Chapter 121
The days after the subjugation were surprisingly peaceful. Everyone was busy, yes, but their faces were bright. Even the air in the mansion felt fresher somehow.
That peace... I liked it. I was satisfied with the calm we’d regained. It made me happy. And yet... I was scared it would all fall apart.
The High Priest had told me I would die when the flower withered. But now, some strange leaf-shaped mark had appeared on my chest.
How could I not connect the two?
How could I not be afraid of what that truth might mean? Even this morning, I’d pushed a sulky Jane into leaving me alone so I could bathe without anyone seeing the mark. I’d put it off for as long as I could, but there was always a limit.
Even a brutal truth is still the truth.
And sooner or later, I’d have to face it.
Today felt like a kind of final line in the sand. The mages were leaving the duchy tomorrow.
“...Is it dark magic?”
When I asked, he nodded slowly, his expression still twisted.
“It appears to be a magic known as the ‘Black Flower.’ The symptoms you described... they match almost exactly.”
The way his gaze wavered, the way his words trailed off—it was obvious this wasn’t good. I mean, of course it’s bad. It’s dark magic.