I’m Not the Mastermind

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The Arsedium Empire has no Empress.

Long ago, when the current Emperor Julius was still a Crown Prince.

This was because a woman who should’ve been the Empress died due to political strife.

The woman who had married him before he became Crown Prince and had children with him, the Crown Princess, ultimately left behind only her three children before leaving this world.

The then-Crown Prince Julius, unable to forget his wife who was killed by his political enemy and brother, ascended to the throne but left the Empress position vacant, warning that no one should covet it.

Afterward, wishing that his children would not experience the bloody political strife of their generation, he preemptively appointed his eldest son, Allen von Arsedium, as Crown Prince. He emphasized family unity over competition.

Fortunately, Allen, crowned as Crown Prince, was a strong boy gifted with the temperament of a capable ruler.

He vividly remembered the day his mother died in the strife among their kin and was extremely cautious about any conflicts within the family, feeling responsible for protecting his siblings. As a result, he firmly held his position as Crown Prince and honed his abilities.

Alongside him, the second child, the First Princess Riana, bore witness to the political turmoil that led to their mother’s death, harboring a strong distaste for politics and power struggles. She had long since entered into a political marriage, withdrawing from such matters of power.

And then there was the youngest among the Crown Princess’s children, the Second Princess Elysia. While training her martial arts, she sought to strengthen her own power.

Having been only four years old when her mother passed away, she was a firsthand witness to her mother’s suffering.

Elysia still vividly remembered the joyous moments when her mother would softly speak to her by her bedside.

-Kyaaaaaaaah!

The ‘death’ that came shortly after, overwhelming both her and her mother, was seared into her memory.

A mere four-year-old girl could do nothing but tremble helplessly as she watched her beloved mother die, and that event became a deep trauma for Elysia.

While her siblings, Allen and Riana, managed to overcome the tragedy and embraced her with love, Elysia could never shake off that day.

Every time she felt her mother’s absence, she cursed her own weakness and powerlessness, often plagued by nightmares.

It was simply too much for a four-year-old to bear. To witness her beloved mother’s death at such a tender age was something that one ordinarily wouldn’t recover from.

Thus, she began to train herself. She aimed to become strong enough to never feel that helplessness again.

If she could become powerful enough, she believed she could extract the thorns deeply embedded in her soul.

Of course, it would have shocked the public to see a princess training in martial arts, but family members like Emperor Julius, Crown Prince Allen, and First Princess Riana understood her.

So, they didn’t stop her desire to train and even allowed her to venture into the Maze. After all, it was already verified that the Maze wasn’t as dangerous as one might think.

As long as one stayed clear-headed, the risks were minimal. In truly dangerous situations, divine protection could enable a swift escape.

It could be rough, but not very dangerous. Above all, Elysia was born with significant talent for martial arts. By the time she enrolled in the Academy, she was already unparalleled among the knights in the royal family.

She would likely navigate the Maze without much trouble. It was even possible that she might reach the infamous 100th floor, the depths said to be untouched by anyone.

Of course, that wasn’t the expectation, but everyone believed Elysia would manage just fine… even Elysia herself.

However…

“Ugh…!”

She emerged from the Maze with a far more serious problem than anything before.

A demon.

Or rather, what was being referred to as a dark god, had attached itself to her body and dragged her out of the Maze.

In the polytheistic faith that worships the divine beings, voices rose demanding that she should be burnt alive regardless of the Empire’s status. Meanwhile, the Empire was struggling to protect her at all costs.

In the midst of all this…

“Hah…!”

Elysia had to endure the greatest pain of all.

***

“And so, the curse cast upon the princess by the prince was lifted… and they lived happily ever after.”

The warmth of a cozy blanket, a gentle touch stroking her hair, and a soft, sweet voice flowing into her ears.

“Did you enjoy it, Eli?”

“Yes! It was fun!”

It was a peaceful and blissful moment.

A young girl said.

“Mother, I’m a princess too, right?”

“Of course. Our Eli is the prettiest princess of them all.”

“So if I’m cursed, will a prince come to break it?”

“Hehe, of course. A wonderful prince will come and save you.”

“Wow…”

The innocent girl sparkled with excitement, dreaming of fairy tales.

Most people would find this cute.

Only, the one observing this wasn’t part of that majority.

“……”

Behind the mother and daughter, who were sweetly exchanging words, was a woman who looked like she could have grown up to be just like that sparkly little girl.

Shining white hair lit by soft lighting, pretty pink eyes resembling her mother’s, delicate and ideal facial features—all refined and shaped by disciplined training.

At the blossoming stage of her beauty, a girl transitioning into a woman gazed at the scene with hollow eyes.

“…Ha.”

She twisted her lips. Despite her appearance, she bore no resemblance to the innocent girl whose eyes still sparkled with purity.

A bitter sarcasm was etched onto her pristine exterior. It revealed a paradox of ugly beauty, like a lily soiled by filth.

Tears streamed from her weary, hollow eyes, yet no one acknowledged her tears, further deepening her misery.

“Prince… what prince?”

It was nothing more than a childish delusion, something not worthy of a laugh.

For her, so utterly exhausted, it was merely nonsense that didn’t even qualify as hope.

“So then…!”

Meanwhile, that little girl went on, oblivious to her feelings. It was then.

Bang!

“!”

The door of the room where the mother and daughter were talking burst open, and something came in.

“@&$!&#@!#@$#!”

It was like black smoke.

A formless entity that seemed to attempt taking on human shape scattered and coalesced.

Like a shadow, it charged toward them, uttering unintelligible sounds.

“No!

The mother threw herself at the shadow to protect her child, and then…

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

The mother was swallowed by the shadow.

Drip, drip…

Blood flowed from beneath the shadow’s feet. It flowed down like a waterfall.

Soon, it filled the room, encompassing the trembling girl lying on the bed.

In no time, the onlooker, who was watching everything, found herself trembling with tears as she had become that little girl.

“I hate… Ugh… I hate it…”

It was a repeated occurrence worn to exhaustion; the girl who had glimmered with innocence now succumbed to despair.

“Ugh… Ugh… I hate it… please, stop now…”

Blood and tears streamed into her lungs, filled her stomach, engulfed her throat. Now she was drenched in blood.

“Is it painful?”

Then, a figure appeared before her, the woman who had become a girl.

She had snowy white hair and a pink left eye, with a flower blooming where the right eye should be.

“It’s alright. It’s natural to feel pain.”

She said, as if comforting the child.

“If you’re someone worthless who could do nothing as your mother was dying, then of course you should suffer.”

“So, go ahead, feel free to suffer.”

“This is the penalty you must bear. So…”

“Please vanish painfully.”

“Ugh…!”

She could feel herself slowly coming to terms with those words.

She was a being that should suffer; therefore, she should disappear in pain.

“It’s okay. You can disappear.”

“It’s fine to be useless.”

“Since you were a child—a powerless, insignificant existence.”

“Even now, you’re the same… so it’s fine to disappear.”

“Ugh…!”

Yet, in the end, fear enveloped her once more.

She didn’t want to disappear. She didn’t want to vanish in a state of worthlessness.

…She didn’t want to die.

This selfish survival instinct flickered once more!

***

Flicker!

“Hah…! Hah…!”

Then, Elysia von Arsedium, the Second Princess of the Arsedium Empire, opened her eyes.

“Ugh… cough, cough…”

Wiping away her tears, she coughed with a dry throat.

“Hah, hah…”

After repeatedly exhaling ragged breaths, she gazed ahead.

Ahaha, you’ve chosen pain once again?

Foolishness. Why don’t you just vanish?

Isn’t it painful? Why are you holding on?

Are you still believing in fairy tale hopes?

“Shut up!”

A voice broke through her thoughts, scattering the words before her.

As she waved her hands, trying to dispel the hallucinations and voices, she finally looked around.

Throb, throb…

Splash…

“Eli…”

“It hurts… Eli…”

“I love you… so please…”

“Vanished.”

Blood and shadows throbbed. They congealed into grotesque forms, eerily reminiscent of her mother.

She desperately tried to ignore those illusions, looking around, and finally picked up a rosary lying on the table.

“Hah, hah…!”

A divine light swirled around her body, causing all the hallucinations and voices to fade away.

Clearly, it should’ve eased her mental burden, but…

“Ugh…!”

She grimaced, her face contorted in agony. Clamping her mouth shut, she rushed to the washbasin.

“Ughhhh…!”

Her stomach heaved, empty as it was.

Nonetheless, something else…

Drip, drip…

Blood mixed with her stomach acid. This was proof that her condition was deteriorating.

“…Cough… Am I refusing divine power altogether now?”

A seed of the demon was parasitizing her body. It was slowly transforming her into something demonic.

As her body was consumed by the seed, her magic grew stronger, and she began to reject divine power and other forces.

In truth, she was already in a significantly weakened state. At this point, her body could already be considered demonic.

Yet, she persevered because her mind had not yet been entirely consumed.

“Hah… hah…”

She expelled her empty stomach several times. She sat down with a fatigued expression.

“…Disgusting.”

The sensation when she forcefully injected divine power was akin to swallowing a rag soaked in vomit whole.

How much longer could she endure this? Did she really have to?

“Ugh!”

As she unconsciously thought, she shook her head.

That shouldn’t be the case. She mustn’t give up.

Her father, the Emperor, and Brother Allen still believed in hope. Even Riana, married and far away, was worried about her.

If she surrendered first, she would betray their expectations.

Even if she couldn’t fill her mother’s void, they were precious family to Elysia. If not for the support of her siblings, she might have already crumbled and become a shell of her former self.

“…I can’t go on like this.”

Staying locked in her room only invited melancholy.

She felt the need to step out for a bit, to clear her head with a walk.

Since it was already late at night, there probably wouldn’t be any other students or faculty outside.

With that, she simply donned a light outer coat and stepped out.

Wearing light shoes, she stepped outside the Student Dormitory, greeted by the refreshing night air.

“Hah…”

She felt much better than before. She stood in front of the dormitory, taking deep breaths.

‘Shall I take a light stroll to the garden…? Huh?’

At that moment, she felt as if she caught a whiff of a very familiar aroma.

She inhaled deeply once again.

Sniff…

“Hah…”

Sweet… almost like a cookie scent.

Unlike when she absorbed divine power, this was a very tempting aroma.

This was… yes, just like…

‘The sweet treats I used to share with my mother when I was little…’

Unknowingly, she was drawn toward that scent. It was a flavor so nostalgic and cherished.

Sweet and delightful, it felt as if it carried her mother’s scent itself.

“Hah, hah…!”

Her expression brightened. Before she knew it, she was running toward the direction of the scent, her outer garment fluttering away in the wind.

She ran, chasing that sweet fragrance, the one that would erase this disgusting ‘divine power’…!

Rustle, rustle!

She pushed through the garden’s foliage. Her expression reflected a loss of reason. As she broke through the underbrush…

“Hah, hah…!”

…she found a man standing there.

His hair, as if it were made from a midnight sky void of stars, his eyes obscured by slits, and an artfully arranged face that seemed almost unrealistic…

For a moment, she stared bemusedly, but soon her gaze fell upon something he was holding.

“Hah, ah…?”

She sensed that the sweet aroma emanated from that man—or more precisely, from what he held.

And at the sight of it, her eyes trembled.

Horns.

They were some creature’s horns, though she couldn’t tell which creature.

However, that wasn’t the important thing.

Hisssss…

The overwhelming magical energy radiating from them. Realizing that, she sat down in a daze.

The sweet aroma she had sensed was, in fact, the essence of a demon.

Could it be that she had been drawn in by the demon’s aura…?

“Ah…”

Now she understood. She had fallen so far into corruption.

To consider that repulsive energy as something sweet and tasty meant she had crossed an irreversible river.

Now… she was lost.

No hope remained.

She recalled how she had lost herself to demonic energy, her reason lost as she ran recklessly.

It was ugly.

She was… no different from a demon.

The polytheistic faith that worships heavenly beings would surely try to execute a princess turned demon, and in the process, her father and siblings would be hurt as they tried to protect her.

As that thought crossed her mind, tears flowed from one eye.

She truly was a worthless being. Beyond that, she was a harmful presence to the world.

Perhaps… it would be easier to just give up and die now.

At that moment…

“Are you… okay?”

After staring at the horns, the man tossed them into a pocket dimension and approached her. Elysia shouted without thinking.

“Don’t come any closer!”

“……”

“I am… now…”

A dangerous presence. A demon. She wanted to say it, but the words got caught in her throat.

Instead, she merely covered her right eye, which had sprouted a flower—evidence of her demonic affiliation.

“It seems you’re quite the unfortunate victim.”

The man said this, ignoring Elysia’s warning as he drew closer. Elysia retreated backward, still sitting down.

“D-Don’t come…”

“It appears to be a parasitic state… and judging by the look of it, you seem to be significantly affected by it. Have you come lured by the demon’s magic?”

“…!”

At those words, she glanced at him, still covering her right eye. He smiled softly.

“Ah, my apologies. I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Yujin, the new professor here at the Academy. Are you perhaps a student?”

“I-I am…”

As Elysia stammered, the man, Yujin, smiled and spoke up.

“Well, you look like a student too—a student of your age. You came from the dormitory, so it seems correct. No need to worry too much.”

Yujin knelt beside her to meet her gaze. Well, technically, he still had his eyes half-closed.

“I’m not fully a professor yet, but as an educator, I have a duty to prioritize my students.”

As he said that, a blood-red magical circle appeared above Yujin’s hands.

“Ah…”

In a scene resembling a crimson galaxy, she looked on in awe.

A magical circle defying her three-dimensional comprehension transformed into ordinary 3D shapes, planes, lines, and points…

Swipe…

Yujin reached out to her through the hand covering her flower-adorned eye.

Tap.

His finger brushed against the petals, and soon…

Flare!

“Ah…!”

With that crimson light, a sense of calm began to wash over her.

She felt her strength waning, as if the foundation of something grand within her was crumbling away.

Something inside her began to drift off to sleep…

“Ah…”

“You look like you haven’t had a good night’s sleep. For now, just rest.”

Through her fading vision, a beautiful man with red eyes smiled warmly.

That was her last memory.

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