“It is true that the Grand Duke protects the Empire from monsters. As Emperor, it is only right that I acknowledge his achievements.”
“But if the Grand Duke's power grows too great, Your Majesty's authority will inevitably be shaken.”
Julius saw all kinds of impatience and anxiety swirling in the Emperor's violet eyes and smiled in satisfaction.
“Therefore, I humbly ask that you dispatch the Crown Prince and the Saintess to the Parmion Territory.”
“The Saintess? Wasn't she said to have gone on a pilgrimage because of her poor health? And if the Saintess appears, the Grand Duke's awakening will only come sooner.”
That went against the High Priest's proposal to keep the Grand Duke in check. Seeing the Emperor's reluctant expression, Julius curled his lips into a smile.
“The oracle has not yet descended, and the Saintess has not fully recovered. She cannot influence the Grand Duke's awakening in her current state. That is why you must restrain the Grand Duke now and turn this into a merit of the Imperial Family.”
No matter how reckless he was, Cedric was still the Emperor's only son and heir to the Imperial bloodline.
Even without Julius deliberately stirring things up, it was obvious what choice the Emperor—already wavering like a ship caught in a storm—would make.
The Empire's southwestern frontier, Paminion Territory, Richev Village.
Dust swept bleakly between the buildings.
Below the fortress wall built along the low mountain ridge, colorful toy-like buildings were clustered together.
The largest blue building bore a banner reading <Bernard Medical Center>, but even it was half torn, fluttering in the wind and making the place feel even more desolate.
“Agh, my whole body aches!”
Leah jumped down from the wagon, practically threw her bag onto the ground, then hurried toward the medical camp.
“I wondered where everyone had gone. So you're all gathered here?”
Richev was a port town on the western continent. On clear days, its lively atmosphere came from the constant flow of travelers and merchants.
But throughout the entire journey here, she had not seen a single person on the road—not even a seagull.
Trash rolled through the streets that had once been spotless, and stray dogs without owners fought over scraps of food.
Even Richev's emerald sea, the symbol of the village, had become black and murky, as though filled with all the filth and sorrow in the world.
This is definitely no ordinary matter.
Leah's expression turned grave as she ran toward the crowd gathered outside the camp. The closer she got, the stronger the stench of rotting flesh became.
Without realizing it, she wrinkled her nose.
The people all turned to look at her.
“Well, if it isn't Leah!”
“Hello, sir! Have you been well?”
The villagers who recognized her greeted her warmly.
“I heard you made a name for yourself in the capital. What are you doing back here? What if you catch this terrible disease?”
“Why else would I come? I'm here to help the Count. But what's that covering your mouth?”
Even though painful sores covered their entire bodies, they had not lost their spirit.
Leah's eyes reddened.
She quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve and took out pieces of leather cut to size from her large bag, handing them out to everyone.
“It might spread through saliva. Please wear these. I know they're uncomfortable, but keep them on.”
The mouth coverings made from tough leather had been prepared at Evelyn's request during the trip.
To be honest, Leah had doubted whether they would do any good.
But Evelyn was the one who had saved her life.
Her earnest warning was not something Leah could ignore.
Besides... every single one of them has red eyes and black lips.
Just as Evelyn had said.
Which meant there was a very real chance that Richev Village would soon become a wasteland.
'As soon as you arrive, stockpile food and drinking water. Those who are still healthy must stay inside their homes, while the infected should be isolated in abandoned buildings. Before long, they'll begin to suffer from unbearable thirst.'
'And that thirst... can only be satisfied with human blood.'
Leah clenched her fists as anxious whispers reached her ears.
“No matter how much water I drink, I'm dying of thirst. I thought I was getting better once my fever went down. What's happening to me?”
“Same here. I even feel sick to my stomach now.”
Oh, dear God.
Leah could not hide her panic.
“My goodness... this isn't the time to stand around!”
Her heart pounded violently.
Just then, her older brother came to greet her.
Leah hurried toward him, her face set with determination.
The next morning, before dawn.
After the advance party entered the swamp first, Evelyn set out with the rear party led by Max.
The swamp had already been swept through once by the advance party, leaving grotesque insect corpses scattered everywhere.
The air was damp, and the thick forest reeked of fresh blood.
A look of unmistakable tension appeared on Evelyn's face.
“Ah!”
Distracted for a moment, Evelyn slipped on a rock.
Max quickly caught her by the arm.
“Please be careful. The rocks are slippery because of the moss. Even if your feet get a little wet, it's safer to step through the shallow puddles.”
“Thank you, Sir Max.”
“You would have been much more comfortable riding in the carriage. His Grace must have been very worried.”
“Worried?”
“When someone of your status is brought here personally, it means he is being extremely cautious. You could say he wants to keep you close so he can protect you. Ha ha!”
But Evelyn knew the truth.
It was not out of affection.
Just like what had happened at the temple, he simply wanted to keep her nearby in case another unexpected variable appeared.
“Besides, this is the first time His Grace has personally inspected the route in advance. Normally, he would simply pass through and deal with everything along the way.”
Max was right.
The men who had won the war against the Frost Giants had no reason to fear a mere swamp enough to scout it beforehand.
Thinking she had caused trouble, Evelyn let out a quiet sigh.
Seeing that, Max hurriedly added,
“His Grace trusts himself more than anyone. He probably never intended to leave something like this entirely in someone else's hands from the beginning. Thanks to that, we even managed to capture such a strange monster.”
“...Is that so?”
Evelyn forced an awkward smile.
Then her face suddenly froze in shock.
She had come face to face with the corpse of the monster being carried on a packhorse by the knights.
Its grotesque appearance, covered with countless ears.
The dark magic circle engraved on its body.
There was only one conclusion.
Someone created mutated monsters using dark magic.
Noticing Evelyn's pale expression, Max spoke carefully.
“Ah... by the way, I'm truly sorry about what happened last night. You must be deeply distressed...”
He was referring to the news brought by the messenger from the Imperial Palace.
The death of Louise.
“Ah...”
The woman who had cruelly abused both Evelyn and her mother, cursed them, and ultimately brought the two of them to a miserable end.
In this life, it was Evelyn—who had returned with memories of the past—who had brought about Louise's end.
Yet no miracle had occurred.
Her mother had not come back to life.
Considering all the evil that woman committed, she died far too peacefully.
The twenty years of contempt and injustice Evelyn had endured could never be erased by Louise's death alone.
There had once been times when she wished she could simply close her eyes and never wake up.
It was not the kind of pain that could be washed away just because the woman responsible had died.
That was why Evelyn had not been shaken when she heard the news.
I wanted her to live a lifetime in hellish agony.
She merely felt, deep in her bones, that the deeper her anger became, the colder her mind grew.
But regardless of Evelyn's personal hatred, the Countess's death had caused a considerable stir within the Order of Knights.
First, the corpse of a monster altered by dark magic. Then a body executed under Northern law...
Wasn't this an obvious attempt to frame the Grand Duke?
It was true that Kallian had declared he would punish them.
But someone else carrying it out was an entirely different matter.
If things went wrong, people might accuse the Grand Duke of taking revenge on the Countess because of Evelyn.
Evelyn's expression became even more serious.
They were already being cornered from every direction.
What if something happened at the Gate as well?
What if civilians became casualties?
The days when he was condemned by the people of the Empire might repeat themselves.
A chill ran down her spine.
It was as though everything was warning her that what was destined to happen would happen eventually.
But she had no intention of simply accepting it.
If the enemy revealed themselves first, that would only make things easier.
It would become much simpler to understand their true objective.
For now, I can only hope no one gets hurt.
Evelyn adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder.
Determination shone in her eyes.
How long had they been walking?
By the time the humid air had left their clothes damp and clinging to their skin—
“From here on, we'll be entering the canyon. Ah, I can see the advance party waiting for us.”
The very density of the air changed in an instant, and a completely different landscape unfolded before them.
“Ah...”
A magnificent canyon nestled between towering rocky cliffs.
She barely had time to take in its overwhelming grandeur before joining the advance party.
After eating a simple meal there, Evelyn immediately got back to her feet.
She was drenched in sweat from practicing her aura whenever she had the chance, but she could still endure this much.
“From here on, we'll travel on horseback. It's not as dangerous as the Northern Mountains, but the terrain is still rugged. Do not let your guard down.”
At that moment, Kallian, who had just finished giving orders to the knights at the front, walked over to her and held out his hand.
“From here on, you'll ride with me.”
