What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 72

Was this what it felt like to drink a chaotic mixture of every emotion a human could feel?
He couldn’t tell what he was feeling anymore. He had long accepted that he was broken, but he hadn’t expected that even the moment he discovered Ysaris was alive would be so difficult to rejoice in purely.
No, he was happy. Happier than he’d ever been. But something pierced through his mind when he saw her living without a scratch, in peace.
Because Ysaris wasn’t dead.
“She left.”
‘Left me.’
“She ran away… from me.”
Kazhan clutched his head as if he wanted to tear his hair out, mumbling to himself. A broken, halting laugh slipped from his lips without him even realizing it.
‘She had run away, had a child on her own, and was raising him. And she looked so peaceful doing it. Without me. Perfectly fine.’
‘While I was losing my mind, breaking apart, you…’
‘Of course I’m happy. It’s because I no longer have to see you, Your Majesty.’
He froze. His entire body went still, and the veins in his hands bulged as he clenched his fists.
‘Will you come find me? To drag me down into the abyss once again?’
“Ysaris.”
‘I thought you said you’d be satisfied if I was alive.’
“I…”
‘That was a lie too, wasn’t it? Then again, Your Majesty has never once been honest with me. You claimed to love me, and yet you hated me so much.’
Kazhan opened his mouth, as if choking on his own breath. Slowly, he raised his head, and there she was—Ysaris, looking exactly as she did before she disappeared: somber, exhausted, and worn down. Her eyes met his, full of bitterness.
It was a stark contrast to the reality of her he had just witnessed. Her expression, her tone, her entire demeanor were different.
Kazhan knew it was because he was either near her or not.
‘Do not come for me. Unless you intend to die by my hand.’
“…Ysaris.”
Even as he called out to her, she did not respond. Instead, she dissolved into the air, vanishing before his eyes.
Kazhan’s hand, which had instinctively reached out toward the empty space she left behind, stopped midair. He balled his hand into a fist. There was no need to be swayed by illusions anymore. Now that he knew Ysaris was alive, there was no reason to listen to these phantom whispers.
Even if they were words the real Ysaris might say.
“How could I ever leave you alone?”
‘I’ll find you. Whether you try to kill me or not, I have to meet you again.’
And after that…
“…”
Kazhan looked down at his hand, expressionless. He hadn’t thought beyond meeting her. To be more precise, he couldn’t think beyond that.
For now, his only goal was to find Ysaris, so he stood up.
“Liz, Mikael, Lena.”
Considering that he had only spied on them briefly during their breakfast, he had gathered a lot of information. Ysaris’ dyed hair and alias, the child’s name and features, and even the identity of the mysterious woman who seemed to be her ally.
It was enough. The Empire’s power could certainly track them down, but one thing weighed on his mind.
“Golden eyes.”
Kazhan recalled the exact moment the sapphire gaze had locked onto him before the crystal orb shut off. Eyes with a golden glow, radiating a strange aura. Those weren’t the eyes of an ordinary person.
As far as anyone knew, only one person on the continent had eyes like that.
“The Sage is supposed to be a man.”
The Sage, Yesis. He was a man who had appeared one day out of nowhere and taken control of the Mage Tower.
For over a hundred years, he had ruled as the Master of the Tower, and he was also the owner of this crystal orb.

Recalling Temisian’s earnest plea, Kazhan placed his hand back on the crystal ball. As expected, it didn’t react, most likely because it only worked for a single use per person. The translucent surface remained dull and inactive.
“I suppose I’ll have to visit the Mage Tower.”
Kazhan had never heard that the Sage had a family, but truth was often different from rumor. If this woman, Lena, was connected to the Sage, tracking her down would be easy enough. And even if she wasn’t, he could ask about the orb’s last point of use.
It would certainly be easier than chasing down a mage powerful enough to break through the Sage’s magic on his own.