# Chapter 111
“…What?”
It was something Hest found difficult to believe.
Claudia, who had been with Levi for years, was now gone. So currently, Hest could be considered the person who had known Levi longer than Ion.
From such a Hest’s perspective, Levi was extremely stubborn. Once he decided to protect someone, he would sacrifice himself to save them, even at the cost of shattering his own core.
Knowing this, Hest couldn’t easily believe it. Until just a few days ago, Raziel was someone Levi had tried to protect at all costs, so how could he suddenly want to kill him, even after learning his true identity?
“You believe that? No, even if Levi truly intends to do so, what if he changes his mind when facing Raziel? What if Raziel manipulates him with his silver tongue and puts Levi back under his control?!”
Hest couldn’t bear the anxiety.
If Levi were to point his blade at them from enemy lines again, Ion would naturally walk around with a grim face every day. And Levi, after eventually recovering all his memories with Ion, might severely blame himself and fall into depression.
Imagining the two of them like that made his chest tighten.
No, it would be better if that were all.
“Fine, let’s say Levi does intend to kill Raziel as you claim. The worst-case scenario would be Raziel figuring everything out and killing Levi instead. If another fragment falls from his core and it’s disposed of, the Levi who wakes next will forget this life too!”
Just as Hest, shouting in frustration, was about to question again why he had done such a foolish thing…
“Raziel cannot kill Levi.”
“How would you know that?!”
“Because he has a lifespan.”
Hest’s eyes widened at this unfamiliar statement.
It was already hard to believe that Raziel was actually a humanized form of a black fragment, but to say he has a lifespan?
“Levi, having lost fragments, needs an even longer regeneration time to fill that void. You know that this regeneration took 15 years.”
Ion recalled Raziel’s bloodless face from his memory.
“If he were to return the fragments to speed up regeneration, Levi’s memories would remain intact. There would be no benefit in killing and regenerating him that way.”
In other words, for Raziel to awaken Levi again with his memories erased, he would need a long regeneration time, but if he didn’t want to spend that much time, killing Levi would be unnecessary.
From Ion’s perspective, Raziel didn’t have enough lifespan to spare that much time.
“Raziel has less than a year of life left.”
“Are you a fortune-teller or something? How can you know the lifespan of someone who isn’t even human?”
“Levi knew.”
This was another new piece of information, and Hest’s face once again filled with questions.
“He said he sensed it immediately when he first met Raziel and made contact with his black hand.”
The black hand that Raziel called his “brother” looked as if it would turn to ashes and disappear at any moment.
The instinctively perceived short lifespan of Raziel further ignited Levi’s will at that time. Although he couldn’t do anything to extend Raziel’s lifespan since he carried “death,” he wanted to help him live properly for at least the remaining time.
It was hard for even Ion to believe that Levi, who had such thoughts, would now say he wanted to kill Raziel.
Nevertheless, the reason he could let Levi go was because of the promise Levi had made to him.
“I will live with you as a ‘human’.”
Levi’s resolve, strengthened by recovering part of his memories, was not something Ion could simply ignore. Unlike before, his deep, ocean-like black eyes showed not the slightest bit of hesitation.
Ion, recalling Levi, took a deep breath and faced Hest.
“While Levi is with Raziel, we have work to do as well. You’ll help, of course?”
Although Ion’s tone displeased him, Hest grudgingly asked what he needed to do.
❖ ❖ ❖
A garden full of bright yellow flowers.
In the Delos Empire, they would have naturally incorporated such colors to symbolize the blonde hair of the imperial family and the splendor of the imperial palace. But in the Caron Empire’s palace, where black and red were considered sacred, it was a somewhat unfamiliar sight. After the war with the Delos Empire began, they had even deliberately uprooted and eliminated all yellow flowers to avoid the symbolic color of the enemy nation.
But now, with a different emperor, one of the imperial gardens was completely dyed yellow. This garden, cultivated under the orders of Raziel, the current emperor of the Caron Empire, was surrounded by brilliant golden light whenever it received sunshine, sometimes captivating even the palace people who used to avoid gold.
In the center, two black-haired individuals sitting at an elegant tea table stood out distinctly amid the dazzling golden light.
“How was it?”
Raziel spoke first.
After taking a sip of fragrant black tea, he looked at Levi with his usual calm eyes.
“Do you resent Iellin?”
Raziel mentioned the name “Iellin,” the commoner alias used by former Princess Claudia, which Levi had personally given her.
Raziel imagined the woman’s face that would be floating in Levi’s mind.
“The fact that you came back willingly even after recovering those memories means you must resent her as much as I expected.”
Levi didn’t deny his words. He remained silent, as if agreeing with Raziel.
If it were Ion, he might have collapsed, unable to control his emotions upon learning that his mother was “the person who killed Levi and stole the third fragment.”
Thinking this, Raziel asked to confirm:
“Does Ion Verdit know too? What Iellin did to you.”
At Raziel’s question, Levi lightly shook his head.
Seeing this, Raziel smiled faintly.
He thought that Levi, having learned those emotions along with his memories, might have poured out resentful words to Ion Verdit on behalf of Iellin.
Claudia had told Levi she would help him become human, but then stole his fragment and ran away, preventing that from happening. Yet she was the woman who wrote in the Black Forest asking not to be forgotten.
As Raziel, who possessed all the memories Levi had lost, Claudia was more detestable than any human.
To the extent that he felt this way, Levi, who shared Claudia’s last appearance, would also resent her, and even more so her son, Ion Verdit. That must be why he was here now, despite the note to Marquis Hest Wesslon saying “you don’t have to send him back unless Levi himself wants to go.”
Of course, the existing hostility toward Ion Verdit would have also played a part.
When Levi was still staying at Ion’s mansion, Raziel had received a report from Chepel. It was when Hest had removed Ion’s binding spell from Chepel.
Raziel had anticipated that his close aides might someday become Ion’s immortal soldiers, and to prepare for this, he had given them accessories containing parts of his black hand.
Using this, Chepel, who had returned as a loyal aide, moved to find the third fragment. During this process, he didn’t forget to secretly report the situation through a spy hiding in the Delos Empire. True to his cautious nature, he kept it secret from the other spy, Marquis Hest Wesslon.
According to the report at that time, Levi had not yet shown signs of turning to Ion Verdit.
Levi was still confined to a bedroom, and the entrance was always guarded by two or more immortal soldiers. There was occasional commotion inside the bedroom late at night, and on one day, Ion had to dye his hair and change his voice due to Levi’s extreme vigilance. He seemed to have calmed down somewhat only because he frequently fell into deep sleep due to starvation.
Recalling Chepel’s report, Raziel carefully observed Levi’s reaction.
Since the report was sent while Chepel was in his right mind, it couldn’t be false, but the problem was that Levi had mostly stayed in the bedroom, so there was much Chepel couldn’t see. Raziel had to see and judge Levi’s thoughts and mental state directly, as he was doing now.
But there didn’t seem to be any need to dig deeper.
“I can’t trust either Iellin or Ion Verdit.”
Levi’s unwavering eyes satisfied Raziel.
Levi cannot lie. Like a pure child, he doesn’t know how to lie, nor does he feel the need to do so. The one who knew this better than anyone was Raziel himself, who shared Levi’s memories.
“The only one I can trust is Raziel.”
Raziel’s faint smile grew more pronounced.
“Yes. I’m the only one you should trust.”
Because my wish is your wish.
