Azphira Tales

[Sierra] "What do you mean, there is no one except me?" [Cassius] "......" Confusion consuming her, she cast her gaze downward and muttered to herself. [Sierra] "No, something definitely existed......" [Cassius] "What existed?" [Sierra] "I can't say." Cassius closed his eyes and opened them as he listened quietly. Reflection marked his features. Sierra lacked the luxury to worry about him right now. Rubbing her stiff eyes, a ragged breath escaped her lips. Chaos fills my mind

[Cassius] "So, many here believe that a shattered object can never be put back together." The reckless, clueless knight plunged a knife into Cassius' heart once more with his loose tongue. [Knight] "Yes, Your Grace. Exactly. Isn't that just the absolute rule of the world? You can't fix a broken tray or a shattered plate, and once human relationships break or go wrong, they never......." [Cassius] "They never recover, you say." [Knight] "Yes, exactly. Doesn't everyone think so

[Cassius] "So, many here believe that a shattered object can never be put back together." The reckless, clueless knight plunged a knife into Cassius' heart once more with his loose tongue. [Knight] "Yes, Your Grace. Exactly. Isn't that just the absolute rule of the world? You can't fix a broken tray or a shattered plate, and once human relationships break or go wrong, they never......." [Cassius] "They never recover, you say." [Knight] "Yes, exactly. Doesn't everyone think so

[Sierra] "Are you crazy?" [Ezel] "No." [Sierra] "Stop talking nonsense." She positioned herself to deliver a low, definitive statement, but he cut in first. [Ezel] "I will buy you a delicious dessert. Just grant me thirty minutes." Dessert? She furrowed her brow. [Ezel] "Ten minutes." [Sierra] "......" [Ezel] "......Even five minutes then." He pointed a finger at the dessert cafe right next to them. The public carriage arrives in five minutes, so the timing matches perfectly.

While Cassius traveled to find Sierra, she worked diligently inside the pharmacy. Dressed neatly in her pharmacist's robes, she admired the vintage cutting board and desired to process the top-grade wild yam for the medicine perfectly. Yet, strangely, her hands kept slipping as she prepared the wild yam. Normally, she could easily process such a simple wild yam without even looking. Today, however, deviated strangely from her usual routine. She looked down at the peeled wil

[Ezel] "This continues our conversation from last time." He whispered toward her with a bright smile. [Ezel] "I have a few things to discuss." Sierra swallowed hard and locked her gaze onto his face. Ezel whispered back with an intrigued expression. [Ezel] "First, the Icarus Murder Case." The moment she heard 'Icarus Murder Case,' the conversation from earlier resurfaced in her mind. That absurd nonsense about Abel acting as a suspect and her sister serving as the culprit. I

Sierra unconsciously realized that denying it would break her heart. Her own mind softened with a deep ache. Family. Sierra possessed only her sister. [Sierra] "Well......" Neither confirming nor denying, she offered an ambiguous smile. To Cassius, her smile echoed like a sweet love song straight from heaven. [Cassius] "Yes." He whispered, suppressing his surging joy until Sierra fixed a puzzled gaze upon him. [Sierra] "Why are you smiling like that?" [Cassius] "Just because.

[Hanael] "I want to call you Mommy!" [Sierra] "Huh?" [Hanael] "Mommy." Sierra froze at the unexpected words. She fully expected the child to demand a princess dress since she was a genius...... Come to think of it, she hasn't called me Mommy since I corrected her a few times....... [Hanael] "Hehe." Hanael curled the corners of her mouth into a strained smile. Sierra recognized that expression perfectly. The child feared getting scolded. Silly. Sierra stared deeply into Hanael

The expressions on Kilo and Lanya's faces remained exceptionally grave. Sierra narrowed her eyes and locked onto them. A bad premonition gripped her. Lanya's face had turned completely white, while Kilo's face burned bright red. To add a degree of exaggeration, their expressions mirrored messengers of doom sent to announce the end of the world. [Sierra] "Why do you look so.......?" [Cassius] "Come in." Unlike the panicked Sierra, who couldn't even finish her sentence, Cassius

The Emperor's Chief Attendant. A man who rarely appeared outside the imperial palace without the Emperor himself, let alone at an ordinary council meeting, unexpectedly emerged. [C. Attendant] "His Majesty summons you." [Cassius] "So you came with a secret order from the Emperor? Does he intend to hold a private meeting?" [C. Attendant] "You see it accurately." With things turning out this way, he possessed no right of refusal. Cassius nodded slowly. Though he lacked knowledg

[Cassius] "Don't do that, Sierra. I will not punish the people involved." [Sierra] "Th-thank you, Your Grace." She blinked. Fortunately, her scheme succeeded. He whispered to her quietly. [Cassius] "Don't kneel under any circumstances." [Sierra] "......" She stared at him with a worried face, wondering if he had caught onto her acting. Yet he wore an even more pained expression. He whispered quietly, his voice reaching her ears alone. [Cassius] "You are my pride." Sierra froz

A few minutes later, Sierra quickly left the warehouse as if nothing had happened. Ezel slumped onto the floor in utter exhaustion. Staring at the doorway where she had walked out, he let out a hollow laugh. Fortunately, I didn't reveal the final secret. Her truth potion forced him to speak honestly, but it didn't compel him to answer things she never asked. In that sense, a stroke of luck remained within his misfortune. He strode toward the doorway and muttered under his bre

Sierra stared straight at Ezel. Words spilled from his lips quietly. [Ezel] "So......." [Sierra] "So?" [Ezel] "The Master of the Dark Information Guild." A gleam flashed in her eyes. Naturally, an information guild master would know every secret in the capital city. [Sierra] "You claim to be such a grand figure? Then why are you here?" Defeat washed over his face instantly. [Ezel] "That is......." [Sierra] "Let us be precise. I asked why you tried to kidnap me." Betraying his

[Unexpected luck arrives today!] Sierra checked the note from the fortune cookie and shoved it straight into her pocket. Luck, my foot. She stood frozen, staring blankly down the dark alley where the old woman had vanished. The old woman had disappeared abruptly, as if she lacked anyone to carry her things, leaving Sierra standing alone in a daze. To think it was a real celebration party and a kind old lady....... Having unexpectedly gained three loyal subordinates and perfor

Why was his face so strangely rigid after his usual audience with the Emperor? Sierra narrowed her eyes. Averting her gaze, the Chief Pharmacist slipped out of the preparation room, pretending nothing was wrong. Yet he couldn't escape Sierra's persistent glare. She fumbled through her uniform and pulled out a pocket watch. If my sister's disappearance connects to the imperial palace, and the Emperor faces a health anomaly...... something critical is unfolding inside the palac

Sierra deflected the hostile glares around her and smiled lazily. She needed to test whether these pharmacists deserved to become her close aides. [Sierra] "Didn't you say earlier that everyone here comes from families serving the palace for generations, or graduated at the top of their class?" [Celly] "Why do you ask?" The blonde Celly sharply snapped back. Pelia, a blue-haired girl, cut in immediately. [Pelia] "Yes, exactly! Celly here was even born in the imperial palace.