DMHS 70

“Yes?”

Kian turned his head in surprise.

‘Weren’t there supposed to be two candidates for chieftain?’

Asaad shrugged and added,

“In fact, Bashim is the strongest successor. He’s the representative of the Harkin clan, and he’s hiding his magic skills. The current chieftain also strongly wants Bashim to become the successor.”

“Then there are three candidates for successor now?”

“That’s right.”

Kian looked at Lucien. Lucien tilted his chin lightly and nodded, confirming Kian’s thought.

‘I’ll have to keep an eye on Bashim.’

Kian took a sheet of paper from his inner pocket. The magic circle left where the fourth Tower Master had died was the same one he had just shown Bashim.

“Do you know what this is?”

Once again, Kian’s aim was to observe Asaad’s reaction. Kian was convinced as he watched his expression.

‘As I thought…’

“It’s a composite magic circle. Where did you get this?”

“There are circumstances, so I’ve been asking the shamans for their opinions.”

Asaad saw an opportunity to impress Kian, his eyes lit up.

“May I copy this circle? If I discover anything, I’ll contact you.”

“I would be grateful for your help.”

Receiving pen and paper from an attendant, Asaad quickly copied the circle. Even then, Kian could feel glances cast their way. Pearl Asif and his group glared at Asaad with murderous eyes. Those from Asaad’s clan were also tense, holding their ground in a standoff.

‘The atmosphere is unusual.’

At that moment, a loud voice rang out.

“Salman Harkin, our leader and overseer, enters!”

The people at the door blew horns. Everyone gathered in the banquet hall rose at once and bowed politely. Kian also stood, following the mood. Now Lucien alone remained seated.

Through the open door appeared the High Priest they had seen earlier in the day. Salman walked up to the dais and spoke.

“It is a night full of holy grace.”

At those words, the people straightened their backs. Salman looked over each of those gathered in the hall with a benevolent smile.

“You’ve all worked hard preparing for the festival. Today we close the Festival of the Ocean. Since it’s the final night, eat and drink freely and enjoy yourselves. Under day and night, we are one.”

“We are one.”

The crowd repeated Salman’s last words together. Music began to play, signaling the true start of the banquet.

Stepping down from the dais, Salman first approached Kian and Lucien’s seats.

“May the Flame of Creation brighten your hearts… Thank you for coming such a long way. Descendant of heroes, and his mate.”

“The Goddess’s touch renews today. Thank you for gladly welcoming us, even though our request to visit was sudden.”

Salman’s smile deepened as Kian replied.

Lucien, who had only lounged crookedly in his seat since entering the hall, finally stood.

“I have some questions.”

Lucien’s voice struck directly into Kian’s head. Salman’s reply came the same way.

“Speak freely.”

“First, we came here because the black magic used nearby reached as far as the kingdom. Weren’t the people here alarmed by that?”

Lucien referred to the characters that had appeared uniformly in the scripture. Salman answered with a grave face.

“We use different scripture than the kingdom. In ours, nothing unusual appeared.”

“I see. Also, in the kingdom, dolls are mimicking humans and causing confusion. How many could use such black magic?”

“What do you mean by dolls?”

Salman didn’t know of sorcery that created dolls. Even with Lucien’s added explanation, he seemed not to understand.

“That spell isn’t openly known. But my personal guess is that it comes from a power gained by making a contract with demons.”

“Demons?”

“Demons devise many tricks. Deceiving human eyes and hiding the truth is their specialty.”

“Are there any shamans here who have made contracts with demons?”

Salman shook his head.

“We only use the magic of destruction, passed down from Yahdreir. As in the kingdom, using demons is forbidden.”

“Could someone have attempted it in secret?”

“…It’s hard to say there’s no chance.”

Lucien licked his lower lip.

“One last question. Kian, will you help?”

Lucien’s gaze turned to Kian’s inner pocket. Kian handed the paper with the magic circle to Salman.

“What do you think this is?”

Lucien stared openly at Salman’s face. The answer Salman returned was brief.

“It’s a spell to confine someone.”

“……!”

It was an unexpected gain. Salman continued speaking.

“It’s a kind of maze spell. It traps the target in memory or illusion, then shows the same scene over and over.”

“The other shamans said it was a composite circle though?”

“It would look that way. But that’s only because multiple spells were layered to prevent the maze from being broken. Most likely, the one targeted was also a shaman.”

Lucien crossed his arms and looked at Salman.

“Did you recognize the circle right away because you’re the greatest shaman of the Delia tribe? Or did the others know and deliberately play dumb?”

“Neither. I know it because it’s a field I researched in the past.”

Only the two of them and Kian could hear the conversation. When Salman fell silent for a while, Bashim spoke carefully.

“The son of Asif and the son of Jemar are waiting to see the chieftain.”

Salman asked Lucien,

“Do you have more questions?”

“That’s all. Thank you for answering honestly. And thank you for inviting us.”

Lucien smiled sincerely. Salman gave a small bow and left. He went to join Asaad’s group in conversation.

Kian leaned close to Lucien.

“What do you think?”

“His aura is clean. He doesn’t seem like someone plotting intrigue.”

“Things are getting complicated. Honestly, I suspected the shaman we met in Chronos was the culprit behind what happened at the Tower and the writing in the scripture.”

“Why did you think that?”

The Aslan they met in Chronos had been Gimere Harkin’s puppet. But Kian had learned that only through the mouths of the dead. Since he couldn’t reveal that source, he left it unsaid.

“He seemed strong. And he clearly held hostility toward the kingdom. But now I’m convinced this wasn’t his doing alone. From the start, it would be too much for one person to pull off.”

“Hmm… Then who do you suspect?”

“First, the three successor candidates. Since all of them are aware their tribes are facing extinction, they might resort to reckless acts using the kingdom.”

While the two whispered, a quarrel broke out in the banquet hall. Asaad and Pearl Asif, who had been talking with the chieftain, started bickering.

The fight ended with Pearl Asif grabbing Asaad by the collar.

“The son of a traitor still hasn’t come to his senses…!”

Fire burned in Pearl Asif’s eyes. Two groups faced off tensely.

Only Salman could calm the overheated atmosphere.

“Calm yourself, Pearl, son of Asif. Today is the final day of the festival we dedicate to the Goddess. She would be disappointed to see us like this.”

“……”

“……”

“Now then, I propose a toast for the unity of the tribes. Please return to your seats and fill your cups.”

The people grumbled but still followed the chieftain’s order. Once everyone sat, attendants went around filling cups.

The seat of honor belonged to Salman. On either side of him sat Pearl Asif and Bashim. Asaad sat next to Bashim, Lucien sat next to Pearl Asif, so they faced each other across the table.

The glass cups filled with red liquor. Kian sniffed the aroma with a wave of his hand and frowned.

‘This scent, could it be…’

Across from him, Asaad called an attendant to check his cup. Something seemed to be smeared on the rim of Bashim’s glass.

The attendant examined it, then accepted the cloth Asaad handed over.

“My apologies. I’ll wipe the cup.”

The attendant carefully wiped the rim, then poured the liquor. Once everyone’s cups were filled, Salman began the toast.

“For the unity and glory of the tribes, I raise this cup.”

Salman lifted his glass high. The others followed.

“In the Goddess’s name, blood with blood, path with path…”

Right then.

Tak–.

All the magic stones lighting the hall went out. Darkness swallowed where light had been.

“…..?”

The shock lasted only briefly before the stones lit again. Salman spoke with composure.

“There seems to be a problem with the mana supply. Let us toast again. In the Goddess’s name, blood with blood, path with path, may they be one…”

As Salman tilted his cup, those at the head table began drinking in order. Kian also lifted his glass to his lips. But,

Tak–.

The stones lost their glow again. Darkness fell a second time.

The people stayed silent, waiting for the light to return.

But this time, the darkness lasted longer than expected.