Chapter 49

"Even if you ask me who I am..."

Yuman smiled at the corner of his mouth. He shook his head as if to dodge the question, saying, "No, Lady Rabi, you say such amusing things," and laughed heartily, holding his stomach. There was no way he could be fooled by such a display. "Haha, hah, hah..." Out of breath, Yuman placed his hand on his own face.

"I thought it would be interesting."

As if throwing everything away, he muttered softly. His voice was calm, like that of an old man who had lived for a long time. Yet he was a boy, standing there as if he were the only one in the world.

"Who he is..."

To be honest, Rabi couldn't even imagine. But she felt that there was something about him. It wasn't over yet.

—This country is crazy.

When Yuman had said that, Rabi felt there was no lie in his words. She still thought so. He just wanted the country to fall. Why did he harbor such deep resentment?

"Originally, I didn't plan to manipulate you, but I thought it would be just right. Whether you marry Baldo or Nella, it's fine. If a boy who resembles him suffers, I don't care who it is."

Despite his voice sounding like an old man's, it had suddenly turned cute. The phrase "a boy who resembles him" stuck in Rabi's mind but slipped away. She still didn't understand. Yuman continued.

"Everyone has forgotten her. So, I'm the only one who remembers. I will never forget. How could I forget? We were together since we were young."

He had forgotten her.

Rabi repeated those words to herself.

"This country, which uses her and then discards her, should just fall. I've lived this long with that thought. Nella is the saint I finally found in such a situation. I couldn't help but use her."

Rabi reached a conclusion. But it was too absurd, too strange.

"I'm just a commoner, but actually, I'm childhood friends with the princes. Surprised? He was a bit mischievous, so he used to sneak out of the castle. We often played together, him, his younger brother, and me. He was a cute blonde boy. But I didn't know he was a prince back then. I was surprised when I met him again at the academy."

The saint in the letter told Rabi this. She played with a boy who resembled Baldo and his younger brother.

"…The prince's… younger brother…?"

It couldn't be. Despite thinking so, Rabi muttered. Instantly, Yuman's eyes widened. "You heard it?" Suddenly, his expression fell, like a mask. Rabi stepped back. "You heard it from her?" He was talking about the third saint.

"…Her feelings were left in the letter. In it…"

"Was I mentioned too?!"

His shoulders were firmly grabbed. It was as if various personalities were mixed inside him. His tone changed rapidly, and he seemed unstable. But the word "saint" tied him down. The boy's fingers dug into Rabi's thin shoulders. Desperately trying to figure out what to do, "Stop it!" She hit him hard, and surprisingly, his hand easily slipped off.

"Only a little about you. But there were several mentions of your brother."

Hesitating whether to answer, Rabi carefully chose her words. Hearing her response, Yuman quietly let his hands drop. "…Yeah, I figured." His voice was terribly sad.

The third saint and the prince, his brother, probably loved each other. Yuman must have watched them, sighing in resignation many times. But if he really was the prince's "younger brother," it was a strange story. Rabi didn't know how far back the time had to go to reach the era of that saint. But it was certainly not just 10 or 20 years ago. The existence of the saint had disappeared so unnaturally that no one felt any sense of wrongness, as if it were a story from hundreds of years ago.

"Are you really… the prince's… younger brother…?"

Who this person in front of her was. Even if she asked, it would be vague, like a mirage, and the more she asked, the more questions would overflow.

Seeing Rabi like this, he laughed. "Yes. Well, I've changed my body." Leon had said that there were people with the same name but different bodies over many generations. In other words, "Using other people's bodies and inheriting only memories?" Yuman narrowed his already narrow eyes, confirming it.

"That day, she was acting strange. I had been worried about her for a while. But being there was just a coincidence. It was a very mysterious scene. Before I knew it, she had disappeared and was forgotten by everyone."

This must have been after the saint wrote the letter to Rabi. The woman in the white dress had shrugged, saying she didn't know what would happen. The third saint had sacrificed herself to achieve her goal. But there was a boy there.

"The only thing left where she disappeared was this. She didn't notice my presence nearby. So, I alone escaped her magic."

Yuman took out a stone. It was much smaller than his palm and emitted an orange glow, looking like a gem. Rabi had seen this stone before. Not as Rabi, but in her past memories, every time she started the game, she had seen this stone. It shone brightly next to the title logo, a single gem.

"…The saint's… gem…?"

But the stone was split in two.

"Even after hearing her story, didn't you find it strange? This country is still protected by the saint's gem. But she used this stone to erase everyone's memories. The first saint left only one gem. So, there's only one answer."

The gem passed down through the royal family was only half. The other half was in this man's possession. Using the magic infused in the stone, he changed bodies, living on just to avenge the loss of the woman he loved. That's how he created the monster Nella.

(That's right. During the coronation in the Baldo route, he was surprised when he received the stone...)

The player couldn't see his hands, so they didn't know. Baldo was surprised because the stone he received was only half.

"…Quite a determined ghost, aren't you?"

Being called that by Rabi was quite something. "Thank you," Yuman smiled. "And I have a request. Can you give me the letter you received from her?"

He was obsessively attached to the saint.

"I didn't know she left a spell to restore memories. If she gave you that spell, there must have been a way. I wanted to know."

His eyes were distorted.

"…It's gone. It's just a blank piece of paper now. No magic is left."

At least, she couldn't give him what he wanted.

Yuman sighed quietly. Then, he placed his hand on his face and slowly pulled it down. "Then, that's fine. Die."

In a very casual tone, he said it.

In the boy's hand, a spiral of magic gathered. He himself didn't have much strong magic. But through the gem, it amplified several times.

"Turns out, you were the one who flooded the classroom that time…!"

The first time they met. He probably caused a commotion to leave Rabi alone. To Yuman, Rabi's scream was just the words of someone about to die. It didn't matter anymore. "After you die, I'll sink you in the pond you love. I think everyone will remember you as a clumsy noble lady who slipped and fell," he said, not joking.

Small water droplets gathered, bubbling and growing, swirling around him like a tornado. It was no longer just water. Due to the country's location by the sea, many nobles naturally had water magic, including Rabi and Baldo.

But the royal family's magic was not like Rabi's cheap magic. It was on a completely different level. Untouched by anyone, their bloodline made them monsters. That's why people called their magic "sea" magic.

Yuman's magic resembled it. The current "body" he possessed might have a bit of royal blood. Using the gem, he amplified his own magic.

Water attacked Rabi. She couldn't resist it. She screamed. Please help, stop—these were just Yuman's delusions.

"Really, you and Nella, don't you think you're underestimating me too much?"

Well, it's more convenient for me, Rabi sighed, but Yuman didn't notice.

At that moment, all the "water" stopped.

Yuman couldn't even understand what was happening. The blade that was supposed to attack Rabi stopped all time. Confused by the motionless needle, a tall boy with gray hair and eyes stood in front of Yuman. He frowned and extended his hand to protect Rabi, twisting Yuman's magic. The water formed a mass and fell apart, disappearing in front of Sai.

"Why…!?"

"What a ridiculous man."

Sai spat out his frustration. 'I'll go alone, so they'll let their guard down. Please wait quietly, Sai-sama.' She had smiled, and he couldn't even argue with her.

"Is it alright, Lady Rabi?"

"Of course."

He had reached his limit.

Under the pretense of monitoring Rabi, he had been guarding her. If he was told to hide his presence, he would show it. He wouldn't let a single scratch be put on Rabi, whether she asked for it or not.

"Lady Rabi, please stay behind me."

Even if she didn't know the knight's feelings, Rabi knew his character. "I'll leave it to you!" She nodded firmly.

---

The reason the Narsol family is called the shadow of the royal family lies in their magic.

Sai easily crushed the water masses attacking Rabi. Yuman's "sea" magic couldn't reach Sai. Before it reached him, all the water stopped, becoming meaningless masses. The magic of the Narsol family, which often appears in their bloodline, is the "freezing water" magic. Seeing the water turn into mere ice, Yuman shuddered.

Sai's magic was almost meaningless unless he faced water. But it was the only magic that could counter "sea" magic. That's why the royal family feared the Narsol family and gave them the position of holy knights. They pledged mutual trust and loyalty, and the Narsol family supported the country as the shadow of light.

Among the family, Sai had inherited the ice magic most strongly.

Yuman screamed pitifully, casting magic repeatedly. Each time, Sai shattered the water and advanced.

"What the hell, you! Just disappear!!"

Yuman was completely dependent on the saint's gem. It might have been his only support. Panting, he gripped the stone tightly. With a mad scream, he created a mountain of water, covering the entire wall. Only high-pitched screams came from his mouth. Sai exhaled calmly.

He carried an unfamiliar sword at his waist. A thin, long sword with a blue hilt. It suited Sai well, fitting perfectly. It was as if it belonged there. He had grown up with this sword.

He sliced the sea in a straight line. The thin sword's surface shone brightly as it was drawn.

Sai immediately turned the sword. He struck the hilt into Yuman's stomach, quickly knocking him out. He knew from the game that Yuman had some skills, but he didn't expect this much. Rabi's eyes widened even more as she watched Sai's back.

"Lady Rabi, are you hurt?"

Even in his brief words, concern was evident in his face and tone when he turned around. "I'm more worried about you, Sai-sama. You protected me."

Knowing he was there, she could be more assertive. Rabi had no power or magic. She had to rely on someone. Yuman had underestimated Rabi, but more so, he had underestimated Sai.

Confirming Yuman's collapse, Sai gently picked up the gem that had fallen at his feet. As a citizen of this country, he had complex feelings. He frowned, holding the orange gem, which only the royal family and the saint were allowed to touch. Then he glanced at Rabi. But he quickly looked away. It seemed he wanted to say something, but Rabi couldn't see his mouth moving.

"…A little?"

"Huh?"

She tilted her head at the voice she heard. "A little, could I show a more normal appearance?" Rabi thought about Sai's words. She remembered the dejected Sai after losing to Fer in the tournament. At that time, he had said something similar, hoping for another chance. Rabi chuckled a little.

"Sai-sama is always admirable."

"…No, that's not what I meant…"

It was difficult for the boy's feelings to be understood.