The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path - Chapter 262
Chapter 262
Translator: Yonnee
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Olivier replied with a somber expression.
“The mages are just like the Empress. They, too, are driven by their own ambitions. The Magic Tower and the black mages may use different methods, but their goals are the same. What they seek is the resurgence of the Age of Magic.”
“The Age of Magic…?”
“Long ago, there was a time when the World Tree’s roots spread across the continent, filling the atmosphere with mana. The mages wish for that era to return.”
“What does that have to do with Alexis?”
In a slightly lowered voice, Olivier continued,
“Because Alexis is the ‘steward’, and she is connected to ‘infinity’. Only the steward can truly and freely manipulate the source of all things—mana. What the mages of the Magic Tower desire is to harness the infinite power through the magic stone of Hestia. Meanwhile, the black mages want something much more radical but certain.”
“Certain…?”
“They are waiting for Alexis to go berserk.”
Radis’s eyes widened.
“What did you say?”
Olivier spoke in a melancholy voice.
“The ‘black flames’ are the power of the demon realm. If she goes berserk, even temporarily, a passage to the demon realm will open. Just as in the past, the beings from the demon realm won’t miss that opportunity. The gates to the underground world will open, and chaos will ensue across the entire continent as the demon realm’s creatures take root again.”
Radis stared at Olivier, unable to comprehend what he was saying.
“Why? Black mages are people too. If Alexis goes berserk and opens the gates to the underground world, they would be in danger too. How can they wish for that?”
A peculiar smile appeared on Olivier’s lips. He spoke gently, like teaching a child that one plus one equals two.
“Radis, being self-centered and pursuing destruction despite knowing it leads to ruin—that’s what it means to be human.”
With a heavy voice, Radis asked,
“Are you like that too? Is that why you didn’t stop it even though you knew everything?”
Olivier tilted his head slightly.
His face, bathed in moonlight, was as beautiful as an angel holding a trumpet of judgment.
He whispered softly.
“Yes.”
A poignant smile spread across his lips.
“Radis, I hated this place. It made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to change it into something I liked. Sometimes, to achieve that, I had to do things I didn’t like.”
Olivier blinked sadly and continued.
“I might have been lucky—I had some talent in magic. Thanks to that, I was able to gather small bits of information and reach this point. But that was all I knew. Until now, I believed that all of this was the Empress’s doing.”
Olivier’s lips twisted.
“Radis, you saved me.”
“What?”
“Daniel Sheldon. Everyone believed he disappeared to hide his outburst of Geas.”
He slowly shook his head.
“No. He infiltrated the Tilrod family under the alias Armano. Why?”
Olivier raised two fingers.
“The Tilrod family, <Dame Angela>… He was investigating Alexis Tilrod. Of course, it was under the Emperor’s orders.”
“……!”
“The Emperor knew. He knew that Hestia was Alexis Tilrod and that her rampage was imminent.”
Olivier’s smile was filled with utter emptiness.
“He knew everything and still allowed the Empress’s experiments. How can someone be so selfish?”
Olivier began to laugh.
His shoulders shook slightly, his dark eyes filled with despair.
At that moment, Radis realized that the person standing in front of her was the real Olivier.
The real Olivier, who had lived twisted and full of dark despair.
Radis dropped Regia from her hand and ran to embrace him.
“Radis, Radis…”
Olivier collapsed weakly in her arms.
“In this place, everyone follows their own desires. But I didn’t have that. I just wanted to survive. This was the only way I knew how to live.”
He pleaded in a voice as sad and helpless as a child who had lost his mother.
“I won’t marry Lady Ruthwell. The Emperor made that decision because he wanted me to be unhappy. So I’ll sort everything out. Just wait a little longer. It won’t take long.”
“Olivier…”
“Please… Please don’t abandon me.”
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