Chapter 14 – A Past That Was Not Peaceful
Ignes gently pulled his hands out of Frederick's iron grip.
The movement was smooth, a practiced deflection of an overeager fan—it was clear he had done this a thousand times in another life.
Without saying a word, he walked to a nearby high-backed chair and sat. He reached up, pulling a thin, elegant magical wand from his hair where it had been tucked like a hair stick. With effortless grace, he gathered the shimmering white strands and tied his long hair into a half-up bun, pinning it in place.
He looked poised. Elegant. A star even in a room full of kings.
Alistair watched the transformation with wide eyes. "Igna… did you and Frey actually know each other in that other world?"
Ignes nodded once. "In a way. We did meet."
He paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing his sharp features as he glanced at Frederick.
"…But the circumstances were complicated. He is the brother of a girl who was… quite a devoted fan of mine. She broke into my home once and tried to kill my boyfriend in a fit of delusion. I had her arrested and sent to prison for attempted murder."
He smoothed his sleeves, his voice dropping into a professional, detached calm.
"I didn't see Frederick after that. I assumed he would resent me for putting his sister behind bars. I believe he died later that same year."
Frederick raised a hand, looking slightly awkward.
"Actually, Igna… I was on my way to find you. I wanted to ask for your forgiveness for what she did. I was mortified." He scratched his head, a wry smile on his face. "But before I could reach you… I was introduced to the legendary Truck-kun. Game over."
Ignes waved the apology away with a flick of his wrist.
"It's fine. I always knew some fans would cross the line into obsession. I was prepared for it. There wasn't any real danger to me at first."
He paused, a small, dry smile appearing.
"Well, until she decided to kill me instead of my partner. Her logic was a classic: 'If I can't have you, no one can.' My boyfriend was furious. He made sure the legal system kept her away for a very long time."
Frederick nodded solemnly. "She deserved it. You weren't just a star; you were a talent the entire country cherished. To try and snuff out that light was a crime against art itself."
Ignes looked at him, unimpressed. "Wow. You really have no sibling affection at all, do you?"
He leaned back, his eyes distant. "If it were my brother … he would likely kill both the star and the boyfriend together just to settle the score. Actually, my boyfriend back then mighty done the same."
Frederick blinked, confused. "…For what reason?"
Ignes replied simply, "Jealousy. It's a powerful motivator."
The four Dukes, who had been listening in stunned silence, finally reached their breaking point. They exchanged looks of pure disbelief.
Alexander was the first to find his voice. "Igna… Frey… you both said your world was 'peaceful.' How is any of this peaceful?"
He stepped closer, his brow furrowed in paternal distress. "You were targeted by assassins in your own home. And Igna… you died because someone killed you."
Ignes looked at his father, his expression as calm as a still lake.
"It was peaceful, Dad," he said softly. "It's just that… too many people loved me. Some of that love was the 'crazy' kind. And love is blind to rules, to laws, and to logic."
He sighed, the weight of a celebrity's life showing in his eyes. "That was the day I realized something. People in my position should hide their hearts. I should have kept my relationships in the shadows."
A brief, heavy silence passed through the room. Then, Ignes's voice shifted. It became colder. More clinical. The researcher was speaking now.
"As for how I died… the peace didn't last forever."
"I was fighting the Zombie King. It was the final battle of a long, rotting era. I was seconds away from ending it."
He looked forward, his gaze piercing through the walls of the temple, staring at a memory of a sky turned gray.
"But at the last moment, it managed a final, desperate strike. It tore my heart out of my chest. It crushed the organ in its fist."
The room went deathly silent. Not even the sound of breathing remained.
"I still destroyed it," Ignes added, his tone terrifyingly level. "I cut its brain into a thousand pieces while I was dying. I removed the nucleus. I made sure it could never rise again."
He exhaled softly, the tension leaving his frame.
"It took four or five years for the apocalypse to fully end after that. I hope the world moved on."
He closed his eyes for a moment, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Apocalypse stories are fun to read in a book, aren't they? But they are a nightmare to live through."
When he opened his eyes again, the "obsessive researcher" was gone. In his place was a boy who looked far older than his fifteen years, waiting for his father to speak.