Chapter 9 Part 8
As she exited the break room, she found herself in the maze-like library. Elia ran frantically, following the light she had previously scattered. She didn’t feel exhausted, not even when running around the bookshelves or climbing the stairs until she was out of breath.
How long had she been running like that? Regaining her senses, she found herself opening a door. It was a place she thought she was entering for the first time. Inside was a quiet study, and within it, Aksion, looking startled, was seated.
“…Elia?”
An oil lamp was on the desk, and unknown documents were scattered around. It seemed he had been working, as a quill was still in his left hand.
“Are you alright? Your face is covered in cold sweat.”
He set down the pen and stood up. Elia, without responding to his question, looked down. A thread of resonance connected her ring finger to Aksion’s finger.
She thought she had followed the light to avoid getting lost in the library, but her confused mind had chased the thread linking her to him. The one person closest to her now, the only one who could stabilize her, was Aksion.
Without a word, Elia embraced him. He, too, held her small frame without questioning her.
“Aksion, I…”
Everything was a mess. Why had Varlan had such a dream? What were these feelings of hatred she had held for him until now?
“Shhh, calm your breath. It’s okay to forget everything for now.”
Instead of trembling words, a gentle hand slowly stroked her back. Her dizzy mind gradually found peace in his arms. When Elia regained her breath, Aksion slowly let her out of his embrace.
Their gazes met, but she was afraid to speak. Yet, she wanted to spill everything she held inside.
‘I want to tell him.’
Everything she had kept to herself. But should she? Could he understand her if she revealed everything?
Conflicting emotions roiled inside her, and ultimately, Elia chose to remain silent, unable to break her lingering fear. But Aksion promised to embrace even that fear.
“I’ll be waiting for the day you decide to tell me.”
A comforting kiss landed on her forehead. Feeling tears welling up, Elia chose to bury herself back into his arms instead of showing her eyes. His warmth was as comforting as a spring day.
* * *
Elia went with Aksion to the northern part of the territory to set up a formation. He didn’t ask about what had happened in the study, and Elia didn’t bring it up either. Under the clear sky, a pillar of purple light shot up, completing the third of four formations around the territory.
‘Just one more, and it’ll be complete.’
Only the west remained. The formations needed to be set up in all directions to be fully effective.
‘Though, even now, it’s not entirely ineffective.’
Thanks to the pillars Elia set up, the bad luck clinging to the people in the territory was gradually dissipating.
Pout, pout.
A disgruntled sound came from her pocket. Elia took out a glass bottle. Inside, the trapped bad luck was standing with its hands on its hips.
“Quiet down, this is all because of you.”
Pout!
The bad luck she had captured a while ago protested at her scolding.
“It hasn’t learned its lesson yet.”
It looked like a small street thug, standing on one leg. Elia shook the bottle vigorously.
Pout! Screeech!
The tiny bad luck rolled around inside the bottle. After shaking it until her hand hurt, Elia saw its eyes spinning.
“Elia, what is that?”
Curious about what she was doing, Aksion asked. She showed him the fainted bad luck in the bottle.
“Oh, this is bad luck. When it clings to people, bad things happen.”
If it was this small, the worst it could do was make someone trip while walking. Although it wasn’t dangerous now, keeping it around would let it grow by feeding on people’s ominous feelings.
“Is it safe for you, Elia?”
“Yes. I’ve confined it in a glass bottle and put a barrier around it.”
When Elia shook the bottle lightly, the bad luck, now a ball, bounced around.
Pout… Ugh…
The bad luck flapped its tiny arms and produced a small black flag. Instead of a white flag, it waved a black one, signaling surrender.
“You should have done that sooner.”
Annoyingly resilient little thing.
Elia put the glass bottle back into her pocket. Aksion, watching her, spoke up.
“Let’s head back now.”
“But the west is still left.”
The schedule had been delayed due to her concerns about Varlan for several days. The last hunt was tomorrow, and she wanted to finish the formation today.
“You’re already drained of mana.”
“Even so, if I rest a bit…”
The more she used large-scale magic, the quicker her mana would deplete and then recharge. It might be tiring, but she could finish the western formation today if she managed well.
However, Aksion shook his head.
“Elia, I don’t want you to overwork yourself. I know why you’re setting up the formations, all for the sake of the people here. But what use is it if you collapse? Please understand my concern.”
He pulled her hand gently. Elia blinked at him in surprise.
“This is the most you’ve spoken so far.”
“Is it?”
Half serious, half in jest, she said, but Aksion didn’t budge.
‘I have been worrying him a lot lately.’
From the dangerous hunt to running into his arms in the middle of the night, Aksion never questioned her and always took her side.
“Alright. Let’s go back.”
“I’ll escort you.”
At her words, he smiled softly, as if relieved. They mounted their horses side by side.
On the way back to Maharht Castle, Elia repeatedly looked back at the tall pillars.
‘There shouldn’t be any major issues until the formation is complete, right? At least half of its effects should already be in place.’
Elia’s magic didn’t just erase bad luck. Once the formation was complete, the territory would be protected from sources of danger, including monsters.
‘That landslide was odd.’
Sector 17 had become ruins after a monster attack followed by heavy rain, causing a landslide. But the site of the landslide was suspicious. The collapsed ground had faint traces of non-human mana, a monster’s mana.
‘I hope I’m mistaken.’
Monsters didn’t have the intelligence to use the terrain to attack people. Even if it was a coincidence, the final hunt was tomorrow. Most of the monsters would be dealt with then, preventing major issues.
* * *
Back at the castle, night had fallen during their brief rest. Outside, preparations for the hunt were in full swing. The sounds of moving equipment and knights following orders could be heard along with the flickering torches.
Elia, looking out the window, turned away. She spent time in her private study connected to her bedroom. With the hunt starting at dawn, she should have gone to bed early, but she couldn’t sleep. Since the incident in the library, she had been sleepless every night.
‘That dream.’
Varlan’s dream was undoubtedly about what had happened before she turned back time.
‘When I turned back time, it must have affected the Crown Prince as well.’
No one in the royal family was unaware that Elia was to be the sacrifice. If another royal had the dream, they might have celebrated it as a prophetic vision.
Despite this, the reason Varlan was disturbed by the dream was…
‘He didn’t believe in the prophecy.’
He didn’t believe in the prophecy that the world would end and Elia would be sacrificed. She recalled the memory of being offered as the sacrifice. Varlan had been expressionless then. She couldn’t remember it before, but now his gaze was vividly clear. His eyes had been filled with shock.
‘…But.’
Would he believe her if she told him the truth? Even if he was shaken, he might still push her to become the sacrifice in the end. Everyone wants to survive, even if it means pushing a loved one into hell.
Knock, knock.
The quiet was broken by a knock on the door. Someone was knocking from the corridor connected to the study.
‘There’s no one who should be visiting.’
She had already told Risha not to enter, and Aksion should be busy with the troops.
“Come in.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the door opened. Standing in the hallway was a man with short brown hair and dark brown eyes.
‘The Crown Prince’s aide?’
It was Prosek, with a heavy book tucked under his arm.
