Chapter 85
Realistically, retrieving the main body of the shadow from beneath the Imperial Palace would be difficult. The risk posed by the Imperial Crown Prince was simply too great.
‘Was that why he had so naturally come to wield the energy of death?’ That thought briefly crossed her mind.
To the east was Fides. At the center, the shadow embedded within Veronica. To the west, the dormant fragment in the Kingdom of Castrello. Those were the fragments she knew of so far.
Once Fides and the shadow were secured, Castrello would be next. But since it had been dormant for so long, even Fides, a fragment of the same kind, admitted he had no idea where it was. That meant finding Castrello’s guardian beast was out of the question for now.
‘Where should I even begin looking?’
Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Roina stared at the map. But the clue came from an unexpected place.
“There’s a problem in the territory.”
Maili let out a sigh as she spoke, her golden hair tied high. Today, she was dressed in her full formal knight’s uniform. She had to leave immediately for the northern territory.
With this, she and Roina would have to be apart for a while, something she lamented openly.
“What kind of problem?”
“A mysterious beast is rampaging.”
Roina pondered Maili’s words.
Among the books she had read to gain knowledge of this world, there had been one on the geography and culture of the empire. Amasto was a noble house responsible for guarding the northernmost region of the empire. Beyond its northern borders lay harsh, barren lands, from which barbarian tribes occasionally launched invasions.
The current Marquis of Amasto had significantly reduced their numbers through a large-scale subjugation. As a reward, the Emperor had granted him the rights to develop a northeastern trade route, making the region a thriving center of commerce. Nowhere in that book had there been any mention of monsters appearing.
Roina’s expression deepened with curiosity. Maili exhaled sharply, then absentmindedly dropped sugar cubes into her tea, stirring it irritably with a teaspoon. She must have a habit of preparing her tea that way.
“No one’s ever seen anything like it before. It’s covered entirely in white fur, and it’s nearly three times the size of a person. They’re calling it a yeti.”
Roina imagined the creature based on her description.
A classic yeti-like monster came to mind.
“Couldn’t it just be a case of mistaken identity with some animal?”
“There have been too many witnesses for that. And it’s not just damaging villages.”
With a weary expression, Maili downed the tea she had just stirred in one gulp. Roina clapped at the sight. Maili shrugged.
It was an odd action to be applauded for, but she seemed pleased nonetheless, which was a relief.
“It’s taking young women.”
“What?”
Roina had imagined something like livestock being devoured or food stores, carefully stocked for winter, being raided.
But young women being taken?
She was utterly taken aback. Startled, she instinctively reverted to her old habit of speaking in formal language. Maili, understanding her reaction, didn’t comment on it.
“Yeah. It’s strange, isn’t it? That’s why the whole territory is on edge right now.”
“Hmm… But Maili, doesn’t that mean you’re in danger too?”
Maili scoffed, her tone playful yet resolute.
“Hah. What kind of knight would I be if I cowered behind the people I’m supposed to protect? As the commander of the family’s knight order, it would be disgraceful if I didn’t go myself.”
“Wow, Maili, I never expected you to say something so impressive…”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean? I can be cool sometimes, you know?”
Roina smiled softly. She was truly glad to have grown so close to the first friend she made in this world.
Of course, if she said that out loud, things would probably get awkward again. Maili was someone who embarrassed easily. When she first heard Maili had become the knight commander, she had been genuinely shocked. But in truth, it was a natural progression—Maili had originally been designated as the successor for the position.
That was until she suddenly ran off, declaring she would become the Imperial Crown Prince’s bride. Then, a strange thought crossed Roina’s mind. The fragments of magic that had waited nearly a thousand years for her, only to begin behaving erratically—
Could they be connected to this bizarre phenomenon?
***
“It seems like a possibility.”
Roina never let her curiosity linger for long. She immediately went to ask Lutan. He nodded before continuing.
“The fragment that went north was originally a cloak. It was a sacred relic passed down for generations in the northern temple. But one day, it vanished—along with the Holy Knight who had been guarding it.”
“A Holy Knight?”
“Yes. Since then, there’s been no trace of either. After that incident, the northern temple was all but abandoned. I didn’t ignore the matter completely—I did try to investigate. But the terrain made tracking difficult, and the northern seal itself remained intact, so I never pursued it too aggressively.”
“Then, do you think the cloak has been corrupted?”
“It seems highly likely. If this phenomenon is occurring exactly as you described.”
Since the other fragments had begun to distort and develop their own will, there was no reason to assume the cloak would be any different. Lutan’s words made sense.
Hearing them, Roina firmly nodded. For a moment, Lutan’s brows furrowed, as if he had realized something.
“Roina, are you planning to go there?”
“Yes!”
He looked like he wanted to say more but ultimately let out a sigh, shoulders sagging. Instead, he simply asked Fides to prepare warm clothes and supplies for the northern journey. Fides seemed slightly intrigued by the situation, but when asked to watch over the tower, he obediently responded with a cheerful, Yes!
In truth, he likely never even considered leaving the tower. But one could never be too sure.
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