It had happened not long ago.
Julius von Arcedium, Emperor of the Arcedium Empire, had received a message from Ines Karandar, the Headmistress of the Academy and one of the most powerful beings among mortals.
“…You’re saying you’re going to send her back to the Empire.”
[That’s right.]
The content of the message was that she intended to send back his daughter, Imperial Princess Elicia. Upon hearing those words, the Emperor’s expression darkened.
It had nothing to do with how casually Ines spoke. After all, she wasn’t someone affiliated with the Empire. She was the matriarch of the Karandar family, a force that could rival any nation, and one of the transcendent beings known as the Great Witches.
She had absolutely no reason to show deference to the Emperor. She had been such an existence long before the Emperor was even born.
Of course, that didn’t mean the Emperor’s status was so low that he would need to show her deference either, and so, naturally, the two of them had come to maintain a relationship of speaking on equal terms. In any case, it had nothing to do with their manner of speech.
Thus, there could only be one reason why the Emperor’s expression had darkened.
“Your words have changed. Didn’t you accept my request without hesitation before?”
He had asked her to protect his daughter at the Academy and help her search for answers within the labyrinth.
The Emperor had made that request to Ines, and she had gladly accepted it.
Of course, neither of them had been unaware of the risks involved in accepting Elicia, who was being consumed by a demon, into the Academy. And while Ines cared deeply for her students, that didn’t mean she was in a position to grant such a request for free. Thus, the Emperor had been forced to make many concessions to her.
That was how Elicia had ended up being sent to the Academy. And yet, now Ines was suddenly saying she would send her back to the Empire.
Given that he had been clinging to the faintest sliver of hope to begin with, the Emperor could only interpret this sudden notice of her return as Ines giving up on Elicia. And in truth, there really was no other reason to send her back.
When the Emperor asked her, assuming that the situation must have changed so drastically that the Academy could no longer protect her, Ines shook her head.
[It seems you are misunderstanding something. I am not sending Princess Elicia back to the Empire because I have given up on her.]
She had not given up on Elicia.
That was what Ines said. But the Emperor couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
Then for what reason was she saying she would send his daughter back to the Empire?
“…What do you mean by that?”
[I have found a way to save your daughter. Simply put, I am sending her back because there is no longer any need for her to stay at the Academy.]
“……!”
And then came the shocking, joyous news.
When Ines told him that she had found a way to save Elicia, the Emperor remained blankly silent for a moment, then, unable to believe what he had just heard, asked again.
“…Is what you’re saying really true?”
The very fact that he wasn’t reacting more intensely could be considered remarkable. That was how surreal the situation felt to the Emperor.
It was only natural. Up until now, even maintaining the current situation had been an overwhelming struggle, and now, out of nowhere, someone was telling him that hope had become reality.
[Yes, do I look like someone who would lie about such a thing?]
“…How… did you really find a way in the labyrinth?”
[…That’s not it.]
Ines shook her head at those words. The Emperor asked,
“Then what is it? Are you saying there’s another way to drive out the Demon’s Seed?”
[…Driving it out is practically impossible.]
But the words Ines spoke were far from what she had said earlier about having found a way to save her.
The Emperor frowned and asked,
“Driving it out is impossible? And yet you say there’s a way?”
[…Frankly, I don’t know if you’ll be able to accept it from your position.]
And then, Ines began to explain to the Emperor how she intended to save Elicia.
Hearing her explanation moment by moment, the Emperor instead fell silent with a calm expression.
[…It’s strange.]
And by the time Ines had finished speaking, he closed his eyes tightly and finally opened his mouth.
“So… you’re saying I have to turn my daughter into a demon?”
[To be exact, she must become a demon while maintaining her sense of self.]
“……”
The Emperor fell silent once more, then asked Ines,
“How in the world did you come across such a method? Why would you even choose such a method in the first place? Are you telling me that’s how my daughter can be saved? And you expect me to believe that right now?”
[First of all, this method is not something I discovered. Second, there is no other way besides this one. Third, setting aside the additional complications, Princess Elicia can be saved for certain through this method. And fourth, though I doubt anything I say will convince you, if you wish, I am willing to stake my name on it and swear.]
“……”
At Ines’s calm reply, the Emperor had no choice but to fall silent again.
Then, something about Ines’s response caught his attention, and he asked,
“If this isn’t a method you discovered… then who on earth did?”
[…That…]
Ines hesitated for a moment at that question.
But soon after, she began to speak…. about the reason behind everything that had happened…
***
After hearing Ines’s story.
The Emperor eventually accepted Elicia’s return, and Elicia, who had been subdued by Ines, was brought back to the Empire while still unconscious.
There were many outstanding mages within the Imperial Palace as well, so using teleportation and other means, they swiftly returned to the Empire. And then, the Emperor…
“…Are you telling me the Great Witch passed this on?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. She said it was a means of communication with the princess’s attending physician and asked that it be given to Her Highness once she wakes.”
The Emperor accepted the means of communication with Yujin, which Ines had entrusted to the servant dispatched for Elicia’s return.
Looking at it, the Emperor’s gaze grew calm.
The attending physician… is it.
Naturally, the Emperor had already heard from Ines about Yujin’s existence.
A mage who had sealed the demonic energy within Elicia and found a way to save her.
Up until now, the Emperor had only known him as a pioneer who had suddenly appeared and established the system of space-time magic.
A means of communication with such a man…
“…Very well. You may leave.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
As he watched the servants withdraw, the Emperor who was left alone in the audience chamber after they disappeared quietly stared at the communication crystal.
“……”
Gazing at it in silence for a while with his eyes subdued, he soon imbued the crystal with his energy…
***
And now.
Yujin stared intently at the communication crystal, feeling that the inevitable had finally arrived.
The Emperor, staring just as intently at Yujin, was the first to speak.
[You don’t seem particularly flustered.]
“Since I’ve become deeply entangled in Her Highness the Princess’s problem, I’ve already prepared myself for the consequences. On top of that, it seems the Headmistress has already informed you about me as well, so I figured you would reach out to me sooner or later.”
[Is that so. If you’ve already heard from the Great Witch, this will save us some time. Then Sir Yujin must already know what it is I want to say.]
With a stern expression, the Emperor asked Yujin.
[You claim you can save my daughter.]
“I intend to do everything within my power to make that happen.”
[And that result… is this? Turning her into a demon?]
It seemed the Emperor still couldn’t accept that method. It wasn’t particularly strange. After all, demons were beings of that nature.
That was why Yujin answered firmly.
“The answer I can give is practically set in stone, Your Majesty. At least from my perspective, this is the only way. And that’s precisely why I’m doing everything I can to minimize any side effects.”
[Your method is no different from traveling from a death sentence to life imprisonment.]
The moment she became a demon, she would be shunned by all beings. No….beyond that, the entire world would come to regard her as an enemy.
If Elicia were to undergo her transformation into a demon, she might be able to protect herself to some extent, having become a transcendent being… but in turn, she would find herself isolated from the world.
She would escape death, but she would be distanced from life as it was.
And so, when the Emperor spoke those words, Yujin calmly replied.
“You’re free to frame it however you like, but I don’t see it that way. Is there any other choice available to Her Highness besides this?”
[…….]
The Emperor said nothing and simply fixed his gaze on Yujin. If it had been an ordinary person, just the thought of being stared down by the Emperor would have brought on overwhelming tension and fear. But Yujin was different.
Receiving that gaze without the slightest flinch, Yujin spoke.
“It’s far too late to be talking about a perfect solution. Her Highness’s body is already no different from that of a demon, and not even a transcendent being could reverse that now. Are you, Your Majesty, intending to block the only path left to save Her Highness?”
[…And how am I supposed to trust you?]
The way the Emperor addressed him had changed. From “sir” to “you”. His eyes were now unmistakably filled with fury.
Perhaps, as a father, that was only natural. After all, how could he entrust his daughter’s fate to someone whose true identity and intentions were completely unknown?
And so…
“I’ll leave that judgment to Your Majesty.”
[…What did you say?]
“You’re welcome to observe the treatment process, and I have no objection to assigning people to watch over me. I’ll simply do what I must.”
Yujin spoke calmly as he faced the Emperor.
“I have not the slightest hesitation. Earning Your Majesty’s trust is not within my control. Whether you choose to trust me or not…. that is entirely up to Your Majesty.”
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