Chapter : 134
Aleon’s steps grew faster and faster. His mind was consumed by a single thought.
“I have to save her.”
The faster he moved, the clearer his daughter’s face became in his mind.
Selenea’s lips were stiff with tension—a look she always wore when anxious.
Aleon gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his gleaming sword.
In his sight appeared dozens, no, easily over a hundred monsters.
His body tensed instinctively.
“How dare these insignificant beasts…”
Did they even know who that child was to boldly put her in front of them?
The extreme tension seemed to freeze his thoughts.
Ancient monsters were clever.
Even during hunts, it wasn’t uncommon to encounter some that could match human cunning in the Cursed Lands.
“If those creatures have Selenea…”
There was no doubt in his mind—they intended to use her as a hostage.
Anger made his body tremble. Aleon tensed his arm muscles.
The searing energy rising from his heart flowed through his arm into the sword.
He carefully controlled the magic surging within him, aiming the blade’s energy precisely.
Targeting the massive head of the largest monster, right next to Selenea.
“I’ll strike the one that seems to be the leader first.”
Then, by harnessing the counterforce ability, he could push the monsters away in one blow and save Selenea.
His eyes were calm, but inside his body, power boiled fiercely.
“Now.”
Just as he was about to release the pulsing magic, a voice rang out.
“Don’t!”
Aleon faltered. His body went limp.
Through confused eyes, he met his daughter’s gaze, which had gotten quite close.
“…Selenea.”
“You mustn’t attack!”
Selenea, caught among the monsters, extended her arms awkwardly, staring at him with desperate eyes.
A short breath escaped her lips.
It felt as if all his thoughts had stopped; he simply stared blankly at her.
“Diarmant won’t attack me!”
She paused to catch her breath, and Aleon struggled to understand what she meant.
“Monsters… won’t attack humans?”
It sounded absurd.
“What…?”
Yet the tension in his body slowly dissipated.
Even to his eyes, Selenea’s words were true.
The monsters remained calm, showing no aggression toward the child.
As he got closer, the strange atmosphere became even clearer.
The Diarmants stood obediently before Selenea, as if waiting for instructions.
“So she’s not being held hostage?”
Aleon unconsciously frowned. Then, a voice trembled from across.
“I didn’t think you’d come…”
Selenea looked at him with a peculiar mix of surprise, fear, sadness, and embarrassment.
Aleon barely opened his lips to respond.
“Selenea, what exactly… do you mean?”
Selenea flinched and looked at Aleon. After hesitating for a few seconds, she asked carefully,
“…You didn’t go see Anita Solb, did you?”
Her tightly closed lips parted slightly.
Aleon stepped forward toward her without realizing it.
“Selenea. You…”
“…”
“Did you… really run away?”
Her eyes avoided his gaze, her lips trembled occasionally, and her face had turned pale for some reason.
Aleon held his breath at a foreboding feeling.
Anita Solb had said that Selenea had run away.
It was expected, but he had never taken those words at face value.
She had disappeared, yes, but he hadn’t believed it was truly an escape.
Yet looking at Selenea’s fearful expression, anxiety surged.
“If, even for a moment, she really did run away…”
He needed to understand what had terrified her so deeply.
Only then could he try to set things right.
He never wanted to lose his daughter—or anyone he loved—again.
Selenea didn’t answer.
Aleon swallowed a sigh that rose to the back of his throat. It felt as if molten lava burned in his chest.
“Selenea… what on earth…”
Then, she spoke.
“I didn’t run away.”
A small voice escaped from between her lips, as if holding something back.
She slowly lifted her head and looked him squarely in the eyes.
“You want to hear the truth, don’t you?”
Aleon’s gaze wavered. Selenea continued, her voice serious.
“I can explain everything.”
“…Selenea.”
“I can explain everything, without leaving anything out.”
She stopped speaking for a moment, then opened her eyes clearly.
“Please give me the chance to speak in front of everyone. The Duke Hallen and everyone at the Academy need to know… Father.”
Aleon exhaled sharply.
“I’m not asking you to explain the situation to me…”
He trailed off, and slowly nodded.
“…I understand.”
Selenea’s expression brightened. Aleon massaged his throbbing forehead and added,
“But the communication stone isn’t fully operational right now. The second search team with the Duke and Professor Sadina won’t arrive for at least two hours…”
At that moment, he sensed someone approaching from behind. Aleon quickly turned.
Fortunately, it was a familiar face.
“…Your Highness! Please, just stop for a moment!”
It was Walter, out of breath from running to catch up.
Walter gave a nervous greeting to Selenea, who was frozen in shock, then stepped in front of Aleon protectively.
He held up a communication stone at his waist.
“We received word a short while ago. The second search team with Duke Hallen will use the dimensional transfer to come here. They should arrive in a few minutes… but there’s another issue.”
Aleon frowned. Selenea’s eyes widened.
“It seems Duke Hallen, judging the situation serious, requested support from the central control tower a few hours ago.”
A silence fell. Walter ran a hand through his hair and continued.
“As a result, the Emperor personally dispatched the Royal Army along with the dimensional transfer…”
“…”
“Because it involves ancient monsters, he wanted to observe the situation directly, so he requested the magical network connection with this forest jurisdiction.”
It took a few seconds for them to fully grasp what he meant.
Aleon and Selenea slowly turned their heads toward a tall nearby tree.
Through its thick branches, the magical network encased in iron protective gear was visible.
Red lights, which hadn’t been there moments ago, now glowed vividly.
“So…”
Walter uttered his last complicated words.
“As soon as Duke Hallen’s group arrives, the Empire will be able to see everything happening here.”
The night had deepened into the early hours of dawn.
Though two moons hung in the sky, the darkness was unusually thick.
Inside the imperial grand hall, bright lights burned.
“T-The magical network is connected.”
Royal mage Rekard spoke, and the Emperor raised his head.
Across the oval table, a dozen or so ministers surrounded it.
All had been pulled from deep sleep in a hurry.
“Have you contacted Duke Hallen?”
The Emperor asked seriously. The mage bowed deeply.
“Yes. We finished communication a moment ago. They will soon arrive at the area where the monsters appeared.”
The Emperor’s eyes darkened at the word “monsters.”
In the Ervia Empire, ordinary monsters weren’t called “monsters” in this way.
The term applied only to ancient or legendary creatures of extraordinary power.
The ministers looked at the Emperor’s face in shock.
“So that’s why we were suddenly called to the palace at this hour…”
A large group of Diarmants had appeared in Duke Hallen’s territory—a serious matter.
The eldest among the ministers, Marquis Kelio, spoke.
“Your Majesty, dispatching the Royal Army was a wise choice. The monsters threatening Lishion, the future of the Empire, cannot be left unchecked.”
“Indeed! We cannot allow those wicked creatures to harm Ervia’s nascent future.”
The Emperor nodded without speaking.
He scanned the faces of the attendees and then addressed one in particular.
“Calypso, you look pale. Is Princess Loranne currently taking the Lishion entrance exam?”
Duke Loranne, frozen in panic, bowed slightly.
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
The usually calm man’s face was filled with deep concern. The Emperor reassured him,
“Do not worry too much. With Hallen’s guard and my Royal Army, defeating the monsters should not be difficult. I also heard Duke Tigeris is there for some reason.”
Duke Loranne bowed deeply but could not shake his anxious thoughts.
“…And we don’t even know where Estelleen is in this situation.”
Still, it was somewhat relieving that the monsters appeared in the forest surrounding the Academy.
Since the exam was usually held in the towers, Estelleen’s chance of encountering a monster was slim.
“But until the network is connected, all we can do is worry…”
A fleeting image of Eria, who was sleeping unaware, crossed his mind.
He had given the servants strict orders not to wake her during the commotion.
If she woke, she would undoubtedly rush to her older sister in a panic.
As he swallowed a rising sigh, a humming sound filled the hall, and bright light emerged above the oval table.
The glowing source was the magical network for transmission that mage Rekard had set up.
“Whoa—!! It seems we can see the situation in the Academy’s jurisdiction!”
