NOVEL NEXT Chapter 84
“Vanish? Why would you vanish?”
Witnessing Sena’s increasingly transparent limbs, I panicked, unsure how to respond.
“What can I do? Tell me what to do!”
“I’m not certain, but Colin and Beatrice’s powers are growing stronger. Having lost my path back into the wormhole after that, I too have been losing my strength.”
“So if you re-enter the wormhole, your powers will be restored?”
“No, it may already be too late for that.”
Guilt washed over me, feeling this predicament stemmed from my belated discovery of her plight.
Perceiving my darkening expression, Sena flashed a brilliant smile.
“Don’t blame yourself needlessly. This isn’t your fault. And I believe there may still be a solution you can provide.”
“Which is…?”
“Accept the God Fragment into your body. Contract with me, just as Gebino once did.”
The God Fragment… she was telling me to take her soul into myself.
Did that entail absorbing divine power alongside?
Even struggling to control the Ability of Light, magical power, and Ability of Wind collectively, could I realistically handle that?
“It’s the only way to save me.”
“Is there truly no one else capable of this?”
Sena slowly shook her head.
“In my current state… no one but you possesses sufficient ability potency to fully accept my soul intact.”
“That is absolutely not possible, Your Highness.”
A masculine voice abruptly interrupted our conversation, resonating through the chamber.
Archmage Tenziyon had arrived.
“Your current inability to control your mana renders accepting divine power into your body far too perilous. The clash between divine power and magic power within a single vessel could prove catastrophic. I cannot guarantee your survival.”
In stark contrast to his typically genial warmth, his manner exuded stern pragmatism.
“Your body may not withstand that strain, Your Highness.”
* * *
At a certain inn where adventurers and merchants mingled over food and drink, a group of esteemed knights bearing the imperial crest arrived in reverse.
“We received a report. Is it true this woman was spotted here?”
One knight gestured to a portrait depicting a woman’s appearance and attire, prompting the innkeeper’s nod.
“Indeed, she’s been lodging on the second floor since yesterday. Struck me as rather suspicious, and sure enough, that’s her face alright.”
“Then search the entire second floor immediately.”
“Ah, but the whole floor…? There are other guests staying…”
“This is a wanted criminal guilty of high treason against the imperial famiy. Harboring her means forfeiting your own life, so I suggest cooperating.”
“Oh my, of course not! By all means, inspect every nook and cranny!”
As the knights ascended to the second floor, all eyes followed their movements.
Seizing that distraction, a woman huddled in a corner swiftly slipped out, her figure concealed beneath a cape.
Murmurs trailed in her wake:
“Who are they searching for?”
“The Crown Princess. Haven’t you heard the rumors? The Crown Princess conspired with the Second Prince to assassinate the Crown Prince.”
“Goodness, how dreadful. But why would she target the Crown Prince of all people?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. She must have been deranged. Are the tales of her divine powers even true?”
Undeterred by the whispers, the woman silently made her exit.
Only once reaching a deserted, dimly lit alleyway did she pause to catch her breath, finally lowering her concealing hood.
‘How did they track me down so swiftly?’
Biting her lip, Beatrice squatted down in consternation.
She had been making her way to her maternal family’s Baron Donovan estate in the Empire’s northern reaches.
While her destination proved easily predictable, she hadn’t expected such rapid pursuit.
‘Could the Felosites be aiding them?’
Given their technological prowess, including self-propelled carriages, their assistance seemed plausible.
Deliberately avoiding divine power usage to evade detection had ultimately proven futile.
Wasting no further time, Beatrice employed her divine power to relocate instantaneously.
‘I’ll obtain what I need and leave soon anyway.’
Upon arriving at the Donovan estate, Beatrice found herself greeted by the family knights’ drawn blades.
“Beatrice, it has been too long.”
And waiting for her – her father, Baron Donovan himself.
“Let’s celebrate this long-awaited reunion over a meal, shall we?”
Seated across from each other at the dining table, father and daughter remained distantly separated, mirroring the palpable awkwardness between them.
“I have been apprised by the Emperor himself about your recent…endeavors.”
“You could never comprehend, Father.”
“Not just I – no one in this world could possibly understand. Why did you commit such atrocities?!”
The Baron, initially feigning composure over his meal, couldn’t contain his escalating outburst.
“The daughter I knew would never act so reprehensively. You were once kinder than any, aspiring to wield your divine powers for good – to serve and protect this Empire! That was the child I raised!”
Placing down her utensils, Beatrice calmly dabbed her lips with a napkin before curling them into a mirthless smile.
“Yes, let’s assume that was indeed so. Have you now exhausted all you wish to say?”
* * *
That day, I ultimately couldn’t accept Sena into my being.
The Archmage’s vehement opposition dissuaded me, and Alexi proceeded to entreat me alongside her husband.
“Is this Sena’s soul truly so important to Your Highness?”
Alexi had sidled up intrusively, incessantly nattering without reprieve under the pretext of assisting our human reversion efforts. Her actual motive was clearly grasping any opportunity to accompany me to the palace grounds.
“Alexi, Sena is integral to the foundations of this entire world’s existence. That child must survive for all our sakes.”
“So she matters more to you than I, your dearest friend?”
“Alexi, that’s not what I meant at all…”
“Hmph, I don’t care! I won’t listen anymore!”
Despite my attempted explanations, Alexi abruptly stormed off in a seeming fit of pique, stomping her feet peevishly as she departed.
“The Archmage certainly proves unexpectedly manipulative, exploiting his own wife like that.”
“I had no recourse. Because Your Highness doesn’t even listen to my words.”
“Tenziyon, Sena has already lost half her form after barely a day. I must accept her urgently.”
“But Your Highness-“
“My mana regulation has stabilized sufficiently by now, has it not?”
The day’s thirtieth successful reversion marked its conclusion.
Of those, around twenty individuals had fully regained consciousness, resuming ordinary lives.
Though some twenty individuals remained, the accelerating workload felt fortunately manageable as my powers steadily intensified.
“I have already decided. I’ll complete the remaining reversion efforts by tomorrow morning, then accept the God Fragment into my body.”
As I reopened the wormhole to guide in the next subject, I instructed:
“I intend to finish everything by day’s end, so prepare an all-nighter if needed.”
One by one, two by two, three by three… after reverting the final twenty, I sought out Sena once more.
“Sena, I’m here.”
She sat at a desk, scribbling something onto parchment scrolls.
“What are you doing?”
I settled naturally into the chair opposite her.
“Speculating on all potential outcomes should you accept me. Reconsidering the settings I had envisioned while writing the original novel.”
Handing me a parchment fragment, she explained:
“After the Archmage’s warning, I reconsidered my selfish motivations. I am self-serving by nature. But then I realized this…”
I read the line inscribed upon the parchment she provided:
“Whosoever commands Ability, Magic Power and Divine Power shall reign supreme over this world.”
“If my memory serves, that was a line I had written into the original synopsis.”
“Then that would mean…”
Clenching the parchment scrap tightly, Sena allowed a tiny flame to emanate from her fist, incinerating it fully.
“Perhaps this presents the means for you to prevail.”