“Long time no see, big sister Cassandra.”
“Fufu, I wonder when Olivier and I will see each other like this again.”
Olivier was in the reception room of the Hagedorff Ducal Family’s mansion in the Capital City. Facing her across the table was Cassandra Hagedorff, the Duchess of this mansion.
She was not only the one who unjustly detained Jared, but also the person plotting to revive the ancient magician, the Progenitor.
Cassandra offered a disarmingly charming smile to Olivier, her childhood friend. With her short-cropped silver blonde hair, well-defined nose, and shapely lips, her large, moist eyes held an undeniable allure. She possessed a charm that could captivate even women.
If Olivier did not harbor negative feelings towards the head of the ducal family she had not seen in so long, she might have been entranced. Cassandra Hagedorff possessed an ineffable charm.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to come to see me on your own two feet. That’s why I sent Crysta, you see.”
“To threaten the life of the Prince of this country, the one that child loves… and you have the nerve to say that?”
Olivier had a reason for daring to visit Cassandra’s mansion herself. It was because she had learned why her fiancé’s friend had betrayed her brothers and become an enemy.
“I did not lay a hand on him. I merely said that if you cooperate with me, I would prioritize saving the Prince.”
“That’s what’s called a threat. Are you unconcerned even if you’re charged with treason against the nation?”
“It matters not what anyone says.”
“…You’re that determined, aren’t you?”
Although her childhood friend’s attitude felt somewhat careless, she shook her head, indicating that she was not.
“It is not determination. It is a duty.”
“A duty, you say? Is reviving the Progenitor and taking up arms against this country Cassandra’s duty?”
“Taking up arms? Don’t be ridiculous. I do not intend to revive the Progenitor for such a purpose.”
“…You don’t?”
“Perhaps you misunderstand, thinking I intend something like revenge?”
Olivier was on the verge of confusion. Ever since Rasmus had told her about the revival of the Progenitor, she had always believed Cassandra wanted revenge against this country. She had her reasons. However, Cassandra denied it.
“Then, what is your objective? What do you wish for by reviving the Progenitor in such a peaceful era, a peaceful modern age?”
“…This era is indeed peaceful. Even with minor wars, skirmishes, and domestic rebellions, compared to past eras, it is a very good period.”
“That’s true. This era is peaceful even with conflict. That is precisely why, I beg you. Please reconsider reviving the Progenitor, which could become the seed of strife.”
The reason Olivier was here was because Crysta had told her that the Prince was being held hostage. Even if she hadn’t acted like a typical noble, she was a noble of this country. Her fiancé was about to become a Court Mage serving the nation.
That was why she was here. If the Prince were killed because of her resistance, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Especially since he was her beloved’s close friend.
At the same time, she thought she might be able to stop her. If not possible, she hoped to grasp even a sliver of what Cassandra was planning.
Olivier Alway was here as the head of the Alway Ducal Family, and as the fiancé of a Court Mage.
“I refuse.”
“…Big sister Cassandra.”
However, Cassandra coldly dismissed her childhood friend’s earnest plea.
While she had anticipated that persuasion would be difficult, being so easily brushed aside was shocking.
She was even under the illusion that someone other than the Cassandra she knew, or rather, still admired as an older sister, was standing before her.
The Cassandra Hagedorff that Olivier knew was considerate, kind, and cheerful; she was not someone who would hurt others. She was a determined person who could endure even when hurt, refraining from perpetuating a cycle of negativity. It was precisely because of this that Olivier admired her. When Olivier resolved to be strong to protect her mother, Cassandra was her role model.
“I’ve always loved Olivier’s straightforward nature. But, for me, reviving the Progenitor has been a long-held aspiration.”
“A long-held aspiration?”
“It’s not just my problem. My mother, my grandmother, and generations of ancestors have all tried to revive the Progenitor… Though, my mother didn’t seem to intend to tell me about the Progenitor.”
“What do you mean by that? While you speak of generations of ancestors, why did your mother not tell you about the Progenitor?”
“My mother didn’t care about the ancestors’ aspirations. Her diary stated that she wanted to think only of her loved ones, like me and my father, rather than unconfirmed plans to revive the Progenitor. I don’t think she was wrong. I am grateful for her love. But I am different. I will revive the Progenitor. If I do that—”
Cassandra spoke not to Olivier, but as if admonishing herself.
“I can prove to those who said my mother’s and my bloodline are lowly that they were wrong. More importantly, I can repay a cherished benefactor.”
“Big sister Cassandra, you… after all…”
Ultimately, Olivier surmised that Cassandra Hagedorff’s actions might be driven by her feelings towards those who had once looked down on her and her mother. At the same time, there was the debt of gratitude to Rasmus, who had not only taught her the meaning of her blood after she lost her mother and was at a loss, but had also supported her. No, it should be called love.
She had likely been planning this since the day she lost her mother. For over ten years, continuously.
If that were the case, Olivier realized that anything she said now would not stop her.
“I understand your feelings. I cannot say I agree, but I understand. However, how do you intend to revive the Progenitor? The woman who carries the Progenitor’s blood has had it sealed by Prince Haru of the Dragon Kingdom. Rasmus was concerned that you yourself would become the Progenitor’s vessel.”
“Eh?”
The Duchess tilted her head in a bewildered expression upon hearing Olivier’s words.
Then, she asked with surprise.
“Rasmus and all of you thought I would descend the Progenitor into my own body? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I cannot do it.”
“You cannot? Why?”
“Strictly speaking, I could. My bloodline, while serving as priestesses for the Progenitor, has intermingled with the Progenitor’s descendants over time. The reason I am not the vessel is not that I cannot. It is because I have other things to do.”
“Then, who are you planning to use as the vessel—! No way!”
“So you’ve finally realized. I thought it was strange. Why do you think I distanced Jared Murphy from Olivier? Why do you think I even fabricated a false arrest, knowing it was a lie? It was all to send that magician, whom you admire so much, far away.”
She had been mistaken all along. Based on the information from Rasmus, she had assumed Cassandra herself would become the Progenitor’s vessel. But it was not so. She stated that she had something to do after the Progenitor’s revival, and therefore would not become the vessel.
—I am sorry, Jared. I will hold you back again.
Olivier realized she had made a significant mistake.
