Chapter 58
To Charlotte, Theodore was as good a person as her father. Yet, she had never considered feeling affection for him. She composed her surprised heart, smiled, and shook her head. But the liveliness in Aria’s eyes didn’t subside. Instead, she buried herself in Charlotte’s arms and began asking one question after another about Theodore.
“How did you meet the knight?”
“When I was little. My father brought me to him, saying he would take me as his apprentice, so we lived together briefly. After he became a knight, though, I hardly saw him at all.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Hmm, not now, but I did back then.”
Theodore had been her only friend. One of her earliest memories was wanting to give him a congratulatory gift when he joined the knights, so she visited the temple, only to overhear his peers gossiping about her.
[Well, okay, maybe Lord Blanche and Ronan, but shouldn’t Lady Blanche be kept from coming in?]
It wasn’t a pleasant thing to hear. Like Theodore, she had just joined as a knight and blindly followed the goddess’s words. So it was understandable for them to think that way.
But for young Charlotte, it was deeply hurtful. Above all, it was humiliating and sad that Theodore, who had noticed her from afar and approached her, heard those words too. She ran away, buried herself in bed, and cried her eyes out.
The next day, Charlotte received a formal apology from the novice knight who had spoken carelessly about her. She thought her father had intervened, but it wasn’t him. After she ran away, an angry Theodore challenged his fellow knight to a duel despite being a peer and won, demanding the apology himself.
[Charlotte, why do you look so sad? Did that guy not apologize properly? Should I bring him back?]
[Why did you do that? You just joined. There will surely be others who think poorly of me. What if they dislike you too?]
[If the price of making him apologize is getting disliked, I’m fine with it. Doesn’t matter.]
How many people would go that far? Even knowing she’d suffer from unpleasant rumors, no one else willingly extended a hand like Theodore did—and probably never would. As Theodore was increasingly deployed on monster-hunting missions and she saw him less, her young heart often ached for her only friend. Now…
‘Rather than sadness, it feels impressive. I hope he climbs higher. Theodore must have been hurt by people like me too, so how could he work so hard?’
Charlotte stroked Aria’s head and looked toward the window. Beyond the massive winter mountains of Nostri, after a relentless day-and-night carriage ride, lay the capital. And there, the temple of the goddess Lebelain, likely as grand as the imperial palace. Theodore was probably there.
When she first heard about the blessing ceremony, she had felt nothing, but hearing Aria’s words and recalling childhood memories made her want to see Theodore. Of course, she could, if she wanted—but she forced herself to suppress that desire.
Even now, Theodore was celebrated as a hero in the empire, while she was at the bottom of society due to Rieta’s poisoning scheme. No matter how unjust the accusation, she remained easy prey in social circles.
Meeting Theodore in this state would be of no benefit. In fact, it would likely make things worse.
“Do you think the knight misses his mother too?”
“Huh? Well… I doubt he has time for that with how busy he is.”
“No, he must want to see his mother.”
Aria smiled confidently. Charlotte found Aria’s flushed cheeks so cute that she gently pressed them with her fingertips. They were soft and warm. Aria rubbed her cheek against Charlotte’s hand.
“I want to see the knight too.”
“!”
Charlotte couldn’t immediately answer that they could meet. They weren’t staying together and returning to the capital just yet. But if the Kennys took Aria to the capital, Charlotte planned to write to Theodore, asking him to meet Aria. For a moment, Aria changed her mind.
“…No.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t want to meet the knight anymore.”
Although children often change their minds quickly, Aria spoke like someone resigned. Moments ago she had been energetic, but now her shoulders slumped. Charlotte’s heart ached, and she hugged Aria tightly.
“No, you’ll definitely meet him. Theodore will like you so much. He’s always kinder to children.”
“Really…?”
“Of course. I promise.”
I’ll make sure you meet Theodore. Charlotte smiled and linked her pinky with Aria’s.
Usually, when circumstances involving black magic were discovered, the surrounding area had to be thoroughly searched to prevent further damage. The search period would extend exponentially depending on the situation. Yet Theodore showed an unprecedentedly short search period. By the time the blizzard in Nostri began to ease, he had finished the search in just two days.
Upon returning to the main palace, the first place Theodore headed was the audience hall. Thanks to the abundant use of platinum, sunlight seemed to pour in the moment the doors were pushed aside, and the chandeliers bathed the hall in bright light. The dual lighting on the pillars and ceiling illuminated the entire interior. Yet, in such a vast space, only three people were present.
Theodore looked up at the dais. At the top, on a golden fleece carpet, stood Emperor Dillon, and one step below were Silbert and Lord Blanche. They smiled at Theodore entering the hall, though their suspicion was hard to hide.
“Thank you for your efforts, Lord Arbelce.”
“No, I am the one grateful that Your Majesty accommodated my sudden request.”
Whether for search operations or extermination missions, Theodore reported to both the emperor and the high priest—a rule set after Leopold’s tragedy.
During ambushes or invasions, quick action was crucial. While knights defended against Leopold and his subordinates, ordinary knights protected the citizens. Coordination between the royal family and temple was essential. But at that time, the temple, leading the knights, prioritized gathering information first and relayed it to the palace—a complex and inefficient process.
If Leopold launched a sudden attack during this process, confusion was inevitable. Ordinary knights evacuating citizens often died due to delayed information. Such incidents were frequent. Attempting sudden changes in a chaotic empire would have been worse.
Although it was like locking the stable after losing the cow, Dillon and Silbert established a rule: all information regarding black magic would be reported jointly in a designated common place. This audience followed the same protocol.
“Your request itself was reasonable. But I wondered—why make such a request?”
Before returning to the palace, Theodore had sent a messenger.
[A messenger? Did Lord Arbelce get seriously injured?]
[No. He said he had a matter of urgency and sent me first. His Majesty insisted I see it before the audience.]
[This is…]
The messenger delivered a letter with two requests:
Lord Blanche must attend the audience.
No one else may enter the audience hall.
There were no other instructions. Although it wasn’t difficult—sometimes close aides also attended audiences—Dillon’s gaze lingered on the second request: “No one else may enter.”
‘Not even the attending priest?’
During regular reporting, an attending priest recorded the proceedings for both the temple and palace. But Theodore wanted only Dillon, the high priest, and Lord Blanche to receive the report. Unease crept over them. Theodore’s return clearly didn’t bring good news.
This was not only for Dillon. Silbert and Lord Blanche, who had been summoned suddenly, shared the same concern.
“You injured your arm.”
Silbert’s pale eyes were fixed on Theodore. Though he had just returned from a search and wasn’t in perfect attire, Silbert wasn’t looking to criticize. His gaze focused on Theodore’s right arm, heavily bandaged.
“Is this why you requested this audience?”
Instead of answering, Theodore began removing the bandages. Unwrapping three layers revealed charred, rotted cloth. The bandages had been wrapped so tightly that his fingertips were blue and trembling from lack of blood circulation.
“I discovered circumstances where a slave trader contacted a black magician.”
“Black magician? The one we lost track of two years ago?”
“I’m not sure. When I found him, he was already dead.”
Like a plague, what began as a embezzlement incident had escalated. The already tense atmosphere sank further. Dillon pressed his forehead and sighed. Lord Blanche, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward to finish receiving the report.
“The black magician’s base was a cave under the rocks in the Floa territory. There, he conspired with the slave trader and abducted Gretel orphanage children, whom we rescued.”
“In that case…”
Lord Blanche approached to inspect Theodore’s wounds closely and noticed something strange. Theodore said the magician was already dead—not killed during a confrontation, but deceased upon discovery. Then, who had killed the black magician? And who inflicted such horrendous injuries on Theodore?
Theodore hesitated, then finally spoke.
“The black magician was killed by a humanoid monster. It seems it died uncontrollably.”
“…Did you just say, a humanoid monster?”
“Yes.”
Lord Blanche’s face contorted. That ominous word had come from Theodore’s mouth.
