WMHROY 109

Chapter 109

As long as the Pope knew that Emperor Alaiser planned to find the Grand Magician, he was not the kind of man to sit idly by.

To prepare for the possible revival of the imperial family’s magic, he had developed a powerful sealing spell using divine power.

In truth, it could hardly even be called a “development.” Divine power and magic were polar opposites — utterly incompatible.

That was why, three hundred years ago, a catastrophe had occurred when a golem infused with divine energy went berserk, slaughtering countless imperial citizens.

To the Pope — who understood divine power better than anyone — this incompatibility was a blessing in disguise.

The moment the imperial family found the Grand Magician, he intended to inject his divine power directly into that magician.

Once infused with such overwhelming holiness, the magician would die instantly, helpless to resist.

He planned to do this before the Grand Magician could undo the imperial seal. That was why he could afford to stay calm.

No matter how frantically the Emperor and his court ran about, he believed everything remained within the palm of his hand.

Yet, before he even realized it, the imperial family had already found the Grand Magician — and broken the seal.

It infuriated him that all this had happened right under his nose without his knowing.
But what was done was done.

Pope Anaceto was not a man who lingered over what was already lost.

“The imperial magic seal has been undone. There’s no way to seal it again now — not without a magician capable of such power, and certainly not without justification.”

He exhaled deeply, smoothing back his hair as he calmed himself.

“Still, I can’t just sit here doing nothing. That child who dared mock me must face divine punishment.”

“……”

“No — not divine punishment. It’s purification. She is a demon, after all.”

The Pope turned to his High Priest with a thin smile.

“Don’t you agree?”

“Y-yes, Your Holiness! O-of course!”

The Pope’s face instantly hardened.

“Then what are you still doing here? Go and bring her to me — now!”

“Y-yes, Your Holiness!”

The startled High Priest flinched and hurriedly fled the chamber.

Left alone, the Pope spent quite some time forcing down his fury.

Sunlight streamed through the window, brushing gently across Diasi’s eyelids.

He slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the sudden brightness.

Blinking, he pulled himself out of a hazy dream and back into the sharp clarity of reality — and then remembered what had happened yesterday, with Ella.

“……”

He could still feel warmth lingering on his lips.

What was that… yesterday?

Was it sympathy for her pain? Or perhaps her hair in the moonlight reminded him of Louise?

Around her, he always lost control — always acted on impulse.

But one thing puzzled him: Ella hadn’t pushed him away.

It wasn’t even a deep or passionate kiss — just a light touch, as if afraid of being seen.

It was the kind of shy, fleeting kiss exchanged between young lovers — gentle rather than intense.

And yet, even a day later, his lips still tingled where they’d met hers.

Strangely, he felt lighter, more rested, though he had barely slept.

Was it because of her?

As Diasi sat up, the fine sheets rustled down around him.

He rubbed his face lightly, his eyes carrying a strange sense of anticipation he couldn’t quite explain.

He shuffled into the bathroom and twisted the faucet.

Cold water gushed out, splashing over his hands and face.

As droplets slid down his skin, he looked into the mirror — something he hadn’t done in years.

He couldn’t bear to see the reflection of Louise’s silver hair in his own eyes — not after failing to protect her.

Now, facing himself again for the first time in so long, his own face felt unfamiliar.

He raised a hand, tracing his features. Five years had changed him more than he’d realized — not drastically, but the once-gentle lines of his face had sharpened.

“If Louise saw me now… she wouldn’t recognize me.”

A bitter laugh escaped his lips. How ridiculous that he still linked everything back to her.

He dried his face and tossed the towel into the basket.

Then he changed out of his loungewear into his formal uniform — though there were no official duties today.

Even when working from home, he always wore his uniform. It was a habit.

He sat at his desk, where piles of documents — left by Daniel overnight — were stacked like small mountains.

Most people would have groaned at the sight. Diasi’s expression, however, remained calm and unreadable.

He opened the ink bottle, dipped his pen, and murmured,

“So… the one who healed me back then — was it her?”

The thought hit him like a blow to the head.

“Why didn’t I think of that before?”

He remembered the war in the southern region, waged by the Kingdom of Cmisot. He had been wounded so severely that no one expected him to live.

Yet he awoke, his body completely healed — and everyone called it a miracle.

At the time, he had dismissed it as one of life’s inexplicable mysteries. Thinking too deeply about it wasn’t in his nature.

But now… he knew Ella was a magician. Not just any magician — a Grand Magician capable of annihilating nations with a mere gesture.

She had broken a seal that had held for three centuries — something no one else could do.

So perhaps his “miraculous” recovery hadn’t been a miracle at all — but her doing.

A small, incredulous laugh escaped him.

Now everything fit together perfectly.

Ella had been the one who saved his life.

“Good grief…”

He set down his pen and turned toward the window.

Sunlight streamed in, and faint chatter from the maids drifted through the halls.

Yet his heart felt gray and heavy.

“I… said such cruel things to the woman who saved me.”

There was no scoundrel worse than him.

He finally understood Ella’s side.

She had saved him — that much was clear. Yet she couldn’t even tell him the truth, not when he was known to be aligned with the Pope’s faction.

She must have been deeply wronged.

“How unfair…”

He, the one she saved, had accused her of trying to kill him — while she endured his resentment in silence.

“Hah…”

Running a hand roughly through his hair, Diasi stood. He had to see her.

He didn’t quite have the courage to face her, but staying silent felt even worse. He owed her both an apology and his gratitude.

Why had she saved him? Out of impulse? Or… something deeper?

That could wait. For now, the only thing that mattered was acknowledging what she’d done for him.

He was just about to step toward the door when—

Knock knock!

“D-Duke! Something terrible has happened!”

Daniel’s panicked voice shouted from beyond the door.

The Empire of Lasiera — a nation that regarded magic and magicians as absolute evil.

No magician could live there. None were welcome.

Even foreign magicians who set foot on its soil risked execution.

And now, the entire empire was abuzz with one thing.

“Did you hear? The Duchess of Myers is a magician!”
“I know! I couldn’t believe it either.”
“Is that confirmed?”
“It must be. The Holy Father himself executed the Myers couple!”
“That’s terrifying… What crime did they commit?”
“Being the parents of a magician, maybe?”

Just yesterday, rumors had spread across the empire: Ella Myers, née Ella Mayer, was a magician.

The Pope had initially ordered her brought before him immediately.

But as time passed, his temper cooled — and he realized he had been too hasty.

So he summoned the High Priest again, having devised a slower, crueler way to crush her.

His new command: spread word throughout the empire that Ella was a magician tainted with demonic blood.

And as everyone knows — malicious rumors spread far faster than good ones.

A rumor that paints someone kindly might take a month to travel the empire.
A cruel one takes less than a day.

Such is the ugliness of human nature — outwardly wishing others well while secretly craving their downfall.

And Pope Anaceto understood human nature better than anyone — and how to exploit it.

There was no evidence for the rumors about Ella.
He had concealed the truth of the imperial magic’s revival.

But he was the most trusted man in the Lasieran Empire — and no one doubted a rumor that began with him.

Everyone believed the whispers must be based on real proof.

Just as the Pope had predicted, the story that Ella was a magician spread across the empire in less than a single day.