Chapter 7 

“What? That can’t be right.”

“But I heard you fell from quite a height. And right in the middle of a battle, no less. If that’s all the injury you sustained, then…”

Elena clamped her mouth shut at the healer’s remark, biting her lower lip hard. A bead of blood welled up where her teeth had dug into flesh. No one had noticed that Van had let a wyvern slip on purpose. That was how natural his actions had seemed.

What a b*st*rd.

The memory of being snatched by the wyvern flared up in her mind, and with it, a surge of heat.

“In any case, I thought you might want to thank the captain later…”

“I’ll be going now.”

Elena abruptly cut the healer off, unable to stomach the words any longer. Anger at the unexpected turn of events twisted emotions she thought she’d kept perfectly in check around others.

Thank him? Thank him for getting my parents killed?

The very thought made her sick.

“Ah, wait a moment! There’s something else I need to explain!”

As Elena stood from her chair, the healer hastily grabbed the hem of her coat.

“About your leave of absence. Ahem, according to what I’ve been told, you’ve been granted a full ten days of leave starting today. The captain was quite generous.”

“Understood.”

“Most people would be thrilled to get time off, but you don’t seem particularly pleased. Anyway, the captain has kindly –”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

Ridwan was full of people who not only liked Van, but outright revered him. As the healer continued to praise him, Elena briskly turned on her heel and left.

Ten days.

As the healer had said, it was an unusually long break. Even with injuries, knights capable of magic were typically expected to at least resume spell practice.

Still, Elena had no intention of wasting this precious time. Glancing down at the splint wrapped around her ankle, she began limping back toward the dormitory. She vowed to make the most of those ten days.

* * *

A few days later, once the limp had eased somewhat, Elena quickly changed into her civilian clothes and headed out into the city.

As soon as she left the knights’ compound, she pulled a cloak from her bag and threw it over her shoulders, drawing the hood low over her face, so low it nearly reached from the bridge of her nose to her collarbone. Just in case.

That was how she arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild in the city’s western quarter. The first floor of the guild bustled with adventurers drinking and chatting even in broad daylight, the air thick with the scent of cheap ale and food. Elena passed them without a glance and made her way to the reception desk.

“Niitas, hey! Long time no see.”

As soon as she stepped up, the receptionist, Cilia, greeted her cheerfully, calling her by her alias.

“It’s been a while. I finally found some time.”

“I’d heard you were still frequenting the library even though you were busy.”

“Let me guess, Finn told you that?”

“Of course. That guy’s got the loosest lips. I keep telling him to be more discreet when it comes to the library.”

“I’m just borrowing books, that’s all.”

Elena’s curt reply earned a click of the tongue from Cilia.

Ever since losing her family, Elena had been searching for her missing brother and dreaming of revenge. She was still just as brittle and withdrawn as ever.

Cilia, picturing a future where perhaps Elena might finally smile again if only she could find her brother, gently handed her a cup of floral tea.

“Here. Your favorite.”

“Thanks.”

“No need to mention it. Anyway, this time, I’ve got some good news.”

“From where?”

Leaning over the counter, Cilia lowered her voice.

Finally. A lead, after months of silence. A hint of light returned to Elena’s face.

The shift in her usually stoic expression made Cilia smile softly in return.

“Tussla.”

“What?”

Elena’s voice jumped in surprise at the unexpected name.

Tussla was a beastkin nation far from the Kingdom of Valra. To get there, one had to pass through the Holy Kingdom of Aquinia in the southern regions, meaning there was virtually no traffic between the two nations. For most people in Valra, Tussla might as well have been another world.

And yet, Tyrtan had been sighted there.

“Why would he be there?”

“That much I don’t know… but what I do know is, he wasn’t alone. That’s all I’ve got. You know how little intel we get from Tussla…”

It would take months just to reach the place. With no way to act on the lead right away, the spark in Elena’s face dimmed.

“…Not great.”

“But hey, at least it’s something, right?”

“I suppose.”

Not knowing what to do next, Elena furrowed her brows and pressed her finger to her forehead.

“That person…”

She reached for the flower tea to soothe her parched throat, only to spot a familiar figure in the distance.

“Who?”

“She’s been visiting the Guildmaster pretty often lately.”

“…That’s the captain’s aide.”

“What?”

The woman headed into the Guildmaster’s office was none other than Quirea Einhell, Van’s aide. She managed Van’s schedule, carried out his orders, and was practically always by his side. Elena had no idea why Van kept such an unknown woman from a nameless family close, but it was clear he trusted her deeply.

Otherwise, why would he dismiss high-ranking nobles just to keep an obscure aide?

“Do you know why she’s meeting with the Guildmaster?” 

Elena asked, a suspicion creeping into her voice. There was no way she was here without reason. Van must have given her an assignment.

“No idea, but considering how often she’s been meeting him, I’d guess she’s after high-level intel.”

“Can you find out what kind of information?”

“I can try… but I can’t promise anything.”

This was someone who had one-on-one meetings with the Guildmaster, and she worked directly under Duke Van Nizena. Even Cilia looked hesitant.

“If you hear anything, let me know.”

“I will. Oh, and one more thing, about the library. You said you haven’t found anything useful yet, right?”

“Yeah…”

Cilia was right.

The royal family of Valra had long claimed to descend from dragons. Who in their right mind would risk putting negative information about dragons in the public archives?

Elena had been combing through the library since she was young, trying to uncover Van’s weaknesses, but had found nothing. She would’ve taken anything, even rumors, but all she ever uncovered were sappy love stories and myths so well-known even a child could recite them.

“I think it might be time to look into… other kinds of books. You won’t like the idea, though.”

“Like fiction? But those just glorify dragons even more.”

Reading something like that might just make her mood worse. Praising Van, that smug b*st*rd? The thought alone made her queasy.

“But who knows? You might find something.”

Elena mulled over Cilia’s suggestion. It might not be a sure thing, but it was still worth trying.

“Oh, and one more gift.”

“What is it?”

“I know this is dangerous, and honestly, I wish you wouldn’t get involved. But just in case… Don’t use it unless you absolutely have to.”

Cilia looked at her dear friend, who had been fighting for nearly ten years. She knew exactly how relentless and dangerous Elena’s thirst for revenge was. She handed her a folded note.

“Only as a last resort.”

She leaned in to whisper: the name and meeting point of a contact from the Anti-Dragon Faction were written on that note.

The Anti-Dragon Faction, those who refused to let ‘beasts’ like dragons rule Valra. A secret group of dissenters.

Cilia was right. Joining them would mean openly defying the Kingdom of Valra. To some, that might be the same as declaring war against the state itself.

But not for Elena. She drew a clear line between Van and the kingdom. Her goal was not to destroy Valra. Her goal was to bring down Van.

She slipped the note into her pocket. Later, far later. Only if she ran out of every other option.

“…Thank you.”

Because she could feel the full weight of Cilia’s concern in that small piece of paper, Elena truly meant her thanks.

* * *

After leaving the guild, Elena naturally made her way to the library. There was something about the smell of old books that calmed her.

She entered the fiction section and, after some deliberation, picked out several books she normally wouldn’t have glanced at. Looking back at everything she’d uncovered so far, it seemed that fire was the only thing that had a noticeable effect on dragons.

But using fire…

Elena couldn’t wield fire magic. Which meant her options for harming Van were severely limited. Even if she did find a way, setting fires wasn’t a tactic she was comfortable with.

So she needed another method.

Her magic didn’t work on Van. And catching him off guard with swordplay was unlikely in the chaotic situations she’d have to rely on.

Hoping the books in her hands might finally offer a clue, Elena returned to her dormitory. Had her leg not been injured, she would’ve gone to the home of Baron Saulliren instead. But she didn’t want to worry the Baron and Baroness, so the dorm was her choice.

Back in her room, she lit the lamp on her desk. Under its yellow glow, she set down the books she didn’t really want to read and began changing clothes. 

Still, at least now she knew where her brother was. That meant something.

Staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror, Elena thought of Tyrtan.

In their childhood, Aurin had trained Tyrtan relentlessly. Thanks to that, he’d awakened his talents and even joined the royal Hatz Knights, a newly formed order back then.

If he were here now, wouldn’t she have more options?

Knock, knock.

A polite knock on the door snapped Elena out of her thoughts.