Chapter 59
Agatha burst out of the room, and a few minutes later.
A maid, who had been hiding at the end of the corridor, suddenly jumped out.
Dressed in a typical maid’s uniform with a black dress and white frills, it was none other than Lirina.
However, today, Lirina wasn’t alone.
A crow was perched on her shoulder.
“Cream, it looks like there’s no one around, right?”
As Lirina asked, the crow bobbed its head lightly in agreement.
Seeing this, Lirina let out a breath and quickly started to dash down the corridor.
Everyone had rushed to where Aslan was after his suicide attempt.
This was the only chance she had.
Thanks to Agatha sprinting out without closing the door, she easily entered Agatha’s room.
Once inside, the first thing that caught her eye was the room filled with books.
Bookshelves were packed with texts, all related to magic, among which were several that described innate disabilities in people.
The cluttered desk also bore the signs of Agatha’s passion, scattered with paperwork, and there was even a long-ago-taken family photo showing three smiling faces.
In the picture, a very young Aslan was embraced by his father and Agatha.
Lirina stared at the photo with a pang of sadness before quickly turning away.
She began to rummage through the room in haste.
The most prominent sight was, of course, the drawers.
“…Nothing here.”
First, she opened all the unlocked drawers.
As expected, none contained the essence of Dorothy that Kraush had mentioned.
The essence left behind by a spirit when it dies.
It was the essence that spirits left behind to transfer their memories and experiences to the next generation.
Kraush had glimpsed a part of that memory when he absorbed the world erosion embedded in the core of the chaos spirit.
In Kraush’s case, since he preserved the core rather than smashing it to kill the spirit, there was none left.
But for Dorothy, since the core had burned and shattered, there was an essence remaining.
Lirina had come to find such an essence.
“Now then…”
Lirina’s eyes landed on a locked drawer.
A drawer secured with a lock that surely contained important documents.
The problem was that the lock seemed to have been made with magic.
Lirina was an ordinary person.
She had only seen magicians use magic, but she didn’t know how to use it herself.
Just as she started to fidget, not knowing what to do, the crow that had been on her shoulder lightly hopped off.
“Cream?”
As Lirina called the crow’s name, it had already perched in front of the lock.
Then, with its beak, it tapped the lock twice, and with a clack, the lock fell open.
Lirina watched with wide eyes, astonished.
She had no idea Cream had such abilities.
So that’s why Kraush said to take Cream with her, Lirina thought.
But there was no time to ponder that.
Agatha could return at any moment.
In a hurry, she opened the drawer.
“I found it!”
And then, she let out a shout of triumph.
Inside the drawer was a vibrant blue essence.
She hastily stuffed the essence into her pocket.
Now all that was left was to get back.
So, she quickly locked the drawer back up and made her way out.
That’s when it happened.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a column of flame shot up outside the window.
Startled by it, Lirina turned her head.
And her face grew increasingly pale.
“…Oh no.”
She rushed down the corridor.
She realized just whose magic that pillar of flame belonged to.
And it dawned on her that it rose from where Aslan was.
It was certain.
The Red Tower’s Flame King,
Adolf Igrit.
He had returned.
When Aslan had attempted suicide, Adolf had been away from the family for a few months due to business.
Thanks to that, he hadn’t yet heard of Aslan’s news.
However, the moment he returned using spatial magic, he had heard about Aslan’s suicide attempt.
Timing couldn’t be worse.
‘If he finds out Aslan attempted suicide, he’ll never let it slide.’
He might even shame Aslan and kick him out of the Igrit family.
Anxious, she dashed across the corridor.
After running for a while, she finally arrived at the quarters where Aslan had been staying.
There, servants were bustling about with pale faces, their expressions showing panic as if they were escaping from something they shouldn’t see.
Lirina’s heart sank.
Their reactions indicated that something serious was happening regarding the Igrit family.
She hurried between the servants and entered the quarters.
It was in the training area where the magicians practiced magic that she felt an intense heat hit her face.
“Aslan!”
And she couldn’t help but scream.
In the fiery sphere, Aslan was trapped, clutching his neck in pain.
Standing in front of him was an old man.
Despite his age, he had bright red hair.
His face was covered in a thick red beard, and his eyes had a rather menacing look.
Not fitting the stereotype of a magician, he was the Flame King, Adolf Igrit.
He glared at Aslan with a furious expression.
“How dare you pull such a shameful stunt while I’m away?!”
“Father! Stop, please!”
Agatha dashed out in front of Adolf, looking frantic.
Aslan, trapped inside the flame sphere, was rapidly falling into a state of oxygen deprivation.
If this continued, Aslan would die.
Unable to bear watching Agatha’s desperation, Adolf scoffed.
Slap!
At that moment, Agatha’s head jerked violently to the side.
Stunned from being slapped, she remained frozen as Adolf glared at her with anger.
“I warned you time and time again. That brat isn’t worth the title of heir! How can it be that the direct line of the Igrit family brings such disgrace by attempting suicide repeatedly?!”
His eyes burned with intense rage.
“The fault lies with you too, not being able to manage just one child. What exactly have you done as the consort?!”
Adolf’s thunderous roar echoed through the training area.
It was clear now why the servants had fled.
They shouldn’t be hearing the family’s dirty laundry aired out.
Agatha couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.
Even though it was her father’s words, it was humiliating and shameful; she had lived all her life as a daughter of the Igrit family.
Though she had ascended to the position of consort, her father’s shadow loomed far too high, and she was terrified.
In the Igrit family, his word was law.
“Hah, haha.”
At that moment, laughter suddenly rang out from within the fiery sphere.
Adolf, twisted with rage, and Agatha, who was crumpled in despair, slowly turned their gazes toward the source of the sound.
What reflected in their eyes was none other than Aslan.
Aslan was somehow smiling.
The moment Adolf’s eyes contorted with confusion at the sight of that smile.
“If I exert myself, only now you notice me, huh?”
Struggling to breathe, Aslan clutched his throat, yet he spat out his words.
“Do you know? No matter how much you despise me, I am still a direct descendant of the Igrit family, and everything I do reflects on it.”
He chuckled, almost mockingly.
That laughter was an unmistakable derision.
“The proud Igrits will surely gain glory until your dying breath. But do you think that’ll remain the same afterwards?”
At the same time, a vivid venom sparkled in Aslan’s eyes.
“Do you think I’ll just let this slide?”
That venom pouring from his eyes was an overwhelming grudge.
From the moment he was born, being shunned by his family because of his lunar affliction.
The mother who had always shown him love and warmth had turned into a harsh human who would even kill her child’s precious friends.
And he knew too well that the root of this primal grievance lay in front of him—Adolf Igrit.
Agatha gazed blankly at that scene.
She understood just how deep the grudge against her was embedded in her son’s heart.
And she also knew all too well that she wasn’t innocent in that resentment.
‘Everything went wrong.’
Everything had gone wrong.
To that child, the Igrit family had no value whatsoever.
All he wanted was just one person who would treat him kindly.
Realizing that she had ruined her son by wanting to bequeath this family upon him, hot tears streamed down her cheeks.
Ultimately, she recognized she had forced her son just like Adolf had done.
“You…”
Adolf’s eyes shook violently at that.
Not being able to contain his rage, he slowly raised his hand.
“Well then, I’ll grant you what you desire.”
As Agatha finally understood what he meant, she quickly extended her arm.
Adolf was intent on killing Aslan right here and now.
“NO!”
With her piercing scream, magic surged from Agatha’s hands.
Caaw!
A crow soared into the sky.
And in that moment, as the crow’s feathers scattered in the air…
The crow transformed into a boy, who swiftly slashed toward the fiery sphere.
Whoosh!
Along with the black flames bursting from the sword, Adolf’s fiery sphere was cut in half.
In an instant, when Adolf’s eyes widened at the unexpected turn of events…
A hand shot out from behind the shattered sphere, grabbing hold of Aslan’s clothes tightly.
What was revealed through the flames was a boy with black hair.
At the sight of the boy cloaked in blue flames, even Adolf was momentarily taken aback.
The boy instantly kicked off the ground, taking Aslan away with him.
“That brat!”
Watching Aslan being taken away stunned Adolf, who quickly gathered himself.
But barring his path was none other than Agatha, her hands ablaze with magic, glaring fiercely at him.
Seeing Agatha like that, Adolf’s expression turned into one of disbelief.
“Consort, are you out of your mind?”
“…He’s fighting for his life!”
Agatha yelled with a heart full of despair, her determination resolved.
No one would finger her for blocking someone who sought to kill her son.
She would never back down.
“Stopping someone trying to kill my son will get me labeled a monster? Not a chance.”
Agatha was resolute, showing no sign of backing down, despite being a whole class lower than the Flame King.
“…Very well.”
Adolf, gazing at her, ignited flames in his hands.
“You two will learn your lesson together.”
And with that, two flames surged up within the training grounds.
