Aldrit had expected Mara to imdiately say, “Of course! I wish to break the magic and not see those annoying elders again.” However, Mara remained silent, and when the voice abruptly ceased in his head, Aldrit sensed sothing was amiss.
The door swung open, and Aldrit stood up, startled by the rush of cold air. Sven entered and said, “Prepare yourself.”
As Sven stepped aside to make way, Eugene and Kasser entered. Aldrit instinctively prostrated himself.
“Greetings.”
“Aldrit, it’s wonderful to see you in such good health. Please rise. I would like to see your face and greet you properly.”
In the room, only three humans remained. Aldrit occupied the seat across from Eugene and Kasser. After exchanging pleasantries with Aldrit, Eugene redirected her attention to the rat perched on his shoulder.
“We’ve t before, haven’t we? You didn’t look like that back then.”
Eugene briefly recalled the mory of the fake eting with Mara. In that encounter, Mara had assud the appearance of a blond man who bore a striking resemblance to Sang-je. However, as Eugene had later realized, both Sang-je’s and the blond High Priest’s appearances were illusions crafted by magic.
“We t?”
The red-eyed rat twitched its nose. Mara descended from Aldrit’s arm and approached Eugene, speaking with a cautious gaze.
“From appearances, it seems to be the sa person, but…”
Eugene found Mara’s reaction perplexing.
Could it be that it can distinguish between and the fake?
Sang-je himself had been unaware of the illusion, so how could Mara imdiately discern the difference? Perhaps the fake had a very close relationship with Mara, although the portion of Mara’s mory within the fake’s recollections had been minimal.
Mara’s ability to detect the dissimilarity between Eugene and the fake seed to be related to how Eugene treated Aldrit. In contrast to the fake, who had looked down upon the servants, Eugene had treated Aldrit with kindness and respect. Mara had found it puzzling when Aldrit ntioned seeking Anika’s help, as it didn’t align with the behavior of soone who warmly greeted the wandering tribe, which was often despised by others.
“In this kingdom, there’s only one Anika. If you didn’t co to et , I’ll leave,” Eugene asserted.
“No, it’s not that. It seems the situation has changed since we last t. I didn’t think the king would accompany you,” replied Mara.
“Of course, the situation has changed. We now know Sang-je’s true identity, and we know your identity too.”
“I see.”
“Please let His Majesty the Death King hear your voice. I know you can do it,” Eugene said.
Mara surveyed Eugene and Kasser alternately before acquiescing, “Understood.”
“Your Highness,” Sven’s voice echoed from outside. Eugene briefly glanced at the closed door and then addressed Mara, “Before we start the conversation in earnest, Aldrit has soone he wants to et. It shouldn’t take long; is that okay?”
“Whatever.”
Eugene couldn’t help but notice the marked difference between Mara and Sang-je. While both were unnerving in their mimicry of humans, Mara seed more willing to reveal themselves, unlike Sang-je, who concealed everything behind a veil. However, this apparent openness raised a sense of unease, as it could be part of a clever ruse.
After Kasser responded to Sven’s request to co in, the door opened a while later, and Sven entered with the well-dressed woman. She was the wanderer Eugene had brought from the kingdom.
Since Eugene had last seen her in the sanctuary, she had put on more weight and appeared healthier. Her complexion was better compared to when she was thin and pallid, but her expression remained unchanged, like an impenetrable wall.
The day before, after congratulating her on her hard work, Eugene had inquired about the wanderer, and what she discovered surprised her.
It would have been remarkable if the wanderer had said just one word, but she had even shared her na. Charlotte’s care for the wanderer woman was evident. The na Eugene learned through Charlotte was “Lima.”
“Lima!”
Aldrit suddenly stood up and shouted. Eugene had ntioned that she had soone she wanted him to et, but no one had guessed who it might be. However, when they saw her entering through the door, they couldn’t believe their eyes.
Lima, who had been lowering her gaze, was startled by the voice. She raised her head in confusion, and upon realizing the situation, her expression shifted from bewildernt to joy. Her stoic deanor crumbled instantly.
“Aldrit. How…?”
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