Chapter 31

31. It was far too harsh for her. (7)

“Ugh, you’re heavy, damn it. Did you enjoy prison food that much? Look at how much weight you’ve gained.”

“Your joke isn’t even funny, Venere.”

While carrying Mercurio on his back, Venere grumbled all the way from the back wing of the mansion down to the basement stairs.

“Even with the teleportation scroll, it always ends up like this. Why are court mages so stingy?”

“There’s a great magical barrier, isn’t there? Why are you complaining so much when you already know?”

Taking Mercurio out of the dungeon beneath the Academy went well.

Well enough, but the teleportation only took them to the top of the basement stairs. From there, they had to walk.

During this, with both his wrists and ankles broken, Mercurio couldn’t walk, so Venere had to personally carry him to move him.

“We’re almost there…grunt, [Open].”

Struggling to keep Mercurio from slipping, Venere recited the activation phrase, and the heavy stone door quietly opened, despite its size.

Two candles fixed facing each other illuminated the basement, half of it in darkness, and the other in light—enough to make out a person’s silhouette.

The not-so-large basement had a shabby chair placed against the wall, supporting the weight of someone sitting on it.

While Venere helped place Mercurio into the chair in the middle of the basement and groaned as she straightened her back, a man in a black hood sitting on another chair slowly spoke.

“Mercurio, you’ve suffered much.”

“Ah, yes. I got more than I bargained for. Your niece sure hits hard, eh?”

Though he said it casually, the reality was far from it. With both his wrists and ankles broken, these were no small injuries.

“Eat this.”

Taking off his hood, the man slowly revealed himself in the dim light of the torches. A man with neatly combed black hair sat there, mature and dignified—he was none other than Lord Cascata, the Chief Court Mage of the palace.

Lord Cascata extended a small vial to Mercurio. The terrible smell emanating from it caused Venere to scrunch her face, waving her hand to dispel it.

“You’ll recover quickly. I see your teeth are also somewhat damaged, but you’ll need to heal fast.”

“That’s true. Venere, help me out here. My hands are like this.”

The odor coming from the vial was unbearable.

“Not the smell…ugh, fine! I’ll do it!”

Though reluctant to get close to it, Venere expressed her dissatisfaction through her body language, yet knowing she couldn’t refuse, grudgingly approached and took the vial.

“Open your mouth, Mercurio.”

Mercurio opened his mouth relatively politely.

Though medicine is often bitter for one’s own good, even that has its limits. To have something as foul as this was a trial in itself.

With the vial practically shoved into Mercurio’s mouth, and after he swallowed the medicine with an audible gulp, Venere quickly snatched the cap from Lord Cascata’s hand and sealed the vial.

“Well, let’s get down to business.”

Watching this, Lord Cascata returned to his seat. With his legs crossed, he quietly observed Venere, making her avoid his gaze uneasily.

“Well…you see, Lord Cascata, I know you care for your niece, but…”

“I told you not to involve her. And you won’t be offering any excuse about bad timing, will you?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Sometimes, a few words can be more fearsome than outright reprimands.

Venere knew this quite well, and since Lord Cascata had revealed his true self, she wouldn’t dare defy him.

Especially knowing how effortlessly he could erase her—literally destroy her.

And, most importantly, given he held the heart that enabled her alchemy within his grasp, there was no room for defiance.

“Venere, don’t forget that your survival is due to the benefits of alchemy. Also, don’t forget your life rests in my hands.”

“…Yes.”

“Our purpose, mine and yours, is for the empire. Mercurio, am I wrong?”

By now, the pain had subsided enough for Mercurio to rotate his wrists as he bowed deeply before Lord Cascata.

“That’s right. I fully understand. I will be much more careful from now on.”

“Hmm, now that we’ve confirmed the resonance level is still quite low, that shall suffice. We’ll work on raising it later.”

Lord Cascata recalled Ivan, whom he had met earlier during his reconnaissance.

Currently just a plain citizen, he showed no extraordinary or special attributes. If his resonance level had risen significantly, there would have been signs, but it hadn’t yet, so his level was clearly still low.

“For now, let’s keep observing. And Venere, you must…”

Lord Cascata’s gaze shifted back to Venere, who shivered under it and involuntarily lowered her eyes.

“Prepare your arm for my niece in advance. Ensure it can be attached immediately once the task is done. Since my niece will likely play a big role in enhancing his resonance, it’s best to keep your arm severed for now.”

“Y-Yes, understood.”

“And Mercurio, here.”

Lord Cascata pulled a small box from his pocket.

Under the torchlight, it was a very old wooden case, portions of its brown paint long peeled off, revealing the raw wood beneath.

“That’s…”

“Come here and take it. Replace your eye with this.”

Using his still painful legs, Mercurio stood and approached Lord Cascata.

Upon receiving the box and opening it, he found a single orb inside.

“This… it’s the Demon’s Eye, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Take this into the Academy secretly and use it to both physically and spiritually raise the resonance. The sooner he manifests, the sooner we can eliminate him.”

“…Yes, I’ll do as you say.”

With the small box in hand, Mercurio took a deep breath.

Lifting the bandage from one eye, he revealed a sunken eyelid, devoid of anything beneath it.

The eyelid was wrinkled and dirty, but Mercurio gently raised it with one finger and lifted the orb—referred to as the Demon’s Eye—with the other, inserting it into the empty socket.

“Grhgh…”

Mercurio crumpled in pain, trembling violently. Watching this, Venere herself trembled and asked Lord Cascata,

“Umm, sir, Lord Cascata.”

“Hm?”

Should she even ask this? Venere hesitated, knowing she shouldn’t, but her intuition was telling her something strong. Ultimately, curiosity won over reason.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Earlier, you said your niece would help increase the resonance… But, it’s personal curiosity…”

Lord Cascata said nothing, but Venere knew his silence meant she should continue. Despite her hesitation, she finally asked cautiously.

“Your niece…she really reminds me a lot of… Mar—”

GASP!

The moment Venere tried to utter the name, it felt like an invisible hand wrapped around her throat, lifting her into the air, choking her. Her struggles were futile under Lord Cascata’s furious glare.

Electric blue sparks crackled wildly around them, forming into a dozen or so orbs as large as an adult’s head, swirling menacingly around Venere, ready to fry her at any moment.

“How dare you speak that name with your defiled tongue. Mar—Her name is not one you speak so freely. Should I silence you forever?”

“N-No… I’m sor—sorr—ry…”

Struggling to breathe, Venere could only watch the crackling orbs spinning closer and closer.

Truly, death loomed right in front of her, and now she deeply regretted bringing it up.

“Never speak Mar—Her name casually. She… she…”

Realizing his mistake, Lord Cascata stopped.

The invisible grip on Venere’s throat released her, and the orbs of electricity vanished without a sound. Finally free, Venere collapsed to the floor, gasping desperately for breath.

“Should you ever mention Her name again, I will kill you. Know your place, you who only handle gold dust.”

“Yes…yes, please forgive me…”

Terrified, Venere resolved to be more careful with her words.

Mar— Martina della Cascata.

Even knowing it was Lord Cascata’s forbidden trigger, Venere had carelessly spoken, and she was relieved to have escaped with her life.

“Your severed arm shall remain as is for now. As I said, it might help the resonance process. Venere, I have a special task for you. Come see me later.”

With a fearful glance at Lord Cascata, Venere managed a slight nod.

That was all she could do.