Chapter 119
Chapter 119
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Drunken Heart-to-Heart - 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was hard to picture Neril desperately researching something.
I tilted my head.
Just then, Risel nodded as if she understood.
"Ah, I get it perfectly. But what does that have to do with the Hero's Mark?"
"Judging by that question, you didn't understand a thing."
"Yeah. Sorry for lying."
"We're going to use this headband's illusion magic to create the Hero's Mark. One that no one will ever spot as fake."
I clapped on the spot.
"You said it when we first met—that you could somehow make me a Hero's Mark."
"You remember?"
"Were you thinking of this headband back then?"
"Exactly."
Neril flashed a bright smile, clearly pleased that I remembered.
The mood warmed up nicely.
To think we'd snag a fake mark this foolproof so easily!
That's when Offens spoke up.
"But Neril."
"Yeah?"
"If you made the headband's magic yourself, did we really need to come all the way to this territory? You could've just made a new one from scratch."
She shrugged lightly.
"Can't make a new one."
"Come on. It's your creation."
"Like I said, I was desperate back then. All that inspiration and those ideas? Gone up in smoke."
"Just copy the magic circle from the headband, right?"
Biond fielded that one.
"She's right."
"Lord Biond."
"Most people think magic's just magic circles and hand signs. Not entirely wrong, of course. Master the signs and handle mana, and anyone can use it—even if they're not the creator."
"..."
"But that's only because the creator documented their inspiration along with it. That's what trainees latch onto to get the feel."
Biond continued.
"Like in this case—if the creator can't remember their inspiration, it all goes to waste."
"Hmm. Like giving the ingredients for a new poison but no recipe. Shoving in the materials doesn't make poison."
"An assassin's analogy, but spot on."
Neril nodded and chimed in.
"Exactly. So Maide, treasure this headband. Can't make another."
"You bet I will."
Even without that reason, of course I would.
No, forget that—it's because it's from Neril...
[Why stop mid-sentence?]
Neril spoke up.
"Anyway, Biond, you've seen enough, right? Let's get to the point."
Biond nodded repeatedly in admiration.
"Indeed. The headband's greatest strength is its subtlety."
"Right. For example..."
Neril glanced at Offens.
"Assassin face-changing curses can fool most, but sharp mercenaries with good instincts might spot them."
"Heh. Maide caught on, after all."
It was thanks to the Blood Letters, but I stayed quiet to preserve my dignity.
"No one, no matter how skilled, will detect this headband. The illusion magic's low-level, but it'll never get outed as 'magic-made illusion.' Just take it at face value."
Ah.
Now I got it perfectly.
We took the headband into the cabin.
Neril said,
"Biond, you can tweak the magic circle, right?"
"Can't make a new one, but tweaking? Easy. You could do it yourself."
"The new illusion we're engraving is the Hero's Mark."
"..."
"You're the mage who's seen the three great Heroes' Marks up close. So you tweak the circle."
Biond nodded in understanding.
He took the headband and said,
"The space is tight, so we'll have to erase the existing illusion."
"That's fine."
"Hmm... All right."
Hold on.
Some instinct kicked in, and I spoke up.
"The existing illusion?"
"You saw what happened when I wore it earlier."
"The pink bob-cut girl? That's getting wiped?"
"Yeah."
"You're okay with that?"
Neril flinched and asked,
"Okay with what?"
"Felt like it might mean something to you."
"Sigh. You really are..."
She hesitated a bit before saying,
"That girl's name was May Enerica."
I instinctively checked Neril's Blood Letters.
-Sinned against May Enerica and 287 others.
May Enerica, listed as the representative.
Neril's sin she least wanted known.
Had I pried too much?
Before I could respond, Biond cut in.
"Now, now. Not important right now. Right?"
"..."
"Let's start. I'll engrave the Hero's Mark illusion, but you handle the rest, Neril."
Neril lightly slapped her own cheek and said,
"Right. Let's get to it."
"Hmm. Start here?"
"Yes. Spot on."
They set the headband on the table and dove into analysis and tweaks.
The mood felt off-limits, so I nodded to the others.
We stepped outside, and Risel spoke first.
"Looks like there's some backstory."
"Probably. No need to pry, though. She won't like it."
"Hmm. Maybe."
"Huh?"
"Sometimes it feels like she's waiting for you to ask."
Risel continued cautiously.
"Based on what happened with Lord Grade."
"..."
"When the tweaking's done, ask her. Maide."
I know Risel well.
She's usually just airheaded, but every now and then, she gets scarily perceptive.
The others nodded in agreement.
I scratched my head.
"We'll see."
Trail cut in.
[We'll see my ass. You're definitely asking.]
The tweaking wrapped up late into the night.
Neril said it shouldn't have taken this long—Biond got hung up on needless details.
"Unnecessary? I was just pursuing perfection."
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
"Anyway, try it on. I wanna see the Hero's Mark again after all this time."
Neril handed me the headband.
I slipped it on carefully.
Swoosh.
No way to see my own forehead, but the others' faces told me something had changed.
"Heehee. Makes me miss Lord Grade."
"It's exactly like the illustrations in history books!"
"Suits you perfectly, Maide."
"No denying you're the Hero now."
Everyone chimed in with their thoughts, but Neril stayed quiet.
She stood with arms crossed, eyeing me intently.
I asked,
"What? Something off?"
"Brushing your hair back looks pretty good too."
"Huh?"
"Nah. Nothing."
She waved it off.
"Anyway, the mark's perfect. I'll explain a few things, so listen up."
"Go ahead."
"If someone else wears the headband, no mark appears. That's the part Biond and I focused on—don't worry."
Biond bobbed his head.
"Can't have just anyone wearing it and getting the Hero's Mark."
"Excellent."
Neril went on.
"But if the headband rips, the mark vanishes. Watch out for that."
"If the headband's ripping, my neck's the bigger worry. Won't let it happen, so relax."
"Yeah. That's all the explanation. Any questions?"
"Yeah."
Neril tilted her head at me.
The others started edging away slyly.
I said,
"Let's have a drink tonight."
The cabin had rooms, but the party ditched for the carriage—too cramped, they said.
With our numbers, we should've taken the carriage, but grateful for these party members.
Neril doesn't like booze much, so I filled her glass halfway.
She smiled softly.
"Tea wouldn't do?"
"Whatever. Want me to brew some?"
"Nah. You're going for atmosphere."
"..."
"So, what's on your mind?"
I took a light breath and asked.
"Tell me about you and May Enerica."
"..."
"I know it's not easy. But..."
"Took you long enough."
Her words surprised me.
Neril smiled deeper than before and continued.
"I told you after meeting the Emperor last time. I'd tell you anytime if you asked."
"Th-that was about the big betrayal, right?"
"Ah, you thought those were separate. No, it's all connected."
"..."
"I've always planned to tell you if you asked. You did, so here goes."
She wet her lips with a sip.
Her cheeks were flushing a bit.
"Bottom line: the whole Enerica family betrayed me."
"Huh?"
"I was their adopted daughter. Defir Enerica took me in as the last family head's ward."
"!"
"Not bragging, but my talent must've been something. Defir saw me as the family's last hope."
Last hope?
The Enericas were huge nobles.
Desperate enough to use that word...
Ah!
It hit me.
"Yeah, the family had been declining bit by bit."
"Right. During the Third Demon King's era of the Three Falls, Biond massively revived them. Prosperity followed—for a while. Politically."
"..."
"But heirs born with magic talent dwindled. Every Enerica head took that seriously."
Thud.
She set the family heirloom magic book on the table.
"Told you last time? It's a magic book and..."
"A diary."
"Yeah. Heads passed it down, writing their thoughts. You can feel their anguish in these pages. Wanna see?"
"No hobby reading others' diaries."
"Heehee."
She stroked the book with a finger.
"During Defir's time as head, the Fourth Demon King descended. The Withering Demon King."
"..."
"Defir saw it as the perfect chance to save the family. He sought out the man called Hero by oracle back then."
"Padania Brook?"
"Yeah. Wanted in on the Hero Party. Like Biond in the Third Age—contribute, and find a fix for the family's curse at the Hero's side. But."
Her expression soured.
"He got turned away at the door."
"Turned away cold?"
"Even that's polite. Diary says the humiliation cut to the bone."
"..."
"And that humiliation twisted Defir completely."
She put it like this:
"Abandoned humanity for magic research."
I asked what that meant.
Neril explained.
"After Padania beat the Withering Demon King, the jewel emerged. Supposedly he shattered it, but..."
"Not quite? Makes sense—we've got it now."
"Yeah. Defir approached Padania. Begged him to hand over the jewel and announce to the world it'd been destroyed."
I let out a disbelieving laugh.
"No Hero would accept that nonsense."
"He did."
"...What?"
"That's why I don't like the Fourth Hero much. Never said it, though."
She took another sip.
Face redder now.
"Don't know the terms for the jewel handover. Not in the diary."
"Hmm."
"That's when they took me in as adopted daughter."
Bad feeling incoming.
I asked carefully.
"What next?"
"Defir planned to implant the Withering Jewel in a human."
"!"
"Well, he claimed he'd extracted just the power, not reviving the Demon King."
"No way."
"Yeah."
Neril's hands trembled.
My body moved on instinct.
I snapped to, holding her shaking hands.
"M-Maide."
"It's fine. Calm down."
"...Thanks."
She lightly touched my hand with her fingers and went on.
"He implanted the Withering Jewel in me."
"..."
"Surprising, maybe, but Defir's boasts held up somewhat. After, I could use the Withering Demon King's power."
The Withering Demon King's power.
Absorbing life force.
Like Martial King Ters in Rior Territory.
But a key difference between him and Neril.
"I never absorbed life force once."
"Knew it."
"Heh. Thanks for thinking well of me, but not for the territory folk. If I used the power and botched it, May could've been in danger."
May's name again.
By now, I could guess who she was.
"May was Defir's real daughter."
Neril nodded quietly.
"Yeah. The one who should've been in my place."
"..."
"May had zero magic talent—hopeless. Like the heavens... no, that bastard saying, 'Your family's done.'"
"So Defir adopted you."
She nodded.
In a way, Neril unwittingly took May's spot.
But May never resented her.
Treated her even kinder, like true sisters.
"We became inseparable friends. Like Jenia and Ophelia."
"..."
"But as I kept refusing the power, Defir grew anxious—not knowing if his experiment worked. By then, he was mad."
"..."
"No. The whole Enerica family was mad."
Not just the head.
Butler, gardener, maids, cooks, guards.
All caught in Defir's madness.
"Mage families are insular—no new hires from outside. Everyone's generational. Butler's kid becomes butler."
"So they all saw the family's crisis as their own."
"Yeah. So..."
She forced the words out.
"They all conspired to deceive me. To force me to use the power."