At some point, Alter had become seized by a strange sensation.

It was as if his body was sinking, yet his mind was becoming clearer and sharper.

Uriel immediately recognized his state and broke the silence.

"... It's time for you to return."

"Does this mean I can finally wake up?"

"It took a little time, but now you've overcome death. And the curse is gone—so you can live a normal life now. However, even when you return, you must rest. Right now, you need to stabilize your body."

"Do you mean I shouldn't use magic?"

"Your magic power was consumed to neutralize the curse. It was threatening your very life, so it must have affected your magic power as well."

Uriel looked into Alter's face, genuinely worried.

Her original consciousness had already faded away, but through her lingering awareness she was able to meet Alter one last time.

She would never be able to meet him again, but she was satisfied knowing that her son would continue living on.

"This will be the last time with you, mother, won't it?"

"My son... when there is a meeting, there must also be a parting. Don't be sad."

"I think you will be much sadder than I, mother."

Alter unconsciously took Uriel's hand, accepting its warmth completely.

He himself had not even been able to hold any memories of his mother, but Uriel carried the feelings of a parent deep within her heart.

Because he did not know, it was easy to turn away, but the more he learned, the more painful it became.

"My heart aches... To have to send you off like this..."

"Even if I said I wanted to stay, you would surely push me away. Because you want to save me, mother."

"My son, there's nothing you don't know. How did you grow up so well...?"

Although Uriel's eyes became wet, she did not let her tears fall.

She could not leave any regrets within her only son for herself.

Only if she sent him off with a smile could he finally live a happy life.

"There's something I must tell you before you leave."

"I'll take it to heart, as if it were your last will, mother."

"... The Frost Witch is harmful just by her existence, but in another way, she also helped suppress calamity. Now that the Frost Witch has disappeared, chaos will surely come to the northern region."

"Are you saying there will be war?"

"Many monsters will invade the northern front lines. I hope you and your father will protect it well."

Although Uriel worried for that future, she was a little reassured.

Her own bloodline—The youngest son of the Northern grand duke had outstanding talents as a mage.

If he grew even a little more, he would surely become a power that would go down in history.

"Yes. I can protect it. I always have until now."

"If you learn from Alraune, you'll soon... be able to raise your level..."

Uriel's form began to blur, and even her voice was fading.

It was only then that Alter realized this was goodbye, but he could not let go of her hand.

"Ah... There's so much I haven't told you..."

As Uriel became conscious of her own fading, she calmly turned inward.

Once she disappeared, Alter would return to reality.

She had to convey the one last word before even her remaining awareness faded away.

"Tell your father for me. That I have always loved him... Even if I were to be born again... I would find my way to him..."

Without finishing her words, Uriel vanished without a trace.

Alter, wrapped in loneliness, dropped something small.

A single tear of longing rolled down his cheek.

"Yes. Mother..."

* * *

Alter barely sensed his body and cautiously opened his eyes.

The hospital room was tinged with an unusual atmosphere, with a peculiar scent filling the space.

He suspected it came from disinfectants or similar medicines.

'It feels like I'm in a cathedral...'

Alter turned his head with difficulty, scanning the surroundings.

Visibly there seemed to be nothing wrong, but his muscles were quite paralyzed.

Moreover, a heavy pressure weighed down on him, making even slight movements difficult.

'Was the curse weighing on me that much?'

Recalling his mother's words, Alter tried to raise himself somehow.

He had overcome death, but had not fully recovered.

In his current state, even daily life, let alone using magic, seemed unlikely.

'How long will it take until I return to normal...'

Alter suddenly noticed a figure, and his eyes widened unconsciously.

Eyes closed deep in sleep, orange in hue, and black hair touched by moonlight.

Could it be she stayed by his side ever since he collapsed?

"Brillie..."

Alter murmured her name without realizing.

Brillie had fallen asleep upright in a chair.

She should at least get some proper rest—why had she endured so much alone?

'I shouldn't wake her, so quietly...'

"Ah, I did it without thinking... hmm?"

Brillie sleepily brushed off her drowsiness and met Alter's gaze.

Alter hesitated for a moment before he spoke.

"Wouldn't it be better if you slept a bit more?"

"You really are awake now, right?"

"Uh... Yes, I suppose so?"

"Hoo... Do you know how long you've been lying there?"

Brillie softly muttered and approached Alter.

At this point, not even joy at his survival could eclipse her emotions.

She simply composed her troubled heart as she gazed upon him.

"Um... about three days?"

"It was eight days. If it had gone any longer, we would've had to wake you up by force."

"I suppose that's not a good thing."

"They said if you woke up forcibly, your life could be in danger. And even if you did wake... your body might be ruined..."

Brillie couldn't finish her sentence and looked into Alter's eyes.

The deep blue eyes she had so wanted to meet were now gazing back at her.

If he had never awakened again, what kind of emotions would have overtaken her?

"You must have had a hard time for eight days. You didn't have to come all the way here..."

"Should I just leave my collapsed fiancé alone?"

"Uh... I mean, you could visit for a check-up once in a while..."

"We're even supposed to have a wedding, and you think I only need to show my face?"

"Well, there's the matter of the schedule..."

"If you die or get hurt, I'll just break off the engagement? I can choose another partner as you like, right?"

"..."

Alter glanced sideways at Brillie from within the silence.

Though her voice quivered with anger, her gaze was filled with affection.

She must have been quite flustered and buried in worry, focusing on nothing but him.

"The great mage explained. That this happened because you tried to remove the curse. The Frost Witch cast a curse that would kill the target when she died, right?"

"... So I could have been killed at any time?"

"She endured on purpose just to torment you. She must have wanted to make her killers feel guilty."

"Her thinking was different. Most people wouldn't even consider that."

Responding calmly, Alter could not help but sigh.

The Frost Witch had not targeted his mother, but only wanted to eliminate him.

In the end, it finished with the curse, but even that was not done carelessly.

If she connected her own destruction to the curse, it meant she had been consumed by her own madness and obsession.

"How's your body? Can you move?"

"It feels a bit heavy... but not to the point I can't move."

"Restoring your health comes first. Get treatment and rest at the mansion for a while, okay?"

"That sounds good. I can't afford to collapse again from pushing myself."

Alter did not want to oppose Brillie's opinion.

Her argument was reasonable, and there was no point in provoking unnecessary anxiety.

Most importantly, his own magic power inside felt faint—he needed to monitor his condition more.

'I surely can't use magic in this state. I just have to wait for now.'

Having listened to the broad outline, he could piece together the incident.

The Frost Witch had gambled her life, looking for the right time.

Although the great mage had disrupted her plans, in the end, she had gotten what she wanted.

She simply failed to predict that his mother, Uriel Astile, would be prepared for even that situation.

'More importantly... I have to prepare for war.'

The death of the Frost Witch would bring chaos.

His mother had foreseen this future, and now it couldn't be avoided.

If the northern front lines could not be protected, the entire Agnes Empire would soon be at risk.

'But before that, can my body recover? I need to become a bit stronger...'

* * *

After spending about three more days in the hospital, Alter returned to the duke's residence.

Now he could walk lightly, and his magic power was faintly surging again.

Yet, his body was still weakened, so he needed a bit more rest.

"I'm glad you're safe. Who would have thought an accident would occur right before the wedding..."

"I apologize for causing trouble."

"Trouble? There's nothing you did wrong, is there?"

Cadeon denied it with effort, observing Alter closely.

He looked a bit thinner, but his atmosphere and impression remained steadfast.

If he focused solely on recovery, he would soon be back to his original self.

"There won't be any more incidents like this. I think things have been settled smoothly."

"I've heard the news as well. The curse is completely gone, right?"

"Yes. It was a problem that arose during the curse removal, but I believe it's been resolved now."

"Weren't you in pain for quite a long time because of it? Since it's now disappeared, it's a cause for celebration."

Cadeon was genuinely pleased at the curse's disappearance.

The youngest son of the grand duke's family had to be freed from the curse to advance as a great mage.

Since the outcome came before the wedding, some of his lingering anxiety had been relieved.

"... It may be presumptuous of me to say, but I think I should remain quiet until my body recovers. If I make the wrong move, things could worsen."

"Ah, don't worry. What would you do with your body in this condition anyway? Let's postpone the wedding for now. That'll be better for my daughter as well."

Of course, Cadeon had his reasons for wanting to bring the wedding forward.

But as things stood, Alter could not possibly finish the ceremony perfectly.

Rather than rushing things and ruining the event, it was better to aim for near perfection.

'This might actually be for the best. If I push now, there'll only be more reasons for criticism.'

Cadeon still had the crown prince in his thoughts.

The crown prince wasn't likely to act recklessly, but something unexpected could happen at any moment.

Even among previous emperors, there had been tyrants, and being a direct royal didn't mean one would never act abnormally.

However, if the authority of the ducal house and the grand duke's house were united, even the crown prince would have to be cautious.

'If I look further ahead... this could serve as a justification for rebellion. After all, justifications always begin with the smallest reasons...'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.