Even lying down didn’t improve her condition.

Sel sat up and stepped out of the tent.

Eric had suggested she rest a bit longer, but she felt that staying in bed would only make her truly bedridden.

“What is the Commander doing?”

“Lavi is currently dismantling the barrier at the cave and inspecting it.”

“Are we mining the Moon’s Fragment today?”

“The planned date was the day after tomorrow. But Lavi is hurrying things along.”

Eric turned his head toward the cave.

There, Lavi was explaining something to the priests.

Sensing Sel’s gaze, Lavi’s serious eyes, previously fixed on the priests, turned toward her.

Lavi frowned and gestured with his chin toward the tent, signaling her to go back inside and rest.

Pretending not to notice, Sel averted her eyes and looked up at the sky.

Countless stars twinkled like a flowing river, and beside them was a crescent moon, thin as a fingernail.

“Why are you out here? You still don’t look well.”

Before she realized it, Lavi had approached and was now asking the priest who was tending to her about her condition.

As the priest began explaining the mysterious cause of her state, Sel cut them off.

“I came out for some fresh air. Staying inside only makes me feel worse. I keep feeling weak. I’m sorry if I’m causing delays in the schedule.”

“Delays?”

Lavi frowned and brushed a hand near his brow.

Could she really think that way about someone she had kissed just this morning? Had he failed to earn her trust?

If anything was causing delays, it was the Moon’s Fragment itself.

The situation was frustrating—having to stay here watching his woman suffer because of some wretched imperial decree, when he should have already carried her back to the village.

“Don’t say things like that, Sel. You’re more important to me than some stupid rock…”

Lavi trailed off, closing his mouth. Eric and the priest had peculiar expressions as they watched him.

Damn it. Lavi pursed his lips and turned his head away. Under the moonlight, the tips of his ears flushed red.

Bringing Sel along with the excavation team had been Lavi’s selfish decision.

The most skilled protectors were with the excavation team, and he didn’t want to leave Sel behind, not even a little.

The defensive team was made up entirely of men, so leaving Sel with them wasn’t an option.

But Sel seemed particularly affected by the magical field.

While most people found it difficult, she reacted more sensitively than the average person.

This was why Lavi was rushing the excavation.

He ignored the High Priest’s advice to mine during the new moon, when the magic would be strongest. He was determined to finish the task quickly and leave.

If the magical field intensified tomorrow, Sel would only suffer more.

“Lord Lavirus! The entrance’s barrier has been completely dismantled!”

The priests’ voices echoed from afar.

After glancing between Sel and the priests, Lavi told her to rest and walked toward them.

“This is extraordinary.”

Graham muttered as he stepped deeper into the cave.

Everyone seemed to agree, nodding in unison.

The mining team, including Lavi, halted and gazed ahead.

Deep inside the dark cave, there was a shallow lake.

At the center of the lake, atop a protruding pillar of stone, was a large, softly glowing rock.

The round mana stone, about a handspan in diameter, was the Moon’s Fragment.

The mana stone shimmered as if it had absorbed the moonlight streaming through a hole in the cave’s ceiling, capturing the attention of all who saw it.

“Be careful. That mana stone emits waves strong enough to disrupt almost all magical formations. On top of that, it can mesmerize the mind. Although it has remarkable restorative properties, it could drain one’s vitality if they’re not at a certain level.”

An experienced priest surveyed the lake and issued a warning.

Graham tilted his head, folding his arms.

“Lord Lavirus, how do you intend to retrieve that tomorrow?”

“I’ll retrieve it myself. I shouldn’t be easily affected by the spell.”

Lavi removed his shoes and looked at the priest.

Noticing the blue sword aura surrounding Lavi, the priest nodded.

As Lavi, now ready to step into the lake, prepared to move, Graham tilted his head in confusion.

“Wait a moment, Commander Lavirus. Weren’t we scheduled to mine it tomorrow? That’s what the High Priest said, wasn’t it?”

“He only said it would be ideal, not mandatory.”

“This is an offering to the Emperor. You shouldn’t handle it carelessly.”

“Carelessly? Plans change depending on the situ—ugh.”

Lavi stopped mid-sentence, staggering. A sudden, splitting headache struck him.

No… This shouldn’t be happening today.

As Lavi leaned against the cave wall, clutching his forehead, a startled Graham approached him.

“Commander Lavirus, are you alright?”

“Commander?!”

Just then, Lavi’s eyes snapped open.

The emerald-green of his irises had turned a bright blue.

Could it be possession? Graham swallowed hard.

Although the figure before him was unmistakably Lavirus, the energy emanating from him was that of a completely different being.

Even during his time guarding the Emperor, Graham had never witnessed Lavi’s possession up close.

The Emperor had strictly forbidden Graham from approaching on such occasions, allowing him only distant glimpses.

But now, not even a new moon, the spirit had fully taken over Lavi’s body.

The spirit looked around frantically, as if searching for something.

“Creta! Creta!”

The name the spirit called out was one Graham also recognized.

It couldn’t be. Just a coincidence of names. Graham shook his head.

“I can sense Creta’s energy. Damn it, Creta!”

The spirit, desperately scanning the cave, suddenly froze in place.

After raking his hair in frustration, he sharply turned his head toward Graham Dagnie, the knight commander.

The gaze, piercing Graham’s past, was icy and menacing.

“A Dagnie brat?”

With rage in his voice, the spirit raised a hand toward Graham.

Smack!

The resounding slap twisted Graham’s face to the side.

Reeling from the blow, Graham barely managed to steady himself.

Shocked and disoriented, Graham struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

“You, a knight commander? Ha! The son of that wretch, Gelian Dagnie, taking over as commander? The audacity of such criminals is sickening!”

The spirit’s furious voice echoed throughout the cave.

Graham’s eyes quivered as he clutched his stinging cheek.

Gelian Dagnie was his father.

The father, who had been imprisoned for the crime of “murdering the former empress” and took his own life.

He never imagined he would hear that name from a ghost.

“Hiring the family that killed my mother once again? The emperor must be out of his mind. He’s clearly gone mad.”

“Our family aside… how dare you insult His Majesty, even as a ghost!”

It was the moment Graham drew his sword against the ghost. A tremendous aura pressed down on his body.

The ghost’s icy blue eyes emitted a killing intent so fierce that it turned the surroundings into a cemetery in an instant.

The excavation team, startled, retreated in panic, but the overwhelming force pushed them to the ground, crawling.

“I should have twisted the neck of that bastard, Gelian Dagnie, myself!”

The ghost released his energy while calling the name of the former knight commander.

“Ugh!” Graham clutched his throat and collapsed to the ground. His face turned ashen—not from suffocation but from hearing the name of his treasonous father.

The ghost, looking down at him coldly, spoke through his twisted lips.

“The emperor has forgotten the past, so it’s no wonder someone like you occupies that position. I see… since you’ve come here seeking the Moon’s Fragment, it seems the emperor has decided to recover his memories.”

The Moon’s Fragment was a magical stone with healing properties.

The emperor must have issued the decree to mine the fragment in order to recover his memories.

“If that’s the case, I’ll personally….”

“Stop right there!”

Sel, who had entered the cave unnoticed, cut off the ghost’s words.

The ghost’s piercing blue gaze snapped toward Sel.

The suffocating killing intent that had filled the entire cave dissipated like a light breeze.

The excavation team, pale and trembling on the ground, staggered to their feet.

Eric, who had entered the cave with Sel, was taken aback by the scene before him. Quickly, he pulled Sel behind him.

“Well now, this is strange.”

The ghost’s face twisted into a scowl as he looked at Sel.

“Why is that empty shell exuding Creta’s aura?”

Tilting his head, the ghost approached Sel.

Simultaneously, Eric shielded Sel, retreating step by step.

Sel’s condition was worse than before. Her legs wobbled as if she would collapse at any moment.

Eric extended a hand behind him to support her swaying frame.

“What brings you here when it’s not even a new moon?”

Despite Eric’s stern question, the ghost gave no answer.

All of the ghost’s focus was locked on Sel.

Specifically, his fiery gaze was fixed on the side of Sel’s body where her tattoo lay.

The heat emanating from Sel’s tattoo pierced through her clothing, shimmering in the air around it.

“What is that seal on that empty shell’s body? And why… why does it hold Creta’s power?”

The ghost, his face menacing, muttered Creta’s name as he drew closer to Sel.

Then he reached out to lift her hem.

Eric barely managed to grab the ghost’s wrist.

“What are you doing?”

“I need to confirm this. Move aside, you insolent brat.”

“I won’t allow it.”

“I have no intention of harming her, so get out of my way!”

As the ghost tried to shove Eric aside, there was a loud thud. Sel, pale as a sheet, gasped for air before collapsing to the ground.

“Sel!”

Eric, who had been keeping a close eye on the ghost, immediately rushed to Sel’s side.

She coughed up blood, her limbs trembling violently.

The light radiating from Sel’s tattoo grew even brighter than before.

“…The seal is breaking.”

“What are you talking about?”

Eric’s quivering gaze shifted from Sel to the ghost.

“Something condensed within her is reacting to the Moon’s Fragment and is about to explode. If the seal isn’t properly undone, she’ll be hurt. To break it properly, I need….”

The ghost, pausing in thought, suddenly swung his sword toward the Moon’s Fragment.

A powerful gust of wind surged through the cave.

The fragment, which had been resting in the middle of the lake, was carried by the wind and landed in the ghost’s hand.

“Wait…!”

Before Eric could stop him, the ghost placed the fragment into Sel’s trembling hands.

Ching—

The sound of thin metal resonating filled the air as pale yellow energy swirled chaotically around Sel.

Her body became enshrouded in silver wind, lifting her into the air.

A storm-like pulse swept through the cave.

“Argh!”

Except for Eric, Graham, and the priests skilled in magic, the rest of the excavation team was pushed out of the cave by the force.

The tattoo on Sel’s side blazed brightly before detaching from her body.

The silvery tattoo floated in the air, encircling Sel.

The ghost’s face was filled with confusion as he observed the scene.

“Why… why is this aura… these characters….”

His jaw trembled as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and looked again.

The tattoo bore the characters of the long-extinct Igor clan—the same ones used by his mate.

To the ghost’s eyes, the human world appeared as black-and-white smoke.

Yet the tattoo, glowing like moonlight, radiated vivid color.

With a trembling voice, the ghost read the characters slowly.

“Full moon bestowed upon your canary.”

The ghost’s pupils quivered like leaves in the wind.

The tattoo, which had been coiling around Sel’s body, gathered into a small mass and seeped into her chest.

Then an immense power burst from her body, sending a pillar of light shooting skyward.

“No, Sel!”

Eric, calling out to her, sprinted forward, but the ghost blocked his path.

The once-dark cave was now flooded with blinding light as a shockwave erupted.