Chapter 20
Karshiel’s eyes briefly trembled upon hearing Iris’s words.
Several of the words that left her lips struck his mind with force.
Running across the sea?
Three days of ice?
He quickly sifted through his memory for any knowledge about the Sessek Bay.
The war began two years ago, and because there had been short truces during the past two winters, he had never personally experienced the harshest winter of Tar and Kahnab.
However, he did remember something said by a Kahnab guide from Tar.
“We call it the Ice Sea of Three Days, because the sun rises and sets three times before it vanishes.”
Yes, that was exactly what he’d said.
The sea in the Kahnab region had high salinity and didn’t freeze even in severe cold, but the Sessek Bay exhibited anomalies due to surrounding mana currents.
Just three days a year, parts of the bay reverted to their ancient form, freezing solid. Some of it became so hard, it could even support the weight of a fortress.
If one knew the path well, it was possible to cross it on horseback.
“…I must send a courier pigeon immediately.”
Karshiel muttered lowly.
His head was throbbing. Could he really have reached such a realization in the middle of a conversation not with a comrade or an enemy, but with the Duke’s daughter?
“Apologies, Lady. Something urgent has come up—I must take my leave.”
“Then may I ask just one more question before you go?”
Iris asked with a calm smile, as if not surprised. Karshiel narrowed his eyes at her. Her deep emerald eyes gazed unwaveringly back at him.
He sensed that Iris was using the form of a question to actually tell him something. Perhaps she had done the same earlier as well.
Karshiel nodded quietly.
“Has the cause of the horned thorn poison been identified yet?”
At her question, Karshiel shook his head.
“Someone must have released it intentionally, but the culprit hasn’t been caught.”
“You probably already know this, but I have a strong interest in monsters. The horned thorn bat is one of them. May I tell you more about it?”
When he nodded again, she stared into the air, as if deep in thought.
“In the early stages of poisoning, the symptoms appear incredibly fast. Every second makes a difference.”
“That seems accurate. At the time, I thought the food had gone bad.”
Karshiel responded while recalling the day the symptoms first appeared. He had experienced vomiting and dizziness first. After that, many others, including Rutten and Gale, exhibited similar symptoms.
“In other words, the person who showed symptoms first was likely the first one bitten.”
“…”
“If we assume that the troops were sleeping in a few barracks, the horned thorn bat must have been released in one of them first. It likely moved to others in search of fresh blood.”
“…!”
Karshiel’s face hardened.
“If Your Highness showed symptoms first, then the bat was released in your barrack. That means the culprit is someone who had free access to it.”
His complexion visibly darkened. Iris could tell he understood her. The suspicion she had been harboring grew stronger.
“My lady…”
“Your Highness, since I saved you from the horned thorn poison, may I offer a potentially impolite piece of advice?”
“…You may.”
Karshiel nodded again, as if he had no choice. It was hard to refuse when someone reminded him they had saved his life.
“Suspect the one who shared your room.”
“…!”
Karshiel’s clenched hand now had fingernails digging deep into his palm.
“That would be my adjutant. A close friend, too.”
He remained silent for a while before answering.
“I can’t suspect him lightly.”
“Seeing as you don’t ask which of the two, I believe you already suspect him.”
At Iris’s remark, Karshiel’s eyes wavered slightly.
She stepped closer to him.
She remembered clearly.
In her first life, after Karshiel’s death, the one who traveled around the empire comforting its people was always accompanied by someone. A knight with long hair who stayed by his side like a close confidant.
None other than Gale Thalles.
“My lady…”
“Are you certain Gale Thalles was truly poisoned like the others?”
“He exhibited the same symptoms. I saw his face pale and collapse myself.”
“Is it not possible he took a different drug to fake those symptoms?”
“…”
“The magic stones mined in Thalles territory emit light and heat. Even without direct contact, the flow of those currents makes it impossible to treat thorn poison in that land. He likely stayed there because it became difficult to keep faking symptoms.”
Karshiel slowly opened his eyes, as if weighing her words carefully. He neither answered nor questioned her, but Iris could tell he was taking in every single word.
“If you’re not certain yet, would you be willing to conduct a small experiment?”
“What kind of experiment?”
“Feed only him false information. Something like, ‘His Highness will be going somewhere alone’—preferably a location suitable for an assassination attempt.”
“You’re suggesting I set a trap?”
“Exactly. Make up a reason—say you’re going on a date at the Sky Valley on the outskirts of the Imperial City, for example. Say you couldn’t refuse because of the thorn poison incident. If an assassin shows up there, then there’s only one possible suspect.”
“Gale knows me well. He won’t fall for just any lie.”
“Use my name. Say it’s because I asked you to meet me there. That you couldn’t say no because I saved you.”
Karshiel let out a low laugh, mixed with bitterness, amazement, and sarcasm.
“You are… bold, wise, and cruel.”
He said.
“Like you said, I’ve suspected Gale before. That’s why I placed him in the rear during this battle.”
“…”
“But without evidence, I planned to deal with it after the battle. It would affect troop morale too much… And while he may be the Empress’s man, there’s no way he’s Tar’s spy.”
“A deputy who wants his commander dead—does it matter whose spy he is?”
Iris asked.
“If you don’t eliminate him when you can, you endanger the entire unit and the Empire. The happiness of the Empire’s people rests in Your Highness’s hands.”
“I won’t deny I was afraid to uncover the truth about a close friend.”
Karshiel said with a quiet sigh.
“But since there was no way to act, I convinced myself there was nothing I could do. Now, after hearing you, I can no longer use that excuse.”
His smile turned more bitter.
“Which is why I said you’re cruel. Now I have to do something painful, just as you said.”
“…Punishing a friend—yes, that’s painful. But.”
She looked him directly in the eyes.
“Your Highness, Gale Thalles is not your only friend.”
“Are you talking about Rutten?”
“Of course. And…”
“What is it?”
“As I said before, I worry about you too.”
Iris emphasized again.
She meant it.
That sharp and fragile-looking expression reminded her of the moment she’d heard about his death in her first life. Though he hadn’t died in this second life, he had danced with death daily in the war with Yulkan.
Karshiel’s gaze trembled once more.
“…I want to hear why.”
“Because I want you to be happy.”
Iris realized only after saying it—that this was her true, unshakable feeling.
Just as Karshiel had once wished for her happiness long ago, now she wished the same for him.
“To not just survive assassination attempts and the war—but to live a life where you can feel joy in everyday things. To see flowers and trees, to taste food and…”
