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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Logness territory.
A single ray of moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the darkened room. Sepia lay in bed, her hand on her forehead, staring blankly at the ceiling.
It was long past midnight, but sleep eluded her.
It had been like this for days. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, preventing her from finding rest.
‘Ethan doesn’t love me…’
She had reached a conclusion she didn’t want to face. He wanted to become a hero, to be her equal… It had all been a misunderstanding.
She felt a surge of shame.
She had been the only one in love. A wave of helplessness washed over her.
‘I loved you so much… I was the only one…’
Sepia clutched her chest, a heavy weight pressing down on her.
But she was more worried about Ethan.
‘Ethan… why won’t you open your heart to anyone?’
She wanted to find him, to ask him, to tell him that she would share his burdens.
She hugged the teddy bear Ethan had given her at the festival.
*Knock, knock.
The sound of a knock broke the silence. It was past midnight. There was only one person who would visit at this hour.
“My lady, it’s Vivian. May I come in?”
“Yes… come in.”
Her voice was weak. Vivian cautiously opened the door and entered.
They had grown up together, like sisters.
Vivian, though only a year older, had been like an older sister, a younger sister, and sometimes, even a mother to Sepia.
“I’m sorry for calling you at this hour…”
“It’s alright, my lady. It’s my duty.”
Vivian smiled faintly.
“Are you feeling alright?”
Sepia forced a smile. She had told the servants that she wasn’t feeling well.
They had been understanding.
An arranged marriage for the young, naive heiress. And the meeting was just around the corner.
“I’m not alright…”
Sepia sat up, her gaze fixed on the empty space before her. She had so much to say, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Vivian, I…”
“Yes, my lady. I’m listening.”
Even Vivian, who had been by her side all these years, thought Sepia’s distress was due to the arranged marriage.
“Ethan doesn’t love me.”
Vivian looked at Sepia, her expression unreadable. Sepia poured out her heart.
The secret of the Lemegeton, Ethan’s closed heart, his lack of amnesia…
“Could the artifact be wrong?”
“I want to believe that. But it isn’t. It was right about everything else.”
“…I see.”
Artifacts like the Lemegeton were imbued with powerful magic. It was unlikely that it was wrong.
“I think… a part of me always knew that Ethan didn’t love me. I just didn’t want to admit it.”
Sepia’s voice was barely a whisper.
“But what worries me the most is… Ethan. I don’t understand why he’s like this. Again.”
They sat in the darkened room, two figures silhouetted against the moonlight.
“He won’t tell me, even if I ask. He’s carrying everything on his own again. And I hate him for it. I hate him.”
“My lady, I’m so sorry… If it weren’t for me…”
“It’s okay, Vivian. Just… hold me.”
Vivian embraced Sepia.
Her warmth was comforting. Her gentle voice soothed Sepia’s troubled heart.
“My lady, I’ll go find Ethan.”
“No, Vivian. I’ll go myself.”
She would find Ethan, as soon as this was over. Sepia made a promise to herself.
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Linchester territory.
Something had happened last night. The atmosphere was tense.
The entire territory was in an uproar.
I was walking down the hallway with Hessia. We had just finished our meal.
“…So, he just… disappeared.”
“But the shrine is protected by a barrier, isn’t it?”
“The barrier was breached.”
Two maids were whispering in a corner. They saw me and quickly scurried away.
‘The shrine’s barrier was breached?’
The Linchester shrine.
I didn’t know much about it. It hadn’t been mentioned in the novel.
In fact, there were very few chapters about Linchester.
Arthur had never been involved with Sylvia.
“Ethan, what’s wrong?”
Hessia looked up at me.
“It’s nothing.”
“You promised you’d show me your swordsmanship today.”
I had felt guilty for leaving her alone so often, so I had promised to take her with me to the training grounds.
She could practice her magic while I trained. We headed to the training grounds.
Sylvia was already there, looking the same as yesterday.
“Dan-ah, I apologize. This is… troublesome.”
She seemed reluctant to talk about it. She couldn’t help me with my training today.
“An unidentified creature was spotted near the shrine in the southwest yesterday. I need to investigate.”
It had breached the barrier around the shrine.
An unidentified creature, so close to the Linchester territory… it could attack at any moment.
“I’m going to meet with the witness.”
“What kind of creature was it?”
“They don’t know… I need to hear the details myself.”
Master rubbed her temples.
“Master, can I come with you? I might know something.”
As a transmigrator, I had a lot of information.
I probably knew more about the Demon Lands than most people.
“Alright. But what about Hessia?”
I looked at Hessia. She didn’t want to be left alone.
“I’m coming too.”
I hesitated, then nodded.
Hessia knew more about magic than I did. She might be able to help.
“I’ll take her with me.”
“Alright. Follow me. We’re leaving now.”
We took a carriage to the guard post near the Demon Lands. It wasn’t far from the castle.
The witness was in a state of shock. His eyes darted around nervously.
“I am Sylvia von Linchester, the rightful heir to the Linchester family. Tell me what you saw at the shrine.”
The young man, whose name was Dirks, began to speak, his voice trembling. He looked like he had seen Cthulhu.
“I… I’m not sure… It was dark.”
“Just tell me what you saw.”
“I was on patrol when I saw a creature. It looked like a plant, but it was walking, like an animal.”
A plant?
There was only one demon who could control plants: the 14th ranked Leraje. But I couldn’t be sure.
The Demon Lands were filled with all sorts of strange creatures.
“But I’m not even sure if it was a plant.”
“You’re not sure?”
“It… it had thorny vines, but it was walking. It definitely walked right through the barrier.”
Sylvia’s expression hardened, her resolve to destroy all demons evident.
“Is there anything else you remember?”
“No.”
Master’s brow furrowed. She asked a series of questions.
The number of creatures, their attack patterns, their location, the guard’s escape route… she was carefully gathering information.
After a long silence, she spoke.
“Dan-ah, I’m forming a knight order and heading into the Demon Lands. It is my duty as a member of the Linchester family.”
“Master, I’m coming with you.”
“…It’s dangerous.”
“I know. But I have to do it eventually.”
I would be sent on missions as an early graduate, after all. Master’s blue eyes met mine, then she nodded.
“Alright. Get ready, Dan-ah. We’re going to the Demon Lands.”
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The reception room in the Logness territory.
Sepia waited anxiously. Her suitor was arriving today.
He had been invited to the Logness castle.
It was a strategic move, a way to show off their family’s power and influence.
Sepia thought it was childish.
He was a famous mage from the Central Ward magic tower. How many mages were obsessed with money?
Not many, she assumed. Though some magic towers were known for their political maneuvering.
But mages were generally seen as noble scholars, seeking knowledge and truth.
Sepia rubbed her face. Dark circles had formed under her eyes.
She had even asked Vivian to help her cover them up.
She sat on the sofa, her back to the window. She had agreed to her father’s request, but she wasn’t happy about it.
A knock broke the silence. A man entered. He was surprisingly well-built for a mage.
Dark brown hair, matching eyes.
He wore horn-rimmed glasses that suited his kind, gentle face. He was wearing the uniform of the Central Ward magic tower.
“Hello. I’m Elron von Izar.”
Sepia quickly stood up. While Vivian prepared tea, Elron sat down.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
They were alone. An awkward silence filled the room.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, my lady. I’ve always admired you.”
“I see… Thank you. It must have been a long journey.”
Elron smirked.
She was even cuter than she had been in the picture.
Sepia remained stoic as she sipped her tea. Her cat-like eyes were sharp and intimidating.
The conversation didn’t go anywhere.
Sepia seemed uninterested in everything he said.
“You don’t seem to like me.”
“I don’t like arranged marriages.”
Her blunt response made Elron chuckle.
“Shall we talk about magic?”
“Magic?”
“There are so many different types of magic in the world.”
That was obvious.
Sepia wondered why he was stating the obvious.
“And demons are said to use a different kind of magic.”
“I suppose so.”
She was still uninterested.
Elron rubbed his forehead. He had expected this.
He brushed his brown hair back, revealing his eyes.
He had one last resort. His brown eyes turned purple.
Sepia’s eyes widened in shock, but it was too late.
“What… what are you…?”
She lost consciousness, her body slumping. She was completely under his control, her gaze fixed on his purple eyes.
“Tell me about yourself, Sepia. That’s an order.”
Sepia’s eyes were vacant. She nodded and began to speak.
“My name is Sepia von Logness. I am the only daughter of the Logness family, and I’m currently studying magic at Neydia Academy.”
Elron smiled, satisfied.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sepia. I am Asmodeus, the 36th ranked demon general. Normally, my magic wouldn’t work on someone with your high magic resistance. But there was a crack in your heart.”
Sepia stared at him blankly.
“I like you, Sepia. I’m already curious about the children you’ll bear.”
“The children… I’ll bear…”
Asmodeus nodded dramatically.
“We’ll have to get married, won’t we?”
“…Yes, we will…”
“You will love me from this day forward.”
But Sepia didn’t respond. Asmodeus shrugged.
His purple eyes glowed brighter.
“Answer me, Sepia. You will fall in love with me.”
A long silence followed. Sepia finally spoke.
“…No. I only love Ethan.”
“What did you say?”
“The only one I love is Ethan.”
He thought he had misheard. But he hadn’t. Sepia, the seemingly fragile girl, was resisting his mind control.
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I dislike NTR 😑