088. The Forest of Mist (6)

 

Once the situation was resolved, the group returned to the estate.

The “protective formation” they had planned to set up remained incomplete.

Back at the Taylor Count’s manor, the wounded were treated, and everyone took time to rest. This included Owen, who had exhibited concerning symptoms earlier.

“Are you okay?” Kyle asked, still looking worried despite Owen appearing fine now.

Despite having faced off against large monsters alone and expending energy using ‘Temporal Eye’ the day before, Kyle hadn’t taken a break. Instead, he was in Owen’s room, unable to rest until he checked on him.

“I’m fine. I told you, it’ll pass with time,” Owen replied curtly.

“How can I not worry? You looked pale as death and were gasping for air.”

Kyle sighed shortly, scanning Owen’s condition. “Just rest for now. Some knights were injured, so today’s schedule has been canceled.”

“How badly injured are they?” Owen asked, stiffening at the mention of injured knights.

“Quite a few. You know as well as I do, there are only six people in the empire capable of handling large monsters.”

“…That’s true,” Owen admitted.

In the Freon Empire, there were only six ‘transcendents’:

The head of the Ceres Marquisate, Marquis Ceres, who guarded the northernmost reaches of the continent.
The Tower Lord of the Freon Empire’s Mage Tower, Kyle.
The heir to the Edelte Duchy, Louis Edelte.
The newly awakened saintess in two centuries, Bella Taylor.
The commander of the Verdun Ducal House’s knights, Jade.
And lastly, the duke himself, Owen Verdun.

While there were no formal criteria for being labeled a transcendent, the term was commonly used to describe individuals with overwhelming power that transcended human limits. According to ‘The Flower of the Empire,’ these included saints, those with magical aptitude of the sixth class or higher, and knights at or above the rank of Sword Expert.

“Of course, if you count other nations, the number is higher, but within the empire, only six people can venture into the Abyss of the Snow Forest and make it out alive.”

In other words, anyone other than those six would die upon encountering a large monster.

“While you were dealing with your episode, I got distracted worrying about you. That’s probably when the knights got hurt.”

“…I see.”

Owen’s expression turned regretful at Kyle’s explanation, prompting Kyle to sigh and firmly grip his shoulder.

“Hey. You’ve got no reason to look like that.”

“Still, it’s—”

“It was an accident. There was nothing we could do about it. The saintess mentioned it’s related to your trauma.”

Owen nodded, surprised but unsurprised that Bella had shared that detail. After all, it was true.

“And what do you have to feel sorry about? If anyone’s to blame here, it’s the saintess. If anything, my mistake was letting myself get distracted.”

Kyle continued his remarks before standing to leave. “Anyway, get some rest. We’ll handle the barrier tomorrow.”

As Kyle exited the room, Owen stared silently at the door before letting out a breath.

Rest? He wasn’t even tired.

What had happened earlier was merely a temporary response to his trauma—something akin to post-traumatic stress. The sudden thunder and lightning had triggered memories of ‘that day,’ and just as he was beginning to calm down, the rain had pushed him back into turmoil.

The weather, which Kyle’s magic had temporarily altered, had since returned to normal. Outside the window, snowflakes fell in place of rain.

“Are we really in for a blizzard?”

Owen rose from his seat and approached the window. The snowfall was growing heavier. It occurred to him that by tomorrow, they might very well be trudging through snowdrifts up to their knees.

“It’s not even the season for this yet.”

As he furrowed his brow at the unusual sight, a knock sounded at the door. Just as he turned toward it, the door opened without permission.

“It’s me.”

The visitor was Bella.

Having changed out of her soaked clothes, she stepped into his room with a blank expression.

“…Shall we go to the sitting room?” Owen suggested, unwilling to risk any misunderstanding. He opened the door wider, but Bella showed no intention of leaving. Instead, she plopped down on the sofa with a casual air.

“It’s quieter to talk here,” she said.

Her remark left Owen hesitating before he exhaled and reluctantly sat on the sofa across from her.

“Get to the point quickly,” he said.

“I was planning to,” Bella replied, crossing her legs and leaning her chin on her hand. “You’re carrying Owen’s trauma, aren’t you?”

“Why ask when you already know?” Owen narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with suspicion.

“No reason. I just realized something. You’re truly becoming Owen,” Bella replied simply, her expression unreadable.

Her words made Owen’s gaze sharpen as if he was piecing together her intentions.

“It’s quite the sight, really. I don’t like the idea of the original Owen disappearing, but seeing you become him… it’s undeniable now.” Bella spoke as if organizing her thoughts, then let out a light chuckle. “There’s no rush on my side anymore. As long as I can stop your engagement with Lucia, that’s all that matters.”

“You’re delusional if you think that’s even possible.”

“I don’t understand why you think it’s impossible. Didn’t today’s events show you otherwise?” Bella shrugged, her tone almost playful.

“You mean releasing large monsters?” Owen’s tone grew colder, his gaze icy.

“Aren’t you curious how I managed it? It’s surprising you haven’t asked. I expected you to bring it up immediately,” Bella said, a hint of amusement coloring her voice.

Owen’s expression hardened with irritation. “The knights got injured because of it.”

“I didn’t expect that. I figured you and Kyle would handle it,” Bella said with feigned regret.

“What exactly were you trying to achieve?” Owen pressed, his patience wearing thin.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Bella tilted her head as if questioning his intelligence. “First, I wanted to tie you down for a while. With the sudden appearance of large monsters, you’d need extra time to investigate. Then I thought I’d get myself hurt just enough to cause more delays.”

“And what would you gain from that?”

Bella slumped lazily into the sofa, resting her arm on the armrest. “Keeping you here.”

“What…?”

Her answer was unexpected. Owen had assumed her goal was to sabotage his engagement ceremony. But to simply keep him here?

“Well, of course, ruining the engagement would be a bonus. But that wouldn’t solve everything, would it?”

“Then why say what you did during the meal?” Owen demanded, still baffled by her intentions.

“Just to get under your skin,” Bella replied with a smirk. Her laughter was light yet cutting, drawing a scowl from Owen.

“And I must say,” Bella continued, leaning her chin on her hand, “you are exceptionally good-looking. Don’t you think so?”

“….”

Owen’s face darkened further, but Bella only smiled more brightly, reveling in his annoyance.

“I still haven’t given up, you know. I’d prefer it if you left that body willingly. Kyle says you’re Owen now, though…” Bella trailed off, staring intently at him as if evaluating a work of art.

“I’ll admit it. You’re Owen too. It’s hard to deny when you’re this much like him.”

“Get to the point,” Owen growled, losing patience.

“The point? Oh, well, my conclusion’s simple: one way or another, I’m going to have Owen,” she declared, her words laced with a disturbing finality.

Owen’s expression twisted in anger, and Bella laughed, tossing her hair back.

“Sure, I’d prefer the original Owen, but you’ll do just fine.”

“Your opinion isn’t what matters here,” Owen shot back coldly.

“True, but looking at your reaction, I can tell the original Owen would be better,” Bella mused aloud, ignoring his retort completely.

Owen stared at her, unsure how to deal with someone so utterly unreasonable. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.

“I’ve heard that large monsters are sometimes used in illegal arenas for gambling,” Owen remarked, shifting the topic abruptly.

“Boring. You figured that out already?” Bella rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.

“It’s one of Marquis Celid’s illicit ventures. They use magic to seal and transport the monsters,” Owen said flatly.

“Right. They’re contained in sealing orbs, transported, and released again. They don’t involve imperial mages or the mage tower—probably foreign mages helping them,” Bella explained easily, as if it were trivial.

Her smile deepened, almost playful. “That’s how I did it this time. Not that it matters; all the evidence is already hidden.”

She gestured around. “After all, we’re in Taylor territory.”

Indeed, the Misty Forest was located in the Taylor Count’s lands, and Bella was part of the family. If this had been the Bella of the original ‘The Flower of the Empire,’ she might have been manipulated by the family. But the current Bella was different.

She was the one pulling the strings.

“And I assume if anyone finds out, you’re ready to cut ties and deny everything?” Owen asked, his voice icy.

“Exactly,” Bella confirmed, her smile growing wider.

Judging by her tone, the sealing orb containing the monsters must have come from Marquis Celid. Bella likely passed it along to the estate without leaving any trace of her involvement.

“Do you really think Marquis Celid wouldn’t suspect anything? That he’d help you without question?” Owen asked skeptically.

“Of course not. I had to promise him something in return,” Bella said nonchalantly, standing from her seat.

Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked to the window. Perching on the sill, she opened the window and let the icy wind rush in.

“Like you said, he runs all sorts of dirty businesses. Illegal arenas, drug trafficking, poisons, and sleeping agents. You name it.”

She turned her head sharply, silver hair whipping in the wind, her gaze locking with Owen’s.

“And you,” she said, her voice soft but heavy with implication. “What exactly have you done?”

“It wasn’t me,” Bella replied before he could answer. “I’ve just been keeping you and Kyle busy.”

Her laughter mingled with the howling wind, unnerving in its hollowness.

“I only borrowed some monsters. But look, even the weather seems to be on my side. No, not seems—it ‘is’.”

Bella’s laughter continued, echoing in the cold air, before she covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes glinting.

“You wouldn’t remember. You don’t care about Bella, after all.”

It was then that Owen realized.

There was an incident he had overlooked. One that had been insignificant to him but clearly mattered to her.

Bella was right. He had never paid enough attention to her.

“Remember that one time it snowed out of season in Taylor County? The family clung to Bella, begging her for help. The kind and pitiful Bella agonized over what to do.”

“….”

“But you wouldn’t recall it, would you? After all, the ‘The Flower of the Empire’ you know is Lucia’s story.”