Chapter 78
Chapter 78
‘Chapter 8. Fissure’
“Seiren. The north is a very cold and harsh place.”
It’s quite remarkable how Isiel criticizes the north right in front of Cassis, the master of that cold and harsh north, and me, who serves him.
Rather than feeling angry, I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
But Seiren seemed unconcerned.
Regardless of what her brother Isiel said, she focused only on choosing clothes to take to the north.
“Seiren…”
“Brother, you’re still here? Why haven’t you left?”
Despite Isiel’s attempts to dissuade her, Seiren ultimately chose to go to Luwin.
After constantly pestering me and receiving no definitive answer, she went straight for Cassis. When Cassis came to the capital on business, she quickly got permission to stay at Luwin.
Isiel trembled with betrayal, knowing the whole truth, but what could he do?
It was already done.
And so, finally, today arrived.
After beating his chest several times trying to convince Seiren, Isiel realized she wasn’t listening at all and started clinging to me.
“Try to stop her. She listens to you.”
“Oh my. Still haven’t given up?”
“How can I give up?”
“It’s bound to happen. Let’s empty our minds and give up.”
Isiel, looking truly sad, seemed to change his approach entirely.
“Please take good care of our Seiren so she doesn’t freeze to death in the north.”
“Just like that?”
“You… do you want to treat your closest sister that way?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“If you don’t like it, you can stop caring altogether. I’ll take care of Seiren myself.”
Well, what Isiel probably wants most from me is to look after Seiren well enough to prevent trouble, while occasionally sending news about how she’s doing.
“Will preparing money be enough?”
“Money’s fine, just prepare to draw some portraits.”
“…Just portraits?”
“And it would be good to know that some large expenses might come up.”
Between decorating the shop before launch and promotion, there are expenses everywhere.
“Irina, Seiren. Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m done. Seiren? How about you?”
“Me too! I packed my luggage as simply as possible!”
Her bright statement drew attention to the approximately ten trunks she had packed.
‘I suppose Seiren has her own circumstances.’
[I guess so?]
‘Most likely.’
And so Seiren settled into her new home at Orsha Palace in northern Luwin.
* * *
Seiren’s daily life in the north could be called quite monotonous.
Seiren was enjoying a rare peaceful time.
Life in the capital had been quite complicated and noisy.
Even when living in the temple, it was like that.
Perhaps it was natural.
The temple is also a pillar of power.
Though it was white, elegant, and beautiful, many people came and went accordingly.
That place where countless people weighed her against Rose.
Becoming a saint would grant some power, albeit weak.
And that power would have less connection to House Lemiere.
That was why Seiren had been obsessed with the position of saint.
“That too ended because of brother.”
Seiren sat in the quiet reception room and freely spread her holy power.
The divine power that beautifully grew from her fingertips began to spread gently.
People, the temple, say that magic power and holy power are different, but that’s not really true.
Magic power is also a resource given to humans by god.
Therefore, they have the same origin.
Though they appear completely different, looking closely, their driving force was similar.
This was her main area of research.
Born into a magic family and raised as a mage, then raised as a priestess after discovering she was born with holy power.
Being proficient in both powers, her strongest field was naturally the fusion of magic and holy power.
<Seiren, I know why you’re doing this.>
<If you know, why are you stopping me?>
<I’m not stopping you.>
<I said I don’t need your help! I said I’d handle it myself! Why do you keep blocking my path when you’re not even going to help?>
Isiel couldn’t bear her going to the temple.
She knows he didn’t do it because he wanted her power, but purely because he cherished her, because he couldn’t bear her going somewhere he couldn’t protect.
“…But that’s that, and this is this.”
Seiren quietly muttered as she placed stones she’d brought from her room on the table.
The high-quality philosopher’s stone she had, the crude philosopher’s stone Irina had, and several gems Irina had given her.
Her goal was to store holy power in the ‘philosopher’s stone’ that could contain it, and use that to activate the power engraved in gems.
This was the research she was immersed in lately.
“I told big sis it was almost done, what should I do…”
Afraid she might not be taken along otherwise, she had boldly told Irina it was almost done, that she could do it, but there had been no progress.
“Oh, you have something interesting there?”
She quickly rose at the unfamiliar voice she was hearing for the first time.
The first thing Seiren did was hide the gem Irina had given her, and the second was to identify the other person.
“Hello?”
The other person was a man with a vague impression.
No, to call it vague would be wrong, given his assertively beautiful appearance.
However, his gray hair like faded color and white skin seemed to deliberately diminish his presence.
The man smiled, his eyes curving.
‘Why do I feel so uneasy.’
But that smile didn’t contain the pleasantness found in Irina’s or Isiel’s smiles.
Rather, it contained creepiness.
Or a smile containing unease.
‘Dangerous.’
Seiren’s senses instinctively warned her about the man.
“That gem has divine power engraved in it.”
“Who are you?”
Who is this dangerous-looking man wandering around the Luwin duchy?
“My, we’ve met before.”
“That’s impossible.”
There’s no way she wouldn’t remember meeting such a dangerous person.
“Behind the imperial palace, selling ice cream in front of that divine beast radiating divine power?”
Ah.
Only then did Seiren remember.
The woman wearing the unusual mask and the man beside her.
The person who strangely made Irina tense.
But why is that person here?
Before she could ask such questions, the man introduced himself and took a step closer.
“Seiren of Lemiere, was it? Let’s skip the formalities. Call me Terezia.”
“…”
“And this is my first time seeing this, how interesting.”
Sian Terezia took the gem from Seiren’s hand.
He looked at it intently for a while as if interested, then lightly leaked his power.
“…You!”
Seiren couldn’t help but be startled.
The other person is also a priest like her.
But, but his skill in handling that power was remarkable.
Was it just skill?
The amount of holy power he moved didn’t seem small either.
Sian continued speaking regardless of Seiren’s reaction.
“Ha! This must be another gift from god.”
As soon as he moved his holy power, ice cream came pouring down.
Sian quietly observed the ice cream that fell messily onto the table and carpet.
Even as the melting ice cream flowed to wet the toe of his shoe, he stood still watching the gem.
Seiren’s mouth fell open as Sian easily succeeded at what she had failed at multiple times.
‘Sc-scary, but should I ask?’
“Um, Lord Terezia?”
“Speak.”
She debated whether this was an appropriate situation to ask right until the moment before speaking.
“I’m curious how you made it possible.”
* * *
Seiren forgot her fear.
“So you’re saying I should follow big sis Irina’s holy power waveform?”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Then how can I follow her waveform in the philosopher’s stone that can contain holy power?”
Sian Terezia was highly proficient with holy power.
Though he seemed to know nothing about magic, that hardly mattered.
It was clear he had studied the power for a long time, beyond mere proficiency.
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“Is that not allowed?”
Seiren looked up at the man with the most pitiful expression she could manage.
The man frowned deeply and clicked his tongue.
“Tch, it’s not working.”
Seiren immediately dropped the expression, crossed her legs as she sat, and clicked her tongue.
A slight annoyance appeared on her face.
“Would it kill you to tell me? Think you’re so great by yourself.”
Seiren immediately showed her prickly temperament while grumbling.
Sian hesitated slightly, seemingly taken aback by the girl’s sudden change in attitude.
“…”
“When I tried it, if I put my holy power in the philosopher’s stone, it comes out in my holy power waveform when extracted.”
After staring at Seiren for a while, Sian answered in a softened voice for the first time.
“Well… because it’s your holy power from the start.”
“But this ‘philosopher’s stone’ was given to me by big sis? This one comes out with my waveform slightly distorted.”
Seiren quickly pulled out her organized data and held it out as if the man might run away.
Sian stood still for a moment before finally accepting the stack of papers.
He sighed deeply as he briefly checked the waveforms.
“It’s because of the fissure.”
“Is that so?”
“The fissure in the philosopher’s stone is causing your holy power waveform to come out distorted.”
“Aha.”
Seiren then looked up at Sian with a face that said, ‘And?’
“I seem to have given all the answers. I’ve cut up the meat, do I need to feed it to your mouth too?”
She flared up.
“I’m the one and only princess of House Lemiere, you know? Even though I’m not treated well in the family, I’m still a princess. If I want, meat will just fly to my mouth.”
“…”
Faced with such an impudent response, Sian seemed at a loss for words.
Acknowledging internally that he had ultimately been drawn in, he spoon-fed her the answer.
“If the shape of the fissure matches Irina’s waveform, whether you put in your holy power or mine, it would come out like Irina’s waveform, right?”
“Aha.”
Seiren snapped her fingers and nodded.
Having obtained all the information she wanted, she returned to being the elegant, proud, and characterful young lady of a prestigious family.
Sian Terezia quietly observed this.
“Seiren, you can call me Sian.”
“What? Why are you calling me by name? Call me Princess Lemiere.”
“…”
“Then I’ll take my leave first, Lord Terezia.”
Seiren said this and disappeared from the reception room with a prim attitude.
Sian stood dazed for a moment before burying his face in his hands.
He had a little sister he left behind in the past.
