Chapter 81

The sound of footsteps running down the basement stairs was so lively that Fjord burst out laughing.

'Idiot.'

What was there to be happy about, taking his place? He pulled himself up by the iron bars. As he raised his upper body, his vision spun.

He panted from dizziness and pain, then tilted his head back.

Given Barat's character, he thought he could guess what he was up to.

—Since you can be easily replaced, it's better to take care of yourself.

It must have been a warning. Moreover, Barat was likely testing Rizert in various ways. He wasn't the type to achieve just one result from a single action.

Fjord threw the spike. Now all he had to do was wait.

Barat's greatest masterpiece.

Fjord Barat.

'I haven't lived a life that can be so easily replaced.'

When he closed his eyes, he saw fireworks. Perhaps it was from yesterday, or maybe a few days ago.

The bonfire came to mind.

Lirika's song also came to mind.

The cold valley, the stars in the night sky, and those beautiful eyes.

He felt a strange sense of relief from the pain and took a deep breath.

Even as he breathed in, it felt like his insides were burning. If only he could have taken all this pain away with him.

'Just the appearance?'

That was a bit odd. Fjord began to check his body.

'Oh, this.'

It felt strange, and he realized he couldn't use any strength at all. The thought that this part had been taken away made him feel hollow.

He had thought it was tiresome, but maybe he had also been proud of it.

A bitter smile escaped him.

'Queen of Hearts.'

If he had to choose the clan that knew the most about artifacts, it would be the 'Inro.'

The people of the Inro clan, who lived in the Arctic, far from the center, almost never set foot in the center.

The ultimate observer, the clan of ice.

His body slipped to the side, and Fjord fell to the floor. It was difficult to even prop himself up.

He stopped thinking.

A beautiful blue-green lake came to mind. He wanted to sink deep into that lake.

* * *

—Humans exchange greetings. If you're treated as a human, you can receive a name and exchange greetings. Understand?

Recalling the voice from the darkness, Rizert looked into the mirror.

He had become the person he had always wanted to be.

Fjord, Fjord, Fjord Barat.

He placed his palm lightly on the mirror. In the mirror, Fjord was smiling.

Happy and joyful, Rizert—no, Fjord laughed.

'Finally, Mother has recognized me.'

That I am real, that I love her the most.

She hugged a large teddy bear and twirled around the room.

Then she threw herself onto the sofa and pressed her cheeks with both hands.

'No, Fjord wouldn't laugh like this. More elegantly.'

I am Fjord Barat.

Everyone in the Barat mansion was kind. He had free access to the palace. Everyone bowed to him and spoke in soft voices.

Being Fjord was incredibly easy.

"Mother."

When he greeted her elegantly, she turned her gaze. Through the lace, he felt a cold stare.

One day, when she removes her blindfold. When she looks into his eyes and hugs him tightly, saying, 'As expected, our Fjord is the best,' and kisses him.

Thinking hopefully, Rizert asked politely.

"Did you call for me?"

"Go meet that girl."

"Princess Lirika?"

"Just listen to whatever she has to say. If you happen to run into Athel, try to antagonize him. It would be even better if he uses his power while she's with him."

No matter how intense the fight, you must deal with Princess Lirika during it.

Whether you did it with your own strength or Athel's, it shouldn't be traceable.

"Make sure it's traumatic enough."

"Yes, Mother."

Then, for sure.

Once this was over, for sure.

She would become Barat's greatest masterpiece. Fjord Barat would be her name.

Rizert thought and planned.

Meeting Princess Lirika was as easy as entering the palace. At first, she seemed surprised, but she met him several times.

But Athel didn't show up. As far as Rizert knew, they often saw each other in a group of three.

'Bad timing, maybe.'

He felt anxious.

While strolling in the garden, Princess Lirika was walking on the railing of a flower bed.

It was a vulgar act, unbecoming of a princess.

But, acting like Fjord, Rizert didn't care and smiled.

"By the way, I haven't seen His Highness Athel lately."

"He's busy."

"I see."

"Do you want to see him?"

Stopping in her walk, Lirika asked. Rizert hesitated for a moment, then laughed.

"It's best not to see him."

"Is that so?"

"By the way, do you know why His Highness can't use his power?"

"No."

Lirika shook her head. Rizert smiled.

"Well, you see."

His tone became a bit excited, but Rizert continued.

"When His Highness was young, an assassin broke in. The nanny who was putting him to bed fought desperately to protect him. His Highness, thinking he needed to save the nanny, used his power, but—"

Lowering his eyebrows, Rizert said,

"He tore her to pieces. After that, he couldn't use his power anymore."

Lirika looked at Rizert with a disconcerted expression. It was as if she had learned something she didn't want to know.

Rizert concluded, "It's a sad story."

Indeed, it was a very sad story.

'Just that much and he can't use his power? How weak is he?'

Rizert glanced at Lirika.

Would he develop a trauma from killing a stepbrother, or just from a nanny's death? He would probably develop one from the latter.

'Takar is full of weaknesses.'

Heaving a deep sigh, Lirika spoke.

"But I've always had a question, and now I can finally ask it."

"What is it?"

Smiling affectionately, he asked, and she hopped onto a pillar, meeting his gaze.

"Why do you do that?"

Tilting her head, she asked again. Lirika leaned in close.

"Why do you keep imitating Fjord?"

Her piercing blue-green eyes. Surprised by the closeness, he took a step back and realized his mistake.

Fjord Barat wouldn't have backed down in this situation.

"Princess... uh!"

Trying to turn the situation around, something grabbed his throat and began to choke him.

Lirika's shocked face came into view.

"Athel!"

Ah, the Crown Prince.

Then, use your strength, use your—

But he couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.

No matter how hard he tried to use his strength, the grip on his throat didn't lessen.

'Why?'

His feet kicked at the air, his vision blurred, and then went dark.

* * *

Near the slums, in the basement of a cheap restaurant, three people huddled together.

Lirika, Athel, and John Whale. As soon as she arrived, Lirika changed into more comfortable clothes.

"Are you sure it's okay?"

The uncle asked anxiously, and Lirika nodded.

"It's fine."

John Whale, who had asked for information, swallowed hard. He was dressed as a shoe-shiner, with all his long hair hidden under a cap and a shoe-shining box in hand.

Beside him stood Athel, dressed as a newspaper boy. He grumbled.

"I don't get it. Why are we rescuing him? You're not going to kill him anyway. You'll probably just pull out a few fingernails and dip him in some boiling water."

"...That's exactly why we're going to rescue him."

Athel's brows furrowed even more at Lirika's words. He couldn't understand at all.

"Since Rizert is like that, the Duke has no reason to kill Fjord. It's even questionable if he ever intended to."

"But he's still suffering. He's part of the Wild Strawberry Alliance. I said I would rescue him."

Lirika said this, crossed her arms, and smiled.

"Besides, with the artifact Athel gave me, no obstacle will be a problem."

"I shouldn't have given it to you."

Athel said flatly. John also sighed. He wouldn't have cooperated with Lirika if it weren't for that artifact.

"Maybe we should send someone else?"

"But if I don't go, Fjord will never come with us."

"That's true. He's a Barat."

Athel said matter-of-factly.

The birthday gift Athel had secretly given Lirika was a small bell that could be shaken by hand. The golden bell was cute and adorable.

The artifact, Seven Bells.

As Lirika took out the bell, Athel asked John again.

"Is the information reliable?"

"Yes, I've verified it several times. I even had one of my subordinates infiltrate halfway. This passage is one of the secret passages of the Barat mansion."

Since they were near the slums, they were close to the city walls. Even though it was a cheap restaurant, it had a stable. This path led to the Barat mansion.

With a stable, they could ride horses and gather various items useful for escape. Most importantly, it was easy to blend in with the crowd and had multiple exits. The fact that a Barat secret passage extended this far was surprising, but otherwise, it was a perfect escape route.

What was more surprising was that they had discovered this Barat secret passage. Athel was impressed.

"You did a good job investigating the inside of the Barat mansion."

"Ah, thanks to the expensive information I bought and followed up on."

John looked at Lirika with a weary expression. Lirika smiled at him, a boyish grin.

Unable to help it, he smiled back.

If it weren't for Lirika, he wouldn't have cooperated with Rudia even if his neck was on the line. But the Rudia he met again was working hard for Lirika.

'Humans don't change easily, do they?'

It was a strange thing.

John stroked his chin.

"Once one bell is left, you must run away, understood? Whether you rescue him or not doesn't matter."

Athel grabbed Lirika's shoulders and sought confirmation again. Lirika nodded.

"Understood."

She didn't want to be caught here. When she lifted the wooden door on the basement floor, a ladder appeared. She slowly climbed down and waved to the two people above, signaling that she was fine.

She checked the pouch on her waist one last time and shook the bell.

"Ring, seven bells."

Ding, ding, dong

The cheerful sound of the bells rang out, and seven small bells appeared in a row in front of her.

Ding, dong, clang, ding

The seven bells rang at different pitches, creating a soft and rich harmony. The rainbow-colored sound was beautiful.

Lirika whispered in sync with the bell sounds.

"The target is Fjord Barat."

The bells moved in a line, forming a semicircle behind her. In front of her, a golden arrow appeared.

The first bell rang.

Ding

At the same time, it turned to dust and scattered.

'It's done.'

Lirika clenched her fist and began to crawl through the narrow passage. The golden arrow, pointing in the direction of Fjord, brightly illuminated the path.

It would have been pitch black otherwise. After crawling until her arms ached and felt cramped, she finally reached a space where she could walk properly. The walls were uneven, but the passage was wide enough for two adults to walk side by side.

'Good.'

Lirika started running.

The effect of the artifact, Seven Bells, was simple and excellent.

Once the target was set, the user could remain undetected by enemies and pass through all obstacles until all seven bells rang.

However, the speed at which the bells rang varied depending on the difficulty, and the minimum guaranteed duration of this effect was ten minutes.

So far, only one bell had rung, but the distance was too far. Moreover, the continuous tension was starting to wear on her nerves. She sighed several times and, as she opened a rusty door and stepped inside,

Ding, ding, ding

Three bells rang and disappeared simultaneously. Lirika froze in place.

The Duke of Barat stood there.