CH 67

Ilya's face, which had been maintaining a consistent awkward smile, changed into a strange one, as if it had peeled off her skin.

She said it in a slightly high tone, as if she were surprised.

"I thought I did a good job acting."

"Ilya Titonsser has a lust for power like no one else. There's no way a girl like that could talk about the sudden destruction of Tristan without receiving titles and glory first. So what is your real identity?"

Ilya covered her mouth with her hand, slightly hiding her small smile. 

"After you have done explaining your reasoning, what were you asking again? Ah, yes. As you said, this child found the part of me locked away in the mirror shard first. I needed a soul to move first, rather than my real soul."

Elliot crossed his arms.

"Hmm... So what happened to Ilya Titonsser? Did she die when you took over?"

"No, she didn't die. To put it simply, think of her as a puppet controlled by me, whether it's her soul or this small body of hers. That's it. All I can do is control her. But since the piece of my body possesses a very small part of my power, sometimes the doll's threads can break."

"You mean that Ilya Titonsser can return to consciousness and regain control?"

"Possibly. It's the first time I've entered a human body in this state, so I'm not sure."

Elliot paused, deep in thought, with his gaze lowered. After some time lost in thought, he once again looked up.

"Then what will happen to Ilya Titonsser if you come into contact with Rose's soul?"

"As I said before, a very small part of my body came into contact with this girl. Even if I were to make contact with my original soul using the small fragment of my body that was locked in that mirror over there, nothing would be wrong with this girl."

That's a bit difficult.

Elliot swallowed the words that had risen in his throat. 

The piece of the monster that was now implanted in Ilya was well suited to put his plan into practice.

If the monster that was sealed in the Tristan Empire awakens again, Ilya, who would return to normal without any major injuries, might catch him and ruin his efforts.

Even if it wasn't so, didn't Ilya fail my simple task of giving Rose a mirror?

Now was an important opportunity for him, but there was no guarantee that Ilya wouldn't act unruly again later.

"If you come into contact with your soul sealed inside Rose, destroy the body you currently possess on the spot."

"Hmm? Wasn't this girl important to you?"

Ilya tilted her head curiously. Elliot sneered at her.

"No way."

"What? Hmm... Well, it's nothing to do with me. Rather than that, I should quickly pick up that mirror and go to the vessel that contains my soul."

Ilya spun on her heel and headed towards the mirror.

However, Elliot stretched out his hand to block Ilya's path.

"You can't walk around on your own right now. Sooner or later---no, a wanted order will be issued for that body soon."

"Well then, before that happens, I just need to get my soul back. Move."

Ilya's expression hardened. 

In an instant, the atmosphere surrounding her also changed.

Even if it was a very small part of the monster's body that was released, and the monster that ruled this wide continent in the distant past was beaten, the intimidation he exerted was enough to make Elliot's flesh tremble.

Elliot opened his mouth, feeling the thrill of killing within himself.

"I'll give you a chance to be alone with Rose, even if it's in the Imperial Palace."

"Imperial Palace?"

The feeling of pressure that had been squeezing the space around him ceased. It meant that the entity was interested in Elliot's words.

"Yes, the Imperial Palace. As soon as spring approaches, the Imperial Palace selects the 'Gloria of Tristan'. It plays the role of announcing the opening and closing of the founding festival in early summer."

"Hmm."

"If the 'Gloria of Tristan' is recruited, Rose will definitely participate. If you don't manage to get to her before that, I'll make an opening for you to do it then. She has enough qualities to play the role, so she will definitely be chosen, and on the last day of the foundation festival, when the closing ceremony is held at the Imperial Palace, you can contact Rose at that time."

"Imperial Palace..."

Ilya brooded over Elliott's words. Then, after a while, she raised an eyebrow as a smile crept over her lips.

"Not bad. It is the best stage to act upon."

Ilya had been leaning back with her hands on her waist and laughing when suddenly she stopped abruptly and looked up at Elliot.

"But do you know how to break my seal?"

"Isn't it possible to break it by making contact between the mirror where the body is sealed and the vessel containing the soul?"

Elliot replied, furrowing one eyebrow. Ilya laughed again at his simple and thoughtless answer.

"Hahah! You are but a kid who doesn't know anything. My body can come out as long as I break that mirror, but without a soul, it is just an empty shell."

"Then you just have to break the vessel that contains the soul."

"You understand well."

Elliot recalled the vessel containing Abaddon's soul.

Rich blonde hair as if the embodiment of melted gold, and red eyes brighter than the finest rubies. White jade-like skin and a tender body.

She hadn't smiled at him lately, but just last year, Rose would smile shyly whenever their eyes met.

"You have to break the vessel..."

He saw Rose, who was in front of him, collapse like a thin branch in front of a rainstorm.

Blood flowed profusely from her body as a sword rested in the hand of the man standing in front of her.

Elliot snapped out of the illusion caused by his imagination and looked down at his hand. Calloused palms from holding the sword for a long time.

He clenched his fists as if grasping something.

"I will pierce the vessel."

"It doesn't matter who does it, but... You know there are conditions even for breaking a vessel, right?"

Another unknown secret story?

Elliot stared at Ilya and urged her to speak.

"You need a sword."

"Sword?"

"Yes, there is a sword that Joan used to separate my soul from my body. Only that sword can break the vessel. That sword is not an ordinary sword, so even after many years, it will still exist somewhere."

"No way..."

An image of an old sword passed through Elliot's mind.

I've seen the sword that sealed Abaddon. 

Right in the forest where the hunting festival was held.

There was a sword in the cave, where he found out that Rose was a vessel for the entity's soul.

At the time, he was so focused on Rose that he couldn't pay attention to the sword, but his intuition told him that it was the key to unlocking all the seals.

"I think I know where the sword is."

With Elliot's softly spoken confession, Ilya's face brightened.

"Yes! I thought you would know too. Is it the Imperial Palace?"

"It should be, but I can't find that sword right now. On the last day of the founding festival, I will bring it when everyone's guards are down and are focused on the Imperial Palace."

"Hahahah! Good, good! I like it! Now... ha! Now I can destroy anything that has that goddamn Joan's blood on it."

A ghastly, grotesque laugh escaped Ilya's dainty lips. 

Elliot looked at her like that and hinted.

"But it is strange. I'm not sure, though I've only come across Abaddon in history books... Even with that strong power, why was it so easy to be sealed away by just one boy?"

When he brought up the past, Ilya frowned twistedly, as if she had chewed on a hard stone.

"Joan, who sealed me, was not ordinary. It seemed like there was something within that made people around him follow him."

"Then I don't understand his success any more."

"The strongest thing in his possession was the holy sword that sealed me. One day, everything was turned upside down because of a human who suddenly appeared with that sword. Joan took the holy sword from that human and sealed me away."

Ilya stopped talking. 

With her mouth firmly shut, she stared at the expressionless Elliot before continuing belatedly.

"It looks like the person who gave Joan the holy sword had the surname Proud."

"...Oh. Since the Proud family did a great job sealing Abaddon, it seems that the original owner of the holy sword was my ancestor."

Ilya observed Elliot's face.

I was curious about Elliot's reaction when he found out that one of the people who sealed me away was related to him.

And how terrifying his plan to unseal me and destroy the empire that his family had once strived to save and create.

Abaddon wanted to see Elliot's face with his eyes wide open in surprise, but unlike his expectations, Elliot didn't show any reaction.

Ilya clicked her tongue inwardly, thinking that his reaction was not funny.

She waited for Elliot, who seemed to have something to say.

"My ancestors must have been great. I also want a holy sword like that."

"They were lucky. Like a twist of fate, it all came together. When Joan received the holy sword and came to destroy me, he never thought of taking out my soul and sealing it away."

The past was still vivid before the eyes of Ilya---no, Abaddon, who occupied the body.

When Joan came with a holy sword to seal himself as the one who ruled the continent and dominated humans, he was not alone.

Beside him was a thin woman who seemed like she would fall apart with the slightest wave of her hand.

Ilya gnashed his teeth.

"A prosecutor with determination and good skills. A holy sword that can destroy a monster's body and extract its soul. And even a woman who is loved by god so damn much that they were strong enough to put my captured soul in her body."

Ilya muttered as if talking to herself, but Elliot, who was nearby, heard his words clearly.

Elliot pretended not to hear what he had to say.

"You put on a disguise, change your name, and pretend to be a human for the time being. I'm sending you to the family of a count, who is friendly with me. There are a lot of suspicious eyes watching our moves for now."

"I have to wait for the founding festival in early summer... There's a lot of time left."

"Time goes by quickly. How about taking a last look at the capital of Tristan with the count's mansion? A lot has changed in this empire over the years."

"Hahah! That's right. It might collapse around anyway, so it wouldn't be bad to take it all in and remember its last days with my own eyes."

"I'll prepare a separate room in the mansion for you today."

"No, I will be here. Even though it's sealed, I can use some more of my power only when I'm close to my original body."

Ilya sat down in front of the mirror where Abaddon's body was sealed.

Elliot didn't bother to ask for more. He turned around and left the room.

Locking the door with the key, he walked down the hallway to his bedroom.

...The woman with the power to contain the soul that Abaddon mentioned earlier is probably the first Honeywell.

Combining those muttered words with the fact that Rose was a vessel meant that those who have Honeywell's blood have been continuously placing the soul of Abaddon in their bodies to keep an eye on it.

"Hmm... They say you need a Honeywell to seal Abaddon again. If I awaken the soul, Rose will no longer be able to safeguard the soul. She'd already be dead. Then the next vessel who will then contain the soul would be Wells Honeywell."

Elliot's footsteps stopped as he walked down the corridor. He turned his head slowly towards the room where the mirror was sealed.

"It looks like he wants to rule Tristan after he razes it to the ground. Sadly, you are just a tool to bring down the current Tristan Empire's royalty. When that is over, you will have to be sealed again."

A look of satisfaction settled on Elliot's face.

He took another step forward and looked forward to the founding festival, which would be held in early summer after spring passed.

A festival for the first emperor who sealed the monster and established an empire. A day to celebrate the beginning of a new history in the making.

After the week-long founding festival, Tristan will be destroyed by the once-sealed monster.

"I look forward to the day when Proud, the original owner of the holy sword, will regain this continent."

It wasn't long after Elliot left the room that Ilya heard the rattling of the lock outside the door.

The baron's daughter cast her gaze in the direction of the door as she listened to the movements outside.

Before long, footsteps were heard receding, and Ilya turned her head back and walked closer to the mirror.

When she put her face before the mirror, she saw not the girl's face but the figure of a sealed and sleeping monster.

Ilya's hand swept the mirror.

"I thought it was a seal that would never be broken... If my body comes out of the mirror and my soul is recovered, then I will destroy all humans living in this world and take control of this continent once again."

Ilya's emerald green eyes began to glow menacingly.