MTM 98

Thud

“Ugh! I feel like I can live a little now!”

The Royal Knights’ branch offered the group a house. The small, single-room house was a bit cramped for three, but upon entering the room with its immovable walls and impervious ceiling, Leon let out a groan of joy and threw himself onto the bed. After nearly ten hours of torment in the carriage, no further explanation was needed.

Although their progress was slowed by the rain, they braved the wind and rain and finally arrived at the Royal Knights’ quarters. The quarters were located quite a distance from the border, allowing them to catch their breath. However, Arnovar, the capital of the Regnovar Empire, was still a long way away.

The rain had lessened than before. The group satiated their hunger with bread and warm soup provided by the branch, then dragged their exhausted bodies back to their room.

Allen, like Leon, wanted to lie down in bed, but he was too cold. The rain had made the day unusually chilly, so he trembled as he walked to the fireplace and lit a fire.

“Oh my… I’m finally starting to feel better. Maybe it’s because it’s in the south, but doesn’t the temperature difference seem more severe than I thought?”

Allen, who was rubbing his frozen hands in front of the blazing flames, turned around and asked. Zed was standing tall in front of the small window inside the house.

“Zed! Don’t just stand there. Come over here and warm up. I’m freezing to death.”

“…….”

Allen shouted at Zed in a slightly annoyed voice, but Zed didn’t even respond. From the moment he entered the house, he had been staring out the window at the rain.

Allen wondered if there was anything there, but beyond the window was nothing but a pitch-black forest. Even though there was no way to see anything, Zed stood there motionless, as if rooted to the spot.

“Zed.”

Leon, who had initially ignored the sight, seemed to sense something strange only after he had finished unpacking his things, and cautiously approached Zed.

“Is there anything over there?”

Leon squinted his eyes and looked out the window in the same direction as Zed. But in the darkness, nothing could be seen except the swaying branches of trees and the scattering of raindrops.

“Or is there anything I can help you with…?”

At Leon’s cautious question, Zed remained silent for a long time before finally muttering quietly.

“I was thinking about what would catch a crow’s attention.”

“A crow?”

Leon was taken aback, but he thought it wasn’t far-fetched, since he’d heard that the illusionist who had kidnapped Harto was dealing with crows.

“Well, well… what could possibly catch a crow’s attention… Ah!”

Leon, who had been thinking for a long time, had his eyes sparkle as if a good idea had come to him.

“I’ve heard that crows have sharp eyes and like shiny things. That’s why they often steal necklaces and rings from people.”

“I think I might need something like that.”

“Oh.”

Leon returned to his seat, seemingly knowing what was needed without even asking why. He rummaged through his bag and pulled something out. It was a small, round, metal ball.

“It’s a magical tool that, when thrown, bursts into the air with silver dust, illuminating the surrounding area. It’s usually used as bait when hunting wild animals or monsters.”

Clack.

As soon as the explanation was over, Zed immediately opened the window and threw the magical tool Leon had handed him outside.

“Ah!”

Leon was started by the sudden action and almost screamed.

“What? What are you two doing again? Are you leaving me out, really….”

“Shh.”

Zed placed a finger on his lips, signaling Allen to be quiet as he approached, clearly showing interest. As his gaze turned to the window, Allen also fell silent and focused on the outside.

Ssss…

The magical tool landed in the middle of a dense forest. As soon as the ball landed, the silver dust inside slowly began to disperse. Just as Leon had described, the surroundings quickly brightened, and the raindrops sparkled, spreading the light even further.

After a while.

Flap flap-.

Somewhere, the sound of a bird flapping its wings resonated loudly. They couldn’t see it, but it was definitely nearby.

Swish.

Zed quietly grasped the hilt of the sword leaning against the window. He silently drew the greatsword from its scabbard. Leon and Allen remained silent, but held their breath as if they knew what he was saying.

Ssss…

Then, the rotating ball, scattering silver dust through the air, seemed to lose its strength and slowly stopped moving. The bright light dimmed in an instant, and the surroundings were plunged into pitch-black darkness once again.

“What?”

Allen, who had been standing there tense, turned his head toward Leon. Zed looked at Leon with the same expression.

“Ah… That’s right. I didn’t mention that. The effect is actually incredibly good, but the time is a bit short. Hahaha!”

As Leon scratched his head and smiled awkwardly, Zed dismissed it as nothing and closed the window. Allen, on the other hand, was left feeling bewildered.

“What, what? Is this the end? Wasn’t there something? I thought I heard a sound….”

“I think it’s gone.”

Zed answered briefly, slipping his sword back into its sheath.

“Could it be…that they were following us the whole time?”

When Leon asked with a worried expression, Zed shook his head.

He had a strong feeling of being watched from the moment he arrived at the Royal Knights’ quarters. So, he assumed they’d try to approach him somehow as night fell. But even when he’d just thrown out the bait, he sensed no movement. The flapping of wings probably wasn’t the crow he was after.

‘It would have been easier if it had just kept following us… ‘

If that were the case, he might have had a chance to somehow capture the illusionist who manipulated the crow. But that was only a thought, and he still couldn’t feel his holy power. The bleeding had stopped, but the scars remained, vivid everywhere. He didn’t mind the scars. What truly scared him was the anxiety of whether he could save Harto in this state.

Tap.

“We have to leave early tomorrow morning, so let’s get some sleep first. The more energy we can save, the better, right?”

While Zed was deep in thought, Allen tapped him on the shoulder and spoke. Leon nodded, agreeing with his point, and took out a few scented candles from his luggage, known to promote sound sleep. The two were adjusting to this trip better than expected.

“…….”

Zed took one last look out the window, shaken by the wind and rain. The sight of the tree branches swaying in the damp air felt ominous. He pulled the curtains back, completely covering the window.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Whoooooo-.

Flap.

On a dark, rainy night, a huge crow with gleaming red eyes landed on Bernak’s shoulder as he sat on a wet branch.

“Caw, caw!”

The crow cawed loudly, as if conveying a message to Bernak. Bernak’s brows gradually furrowed.

“They tried to use a trick that wouldn’t even work.”

Bernak let out a short scoff and, as if he were praising it, raised his hand and stroked the crow’s head. He then slowly rose, stepping on the branch. He needed to relay the news of Ares Carseon’s arrival at the Royal Knights’ quarters to the Crown Prince immediately.

[Bernak.]

“……!”

It was at that moment. A thunderclap-like voice struck his head like lightning. Bernak clutched his head. It was the Crown Prince’s voice.

[I found the fragment of the Demon God.]

Bernak’s expression instantly froze. He couldn’t help but be astonished. A fragment of the Demon God. It was a part of the sealed power he had searched the world for years without finding.

[You know what you have to do.]

It was an absolute command that needed no lengthy explanation.