The attack unched by Silthroat that day truly succeeded in producing many outcomes at once. Trees were torn from their roots, grass was burned to ash, two massive craters became graves for several members of Silthroat, and a woman who managed to suppress the attack was forced to bear its consequences.

  Meanwhile, in the city of Aurathis, the citizens eagerly awaited the visit of the king from the kingdom of Dedonia. On the other hand, dozens of Grand Marshal knights were busy searching for their leader, who had vanished from that important duty.

  For some people, guests from beyond the kingdom were a symbol of prosperity, because every time the king forged agreements with them, changes could be quickly felt across all levels of society.

  This phenomenon also drew the attention of several writers and architectural observers scattered throughout the world, and not without reason. It was closely reted to a long bridge that stretched from the city’s entrance all the way to the front of the pace gates.

  The pace’s foundation itself stood far higher than the base of the citizens’ homes below, and that long bridge was more often observed whenever someone was permitted to cross it.

  However, today, someone was anxious behind the pace window. None other than King Suna himself. Since he awoke from that nightmare, his thoughts had grown even more chaotic after learning that Yoei was nowhere to be found in the underground chamber.

  What he discovered instead was a breached wall, Torveth’s corpse already stiffened, and a book lying there, its contents making him think that perhaps King Rowan’s visit today should simply be canceled.

  Everything grew even worse when he failed to find Mira anywhere within the pace. Unwilling to lose his sanity over the reality he was facing, he decided to seek a solution from the very source of the problem: Yoei.

  But before carrying out that intention, he chose to approach Vaelion, who still stood upright before Yoei’s chamber door. His professionality seemed diminished after Kaelion’s death, and it could no longer be denied that Vaelion now had to stand guard alone, with his rest time cut short until a new guard could repce Kaelion’s position.

  “My lord! Have you seen Lady Yoei—”

  The guard’s words were cut short when a heavy blow nded squarely on his face, protected though it was by armor. Extreme exhaustion could no longer be concealed as the strike sent him colpsing to the side.

  “Is it fitting for a guard like you to ask after someone with such hope and concern in your tone?” Suna asked as he gnced at the scrape on his right hand, the one he had used to strike Vaelion.

  “This is all my fault for asking something I should not have, Your Majesty,” Vaelion replied, even as blood began to flow through the gaps in his armor.

  “Oh? So you are also responsible for Yoei and Mira’s disappearance, hm?”

  “What? Lady Yoei… disappeared?!”

  Vaelion’s body trembled after hearing the news spoken directly from the king’s mouth. That reaction did not seem to come from the soul of a guard who served merely for payment, but from what he was truly guarding.

  “How foolish of me, choosing to confront a guard who knows nothing about the problem I am facing,” Suna said. He immediately turned away and walked off, leaving Vaelion behind, still unable to stand on his own two feet.

  “Oh yes, champion.”

  His steps halted at once, his sharp gaze fixed entirely on Vaelion.

  “When all of this is over, I will investigate why you are more concerned about that impure Yoei,” he added.

  Suna’s statement carved a dark hollow in Vaelion’s heart. Once again, he was faced with a dilemma between remaining obedient to the rules or choosing to abandon them in pursuit of the very person for whom those rules were created.

  At the pace stables, several servants who were rexing were startled by King Suna’s sudden arrival, his steps precise and deliberate. Alcohol spilled across the stable floor, and for those caught idling while the king was away, punishment would normally be inevitable.

  However, today, fortune seemed to favor the servants. King Suna made no comment at all and instead ordered them to prepare a horse for him to ride toward the forest in the southern region.

  “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I do not mean to forbid you, but I have just received news that two loud explosions were heard from the location you intend to visit,” one servant said.

  “That is correct, Your Majesty. We are worried about your safety. Would it not be better to remain in the pace to welcome King Rowan yourself?” another added.

  “Since when did you become my advisers?” Suna’s cold response immediately caused the servants to avert their eyes and stare down at the floor in shame.

  Once he had silenced them, Suna spurred his horse forward, urging it to run out through the dark corridor that led directly toward the southern part of the city. As sunlight greeted Suna and his mount, several people cheered wildly at the sight of their figurehead descending into the city streets, perhaps some of them doing so merely to gain his attention.

  Equipped with special horseshoes, the sound of the horse’s hooves carried a distinct character, prompting people to clear the way at once.

  The streets that had been bustling with activity fell quiet as their users stepped aside, allowing King Suna to pass.

  City buildings gradually became scarce, repced by rows of towering trees that marked the boundary between the city and the southern forest of Aurathis. Human activity was far less visible here, but one thing was certain: the road they were traveling led directly to the residence of Valoric and his wife.

  Not far into the forest, plumes of smoke from two different locations could be seen in the distance. The servants’ earlier words made Suna even more certain that this pce might hold the answers to his unrest.

  But Suna’s eyes caught something strange flying across the sky: a bck eagle with an unnerving number of tiny eyes, heading in the same direction. The strange creature reminded him of Mira’s pet, Chika, who had nearly bitten off his finger long ago.

  The eagle suddenly increased its speed as it dove toward Valoric’s house, and only then did Suna realize that he had already arrived. What greeted him caused his horse to slow to a halt.

  “What exactly happened here…”

  The yard was in utter disarray, the front of Valoric’s house looking as though it had just been struck by a disaster. Two massive craters were visible beyond the old wooden fence.

  Suna immediately dismounted from his horse, surveying the surroundings with careful steps. He stopped when he found a shield lying in the middle of the yard, surrounded by grass that had been burned to ash. It seemed that someone who had been gravely wounded there was no longer present, leaving behind red stains that colored the ground.

  The bck eagle from earlier was no longer visible in the sky, perhaps it had flown off somewhere else. Even so, Suna could still feel that someone was watching him.

  Setting aside that suspicion, he decided to enter Valoric’s house at once. What greeted him was the sight of his younger sister, Mira, lying on the bed soaked in blood, accompanied by a woman who was attempting to heal her wounds. This was evident from the green light emanating from the woman’s palm.

  Suna stood frozen in the doorway, his mouth slightly open, his jaw trembling uncontrolbly. His fingers twitched as if wanting to do something. Before he could speak, Valoric addressed him first.

  “My lord…?”

  “Why are you here?”

  Valoric’s words caused Thessa to stop her magic, then stand and face Suna before bowing.

  “Your Majesty, allow me to introduce myself. I am Thessa Otorath, the wife of Valoric Otorath.” She lifted her gaze to look at Valoric, then returned it to Suna.

  “I was trying to stop the bleeding, but for Lady Mira’s wound it seems difficult to—”

  “Stop it!” Suna suddenly cut her off.

  “What?”

  “Stop that bird!”

  Before they could understand what Suna meant, the bck eagle split itself into thousands of small worms that surged into Mira’s wounds. Within seconds, the injuries that had previously refused to heal were restored as if nothing had happened. Her skin became clean again, as though the gashes had been nothing more than an illusion.

  The three of them could only fall silent after witnessing a bird suddenly change form and then miraculously heal wounds that had seemed impossible to mend. Suna was the first to check on Mira, who remained unconscious, while Valoric could only sigh and rub his forehead.

  “Ever since long ago, Lady Mira has never ceased to surprise me,” Thessa said.

  “What do you mean by ‘since long ago’?” Suna asked suddenly, his eyes filled with suspicion.

  “Ah I mean—”

  “Your Majesty,” Valoric said as he pced a hand on his wife’s shoulder.

  “Should you not be at the pace to welcome King Rowan’s arrival?” he asked cautiously.

  “Sir Valoric, are you not aware that I am worried about my own family member?”

  “I am fully convinced that your arrival here was not to see Lady Mira. The way your eyes constantly observe the surroundings cannot conceal your true intentions.”

  “Oh? So you are calling me a liar?”

  “With all due respect, I did not mean it that way—”

  “Silence. All this nonsense will only become fuel for a betrayal that may occur someday!”

  “If that is the case, then with all due respect, I will be the first!”

  “Enough of this nonsense, Valoric. You truly—”

  “Enough!” Thessa shouted, her right hand raised to demand that both of them stop arguing.

  “You are both fighting like children. Disgraceful!”

  Meanwhile, Yoei chose to remain hidden inside the bathroom. It was as if she was being held there the moment Suna’s voice could be heard inside the house.

  “Why is he here…” she whimpered in fear.

  Suna’s gaze immediately shifted after he realized a sound was coming from the direction of the bathroom. Valoric’s suspicion grew stronger when the same reaction was once again shown by Suna.

  “Aww, it seems the sun has climbed higher already. Perhaps it is time for me to return to the pace to welcome my guest.”

  “However, I happen to have a story about an orphan child that successfully made the people around them faint.”

  Before Valoric and Thessa could realize the trap, Suna raised his right hand toward the two of them, pressing his middle finger against his thumb.

  “Lux Interdicta!”

  A burst of light erupted swiftly after a clicking sound was heard, spreading throughout the surrounding room. Valoric and Thessa colpsed unconscious after seeing the light, even though it sted only for an instant.

  Meanwhile, the culprit, none other than Suna himself, slowly opened his eyes and smiled after seeing his little act successfully ensnare the two of them.

  “What a pity, it seems my audience fell asleep before the most exciting part appeared,” a sneer carved itself across Suna’s face.

  “And now, the climax of this show…”

  He walked toward the bathroom, his heart pounding as he realized that what he was looking for was indeed here. With a twisted grin, Suna immediately opened the bathroom door.

  “Good morning, my little mouse, Yoei Bougainvillea.”

  Yoei’s breath caught when Suna opened the door. Her eyes could no longer hold back the tears that had been restrained for so long.

  “Cvis Status, aperi non.”

  Before Yoei could scream, Suna was already chanting a spell. A cluster of glowing apertures began to form behind him.

  “Vinculum mane, donec voluntas solvitur!”

  As the incantation ended, dozens of golden-silver chains began to emerge, binding every limb of Yoei so she could not break free. The ends of the chains had no physical form, for once the target was bound, each end connected to another dimension, causing a distortion effect.

  “So sweet. Stay still and do not struggle too much,” he commanded, as the chains lifted Yoei’s body slightly into the air at Suna’s will.

  Like a thief who had just obtained a treasure, Suna hurriedly left the location. The shimmer of light emitted by the chains drew the attention of someone still hiding behind the trees. Of course, Suna was unaware of all this.

  His white horse stood faithfully waiting in front of Valoric’s fence. When King Suna approached, the horse immediately lowered its head, as if well trained in royal etiquette.

  “Gandalf, today we recim what should rightfully belong to the Kingdom of Altheria. Therefore, take me back to the pace!”

  As if understanding those words, Gandalf, Suna’s horse, immediately charged back toward the city. Yoei’s weight did not hinder the horse’s performance at all, for the Cvimancy spell Suna used neutralized both the weight and the will of the sealed person.

  Along the journey back to the pace, several people began to specute about King Suna’s unusual behavior. Today, he appeared rushed as he rode his horse.

  What drew the most attention was Yoei floating behind him, complete with chains binding every movement. Some whispered about the nature of their retionship, yet others continued to defend and justify every action of King Suna.