CH 162

Cecile was certain beyond a doubt—that was definitely Estian. She was swaying as she stood on the window sill, but she paid it no mind. ‘What should I do?’ She wanted to restore Estian to his original form, but how? She shed tears as she listened to his howls echoing throughout the city.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she thought, ‘I should’ve grabbed Aled or Richard by the collar when I fell into the gate.’ If either of them was here, they might be able to do something in this situation. But what could she do? No matter how she wracked her brain, she could think of nothing else but swinging the scepter in her hands.

Meanwhile, the black mass that had retreated while howling had ceased its cries and was now shuddering. Its body suddenly began to rise upwards, before falling back downwards and merging into itself, over and over. The sight chilled Cecile to the bone. It was Estian, yet at the same time, there was something that wasn’t him inside there. Something that intended to kill her.

Cecile’s survival instinct was screaming at her to make a run for it, but her feet wouldn’t budge. Run? To where? There was nowhere to escape in this city covered in the black. And more importantly, she didn’t want, no… she couldn’t run away. She couldn’t leave Estian behind. A hunch was telling her that if she turned her back on Estian now, she would lose him forever.

‘That’s not even funny.’ Cecile didn’t have the slightest intention of letting that happen. If she was to leave, it would be with Estian. Besides, there’d be plenty of trouble if she returned alone! An empress without an emperor? She’d just be a sitting duck waiting to be knifed in the back, which is why no matter what, she’d be going back with Estian.

Suddenly, Cecile heard something above her. Looking up to the skies, in a surprised voice she inadvertently called out, “Girgantia?” Since when had that round gate in the sky opened above the dark city? She was certain the figure rapidly approaching was none other than Girgantia.

“Hey, move aside! Move!” the dragon hastily yelled upon drawing close. Cecile was barely able to dodge before Girgantia smashed into the room with a loud bang. Soon, other voices could be heard from atop the splayed dragon.

“Owwww.”

“Phooey! Phoo!”

“Oh spirits, I’m dying!”

“Tania! Richard! Even Aled?” Cecile asked. Goodness, the four had all come here through the gate! Not only that, but Girgantia had also grown in size. In the imperial palace his size was comparable to a large dog, but now it seemed he was five times larger.

“Your Majesty, are you all right?” Tania shouted, recovering the quickest and dashing over to Cecile. “Oh heavens, what happened to your face! And your hair!”

“Oh, I was slapped…”

“Which scumbag was it! I’ll kill him!”

‘But that man’s already dead,’ Cecile thought, as she did her best to calm her outraged handmaiden. Using her feet to poke at Richard and Aled, who were still on the ground, she urged, “Both of you, get up already! Hurry!”

When Girgantia raised himself up, a careless flap of his wings caused a bookshelf to topple over, spilling its contents noisily at Cecile’s feet. There wasn’t a moment to lose, but Cecile felt gripped with a sudden need to pick up one of the books that had fallen in front of her. ‘But why books again…?’

She remembered the time she subjugated Girgantia and the book that Tania claimed she’d never brought. Yet, Cecile was certain she’d definitely read it, though it seemed to have vanished into thin air after the chaos. As if possessed, she bent over to pick up the book.

“What’re you doing? Is this the time for reading? We need to get the heck out of here!” Aled fumed.

Of course, Cecile cleanly ignored the spirit and flipped open the book. She let out a strangled noise in surprise when she read the chapter title—The way to restore Estian. “Wh-what is this?” she muttered in bafflement.

Only a fool would remain ignorant at this point. It was obvious that the book containing the spell to restrain Girgantia back then had been no coincidence, nor was this book now appearing here by chance. Everything had its purpose. Could something so fantastical truly be possible? How could a book containing what she needed conveniently appear when she needed it? Cecile’s eyes quickly began scanning the page.

Requirements: One dragon, one spirit, one mage, one human female, a scepter. And most importantly, a Cecile to use the scepter.