Chapter 347

Chapter 349

The 3rd Prince's palace was turned upside down.

This was because the mage had not returned even after the promised time had passed.

The 3rd Prince immediately tried to organize a small search party by calling his close mercenary associates and the Captain of the Royal Guard,

But the plan was thwarted by a report from a guard who arrived just in time.

The news was that the mage had passed through the castle gates on foot by himself.

* * *

"Yesung! Where on earth did you go! You said you'd be back soon but we were worried for so long...?"

As soon as the study door opened, Cellinne ran over, grabbed Yesung's shoulders, and shouted.

But her words soon changed to a questioning tone.

The people behind Cellinne also realized the atmosphere was unusual and slowly stood up.

Yurik approached with quick steps, pushed her aside, and lifted the veil Yesung was wearing.

Thanks to this, everyone in the room had to see it all.

His always expressionless face was thoroughly soaked. His eyes were red too, and it clearly wasn't the atmosphere of someone who had been on an ordinary outing.

After standing for a moment, Yesung declared.

"Duke of Ophir is dead."

"What?"

Dardin unconsciously stepped forward.

Duke of Ophir was dead? Was the story about Duke of Ophir what he was telling them after coming back from an outing?

Even in his confusion, Dardin asked.

"Yesung, did you perhaps go to the Duke's house? Did they call you?"

"Something like that."

"Please tell us in more detail. What exactly happened there? Don't tell me... did Yesung kill him?"

"Dardin!"

Cellinne warned. But since Dardin absolutely had to know about this matter, he ignored Cellinne's warning and strode toward Yesung.

However, before he could take a few steps, someone grabbed him from behind.

"Don't."

"Eva, Duke of Ophir's death is an important matter. Yet you're preventing me from asking about it."

"I'm a physician. What I prioritize is the health and safety of our group. But right now, asking like that won't be good for either Yesung or you."

Milo, who had been alternately looking at the frustrated Dardin and Eva who had no intention of letting him go, was the only one to offer a normal opinion.

"Well, I'm glad the mage returned safely. But how about going to the bedroom first? You look very tired."

At those words, Cellinne immediately picked up Yesung and left the study. Eva and Yurik followed behind them.

Inside the study where only Valter, Dardin, and Milo remained.

Dardin rubbed his tired face with one hand, then looked back at Milo and said.

"Are you planning to go outside and reveal this matter?"

"I have no reason to do so."

"I see. But since it's also true that I'm anxious, please wait here with me."

"...Until when?"

"Until His Highness the 3rd Prince returns."

Ugh. Milo's face immediately crumpled.

While Milo was glaring at Dardin in the study and contemplating whether to knock him unconscious,

Meanwhile, the three people who had entered Yesung's bedroom were moving very busily.

Eva was checking whether Yesung had any injuries,

Cellinne was wrapping Yesung tightly in blankets and holding him close.

Yurik stood beside Eva watching the entire process. Eva put down Yesung's bare feet she had been examining and stood up.

"He does have blisters on the soles of his feet, but this should heal in two days. The burns haven't worsened much either. Rather, it's strange how quickly they've healed."

"There are no other abnormalities?"

"None. It seems like it would be good to let him rest, so I'll go out. I'll wait in the study, so please let me know if anything happens."

Eva closed her medical bag and disappeared cleanly.

When Yurik looked at Cellinne, Cellinne shook her head back and forth.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

"For Yesung's mental stability. Can't you see the treatment I'm providing, Your Highness?"

"Get out."

"Yesung likes me! Babies like being held like this! Ah really, Your Highness! Just trust me this once!"

After forcibly driving out even the protesting Cellinne, Yurik finally pulled over a chair and sat down.

"Do you feel like talking now?"

"......"

"I don't think this is something that suddenly happened a few hours ago. I'd like you to tell me honestly from when, from the beginning."

"From the beginning?"

"If you don't intend to talk right now, I can wait about 5 years."

Yesung, wrapped tightly in the fluffy blanket, looked at Yurik for a moment.

"A letter came."

"What letter?"

"A letter about my book. ...You're right. If someone other than me had gone, Duke of Ophir wouldn't have ended up like that."

When Yurik heard the word "book," he could easily think of Eibon's book.

What Yesung confessed after that was within the range Yurik could quite well expect.

Duke of Ophir and the research that the Mage Tower he sponsored had been pouring their hearts into.

That had been twisted in a strange direction due to the Queen Dowager's death.

Moreover, they had even obtained Eibon's book that they had acquired when Yesung was confined to the tower.

Yurik couldn't know what was written in that book, but he could guess that it wasn't content very beneficial to humans.

Duke of Ophir and the mages had probably excavated parts related to the resurrection of the dead from the book Eibon had written, and conducted preliminary research on it.

Since they thought they could succeed sufficiently, they must have even thought of stealing the corpse.

In such a situation, the reason they tried to contact Yesung was probably because it was magic difficult to perform without a great mage.

The magical power used in the incantation aside, the foundation of resurrection spells derived from Eibon's insights.

No matter how many ordinary mages gathered in groups, they couldn't possibly follow the design Eibon had devised.

From Yurik's perspective, the mages and Duke of Ophir made two mistakes.

One was judging Yesung to be a real mage and raising the stakes.

The other was not knowing that Yesung had a god called Aphoom-Zhah.

His honest impression was... Duke of Ophir had essentially received his just deserts.

Both the fact that he lured Yesung with the book to conduct the ritual, and when that was finished, he tried to kill him to silence him.

Moreover, if Yesung had been someone who died normally, who knew what kind of research they would have conducted with Yesung's corpse?

No matter how much he wanted to revive his daughter, still.

Yurik felt surprisingly little sympathy for Duke of Ophir. He was that kind of person.

But he couldn't voice those thoughts in front of Yesung right now. Especially since he seemed to be too severely shocked.

"...On the way back, I even told Aphoom-Zhah that I wanted to be alone for a while. I shouldn't have said I would look at the Queen Dowager for Duke of Ophir. There must have been better solutions."

"It's not hyung's fault."

"Then?"

"Do you remember what I warned you about last time? About the danger of handing over control of your body."

"...Yeah."

"I did that because I was afraid something like this might happen. Though it's not something to say now, I was also afraid that hyung might end up taking uncoordinated actions while sharing senses with that guy. There was plenty of room for that guy to do strange things wearing hyung's face, contrary to hyung's intentions."

Yurik sighed briefly and said.

"Of course, calling Aphoom-Zhah in that situation was a good judgment. If we think only about hyung's safety, wasn't there no being who could protect hyung as safely as that guy? Thanks to that, you returned safely, so I should express gratitude for that point."

"Gratitude? Even though Aphoom-Zhah and I committed such acts?"

"From my position, I think this current situation is rather better than hyung dying in that place."

"I don't think so."

"What?"

"Everything."

Yesung whispered blankly.

Yurik couldn't understand Yesung. It might have been because he was fed up with the people of the Ophir family.

Of course, he would be very happy if the Duke's family disappeared... but still, he wanted to respect what Yesung thought.

He looked at one of Yesung's feet sticking out from under the blanket and poked his big toe.

"Don't think so deeply about it. I should search Duke of Ophir's townhouse and the nearby cemetery. If the revived corpse harms residents, it would be a big problem. I'll also put out a manhunt for the mages. I'll check on the book too."

"Thank you."

"Rest a little. I have to go to the study. Should I tell them not to let anyone in?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. I'll do that."

Yurik personally locked the window and closed the curtains of the four-poster bed where Yesung was lying.

Thanks to Yurik's consideration, Yesung was left alone in the bedroom as he had wished, but

He absolutely could not fall asleep.

Absolutely not.

* * *

News of Duke of Ophir and the Mage Tower mages' disappearance spread throughout the royal castle as soon as the next day came.

Moreover, for some unknown reason, the Royal Guard stationed at the castle visited Duke of Ophir's townhouse,

And according to one theory, knights were also preparing to go down to the Duke's territory.

In the royal castle where there was currently no Queen Dowager, there was only one person who could move the Royal Guard.

-They say the 3rd Prince's only political enemy has disappeared.

-Duke of Ophir? Could he be connected to the dead Queen Dowager?

-The 3rd Prince must be very happy even if he pretends not to be. Now there's no one who can stop him.

-We should also gradually change the strings we're holding before they rot. The situation has completely changed.

While some calculated only their own future so thoroughly,

-The fire in the castle too. For it to happen at such a time, it truly cannot but be a strange coincidence.

-But what I think is even stranger is this. If you think about it, all these tragedies started from when the mage was confined to the Mage Tower.

-Come to think of it. The mage is even still staying at the 3rd Prince's palace now, isn't he?

-It's proof of their special friendship. Before the Queen Dowager died, they tried to execute the mage but a fire broke out, didn't it? Right after that, when Duke of Ophir's family demanded the mage's custody, he went missing.

-Oh my. Hearing it like this, it's exactly like.

-Someone says so. That the mage cherishes the 3rd Prince so much that he cleared away everything that would hinder the 3rd Prince's accession.

-What a cruel mage. He's completely insane. As long as he's in the castle, anyone who goes against the 3rd Prince's mood won't keep their lives!

There were also those who spread conspiracy theories.

Moreover, the Queen Dowager faction members who had lost their leader overnight were actively spreading such conspiracies to damage the 3rd Prince's prestige,

And even people who weren't particularly active in the Queen Dowager faction were agreeing to some extent with such suspicions.

The pillar of the 3rd Prince's palace.

A mage blinded by devotion to the 3rd Prince.

A cruel and cunning person.

The mage known as Eibon's teacher and Yu Yesung had somehow established himself as an object of fear among the people.

The mercenaries staying at the 3rd Prince's palace flew into a rage upon encountering those rumors,

But having no connections to the high society where rumors ran rampant, they could only grind their teeth.

Eventually this news reached even the mage who had been staying only in his bedroom,

And the mage who listened quietly expressed neither anger nor fury but simply laughed.

He laughed, and laughed again, and when finally even laughter would not come,

At the end of being thoroughly exhausted, the mage said only one sentence in a parched voice.

-Now I've really become a bad mage.

With the mage staying in seclusion and the royal castle holding its breath, only the 3rd Prince alone seemed to be alive.

In the midst of this, an event schedule was set that would breathe life into the dead royal castle.

It was the 3rd Prince's coronation ceremony.