Three years… No, had it been four years?

Quite some time had passed since he opened his eyes in a hut in the village of Broadwin. His first goal had been to survive, as well as to gain proper status to ultimately take revenge on Dircht, the holy knight. However, he came to realize that it was futile at a certain point.

Was it after he had gotten his revenge on Dircht?

No…

He finally found out that it started way before that. To be exact, it was when he turned Galfredik into his vassal and confirmed that he could walk around freely in the sun. Since then, Eugene’s objective had been to regain his memories and discover his true identity rather than to get revenge. Gaining achievements, status, wealth, and honor had been simply steps he had taken to help him achieve his goal more easily.

He was finally at the imperial castle of the Roman Empire.

“W-who is that? Sir, what is that?” Mirian asked in a trembling voice, even though she had been eavesdropping on the conversation Eugene had with Georg until now. She probably wasn’t asking because she had no idea of the woman’s identity. It was most likely because the woman was giving off an energy that was just that special.

It wasn’t just that either. On the contrary, Eugene would have been warier if she were simply radiating energy greater than Caravan and the clan masters. Even if she was his child, he couldn’t relax in front of a vampire with such an unusual and intense energy.

There was another reason why Mirian was scared and taken aback and why Eugene was pretty surprised even though he had assumed her to be his real child.

It was because her appearance was too similar to Eugene’s.

“It has been a long time…” she started.

“Who are you?” Eugene asked. He knew the answer, but he wanted to ask her anyway. He wanted to hear it from her directly.

“I guess the children managed to do something. I guess your memory is not complete yet?” she asked.

“Children? Are you talking about this guy? Aren’t you two on the same side?” Eugene asked while looking at Caravan.

The woman responded with a smile,” You really don’t remember. Well, it’s understandable since the Beholder lent his strength.”

“Beholder?” Eugene asked.

The woman was silent for a moment while simply blinking her beautiful eyes. She turned to the emperor, who was standing in place with a firm expression.

“What we are going to discuss is not for your ears. You’d better stabilize the imperial castle for now,” she said.

“Hmm.”

The emperor’s expression hardened further. What could he do alone in the imperial castle, which had become the definition of chaos itself?

“Caravan,” the woman called out.”

“Yes, Mother…” Caravan answered.

“Have you awakened from your delusions?” she asked.

“Yes...”

“Good. Then assist the emperor,” She commanded.

The emperor’s face blazed with anger when he met the eyes of Caravan. Someone who forcibly confined him with the crown prince was going to assist him?

The woman smiled, noticing the emperor’s thoughts.

“Do not worry. The child’s mischief is already over.”

“I trust you,” the emperor conceded. Anyway, he had no other choice.

Caravan and the emperor soon left the palace, leaving Eugene, Georg, and the woman on their own.

“Let’s go. It’s not something we should discuss here,” she said.

Eugene frowned when she started walking, and he asked, “Where are we supposed to discuss it, then?”

“Where else?”

The woman turned her head and gave an alluring smile before replying, “It’s where you came from.”

***

The woman led them to the underground passage of the imperial castle.

“Sir, there’s something weird here. There’s almost no moisture. And it doesn’t feel like a dungeon either.”

As Mirian said, it was rather hard to believe that the dry passage existed underground. Eugene was in a strange mood as he walked through the passage. It felt rather familiar to him as if he had been here before. He was certain that the familiarity he felt was proof that the passage was the first evil land—the place where he first appeared in this world after crossing over from the Demon World.

“That’s a given. You could say that this is an evil land, but at the same time, it’s not,” said Lefersha.

“Kieh?” Mirian expressed her confusion.

Lefersha continued walking, and she spoke while glancing at Georg, “You should know, right? Isn’t it similar there as it is here?”

“It’s similar, but in a different way. Otherwise, random dogs and cows will try to use the passage as well,” Georg answered.

Eugene had been keeping his silence, but he parted his lips after hearing Georg’s words.

“Did you magically seal the passage? Did you do it?” he asked Lefersha.

“To be exact, it was me, the founding emperor, and the priests of the Holy Empire at the time. The construction was done by the dwarves, but they thought it was simply a secret passageway,” Lefersha answered.

Lefersha used her blood to open the door to the place where the emperor had been trapped. After crossing the large space, she stood in front of a huge stone wall measuring three meters in diameter.

Eugene’s eyes naturally found their way to the large wall. As soon as he saw the vivid engraving of a dragon and its wings, Eugene instinctively realized that this was the ‘passage’ he had used.

Lefersha stared at the passage for a while, then turned around.

“Now, where should we start?” she asked.

“…”

Eugene stared at her silently for a moment before opening his lips. “Why are you so confident? After you got rid of my memories and left me in a corner of the countryside?”

“Ah, so you remember that. But that wasn’t me,” Lefersha responded.

“…?!”

Eugene frowned. He vividly recalled the expressions the Marecasio made, including her, as they looked at him back then. The only reason he followed her here was that she had been making a different expression from the other two. Unlike the other two, her eyes were filled with a complex, sorrowful emotion, which was why he had been suppressing his temper.

However, she was saying that she wasn’t responsible?

“Hmm. Then maybe we should start from there,” she said. The airy, light atmosphere around her completely changed.

“What you saw in your memory wasn’t me. It’s another child who looks like me—a child that Caravan and Helmond made to replace me. She was created to hide my absence from the imperial family. Do you happen to know a school of magic called the Blood Shadow?” she asked.

Why was she suddenly bringing up the Blood Shadow School?

Eugene was rather surprised and suspicious, but he nodded.

“I do. My wizard is from the Blood Shadow School.”

“That’s a big coincidence. No, is it fate?” she muttered as if she was surprised before revealing a bitter smile.

“Then, you should know who founded the Blood Shadow School as well,” she said.

“A vampire. Probably on the level of the clan masters,” Eugene answered.

“That’s right. And they are the only child among those known as clan masters whose whereabouts are unknown. The founder of the Blood Shadow played a crucial role in creating the child who looks like me,” Lefersha explained.

“…!”

Eugene came to a realization. Was that why? Was that why the wizards of the Blood Shadow wanted to create chimeras?

“Caravan and Helmond looked for decades just to find a child who resembles me, and they eventually succeeded in making a fake. The emperors had no doubts at all, and everything proceeded smoothly without trouble for some time,” she explained.

“So? I haven’t heard a proper answer to my question yet,” Eugene said.

“You’re still as impatient as always...” Lefersha smiled.

“…”

Eugene was slightly surprised.

That smile…

He had seen it in his memories.

Not when she looked down at him, but from another time.

Eugene had seen her smile in another memory.

Although it was very unfamiliar, it felt warm and nostalgic.

After wiping the smile off of her face, Lefersha continued in a quiet voice, “And during the peaceful times, you… my father… you came back.”

“…!”

“That much should have been fine. This castle was built by the founding emperor for you and me, Father. Ah, and come to think of it, I happened to hear that you had been blessed by a child of the Holy Empire, a saintess? Did you really think that you could enter this place without permission because of that blessing?” Lefersha asked.

What was she talking about?

It was surprising enough that she knew about the blessing, but her following words were even more surprising.

“Oh, my. So you really thought that it would be the case. Haha.” Lefersha laughed. Her eyes, which were just like Eugene’s, glimmered brilliantly.

“This is a place under the protection of the Beholder’s power. Even if the emperor gives his permission, vampires cannot enter this place. Only four beings are allowed to access this place,” she explained.

“The Beholder…?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. The one responsible for putting you in that state and the one who allowed you to live in this world. The master of the honorable golden blood flowing in the imperial family. His true name is Bradkio Falcionia Rom Zescard. He’s…” Lefersha trailed off.

“…”

“Father, he is the only dragon to have existed in this world before you crossed over,” Lefersha continued.

Eugene was rendered speechless.

Dragon? A dragon?

He knew that dragons existed somewhere. No one had apparently seen them, but there were so many stories and legends about dragons. Moreover, it made no sense for dragons to not exist when he himself had reigned as a Demon King in the Demon World.

Moreover, wasn’t it true that the golden blood of the imperial family came from a dragon?

However, what truly shocked Eugene was something else…

‘Only’ dragon—the implications of the word were simply too great. However, the surprise didn’t end there.

“Why do you think the engraving on the passage is a dragon?” Lefersha asked while stroking the stone wall.

Was it perhaps created by the only dragon…?

“That’s because you… the pioneer and the owner of this passage is a dragon…”

“…!”

“Damn it…” Georg cursed in a low voice.

“Since you already knew, it seems that you truly are from the same place as him.” Lefersha smiled when she saw Georg’s troubled look.

She then kept talking. “The Beholder must have been curious about you. So, he allowed you to stay in this world. That’s just how he is. He does not know how to distinguish between good and bad. Well, the creation of the three gods was… Well, that’s not very important.”

Lefersha stopped herself and shrugged before changing the subject. “Anyway, you suddenly returned and declared to the children...”

“…”

“You declared that you would reopen the passage.”

“...?!”

He had declared that he would reopen the first passage?

“Caravan and Helmond were definitely taken aback. I had no idea what you were planning but reopening the passage would have been the same as destroying this nation, which the children had worked very hard to maintain. Isn’t it obvious what would have come from the first passage?” Lefersha made a sidelong glance at Georg.

Georg avoided her gaze with a bitter look.

Eugene could deduce the answer from Georg’s reaction. If the passage had been reopened, devils, demons, and demonic creatures would have come pouring out.

“The two children did not dare to ask you for your intentions, and they were left with no choice but to find the Beholder. They knew that they could not stop you by themselves. As such, the Beholder stepped forward.”

“So, the Beholder, the dragon was responsible?” Eugene asked.

“Yes, the Beholder was responsible. In the first place, how could anyone but a dragon hold you, the Origin, back? Ah, and I think there has been a misunderstanding,” Lefersha said.

“Misunderstanding?”

A misunderstanding? Erasing his memories and leaving him to live a miserable life had been just a misunderstanding?

Eugene’s fury started to boil.

Lefersha’s voice then rang in his ears, “When you opened your eyes in that hamlet… About how you traveled back in time after dying once.”

“…!!!”

Eugene was completely surprised.

He had never disclosed the complete truth to anyone—not even Mirian. So how did she know about his past?

“You never died. You never traveled back in time. The place where you woke up, the people you met there… Until a certain point, everything you had experienced was a part of the Beholder’s plan.”