Eldest 183

183.

Never had I expected to set a regression in motion yet again.

This life had been perfect for both Pherdel and Caspar—until everything began to fall apart so suddenly, and Caspar realized he needed to prepare for the worst. How he had scrambled to gather enough offerings for the ritual!

‘My wealth is hardly liquid; there were treasures I couldn’t buy even when I found them, but timing was on my side.’

He still resented Sion for ultimately siding with Bellady, but at least he could commend his brother for passing along the necessary funds.

He supposed he would have to accept Sion as family—after the regression, that is.

‘Of course, I’ll thoroughly raise him as my puppet.’

As Caspar entertained these dark thoughts, Pherdel reached out and let his hand drift over the pile of treasures.

Among them was an especially old bracelet. For some reason, Pherdel felt irresistibly drawn to it. Almost unconsciously, he snatched it up.

Caspar’s eyes widened at the sudden move.

“Your Highness, about that—”

“Stay out of my way!”

Pherdel shouted, cutting him off.

Biting his lip at the insult, Caspar quietly closed the lid of the box.

‘As if this savage hasn’t been capricious before.’

There were more than enough spirit treasures saved up; he didn’t need to fuss over a single bracelet to perform the regression.

Caspar left the stifling hideout and wandered the perimeter of the Monster’s Forest.

‘What am I going to do?’

For now, the spirit treasures had distracted Pherdel, but if he asked to see the mirror, it would all be over.

Anxiously gnawing his nails, Caspar made one more attempt to open the secret study.

This time, the formula he’d failed to complete before finally came together, and a massive magic circle blossomed before him.

As the familiar entrance of the study appeared, Caspar dove in headfirst, thought forgotten.

“Yes!”

However this had come about, he couldn’t ignore an opportunity sent from the heavens.

Almost in a trance, he rushed for the laboratory.

But to his dismay, what greeted him was utter devastation, as if the whole room had been bombed: everything blackened and reduced to ash.

The shock hit Caspar like a hammer blow.

‘Who could have done this!’

All the achievements built up since the regression—who could have dared destroy his lab so completely?

All the results, the test subjects—

Everything was gone. Finally, Caspar remembered why he had come.

‘The mirror!’

If even that was lost, then this life was truly hopeless. Painful as it was to lose his research, those could be remade after regressing.

‘But the mirror must be intact!’

He hurried to the vault far below the lab.

His heart thundered with anxious urgency.

And at last, reaching the vault—

“Hahahahaha!”

Caspar fell to his knees, laughing like a madman.

In the charred ruins, there was a single untouched bundle of cloth.

Frantically, he unraveled the seals on the cloth.

Within lay the teardrop-shaped mirror, unscathed.

“Yes! The heavens are still with me!”

How many times had the lack of this mirror condemned him to swing between hell and heaven?

Grinning from ear to ear, Caspar gazed into his own reflection.

“Just wait, Bellady Aeltern…!”

In this next regression, he’d erase her from existence itself! No—perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to crush her utterly from childhood onward.

Lost in deluded fantasies, Caspar finally came to his senses.

‘Time to go.’

To enact the regression, he’d need to offer the spirit treasures at the hideout.

‘But now it’s fine. Everything can begin anew!’

Drunk with relief, Caspar opened the way out.

For the record, the heavens were not with him.

---

Just in case, I double-checked the intelligence given by the Crown Princess.

Dispatching an advance party to the coordinates she had recited, we received confirmation: there was indeed a tent hidden among the thickets.

Upon hearing this, I requested an audience with the Emperor.

—Have you heard that the Duke of Aeltern prepared the stage for you?

I paused; I hadn’t discussed this with my father beforehand.

‘He must have come up with it on the spot after hearing my plans in the carriage.’

At first, I was surprised, but since it did me no harm, I decided to take advantage.

—Yes, I have already secured their location. With your permission, I will apprehend the traitors myself.

—Yourself? Without sending soldiers?

—There are many who would object to changing the law. I can at least preserve appearances.

—Hahaha, amusing, aren’t you.

The Emperor was ready to lend me the imperial army, but I declined and instead offered my own conditions.

He deliberated for a long while, but in the end he nodded.

Everything that followed proceeded smoothly.

I asked Killian to see that the Crown Princess’s execution was swift and painless, then teleported into the Monster’s Forest.

Approaching the place the Crown Princess had described, I soon spotted the sloppily erected tent just beyond my view.

And for the record, those who accompanied me into the Monster’s Forest were the 1st Knights Division of House Aeltern—and…

“Scouting party, sweep the target location. All others, keep your presence masked.”

“Yes, my lady.”

It was my father, delivering orders in a measured, heavy voice.

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

‘I really wanted to come alone…’

Lately, my father had been trusting my judgment—but this time, his stubbornness matched my own.

No doubt, that was thanks to Killian’s unnecessary advice.

‘I shouldn’t have told Father anything.’

In truth, Taudin had also warned me many times about the spirits’ anger.

That some spirits bore an incomprehensible grudge against me, and that they were subtly ostracizing Taudin, with whom I had a contract.

—Bellady, there are mischievous spirits who snuff out a person’s sense of danger. Always be wary of them.

There wasn’t much I could do, other than ask Taudin to be on alert.

I had more pressing matters anyway—namely, dealing with the Crown Prince.

‘Still, Taudin’s better protection than most warding charms.’

Reminded of Taudin, I called out to him in my mind.

[Taudin, can you hear me?]

His booming voice answered instantly in my head.

[I am exceedingly busy right now! What is it? Has an enemy appeared!?]

[No, but there should be a mass grave of corpses around here. Can you find it?]

[Hmph! There’s no need for a search. They’re buried right beneath your feet!]

Is that so?

Taudin loosed a low, dissatisfied growl.

[Those corpses, cured in the filth of monsters, have been grating on my nerves. If you don’t deal with them immediately, I’ll eradicate them myself!]

Grinning, I muttered under my breath,

“You can’t do that.”

Father gave me a questioning look.

Just then,

“My lady, a surge of magic has been detected at the target location.”

“There’s no sign of Caspar Agla.”

The advance party had returned.

As I heard their report, my father and I exchanged glances.

Sion’s words flashed through my mind.

—Bellady, as you asked, I left the mirror in its original place. The secret study’s entrance your father locked will also open at the appointed time you chose.

‘The Duke of Agla has kept his word.’

With Caspar Agla gone, this was our cue.

My father, reading my unspoken thought, gave the order.

“Throw the bomb.”

At his command, a knight immediately hurled a small bomb at the hideout.

It struck the feeble shield placed around the tent, detonating with a blast.

Boom!

“Who’s there!”

With the explosion, the Crown Prince appeared.

He, too, looked ragged, as if he had suffered as much as the Crown Princess in the imperial dungeon.

His gaze met mine, and I let myself laugh at him as I pleased.

He ground his teeth and shouted,

“Bellady Aeltern—!”

To that roar, I tilted my head languidly.

“Still spirited, I see. You must have gotten used to the dungeons.”

“Argh! Even if I start over, I’ll kill you first!”

He threw something at me. It barely even made it halfway before hitting the ground.

Crash!

As glass shattered, a dark purple liquid seeped into the earth.

Moments later, I felt a faint tremor from below.

The Crown Prince grinned wickedly.

“Hahaha! Soon, you’ll be torn apart by my soldiers!”

With those words, a hand shot up from the ground.

It began. Hundreds of corpses started clawing their way out from underground at an alarming speed.

I couldn’t help but grimace at the grotesque sight.

‘He never changes, does he?’

“Neither you nor your precious House Aeltern could withstand my brainwashed soldiers before! This time, the potion is even stronger! My warriors will never fall!”

“You certainly love the sound of your own voice.”

Last time, I did fall for those numbers, didn’t I?

‘But does he really think I’ll step in the same trap twice?’

“Preparations are finished, I hope?”

“All ready, Lady Bellady!”

With the knight’s affirmation, I drew my spirit blade, gripping it tightly, a wry smile on my lips.

“I’ll go first.”

Not bothering to look back, I surged toward the advancing corpse army.

Whoooosh!

Rooooaaaaar!

I didn’t even have to cut them down.

At the very touch of my blade, they vanished without a trace. If I had to describe it—like popping balloons with a sword?

As I sliced through them effortlessly, the Crown Prince’s shrieking voice rang in my ears.

“W-what! How are they disappearing so easily! In my last experiments, they got back up no matter how many times they were cut! They were tougher than regular flesh, stronger and more durable!”

His astonishment was almost musical as I cut my way through with speed and ease.

‘Naturally. The spirit’s power and the monster offal’s natural enemy are both on my side now.’

With each swing of my blade, the strange, reddish jewel—set into its guard—flashed brightly.

That reminded me of a favor I’d asked of Aining before coming to the Monster’s Forest.

—Aining, look at my sword. I gave Taudin the magic ruby, but I never found a suitable ornament for this spot.

—Ah! Then we have to find something wonderful, right away!

—Would you fill it for me, Aining?

—Me? But how?

—If you make your healing bead big enough to fit in this slot, it’ll help enormously in the battle to come.

—Huh? But I’ve never made one that big…

—You can do it, right, Aining?

—Uh… um…

—You can do it, can’t you?

Of course, Aining could.