0% After returning to the lodging with Risir, Katria felt as if she were drifting through the depths of the ocean.
Suddenly, she thought of the pond she had gazed upon with him. Would sinking to the very bottom of its waters feel like this?
As she tried to hold on to their final mont, everything around her—be it sights or sounds—grew hazy. Ironically, it was because she was painfully aware that it had been their last.
At so point, when Katria finally ca to her senses, she found herself huddled in the dark corner of her room.
Oh, I see. It’s all over.
Regret crashed over her like a wave. Couldn’t she have done better?
Of course, she knew such thoughts were aningless. From the mont she had driven his life to complete ruin, every action related to him had been nothing but self-deception and empty justification.
She felt as if she now understood the aning of despair. A hollow void stretched through her chest, as though her heart had been carved out whole.
Katria knew. She couldn’t let this despair consu her, as there was still too much left to do. She had to take responsibility, to clean up the ss she had made and...
She forced herself to calmly plan her next steps. Or at least tried to.
“...”
But when she ca to her senses again, she was once more staring blankly at the wall, lying on the bed this ti.
How much ti had passed?
I don’t know.
This isn’t right.
I know.
So...
...
...
...
Chirp, chirp. The faint sound of birdsong reached her ears.
Morning had already co.
“...Ah!”
Katria shot up instinctively. A bright smile lit up her face, wiping away the dull haze that had settled there.
It was almost ti for him to wake up. She had to prepare breakfast and get ready to—
“...Oh.”
Right.
Her daily routine as a maid. She didn’t have to do that anymore.
Katria froze, her expression and posture locked in place. The schedule that had dictated her recent lifestyle until now had lost all aning in an instant.
But it was fine. Being a maid was only ever a temporary role. There were still other things she needed to do.
For example—
“...”
By the ti she ca back to herself, she was once again lying in bed, staring blankly at the wall.
She couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.
Katria knew she couldn’t stay like this. But that was all it was—a thought and nothing more.
Wouldn’t anyone who saw her now think she was nothing but an empty shell?
...A shell?
Katria sat up and made her way to the storage cabinet in the corner of the room. From deep within, she retrieved a small pouch.
Reaching into the spatial storage artifact, she pulled out two vials of Clouded Truth.
One was the vial she had struggled to analyze, only for its contents to beco harmless for so unknown reason.
The other remained sealed, untouched.
She had gone to Kieran for another vial of Clouded Truth in hopes of uncovering the mysterious factor that had purified the first. But now, that purpose no longer mattered.
Katria simply stared at the bottle in silence.
“...”
A certain thod of atonent surfaced in her mind. If she were thinking clearly, she would have known it was the wrong choice. If nothing else, had she not spent the night in this wretched state, the thought would never have even occurred to her.
But right now, Katria’s mind was hollow, riddled with the sa emptiness as her emotions. And so, the mont Katria’s fingers brushed against the vial of poison...
Knock-knock.
A voice accompanied the sound of knocking from beyond the door.
Katria let out a bitter smile. She knew she wasn’t in a normal state, but to think it was this bad.
“Wake up, Tia. It’s ti to go see Bondalles.”
“...”
A voice that couldn’t possibly be real was saying exactly what she wanted to hear the most.
For a fleeting mont, she wondered—had he co to greet her into the afterlife?
The thought solidified her resolve, and Katria picked up the vial of Clouded Truth.
“...Tia? Is there sothing wrong? I’m coming in, alright?”
And then, the door opened.
Risir stepped inside, tilting his head at the sight of Katria standing in front of the storage cabinet.
“Huh, you were awake? Then why...”
“...”
“Wait. Don’t tell you were faking sleep to avoid getting scolded for skipping breakfast prep? Well damn, this is awkward. What do I do? Should I just close the door and walk out like nothing happened? Go back to my room and lie down in bed?”
Was this another illusion?
No. Her imagination wasn’t capable of conjuring sothing this absurdly vivid and long-winded.
Katria murmured his na in a daze.
“...Risir?”
“Not ‘Master’? Don’t tell I just got demoted? Darn it. Getting fired by my own maid...I’m such a failure of a master. I’ve been stripped of my title, so I’m no longer a master...”
Risir muttered nonsense with a gravely serious expression. But then, his gaze landed on the Clouded Truth in Katria’s hand.
Instinctively, she tried to hide it. But—was it just her imagination? The poison’s characteristic violet hue, a symbol of its toxicity, seed fainter than before.
Katria lifted the bottle, scrutinizing it more closely. And then, she saw it—before her eyes, the Clouded Truth’s distinct purple glow was fading, mont by mont.
And beyond the glass, Risir was watching her.
“What is that?”
Risir joined in the observation, walking over and leaning in to inspect the bottle.
The lethal Clouded Truth...turned into clear water.
“?”
Katria turned the Clouded Truth over in her hands, inspecting it from every angle. She even gave it a shake for good asure before examining it again.
The lethal Clouded Truth had unmistakably beco water.
Katria set the vial down and stared blankly at Risir, utterly dumbfounded.
“What’s with you? You’re acting strange today. Sothing wrong?”
“...No. It’s just that I’m...a little...no, very...extrely confused.”
“Oh no. If you’re just a little, very, extrely confused, then how confused is that exactly? Might need to do so calculations here. Anyway, are you good? Can you still co to Bondalles?”
“...”
Even in the midst of her confusion, Katria found herself nodding without thinking.
***“Oh, right. Tia, if you don’t mind, could we make a quick stop sowhere before heading out to explore Bondalles?”
The place Risir led Katria to was the Alchemy Wing, specifically the laboratory of Master Didoa.
“I heard you were looking for , Miss Didoa?”
“Mhm. I’m sorry if that offended you. Naturally, I didn’t an to bother you for any personal reason but you know about that thing you asked before? I think I figured it out so I ended up calling you over.
Sorry if you were busy. Also, nice to see you. Good morning. Seeing you first thing in the morning really puts in a good mood. By the way, have you eaten?
Actually-I-recently-discovered-a-new-sandwich-combination-and-I-was-hoping-you-could-try-it-and-give-so-feedback-oh-not-that-I’m-forcing-you-or-anything-honestly-the-feedback-is-just-an-excuse-I-really-just-wanted-to-share-my-favorite-food-with—”
“Breathe, Miss Iron Lungs Didoa. You’re going to suffocate—suffocate , that is.”
“Oh, sorry. I got too excited seeing you again. I’m sorry if that was offensive.”
“Not offensive at all, thank you for your concern. Oh, and about that new sandwich combination—would it be all right if I tried it? As luck would have it, my household maid here lost sleep over today’s little outing and ended up oversleeping, so I starved through breakfast ti.”
“Really? That’s great. I didn’t actually think you’d eat it. Here you go.”
Didoa handed Risir a plate, and Risir tilted his head back.
A majestic tower of sandwiches lood over him.
“Your hands are quite generous.”
“Sorry if that offends you.”
“Tia, you heard her, right? If we don’t finish this, Master Didoa is going to feel bad. So let’s brace ourselves. Think of it like visiting your grandma’s house.”
“...”
Risir and Katria took their seats and began clearing out the sandwich tower, layer by layer.
As they ate, Didoa continued speaking.
“Please listen while you eat.”
In her gloved hand, she held a rough, unpolished gemstone. A mana stone that was infused with Risir’s mana.
One day, Risir had suddenly consulted Didoa after noticing that his mana had begun exhibiting fiery properties, hoping to uncover the cause.
“I’ll get straight to the point so you don’t lose your appetite. Back then, you ntioned that, for so unknown reason, your mana started carrying the essence of fire. But that’s not fire.”
“Ib burmf bfth fnnntho? (It burned just fine, though?)”
Risir mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.
“It’s a more fundantal force than fire, should I say? It’s heat itself. More specifically, it’s what southern alchemists call the Mirage of the Firmant. It ans the power of the sun.”
“Hnn bwrr ommd fnn? (The power of the sun?)”
“It’s an extrely rare occurrence to gain solar energy after birth. Risir. Have you by any chance ingested any refined dicinal herbs recently?”
“Myob? (Nope?)”
“The reason I ask is that there are only a few known ways to acquire the power of the sun. The most common is consuming highly rare herbs like Desert White Lotus, Magma Grass, or Mandalian Blossom. Putting aside the fact that there are only a handful of people on the entire continent capable of refining them properly...”
Gulp.
“So, does that an I sohow ate one of those without realizing it?”
“I would say that’s unlikely. The herbs I ntioned only grow in the deepest, most isolated regions, where energy converges so densely that they bloom once every few decades. Most of them are thoroughly guarded by the rulers of those regions, so they almost never make it to the outside world. To use a bit of exaggeration, we’d probably live our entire lives without ever laying eyes on one.”
“Then why did this power of the sun suddenly decide to move into my body? I an, I have been sunbathing a lot lately...”
Katria, who had been busy chewing her sandwich, suddenly gaped in shock.
The toxic Desert White Lotus had been refined within Risir’s stomach.
***After leaving Didoa’s laboratory, the two made their way to the Magic Wing, where Master ltas’ research chamber was located.
“Risir. Are you certain the na you ntioned was Verdandes?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And where exactly did you hear that na?”
“I coughed.”
“...?”
“And so black orb ca out of .”
“...?”
“That turned out to be the remnants of Verdandes.”
“I see. I understand perfectly. It happens all the ti.”
“Really?”
“Oh. For your reference, when I say ‘happens all the ti’, I an you pulling off ridiculous nonsense.”
“Ahaha. So, regarding this Verdandes. What exactly was it?”
“A powerful devil who ruled the ancient southern desert for centuries.”
“And why was sothing like that inside my body?”
“That’s what I’m dying to know myself. Dear lad, what on earth have you done? As far as I know, Verdandes should still be sealed away by the Sahila family, who rule the South.”
“Oh. Actually, I might have a lead.”
“What is it?! Speak!”
“Master Didoa ntioned sothing about having the essence of the sun. Uh, so maybe my body’s climate just happened to be similar to the desert’s—A-actually, no. Forget I said anything.”
“Well thought.”
“...”
Katria felt her eye twitch as she listened from the side.
The devil Verdandes...was digested.
She quickly ran through all the information she had gathered so far. And then—
“Huh? Tia? What’s wrong?”
It was probably due to her lack of sleep...but when her gaze t that of the unfathomable man before her, Katria ended up fainting.
***“Is she all right? That maid girl.”
“Yes. I’m not sure what happened, but she looks like she barely got any sleep last night. It’s definitely not because she found your story boring, Sir ltas, so please don’t mind.”
“I hadn’t even considered that until now, but thanks for planting the ridiculous thought.”
“Huh?”
Risir tilted his head as he tucked Tia into the research lab’s sofa, draping a blanket over her.
“What’s the matter?”
“Soone just...spoke to .”
“Oh, has the maid missy woken up already?”
“No, not her.”
“Mm? Then who? Speak clearly, boy.”
“Verdandes. That fellow.”
“...Fwot?”
***Verdandes, the Sand Mountain That Shrouds the Sun.
With a re gesture, the colossal entity could summon storms of sand, its towering form eclipsing the desert sun and summoning the night. As the ruler of the desert, he enslaved all life within his domain.
But the great hero Sahila rose up and freed them from the devil’s tyranny. In the process, the bodies of the fallen piled as high as the dunes themselves.
It was a tragedy never to be repeated.
Sahila sealed him away at great cost, and in the end, Verdandes could do nothing but hurl words of contempt at the man who had failed to find a way to truly destroy him.
-Pitiful mortals. The mont I am freed from this seal, night shall return to your desert once more.
***“...So, what exactly does this Verdandes want?”
“...It wants to form a contract, apparently.”
“And what did you say?”
“...I said no. Then it asked if we could talk.”
“What did you reply?”
“...I said no again. Then it begged to listen.”
The devil Verdandes...was trapped inside a human.
“...”
Despite bracing himself for shock, ltas couldn’t help but be stunned.
“A devil, pleading with a human...?”
Not even his vast knowledge as a tower master had ever led him to encounter such a thing.
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