Chapter 132
Lycian spoke with a faintly mocking smile.
“Whatever scheme those bastards are plotting, they’re just throwing themselves headfirst into hell.”
Dante considered it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
“You’re right.”
Even if the Founding Dragon and the first emperor no longer involved themselves in worldly affairs…
The Grastea Empire was unmistakably under their protection.
And that wasn’t all.
Lycian alone could wield the power of time, and his innate magic was formidable.
The other members of the imperial family, though not on Lycian’s level, possessed immense magical power as well.
On top of that, Grastea boasted cutting-edge magi-tech weaponry.
To stand against Grastea, one would need military strength to match…
‘…They’re not thinking of awakening the Colossi, are they?’
The thought flickered through Dante’s mind—only for him to shake his head almost immediately.
‘No way. They can’t possibly be that insane….’
The Colossi were weapons from the distant Age of Myth.
Back then, the gods frequently waged wars over their domains.
And it was in those divine wars that the Colossi had been deployed.
The Philome Empire worshiped Mars, the god of war, and as a reward to his followers, the god had bestowed six Colossi upon them.
Four of those units were said to have been destroyed during the Age of Myth, leaving only two in existence.
‘And even those two are probably outdated relics that may not even function properly.’
If they couldn’t be controlled… it would spell catastrophe for the entire world.
No one in their right mind would dare awaken a Colossus—
…And yet, he couldn’t say that with absolute certainty.
There were far too many lunatics in this world.
One thing, however, was clear.
“The Tierney family has made the worst possible choice.”
As Dante muttered to himself, Lycian replied indifferently,
“For us, it’ll just be a matter of watching them flail in the fires of hell.”
“Hmm… Even so, since we don’t know what they’re planning, we should investigate in more detail—”
That was when it happened.
A sudden scream rang out, cutting Dante off mid-sentence.
“Kyahhh! Y-Your Highness, the Crown Princess!”
Lycian and Dante exchanged a brief glance before swiftly returning to the banquet hall.
What met their eyes were faces frozen in shock—and—
The Crown Princess collapsed limply on the floor.
About a minute earlier.
The Count of Serden’s daughter had asked Delphinia gently,
“Your Highness, are you feeling all right? You don’t look well…”
I had been thinking the same thing, and I watched Delphinia with concern.
‘She’s going to faint at this rate.’
Someone needed to escort her back to her chambers.
As if on cue, the Empress spoke up as well.
“Delphin, go back to your quarters with your maids. It would be terrible if you were to lose consciousness. Your health is already fragile…”
Delphinia hesitated briefly, then answered in a subdued voice.
“Yes… I will, Mother.”
She glanced at me, a trace of guilt in her eyes.
It seemed she felt sorry—perhaps thinking that her poor health was causing me trouble.
But the main ceremony had ended long ago, and this was only the reception. One person leaving wouldn’t cause any issue.
So, to ease her mind, I spoke with deliberate warmth.
“Your health comes first. Get plenty of rest, and I’ll see you next time, Your Highness.”
“…Thank you, Muriel.”
With a faint smile, Delphinia bowed respectfully to the Empress and turned away.
Her maids, who had been hovering nearby, hurried over to support her.
The Crown Prince, who had been speaking with high-ranking nobles some distance away, noticed the scene and quickly made his way toward her.
But before he could even reach her—
‘Gasp—!’
Delphinia, who had been swaying precariously, finally collapsed.
“Kyahhh! Y-Your Highness, the Crown Princess!”
A maid’s shrill scream echoed throughout the banquet hall.
The maids sank to the floor, clutching Delphinia in their arms, completely at a loss.
The Empress stepped forward urgently.
“Summon the royal physician at once!”
The banquet descended into chaos.
The Emperor hurried over, and Dante and Lycian, who had been out on the balcony, returned to the hall.
“Delphin, Delphin!”
The Crown Prince took Delphinia from the maid, his face drained of color as he called out to her.
He was as pale as Delphinia herself.
“The royal physician? When will he arrive?”
At the Crown Prince’s sharp demand, a palace attendant replied in terror,
“A maid has gone to fetch him, so if you could just wait a moment—”
“There’s no time for that!”
Just as the Crown Prince shouted and moved to lift Delphinia into his arms—
‘Gasp—!’
Delphinia, who had lain as still as a corpse, suddenly convulsed violently.
Her limbs twisted, her eyes rolled back—it was clearly no ordinary fainting spell.
We couldn’t wait for the royal physician. I rushed forward and knelt beside her.
‘This isn’t the time to hesitate! I’ll deal with the consequences later!’
Placing my hand over Delphinia’s body, I cried out inwardly.
‘Sacred Shepherd’s Touch!’
Fwaaaash!
A brilliant light burst from my fingertips and wrapped around Delphinia like a ribbon.
Srrrk—
As the light sank into her, the violent convulsions miraculously ceased.
I quickly reached out to check her breathing and pulse.
They were faint, but steady.
‘Thank goodness. She’s stabilized for now….’
And then, a status window surfaced.
‘Husbandry’ Skill Level Up! (Lv. 4 → Lv. 5)
Docile herbivores · omnivores follow you.
Fierce carnivores follow you.
(New!) You can read the memories and emotions of those you have tamed.
‘…Huh?’
Of all times to level up—what was I even supposed to say to that…?
Target (Human), ‘Delphinia Alpen Grastea’ — ‘Sacred Shepherd’s Touch (Lv. 5)’ applied successfully!
Target’s physical recovery speed 140%▲
Target is now bound to you.
Target’s affection toward you: 127♡
“…….”
This is bad… What am I supposed to do?
I swallowed the groan rising in my throat—
The target’s memories are flowing into your mind.
‘…Excuse me?’
Due to differences in individual uniqueness, ‘synchronization’ with the target will not occur during this event.
However, emotional resonance may take place, so please exercise caution!
‘Hey, w-wait a second!’
I frantically reached toward the system window—
Click—
And my consciousness was cut off.
“Why does everyone do such foolish things?”
A bright, cheerful voice echoed from somewhere.
As I looked around, two figures came into view.
‘Gasp—Delphinia?’
One of them was Delphinia.
Only… she looked younger.
And the other… a boy about her age, perhaps a few years older.
The boy, with his pale pink hair, smiled softly and answered her.
“Isn’t it because they’re that desperate? Whoever a descendant of the dragon imprints on becomes a member of the imperial family.”
Delphinia snorted.
“What’s so great about becoming a royal’s partner? Living happily with someone you love is far better.”
“I think so too.”
In a forest stirred by a gentle breeze, the two faced each other and smiled.
Then, in an instant, the scenery changed.
This time, it was a garden. The dim surroundings suggested late evening.
Hidden behind thick rose vines, the two met in secret.
When Delphinia extended her hand, the young man—now a full-fledged knight—reverently pressed his lips to the back of it.
Delphinia, too, had grown into a poised young woman.
Looking down at the knight kneeling before her, she spoke solemnly.
“Daniel Frambert. Answer my question honestly.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Are you going to marry Lizzy?”
“What? No.”
“Then why are there rumors that you and Lizzy are getting married? They’re saying you proposed to her!”
“I never did!”
After some heated back-and-forth, they soon cleared up the misunderstanding.
“Where on earth did such nonsense start spreading…?”
As Daniel let out a deep sigh, Delphinia suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist.
“…! Del—”
“Marry me, Daniel.”
“…….”
“No matter how many years it takes, I’ll persuade my parents…. If you marry someone else, I won’t let you get away with it.”
Threatening him in a chilling voice, Delphinia looked boldly determined.
Nothing like the perpetually frail and melancholic Crown Princess I knew.
“Delphin, I…”
Daniel parted his lips to respond—
And once again, the scenery shifted.
This time, it felt as though years had leapt forward.
‘This is… the Imperial Palace?’
More precisely, the Crown Princess’s palace.
Delphinia stood blankly by the window.
Despite the lavish surroundings, the extravagant clothes and jewels adorning her, her eyes were hollow.
In her hand was a single letter.
It slipped from her fingers and fell softly to the floor.
I approached quietly and picked it up.
The contents read:
[We regret to inform you of the passing of
Daniel Frambert,
Knight of the House of Ernel,
who has entered eternal rest at the age of 29.
The funeral will proceed in accordance with……]
Frozen, I slowly lifted my gaze to Delphinia.
A single clear tear traced silently down her cheek.