Ian stared at Edelmar with a surprised expression.
“Is this true?”
“Do I look like someone who would lie?”
“It’s just hard to believe.”
Edelmar had just returned from an unexpected summons by the emperor, bringing news that the lady of the Loenbaum family was ordered to return to the duchy, as she was deemed unsuitable as a companion for the crown prince.
“Is this because Lady Wistel visited?”
Ian asked, having thought it might be an opportunity, though he hadn’t expected it to actually work.
“No. The second prince was clever with his maneuvering.”
Edelmar relayed what he had learned from the emperor, along with his own personal investigation. Ian let out a small, incredulous laugh.
“It wasn’t a half-hearted move.”
Seeing the skills that had once caused the crown prince so much trouble in play here was unexpected.
“So, he said to return?”
“Then, I suppose we should go.”
Ian hurriedly tidied his desk, worried that the emperor might change his mind.
Edelmar, observing him, asked,
“Does this mean that it wasn’t a dark mage who summoned Rose?”
The emperor had sent Loenbaum away, and no traces of dark magic were found on Lady Wistel, who was one of the primary suspects.
This could suggest that the emperor might have called Rose simply to strengthen the crown prince’s standing.
“No, it’s not that,”
Ian denied.
“Why not?”
“It was Viscount Wistel who recommended Loenbaum to the emperor. Just because no dark magic was found on Lady Wistel doesn’t mean we can exclude Viscount Wistel as well.”
“That’s true,”
Edelmar nodded in agreement.
“So, should we confirm Viscount Wistel’s involvement?”
“Is it really necessary?”
Edelmar looked at Ian with a puzzled expression, unable to understand.
“Why wouldn’t you confirm it?”
“Because confirming it wouldn’t change anything for me.”
“Ah.”
Edelmar nodded, understanding his reasoning.
“It would be better to leave here as quickly as possible.”
“Are you planning to go retrieve the sacred relics?”
“I must.”
If it hadn’t been for the emperor’s order, he would have departed right after visiting the sanctuary.
He needed to retrieve the sacred relics as soon as possible to restore his body to its optimal state.
After placing his organized papers in his inventory, Ian pulled the cord.
“Prepare the carriage. Is Miss May out?”
“Yes. She said she would be visiting the leather workshop and then the glass factory, so she’ll be late.”
“Alright, then summon Rose.”
“Understood.”
After the butler left, Edelmar stood up.
“I’ll get ready too.”
“Yes, make it simple.”
“Make it simple?”
Ian grinned.
“I won’t be taking the carriage.”
Edelmar was confused. Hadn’t he just ordered the butler to prepare the carriage?
***
In front of Loenbaum’s townhouse gates in the capital.
Although it was late in the evening, the main gates swung open wide as the carriage, surrounded by guards, departed with the butler and staff seeing it off.
In contrast to the bustling main gate, the back gate quietly opened.
Two horses and a wolf dashed forward.
Rose, tightly tied to Ian, didn’t wake despite the rough movements.
“I didn’t see this coming.”
“Don’t talk. You’ll bite your tongue.”
Ian, who responded briefly, urged his horse to run faster.
The distance between the townhouse and the capital’s gate was short.
Ian and his party, using Edelmar’s badge to open a side gate and exit the capital, halted their horses as the sun rose.
Having ridden continuously, they had put a good distance between themselves and the capital.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Ian untied the rope connecting him to Rose and handed her over to Edelmar, who had dismounted first.
“Shouldn’t we wake her?”
“We can do that once we reach the lodging. But it’s eerily quiet, even for early dawn.”
They had arrived at the territory of Wakta, a small estate south of the capital, primarily sustained by farming. Yet, even though it was early morning, the lack of people on the streets felt strange.
At Ian’s words, Edelmar surveyed the village. The tightly closed doors and deserted streets made the silence feel unusual.
“Yan, check it out.”
“Yes.”
Whether he was still cautious about Ian discovering his identity, Yan didn’t appear, but his voice answered. Ian, holding the reins, remained on guard.
“…There’s no sound.”
The village wasn’t just strangely quiet—there was no sound at all. In a village where people lived, even in the dead of night, there should have been some noise, even if it was only someone snoring. But this silence felt almost like a place devoid of life.
“Fenrex, do you hear anything?”
He asked, hoping that the wolf’s keen hearing might catch something. Fenrex perked up his ears but shook his head, indicating he heard nothing.
At that moment, Yan appeared out of thin air.
“My Lord,”
Yan said, kneeling on one knee.
“There’s no one in the village.”
“No one?”
“Yes, all the houses are empty.”
Even though Wakta was a small territory, its main livelihood was agriculture, so its population was higher than in other territories.
Given the villagers’ view of having children as essential for increasing the workforce, the population should have been substantial.
Yet, not a single person remained?
If there had been an issue in the territory, the emperor would have been informed immediately, and Edelmar, who constantly received updates on the emperor’s activities, would have known.
However, Edelmar had heard nothing about Wakta’s situation before they departed the night before.
“What could have happened here?”
“We should leave quickly.”
Edelmar agreed with Ian’s suggestion.
Ian kicked open the nearest house’s door. As it creaked open, he walked inside and left a handful of silver coins on the dining table to show that, if anyone returned, he hadn’t stolen but paid for what he took.
After gathering food supplies and kitchenware from his inventory, Ian exited the house, just as the ground began to shake.
“Hurry!”
At Edelmar’s urgent shout, Ian swiftly mounted his horse. As he took Rose from Edelmar, the shaking intensified, and a scorpion-like tail burst from the ground, lunging toward him.
“Ian!”
– Bang!
The venomous tail clashed with a sword.
“Everyone, come out!”
As Edelmar defended against the attacking tail, hidden guards and Yan sprang out to join the fight.
In that moment, Ian leapt off his horse.
“Fenrex, transform into a human. Er! Come out!”
Fenrex transformed, while Ermenia raised its tail and let out a fierce roar.
“Protect Rose.”
“Understood.”
“Aye!”
Fenrex held Rose securely as Ian summoned Fragarach.
“What are you doing?”
Edelmar frowned at the sight of Ian’s sword.
“It’s fine as long as I don’t release the seal.”
Ian responded briefly and swung his sword at the tail.
– Clang!
“Ugh.”
The impact pushed Ian back, forcing him to take a step away.
“Does aura work on it?”
Ian asked Edelmar.
“Let’s find out.”
Edelmar slashed at the tail with his sword, coated in a silver aura, which sent a crescent-shaped flash toward it.
– Boom!
A cloud of dust rose with the explosion.
“Ugh… Uncle?”
Rose’s voice came from behind them; she must have woken up from the noise.
But Ian and Edelmar didn’t turn back. Their focus remained on the cloud of dust ahead.
Then, through the dust, the tail reappeared, striking forward again.
“It’s not working.”
Edelmar’s face twisted in frustration as he blocked the tail once more.
Ian swung his sword again and said,
“No, it’s not that it doesn’t work, it’s regeneration. Yan! Block the tail!”
Yan, glancing at the grand duke, quickly swung his sword.
As befitting a spirit of the sword, Yan confronted the tail from the grand duke’s position, causing Ian to step back.
“Grand duke, do you know what kind of monster this is?”
“Isn’t it a Scorpion?”
Ian shook his head.
While scorpions do live underground, they usually need soft, sandy soil to burrow. But this monster was hiding in hard soil, making it unlikely to be a Scorpion.
“This is a Venquel.”
“A Venquel? That’s…”
Ian’s expression hardened.
“Yes. It’s a spider-like monster from the Kingdom of Kenoma.”
Since his possession, Ian had felt the need to study monsters.
His prior encounters had shown him the importance of knowing their weaknesses.
Initially, he studied only the monsters that appeared in his duchy, but the unique monsters he hadn’t seen on Earth intrigued him, leading him to learn about those in other kingdoms as well.
That’s how he quickly recognized this monster as a hybrid of a spider and a scorpion, known as a Venquel.
“Attacking the tail won’t work with a Venquel. It will regenerate indefinitely, except for its main body.”
“And the main body is…?”
Ian pointed downward.
“It should be underground.”
Edelmar glanced back briefly.
While Ian and Edelmar alone could handle this, they had someone vulnerable to protect.
Sensing Edelmar’s gaze, Ian spoke.
“Rose is safe. There’s a shield I set up before, and Er is here too.”
“The Spirit of Illusion?”
“Yes. Er! Begin!”
“Errr!”
Responding to Ian’s call, a pair of white wings appeared on Ermenia’s slender back.
“Errr!”
With a cry that didn’t quite match its angelic wings, the shapes of Fenrex and Rose began to blur, then disappeared entirely.
“So, it truly is an illusion.”
“It won’t last long.”
If Ian could use mana, he could maintain it for a year or even a decade, but for now, he had to rely solely on Ermenia’s mana, which would only last a short time.
“Then let’s go.”
Nodding, Ian and Edelmar descended into the hole created by the emerging tail.
“I’ll go first.”
Edelmar leapt down into the hole first.
