Chapter 128
<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 128>
Eden, having read all the explanations, was left speechless as she looked at the floating magic stone.
“…….”
So, to sum it up, Jepar was trying to absorb this power. The fact that his body had to be connected to the magic stone meant that there was definitely a connection between him and the stone.
‘Jepar himself is the proof.’
If he were to be thoroughly examined, traces of the connection would surely be found, making it a undeniable weakness.
Eden raised her hand to cover her mouth, which was about to blurt something out.
Everything had finally been explained. Even why Jepar was so obsessed with her.
“What are you trying to achieve by mastering Dark Magic…?”
That was the only point she couldn’t grasp. It certainly didn’t seem like he wanted to master Dark Magic to save the Empire.
“Mastery is power, after all.”
At the quiet voice that came from behind her, Eden’s body stiffened. The voice, familiar to the point of being intimate, shouldn’t have been heard here.
Turning her head, she saw Jepar looking at her with cold, piercing eyes.
Eden was startled and momentarily glanced at the music box she was holding. The gentle, languid music was still playing.
Jepar seemed to have recognized the music box. After glancing at it, he answered Eden’s questioning gaze with a voice tinged with a faint smile.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“……”
“I have insomnia.”
The still kind tone sent chills down Eden’s spine.
“Grand Duke…”
“I had already noticed that the Saintess was looking for something. I didn’t expect you would actually find it, but as expected, you are truly remarkable, Saintess.”
Jepar’s voice was overly casual. It was hard to believe that someone like him had been caught with such a weakness.
That audacity sparked a sense of defiance within Eden.
“Care to explain what all this is about?”
“……As you see. The Imperial Palace is likely researching Dark Magic as a necessity. You must know your enemy to confront them.”
“The Imperial Palace and you are different! His Majesty would never attempt to absorb the Demon King’s power!”
Jepar had crossed a line.
“This is treason…!”
“So, will you,”
Jepar fixed his dull eyes on Eden.
“Report me?”
She should’ve done just that. But…
“Are you the one behind the Dark Sorcerers causing chaos in the Empire right now?”
“……If I say no, will you believe me?”
That ambiguous answer further confused Eden.
As she stared into his troubled eyes, Jepar soon parted his dry lips to respond.
“That has nothing to do with me. Of course, if I succeed in absorbing this power, I will be able to subdue them.”
“So you did all this for that purpose?”
As Eden questioned him, Jepar took a step closer. She flinched and tried to back away, but was blocked by a large basin.
“If that is what the Saintess wishes, I will do so.”
There was something pitiful about the end of his quiet voice.
“I will contribute to helping the Imperial Palace save the Empire.”
“……”
“If there’s anything else you desire, I will comply.”
Now that they were so close, Eden could see the anxiety flickering in Jepar’s eyes.
He was worried that she might leave now that she knew everything.
“So please pretend not to notice and stay by my side. Then nothing will happen.”
“……What if I can’t do that?”
As Eden finally retorted, the flickering gray eyes solidified in an instant. Jepar, now with a calmer expression, opened his lips.
“Then I’ll have to erase the Saintess’s memory right now and put you into a deep slumber for the remaining time. You will eventually become my wife.”
Jepar slowly reached out and gently caressed Eden’s face.
As his hand made contact, Eden flinched and trembled, but it seemed like Jepar didn’t care about that anymore.
“It’s too late to let the Saintess go.”
“Are you threatening me?”
With a tone that sounded indignant, Jepar looked at Eden for a while before smoothly replying.
“I’m begging you.”
But that wasn’t begging. Jepar’s method was always, somehow, off the mark.
“You should let me go, Grand Duke, and if you keep quiet about His Highness Asmun, nothing will happen. I promise.”
Upon hearing Asmun’s name, a distasteful glint flickered in Jepar’s gray eyes.
“Why are you protecting the 3rd Prince so much?”
“Because His Highness is the only one who can save the Empire.”
With that firm belief, Jepar’s gaze turned chillingly cold.
“……I said I would do it, didn’t I?”
Eden didn’t look away from his dangerously gleaming eyes.
“I will do anything for the Saintess.”
“No. You can’t, Grand Duke. Your methods are wrong.”
“Are you saying that my methods are wrong right now?”
“Yes. They are wrong. You will never win anyone’s heart with that approach.”
At that, the terrifying light in Jepar’s eyes gradually receded.
He soon brushed back his silver hair with a calm demeanor that was different from usual.
“I see.”
“……”
“But then, I can’t help but do things this way.”
He murmured quietly, a smirk creeping onto his lips.
“It seems I’ll have to stick with my methods once again.”
Just as it seemed Jepar had truly decided to erase Eden’s memory, she seized the moment and pushed him away, escaping to the side.
However, as if he had anticipated her move, Jepar quickly regained his balance and followed her closely, trapping Eden once more.
“This will be over soon.”
Damn it!
Eden reached out with her unheld hand, trying to grab something from the clutter beside her.
“That won’t work. Not with that.”
Jepar chuckled as he noticed the long stick Eden was trying to grab.
But Eden wasn’t after just any stick. Her hand grasped the latch of a cage sitting atop the heap of junk.
“……?”
At the same moment the cage door swung open, Eden quickly ducked down.
“……?!”
The wooden bird trapped inside the cage shot out like a bullet and dashed straight at Jepar.
And just like that, darkness enveloped both of them in an instant.
Holding her breath, Eden awaited Jepar’s trauma.
Soon, the surroundings brightened again, becoming clear.
‘What the… it’s still the storage room!’
Eden looked around, flustered to find that they were still in that same storage room.
The dark, damp air, with Dark Magic books strewn about here and there.
‘Surely it can’t be a different magic?’
That couldn’t be.
‘There was definitely the same magic circle inscribed!’
Eden’s questions were quickly answered. A sharp sound rang from behind Jepar, who was frozen in place, holding her captive.
“You’re still this weak.”
At that gentle voice, Jepar’s eyes froze.
Eden furrowed her brow and stretched her neck to peek at the scene unfolding behind Jepar.
‘Young Jepar…!’
In the center of the storage room floated the same magic stone she had seen earlier. But in front of it stood not the current Jepar but a young Jepar and…
‘So that figure must be Jepar’s father.’
It was his father.
That meant that this Dark Magic lab had existed even during his father’s time.
It was odd that they were in the Yuren mansion with the father and son duo present, but there was something else that felt a bit off.
That was the long, sharp whip held by Jepar’s father and…
“……!”
There lay a woman bleeding and collapsed before him.
‘What the hell is this?’
Young Jepar looked pale, and only then did Eden notice that he was wearing a shirt that was torn down his back.
“Jepar, I’ve told you time and again. In order to become the great master of the Yuren family, to protect this lineage and eventually grasp the Empire in your hands, you must accept this power.”
The damp air of the storage room was filled with a heavy and elegant voice. Jepar’s father caressed the whip as gently as if handling an instrument.
“The Dark Sorcerers are just lying low, but there will come a time when they will roar again. The hypocritical Imperial Palace will never be able to deal with them. The world will plunge into chaos. Wouldn’t you want to become a hero of the Empire by subduing them then?”
“……”
“This pain is for that glory, and how can you claim to be responsible for this family if you can’t endure this pain?”
In response to the cool but chilling words from his father, the young Jepar, looking around eleven or twelve, trembled and opened his pale lips, quivering.
“……I will try again.”
“Good. If you can’t endure it again, there will be consequences. As you can see, this time it will be truly dangerous. If you want to avoid a terrible disaster, gather your strength like the heir of the Yuren family.”
As his father’s words ended, young Jepar, trembling all over, stood up and…
“Huff…”
…Placed his hand on the floating magic stone.
Eden, too, held her breath as she watched him.
Soon, brilliant green light burst forth from the magic stone, and it began to brightly shine, connecting to the mark on young Jepar’s back.
