Chapter 072 –
The Duke’s castle was bustling with people summoned by Cassius. The meeting finally began late at night.
Cassius’ reputation was strong enough to pull out even those who usually stayed buried in their labs.
“We’ll start by analyzing the places where the gates have appeared and find the flow of magic,” Cassius said, spreading out a huge map on the table.
It was a map of the North.
Monster gates only opened in the North. It was believed to be because of the massive magical power hidden there.
And all powers had a flow. The geologists in the North had been studying that flow for a long time.
“I’ll go first,” said a thin man wearing a monocle.
He placed ten blue flags on the map.
“These are the places where the monster gates have appeared so far. And…”
He then placed thirteen red flags.
“These are the areas where we believe the flow of magic gathers.”
Cassius’s eyes scanned the map.
“Is that all?” he asked.
This time, a scholar who studied unusual northern phenomena stepped forward. He had a green flag in his hand.
“I’ll mark places where strange things happen that normally wouldn’t. This land here has no grass growing at all. And this spot grows dark blue grass that’s extremely poisonous. So we constantly monitor it.”
More locations were added to the map.
Cassius began sorting through the places that overlapped and those that didn’t.
“Pick out the places where humans don’t usually go,” he ordered.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Cassius stared at the scholar’s hand. He was holding a yellow flag.
He thought about how the Yetis could understand beasts, how they didn’t hunt for food, and how they still hadn’t been found.
What if they had another way of surviving? If they didn’t need food, wouldn’t they prefer quiet places with no people around?
He decided to flip the investigation’s direction completely.
All the flags pointed to one spot.
‘This is the place.’
Cassius’s eyes gleamed sharply. It was the place where the first gate had opened—the place where Istheria’s heavy burden had begun.
He turned to the geologist.
“Is there a cave near this location?”
“Yes, Your Grace. There’s an amethyst cave. But the crystals are low-quality, so it’s been abandoned for a long time.”
It gathered magical power and was dangerous and difficult for humans to access. Cassius stood up.
Night had fallen deeply.
A wolf’s howl echoed from afar. There was no time to rest.
He sent the scholars away and called in the knights.
The lights in Cassius’s office never turned off that night.
I was worried about Cassius, who was still in meetings late into the night.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him since breakfast this morning.
I asked Rozewood, who had been helping me in Cassius’s place.
“Cassius seems very busy today.”
“…He always is. Hmm, it looks like he figured out where the monsters are. He’s planning a mission to wipe them out before it’s too late. Sir Giverny has just arrived.”
“At this hour?”
“Yes,” Rozewood said with a bitter smile.
“Those damn things don’t care about day or night.”
That’s true.
“You think these people are reliable too, right?” I asked.
“Yes, Duchess. I believe there was some good progress today.”
It would’ve been better if the troublemakers hadn’t caught frogs and let them loose in the greenhouse, though.
The kids, starting with Theo, had run to show me the frogs.
I know they meant well, but… sigh.
When a frog jumped on my face, I nearly fainted.
I shook my head, remembering the afternoon.
“It was a good gathering. I think I’ll be joining more often from now on.”
“The Duke will be happy to hear that.”
“Cassius?”
“He’s the one who most wants you to feel like you belong in the North.”
I see.
He didn’t look like it on the outside, but Cassius was warm to his people.
And he carried guilt over Charlotte too.
Just thinking of Cassius made my heart soften.
“I’ll do my best. I feel like I can really do well here.”
“I’ll be going now, Duchess.”
“When do you think the meeting will end? Even just roughly?”
“They’ll probably start preparing to go out on the mission right away.”
So, no end in sight. He must be exhausted.
I nodded, then called for Miller.
It was late, but Miller was still awake.
“You’re not asleep?”
“No doctor sleeps during a time like this. Not a doctor of Istheria,” he said with a tired smile.
I hesitated, then put my hand on his arm and gave him a bit of holy power. Just a little—enough to not affect me.
“Duchess! Holy power…!”
“You know this small amount is nothing.”
And everyone was working so hard, I couldn’t just do nothing.
“…Whew. Still, please be careful.”
“I know. Oh, I called you here to ask—what if we made some kind of energy supplement for Cassius and the knights? Even if they have strong stamina, if they keep pushing themselves like this…”
“I understand what you mean. There’s a simple energy tonic I can make. If we hurry, it’ll be done by 2 AM.”
“I’ll help too.”
I rolled up my sleeves and stepped forward. At my words, Miller shook his hand.
“The Duchess shouldn’t…! That’s my job!”
“In a situation like this, is there really a Duchess of Istheria who can rest? I’ll do whatever I can.”
I winked. Miller gave a helpless smile.
“Then, I’ll gladly accept your help.”
And so, we headed to the room Miller used as a lab. It seemed Luna and the head maid hadn’t fallen asleep either. They joined us, carrying a lantern.
“…If the Duchess and Mr. Miller are going to help, we can’t just sit still. We’ll try making some simple sandwiches.”
“Oh my. Can just the two of you handle that?”
At my question, the head maid shook her head.
“I doubt anyone is asleep right now. His Grace is working tirelessly for the North. Everyone here is used to this kind of situation. We all understand—it feels like wartime.”
“Ah.”
Things I hadn’t noticed before.
And things that weren’t shown in the novel. This world wasn’t just about the main characters.
There were people who quietly supported them from behind. Somehow, my heart felt warm.
It was full.
“Well then, shall we all get to work?”
The castle, which I thought was sleeping, began to stir. Lights came on in the dark hallways and the kitchen lit up as well.
Just like the head maid said, it seemed no one was really asleep.
Seeing everyone move in sync, almost like it had been planned, made me tear up a little.
“They’re good people.”
“Aren’t they? That’s why I love working in this castle.”
Miller smiled proudly. His face was full of pride.
Just working here made him that proud. This must be the honor and pride Istheria had protected all this time.
And Cassius was carrying that legacy forward too.
At first, I think I resented being possessed into this place. I wished I had ended up in a better situation, a better place.
But now, I realize how foolish that thought was.
This place—this Istheria—was truly warm and wonderful.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
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