Chapter 83
As Zair began to grind his teeth and release the knights and spirits, Yi-Gyeol was quietly following the Guild Master, who had been secretly attached to him, as they fled. It was late, and although it was before Zair made a scene, there were quite a few people guarding the castle. On top of that, the air was filled with soul butterflies that emitted a faint, glowing light like fireflies, making it difficult to escape their gaze.
The Guild Master, who had hidden near a long flower bed, looked around with eyes blending into the darkness before lowering his gaze. Yi-Gyeol, still deeply asleep in his arms, showed no signs of waking.
The Guild Master, who was on high alert waiting for Yi-Gyeol to open his eyes, focused on a tiny whisper that reached his ears.
"I’ve identified the locations of the people and spirits nearby. We need to go straight and take the path to the right of the flower bed. I’ll tell you the rest as we go."
At the same time, Yi-Gyeol opened his eyes and slipped from the Guild Master’s arms, crouching low. The Guild Master nodded and moved silently ahead. Behind him, only the tiniest sound could be heard, almost inaudible unless one had the sharp senses of the Guild Master.
The Guild Master, who was moving stealthily without encountering anyone, glanced back. The sight of Yi-Gyeol, guiding them with sharp eyes while carefully watching the movements of the spirits, startled even him.
If he were escaping alone in a place surrounded by countless people, there would be no need to be this cautious. He would have no trouble escaping undetected, and if anyone noticed, he would vanish without a trace.
But this time was different. Not only did he have someone to protect, but they also had to avoid the gaze of invisible spirits. He had never seen spirits or ghosts before, so it was hard to believe. But considering it was none other than Crown Prince Sethian who had personally informed him of this, he could not dismiss it.
Moreover, years ago, during a commission to steal a magic tower’s thesis from a foreign country, he had overheard a conversation between some wizards. They were passionately discussing magic that made use of the dead souls. That’s when he learned that there were a few rare humans who could see the spirits of the dead.
And one such person was Joo Yi-Gyeol, the one whom he had to protect with his life.
"The spirits seem to be mostly patrolling in certain areas, circling around. If we avoid their line of sight and move through the blind spots, we should be fine," Yi-Gyeol said, adjusting their course based on his reconnaissance. At the same time, he kept an eye on the movement of spirits in the distance, never missing a single one. When he needed to scout further, he would inhale the scent of a sleeping powder, instantly falling asleep to scout in a spirit form and then return to his body without delay.
Thanks to Yi-Gyeol’s quick scouting, the two of them managed to escape the castle just before Zair began releasing more people.
* * *
[Inside the Emperor's Chamber]
"Ugh, cough!"
The sound was rough enough to tell how painful it was.
The Emperor, struggling to prop himself up, tightly gripped the luxurious quilt with golden embroidery in one hand, while the other held a clean cloth that was placed on the nightstand to cover his mouth. Despite his efforts, his coughing continued without relief.
The coughing that seemed relentless brought something up from his throat. The bitter taste of it spread in his mouth, and as he pulled the cloth away, the expected red blood stained the fabric. Despite the shock, the emperor’s face showed calm resignation.
Gripping the bloodstained cloth and wiping his mouth with its edge, the old emperor sighed deeply. It felt like every day he was reminded of how little time he had left.
"I wish I had just a little more time…" he thought, feeling the bitterness in his mouth. The cloth in his hand felt burning hot, as though the very heat of his body was trapped in it.
The emperor’s physical form was aging rapidly due to the constant loss of his life force, and near the end, it was becoming difficult to stay awake for more than a few hours each day. When the rough coughs woke him, he would inevitably spit blood, signaling the approach of death.
"Kaen…"
Kaen, the loyal servant who had been cherished by the late Empress and was now someone he loved as much as he had loved her. A lovely man with a false body, who seemed destined to stay by his side forever. And now, a fateful companion who would share in his end.
"If he could still stay with me, it wouldn't be so painful."
The image of Kaen’s warm smile as he gently covered the emperor’s hand lingered in his mind. He wished he could see him even just a little longer.
The emperor, who had been thinking of his beautiful servant, bitterly smiled. Then his thoughts turned to his second son, Zair.
"I don’t know what to do with you."
That poor child, for whom he had even written a Divine Command Contract in hopes that he would not die at Sethian’s hands, had only sought the throne and killed his own older brother. He had shifted all the blame onto Sethian.
Zair’s opponent was none other than Sethian, a person who was driven by interest and would not hesitate to commit any atrocity for the sake of it.
Moreover, unlike before, he had begun to take an interest in humans. That interest, far from fading, had only grown stronger.
The emperor recalled a day when Roa had cautiously asked about it. On that day, he had received a severed wrist from his beloved servant Kaen and, strangely enough, it was also the first time Sethian had asked him for something.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Roa asked softly.
"I already thought that the one who would ascend to the throne would be him. I don’t mind if he gets the title of Crown Prince. The day he ascends to the throne will be the day I breathe my last."
As he gently caressed the box with Kaen's severed hand, the emperor smiled bitterly. Roa spoke again, cautiously.
"Perhaps, while he’s Crown Prince, he might lose all interest in that living spirit. If that happens, the throne might end up with another prince or princess."
First Prince Mendel, Third Prince Remines, and First Princess Elina.
None of them had the charisma to lead the kingdom. Their supporters weren’t driven by loyalty, but by ambition to wield power over the throne. Their factions were nearly equal in size.
The second prince, Zair, stood out with his superior intellect, having extended his reach to the unseen factions.
But neither the emperor nor Roa believed that would be the case.
"As you said, we’ve laid the groundwork so that, because of the living spirit he’s taken an interest in, he can aim for the throne, but the fact that he demanded the title of Crown Prince suggests that before all of this…"
"Roa."
The emperor smiled faintly, turning his gaze toward Roa.
"You've never met the soul of the golden butterfly, have you?"
"What? No, I haven’t…" Roa replied, tilting his head.
The emperor’s eyes grew distant.
"The golden butterfly we call a ‘living spirit’ is like a crystallized form of intense ‘desire.’ In other words, it’s like we ourselves, living beings."
"I don’t understand…" Roa replied.
"We, born of someone’s desire, are all living spirits and desires, like that golden butterfly. That beautiful desire left its physical body and met Sethian. Do you think that’s a coincidence?"
Roa couldn’t speak.
Though Sethian had never been able to see or hear spirits, he could always hear the voice of the golden butterfly spirit clearly. Was that a coincidence?
"Someone with a desperate and strong desire met Sethian, and Sethian also having a strong desire recognized him. That couldn’t have happened without a connection between their desires.”
At the end of the golden butterfly’s desire, there was Sethian.
And what Sethian had longed for was not just mere curiosity, but ‘desperation.’
The emperor, recalling the conversation, suddenly felt a warm presence and looked up. His dim chamber now seemed to glow with a radiant light, as if in a dream.
—Your Majesty… can you see?
A gentle and calm voice.
The emperor, gazing at the golden light in his eyes, couldn’t help but smile softly.
It is you.
Sethian’s wish.
The Guild Master, who had hidden near a long flower bed, looked around with eyes blending into the darkness before lowering his gaze. Yi-Gyeol, still deeply asleep in his arms, showed no signs of waking.
The Guild Master, who was on high alert waiting for Yi-Gyeol to open his eyes, focused on a tiny whisper that reached his ears.
"I’ve identified the locations of the people and spirits nearby. We need to go straight and take the path to the right of the flower bed. I’ll tell you the rest as we go."
At the same time, Yi-Gyeol opened his eyes and slipped from the Guild Master’s arms, crouching low. The Guild Master nodded and moved silently ahead. Behind him, only the tiniest sound could be heard, almost inaudible unless one had the sharp senses of the Guild Master.
The Guild Master, who was moving stealthily without encountering anyone, glanced back. The sight of Yi-Gyeol, guiding them with sharp eyes while carefully watching the movements of the spirits, startled even him.
If he were escaping alone in a place surrounded by countless people, there would be no need to be this cautious. He would have no trouble escaping undetected, and if anyone noticed, he would vanish without a trace.
But this time was different. Not only did he have someone to protect, but they also had to avoid the gaze of invisible spirits. He had never seen spirits or ghosts before, so it was hard to believe. But considering it was none other than Crown Prince Sethian who had personally informed him of this, he could not dismiss it.
Moreover, years ago, during a commission to steal a magic tower’s thesis from a foreign country, he had overheard a conversation between some wizards. They were passionately discussing magic that made use of the dead souls. That’s when he learned that there were a few rare humans who could see the spirits of the dead.
And one such person was Joo Yi-Gyeol, the one whom he had to protect with his life.
"The spirits seem to be mostly patrolling in certain areas, circling around. If we avoid their line of sight and move through the blind spots, we should be fine," Yi-Gyeol said, adjusting their course based on his reconnaissance. At the same time, he kept an eye on the movement of spirits in the distance, never missing a single one. When he needed to scout further, he would inhale the scent of a sleeping powder, instantly falling asleep to scout in a spirit form and then return to his body without delay.
Thanks to Yi-Gyeol’s quick scouting, the two of them managed to escape the castle just before Zair began releasing more people.
* * *
[Inside the Emperor's Chamber]
"Ugh, cough!"
The sound was rough enough to tell how painful it was.
The Emperor, struggling to prop himself up, tightly gripped the luxurious quilt with golden embroidery in one hand, while the other held a clean cloth that was placed on the nightstand to cover his mouth. Despite his efforts, his coughing continued without relief.
The coughing that seemed relentless brought something up from his throat. The bitter taste of it spread in his mouth, and as he pulled the cloth away, the expected red blood stained the fabric. Despite the shock, the emperor’s face showed calm resignation.
Gripping the bloodstained cloth and wiping his mouth with its edge, the old emperor sighed deeply. It felt like every day he was reminded of how little time he had left.
"I wish I had just a little more time…" he thought, feeling the bitterness in his mouth. The cloth in his hand felt burning hot, as though the very heat of his body was trapped in it.
The emperor’s physical form was aging rapidly due to the constant loss of his life force, and near the end, it was becoming difficult to stay awake for more than a few hours each day. When the rough coughs woke him, he would inevitably spit blood, signaling the approach of death.
"Kaen…"
Kaen, the loyal servant who had been cherished by the late Empress and was now someone he loved as much as he had loved her. A lovely man with a false body, who seemed destined to stay by his side forever. And now, a fateful companion who would share in his end.
"If he could still stay with me, it wouldn't be so painful."
The image of Kaen’s warm smile as he gently covered the emperor’s hand lingered in his mind. He wished he could see him even just a little longer.
The emperor, who had been thinking of his beautiful servant, bitterly smiled. Then his thoughts turned to his second son, Zair.
"I don’t know what to do with you."
That poor child, for whom he had even written a Divine Command Contract in hopes that he would not die at Sethian’s hands, had only sought the throne and killed his own older brother. He had shifted all the blame onto Sethian.
Zair’s opponent was none other than Sethian, a person who was driven by interest and would not hesitate to commit any atrocity for the sake of it.
Moreover, unlike before, he had begun to take an interest in humans. That interest, far from fading, had only grown stronger.
The emperor recalled a day when Roa had cautiously asked about it. On that day, he had received a severed wrist from his beloved servant Kaen and, strangely enough, it was also the first time Sethian had asked him for something.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Roa asked softly.
"I already thought that the one who would ascend to the throne would be him. I don’t mind if he gets the title of Crown Prince. The day he ascends to the throne will be the day I breathe my last."
As he gently caressed the box with Kaen's severed hand, the emperor smiled bitterly. Roa spoke again, cautiously.
"Perhaps, while he’s Crown Prince, he might lose all interest in that living spirit. If that happens, the throne might end up with another prince or princess."
First Prince Mendel, Third Prince Remines, and First Princess Elina.
None of them had the charisma to lead the kingdom. Their supporters weren’t driven by loyalty, but by ambition to wield power over the throne. Their factions were nearly equal in size.
The second prince, Zair, stood out with his superior intellect, having extended his reach to the unseen factions.
But neither the emperor nor Roa believed that would be the case.
"As you said, we’ve laid the groundwork so that, because of the living spirit he’s taken an interest in, he can aim for the throne, but the fact that he demanded the title of Crown Prince suggests that before all of this…"
"Roa."
The emperor smiled faintly, turning his gaze toward Roa.
"You've never met the soul of the golden butterfly, have you?"
"What? No, I haven’t…" Roa replied, tilting his head.
The emperor’s eyes grew distant.
"The golden butterfly we call a ‘living spirit’ is like a crystallized form of intense ‘desire.’ In other words, it’s like we ourselves, living beings."
"I don’t understand…" Roa replied.
"We, born of someone’s desire, are all living spirits and desires, like that golden butterfly. That beautiful desire left its physical body and met Sethian. Do you think that’s a coincidence?"
Roa couldn’t speak.
Though Sethian had never been able to see or hear spirits, he could always hear the voice of the golden butterfly spirit clearly. Was that a coincidence?
"Someone with a desperate and strong desire met Sethian, and Sethian also having a strong desire recognized him. That couldn’t have happened without a connection between their desires.”
At the end of the golden butterfly’s desire, there was Sethian.
And what Sethian had longed for was not just mere curiosity, but ‘desperation.’
The emperor, recalling the conversation, suddenly felt a warm presence and looked up. His dim chamber now seemed to glow with a radiant light, as if in a dream.
—Your Majesty… can you see?
A gentle and calm voice.
The emperor, gazing at the golden light in his eyes, couldn’t help but smile softly.
It is you.
Sethian’s wish.
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