—except this hopelessly rotten man, whom she judged no threat.”
“That’s right.”
“But as you can guess from my calling it the truth, the reality is a bit different. In exchange, you must keep what I tell you next secret.”
“And if I say I can’t?”
“Then I just won’t tell you, and that’s that. Don’t worry—I’m not going to kill you. So, what’ll it be?”
Minerva stared straight at me. The answer was obvious.
“Fine. I’ll keep it to myself, no one else will know.”
Backing out now? No chance. And promising not to tell others wasn’t hard.
Hearing my agreement, Minerva grew deadly serious and slowly spoke.
“The real reason… is the demon.”
“Waiting long?”
After sufficient “conversation” and sending Delta back to Aurora’s mansion, Minerva teleported off somewhere else with a thrilled heart. She arrived at the foot of the throne where Kaikilia sat.
Kaikilia still propped her chin on her right arm, the other resting on the throne’s armrest, legs crossed as she gazed down.
The positioning naturally put Kaikilia looking down at Minerva, but she didn’t mind. She’d watched over Kaikilia since infancy.
Such cute antics were easy to overlook.
“Quick for you. Tell me the results.”
What Delta never learned to the end.
This meeting wasn’t Minerva’s solo act—it was at Kaikilia’s instigation.
Normally, she wouldn’t accept such an order, and Kaikilia wouldn’t give it—but this time was different.
Minerva had already grown quite curious about Delta from the prior incident. For a mere knight to draw the Holy Kingdom’s Heresy Inquisitor in person?
She couldn’t pass up such an intriguing situation. That’s why she’d accepted the request disguised as Kaikilia’s command.
If Delta had chosen the option to hear every reason for coming here, he might have learned it—but alas, he hadn’t.
Minerva smiled faintly.
“The kid proposed a deal.”
“A deal?”
Kaikilia’s eyebrow twitched upward slightly.
“He asked all sorts about teleportation magic, then said he’d need my help a few times later. Promised I wouldn’t regret it.”
“Did you accept?”
“Of course.”
“A deal means he offered something in return. You never act at a loss, Minerva… What did he propose that made you accept so readily?”
“A Crystal Scroll—long thought lost. He’d reveal its location.”
“…”
Even Kaikilia’s impassive face betrayed shock this time.
The Crystal Scroll was one of the ancient scrolls said to have vanished into history. So ancient even Minerva considered it distant past.
Kaikilia vaguely recalled it too. Before becoming emperor, her teacher had been Minerva, after all.
The issue: records confirmed its existence, but no one knew its magic.
Countless mages had scoured the world for ancient scrolls, only to find none—as if mocked.
And he’d offered that as a bargaining chip.
“What help did he ask for?”
For a Crystal Scroll, Minerva would accept even starting a war with the Holy Kingdom without hesitation. So surely some absurd condition—
“Help getting a weapon.”
“…You said weapon just now?”
“You heard right. He needs to acquire one weapon later and wants my help.”
Kaikilia felt her energy drain. It was that absurd.
Trade a Crystal Scroll locator for help getting a weapon? Was it buried in a volcano’s heart or ocean depths?
“…Fine. Continue.”
With a faint sigh, Kaikilia waved at empty air. It had been ages since she’d felt such a silly emotion.
“Where do you want to start? First meeting? Or just the results?”
“The beginning, naturally.”
“Then I’ll start with how the popes personally transported the kid to the Empire. Probably the Pope of the Moon.”
Kaikilia’s eyes widened at the popes’ direct involvement.
“Those who hadn’t shown themselves for years did that?”
—I explicitly warned them not to take interest.
Reflexively gripping the armrest, Kaikilia crushed it with a crack before releasing. It stayed dented.
Seeing it, Minerva wagged a finger; the crack restored itself.
“They swore they’d never eye my things and to rest easy—then they go and meddle. Untrustworthy bitches, as expected.”
Recalling the inquisitor’s visit fueled her rage again; her grip tightened. Crack—the armrest shattered.
The shards were razor-sharp needles, yet Kaikilia’s palm remained unscratched.
Staring at her pristine hand, she muttered as if to herself.
“Minerva. What are the odds those recluses, who avoided the world for years, would personally use holy spells to bring an uninteresting human to the Empire?”
“No need for me to answer. You already know, don’t you?”
Minerva’s hand glowed blue. A new armrest grew from the throne, shards merged and vanished. Then she disappeared.
She’d hole up in her workshop for experiments again. Kaikilia tuned it out. Other thoughts occupied her.
“Summon Aurora and the Silver Dawn Knights to the palace.”
Ordering empty air, Kaikilia rose quietly. The faint presence ahead dissipated like mist.
Her golden eyes gleamed coldly.
“I shall greet them myself.”