Love Letter From The Future

Tap, tap.

The sound of a staff hitting the ground echoed periodically. I was walking somewhat slowly, matching the pace of the one-legged woman.

This was inside a vast building.

After the Golden Fortress of Alphenhausen burned down, Senior Shiene moved her office to an old temple located in a corner of the Academy. Not long ago, it had been a place where the victims of a vampire were gathered.

There were several reasons why Senior Shiene chose this place.

First and foremost, security.

For a long time, the temple had been one of the most important facilities. It was not only a religiously sacred building, but also a place dedicated to the treatment of the sick.

Thus, it naturally excelled in its ability to repel intruders.

No matter how much time passed, the same held true. The remnants of numerous barriers still remained on the old temple site, and the Alphenhausen Clan spent astronomical sums to revive the security barriers here.

It was nothing short of a miracle completed in just two days. This was truly magic that could only be wielded by the gold of Alphenhausen.

Even so, Senior Shiene still maintained a nervous attitude.

It was understandable. There was no way a hastily made barrier could stop an opponent that even that “Golden Fortress” could not repel.

Nevertheless, Senior Shiene had no options.

There were few spaces capable of accommodating dozens of critically ill patients.

This was the second reason why Senior Shiene moved her office to the old temple site.

“Is there still not a single person that has regained consciousness?”

“Can’t you see?”

The irritating question returned to my pure curiosity.

She had always been finicky, but since losing her arms and legs, Senior Shiene had become even more sensitive. It made sense that the burn that had scorched half of her face was endlessly festering.

But my heart was just as complicated.

Even so, I couldn’t show it. I calmed the slight discomfort rising within me and waited for Senior Shiene to continue.

She leaned on her staff and gestured around her. Everywhere I looked, there were only knights groaning on the ground.

The only ones awake and moving were the priests caring for the patients.

“It’s bizarre how they’re still unconscious. Their wounds are constantly getting worse, and sometimes the burned areas even reignite… Honestly, it’s troubling. And everyone is suffering from strange hallucinations…”

“Hallucinations, you say?”

“Like their bodies are melting away or that they are burning all over. I can’t tell what’s real or not, but that’s the gist of it.”

Hmm, I muttered to myself while straining to listen to the patients’ groans.

“Please… No, my body is melting… Save me…”

“Ahhhh! It’s hot, it’s hot!”

Quite a few were occasionally screaming in fits. What kind of scene were they witnessing in their dreams?

Could it be that they were seeing Celin?

Could it really be that Celin had committed such a cruel act?

I was just about to groan from a chronic headache.

“There are whispers that they might have had their souls taken.”

“Soul, you say?”

At the sudden speculation, my voice naturally rose. Senior Shiene, resting on her staff, stepped forward and slowly continued her explanation.

“The soul and body have a strong connection. So even after having their souls taken, there are cases where the body responds to a soul far away.”

“Then what they are seeing in their hallucinations…?”

“Would likely be the scenery their souls are witnessing. Burning and melting… I don’t know where they are trapped.”

It was an ominous story.

The soul was a material more valuable than the body. The things that could be done with just one person’s soul were countless.

But to think that dozens, all powerful souls, had been taken?

The souls of knights and mages who had trained their minds had a much higher value as a sacrifice compared to commoners. Even compared to hundreds of orphans, those dozens of souls would be worth a far greater price.

What could it possibly be used for?

While I was lost in thought, Senior Shiene did not abandon her unique disrespectful tone.

“Of course, it’s still just a hypothesis. But if that claim is true… You understand, don’t you, Sir Handaxe? For the sake of humanity, you have no choice but to endure your childhood friend…”

Ah!

It was a fleeting mistake.

A woman who had lost one eye likely had a somewhat narrowed field of vision. Losing one arm and one leg would also disrupt her sense of balance.

The staff slipped under her grip, causing the woman to naturally lean forward. If left unchecked, rolling on the ground would become inevitable.

However, as long as I was beside her, there was no need to worry.

My hand quickly grasped the one remaining arm of the woman firmly. Soon, her surprised gaze, having regained her balance, turned towards me.

I asked, as if it were nothing.

“Do you need assistance?”

Then, with a tap.

Senior Shiene’s frail arm rebuffed my hand. I couldn’t help but be bewildered by the unexpected rough reaction.

But in the very next moment.

“I-I don’t need it…”

A trembling voice, a quaking body, and eyes that frantically dodged my gaze were imprinted in my sight.

Like a frightened wild animal afraid of contact itself.

It was a response that only a human deeply entangled in fear could display.

In the face of such a sight, I could only maintain my silence for a moment. I never expected such a proud woman could show such a weak form.

On the other hand, it also brought a foreboding thought.

Was Celin’s hand this cruel? No matter how deep the resentment, the Celin I knew would never…

At that moment, I turned my head without a word. It was my last respect for the pitiful woman steeped in nightmares.

In truth, I didn’t care about what Senior Shiene went through. The only reason my feet remained stuck was the thought that my childhood friend might have caused this to her.

An intentionally emotionless tone escaped my throat.

“Do as you wish.”

With an indifferent attitude, I took a step forward.

Then, Senior Shiene glanced around cautiously for a moment before following behind me with a hurried pace. After all, she had only one leg, so her staff was struggling to keep up.

The end of the walk was predetermined.

Deep within the building lay the princess who was sleeping.

With skin as white as a freshly painted wall and hair so pale it was almost transparent. Her softly closed eyelids made it seem as if she were waiting for the play to begin.

A play where she awaited the prince who would save her.

How wonderful it would be if it could be awakened with a kiss.

The protagonist of this tragedy was Luna Alphenhausen, none other than Senior Shiene’s twin sister.

Before her younger sister, Senior Shiene was silent for a while. I remained silent too, and after a moment of no groans from Luna, I cautiously brought up the subject.

“Did Alphenhausen lead this?”

The hazy silver pupils subtly turned toward me, as if trying to read the intention behind my question.

It was a pained gaze. Nevertheless, I had to ask.

There wasn’t much time left for me.

“What about the fall of the Haster Clan? In fact, because of that, Celin…”

“It wasn’t us.”

It was an excessively flat statement.

Thus, I momentarily failed to grasp the weight of that testimony, furrowing my brow slightly. What on earth was this woman talking about?

Yet, Senior Shiene continued her testimony without faltering.

“To be precise, it should be seen that a specific faction, not Alphenhausen, took the lead. You know, right? That the five noble families of the Empire must line up behind a prominent heir to the throne early on…”

That was indeed the case.

The successor from the five noble families of the Empire is, in truth, determined by the next Emperor. The only entities free from this are those with overwhelming legitimacy in bloodlines, like Senior Delphine.

However, the upper nobility society is a world of relentless competition.

Naturally, a family with so few offspring is extremely rare. This is why conflicts arise within the heir succession structure.

Alphenhausen likely found itself in a similar situation.

Numerous legitimate branches, including Senior Shiene and many others, must be competing. Each serving their own lord and trying to make the most of their abilities.

I already knew who Senior Shiene’s lord was.

“As you supported Princess Iris, right?”

“Ah, yes. However, there has been competition over the heir position in the Imperial Court for quite some time now.”

Senior Shiene let out a half-hearted chuckle as she said this.

“At that time, I wasn’t mature enough to oppose or even comment on it. After all, I was only born three years before you… And yet, it’s true that I was connected to the forces that hastened the fall of the Haster Clan.”

“Who were they?”

“My lord.”

In other words, it meant that the faction of the second princess, Princess Iris, led this charge.

A sudden laugh escaped Senior Shiene’s lips as she calmly conveyed that fact.

It seemed to imply that she found it amusing.

“Cough, cough. Therefore, shouldn’t I bear the sin as a faithful vassal? But still… I do have these thoughts, being human.”

It was the first time I heard such sincerity.

Perhaps it was because she was mentally cornered. Or perhaps it was that I longed for the warmth of the hand I had briefly held.

Yet, Senior Shiene discreetly avoided my gaze as she confessed.

“Is this my sin?”

It should indeed be so.

You were born under the blessings of your clan and advanced under its name.

Thus, it is only natural that you shoulder the stigma of your clan.

I wanted to say that, but seeing the bandages covering half of her face becoming damp made it hard to proceed.

After hesitating for a while, I eventually brought up the main point again.

“Please be bait.”

The woman said nothing. She merely bit her lip once.

“In fact, I have little time left. Please help me to persuade them, even once.”

“What if it fails?”

“It won’t fail.”

With strong conviction, I stated that definitively.

“Even if it does, I will succeed someday. That’s just who I am.”

“Shall I be honest? I just want revenge. It’s not about saving anyone.”

“Regardless, you will have to cooperate.”

With a strong tone, the woman let out a hollow laugh.

Lost arms and legs, eyes and face.

Given that, my suggestion sounded utterly absurd. Therefore, it was inevitable that Senior Shiene raised her voice.

“Sir Handaxe, do you still not understand? I am destined to live the rest of my life never being able to show my face again because of your childhood friend…!”

“A burn is a kind of curse. It’s the only wound that cannot be healed by divine power.”

Her words left her speechless. I seized the opportunity to continue.

“If you help me, I will take full responsibility. Even if it does not result in a complete cure. Your burns, your scars…”

“That can’t be your fault.”

“Even if that’s the case…”

Senior Shiene remained silent for a while.

She merely trembled, opening and closing her lips repeatedly.

In the end, with a venomous glare, she spoke a single sentence.

“…You madman.”

In a voice laced with subtle heat, the woman said.

“Fine, do as you wish. After all, I’ve become a cripple… I’ll be your toy if that’s what you want.”

And two days later.

Without fail, Celin launched her attack.

Only, it wasn’t aimed at the Alphenhausen Clan.

“Princess Iris is in critical condition!”

Indeed.

The target that my childhood friend was aiming at was not the Alphenhausen Clan. The attack on the Golden Fortress was merely the overture to revenge.

Celin was intent on burning the Imperial Court to the ground.

And she was doing so with sincerity.

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