Chapter 129 - North Korean rabbit

Episode 129

The deal she had offered when the Tower Lord Gaspard visited not long ago was precisely this.

"Retrieve some remains from Roxelline's tomb."

"That place must be heavily guarded. Wouldn't it be easier to take what was brought before?"

"No. It must be that woman's bones. Absolutely!"

Empress Roxelline's sarcophagus was located at the very outermost edge of the Imperial Mausoleum.

Because the Emperor visited frequently, compared to other places, the tomb keepers and knights came and went often.

Moreover, being the Imperial Mausoleum, there were quite a few layers of magical defensive barriers accumulated over hundreds of years.

Penetrating them without a trace was no easy task, even for the Tower Lord.

'And there was also the matter of timing.'

This was a task that absolutely had to be performed when the Crimson Moon rose.

Half a year passed, and yesterday the Crimson Moon rose again.

Thanks to that, only now, quite some time after the deal was made, could Gaspard bring the results to the Empress.

With trembling hands, Isabel caressed the former Empress's remains. Her fingernails dug into the bone, producing a grating sound.

Isabel forcibly removed the ring from the skeletal finger.

Looking down as if despising her malice-ridden, obsessive appearance, Gaspard demanded his rightful payment.

"You've got what you wanted, so now you must give me what's mine."

The Empress, who had been glaring at the ruby ring with frenzied eyes, slowly raised her head.

Then, she indicated the box placed on the table with her chin.

"Take it."

It was a statement that sounded as if she were forcibly spitting out a burr-covered chestnut.

Gaspard removed the dragon heart embedded in the Empress's coronation tiara from the box.

"As expected, the dragon heart said to have been given directly by Artanus to his descendant is of a different purity. This will be a great help. Thank you."

Gaspard smiled broadly and tucked the dragon heart into his sleeve. Isabel, who had now lost even her final symbol as Empress, gritted her teeth.

"Get out."

"As you command."

Gaspard performed an exaggerated bow as if in mockery, then melted into the shadows and disappeared as if he were one with them.

Left alone once more, she narrowed her eyes and glared at the sky.

On nights of the Crimson Moon, it was not uncommon for the phenomenon to last more than a single day.

Even as the moon waned, the red hue did not fade.

According to records, the longest period it had lasted was a week.

Even though a day had already passed since the Crimson Moon rose, the full moon still held a red glow.

It seemed this Crimson Moon would last quite a while.

The Crown Prince's Palace came into Gaspard's view as he skillfully avoided the dense network of defensive and surveillance magic spread throughout the Imperial Palace.

He recalled the woman he had tried to see only briefly last time but had been caught by.

"If you want the husband, you must first get permission from the wife."

Her expression, fearful yet bold and confident, had been memorable.

'Moreover, she knew exactly what I wanted. How is that possible?'

The question remained unanswered. Having gone to the trouble of sneaking into the Imperial Palace, he considered checking once more.

But he soon dismissed the thought.

The Crimson Moon was still up. It was widely known that the royal family's madness intensified during this period. Provoking the Crown Prince now was unwise.

And he was also curious.

It was clear how the item he had just given to the Empress would be used.

It would pose a great threat and crisis not only to the Crown Prince but also to his wife.

So, how would that woman act?

"I'll watch with anticipation."

Gaspard left the words for someone far away and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Today marks the second day of the Crimson Moon.

And it seems Arpad headed to the catacombs again tonight.

Perhaps because I tried to stop him yesterday, tonight he just left a note and vanished.

He must be spending the night, miserable again, in that gloomy underground cemetery like yesterday.

Going to the deepest part of the earth to hide from the light of the Crimson Moon.

Arpad, who returned in the morning, only sent word through an attendant that he was working and did not come to see me directly.

I realized anew. Arpad had soaked into my daily life too deeply, like rainwater.

To the point where the void felt excessively noticeable.

It felt strange to open my eyes in the morning and find him not in the bed, and unfamiliar not to have his voice pointlessly chiming in during my dressing time.

We often shared breakfast and dinner, and eating alone made the food tasteless.

It wasn't that the chef's skill had changed, so it must ultimately be a matter of my mood.

'Am I now... feeling lonely and forlorn? And it's only the second day?'

"Sleep alone tonight."

"Why, do you dislike the thought of being lonely?"

The words Arpad had tossed out playfully had truly come to pass.

Somehow, it felt like I had lost, and my mood was low.

No, that's not it. Even if it weren't for that fact, I was feeling very depressed and my head was complicated right now.

'And I'm bothered that Arpad just up and left on his own...'

It weighed on my mind that I couldn't hold onto him in the end.

It felt as if it meant I was wary and suspicious of Arpad...

'Huh? Wait a moment?'

But that's exactly what I'm doing.

I still remembered the moment from my past life when Arpad, transformed into a half-human, half-dragon monster, had pounced on me.

The feeling of death approaching my neck. Him frantically licking the blood from my wounds...

"...!"

For some reason, my face suddenly grew hot.

Was it because I was thinking too complicatedly?

Anyway, Arpad was as sensitive and perceptive as I thought.

He would naturally sense my wariness and fear.

Though he seemed to think it was fear of his madness, which could strike at any moment.

I couldn't tell him it was actually fear born from experience.

Because saying my wariness and fear were about Arpad's madness wasn't entirely wrong either.

And in truth, that wasn't the reason I sent Arpad away so helplessly yesterday.

It was his final words.

"I often dream of harming you."

The explanation Arpad added was shocking.

It was strangely detailed.

If Arpad, who has no memories from before the regression, dreams of harming me, shouldn't the dream be based on my current appearance?

But listening to Arpad's description, the state of me or the surrounding situation he said he saw in the dream...

'Wasn't it close to the situations I was in with him before the regression?'

When I was imprisoned in the Magical Tower and became an experimental subject.

The moment I was abandoned as bait to Ludwig and was caught by him while trying to escape.

Once that thought arose, another one followed immediately.

'Could it be that Arpad is recalling memories from before the regression?'

I wasn't certain. But the previous day, the mere possibility had shocked me so much that I couldn't properly judge or react.

While I was frozen, Arpad slipped out through the window.

And he still hadn't appeared before me.

'Could it be that he thinks it's better to stay away during this dangerous period because I fear him?'

I recalled a phrase we often exchanged, half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"Am I hurt?"

I had taken it as a joke then, but thinking back now, Arpad had worn an unusually pitiful expression.

Good heavens, Arpad and pitifulness! Is there a more mismatched combination?

Even though I wanted to deny it, this thought kept swirling in my head, refusing to leave.

My eyes were looking at documents and my hands were handling work, but my thoughts were elsewhere.

Having not seen Arpad's handsome, annoyingly confident face for about two days, my thoughts only grew deeper and more complex.

This was not good.

Because Arpad, who was probably being miserable alone in the catacombs, was growing increasingly pitiful in my mind.

By now, he had almost become akin to a pitiful, trembling stray dog.

'Have I gone mad?'

I must have gone mad. Of all people, that Arpad!

But I simply couldn't easily free myself from this inexplicable guilt. To the point where, just before midnight, I couldn't stand it anymore and abruptly stood up.

'This won't do! I'll go see for myself and confirm to myself the reality that is different from this absurd delusion!'

And while I'm at it, I should ask more details about those strange memories.