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Chapter 46




Aidan threw the sword, from which blood dripped, to the ground. *Clang.* The sword rolled on the ground with a sharp sound. Beside it, there were numerous corpses. Since it wasn't his own sword, it didn't matter if it rolled in the dirt.
‘He must have prepared thoroughly.’
Aidan immediately recognized who was behind the attack when he saw the group that had ambushed the procession. It had to be Beron Arthur Devlica, the emperor of Devlin. The guards who were watching over Aidan were too busy fending off the overwhelming enemy assault to notice his disappearance. Aidan was indifferent to whether Ermano would fall to Devlin or not. His only concern was the safety of Emperor Mabel. With the situation master and the other master, Lisandro, taken down, the soldiers, who had lost their commander, began to panic. There were two conditions necessary for this plan to succeed.
‘A traitor from within and an assistant from outside.’
Since Dargo Viscount had infiltrated the Ermano Empire, it was not unreasonable to assume that others could have done the same. The Devlin spy, who had thoroughly infiltrated Ermano, must have secretly leaked military secrets.
‘It doesn’t matter anyway.’
Aidan didn’t care whether Ermano fell to Devlin or not. His only concern was the safety of Emperor Mabel. With the situation master and the other master, Lisandro, taken down, Mabel’s life was in danger. He was the only one who could protect the child.
‘It’s okay. She’s still safe.’
The fact that Aidan hadn’t lost control and still maintained his sanity was proof that Mabel was safe. He moved through the forest, trying to avoid the soldiers' eyes, but the front became chaotic. Instinctively, Aidan hid himself. The person who soon appeared was someone Aidan knew well.
“Viscount Dargo.”
A trusted confidant of Devlin’s Emperor Beron and someone who had never liked Aidan. Without hesitation, Aidan leaped out and subdued Dargo.
“Guh
 Who, Aidan?”
“It’s been a while.”
Unlike the shocked Dargo, Aidan remained calm. So he calmly broke both of Dargo’s arms. *Crack.*
“Aaaah!!”
Knights who were in pursuit ran over at the sound of Dargo’s scream.
“Cicero!”
They were stunned by the unexpected scene before them.
“
The devil of Devlin?”
The devil of Devlin, who could not be subdued even if all of them attacked together, was subduing the traitor Cicero.
“Cicero?”
Aidan’s gaze fell on the back of Cicero’s head, who had fallen. Only then did Aidan realize his mistake.
‘Dargo in Devlin, but here he uses a different name.’
The letter he had sent to help Mabel was ultimately useless. Cicero gnashed his teeth and cursed Aidan.
“Dirty bastard. I heard you betrayed your lord and joined Ermano. Do you really think you’ll be safe?”
“Shut up.”
Aidan struck Cicero’s neck, and he lost consciousness. Aidan then threw Cicero to the knights standing there with blank faces.
“He’s a spy from the Devlin Empire and is known as Viscount Dargo. He’s a cunning man, so be careful when detaining him
 Handle the rest as you see fit.”
“Thank
 you?”
‘Is it right to thank him
?’
Given Aidan’s ambiguous position, it was unclear how they should treat him. He left the knights standing there with blank faces and took a few steps.
“Hey, shouldn’t we stop him?”
“Do you have multiple lives?”
The knights, unsure whether they should let Aidan go, did not dare to act. Then, just as Aidan took a few steps, a rain of light began to pour from the sky.
“This is
.”
The warm sensation of the light, which disappeared upon touch, was something he knew well. It was Mabel’s aura.
“
!”
The thought that something might have happened to Mabel made his legs move on their own. Aidan emerged from the dense undergrowth and faced the devastated procession. The carriage had been knocked over by a large explosion, and the surrounding vegetation had been reduced to ashes. Aidan quickly found her.
“Mabel!!”
He saw Mabel lying helplessly. Situation master Esteban, with a pale face, clutched the child. The rain of light continued to fall, but Mabel, who had caused the miracle, had exhausted all her divine power and lost consciousness.
“Mabel. Wake up. Mabel
.”
Oscar, with trembling hands, firmly held Mabel’s hand, but the child did not wake up.
***
Thanks to Mabel’s miracle, there were no survivors, only the dead. Under the situation master’s orders, the procession, after gathering the dead, rushed to the capital without rest. A week had passed since Mabel lost consciousness. She still hadn’t woken up. The royal physicians constantly came and went from Mabel’s bedroom, but there was no improvement. The miracle Mabel had caused became widely known, and no one could deny that she was the ‘Seed of God.’ However, Mabel, who had caused the miracle, remained unconscious, showing no sign of waking up. Time seemed to drag on. While Mabel remained unconscious, Esteban was not in his right mind. He refused food and drink, focusing solely on Mabel’s care. The chilling atmosphere he exuded made it impossible for anyone to suggest he take a break.
‘It’s my fault.’
Esteban blamed himself, burying his face in Mabel’s hand.
‘If I hadn’t been taken by the magic like an idiot. No, if I had moved with Mabel. No
 if I had opposed the ceremony until the end.’
Regrets piled one after another. But the deed was done, and Mabel remained unconscious. Despite the excruciating headache, Esteban insisted on hearing the report about the attack. The witness was Aidan, who had personally subdued Cicero.
“He’s from Devlin.”
“
Viscount Dargo, right?”
“Yes. One of Beron’s trusted confidants.”
The assumption that Aidan was in league with him was dismissed. In fact, when Cicero, who had been healed by Mabel’s miracle, started causing trouble again, Aidan went back and broke all his limbs. Oscar seemed to hold up well for the first few days, but after about five days, he began to shed tears and blame himself.
“I should have protected Mabel, Father. It’s all my fault.”
“No, Oscar. I, as your father, should have protected both of you
 I’m sorry.”
“No, Father. It’s fine to blame me. Mabel was actually afraid of going outside the capital, and I should have protected her
.”
It was then that Esteban realized Mabel was afraid of unfamiliar places. He felt disillusioned with himself for not noticing. Two more days passed. Mabel’s condition remained unchanged. The two days were enough to drain Esteban’s patience. He glared at the lined-up physicians, his voice dripping with menace.
“I will kill you all.”
“Your Majesty
!”
“Who said she would wake up after a little rest?”
The physicians exchanged glances. Someone had indeed said that, because there was nothing medically wrong with Mabel.
“Please forgive us. According to all our experts, the reason the Emperor cannot wake up is not medical!”
The physicians knelt and begged for their lives. Esteban’s cold eyes seemed ready to draw his sword at any moment.
“Get out.”
The physicians hurriedly left the bedroom, fearing they might be caught again. Esteban covered his eyes with one hand.
“Hah.”
He hadn’t slept for over a week. An unpleasant headache squeezed his temples. It was becoming increasingly difficult to control the destructive impulses that occasionally surged within him. If he were on the battlefield, he could have cut down anyone to relieve this unbearable urge. At that moment, one person came to mind. He removed his hand from his eyes. His blue eyes shone brightly in the darkness. That day, a corpse was carried out of the underground prison. ***
Esteban, sitting by Mabel’s bedside, clenched his fists tightly.
‘I broke my promise to Sianna.’
He couldn’t keep his promise not to take lives easily this time.
“You would understand this me.”
Because you and my precious daughter were targeted.
“
You must understand.”
No parent could let such a person go unpunished. He didn’t want to confess his sins to Sianna, knowing he would make the same choice if he could go back in time. It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain his sanity. His rational judgment was clouding. The impulse to invade Devlin and cut off Beron Arthur Devlica’s head was overwhelming.
“I should have killed him from the start.”
By sparing him, he had repeatedly put Mabel’s life at risk. He knew the man couldn’t harm him, but his complacency had endangered his daughter.
“
Mabel.”
When he closed his eyes for a moment, he could faintly hear Mabel’s voice before she lost consciousness.
“Don’t go. Don’t leave me.”
“Don’t leave me alone
!”
Why did the child say such things? He couldn’t leave Mabel behind anywhere. He hadn’t raised her to fear abandonment. The time Mabel remained unconscious was cruelly passing. Days had passed, and he couldn’t tell if it was day or night. Someone knocked on the door.
“Your Majesty. It’s Gustav.”
Gustav’s gaze fell on Mabel, who was sleeping peacefully. Esteban asked in a low voice.
“How many days have passed?”
“It’s been a month today.”
A month since Mabel had collapsed. The physicians had tried every method to wake her, but all attempts had failed. Gustav spoke softly.
“Your Majesty.”
“
.”
“There is only one option left.”
“
.”
“Request support from Abellard.”
Gustav pleaded with his life. As a counselor, he couldn’t bear to watch the situation master live like a cripple for a month. Since there was nothing medically wrong with Mabel, it was likely related to the miracle she had performed. The key to solving it must be in Abellard. Esteban made his decision.
“I will send a letter to Abellard.”
***
The Divine King Michael received the letter from the messenger. His lips curled into a slight smile. He knew exactly what it would say without even reading it.
“Faster than I thought.”
He had anticipated this. The immense divine power, far beyond her small body, was in a precarious state, almost overflowing. What Michael had done was to slightly open the seal on that divine power, causing it to overflow. He knew that even a little would be too much for her young body to handle.
“Of course, the Seed of God should stay in the Kingdom of God.”
She had suffered needlessly by trying to hold on. Michael clicked his tongue and unfolded the letter. As expected, it contained the same content he had anticipated. A polite request for a cleric to be dispatched to help the unconscious emperor. No price was mentioned.
“I can’t just help.”
The thought of what he could demand made him feel a perverse joy. Michael hummed a tune as he wrote the reply. ***
Living alone without parents, I endured the gazes and words directed at me. All the speculation, rumors, and criticism, as well as the pity. Pity was actually better. It hurt my heart but didn’t harm my body. By not giving anyone a chance and building walls, the pain soon dulled. What I couldn’t bear were poverty, cold, and hunger. These were overwhelming hardships for a young, alone child. So I often thought it would have been better if my father hadn’t been there. If he hadn’t, I could have lived in an orphanage. Maybe that would have alleviated this poverty. But the thought of such a thing terrified me, and I quickly pushed it out of my mind. In truth, I always wanted to lean on someone.
‘I hate getting sick and having to take medicine without water when I come back from a trip with a severe summer cold.’
‘I wish someone would wipe my sweat and hope I get better soon.’
‘I wish someone would worry about me.’
‘
I wish someone would love me.’
I wanted to experience such love, even once. An overwhelming, excessive amount of affection. Then, a voice called my name.
“Mabel.”
A low, warm, and gentle voice.
“Mabel. Wake up.”
“Because when you’re sick, my heart hurts too.”
A rough but careful hand wiped the sweat from my forehead. The hand that poured water into my mouth trembled from tension. Even when I spat out the water, he didn’t give up until I swallowed it.
‘This is
 the memory of when I got a cold after coming back from a trip.’
A memory I had buried deep, not wanting to recall. I had built even more walls in my heart because of the warmth of the care I had never experienced. It was the love I had always longed for, but foolishly, I didn’t believe it was real. But it was genuine. He had thrown himself to protect me and called me his most beloved daughter. So,
‘If I open my eyes, I must say it.’
At that thought, the world before my eyes brightened. I saw a pair of blue eyes, wide with surprise, looking down at me. I met his gaze and said,
“
Dad.”
The words I wanted to say but feared to utter.