Chapter 102: Once Everything's Over

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“So? So what does the wolf do?”

Michael not only wrapped his whole body in the blanket but also covered his face with both hands, yet his eyes, visible through his fingers, were full of anticipation.

One of the things Michael loved was the fairy tales his mother read to him.

“Well, I wonder what it did?”

Alicia drew out her words to keep the child enthralled as she turned to the next page.

Knock, knock—.

It was then.

There was a knock at the door.

Michael peeked out from under the blanket.

“Oh no. I think the wolf is here.”

“It’s probably not a wolf.”

“Really?”

“If you’re curious, Michael, do you want to go check it out?"

Michael thought for a moment, then cautiously nodded.

Alicia chuckled quietly as she watched Michael, wrapped in his blanket, scurrying along — half curious, half scared.

“Mister?”

"…What is he doing right now?"

Cabelenus’s expression shifted as he watched Michael, eyes blinking out from beneath a blanket far too large for his small frame.

He thought he had gotten somewhat used to it, but there were still many times when the child’s behaviour was hard to understand.

“I was reading a storybook to Michael.”

“A storybook?”

“Michael likes it, you see.”

Alicia held out the storybook she had been reading.

“I’m not sure what a storybook has to do with a blanket, but it looks like I’ll have to replace the blanket with a new one.”

“This one’s fine.”

“Is it really fine?”

Cabelenus tilted his head as he looked at the blanket trailing like a tail from the bed behind Michael to the door.

The room had been meticulously cleaned and was spotless, but he couldn’t let the child sleep under a blanket that had been dragged across the floor.

“It’s really fine. But what brings you here all of a sudden?”

“I need your help.”

“In that case, of course, I’ll help. What would you like me to do?”

“There’s something I’d like you to check. And…”

Cabelenus moved his head.

Alicia followed his movement, shifting her gaze along with his.

His eyes were on Michael.

"I just finished it."

“Finished?”

“Michael, give me your hand.”

“What’s this?”

Michael’s eyes went wide.

A sweet smell wafted from the pristine white paper bag that had fallen into his hands.

"You told me to bake cookies."

“…Did you really bake these? All by yourself?”

Suspicion flickered in Michael’s eyes, but Cabelenus nodded calmly.

"You said that’s your wish."

“That’s true, but…”

Michael chewed on his lip.

Even though he had spoken about cookies, he didn’t expect to actually receive any.

He had only thought that once he got his feelings in order, he’d pretend to be generous and call him ‘Dad.’

“By any chance, you didn’t bake them strangely, right?”

“If you’re curious, try one.”

Michael fiddled with the paper bag that held the cookies before carefully opening it.

Inside, there was a whole batch of cookies studded with chocolate.

“Didn’t someone else make these?”

“I made them.”

“Really?”

“I burned the dough several times while making these. Just like you wished.”

Cabelenus gave a wry smile.

It was all fine until he decided to bake new cookies to keep his promise, rather than using the ones he had made with Alicia.

Unlike when he made them together with Alicia, making it alone from the beginning proved difficult.

He had no idea how many trial-and-error attempts it had taken to make decent cookies.

“The cookies are done, so tell me your next wish.”

“I’ll try the cookies first.”

Michael picked up a cookie, his eyes still filled with suspicion.

“How is it?”

“…Mister, be honest with me.”

“What?”

“You didn’t make this yourself, did you?”

“Why? Is it bad?”

Cabelenus’s voice trembled slightly.

Seeing Michael’s face, twisted in a pout, brought back the memory of the first cookie.

“It’s delicious.”

“What?”

"This is impossible. There’s no way you could bake cookies this good."

“Nonsense.”

Michael’s outburst was full of complaints, but it wasn’t unpleasant to hear.

Cabelenus finally relaxed his expression.

“When did you bake these cookies? You’ve been so busy.”

"I did my work in the kitchen."

Cabelenus chuckled softly, recalling the time he’d spent.

Gazeff tried not to show it, but Cabelenus knew that his aide's expression subtly shifted every time he entered the kitchen.

“You didn’t have to go that far.”

“There’s nothing I can do with such a picky judge.”

Cabelenus gestured toward Michael with his chin.

The child had already picked up the next cookie.

・・・・・

"How fascinating. Quite a lot of time must have passed, yet it’s still intact. It’s as if time has stopped only in this place."

Alicia walked slowly around the room, running her fingers along the walls.

The feeling of the deeply carved letters catching against her fingertips was peculiar.

“Can you read everything that’s written here?”

"It’ll take some time since there’s a lot, but from a quick glance, it seems possible."

Alicia nodded readily and kept walking, her eyes tracing the walls as she went.

The words inscribed on the walls were not mere records — they told a story.

She needed to find where the story began.

"That’s odd."

"How so?"

“I can’t read the writing here.”

“...”

“Even though it’s a language I know.”

Cabelenus’s brows drew together.

For royalty, knowledge of the ancient language was considered a basic skill.

Yet he couldn’t read a single character written here.

“You really can’t read it?”

“That’s right. I can’t. It’s as if the letters themselves don’t want me to read them.”

Cabelenus’s eyes narrowed.

Gazeff’s guess had been right.

The room had revealed itself because Alicia was here, and even the inscriptions that remained seemed to exist for her.

There was a connection between the woman and the monsters — one he could not comprehend.

"I wonder what the problem is."

“It’s not really a problem. After all, we were able to find this room only because you’re here.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“All this time, this place had vanished without a trace. No matter how hard anyone searched, it couldn’t be found.”

“...”

“But then, with you here, the room appeared.”

Could that really be a mere coincidence?

Cabelenus kept his gaze fixed on Alicia as he continued.

“Gazeff said that you’re probably more deeply connected to the monsters than I am. That’s why they even respond to Michael.”

“...”

“Perhaps your god and the god, Prime, are one and the same.”

“No way. I’m not that remarkable. You know that. My power only looks impressive on the surface, but it’s far from perfect.”

Alicia shook her head without hesitation.

Though it sounded grandiose to say she could grant wishes, in reality, it wasn’t like that.

Her power was imperfect.

Every wish came with a price — her lifespan — and that power could achieve nothing if the price couldn’t be paid.

It was completely unlike the perfect image of the god that the Empire had long revered.

“Still, I have my doubts.”

“What part of it seems doubtful to you?”

“For generations, the monsters have been closely connected to the temple, and even the power you possess closely resembles that of the god, Prime.”

“…Then, what do you think?"

Alicia lifted her head.

But with the man’s expressionless face, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“Honestly, I don’t want to believe it. There’s no way something like a god exists, and there’s no need to stir up trouble with pointless stories.”

“Is that so?”

“Even so, I intend to confirm it properly.”

“...”

“If the power you possess has been consuming your lifespan, then perhaps the reverse could also be possible.”

Cabelenus’s gaze fell on Alicia’s dress.

Alicia no longer had a dress that fit her perfectly.

Like a withering flower, her body grew thinner with each passing day.

Alicia had never once uttered a word of weakness, yet the shadow of death looming over her was silently growing darker.

“I promised to protect you, yet nothing I’ve prepared so far has been able to save you.”

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.”

Alicia reached out and gently touched Cabelenus’s cheek.

Cabelenus clenched his teeth, holding back his emotions.

“I’m not going to give up like this. If it’s not a god, then anything else will do. I’ll find it, no matter what.”

“Yes. I'll trust you.”

More than anything, she didn’t want to give up either.

Alicia’s fingertips brushed the corner of Cabelenus’s eye.

Even if it was a futile hope, she wanted to keep holding on to it.

She didn’t want to let the moment they could share slip away meaninglessly, without doing anything.

・・・・・

"Can’t I go to Mum?"

“No. Alicia’s busy.”

Cabelenus replied nonchalantly, without lifting his eyes from the documents.

Michael pouted, taking it out on the poor cushion.

After the monster incident, the one thing that had changed was that he no longer had any time to himself.

The adults wouldn’t allow him to be alone.

Whether it was with Alicia, Cabelenus, or Gazeff, Michael wasn’t allowed to go out unless accompanied by at least one adult.

For Michael, who used to wander around the castle as he pleased, it was an unbearably cruel punishment.

“Then, can’t I at least go see Rex?”

“Go with Gazeff when he comes in a little while.”

“Can’t I go now? I’m really bored, you know.”

Michael deliberately stomped his feet.

The coffee table was piled with snacks and toys, but it still wasn’t enough.

Rather than that, he wanted to go outside to run and play freely.

"Hang on a little longer. I have to finish this first.”

“If you’re really busy, I can just go by myself—”

“No.”

He was refused before he could even finish speaking.

Michael’s lips jutted out further.

“Tch…”

“I’ll be done soon, so just wait a little.”

“You said the same thing an hour ago.”

Michael was about to whine once more, but gave up and sneaked a glance toward the door.

Even amid all this, Cabelenus kept his eyes on the papers and didn’t once glance his way.

“Don’t get any funny ideas.”

“...”

He had barely gotten off the sofa when a sharp remark came flying his way.

Michael’s cheeks puffed up in displeasure.

It was already the third time he’d been caught trying to sneak out.

"Have a cookie or something. You like them, don’t you?"

“Mum told me not to eat too many sweets.”

“Is that so?”

“Besides, your cookies always taste exactly the same."

Michael glared at the cookies he had to eat all week.

Even if he liked chocolate, once or twice was enough.

No matter how many he ate, the chocolate cookies in the basket never seemed to get any smaller, and their flavour, as if measured with a ruler, had grown tiresome.

“All sweets are the same anyway.”

“They’re not the same. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Michael shook his head in disgust.

There were so many different kinds of cookies in the world, and he couldn’t stand the idea of lumping them all together as just ‘sweets.’

“Then next time, I’ll bake you a cake.”

“Mister, can you also make cakes?”

“I don’t know.”

“So you said you'd make it even though you don’t know how?”

“Even if I don’t know, I can just learn. When I have time later, I’ll learn it and make it for you.”

Only then did Cabelenus turn to look at Michael.

Michael stiffened his neck to express all the pent-up resentment he had been holding back, but at the faint smile playing on Cabelenus’s lips, his shoulders finally slumped.

“…When will you have time?”

“It’ll probably be once everything’s over.”

For a brief moment, Cabelenus’s gaze fell on the bookshelf.

On one side of the bookshelf, filled with nothing but stiff military strategy books, there was a single book that didn’t seem to belong.

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