Chapter 57
CHAPTER_TITLE: The Selfish Savior 57: A Declaration of War pDamien kept trembling every time he shifted his weight, his body betraying the unease of wondering how Arian might be reacting to all this behind him. pHe wanted to turn and check her expression, but he couldn’t. pAfter all, he had his father standing before him like an unyielding wall, demanding explanations. pYet he had nothing to say. pHe had been dragged away while researching at the Magic Tower, and the torture had begun. pIsabel believed he had stolen her item, and denying it would have been pointless. pShe was half-mad with obsession, screaming for him to hand over the artifact. pHonestly, he could have endured the shouting or the whipping. pBut when she had claimed she deserved a reward for her suffering and announced that she would turn him into material… he had no choice. pHe almost wanted to explain the full details of the torture. pHe didn’t want Arian to fear him. pSo he decided to feign a defense for the benefit of his father, hoping she would overhear. pBut it wasn’t something he wanted to do. pEven the past seemed too unpleasant to dwell on—being dragged, whipped, dissected, and nearly used as material. pStill, he would rather she did anything to him than fear him. pJust as he was about to continue speaking, Arian grabbed his hand and spun him around. pMore precisely, she looked as if she wanted to. pSo Damien turned. p“What does it mean that the Tower Lord tortured you? What exactly did she do?” pArian’s ruby eyes burned with fury. pShe stared at him unblinkingly, her face a mask of barely contained rage. p“Isabel Confino and her title, the Eternal Flame… I don’t care about any of it,” p“And I don’t care that Count Hamilcar stands right here.” p“It… it was nothing. Just… a little whipping. Nothing much.” p“…” p“I swear it was nothing.” pYet despite only a few words, all color drained from Arian’s face. pEven when he had been suddenly dragged from the Tower, accused of something wild, and made to suffer in every way possible, it had been painful and infuriating but not truly difficult. pNow, however, he was in deep trouble. pHe lowered his head and met her gaze, shaking it again. p“I’m fine. Really.” pSo stop looking at me like that—I’m perfectly all right. pHe offered a small smile, trying to prove that he was whole, uninjured, and standing right there. pAt the time it had been dangerous. He had used up all his mana to fight three Archmages and run away, but he had nowhere to go. Even while fleeing toward Hamilcar, the Tower’s pursuit never stopped. Finally, inside Hamilcar territory, a hole had been blown through his body. Wherever he went, the pursuit followed. So Damien climbed the Mount of Light, bleeding the entire way. “I have to reach Pythia,” he had muttered constantly. If he didn’t tell himself why he was climbing the mountain, he would lose his mind. If he lost his mind, he would die on those slopes. “I have to reach Pythia… Pythia… Pythia…” His words grew shorter and shorter. Soon the only thought left was whether he could simply die after giving Pythia his entire fortune. But when he opened his eyes again, his body was healed. And before him stood Arian Danier. The radiant being who had always stood on the opposite side of his fate had saved him. Because he had met Arian thanks to Isabel’s accusation, Damien had forgotten all his guilt. Ever since then, each day had been a series of astonishing events. Life had become a colorful adventure. Damien decided to erase the Magic Tower from his mind. By now, he was sure Isabel knew she wasn’t the real culprit and wouldn’t bother looking for him. But that was just his thought. pIsabel Confino’s situation was entirely different. pThe moment she recovered her senses, she had sent a formal letter of protest. pHere is what it said: div style="text-align:centerborder:2px solid #64748bpadding:30pxbackground:linear-gradient(180deg,#0f1520 0%,#080c12 100%)border-radius:2pxmargin-bottom:20pxposition:relativefont-family:Georgia,serif"> div style="position:absolutetop:10pxleft:10pxright:10pxbottom:10pxborder:1px solid rgba(100,116,139,0.15)"__GT
Count Hamilcar, With deep respect for the honor and dignity that have long been treasured by you and your family, I still remember the day I received your son at the Magic Tower. He was brilliant, like a star, and the power within him was purer and more unyielding than anyone else’s. However, last month a crack that had long been dormant awakened. One of the artifacts I had kept disappeared. Our investigation followed the trail and led us down an irreversible path. Your son refused to answer our questions. The magic that erupted from his fingertips severed the breath of the mages who had supported the Tower’s wards alongside me. I barely kept breathing in the center of that power. Instead of magic, he chose violence. He tore through the Tower’s barriers and vanished. That night I stood on the border between life and death. The Tower itself had already lost its two pillars of order and trust. I would like to believe the boy was still young and could not judge everything for himself. But the bloody escape cannot be hidden behind excuses. It leaves a deeper wound on those left behind than any spell. The reason this matter has not leaked outside is that he is still young and you, who entrusted him, would not have disagreed with the Tower’s approach. Therefore, I request three things. First, please inform me of your son’s well-being and whereabouts. Second, allow me to conduct a thorough inquiry. Third, please arrange a fair resolution in your hand so that this does not break the balance of the entire kingdom. We know that truth always emerges in silence and that honor lasts longer than words. I await your reply. Isabel Confino, Guardian of the Ancient Tower, the Sentinel of Silence who remains in the name of Order
William read the letter and clicked his tongue. He immediately called in the knights and ordered them to find Damien. With this letter he could learn several things at once. First, Isabel was keeping something she did not want others to know—though she had not described the artifact in detail (it was a major problem for the Tower, losing two mages). Second, Damien had attacked Isabel and three other mages, and after that two had died. Third, in such a serious situation there was no mention of the attacker or any claim that Isabel was morally innocent. That alone proved Isabel had done something questionable. And now he realized the Magic Tower had not only falsely accused Damien of being the successor but had tried to kill him without even sending a message. They had even sent a protest letter claiming he was just a reckless young fool. “Isabel has finally lost her mind.” Mages were terrifying beings. Even Damien alone, if let loose on the battlefield, would be one against hundreds. But even mages were still humans who could die from an arrow to the heart or a sword to the neck. William thought Isabel had forgotten who she was. He decided that the moment he left this temple he would make it clear to her. Surprisingly, someone else was already thinking the same thing. His head felt hot. The moment he had heard about Damien’s torture, a ping had sounded in his brain. Everyone else’s voices sounded slightly distant. p__GT>And Damien’s face filled his entire vision. As if only his face were enlarged by a magnifying glass.