Chapter 62: The Light Within the Letter

At the same time, in Elena’s room.

“Sirius… left the Duchy?”

In the room, Elena kept thinking about the information Sebas had told her in the garden.

Setting aside why the Martial Law Decree was issued so early, if Sirius really left the Duchy a month ago, wouldn’t that exactly coincide with the time the decree was issued?

The only explanation was that Sirius went to do something behind the scenes.

At this moment, Elena remembered what Anna had said back in the Academy dormitory.

“That purple potion that could be used to attract magic monsters…”

If Sirius had already been conducting related research on this nine years ago, and might have even collaborated with the Empire…

Leviathan.

For some reason, the name of that enormous magic monster suddenly surfaced in Elena’s mind.

“…Impossible.”

If Sirius could really control such a massive monster, what would his goal be, for starters?

And would the Empire allow him to possess such an exaggerated power?

Elena, who had been pacing back and forth in the room, finally walked up to her desk.

The morning sunlight gently streamed into the room through the window in front of the desk, draping a shimmering, transparent veil of light over the box left behind by her mother.

Elena took a deep breath and reached her hand toward the box. But soon, the girl’s hand stopped mid-air.

She really was…

Even after learning the truth of that year, even after talking with Ai’er about her past…

When it truly came to this moment, she really was still somewhat hesitant.

But the next moment, the smile of a silver-haired girl appeared in Elena’s mind.

“Ai’er…”

This silver-haired girl was constantly pulling her from the pitch-black darkness of the past into the light.

From the Sea Cliff, to this mansion, to the front of the Marquis Residence, then to the Capital Magic Academy, and finally back to this mansion, this room.

“If Ai’er were here.”

If that silver-haired girl were here, she would probably smile, hold her hand, and help her open this box together.

“Thank you, Ai’er.

Then I… I’m opening it, okay?”

Smiling toward the sunlight, Elena gently slid open the latch on the box.

Click.

With that crisp sound, the final obstacle in the girl’s heart that prevented her from running toward the light vanished.

Creeeak—

The somewhat rusty metal components emitted a sound of passing years, congratulating the girl for finally facing her own heart.

The nine years of sealed time began to flow once more at this moment…

There was a letter inside the box.

This should be what Mother left for her. Open it.

What words would Mother have left for her? Thinking back to that morning nine years ago, before leaving the mansion, Mother had wanted to hug her but had restrained herself, only patting her head.

Elena took another deep breath, suppressing the trembling in her fingertips.

Then, she opened the letter—

[My dear little Elena.]

[When you read these words, Mother must surely have already passed away.]

[But Mother also knows—]

[If this letter can be read by my little Elena, it’s probably many years later, right? Perhaps my little Elena is already married with her own children?]

[Mother doesn’t know, but what Mother can be sure of is—my little Elena, you must have someone you love in your heart.]

[Otherwise, with your personality, little Elena, if there wasn’t someone who could enter your heart accompanying you, this letter would never see the light of day~]

Reading this far, Elena felt her eyes growing warmer and warmer, but she was smiling, and there was no icy darkness in her heart, only the light of the warm sunlight now.

And, of course, the silver glimmer of a certain girl.

[First, let Mother congratulate you! It’s just a pity I couldn’t see with my own eyes what my future son-in-law is like.]

[So my little Elena, you must bring him to visit your father and me at our graves. I believe your father would also be very curious about what the person you love is like.]

“Honestly… Mother writing these things, without any embarrassment…”

Elena said, gently wiping the warmth from the corner of her eye.

Someone she loves in her heart… Yes.

After all this time, what exactly were her feelings toward Ai’er? Could she really not be clear about it?

“Though Mother’s choice of words isn’t quite accurate. It should be ‘her.’

But if that day really comes, and I actually bring Ai’er to the graves… Father and Mother’s spirits in heaven might get quite a shock, right?”

But that didn’t matter at all.

She didn’t care about worldly opinions.

The one who saved her, who pulled her out of that pitch-black darkness, who became the moonlight illuminating her path forward…

Was that silver-haired girl.

[Well, let’s end the pleasantries here.]

[What Mother is about to say next, if my little Elena is already the master of the Duchy now, then you don’t need to read it, but remember to turn the letter over to the back. Mother left another sentence there.]

[But if not, if Sirius is still standing in the position of Regent—my little Elena, please listen carefully to what Mother says next.]

[Sirius… has always been researching things related to monster control.]

[When Mother wrote this letter, the night before departing for the Empire, Sirius came to the Duke’s Mansion and gave Mother three boxes—]

Gold, Forbidden Books, and a national treasure-level magic staff.

[Among those Forbidden Books, many were related to magic monsters.]

[Although Sirius said he hoped you would become the Duchy’s Great Mage, becoming the Duchy’s bargaining chip in negotiations with the Empire… Mother doesn’t wish that for you. I hope my little Elena can make her own choices.]

[So, even if my little Elena chooses to leave the Duchy and live elsewhere with the one you love; as long as you are happy, that is the best comfort for Mother and Father.]

“Mother…”

But no matter what, she couldn’t just hand over Father’s Duchy to someone else.

Even if Sirius seemed to be doing it for the Duchy, these matters were not for an outsider like him to interfere with.

Moreover, what he did to Fina, to Anna, to those innocent people… did not deserve forgiveness.

[Back to the main topic. Among those Forbidden Books, aside from many related to monster research, there was also one book that shouldn’t have been in Sirius’s possession…]

[If all Forbidden Books are managed by the Empire, in an Empire that regards the White God Holy Church as its state religion, that book would absolutely never appear…]

[The name of that book is—]

“‘Proof of Existence and Utilization Theory of the Black God’s Blessing’… This is something from the Black God Church?”

Sirius, could he also have ties to the Black God Church?!

[My dear little Elena, Mother hopes you never see this sentence. But… if you have truly read this far, please believe this.]

[Believe that your innate Mana is an existence blessed by the gods, the key for you to pursue all miracles.]

[So my little Elena… please walk forward with determination.]

[If you want to do it, you can definitely achieve it! Because—]

[You are Mother and Father’s eternal pride.]

The front side of the letter ended here.

But Mother had written earlier that there were some words on the back of the letter.

So, turning the letter over, Elena saw those final few lines—

[Mother is very glad your birthday and Mother’s Day are on the same day, my little Elena.]

[Please do not mind the words of others, do not care about the slander of rumors and gossip.]

[Because my little Elena, to Mother—]

[You are the best Mother’s Day gift given to me by heaven.]

[Happy birthday, little Elena.]

“Mother… thank you.”

Warm tears finally slid from the corners of the girl’s eyes, but within the crystal clarity of these tears, there was only happiness.

So next, it was time to find those three boxes Mother mentioned.

Aside from this box, the rest of Mother’s belongings… were all in that room.

In that spacious underground chamber that preserved the enormous ice crystal freezing Mother.

That was Lady Serina’s resting place.

The door to the underground chamber still had the Mana seal Elena herself had applied.

“I thought I would never touch the seal again in this lifetime. Indeed, life is unpredictable—!”

Bzzzt!

Like a pulse, it sharply stimulated Elena’s nerves.

Elena knew this signal.

Whenever something she created with Mana was destroyed, she would feel such a pulse.

“That direction is!”

Elena immediately rushed out of the room.

Because—

The direction the pulse came from was Lady Serina’s resting place.