/
It was even worse than usual. Anais was struggling not to fall. She couldn’t faint even as she felt that her divine power that was wrapped around her core had run out.
Phileal was not around either. This time, it was Leviathan who drew out her divine power. He put one hand on the back of her hand with an expressionless face, forcing her divine power to flow into the magic circle.
From Leviathan’s point of view, Anais, pale and barely keeping her eyes open, was something else.
Why was she struggling so much for these insignificant things? The living sacrifices would be reborn anyway. What’s wrong with using people with divine power?
He didn’t want to laugh at her foolish behavior, even though it was funny. However, with that mindset anyway, it was clear that she would most likely fall prey to someone, someday.
However, seeing that Phileal, who he had always been unable to guess what Leviathan was thinking, was agitated about things related to her, she might survive longer than he thought.
“The saintess looks to be in danger.”
With Leviathan’s words, Anais answered with a trembling voice.
“I don’t care.”
Kylian glared at Anais as she replied firmly. He found Anais detestable.
“And the High Priest of Death?”
“The High Priest barely got up by receiving the energy of the Second Bishop.”
Another priest of death was talking to Kylian with a bow. It was easy to know where people were even in the dark, perhaps because of his bright red eyes.
Anais, seeing once again the people who were not red-eyed, collapsed around her, corrected her posture and continued to endure.
Anais was exhausted. Still, she couldn’t give in because she felt responsible for all of this. She somehow thought that Kylian’s gait was a little strange. He kept on trying to walk properly, as if trying to hide the pain in his leg.
“Your Majesty.”
“…….”
“Where is Lewarren?”
Anais asked him with a pale face. Kylian didn’t feel sorry for her. Rather, compared to what she had done before, this was nothing. Moreover, the way she kept copying his wife’s habits and trying to make him waver made him want to set an example by punishing her right away.
“Lewarren will be here soon, too. I don’t want you to die before I’ve used you all.”
“That’s a relief.”
Once she’d meet Lewarren, she intended to ask for help. She couldn’t figure out why this was happening.
“Your Majesty.”
“…….”
“Truly, I never tried to harm the High Priest of Death. If I really tried to hurt him, I wouldn’t have gone to save him.”
“…….”
“Would I not know what he’s going to say when he wakes up?”
Even as Anais spoke in a cracked voice, Kylian looked down at her with a very cold expression. He just watched the color of the wife he held in his arms return.
“The High Priest said so. By saying that, you will try to get rid of the charges.”
“…….”
“It is true that the kindness I have shown you has been overflowing.”
He thought he was doing her a great favor just by not killing her.
“What would I gain from poisoning the High Priest of Death?”
“If the High Priest of death dies, my wife will never be able to wake up again. Isn’t that the reason? You’ll try to confuse me by pretending to be my wife again?”
“Why would I?”
“You…”
He did not finish his words. He was offended by Lilith telling him how she felt. He was sure of Lilith’s feelings for him. He remembered the citrine quartz he gave to her thinking she was Anais. If it really didn’t mean anything to her, she shouldn’t bet on it. The necklace was given to Anais by Kylian as he expressed his feelings. To Lilith, whom he thought was Anais.
However, he did not want his wife to hear such words even if she was asleep. It felt embarrassing, as if he was telling a treacherous story.
“Is it because you don’t feel ashamed to ask even though you know the answer?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You are still shameless.”
As he drained Anais to the point where he couldn’t extract any more energy, Leviathan rose from his seat.
“This is enough, Your Majesty.”
“Yes.”
When he said that, Kylian put Anais’ unconscious body back on the bed.
“Now, everyone leave.”
“Yes.”
Anais tried to look at Kylian until the end. But at the end of his gaze, there was only the image of his sleeping wife.
Anais found it very strange. She was sure nonetheless. That he didn’t even treat his injured leg and gave priority to healing his wife who passed out.
“Haa.”
She involuntarily laughed at it and collapsed.
* * *
After that, Anais fell ill again.
Occasionally, someone put a hand on her neck to share her energy, but she couldn’t recover her energy, which had completely drained. She looked around and it was clear that she had been moved back to the prison. Looking through the bars, it seemed that a lot of time had passed while she lost consciousness. It must have been daytime earlier, but now it was night when the sun had completely set.
“Phileal…?”
“Yes.”
She couldn’t see his expression well, perhaps because her eyes were profusely tearing up from the pain. Only snake-like white hair and clear red eyes could be seen in her blurry vision.
“You shouldn’t be doing this to me.”
Anais knew that Phileal was working hard for the High Priest of Death, so she thought he shouldn’t be doing this to her.
“Nothing is impossible. Because no one can say anything to me.”
It was clear that Phileal had come inside the prison cell where she was. Anais laughed as he wiped her face with a towel slightly warmer than body temperature.
“Leviathan is rather cold.”
“…….”
“I guess that’s why he did it this way.”
Philreal’s voice was somber. That’s why Anais couldn’t give him any scolding. Her eyes were soaked completely, but her lips were so dry that she couldn’t even open her mouth properly.
He dipped the towel back in the jug of warm water and held it to Anais’ lips. Then, her lips, which had been parting, became moist for a moment, as if they had been revitalized.
“It was not me who harmed the High Priest of Death.”
“Yes.”
“I really didn’t do it.”
“Yes…”
“There is someone in the Magic Tower who can prove my innocence. Call him.”
There was a magic tower belonging to the imperial palace. Even the Magic Tower, which had only pretended to cooperate during the days of the emperor, spared no support from the day of Kylian’s rebellion. No, maybe even those who pretended to be lofty intellectuals felt irritated because the emperor was so corrupt. They were a group that studied magic while guarding the World Tree, which they considered the most sacred.
Before her death, when she was the Young Duke, she was close with Lionel, the lord of the magic tower, so he helped burn her diary. There was a high probability that he was involved in restoring my diary.
“You see, Anais.”
“Yes.”
“At first, the people we needed as sacrifices weren’t priests.”
“Then?”
“People with magical powers were also sacrificed.”
“…….”
His calm words made her blood run cold.
“There are very few mages left in the Magic Tower. Although the Lord of the Magic Tower is still alive.”
“What happened to Lionel?”
“He exhausted all his magic and fell into a coma.”
“…….”
“Finding someone with the ability to read someone’s memories will take time. The mages have all gone into hiding.”
Mages with the ability to read the memories of objects were rare among wizards. Finding them was not an easy task. Because this ability was needed everywhere.
“Did he do that to save me?”
“…Yes.”
At this point, she’d rather pass out.
“That’s why your body was able to stay intact. They exhausted the entirety of the Lord of the Magic Tower’s abilities, uprooted the World Tree, and absorbed it into you.”
“…….”
She thought of the World Tree that the sage of the magic tower cherished. For Kylian to even destroy it, it was clear that he was literally crazy. What Zisis said while crying was not a lie.
“I’ll look for them anyway.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, Anais.”
Phileal dampened the towel again and wiped her eyes. Maybe that’s why it looked more blurry.
“No one will acknowledge you even after you’ve sacrificed so much.”
“…….”
He was suddenly affectionate with her, and he was saying something that didn’t have to be said. Maybe that’s why he seemed a little embarrassed even when he said it himself.
“But it is my responsibility.”
“It is not your responsibility. Has anyone ever asked for help?”
“…….”
“It’s not like that, so why is it your fault?”
“Even if you start a fire by mistake, an arsonist is an arsonist.”
“That and this are different.”
“It’s not that different. Because I’m the one who stoked the embers.”
Phileal became frustrated at Anais’ words. However, it seemed that this kind of appearance was also the reason why she did not hesitate even when she saved him. Phileal, who was trying to persuade Anais in some way, seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. He must have felt sorry for her foolishness. But strangely, he didn’t. As if the right he knew was different from the right she knew, but he didn’t want to say that she was wrong.
He knew she saved him because she was that kind of person. And soon he spoke his mind as though he had made up his mind.
“What can I help you with?”
He said so without even knowing it. He himself is the bishop.
“You don’t have to help. After some time, Kylian will come to his senses. And Lewarren will make his move too.”
“Are you really so foolish?”
“…….”
Phileal said that because he felt frustrated with Anais, who did not understand her situation at all.
“Do you think Lewarren Iphigenia is on your side?”
“What are you talking about?”
“And do you really think that His Majesty will surely believe you?”
He cared about her ever since he knew she was the real Anais. It’s a debt that she saved him.
“At least you believe me.”
“…….”
“You know that this whole situation makes no sense objectively. Kylian just needs time to come back to his senses.”
Phileal was ashamed to find out that he believed her words. Still, he felt sad that he couldn’t act with dignity like she did.
“How do you know I believe you?”
“If you really didn’t believe me, you wouldn’t have come here. You’ll think that I had tried to kill the High Priest, who’s like family to you.”
“…….”
“Now you are giving me energy and giving me treatment. Don’t you know?”
He was looking back at his own actions. He did not calculate these actions. It was just that he was worried about her when he heard that she had collapsed.
“Phileal.”
“Yes.”
He felt that his head was clear again. At the same time, his chest was getting better and better.
“Tell me what you think. How is this situation going? Why am I being subjected to this?”
She asked him to put together the circumstances she had heard fragmentarily.
“I don’t know why the High Priest framed you. However, there is someone who agrees with the High Priest’s opinion. That’s why His Majesty is accusing you of being a criminal.”
“Who is that?”
Then Phileal put his gaze down on her for a moment, then looked at her and said.
“Lewarren Iphigenia.”