[IYFILWATIP] Chapter 50

Sonia quietly rolled up her sleeve, revealing a scar still clear enough to be recognizable on her rough skin. It started at her elbow and likely stretched all the way to her chest. 

Kirona knew the story well. 

A hundred years ago, a monstrous creature as large as the basilisk had awakened in Nabimi Forest. It was during the reign of her great-great-grandmother, the former empress. At that time, the first hunting party sent from the capital arrived in the East. 

Back then, the empire hadn’t yet given up on the unknown lands of the East. 

In fact, they were determined to conquer it, no matter what, to reduce the damage caused by monsters. 

At least until then. 

"You were part of that hunting party, Sonia." 

"Yes. My younger sister, my two older sisters, and many friends all died in Nabimi Forest. But I was content. We protected the East. And where that monster died, a single purified land was created in the East. I’m sure you must have seen it on your way here." 

It was impossible not to know. Kirona nodded. It was the plain within Count Rohatyn’s territory, the only land in the East where crops could be grown properly. The only means of feeding those in the East who weren’t mercenaries or wizards. 

But... 

"If it weren’t for that land, no one could have settled in the East. But even that land’s life force is fading now. It’s becoming contaminated again." 

Even the one beacon of hope was now being consumed by the black soil. In the past few years, it had been a particularly harsh famine, even for the East, where people were used to hunger. Farmers turned into mercenaries, bandits, and thieves, abandoning the land. 

"If the soil of the East is purified, flowers will bloom again, Princess." 

"Purifying the soil of the East..." 

"Any flowers." 

Sonia gently stroked Kirona’s face as she spoke. Kirona asked, "Who took the Flower of Nadalin that bloomed a hundred years ago?" 

"...I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that. I made a promise never to reveal that truth to anyone. As a seer, I swore on my ‘eyes.’" 

Kirona couldn’t press further. For a seer, the eyes that saw the future were more precious than life itself. Once they swore on them, not even the emperor could force them to speak the truth. Even if they were captured alive and tortured, they wouldn’t say anything. 

It was the same reason that priests who dedicated themselves to Theresia could never lie. 

"There’s only one thing I can tell you for sure. Don’t worry. The Flower of Nadalin definitely exists. I saw it with my own eyes." 

"That’s a relief. At least coming here wasn’t in vain." 

"No matter what nonsense that mercenary spouted last night, you shouldn’t lose heart. The gods always open a path to those who seek it." 

"......" 

"You’ll find your way, Princess. I’m a seer, so you can believe me, at least halfway. After all, isn’t everything in life a fifty-fifty chance? It either rains, or it doesn’t. It either exists, or it doesn’t. It’s either true or not. You either die, or you don’t..." 

Kirona nodded. Sonia’s response, fitting for a seer, was vague and seemed to be grasping at straws, but it was enough for Kirona. 

A fifty-fifty chance. It was the most hopeful thing she had heard so far. 

"If the land is restored, I might have a fifty-fifty chance too." 

"But defying fate won’t be easy, Princess." 

Kirona shook her head, cutting her off. 

"Fate doesn’t matter to me anymore." 

"......" 

"That’s something for the living. No one can predict the path of someone whose death is imminent. Not even you, Sonia. I have nothing to lose now, so I can do anything." 

Sonia silently traced a cross on Kirona’s forehead. A wizard bestowing Theresia’s blessing was nothing if not contradictory. 

"Why are you blessing me?" 

"My goodness, Princess. Do you believe in the foolish words of those who say wizards are your enemies?" 

"There’s truth to it, though." 

There was a long history of bad blood between the temple, the imperial family, and wizards. Throughout the empire's history, they had always been in a power struggle, with the tower sometimes gaining the upper hand and other times the temple. 

Currently, tensions had eased, and they were maintaining a precarious peace, but even when Kirona was an infant, there was still talk of the persecution of wizards. 

"But there’s also Princess Pine. It’s common knowledge that the master of the tower is her biological father." 

"Yes, the theory is that she was conceived on a night when emotions ran high between her mother and the master during one of their meetings..." 

There was no other way to explain it. Kirona knew all too well what happened during those rare annual meetings.