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Chapter 396
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The magic was canceled, and a silence settled in the gap.
Ferda didn't hesitate and moved toward him, grabbing Lu.
-You...! Get away from Lu-gun right now!!
Erdes's form was rampaging again.
Lu is in danger.
W̊е b̂ ǹ ȯ v е̌ l Е̄ n̊ um а
That bastard's trying to kill Lu too.
Because of that bastard, Lu-gun is going to die...!
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I have to protect him.
I have to be the one to protect him!
But... why...?
"Academy President-nim, please stop!"
Е nû m̄а
Lu's voice made her hesitate once more.
She was the strongest being on this continent.
She believed nothing could stop her, but she stopped at those words.
-Lu...-gun? Right now Lu-gun is in danger.
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"Please stop. Right now... Academy President-nim is not in a rational state."
-That's... not true. There's some misunderstanding. I'm the good side, they're the bad side, right? That's only natural, right?
Е̇.ñu̇ m̃ а̌ .ì d̆
Erdes, who had risen into the sky, descended downward.
She spread both arms wide and spoke.
-Come here, Lu-gun. It's dangerous there... huh? You have to listen to me...?
But Lu's face was filled with fear.
He embraced his pained heart and spoke to him.
"Academy President-nim... the most dangerous thing here right now is Academy President-nim herself."
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-That can't be... .
But it gradually became clearer.
"That can't be..."
The reason he feared was the monster before his eyes.
And that monster was none other than herself.
Ferda and Erika were merely holding on tight so they wouldn't get swept up in it.
Еn̄u mа̂ . i̇ d
"That's not true..."
Erdes's voice trembled, fallen into cognitive dissonance.
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"Listen to me...?"
She seemed about to lose her reason again.
In the precarious situation, Lu answered.
"I cannot go that way..."
Е n̂ ŭ mа.і̂ḋ
"Come here! Right now!"
Once more, the pressure of mana intensified.
Kwaddeuk!
Kugeugeuk!!
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But the intensity of the suppression was different.
Lu, and the area around him, had noticeably weakened.
W e bn̂óvеl̀ _Е̇ ñ uṁ а
She couldn't bring herself to harm him.
"They told me everything! That my entire life was fabricated!"
"No! That's not true!"
"Academy President-nim Erdes! I am not your plaything! I am not the man you loved!"
"I know! I know that too! Even so, you have to listen to me!"
"Why!?"
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Why?
At that question, the memory that should have been sealed forever finally burst forth.
"Because I'm Lu-gun's omma!!"
Right.
The reason I live.
The reason I had to live clinging to a demon,
Е̃.ǹu m a
Was because that child was my only child.
* * *
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When the 13-person expedition was formed, Erdes was 52 years old.
Of course, her body was a brat's, and her actions hadn't strayed far from a brat's either.
Such behavior would be a lie if not for a self-defense mechanism.
When summoned to the Imperial Palace, Erdes resolved to stop that nonsense too.
Е̇ ṅum_а̇ . і̃d̄
'Once this expedition ends, I'll wish to marry the Crown Prince.'
She knew the Crown Prince didn't even glance at her now.
But if she married the Crown Prince and showed a bit more of her charm, she thought he'd surely set his heart on her too.
Until then, let's preserve this virgin body well.
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That's what she thought.
"Excuse me, Erdes Roton-nim? I came because I'm curious about something... but..."
W ӗ ḃn̈ o v è l̃ Е̌ n umа̄
Until she showed her body to that damn porter bastard.
She tried to kill him on the spot immediately.
But a passing Hero happened by, and that summary execution fell through.
Not only did he live, he moved along as a porter.
Good grief.
A noble of the realm, Archmage Erdes Roton, showed her naked body and couldn't even gouge out his eyes, had to let him live openly.
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She couldn't forgive that man.
She wanted to kill him right then.
If it weren't for this expedition, she would've killed him immediately, but he was useful one way or another.
That bastard's name was Lu.
She never forgot that grudge, and took it out on him every chance.
"Hey, Blue! I told you not to touch my stuff!"
Eń ũm̃а
"Ah, ah, I'm sorry! Your handkerchief looked dirty so I thought I'd wash it clean and give it back..."
"It got even dirtier because you touched it! Damn it! Throw this away right now! If you keep it and get caught, I'll cut off your fingers!"
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At first, she just kept nagging.
People around said she was going overboard sometimes, but Lu just paid even more attention to Erdes each time.
Come to think of it, the human heart is truly strange.
Annoying when in sight, but even more annoying when not - she'd become that kind of strange woman.
Е n̂ú m а̌
By the world's standards, it'd be called 'growing attached'.
Erdes didn't question that emotion deeply, nor try to mind it.
Moving into zones where demonic energy thickened in earnest, she had no mental space for it either.
Demonic energy wore humans down terribly.
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Even receiving all those blessings, the moments piercing through that place where malice could be felt were a continuous ordeal.
Before the decisive battle, Erdes finally collapsed too.
Еn̄.u mа̀ .і́d
Her unfortunate past suddenly sprang forth like a hammer pounding her whole body.
All the humiliations and grudges she'd felt until now mocked her appearance.
I'll live and die a virgin my whole life.
Suddenly, a sense of injustice surged.
Even becoming a hero who saved the world, the only people who'd love me would be brats, perverts, or trash after my fortune.
The Crown Prince?
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Would the Crown Prince even look at me properly?
He greeted her with an awkward smile, and he'd been so gentle with Erika - how could he live looking only at her for a lifetime?
Come to think of it, the reason she disliked Erika was there too.
Anyway, it was unfair.
The fate of having to live a virgin her whole life was so unfair it drove her crazy, and her Blue Circle greatly fluctuated because of it.
She had to resolve this emotion somehow.
Е́n ǔ m̆ а̊
So her steps led to Lu's tent.
At first, she meant to pick a fight.
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That my life got twisted because of you.
That because you saw my body, I can't get married.
The violence from her fists and the words close to excretion from her mouth - thinking back now, it was a ridiculous thing to do.
He was too kind a man.
Ė n u m̀ а̄.і̌ d
His appearance, unable to do this or that for fear the small her would get hurt, made her feel even more pathetic.
In the end, the pathetic one was herself.
Erdes just cried.
The fact that she was crying before the commoner she'd cursed and abused made her even sadder, so she bawled.
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Crying doesn't help.
After all, no one had ever pitied her.
Enùmа́ . ì.d́
But that day was different.
Warm warmth embraced her.
That idiot country bumpkin, Lu, embraced Erdes with his large body.
He said this.
"I, I'll definitely take responsibility."
Then, strangely, the turmoil in her heart settled down calmly.
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Even though she'd calmed down, Lu kept earnestly saying something.
Nothing entered her ears, but for some reason, those things were so enjoyable.
Because they were all nothing but thoughts for her, whatever they were.
That's when she realized.
That she was feeling now the emotion a certain girl had held in a fairy tale she'd casually seen long ago.
I hate the Crown Prince who obviously won't love me.
Е ňumа̌ . і̄d
A capable person? I'm enough as is.
Status? I can smash that to pieces anyway.
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I just need someone who truly thinks of me.
That was the fairy tale Erdes wanted to draw.
"Blue-gun..."
"Yes? Ah, yes..."
Е̃ nǔm a
"When this ends... can you take responsibility for me for life?"
"O-of course. I have nowhere to go anyway, so if you'll accept me as a valet, I'll gladly serve Erdes-nim—."
Lu couldn't continue.
Because she blocked his mouth with her own.
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Erdes thought.
If tomorrow is the last, at least I don't want to die a virgin.
Е̊ n̂ūm̆ а̂
And she erased even that worry today.
And all of it scattered like a midsummer night's dream.
Lu died.
It was an absurd death.
Not struck directly by the Demon King's magic, not killed in close combat.
During the fierce battle, a flying rock fragment flew toward him, and he failed to dodge it and died.
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Lu was abandoned there.
Contaminated by thick demonic energy, they only had strength left to return.
So they buried him there and came back.
The Empire welcomed the expedition.
The banner read:
[All Returned Safely Alive]
Wеb̌n о̄v ё l̊ Е̇ṅuḿ а
Seeing that, she felt her heart hollow out.
She intuited that no one would remember Lu.
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The man I loved is forgotten.
She was angry, but Erdes couldn't rampage.
Precisely, she couldn't do it.
The moment she smelled the cheese she liked, her stomach flipped.
Е̄n ů m а̇
It was her first time, but Erdes knew immediately.
That this was morning sickness.
That the time she'd shared with Lu that day had been conceived in her womb.
So Erdes desired nothing from this world.
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As much as the world forgot him, she decided to be forgotten too.
The child in her womb grew smoothly and reached the stable period.
Е̇ ǹu m̊ а̃.ï d
Suddenly curious, she went to astrologers and asked them to divine the child's fate.
The skilled ones all said the same thing.
That it would become a holy star or be stained as a monstrous star.
Meaning either a short life or an ugly fate.
They urged her to give up the child.
She wanted to kill it but didn't.
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No, she couldn't.
Magical power harms the child.
You all should be grateful to this child.
She did everything good for prenatal care.
She didn't hope Lu's child would become a mage.
It's fine even if there's no talent at all.
Ĕ ň u m̈a . і̌d̂
She just wanted many parts resembling that ordinary bastard.
She intended to.
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But not everything went smoothly.
A night when a storm raged.
Suddenly, labor pains began.
It was only the 7th month.
Ѐnùmа̃ .ï d́
There was still time before birth, so why?
She tried to endure as much as possible, but this wasn't something that could be solved by just enduring.
The child comes out.
With no midwife, no helper, she had to groan alone on the bed and give birth.
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Everything was a mess.
Her insides felt like they'd flip, vision blurring white, like she'd faint any moment.
Ẃе.b́ ǹ о̄v́ ѐ l̇ É n ũ m̆å
"My... child..."
But she endured.
Erdes tried to wrap the child in swaddling cloth with her remaining strength.
Kururung!
But seeing the premature child's appearance, she was speechless.
She hadn't seen many babies, but one thing was certain - what she'd birthed was far from normal.
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The child conceived through thick demonic energy and fierce battle was already contaminated, and its form had deviated from human because of it.
But Erdes didn't think so.
This is my and Lu's child.
A precious child.
A child with minor flaws.
If there's love, I could embrace it.
Wе_bn̆ o vе̇ l Е́ ṅu mӓ
She intended to.
But the child didn't cry.
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It should cry, inflate its lungs with all its might, but only a rattling heartbeat faded away.
"Cry..."
She patted its back.
But its chest wouldn't inflate.
Е̊n̊úm a .і̂ d
"Cry for me... please."
She pleaded in a mournful voice.
"For me... cry!"
That small lump finally went limp, buried in Erdes's chest.
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The only crying sound from that room was Erdes's, and even that was indifferently buried in the raging storm.
She held the stillborn child for a long time.
Еn̈ úḿа.i̊ d
Her hollow eyes had no focus, and a mournful lullaby flowed from her mouth.
"Erdes, you pitiful child."
She was Lucy Philiaz.
The Big Sister of all witches.
The advocate for pitiful women.
Erdes approached her and begged.
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"Save my child... please..."
But Lucy Philiaz just looked down at the child silently.
Her pitying gaze was extraordinary.
"That can't be done. If that child lives... you'll only become more unhappy."
"You came... to say that?"
"You must let go. That's the only way."
Ėn̈ ŭm̈ а̌
Lucy's face held genuine worry.
But would such words work on a woman who lost her child mere hours ago?
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"Get lost right now! Disappear from my sight!!"
Lucy reluctantly withdrew.
She wouldn't listen anymore.
She was that desperate.
Е̂ ň ŭḿ а . i d
"Lu-gun..."
She thought becoming a hero would make everyone praise her.
She thought being loved by everyone would be happiness.
"Lu-gun..."
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But the one person she wanted to love her appeared only after he was gone from this world.
"Lu-gun..."
W е ḃn̂ о̇.v е l̄. Е nu mа̌.
She won't let go.
Absolutely not.
And to the desperate,
-I'll twist that child's fate.
A demon comes.
An eyeball from the ceiling met eyes with Erdes.
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-My name is Baal. I'm one of the demons you hate most.
It lowered tentacles toward the stillborn child.
-If you wish, I'll let it live a lifetime. A transaction between you and me on strictly equal terms.
It looked so merciful you wouldn't think it a demon.
So merciful and sweet, a proposal you had to be wary of.
That's why it was the best condition for the desperate.
Е̌ṅum̄ а
"Please..."
Erdes made a contract with him.
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At that moment, everything happened as if waking from a terrible nightmare.
"Eung-ae-ae!"
The child's cry woke her dream.
Where the dead lump of flesh should be, a baby wrapped in swaddling cloth.
W eb̈ nо̄ v̌ ѐ l Е̄nûm̌ а
Looking closely, freshly born wrinkled flesh shows.
Eyes, nose, ears, mouth, all in their places, twenty fingers and toes combined.
The child's crying didn't stop.
"Ha, haha..."
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Erdes laughed.
The prettiest crying sound she'd heard in her life.
Е̇ñ ù ṁ а
* * *
"No."
Erdes denied her own words.
"Blue-gun, that can't be right? Me... I can't be your omma, right? Huh? I must've misspoken. So..."
A magic-infused finger pointed at his forehead.
"Let's erase it. Okay?"
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Lu dodged that hand.
"Please tell me. Why are my memories like this? If I were the child you raised, this situation makes no sense, does it?"
"I... had to push you away."
Erdes explained to him in a voice like she might cry.
"If I hear 'omma'... you die."
Erdes still remembered.
Еn̆ ú m a
The first word Lu spoke when he opened his mouth was 'mama'.
The joy was brief, and the curse began.
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A countdown started above Lu's head.
Exactly 7 days.
An omma, but never able to be an omma - that was the fate Erdes held.
It's cruel.
E̊n um̃ ӑ . і d̊
But she had to accept it.
In the end, she erased Lu's memories.
And saying a kind elderly couple had picked up the child, she delivered him there, hoping he'd just live ordinarily in an ordinary place.
"But you came back."
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You entered the Magic Academy.
I should push you away, but Erdes's heart wasn't that ruthless.
Е̃ ṅu m̃ а̃ .і́d
Above all.
Because you resembled Lu so terribly much.
Even that foolish side resembled him too much.
She didn't want to push him away again and pretend not to know.
"Lu-gun... four days left now. I can't let you die. So please, come here."
The reason she wanted to reach the 9th Circle was to save Lu.
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That one thing alone was enough.
If Lu denies her now, Erdes will collapse.
Lu stepped out of Ferda and Erika's protection and walked forward.
She raised a finger, trying to cast forgetfulness magic.
"Academy President-nim, no, omma..."
He caught that hand.
Е nûm̄ а
Warm body heat felt, and cold magic melted away.
"We have to end everything now."
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Lu had served Erdes as a lifetime secretary.
Probably been with her continuously since reaching adulthood.
Erdes killed demon worshippers, and believed her actions, though sometimes extreme, saved many.
Lu always carried her conviction in his heart.
Wе̃ b n оv̇ е l Е́ nu mӑ.
He might not know, but he couldn't pretend not to know.
"If you loved me... if you loved Father, spend the remaining four days with me. For the remaining time, be my omma."
Erdes's two hands trembled finely.
Her mouth opened and closed.
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No.
I'll save you somehow.
Е n̆uḿ ȧ. і d
Even if I have to erase everything, I'll save you.
But she couldn't.
Those damn kind eyes.
Those eyes that get swayed anywhere weren't Erdes's, after all.
"...Yes."
She broke free from obsession.
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The rampaging Red Circle also began to crack slowly.
The layers built up from the 8th Circle lost form and crumbled.
There was no pain.
It just quietly, slowly disappeared.
As if matched to Lu's time.
Iorga's Essence inside Erdes's body came out.
Еn̊u̇m̃ a . і̆ d
Erika pulled that Essence and put it inside her own body.
No reaction occurred.
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Her body was just a storage box, nothing more, nothing less.
Lu embraced Erdes.
Erdes embraced him too.
The two were silent for a long time, and there was no longer a place for Ferda and Erika to stand.
W̃ ѐb̂ ǹ о̀ vel Е nů mа
"Now... I guess I have to go."
Erika turned her head first with a heavy heart.
Ferda watched that sight a bit longer.
Erdes's figure, who had lived for Lu.
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That figure led him to a decision.
To tell Valdrova everything.
Е̄ n ǔ mа .іd̄
