Chapter 127: Destiny (V)

The underground prison of Bernium Palace.

Once empty for many years, it now stood packed without a single vacant space since Levans’ Rebellion. All were relatives of nobles who had participated in the revolt.

The King of Frenche had pardoned the common soldiers involved in the rebellion but showed no mercy towards the nobles. In truth, forgiving them would have been unforgivable. If he spared their lives, history could repeat itself at any moment.

Snore…

In the desolate prison, the sound of snoring echoed loudly. By the light of the moon seeping through the bars, one could see a disheveled figure leaning against the wall—a man known as Levans.

His appearance, reduced to that of an invalid, bore not even a hint of his former power as ruler of the Frenche Kingdom.

Breathe… breathe…

The soft rhythm of his breaths was the only sign that he still clung to life.

After a long period of stillness, Levans slowly raised his head. Through strands of greasy hair, his lifeless gray eyes were revealed.

He recalled his conversation with the king on the day he was taken to prison:

The king responded thusly:

“What in blazes do you mean by that…?”

“Have you not grasped it yet? The once prosperous Levans of old is long dead. All that remains here now… is a foul-smelling monster.”

”…?!”

“The date for your execution will soon be set. Until then… ponder this. Consider what, if anything, truly sets apart those nobles you so despised—those who reeked of decay—and yourself as you stand today.”

With those final words, the king departed from the prison.

In the days that followed, Levans grappled with his thoughts time and again.

Each time, he vehemently denied the comparison:

No way. Everything I’ve done was for the good of my country!

A hoarse voice emerged from Levans’ mouth, which had been closed for a long time.

“I… I only made the choice that was best for everyone.”

His voice echoed softly through the desolate prison.

At that moment…

”…He’s rambling again.”

A sharp voice reached Levans’ ears.

Levens turned his head.

The owner of the voice was another prisoner in the cell opposite him.

It was a man as dirty as himself.

Levens gave him a puzzled look.

“Who… who are you?”

”…Don’t you know who I am?”

Levens closed his mouth.

As the man said, he indeed didn’t know who he was.

The man introduced himself with an air of disbelief.

“I’m Count Mitro.”

”…”

“Well, it makes sense that someone as great as Premier Levans wouldn’t recognize a lowly count like me.”

”…What do you want to say?”

“Do you really think you’ve done something great? Did all those people follow you because they wanted to create a new world in your dreams? How laughable.”

”…?”

“All those people participated in your plan… out of fear. Which noble would dare oppose you when you’d chop off their head if they went against your wishes?”

Levens flinched at Mitro’s words.

The Marquis Mitro’s anger and sense of injustice tore through Levans’ heart.

“It sounded grand at first. Creating a world where capable individuals were favored? Yes, it was an enticing idea. But… it’s just empty talk from those who already have everything! Think about how much blood this country has shed because of your delusions!”

“I… I…”

“For everyone? Don’t make me laugh. It was for you! You and those self-proclaimed ‘wise ones’! In the end, all you did was drive out the rotten pigs of the old era only to have more greedy bastards take their place!”

”…?!” Levans flinched at the man’s howl.

“Heh-heh, I must be crazy too. To think I entrusted my future to such a fool even for a moment…” The man burst into deranged laughter, as if mocking himself.

After that, his voice faded away.

The man turned away from Levans, lying down as if he couldn’t bear to look at him anymore.

Facing this, Levans felt a deep sense of futility and emptiness well up within him.

Was it like this…? Was it like that…?

A myriad of memories swept through Levans’ mind.

He recalled his humble origins as a commoner, and the friends who had celebrated his rise to the palace. His first encounter with Page remained etched in his memory. The years he spent chasing dreams, only to taste bitter disappointment time and again. He remembered the anger that consumed him, driving him down a path stained with blood.

As his reverie came to an end, Levans raised his head. Through the barred window, he gazed at the moon, his eyes reflecting a deep sense of disillusionment.

“Where… where have I been heading all this time?” he muttered softly as he rose from his seat.

For a moment, clouds obscured the moon’s glow.

Thud.

In the darkness, something crumpled to the ground.

Thud-thud.

Louis, who had been walking with Pablo and Page, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“He’s dead?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes,” replied Pablo.

“How did it happen?”

“They say he stripped naked while locked up, then hung himself from a pipe.”

The news brought by Pablo and Page was that Levans had taken his own life.

“Tsk.” Louis frowned slightly. “How could they have missed this?”

What a waste, Louis thought to himself.

It seemed far too insignificant an end for someone who had once ruled over a kingdom. Yet on some level, Louis understood why Levans might make such an extreme choice.

I suppose the shock of seeing something you believed would succeed fail can be overwhelming.

Had everything gone according to plan, Levans would’ve easily conquered the Frenche Kingdom at this point. His preparations were flawless; there was no way anyone could’ve bridged the gap between him and the king’s power so quickly. If not for Louis, Levans would already be seated on the throne.

The fall of one who dreamed of the throne…

Louis shook off his thoughts. Whether Levans lived or died now mattered little to him.

Instead, he voiced his confusion: “So where exactly are we going?”

Pablo and Page had approached Louis earlier, claiming they had something to show him. They’d left the palace together, venturing into the adjacent forest. Despite having walked for quite some time already, they were still on the move, piquing Louis’s curiosity. He couldn’t help but wonder what Pablo and Page could possibly be showing him that warranted this trek.

Page grinned in response to Louis’s question. “Just come along with us.”

”…I better not regret this,” Louis grumbled.

They continued walking for about five more minutes before an old log cabin came into view.

Pablo and Page led Louis inside.

The interior of the log cabin was filled with a thick layer of dust, as if no one had disturbed it in ages. Louis grimaced at the sight.

“You’re not trying to show me this dusty shack, are you?” His prickly question elicited only a smile from Page, who then lifted up the floorboards of the cabin.

A hidden space was revealed beneath them.

“Oh-ho!” Now even Louis seemed intrigued by what appeared to be a secret chamber.

Pablo, who had come prepared with torches, took the first step down into the underground area. After descending narrow stairs single file, they found themselves in a wide subterranean room.

“This is…?” A glint flashed in Louis’s eyes.

This has been artificially constructed.

Though the place resembled a cave, signs of human alteration were evident throughout—and quite old ones at that.

They continued their exploration in silence.

Soon…

“We’re here.”

“Huh? What is this?!”

Louis’s eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. Before him lay a flat, open space of about twenty square meters. Of course, Louis shouldn’t have been surprised by that alone. What astonished him were the runes inscribed on the floor of this spacious area.

With an expression of shock, Louis cried out:

“Space teleportation runes?!”

These had been prepared with confidence by Pablo and Page: none other than space teleportation runes.

“How did these… end up here?”

In the original world, space teleportation was a high-level sacred scripture rarely encountered. At least a top-tier mage could perform short-distance spatial movement, but even for them, casting long-range teleportation required considerable effort over time.

Startled, Louis dashed towards the space teleportation formation. Upon seeing it etched on the floor, he was astonished once more.

”…This is incredible.”

Though he couldn’t fully decipher the space teleportation formation, it was clear this was no ordinary spell. Louis urgently raised his head.

Page smiled at him when their eyes met.

“This is an emergency escape formation passed down through our royal family for generations.”

”…?!”

“Twenty years ago, how do you think Greg Danjang and I escaped from Levans’ watchful eye to reach the Autumn Continent?”

“Just to confirm… where exactly does this lead?”

“The Autumn Continent, of course.”

“A fixed coordinate value?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hah…” Louis burst out with an exclamation of amazement.

This was even more extraordinary than he’d imagined.

With brimming curiosity, he asked, “How on earth did something like this end up here?”

“It’s said that Dumist I, who established the Frenche Kingdom, commissioned it from some unknown sage due to their close relationship,” Page explained. However…

His expression subtly darkened.

Louis thought he knew why.

Before Page could finish his sentence, Louis interjected, “Is this a one-time use item?”

“Yes.” Page nodded bitterly.

The king had willingly given away a magic circle emergency device that hadn’t been used for hundreds of years—just for him.

This was no ordinary magic circle—the last-ditch measure that the Frenche royal family had never been forced to use in hundreds of years. While Page silently thanked his father for this choice, Louis couldn’t tear his gaze away from the crystal itself.

This isn’t just any one-use magic circle.

If it were truly single-use, all traces of its existence would have vanished upon activation. Yet here it was, maintaining its complete form right before their eyes.

The reason it was called “one-use” was simple: The spatial attribute power charged within it could only be utilized once. But that also meant…

I can reuse it if I recharge it with spatial attribute power!

Excitement surged through Louis’s eyes as he contemplated the possibilities.

Though it was a fixed portal connecting the summer and autumn continents, this crystal could transport someone across at least one continent.

If… I could just modify the coordinates…

If that were possible…

I could get home straight away!

Louis’s excitement peaked.

In that moment, Louis made up his mind.

He would spend as many days as necessary filling this spatial magic circle with elemental energy so he could use it.

After calming down from his exhilaration, Louis asked:

“How did you plan on showing me how to do this?”

Pablo looked over happily at Page for an answer.

Caught off guard by the sudden mention of his name, Pablo awkwardly shifted his gaze and mumbled:

“Ahem, I was originally supposed to escort you to the Spring Continent, but… shouldn’t I at least complete my mission somehow?”

Page smiled widely and continued, “Pablo mentioned wondering if there might be any unsung heroes here… But surely our kingdom wouldn’t have such a thing, would it?”

“So what does that mean?”

“That’s when this idea popped into my head,” Page explained cautiously. “Considering your skills, sir… couldn’t you perhaps fix it and use it?” His voice trailed off as he ventured carefully, “Could you use it, sire?”

Louis responded with a radiant smile, “Of course! Absolutely!”

He raised his thumb in victory towards both Pablo and Page.