All eyes were on Granada.
“Do you know anything, Granada?”
In response to Callius' question, Granada closed her eyes tightly as if she had made a huge mistake, and then confessed.
"I should have reported in detail as soon as I arrived at the castle, but I was out of my mind. I discovered traces of outsiders near that location and was on my way back from investigating."
Granada was without face.
How dare you make such a mistake?
If she had reported this to Callius earlier, he would have released the knights during the day to search, and perhaps they could have found the children sooner.
But she had her own circumstances.
As soon as she arrived at the castle, the Holy Grail appeared in front of Granada, who was heading straight to report to Callius, and all her attention was drawn to it.
Moreover, the joy of finding the Holy Grail was short-lived, as Callius and Chloe rushed to talk to Luca and missed the opportunity to report.
Granada, inwardly reproaching herself, told Lamia what she had seen and felt.
Lamia explained while pointing at the map.
"There was a place nearby where the flow of mana was noticeably different from the surrounding area. My knowledge was limited, so I couldn't figure out why, but it felt so strange that I looked around and found a pouch someone had dropped. It was an item used by wizards."
When the people heard that, they were very upset.
The children's parents' faces turned pale as if their worries had become reality.
Given the circumstances, there is growing evidence that this may not have been a simple accident.
Callius made a quick decision.
"Leave only the troops to defend the castle, and everyone will go into the forest with me. Granada, can you lead us to that place that day?"
“Of course.”
“Let’s start searching from there.”
In an instant, the remaining personnel and those accompanying the search were separated.
“It would be good if Lamia, who has magical senses, went with us.”
Granada shook its head firmly at Callius's words.
“Lamia is Madame's escort. She must stay with you.”
A convinced Callius asked Luca.
“It must be hard because of the cold, but could you help with the search?”
Luca took a step back in disgust.
“I’m a Southerner. I’d freeze to death as soon as I left.”
Chloe had been listening to the conversation, fidgeting and worrying about the children, and then raised her hand.
"Then I'll go, Callius. With Lamia."
As soon as she finished speaking, the knights and castle servants who had been leaving the audience room and running to their respective positions all stopped and looked back at Chloe.
Chloe's eyes widened at the sudden gaze, and she blinked as she looked around.
“Why, why?”
Everyone screamed in unison.
“No!”
“Your Highness, please remain at the castle!”
“Madam, you can’t!”
“Someone please stop me!”
Lamia and Leviche held Chloe tightly from either side.
"Freeze to death, ma'am. No, before you freeze to death, you'll fly away and disappear forever. Look outside."
"I'm worried enough about my little brother. Please don't even ask me to go with you for my sake."
Even Luca, who was practically meeting her for the first time, shook his head at Chloe.
"I'd rather go, Marchioness. Otherwise, I'm going to be buried. I think I'll feel better that way."
Everyone, as one, tried to stop Chloe, just as one would stop a child from running into water.
Everyone had the same thought.
They can't leave fragile Chloe outside in that harsh wind.
Although she had gained a little weight recently, it was literally just a little bit of 'fat' and not at a level that could be considered 'healthy' by the standards of the Ronheim people.
People were making a fuss as if Chloe would die if she went outside and got even a little bit of cold wind.
Callius drove the wedge in.
"This time, I have no choice but to stop Chloe. I suggest you remain at the castle, Chloe."
Chloe quickly agreed.
“Well then, everyone... take care.”
'I hope Callius is safe.'
I stood anxiously in front of the entrance, watching Callius, who had finished arming himself in the blink of an eye and was holding the reins of his horse.
The knights and soldiers were lined up and about to set off.
Among them was Luca, wrapped in a very thick blanket that was said to have cold-weather magic.
'In my past life, during this time, Callius was attacked by the Kavala and died.'
Callius is dead.
Just imagining it was so terrifying that my body trembled.
I felt like my heart was going to be ripped out.
I tried to console myself.
"It's okay, Chloe. Things are completely different now than they were then. In my past life, Ronheim was caught off guard by an enemy invasion, unpredictable. But now, Ronheim has foreseen the enemy's movements and is prepared."
Now, I knew that the enemies were hiding somewhere, and I was going to go find them.
The current Callius also knew that there was a traitor who knew Ronheim and its knights well.
In addition, the search party included Luca, a capable magician.
It's completely different from my past life.
I changed everything.
To save Callius.
'So it'll be okay.'
I shook my head to avoid having negative thoughts.
'The worst thing never happens.'
These were the words he had said to Leviche, who was worried that another war would break out and Ronheim would be stained with blood.
'I was sure of it when I said those words.'
Yes, I'm sure.
'I believe in what I've accomplished so far. I believe in myself and in Callius.'
Callius and this Ronheim are by no means easy.
The idea that Callius might be wrong was, conversely, no different from believing that Kavala was the more powerful winner.
"Do you believe in Kavala, Chloe? Let's not. I believe in the strength of Callius."
Having made up my mind, I ran to Callius, holding the Miris stem that I had placed in the chalice, and then moved to another vase.
“Callius! Wait a minute!”
I pulled Callius' hand towards me and wrapped the tough Miris stem around his wrist, tying it into a bracelet.
“This is the Platus bracelet I am giving you.”
A prayer for someone precious.
I tied my prayer to his wrist.
“You must return safely. Absolutely.”
I didn't let out a sound of anxiety.
It was just a firm and clear reminder of his duty.
“Because you have to take responsibility for my whole life.”
A strong wind ruffled our hair.
The wind was so strong that my body swayed.
But he stood firm, unshaken by the slightest wind, and looked at me.
A restrained smile spread across his lips, and then he made a promise to me without a trace of laughter.
“I will never forget that fact.”
Then he kissed my forehead lightly and got on his horse.
Soon, the gate opened, and the search party formed a line and quickly left the castle.
The warmth that briefly touched his forehead did not easily cool down until his figure was completely out of sight.
On a pitch-black night, the snowstorm obscured the view, so the magic torch Luca had brought was useless.
Callius' search party ran blindly through the darkness.
Even in this weather, the search party was running at a terrifying speed, and Luca thought as he clung to the knight's waist, determined to survive.
'Aren't these people crazy?'
He was now riding on the back of a knight on horseback.
At first, he had refused the offer to ride with a large knight who appeared to be twice his size.
'Two grown men riding on the same horse.'
It was something that couldn't even be done to a horse.
But Callius ended up putting Luca on the back of the knight.
Ronheim's horse, boasting an enormous size, surprisingly easily carried two adult men on its back.
As soon as Luca left the castle, he clung to the knight's back and wondered what would have happened if he had finally refused the offer.
'I would have fallen behind before I could even take five steps.'
He couldn't tell if these people were running while looking ahead or if they were running by feeling.
He couldn't see or hear anything. He even lost his sense of direction.
What sense do you rely on to run through the darkness at this crazy speed?
'If you let go of my hand, I will die. I die. Instant death. I die for sure.'
Luca, who was born with perfect talent and spent his entire life pushing away countless people who clung to him, wondered if he had ever clung to someone with all his might like this.
He can confidently say that it was the first time.
He never thought he'd meet his first one like this.
That too for a man!
'I said I was coming for nothing.'
I tried to gather my thoughts as my mind became increasingly confused, and I kept feeling regretful.
The search party finally slowed down when Luca almost fainted.
“Here it is!”
In the darkness, Granada's aged voice could be heard on the wind.
Granada memorized the map and chose a path that horses could run along, leading the search party to the valley where they had been before.
At the signal of arrival, Callius suddenly appeared next to Luca.
In fact, Luca didn't recognize Callius's appearance because his field of vision was so poor, but he knew he was right next to him because he heard his voice.
“Can you sense the mana of the wizard who was your former colleague here?”
Luca coughed and gasped several times before answering yes.
He carefully dismounted from his horse and placed his hand on the ground.
The thick, frozen snow crunched beneath his hands.
'Uh...?'
Soon, he found the part where the mana flow completely changed, just as Lamia had said.
Callius came up to him and shouted.
“Do you feel anything?”
“Yes! Definitely.”
Luca laughed with a grumpy face as if he were never tired.
It was like a mischievous child finding a basket of candy that someone had carefully hidden.
The wind was blowing against his face, and it was hard to breathe, but he couldn't stop smiling because he was so excited.
“Would you like to see what they’ve hidden here?”
“Do you know anything, Granada?”
In response to Callius' question, Granada closed her eyes tightly as if she had made a huge mistake, and then confessed.
"I should have reported in detail as soon as I arrived at the castle, but I was out of my mind. I discovered traces of outsiders near that location and was on my way back from investigating."
Granada was without face.
How dare you make such a mistake?
If she had reported this to Callius earlier, he would have released the knights during the day to search, and perhaps they could have found the children sooner.
But she had her own circumstances.
As soon as she arrived at the castle, the Holy Grail appeared in front of Granada, who was heading straight to report to Callius, and all her attention was drawn to it.
Moreover, the joy of finding the Holy Grail was short-lived, as Callius and Chloe rushed to talk to Luca and missed the opportunity to report.
Granada, inwardly reproaching herself, told Lamia what she had seen and felt.
Lamia explained while pointing at the map.
"There was a place nearby where the flow of mana was noticeably different from the surrounding area. My knowledge was limited, so I couldn't figure out why, but it felt so strange that I looked around and found a pouch someone had dropped. It was an item used by wizards."
When the people heard that, they were very upset.
The children's parents' faces turned pale as if their worries had become reality.
Given the circumstances, there is growing evidence that this may not have been a simple accident.
Callius made a quick decision.
"Leave only the troops to defend the castle, and everyone will go into the forest with me. Granada, can you lead us to that place that day?"
“Of course.”
“Let’s start searching from there.”
In an instant, the remaining personnel and those accompanying the search were separated.
“It would be good if Lamia, who has magical senses, went with us.”
Granada shook its head firmly at Callius's words.
“Lamia is Madame's escort. She must stay with you.”
A convinced Callius asked Luca.
“It must be hard because of the cold, but could you help with the search?”
Luca took a step back in disgust.
“I’m a Southerner. I’d freeze to death as soon as I left.”
Chloe had been listening to the conversation, fidgeting and worrying about the children, and then raised her hand.
"Then I'll go, Callius. With Lamia."
As soon as she finished speaking, the knights and castle servants who had been leaving the audience room and running to their respective positions all stopped and looked back at Chloe.
Chloe's eyes widened at the sudden gaze, and she blinked as she looked around.
“Why, why?”
Everyone screamed in unison.
“No!”
“Your Highness, please remain at the castle!”
“Madam, you can’t!”
“Someone please stop me!”
Lamia and Leviche held Chloe tightly from either side.
"Freeze to death, ma'am. No, before you freeze to death, you'll fly away and disappear forever. Look outside."
"I'm worried enough about my little brother. Please don't even ask me to go with you for my sake."
Even Luca, who was practically meeting her for the first time, shook his head at Chloe.
"I'd rather go, Marchioness. Otherwise, I'm going to be buried. I think I'll feel better that way."
Everyone, as one, tried to stop Chloe, just as one would stop a child from running into water.
Everyone had the same thought.
They can't leave fragile Chloe outside in that harsh wind.
Although she had gained a little weight recently, it was literally just a little bit of 'fat' and not at a level that could be considered 'healthy' by the standards of the Ronheim people.
People were making a fuss as if Chloe would die if she went outside and got even a little bit of cold wind.
Callius drove the wedge in.
"This time, I have no choice but to stop Chloe. I suggest you remain at the castle, Chloe."
Chloe quickly agreed.
“Well then, everyone... take care.”
***
'I hope Callius is safe.'
I stood anxiously in front of the entrance, watching Callius, who had finished arming himself in the blink of an eye and was holding the reins of his horse.
The knights and soldiers were lined up and about to set off.
Among them was Luca, wrapped in a very thick blanket that was said to have cold-weather magic.
'In my past life, during this time, Callius was attacked by the Kavala and died.'
Callius is dead.
Just imagining it was so terrifying that my body trembled.
I felt like my heart was going to be ripped out.
I tried to console myself.
"It's okay, Chloe. Things are completely different now than they were then. In my past life, Ronheim was caught off guard by an enemy invasion, unpredictable. But now, Ronheim has foreseen the enemy's movements and is prepared."
Now, I knew that the enemies were hiding somewhere, and I was going to go find them.
The current Callius also knew that there was a traitor who knew Ronheim and its knights well.
In addition, the search party included Luca, a capable magician.
It's completely different from my past life.
I changed everything.
To save Callius.
'So it'll be okay.'
I shook my head to avoid having negative thoughts.
'The worst thing never happens.'
These were the words he had said to Leviche, who was worried that another war would break out and Ronheim would be stained with blood.
'I was sure of it when I said those words.'
Yes, I'm sure.
'I believe in what I've accomplished so far. I believe in myself and in Callius.'
Callius and this Ronheim are by no means easy.
The idea that Callius might be wrong was, conversely, no different from believing that Kavala was the more powerful winner.
"Do you believe in Kavala, Chloe? Let's not. I believe in the strength of Callius."
Having made up my mind, I ran to Callius, holding the Miris stem that I had placed in the chalice, and then moved to another vase.
“Callius! Wait a minute!”
I pulled Callius' hand towards me and wrapped the tough Miris stem around his wrist, tying it into a bracelet.
“This is the Platus bracelet I am giving you.”
A prayer for someone precious.
I tied my prayer to his wrist.
“You must return safely. Absolutely.”
I didn't let out a sound of anxiety.
It was just a firm and clear reminder of his duty.
“Because you have to take responsibility for my whole life.”
A strong wind ruffled our hair.
The wind was so strong that my body swayed.
But he stood firm, unshaken by the slightest wind, and looked at me.
A restrained smile spread across his lips, and then he made a promise to me without a trace of laughter.
“I will never forget that fact.”
Then he kissed my forehead lightly and got on his horse.
Soon, the gate opened, and the search party formed a line and quickly left the castle.
The warmth that briefly touched his forehead did not easily cool down until his figure was completely out of sight.
***
On a pitch-black night, the snowstorm obscured the view, so the magic torch Luca had brought was useless.
Callius' search party ran blindly through the darkness.
Even in this weather, the search party was running at a terrifying speed, and Luca thought as he clung to the knight's waist, determined to survive.
'Aren't these people crazy?'
He was now riding on the back of a knight on horseback.
At first, he had refused the offer to ride with a large knight who appeared to be twice his size.
'Two grown men riding on the same horse.'
It was something that couldn't even be done to a horse.
But Callius ended up putting Luca on the back of the knight.
Ronheim's horse, boasting an enormous size, surprisingly easily carried two adult men on its back.
As soon as Luca left the castle, he clung to the knight's back and wondered what would have happened if he had finally refused the offer.
'I would have fallen behind before I could even take five steps.'
He couldn't tell if these people were running while looking ahead or if they were running by feeling.
He couldn't see or hear anything. He even lost his sense of direction.
What sense do you rely on to run through the darkness at this crazy speed?
'If you let go of my hand, I will die. I die. Instant death. I die for sure.'
Luca, who was born with perfect talent and spent his entire life pushing away countless people who clung to him, wondered if he had ever clung to someone with all his might like this.
He can confidently say that it was the first time.
He never thought he'd meet his first one like this.
That too for a man!
'I said I was coming for nothing.'
I tried to gather my thoughts as my mind became increasingly confused, and I kept feeling regretful.
The search party finally slowed down when Luca almost fainted.
“Here it is!”
In the darkness, Granada's aged voice could be heard on the wind.
Granada memorized the map and chose a path that horses could run along, leading the search party to the valley where they had been before.
At the signal of arrival, Callius suddenly appeared next to Luca.
In fact, Luca didn't recognize Callius's appearance because his field of vision was so poor, but he knew he was right next to him because he heard his voice.
“Can you sense the mana of the wizard who was your former colleague here?”
Luca coughed and gasped several times before answering yes.
He carefully dismounted from his horse and placed his hand on the ground.
The thick, frozen snow crunched beneath his hands.
'Uh...?'
Soon, he found the part where the mana flow completely changed, just as Lamia had said.
Callius came up to him and shouted.
“Do you feel anything?”
“Yes! Definitely.”
Luca laughed with a grumpy face as if he were never tired.
It was like a mischievous child finding a basket of candy that someone had carefully hidden.
The wind was blowing against his face, and it was hard to breathe, but he couldn't stop smiling because he was so excited.
“Would you like to see what they’ve hidden here?”
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