DMHS 85

Several days passed quickly.

After the incident, Kian and Lucien left the oasis village the next day.

-It’s a shame you couldn’t stay longer, having come such a long way.

Bashim’s words were sincere.

However, with the chieftain gone and the ambitious successors from both tribes implicated in crimes and imprisoned, there was no room to detain guests.

Though temporary, Bashum had assumed the position of chieftain of the Delia tribe. This was formalized when the elders of the Harkin tribe, including the chieftain’s wife, announced they would adopt Basim as their heir.

Meanwhile, the Jemar and Asif tribes couldn’t even protest. With figures linked to the demon-summoning ritual being exposed one after another – beyond just Asaad and Pearl Asif – there was no way they could voice any opinion.

The black magic issue was also resolved.

-Did you see the pillar of light that shot up into the sky around midnight last night? By the grace of the Goddess, all the ominous letters have vanished!

It seemed the black magic performed at the Heart of Dawn headquarters had also disappeared because Cardinal Malan’s purification. The red text that had appeared on the scripture was cleanly gone.

People offered prayers of gratitude twice, once for the light that illuminated the dark night, and again while embracing the cleansed Scriptures.

The letter sent by Malan also arrived safely. This was thanks to Ibrahim, who meticulously gathered all the letters delivered to the Freesia Palace and forwarded them to the inn.

[ Sir, hello. It’s Malan. I write this letter, remembering the heart-fluttering, joyful time spent with you. ]

Of course, the letter contained quite a bit of nonsense.

[ When I close my eyes, the image of you rescuing me from the trap flickers before me. You appeared, so dignified and proud, with your pet rabbit! 

Did you know that I, too, wanted to be raised beautifully by you, just like that rabbit?]

He didn’t know. He didn’t want to know.

[Recalling the touch of my beloved savior, I… ]

Kian flipped through the thick stack of papers one after another.

[The facts I have uncovered so far regarding ‘Heart of Dawn’ are as follows.]

Finally, the main point emerged. Among the information sent by Malan, Kian had learned three new things.

One, Heart of Dawn has five leaders. Those belonging to the group refer to them as ‘Masters’.

Two, Pearl Asif was one of the Masters. Now that he has been dealt with, among the remaining four, there is one who commands demons.

Third, the one who commands demons can create dolls modeled after specific individuals. There are currently suspicious circumstances suggesting they might be using children’s souls to make these dolls.

Kian gasped at the last point.

‘So that’s it.’

The doll-making method Kian knew was simple. First, mold a human form from clay, then overlay it with a shadow summoned from the demon realm.

In this case, the doll could speak words input by the sorcerer or perform simple actions. The man who split off during the wedding procession was this kind of doll.

But what Kian saw at Chronos and the Magic Tower was more sophisticated. Even though it had replaced a real person, those around didn’t notice anything amiss.

The bead left behind where the doll vanished was also unsettling.

Objects that radiated light as kaleidoscopically diverse as the world itself were rare. One such rarity was the human soul.

‘Souls. Using the pure souls of children, one could create a highly refined doll.’

Ultimately, this meant one child had been sacrificed to create a single doll.

Kian’s face paled as he recalled the dolls falling like rain from the top of the Fourth Tower.

But his shock didn’t last long. Soon, Kian made a decision.

‘I will catch that sorcerer, no matter what it takes.’

Kian asked Daisy, Frederick, and Lucien to send letters to the Knights, the Magic Towers, and the Royal Palace respectively. The letters inquired if any recent children disappearances had occurred in their respective jurisdictions.

Replies came back shortly.

The Knights and the Magic Towers reported no knowledge of related incidents. The unexpected source of clues was the Royal Palace.

Every year around this time, the Royal Palace officially recruited junior clerks. Nine out of ten applicants met the requirements, proficiency in reading and writing, along with knowledge of the kingdom’s history, geography, politics, and economy, and were Academy graduates.

This year, too, numerous Academy graduates passed the clerk exam.

The problem arose afterward. One graduate who passed the exam abandoned their position the day before entering the palace.

[Family matters have arisen, and I wish to resign. I apologize.]

The relevant department initially dismissed this as insignificant. But the next day.

[A sudden family emergency has arisen. As I cannot leave my post, I must resign…]

[Would it be possible to postpone my entry into the palace by a few months?]

[I humbly request your understanding…]

A significant number of the personnel scheduled to begin work were now absent. The official who contacted them discovered they all cited the same reason for resigning.

They each had a younger sibling enrolled at the academy.

An incident had occurred at the academy, resulting in children going missing. To resolve the matter, even their families had rolled up their sleeves and stepped forward.

The royal palace sent a letter to the Academy. It inquired about recent events there and the measures taken in response.

But no reply came from the Academy.

It was only natural. The Academy was an institution older than the kingdom’s founding itself.

Although people now often viewed the Academy as a specialized educational institution, given how common it was for students trained in the Sword Arts Department to join the Knight Corps, those instructed in the Magic Department to enter the Magic Towers, and those educated in the Administrative Studies Department to find employment at the royal palace, the reality was vastly different.

First, it wasn’t humans who founded the Academy. It was the elementals.

The Academy was an institution created by the elementals to satisfy their overflowing curiosity, and its ancient traditions had been passed down to the present day. This was especially evident in the fact that the heads of each department, and the head representing the entire Academy, were elementals.

The elementals had never liked the royal family since ancient times. Their assessment was that it was a place filled with hypocrites and black-hearted scoundrels.

‘Not entirely wrong.’

Moreover, the Academy had a maxim passed down through generations.

‘Academy matters are resolved within the Academy.’

Even if they didn’t know much, it was highly likely that the families of the missing children would struggle to gain access internally.

While Kian gathered information from various places at the inn, other changes were also occurring.

It was none other than Lucien’s growth.

“How was today?”

Lucien had grown in height again.

But unlike before, this time it wasn’t just his limbs that lengthened; his shoulders broadened too. His entire frame had grown larger, shedding the lanky, overgrown plant-like appearance and achieving a harmonious physical balance.

His face had matured noticeably as well.

His jawline, once somewhat rounded with baby fat, had sharpened, and his eyes had grown longer. The bridge of his nose, extending from his brow bone, added elegance, and when he smiled, a deep dimple carved into one cheek.

He had grown from a merely pretty boy into a young man possessing both beauty and handsome charm.

Now, Kian no longer needed to lower his head to meet Lucien’s gaze. Even standing side by side, turning his eyes meant their gazes met instantly.

…Just like right now.

Kian licked his lower lip awkwardly and smiled.

“It was a day much like any other. Where exactly do you go every day, Lord Lucien?”

“I told you it’s a secret.”

Lucien left the inn early in the morning and returned late at night. Asking what he did yielded no answer.

Today was no different. Lucien deflected the question with a sly smile and kissed Kian’s cheek.

“I’ll be back after washing up. It’ll take a while, so go ahead and sleep.”

Before Kian could ask any more questions, Lucien disappeared into the bathroom.

Already changed into his pajamas, Kian sat by the bedside waiting for him.

‘Hmm…’

He took quite a long time bathing. By the time the sound of water stopped, it was nearly midnight.

Lucien emerged from the bathroom with his hair thoroughly dried. His eyes widened slightly upon seeing Kian awake, as he’d assumed Kian would have fallen asleep first.

Lucien approached the bed where Kian sat. Leaning forward, he planted a soft kiss on Kian’s cheek.

But the physical contact ended there. Lucien pulled back smoothly.

“It’s late. Let’s sleep.”

Lucien returned to his own bed and lay down. As he turned off the magic stone, the familiar darkness settled over the room.

A moment later, the sound of snoring came from the bed opposite. Kian had pulled the blanket up to his neck, yet sleep was slow to come.

It was because of a question that had been circling in his mind for several days.

‘Why isn’t his body growing as big as before?’

Since their wedding, Lucien had been persistent every night. Of course, there were exceptions when camping or under special circumstances, but whenever they shared a room under a roof, his rapidly growing body would demand kisses.

But in the last few days, Kian hadn’t seen Lucien’s body grow any larger.

‘Maybe he won’t grow any more.’

Lucien, who had grown so rapidly, was no longer a child. Standing side by side, he looked about the same age as Kian.

Compared to how he looked at night, he obviously still needed to grow a bit more, but it was a stark change from the days when he was dismissed as a little brat.

So there was no real need for him to grow at night…

‘But why isn’t he kissing me?’

Yeah. This was a bit strange.

Ever since returning from the Delia tribe… No, ever since drinking the love potion and doing the deed, the kid hadn’t begged for a kiss.

‘Could it be… that day was just that bad?’

Kian replayed his actions from that night, one by one.