Chapter 38
Maia stiffened.
Why is he bothering me again? If he’s drunk, he should just go lie down and sleep it off.
“To any onlooker, it would appear that I gallantly stepped in to assist a lady caught in an unfortunate predicament. Yet the Duchess of Western is colder than I imagined.”
True help is given only when it is wanted.
Maia pressed her lips together before slowly offering the answer the Grand Duke so clearly desired.
“Thank you for intervening in that unpleasant situation. Though I hadn’t asked for your assistance.”
“Think nothing of it.”
The Grand Duke of Aeterna responded with a lazy smile and a deliberately exaggerated flourish, clearly meant to be humorous.
Maia reined in her crumbling expression and began walking again.
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Now what?
Her trembling hands clenched tightly as she turned back around.
Clink. A clear sound of water echoed from a crystal bottle in the Grand Duke’s hand.
“Truthfully, my desire to speak with the Duchess of Western is quite sincere.”
“My stomach isn’t feeling well. I think I’ll be going now.”
“I’m not finished speaking.”
Just as Maia turned sharply to leave, the Grand Duke caught her with unexpected words.
“This concerns your husband. Aren’t you curious?”
“…?”
Her brow furrowed slightly as she looked at him.
Their eyes met, and he smiled confidently.
“I can assure you—this will be a choice you won’t regret.”
Why should I listen to this?
That was the first thought that crossed Maia’s mind.
She neither wanted to hear nor cared about anything concerning the Duke of Western.
‘I’m grateful. That you accepted my request.’
…Yet for some reason, the words he’d said on the day they parted resurfaced in her mind, inexplicably.
Maia parted her lips slightly.
‘If only you could forget that man completely.’
Then came another voice, clear and vivid, whispering in her ear.
‘If only you could cast away every trace of warmth he left behind.’
The memory of a gentle hand brushing through her hair surged like a wave.
What was the name of the emotion trembling quietly in that voice?
Maia bit her dry lip.
What she knew with certainty was that she had no reason to listen to this man.
“Forgive me. But I’m not particularly interested in that topic.”
As soon as she declined, the Grand Duke’s lips parted in what seemed like mild shock.
“Excuse me, why—”
“I’m feeling quite unwell today. Apologies, but I’ll be heading in.”
Maia turned and strode away with firm steps.
What should I write in my letter to Lihi?
Hael Terzen had adjusted a few spells and returned to the Mage Tower.
When Maia heard the news in the carriage, she gave only a distracted reply, too lost in thought about her letter.
Meanwhile, in the tent where the noble daughter of the esteemed Marquess Keppel resided, the atmosphere had turned razor-sharp, like it might shatter at any moment.
She was consumed by the thought that yet another man had come to protect the woman she despised.
The imperial degenerate she longed for kept drinking red wine to quench a burning thirst—struggling with a woman’s behavior that defied his expectations.
Far away, inside the Imperial Palace—
[Prŏpe initiátĭo.]
A woman of elegant indifference chanted the beginning of a curse in a poised voice, wholly uninterested in the commotion surrounding her.
Her polished fingernails ignited a lock of someone’s hair.
A lock of long, straight black hair—uncommon in the Empire—belonging to no one other than Maia.
“KIEEEEEK—!”
A horrifying screech echoed through the night-covered forest.
“…?”
The instant she heard it, Maia was overcome with a primal fear she’d long forgotten.
She slowly rose from her seat, setting her quill aside.
She stared toward the edge of the forest where the sound had come from, but only dark leaves trembled in the wind.
Relieved, she began to turn away.
That’s when it appeared—emerging slowly from the shadows, as if it had been waiting for Maia to look.
The first to come into view were five grotesquely split limbs, followed by a wide, gaping mouth that stretched nearly to its ears.
Its vertical black pupils locked onto hers, and the sharp, gray scales covering its body gleamed under the moonlight.
Paradoxically, a pair of pure white feathered wings extended from its back.
Maia’s eyes widened as she whispered,
“…Rekasa…!”
Before her husband had left, blushing, he’d asked her—half in jest—if she would wear its blood like a trophy to welcome him home.
“Grrrrr…“
This was the owner of that vibrant, crimson blood.
The Book of Ancestors, which recorded history before the Empire’s founding, listed twelve types of demonic beasts.
These creatures fed solely on humans.
They appeared at the dawn of every civilization, stomping out any signs of progress—living nightmares that never ended.
In those ancient days, when humans could barely wield magic, they were powerless against the beasts’ fangs.
But then, one day…
Had a god answered the desperate cry of a man who screamed, ‘If a god truly exists, they wouldn’t leave us in such a cruel world’?
“The beasts shall no longer sink their wicked fangs into mankind.”
And so, among the twelve great demonic beasts, eight were utterly annihilated. Amid the brutal power struggles of warlords, peace descended upon the land.
The one who made this possible: Emperor Adalstein.
With unrivaled courage, fearless of death, and the strength to match his recklessness, Adalstein was the perfect hero.
At his side stood the only man to match his stature—High Mage Hyperion Luare, the one who first defined “mana,” and opened a new era where humans would no longer fall helpless to the beasts.
“…So that’s Rekasa.”
Maia whispered with trembling awe.
Until now, she’d only ever seen illustrations in children’s storybooks.
But that was ancient history. Here and now, neither Emperor nor High Mage was present.
The Emperor had long since returned to dust, and the Mage remained cloistered in his tower.
Instead, this encampment was surrounded by a protective magic barrier.
Thud—
“KUEEEK!”
Meaning the beast shouldn’t have been able to enter.
…And yet, Rekasa had appeared. That monster?
“What is wrong with this place?”
It had preserved the chaos of the primordial era—wild and recklessly dangerous.
“Sir Serha! Rekasa has appeared!”
“…Rekasa? From the beginning? This is already turning into a nightmare.”
Voices shouted outside, and white silhouettes raced to the edge of the barrier. The knights had noticed the disturbance.
Maia sat back down. With the barrier in place, nothing should go wrong.
…Ugh, I don’t know what to write in that letter, and now this?
Exhausted, she closed her eyes.
BOOM—!
A bright burst of light filled the inside of her carriage like someone had lit a lamp.
“…What the—?”
Maia shot up, startled by the explosion in the night sky.
“…?”
She blinked and stared dumbly at the fading firework.
BOOM—!
Another blast erupted with roaring flames—this time, unmistakably an explosion rather than a celebration.
“What is going on?”
As she stared at the chaos above, a chilling sense of dread washed over her. She flung open the carriage door and stepped outside.
“Kyaaa!“
“Rekasa! Rekasa is inside the camp!”
At once, a rush of terror-laced screams pierced the air.
“…!”
Maia’s eyes widened as she watched the maids flee in panic.
Rekasa? Inside the camp?
She turned back toward the forest edge. But something was wrong. She could see… nothing.
“…!”
Only streaks of fallen white armor, now stained red, scattered across the ground.
They were the knights from earlier.
Chills ran down her spine.
Grrrr…
A low, wet growl sounded behind her.
“…”
Her mind went blank.
This couldn’t be happening.
How had it gotten past the magical barrier?
Not only had Imperial mages fortified the site, but Lord Terzen himself had engraved the protective runes.
So how—?
“Get a hold of yourself!”
A familiar voice shouted nearby.
Maia snapped back to her senses. Now wasn’t the time to freeze.
“KUAAARGH!”
The tremor of approaching steps shook the earth.
Maia reached for the cold pistol at her waist and turned around.
A massive beast loomed over her—leaping, jaws wide, charging straight at her.
“…!”
Its gleaming vertical pupils locked onto hers, paralyzing her with sheer terror.
She was frozen, not a single muscle responding.
Look straight at it.
At that moment, a voice she didn’t recognize echoed through her mind.
