Chapter 8 Part 5
‘He didn’t hide it away somewhere; he kept it on him? And in that condition….’
Moreover, the scabbard of the Sun Sword had been replaced with another.
He hadn’t drawn the sword during the monster subjugation. He had carried the Sun Sword with him throughout the mission.
It was incomprehensible.
‘I thought he would keep it in a place where no one knew. But he keeps it with him.’
Now Elia understood why he hadn’t drawn the sword in the forest.
The Sun Sword had a legend.
It was said that only those who were granted permission by the sword could wield it, and this tale was true.
‘If you try to wield it by force, you get burned.’
Certain conditions had to be met to handle the Sun Sword, and Tartan wasn’t someone who fulfilled those conditions.
That’s why Elia felt reassured even when handing the sword over to the Duke.
Were Tartan’s blackened hands truly because of burns?
If he was carrying a sword he couldn’t use despite knowing the legend…
‘Why is he collecting swords?’
It was said that Tartan had collected over a hundred famous swords. It was hard to see it as a mere hobby.
Was the Sun Sword that precious to him?
Elia pressed close to the window, peering at Tartan.
His eyes, holding the Sun Sword, looked clouded, as if he were someone else.
Tartan slowly lifted his head. His pupils, which had been staring at the wall, expanded and pierced through the invisible.
‘Oh no.’
It felt like he made eye contact with Tartan.
Elia hurriedly tried to break the spell. But Tartan was faster.
“Who is there?”
With just a word, he drew the Sun Sword.
Fierce flames erupted, setting fire to the unauthorized and the surrounding area.
Anyone aware of the spell can affect the caster. The flames reached Elia.
“Ugh…!”
The flames of the Sun Sword forcibly severed the spell.
The impact pushed Elia away from the window. Her head spun from the backlash of the counter-spell. The hand that barely managed to grip the railing hung powerlessly.
“Elia!”
Aksion caught her as she collapsed.
Elia gasped for breath. The twisted magic was stabilizing in his arms.
It was the power of the resonance ritual.
She swallowed the taste of blood in her mouth and opened her eyes.
“Are you okay? I told you not to overdo it.”
He must have sensed it too. The change in the flow of magic around Elia.
The curtains were slightly singed from the flames chasing the spell. But it could have been worse.
‘Because he can’t handle the Sun Sword properly.’
It was the Sun Sword that had succeeded in chasing Elia, not Tartan.
Thus, her identity wasn’t exposed.
Elia sighed in relief. She had pulled back just in time; otherwise, she would have been caught spying.
But she felt she should stop observing Tartan now.
“I’m sorry. There was something I wanted to check.”
Lately, she seemed to have many reasons to apologize to Aksion.
Elia apologized sincerely, calming her breath in his embrace.
“Aksion, I need to ask you something. It’s about Duke Tartan.”
By now, Aksion must have noticed.
What Elia had seen and why she was harmed.
“Go ahead.”
Fortunately, Aksion didn’t press further.
Elia felt both sorry and grateful to him. But there was a question she had to ask.
“Does the Duke know that your power isn’t a curse?”
She had suspected for a while. But after spying on Tartan, she was certain.
‘He knows.’
That Aksion wasn’t cursed.
Aksion remained silent. Slowly, he began to tell the story Elia wanted to hear.
“At first, he truly believed a demon had been born.”
Treating it as if it had nothing to do with him.
But as Aksion grew, the truths he had tried to ignore started to reveal themselves.
‘Then why?’
If it wasn’t a curse, shouldn’t he have cared for him instead?
‘Wait.’
A question flashed through Elia’s mind.
Just how much does Tartan know?
‘No way.’
In the end, Duke Tartan was the original culprit.
Which meant he knew from the start that Aksion was suffering because of his mistake.
‘He never intended to explain.’
He had let the opportunity to correct his mistake slip away.
Finally, the missing puzzle pieces fit together.
Maybe he…
‘Was planning to kill Aksion.’
If her guess was correct, it was Duke Tartan who installed the magic stones at the collapsed gate path in the marsh.
Elia’s gaze lingered on the scorched curtain ends.
Her hand had been on the window until just moments ago. Yet there was no residual heat.
‘Why didn’t I get burned?’
Was it because she pulled her hand away before the flames touched?
Elia cut off the scorched curtain ends and let them be carried away by the wind.
* * *
The day after the party.
After a brief rest, the monster subjugation resumed with vigor.
If the monsters weren’t dealt with in the spring, they would flock to the villages as the weather cooled. Therefore, the task had to be expedited.
Elia, wearing her robe, joined the ranks.
Some knights were talking about the fire in the mansion the previous day.
“They say there was a fire in the Duke’s bedroom.”
“I heard a new servant took over for the one on leave. How does cleaning cause a fire?”
The fire had been quickly extinguished. Everyone thought the new servant had misplaced a candle, causing the fire.
It seemed the situation was resolved by expelling the servant from the mansion.
“At least it wasn’t worse.”
“Indeed. Oh, here they come.”
The chattering Silver Knights formed their ranks.
Today, Aksion and the Duke’s knights stood side by side in the clearing.
The area fell silent as the two stood together. The Duke’s gaze, scanning the knights, finally landed on Elia.
“Today, the spirit mage will join us.”
Startled by the sudden call, Elia almost faltered. Aksion questioned in her stead.
“What do you mean?”
“If a mage fills the plain with water and makes them see illusions until they drown, it will expedite the process.”
It wasn’t wrong. Today, the plain assigned to Tartan was to be subjugated according to Elia’s plan.
They needed mages to manipulate the water, and using illusions to buy time would speed up the work.
But the Duke’s attitude, as if he were borrowing an object, was irritating.
“That’s not possible…”
“I will go.”
Just before Aksion could refuse, Elia stepped forward.
‘If I don’t go now, they’ll continue to suspect me.’
The burden of suspicion would fall entirely on Aksion.
Elia’s gaze shifted to the scabbard at Tartan’s side. The Sun Sword, with its scabbard replaced, hung there.
Perhaps sticking close to Tartan and observing his actions would be beneficial.
‘I’ll be fine.’
Elia promised with her eyes that she would return safely.
“Then it’s settled. We’ll depart at the appointed time.”
Duke Tartan turned away. Aksion, who was about to speak, closed his mouth.
In the brief moment of silence, the Silver Knights surrounded Elia.
“Spirit mage, be careful.”
“Don’t get too close to those guys, okay?”
Having gone through a subjugation together, she had grown close to the knights.
‘If I had come as Aksion’s wife, I wouldn’t have gotten this close.’
That fact was both a bit regretful and a relief.
“I understand. Don’t worry too much.”
A moment later, the two knight orders announced their departure.
Tartan and Aksion’s subjugation sites were different. The knight orders had to split at the forest’s midpoint.
Elia rode her horse right beside Tartan. Behind them, the Duke’s mages followed.
Unlike the lively Silver Knights, Tartan’s movement was quiet.
‘I’m a bit nervous.’
After all, she had almost been caught spying on him yesterday.
But even after riding for a while, Tartan didn’t spare her a glance.
She thought it was fortunate, but then…
“I heard you naturalized to the north?”
