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The power of the holy sword emitting a golden sacred aura.

Kundel was silently staring at the knight’s sword, which contained that power.

At first, he was skeptical, but now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he had no choice but to believe.

This was undoubtedly the power of the divine.

Even he, who had devoted his life to magic, couldn’t help but tremble with reverence.

Kundel looked at the knight’s face and asked,

“How do you feel?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what are your thoughts on inheriting the power of the supreme god?”

The knight hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking.

“I’m not sure if this is the right expression, but I feel somewhat powerless.”

“Powerless?”

“Yes. Even I, who have devoted my life to training in both swordsmanship and magic, feel truly inadequate in the face of this power. It feels like even if I were to live my life twice, or even three times over, I still wouldn’t reach the level of this power. It makes me feel quite powerless.”

The knight expressed genuine emotions.

He was highly respected among the knights of Quazel, possessing skills that surpassed even the frontline senior knights.

“I imagine other knights who have inherited this power might feel the same way. We still have a long way to go before reaching the level of the divine…”

Kundel nodded understandingly.

It made him think once again that perhaps the divine truly was divine.

As mere creatures, humans were still far from reaching the level of the Creator God.

“In a week, the palace will officially declare the beginning of a new order in the empire.”

The Duke of Quazel, who was standing nearby, added as an explanation.

“Well, it’s not like it will be His Majesty the Emperor, but Princess Violet who will do it.”

“No, Princess Arin will be the one to do it…”

Kundel furrowed his brows in surprise.

“Princess Arin will be the one to make the declaration?”

“Yes. It seems that because Princess Arin has been engaging in various charitable activities throughout the empire, they intend to use her to prevent public unrest. Although it’s said that Princess Violet has been more actively pushing for it…”

Kundel’s face suddenly became serious.

To present Princess Arin as the face of the empire’s new beginning?

There was no way Princess Violet didn’t understand how significant this was.

Kundel wasn’t certain yet, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was another reason for presenting Arin as the representative.

* * *

As the eventful day came to an end, the night deepened in the palace.

Ressimus approached her as she finished her remaining tasks, handing her a letter.

“What’s this?”

The letter didn’t have a sender written on it.

“I met Boris on my way here, and he asked me to deliver it to you as soon as possible.”

It wasn’t like they were far apart, so why suddenly receive a letter in the palace?

With a bit of curiosity, Arin immediately tore open the letter to read it.

“…?”

After reading the letter, Arin tilted her head in confusion.

“Why is this happening, Your Highness?”

“What on earth is this letter saying…?”

– Knock knock

With a knock, a courtier entered the room.

“Your Highness, a guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

“It’s the daughter of the Nigriti family, Miss Silica Nigriti.”

It was an unexpected visit at a late hour.

Nevertheless, without much surprise, Arin glanced once more at the letter Boris had delivered.

“For now, let her in.”

With permission granted, Silica soon appeared.

“Thank you for allowing me to meet you at this late hour.”

“Welcome. Teacher.”

Arin, with a slightly flustered reaction, ushered her inside.

“Last time, I was rude, wasn’t I? Suddenly summoning you and then leaving as I pleased. I don’t have much to say now.”

“It’s okay. Seeing how busy you’ve been for the empire, I understand. Your performance today was truly impressive.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. Regardless of the purpose, seeing you calmly handle your duties to fulfill your predetermined tasks left a strong impression on me. Truly.”

Despite receiving praise from her former mentor, Arin couldn’t bring herself to smile.

“Would you mind leaving us alone for a moment, Reshimus?”

Thinking that they needed a private conversation, Arin sent Reshimus outside.

“I’ve heard that you haven’t received the power of the holy sword from the Nigriti family. May I ask why?”

“That’s as I said before. We don’t have anyone who can receive the power of the holy sword on our side.”

“I understand that’s not the only reason. I want to know another reason.”

Instead of answering, Silica smiled mysteriously.

“May I ask you one thing, Your Highness?”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

Arin nodded without hesitation.

“How much of your thoughts have been reflected in the palace’s plans for this project?”

“I would say most of it. Princess Violet has been supportive, and Teacher Boris and Lord Aschel have provided guidance in various ways.”

Arin spoke confidently without a hint of embarrassment.

“I’m not sure what Teacher Boris thinks, but I can confidently say that I’ve been the one behind all of this. It was I who first questioned the black mist.”

“Was there a special reason?”

“Would it suffice to say that it all began seven years ago?”

Instead of explaining directly, Arin mentioned an incident from seven years ago.

Silica nodded as if understanding.

“You’ve questioned the fundamental beliefs of humanity. Something that started from a small curiosity can grow to move the world.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

Arin couldn’t immediately grasp what she meant.

“May I share my story for a moment?”

Arin nodded in surprise at Silica’s sudden question.

“Our Nigriti family, as you know, is a prestigious scholarly lineage. Because of that, I’ve had access to many books and ancient texts since I was young. Perhaps I had a similar period to you. We began to question why we must worship the light and reject the mist…”

Arin blinked at the unexpected revelation.

“Is that true?”

“Yes. So I decided to delve deeper into it. What is the origin of the black mist? Why must we reject it? The small seeds of doubt gradually grew into interest and curiosity, and I shared what I discovered with my siblings and those around me.”

Arin wanted to ask why she was suddenly telling this story, but she couldn’t.

She felt as if she was being pressed by Silica’s inexplicable momentum, unable to open her mouth.

Silica continued speaking.

“However, my parents didn’t understand me. Especially my father, who showed extreme resistance, to the point of burning the books and materials about the mist that I had been studying in front of me. He told me that light was the guiding principle for us, and that the mist was an absolute negative existence that should never be touched or acknowledged.”

Her voice was sharp and cold.

It wasn’t like the kind and warm demeanor of the instructor she had seen at the Royal Academy.

“There was no reason or explanation. That day, the sight of my father was nothing more, nothing less than a fanatic devoted to the light. Why would someone worship light to such an extent and reject the mist? My curiosity about the mist soon turned into a rejection of the light. That rejection soon evolved into deeper questioning.”

As Silica’s words continued, Arin felt like she was sinking into an inescapable abyss.

Now, not even her body moved properly, let alone her mouth.

“But all those doubts were resolved when I entered the Royal Academy. Meeting him, I learned the truth I had to pursue.”

Silica then took out a book and placed it in front of Arin.

It was a mist scripture distributed by the palace to each monastery in the empire.

“You were curious about the true nature of the mist, right? Did you think its nature would be revealed when given power? But you were wrong. The black mist doesn’t get stronger with beliefs or bonds like light does.”

Silica leaned in with a strange sneer.

“Do you think blind belief is good? No, it’s a shortcut to decay. We can only move forward by constantly questioning, doubting, and denying everything.”

Arin’s eyes widened in disbelief for a moment.

From Silica’s outstretched hand, the unknown black mist began to emerge gently.

“The source of the mist grows stronger when accompanied by negative emotions such as inner anger, jealousy, and hatred.”

Silica stared at the emerging mist intently.

“You’ve been doing a lot of charity work throughout the empire. Your reputation is very high, and there are voices in some quarters that hope you will become the emperor. But…”

Her stern gaze returned to Arin.

“You met Cyan in Aquiel, didn’t you?”

Arin’s eyes trembled as if she had seen something unbelievable.

“Cyan tried to kill you, but he couldn’t, right? Do you know why?”

Arin’s lips trembled, but she couldn’t utter a word in response.

“It’s because he harbored affection. Because he felt a newfound affection toward the princess, he couldn’t kill you.”

Silica gently brushed Arin’s trembling shoulders.

“If the princess, who has embraced such affection, were to die gruesomely at our hands…”

Arin’s breath caught in her throat.

“…!”

“Our successor will only achieve true awakening after being ensnared by various negative emotions. It is then that the new order we desire will be established.”

-Sususu

“You must sacrifice for that beginning. Princess Arin.”

The black mist concealed within her body burst out explosively.

Caught within the mist, Princess Arin,

“…!”

Without any resistance, she was engulfed and disappeared.

“Princess?”

Ressimus, sensing something amiss, knocked on the door from outside, but there was no one inside to respond.

-Creak!

As Ressimus urgently swung open the door, all she saw was,

“…!”

The unfamiliar black mist gradually engulfing the space where Arin and Silica had been conversing.

—————