“What is your relationship with that girl?”
‘With Syria? What kind of relationship could it be?’
I have never seriously thought about it.
‘What kind of relationship do Syria and I have? She said she likes me, but calling it a romantic relationship doesn’t seem right. Then, could she be considered a subordinate?’
“For now… my subordinate?”
‘If she follows my words, then that makes her a subordinate, doesn’t it?’
“The mages of the Tower cannot be trusted, especially since you are an Ashtar. You should only trust the Ashtar Mage Corps, who are dedicated to the Ashtar Clan.”
“But still, could anyone match Syria, who endured the Ashtar’s tortures? It seems Kise holds some grudge against the Tower.”
“Look at that expression—so frightening.”
“But this isn’t personal against Syria.”
“It’s an illness, really.”
“More than anything, it’s exhausting.”
“Let’s leave it at that. I need some rest and a bath.”
This much should suffice.
Women’s quarrels are known to be intense, and with factions involved, it seems even worse.
‘If Syria were to get involved, what would happen?’ The thought alone is horrifying.
“Fighting is fine, but only if I’m not dragged into it.”
“Of all things, Syria is connected to Noah, my past self, and Kise is tied to the first Olivia.”
“There’s no need for bloodshed.”
“Understood.”
With a sullen face, Kise turned her back.
‘I hope she doesn’t fight with Syria.’
***
Olivia’s room was larger than I had expected.
“So this is Olivia’s room.”
‘Now, it’s my room—the one in the main house.’
“Is this what a girl’s room is supposed to look like?”
“It has everything: a vanity, a massive wardrobe, and a bed twice the size of the one at the dormitory. Compared to my life in the barren lands of Ruin or the time spent with the hero’s party, I really have come a long way.”
“There’s nothing much to see.”
The room isn’t just girly but surprisingly plain.
Back in Atlerina, when I was under the succubus’ influence, I indulged in luxury.
This is entirely different.
And then, I found Olivia’s journal in the desk drawer.
It seems to be from before she fell for Lily’s succubus tricks.
The entries provide glimpses into the past of the first Olivia.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day]
[The weather was nice today, so I went outside to train magic with Kise. Unfortunately, Kise’s mana circuit is smaller than mine, so she gets exhausted first and collapses pitifully.]
Kise had a smaller mana circuit than the first Olivia.
Considering magic wasn’t even Olivia’s specialty, isn’t that ironic?
[XX Year XX Month XX Day]
[Crown Prince Aslan visited today. Though he is my fiancé, there’s nothing appealing about him. He’s unrealistic and seems like a fool chasing ideals. Is he truly fit to be the emperor as Ashtar’s son-in-law? I feel like canceling the engagement and simply inheriting the assassin guild from my mother.]
It seems she didn’t think highly of Aslan, preferring the assassin guild over him.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day]
[The foolish noblewomen outwardly flatter me as the crown princess and future empress. However, I’m not naïve. Behind my back, they envy and despise me. If I were to lose the engagement, they’d tear me down without hesitation.]
Olivia was a pragmatic girl.
Without Lily, she might have simply become the empress or, at the very least, avoided isolation.
It appears her relationship with Kise goes back quite a long time.
Digging further, I found more records involving Kise.
Kise is from the Hart family, a baron household.
Originally commoners, they were elevated to nobility thanks to the Ashtar Clan’s influence.
Out of gratitude, they remain loyal to Ashtar.
‘Well, at least the stories match.’
I continued reading the journal.
[XX Year XX Month XX Day]
[What kind of land is the Ruin? Lately, I’ve grown curious. I learned it’s the place where god-slayers killed deities. The era of divine rule ended, and humanity’s era began, ironically, thanks to the god-slayers. They use unique magic, and their descendants claim not to be a god-slaying race. The sword magic they wield is a technique to shape pure mana like a blade, unlike typical mana constructs. Could it be that my grandfather also used sword magic?]
‘Grandfather?’
Sword magic is unique to the Ruin’s people, but could the Ashtar patriarch wield it too? Even without the succubus influence, Olivia and Noah’s relationship might have been connected somehow.
Then, who was Olivia’s grandfather? It seems worth investigating. Fortunately, Olivia was curious about her grandfather too.
She left notes about him in her journal.
In a corner of the room, there was a locked chest.
The chest could only be opened with Olivia’s mana.
Inside were documents and a portrait of a man.
“Was this in case the servants cleaned it?”
The 62nd head of the Ashtar Clan: Eldakrad Rapha Ashtar.
A tragic figure who brought both the peak and chaos to the Ashtar Clan.
In the portrait, Eldakrad is depicted wearing armor, sitting confidently atop a horse.
Looking closely, he resembles the current head of the clan but much younger.
When Eldakrad ascended as the head, the Ashtar Clan was in decline.
Local and central nobles were uniting to oust the Ashtar faction from the capital.
The number of Ashtar-origin officials in the capital dwindled.
Eldakrad decided to strengthen his forces instead of engaging in a losing battle in the capital.
Even if they were expelled, as long as he gained enough power, the nobles would eventually bow to him.
The decision was a success.
Eldakrad placed the capable officials who had been sent to the capital into key positions in the Ashtar territory, governing the internal affairs of the domain before immediately turning his attention outward.
He spearheaded the extermination of monsters in collaboration with the Kingdom’s forces and even achieved victories against the Demon King’s army, which had just begun to emerge at that time.
Ashtar’s reputation grew both domestically and internationally, becoming so powerful that other central nobles dared not challenge them.
It is said that the saintess Veronia, dispatched from the Kingdom, served Eldakrad during this time—a remarkable feat indeed.
“The issue is this.”
The information Olivia had uncovered about Eldakrad was relatively sparse.
Eldakrad, along with Veronia, had led Ashtar into its golden age.
However, one day, he was defeated and killed in battle against the Demon King’s army.
That was the end of his story.
By the time of Eldakrad’s death, Ashtar had already secured considerable influence.
The territory was managed by members of the family without a patriarch for some time until the current head of the clan stabilized Ashtar, absorbed the assassin guild, and restored the clan to prominence.
“Eldakrad’s active period coincides with the time when there were no records about the Four Heavenly Kings.”
The lack of records about the Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King’s army during that era also extends to Eldakrad’s history.
‘Could this be mere coincidence? Or was there some incident related to Eldakrad’s death at the hands of the Demon King’s army?’
This might be worth investigating—not just because of Eldakrad’s connection to sword magic but also because of the issue with the Four Heavenly Kings.
Additionally, the Imperial Royal Archives might hold some clues.
***
In the Duke’s office, Katarina sighed deeply, as if the ground might give way beneath her.
“My daughter seems to despise me quite a bit.”
“You should have expected that.”
The Duke nodded knowingly, as though he had anticipated it.
Considering everything they had done to Olivia, her reaction was only natural.
“What else can I say? It’s my fault.”
“You pushed her away because you didn’t want her to live the way you did. Wasn’t that where it started?”
For a short while after Olivia was born, Katarina cared for her.
But Katarina eventually began educating Olivia separately due to her role as the leader of the assassin guild.
She wanted her daughter to live a normal life as a noble lady, not as someone tied to the assassin guild.
Although she had resolved to annul Olivia’s engagement with the Crown Prince and pass the assassin guild onto her, Katarina had neither shown much affection for her daughter nor told her anything about what she was doing.
From that moment, their relationship as mother and daughter in a noble household was effectively severed.
“If you look at it, neither of us can claim to be good parents. I had to govern the chaotic Ashtar Clan, and you were tied to leading the assassin guild. Neither role makes for a good parent.”
Katarina remained silent, unable to refute him.
“But that’s the reality of nobility. Family comes second to the family name. That’s why nobles marry off their daughters to other families and hire renowned tutors for their sons to groom them as heirs.”
That’s the way of noble families—the fate of noble sons and daughters.
While commoners might envy nobles at first glance, nobles also have their share of hardships.
“Does that offer any consolation?”
“As I’ve said before, we’re not the only ones like this. If you wish to act as a mother now, then do so. Olivia is no longer someone I can control, especially now that she’s a saintess.”
“Even if she weren’t a saintess, there was no intention of restraining her.”
“I see.”
“At least you have an excuse.”
The Duke laughed bitterly.
His wife, at the very least, had an excuse.
“An excuse?”
“When Olivia fell for the succubus’ charms in Atlerina, weren’t you busy with the Pasthia affair? Meanwhile, I struck her across the face myself.”
Pasthia, a small nation founded by the remnants of the Kart refugees, was nothing compared to the Empire.
However, Pasthia never forgot its grudge against the Empire, secretly training anti-imperialist agents and infiltrating them into the Empire.
Although the assassin guild eventually eliminated them, the anti-imperialist movement had grown so intense at the time that Katarina had to deal with it personally.
Naturally, her attention to her daughter took a back seat.
In that sense, Katarina had a small excuse compared to the Duke, who had slapped Olivia.
“What do you intend to do now?”
“As I said before, my only way to atone now is to give her everything. Ashtar’s succession is already clear.”
Although Rokton had made a mistake this time, it was due to an unfortunate opponent.
Additionally, Ashtar was currently rebuilding its strength internally.
They couldn’t have anticipated the arrival of the Four Heavenly Kings.
“I understand.”
“She has grown remarkably. A real heroine. According to the Swordmaster, she defeated Pector. What more needs to be said?”
“You mean the previous head of the clan?”
“The former head, Eldakrad Rapha Ashtar, was the most remarkable leader in Ashtar’s history, restoring the declining clan and driving back the Demon King’s army before it had fully gained power.”
“It’s true. And she’s even more beautiful than you. With such beauty, nobles will flock to her. But no man shall approach her.”
Even as a saintess, the world knows the Empire’s saintess lacks the proper foundation.
The Empire’s Church of the Goddess wasn’t even recognized by the Papal States, forcing it to follow doctrines different from those of the Papal Church.
No wonder their leader was considering creating a new religion.
So, even as a saintess, wouldn’t men still approach her?
She is a daughter who takes after her father, someone he finds precious.
Why is he only realizing this now?
How much pain and burden must she carry on her delicate shoulders?
Now, he must give her everything.
If the news of Pector’s defeat by Olivia spreads, nobles will swarm like vultures.
But letting her fall into the grasp of another noble family cannot happen.
“What do you mean?”
“She wants to learn magic, so I’ll ensure she learns everything. No other family, not even the imperial family, will touch my daughter. Understand?”
“Yes.”
If Ashtar wills it, they can suppress the nobles’ complaints and protect Olivia.
“And you’ll have more opportunities than I will. It’s a chance to mend the relationship between mother and daughter.”
“I understand.”
‘Perhaps an opportunity will arise,’ Katarina thought.
Unaware that another soul already inhabited her daughter’s body.