Achilleon let out a bitter laugh as he touched his left shoulder. Margharita would come to regret the hypocrisy she had shown.

“We still haven’t identified the culprits behind both the temple fire and the attack.”

Aide Rainan, who had come to change the bandages, reported the situation.

Achilleon, who had been about to order the woman brought from prison immediately, changed his mind and accepted the report. There is an order to things. His eyes, quickly scanning through the damage report of the sanctuary and the list of suspects in the attack, stopped at one point.

His dark eyebrows twitched convulsively.

The moment he discovered an unexpected name on the suspect list, his tangled thoughts began to branch out.

The misaligned timing of the arson, the prophecy, the sudden ambush and the arrow tips coated in purple.

Did Margharita lie simply to escape? Or perhaps with Antor’s help—

“…”

Erasing these base suspicions, Achilleon turned his steps toward the scene of the incident. Around the building covered in collapsed stones and soot, workers were pulling rope-tied cubic stones as big as their bodies. The sound of heavy cart wheels rolling echoed through the dust-filled air.

The destruction of the sixth sacred flame was surely Antor’s doing. But did his influence extend to the subsequent incidents? Achilleon stopped in front of the sacred artifacts storage room. His eyes, slowly circling the area like an eagle searching for prey, suddenly caught something glinting in the sunlight. Achilleon bent down to search through the dirt pile where the cart had passed. Half-buried in the ground and protruding like a rock was a small golden brooch.

“…”

The moment he picked up that familiar brooch, a bitter laugh escaped. The gold, reflecting dazzling flashes depending on the angle of light, resembled the woman’s eyes. Empty yet piercingly sharp.

“Is this a box that shouldn’t be opened?”

“Your Highness, let me…”

“Move.”

Ignoring his aide’s attempts to stop him, he dug through the dirt with his hands. Since the ground had already been cleared once for restoration work, it didn’t take long. Like growing suspicions, one ignition stone emerged, then another. The ignition stones that hadn’t been fully consumed by the flames were buried together with Margharita’s brooch.

Slowly straightening up, he stepped back a couple of paces to look inside the box he had opened himself. A cold wind blew. Eerie leaf shadows spread like stains across the excavated ground.

“If you’re going to cause trouble, you should have cleaned up after yourself properly, Hari.”

Just then, an urgent voice made Achilleon turn around.

“Your Highness, they say they’ve identified the culprit behind the attack!”

* * *

Clank, an unpleasant metallic sound rang from both arms and legs.

“Ugh…”

The sunlight that filtered through the latticed iron bars illuminated Hari’s small face in the same pattern. It looked as if she had been branded with a criminal’s mark. Hari opened her eyes in the dark prison, shivering from the cold. As the chill seeped into her back, her sense of reality soon awakened. At the same time, pain like her ankle was being cut off reminded her of the failed escape attempt. She had been behind bars ever since. How much time had passed? Hari watched the flickering flames in the prison corridor while hugging her cold arms.

Her ankle hurt. Was it half-crushed? Given the severity of her condition and lack of treatment, the flesh might be rotting from the inside by now. When she lightly touched her ankle bone, a tingling pain shot up to her calf. She tried to walk while holding onto the wall but collapsed after just two steps.

She was afraid. If the charges were only for escape, there might be hope, but if they discovered she had started the fire, would Achilleon still show leniency calling her his lifesaver?

“Ah…”

Hari groaned while biting her lip. The inflammation from her ankle wound was spreading with fever. She had managed to ask for a glass of water, but the guard didn’t even acknowledge her. At mealtime she hurriedly devoured the half piece of hard bread and water she received, but it couldn’t heal her festering wound.

That’s when she saw the small fluttering shadow. Hari raised her head to look at the prison window and couldn’t believe her eyes.

A translucent light blue bird passed through the thick prison walls and glided down to land on Hari’s ankle. As its small wings wrapped around the wound, the swelling subsided, the torn flesh healed, and the infected blood regained its healthy color. Hari’s eyes welled up as she blankly watched the bird that left only white light powder behind before departing.

‘Being able to commune with El is a blessing of Lagonia. The divine beasts born in the pure white dawn oasis. Hari, do you remember the day you danced with the shining birds? You smiled saying they were pretty. The dance we enjoyed holding hands actually had a meaning of memorial…’

She too had such memories. The day she sat on her mother’s lap watching the rainbow-jeweled divine beasts. After being dragged to the royal palace, her mother lived wearing expensive jewels. In the luxurious days and pr*stitute-like nights, her mother changed rapidly. After miscarrying the king’s child three times, she became addicted to alcohol, lost her memories of Lagonia, and could no longer hear El’s voice. Her faded beauty could no longer stimulate the king’s desires. Her mother was abandoned, and young Hari was imprisoned in the tower.

Her longing for her mother, who had once delighted in El’s small voices, was knotted like a festering wound. If only they hadn’t offered water to the king who asked for directions. If only mother hadn’t met that person.

Hari hated kings. She despised the arrogant royalty who killed people out of greed, started wars, destroyed history, and ultimately ruined lives.

Her mother, who had fallen into severe depression, couldn’t protect Hari. Only later did she hear the news that her mother had died in childbirth while delivering her fourth child.

She feared she would end up the same way. She was terrified of dying while bleeding in a cage, having lost both happy memories and will to live. Hari wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Tears she hadn’t shed even through her hardships now dropped onto her torn lips.

It was fortunate that no one paid attention to her until dawn.

A night longer than yesterday was passing by.

* * *

“So, Lord Romulus received the cookie jar well?”

Puff puff. Selina, who was sprawled on the sofa, blew white clouds toward the ceiling. Her eyes were unfocused, and her long hair was tangled down to the floor. Hela, her loyal maid, handed her a glass of water and answered.

“Of course. He even said he’d never experienced anything like it and expressed interest in buying in bulk.”

“Right, that’s how a generous aristoi (noblemen) should be. Once you taste it, a whole new world opens up – what are those cowards so afraid of? How boring.”

Selina exhaled smoke and asked an odd question.

“Hela, look at this smoke. Doesn’t it look just like wings? Angel or demon?”

To Hela’s eyes it was just murky, unpleasant smoke, but thinking it was fine as long as it brought in money, she cheerfully agreed.

“Hmm, it does look like an angel.”

Recently, various incidents had piled up, putting Selina in a foul mood. She had been accused of an absurd attempted poisoning during Queen Tiltia’s luncheon, and a sudden fire broke out while she was preparing for the branding ceremony she had been looking forward to. Nothing was better than hallucinogens for comforting a mistress whose mood had hit rock bottom.

Hela hummed while organizing the pile of letter envelopes on the silver tray. Typhon, the drug distributed in secret. The bait that nobles desperately clung to.

“Lady Nasalia requested 23 packets. She said she’ll send her knight-in-waiting secretly, so please deliver through him.”

Rip, the next envelope was opened.

“Duke Sansul wants 100 packets… He also asked when the party guest list will be distributed. He said he’ll pay whatever amount you want.”

After sending replies to the nobles desperate for Typhon, it was time to check the payments. Bags bulging with gold coins to the brim were brought on trays. Each bag had a paper with the noble’s handwritten signature attached.

When Selina kicked a money bag with her shoe tip, the strings loosened and gold coins spilled out. Hela swallowed as she stared at the glittering river of gold.

“Want one?”

“Yes! What? How could I dare touch what belongs to you, miss…”

Gulp, at the sound of swallowing, Selina kicked a gold coin with a contemptuous expression. Hela quickly caught it like a well-trained dog.

“It’s a performance bonus.”

“Miss…! I’ll do anything for you. I, Selena, will work very hard for the prosperity of House Karnos!”

Yes, be an even more devoted dog of mine. Selina thought emotionlessly as she watched Hela, whose eyes had gone wild at the sight of gold.

“Then, can I take that promised vacation?”

“You still don’t get it after seeing all these orders? Check the manufacturing room for anyone trying to cheat us, organize the books. We’re troubled by supply shortages these days and you’re talking about vacation?”

Tsk, Selina clicked her tongue. The most important ingredient for manufacturing the hallucinogen is the essence extracted from the heart of the spirit-type divine beast ‘El’. The problem is that El is absolutely necessary for reducing the number of magical beasts. Recently, when they had mercenaries hunt recklessly, King Mempion even created a wretched El protection zone. Thanks to that, hunting only became more difficult.