STM 79

Zav had no intention of attending an external event that day.

In just two days, the news of the collapse of the Owick mansion had spread quickly, and at the center of it were Adeye Lu and Borhumi.

Why had Borhumi’s head guard kidnapped Adeye Lu? While all kinds of speculation spread, Zav did not want to add more talk by showing up in public. However, that day happened to be one of those occasions he absolutely could not skip.

It was the prayer gathering to the divine beast, held at the altar of the old imperial palace in the heart of the capital.

A prayer gathering held every year in a palace without a master was ridiculous, yet the temple had been entering and leaving the palace under the excuse of management and had now succeeded in gathering people through that very prayer gathering.

It was understandable, because the altar of the palace stood on the sacred stone floor where the first divine beast had descended.

While the divine beast families fought among themselves, the temple freely used the palace. The way things were going, the temple might as well end up taking the palace completely, but there was no one who could stop it.

Right now, no one had any legitimate reason to claim the palace, so all anyone could do was watch the temple act as if it owned the place.

“The Grand Duke Montaine has already arrived.”

Zav stepped down from his carriage and clenched his teeth out of habit after hearing the report from his aide. He had to act as if nothing was wrong.

“What about Tairok?”

“They said Grand Duke Kun hasn’t come.”

Of course he wouldn’t come, but hadn’t he been caught off guard once before at the Club of the 13th Month? Tairok could brazenly show his face again.

“The temple said the preparations are complete, and that once Your Grace arrives, the ceremony will begin.”

The ceremony was a moment during the prayer gathering when the power of the divine beast would be displayed before the attendees. It symbolized that the divine beast still protected Tubain.

“All five merchant lords of the Grand Chambers have attended.”

After the aide’s report, he added one more thing. At the name that came out of his mouth, Zav froze in place.

“Even Adeye, who always sent a representative, has their merchant lord here in person.”

…What?

“Are you saying Adeye Lantuya is here?”

Lantuya had been frail and had not shown up at any public event for a year. Why now of all times…? Because of me? To pressure me?

The expression Zav had worked so hard to keep composed crumpled. Before coming here, he had received an urgent report from his closest aide. Suddenly, demands to repay debts had come from several places all at once.

In the past few years, he had spent large sums keeping other divine beast families in check, borrowing money from various sources. But not once had anyone urged him to pay it back.

Whenever he wanted money, they had handed it over without complaint, so Zav had spent recklessly as if it were his own.

The debt had grown beyond what even the wealth of his mother’s family could cover. He had never considered it a serious problem.

I’m the Grand Duke Borhumi. I’m the one who will become emperor.

To him, that money wasn’t debt, but tribute. Yet now a bill had come demanding repayment. The lenders all had different names, but the person behind them was one. Adeye Lantuya.

A lowborn merchant dares to go against me, a grand duke?

Grinding his teeth, Zav walked toward the altar, but his arrogance vanished the moment he reached the entrance. What remained was his stiff, rigid body.

People who had been talking in small groups all turned to look at him. Their gazes were unpleasant. Zav felt like a clown.

Why? What rumors have been going around while I was gone?

Then he noticed a gaze filled with mockery. It was from his greatest rival, Grand Duke Montaine Shula. Her blood-red hair stood out even among the crowd. But the closer he got, the more his eyes were drawn to another shade of red.

The vivid red of her left eye. Her right eye was brown, like other Montaines, but her left was different.

Because Montaine’s symbolic color appeared not only in her hair but also in her eye, Zav always felt inferior whenever he saw her.

He stared at her with envy again, then belatedly realized who was standing beside her. The person speaking with her like family was Adeye Lantuya. Zav’s eyebrow twitched.

That fox…

She must be showing that on purpose, standing with his enemy just to unsettle him.

“Grand Duke Borhumi, my condolences for the death of your guard captain.”

Someone spoke to him, but Zav answered half-heartedly and walked toward the two. Those two must not join hands. That must never happen.

“Grand Duke Borhumi.”

When Shula greeted him first, Zav again replied carelessly and turned toward Lantuya. Her expression looked exactly like Adeye Lu’s, but her eyes were nothing like that fool’s.

Lantuya’s eyes were calm like someone who had seen everything in the world, and keen like a sword.

“Your Grace.”

When Lantuya lowered her head, Zav twisted his mouth. Then he openly scanned her attire.

She wore her usual pantsuit, but unlike before, when she disliked decoration, she now had a large brooch pinned to her chest. It was shaped like a sword and shield. Was she declaring war? Zav’s gaze turned harsh.

“Long time no see, Adeye merchant lord. I heard your older brother collapsed from shock after his disappearance, yet you look well.”

Zav brought up Lu first to take the initiative. Since Lantuya came here, talk about Lu was unavoidable. So he could act brazenly as if he had nothing to do with Ottma. But unlike the way the continent turned upside down because she went looking for her brother, Lantuya looked calm.

“Thank you for your concern. I still worry about my older brother, but thanks to some good news I found the strength to get up.”

“Good news?”

At Zav’s question, Lantuya turned her gaze, seemingly hesitating. She seemed about to say something, but Shula intervened.

“Merchant lord, isn’t that good news for all of Tubain? Tell Grand Duke Borhumi at once.”

Lantuya answered politely and turned to Zav.

“I found the entrance to the Forest of the Crimson Tide.”

What? Zav’s eyes widened without meaning to.

“Where? No way at Baron Owick’s house?”

“How did you know? Ah, did you hear it from the dead Ottma?”

Only then did Zav realize his mistake. But like at the Club of the 13th Month, he couldn’t stamp it out with authority. He needed information from Lantuya.

“Well, I don’t remember where I heard it. So? Is it true about Baron Owick’s house?”

“Yes. Since you can’t recklessly investigate the entrance to the non-human realm, I asked Grand Duke Montaine for help.”

Shula laughed as if she’d been waiting.

“We can give that help anytime. Oh, you need my permission to search for your brother? I’ll issue a permit, so you can act without interference anywhere inside Montaaine.”

“Thank you. We’re clearing the ruin now, so we’ll tell you as soon as we’re ready.”

Their conversation made Zav’s stomach churn. That place was supposed to be his. He dug his land, but the well appeared next door.

But he’d never say, “Let me join you.” Lantuya’s wish was obvious. If he allowed it, Adeye would be all over Borhumi.

Damn fox.

Zav glared as if he would kill Lantuya while she turned and walked away. At that moment a nearby priest announced the start of the prayer gathering.

“To the indomitable Montaine who burns evil without end, and to the righteous Borhumi who purifies evil into blue, we ask both Grand Dukes. Show Tubain the blessing of the divine beast.”

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Ha, ha, ha……

I ran across rotten corpses and ground soaked with blood without thinking. I stepped on someone’s body, I stumbled and almost slipped on the still-wet ground.

The dried land that had once been a lake seemed wide, so I ran for about ten minutes without rest. Finally I reached the small pool that was my destination.

From afar it looked bright blue, but up close it was different. It was smaller than I expected, and it looked corrupted, a murky earth color. It measured barely two meters across. At first I thought I’d come to the wrong place. This pool was the only one.

“This must be it……”

I had run here trusting that blue alone. If branches and insects were the key, maybe water could be a key too.

Well, if not, I had no choice. I’d have to search until I died. I knelt by the pool and put my hand in the water.

“Key.”

No response. Fuck, was it all for nothing…… I closed my eyes and clenched my hand in the water.

Then something happened. Just as the water felt like it was clumping in my palm, the pool’s water sucked into my hand. I instinctively knew.

It was the key!