Memories Buried in the Past
Memories Buried in the Past
A peculiar conviction flickered in those madness-gleaming eyes.
Daniel, sensing he had to know the truth behind those eyes, turned to the platoon leader.
"Take the soldiers and leave the cathedral."
The platoon leader looked flustered, but he couldn't ignore the order. He nodded.
After leading the troops out of the cathedral, the platoon leader closed the door.
Kung─
Only after confirming that the cathedral door had closed did Arno open his mouth to speak.
"How nice. You're quick on the uptake. Good. Then where should I begin the story."
Arno, having steadied his breathing, rested his head against the pulpit.
"Let's see. I suppose it was around the time you left for Penbark that I started investigating this truth in earnest. As you know, I had absolutely nothing left back then."
A self-deprecating smile bloomed on his face.
"If things went on like this, I was going to die like a fool, merely clinging to life. Hating that, I agonized over how I could deal a blow to Selvia. After all, I needed something that could damage her to expand my power, didn't I?"
Arno, having wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand, continued to speak.
"That's when something came to mind."
Laughter spilled from Arno's lips.
"That Selvia. When she was young, she once caught a deadly illness. It was widely rumored to be incurable. But then, a renowned physician appeared out of nowhere and completely cured Selvia's disease? It was as if he had cleanly scooped out the illness that ailed her."
Arno frowned as if he found the whole thing absurd.
"The problem is that after that, Selvia changed in ways I couldn't quite place. Not only did she stop eating foods she used to like, but her personality seemed different too. Back then, I just dismissed it as some kind of side effect from the treatment."
Arno reflected on his past memories.
"But once I was cornered, the thought occurred to me that I could use that. Who knew if some immoral act was committed during the treatment process? So I searched for the doctor who treated Selvia's illness back then. Finding him wasn't all that difficult, since he had continued to live in the Imperial Capital."
Finding something amusing, Arno shrugged his shoulders and let out a laugh.
"When I grabbed that bastard and ordered him to tell me what happened that day, he trembled like a leaf, you know? So, thinking there was definitely something to it, I imprisoned him in this cathedral's basement and kept torturing him. At first I thought he'd hold out, but in the end, he spilled everything. To start with the conclusion...."
Arno took a deep breath and rose from his spot.
He staggered briefly, likely exhausted from killing his servant, but soon regained his balance.
Standing upright, Arno faced Daniel and spoke.
"Selvia, that bitch, is a monster pretending to be my little sister. She's a monster created by my father, I tell you!"
The words Arno had spoken the other day, when they crossed paths in the imperial palace corridor, surfaced in Daniel's mind.
Back then too, Arno had called Selvia a monster created by his father.
'I had thought there was something odd about him saying it with such conviction, as if it was more than a simple manifestation of jealousy. No way....'
A feeling of unease settled over him, and as Daniel furrowed his brow, Arno offered a thin smile.
"That's a look of disbelief. If that's the case, go see for yourself. As the doctor told me, all the evidence lies within the ring my father always carried with him."
When Daniel stiffened, Arno spoke triumphantly.
"Let's make our deal after that. Confirming the truth comes first, does it not?"
Daniel opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.
He must not make any rash judgments at this point.
After agonizing for a while, Daniel glared at Arno.
"Wait here. It appears I must verify precisely what this truth Your Highness speaks of is."
Arno raised both hands as if gesturing for him to go ahead.
"Of course! Why would I run? I can't run away anyway."
After glaring at Arno one last time, Daniel turned and walked out.
Opening the cathedral door and stepping outside, Daniel issued an order in a low, subdued voice to the platoon leader approaching him.
"An urgent matter has arisen that I must report to His Majesty the Emperor, so have everyone stand by here. If Prince Arno were to escape this cathedral before I return...."
Daniel's chilling gaze fell upon the platoon leader.
"I will never forgive you."
The platoon leader, swallowing his fear at the sound of that voice, hurriedly raised a salute.
"We shall surround him thoroughly!"
At this very moment, to the platoon leader, Daniel had become an existence more terrifying than royalty.
*
Upon entering the imperial palace to report, Daniel explained the whole story to Selvia from beginning to end.
Selvia, having heard everything, concluded after deliberation that it would be best to confirm it.
Therefore, Selvia and Daniel headed for the Imperial Relic Repository, where the previous emperor's belongings were stored.
As a place for keeping the late emperor's effects, the Imperial Relic Repository was located deep within the palace, guarded by elite soldiers of the Imperial Guard who swore loyalty solely to Selvia.
The keeper of the Imperial Relic Repository, having heard that the emperor had arrived, hastily granted access permission, and thanks to that, the iron double doors swung open with a harsh noise.
As Selvia stepped inside, the ceiling lights flickered on, illuminating the interior.
A display case made of tempered glass stood at the center of the space, where massive pillars wrapped in red cloth supported the ceiling.
Walking over to it, Selvia could see that the late emperor's effects were neatly arranged.
"Keeper of the Imperial Relic Repository."
When Selvia called, the keeper, who had been standing at a distance, approached.
"Yes. Your Imperial Majesty. Please command me."
"I must examine my father's personal effects, so open the tempered glass."
"As you command."
The keeper, having bowed his head, took a key from his chest, inserted it into the glass case, and turned it.
Then the lock released and the glass lid slowly opened.
Selvia took out a ring from inside.
The ring was set with a jewel that emitted a red light like a ruby.
As Selvia fixed her gaze on the ring, the keeper, reading the atmosphere, bowed his head and then exited the Imperial Relic Repository.
Thanks to that, left alone with Daniel in the room, Selvia's lips parted slightly.
"Did my brother say that the truth is contained within this ring?"
"......That is correct."
"Then the jewel embedded in this ring must be Lemisia. I understand its value is quite high because it is a gem that can store specific memories."
Selvia's eyes half-closed.
"To be honest, I don't know why my brother called me a monster. There's probably a high probability he is just spouting nonsense as usual...."
Selvia's exhaled breath trembled slightly.
"But if my brother's words are not false, I can't even begin to fathom what kind of memory is contained within this. A monster, he says. Does he wish to claim that I am not human?"
"That possibility is not entirely nonexistent."
Flustered, Selvia looked up at Daniel beside her.
Daniel appeared to be deep in thought, his hand resting on his chin.
"If Prince Arno's words are not just hot air, isn't there also the possibility that an animal became a person and is ruling the Empire?"
At a loss for words for a moment at the absurd remark, Selvia soon let out a laugh.
Because she realized that Daniel was making a joke to soothe her tension.
"An animal, you say. Then shall I have you guess? What kind of animal I might have been."
"Hmm. You seem close to a feline, Your Majesty, but personally, I think it would be nice if you were a puppy."
"Huh? Why? Isn't a cat fine too?"
"I'm more of a dog person than a cat person."
"Ah. If that's the reason, then I also prefer dogs over cats...."
Selvia stopped mid-sentence and shut her mouth.
Daniel, who had mentioned a puppy, seemed somehow different in her eyes.
'No way....'
Could he be subtly hinting at his sexual preferences.
Thinking that way, Daniel's words felt, for some reason, like he was comparing Lucy and herself.
Feeling somewhat aggrieved, Selvia blushed faintly and spoke.
"......As long as it's not an unreasonable request, I could at least pretend to be a puppy."
Thanks to that, Daniel suffered a mental short-circuit.
Just as he was wondering what the hell this bizarre talk was about, Selvia glanced sideways at Daniel and then, as if embarrassed, turned her gaze straight ahead.
"It's nothing."
After letting out a dry cough, Selvia slipped the ring onto her index finger.
"Then shall we check. What this truth my brother spoke of is."
Having said that, Selvia took a deep breath and looked down at the ring.
Now, simply by infusing mana into the ring, she could glimpse the previous emperor's memories.
However, Selvia could not do so.
On the outside she pretended to be unbothered, but she was afraid, not knowing what truth might be contained within.
Selvia's left hand, the one without the ring, was trembling faintly.
Daniel, who had been watching Selvia, lightly grasped her left hand.
At the sudden contact, Selvia's shoulders flinched and she turned to look at Daniel.
While meeting Selvia's eyes, Daniel nodded his head once.
As if to say this was nothing, so don't be afraid.
Reassured, Selvia nodded in response and turned her gaze straight ahead.
As her breathing settled low, Selvia slowly closed her eyes.
While doing so, she quietly channeled mana into the jewel set in the ring.
Having seen this, Daniel also wordlessly closed his eyes.
Why had Arno called Selvia a monster pretending to be his sister?
It was time to confirm the truth.