Chapter 42

When Rian emerged from Ignis’s cave and arrived at the estate, it was dawn, the eastern sky just beginning to take on a bluish tint. Despite having cut through the forest all night, there was no trace of weariness in his steps. Rather, his mind had been honed sharper than ever by the bargain with an ancient being and by the weight of the immense truth he had gained.

Under the manor’s wall, at the agreed place, Kael was already waiting for him like a shadow.

“Master, you are unharmed, I hope?”

“Yes. Is the forest quiet now?”

“Yes. After you moved, the evil aura that had covered the forest dispersed as if it were a lie. Traces of corruption remain, but the forest has begun to breathe again.”

“Good.”

Rian nodded and darted toward the window of his room. The moment he stepped silently into the room, a ghostly voice came from behind him.

“You’re back, young master.”

A chill ran down Rian’s spine. Sitting with her arms folded in a chair, his personal maid Elise had stayed up all night waiting for him. Her eyes were not smiling.

“Uh… Elise. You haven’t gone to bed?”

“Yes. Someone said they’d go for a ‘light walk’, so I stayed up all night in case they’d lost their way. But what is this sight? You’re covered in dirt, your clothes are torn, and what’s that faint smell of blood?”

Elise unleashed a machine-gun barrage of scolding as she approached Rian. She grabbed his earlobe and dragged him to the bathroom.

“Did you go hunting or roll in the mud with monsters? Wash up immediately! How worried would the count and countess be if they saw you like this! I really can’t have a single peaceful day because of you, young master!”

“All right, all right. I was wrong.”

Though Rian had not flinched before the nobles of the capital and the apostles of the plague, he was helpless before Elise’s scolding. In the end, unable to resist her urging, he was only let go after soaking in the warm water she had prepared.

At breakfast, the whole family sat around the table for the first time in a while. Seeing Rian return safely, his mother Serena and father Aaron wore faces full of relief.

“Rian, did you enjoy your walk yesterday?”

Startled by his mother’s question, Rian answered nonchalantly.

“Yes, Mother. Getting some fresh air from the estate after a long time cleared my head.”

“Brother! Did you see a rabbit? Or a squirrel?”

Lily, sitting across from him, asked with sparkling eyes.

“Hmm… I think I saw something a bit bigger than a rabbit.”

When Rian smiled meaningfully, Lily clung to him with an even more curious expression. A warm family scene. Rian vowed once more that he would gladly walk into any hell to protect this peace.

After the meal, Rian went to his study. The moment he closed the door, the boyish smile vanished from his face and the lord of cold shadows like an abyss appeared. He stared at the enormous map of the continent hanging on the wall. His gaze fixed beyond the western continent’s Kairos Empire to the eastern continent across the sea, specifically to a point called the ‘Black Marshes.’

‘Ashen Worm cult. Apostles of the plague operating in the shadows across the entire continent.’

The nobles of the capital moved for their desires. Their actions were predictable and controllable. But this new enemy was different. They moved with a fanatical purpose of destruction and apocalypse. Unpredictable and merciless, they were a cancerous presence in the world.

Knock.

Kael entered quietly and handed over a report.

“Master, this is a report from Argos in the capital. Most of Valois’ remnants have been dealt with, and the Dawn Guild has expanded its distribution network to major northern cities. Lord Kaion and the count’s standing have also become firmer.”

“All right, the capital will be fine for the time being.”

Rian put the report down and gave Kael new orders.

“Reorganize all intelligence networks in Argos. From now on our top priority is the Ashen Worm cult. Track every unexplained plague within the Empire, the deaths of strange creatures, and large-scale disappearance incidents. We must find every location suspected to be their ‘farms.’”

“Understood, Master.”

“And… find a route to the eastern continent. the safest and most covert route. Whether through a guild or smugglers, I don’t care. We must plant our ‘eyes’ there.”

Finally, Rian gave a slightly different instruction.

“Through the Dawn Guild, prepare 100 sacks of top-grade white coal and 100 boxes of preserved glowing moss rations. And send them… to the largest cave in the central mountain range of the monster forest. Make the recipient ‘my old friend, Ignis.’”

Kael’s eyes widened in shock. It was an order that defied common sense: to send gifts to a dragon. But he asked nothing and bowed his head.

“I will carry out your command.”

After Kael withdrew, Rian looked at the map once more. A peaceful morning in the estate. But he knew: this was merely the fleeting calm before the storm.