Chapter 29: The Empero Game, Final Part
I tore the bandages from my wounded hand.
Since I hadn't changed them since parting ways with Lianza, the blood had dried, causing the bandages to stick to the wounds.
Ripping off a piece of bandage in one pull, I felt nothing at first, but a second was enough for a burning sensation to invade my entire hand and make me flinch.
The wound started bleeding.
Placing my bleeding hand over the circle, I hoped it would activate.
A few seconds passed.
Then I saw it.
The circle began to glow with a faint light that spread through the engravings.
The light kept intensifying.
"Well done, young Elcronne!" Professor Vauxol announced through the circle. "You've won two rounds."
The circle started emanating a blinding light.
And in a blink, I was transported back to Professor Vauxol's room.
The world map hovered above me again, and the blackboard covering the wall behind the professor came back into view.
"May I ask my question now?" I said. My strength was already too scarce to afford anything but directness.
"I believe you've just answered it yourself, young Elcronne."
Falling silent, I thought about it.
True. Many of my doubts had been resolved during those two macabre games of the professor's.
"I doubt a methodology like yours is well-regarded, Professor Vauxol."
"You were the one who came to me seeking an answer, and I gave it to you. I don't see the problem."
"The problem is that I almost died. Twice."
"I still don't see the problem, young Elcronne."
That was when I caught the hint. Professor Vauxol's intentions toward me were anything but friendly. Using those two games as an excuse to get rid of me came as no surprise; after all, he only needed to create a portal to dispose of any evidence.
"Is that rainbow ink permitted?" I asked.
"So you figured it out. Yes, this ink is my Empero. Its use is only permitted in Pincelia, and only if one passes a strict qualifying exam."
Nodding, I absorbed this. It made sense. Pincelia was the country where House Garialys ruled, and it was to be expected that they would guard something as powerful as that rainbow ink so jealously.
"But there's something you haven't answered, Professor Vauxol," I said, my gaze fixed on his. "Tell me what your Empero's ability is."
"The deal was to answer one question if you won, young Elcronne; nothing more. If you have more doubts, you'll have to consult the professor in charge of teaching Empero."
"Duralgan?" I asked, hoping it wasn't him. She was too... complicated a character. At least, that's how it was in The Throne of Ashes and Thorns.
"Duralianne," Vauxol corrected. "Professor Duralianne Danyarta. And yes, it's her. Good luck having classes with her."
That didn't sound like good luck.
Leaving Vauxol's office with blood-stained bandages, I carried a better understanding of how my Empero worked, despite nearly losing my life in the process.
However, I knew a long road still lay ahead.
The east wing hallway was full of nobles walking to their respective classes. They looked at me with their characteristic disdain.
To them, I was just The Dog at Her Heels, now bandaged and with a face that surely evidenced my exhaustion.
Returning the gaze of none of them, I kept walking. They weren't worth it.
Something much more important awaited me, and I hoped to arrive in time.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽ ☆ ☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Arriving at Ardwyn's study with blurred vision, my eyes heavy.
Night had already fallen.
Leaning my back against the hallway wall, I fought to stay awake.
Layda and Ardwyn had agreed to meet tonight.
According to her, she had evidence that the D'Tariel had made a pact with the Seraphim of Twelve Wings.
Perhaps today I'd get my answer about what Layda truly was.
"So, you do like chamomile tea?" asked a voice I recognized as Ardwyn's.
Good. They had been talking about trivialities. They hadn't yet begun discussing what truly mattered to me.
"With two teaspoons of sugar, Your Highness," a feminine voice said.
A utensil striking dishware twice reached my ears. I gathered Layda was sweetening her tea.
"I believe it's getting too late, sweet Layda. I wouldn't want someone to suddenly see you leaving my study and inappropriate rumors start circulating..."
"I think the same."
Layda cleared her throat.
"Very well. The Seraphim of Twelve Wings is the god of pacts," she said without beating around the bush. "His pacts are maintained with blood promises. The blood promise made by the D'Tariel is the sacrifice of the firstborn."
"How do you know that? Then... was that why Crown Prince Dazen D'Tariel died so young?"
False. In The Throne of Ashes and Thorns, Lianza's older brother had died in an accident... At least, that was what her parents, Zaleador and Jaylah D'Tariel, claimed.
If what Layda was saying was true, that meant the web novel I had read so many times had been lying to its readers. It had hidden the truth from us.
What if what Layda was saying was meant to be a plot twist for the second book?
Impossible to know, because the second book hadn't started by the time I transmigrated. The novel had been left at an ending where Lianza D'Tariel was sentenced to death, while Layda Alaranne married the legendary hero and crown prince Ardwyn V of Jahke.
The typical happy ending of any romance story.
But the author had promised a continuation. He hadn't revealed the name of the web novel, but he had said that the most dedicated readers would be in for a big surprise.
Of course, I had eagerly awaited the day the sequel to my favorite novel would be published.
"I know I'm a stranger, Your Highness," Layda replied after a minute of silence. "But I ask you to trust me. I only wish for your well-being."
"You'll forgive me, Layda, but I don't need to be protected by anyone. I can do whatever is necessary on my own. I already knew this situation wouldn't bring anything good."
"Oh, really?" Layda's tone had shifted to the same one from the night of the Welcome Ball. "Do you recognize the potential of your Empero, Ardwyn V of Jahke?"
"I am the most talented student Mayorka has had in years."
"Talent alone is nothing. If you remain blinded by your arrogance..."
A hand slamming against a table reached my ears, followed by the sound of dishware rattling and books falling.
"Enough! I already have a highly renowned private tutor, and I'm at the most prestigious academy..."
"Has that tutor taught you to manifest your Empero weapon? Do you know your true potential?"
Layda's tone remained defiant, as if she were lecturing a child.
"He told me I can conjure quartz," Ardwyn answered with his typical proud tone.
Layda let out a laugh.
"Quartz? Your tutor is a fool, Ardwyn V of Jahke. Your Empero manifests minerals. And it's capable of creating the most resistant of all..."
A silence followed. Then I heard a chair slide. Layda standing up, perhaps?
"Ardwyn V of Jahke, you have the ability to create Diamonds."
Another silence.
"I must go now, Your Highness. Please, think carefully about everything I've told you. Your life will be in danger very soon, and..." Layda paused, as if she had said more than she intended.
Moving away from the study before she finished her sentence and opened the door, I retreated into the shadows.
No strength remained to stay awake, but my mind couldn't stop spinning over what I had just heard.
If Ardwyn could summon diamonds... on the hardness scale, diamond was the most resistant natural mineral. Twice as resistant as steel.
Heading toward my room, I wondered how someone like me, with such a low Empero capacity and an ability I was only beginning to comprehend, could stand against someone capable of generating tons of pure diamond...