The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 78
‘No, that wasn’t me.’
Roina fell silent for a moment.
Lutan continued to project someone else onto her.
It stung—no, it hurt a lot. But she chose not to reject his affection. Because that person no longer existed.
“It is true that the Golden Dragon was killed by the first emperor. But the truth differs slightly from the myth. I am still unsure if you are ready to accept it, so I will withhold some details for now. I will tell you little by little, slowly. Because you are the most precious to me.”
Lutan’s eyes darkened as he spoke. It was as if he were drifting through a past she had yet to understand.
“Back then, you revived the Golden Dragon and made it the Great Archmage—the one who would oversee the magic taken from the gods and distribute it to humans.”
“Then,”
“Yes. I am the one who bears the soul of that Golden Dragon.”
His golden eyes gleamed with an unusually deep light as he gazed at her.
Sunlight streamed through the gap in the window, momentarily illuminating the space between them. It was then that Roina first became aware of how different his eye color looked depending on whether he was in the shadows or in the sunlight.
“And you are the master of the Golden Dragon.”
Under the radiant sunlight, he smiled faintly. There was such vast and gentle affection in that expression that Roina found herself at a loss for words.
“You shattered yourself and left behind fragments of primordial magic before you disappeared. You only said that we would meet again in a thousand years.”
“And! You also said that when the time came, you would gather all of us together!”
“All of you?”
Fia gently took her hand and rubbed its cheek against her palm. The soft sensation of the spirit’s touch spread through her skin.
“Yes, when the time of your return draws near, the darkness will spread once more. If we are all consumed by it, then it will be the end. That’s why you told us to remain steadfast in our places.”
“The fragments of primordial magic do not exist as a single piece. You divided them into five parts and placed them throughout the world.”
One of them was Fides. She fell into brief contemplation.
“For what purpose?”
“To seal the empire.”
“The empire…?”
Her mind felt increasingly hazy. Ah, so this was the symptom Lutan had spoken of. She struggled to focus her blurring vision.
“Yes. To the far east, you sealed it with this mountain range and the Magic Tower. To the west, with the Kingdom of Castrello. To the north, the south, and even the Imperial Palace itself.”
“With the sword given to strike down evil, you broke your oath and struck down your own comrade— Thus, I shall take your sword and seal the empire’s gates.”
Roina murmured in a daze. Even she wasn’t entirely sure what she was saying. Lutan, looking slightly startled, wrapped his arms around her.
“It’s all right, Roina. That is enough for today. Do not overexert yourself.”
“You, vile and wicked one, shall be undone by your own greed. Through your bloodline, the curse of madness shall flow…”
‘I will never let things go your way. I will protect it.’
With those final murmured words, Roina rested her head against Lutan’s shoulder and closed her eyes. She surrendered herself to the sleep that swept over her.
Lutan unknowingly pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly. Her soul stirred. Roina was still the most noble of all.
“Please, just this once, do not destroy yourself. I will survive until the end and protect you.”
Just this once. As if making a vow to himself, he repeated those words.
Never again would he lose her. Never again would he be left alone, cast into the eternity of time while she disappeared.
***
For the first time in his life, Josef experienced the sensation of being unable to focus on the words written in the books he held.
Whenever he tried to sit still and think, the image of a certain woman flickered before his eyes.
Lost in the hazy vision of being by her side, he would suddenly snap back to reality, his face burning red.
‘This is insane. Josef, what the hell is wrong with you? You’re acting like an idiot.’
With a loud thud, he slammed his head against his desk.
It was an unrequited love—one that had ended before it could even begin—but the fire it ignited in his heart still burned fiercely.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he had ever engaged in such deep academic discussions with a woman he was aware of as the opposite s*x. For him, young women were usually just people he encountered in etiquette lessons.
This feeling was nothing more than a passing fever.
Josef struggled to repeat that thought to himself with cold rationality.
“Uaaaah! Zenzaaaaang!!”
“Shut up! You’re so damn loud.”
Maili, who had been lying on the couch reviewing documents in his office, shouted at him.
Wait, this is my office in the first place!
Josef felt wronged, but powerless people always had fewer words to say.
With a sullen expression, he glanced at his older sister and let out a deep sigh.
Maili, watching him closely, mulled something over before grinning mischievously, the corners of her mouth curling up like an impish child.
“Hey, don’t tell me… you like Roina?”
“W-What?! Uwaaaah!”
Crash!
Caught off guard, he instinctively tried to leap to his feet, but misjudged his grip on the desk, tripped over the chair legs, and ended up sprawling spectacularly on the floor.
Click.
Maili clicked her tongue and looked down at her brother with pure disappointment.
‘Seriously, with how much of a mess he is, I wonder if anyone will ever take him.’
