The crown i will claim — Chapter 17

THERE ISN’T MUCH TIME LEFT, CESARE.

THE INTERVALS BETWEEN YOUR SEIZURES ARE GETTING SHORTER.

EVEN I’VE REACHED MY LIMIT TRYING TO DELAY IT.

HEY, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?

IT’S BEEN THREE YEARS ALREADY. YOU’RE CLOSER TO DEATH THAN YOU ARE TO LIFTING THE CURSE.

CESARE, COME WITH ME TO THE MAGIC TOWER.

MY MASTER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BREAK THE CURSE, BUT HE CAN AT LEAST SLOW ITS PROGRESS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

SO I'M SUPPOSED TO JUST SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR MY DEATH?

TERRENCE.

YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT ME.

A HUMAN TRYING TO DEFY SOMETHING PRIMORDIAL... IS HE BRAVE, OR SIMPLY RECKLESS?

YOU'RE THE FIRST PRINCE OF KAZHEN,

THE YOUNGEST SUPREME COMMANDER,

THE DUKE OF ROMANYA,

LORD OF THE BENAFFRO PRINCIPALTY,

RULER OF ALPHANON,

AND EVEN THE LEADER OF THE FASADE MERCENARIES...

YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED ALL OF THAT ON YOUR OWN.

AND YET...

ARE YOU CERTAIN THE SHAMAN OF SHADEAH CAN BREAK THE CURSE?

WHAT WILL YOU DO IF SHE CAN'T?

MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN A GAMBLE.

THE BEATING OF MY HARDENING HEART IS GROWING DULL AND HEAVY.

BUT I WILL KEEP FIGHTING UNTIL THE VERY LAST MOMENT OF MY LIFE.

THE ONE WHO DROVE BACK PRIMORDIAL DARKNESS, THE CONQUEROR WHO SWALLOWED EVEN DEATH ITSELF.

I WILL CARVE MY NAME ACROSS THE CONTINENT BEYOND KAZHEN.

I WILL BE THE ONE TO DECIDE BOTH MY BEGINNING AND MY END.

I DON’T NEED A PEACEFUL DEATH.

Episode 17

TO YOUR HONORABLE HIGHNESS, YOUR LOYAL SUBJECT GYLIPPUS HUMBLY GREETS YOU.

THE SETTLEMENT FOR DISCHARGED SOLDIERS YOU ORDERED HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISHED.

A SMALL VILLAGE HAS BEEN CREATED FOR VETERANS,

AND MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE FORMERLY STATIONED BEYOND THE CASTLE WALLS HAVE ALREADY MOVED IN.

I HAVE ALSO OBTAINED A LEAD ON THE PERSON YOU WERE SEARCHING FOR.

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, THERE ARE TWIN SIBLINGS LIVING IN THE SLUMS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY, ONE OF WHOM IS NAMED THEO.

IT’S... DREADFUL. I DIDN’T EXPECT THE SLUMS TO BE IN SUCH A STATE.

INDEED. IT WOULDN’T BE STRANGE IF A REBELLION BROKE OUT AT ANY MOMENT.

ARE YOU SURE THIS IS THE SLUM MARQUESS GYLIPPUS MENTIONED IN HIS LETTER?

YES. THE TWO WERE LAST SEEN AT THE END OF THAT ALLEY.

DESPITE THE VETERANS’ VILLAGE BEING MORE COMFORTABLE THAN THIS PLACE, THEY STILL CHOSE NOT TO GO THERE...

PERHAPS THEY HARBOR SOME RESENTMENT TOWARD THE ROYAL FAMILY...?

PERHAPS...

EVEN THOUGH THE VETERANS' VILLAGE WAS BUILT RATHER LATE, IT OFFERS A SMALL MEASURE OF RELIEF.

BUT THOSE WHO CARRY DEEP-SEATED RESENTMENT IN THEIR HEARTS WILL EVENTUALLY JOIN THE REBELLION.

IN A SENSE, IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT THEO DIDN'T GO TO THE VETERANS' VILLAGE.

AFTER ALL, IN MY PREVIOUS LIFE, HE WAS AT THE VERY CENTER OF THE REBELLION.

CONSIDERING WHAT'S TO COME, IT WOULD BE BETTER TO SQUASH THE SEEDS OF REBELLION BEFORE THEY TAKE ROOT.

HOWEVER,

I NEED TO SEE FOR MYSELF BEFORE I DECIDE...

...WHETHER TO SPARE HIM... OR ELIMINATE HIM.

YOU BRAT!

GIVE THAT BREAD BACK!!

YOUR HIGH-- MY LADY. SHALL I GO TAKE A LOOK?

YES, JUST GO LOOK, BUT DON'T DO ANYTHING.

YOU THERE, SILVER-HAIRED YOUNG LADY.

LET ME READ YOUR FORTUNE.

I MAY NOT LOOK IT, BUT I AM THE MOST ANCIENT BEING IN THIS LAND.

COME, CHILD. LET ME SEE YOUR FUTURE.

THERE'S NO NEED. I ALREADY KNOW IT.

THAT MAKES IT ALL THE MORE NECESSARY.

EVEN IF YOU'RE LIVING YOUR LIFE A SECOND TIME, SURELY YOUR FORTUNE WILL BE DIFFERENT, WON'T IT?

HEHE

A WISE CHOICE.

OH MY... THIS LIFE WON'T BE EASY EITHER.

CHAOS STANDS IN YOUR WAY.

IT STILL VEILS THE HEAVENS AND SEEKS TO STEAL YOUR LIGHT.

HEHE... STILL, THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY.

THAT DARK ONE WILL HELP YOU.

A GREAT FALLING STAR DESCENDS,

AND THAT STAR WILL CUT THROUGH THE CHAOS BEFORE YOU.

WHATEVER IT IS, I DON'T NEED IT.

I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN.

HUH... THAT'LL BE A CHALLENGE. THOSE SLIMY THINGS AREN'T EASY TO GET RID OF.

STUBBORN LITTLE THING, AREN'T YOU?

YOUNG LADY,

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE "TEARS OF DAWN"?

TEARS OF... DAWN?

IT IS A MYSTERIOUS ELIXIR INFUSED WITH THE POWER OF A GODDESS.

IT CAN ERASE ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD. ILLNESS, MEMORY... EVEN FATE ITSELF.

THAT ELIXIR WILL SAVE THE GREAT FALLING STAR.

YOUNG LADY... THE HEAVENS CHERISH YOU DEARLY,

SO MUCH SO THAT THEY WOULD FILL THE ENTIRE SKY WITH STARLIGHT AND EVEN PUSH ASIDE THE 12 CONSTELLATIONS JUST TO BRING YOU BACK.

REMEMBER THIS. IN YOUR BODY FLOWS THE BLOOD OF ONE WHO WAS ONCE THE WISEST ON THE CONTINENT,

AND ONE WHO CARRIED THE WILL OF THE GODDESS.

YOUNG... LADY, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE IN THIS WORLD...

...WHO CAN FIND THE TEARS OF DAWN--

YOU SHOULD SEE A PHYSICIAN.

NO... NO, THIS IS A WARNING SENT TO ME BY THE HEAVENS THEMSELVES.

YOU ARE AS KIND-HEARTED AS EVER.

YOU’D BEST BE ON YOUR WAY, YOUNG LADY. MY TIME HAS NOT YET COME TO AN END.

DO NOT DISMISS THIS OLD WOMAN’S WORDS, YOUNG LADY.

WHAT COULD THEY BE...?

THE TEARS OF DAWN AND...

...THE GREAT FALLING STAR.