"Mom...."
Evelyn called out to Sella with a deflated voice like a child, due to the blood flowing inside her throat.
"Yes, my daughter."
Sella smiled gently as if that alone made her happy. However, unlike her smile, her complexion was rapidly darkening. A final burst of energy before death. Death had crept up behind her.
"Evelyn."
After wiping the blood on her hands with her sleeve, Sella stroked Evelyn's purple hair.
"You probably don't remember, but when you first used magic, you hurt a child next to you. The shock of that remained in your mind, which is why you couldn't use magic."
She smiled faintly, saying it was because of her kind heart that she couldn't use magic.
"Even if you can't use magic, you're still a Para, and my daughter."
Sella embraced Evelyn with trembling hands.
"Mom, I'm sorry. I was too...."
Evelyn closed her eyes, blaming herself as if all of this was her fault.
"You've done nothing wrong. But...."
Sella shook her head and then raised a finger.
"If you want to marry a good man, you'll need to have more initiative."
She poked Evelyn's cheek with her finger as if teasing.
"M-Marriage...?"
"I have one last request. Forget about today. I want you to leave this place, marry a man who loves you, have children, and live a normal, happy life."
Sella asked her to do what she couldn't, kissing Evelyn's forehead.
"M-Mom! Together... Ah."
She struck the back of Evelyn's neck as she raised her head, knocking her unconscious.
"...."
Sella gazed lovingly at the sleeping Evelyn before turning her back.
"Loktar."
She carefully handed Evelyn over to Loktar and nodded.
"Please take care of Evelyn."
Sella stepped back after asking Loktar to look after Evelyn.
"Your Majesty...."
Loktar bit his trembling lips as he saw death reflected in Sella's eyes.
"It was an honor to serve you."
He ran westward while carrying Evelyn. The sound of his footsteps echoed as Loktar charged straight ahead, undeterred by the numerous knights blocking his path. With a roar, Loktar threw off his armor and leaped up, his body flashing with blue light as the form of a massive dragon emerged.
In his true form, Loktar flew northward with Evelyn in his arms, breaking through the knights' encirclement.
"Stop them!"
"Fire sword auras and astral energy!"
"Cut off its wings!"
The high-ranking knights shot sword auras and astral energy to stop Loktar.
"Not so fast!"
Even while coughing up blood, Sella erected a wall of mana to block all the slashes threatening her daughter. With a tremendous gust of wind, Sella pushed back the knights while watching Loktar fly away with a weary smile.
'Be happy.'
As she bid her final farewell to Evelyn, a grotesque sound of bone and flesh reconnecting came from behind her. The Sage, whose face Sella had smashed with a lightning-infused fist, slowly rose to his feet. As if time were rewinding, his body and face began to restore to their original form.
"So it was you."
The Sage nodded calmly while touching his fully restored face.
"I thought the mana flow was strange. Now I understand."
He smiled thinly as if everything now made sense.
"You...."
Sella swallowed hard as she looked at the Sage.
"What on earth are you?"
The man called the Sage had clearly died. She had smashed his face to the point where even a troll with good regeneration couldn't have survived. But this man had recovered his crushed flesh and bone, returning to his original form. Despite knowing numerous spells and magic, she had never seen anything like this before.
"I'm just an ordinary person who wants to change the past."
The Sage shrugged as if that was all there was to it.
"Of course, right now, all I want is to save our poor king...."
He licked his lips as he looked at the sky where Evelyn had disappeared.
"Never...."
Sella raised her heavy arms and clasped her hands together.
"You will never have that child!"
She forcibly condensed the escaping mana in her hands, creating a brilliant light.
"I suppose it's only right to indulge your final struggle."
The Sage smiled and raised a finger. A massive explosion occurred as Sella and the Sage's magic clashed head-on, spreading to the center of the royal capital.
"You won't get away!"
Sella survived the explosive vortex and became an absolute wall blocking the Sage and the knights for over 10 minutes.
But finally, due to the effects of her injuries, her breath ceased, and she sank to the cold ground without even closing her eyes.
"As you wished, I may not be able to find that child. However...."
The Sage clicked his tongue briefly as he looked into Sella's eyes, which still held determination even after her last breath.
"Your daughter will come to me on her own."
He nodded with certainty and drew a cold smile.
* * *
It took Evelyn a week of crying, raging, wailing again, and getting angry before she finally came to her senses.
"Revenge...."
Evelyn unwrapped the bandage around her neck and clenched her fist.
"I will have my revenge."
She vowed to kill not only the one called the Sage, but also the King of Lothair who ordered all this, the knights, and even the citizens who had thrown stones at her people.
"Princess."
Loktar knelt on one knee to meet Evelyn's gaze.
"The path of revenge is too treacherous. Whether you succeed or fail, only hell awaits you afterward."
He shook his head as if he couldn't agree, even though he understood Evelyn's feelings.
"Don't you remember the Queen's last request?"
Loktar sighed as he mentioned Sella's name.
"You haven't forgotten her wish for you to forget that day and live happily, marrying a good person, have you?"
He bowed his head, pleading for her to listen to Sella's last words.
"I know. I remember everything."
Evelyn nodded, saying she remembered all of Sella's words and her last breath.
"But I can't. I can't just bury Mom in my heart and live on like this."
She set her eyes firmly, saying she absolutely couldn't endure and bear it.
"If you won't help me, Uncle, I'll do it alone."
Evelyn gritted her teeth, saying she would take revenge on the Lothair Kingdom even if she had to do it alone.
"Haaa...."
Loktar let out a long sigh and placed his hand on his forehead.
"This isn't the kind of initiative Her Majesty hoped for...."
He shook his head again before looking back at Evelyn.
"Then I'd like to hear how you plan to take your revenge."
Loktar sat down, saying that was important.
"First, there's something I need you to do, Uncle."
Evelyn immediately spoke up, as if she had been waiting for this.
"Me?"
"Gather forces from outside that hate the Lothair Kingdom, and rally monsters. You can do it with your Dragonian abilities, can't you?"
She nodded, saying she knew about Loktar's abilities.
"It's true that Lothair is a powerful nation, so there are many factions that have been harmed by them, and I do have the ability to create guardians like other dragons. However...."
Loktar calmly shook his head.
"That alone won't be enough. The Lothair Kingdom is a major power not just in the south, but across the entire continent."
He lowered his gaze, saying it was impossible to win.
"Of course, that's not all."
Evelyn calmly shook her head.
"I'm going to enter the Lothair Kingdom myself."
She nodded, saying she would infiltrate the Lothair Kingdom directly.
"What? What do you mean...?"
"I plan to sneak in as a new magician in Lothair."
Evelyn exhaled a murky breath, saying she would enter directly to open a path for revenge.
"If I enter as a magician and achieve merits, I'll eventually have a chance to meet the King and the Sage. I'll end everything at that moment."
She revealed a chilling killing intent, saying she would erase everyone involved in this incident and the name of the Lothair Kingdom.
"It's dangerous! They'll be suspicious of your identity!"
"I've heard there are places that professionally launder identities. With money, I can create a new life. And...."
Evelyn bit her lip as she looked at the startled Loktar.
"If we don't take risks, revenge is impossible. As you said, Lothair is a powerful nation."
She showed unwavering eyes, saying this was the only way.
"Ah, those eyes."
Loktar let out a long sigh as he saw Evelyn's determined gaze.
"Just like Lady Sella. She told you to find a man and get married, but to think you'd develop initiative in this direction...."
He grabbed his head in despair.
"You'll go even if I try to stop you, won't you?"
"Yes. Even if you tie me up, I'll find a way to break free and go."
Evelyn nodded, saying she would do it no matter what.
"...I understand."
Loktar sighed and nodded.
"But you must prepare thoroughly. That Sage has the ability to find Para."
He raised his hand, saying they needed to block that magic first.
"That's already taken care of."
Evelyn nodded and placed her hand over her eyes. As a soft light emerged, the red cross that had been reflected in her eyes disappeared.
"That monster used the mana flow of Para to find Mom and me. All we need to do is make that unique mana flow the same as other people's."
Evelyn dusted off her hands, saying it was a simple spell.
"No, no...."
Loktar widened his eyes as he looked at Evelyn.
"When did you...."
He let out a gasp, remembering Evelyn who had been crying all week.
"I created it as I thought of it."
Evelyn spoke casually about creating an impossible spell, as if she had just eaten bread.
"Princess, were you a genius?"
"I don't know either."
Evelyn shook her head calmly.
"It's just that since that day...."
She raised both hands towards the empty air.
"I can see and feel the flow of mana."
Evelyn nodded, saying she could now read not just magic, but the phenomena of this world.
"Ha...."
Loktar blinked in disbelief.
"Now you understand. It's dangerous, but I'm not trying to break a rock with an egg."
Evelyn nodded, saying there was plenty of possibility.
"As you've seen, Uncle, there aren't many magicians in the Lothair Kingdom."
"Indeed, most of the people chasing us were knights."
Loktar nodded as if he just realized.
"I'm young, so if I show even moderate talent, I'm sure I can gain their trust."
Evelyn pounded her chest with her fist, saying she was confident.
"There is a possibility...."
Loktar let out a short sigh and nodded.
"I'll admit it. But Princess, you seem like a completely different person."
He narrowed his eyes, saying she had changed entirely.
"I'm still timid. But Mom told me to have initiative, so from now on, I'll act on my thoughts. For revenge."
Evelyn clenched her fists audibly as she said the word "revenge."
"That's not what she meant...."
Loktar let out a long, tired sigh.
* * *
On the day she turned fifteen.
Evelyn set off for the Lothair Kingdom as a new magician. As she had predicted, the kingdom was dominated by knights, making magicians a rare and valuable presence.
"Lothair...."
Evelyn closed her eyes as she looked at the main gate of the Lothair Kingdom, where she had once entered holding Sella's hand.
'This is hell.'
But she had to go. Before, she had only felt fear and trembling, but now her heart raced with a different meaning.
"Phew."
Evelyn let out a heavy breath before entering the kingdom.
"Excuse me...."
As soon as she set foot in the royal capital, a young man in the kingdom's uniform approached her.
"Are you Miss Merlin?"
"Yes."
Evelyn nodded as she heard the name of Merlin, the ancient archmage Sella had loved most.
"I'm Bellin, a 3rd-rank assistant at the magic tower. This way, please!"
The man who introduced himself as Bellin bowed, saying he would guide her.
"Thank you."
Evelyn returned the greeting and followed Bellin up towards the upper part of the royal capital.
'It's gone.'
The platform they had built to execute the villagers was gone, replaced by newly built, clean walls.
"That's the royal palace. Only royal magicians are allowed to enter."
Bellin shook his head, saying the palace wasn't a place one could enter freely.
"The magic tower is this way."
"I see."
Evelyn relaxed her clenched hands and followed Bellin towards the magic tower.
"The Tower Master should be waiting. Despite his appearance, he's a good person...."
Bellin talked about various things regarding the Tower Master and the tower, but none of it registered in her ears.
'Just wait a little longer.'
Evelyn bit her lip as she looked at the palace through the magic tower's window.
'I'll erase everything you hold dear.'
* * *
10 years later.
Evelyn left the magic tower, wearing a robe emblazoned with a golden lion.
"Congratulations, Miss Merlin!"
"You're finally going to the palace!"
"Becoming the royal archmage in just 10 years, it's unprecedented in history!"
Her fellow magicians bowed their heads and offered words of congratulation.
"Thank you. It's all thanks to you all."
Evelyn waved her hand with a thin smile.
"We'll definitely attend tomorrow's ceremony!"
"Don't forget about us even when you go to the palace!"
"Please call for me later too!"
The magicians waved, saying they would surely attend tomorrow's inauguration ceremony.
"Of course. We'll still see each other often even after I go."
After greeting the magicians, Evelyn entered her private quarters near the magic tower.
"Haah...."
She sat on the luxurious bed and let out a suppressed sigh.
'10 years. It's already been 10 years.'
It had been 10 years since she entered the magic tower of Lothair.
During that time, she had improved her magic skills and achieved many merits, but the King and the Sage had never sought her out. The Sage occasionally made public appearances, but the King remained holed up in the audience chamber, never meeting anyone, so she hadn't seen him even once.
'But....'
Tomorrow, he would have no choice but to come out. Tomorrow was the day she would leave her research position at the magic tower to become the royal archmage of the palace. Even the King who had been hiding would have to show himself on such a day.
'I must end everything tomorrow.'
If the King hid in the audience chamber again, who knew when he would come out. She had to erase this kingdom tomorrow when both he and the Sage would reveal themselves.
'My heart is racing.'
She had certainly become stronger now. She could even block the magic used by the Sage, but her heart still pounded because she wasn't certain of victory.
'But I have no choice.'
As Evelyn lay on the bed with her hand on her forehead, she heard a small resonance in her ear.
[Princess.]
It was Loktar's message. He was contacting her through the artifact she had given him.
[Tomorrow is the day. Are you mentally prepared?]
"Yes."
Evelyn nodded as she looked at the blue light.
[This is truly your last chance. You can still stop now.]
Loktar posed a heavy question, as if asking if she was really going to do it.
"...."
Evelyn closed her eyes without answering immediately.
'10 years....
It's been long.
Living in Lothair for 10 years, I've felt many things.
There are good people here, and bad people too. Just like the village where I lived, this place is where ordinary people live. There were people who treated me humanely, people who became my teachers, and precious friends and colleagues.
Whenever I think of them, an echo of questioning resonates in my heart, asking if I'm really going to do this.
I want to give up and leave this country, and I want to live like this. But I can't. The King, the Sage, the knights, and the upper echelons of this country are monsters who committed massacre knowing that Para were human.
"I'll do it."
Evelyn nodded after a brief but deep contemplation.
[...I understand.]
Loktar lowered his voice as if to comply and disappeared.
"I'll do it. No...."
Evelyn bit her lip as she covered her head with the blanket, just like when she was a child with Sella.
"I must do it."
* * *
A massive platform was erected in front of the palace, and a dazzling curtain of light descended upon it.
It was the most splendid inauguration ceremony ever, as the royal archmage was changing for the first time in 20 years.
Evelyn bit her lip as she looked at the platform that rose as high as the castle walls.
'Death and light, huh....'
Seeing the platform of blood that had insulted and beheaded her people now transformed into a platform of light welcoming her, she felt like laughing at both herself and them.
"His Majesty the King is entering!"
As she waited below the platform, she heard the earth-shaking shouts of knights from inside the palace. She slightly raised her head to see the back of a man ascending the platform.
'So he wasn't dead after all.'
She had thought he might be dead since he hadn't appeared for so long, but the King was alive and well, climbing the platform.
'And....'
Him too. Evelyn bit her lip as she saw the man climbing the stairs one step behind the King. The monster called the Sage. She had to kill him today without fail.
"It's been a while since I've come out like this."
The King stood at the edge of the platform, looking down at the citizens below.
'That face....'
Evelyn bit her lip as she saw the King, who looked like a handsome man in his twenties.
'So he did perform human sacrifices.'
During her 10 years in the Lothair Kingdom, she had secretly investigated the events of that day and was appalled.
The King had captured Para under the pretext of them colluding with demons, and used their blood to treat his own disease that caused rapid aging. That smooth skin and clear eyes were smeared with the blood and flesh of her people.
"I haven't been able to show my face due to the heavy workload, but I'll try to be more attentive from now on."
The King waved to the citizens, saying they would be able to see him more often now. The crowd cheered, "Long live King Sipilen!" They didn't know what kind of person he was and simply shouted in celebration.
"Now, we should call today's protagonist."
The King stepped back and nodded.
"Merlin Priares. Come up here."
He gestured to her, looking down.
"Yes."
Evelyn nodded and climbed the stairs leading to the platform. With each step, she remembered the people dying in the burning village, her people being humiliated on this very spot, and her mother smiling even as she faced death. She ascended to the platform, carrying that hatred and anger in her heart, and stood before the King.
"Welcome."
"You've worked hard."
The King and the Sage, monsters wearing human masks, welcomed her with smiles.
"Let's start without delay."
At the King's gesture, the Sage stepped forward.
"In recognition of her great achievements, including the subjugation of monsters in the Myuran Mountains, the development of brilliant magic, the restructuring of the magic tower system, and the improvement of the kingdom's protective magic, we hereby appoint Merlin Priares as the Royal Archmage of Lothair."
As he finished speaking, the King came forward holding a red cloak and a staff.
"You've done well."
The King draped the cloak over her back, saying he was grateful for her many achievements. For a moment, she felt like breaking out in hives from disgust, but she managed to endure and stand up.
"Merlin is the name of an ancient archmage. Live up to that great name and use your power for the kingdom from now on."
"I understand."
Evelyn forced her lips apart and stood up.
"Good. Now that you've become the royal magician, I should grant you one wish. Is there anything you desire?"
The King nodded, telling her to speak her mind now that she had become the Royal Archmage.
"Your Majesty...."
Evelyn slowly closed her eyes and then opened them, feeling that the time for revenge had come. Looking at the King's smooth skin, she twisted her lips into a smile.
"Do you remember what happened 10 years ago?"
"10 years ago?"
The King narrowed his eyes.
"I've been so busy, I'm not sure which incident you're referring to."
"The people called Para who lived in the southwest. Do you remember their deaths?"
"Ah! I do remember."
He nodded calmly.
"They looked like humans but were in league with demons!"
The King still treated Para as monsters, not as people.
"I see. I'm so glad."
Evelyn smiled and raised her head.
"That I didn't give up on revenge."
The King's eyes trembled slightly. Eyes of uncertain suspicion. He clearly knew that Para were human, but had massacred them for his own survival.
"What are you...."
The King widened his eyes as if to ask what she meant.
"I am the last survivor of the Para you killed."
Evelyn stretched out her right hand as she spoke. Her nails dug into her palm, causing red blood to flow.
"What color does this blood look like to your eyes? Is it black like a demon's?"
She bared her teeth as she sprinkled the red blood gathered in her palm towards the King and the Sage.
"You call us demons because our mana flow is different, because we have crosses in our eyes? Your souls are the true devils!"
Evelyn screamed, unleashing the resentment and anger she had accumulated for 10 years.
"S-Seize this woman! She's a demon!"
"Subdue her!"
"Block the exits!"
At the King's shout, the knights and the Sage moved to her side.
"Mom told me to have initiative. So I prepared."
As Evelyn snapped her fingers, red and blue lights emerged around the platform and its surroundings.
"This is the path of revenge I've prepared for 10 years."
With those words, the air twisted and a barrage of multicolored magic poured down. A massive shock exploded, overturning the sky and earth, causing the gathered knights, the Sage, and the nobles to sink into a pool of blood without even leaving corpses behind.
Among the knights were Masters and Grandmasters, but none could withstand Evelyn's magic, melting into chunks of meat.
Evelyn stepped through the blood and approached the edge of the collapsed platform.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
The King was still alive, screaming in terror.
"I won't simply kill you."
Evelyn shaped the remaining blood in her palm into a blade and plunged it into the King's chest.
"Kuk! Kuaaaaaagh!"
The King's skin began to blacken and wither as if the blade was absorbing his life force, causing him to age rapidly.
"Aaaaargh...."
He crawled on the ground, drooling in apparent agony and shock from the intense pain.
"This is...."
Evelyn lifted the King, revealing her red eyes to the citizens below the platform.
"This is your country's king."
She shook her head after reclaiming all the mana contained in the Para's blood.
"Your hideous king killed us and drank our blood to avoid death, calling us demons. Who do you think is the real demon?"
Evelyn revealed to the wavering citizens what the deaths of the Para truly meant. As she gripped the King's neck and applied pressure, a grotesque sound of flesh reconnecting emerged from the pool of blood. The Sage began to revive, his body restoring to its original form.
"So you still won't die."
Evelyn gritted her teeth as she saw the Sage revive, looking exactly the same as before.
"Haa...."
The Sage smiled as he stretched his newly regenerated neck.
"So it was you."
He nodded calmly, as if unsurprised by the situation.
"I knew you would return. You have eyes that can only seek revenge."
The Sage smiled as if he had anticipated everything.
"But can you subdue all of this alone?"
At his gesture, the dead knights began to revive from the pool of blood, and more knights gathered below the platform.
"You must have run out of your prepared tricks."
The Sage shook his head as if telling her to give up.
"I'm not alone."
As Evelyn shook her head, the kingdom's walls crumbled, and a dragon emitting blue light rose into the sky. Amidst the resounding roar that seemed to flip the earth and sky, she raised her head.
"Today...."
Evelyn lifted her chin, revealing the red cross in her eyes that she had hidden for revenge.
"I will erase you and this kingdom."