Chapter 04
“…Ah, you scared me.”
Kalicia, who had been standing there with a sulky face, reacted a beat late. She blinked slowly, looking not the least bit surprised. If anything, it was the ghost who freaked out and caused a fuss.
“—Aaargh! Holy—! Wh-what the—! C-can you see me?!”
A young man with crimson hair and light–brown eyes stared at her with wide, startled eyes. He had a playful smile, and he’d been frightening people by dangling from ceilings for years now. But never once had a living human actually seen him.
“—Hahahaha! You really can! You can actually see me!”
“You… by any chance, have you lived here long…?”
“—HRAAAAGH! Scary, right?!”
The excited young man suddenly let out a monstrous scream and opened his mouth wide. His slim jaw stretched downward, and his lips tore open both up and down.
“…For god’s sake.”
Kalicia closed her eyes slowly, as if resigned, being forced to stare at his uvula the very first time they met.
“Hey. Cut it out.”
“—She said ‘cut it out’! She actually told me to stop! Haaa… this is new! Say more! Tell me again! GRAAAAHHH!”
“I’ll say this one last time. Stop.”
“—StooOOOoopp!”
“Oh, so you’re really asking for it.”
Kalicia clenched her fist and rolled her shoulders. For troublesome spirits who couldn’t tell heaven from earth, a beating worked best. She quietly drew up her spiritual power.
Once a shaman reached the level of Seongsucheong–level exorcists, they gained a unique skill no ordinary shamans had: the ability to attack spirits even without charms, bells, or tools.
Like how archmages in movies could still cast spells even without their staffs—something like that.
“—H-hey! She’s making a fist! A human is clenching her fist! W-why is she clenching her—”
“Here I go.”
Kalicia’s small but firm fist smacked the young man’s cheek hard. A sharp crack rang through the corridor, followed by a wail of agony.
***
“—Kkugh… hhhk.”
The young man’s face was swollen as he sat on his knees before Kalicia. He sniffled, swallowing back his wounded pride.
“Introduce yourself.”
Kalicia jerked her chin toward him. The young man flinched and jumped to his feet, still shaken from the beating.
“—H-hello! I am Isaac Icklen. Son of the great House Valus—the proud lineage of Flame!”
Isaac placed a hand over his chest and bowed with surprising formality.
“—The one and only… head butler!”
“Butler?”
“—…’s son.”
Isaac froze in an awkward pose, mumbling the last part. Embarrassed by his own words, he scratched his nose.
“So you’re a full-time son? That’s just a fancy way to say unemployed.”
“—Unemployed?! Not at all! I’ve been thoroughly trained as the next head butler of the ducal house!”
“Then you must know a lot about House Valus.”
Kalicia smiled for the first time. A head butler managed all internal affairs of a noble house. Quality over quantity—looked like she’d gotten herself a surprisingly useful guide. Though not exactly a proper one, given the circumstances.
“Isaac, ever since I got stabbed in the stomach, my memory has been a bit shaky.”
“—But you weren’t stabbed in the head… so why would your memory—”
Isaac tilted his head, pouting, eyes scanning her stomach and head suspiciously.
“What. Do you want to get stabbed and find out?”
Kalicia tapped her stomach. For those who learned only by sticking their hands into hot water personally, physical communication was easiest.
“—Uh… no! I understand! Completely understandable! The human body is all connected, you know! And the stomach isn’t that far from the head!”
Isaac rambled nonsense to save himself.
“Who do you think stabbed me? Second wife?”
“—Definitely not. The lady has yet to undergo the Flame Rite.”
Isaac shook his head firmly.
“Your explanation is lacking. Elaborate.”
“—House Valus has one unbreakable rule: every Valus must undergo the Flame Rite. It’s a vow that cannot be broken.”
He spoke with gravity. The rite was absolute among Valus—something even the Duke himself couldn’t violate. The second wife wouldn’t risk suicide by breaking such a law.
“—All Valus blood must undergo the rite upon turning fourteen. It determines whether they’re born with an ability. It is the path to becoming a true member of the house. As you know, Valus’s greatness comes from fire.”
The region of Ikineth, where Valus resided, was mountainous and harsh. Particularly the cliff behind the castle—the towering red mountain piercing the clouds—was called the Stone of Trials.
At its summit burned a colossal flame that seemed to devour the sky.
The First Flame—also the cruel trial that decided each young Valus’s fate.
No flame can harm a Valus.
Children had to prove themselves by walking into that inferno.
Those who passed were blessed by the First Flame, receiving part of its eternal fire.
Weapons—swords, bows, shields, spears—and sometimes even spirit beasts. The flame took many forms.
“If they don’t have talent?”
“—They return to the fire.”
“Don’t phrase it like that. That means they burn to death. Are you joking with me?”
A tradition passed down for dozens, maybe hundreds of generations—murder disguised as culture. No wonder the entire ducal grounds were charged with such strange spiritual energy.
Kalicia almost kicked Isaac’s shin, but froze. A terrible thought crossed her mind.
“Hey, wait. Me—how old am I right now?”
“—Hmm, when you left your true self… let’s see. One year, two years… Ah! You’re exactly fourteen this year!”
Bang— Bang—
It was a death sentence.
Kalicia clutched her head and licked her dry lips. The hopelessness was suffocating.
“So I’m basically one step away from becoming grilled meat?”
“—If you put it harshly… yes?”
Isaac puffed up his cheeks as if offended.
“How long do I have?”
“—Until what?”
“That damned ritual! How long until it happens?!”
She grabbed him by the collar with trembling arms.
“—Uh… well… it happens after the cold winds pass, so about… a month and a half?”
Kalicia sank to the floor. They said the greatest pain humans could feel was burning alive.
“Hahahaha…”
She suddenly burst into laughter. Then an image flashed through her mind—her shiny gold badge. The cause of her current misery: Assemblyman Jung Kyung-jun, next presidential candidate.
Where was his office again? Ah. Seocho.
“—Why is she laughing like that? That’s terrifying.”
“Hahahaha. I wonder how long it would take to fling myself from Arkea to Seocho.”
Grinding her teeth, Kalicia jumped to her feet and ran. She had to escape this deranged household immediately.
***
“I knew it from the start. This place has terrible spiritual energy. Look at the way this house runs. No feng shui at all.”
Muttering angrily, Kalicia burst into the bedroom. She rolled up her long sleeves and charged toward the vanity. Isaac followed behind her, confused.
Operation: Midnight Escape
Objective: Gold
What was the most important thing in any mission? Brilliant planning? Agility and strength? Persistence and determination?
Wrong.
The answer was funds.
Especially for escape. The more money, the better—who knew how long she’d be on the run?
Kalicia dug through the bedroom with sharp eyes. Silver candlesticks, gold ornaments—anything that could sell, she grabbed.
“—My lady!”
“There’s only one gate leading outside? No way. Nobles always have secret passages. Always.”
Especially in a ducal castle—the best defensive fortress in the west, with tall towers and thick walls. Of course there had to be hidden exits.
“—My lady!”
“Why do you keep yelling! You’re ruining my concentration!”
Kalicia snapped, irritated.
“—W-what are you going to do?!”
“Run away, obviously. Should I sit here and wait to be barbecued?”
“—My lady, a Valus who hasn’t completed the rite cannot leave the castle. Even for emergencies, you need the Duke’s permission.”
“What kind of idiot asks permission before running away?!”
Kalicia rolled her eyes. Sure, running away wasn’t the perfect plan. Reckless and impulsive, even she admitted that.
But what choice did she have? She was a shaman who danced on blades—not a gas torch built for fire resistance.
“—The escape itself is impossible! Do you know how many knights protect this place? And the soldiers?”
“That’s why I’m looking for a secret passage!”
“—Just give up, my lady. Even if you got out, a pursuit squad would follow immediately. And if the family issues an execution order… you won’t die cleanly.”
Isaac pounded his chest dramatically. House Valus’s family motto was “Thus, I devour all.” Even blood relatives weren’t exempt.
“—Better to return honorably to the flame than be cut down, dismembered—”
“What did you just say?!”
A chilling silence fell over the room.
“—Uh—uh, I mean! You can learn! Yes! You can learn abilities so you won’t return to the flame!”
Realizing his life was in danger, Isaac shouted desperately.
“—I-I know someone who can help you!”
