“Tsk, this should’ve happened sooner.”
Just as the aide seemed finally satisfied and turned to get back into the carriage—
Rumble, rumble.
This time, even he could feel the ground shake vividly.
“Whinny!!”
The horse he was riding reared up in fear, lifting both front legs high into the air.
“Aaagh!”
Not only the aide but also the knights of Pavan riding horses were thrown off and hit the ground.
“Landslide! It’s a landslide!”
At the coachman’s scream, the horses pulling the carriage panicked and took off in a wild frenzy.
The unmounted horses, now free of riders, scattered in all directions, fleeing chaotically.
“No, no! His Majesty the King is in that carriage!”
The aide quickly scrambled to his feet and tried to climb onto the carriage—but the horses were already galloping at full speed, pulling it far ahead.
In the end, all he could do was stare helplessly as the carriage disappeared into the distance.
And from the shadows, someone was watching them.
“…….”
The dark figure confirmed that everyone except for the King of Pavan had gone chasing after the runaway carriage—then sprang into motion.
The figure moved far faster than any of the Pavan people chasing the carriage.
Each time the figure pushed off the ground, the scenery around shifted in the blink of an eye.
After a few more strides that felt like taking flight, Seffield Emblem came into view—struggling to stay on his feet in a shattered corner of the land, right under the gaze of the dark figure.
“My Lord.”
“Oh, you’re here.”
Seffield greeted the dark figure warmly.
“The King of Pavan was left alone in the carriage.”
“Good. Then we’ll need to destroy the route as well.”
Seffield closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. A red aura began to shimmer around his clenched fist.
“Hup.”
Then, with a sharp breath and a swift motion, he drove that glowing fist straight into the ground.
BOOOOOM!
A thunderous roar erupted as the ground shattered, sending up a massive shockwave.
Everywhere the red aura trailed across the earth, destruction followed, and the entire mountain shook once again.
The dark figure leapt high into the air to avoid the tremor. Landing on a tree behind the now-safe Seffield, they pulled out a telescope from their cloak and raised it to their eye.
“The path is blocked. The coachman was thrown off the carriage—will he be alright?”
“Ah. Looks like he’s unharmed.”
“Can you feel it?”
“Yes. I can sense the King of Pavan trembling in fear, too scared even to scream.”
Seffield chuckled with satisfaction, clearly amused. But the grin slowly faded from his face, replaced by a powerful and overwhelming pressure that filled the air.
“Now, finally, I’m ready for a private audience.”
The chilling words slipped from his lips. At that, the dark figure let out a small sigh and gave a warning.
“I will report this to His Majesty.”
“Hmph. Go ahead. I’m sure he expected this outcome the moment I set off for Pavan.”
“…Understood.”
“But don’t report every little detail too plainly. Do that much, and I’ll make sure your son’s revenge is carried out to the letter.”
“That’s the least you can do.”
The dark figure—Diana—pulled down her hood and glared at Seffield with an exasperated look.
“Do you really think I don’t know Enoch’s injury was entirely your fault?”
“…Hey, I said I was sorry.”
“And you think ‘sorry’ cuts it, after you beat someone else’s precious child half to death?”
“Beat? I merely separated him from Cherrya because I was startled, that’s all!”
“Let me flip that around. If someone kicked Cherrya out of surprise—”
“What?! I’d kill them on the spot— …Ahem!”
Seffield caught himself mid-rant and cleared his throat awkwardly, stealing a glance at Diana.
She was smiling—her face a perfect mirror of Jade’s—but her eyes were stone cold.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Seffield raised both hands in surrender.
“Alright, what do you want? Just tell me what I have to do.”
“You said Enoch has crossed the ‘wall’, right?”
“Yes.”
“Please ask His Majesty at the Shadow Council to support me in becoming Enoch’s shadow.”
“What? Absolutely not.”
Though Seffield seemed ready to give her anything, his expression turned firm at this request.
Just as Diana said, the Lutinas Empire would soon assign shadows to both Cherrya and Enoch.
A Swordmaster was both a priceless asset and a target of envy across the continent.
If they couldn’t be persuaded to defect, the next step was to eliminate them.
And a freshly ascended Swordmaster who had yet to master their power would be an easy target.
“The other shadows will oppose it.”
Even if Diana were assigned to monitor Cherrya, being Enoch’s shadow was entirely different. It simply wouldn’t be allowed.
Shadows had to cut all worldly ties—family included.
Assigning a relative to watch another was forbidden.
“I won’t let the outcome you’re afraid of happen. So give it up.”
News of Enoch crossing the ‘wall’ would be kept hidden for as long as possible.
To that end, Seffield even considered holding an engagement ceremony for the two of them.
Just like with the King of Pavan, he didn’t want the rivalry between Emblem and Gray to become a reason for unnecessary suspicion or false accusations.
It would also make it more natural for Seffield to personally oversee the pair’s training.
“That’s why I’m asking you to help, my lord. You know your word carries a different kind of weight.”
“Sigh… You don’t need to worry so much. Just like with Cherrya, I’ll protect your son too. Isn’t that enough?”
“Not even close. Do you plan to bring Enoch into the Emblem estate? Or are you going to send Cherrya to the Gray estate instead?”
“If they’re engaged, they’ll naturally meet often, so—”
“Enoch is about to become the new commander of the Gray Knights. Surely you and Cherrya won’t be attending every Gray Knight event together, will you?”
“….…”
Seffield had no rebuttal. Diana was right—he couldn’t be by Enoch’s side 24/7.
“I want to stay by his side until he fully awakens his power. Not someone else—but me, who knows him best.”
“You’ve held out well so far. But I guess you’ve finally hit your limit.”
“….…”
Diana bit her lip hard, her eyes shining with fierce determination as if she had made up her mind.
“You know the real reason His Majesty declared me missing instead of dead—it was so that someday, I could return to my family.”
“Yes.”
“Until then, I was determined to remain a shadow. But after what happened at the Continental Academy—after the demons revealed themselves—I realized I can’t protect Enoch as just a shadow.”
“…….!”
“I have to go back. To Gray.”
