The sound of dripping water could be heard from somewhere.
When the drops fell, they landed not on the ground, but on eternity. Ttuk. Ttuk. For a short while, only the sound of dripping water could be heard, then, the surrounding gravity seemingly disappeared, and time continued to slowly pass.
ââŠâ
I suddenly raised my head. It was only after raising my head that I realized my head had been lowered in the first place.
When exactly did I lower my head?
What time was it now?
I didnât know.
[Warning.]
[The Subjectâs ego is unstable.]
âUgh.â
My eyebrows rose reflexively.
I had a terrible headache.
The thumping sensation in my brain made me nauseous.
âBaron Gu Won-ha?â
At that moment, I heard a soft voice.
âA-, are you okay?â
I struggled to open my eyes and look to the side.
A child with hair the color of a snow rabbit was looking at me with a worried gaze.
This was probably my first time seeing her, so I didnât know why
My lips were able to pronounce her noble title with ease.
âYes. Iâm fine⊠Your Excellency the Marquis.â
Marquis Baek Seol-to.
She was only 16 this year.
Due to the sudden death of the previous Marquis, her young shoulders had been laden with the overly heavy cloak of responsibility. According to the rumors floating around the family, there had been thoughts to use her as a scapegoat.
If Viscount Ja Soo-jung hadnât taken her in, she might have already been assassinated by nowâŠ
[Warning.]
[The Subjectâs ego is unstable.]
[Continuing to reproduce trauma.]
Jiiiing-.
âUgh!â
It felt like my head was about to split open.
I quickly called upon my magic power. Forcibly ignoring the bitter taste on my tongue, poetic language began to flow from my mouth.
ăStabilityâ Andâ Relaxation.ă
One poetic word to calm the mind. One poetic word to ease the pain. When the spell that corresponded to the three words was activated, my headache subsided greatly.
âHoo.â
I let out a sigh.
I didnât have the time to make a sublime poem, so I just hurriedly picked words, but fortunately, it worked. It was at that moment that I realized I was one of the twelve best Wizards in the kingdom.
âA-, are you really okay? Your face is very pale.â
ââŠnothingâs wrong. Thank you for your concern.â
âReally? Are you really not feeling uncomfortable anywhere?â
Marquis Baek Seol-to checked my condition several times. While telling the Marquis I was alright, I calmly diagnosed the abnormality within a corner of my mind.
âIâm having trouble recalling my memories.â
The headache was gone. But there was a feeling of strangeness when it came to my memories.
âIt couldnât be mind magic, could it?â
It was a difficult possibility to think about.
In the history of the kingdom, there had been very few cases of magic being used on the minds of others.
Not to mention that this place was the Platinum Tower.
A place where all the nobles of the kingdom had gathered to have a serious meeting.
The bodyguards mobilized to protect the council members were simply amazing. They were warriors under the direct control of the royal court who had been stationed to keep even an ant out. If anyone tried to do anything reckless in this place, they would lose their neck even if they were a Dragon or a God.
âPerhaps itâs just because Iâm tired.â
I quietly cast another spell.
If there really was a problem with my memory, Iâd simply restore it.
ăInformationâ Baek Seol-toâ Restored.ă
For some reason, I felt accustomed to the phenomenon of losing my memory. It wasnât that strange. As if I was prepared for a situation like this, I even had a plan prepared.
My elaborate preparation floated before my eyes.
+
[Baek Seol-to]
Identity: Noble. Marquis.
Relationship: Viscountâs Adopted Sibling.
Danger Rating: White.
Remarks: Head of the Rabbit Marquis Family. Lost her parents at a young age. Was taught to be a successor by her grandfather, Marquis Baek Mi-to.
Unlike her grandfather, who was a renowned genius, Bae Seol-to was a notorious dimwit since her youth. In the winter of her 12th year, she whipped a freeman* child to death. The reason was âbecause she didnât like seeing the families of people her age smiling so happilyâ. (*: Freemen were essential tenants who paid rent to the lord of a territory to use their land.)
It is presumed that her grandfatherâs teaching was quite strict. She was not praised or shown love. Although she now displays a determined attitude, she still craves for the love and praise of Viscount Ja Soo-jung. She considers Viscount Ja Soo-jung as her mother and elder sister.
Weaknesses: [Murder of a Freeman], [Murder of a Child], [Guilt], [Lethargy], [Kind Heartedness], [Temporary Infantile Regression], [Extremely low self confidence]
Note: Many nobles are dependent on the Marquis. Assassination is difficult.
+
ââŠâ
As soon as I was made aware of this information, I felt relieved.
But I blinked as I had a strange feeling.
âHuh.â
As expected, something was strange.
âDid I always have this ability?â
This information that Iâd thought up were probably notes that I had written myself. After seeing it, I should have had a [Ah, I wrote that] kind of feelingâŠ
âStrange.â
But instead of feeling assured, the strange feeling just grew stronger.
Even at that moment, as I thought in my head, there was an uncomfortable feeling in my mouth as though I had a fish bone stuck in my teeth
âWhat is it? ThisâŠâ
Just in case, Iâd checked with magic to see if I had been affected by mind magic, but as expected, there was no problem⊠Wait a minute. Magic? One of the top twelve Wizards in the kingdom? Me? No. I didnât use crude words like that. I had a bit more decorum, like a nobleâŠ
[Warning.]
[The Subjectâs ego has been weakened.]
âŠThatâs right.
Why had I been speaking informally all this while?
Magic was the art of refining language into matter. It was imperative to always be careful with language.
Even if it was just my own inner thoughts, I always had to put myself in a humble position so that I wouldnât forget the wonders of this world. That was the heart that I steadily walked to the path of magic with.
âI have to pull myself together.â
A thousand words piled up and became a hundred habits.
A hundred habits built up and solidified into ten behavioral patterns.
Ten behavioral patterns determined one life.
As a Wizard who served closely by the Viscountâs side, I should not take even a single word lightly.
âWhatâs going on here? Itâs so noisy.â
While I was trying to pull myself together, another figure approached.
Marquis Baek Seol-to recognized her first and bowed her head.
âAh. Viscount Sun Heuk-sinâŠ.â
âWhy are you here?â
I bowed my head too.
âToday is the last break. Wouldnât it be better to rest in the lounge?â
âEven if I rest in the lounge, it wouldnât really be resting. Just by sitting there, the nobles of other factions will stare.â
Viscount Sun Heuk-sin smiled bitterly.
âI feel like I canât stand it because of the random words that they pour out at us. Iâd be more comfortable if they just cursed openly⊠I should have stayed in the conference hall like the Marquis.â
âAh. I-, is the atmosphere as you expectedâŠ?â
âMm.â
âDid the Stone Medicine Faction pressure you?â
âThere isnât really any distinction between the Stone Medicine, Inner Energy and Religious Factions. They all treat us like sinners. Well, itâs sad, but itâs not too big of a deal.â
I listened politely to the conversation between the Marquis and the Viscount.
Both of them were senior members of the Mirror Faction.
In particular, Viscount Sun Heuk-sin served as the chairman. It was one of the most important positions in the faction. That was how much she was favored by the Viscount.
âŠ
Umm.
He must be a favored noble.
But I wasnât confident in my memory.
Hesitantly, I cast the information spell.
+
[Sun Heuk-sin]
Identity: Noble. Viscount.
Relationship: Viscountâs Lover.
Danger Rating: Blue.
Remarks: Head of the Black God* Viscount Family who revolted 20 years ago. The rebellion was suppressed by the Apathetic Duke dispatched by the royal family. At that time, Sun Heuk-sin was the only one to survive. (*: âheuk-sinâ = âBlack Godâ)
In the incident, Sun Heuk-sin lost all of her family and vassals. She vowed vengeance on the Duke and the Kingdom for not showing any mercy.
Afterwards, she disappeared, and went under the leadership of the Black Witch, the leader of a new rebellion.
She was taught the âRitual of Darknessâ by the Black Witch. The detailed process was unknown, but it was said that more than 300 humans had been devoured by Sun Heuk-sin in the ritual.
She was captured by Viscount Ja Soo-jung just before the ritual could be completed.
Afterwards, she was reduced to a toy of the Apathetic Duke and Viscount Ja Soo-jung, but six months later, she regained her intellect and was freed. Nevertheless, her eating habits have not changed, and even now, Viscount Ja Soo-jung would give her âfeedâ.
Weakness: [Descendant of Rebels], [Cannibal], [Former Wanted Criminal], [Music]
Notes: Could be a very capable assassin if taken as a vassal.
+
ââŠâ
It still felt strange.
I still understood the information, but it felt like reading someone elseâs writing.
âMore than that, why did I write something like [canât kill]?â
Even the information of Marquis Baek Seol-to contained a similar phrase. That one was [no need to kill]. That made me feel like a psycho who determined who I could and couldnât kill.
I have normal ethical beliefs.
At least thatâs what I felt.
It was hard to understand why those phrases were written.
âOf course, we shouldnât just sit around and lament on a day like this.â
Viscount Sun Heuk-sin sighed and tapped me on the shoulder.
Suddenly, an unpleasant feeling passed through my mind.
âSo annoying. Please stop pretending like weâre close. This person, whenever they have time, always tries to show that the two of us are in the same situation. On the subject of killers. I feel sorry for people who only feel alive when they are together with their own kind. Well, if this person wants to find her own kind, sheâd have to fall to hell first before searching. She doesnât want to go to hell, so sheâs sticking to me instead. There is nothing more annoying than that.â
âŠâŠ.
Huh?
Huhh?
Just now, what was I thinking?
âMm? Baron Gu Won-ha. Your complexion is a bit bad right now. Are you feeling discomfort somewhere?â
âTha-, thatâs right. Her complexion hasnât looked good for a while now. The Baron should go to the lounge and rest.â
ââŠno.â
I managed to open my mouth. When I opened my mouth, words that I hadnât been thinking naturally flowed out.
âWe have already been given five breaks. There is no point in resting any further. The few issues remaining on the agenda are the core focus of our faction, so I would like to maintain my position as much as possible.â
âIndeedâŠâ
Viscount Sun Heuk-sin nodded with an expression as if she understood my words.
âToday is a historic day. It will be the first time in a thousand years that the kingdom will welcome a new Duke. I also have mixed feelings.â
Viscount Sun Heuk-sin turned her head.
The gazes of Marquis Baek Seol-to and myself naturally shift as well.
â âJa Soo-jung, is delighted.â
In the middle of the conference hall.
Sat a blonde noble.
No. It would be too much to say [sit]. The noble was resting her cheek against the throne with her buttocks on the ground. And the King, who sat on the throne, smiled as he stroked the nobleâs head.
When such affection was shown in the middle of the conference hall, the conservative nobles lamented that the country was ruined.
Viscount Sun Heuk-sin said.
âA lot of nobles ran to the lounge because they didnât want to see that. When I told them the truth that he sincerely loved her, their expressions were not good. Those old fashioned bastards.â
Did this person just have a similar thought to me?
Did I share similar thoughts with a murderer? I wanted to grab a blade and scrape my brain clean.
Thinking of a way to clean my skull, I looked at the blonde noble, who was more precious to me than anyone else.
ăInformationâ Ja Soo-jungâ Restored.ă
Letters then appeared before my eyes once again.
It was very concise compared to the others.
However, these exact words hung in the air before me.
+
[Ja Soo-jung]
My Lord.
My Heart.
My Blood.
My everything in this world.
+
ââŠâ
Huh?
âThat person is my lord?â
At that moment, my head began to clear.
âThe owner of my heart is Raviel. What bullshit is this?â
No, my head was clear.
The fog in my mind disappeared in an instant.
âWho is Baek Seol-to? Who is Sun Heuk-sin? Where am I? Why the hell am I speaking so politely? Wizard? Gu Won-ha? Baron? Why arenât they using Kim Gong-ja?â
My eyes opened like someone waking up from a nightmare.
âI am Kim Gong-ja. Kim Gong-ja. The Death King of Ascension City. The Moon of Duke Ivansia, the Young Master of the Demonic Cult, and the Companion of the Goblin Race!â
Finally, I heard the voice of the Tower.
[The Subjectâs ego has been restored.]
[Confirmed that the Subjectâs ego has been maintained.]