CH 66

"Are you sure you want to kill me?"

Elliot quickly turned around and faced the voice.

In the darkness, the only light originated from the safe sitting quietly in the room.

In its small light, Elliot noticed a small figure standing in front of him with their backs to the safe.

It was difficult to see the face because of the backlight, but Elliot didn't have much trouble identifying the person based on the type of clothing worn and the sound of their voice. 

"Ilya Titonsser?"

Ilya, who had disappeared from the Honeywell Manor by using an unknown ability, was standing in front of him, entirely unharmed.

Laughter leaked from the person's curved lips at the name he called.

"You must have been very surprised. I didn't mean to surprise you."

"How are you here? How did you disappear from Honeywell Manor?"

"Are you curious?"

Ilya turned her back to him and approached the safe.

Elliott followed her without stowing his sword. 

If I see any suspicious behavior, I'll act immediately.

Upon arriving in front of the safe, Ilya's figure appeared more clearly in the light.

From what Elliot could see of her back, even so, he felt that the energy radiating from Ilya was no different from what he felt at Honeywell Manor.

Standing in front of the safe, Ilya interrupted his thoughts without giving Elliot a glance.

"You can take that sword and stand guard all you want, but you won't be able to hurt me anyway."

"You talk too carelessly in front of me, Lady Titonsser."

"Is that so? Do you think I'm behaving too carelessly?"

As if not understanding the words spoken by Elliot Proud, the baron's daughter tilted her head innocently. 

Ilya, who had been thinking about what she said to Elliot, finally smiled as if she couldn't find the problem in her reply.

"How do you open this? That's what's important right now."

Ilya's slender fingers pointed to the safe in front of her, so close that it appeared as if she might touch it at any moment. 

Seeing the lack of space between the girl and the safe, Elliot frowned.

"You better not touch that lock. It is specially designed, so if someone other than the owner touches it, it will cause serious burns."

The only person who could unlock the safe was the head of the Proud family.

Elliot's father, the late Duke Proud, handed over the secret of the safe and the power to open the lock when he handed over the duke's position to his son.

That way, only one person knew of its existence, the secrets of this vault, and had the power to manage it.

Even though Elliot gave a warning himself, Ilya did not withdraw her hand.

Duke Proud didn't care enough to warn her again, nor did he desire to pull her hand away to a safe distance. 

Even if Ilya's hands got burned beyond repair because she misjudged the distance and accidentally touched it, it didn't matter to him.

"If someone other than the owner touches it, it burns...? Hmm... Then, what happens if the person inside touches it?"

"...What?"

Elliot did not understand what she meant by her words and questioned her intention. 

But instead of answering, Ilya smiled mysteriously and reached for the lock.

Ilya's hand, smaller than the size of the lock, reached out and made contact. Elliot waited in silence and thought that now that hand would catch fire.

Elliot wasn't exaggerating when he said that whoever touched it would get burned.

When he first received the power from his predecessor, Duke Proud, he had a lot of doubts and personally experimented with it.

The frightened man, whom he brought in for the experiment, had refused to touch the lock.

But knowing that if he didn't take action, a sharp sword would pierce his back, the man cried and reached for the lock.

...And the fierce flames engulfed the man in an instant.

Fire ate the man, and he quickly disappeared without leaving even ashes.

On the day he witnessed it with his own eyes, Elliot realized that the secret that had been handed to him was not just a fictional myth.

And now, he waited for the flames to appear before him.

However, Ilya did not suffer even simple, minor burns, let alone being engulfed in flames.

"Why is nothing...?"

Elliot muttered, puzzled. His eyes widened as he scanned Ilya's body, which remained unharmed.

Then another disconcerting thing happened before his eyes.

The countless locks surrounding the safe began to fall to the floor one by one.

Click. Took. Click. Took.

The sound of a lock opening and falling heavily echoed in the dark room.

Elliot was unable to say anything about the unknown situation unfolding in front of his eyes, causing Ilya to laugh brightly. 

"Did you not expect this to happen? Haa, but it's not unexpected."

The vault door, which had been firmly closed, opened with a sharp sound, and the mirror where Abaddon's body was sealed appeared.

For hundreds of years, the mirror had never been changed, remaining the same throughout time, but now, if there was one difference from before, it was that the corner of the mirror was broken and the size of a fragment had been removed.

Ilya ran her finger across the mirror, where the broken shards were dusted off with her fingertips. Drops of blood formed where her fingers met the shards.

Elliot swallowed a laugh as he saw Ilya's face remain unchanged with the newly acquired injuries.

"I thought the mirror would have gone to Rose, but... Ilya, you looked in the mirror first."

Illya put her fingers on the mirror and tensed up.

The blood on her fingertips was swiped across the surface and left a red mark on the mirror.

The baron's daughter withdrew her persistent stare from the mirror and turned her head toward Elliot.

"Were you thinking of putting the mirror on my body and getting close to Rose Honeywell? Were you hoping to get the soul out? Or maybe... to transfer this body to Rose Honeywell?"

"Who are you now?"

Duke Proud felt that this was the first question that should have been asked.

Ilya opened her eyes wide, brought her index finger to her mouth, and placed it lightly at the corner, as though puzzled. Then she raised her eyes slightly and even pretended to think.

It was an act of taking this situation lightly.

Elliot put strength into the hand holding the sword.

"Say, Ilya Titonsser or Abaddon? Who's inside you?"

"Ahaha! Who's in me?"

Ilya suddenly burst into laughter, holding her stomach and bending over.

After laughing for a long time, she stopped and straightened up like nothing happened.

"I am Ilya Titonsser, the only daughter of Baron Titonsser."

"I have no intention of joking around. If you're going to keep fooling around, I'll cut your throat no matter what you do."

Elliot's sharp sword pointed at Ilya's fragile neck.

She was in a dangerous state. Any small, sudden movement would make the sword dig in more, cutting her throat, and yet she didn't react much.

Rather, she seemed to be enjoying this thrill.

Elliot's eyes grew sharper, to which Ilya then raised both hands and waved them away.

"All right, I'll stop. Could you please put the sword away first? Pointing a sword at a lady is something a knight like the duke shouldn't do."

After staring at Ilya and judging her sincerity, Elliot obediently drew the sword.

As soon as she was freed from the receding sword, Ilya made a sound with her arms crossed, pretending to be worried.

"Ugh! What to say... I'll just tell them in order. The mirror the Duke gave me, I did as you guessed, I opened it. It's a gift for Rose Honeywell, but I can't contain my curiosity."

"..."

"And then I saw it. A part of the monster contained within the mirror. Even though it was a body without a soul and a mind, making it only a small part of its former brilliance. Its power was amazing."

Ilya explained the situation with an exaggerated voice and hand gestures, as if telling a story to a child.

"The moment the body in the mirror came into me, all the memories came along with it. Even the image of a boy holding a sword to save humans in the distant past."

"A boy with a sword?"

"Ah, yes. His name is probably... Was it Joan?---Ah! After that, he changed his name to Joan Walker Van Tristan."

"That person..."

Joan Walker van Tristan. 

It was the name of the first emperor who founded the Tristan Empire.

As Elliot trailed off in realization, Ilya nodded along. 

"Yes, yes! He was the first emperor of Tristan. I found out everything: The monster that ruled this continent. The boy who defeated the monster and saved everyone. And even the pain the monster felt when its body and soul were separated!"

"Is the reason why you were able to suddenly disappear from Honeywell Manor because a part of Abaddon's body entered your body?"

"You can say that. Even so, it is a very weak piece of his power. Originally, you could say that strange beings have strange talents and abilities."

Elliot put the sword into the scabbard.

"I sent the shards of the mirror absorbed into another ordinary mirror with the intention of causing a reaction between the body and the soul in Rose's body. Are you saying that you don't have to be in Rose to awaken your body?"

"That's right. The body, which is nothing more than an empty shell, can be awakened by putting a soul into it, whether it is an old man or a child. However, compared to the real soul, there should be many discrepancies. Since this is only a part of the body, that one in the mirror has also awakened."

"You don't have to be Rose to wake up that body..."

Eliot's gaze lowered, and his sight turned to the mirror in the safe, where a shard of the mirror was missing.

Ilya hopped in front of him and waved her hand in front of him.

"I missed one thing out. If you put the souls of many people into it, the body will wake up, but the power will be very weak. To awaken it fully, you must bring in the true spirit of Abaddon."

Eliot tilted his head, avoiding Ilya's hand that suddenly entered his field of vision. He frowned.

"I was going to do that, but didn't the plan go wrong because you touched the mirror first?"

"This, ahh... I'm sorry."

Ilya bowed down and apologized. However, her expression was full of interest in his reactions, so Elliot didn't feel she was very sincere.

"As an apology, I will take the mirror to Rose Honeywell. The soul inside Rose Honeywell has also awakened a little, so even if it is a little close, the soul and body will soon be able to unite."

Ilya turned around and approached the mirror, examining the body of Abaddon sleeping in it.

The baron's daughter moved her gaze back and forth from one end of the mirror to the other, then tapped the surface of the mirror with her finger.

Elliot watched Ilya move about and opened his mouth.

"You actively helped me. I didn't know you wanted the position of duchess so much."

"Of course, the position of the duchess is very attractive, but... right now, I'm more attracted to just destroying Tristan."

"That is surprising, as the downfall of Tristan would have no benefit to you."

Ilya smiled prettily and clasped her fingers together. It was a shy smile, like a girl welcoming spring.

"Isn't Tristan's downfall what the Duke wants?"

"Yes, to be precise, the downfall of the Imperial Family. By the way, I appreciate your help, but if you continue to disappear, the Imperial Family will issue a wanted order. As it is, I am on my way to send the knights to the barony of Titonsser today by His Majesty's order."

How will she react when she hears that she will soon become a wanted criminal and that the estate where her family is located is being watched by Imperial Knights?

Elliot waited in anticipation for Ilya's reaction.

If Ilya showed even the slightest reaction, Elliot was planning on taking her to the Imperial Palace right away.

But if there is no response...

While Elliot was mentally evaluating his next actions, Ilya reacted.

"What can I do? I'm sorry to my parents, but I can't wait to see Tristan fall even more."

At her reply, Elliot couldn't help but laugh out loud.

His sudden burst of laughter caused the woman's face to harden.

Duke Proud took one step closer to Ilya.

"Hahah! Finally, I was waiting for an answer like that."

"What are you talking about...?"

Ilya's voice changed, sounding somewhat awkward.

The voice confirmed Elliot's decision.

"You. You aren't that Ilya Titonsser. The body fragment didn't get absorbed into Ilya Titonsser's body; it ate her whole."

His decision was made.

Duke Elliotp Proud of the Tristan Empire, chose not to arrest and take Ilya Titonsser to the Imperial Palace.