Elze introduced Ilwooz to Marle as 'Serhil', and added that he was a priest she had met when she went to Inesian.
The welcoming speech was so passionate for someone who had only just met him, so Marle looked puzzled. However, as usual, he didn’t ask Elze any questions.
Elze stared at the boy. The boy blinked in confusion at the look in Elze's eyes. Elze stared at the boy blankly and then said abruptly.
“For a beggar, his face and hands are clean. He doesn’t show any signs of having worked, and his complexion is also good, to the point where you’d think he was starving.”
The boy flinched. Elze calmly asked him a question.
“Is it really a coin that you want?”
“..."
The boy stared at Elze without saying anything and then ran away. Only Tarkun, who was holding a coin in his hand, looked at the boy’s back with a face full of betrayal. Elze furrowed her brows. This village didn’t seem normal.
“What the heck, that blatantly suspicious guy.”
Ivanna spoke up on behalf of the offended Tarkun. Tarkun muttered, putting coins in his pocket.
“As expected, even children can’t be trusted...”
“Kids are originally more clever.”
Ivanna said something to Tarkun. Elze added her words to appease Tarkun.
“They take advantage of the fact that children are careless and use it to commit various crimes. Don’t be too disappointed.”
Rapine muttered, crossing his arms.
“By the way, it really is a strange village... A bustling village in a place like this. They are also very wary of outsiders.”
Elze nodded. That too, and the huge marble mansion in the innermost part of the village was particularly suspicious. Marble mansions were not common even in the capital.
“Doesn’t it feel like there’s something there?”
Everyone agreed with Elze's words.
“I think it would be best to go back to the campsite first.”
Following Rapine's words, Elze and her party first returned to the campsite they had set up outside the village. After a while of lounging around at the campsite, Shan's party, who had gone to visit the mansion, returned shortly thereafter.
“Elze, have you been waiting long?”
“Come on, Shan! What are you waiting for? I was with Elijah and the others.”
“Madam! I’m here too!!”
Next to Shan, Liv waved his hand and greeted her. Although he looked frivolous for a leader of the knights of Targayel, Elze giggled at his mischievous nature. Shan returned from the mansion and dutifully reported what he had obtained.
“They said they’d provide food and lodging at the mansion today.”
"Is it so?"
“I think only you, I, Elijah, and Serhil should attend the dinner. Liv will lead the rest of the knights at the campsite. They said they will send food to the campsite from the mansion.”
Elze nodded at Shan's words.
“...So, we are going to have dinner at the mansion. Would you like to come with us, Sir Serhil?”
And she went to Ilwooz and asked him what he thought. Ilwooz seemed a little worried when he said dinner at the mansion. He wasn't the type to be particularly picky about food. But Elze didn't just talk to him about dinner.
“I think they’ll provide you with a comfortable place to sleep. It’ll be nice to sleep in a bed for the first time in a while.”
When Elze said that, Ilwooz nodded and accepted it. However, Elze was secretly surprised by what he said next.
“The atmosphere surrounding the village seemed a little strange....”
While Elze was wandering around the village, Ilwooz stayed at the campsite. However, even though he had only seen the village from the campsite, he sensed that there was something strange about the village.
“Has there been anything suspicious in the village...?”
“There was a marble mansion, the one we were invited to dinner at. It was an unusual mansion for a remote village like this.”
She even told a story about a child who was begging and then ran away after being glared at. Ilwooz clasped his hands together and spoke quietly.
“I see... It certainly seems like we need to be a little more careful...”
Elze nodded at Ilwooz's soft warning.
Before going out for dinner, Elze and Shan made preparations in the barracks of the camp. Elze put on a simple dress that did not require a crinoline and then hid her dagger in a holder attached to her inner thigh.
When she looked back at Shan preparing, she saw that he had a large long sword at his side. Elze, who had been thinking of barely hiding a single dagger, burst out laughing at Shan's sword being worn so openly.
“What, was it okay to bring a sword so blatantly? I only brought a dagger.”
“I guess you also thought it was suspicious.”
Elze told Shan, who was checking the blade, about what had happened that day. The strange little boy, the atmosphere of the village, and Ilwooz's warning. There were three things that would have been annoying even if there had been only one. Shan nodded and told her about his visit to the mansion earlier.
“The mansion was certainly a bit strange. I didn’t see any of the servants. At best, I saw some young servants occasionally... And I spoke briefly with the owner of the mansion, but he had his face hidden by a mask.”
Shan continued, frowning.
“They say it’s because of the scar, but it’s suspicious. Let’s just enjoy it to some extent and get out if it looks dangerous.”
“Should we just not go?”
“But you said you wanted to eat something delicious.”
“Shan...”
Shan remembered everything Elze had been joking about earlier. Shan smiled and said to Elze.
“I’ve been sleeping out here and there, so I’d like to give you a soft bed to sleep in today. Allow me to be a little greedy.”
Good food and a comfortable bed were what Elze had been longing for, Shan said, hiding another dagger in the hem of his coat.
“And with so many knights at the campsite just a stone’s throw from the village, they probably wouldn’t act recklessly either. There didn’t seem to be any private soldiers or knights at the mansion.”
In fact, with a force of this size, a small village like this could be taken care of in less than half a day. And with Elijah also attending the banquet, it would be okay to just cause a commotion if things went wrong.
But even though he knew it was a trap, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about going in. Shan said, looking at Elze's slightly darkened face.
“It is my order from the imperial family to inspect the territory near the border... I can’t just pass by a suspicious village. In that case, stay at the campsite. I will let you go alone.”
Elze shook her head at Shan's cautious words.
“No. I don’t know what might happen, but if it’s dangerous, I can’t send you alone. I have to protect you.”
Elze said, tightening the ribbon around her waist.
“Let’s go and give it a try.”
The welcoming speech was so passionate for someone who had only just met him, so Marle looked puzzled. However, as usual, he didn’t ask Elze any questions.
He probably asked Shan something he was curious about later. Of course, Elze wasn't worried because Shan would know how to explain it well.
Elze gave Ilwooz a brief tour of the mansion and talked about how they would live in the future.
As a priest, his daily routine was more ordinary than you might think. He would wake up early and pray at dawn, and apart from that, he would do a short meditation before meals or pray before going to bed at night, and there was nothing special about it. He didn’t have any particular food restrictions, except for the fact that he seemed to live off of dew.
There were no vassals or private soldiers, but there seemed to be believers of Ines among the hired hands. They took great pride in the fact that a priest of Ines was staying in Targayel.
Perhaps it will not be long before the nobles of Baluar learn of the presence of a priest in Targayel's mansion. And those among the nobles who believe in Ines will naturally turn their attention to Targayel.
In many ways, it was certainly a great advantage for Ilwooz to remain in Targayel. For one man, it was a near-disaster.
“...”
Shan, who returned home from the palace, was silent for a long time after seeing Ilwooz, just like Elze had been. In front of Shan, Ilwooz pretended not to know anything even though he knew everything, and just smiled. Elze poked Shan's ribs, whose expression became fierce, and whispered quickly.
“You should call him Serhil. He has come as a priest, not as the Pope.”
However, Shan's face remained stiff even after hearing Elze's words. Ilwooz greeted Shan first.
“Nice to meet you, Cirxus.”
Shan had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept his greeting.
"I look forward to..."
Shan, who had greeted him with difficulty, quickly grabbed Elze's hand as if it were some kind of compensation. It was the moment Elze was about to clasp her hands together.
“Ah, and...”
Ilwooz spoke gently with a gentle face.
“At the very least, I would like you to refrain from showing affection in front of me... After all, I am in a position where I have to protect Lady Elze, so if you act like that, it would be a bit...”
Ilwooz didn't continue talking. He thought Shan would understand without him having to say anything. Shan put one hand on his forehead. Then he let out a deep sigh.
"...Ha."
He wiped his face with his hand and his face looked extremely tired. Elze held back her laughter at the sight of Shan.
After that, Ilwooz continued to work hard to keep Shan and Elze apart under the pretext of surveillance. Elze was glad that Shan was no longer acting like a troublemaker in front of others, but Shan didn't seem to care at all.
Every time she tried to have a skinship with Ilwooz without telling him, he would get jealous because he told her not to, but he was frustrated every time. Elze was so busy holding back laughter that her stomach hurt from watching his diligent attempts.
When Elze and Shan finally got alone together, it was when they had finished their work and entered the bedroom. Shan quickly picked Elze up, laid her down on the bed, and kissed her from above. The kisses that poured out along with the pleasant pressure made her body heat up.
Shan, who had been kissing her deeply, let out a satisfied moan. He muttered, leaning his head on Elze's shoulder.
“It was hard...”
Elze giggled slightly at the sight of him seemingly having experienced all the hardships of life. Shan grumbled in front of Elze.
“I can’t even have physical contact in my own house. Does that make sense?”
“Why, it’s nice to see you being patient with me.”
“...”
Shan looked at Elze with resentful eyes. Elze giggled and kissed his cheek. But Shan seemed not satisfied with that and bit Elze's nape. After chewing and licking her nape for a while, he sighed deeply again and spoke.
“I see he’ll follow me to the border.”
“Of course. He's your watchdog.”
“What would change if he watched me?”
“Just... Nothing will change, but at least I can see you right in front of me, so wouldn’t that be a relief?”
“Is that so?”
Although Elze agreed with what he said, Shan still looked dissatisfied. When Elze gently rubbed his cheek with his finger, he furrowed his brows and added one more word.
“It’s hard for the devil to live.”
Elze burst out laughing at Shan's self-deprecating joke. After laughing for a while, Elze put her hand inside Shan's shirt and asked a question.
“You don’t have wings?”
As she felt around his back to find his shoulder blades and felt them, Shan hugged Elze tightly in his arms.
“Ugh, I can’t breathe...”
Shan slightly relaxed his arm. He spoke confidently, his foreheads touching hers.
“If you want, I can make wing trimming for you.”
“It would be better to say that you have picked stars.”
“I guess that would be easier.”
Elze simply nodded her head at the sight of Shan's slyly countering. She had long ago given up on trying to win Shan over with words.
Elze tapped the bedside table with her hand. Shan naturally extended his arm, and Elze habitually rested her head on his forearm. The two of them lay side by side on the bed, their bodies pressed against each other.
It was the first time they had talked about the Savior and the Devil. Since their visit to Inesian, Elze and Shan had not spoken a word on the subject. They had been reluctant to talk to each other as if it were some kind of sore spot.
Today was the first time she brought up the subject as a joke, but Shan must have been a little nervous before opening his mouth. But when he actually started talking, it wasn't anything special.
Shan opened his mouth, twirling Elze's hair with his fingers. Elze's light-colored hair stood out sharply against his tanned brown skin.
“In Inesian.”
He said this after pulling Elze's hair for no reason.
“What would have happened to me if it weren’t for you?”
Elze was looking into Shan's purple eyes while he played with her hair. A strange thought suddenly occurred to her. Could it be that he was a devil and that's why women were attracted to him?
Looking at Elze's eyes, which held a subtle darkness and sparkled seductively, Elze's hypothesis felt very credible.
Elze reached out and caressed his eyes. Shan closed his eyes gently as if enjoying Elze's touch. He looked like an animal enjoying its master's touch. Elze kissed the bridge of his nose and said.
“I don’t know. But...”
Shan slightly lifted his eyelids. His purple eyes, which had been hidden, were revealed, and looked straight at Elze. Elze spoke as she looked at those eyes that drew her deep inside.
“Don’t worry about things that haven’t even happened yet. The most important thing right now is that we’re together, right?”
Shan was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. He stared at Elze blankly and then said something out of the blue.
“You seem like the savior.”
When Elze blinked, asking what was going on out of the blue, Shan carefully caressed Elze and said.
“I don’t know much about things like demons or the destruction of the continent, but...”
His hands were smooth, completely different from the way he had been pushing her hard just a moment ago. He spoke in a low voice, placing a gentle kiss on Elze’s eyelids.
“If you had been taken from me, I would have burned the entire continent to get you back.”
Then he hugged Elze's waist with his forearm and kissed her chest, adding one more word.
“So, stick close to me. Otherwise, the continent will be destroyed.”
Elze couldn't help but burst out laughing at Shan's cute threat.
Raymond sat up from his bed, kicking the covers off of him with his feet. He muttered a curse under his breath.
"Shit!"
Iarin, who was lying next to him, looked at Raymond in surprise. The Crown Princess and her husband rarely had sex. However, they pretended to sleep together because they were being watched by others. They went to bed together regularly, and today was that day.
There was no need to worry about Iarin since no one was watching. Raymond nervously hit the bed and drank the water on the table.
“...”
Iarin opened her eyes wide and looked at Raymond, then bit her lower lip. She quietly got up from the bed.
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood today. You need some time alone to cool your head.”
As she said that, she took off the negligee she was wearing, wrapped a shawl over her shoulders, and quickly left the bedroom.
Raymond watched her back with a dumbfounded expression. However, Iarin did not look back. Soon after, the sound of the door closing was heard, and Raymond was left alone in the room.
"Ha...!"
Raymond roughly ran his hand through his hair with a dumbfounded expression. In the past, when Raymond got angry like this, Iarin would tremble and bow her head without saying a word.
But the current Iarin was different. Her once docile attitude was nowhere to be found. She seemed to be getting along well with Countess Targayel, but her behavior had become very arrogant.
Now, the thought of being ignored by his wife made Raymond feel like his insides were seething.
It was all Targayel's fault.
Raymond could still see Ilwooz bowing before Erzenes Targayel, and the way he had never spoken to him.
He pressed his fingers to his temples. The letter he had received from Ilwooz, the Pope who ruled over the sacred city of Inesian, came to mind.
It was a letter stating that Erzenes Targayel was the savior prophesied by the Church of Ines and that the Church would dispatch a priest to protect her. It also said that it would be best to keep this fact a secret for now to avoid chaos on the continent.
“Targayel...”
Raymond muttered Targayel's name in a strangled, choked voice. Targayel had received Ilwooz's approval. No, it wasn't just that he had received approval.
Erzenes Targayel is the savior!
Raymond also knew about the prophecy passed down in the Church of Ines. It was a prophecy that demons would awaken in the millennium and bring the continent to the brink of destruction, but a savior would appear, defeat the demons, and save the continent.
It was a prophecy that only little children with runny noses would take seriously, but once they grew up, it became an old story that they would turn a deaf ear to.
But at least everyone knew how important the existence of the savior was in that prophecy. And the fact that the mission of the Pope, Ilwooz, was to find the savior. It should have been strange when the news came that the priests of Ines, who rarely appeared in the Inesians, had been appearing frequently recently.
It was also strange to think that the Queen of Ryeo, who was famous for her close friendship with Ilwooz, would suddenly visit the Baluar royal family.
A series of facts that were connected in a tangled pattern were all explained if Erzenes was the savior. It was all because of her... Raymond felt ashamed of himself for having been so innocently happy about it, and his face turned red.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!!”
Raymond kicked the covers off of him again and swore. His curses echoed hollowly in the empty bedroom.
Raymond did not truly believe the story of the continent being destroyed and the appearance of a demon or savior. He still thought that Ilwooz was talking nonsense. But the problem was that Ilwooz, of all people, was with Targayel.
If it is known that a priest of Ines resides in Targayel, Targayel will have 'authority'.
It was a matter of something more than just hurt pride. Where in the world is there a family with a higher authority than the royal family? It was absurd and unacceptable.
This was especially true in the current situation where he was at odds with Count Targayel. Raymond, who was nervously twitching his fingers, suddenly remembered the words of Duke Seraph.
"There will be no repercussions if we remove Count Targayel, Your Highness."
He was right. Raymond had no choice now. If he sat still, he might see Targayel devouring Baluar.
It seemed like it would be a good idea to wipe out Targayel and send Erzenes to Inesian to be made a priestess. And Shan Cirxus...
If you can't break it, you have no choice but to kill it.
Even though it was just a thought, Raymond flinched for a moment. He clenched his teeth and added a word as if making an excuse.
“There’s no way around it...”
It was midwinter when Targayel left for the border.
It was a really bad time to be out on a long trip, with the wind howling and the roads frozen.
But neither the royal family nor Targayel wanted to wait until the weather cleared. Each had their own ulterior motives and wished to leave for the border as soon as possible.
As Count of Targayel, Shan was given the authority to manage the lands along the border and to lead armies to settle minor disputes. And Astin was allowed to return to Aquis College early, even though his vacation was not over yet.
On the day they left for the border, Shan and Elze entered the palace together to greet Raymond.
Although it would have been acceptable to hold a formal inauguration ceremony, Targayel, who was banished from the capital to the outskirts, did not even show such a small favor. Raymond's behavior was also extremely cold. All he could do was say a curt word to the Count and Countess of Targayel who came to greet him.
"...I hope you have a safe trip, Count.”
But judging from the way he spoke, it seemed like he really wanted him to die a horrible death on the street. Of course, Shan knew what he was thinking, but he didn’t show it and answered flexibly.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Stay healthy.”
That was the end of his farewell to Raymond. He briefly showed his face to his subject as he left for his death, and then he was gone.
Anyway, Elze was inwardly cursing him for being such a shameless guy, but when Crown Prince Raymond disappeared, Duke Seraph, who had been quietly watching from the side, approached and spoke to her.
“Today is finally here. The day Targayel leaves for the border...”
As expected, Seraph was the one who completely ignored Shan and spoke only to Elze. Elze raised her eyebrows and accepted his words without being rude.
“Yes, Your Excellency. I won’t be seeing you for a while.”
Duke Seraph paid no attention to the cold response. He spoke in a gloomy voice.
“I feel truly sad at the thought of not being able to see the Countess.”
Then, Duke Seraph held out a bouquet of flowers. He held the bouquet in front of her eyes, and Elze accepted it absentmindedly.
The bouquet was truly extraordinary. Unlike the packaging, which was wrapped in beautiful colored paper and decorated with blue silk ribbon and white lace ribbon, the flowers that were neatly tied together were dark red-black roses.
She didn't know how to accept this mischievous gift. The Duke of Seraph couldn't possibly have given her roses with pure intentions. Elxe turned the bouquet over and over again, wondering if there was something written on the roses.
Duke Seraph spoke to Elze, who was looking very suspicious, with a brighter smile.
“It’s just a rose.”
The smiling face was truly beautiful. In the past, when she saw his pretty face, she would have thought it was sacred. But now that she met Ilwooz, shr didn't think so. Now Elze knew what was truly sacred.
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
Elze gave a short thank you. Duke Seraph looked at Elze holding a bouquet of flowers in his arms with satisfaction. He spoke in an elegant voice.
“Take care on your way back.”
Then he leaned slightly towards Elze, smiled faintly, and whispered softly.
“I will be waiting.”
The word “wait” sounded very meaningful. However, before she could think about the meaning any further, Duke Seraph disappeared without a trace. It was the first time that he, who had always clung to Elze so tightly, had disappeared so cleanly.
“...”
Elze somehow felt that he was certain that things would turn out the way he wanted them to.
As soon as Duke Seraph disappeared, Shan snatched Elze's bouquet. There were eyes on him in the palace, so Shan took it carefully and threw the bouquet on the floor as soon as he got into the carriage.
As if he wasn't happy enough with just throwing the bouquet on the floor, Shan even stomped on the bouquet with his feet. He frowned and spoke with an angry face.
“Black roses, what a pity...”
At Shan's words, Elze finally realized that there was some meaning to the black rose. It seemed like it had some kind of strange flower language.
Upon arriving at Targayel, all the maids and servants were already prepared and waiting for Shan and Elze.
In the front yard of the mansion, dozens of horses were waiting, held by servants. For the sake of mobility, Elze planned to ride a horse instead of using a carriage.
Marle decided to stay behind to manage the mansion, run the Machangs, and gather information about the capital. He looked very sorry that he couldn't follow Shan. However, he knew that it was a situation where reason should take precedence over emotion, so he followed the order without question.
“Take care on your way back.”
As Shan and Marle said their final goodbyes, Elze looked out at the grey brick mansions of Targayel.
It was a not-so-pretty and gloomy mansion that fit the symbol of the crow, but it was a place filled with all sorts of memories.
She worked hard on the battlefield to earn money to protect this Targayel mansion that had been passed down for generations. She married Shan here and spent her honeymoon here. She also took in new vassals and soldiers and lived a comfortable life.
Apart from a brief visit to the Kingdom of Britain, she had been staying at Targayel's mansion ever since the war ended. This was the first time she had ever moved her residence.
Suddenly, Elze felt strange. It wasn't a place she couldn't return to. But the mere thought of leaving made her feel depressed.
But she could not stay here forever. This was a separation to protect Targayel. Elze knew well that she had to endure the pain of change to protect the present.
After greeting Marle, Shan mounted his horse. Elze followed Shan and mounted his horse, and the Targayel people who would accompany him on his journey to the border also prepared to depart. Elze took one last look around the Targayel mansion and held the reins tightly in her hand.
It was finally time to head to the border.
The number of Targayel's retainers and private soldiers migrating to the border ran into the hundreds.
Under the pretext that the imperial people would become anxious if so many numbers were moved at once, Raymond demanded that the numbers be divided and moved.
In fact, it was not a good choice to send a reduced number of troops to an already dangerous place, when they did not know what would happen at the border.
Raymond's nonsense was intended to keep Shan in check. Targayel had no choice but to accept Raymond's demands.
So, the elite, including Shan and Elze, knights, and vassals, formed an advance party of about fifty men and moved forward. The remaining private soldiers were assigned to the rear guard, with some being left to guard the mansion.
But there was a private soldier whose existence Raymond did not know about: Calia.
Elze secretly sent the Calias to the border to assess the situation. They must have already arrived at the border by now, assessing the situation and gathering various information.
The road to the border was both familiar and unfamiliar to Elze. She had to go in the direction where Heglatan and the border met, so she had to take the opposite route from the one she had taken to Britain.
But even though Erzenes had never been there, Elze had been there. Years ago, she had traveled alone to the border to fight in the Hundred Years' War.
On the way to Heglatan, there were few intact estates or villages. This was because many of them had been battlefields during the Hundred Years' War.
It was the first time she had passed through here since the war ended. Every time she visited the village and saw the burned and collapsed houses still standing, Elze felt a strange feeling. The war was over, but the wounds had not yet completely healed, and the traces were still vivid.
There were also several episodes as they headed to the border, most of which involved Ilwooz. Ilwooz had a hard time throughout the trip due to physical exhaustion. In fact, riding a horse in the middle of a winter wind would be difficult for even an average adult male.
However, Ilwooz followed along quite well on the tight journey with the knights who only ate and exercised. The reason he was able to endure despite his weak physical strength was because of his excellent horse-riding skills.
The surprising fact was that it was Ilwooz's first time riding a horse. As Ilwooz, he never had to leave Inesian, and even if he did, he always used a carriage.
But Ilwooz rode so smoothly that it was hard to believe it was his first time riding, even though he was wearing a tattered priest's robe that was not appropriate for horseback riding.
To be exact, the horse was behaving very cautiously. Although it was originally a gentle horse, it was so obedient that it seemed like it was a human rather than an animal. Even when running and occasionally squealing, it seemed to be looking out for the Ilwooz on its back to see if they would be surprised.
During his short breaks, it would act so affectionate towards Ilwooz that anyone who saw him would think that he had raised the horse since it was little.
During a brief pause, Elxe went to see Ilwooz.
“Il...Sir Serhil!”
Elze, who was trying to call him Ilwooz out of habit, barely managed to correct his name. Ilwooz smiled faintly and looked at Elze. Elxe looked back and forth between Ilwooz and the horse and spoke.
“The horse follows Serhil very well.”
Ilwooz stroked the nose of the horse that had carried him. The horse was so happy that it snorted loudly. It was both funny and strange to see. Ilwooz stroked the horse that was rubbing its face against his and said.
“Animals are pure, so they can sense energy better... Now that you’ve become friends with a horse, there’s no need to whip it or yell at it...”
What would it be like to be friends with animals? It seemed that the horses followed Ilwooz more closely because he had divine powers.
Anyway, the reason Elze came to see Ilwooz now was for another reason. Elze motioned to Elijah, who was standing over there, and brought them over to meet Ilwooz.
“It’s a relationship that started back in the Hundred Years’ War. We are like family to each other, so I was honest about Serhil.”
If there was one person Elze trusted most in Targayel, it would naturally be Elijah. She told them everything about Ilwooz.
When the priest who came to Targayel heard the story of Ilwooz, all of Elijah was shocked. Among them, there was one most shocked person, and that was Ivanna.
Ivanna, who stood in front of Ilwooz along with the other Elijahs, hid behind Tarkun as if she were a thief who was trembling with fear.
In fact, there was a reason why Ivanna had to act this way. Alchemists always had bad relations with the Order.
Unlike believers who hoped that everything would happen naturally according to God's providence, alchemists tried to scientifically prove everything by going against and sometimes breaking the laws of nature in their quest for truth.
In the eyes of those who believed in God, alchemists could not help but look bad. On the other hand, alchemists could not understand believers who did not investigate but simply accepted the natural order.
Since they both disliked each other, the relationship between the two groups naturally developed into one of enmity. But then, Ivanna, an alchemist, met Ines' first servant, Ilwooz, who was not just a believer.
No matter how brilliant and successful Ivanna was as an alchemist, meeting the mysterious Pope of the Church of Ines was a huge burden for the young girl.
Of course, if any problems arose, she knew that Elze would naturally take care of them. Still, Ivanna struggled for days just to decide to say hello to Ilwooz.
Rapine and Tarkun took the lead in greeting Ilwooz, and finally, it was Ivanna's turn. Ivanna took a deep breath and bowed to Ilwooz.
“I am Ivanna from Elijah. It is an honor to meet you.”
Since Elze had already told Ilwooz that Ivanna was an alchemist, Ilwooz wasn't that surprised to see Ivanna. Rather, he seemed surprised that Ivanna was a young girl. Ilwooz said with a faint smile.
“To be seeking such truth at such a young age... How amazing...”
Ivanna's eyes widened at Ilwooz's attitude, which was completely different from what she had imagined. She probably thought he would treat her coldly. Ivanna, who had never imagined that he would acknowledge her, was at a loss at the unexpected turn of events and said shyly.
"Thank you."
Ilwooz smiled. A warm atmosphere flowed between the two. Ivanna hesitated and then asked cautiously.
“I have some medicine that is good for recovering from fatigue. Would you like to try some?”
“If you give it to me, I will be grateful...”
Ilwooz readily accepted Ivanna's favor. Ivanna's face, which had shown great courage, brightened. In this way, Ivanna and Ilwooz were able to establish a much more harmonious relationship than expected.
And there was one more minor incident that Elze was unaware of: the knights of Targayel got to see Elze again.
The events of the trial of the Count of Epernon had spread widely throughout the Baluar Empire, and now everyone knew that the Countess of Targayel was Elze of Elijah.
But in reality, the knights only saw Elze wearing a dress and walking around elegantly, so they couldn't really feel it. They just vaguely thought it was Elijah.
But this time, Elze rode a horse instead of a carriage as she headed to the border. With her hair tied back tightly and wearing riding clothes, Elze looked impeccable as she rode her horse skillfully.
Then, as they occasionally saw the sight of Tarkun and Elze fighting each other, the knights gradually began to realize that the Countess they were serving was Elijah's Elze.
Elze's position among the knights had changed slightly from a lady to be protected to a master of martial arts to be emulated, but Elze was unaware of this fact.
Other than that, the journey to the border was generally smooth. Perhaps it was to be expected since no one would be crazy enough to dare pounce on a moving procession of dozens of knights.
It was around the time when everyone was getting used to the journey. One day, while riding across the dry plains as usual, Shan, who had a brief conversation with the knights, turned his horse around and approached Elze. Elze, who was riding with Elijah and the others in the middle of the group, greeted him warmly.
“I plan to stay in the village you see over there today.”
Elze looked where Shan was pointing. At the tip of his finger was a small village. Nameless small villages on the outskirts were common.
In such a village, she didn't even want a soft bed. Just being able to sleep under a roof today made Elze happy. Sleeping out in the middle of winter was hard for Elze too.
“I wish there was something delicious in town. No more jerky...”
Shan tried to appease Elze by saying that if there was nothing delicious, he would make it. When Elze asked what he would make, Shan thought hard and suggested various things. Most of them were simple camping food that could be eaten on the battlefield, so they were all rejected.
Of course, Elze had no intention of complaining about food on a trip like this. However, it was fun to see Shan get embarrassed by a story that was brought up as a joke. Elze and Shan chatted about various things as they headed to the village.
Although the sun had not set yet, perhaps because of the cold weather, there were hardly any people passing through the village at first glance. Since it was a small village, they couldn’t take all the knights with them, so they decided to first set up a campsite in front of the village and select a few people to take a tour around the village.
The village was surprisingly neat. There were many brick houses, and in the innermost part, there was even a huge marble mansion that didn't seem to fit in with such a remote area.
But the more she looked around, the more she felt the strange atmosphere of the village. It was not just that they were wary of outsiders, but they seemed to not want to talk to them at all.
One of the knights tried to grab the villager and talk to him but failed as he ran away screaming. Shan and the other knights decided to start by searching the innermost mansion in the village.
Elze, who had already given up halfway, decided to just go sightseeing in the town, so she sent them back to the mansion and walked leisurely with Elijah.
Elze, who was looking around the strangely quiet town, suddenly stopped walking. She saw a boy covered with a straw in the alley. The boy walked out unsteadily and held out his hand to Elze.
“Please give me just a penny...”
The boy with the big eyes had a very pitiful expression on his face. It was a face that made you feel pity just by looking at it.
Tarkun, who was big in stature but weak-hearted, tried to rummage through his pockets to get a coin, but Elze stopped him by lightly grabbing his arm.
“...”
Elze gave Ilwooz a brief tour of the mansion and talked about how they would live in the future.
As a priest, his daily routine was more ordinary than you might think. He would wake up early and pray at dawn, and apart from that, he would do a short meditation before meals or pray before going to bed at night, and there was nothing special about it. He didn’t have any particular food restrictions, except for the fact that he seemed to live off of dew.
There were no vassals or private soldiers, but there seemed to be believers of Ines among the hired hands. They took great pride in the fact that a priest of Ines was staying in Targayel.
Perhaps it will not be long before the nobles of Baluar learn of the presence of a priest in Targayel's mansion. And those among the nobles who believe in Ines will naturally turn their attention to Targayel.
In many ways, it was certainly a great advantage for Ilwooz to remain in Targayel. For one man, it was a near-disaster.
“...”
Shan, who returned home from the palace, was silent for a long time after seeing Ilwooz, just like Elze had been. In front of Shan, Ilwooz pretended not to know anything even though he knew everything, and just smiled. Elze poked Shan's ribs, whose expression became fierce, and whispered quickly.
“You should call him Serhil. He has come as a priest, not as the Pope.”
However, Shan's face remained stiff even after hearing Elze's words. Ilwooz greeted Shan first.
“Nice to meet you, Cirxus.”
Shan had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept his greeting.
"I look forward to..."
Shan, who had greeted him with difficulty, quickly grabbed Elze's hand as if it were some kind of compensation. It was the moment Elze was about to clasp her hands together.
“Ah, and...”
Ilwooz spoke gently with a gentle face.
“At the very least, I would like you to refrain from showing affection in front of me... After all, I am in a position where I have to protect Lady Elze, so if you act like that, it would be a bit...”
Ilwooz didn't continue talking. He thought Shan would understand without him having to say anything. Shan put one hand on his forehead. Then he let out a deep sigh.
"...Ha."
He wiped his face with his hand and his face looked extremely tired. Elze held back her laughter at the sight of Shan.
After that, Ilwooz continued to work hard to keep Shan and Elze apart under the pretext of surveillance. Elze was glad that Shan was no longer acting like a troublemaker in front of others, but Shan didn't seem to care at all.
Every time she tried to have a skinship with Ilwooz without telling him, he would get jealous because he told her not to, but he was frustrated every time. Elze was so busy holding back laughter that her stomach hurt from watching his diligent attempts.
When Elze and Shan finally got alone together, it was when they had finished their work and entered the bedroom. Shan quickly picked Elze up, laid her down on the bed, and kissed her from above. The kisses that poured out along with the pleasant pressure made her body heat up.
Shan, who had been kissing her deeply, let out a satisfied moan. He muttered, leaning his head on Elze's shoulder.
“It was hard...”
Elze giggled slightly at the sight of him seemingly having experienced all the hardships of life. Shan grumbled in front of Elze.
“I can’t even have physical contact in my own house. Does that make sense?”
“Why, it’s nice to see you being patient with me.”
“...”
Shan looked at Elze with resentful eyes. Elze giggled and kissed his cheek. But Shan seemed not satisfied with that and bit Elze's nape. After chewing and licking her nape for a while, he sighed deeply again and spoke.
“I see he’ll follow me to the border.”
“Of course. He's your watchdog.”
“What would change if he watched me?”
“Just... Nothing will change, but at least I can see you right in front of me, so wouldn’t that be a relief?”
“Is that so?”
Although Elze agreed with what he said, Shan still looked dissatisfied. When Elze gently rubbed his cheek with his finger, he furrowed his brows and added one more word.
“It’s hard for the devil to live.”
Elze burst out laughing at Shan's self-deprecating joke. After laughing for a while, Elze put her hand inside Shan's shirt and asked a question.
“You don’t have wings?”
As she felt around his back to find his shoulder blades and felt them, Shan hugged Elze tightly in his arms.
“Ugh, I can’t breathe...”
Shan slightly relaxed his arm. He spoke confidently, his foreheads touching hers.
“If you want, I can make wing trimming for you.”
“It would be better to say that you have picked stars.”
“I guess that would be easier.”
Elze simply nodded her head at the sight of Shan's slyly countering. She had long ago given up on trying to win Shan over with words.
Elze tapped the bedside table with her hand. Shan naturally extended his arm, and Elze habitually rested her head on his forearm. The two of them lay side by side on the bed, their bodies pressed against each other.
It was the first time they had talked about the Savior and the Devil. Since their visit to Inesian, Elze and Shan had not spoken a word on the subject. They had been reluctant to talk to each other as if it were some kind of sore spot.
Today was the first time she brought up the subject as a joke, but Shan must have been a little nervous before opening his mouth. But when he actually started talking, it wasn't anything special.
Shan opened his mouth, twirling Elze's hair with his fingers. Elze's light-colored hair stood out sharply against his tanned brown skin.
“In Inesian.”
He said this after pulling Elze's hair for no reason.
“What would have happened to me if it weren’t for you?”
Elze was looking into Shan's purple eyes while he played with her hair. A strange thought suddenly occurred to her. Could it be that he was a devil and that's why women were attracted to him?
Looking at Elze's eyes, which held a subtle darkness and sparkled seductively, Elze's hypothesis felt very credible.
Elze reached out and caressed his eyes. Shan closed his eyes gently as if enjoying Elze's touch. He looked like an animal enjoying its master's touch. Elze kissed the bridge of his nose and said.
“I don’t know. But...”
Shan slightly lifted his eyelids. His purple eyes, which had been hidden, were revealed, and looked straight at Elze. Elze spoke as she looked at those eyes that drew her deep inside.
“Don’t worry about things that haven’t even happened yet. The most important thing right now is that we’re together, right?”
Shan was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. He stared at Elze blankly and then said something out of the blue.
“You seem like the savior.”
When Elze blinked, asking what was going on out of the blue, Shan carefully caressed Elze and said.
“I don’t know much about things like demons or the destruction of the continent, but...”
His hands were smooth, completely different from the way he had been pushing her hard just a moment ago. He spoke in a low voice, placing a gentle kiss on Elze’s eyelids.
“If you had been taken from me, I would have burned the entire continent to get you back.”
Then he hugged Elze's waist with his forearm and kissed her chest, adding one more word.
“So, stick close to me. Otherwise, the continent will be destroyed.”
Elze couldn't help but burst out laughing at Shan's cute threat.
***
Raymond sat up from his bed, kicking the covers off of him with his feet. He muttered a curse under his breath.
"Shit!"
Iarin, who was lying next to him, looked at Raymond in surprise. The Crown Princess and her husband rarely had sex. However, they pretended to sleep together because they were being watched by others. They went to bed together regularly, and today was that day.
There was no need to worry about Iarin since no one was watching. Raymond nervously hit the bed and drank the water on the table.
“...”
Iarin opened her eyes wide and looked at Raymond, then bit her lower lip. She quietly got up from the bed.
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood today. You need some time alone to cool your head.”
As she said that, she took off the negligee she was wearing, wrapped a shawl over her shoulders, and quickly left the bedroom.
Raymond watched her back with a dumbfounded expression. However, Iarin did not look back. Soon after, the sound of the door closing was heard, and Raymond was left alone in the room.
"Ha...!"
Raymond roughly ran his hand through his hair with a dumbfounded expression. In the past, when Raymond got angry like this, Iarin would tremble and bow her head without saying a word.
But the current Iarin was different. Her once docile attitude was nowhere to be found. She seemed to be getting along well with Countess Targayel, but her behavior had become very arrogant.
Now, the thought of being ignored by his wife made Raymond feel like his insides were seething.
It was all Targayel's fault.
Raymond could still see Ilwooz bowing before Erzenes Targayel, and the way he had never spoken to him.
He pressed his fingers to his temples. The letter he had received from Ilwooz, the Pope who ruled over the sacred city of Inesian, came to mind.
It was a letter stating that Erzenes Targayel was the savior prophesied by the Church of Ines and that the Church would dispatch a priest to protect her. It also said that it would be best to keep this fact a secret for now to avoid chaos on the continent.
“Targayel...”
Raymond muttered Targayel's name in a strangled, choked voice. Targayel had received Ilwooz's approval. No, it wasn't just that he had received approval.
Erzenes Targayel is the savior!
Raymond also knew about the prophecy passed down in the Church of Ines. It was a prophecy that demons would awaken in the millennium and bring the continent to the brink of destruction, but a savior would appear, defeat the demons, and save the continent.
It was a prophecy that only little children with runny noses would take seriously, but once they grew up, it became an old story that they would turn a deaf ear to.
But at least everyone knew how important the existence of the savior was in that prophecy. And the fact that the mission of the Pope, Ilwooz, was to find the savior. It should have been strange when the news came that the priests of Ines, who rarely appeared in the Inesians, had been appearing frequently recently.
It was also strange to think that the Queen of Ryeo, who was famous for her close friendship with Ilwooz, would suddenly visit the Baluar royal family.
A series of facts that were connected in a tangled pattern were all explained if Erzenes was the savior. It was all because of her... Raymond felt ashamed of himself for having been so innocently happy about it, and his face turned red.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!!”
Raymond kicked the covers off of him again and swore. His curses echoed hollowly in the empty bedroom.
Raymond did not truly believe the story of the continent being destroyed and the appearance of a demon or savior. He still thought that Ilwooz was talking nonsense. But the problem was that Ilwooz, of all people, was with Targayel.
If it is known that a priest of Ines resides in Targayel, Targayel will have 'authority'.
It was a matter of something more than just hurt pride. Where in the world is there a family with a higher authority than the royal family? It was absurd and unacceptable.
This was especially true in the current situation where he was at odds with Count Targayel. Raymond, who was nervously twitching his fingers, suddenly remembered the words of Duke Seraph.
"There will be no repercussions if we remove Count Targayel, Your Highness."
He was right. Raymond had no choice now. If he sat still, he might see Targayel devouring Baluar.
It seemed like it would be a good idea to wipe out Targayel and send Erzenes to Inesian to be made a priestess. And Shan Cirxus...
If you can't break it, you have no choice but to kill it.
Even though it was just a thought, Raymond flinched for a moment. He clenched his teeth and added a word as if making an excuse.
“There’s no way around it...”
***
It was midwinter when Targayel left for the border.
It was a really bad time to be out on a long trip, with the wind howling and the roads frozen.
But neither the royal family nor Targayel wanted to wait until the weather cleared. Each had their own ulterior motives and wished to leave for the border as soon as possible.
As Count of Targayel, Shan was given the authority to manage the lands along the border and to lead armies to settle minor disputes. And Astin was allowed to return to Aquis College early, even though his vacation was not over yet.
On the day they left for the border, Shan and Elze entered the palace together to greet Raymond.
Although it would have been acceptable to hold a formal inauguration ceremony, Targayel, who was banished from the capital to the outskirts, did not even show such a small favor. Raymond's behavior was also extremely cold. All he could do was say a curt word to the Count and Countess of Targayel who came to greet him.
"...I hope you have a safe trip, Count.”
But judging from the way he spoke, it seemed like he really wanted him to die a horrible death on the street. Of course, Shan knew what he was thinking, but he didn’t show it and answered flexibly.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Stay healthy.”
That was the end of his farewell to Raymond. He briefly showed his face to his subject as he left for his death, and then he was gone.
Anyway, Elze was inwardly cursing him for being such a shameless guy, but when Crown Prince Raymond disappeared, Duke Seraph, who had been quietly watching from the side, approached and spoke to her.
“Today is finally here. The day Targayel leaves for the border...”
As expected, Seraph was the one who completely ignored Shan and spoke only to Elze. Elze raised her eyebrows and accepted his words without being rude.
“Yes, Your Excellency. I won’t be seeing you for a while.”
Duke Seraph paid no attention to the cold response. He spoke in a gloomy voice.
“I feel truly sad at the thought of not being able to see the Countess.”
Then, Duke Seraph held out a bouquet of flowers. He held the bouquet in front of her eyes, and Elze accepted it absentmindedly.
The bouquet was truly extraordinary. Unlike the packaging, which was wrapped in beautiful colored paper and decorated with blue silk ribbon and white lace ribbon, the flowers that were neatly tied together were dark red-black roses.
She didn't know how to accept this mischievous gift. The Duke of Seraph couldn't possibly have given her roses with pure intentions. Elxe turned the bouquet over and over again, wondering if there was something written on the roses.
Duke Seraph spoke to Elze, who was looking very suspicious, with a brighter smile.
“It’s just a rose.”
The smiling face was truly beautiful. In the past, when she saw his pretty face, she would have thought it was sacred. But now that she met Ilwooz, shr didn't think so. Now Elze knew what was truly sacred.
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
Elze gave a short thank you. Duke Seraph looked at Elze holding a bouquet of flowers in his arms with satisfaction. He spoke in an elegant voice.
“Take care on your way back.”
Then he leaned slightly towards Elze, smiled faintly, and whispered softly.
“I will be waiting.”
The word “wait” sounded very meaningful. However, before she could think about the meaning any further, Duke Seraph disappeared without a trace. It was the first time that he, who had always clung to Elze so tightly, had disappeared so cleanly.
“...”
Elze somehow felt that he was certain that things would turn out the way he wanted them to.
As soon as Duke Seraph disappeared, Shan snatched Elze's bouquet. There were eyes on him in the palace, so Shan took it carefully and threw the bouquet on the floor as soon as he got into the carriage.
As if he wasn't happy enough with just throwing the bouquet on the floor, Shan even stomped on the bouquet with his feet. He frowned and spoke with an angry face.
“Black roses, what a pity...”
At Shan's words, Elze finally realized that there was some meaning to the black rose. It seemed like it had some kind of strange flower language.
Upon arriving at Targayel, all the maids and servants were already prepared and waiting for Shan and Elze.
In the front yard of the mansion, dozens of horses were waiting, held by servants. For the sake of mobility, Elze planned to ride a horse instead of using a carriage.
Marle decided to stay behind to manage the mansion, run the Machangs, and gather information about the capital. He looked very sorry that he couldn't follow Shan. However, he knew that it was a situation where reason should take precedence over emotion, so he followed the order without question.
“Take care on your way back.”
As Shan and Marle said their final goodbyes, Elze looked out at the grey brick mansions of Targayel.
It was a not-so-pretty and gloomy mansion that fit the symbol of the crow, but it was a place filled with all sorts of memories.
She worked hard on the battlefield to earn money to protect this Targayel mansion that had been passed down for generations. She married Shan here and spent her honeymoon here. She also took in new vassals and soldiers and lived a comfortable life.
Apart from a brief visit to the Kingdom of Britain, she had been staying at Targayel's mansion ever since the war ended. This was the first time she had ever moved her residence.
Suddenly, Elze felt strange. It wasn't a place she couldn't return to. But the mere thought of leaving made her feel depressed.
But she could not stay here forever. This was a separation to protect Targayel. Elze knew well that she had to endure the pain of change to protect the present.
After greeting Marle, Shan mounted his horse. Elze followed Shan and mounted his horse, and the Targayel people who would accompany him on his journey to the border also prepared to depart. Elze took one last look around the Targayel mansion and held the reins tightly in her hand.
It was finally time to head to the border.
***
The number of Targayel's retainers and private soldiers migrating to the border ran into the hundreds.
Under the pretext that the imperial people would become anxious if so many numbers were moved at once, Raymond demanded that the numbers be divided and moved.
In fact, it was not a good choice to send a reduced number of troops to an already dangerous place, when they did not know what would happen at the border.
Raymond's nonsense was intended to keep Shan in check. Targayel had no choice but to accept Raymond's demands.
So, the elite, including Shan and Elze, knights, and vassals, formed an advance party of about fifty men and moved forward. The remaining private soldiers were assigned to the rear guard, with some being left to guard the mansion.
But there was a private soldier whose existence Raymond did not know about: Calia.
Elze secretly sent the Calias to the border to assess the situation. They must have already arrived at the border by now, assessing the situation and gathering various information.
The road to the border was both familiar and unfamiliar to Elze. She had to go in the direction where Heglatan and the border met, so she had to take the opposite route from the one she had taken to Britain.
But even though Erzenes had never been there, Elze had been there. Years ago, she had traveled alone to the border to fight in the Hundred Years' War.
On the way to Heglatan, there were few intact estates or villages. This was because many of them had been battlefields during the Hundred Years' War.
It was the first time she had passed through here since the war ended. Every time she visited the village and saw the burned and collapsed houses still standing, Elze felt a strange feeling. The war was over, but the wounds had not yet completely healed, and the traces were still vivid.
There were also several episodes as they headed to the border, most of which involved Ilwooz. Ilwooz had a hard time throughout the trip due to physical exhaustion. In fact, riding a horse in the middle of a winter wind would be difficult for even an average adult male.
However, Ilwooz followed along quite well on the tight journey with the knights who only ate and exercised. The reason he was able to endure despite his weak physical strength was because of his excellent horse-riding skills.
The surprising fact was that it was Ilwooz's first time riding a horse. As Ilwooz, he never had to leave Inesian, and even if he did, he always used a carriage.
But Ilwooz rode so smoothly that it was hard to believe it was his first time riding, even though he was wearing a tattered priest's robe that was not appropriate for horseback riding.
To be exact, the horse was behaving very cautiously. Although it was originally a gentle horse, it was so obedient that it seemed like it was a human rather than an animal. Even when running and occasionally squealing, it seemed to be looking out for the Ilwooz on its back to see if they would be surprised.
During his short breaks, it would act so affectionate towards Ilwooz that anyone who saw him would think that he had raised the horse since it was little.
During a brief pause, Elxe went to see Ilwooz.
“Il...Sir Serhil!”
Elze, who was trying to call him Ilwooz out of habit, barely managed to correct his name. Ilwooz smiled faintly and looked at Elze. Elxe looked back and forth between Ilwooz and the horse and spoke.
“The horse follows Serhil very well.”
Ilwooz stroked the nose of the horse that had carried him. The horse was so happy that it snorted loudly. It was both funny and strange to see. Ilwooz stroked the horse that was rubbing its face against his and said.
“Animals are pure, so they can sense energy better... Now that you’ve become friends with a horse, there’s no need to whip it or yell at it...”
What would it be like to be friends with animals? It seemed that the horses followed Ilwooz more closely because he had divine powers.
Anyway, the reason Elze came to see Ilwooz now was for another reason. Elze motioned to Elijah, who was standing over there, and brought them over to meet Ilwooz.
“It’s a relationship that started back in the Hundred Years’ War. We are like family to each other, so I was honest about Serhil.”
If there was one person Elze trusted most in Targayel, it would naturally be Elijah. She told them everything about Ilwooz.
When the priest who came to Targayel heard the story of Ilwooz, all of Elijah was shocked. Among them, there was one most shocked person, and that was Ivanna.
Ivanna, who stood in front of Ilwooz along with the other Elijahs, hid behind Tarkun as if she were a thief who was trembling with fear.
In fact, there was a reason why Ivanna had to act this way. Alchemists always had bad relations with the Order.
Unlike believers who hoped that everything would happen naturally according to God's providence, alchemists tried to scientifically prove everything by going against and sometimes breaking the laws of nature in their quest for truth.
In the eyes of those who believed in God, alchemists could not help but look bad. On the other hand, alchemists could not understand believers who did not investigate but simply accepted the natural order.
Since they both disliked each other, the relationship between the two groups naturally developed into one of enmity. But then, Ivanna, an alchemist, met Ines' first servant, Ilwooz, who was not just a believer.
No matter how brilliant and successful Ivanna was as an alchemist, meeting the mysterious Pope of the Church of Ines was a huge burden for the young girl.
Of course, if any problems arose, she knew that Elze would naturally take care of them. Still, Ivanna struggled for days just to decide to say hello to Ilwooz.
Rapine and Tarkun took the lead in greeting Ilwooz, and finally, it was Ivanna's turn. Ivanna took a deep breath and bowed to Ilwooz.
“I am Ivanna from Elijah. It is an honor to meet you.”
Since Elze had already told Ilwooz that Ivanna was an alchemist, Ilwooz wasn't that surprised to see Ivanna. Rather, he seemed surprised that Ivanna was a young girl. Ilwooz said with a faint smile.
“To be seeking such truth at such a young age... How amazing...”
Ivanna's eyes widened at Ilwooz's attitude, which was completely different from what she had imagined. She probably thought he would treat her coldly. Ivanna, who had never imagined that he would acknowledge her, was at a loss at the unexpected turn of events and said shyly.
"Thank you."
Ilwooz smiled. A warm atmosphere flowed between the two. Ivanna hesitated and then asked cautiously.
“I have some medicine that is good for recovering from fatigue. Would you like to try some?”
“If you give it to me, I will be grateful...”
Ilwooz readily accepted Ivanna's favor. Ivanna's face, which had shown great courage, brightened. In this way, Ivanna and Ilwooz were able to establish a much more harmonious relationship than expected.
And there was one more minor incident that Elze was unaware of: the knights of Targayel got to see Elze again.
The events of the trial of the Count of Epernon had spread widely throughout the Baluar Empire, and now everyone knew that the Countess of Targayel was Elze of Elijah.
But in reality, the knights only saw Elze wearing a dress and walking around elegantly, so they couldn't really feel it. They just vaguely thought it was Elijah.
But this time, Elze rode a horse instead of a carriage as she headed to the border. With her hair tied back tightly and wearing riding clothes, Elze looked impeccable as she rode her horse skillfully.
Then, as they occasionally saw the sight of Tarkun and Elze fighting each other, the knights gradually began to realize that the Countess they were serving was Elijah's Elze.
Elze's position among the knights had changed slightly from a lady to be protected to a master of martial arts to be emulated, but Elze was unaware of this fact.
Other than that, the journey to the border was generally smooth. Perhaps it was to be expected since no one would be crazy enough to dare pounce on a moving procession of dozens of knights.
It was around the time when everyone was getting used to the journey. One day, while riding across the dry plains as usual, Shan, who had a brief conversation with the knights, turned his horse around and approached Elze. Elze, who was riding with Elijah and the others in the middle of the group, greeted him warmly.
“I plan to stay in the village you see over there today.”
Elze looked where Shan was pointing. At the tip of his finger was a small village. Nameless small villages on the outskirts were common.
In such a village, she didn't even want a soft bed. Just being able to sleep under a roof today made Elze happy. Sleeping out in the middle of winter was hard for Elze too.
“I wish there was something delicious in town. No more jerky...”
Shan tried to appease Elze by saying that if there was nothing delicious, he would make it. When Elze asked what he would make, Shan thought hard and suggested various things. Most of them were simple camping food that could be eaten on the battlefield, so they were all rejected.
Of course, Elze had no intention of complaining about food on a trip like this. However, it was fun to see Shan get embarrassed by a story that was brought up as a joke. Elze and Shan chatted about various things as they headed to the village.
Although the sun had not set yet, perhaps because of the cold weather, there were hardly any people passing through the village at first glance. Since it was a small village, they couldn’t take all the knights with them, so they decided to first set up a campsite in front of the village and select a few people to take a tour around the village.
The village was surprisingly neat. There were many brick houses, and in the innermost part, there was even a huge marble mansion that didn't seem to fit in with such a remote area.
But the more she looked around, the more she felt the strange atmosphere of the village. It was not just that they were wary of outsiders, but they seemed to not want to talk to them at all.
One of the knights tried to grab the villager and talk to him but failed as he ran away screaming. Shan and the other knights decided to start by searching the innermost mansion in the village.
Elze, who had already given up halfway, decided to just go sightseeing in the town, so she sent them back to the mansion and walked leisurely with Elijah.
Elze, who was looking around the strangely quiet town, suddenly stopped walking. She saw a boy covered with a straw in the alley. The boy walked out unsteadily and held out his hand to Elze.
“Please give me just a penny...”
The boy with the big eyes had a very pitiful expression on his face. It was a face that made you feel pity just by looking at it.
Tarkun, who was big in stature but weak-hearted, tried to rummage through his pockets to get a coin, but Elze stopped him by lightly grabbing his arm.
“...”
Elze stared at the boy. The boy blinked in confusion at the look in Elze's eyes. Elze stared at the boy blankly and then said abruptly.
“For a beggar, his face and hands are clean. He doesn’t show any signs of having worked, and his complexion is also good, to the point where you’d think he was starving.”
The boy flinched. Elze calmly asked him a question.
“Is it really a coin that you want?”
“..."
The boy stared at Elze without saying anything and then ran away. Only Tarkun, who was holding a coin in his hand, looked at the boy’s back with a face full of betrayal. Elze furrowed her brows. This village didn’t seem normal.
“What the heck, that blatantly suspicious guy.”
Ivanna spoke up on behalf of the offended Tarkun. Tarkun muttered, putting coins in his pocket.
“As expected, even children can’t be trusted...”
“Kids are originally more clever.”
Ivanna said something to Tarkun. Elze added her words to appease Tarkun.
“They take advantage of the fact that children are careless and use it to commit various crimes. Don’t be too disappointed.”
Rapine muttered, crossing his arms.
“By the way, it really is a strange village... A bustling village in a place like this. They are also very wary of outsiders.”
Elze nodded. That too, and the huge marble mansion in the innermost part of the village was particularly suspicious. Marble mansions were not common even in the capital.
“Doesn’t it feel like there’s something there?”
Everyone agreed with Elze's words.
“I think it would be best to go back to the campsite first.”
Following Rapine's words, Elze and her party first returned to the campsite they had set up outside the village. After a while of lounging around at the campsite, Shan's party, who had gone to visit the mansion, returned shortly thereafter.
“Elze, have you been waiting long?”
“Come on, Shan! What are you waiting for? I was with Elijah and the others.”
“Madam! I’m here too!!”
Next to Shan, Liv waved his hand and greeted her. Although he looked frivolous for a leader of the knights of Targayel, Elze giggled at his mischievous nature. Shan returned from the mansion and dutifully reported what he had obtained.
“They said they’d provide food and lodging at the mansion today.”
"Is it so?"
“I think only you, I, Elijah, and Serhil should attend the dinner. Liv will lead the rest of the knights at the campsite. They said they will send food to the campsite from the mansion.”
Elze nodded at Shan's words.
“...So, we are going to have dinner at the mansion. Would you like to come with us, Sir Serhil?”
And she went to Ilwooz and asked him what he thought. Ilwooz seemed a little worried when he said dinner at the mansion. He wasn't the type to be particularly picky about food. But Elze didn't just talk to him about dinner.
“I think they’ll provide you with a comfortable place to sleep. It’ll be nice to sleep in a bed for the first time in a while.”
When Elze said that, Ilwooz nodded and accepted it. However, Elze was secretly surprised by what he said next.
“The atmosphere surrounding the village seemed a little strange....”
While Elze was wandering around the village, Ilwooz stayed at the campsite. However, even though he had only seen the village from the campsite, he sensed that there was something strange about the village.
“Has there been anything suspicious in the village...?”
“There was a marble mansion, the one we were invited to dinner at. It was an unusual mansion for a remote village like this.”
She even told a story about a child who was begging and then ran away after being glared at. Ilwooz clasped his hands together and spoke quietly.
“I see... It certainly seems like we need to be a little more careful...”
Elze nodded at Ilwooz's soft warning.
Before going out for dinner, Elze and Shan made preparations in the barracks of the camp. Elze put on a simple dress that did not require a crinoline and then hid her dagger in a holder attached to her inner thigh.
When she looked back at Shan preparing, she saw that he had a large long sword at his side. Elze, who had been thinking of barely hiding a single dagger, burst out laughing at Shan's sword being worn so openly.
“What, was it okay to bring a sword so blatantly? I only brought a dagger.”
“I guess you also thought it was suspicious.”
Elze told Shan, who was checking the blade, about what had happened that day. The strange little boy, the atmosphere of the village, and Ilwooz's warning. There were three things that would have been annoying even if there had been only one. Shan nodded and told her about his visit to the mansion earlier.
“The mansion was certainly a bit strange. I didn’t see any of the servants. At best, I saw some young servants occasionally... And I spoke briefly with the owner of the mansion, but he had his face hidden by a mask.”
Shan continued, frowning.
“They say it’s because of the scar, but it’s suspicious. Let’s just enjoy it to some extent and get out if it looks dangerous.”
“Should we just not go?”
“But you said you wanted to eat something delicious.”
“Shan...”
Shan remembered everything Elze had been joking about earlier. Shan smiled and said to Elze.
“I’ve been sleeping out here and there, so I’d like to give you a soft bed to sleep in today. Allow me to be a little greedy.”
Good food and a comfortable bed were what Elze had been longing for, Shan said, hiding another dagger in the hem of his coat.
“And with so many knights at the campsite just a stone’s throw from the village, they probably wouldn’t act recklessly either. There didn’t seem to be any private soldiers or knights at the mansion.”
In fact, with a force of this size, a small village like this could be taken care of in less than half a day. And with Elijah also attending the banquet, it would be okay to just cause a commotion if things went wrong.
But even though he knew it was a trap, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about going in. Shan said, looking at Elze's slightly darkened face.
“It is my order from the imperial family to inspect the territory near the border... I can’t just pass by a suspicious village. In that case, stay at the campsite. I will let you go alone.”
Elze shook her head at Shan's cautious words.
“No. I don’t know what might happen, but if it’s dangerous, I can’t send you alone. I have to protect you.”
Elze said, tightening the ribbon around her waist.
“Let’s go and give it a try.”
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