There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 148

* * *

Philomel listened to Emily’s detailed story on their way to the Great Temple.

“I served the missing princess closely. His Majesty believed I could assist in finding her, so he took me to various places,” Emily said quietly.

“Though I haven’t been of much help yet! Oh! How was that notebook I gave you, by the way?”

Philomel had received the intruder’s notebook when leaving the Imperial Palace.

“The contents have been roughly deciphered…”

Philomel took the notebook to the Starlight Shop and presented it to the fox [a magical being known for translating texts]. Of course, it wasn’t translated instantly.

After some negotiation.

“Would you like to activate the text reading function?”

Finally, the fox suggested a solution. The fox began to read the notebook’s contents in a clear voice.

“Title: The Chronicles of Turdis.”

“Huh? Title?”

“Turdis was a nation where a beautiful river crossed the land. Turdis was inhabited by various races…”

In conclusion, it was a novel titled *The Chronicles*. The kingdom of Turdis didn’t exist anywhere in their world.

Just in case, she read it repeatedly from beginning to end, but *The Chronicles of Turdis* was clearly the intruder’s own creation.

‘I don’t know if it’s entirely original or copied from something else.’

She was disappointed. She had held some expectations, but the notebook was merely the intruder’s self-made novel, a pastime.

Philomel shook her head.

“It had nothing to do with the woman’s whereabouts.”

“…I wasn’t very helpful,” Emily said, visibly disappointed, prompting Philomel to add,

“I’m grateful just for you bringing it.”

Emily grinned.

“But I helped Philomel in other ways!”

“Huh?”

“I heard about the Hero Selection Ceremony and wanted to help Philomel become a hero.”

“So?”

“Just then, people were talking about Philomel, so I spoke up.”

“What did you say?”

“About how you blew away Count Kelton’s young master in the Imperial Palace! I added some spice for dramatic effect.”

“…You mean the story about piercing his heart with a finger?”

“That’s right!”

‘So that was you.’

“Did I do well?” Emily gave Philomel a sparkling look, as if seeking praise. Philomel’s heart softened.

“Thank you, but please don’t do that next time.”

Before they knew it, the three had arrived at the Great Temple.

Emily led Philomel and Nasar to the central garden.

A garden decorated in a noble style for aristocratic patrons visiting the Great Temple. It wasn’t usually crowded, but today there were especially few people.

The reason was the Emperor’s knights guarding the garden’s borders with grim faces.

“His Majesty is inside,” Emily pointed to the entrance of the central garden.

“And please keep it a secret that I told you this.”

“Why?”

“His Majesty told me not to let Philomel know he was here.”

“What’s the reason?”

“I don’t know. He just told me to pretend to meet you by chance and find out if you’re doing well.”

“Okay. I’ll keep it a secret.”

‘But if Philomel suddenly appears, the Emperor will notice.’

‘Is she brave, or just loyal to me?’ She openly disobeys the Emperor’s orders.

“Please go ahead. We’ll wait here.” Leaving Nasar and Emily in that spot, Philomel headed for the entrance.

“It’s been a while, gentlemen.”

“Lady Philomel!” The knights who knew her subtly indicated where the Emperor was. They seemed to want Philomel to do something.

Thinking about what that could be, Philomel stepped into the garden.

Reaching the center of the garden, she found the Emperor.

Justis was sitting on the fountain, his gaze directed at the ground.

‘Huh?’ She noticed something strange when she was about ten steps away from him.

‘Why doesn’t he say anything?’

The Emperor was someone who keenly sensed the presence of others. Even seven years ago, he knew of Philomel’s presence outside the door.

“Um, Your Majesty…?”

His body stiffened. Blue eyes filled with surprise turned to Philomel.

“Philomel?” He really hadn’t noticed.

“It’s been a while. Have you been doing well… Wait a minute!” The Emperor quickly got up and began to move away. Philomel followed him.

“Your Majesty, where are you going!”

“Why are you following me?”

“Because I have something to tell Your Majesty…!” Philomel realized belatedly. He was avoiding her.

‘No, he’s the one who did wrong, so why is he avoiding me!’

Philomel, filled with spite, moved quickly to catch up with Justis. However, she couldn’t overcome the difference in their leg length.

“Ouch!” Eventually, she fell.

“Philomel!” The Emperor, who had been far away, rushed over in a single stride.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt!”

“It looks like my knee is a little scraped.”

He shouted in all directions. “Bring the court physician! Call the court physician!”

“…Your Majesty, did you bring a court physician to the Great Temple too?”

“Ah.” He hadn’t brought one.

Philomel glanced at the man holding her leg.

His complexion was pale, and the sharpness in his eyes was less than usual… He looked to be in the worst condition she had ever seen him in.

The conversation between Le Guin and Lexion at the Magic Tower came to mind. They had said the Emperor wasn’t in a normal state.

She felt uncomfortable for no reason.

“I will call a priest who can heal you.”

Philomel took out a band-aid from her pocket and replied to his words, “I’ll be fine with just this.”

The wound healed quickly thanks to the band-aid’s effect.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence fell.

Philomel held onto the hem of the Emperor’s clothes tightly, worried he might run away again, but he showed no signs of doing so.

After a while, she opened her mouth. “Tell me. Why did you run away?”

“…Is it okay for you to look at my face like this now?”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you say before that you didn’t want to see my face or anything?”

‘Did she?’ She might have said something like that when the truth of that day was revealed.

“If I didn’t want to see it, I wouldn’t have chased after you in the first place.”

“Philomel.” He moved his gaze here and there for a long time before opening his mouth. “Will you give me another chance to ask for your forgiveness?”

“…If I don’t, does that mean you don’t have to apologize for your mistakes?”

“Sometimes, disappearing from sight without a word might be a better choice.”

That might be true. Certainly, when Philomel first learned the truth, she had hated facing the Emperor’s face itself, let alone an apology.

But her mind had changed.

“I want to receive an apology.”

Justis’s apology began with an unexpected introduction. “Do you happen to know why my power is teleportation?”

Magic usually performed with divine power is called ‘power.’

“Well, isn’t the power that the imperial family possesses determined arbitrarily?”

“It’s a truth that almost no one knows now, but the power of the imperial family is determined by their disposition [inherent qualities of mind and character].”

“Disposition?”

“For example, an imperial family member with an aggressive disposition manifests the power of destruction.”

“Does that mean that altruistic people have healing abilities?”

“You understand quickly.”

Princess Elencia and the real Elencia in the game had the power of healing.

‘On the other hand, the fake Elencia never showed such abilities.’ She had always been curious as to why she didn’t show it, even though healing was an ability that easily garnered favor from others.

‘It wasn’t that she didn’t do it, but that she couldn’t do it.’

Suddenly, Philomel became curious about his intentions. ‘But why did he suddenly bring up this story?’

“Then Your Majesty’s power, teleportation…”

The Emperor momentarily avoided Philomel’s gaze.

“Is it because you have a personality that wants to arrive at your destination quickly? Are you impatient?”

“…No. The power of teleportation appears in people with a strong tendency to avoid.”

He took a deep breath for a moment and then looked Philomel straight in the eye. “I have been running away all this time. From my past mistakes.”

Only then did she understand.

Philomel learned about his teleportation ability only after seeing the Emperor who came to pick her up after she ran away.

Why had he thoroughly hidden his power even from his only daughter? Because that power was a shameful power for Justis.

“I should have apologized to you a long time ago, but I didn’t. I was afraid that our relationship would be completely ruined.”

“…”

“There was a time when I thought I was blocked in a dead end, but only then did it become clear.”

The Emperor’s voice trembled slightly.

“Even while saying sorry, my fear was more important than you. I was not qualified. As a parent, as an adult.”

Philomel listened to his words to the end without any reaction.

“It’s too late, but I’m sorry.”

He asks for forgiveness.

“For neglecting you when you were young, for saying such harsh words, for hiding the truth until the end. And everything else is my fault.”

“Your Majesty.”

“You can hate me for the rest of your life. If you never want to see my face again, I will never appear before you.”

He spoke urgently, as if Philomel would leave immediately.

“Just grant me this one thing.”

The last thing he wanted to say.

“You are a strong and good child. You will be loved by many and live well wherever you go. So…”

Justis closed his eyes for a moment, took a breath, and then opened his eyes.

“Take good care of your health, never look at anyone’s face again, and I hope you live doing what you want to do.”

That was the end.

A cool autumn breeze blew from somewhere. The garden was filled with a fragrant floral scent.

Philomel organized what she wanted to say in her head, soon gave up, and opened her mouth. “To be honest, I can’t forgive Your Majesty.”

“…I suppose not.”

“Give me some more time to think.”

Justis had a somewhat surprised expression.

“Do you need to think?”

“Haa, it’s a complicated problem.”

Philomel scratched her head.

“It’s not clear whether it’s forgive or not. There are many other things to think about, and my head is complicated…”

She didn’t even know what she was saying.

It was just complicated. From the past, things related to the Emperor always made Philomel feel ambivalent.

Perhaps that is the essence of human relationships.

Justis said, “If your head hurts, you don’t have to think about it. I’m a bad guy…”

“And! I’ve been feeling it since earlier, but stop putting yourself down.”

“…”

“It makes me feel bad too.”

“I understand. If that’s what you want, I won’t.”

He answers well.

Philomel looked up at the clear autumn sky and thought.

‘Okay. Let’s think about this after the Hero Selection Ceremony is over.’

There were many problems, including the Magic Tower family. But among them, the most urgent and important issue was becoming a hero.

However, there is one thing that she can say clearly.

“It would have been nice if Your Majesty had apologized sooner…”

“…”

“Sooner. As soon as I returned to the Imperial Palace, or preferably before I ran away…”

Seven years ago, immediately after hearing those words. Or even much earlier.

‘If that had happened, our relationship might not have been as twisted as it is now.’

Without hiding the truth or looking at the other person’s face, if we had built a proper relationship of trust.

Philomel imagined. The image of her younger self running to her father with Princess Elencia.

If she had done so, she would have found Elencia sooner. Even if an intruder appeared, the situation might not have been the same as it is now.

‘I might have met Le Guin sooner, and Nasar and I might have confirmed each other’s feelings much earlier.’

But it was just a brief, sweet imagination. Philomel’s imagination scattered like flower petals falling in the wind.

Justis replied quietly. “Not being able to do that is my lifelong regret.”