Chapter 48
The group known as “Deep Night” was quite a skilled band of assassins. They were in a completely different league from those who had served as initial bait or the ones who had chased Kazar and Eluana to the cave.
If he were alone, Kazar might have found a way to escape, but he had to protect Eluana, so retreat was not an option. And of all things, it had to be “Deep Night.”
Kazar infused his sword with aura. Even as he watched the aura ripple all the way to the tip, the masked man didn’t show any tension—he simply kept creating a bit more distance.
“Isn’t it foolish to confront His Majesty head-on?”
As the masked man raised a hand, throwing knives flew in from all directions. Kazar wrapped his arms around Eluana’s waist to hold her close, blocking the knives. With so many knives coming toward both him and Eluana, he could barely deflect the ones targeting her and the ones aimed at his vital points.
Eluana swallowed a scream. She realized she was a burden. If she made a sound, it would only be a hindrance—though she already was hindering enough.
The proof of this was clear: Kazar’s shoulder, arms, and legs were instantly streaked with blood. Up until a moment ago, Kazar had the upper hand. But by keeping his distance and simply throwing knives, he was at a severe disadvantage, having to protect Eluana at the same time.
“Run. You could escape if you were alone.”
“I’m fine. This won’t kill me.”
Eluana’s face twisted at his casual words.
Before she could even catch her breath, knives flew again. Kazar’s arms tightened around Eluana’s waist. The poison-coated blades pricked him, but fortunately, it seemed to be a type he was immune to.
Spinning Eluana’s body, he pushed her toward a relatively safer direction. If the blades were poisoned, even a brush against her could have been deadly.
He braced for the possibility of failing to block some knives. From a blind spot, a knife flew straight at Eluana. Kazar had no choice but to extend his arm. At that moment, he felt her body’s warmth wrap around him.
In that brief distraction, Eluana blocked the knife aimed at his heart. With a metallic ching, a golden stream erupted from her neck, deflecting all the thrown knives—including those that would have pierced her shoulder—and disappeared.
“Uh?”
Eluana’s dazed voice accompanied the spinning golden stream. It had intercepted the knives and vanished. Kazar turned in shock, but Eluana seemed just as confused. The most bewildered, of course, was Deep Night.
The golden stream was reminiscent of the emblem of Duke Spes.
“Is Duke Spes nearby?”
The masked man looked around, startled by an ability that shouldn’t be here. While their attention was diverted, Kazar scooped Eluana into his arms and dashed away.
The masked man realized too late that Duke Spes wasn’t around and gave chase—but by then, Kazar and Eluana had vanished.
“Spread out and search!” the masked man shouted, scanning the area.
Under a massive tree, Kazar set Eluana down and exhaled. We survived, he muttered softly, leaning against the tree. One finger lightly rested on the hem of Eluana’s dress.
He didn’t have the energy to even lift a finger.
Eluana, aside from a few drops of blood on her face, was unharmed. Catching her breath, she looked over Kazar’s condition. His chest rose and fell sharply, and countless cuts and bruises marked his arms and legs.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“Just slashes, I’m fine.”
“How can you say it’s fine?”
Eluana frowned. She knew from experience how painful open wounds could be—more pain than words could convey.
“It’s bearable. As long as we’re alive. Let’s rest a bit,” Kazar said, slowly exhaling.
Eluana surveyed their surroundings to let him rest. Aside from the sound of wind rustling the leaves, the area was silent. Gravel, twigs, and fallen leaves on the ground meant any intruder would be immediately noticed.
We really did escape.
She hugged her knees and pressed her face against them, wary of making a sound by moving.
“You can breathe normally. The stealth artifact is active. As long as you’re touching me, even the sound you make is hidden,” Kazar said, lifting the hem of her dress where his finger rested.
“Oh, then I’ll hold onto you. Just rest,” she said. Relaxed, she grabbed the edge of his shirt, finally letting her breathing ease. She lay down next to him, looking up through the branches at the sky—too clear and beautiful a sky to die under.
As the tension eased, her muscles cramped. Eluana groaned and asked, “How many knives do those guys carry? It’s so heavy I can barely move.”
“They’re the Deep Night assassins. Skilled in combat and tricky with artifacts. Their backer must be wealthy to provide them with artifact storage. But even they can’t carry endlessly; they must be running low now.”
“Who’s the backer?”
“Presumably Marquis Pegimul, but there’s no proof.”
Kazar called it a strong suspicion. If he said this, he must be nearly certain.
“Then why couldn’t they find us all of a sudden?”
“Because we used the stealth artifact. This was the last use, though.”
Kazar and Line usually used a two-person stealth artifact. Once activated, it kept them hidden for three hours. The one they used now, a gift from Duke Spes, could be activated three times. Once triggered, it had no time limit but would vanish if attacked—less useful against assassins or in chaotic situations. Expensive doesn’t always mean superior.
Kazar took out a silver ring to show her.
Eluana held the plain ring, examining it in the sunlight—it looked ordinary.
“So there’s such a thing.”
“It was Duke Spes’s gift, a token of thanks. That artifact that blocked the knives earlier, it was the one from your mother’s necklace, right?”
“I didn’t know what it was either. It was my mother’s necklace.”
Even Eluana hadn’t realized her mother’s necklace was an artifact. Made of gold, it was certainly Duke Spes’s work. She touched her neck, but the pendant was gone, only the chain remained.
“Will I be able to find it later?”
“It was single-use, so it’s gone.”
“Single-use?”
“Yes. To make it, part of a lifespan is consumed, making it single-use. To make such an artifact reusable would require sacrificing the entire remaining lifespan.”
Eluana blinked, confused.
“Lifespan?”
“Alchemy isn’t omnipotent. Using affinity materials consumes only a small amount of energy. But adding alchemy to defensive artifacts, or using non-affinity materials, consumes life force. It can be replenished if done carefully, but effectively, it uses lifespan. That necklace must have used at least five years of life.”
“Why not just use a defensive artifact?”
“Ordinary defensive artifacts aren’t that strong. Could it have blocked even a single knife in that situation?”
“Magic isn’t omnipotent either,” she murmured, amazed that five years of life had been spent. He, the Duke, her father—how much had they loved her mother?
“By the way, I have something to ask, Kazar.”
“What is it?”
“You’re royalty, so you know about Cantio, right?”
“To some extent.”
“I find it strange that Cantio has persisted. A child who should have been confined for a long time was born, and it’s been across generations. Not only has Cantio not disappeared, it hasn’t increased either. Someone could have had more than one child.”
Kazar’s blue eyes met hers. Knowing she was Cantio, he had no choice but to stay close to protect her. He must have expected such a question one day.
“How honest do you want me to be?”
“I want to know the truth.”
“Even if it’s something you might not want to hear?”
“Yes.”
Kazar gazed at the sky. This had been Fortuna’s long-kept secret. And Kazar himself was Fortuna.
“I didn’t learn this because I’m royalty, but through Line. Normally, only the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince know. Other royals don’t. They know that Cantio’s descendants are recognized as royalty to maintain the Dragon’s blessing, and that their succession rights are withheld until eighteen. That’s about it.”
“That’s all I’ve heard too.”
“But you want to know more, right?”
“Yes.”
Eluana answered firmly.
“Cantio’s number is maintained by the royal family. Cantio mostly marries for love. Some decide not to have children. Usually, they take contraceptives, but during their time in the tower, they’re given drugs that counteract it. They develop immunity and end up having a child. They then make their spouse infertile—sometimes by accident-disguised means.”
Eluana frowned, clutching her skirt.
“That’s why Cantio has been maintained as one. And there’s always a ‘spare,’ kept the same way. The spare doesn’t know they’re the spare. If they die, natural disasters occur, so secret guards follow them from childhood.”
“Spare…?”
“Right. If a Cantio in the royal family has an accident, is infertile, or rebellious, the spare replaces them.”
“Why is there no one with the middle name Cantio now?”
“Because Duke Spes discovered the spare and eliminated them. Princess Stella became the sole Cantio. The royal family couldn’t protest openly—they disguised it as an accident.”
Eluana squeezed her eyes shut at the mention of the spare being killed. She understood it was to protect her mother. Without the spare, the royal family would be forced to protect her mother. Still, someone innocent…
“So Duke Spes is really a man of power.”
“It’s not about power. He was willing to do anything for Princess Stella, regardless of his rank. He would have done the same even if he weren’t a Duke.”
Eluana didn’t know how to react. While some doubts were resolved, her heart felt heavier.
Even now, being chased like this, if her identity as Cantio were discovered, it would be disastrous—for her and even for Louis.
