Changed Futures and Old Pasts
“Why is she behaving exactly as she did before? Well, I know she’s inside the Magic Tower, but I wonder if I’ll have to stir up some kind of trouble to draw her out.”
There was no need for that.
The Saintess had gone to find the Klein ducal daughter who had vanished, only to be practically thrown out before returning briefly to the Temple of the Main God. From this, one could infer that the Saintess and the fake daughter had not met or formed any alliance.
Whatever the case, a storm was surely brewing. By the time it arrived, Lucius would quietly return to Pay’s side.
At the same time, the thought of Dot panicking because of the Saintess’s sudden appearance brought a small sense of satisfaction.
‘Dot won’t be able to stay holed up in the ducal residence forever. If she were the type to hesitate, she wouldn’t have murdered the nuns or tried to harm me. But she went through with it anyway.’
Lady Ratcel had also declared she would no longer hesitate to appear in high society, which meant Dot would have no choice but to emerge, whether it ended in success or failure.
As long as she refused to abandon her ambition of claiming the Crown Prince’s side, she would have to come out eventually.
‘Very well. Let’s watch and see.’
Meanwhile, Capia, who had returned to the Temple of the Main God, was fretting far more than Pay had anticipated.
Her holy power was gone! Completely gone! The power that had been her pride and rightful privilege had vanished as if sucked into a black hole. Not even a single mark remained on the potion bottle’s scale!
Because she could not discuss this matter with anyone, Capia felt utterly desperate.
She clung to the statue of the Main God and prayed, frantically searched through ancient texts, and rummaged through every relic the temple possessed.
If she could not recover her lost holy power no matter the cost, only ruin awaited her.
That night, a secret known only to Lucius and the Saintess deepened across the world.
The next morning.
Pay left the Magic Tower after receiving a summons from Cassel and headed for the Mizhuang Hotel.
Before stepping out, she shot a sullen glare at the closed door across from hers—Lucius’s room.
“Tiana!”
“Brother, you were here?”
“I heard you came to the imperial palace recently. You should have visited the knight commander’s office instead of just leaving.”
Cassel spoke with a hint of disappointment, yet he could not hide the gentle smile tugging at the corners of his eyes and lips.
Though he was usually stern, seeing his younger sister clearly brought him joy, even if he rarely showed his emotions openly.
Pay sensed something was up and asked with quick intuition.
“Did something good happen?”
“I can’t hide anything from those eyes of yours.”
If the noblewomen of the capital saw his smile, many would clutch their chests and faint. Cassel only smiled so freely and naturally in front of Pay.
“What could you possibly hide from me, Brother? So, what is it?”
“As you know, after the Saintess arrived, we began investigating the Dryana mines. Recovering the secretly mined gold and surveying the gold mine and its surroundings is nearly complete.”
“Already?”
It had been about a month since the Saintess came. Considering the distance from the capital, the speed was remarkable.
For someone like Dotricia Karis, it must have felt like an eternity of torment.
“We made an unexpected discovery. On the opposite side of the gold mine, not far away, there’s an iron vein.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Once we cleared the trees and grass, the entire mountain looked reddish-brown. The story ends there. High-purity iron has been found in large quantities, and both His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince are pleased.”
Pay’s mind flashed with insight.
“Brother, processing the iron will take time, but all of it belongs to the imperial family, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you remember what I said before? That Dotricia pretended to have received a prophecy from the Main God about future events.”
Two of the three prophecies had already come to an end.
Marquis Huiante had been punished, but not by collapsing from a headache, and the day the ancient dragon Lucius would attack the Klein ducal residence would never come. Not ever.
One remained.
“Hm?”
“The story about Count Quasar. I mentioned it, didn’t I? The weapons they were supposed to receive around summer were improperly forged and broke, causing them great trouble. With the iron we’ve just discovered, the imperial family should first supply what it needs and then allow the count’s family to repay it gradually.”
“Hmm…”
It was a clever idea, but not an easy decision to make.
Although the Arkan Empire was a powerful nation with a strong imperial family, supplying large quantities of weapons—even temporarily—to a specific noble house was a matter requiring deep consideration.
Still, it was rare for his sister to speak up, and she would never suggest something without reason. The Quasar family bore the fate of endlessly facing monsters, so they could not be left to fend for themselves.
If they collapsed due to lack of preparation, it would harm not only the imperial family but the entire empire.
Collapse often began little by little in directions no one expected.
“I’ll discuss it with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Yes.”
Contrary to Cassel’s concerns, Pay’s suggestion was well received.
Silas readily agreed and went so far as to engrave the Quasar family crest on sturdy brigandines, weapons, and even kite shields—a bold gesture.
It was a clear message to the two families that had committed grave wrongs, as well as to other nobles: obey the imperial family and do not defy or insult it.
The trouble facing the Quasar family that Pay knew of was something she had only heard secondhand, so she knew only the vague outline—that the real crisis would erupt in late summer.
Yet Count Quasar had long known that the reserved weapons were in poor condition. As the head of the family, he had been struggling to endure and manage the situation somehow.
Then, in his desperate hour, the imperial family stepped in as if they knew exactly what was needed!
Receiving such fine weapons for both knights and soldiers alike made the count feel as though a heavy weight had finally been lifted.
Having safely resolved another matter, Pay sighed as she held an unfamiliar invitation in her hand.
“Haa…”
Spring was slowly slipping away.
When she opened the window of the Magic Tower, warm sunlight streamed in, and the air carried a delightful mix of floral fragrance and fresh grass.
It was lovely—perfect weather for a picnic or an outing—but…
‘Lucius!’
She had told him to confess his feelings, so what on earth was he doing? Did dragons even take breaks? Had he hidden away in his lair in the Dryana Mountains without telling her? Since there was no sign of the Saintess returning, he wasn’t coming out either!
Unable to sit still any longer, Pay sprang to her feet.
That’s it. I’m going out. No matter what!
Without Lucius!
“Momo, let’s go on a picnic.”
“Pii?”
“Look at this.”
Pay waved a piece of jerky that smelled strongly of meat and spices. Mesmerized by the jerky made from black goat, Momo threw himself into her arms, basket and all.
She was tempted to take only Momo and toss the empty basket at Lucius’s door as if to say, “See this?”
However, since she still could not use flight magic, she had no choice but to walk.
After leaving the Magic Tower and taking a few steps—
“Pa—Pay! Pay!”
She had thought she was quite angry, but hearing him call out breathlessly from behind made her hardened heart begin to soften.
Lucius’s hurried footsteps soon stopped.
“Where are you going?”
“Do I need your permission for that?”
“Ah… no. That’s not what I meant…”
When she had gone to meet Cassel at the Mizhuang Hotel, she had told Momo her destination. Now, however, she was carrying a small bag, a basket, and Momo himself, so perhaps Lucius had come running out of worry?
Seeing him arrive so flustered, the resentment she had felt melted away.
If Cassel had known about Pay and Lucius’s relationship and witnessed this scene, he would have clicked his tongue. “Our adorable little sister is far too easy.”
She had never even dreamed of romance during her time as Morgana, and even now she was hopelessly inexperienced in such matters.
So this was the best she could do.
“Hmph.”
When Pay glanced back, Lucius scratched his head awkwardly before quickly offering his hand.
“Where were you headed? Give me the bag. I’ll carry it.”
“I was just going out to get some fresh spring air.”
Lucius looked at the empty field near the Magic Tower and bit his lip.
The woman standing before him—whom he loved so dearly.
Ah… He had never confessed that he liked her, let alone loved her, so he could not even dream of calling her his lover.
Still, he could say anything he wanted, and he had prepared more than twelve rings—one for every month she had lived.
It would be possible to kneel right here and tell her he liked her.
But Lucius wanted to create a moment far more moving—one Pay would remember for the rest of her life.
Because of that task, he had drastically reduced the time he spent with her lately.
Simply showering her with gifts would not be enough. He needed to truly move her heart.
At first he had thought, “This should work,” but the more he pondered, the harder it became to decide.
“I’ll be going now.”
Seeing Lucius standing there lost in thought, Pay reached for her bag.
“No! You’re not going anywhere. Even in spring, it gets chilly in the evening. Just in case, I’m coming with you. Hm, that place should be fine.”
“Where?”
“Ah…!”
Lucius’s arm gently wrapped around her waist.
It was warm… and sweet. The feeling of being so close to him. Even when they had danced together on the second floor at the ball, they had not been pressed this tightly against each other.
Her eyelids fluttered slowly.
Before long, they arrived at an entirely different place through spatial magic.
“Where are we?”
There was no sign of people, only traces of collapsed buildings and a few lone pillars. The stone floor was patchy, and some parts were worn smooth from the passage of time.
What felt strange was that the soil, where there was no stone, had been firmly packed down.
The air itself seemed to flow differently from the outside world.
“It’s the Temple of the Dragon God from the old Sharp Empire.”
The words that left Lucius’s lips were shocking.
“The Temple of the Dragon God…?”
“Yes. You won’t find any mention of it in the records you know. When the Sharp Empire still stood, there were far more dragons. That’s why there were groups that worshipped dragons instead of the Main God. This is one of their ruins.”
“Oh!”
Startled by Lucius’s explanation, Pay set down Momo’s basket and looked around.
Though much had collapsed and broken, some structures remained intact—such as a statue of a dragon delicately carved and enshrined within a small stone grotto.
「Behold, Mage Pay. This is the statue the priests created to worship me, Moitethra Banus.」
“How dare you speak so casually to Pay?”
Momo had spoken into her mind for the first time in ages, his voice filled with excitement, but Lucius instantly caught on and snapped at him.
The Drakan flinched and quickly hid behind the small Drakan statue. It was an improvised move, betting that Lucius would not destroy such an ancient relic.
“Tch.”
“Wait, is that Momo? Then this place really was a temple that revered Lucius?”
“Well… yes, I suppose so.”
Lucius looked embarrassed even after saying it himself and clasped his hands behind his back.