Calix spoke with a serious face.

“I think this matter might be bigger than we thought.”

The more we wandered around the Hamel Mountains, the more it felt like we were falling into an abyss.

“With so many traces of magical beasts scattered near the Elves’ residential area, why couldn’t the temple find the cause?”

As Calix said, the deeper we went into the mountains, the more corpses of magical beasts were strewn about.

Suddenly, Calix stopped in his tracks and frowned.

“It’s not that they couldn’t find it, but that they found it and disappeared without a trace before they could report it.”

I slowly turned my head to where his gaze was fixed.

Under a large branch where a magical beast’s corpse was hanging, there was a lone iron gauntlet with the temple’s seal engraved on it.

No, not a gauntlet, but a hand.

I grimaced at the horrific sight and quickly turned away.

I had heard that the temple had already sent many holy knight squadrons to the Hamel Mountains.

To deal with the rampaging magical beasts.

But for them to have disappeared without a trace…

I swallowed hard. The situation seemed more serious than expected.

“I’m even more curious about what they’re plotting.”

“Your Highness, should we turn back now…”

“No, it’s already too late. It seems the holy knights dealt with these magical beast corpses, but they were abducted by someone before they could return. Judging by the fact that this gauntlet is the only trace left.”

Calix uttered these chilling words as if it were nothing.

“I think we know who that someone is without saying. The question is whether they only cleaned up the knights’ corpses, or if they abducted them while they were still alive…”

He muttered, gazing at the mountain path densely packed with trees.

“…Are they conducting human experiments?”

For a moment, I doubted my own ears at his words.

“Human experiments?”

“Unlike mana, magical energy is almost impossible to control. Yet they injected that magical energy into Desart’s Tamer and the Second Prince, corrupting them. It should have been impossible originally.”

I couldn’t quite understand.

Elves and human experiments?

‘They’re so different from how they look!’

After all, the Elves I’ve seen here looked incredibly beautiful and noble, just as I had imagined.

Indeed, one shouldn’t judge people by their appearance.

“Then what should we do? Aren’t we in danger too?”

To my worried question, Calix shrugged and said,”What else can we do? We have to solve it. The Second Prince being corrupted by magical energy itself is a warning they’re sending to the Imperial family.”

Then he pointed at himself.

“Next, I, no, the entire Imperial family could be the target.”

Soon after, he crossed his arms and wore a displeased expression.

“I’m the only one who can solve this. Me, who has you.”

I felt unnecessarily embarrassed at Calix’s last words. ‘Me, who has you,’ he said.

“…Well, it’s been 400 years since Posnia was founded, so it’s held out quite long.”

He sighed as if tired.

“It’s eerily similar to the situation when the Empire destroyed Levelon.”

The clear air gradually began to get hazy.

It was fog. Fortunately, it seemed we had entered the right path.

“Back then, Kamesis was rather seen as the evil god.”

I opened my eyes wide at Calix’s words. The opposite? What does that mean? As I stopped walking and looked at him, Calix spoke with a solemn face.

“To the people of Levelon, Kamesis was the evil god and Morisias was the main god. The reason Kamesis now occupies the position of the main god is because Posnia was victorious in the war against Levelon.”

“But still, Morisias…”

“Human experiments were first started by Posnia. They turned the Emperor of Levelon into a puppet using the power of light provided by Kamesis. Of course, this content isn’t in the history books.”

He walked steadily into the fog, holding my hand. The deeper we went, the thicker the fog seemed to get.

“History is written by the victors. It’s a natural result that Morisias is treated as evil.”

“Your Highness, don’t you believe in Kamesis?”

To my question, Calix answered without hesitation.

“Regardless of belief, I can guarantee that no member of the Imperial family likes that damn temple.”

Well, Posnia did have a powerful temple.

Of course, it was natural for the Imperial family to dislike the temple, as the temple’s power was a threat to imperial authority.

“Of course, I don’t like Morisias either. If anything, I might hate him even more.”

He glanced at me. It seemed as if he was saying it was because of me.

Feeling a strange tingling in my stomach, I fidgeted with the hand he was holding.

“We seem to be almost there.”

By now, the fog had become so thick that we could barely see ahead.

My heart was pounding with fear.

Calix adjusted his grip on his sword, ready to attack at any moment.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, the fog that had been blocking our way cleared, revealing a massive white castle.

“We greet the Saint of Morisias!”

“We greet the Saint!”

Elves draped in flowing silk robes knelt before me, their long hair cascading down.

I tightened my grip on Calix’s hand.

He whispered to me, seemingly displeased.

“…They even prepared a language artifact in advance. It seems they knew we were coming.”

I couldn’t help but swear.

Surprised by the explicit curse that escaped my lips, he looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“Luminas Cloel. I greet Rose Estanya, the Chosen One, the Saint.”

Calix’s expression immediately turned fierce at the appearance of a familiar face.

It was the Elf who had kissed me in Desart.

He knelt before me, attempting to take my hand to kiss it. However, Calix, not missing a beat, quickly pulled me towards him.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“How dare you handle the Saint in such a manner! Unforgivable!”

An Elf wearing a horn-like crown on his head shouted at Calix, his robes fluttering.

Then, one by one, they began to stand up and shout.

“Crown Prince of Posnia! Show some respect!”

“Show respect to the Saint, Crown Prince!”

“Remove your filthy hands at once!”

I felt my mind going blank.

What on earth is going on here? Haven’t they heard that I attacked the High Priest of Fate yet?

“I thought only their living area was hidden by a barrier, but it seems their brains are sealed off too.”

Calix leaned down and whispered to me softly.

Then, forcing a smile, he pointed his sword at the Elf named Luminas who was kneeling before me.

Instantly, the surroundings fell silent.

“Didn’t you call me here hoping for my cooperation?”

Startled, I looked up to see him wearing his characteristic chilling smile. It seemed their behavior had greatly displeased him.

“But if you welcome me like this, how do you think I’d feel?”

He leaned his head close to me and said,”Isn’t that right, Rose?”

His demeanor changed in an instant.

I nodded, feeling bewildered.

Calix then withdrew his sword and grabbed my waist.

“Let’s skip the welcoming ceremony and get straight to the point.”

As I pressed close to him, almost as if embracing, the Elves’ expressions hardened to an indescribable degree.

Sweat trickled down my brow.

Is this right? From the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like Calix was intimidated by their presence.

If anything, it was as if he was showing that he had the upper hand in the negotiations.

“What is it that you want from me?”

At Calix’s words, someone stepped forward from among the Elves.

“Elder!”

Elder? The Elf who emerged from the crowd was a man about as tall as Calix.

He wore the most elaborate crown and his appearance was more splendid than anyone else’s.

“You, born with the most powerful soul.”

Calix frowned at his words.

“We knew you would come here.”

Wait, how dare he speak informally to the Crown Prince?

“We heard that the Chosen One, the Saint, had entered the Temple of Fate.”

I frowned at his words.

Wondering what he meant, Luminas stood beside me and spoke clearly.

“We apologize for the discourtesy of following the Saint. But this too is the will of Morisias.”

Luminas’s gaze turned to Calix.

For some inexplicable reason, I tightly grasped Calix’s robe in anxiety.

Is he going to spout nonsense again?

“It was all Morisias’s will that led you here, and it is to save you.”

At his words, I frantically shot a look of denial towards Calix.

He’s talking nonsense!

No! That’s not it!

“…What? Save?”

Calix looked at me with a sour expression as I shook my head vigorously with gritted teeth. Then he turned back to look straight at the Elder and asked.

And the Elf Elder, with an extremely confident face, spouted nonsense.

“Your fate is cursed.”