The two stopped by somewhere before going to the ballroom. It was because Dalia decided to visit Kelsion.
Cedric, who had decided to help her, secretly called a carriage, left the mansion and headed for the Imperial Palace.
After a while, the two arrived in front of an attic in the Imperial Palace.
This was Kelsion’s quarters. It was quite far from the Crown Prince’s Palace, but Leonard said it was a night walk, but she didn’t know how far he walked.
‘Mr. Lewayne said Kelsion would not harm me.’
Knowing the future, this would be the maximum intervention that he could avoid world’s surveillance.
If so, it was believable.
“Dalia, let me confirm before we go in. Are you really trying to get rid of his brainwashing?”
Cedric looked at Dalia and asked.
“I asked my father, but his mind is already at its limit anyway, so it will be resolved soon. It would be better to let it be before then. When the brainwashing is lifted, his soul will recover a little bit.”
That was sufficient. Dalia nodded. Cedric wrinkled the bridge of his nose in dismay.
“But I worry that you’ll end up seeing an awful sight.”
“It’s all right.”
“As you said, most of the brainwashing that Kelsion is subjected to now is brainwashing by himself. So even if it is lifted, there won’t be any special side effects for us.”
Dalia nodded resolutely.
Cedric then opened the locked door with the key.
Kelsion was sitting on his knees on the floor, looking out the window. Then he felt a presence and only turned his gaze to look at the two. But there was still no light in his eyes.
Cedric cautioned Dalia and approached him first. He snapped his finger to draw his attention.
“Kelsion.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I actually don’t care what happens, but…….”
Cedric looked at Dalia for the last time with a small sigh, then leaned over and whispered in his ear.
“[Wake up.]”
Even though it was just one word, she could feel the strong energy inside.
The curtain was lifted and the light returned to Kelsion’s hazy eyes. At the same time, he took a deep breath until he gasped.
Half a year of memories that he had forgotten seemed to return.
Soon after, he covered his face and groaned in distress.
Cedric put his hand on top of his head. Kelsion seemed to calm down a bit after applying a light painkiller spell. Tears soon flowed from his eyes.
“……I……”
“…….”
“I was wrong. I made you suffer, and I betrayed my comrades and God because I couldn’t wash away the sin.”
He ended up bursting into tears like a child again. As Lewayne said, there was no intent to attack at all. Cedric looked at Dalia and signaled that she could come closer.
Dalia took a deep breath and moved closer to him. And she squatted in front of him.
‘…… Adrisha, I’m sorry. I’ll steal some of your lines.’
In the original Aceras route, Adrisha calmed Kelsion, who failed to brainwash her and went mad.
Dalia was going to borrow some of the lines from that time. The kind Adrisha will understand everything.
“Kelsion, raise your head.”
Kelsion looked up in tears.
Cedric was watching her with his arms crossed next to her.
Dalia slowly continued.
“Aceras is not your god.”
“…….”
“What god asks his believer to sin?”
“But……”
“Sins can be washed away with good deeds. It’s not too late. Please help Aceras to stop misleading people with false beliefs.”
She was a little embarrassed because it was Adrishas line. Dalia ignored her cheeks that started to burn and held Kelsion’s hand.
“Kelsion, you must return to the Holy Empire. Everyone can be happy.”
This was not Adrisha’s line, but Dalia’s sincerity.
If Aceras’ route collapsed, he would no longer be the Pope of the Holy Empire. At that time, maybe Kelsion would be forgiven and go to the Holy Empire.
‘Of course, after paying all the rest of his crimes here.’
Gradually, a glimmer of hope began to appear in Kelsion’s eyes. Dalia continued.
“Someone from the Holy Empire is targeting you and Argel. You must protect your comrades, Kelsion.”
Only then did his eyes find the right light. Dalia spoke urgently, not missing the time.
“Tell me what Aceras is up to.”
“…….”
Kelsion hesitated for a while. For him, it was a betrayal to the divinity he believed to be the truth all his life.
Dalia waited patiently. At last Kelsion opened his mouth.
“What he dreams of is……the fall of this Frederic Empire.”
Cedric’s lips twisted.
Kelsion clenched his trembling fists and said.
“For this purpose, during the renewal of the Darby-Gatran Treaty……we are preparing holy power bombs that will blow up the entire Imperial Palace.”
“Ah, oh my goodness.”
Cedric sighed. Dalia froze, unable to speak.
Kelsion bowed his head deeply. Dalia suddenly came to her senses and patted him on the shoulder.
“Thank you for telling me. There’s still someone out there who’s after you, so be careful……”
“Wait, Dalia.”
Cedric said sharply. Dalia looked back. Cedric’s eyes were not on her, but on the wall.
He clenched his fist in the air with his hand stretched out. Then there was a loud sound like an explosion outside the hallway.
Cedric put his hand on her shoulder as Dalia jumped up in surprise.
“Don’t come out, stay here. It might be dangerous.”
He still looked into the air and muttered the formula, then quickly strode out of the room.
Before leaving the room completely, Cedric noticed that Dalia gave him a slight nod, even though she had an uneasy expression on her face. Only then did his mind calm down.
He finished memorizing formulas.
There was an explosion again. This time, it was accompanied by a man’s scream.
‘I got him.’
Cedric waved his hand one last time. He had a slight headache but ignored it. It was more urgent to protect Dalia than that.
Soon after turning the corner of the hallway, he saw a man who had collapsed with burns on his arm.
He was a young noble in his late 20s. He had been seen at the ball a few times, but he could not remember his name.
Sometimes when he got close once he felt a disgusting scheme, he didn’t think it was someone from the Holy Empire. (*t/n: not sure about this part)
The man shouted with all his might.
“I, I don’t know anything!”
“Yes. I knew you’d say that.”
The man’s eyes flashed as if he had sensed that something was wrong. He took out a bead and threw it toward Kelsion’s attic, where Dalia was.
Cedric frowned and turned around to nullify the magic in the bead in the air.
But the gap between them was unavoidable. Cedric thought the worst for a moment. The man who knew he was going to attack right away took something out of his pocket and threw it at him.
“Damn it, even this…….”
Cedric tried to defend himself with magic, but it permeated into his body first.
It was a strange substance, sticky slime like green jelly.
Without realizing it, it was absorbed into his body.
“…….”
Cedric hurriedly scanned the absorbed substance’s location with mana. But he didn’t feel anything. For a moment he thought of the worst.
If he runs wild here, what about Dalia?
‘…….’
As he was contemplating whether he should kill himself immediately, the man in front of him pulled out a scroll and tore it apart.
Without a moment to stop him, he disappeared immediately.
‘Oh, damn it. Nothing’s going well.’
Cedric brushed his hair in annoyance. And he waited for a while.
But nothing happened. There was no conflict between divine power and mana inside his body. It was just quiet.
“…….”
“Sir Cedric?”
At that time, Dalia leaned carefully out the door.
“……Are you all right?”
Cedric waited a little longer.
But nothing happened either.
Only then did he nod.
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“That’s a relief.”
At that moment Dalia smiled brightly. Cedric thought that it was fortunate that he didn’t go crazy.
“Sorry. I missed the suspect. I’ve seen his face, so I can find him later…….”
“That’s all right, Sir Cedric. I’m glad you’re not hurt.”
Dalia said with a serious expression.
Cedric swallowed what he was about to say. The aftermath of the excessive use of mana just now lingering as a headache. He regretted a little that he had used force without restraint.
‘…… I have to live for a long time.’
To live with Dalia for a long time.
Dalia ran and stood before Cedric.
She raised her hand and touched his forehead. Cedric’s heart still beat so fast that it ached whenever she did this.
“……You look unwell.”
“It’s fine.”
Cedric smiled. However, Dalia seemed to have made up her mind when she saw that smile.
She held his hand firmly and dragged him to an empty room. It was an ordinary room with a long sofa.
Dalia sat him down on the sofa and stood in front of him, looking down at Cedric.
“Sir Cedric, there’s actually something that I haven’t told you yet.”
She took the ring off her hand.
Cedric didn’t know what she was going to do, so he just quietly watched her.
Translator Note: Haluu..I was busy last week hehe…even this chapter was tled in hurry…and there’s a lot of parts that was quite hard to tl….haaaa
++good news..I should be able to upload 2-3 chapter per week after this hehe
