Chapter 57

Of course, the man lost the decisive battle and returned. As the group’s general manager, Attilak faced a humiliating situation where he could not lift his head for a while. However, Haqab’s expression upon hearing the report was surprisingly not bad. On the contrary, his eyes were twinkling.

“Great. That’s just great.”

He was smiling with his teeth showing. What a mage could do was limited. They could only strengthen their body or exert a bit more magic power. So, what if there’s a power that surpasses even the range of mages and magically transformed arms?

[T/N: The definition of ‘demon’ and ‘mage’ is the same thing—someone with magic. The difference is that ‘demon’ is a harsher term, usually used by people with prejudice against them, in this story, mainly Illavenians (Iris the Editor calls it ‘Illavenian slur’), while ‘mage’ is a more neutral term.]

The unfamiliar and bizarre phenomenon became an indicator to guide the way.

“Rosaline, you are so wonderful. This is amazing.”

The man’s voice as he kept repeating his words trembled slightly.

His black eyes twinkled, and as he said, “Rosaline, you…”

Hot and vivid emotions began to show on his face. Haqab bit his lip.

“You must have been the ‘shadow’…”

‘Awesome. It’s like fate. Did this world make you and I meet? Is that why I was drawn to you? Had I known, I wouldn’t have let you go so easily.’

He only thought he’d take a closer look. Black hair barely covering white skin. A straight waist. A quiet voice. What a pity he could only recall Rosaline’s appearance based on what he remembered.

‘How did you look at me with those green eyes? What would the magic flow under your soft skin feel like? Is it vibrating strongly? Or is it wrapped quietly and silently around you?’

Haqab couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Then why Diech, and not me? Anyway, I need to get in touch.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Nobody shall lay a hand on the 2nd Prince for the time being until I get in touch with Rosaline. No need to incur more losses just for spite. We have suffered from considerable losses already.”

She was so precious that the 2nd Prince was no longer the foremost priority.

A product of Crean Tidanion. A crystal of pure magical power that you can’t even compare to a demon. The first monster born of Illavenia. Sleeping shadows of death.

Haqab stopped biting his lips, and his expression changed.

“Attilak.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Sending and waiting for news through letters is too slow, so I’ll just go to Illavenia.”

Attilak’s eyes widened at his words. 1st Prince Haqab, the heir of Hiksala Adon, just declared that he would now set foot in that dangerous place beyond the border. Even as he said those words, Haqab’s expression was full of joy, like a boy who fell in love for the first time.

Haqab placed his hand on his chest. His pounding heart couldn’t stop.

‘Rosaline. Are you my black moon?’

***

The dark red piece that Ricardis was carrying was given the grand temporary name of a magic crystal.

A group of assassins whose bodies have developed strangely. A poison using magical power, ‘Fragment.’

The two powerful weapons wielded by the Black Moon only had magic power in common. Count Drythorne thought that the black pieces would be the basis of their weapons. There were still questions about how they obtained the magic crystal and how to use it, but she had a feeling that this would be the answer to a problem that Illavenia had never been able to solve.

Closely linked with Illavenia was the ‘Blessed Night’ and the magic cult ‘Black Moon’. The principal factor in the reign of successive emperors was how prosperous they made the continent by perpetuating the night of blessing and how much the power of the black moon weakened.

By chance, however, the Black Moon rapidly grew in this generation. In addition to the chronic problem of the continent becoming more and more barren as the night of blessing did not come, another trouble arose: people starved to death and suffered damage from the Black Moon. The anxiety surrounding the continent grew day by day.

However, Laino, the current emperor of Illavenia, did not alleviate the situation in the slightest. It was because he had only attained the throne through a close political power play of his natural lineage and other nobles. Moreover, his holy power was particularly weak among his brothers, which made him anxious again and again.

Even though it was natural that Idelavhim bestowed the position of the emperor and the title demanded respect, a question of daring doubt suddenly arose in his mind. He wondered if someone else should be sitting on the throne.

Although not capable, Emperor Laino was tactful could read the air. He was anxious. Laino even controlled the fact that the 4-year-old Elpidio had excellent holy power. If the 2nd Prince Ricardis, who suddenly appeared at the age of 10, had not quarreled with Elpidio over the position of the crown prince, they would have crowned Elpidio emperor the day he became an adult.

***

Cecil furrowed her eyebrows and pitifully looked at Rosaline because she did not know that Rosaline commonly had such a look on her face. Unless one has accompanied Rosaline for a long time, they may have trouble distinguishing her expressions.

Cecil hurriedly turned away from Rosaline’s face, which still looked deep and full of dissatisfaction.

“Oh, come to think of it, there were many other people besides Count Radwiell who said that I need to take good care of you. People came in and out so often that they’ve worn out the door. Are you that popular?”

Rosaline’s expression brightened. Her mood drastically changed when her lips, stuck in a straight line, drew an arc.

‘Oh, I guess it was the right thing to say to change her expression.’

Cecil burst into laughter when she heard Rosaline’s answer that followed soon after, rejoicing inside.

“That’s right.”

‘How could anyone answer so blatantly when asked if they were popular? No, seriously, isn’t this shameless?’

Rosaline’s brother, Calyx, sent her daily correspondence and gifts, contacting Cecil to look after his sister. Knight Commander Starz and Deputy Commander Nathan also looked for her amidst their busy schedule. And Assistant Deputy Commander Raymond even stuck to her side like it was his own home.

In addition, many Knights of the White Night visited. There were no senior or junior knights, but Nestor Sihorge was unusual among those visits. Even Chloe Golgarten sent all kinds of medicines more precious than gold, saying that those would be good for Rosaline. Count Drythorne was startled by her call, as Chloe Golgarten was a woman who could be said to be the head of a massive high-ranking intelligence group.

[Chloe Goltarden: Chloe of Golden Garden.]

Cecil heard that Chloe would even date people for various information. But they say this meticulous consideration is not limited to a superficial friendship. When Cecil alternately thought of Rosaline and Chloe, who was said to be insidious, it didn’t seem like a good combination. But then, she remembered that Chloe Golgarten was engaged to Raymond Cimmaron, so this strange acquaintance must have come from him.

The 2nd Prince, Ricardis, led his tired body to visit her every day. His gaze upon Rosaline as she lay there was so tender that it tickled at Cecil’s stomach.

Meat dishes for breakfast, sweet desserts for lunch, and meat dishes for dinner: Prince Ricardis brought all kinds of food instead of flowers and placed it at Rosaline’s bedside. Cecil was shocked when she saw it for the first time. The visitation gifts were unique, to put it nicely, and not normal if said honestly.

So, with a skewer of meat in one hand and a plate of cake in the other, Ricardis told her to get up and later insisted that she just couldn’t hear him. A strange feeling captured Cecil seeing this. She didn’t even know if it was because he was different from the 2nd Prince she’d know when in the middle of war and battle.

It was on the battlefield that Count Drythorne first saw 2nd Prince Ricardis. Sixteen, the year he just became an adult.

[I’ll bet all my fortune on ‘Run-away-when-the-trumpet-sounds.’]

[War is no one’s playground… ]

From the commander to the bottom of the infantry, they all talked behind the scenes. Although the Imperial battle was difficult, it was a different kind of war. If the fight within the Imperial Palace is poison, then war is a closer blade, more direct and more explicit.

And it should be impossible for the young Prince, who had been living in the Imperial Palace since the age of ten, to have had this kind of combat experience. Everyone looked at Ricardis with concern. Rather than considering the safety of the young Prince, they were concerned about what would happen when he was placed on the battlefield.