Chapter 77
“Most people know Cantio as ‘an adopted child of the Imperial Family who lives a life of prayer for the Empire.’ The high nobles know at least that Cantio is a ‘direct descendant.’ They just keep quiet, watching the Fortuna royal family’s reactions. Some of them even know that when a direct descendant of Cantio dies, natural disasters occur. They worry that if the last Cantio dies, the divine protection may disappear. What about you, Kazhar, as a member of the imperial family? Do you know more than that?”
“I know that they maintain around two Cantios at a time. One adopted into the imperial family as ‘Cantio,’ and another living hidden away as a ‘spare.’”
“Kazhar, you know a bit more then. So how much does the Empress know? And the Emperor?”
Cairon’s questions revealed that everyone knew something different about Cantio. Which meant even the information Kazhar had might be false.
“…I never thought that far.”
“You didn’t need to. Compared to the dragon’s blessing that sustains the Empire, the misfortune of Cantio seemed insignificant. Even if you sensed something odd, you would’ve closed your eyes to it. Because it wasn’t your misfortune.”
Sadly, it was true. Kazhar had more information than most. Yet he had never truly considered the contradictions surrounding Cantio.
At least, not until he met Eluana.
Cairon grinned and asked:
“What struck you as strange, Kazhar?”
“That the Fortuna family never married Cantio. At first I thought it was because of reluctance, but after hundreds of years, surely someone would have attempted to unite the royal line with Cantio, right?”
“Exactly. That is strange.”
“At first, I thought maybe it was because of succession disputes. If Cantio married into the royals, then every time an imperial heir was killed in a power struggle, natural disasters would follow. The Empire would’ve been ruined. But thinking about it more, even that explanation felt strange.”
“In what way?”
“Surely the Silver Dragon Flos didn’t want the Empire’s destruction. If things proceeded normally, Cantio’s direct bloodline would naturally spread. The blood would dilute over generations. If every one of them dying caused disasters, the Empire would’ve been destroyed long ago. And strictly speaking, Fortuna itself is also a descendant of Cantio. Yet no disasters occur no matter how many Fortunas die.”
“Not every time a Cantio dies does a natural disaster occur.”
“Not every time?”
“There are cases where no disasters happened. Three? Four? Something like that.”
“If it’s not always…”
“I don’t know the conditions. If anyone does, it’s probably the Emperor. Your father.”
Cairon rolled up the parchment and tucked it away.
“Once I finish deciphering this, we may get closer to the truth. It won’t take too long—maybe a month or two.”
“Can you break the seal?”
“The question is, should it be broken, Kazhar.”
Kazhar fixed his gaze on Cairon, puzzled.
“I told you earlier—there’s a sealed mage.”
“You mean the statue could be sealing someone named Ather?”
“It’s possible.”
“But that was a thousand years ago. Humans can’t live a thousand years.”
“Do you think an ordinary human could command monsters? Or kill dragons? During the monster invasion, every dragon except Flos was slain. Half of them by Ather’s hand. Someone like Ather shouldn’t be considered human at all. Who knows how many circles of magic he reached.”
“But you said Arden’s seal was created 721 years ago. Not a thousand.”
“When Fortuna seized the throne through rebellion, the dragon’s blessing stopped for twelve days. If Ather’s seal faltered then, he could have been resealed. Just speculation, but still.”
A chill ran down Kazhar’s arms.
“The statue is being transported to the ducal estate right now.”
“If you’re worried about the estate, don’t be. The seal was renewed not long ago—it will hold for another hundred years. If it turns out to be Ather, we’ll just return it to its original place.”
“Still…”
“Unsettling, isn’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
Cairon laughed with amusement.
“It’s only a hypothesis. It might not be Ather. Could be an elf, or another race entirely.”
“Even the possibility is terrifying.”
“If you want to learn more about Cantio, you’ll have to doubt everything. This world is full of lies.”
With those words, Cairon disappeared into a newly-formed portal. Kazhar’s expression twisted as he was left alone.
***
“I saw it, I swear. Some man sprinkling water that glittered and sparkled all over the monster forest!”
Camel gestured wildly with both hands as he explained what he had seen the night before. Latte, busy digging up herbs on the hill, only gave him a cold, skeptical look.
“So who was it?”
“I didn’t see. When I rushed closer, he just—poof—vanished, like a mirage.”
Camel fidgeted with the hilt of his sword, replaying last night’s patrol in his mind. Latte shook the dirt from a root she had just plucked and asked:
“You sleeping alright lately?”
“I wasn’t hallucinating!”
“Sure, sure.”
Without even looking up, Latte rolled the root and shoved it into Camel’s mouth. He gagged in surprise.
“What the heck is this?”
“Just eat it. It’s a tonic. Good for recovering fatigue.”
Camel was about to spit it out, but the word “tonic” made him chew reluctantly. It was bitter, earthy, but not unbearable.
Watching him chew obediently, Latte crouched again to harvest herbs. Soon she spotted a snow-like flower bloom. It was a prized medicinal ingredient for stopping bleeding. Always in short supply in Arcus, it fetched a high price. She carefully plucked it, sweat forming on her forehead.
Exhaling, she glanced down toward the monster forest.
On the vast plain, tens of thousands of monsters stood frozen in place, unmoving. That eerie sight stretched endlessly. It was a living tomb created when three dragons burned their lives to seal the horde.
And it had lasted a thousand years.
Every time she saw it, chills swept over her. The monsters couldn’t twitch a muscle—but they were all still alive.
People had tried countless methods to destroy them before they awakened, but all had failed. Thankfully, only one or two awoke every three days.
So far, the Arcus knights, mercenaries, and northern mage tower had rotated in shifts to hunt the awakened ones. And for the first two days after an awakening, the lord permitted herb gathering, since rare herbs grew plentifully near the forest.
This was the second day—so tomorrow entry would be banned again. Latte hurried her hands.
Collectors always worked in pairs: one herb gatherer, one soldier. By childhood bond, Latte was always paired with Camel. He was annoying, but also useful.
Once her basket was half full, Latte stood, slapping her thighs. Camel quickly grabbed the basket.
“Heading back down?”
“Yeah. Any deeper and the sun will set before we’re back.”
They started down the slope together. Halfway down, Camel suddenly stopped.
“Wait.”
He pushed Latte behind him, set down the basket, and drew his sword. Latte’s ears picked up the rustling too.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound grew closer. Camel swallowed nervously. Then from the bushes appeared… a small monster. A Hams. Half hamster, half squirrel, it snorted.
“Pffft, pfft.”
Camel’s tense shoulders relaxed. Small monsters lacked any real threat. They could be killed or spared. Since Latte was here, he chose to spare it.
“You scared us. Count yourself lucky.”
“Bok-bok-bok-bok.”
The Hams scurried past and up a tree. Tiny fangs peeked from its mouth, but it was harmless.
“Bok.”
Camel turned away.
“What was that?”
Latte tugged his sleeve. In nearly a year of herb gathering, she had never seen a moving monster before. They always climbed after the hunts were done.
Camel reassured her:
“Hams are harmless. No attack power.”
“It’s just… after seeing nothing but frozen monsters, one moving feels weird.”
“Small ones sometimes slip through. They hide as soon as the seal weakens. Rarely show themselves. They know they’re weak.”
But then something else stirred. This was no small presence—the ground began to tremble. Vibrations shook up Camel’s legs. He swallowed.
Not small. At least mid-sized.
“Latte—run!”
At his shout, they bolted. Nothing was visible yet, but the quaking drew nearer, fear mounting.
Latte started to lag, and when Camel glanced back, he locked eyes with it.
“A Truk.”
It stood on the opposite peak, staring at them.
“A… deer?” Latte muttered.
Indeed, it looked like a massive stag with proud antlers—except it was the size of a house. It hunted by spearing prey with its antlers, then tossing them into its mouth whole.
‘Both a Hams and a Truk in one day…’
Small monsters could slip by. But a beast like Truk? No hunting party would ever miss it.
“Latte, tell Arcus! Warn them that the awakening cycle has changed!”
“What about you?”
“I’ll hold it here.”
Luckily, Truk only hunted once a day.
“You can’t fight something that huge! Come with me—it’s still far!”
“Looks like a stag, right? Just like that Hams—more bark than bite. Big, but not strong.”
Camel lied through his teeth, sword raised.
“But still—!”
“Go! Call for reinforcements! Someone has to stall it. If you can’t wield a blade, then run. Get moving!”
“O-okay.”
Swallowing hard, Latte dashed downhill. She waved frantically at the four guards stationed at the mountain’s base.
“Soldiers!!”
They turned toward her.
“A monster! A Truk appeared! The awakening cycle has changed! Please, help Camel!”
As she screamed, she tripped, sprawling forward. Her knees stung, but at least she delivered the warning.
But instead of climbing toward Camel, the soldiers ran the other way—toward the knights’ temporary camp.
“A Truk has appeared! All forces, emergency!”
“Arm yourselves!”
Hearing their shouts, Latte realized something was wrong. She looked back at the mountain path.
“…Camel?”
Only the sound of the wind answered her.
