Chapter 7 Part 7
“Enough, you may leave.”
“If you need any attendants…”
The young lord’s words were cut off as cold, violet eyes stared back at him.
It was Varlan Mahart, the sole Crown Prince of the Empire, currently on a tour of inspection.
Intimidated by the prince’s icy gaze, the lord hurriedly bowed his head.
“My apologies. I shall see you in the morning!”
Once the lord and his daughters left the room, only the Crown Prince and his aide remained.
“Tedious.”
It was the same wherever they stayed. Local lords, who would never normally get a chance to meet the Crown Prince, would seize the opportunity to host him and parade their daughters before him.
“I will ensure you sleep undisturbed.”
Preventing young noblewomen from sneaking into the prince’s chambers at night was one of his aide, Prosek’s, duties.
Varlan sank into the sofa. Moments later, a messenger from the capital arrived with a letter.
Prosek’s eyes narrowed as he read it first.
“It appears there’s a problem with the hunting tournament. A monster has appeared.”
Varlan knew well that the annual hunting tournament was held around this time.
“That’s absurd. Never have I heard of a monster invading the royal hunting grounds.”
“It’s true. Lady Elia Amarantha helped the nobles and the ladies escape in the chaos.”
“Elia Amarantha assisted them?”
He had shown no reaction when he heard that his sister, Violet, had been imprisoned. But this news seemed to stir him.
Prosek handed the letter to Varlan.
“Yes. Fortunately, a shaman from Mahart was present and assisted Lady Elia in leading the evacuation.”
Varlan’s eyes scanned the letter, rereading certain parts multiple times.
“A mental shaman… Such a rare talent happened to be there at just the right time.”
It was indeed a curious coincidence. However, Varlan could not return to the capital unless a rebellion broke out. This was due to the prophecy of Parmo.
Varlan was destined to be a wise and benevolent ruler. Because of this, he could not return to the capital, a situation that brought both joy and sorrow.
As one of the few close to the Crown Prince, Prosek had always felt bitter about the prophecy. He composed himself and asked respectfully, “Where shall we head for the next inspection?”
Varlan had to continue his travels across the empire, possibly until the current emperor’s death. After some thought, Varlan spoke.
“North.”
“To Mahart, Your Highness?”
The empire was vast, but without a good reason, Mahart was not an ideal destination. The candlelight reflected in Varlan’s violet eyes, unique to the royal family.
“There is something I need to verify.”
For the first time, the prince, who usually went with the flow, expressed his intent. His aide was pleased to carry out the order.
“I hear it is cool in the North, even in spring. We should prepare accordingly.”
Varlan did not respond. He turned his gaze to the window, where a crescent moon hung like a sharp blade.
Thanks to the prompt actions of the Mahart couple, the situation had been resolved. The Royal Knights continued their investigation but found no concrete evidence.
In a carriage heading toward the gate connecting the North, Elia looked out the window.
‘There’s no way a monster could appear naturally in such a place.’
That day, the Emperor and Empress had left early, avoiding the incident. However, some nobles, especially knights who were at the hunting grounds, had suffered severe injuries.
‘That smoke…’
Someone had deliberately unleashed the monster. As far as Elia knew, there was only one way humans could control monsters: black magic.
‘But black magicians were supposed to be extinct.’
The empire had long pursued policies to eradicate sorcery, with black magic at the center of this campaign. Black magicians sacrificed living beings to summon abominations and could control monsters at a cost.
‘I’m still here, so it’s not impossible for a black magician to remain.’
A hidden black magician had revealed themselves.
‘But why?’
Just as Elia had her reasons for acting, so too must they. For now, she had to return to the North.
“We have arrived.”
The coachman announced their arrival. Elia stepped out of the carriage with Aksion. The gate, made of magic stones, was an ancient relic.
‘It’s practically a giant mass of magic.’
Magic stones outside of gates were only the size of a child’s fist, and the larger ones had disappeared long ago. The two entered the gate.
When they opened their eyes after the bright light, the northern forest spread out before them.
“Welcome, Young Lord. My Lady.”
The knights who had escorted Elia to the capital awaited them. She was glad to see them again.
“It’s been a while, Jacob.”
Jacob couldn’t hide his emotional reaction to her words.
“You remember my name. It’s an honor.”
“Of course. Remembering the name of a knight who illuminates Mahart is only right.”
The entire order of knights murmured among themselves. Memories of the past, when they had almost disregarded Elia, resurfaced. Elia stood in front of the gate, chatting with the knights. In the meantime, Jacob kept glancing at Aksion.
“Do you have something to report to Aksion?”
“Well…”
It seemed so. Elia stepped aside, signaling him to speak. Jacob, looking apologetic, reported.
“Though you have just returned, it seems you must prepare to go to the marshlands.”
Elia recalled the day Aksion returned from the North.
‘He said he’d be busy as soon as he got back.’
The situation was due to monsters. The North always saw an increase in monster activity in the spring, but something seemed off this time.
“Understood.”
Jacob felt relieved by Aksion’s response. Elia looked between the two and asked.
“Is that where the monsters are coming from?”
“We’re currently investigating, but as the Young Lord suspects, it is likely.”
Aksion had never been wrong in his assessments. Jacob’s pride was evident.
“I see.”
Elia nodded. Concerned by her calm reaction, Aksion wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“I will be back soon.”
He was always so gentle. As Elia gathered her thoughts, she whispered in his ear.
“Aksion, may I borrow your ear?”
* * *
The next day, preparations were made for the journey to the Grueorg Marshlands to hunt monsters. The departure was early in the morning, as Aksion had anticipated this upon his return.
“Everyone, mount your horses.”
At his command, the knights moved in unison. A woman in a robe also mounted an ordinary-looking brown horse. Watching her closely since the lineup, Knight Chelsid asked the commander.
“Commander, who is she?”
“A shaman who naturalized to the North.”
The mention of a shaman caused a stir among the knights. There were no shamans in the North, making this figure of great interest. Chelsid boldly approached the woman, hoping to see her face, but her lower face was covered by a cloth, making it difficult to discern.
“Oh, I’ve never seen a shaman before. What spirits do you command? Water? Or wind?”
Unable to watch Chelsid’s blatant curiosity any longer, Jacob clicked his tongue.
“I’ve heard she commands mental spirits. If you keep bothering her, she might mess with your mind.”
“Uh, mental spirits?”
Chelsid backed away, shocked. The hidden smile beneath the cloth belonged to Elia, who barely stifled her laughter.
‘Not much is known about mental spirits.’
Mental spirits were less understood than natural spirits. There was even a superstition that they could bewitch people’s minds and bodies. Though it wasn’t a pleasant assumption, it was amusing.
‘Well, it works to my advantage.’
