Jackal stared at the man who was standing in the middle of the group.
He was a middle-aged man, much older than Jackal, and he had a serious expression.
“I formally greet the heir of the Kelpie clan. My name is Rigel Zinnia, the chief of the Nasson clan.”
Jackal greeted him in return, suppressing any signs of aggression.
“I am Jackal Hyacinth, the heir of the Kelpie clan. I greet the chief of the Nason tribe.”
“You really do look a lot like your father.”
At the mention of the word ‘father’, which he hadn’t heard in a long time, Jackal just bowed his head without saying a word.
Rigel continued.
“Thank you for taking care of the orphans.”
Jackal looked up in surprise.
“The children you took care of are the children of the Nassons.”
Were they orphans of the Nasson clan?
Jackal was impressed that Asha was taking care of children who had no connection to her first.
“I just did the right thing on her behalf.”
Rigel fell silent for a moment, already knowing that Jackal was talking about Vanessa.
He chose his words carefully before speaking seriously again.
“That’s why we’re here, to do the right thing. Let’s stop the village chief together.”
Everyone’s eyes widened, including Jackal’s.
Jackal asked a bit surprised.
“Did you know about our plan?”
Rigel’s face twisted in a grimace.
“Yes. And unfortunately, the chief has betrayed you. He recently heard from a man that you are cooperating with the emperor.”
“A man?”
“The second flower of the Empire, Dart Lotus.”
Jackal’s face was stained with shock.
He had never thought that Dart would have a spy in the Palace.
This put Asha in a dangerous situation for being close to him.
Rigel said urgently.
“We have to go stop the village chief right now. The village chief is plotting with the second flower to overthrow this empire. We can no longer see him trying to revive minority groups in the wrong way.”
Jackal asked, not letting his guard down.
“How can I trust you? Could this also be a trap?”
Ruan, who had previously betrayed them, couldn’t lift his head at those words.
Rigel spoke awkwardly.
“I understand. It’s not unreasonable to think that way. But I came here after receiving orders from the village chief to deal with Lycaon. The second flower is the one who summoned the monsters here.”
Jackal and the others were at a loss for words.
Seeing their indignation, Rigel bowed to Jackal.
“But as I said before, we want to help you. Thanks to you, there may be no more Nasson victims. So I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Rigel’s face darkened.
“As you know, all the remaining minority groups in the village are being sacrificed under the pretext of seeking the rights of our people. The clans take turns training spies and performing secret missions. Last time, the spy who entered the palace was killed, so it was our Nasson clan’s turn next. We also had to choose the next spy to be deployed from our clan.”
Jackal turned his head and said.
“……No need to thank me. I did it for my own benefit.”
“No. That doesn’t change the fact that you saved innocent people.”
Rigel sighed and said.
“The Kelpies and Nassons used to be as close as brothers… I still regret not being able to help the Kelpies back then.”
Jackal remained silent.
The Nasson Clan couldn’t fight alongside the Kelpie Clan when they were massacred.
“It has always been a burden in my heart. The Nassons owe the Kelpies, so we’ve come to wash our dishonor and ask for forgiveness. Please allow the Nasson clan to fight alongside Lycaon.”
He raised his head, looking determined.
Jackal looked at each member of the Nasson Clan standing behind Rigel.
They all looked determined and serious.
Eventually, Jackal faced Rigel and extended his hand.
“I am counting on you.”
Rigel smiled slightly and shook his hand.
Gabe, who was watching from the side, shouted.
“That’s right, that’s the Nasson clan! It seems like we’re gaining humanity, no, national love!”
The Lycaons burst out laughing at his change of attitude.
Rigel said very seriously.
“Vanessa should have arrived at the Minority Village by now. You will never be able to defeat the chief and the second flower alone.”
Jackal’s face turned red with shock at the news that Asha had come alone.
“Is that true!?”
“Yes. We have to go quickly. If we’re late, who knows what they might do.”
Jackal shouted at everyone with a serious expression.
“Let’s go save Asha right now!”
“Yes!”
* * * * *
Asha had been suffering for a day and a half.
The shock of betrayal seemed to have drained her of vitality, and even the wind spirit within her seemed wounded.
The relationship between a spirit and its contractor is so close that if one is hurt, the other is also affected.
As the flower spirit she was close with had betrayed her, the impact seemed to be even greater.
Asha had lost consciousness repeatedly, and in her hazy state, her vision was blurry, and her head was spinning.
But suddenly, beyond her vision, she saw someone sitting next to her bed, wiping her body with a towel and taking care of her with gentle hands.
As the scattered light merged into one and a white-haired person came into view, Asha’s eyes widened, and she tried to stand up from the bed.
But the cold touch of chains pulling her body stopped her, and she realized that her wrists and ankles were handcuffed to the bed.
“Are you awake?”
Dart asked casually while washing the wet towel in a wooden basin.
He looked calm and benevolent as if he were tenderly taking care of a sick patient.
Asha asked sharply, wary of him.
“Where the hell am I?”
“It’s a cave located a little off from a minority village. We’ve prepared this place to talk to you.”
“Prepared this place? Didn’t you kidnap me by force?”
As Asha yelled, Dart smiled softly.
“That’s true, but I’d appreciate it if you thought of it as protecting you from getting caught up in a dangerous fight. There’s going to be a big battle soon.”
Asha looked at him with eyes full of betrayal and said.
“What the hell are you trying to do?”
“Please calm down and have something to eat first. You’re not in good shape.”
Dart said, holding up a bowl of porridge with a spoon and bringing it close to Asha’s mouth. However, she turned her head away.
Dart recommended that she eat again.
“Eat. You’re very thin. I don’t want to see the beautiful Vanessa get sick.”
His words seemed sincere, and his face showed a hint of concern and sadness.
Asha looked at him and asked
“What are you thinking? Will you coax or threaten me not to let Karaf bloom like the last spy did?”
“……Flowers can only seduce butterflies with their fragrance.”
Confused, Asha frowned.
There was a dim lantern in the cave where they were, casting a dark shadow across Dart’s white face.
“But that’s not necessarily wrong, is it? It’s just a matter of instinct.”
“What are you talking about…..?”
“You recognized at a glance on the day of the Flowering Ceremony that I am the second flower.”
Asha was taken aback.
Her reaction caused Dart to sneer.
“Of course, you couldn’t help but notice. I blatantly let out my flower fragrance to you. After that, when you came to the temple to see me again, I was really happy. I thought that finally, a butterfly had flown to me to make me bloom.”
Seeing that Dart had the same thoughts as Karaf, Asha’s heart sank.
It appeared that he knew from the beginning that he was the second flower.
However, Dart’s expression suddenly hardened.
“But that day, you ignored me and pretended not to know. You didn’t disclose whether you knew that I held the flower spirit or whether I was a flower with a good fragrance. Instead, you wished for me to become a great priest, which was completely opposite to my goal.”
‘I hope you become a great priest, following in the footsteps of the High Priest.’
Asha remembered what she said to him back then.
Dart’s gray eyes were cold.
“But unfortunately, I don’t think I can do what Vanessa wishes for me. I vowed to become an Emperor, not a High Priest. I will follow in the footsteps of my younger brother, Karaf.”
Asha’s eyes widened.
Dart calmly spoke, as if he knew she would be surprised.
“Karaf and I are brothers who have the same mother. To be precise, I was born before Karaf, so I am the first flower. However, the difference was that Karaf’s father was an emperor, and my father was a commoner.”
Asha was at a loss for words.
So Karaf was actually the second flower…but there was something she didn’t understand before.
In despair, Asha muttered to herself.
“But if you’re not of royal blood, then how…”
It was said that the previous emperor was a debauchee who kept several mistresses by his side.
But Dart’s father wasn’t the emperor, how could he have a flower spirit?
Dart sneered coldly.
“Do you really believe that only the emperor’s lineage can bear the flower spirit? If so, you are greatly mistaken. Didn’t you read the book I gave you? It must have given you a hint.”
Asha stared at him in disbelief as Dart spoke seriously.
“It’s not the bloodline of an emperor that holds the flower spirit. The bloodline of the man ‘chosen by the butterfly’ holds the flower spirit. This is the secret that the Rose Family has kept hidden for hundreds of years to maintain their power.”
Asha had goosebumps all over her body.
Dart looked at Asha, who was speechless and spoke slowly.
“My original name is Dart Chrysanthemum. A flower that has now disappeared from the Empire.”
