Perhaps he realized his answer had been far too cold.
Small cracks slowly appeared on Evelyn's expression.
Any other man might have been satisfied by seeing a woman's vulnerable side.
But Kallian felt no pleasure at all.
Her eyes trembled as though she were on the verge of tears.
Her jaw was clenched tightly as she fought back her sobs.
Even the slight trembling of her body, like that of someone deeply wounded, grated painfully on his nerves.
If only she would simply cry when she was hurt...
Or admit she was sad...
Then perhaps this turmoil inside him wouldn't be so unbearable.
Just then, the carriage began to slow down.
Pulling back the curtain and confirming they had reached their temporary stop, Kallian spoke coldly.
"If you can't even do that, then give up now. At dawn, while we head into the swamp, you'll remain in the carriage and get off at the next village."
The procession of the Blackwood Knights came to a halt in a clearing near the vast broadleaf forest known as the Cabana Forest.
Stepping down from the carriage, Kallian spread out a large map and checked their route.
The two vice commanders and Benjamin quickly gathered around the table.
"There are two main routes to Richef."
"One takes longer but allows the wagons to travel safely..."
He tapped their current location with a long finger before tracing a line along the river toward Richef.
"And the other..."
"...is the swamp and the canyon."
"It's dangerous, but much faster."
For warriors like them, traveling comfortably by carriage had never even been an option.
Kallian folded the map twice with a snap and handed it to Benjamin.
"The shortcut isn't suitable for wagons."
"Unload everything except the essential supplies and send the wagons along the main road."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the temperature dropped sharply.
Kallian divided the knights into two groups.
One would escort the wagons.
The other would accompany him through the swamp.
The groups were organized under Vice Commanders Max and Dwayne.
"At daybreak, Dwayne and Benjamin will escort the wagons along the main road."
"The rest will follow Max and me through the swamp."
"Yes!"
"The escort team's highest priority is distributing the barrier stones to the villages."
"Check everything carefully. No mistakes."
"Do we really have to go that far?"
Dwayne, who had remained silent until now, finally complained.
He had been suppressing his temper the entire time.
The thought of his lord being manipulated by outsiders irritated him beyond measure.
"Once we've handed over everything we have to those Imperial bastards—"
"Dismissed."
Without even listening further, Kallian turned his back.
Benjamin and Max hurriedly clamped a hand over Dwayne's mouth before he could continue.
"Mmph! What are you— Mmph!"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Can't you see it written all over his face? 'Touch me and I'll kill you.' Read the room for once!"
Their lord already looked like someone on the verge of exploding.
They didn't know what had happened.
But one thing was certain.
Provoking him now would end very badly.
Although spring had arrived, winter had only recently ended.
The nights were still cold.
Camping in a forest without even a single inn or village required extensive preparations.
Of course...
None of that mattered to men born in the North who roamed rugged mountain ranges as though they were their own homes.
While the others busied themselves with camp preparations—
Kallian sat lazily in a chair, staring coldly at the golden key bearing the same symbol engraved on the glass vial.
It rested inside a small wooden box.
"It seems my dear aunt has truly crossed the point of no return."
The Empress had always been willing to use any means necessary to achieve her ambitions.
After all...
Hadn't she stolen her longtime friend's fiancé through methods devoid of all conscience?
The real problem was different.
He couldn't understand what the Empress hoped to gain by cooperating with the temple.
This wasn't one of her usual crude attempts—
No poison slipped into his tea.
No hired assassins sent after him.
Which means... someone else is pulling her strings.
More than anything...
He couldn't stop thinking about the people Evelyn had encountered beneath the temple.
Their distinctive appearance.
Linguis Village in the North.
Blood possessing the power of regeneration.
"It seems the temple is using their blood to revive something... Does any of that sound familiar?"
Kallian looked toward Benjamin.
"Benjamin."
"Have you ever heard of a place called Linguis Village?"
Lighting a cigar, his expression remained unreadable.
But complicated thoughts darkened his features.
Benjamin, having already heard the outline of what had happened beneath the temple, looked equally troubled.
He unfolded the map once more and slowly traced every tiny letter with his fingertips.
"Hmm..."
"I don't see any place by that name."
"I know it isn't on the map."
"I'm asking whether you've ever heard of it."
Johansen's territory consisted of sixteen large and small domains.
Yet...
Neither now nor thousands of years ago had there ever been a place called Linguis.
Especially not near Irina Gorge.
That region was home to colonies of Frost Giants, battered year-round by freezing storms.
No ordinary people could survive there.
Perhaps sensing Kallian's troubled thoughts, Benjamin suddenly brightened.
"Ah!"
"What if they live underground?"
"Like a hidden fortress?"
"Otherwise it doesn't make sense."
"We inspect every territory once a year."
"No matter how small the village, we couldn't possibly have overlooked it."
Kallian tapped the table thoughtfully.
"It seems we'll need to investigate."
"Shall I send word to Sir Victor?"
"Tell him to investigate discreetly."
"Yes."
Sooner or later...
Everything would come to light.
Especially if their true objective involved Evelyn.
If so, they would eventually make contact themselves.
Discovering their purpose was only a matter of time.
Pressing his fingers against the ridge of his brow, Kallian gathered his thoughts.
Then he suddenly reached for his sheathed sword.
"I'll patrol the area first."
The swamp bordering Cabana Forest was home to grotesque plants and creatures nearly as dangerous as monsters.
To men accustomed to fighting monsters, they were hardly worth worrying about.
Still...
Nothing cleared a troubled mind better than physical exertion.
Meanwhile...
After washing up and changing clothes inside the supply wagon, Evelyn stepped outside.
She watched Kallian's back as he walked away from the camp alone.
Where is he going in the middle of the night?
I wanted to talk with him a little longer...
But he was already too far away to call after.
He'll come back eventually.
I'll speak to him then.
"...My head hurts."
Evelyn held her head.
She had thought the pain would fade with time.
Instead, it had only grown worse.
She believed the cause was the excessive use of her healing power inside the temple's Processing Room.
Ever since that unbelievably brilliant aura had burst from her hands...
It felt as though an invisible force were drilling into her brain.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly the world spun.
Her vision blurred.
She managed to steady herself by grabbing a nearby stack of hay before collapsing in front of the knights.
But if this continued...
It would become a serious problem.
Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, she tried to think calmly.
The first time I came into contact with the Grand Duke, it hurt too...
But in the end, it restored my condition.
So if I only use a little of the demonic energy he gave me...
While she had been unconscious...
Kallian had quietly infused a portion of his own power into her.
Although it had been much less than usual because they had only been holding hands...
It was still enough to function as auxiliary magic.
Or so she had believed.
Hidden among the stacked hay, she slowly gathered the scattered magic within her body toward her dantian.
The moment she began breathing steadily—
"Cough! Cough!"
A metallic taste spread across her mouth.
Then—
Blood suddenly surged up her throat.
Startled, Evelyn quickly removed the priest's robe she still wore instead of her cloak and calmly wiped the blood from her lips.
Why...?
This can't happen here.
She had believed she could endure for quite some time without Kallian's help.
But now...
It seemed she wasn't nearly as healthy as she had imagined.
Looking uneasily at the priest's robe, now stained a much darker color with blood, Evelyn let out a troubled sigh.
She raised her head.
The knights were all busy preparing camp.
They had arranged hay in a circle across the clearing and were lighting piles of firewood.
A single name escaped her lips.
"...Mother."
Within the dancing flames...
She could almost see her mother's gentle smile.
When was it...?
One day...
After particularly brutal abuse...
Evelyn had smiled brightly, insisting she was fine.
Instead...
Her mother had cried.
Back then, Evelyn had thought—
If only I had been stronger.
Or... if I had never been born at all.
Then Mother's life wouldn't have been destroyed like this...
Returning to reality, Evelyn pressed her heated eyelids with the palm of her hand.
She knew crying wouldn't solve anything.
But she no longer knew how to stop the tears from welling up.
She couldn't remain consumed by grief forever.
Having long since forgotten how to cry freely, Evelyn absentmindedly rubbed the ring on her ring finger in an effort to calm herself.
Sanans Lumen.
Moonlight shimmered across the silver ring—
The only keepsake her mother had left behind.
Suddenly...
Her mother's voice echoed in her mind.
"Whenever you want to help someone, close your eyes and pray with all your heart. Even if we're far apart, Mother will always be by your side..."
A passionate storyteller who loves creating immersive worlds and captivating characters.
