Editor: Areth Kyntaul
When I woke up the next day, I saw Mom sleeping soundly next to me.
Elizabeth held my hand at one side and was sleeping soundly. On the other side were Lucia and Nier, who were also asleep.
‘Though I don’t feel as if there’s any problem with the two of them being asleep, why are Luna and Freya asleep as well? And why do they look sprawled out on the ground, as if they got knocked out by someone?’
But mentally, I felt very clear-minded, as if I had just recovered from a long term illness. I rarely felt this way, as I was normally in pain after a full moon. I usually felt a little weak and sick after Vyvyan had sucked my mana out, but I didn’t feel any of those symptoms today.
‘I wonder if Vyvyan adjusted my mana as well, last night.’
However, Vyvyan wasn’t around, and I didn’t know where she’d gone off to.
I touched my body. My body wasn’t messy, and even my clothes were fine.
I smiled helplessly. ‘It looks like I was over-concerned about Vyvyan. Not even Vyvyan would do something while Elizabeth and so many others are around watching. I’m relieved. It looks like what Mom said won’t happen to me. But regardless, Mom still has her rationality intact. Perhaps Mom was just joking that time. I blamed Mom unjustly.’
Maybe that’s how it was. I didn’t consider the problem seriously, at the time.
I watched Lucia, deep asleep, and thought about it.
‘Lucia’s child will be my successor. As elves are a race that views bloodlines with great significance, his mana will determine if he can become the next king or not. Vyvyan is heavily supported by the people, not because of her figure, but because of her irrefutably powerful magic.’
‘Realistically, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Vyvyan was the most talented of the Galadriel tribe. More precisely, Vyvyan is the Galadriel’s greatest magical tool, which they spent hundreds of years to create. Dark elves used all sorts of filthy methods to collect magic. Some were cursed, but Vyvyan soared. As a demigod, she is in no way different to a god other than not being able to create elements.’
I looked at my hands and recalled my powerful destructive power.
I easily destroyed a forest and lake; so, Vyvyan, whose mana is boosted on full moon nights, would easily be able to destroy the continent. As long as she had the time to collect the elements.
Elves don’t have heirs who fight for the throne. They didn’t have dukes, princes, and the sort revolting. Mana was everything.
‘I wonder what my child with Lucia will be like, then.’
‘My mana is of a super-high level. If we were to rank it in order, it would be super-ultra grade. Even though I can’t use it, I still have volume. Lucia is just C-grade. If we’re lucky, our child will be A-grade, but if our child is a B-grade, he would be an ordinary elf.’
‘Such a descendant won’t qualify. He would have no way of becoming king. He won’t be acknowledged, as soon as he’s born.’
‘Even if he grows up under the protection of Vyvyan, Lucia and I, he would still have to ascend the throne, in the end. We’re knowingly making him suffer through pain in the future. Would that be fair to the child? Aren’t we sending an innocent to the abyss of despair, just for the sake of our love?’
‘Am I doing the right thing?’
‘But, I definitely cannot accept Vyvyan’s proposal. I do really like Vyvyan. No, my love for her is the son loving his mother type, without any lust. I did have such feelings before, but I’m getting more and more into Troy’s identity now. I’ve gradually come to see Vyvyan as my mother and not as my lover or a woman I like.’
‘I will not use a substitute. But it looks like my only choice is to pray. Pray that our child can be happy. If this child can’t reach the standard of a successor, I will have to entrust our hopes to our next child. Lucia and I can have another child that will be a successor with enough mana.’
‘My child with Nier will be pure-human, while my child with Lucia will be an elf. Such a strange bloodline theory only exists in this world.’
‘But… where did Vyvyan go off to?’
Just as I wondered that, Vyvyan pushed the door open and brought a tray in. When she spotted me sitting up, she smiled and asked, “How are you, Son? Are you feeling better?”
“I’m well. Thank you, Mom.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Mommy is your Mommy after all. Mommy should take care of you.” Mom sat on the edge of the bed and affectionately stroked my head.
She placed the tray to one side. She said, “Have some breakfast, Son. Full moon nights can have a negative impact on your health. Your mana has just stabilised today. Son, though the mana in your body has re-stabilised, you must not use magic again. Son, you must remember not to use magic. You can use the necklace to call for me at any time, but do not use magic yourself. Mommy isn’t joking.”
Seeing Mom’s serious expression, I nodded and then picked up a fruit. I replied, “Alright, Mom. I won’t make you worry.”
“Good.”
Vyvyan stroked my head. Her smile, under the light of the early morning sun, was brimming with a golden light. It was warmer and more captivating than the sun outside…
I silently ate a simple breakfast, like I do when I’m in the elven lands…
‘No… Something feels wrong…’
‘I know what it is, now! It’s because it’s too harmonious! It’s too harmonious! Isn’t it too harmonious?! Next to me is a sleeping Elizabeth, Nier, Lucia, Luna and Freya! Nier and Elizabeth are easily awoken, too. Why are they still sleeping calmly and not waking up?!’ My heart sunk.
When I saw Vyvyan’s blissful and warm smile, my entire body virtually felt like it was dunked into water.
‘Maybe last night… Maybe last night… maybe last night… maybe that did end up happening last night?! Did it happen or not?! What has Vyvyan done to them?!’
“Mom… why… are they not waking up?” I asked her the question.
Vyvyan dawdled for a moment, then revealed a smile. She made a “shh” hand gesture and answered, “Maybe they’re too tired. Let’s not wake them up, Son.”
‘Are they truly too tired?! Is that true?! Why won’t my mind let me feel convinced?! Why do I think that you’re lying to me?! You’re lying to me, aren’t you?! What… what did you do to me when I wasn’t conscious last night?! What exactly did you do to me?!’
‘But I’m confident that Vyvyan won’t answer me even if I ask. If they don’t remember either… What happened on this last full moon night became a mystery along with the night after the trip to the hot-springs…’
‘What on Earth happened?!’
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter
