How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 35
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Angelina asked without hesitation as if to see where this would lead.
“Why do you dislike the Solar God’s Order?”
“……That’s a strong first question.”
He let out a hollow laugh.
“I’m curious how you knew about that in the first place.”
“That’s a trade secret.”
“……”
“Passing on the answer?”
“Let’s say… we’re not compatible.”
“What a disappointing answer. Everyone knows that magical power and divine power are opposing forces.”
Divine power and magical power had a relationship like light and darkness.
When one side is dominant, the other side is bound to be weak, so when they clash, friction occurs, but they can’t deny each other’s existence.
However, this had never caused bad relations between mages and priests.
They just avoided each other because it was a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn’t a reason to dislike each other.
“I have nothing more to say. Well… if I had to add something, there might be more to what you said at the gateway lodge.”
“If the light is strong……”
“Then the shadows deepen.”
Angelina let out a long sigh.
‘The shadow I know and the shadow the Archmage knows seem a bit different.’
The shadow of the Solar Order she knew was the exploitation of the female lead as a saint and the sacrificing of children.
But in the novel, the Archmage seemed unaware of the saint’s situation.
‘Is it because of the sacrifices?’
If that’s the case, this mysterious Archmage seems to have stronger humanity and sense of responsibility than expected?
“You?”
“Me?”
“Why did you turn the Solar God’s Order into your enemy?”
He added quietly as he asked.
“……It’s news to me that Viscount Flaubert’s sister dislikes the Order.”
“I suppose so. It’s a secret.”
“Do you… know something?”
“I do. That’s why I decided to dislike them.”
At Angelina’s words, the Archmage muttered softly to himself.
“Could it be that her memories……”
“Huh? What did you say?”
But his voice was too low to understand. She asked again, but he shook his head.
“Nothing. What’s your next question?”
“Can the enemy of an enemy become a friend?”
“Depends on the situation?”
“That’s such a cowardly answer.”
“Usually, I tend to think of the enemy of an enemy as an even bigger enemy, but……”
He trailed off for a moment, fidgeting with his fingers again.
Angelina couldn’t see his eyes clearly, but she could vaguely feel that he was staring at her intently.
“If you’re talking about the enemy of the Solar God’s Order, I think we could become friends.”
“Really?”
A faint smile appeared on Angelina’s face at the satisfactory answer.
“The next question is…… Have you thought about joining hands with Duke Kadenhart?”
“Why with him?”
“It might be good to do so?”
“What for?”
“Because it would be helpful.”
“Do you know how much money the Duke’s family has poured into the Order?”
“You know they had no choice because of the Dead Lands.”
“Still, it’s the same as encouraging the Order’s nonsense.”
“But that was the previous Duke. This Duke is actually on bad terms with the Order.”
“You want me to join hands with that guy?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Do you like him?”
“Not for the Duke’s sake, but for yours.”
“……What do you mean?”
“Then, next question.”
“Explain what you mean before moving on.”
“How about joining hands with me?”
“……”
The Archmage, who had been urging her, was at a loss for words.
A moment of silence passed. The stillness was broken by the ‘kkeuk’ sound of the fox familiar’s yawn.
“So, you’re saying we should join hands with the Duke and do something together?”
“My dear Archmage, no… Aesi, how do you know my mind so well.”
“Hah……”
The Archmage roughly ran his fingers through his hair. He even frowned as if displeased with her proposal.
“I’d gladly join hands with you. But not with him.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Is it because of the mana stone mine? The Tower runs fine without such things.”
“Hmm~?”
“What’s with that meaningful smile?”
Angelina didn’t answer. Instead, she continued with her questions.
“The last one is more of a request than a question……”
“Go on.”
“Come to see me on my birthday two years from now.”
At those words, the Archmage’s hand twitched.
“Why?”
“If you come, I’ll tell you then.”
“……I don’t meet people outside the Tower.”
“Is that so…?”
At his firm refusal, Angelina’s gaze dropped. A pained smile appeared on her lips.
“That was the most important one out of the five.”
“Why?”
He asked as if he couldn’t understand.
“It’s not like your birthday would be ruined just because the Archmage didn’t come.”
“……That’s true.”
Angelina’s smile was somewhat self-deprecating.
“It won’t be ruined because the Archmage didn’t come.”
It will be ruined because I’ll be dying.
A birthday party that would turn into a funeral in a day.
Angelina hoped the Archmage would come to that.
She had planned to build a good relationship with the Archmage over two years, and then ask him to take care of her brother when he came to see her on her deathbed.
Perhaps it was too idealistic a thought after all.
As she let out a deep sigh……
“I’ll try.”
The Archmage’s answer came.
“Really?”
“I can’t promise. But… if there’s a reason you want me to come so badly, I’ll try.”
He added quietly that he’d have to go if only to find out the reason.
Only then did a smile spread across Angelina’s face.
“That’s a relief.”
So now all she had to do was focus on becoming close to the Archmage without worry?
“So, are the questions over now?”
“Yes.”
“Now, give it to me.”
The Archmage held out his hand.
“The Black Lake containing the Shadow of the Sun.”
“How can I carry around something so dangerous?”
“Then?”
“I’ll tell you the hidden location. The place that the accurate interpretation of the literature points to.”
“……Tell me.”
He asked in a suspicious tone, as if willing to be fooled just this once, and a smile quite different from before appeared on Angelina’s lips.
“The Dead Lands in Duke Kadenhart’s territory.”
“What?”
“There should be a lake at the lowest level of the mana stone mine, formed by mana being concentrated until it liquefied.”
Angelina specified the exact location.
“In the center, there’s a tree that doesn’t fit the place. It’s stained black, but it’s neither dry nor dead, but full of vitality.”
The novel described it as a tree that looked as if it was carved from coal, pitch black but alive, giving a somewhat eerie feeling.
“Dig under the particularly protruding thick root of that tree. If it’s hard to find, sprinkle holy water. The stream of holy water will find the spot for you.”
“……I didn’t expect it to be this detailed.”
The Archmage muttered as if he couldn’t believe it, given how incredibly detailed it was.
Angelina continued her explanation.
“An ordinary person would struggle to even reach the lowest level due to the oppressive mana, but I think it won’t be a problem for Aesi, the Archmage.”
“How on earth did you interpret it to come to such a conclusion?”
Something that no one had been able to interpret for hundreds of years?
“That’s a trade secret.”
“……”
“Go and see, even if you think you’re being fooled. Oh, of course… you’ll need Duke Kadenhart’s permission.”
After all, it was part of the Duke’s territory, so they couldn’t trespass without permission. Especially since it was designated as a restricted area.
“Ha, so that’s why you said joining hands with that guy was for my benefit.”
Angelina grinned at him as he arrived at the correct answer.
“Haa……”
The Archmage let out a deep sigh to shake off his frustration and fidgeted with his fingers again. He was lost in thought once more.
And this time, Angelina didn’t take her eyes off those hands.
‘It really bothers me.’
She couldn’t pretend not to notice it anymore.
Above all…….
‘Brother doesn’t know he has that habit.’
Habits were usually hard to hide. Especially if one didn’t know they had the habit.
‘But brother can’t use magic.’
It wasn’t just that he couldn’t use it.
‘He doesn’t have any mana at all.’
When they were very young, their uncle had measured her brother’s mana.
If he had even a little of a magician’s aptitude, taking after his biological father, he planned to exploit that talent to the last drop.
But her brother’s mana level came out at rock bottom. Surprisingly, he had none at all, not even a speck.
He was physically incapable of becoming a magician.
That was why Angelina found the Archmage’s hand movements so bothersome, yet couldn’t bring herself to put them in the same category.
“Then, Aesi. This means we’re joining hands, right?”
Angelina asked, pushing aside her unsettling thoughts.
“Shouldn’t I verify the item first?”
“Once you’ve verified it, can I consider us on the same side?”
“Isn’t it premature to conclude we’re on the same side just because we made an information trade?”
“You said we could become friends if we have the same enemy.”
“I don’t do politics.”
“I’m not asking you to take Flaubert’s side.”
Realizing the Archmage had misunderstood her words, Angelina shook her head.
“I’m asking you to be my friend.”
