Chapter 69
The Emperor looked as if he had misheard.
“Did you just say the gift destined for the Imperial Palace was attacked?”
“Yes.”
At the firm reply, the Emperor’s expression turned incredulous.
“Who, in their right mind—or perhaps with nothing but flowers blooming in their skull—would dare ambush a tribute meant for the Imperial Palace, right in the middle of the capital?”
“The culprit has not yet been identified… but since the gift was intended to be presented on Her Highness the Princess’s birthday, word has already spread in high society.”
“So the rumor spread before I even heard of it? The dignity of the Imperial Palace is being dragged through the sewers.”
“The ambush happened openly, in broad daylight, on the main road.”
“For bandits to run rampant in the very heart of the capital—this is the end of times. Tsk, tsk.”
“The perpetrator is being pursued, but there were many witnesses.”
“The Princess must be disappointed.”
“Yes. And… the engagement that was to be announced on her birthday might also be affected.”
“Engagement?”
“Gossips are already spreading talk. Traditionally, gifts to the Imperial family are seen as omens of fortune or misfortune.”
“Wasn’t the Prince’s engagement supposed to be top secret?”
“It seems word leaked from somewhere. Fortunately, people believe it might be the Princess’s engagement, not the Crown Prince’s, so it remains speculation…”
“Is there a chance the Doltan Duchy is involved?”
“We cannot rule it out.”
The Emperor rubbed his chin.
“That family isn’t one to resort to such petty tricks… but investigate them nonetheless.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The chamberlain left. The Emperor continued stroking his chin, lost in thought.
Unlike the day, the surroundings had grown dim.
The silence of night fell quickly, not bringing rest but heightening unease.
In that silence, Velia leaned against Carlton’s chest, holding her breath.
The steady beat of his heart brought her a strange sense of comfort.
Her swollen legs told the story of a grueling day.
“This feels strange.”
“What does?”
The two of them were up in a tree.
With dusk falling, Carlton had chosen a campsite high among the branches, where they would be safe from the eyes of the beasts.
Their makeshift camp, built upon thick branches, left barely enough room for the two of them to lie down pressed closely together.
As night fell, the mist cleared slightly, revealing twinkling stars above.
Though weakened by unstable mana, Carlton had insisted on making camp; the effort left blood at the corner of his lips.
He sat up.
“The beasts… something’s wrong with them.”
“Wrong?”
Velia recalled the monsters they had encountered while fleeing earlier.
All of them had been ferocious, monstrous in every sense of the word.
“But they didn’t charge at us.”
Velia tilted her head at Carlton’s words.
“They chased us, though.”
“That’s all. Even when we faced them, it felt like they only wanted to corner us, not strike. That’s what’s strange.”
Carlton’s thoughts drifted back to the creatures he had seen.
They had been brutal, more savage than any beasts he’d encountered before.
For such creatures to merely pursue humans without attacking made no sense.
“Beasts normally attack on sight. Could it be because this is the Forest of Mist?”
“Maybe.”
Carlton glanced down through the thick fog below.
Beasts are driven by instinct to harm the living.
That’s why not only the Lenin Empire, but the entire continent, erected borders around beast-infested regions.
Clerics sent from the Holy Kingdom and mages from the Tower were always dispatched to set protective wards.
Even with wards, periodic exterminations were common—but the Forest of Mist had gone untouched for years.
To these beasts, they were likely the first humans seen in a very long time.
If they had feared humans due to past hunts, that would make sense.
Even mindless creatures with survival instincts could call for reinforcements.
But what they saw today made no sense.
The beasts had shown aggression.
They had lunged, chased.
But that was it.
Almost as if they wanted to capture them.
“Capture?”
That verb didn’t fit beasts at all.
“Now that I think of it…”
“Hm?”
Carlton, retracing the creatures’ behavior, turned to Velia.
“Remember that beast we saw earlier—before it fell off the cliff?”
“…Yes.”
If any had been strange, it was that one.
Velia sat up, retying Carlton’s loosened bandages.
“Carlton, you said your mana is sealed, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why did that beast come after me?”
“Because of polymorph.”
“Polymorph?”
“High-grade beasts don’t attack blindly. They know how to target leaders, sense weaknesses. The one you saw was no different. It must have sensed the mana enveloping you—your polymorph—and went after you.”
“Really?”
“Karine and I kept our mana suppressed. And you’re wearing that necklace imbued with holy power.”
Velia thought back to the beast.
Its black fur was matted with scars.
Standing on two legs like a man, it had stared directly at her.
Within its blood-red eyes were vertical violet pupils, like slits.
The gaze she’d met as it lunged had chilled her to the bone.
And yet… something about those eyes felt strangely familiar.
“Didn’t they say the mist here carries the power of enchantment?”
“Yes.”
“…Could it make someone see illusions?”
“That’s right.”
Carlton nodded.
But they had all taken holy water from the temple before setting out, so such effects should have been impossible.
“Still…”
Kraaaah—
A feral roar echoed from afar, cutting their words short.
They both fell silent, instinctively knowing silence meant safety, and lay back down.
“Go to sleep.”
Velia blinked as she leaned against Carlton’s chest.
Her body was weary, yet her mind stayed awake.
The memory of those violet eyes wouldn’t leave her.
“Carlton, you sleep first.”
“No.”
“You’re the injured one. I’ll keep watch.”
“I’m fine.”
“Think logically—it’s more efficient for you to rest. We’ll survive because of your strength, not mine. Right?”
“…Alright.”
Carlton accepted her reasoning.
Normally, he would have insisted on standing watch, but exhaustion had overtaken him.
He had spent the entire day fighting with an injured body, even forced to use mana.
“Just for a little while, then.”
“Sleep.”
Velia gently patted his chest.
Feeling her small hand urging him to rest, Carlton closed his eyes.
Kraaaah—
The cries of beasts battling for territory echoed through the night, ringing in their ears.
The stench of old wood filled the air.
Inside a room, two black-haired children stood side by side.
The long-haired one looked down at their arm.
It was covered in deep, bluish bruises.
Their face showed no emotion.
Neither sadness nor joy appeared in those eyes as they studied their wounds. Then they raised their head.
“Should we run away?”
The short-haired child stayed silent.
Unlike the long-haired one, they wore clothes that could at least be called garments. They glanced back briefly.
“They won’t come.”
The long-haired child nodded, then asked in a low voice.
“How?”
Kiiiing—
At that moment, a cry sounded from somewhere deeper inside.
The long-haired child moved toward it first.
“Hey, don’t touch that.”
The short-haired one sighed and followed after, despite their warning being ignored.
The long-haired child pulled aside a cloth draped over a corner.
A creature with glossy black fur appeared.
Startled by the light, it curled into itself.
“Cute.”
“If they find out it got in here, they won’t let it live.”
“They wouldn’t anyway.”
The long-haired child pouted, slipping a hand between the bars.
“So soft.”
Their hand stroked the sleek fur again and again.
As they felt the faint warmth of its tiny body, their face suddenly twisted.
“I’m scared.”
The mask of calmness that had seemed so unchildlike cracked.
“I want to go home.”
The long-haired child began to cry.
The short-haired one only stared at them silently.
“Ah!”
A sudden sting in their finger made the long-haired child look down.
The small creature inside the cage was licking the blood from their wound.
“Hey!”
“Kiiiing—”
When the finger was withdrawn, the creature let out a pitiful whimper.
“You!”
The long-haired child glared at it.
The creature’s red eyes, with violet pupils, looked back plaintively.
The child wiped their bleeding finger on a ragged cloth.
The short-haired one’s face twisted as they watched.
“Do you even realize what you just did?”
