Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 127

She spoke quietly.

“I know I’m part of the Special Forces. But…”

“You want to find a way to save him?”

The King read Vanessa’s mind before she could finish her sentence. Vanessa lowered her eyes.

“Yes, I’ll allow that too. If you can’t do your best in this, it will become a lifelong burden. But…”

Vanessa hid her weariness and waited for him to continue. The King was watching the sun slowly setting.

“If I had cleaned up properly, would this have happened? I didn’t want to survive alone and sit on a blood-stained chair… And the result is just this.”

The King murmured.

“The name ‘Guardian of Freva’ is wasted on me. Don’t you think?”

Vanessa couldn’t answer. It seemed the King wasn’t talking to her, but rather to himself.

If the story she received was accurate, this was due to the priests’ insane desires. Even if the King had thoroughly purged the Rossini family and others, nothing would have changed. It was a separate issue from the desire to elevate the temple’s power. There would only have been a difference in the speed at which things progressed.

But now, she felt like grabbing anyone and blaming them, so it was hard to put it in nice words. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, accusations against the supreme King would pour out.

The King didn’t seem to expect an answer either, as he put on a smile again.

“Damn it, I’m being too blatant. Not that I think the court wizard would dare criticize me. Embarrassingly, I’m being too emotional right now.”

The King straightened the cloak around him.

“I know you want to leave right away, but you’ll depart tomorrow. The magic circles that have been discovered can’t be viewed carelessly, so you’ll need a permit. I’ll have it sent here to Balder Castle by tomorrow morning. I’ll also give separate instructions to the Special Forces.”

Vanessa bowed, and the King waved his hand and left the reception room.

As the door closed and even the sound of footsteps in the hallway faded away, a deathly silence descended. The room, which she had thought was elegant, felt desolate today, and her body shivered intermittently despite the warm weather.

The reprieve until tomorrow felt too long. She wanted to leave right away, but now that she had time, she didn’t know what to do.

Should she sit by his side until she leaves? Or…

Vanessa sighed briefly, went out the door, stopped a passing person, and looked for Peres.

Peres appeared with a gaunt face. Nevertheless, he made an effort to smile at Vanessa.

“I heard you came, but I was too distracted to come out and greet you.”

“It’s okay. May I go into the office?”

“Um…”

Peres hesitated, as if it was difficult to give a definite answer. It was, after all, a place where many of the family’s secrets were hidden. Vanessa understood and quickly waved her hand.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to leave a letter…”

“No, I’m rather sorry for not giving you an immediate answer. I’ll call Miguel. You can go in and come out with him.”

Peres smiled and whispered something to a passing person. The person, dressed in white, hurried downstairs.

Miguel, with a round face covered in freckles and full of worries, grabbed the railing and trudged up. When he saw Vanessa, his eyes widened.

Vanessa had greeted Ronan Bayer, Gideon’s aide, but this was her first time meeting Miguel, another aide. But Miguel had a familiar look, as if he already knew Vanessa.

“Ah, hello. I’m Miguel Bato. I’m Gideon’s aide. I’m very sad to be greeting you on a day like this, but it’s still an honor to meet you.”

He mumbled weakly and sighed deeply. Vanessa quietly greeted him, and he unlocked the door to the office, which had been locked. The thick door opened without a sound.

“I’ll be standing here, but you don’t have to mind me.”

Miquel said, pressing the dark circles under his eyes, which had turned black from fatigue. Vanessa opened her mouth, looking at the still-immaculate scenery of the office.

“When I saw it last time, Honir didn’t seem to be here.”

“Huh? H-Honir? I can’t show you Honir!”

Miquel jumped up as if there was something obviously suspicious. Vanessa smiled faintly.

“I know Gideon was Teacher’s patron. It’s okay.”

“Yes?”

Miquel mumbled in a fluster that he didn’t know what she was talking about, but Vanessa urged him.

“Quickly open the place where Honir is. I’m just going to write a letter.”

He didn’t know what to do and fidgeted anxiously, but at Vanessa’s gaze, he sullenly took out another key.

“When did you find out?”

Vanessa smiled weakly without saying anything. If she said it was the day before he left for the temple, he would feel even more resentful.

“I don’t know if I should say this…”

Miquel, who was always said to be talkative and rambling, hesitated. He seemed to be contemplating something.

Vanessa didn’t urge Miguel, and soon his lips opened.

“He always chose them himself. Things like gifts… Even the first Honir he sent.”

Even a fool could tell what the hidden subject was. Vanessa barely smiled.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

There were many Honirs, but ‘Teacher’s’ Honir and ‘Gideon’s’ Honir, with whom Vanessa exchanged letters, were on a separate small table.

It was so well-maintained that it was clear to anyone that it was being taken care of, without a speck of dust. On top of it was a short letter that Vanessa had sent after arriving in Innis in the East.

She wrote another letter, folded it neatly, and placed it on the desk where Honir was, so that he could see it as soon as he woke up.

Vanessa visited his bedroom for the last time and stayed by his side until dawn. During that quiet time, she carefully engraved the image of him with his eyes closed in her mind.

Before the sunlight swept the land, a permit with the King’s seal arrived at Balder Castle. Vanessa accepted it and whispered something in Gideon’s ear.

And she left Balder Castle.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The place she stopped by before leaving Fydom was Jonah Hill’s bookstore. She wanted to meet Lina and Chevati, but she was cautious because she thought she would only worry them. So, she opened the door and entered Jonah Hill’s old bookstore.

Fortunately, Jonah Hill was in the bookstore. Vanessa smiled weakly and just sat down on the floor.

“Is it okay if I stay here?”

Jonah Hill was cautious. She glanced at her pale face and poured a glass of water. Vanessa leaned her head against the bookshelf, pretending not to hear.

“I’ll be gone soon even if you don’t say anything.”

“No, I don’t mean go away! Hey, don’t worry. That guy is really tough. He’ll get up soon…”

Whether the rumors had already spread inside Fydom, there was no one who didn’t know that Duke Balder had collapsed. Vanessa gave a faint smile as she watched Jonah Hill nervously pick up and put down books, clearing her throat.

“I feel like my head works better when I’m here. Is it because of the smell of books?”

Jonah Hill scratched her head.

“I appreciate that. What about the Special Forces?”

“They’re moving except for me. They’ve been dispatched to various places to try to reduce the damage.”

“Then what about you?”

At the question of why she was here, Vanessa blinked. Suddenly, an unorganized thought popped out.

“I’m trying to find something else.”

Vanessa paused for a moment and then opened her mouth again.

“The monster that Bam Vandalu put to sleep.”

Jonah Hill frowned.

“What are you going to do with it when you find it?”

“I have no idea. I think I can only think about the next step after I identify the location of the monster, like calling other great wizards or reviving the magic circle to put the monster back to sleep.”

Vanessa murmured blankly, looking at a book with a thick, torn cover. Jonah Hill stared worriedly at Vanessa, who seemed too calm and strange. Her eyes were dull.

“…Are you going to move alone?”

“Well, yes. Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since we met and talked. Thank you, Jonah Hill. Thanks to you, I found out the conditions and can go around alone like this. Did you enjoy the liquor I sent last time? I heard it was famous. One bottle is almost a month’s salary.”

Vanessa smiled. Even while exchanging those words, she was busy calculating something in her head. The process of talking to someone helped her organize her thoughts.

“There are magic circles made up of only one circle, but there are also cases where several magic circles are gathered to form a circle, like Bam Vandalu’s magic circle.”

“That’s right. It’s difficult to draw a circle for really large-scale magic circles, and it’s also difficult to maintain the flow of magic power. So, they adjust it that way.”

Jonah Hill agreed.

“But as always, the most important content is in the center of the circle.”

Jonah Hill nodded. Her brow was furrowed as she spun her head around.

“You think the monster is in the center of all the magic circles?”

“That’s what I think. The most important magic circle and magic stone will be with the monster. Maybe other wizards thought so too…”

“The problem is, not all magic circles have been discovered.”

“That’s right. We don’t know where the center of the circle is.”

Many wizards speculated that Gideon collapsed when the black monster woke up. So, many people thought that if the black monster fell asleep again, he would wake up too. Even if he wasn’t completely healthy, he would wake up.

The reason why everything is speculation is that only a small part of the knowledge about the black monster has been passed down through word of mouth, and no direct records have been left.

“Is it difficult to guess with the currently discovered magic circles?”

“There are too many estimated central locations. It seems that not only circles but also straight lines make up the magic circle. I can’t be sure of anything.”

Jonah Hill also plopped down next to Vanessa and leaned her head against the bookshelf.

“I’ve honestly heard a lot of people say that I live by eating books, and I was confident, but even if I look through old books, there’s no detailed information. It seems that Bam Vandalu hid the related information very well.”

“I would have done the same. Look at what people are doing now. They destroy the magic circle that protected them for the sole reason of wanting to become the most powerful being.”

Vanessa smiled weakly.

“Anyway, thank you, Jonah Hill. My thoughts are much more organized. I feel like I know what to do a little bit.”

As Vanessa dusted herself off and stood up, Jonah Hill quickly grabbed her wrist.

“Are you really going alone? Don’t do that! It might be dangerous. What will Gideon say later when he wakes up!”

“I don’t know because he hasn’t woken up yet. And when he wakes up, I’m the one who should be scolding him.”

Vanessa smiled and put on her robe. The large, softly flowing fabric wrapped around her body perfectly.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything dangerous. But I should try.”

“Even if I go with you…”

Vanessa stopped Jonah Hill, who was trying to get up.

“I appreciate your concern. But I hope Jonah Hill will stay here. Who will protect these precious books?”

She smiled and left the bookstore. Through the blurry glass window attached to the wooden door, Jonah Hill was seen awkwardly getting up with a worried look on her face.

Vanessa waved her hand back. And after taking a few steps, she disappeared as if melting into the red-stained evening sky.