Chapter 123: I Finally Found You, My Angel
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: I Finally Found You, My Angel
His indifferent gaze passed Abel and landed on Marianne.
“She’s right here.”
“Wh-what did you say?”
“…….”
Having tossed out that single sentence, Nathaniel turned his gaze back. His eyes, fixed on the motionless girl, were deathly serious.
Marianne staggered toward the two of them. Only then did she see the face of the girl whose eyes were tightly shut.
“Di… Dia.”
Marianne’s hands trembled as she whispered in disbelief. Though the girl’s eyes were closed, hiding those violet irises, her face was the spitting image of Claudia’s.
“Is this person really Dia? How could this be…?”
Marianne murmured, lost in shock. Melissa sighed and stepped closer.
“We only just arrived ourselves, so we aren’t entirely sure. However, as a mage of the Magic Tower, I can guarantee it. Based on her mana, this is undoubtedly Princess Claudia.”
“Oh, how could such a thing happen…?”
“Saintess!”
Marianne’s legs gave out, and she collapsed where she stood. Abel, hearing Melissa’s words, also looked profoundly shaken, his face hardening into a mask of shock.
Melissa patted Marianne’s shoulder and continued calmly.
“Don’t worry. We can no longer trust the Temple, but the Magic Tower will take responsibility for assessing the Princess’s condition and restoring her. You can rest easy.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Most importantly, her body is perfectly fine. She has also accepted Nathaniel’s divine power quite well.”
“That is a relief.”
Only then did Marianne let out a long breath of relief.
She still couldn't quite grasp the situation. However, if the Claudia she had worried so much about was safe and could return to her former self, she would have no further regrets.
Amidst the chaos, only Nathaniel remained still, looking down at Claudia’s peacefully sleeping face. He whispered in a low voice.
“I finally found you, my angel.”
A picture-perfect smile spread across Nathaniel’s face.
*
Imperial Year 1451.
The Empire was thrown into an uproar as the atrocities of the Empress Dowager and the Temple were brought to light.
The Emperor, having suppressed Marquis Lionel—who had led a rebellion with a flock of Quincy—immediately turned the Temple upside down upon his return to the capital.
The horrors revealed were nothing short of ghastly.
“I heard the Southern Plague happened because the Empress Dowager offered people as sacrifices to a demon.”
“They say they were testing demon’s poison on children in the orphanages run by the Temple!”
“That’s not all. Apparently, what happened in Belus Village, where the Empress Dowager was hailed as a saint, was actually…”
The rumors spread as if they had grown wings. Those who had once praised the Empress Dowager and the Temple were now busy cursing them, trembling with a sense of betrayal.
Of course, people weren't condemning them based on mere rumors alone. There was an abundance of undeniable evidence.
Children who had been imprisoned in the Temple’s basement and poisoned gave direct testimony, and survivors from Belus Village, who had been held captive by the Temple all this time, finally appeared.
Furthermore, members of the Apocrypha—previously dismissed as a mere cult—actively spoke out about the relationship between the Temple and their organization. The Imperial Family did not suppress this information, choosing instead to make everything public.
“But did you hear? About the Princess…”
Naturally, some heartbreaking facts came to light during the process.
The wicked Empress Dowager had kidnapped the young Princess, intending to use her as a sacrifice for a demon.
Upon realizing this, Saint Marianne, the hero of the Southern Plague, the vassals of House Winston, and their knights had stormed in to rescue her.
Unfortunately, the Princess had already fallen victim to the Empress Dowager’s curse. The young girl, with her whole life ahead of her, had fallen into a deep sleep because of it.
“The poor Princess. I hope she wakes up soon.”
“Indeed. She should have nothing but happiness ahead of her now.”
Regardless of status, nobles and commoners alike grieved for the cursed Princess. Despite the efforts of Saint Marianne and the hero of the South, who possessed immense divine power, the Princess did not open her eyes.
“The Imperial Family will not overlook this matter.”
Finally, Emperor Dantalion drew his sword. He began to punish the Empress Dowager and those who followed her. It was a purge.
Since the crimes of the Empress Dowager’s faction were so blatant, the purge was almost anticlimactically easy. The Temple also lost the public's support, and those who had sided with the Empress Dowager, including the High Priest, were swiftly removed.
The testimony of Pope Raphael, who had just woken up, added further weight. It turned out he had been fighting against the wicked demon’s curse all on his own.
“The Gods still look down upon us. We must now uphold their will.”
The radical priests who had been the dominant force in the Temple either vanished or quietly departed. Those deeply involved with the Empress Dowager and the High Priest did not escape with their lives, even if they were men of the cloth.
In the midst of the purge, Emperor Dantalion publicly executed the Empress Dowager. She, who had been adored by the people as a saint, ascended the execution block as a hideous witch.
“Let go of me! You lowly wretches! How dare you lay a hand on me!”
Having lost both her divine power and mana, the Empress Dowager had aged hideously into an old woman, bearing no resemblance to her former youthful self. No one pitied her. Some even threw stones at her as she shrieked until the very end.
“You evil witch!”
“Die!”
The Empress Dowager’s crimes were revealed in their entirety. Through the confession of her brother, Glen Roderick, it became known that the disappearances of young women over the years were also her doing.
The masses were furious, and the Empress Dowager, who had sat at the pinnacle of power for so long, fell to her ruin in an instant.
Imperial Year 1456.
The Pope adopted Nathaniel—the hero of the South who possessed immense divine power—and officially appointed him as his successor.
Marianne was also officially recognized as a Saintess and came to lead the Capital Temple, completely independent of the fallen Marquis Lionel House.
As the turbulent situation settled, the Empire regained its stability. People who had been confused by the sudden changes gradually grew accustomed to the new era.
However, in the midst of it all, one person remained in a quiet slumber, as if her time had stopped.
Imperial Year 1461.
Ten years had passed since those events.
*
I had a dream.
Sometimes it was about my past life, and other times it was about things I experienced after being possessed. Occasionally, I had bizarre dreams that had nothing to do with anything.
In the midst of these jumbled dreams, I sometimes realized I was dreaming. But even when I tried to wake up, my body felt heavy and limp, leaving me unable to do anything.
Feeling as though I were stuck in a swamp, I would blankly watch the past go by, or I would actively go on adventures in my dreams, returning to the Imperial Palace in triumph after slaying a dragon.
‘Our daughter, you did so well.’
‘Hehe.’
The person stroking my head with joy was my mother.
She, who had been waiting for me in front of the palace, smiled brightly and opened her arms wide.
‘Mom!’
As the dream repeated itself, I ran toward her with all my might.
At first, she looked like my mother from my past life. Neat, jet-black bobbed hair and skin that was pale for an Asian woman. Dark circles under her eyes that made her look a bit tired, and bloodless lips.
But she was my mother, who always smiled brightly whenever she looked at me.
‘My daughter.’
However, as the dream repeated, my mother’s appearance began to change little by little. Eventually, it transformed into a face that was also familiar to me.
‘Yes, Mom.’
It was Veronica, my mother in this life. I naturally called her Mom and threw myself into her arms. A sense of relief I had felt many times before washed over me.
I felt like I could finally accept the fact that Veronica was my mother.
‘Are you done playing now?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Then shall we wake up?’
‘Huh?’
My mother had never said anything like that in my dreams before.
I looked up, startled. My mother continued with a gentle smile.
‘Mom wants to see our daughter.’
‘Oh, me too.’
‘Really, really much.’
‘……!’
My mother’s expression crumbled slightly. My eyes widened as I looked at her face.
‘It’s okay. We’ll meet soon.’
Only then did I realize that I had been dreaming for quite a long time. And that it was now time to wake up.
‘I’ll come to see you soon.’
I hugged my mother again with a bright smile. She held me warmly.
After staying like that for a while, I closed and opened my eyes to see a pure white ceiling.
“Oh.”
For a moment, I couldn't gather my senses. I wondered blankly if this was still an extension of the dream, then blinked slowly.
“It’s not.”
My whole body felt heavy, as if I had slept for a very long time. And perhaps because I hadn't used my voice in a while, my throat felt scratchy and stung.
Ahem. I cleared my throat and turned my head. Only then did I remember why I had been lying there. I also recalled the last conversation I had with the Archdemon.
Just how much time had passed? I needed to check where I was.
“Uh…”
“…….”
However, I froze with my head turned. I stared in surprise at the man sitting beside me.
Wh-who is this?
A stranger was sitting casually next to me. The man gazed at me with mysterious, pale gray eyes.
How can a man be so beautiful?
I stared at him, feeling utterly bewildered.