“Guild Master.”
“Uargh!”
Diana was so surprised that she let out a small, flat scream, almost as if she were reading a book.
Mizel, who was climbing through the window into the room, tilted her head in confusion. “That’s quite a unique scream you have there. But could you move aside for a moment? If someone were to see me like this, we’d all be in trouble.”
Indeed, the sight of a suspicious figure climbing through the window of the princess consort’s room could cause a lot of problems….
Diana calmed her racing heart and moved aside. Taking advantage of the space, Mizel, disguised with a new face, swiftly entered the room. Only after Diana had fully drawn the curtains did Mizel stand up straight.
By then, Diana had regained her composure and furrowed her brows seriously. “Mizel.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
“Did you have to make such a dramatic entrance? We have a perfectly good door.”
“I’m not particularly fond of dramatics. However, the security around your room has significantly increased. I assume it’s the third prince’s doing.”
Diana fell silent at her words. She was well aware of Kayden’s overprotective behavior since the attempted poisoning. However, admitting it out loud made her feel embarrassed, so she protested weakly.
“As the vice guild leader, can’t you avoid something like that? You said it was easy, like eating cold stew.”
“Stew varies. The third prince seems to be more of a wild concoction than a stew.”
“Wild concoction? You shouldn’t talk about people like that.”
“I’m glad to see your relationship is good.”
“…”
Mizel had once been afraid of Diana, comparing her to a monster. But now, realizing that Diana was softer than she seemed, she lifted her head boldly.
Diana gave up trying to retort and closed her mouth. Meanwhile, Mizel, now adjusted, brushed her bangs back.
“Now, about the tasks you assigned me earlier, I should report.”
“…!”
Diana’s expression changed instantly at her words. Mizel also put aside his playful demeanor and spoke seriously.
“Firstly, the false identity you requested has been created. The name is Dane Obscure. On paper, she’s a drifter from the kingdom of Arlas.”
“Being from Arlas makes it hard to trace her past. Well done. What about the mask?”
“Here it is…. But are you really planning to go somewhere yourself?” Mizel, with a skeptical look, rummaged through a small bag slung over her shoulder, and handed Diana the mask.
Ignoring her question for the moment, Diana examined the mask closely. The mask, resembling the face of a brown owl, was intricate and sturdy. Satisfied, Diana put on the mask and turned her head. “How does it look?”
“Do you want my honest opinion?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Yes.”
“You asked if I planned to go out by myself, right?”
Diana took off the mask and placed it on her lap. She tapped the mask with her fingers as she spoke. “I’ll answer that after hearing the report on the third task. Did you find the person I mentioned?”
“I found him.”
It was a concise and straightforward reply.
Diana smiled slightly, pleased with Mizel’s swift and accurate response. “Is that true?”
“Yes. His name is Antar… a fighter in the illegal arena Vitas.”
Mizel, uncertain if she had found the right person, glanced at Diana’s face. But Diana simply stared at her calmly, neither confirming nor denying. Intimidated by her demeanor, Mizel continued her report.
“He used to stay in the slums, but recently, he started working regularly at Vitas, likely because he now has more children to take care of.”
Diana lowered her eyes, lost in thought. Memories of the first time she saw Antar flashed in her mind.
“Your Highness, who is that…?”
“I brought him here because I felt sorry for him lying down in the rain. Give him a warm bath and a meal.”
A young man who Rebecca brought in one day, barely breathing and in tatters. He was Antar, an intermediate earth elementalist who remained as Rebecca’s shield until his dying moment.
Rebecca never showed kindness to anyone useless. More precisely, she had an uncanny ability to recognize those who could be useful to her. So, she brought in Antar, who was beaten to death by thugs in the back alleys, cleaned him up, fed him warm meals, and even found good homes for his younger siblings. This was because she coveted the talent Antar displayed when confronting the thugs.
“He is said to be a famous arena fighter, and he certainly was born with it. If trained properly, he will be useful.”
Whatever her intention was, the result was that Antar became blindly loyal to Rebecca, just like Diana.
Among the other intermediate earth elementalists, his ability was so great that it was called ‘impregnable.’ That was why Diana sought out Antar. His abilities were essential to strengthen Kayden in the upcoming mock battle.
“When is the Vitas match day?”
“Most matches are held every other day.” The answer came straight away.
Diana blinked once and sighed briefly at this. “So it’s today.”
“Since I saw you preparing to go there, I arranged the date accordingly.”
“As expected, the vice guild master is very competent.” Diana smiled faintly, praising Mizel’s attentiveness.
She stood up and received a long cloak from Mizel. As she donned the cloak, Diana turned around and asked, “By the way, you haven’t found the data on the first elementalists yet, have you?”
“You said it wasn’t urgent…”
“Ah, I wasn’t going to say anything. Just in case.” Diana quickly added as Mizel showed a slightly sullen expression. She didn’t have high expectations due to past failures, so she wasn’t particularly disappointed. It was just a lingering hope. Diana answered nonchalantly as if to brush away her feelings, and put on her mask and cloak.
Since Diana collapsed, it was known that she would take a nap around this time, so it was quiet outside the room. Considering that even the first prince and his wife were not allowed in while she rested, following Kayden’s orders, it was even safer.
And Kayden won’t leave the training ground today because of Sir Remit.
Diana had planned this, pretending to take regular naps and sending Kayden away. It was to have some uninterrupted time alone.
By the time Diana wrapped herself up in the mask and cloak, Mizel discreetly locked the door and returned. “I’ll stay here and observe—”
“Mizel, your hand.” At that moment, Diana abruptly extended her hand, cutting off Mizel’s words.
Mizel blinked in confusion but instinctively placed her hand over hers. “Are you taking me with you?”
“It’s better to go together.”
“But someone should stay behind to handle any unexpected events.”
“It’s fine.”
At the end of her sentence, Diana glanced behind Mizel. The Hillasa she had summoned poked their heads out from under the bed and waved their thin arms. Undoubtedly, their signals, connected to Diana’s soul, would be faster and more accurate than Mizel’s messages. But Mizel, unaware of this, still looked puzzled.
“But…”
“Close your eyes for a moment. Don’t be too surprised.”
“Yes, yes? What are you…!” Mizel was startled when Diana covered her eyes, and then she felt herself falling through the air, quickly biting her inner cheek to stifle a scream.
Diana, hidden by Muf’s barrier, had jumped out of the window with Mizel. It was a small revenge for the earlier scare Mizel caused.
* * *
I’m exhausted…
Antar forced his legs, which felt unusually heavy today, to move towards Vitas. His brown shaggy hair covered his forehead, almost poking his eyes, and his eyes, half-hidden by his hair, looked blank. His body, hidden under old clothes, was covered in scars and bruises.
That damned man. Antar gritted his teeth as Vitas’s owner’s face came to mind.
Antar had signed a magical document, practically a slave contract, to become Vitas’s fighting dog before he made a pact with a spirit. So, when he manifested as an elementalist, the owner gleefully threw him into the arena.
A regular fighting dog would get about a week to rest and recover after a match. But the owner sent Antar into matches every few days because ’a fighting dog that can handle spirits’ made money. As a result, Antar never had time to fully recover from his injuries before each match. His condition worsened with each accumulated fight.
“Brother… Can we have bread today?”
But he couldn’t stop walking because of the children he took care of. If he didn’t work like a slave, he couldn’t feed his younger siblings.
