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“You won’t need to hunt down Viscount Diaclen. There is someone else to look for.”
Eristella told the emperor about Declen.
From his appearance to his characteristics.
“But you must never appear in front of Declen.”
Eristella warned firmly.
“You can never deal with him. Just ascertain his location.”
The moment he ignored this, damage would happen.
“You can’t get any closer than that. Never.”
Therefore, Eristella emphasized it several times.
No matter how many times she emphasized and paid attention to it, it was insufficient. That’s how great of a problem it was.
The emperor also understood the seriousness of it.
“And knowing that Viscount Diaclen has disappeared will increase people’s anxiety.”
“That’s why we have to finish well.”
The corners of Eristella’s lips were raised into a smirk as she said that.
If it flowed into the atmosphere that Viscount Diaclen was on the run due to the imperial family’s error, there would only be commotion.
“I will announce that I have punished Viscount Diaclen. I will present it in front of everyone myself.”
Declen probably expected this much and disappeared.
*******
Eristella was preparing to announce the results of her investigation into Viscount Diaclen’s business to everyone.
Right when she was about to put on her formal imperial cloak and start walking towards the hall…
She felt a sudden pain in her chest and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
“Your highness!”
Sonia, who was assisting by her side, was surprised but quickly supported her. She asked, worry filling her voice.
“Are you okay? I’ll call the doctor right away.”
“Sonia. I am okay.”
Eristella stopped Sonia.
“But, the blood…”
Eristella looked down at her hand.
‘Uh… Yes, I’m definitely bleeding.’
For a moment, it seemed as if her eyes were spinning.
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‘What to do.’
She would like to think it’s just simple fatigue.
Unfortunately, she had some idea as to why these symptoms appeared.
Lately, she forcefully changed from a fox to a human, and from a human to a fox again whenever necessary.
‘It’s rather weird if the body is fine.’
But it seemed to be fine so far. Which was why she thought she would be able to hold out a little longer.
‘I guess it isn’t at all.’
‘Don’t panic. You did it even though you expected it.’
Eristella calmly began to wipe away the blood.
“I need to change my dress.”
There were bloodstains on it. She definitely couldn’t go like this.
It was a struggle, but she managed to keep her composure.
Let’s hide it for now.
It was obvious that if Heinricion and her brother found out about this, they would not let her do anything.
However, Sonia, who was watching Eristella with a serious face, didn’t seem to agree at all.
“As expected. You’re going to hide it.”
Sonia shrugged firmly and promptly left the room. Soon, the doctor entered.
After that, as if it was natural, the emperor and Heinricion followed.
“Lala. What the hell happened?! You’re bleeding?!”
“…….”
The emperor’s intense worry and Heinricion’s stinging gaze turned to Eristella.
Immediately, the attending doctor checked her condition, but could not find anything wrong.
“Your energy might have been affected because your body has suffered so much. However, if it’s an abnormality related to magic, I cannot confirm the cause.”
The doctor could feel the emperor’s glare, but he couldn’t help it either.
A wizard’s body was different from that of ordinary people.
Therefore, it was difficult to confirm the issue through a general medical examination.
“It’s okay. It’s no big deal anyway.”
Eristella replied with composure, but she could guess why her body kept getting sore and strange.
It was fortunate that the doctor did not notice it.
‘It’s probably because I’ve changed too much lately.’
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Moreover, she used magic on several occasions when she was in her human body.
For her great power, the vessel that handled it was also important.
No matter how many times she had returned to her original form, her body was currently trapped inside a little fox.
It was too weak to handle her tremendous power.
‘If I continue like this, I won’t be able to endure it.’
Anyway, it was impossible to remove magic from her body.
Well, it was technically possible, but it was a way that could never be done.
A wizard’s magical power could temporarily decrease by casting great spells which consumed large amounts of power. But it would recover over time.
However, if the wizard forcibly removed the magical power, he or she would never be able to regain it.
So when she figured out Declen’s identity, she was trying to figure out from him how to fully return to her original self.
‘But since he disappeared, it has become impossible.’
Even if he hadn’t disappeared, it wouldn’t have been easy to find out.
Eristella stared at her own reflection in the mirror.
‘If I keep forcing my appearance to change, I’m sure my body will deteriorate more and more quickly.’
‘If I don’t find a way to live with this body, I really won’t be able to hold out.’
But now, there was work to be done ahead of that.
Eristella tried to hide her nervousness.
She brushed it off and smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“I guess it’s because I’ve been overdoing it lately. I’m okay.”
She might be able to lie to the emperor, but it was transparent to Heinricion.
Purely because wizards wouldn’t get sore from simple overwork. Such cases usually occurred when something was wrong with the wizard’s body.
“Go first. I’ll be there soon too.”
“I’m okay with doing it in your stead, so don’t push yourself.”
Although the emperor spoke with concern, Eristella did not waver.
“I will be fine.”
Then the emperor nodded and slowly uttered,
“I think it would be best to talk about this now.”
In the meantime, the emperor was re-investigating cases related to black magic. And in the process, he noticed something.
“I noticed a strange thing.”
“Strange thing?”
“There is something that bothered me when dealing with Marquis Lateran’s case.”
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Bit by bit, the emperor explained.
“The Marquisate of Lateran is a family with a long history, having existed since the founding of the country. However, it gradually declined, and recently, it started to grow in power again.”
The momentum of the family rose as they profited from Eristella’s belongings and used black magic.
“The County of Azurdi is similar.”
“Come to think of it, you’re right.”
“The Marquisate of Decayden wasn’t a family that was on a decline, but the family’s business grew bigger.”
Recalling what Heinricion had investigated back then, Eristella agreed.
“All of those families have been mentioned in the founding history of the empire.”
All three families existed from the founding of the country to the present.
“Besides, the Viscounty of Diaclen had also contributed to the founding of the country.”
It was a family that had never entered the imperial court before.
Which was why it was unexpected that such a family was mentioned in the founding history books.
“Could it be one of the unknown founding contributors?”
“I have to investigate more, but it might be possible.”
“But that was a long time ago.”
The history of the founding of the empire. It was a very long time ago.
“However, it is difficult to view it as simply a family that is currently crumbling.”
“?”
“Aren’t there more families approached by the black wizards?”
The Grand Duchy of Adelasia.
And even the imperial family of Leonard.
These two families never tilted, existing at the highest place in the empire.
“So… the founding history.”
“Yes.”
It was necessary to re-examine in detail the situation at the time of the founding of the country.
Perhaps this would reveal another family that was involved in black magic.
“Among those present today, there are a few families that have been mentioned in the founding history, so keep that in mind.”
“Ah. Okay.”
With that, Eristella changed her dress and headed to the hall where everyone was waiting.
She presented the findings perfectly in front of everyone without a single point of disruption.
This simultaneously showed her power and calmed everyone’s anxiety.
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It seemed that all the incidents and disturbances caused by Viscount Diaclen’s business were finally over.
*******
The fox slept a lot lately.
Even in the office, it sat by the window and dozed off.
It nodded off once it finished eating.
Eating and sleeping repeatedly seemed to be a daily routine.
Unlike usual, it was slow, easygoing, and even lazy.
‘For now, I won’t overdo it. I’ll stay as a fox.’
Eristella didn’t intend to go back to her original form for a while. Even from midnight to morning.
In order to protect her magical power, it was best to rest as a fox without using magic.
‘Because power is consumed just by maintaining my original appearance.’
Therefore, she tried to focus on recovery while calming the returned power as much as possible.
So even now, she was lying by the window watching Heinricion work.
However, there was no way that Heinricion would not notice that something was wrong.
Heinricion lifted the napping fox.
“I need to take the fox for a walk.”
With that, he walked out of the office.
The aides’ greetings were heard, but Eristella was uneasy at the sudden situation.
‘I just want to go back.’
When Eristella grumbled, Heinricion spoke nonchalantly.
“You keep eating and sleeping and eating and sleeping. You’re getting bigger and bigger.”
What bullshit is this?
Heinricion’s expression turned mischievous as soon as Eristella’s eyes shot up fiercely.
As he walked slowly, he turned the fox’s body over.
And the stomach was exposed.
‘What. Suddenly, this posture…’
‘Get your hands off me. I’m going to turn back!’
As Eristella struggled, Heinricion reached out.
It happened in an instant.
Ame: i can feel the embarrassment and shame even through the words ahahahaha
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“You won’t need to hunt down Viscount Diaclen. There is someone else to look for.”
Eristella told the emperor about Declen.
From his appearance to his characteristics.
“But you must never appear in front of Declen.”
Eristella warned firmly.
“You can never deal with him. Just ascertain his location.”
The moment he ignored this, damage would happen.
“You can’t get any closer than that. Never.”
Therefore, Eristella emphasized it several times.
No matter how many times she emphasized and paid attention to it, it was insufficient. That’s how great of a problem it was.
The emperor also understood the seriousness of it.
“And knowing that Viscount Diaclen has disappeared will increase people’s anxiety.”
“That’s why we have to finish well.”
The corners of Eristella’s lips were raised into a smirk as she said that.
If it flowed into the atmosphere that Viscount Diaclen was on the run due to the imperial family’s error, there would only be commotion.
“I will announce that I have punished Viscount Diaclen. I will present it in front of everyone myself.”
Declen probably expected this much and disappeared.
*******
Eristella was preparing to announce the results of her investigation into Viscount Diaclen’s business to everyone.
Right when she was about to put on her formal imperial cloak and start walking towards the hall…
She felt a sudden pain in her chest and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
“Your highness!”
Sonia, who was assisting by her side, was surprised but quickly supported her. She asked, worry filling her voice.
“Are you okay? I’ll call the doctor right away.”
“Sonia. I am okay.”
Eristella stopped Sonia.
“But, the blood…”
Eristella looked down at her hand.
‘Uh… Yes, I’m definitely bleeding.’
For a moment, it seemed as if her eyes were spinning.
Sponsored Content
‘What to do.’
She would like to think it’s just simple fatigue.
Unfortunately, she had some idea as to why these symptoms appeared.
Lately, she forcefully changed from a fox to a human, and from a human to a fox again whenever necessary.
‘It’s rather weird if the body is fine.’
But it seemed to be fine so far. Which was why she thought she would be able to hold out a little longer.
‘I guess it isn’t at all.’
‘Don’t panic. You did it even though you expected it.’
Eristella calmly began to wipe away the blood.
“I need to change my dress.”
There were bloodstains on it. She definitely couldn’t go like this.
It was a struggle, but she managed to keep her composure.
Let’s hide it for now.
It was obvious that if Heinricion and her brother found out about this, they would not let her do anything.
However, Sonia, who was watching Eristella with a serious face, didn’t seem to agree at all.
“As expected. You’re going to hide it.”
Sonia shrugged firmly and promptly left the room. Soon, the doctor entered.
After that, as if it was natural, the emperor and Heinricion followed.
“Lala. What the hell happened?! You’re bleeding?!”
“…….”
The emperor’s intense worry and Heinricion’s stinging gaze turned to Eristella.
Immediately, the attending doctor checked her condition, but could not find anything wrong.
“Your energy might have been affected because your body has suffered so much. However, if it’s an abnormality related to magic, I cannot confirm the cause.”
The doctor could feel the emperor’s glare, but he couldn’t help it either.
A wizard’s body was different from that of ordinary people.
Therefore, it was difficult to confirm the issue through a general medical examination.
“It’s okay. It’s no big deal anyway.”
Eristella replied with composure, but she could guess why her body kept getting sore and strange.
It was fortunate that the doctor did not notice it.
‘It’s probably because I’ve changed too much lately.’
Sponsored Content
Moreover, she used magic on several occasions when she was in her human body.
For her great power, the vessel that handled it was also important.
No matter how many times she had returned to her original form, her body was currently trapped inside a little fox.
It was too weak to handle her tremendous power.
‘If I continue like this, I won’t be able to endure it.’
Anyway, it was impossible to remove magic from her body.
Well, it was technically possible, but it was a way that could never be done.
A wizard’s magical power could temporarily decrease by casting great spells which consumed large amounts of power. But it would recover over time.
However, if the wizard forcibly removed the magical power, he or she would never be able to regain it.
So when she figured out Declen’s identity, she was trying to figure out from him how to fully return to her original self.
‘But since he disappeared, it has become impossible.’
Even if he hadn’t disappeared, it wouldn’t have been easy to find out.
Eristella stared at her own reflection in the mirror.
‘If I keep forcing my appearance to change, I’m sure my body will deteriorate more and more quickly.’
‘If I don’t find a way to live with this body, I really won’t be able to hold out.’
But now, there was work to be done ahead of that.
Eristella tried to hide her nervousness.
She brushed it off and smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“I guess it’s because I’ve been overdoing it lately. I’m okay.”
She might be able to lie to the emperor, but it was transparent to Heinricion.
Purely because wizards wouldn’t get sore from simple overwork. Such cases usually occurred when something was wrong with the wizard’s body.
“Go first. I’ll be there soon too.”
“I’m okay with doing it in your stead, so don’t push yourself.”
Although the emperor spoke with concern, Eristella did not waver.
“I will be fine.”
Then the emperor nodded and slowly uttered,
“I think it would be best to talk about this now.”
In the meantime, the emperor was re-investigating cases related to black magic. And in the process, he noticed something.
“I noticed a strange thing.”
“Strange thing?”
“There is something that bothered me when dealing with Marquis Lateran’s case.”
Sponsored Content
Bit by bit, the emperor explained.
“The Marquisate of Lateran is a family with a long history, having existed since the founding of the country. However, it gradually declined, and recently, it started to grow in power again.”
The momentum of the family rose as they profited from Eristella’s belongings and used black magic.
“The County of Azurdi is similar.”
“Come to think of it, you’re right.”
“The Marquisate of Decayden wasn’t a family that was on a decline, but the family’s business grew bigger.”
Recalling what Heinricion had investigated back then, Eristella agreed.
“All of those families have been mentioned in the founding history of the empire.”
All three families existed from the founding of the country to the present.
“Besides, the Viscounty of Diaclen had also contributed to the founding of the country.”
It was a family that had never entered the imperial court before.
Which was why it was unexpected that such a family was mentioned in the founding history books.
“Could it be one of the unknown founding contributors?”
“I have to investigate more, but it might be possible.”
“But that was a long time ago.”
The history of the founding of the empire. It was a very long time ago.
“However, it is difficult to view it as simply a family that is currently crumbling.”
“?”
“Aren’t there more families approached by the black wizards?”
The Grand Duchy of Adelasia.
And even the imperial family of Leonard.
These two families never tilted, existing at the highest place in the empire.
“So… the founding history.”
“Yes.”
It was necessary to re-examine in detail the situation at the time of the founding of the country.
Perhaps this would reveal another family that was involved in black magic.
“Among those present today, there are a few families that have been mentioned in the founding history, so keep that in mind.”
“Ah. Okay.”
With that, Eristella changed her dress and headed to the hall where everyone was waiting.
She presented the findings perfectly in front of everyone without a single point of disruption.
This simultaneously showed her power and calmed everyone’s anxiety.
Sponsored Content
It seemed that all the incidents and disturbances caused by Viscount Diaclen’s business were finally over.
*******
The fox slept a lot lately.
Even in the office, it sat by the window and dozed off.
It nodded off once it finished eating.
Eating and sleeping repeatedly seemed to be a daily routine.
Unlike usual, it was slow, easygoing, and even lazy.
‘For now, I won’t overdo it. I’ll stay as a fox.’
Eristella didn’t intend to go back to her original form for a while. Even from midnight to morning.
In order to protect her magical power, it was best to rest as a fox without using magic.
‘Because power is consumed just by maintaining my original appearance.’
Therefore, she tried to focus on recovery while calming the returned power as much as possible.
So even now, she was lying by the window watching Heinricion work.
However, there was no way that Heinricion would not notice that something was wrong.
Heinricion lifted the napping fox.
“I need to take the fox for a walk.”
With that, he walked out of the office.
The aides’ greetings were heard, but Eristella was uneasy at the sudden situation.
‘I just want to go back.’
When Eristella grumbled, Heinricion spoke nonchalantly.
“You keep eating and sleeping and eating and sleeping. You’re getting bigger and bigger.”
What bullshit is this?
Heinricion’s expression turned mischievous as soon as Eristella’s eyes shot up fiercely.
As he walked slowly, he turned the fox’s body over.
And the stomach was exposed.
‘What. Suddenly, this posture…’
‘Get your hands off me. I’m going to turn back!’
As Eristella struggled, Heinricion reached out.
It happened in an instant.
Ame: i can feel the embarrassment and shame even through the words ahahahaha
