Chapter 25

Until just a moment ago—right up until Jehel had started nodding off—the rocking chair where Kanna had been sitting was now empty.

“Did she go to the bedchamber?”

Even after waiting for a while, there was no response.

Jehel rubbed the sleep from her eyes and staggered as she got up from the sofa. She hadn’t gotten much sleep in recent days, and it seemed impossible not to collapse when leaning against something soft.

Jehel pushed open the door to the bedchamber. It was empty.

“Did she step out for something?”

She returned to the adjacent room and this time poked her head out the door leading to the hallway.

“Everyone, did Miss Kanna step out for something?”

“What?”

“Oh, maybe she went to eat?”

“What?”

“…Why are you all reacting like that?”

A shadow of unease fell over Jehel’s face, and it mirrored itself on the faces of the attendants standing before her.

“She’s not inside?”

“She didn’t go outside either?”

The two of them went back into the room and began searching separately.

Soon, two became three, and three became four.

Before long, more than half of the attendants in the Crown Prince’s Palace were running through every corner of the palace’s corridors, creating a bizarre scene.

“Has anyone found Miss Kanna?”

“No, she’s not in the East Wing.”

“She’s not in the West Wing either.”

“I even checked inside the pillowcases.”

“Why would you check pillowcases?”

“She’s not in the trees either.”

“Why would she be in the trees?”

“And according to the guards, she hasn’t left the palace grounds.”

“Let’s search again.”

“What if she got lost somewhere…”

Their hearts were racing, but the surroundings grew darker and darker. The sun was setting.

“She’s never done anything like this before. What on earth is going on?”

“Could it be because of the Crown Prince?”

“Surely she didn’t run away to find His Highness Michael…”

“…”

An awkward laugh broke the silence.

“Ha ha, no way.”

“Of course not.”

“She doesn’t care for him that much.”

“They haven’t even known each other for long.”

“Ha ha.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Completely impossible.”

“Exactly.”

“Ha ha.”

“No way.”

It felt as though cold sweat was trickling down their spines.

The attendants tried their best to dismiss the idea forming in their minds.

But eventually, they fell silent.

They were left in dizzying quiet.

At that moment, someone let out a startled gasp.

One of the attendants had found something in their pocket.

It was a single white candy.

“This… isn’t this the one Miss Kanna likes? The peppermint candy we ordered in bulk last night.”

As if possessed, everyone began rummaging through their own pockets.

And each of them pulled out a piece of candy.

One of the attendants, with reddened eyes, muttered softly.

“She’s like a squirrel.”

“As if she’s never coming back.”

“…She’ll be okay, right?”

Jehel, whose pockets turned up nothing but dust despite her efforts, sighed in mild irritation.

“Just in case, keep searching. I’ll… go see His Majesty.”

Her eyes were serious.

***

A rookie knight tilted his head back, staring blankly upward.

The towering, steep black Mage Tower.

It was his first time seeing it in person, and he might even have to enter it soon.

Currently, all the renowned mages of the Imperial Court had gathered and were stationed in front of the tower.

They were trying to figure out a way to enter.

The Mage Tower, known to have been inhabited solely by the Master of the Mage Tower for centuries, exuded an eerie and desolate atmosphere.

Its very location seemed cursed.

Long ago, a forest where countless lives were lost to monsters had been left untouched for three hundred years, still bearing its grotesque scars.

And in that lifeless “Black Forest,” a pitch-black tower that reflected nothing stood.

The Mage Tower was a symbol of that tragic past, unchanged from those dark times.

Like most people, the rookie knight would never have set foot in this place voluntarily if not for orders.

Yet, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the Mage Tower.

The Master of the Mage Tower was said to have built it in a single night.

Could there really be a monster living inside, as the Imperial Mages claimed?

If so, did that mean the Master of the Mage Tower was raising a monster?

Was the Master of the Mage Tower even human anymore?

Where was she now?

Unaware of what was to come, the rookie knight stared blankly, lost in thought.

Although not all the details of the situation had been shared with him, he at least knew what predicament the Crown Prince was in.

A powerful magical field was spread around the Mage Tower.

It had activated the moment the Crown Prince pushed open the tower’s front door at dawn.

Those standing behind him were all repelled by a strong force and briefly lost consciousness.

When they came to, the magical field was already in place, and the entrance to the tower was firmly shut.

Michael was nowhere to be seen.

The magical field was of a density incomparable to the massive barrier that once protected the capital.

It didn’t just block “monsters” but prevented anything from entering or leaving.

Panicked, they tried striking it with swords and axes, but the field remained unscathed.

As they came to this realization, a strange noise began seeping out of the Mage Tower.

At first, it sounded like the creak of an unpleasant door hinge.

But the longer they listened, the more it began to resemble the voice of something “alive.”

Around that time, the lone mage in their group clamped his hands over his ears and shouted a warning like thunder.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s a monster!”

At the same time, the “noise” began to take shape and solidify. It was a chilling experience.

「You… …ra! ……!」

A knight standing closest to the Mage Tower suddenly foamed at the mouth and convulsed.

He seemed to be hearing voices and seeing hallucinations—terrifying ones.

Everyone gritted their teeth as they restrained him and dragged him far from the tower.

Once they were about a meter away from the magical field, the noise stopped tormenting their ears.

“A monster, you say?”

“I’ve never encountered one myself, but I’ve heard there are mental-type monsters like this. And such monsters… are extremely dangerous…”

“What else could it be if not a monster?”

Cold sweat trickled down.

No one dared to approach the magical field recklessly.

But then they remembered that the Crown Prince was inside the Mage Tower.

By the time a squadron of Imperial Mages and knights arrived before sunset, the rookie knight was among them.

“You there! Stop standing around and check the cart carrying the weapons.”

Startled by a senior knight’s rebuke, the rookie hurried toward the cart.

As he checked the wheels, he heard a noise from behind the cart.

Chilled by the thought that it might be the “noise” the Crown Prince’s party had described, he froze.

But then, a sharp and clear child’s voice rang out.

“Ugh, what a hassle.”

The rookie knight immediately rushed to the cart’s cargo compartment and began unloading the piled-up supplies.

As soon as he did, the lid of the compartment flew open, and a small hand, like a maple leaf, emerged to grip the edge.

A child’s face popped up.

With hair sticking out from static electricity, the child brushed it back and glanced at the rookie.

“What, never seen a kid before?”

***

Meanwhile, the Imperial Mages hesitated as they approached the magical field.

The knights, having decided it was no longer their concern, left the matter entirely to the mages.

“Well… I don’t hear the voices they mentioned.”

“Monsters’ powers are typically stronger at night. It’s likely because the sun hasn’t set yet.”

“We need to resolve this before nightfall.”

The mages examined the magical field with serious expressions.

“This field wasn’t created to cause harm.”

“It seems to have a property of simply existing. It might even be possible to pass through.”

“If we wrap our bodies in a thin layer of mana, we could deceive the field’s mana.”

Most of the mages nodded in agreement.

Now, it was time to test the theory.

Everyone subtly avoided making eye contact.

“Ahem. Didn’t someone’s disciple come along?”

A brown-haired mage standing behind an elderly mage raised his head abruptly.

“…Me?”

“Can you do it?”

The brown-haired mage’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

“If anyone can, it’s you, my disciple.”

Unable to suggest that his master try it instead, the brown-haired mage stepped closer to the magical field.

The other mages took half a step back, just in case, and some began chanting low incantations, forming hand seals.

“We’ll support you. Don’t worry and give it a try, brother.”

The brown-haired mage sighed and formed a hand seal.