CHAPTER 112
[You summoned us, saying you found a way to achieve immortality, and then you mentioned demons.
His Majesty the Emperor intends to summon demons into this world.
Demon summoning is a strict taboo. What on earth is he thinking?
Does he just want to become immortal at any cost?
Does he not care if the world falls into chaos?]
I agreed with my father's doubts.
"No matter how desperate he is, trying to summon demons!"
"This research has failed."
Lewis said with a troubled expression.
"The library records also indicate that the research was discontinued, and there's not a single demon in this world."
Lewis looked as if he was disgusted.
"Because the previous emperor died before successfully summoning any demons."
Despite wanting to live for so long, the previous emperor died from an illness.
Just a short time after the date noted in the library records indicating the research had failed.
And finally, we learned about the mystery behind my father's blood that we were so curious about.
[The summoning of demons must be kept an absolute secret.
To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, Count Haim decided to collect and store the blood of himself and the three researchers.]
"They must have collected the blood as a guarantee for secrecy."
"Because with that blood, they could place a curse on its owner. They secured it as collateral."
And then an unexpected word appeared in my father's journal.
[I'm in the midst of carrying out an unavoidable task. Today, I visited the temple.]
Why did my father go to the temple?
[Since the demon summoning operation must remain absolutely hidden, His Majesty wants to conceal it thoroughly.
So, the demon summoning is to be conducted through a secret passage in the temple.]
A secret passage in the temple?
"Could it be that magic circle in the secret passage...?"
The demon summoning circle from 200 years ago that Lewis had once mentioned.
And the magic circle in the temple that looked similar.
My father went to the temple for the demon summoning!
I had a hunch about why there was a magic circle in the temple, which had nothing to do with magic.
If it was something that must not be exposed, he shouldn't have started it in the first place.
Why did he make innocent people enter the temple?
Lewis voiced a question.
"But how did Father know the location of the secret passage? Even the temple didn't know."
"Indeed?"
"Did the high priest lie to me?"
Lewis' question was quickly answered.
The diary detailed all the circumstances.
[His Majesty told us the location of the secret passage.
The document recording the location of the secret passage, which was kept in the temple, was lost in a fire long ago, but the royal family had a copy.]
Ah, that's how it was?
"It seems there was a copy. It appears that the temple didn't know about it."
"If that copy was passed down only within the royal family, then why didn't the crown prince know about the secret passage?"
Lewis raised another question.
Why didn't Philip know?
When we talked to him, he really seemed unaware of the secret passage.
I tilted my head and focused on the diary again.
[There was a close call today.
There happened to be a priest at the location where we moved in the temple, so I erased part of his memory.]
[The existing demon summoning circle is incomplete. So, we decided to create a new magic circle that could genuinely summon demons.]
"Father did draw the magic circle in the temple."
He secretly drew the magic circle in the temple to summon demons.
I felt like I learned too many shocking things today.
If I was this surprised, how shocked must Lewis have been?
His expression looked serious. Very serious...
The diary's timeline advanced to a very important moment for my father.
"It seems Father made a decision."
[I told Sylvia about the task I had to undertake.
When I said I could no longer engage in this immoral work, Sylvia suggested we flee, escaping the former emperor's notice.]
The wizard's escape is mentioned in the imperial library records.
It seemed to be this time.
[I don't want her to abandon the family she loves.
But she wanted to leave the family that didn't approve of our relationship.
I don't want to work for the royal family, which demands such reckless experiments.
Could I be with her, who wants to leave her family, and I, who wants to leave the imperial palace?]
[Tonight, Sylvia and I decided to leave. By tomorrow morning, everyone will know we are gone.
Before leaving, I burned the copy of the secret passage map I had.
I hoped the sacred temple would no longer be misused in such a way.]
"Ah... He must have burned the copy held by the royal family at that time. That's probably why the crown prince didn't know about it."
This solved another question raised by Lewis.
After that, the diary's tone changed to stories about settling in a new place.
Only then did Lewis close the diary.
"The rest can wait. We learned everything we wanted to know."
Indeed, after discovering such astonishing truths, we had no leisure to read the rest here.
"Did the research fall apart after Father left with Mother?"
"Probably. It seems the person who actually drew the magic circle in the temple was Father."
The remaining people were Count Haim and a man named James.
Wouldn't they have tried to draw the magic circle elsewhere?
"Count Haim was the head of the court magicians, right? What happened to him?"
"He's no longer in this world."
"What?"
I expected an answer like he retired and lived somewhere, but?
Lewis's answer was entirely unexpected.
"He died in an accident."
"Oh..."
"The Haim family moved to their territory after his death. That's probably why you haven't heard about it."
"Surely the other person didn't die too, did he...?"
"Maybe. I haven't heard of a magician named James either."
Unlike my speechless self, Lewis continued speaking smoothly.
"Father, who quit halfway, died in an accident a few years later, and the count, who led the project as a court magician, also died in an accident."
His voice seemed devoid of emotion.
"Then isn't it obvious about the last person? They even collected the blood but didn't think to curse him."
Despite it being about his father, Lewis's expression remained dry.
Even though he had nightmares about it as a child.
"Marquis, do you think your father's death was because of the royal family?"
"He deserted a top-secret research project and fled. The royal family would have definitely sent a pursuit team."
Lewis's words were indeed correct.
Since the previous emperor didn't seem like a kind person, the probability of sending a pursuit team was high...
"Did you think you grew up in such a rural place just to avoid the Marquisate's eyes? You also had to avoid the royal family's eyes, didn't you?"
Grumbling, Lewis said he understood why he grew up in such a remote place.
Then he was silent for a moment.
I quietly watched Lewis.
He seemed fine, but I felt sorry for him.
How would I feel if I found out that the reason I had to part with my father as a child might be because of the royal family?
I would be very sad.
Maybe that's why I moved without thinking.
I opened my arms and hugged Lewis, patting his back.
"Selina?"
Lewis's voice sounded a bit surprised. It was like he was asking, 'Why are you doing this?'
"Just because. I suddenly wanted to hug you, Marquis."
Really?
He didn't lean on me first because he was sad, but he looked so empty.
Even if he didn't say it outright, his insides must be in turmoil.
I continued patting his back and spoke.
"You know? I'm here with you, Marquis. And the twins and Aunt are here too."
"You're enough for me."
"Still, if you only had me, it would be very lonely."
"Alright, alright."
Lewis chuckled.
Then, he lifted his hand and hugged me in return.
"Well, if you hug me, I'm happy."
Goodness, how straightforward.
I moved away from Lewis a bit.
Fortunately, his eyes, which had been a mix of sharpness and emptiness, seemed a bit more serene.
"But I like being with you the most."
He is very certain, indeed.
While laughing at Lewis, I suddenly froze.
My heart started to race oddly.
Why? Why suddenly?
Surprised and speechless, I looked at him and realized why.
In his now-calm eyes, a small flame was flickering.
I like you.
I love you.
It was something Lewis had hinted at countless times and sometimes said outright.
I knew it was never just a casual statement...
Even now—
"Because the one I like is you."
He said in a low voice, looking directly at me.
Simultaneously, my heart pounded even harder.
"..."
There was a time when I thought Lewis mistook friendship for love...
How could I have thought such a thing?
It dawned on me how absurd that past thought was.
That's clearly...
Love.
Maybe I already knew. Because I always felt flustered seeing Lewis like this.
'Get a grip, Selina.'
My heart was racing, but I composed myself.
Taking care of my father's matters came first!
"Ah..."
I didn't know how to respond to his honest confession, so I gave him an awkward smile.
A struggling smile and a flushed face.
Seeing me like this, what would Lewis think...?
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