kscans

Chapter 129 - What She, Who Knew No Love, Left Behind

From Albert's perspective, the events of that day were probably of no consequence.

The next day, Darius arrived to supply his mana. However, he seemed to have been told nothing.

This time, to ensure that no member of the royal family would have any contact with Ariel, Adrian himself was present during the mana supply.

Sensing the atmosphere, Darius seemed to have his doubts. But he did not speak in front of Ariel. However, the way he looked at her, as if she were something precious, did not change.

But even that, to Adrian, was infuriating.

Ariel was blindfolded during the mana supply.

Even if she didn't notice Darius's presence, she always fell into a peaceful sleep by the time the supply was over. Seeing this, Adrian had complex feelings, as if there were an invisible bond between them.

He immediately cut off the supply from Albert. Adrian truly wanted to cut off Darius’s supply as well. But he endured, telling himself it was until Ariel’s condition improved.

Eventually, her condition stabilized, and the doctor announced that mana supply was no longer necessary.


When Ariel awoke, her memory was somewhat confused, but she gradually regained her strength, responding to Mireille’s and Eleonora’s calls.

However, she was not originally good at expressing her emotions, and the damage she had received was significant.

Her expression had reverted to the merciless, living weapon era that Adrian knew, with almost no conversation, as if her heart was gone.

She did not ask about Darius, nor did she even seem to question his absence.

Mireille, too, could not hide her shock at this.


Adrian, as planned with Leonhard, went to report to Cedric, Albert, and Darius.

"I hear she has recovered safely," Cedric said.

"Yes. Thank you for your help in that matter," Adrian replied calmly.

"I have come today to report my resignation as chancellor."

At those words, a momentary tension ran through the three of them.

"Wh-why, Adrian! Without you, how do you expect us to run the country from now on?" Cedric’s voice rose with anger.

"That is something you should discuss with those who will be supporting the King in the future," Adrian replied coolly.

"What do you intend to do?" Albert, too, was getting anxious. He needed to build support over the long term for his son to become king.

"I intend to return to my marquisate and devote myself to managing my domain. Fortunately, the former captain of the 1st Knight Order, Leonhard, and the vice-captain, Kyle, have agreed to cooperate. They each have good partners, so it seems they will be starting new lives in the domain."

Hearing this, the King and Albert panicked.

If Adrian left, who would unite the nobles? Leonhard was not only competent but also a key figure in this coup. Moreover, his partner was the country's number one alchemist who had sealed the mages' attacks. The loss of him, who knew so much about the internal situation, would be immeasurable.

Kyle, too, was a skilled and important asset.

However, only Darius remained calm.

He knew that Adrian was not an irresponsible person who would be swayed by temporary emotions. This was a carefully considered decision. And Leonhard would put Mireille first. The fact that the two of them were leaving the royal capital meant that Ariel was as well. Including that, it must have been judged that it was better not to be in the royal capital.

"Adrian, something must have happened to make you think this way?" Darius asked quietly.

"Yes. First, I would like you all to watch this video."


Adrian began to play one of the many videos he had. It was a record of the abuse Ariel had received from the former king Karlwein, the queen, and the Mage Order captain, Rainer.

At the sheer brutality, everyone was at a loss for words. Darius lost his earlier composure, crying out, and shouting "Ariel!" in anguish as he watched the video intently.

For the King and Albert, it was a video of a crime committed by the former king, the queen, and the Mage Order captain in conspiracy.

But for Darius, it was different.

There, on the screen, was the process of her descent into incoherence, the one that was scrawled to the very end in the wooden box in that tower.

Why she thought he would marry a noblewoman. Why Ariel thought she was a hindrance to him. The answers were in that video.

Ariel, forced to drink poison, unable to resist the mental interference. And yet, her expression in the tower when she told him "I’m fine" overlapped with the video, weighing heavily on Darius’s chest.

"My ties with Darius are cut, it has nothing to do with me."

In the video, Ariel was trying to protect him until the very end. She had shouted that she would not build the Magic Furnace, trying to protect the country.

Please stop. Don’t protect me.

Even if he wished it, the her in the video did not flinch even when struck by the queen.

Didn’t you say you didn’t know how to love?

Darius shed tears. Why had she loved him so much?

For him, this video was also a record of the one he loved protecting him until the end, and breaking in the process.