T/N: Thank you for your patience and understanding while I was away.
In the end, she didnât even speak a word of it until the day she left the capital.
Zeke came to the gate to see her off, looking very uncomfortable.
And he noticed that his sisterâs expression was not as bright as it was when she went on a trip.
Zeke: ââŠYou donât look happy to hear âHave a safe trip.'â
Keira: âAh, I didnât sleep well last night.â
She answered lightly, but it didnât sound that way to others who heard her.
Everything had been sorted out, so what did Keira have to worry about all night long?
Did she run into another problem? Zeke turned serious.
Zeke: âAre you sure youâre going on your own?â
Keira: âYes, this is something I have to do on my own.â
Advertisements
It was something she must consider and decide on her own so she wouldnât regret it in the future.
Zeke: ââŠThat means something is wrong. You said a few days ago that everything was alright. So you wonât even tell me anymore?â
Keira: âSorry. I would like to make my own decisions on this matter.â
ââŠâ
Zeke was silent for a moment before speaking again.
Zeke: âItâs not dangerous, is it?â
Keira: âOf course not.â
Zeke: âThen thatâs fine.â
Only then did a faint smile appear on his face.
Zeke: âThen I will support Noonim in whatever decision you make.â
ââŠâ
Keira felt like choking up at his words.
Whatever decision she made⊠She might regret it one day.
When learning magic, telekinesis was the first skill taught.
If a person were talented enough to have a lab in the tower, levitating was a piece of cake.
Keira went up the stairs again, realizing why this uncomfortable structure had been maintained for nearly a thousand years.
The walls were randomly scattered with doors leading to classrooms and labs.
Erezâs lab was one of them.
ăNever come in.ă
It was written in red letters in front of the door. The servant carefully knocked on the door.
âYou have a guest.â
Burstâ!
The door opened suddenly, and when Keira looked, no one was there to actually open it.
Since it was a regular occurrence, the servant didnât even blink.
âTheyâre telling you to come in. Go ahead, Your Ladyship. I should get going now. Oh, when you go back, you can go the way you came.â
Advertisements
After all, the only path was a long staircase. She wouldnât get lost even without a guide.
After letting the servant go, she went inside.
The room was dark and smelled bad. It was probably from the medicine. This really further strengthened her prejudice against magicians.
Then, a voice came from over the pile of booksâit was the owner of this lab.
Erez: âWhatâs going on? It seems like we see each other often.â
Keira cleared away the books and stacks of paper and took a seat. Erez still had his eyes fixed on the book.
She coughed to catch his attention then said.
Keira: âI have one more question for you.â
Erez: âAnswering a question with a question is not a good way to have a conversation, but if you have any questions, ask.â
Keira: âWhy are you doing this, staying away from your hometown? There is a risk of being identified, and isnât it uncomfortable in many ways?â
Erez: âAll you have to do is shut up.â
Keira: âNow that I have no regrets, I might accuse you.â
Erez: âYou wonât.â
He wasnât worried at all. Well, Keira didnât have a choice but to keep quiet about it anyway.
Keira: ââŠAnyway, even if thereâs no risk, you must have a reason to live here, pretending to be human, right? Even if I donât accuse you, it would still be a little troublesome at home.â
He sighed deeply at her persistence and closed his book. And as if he had given up, he confessed.
Erez: âI donât have a reason. Itâs just that the environment here and the one in the Demon Realm are different. The experimental results are also different; different spells can be cast even with the same formula. Rather, I donât think you came all the way here just to ask that.â
In fact, Keiraâs question was spontaneous.
The level of magic that Keira saw in the Demon Realm was far beyond human understanding.
No matter how much Keira thought about it, it would be more beneficial to do research in the Demon Realm, so it was strange that he was holding on here, enduring such a troublesome task.
Advertisements
But now, it was enough that she had heard the reason. So she finally went straight to the point.
Keira: âDo you remember the bet we made before?â
Erez: âBet?â
Erezâs eyes narrowed as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
Erez: âIâm sorry, but can you elaborate more? I tend to bet a lot.â
Keira: âI told you before that Father was acting a little strange. And it raised the question of whether the memories of the past remain partially.â
Erez: âAh.â
He clapped his hands as if he had just remembered.
Erez: âAnd I said there was nothing wrong with my magic.â
Keira: âRight. You were very confident.â
Erez: ââŠCould it be.â
A dark cloud appeared on his face.
Keira: âYou lost.â
Erez: âThatâs a lie!â
Erez jumped up from his seat and screamed, the materials on his lap falling.
Erez: âYou must be mistaken! It cannot be.â
Keira: âYou dropped me in a strange place when you sent me to the Demon Realm. What confidence do you have in your magic? Why do you think there wonât be any mistakes?â
Still looking adamant, he insisted.
Erez: âThat wasnât a mistake but an error. Do you think itâs easy to go through the barrier in the first place?â
âHeâll never understand unless I show him the evidence.â
With that thought in mind, Keira pulled out a wad of paper from her handbag and placed it on his desk.
Erez: âThis isâŠâ
Keira: âRead it.â
Erez chewed his lips and picked it up.
Upon closer inspection, it was multiple ripped envelopes with letters inside, all sent by Ludwig Parvis to Keira Parvis. The only difference was the address for each date.
Keira: âThose are letters I received from my father while traveling. You can check with your magic whether itâs fake or not.â
Erez: âNo, thatâs absurdâŠâ
Advertisements
Blood drained from his face as he scanned the contents of the letter.
It was the exact opposite of the satisfied smile on Keiraâs face.
The letterâs contents were so valuable that it overshadowed Keiraâs surprise when she first received it.
Erez: âThatâs absurd!â
Keira: âStop denying it. Canât you see if itâs manipulated or not?â
Hereâs a brief summary of the exhaustive letter:
My old memories came back. Iâm not forcing you to forgive me, but give me a chance to ask for it.
To put it more simply, it was a request to return home. Perhaps he was worried that Keira might never return.
âZeke and other people are in the capital, so thereâs no way thatâs going to happen.â
Although it didnât go exactly as she wished, the letter was useful in a different sense.
Keira: âAs you can see from the date, Father remembered it right after you did. That is, on the day the contract was signed in the past.â
Erez: âUghâŠâ
Keira: âYou said that only one person would get their memory back after the date they turned back time, right? I donât believe youâre going to change your words now.â
A bet she took as a joke would be quite beneficial.
She smiled faintly as she looked at Erez with his head bowed.
In any case, Keira got to make one of her wishes to him.
The person who should grant her wish⊠No, itâs difficult for demons to be so down like that.
After clearing her throat, she continued.
Keira: âOf course, I know youâre a great wizard.â
Erez: âHuh?â
Keira: âIs this the first time you went back in time in this world?â
Erez: âUh⊠thatâs right.â
Keira: âThen, unexpected things may happen. Thatâs what I think.â
Then Erezâs expression brightened a little.
Advertisements
Considering he was at least several hundred years old, Keira thought he was quite simple.
Keira: âBut the truth remains. You have to pay for the bet.â
Erez: ââŠI was wondering why a hard woman like you would say something nice to hear.â
He sighed as if he had given up, and answered.
Erez: âSo what do you want to do? If youâve come this far, youâve decided what to get from me.â
Keira: âI thought so, too.â
Erez: âWhat do you mean?â
Keira laughed bitterly.
Keira: âThe part where you said I would have decided what to get.â
â?â
What was she talking about? Erezâs eyebrow raised in confusion.
Keira: âI thought and thought about it during the week I came from the capital to here.â
Erez: âAnd?â
Keira: âI came to the conclusion that I didnât know how I felt yet.â
Erez seemed like he still didnât understand, but he decided to wait a little longer for her.
He would live long enough for Keira to die anyway.