73

“…You have crossed the line.”

Hamel quietly reproached Rupert.

But Rupert no longer wavered.

“It seems Lord Hamel is the one crossing the line. This is a matter of the north estates.”

“It is also the order’s affair.”

“I don’t think Lord Hamel’s wishes represent the wishes of the northern order.”

“…”

Hamel fell silent.

Indeed, Hamel in his current state could not speak for the northern order.

Stepping back, Hamel swallowed his anger and pleaded.

“At least allow us to offer rites for the corpse. Leaving it as it is would be unwise.”

This was a being once worshiped as a god.

When a being of such stature dies with grudges, calamity follows.

The earth and the forest will perish and vermin will swarm.

Moreover, the curse Lunacornus spat out at the end could not be ignored.

A curse uttered as life fades tends to grow stronger.

A curse left with the last breath entangles the threads of fate and distorts destiny.

That meant it would be powerful and difficult to lift.

All the more so since it was a curse from a divine being.

Rupert stared at Hamel for a moment, then shrugged.

“Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

Just as Hamel passed Rupert and moved to approach Cornus he was stopped.

“However.”

Rupert stopped Hamel and lifted Cornus’s head.

“This horn is a token of vanquishing a demon; I will offer it to my father.”

“…”

Before Hamel could respond, Rupert cut off Cornus’s horn.

The horn, which had shone like crystal, fell limp and lifeless.

At the same time, something strange happened.

The adornment that decorated the horn shrank and became a ring that fell to the ground.

• Ting, clatter

A ring slid and spun across the snow without embedding itself.

A raven’s image was engraved on the ring.

It looked slightly different, but something immediately came to mind.

It was the raven seal of those seen in the dungeon.

It felt like more than mere coincidence.

On top of that, Hamel sensed an ominous energy from the ring.

“Sir Rupert, you must not touch that.”

Hamel urgently reached out and warned him.

Rupert’s expression hardened.

He sighed briefly, then spoke coldly.

“You’ve been giving orders repeatedly, but you are not my superior.”

“…”

When Hamel did not answer, a chill silence settled between them.

Rupert looked at Hamel with deeply settled eyes and said.

“And the ownership of this ring belongs to me, who dispatched the demon, and to the north.”

“But the raven image on that ring…”

“I know. It’s the same as the one seen in the dungeon.”

“You knew.”

“Yes, but, Lord Hamel, you ultimately do not know their true identity. Investigating this is also a matter for the north.”

Hamel realized further discussion was pointless.

His argument was not without flaws, but Hamel could not press them.

As Rupert had said, this was the north, and it was not a matter to be settled by words alone.

‘I must hope Lord Raikard is wise,’ he thought.

Hamel began the rites, hoping the Sword master would resolve the matter well.

“Then I will begin with the ceremony.”

“You.”

“…?”

Ono called out to Rupert, who was about to leave through the trees past the group.

Then he spoke with a sneer.

“Do try doing well. You never know. Your father might praise you. But…”

“…”

“I wonder if the great Sword master knows? That his child is still a despicable coward?”

Rupert, who clenched his fist and trembled for a moment, spat out.

“…Let’s go.”

The knights who followed him quietly fell in step behind.

Ono clicked his tongue, as if bored watching that.

Then he moved beside Hamel and knelt with him.

“A fellow with no Divine power offering rites… step aside. You’re in the way.”

“Are you going to help?”

Hamel asked calmly, and Ono barked back.

“I’m not helping you, I’m doing my duty! If anyone’s helping, it’ll be you.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Hamel nodded and knelt beside him in solemn posture.

A mass to comfort the dead echoed from the throats of the two priests.

The sun, risen without their noticing, cast a faint light over the forest.

A warm aura filled the wood.

At the same time, yellow light shimmered above the deer corpses and rose to the sky.

How long had they prayed?

Most of the bodies accepted the solace and returned to the embrace of the gods.

But there was one exception.

No light rose from Lunacornus’s body.

“This is…”

Hamel rose, sensing something ominous.

Ono ruffled his hair in irritation.

“This is an empty shell. He was cursed by that brat; either he’s become a lingering spirit, or his soul is held hostage by a pact with a demon.”

“What happens if we leave a lingering spirit?”

Daniel asked, and Hamel answered with cold, settled eyes.

“Then it will truly become a demon. One that harms humans.”

“…Did the demon that bargained with Lunacornus anticipate this?”

“I don’t know.”

Hamel shook his head.

No matter the demon, could it have planned for a situation like this?

Hamel had doubts.

If that were possible, such a being would be close to a god.

‘For now, disposing of that ring quickly is the best course.’

Hamel hurriedly stood and said.

“We must hurry as well. We should follow Sir Rupert.”

“Yes. That would be wise.”

• Nod

Rena lowered her head, and Daniel and Ono gathered their gear.

Just as they were about to leave the forest.

• Kiiiiiiik

An unexpected laughter grabbed Hamel by the ankle.

He saw dolls moving swiftly in the darkness with faint light.

Even without the residue of demonic energy, Den’s group had no trouble identifying them.

“White Lady?”

Not just one, but four.

It was unheard of for mid-level demons, not low-level ones, to travel in a pack.

Something was seriously wrong.

Originally, Rupert and his knights had bypassed and left without encountering them.

Hamel felt someone’s malice directed at him.

“This is a trap.”

Ono replied curtly to Hamel’s mutter.

“It looks like one to anyone. So what will you do?”

“Is there another way?”

Hamel slowly drew his sword and said.

“One apiece. I’ll give you ten minutes.”

---

Sea of Trees.

Someone lurked in the shadow of the wood where not a speck of light reached.

A hooded man watched from afar as people battled demons and muttered.

“Tsk tsk. I told you so; why didn’t you listen to me earlier? Didn’t I say to leave this to our comrades? What good has your stubbornness done now?”

It meant more bothersome work for him, and that fellow was in trouble.

He still had tasks left, and it was frustrating to see an opportunity wasted so pointlessly.

After a moment, the man muttered as if suddenly irritated.

“That friend David, using us like that, is truly too troublesome to leave be.”

His plan had been to use that Hamel to sap David’s power.

But this time, it had backfired.

Of all places, the priest fellow was dragged into this very forest.

It wasn’t a huge matter, but having his work interrupted this way was irritating.

Moreover, a bit of news had just arrived.

One of the relics of an old god, the ‘Root of All Wisdom’, had reportedly fallen into their hands.

Surely the forces left on David’s side could be counted on one hand.

Did they still have some tricks up their sleeve?

‘The balance tipped long ago; why are they still trying so hard?’ he thought.

Just as the man clicked his tongue.

“Hm?”

His eyes sharpened.

It had been less than ten minutes since the battle began.

“What… Could it be that all the White Ladies were taken out?”

The man was stunned.

The strength of the others was unexpected, but Hamel’s might exceeded expectations.

He had heard Hamel had little besides the power of dragon’s blood.

What had happened in the meantime?

The man instinctively felt it.

This was dangerous.

The man slowly drew back his hood.

Underneath his brown hair, a raven-shaped mark was visible at the nape of his neck.

He tapped the dagger at his waist.

“You called, Father?”

Someone emerged from the shadows, knelt, and bowed before him.

The brown-haired man, after choosing his words, nodded.

“Yes. There is a message you must deliver to him.”

“Speak.”

“Tell him we may have to revise the plan.”

“The plan… you mean?”

“Yes. It’s unlikely, but possible.”

A slim chance.

No matter how much Hamel had grown, it wasn’t enough to overturn their plan.

But if by some chance.

If he were to thwart their scheme and ultimately stand against David.

Then many things would truly change.

---

“Be crushed.”

• Crunch

Rena’s magic spell made the last White Lady’s head burst.

“Well done, everyone.”

Hamel quickly assessed the situation.

The battle ended in well under ten minutes.

Others had improved, but the most surprising was Hamel’s own skill.

Only a year ago he had struggled against a White Lady, and now…

• Swoosh

It was literally instantaneous.

Hamel, having evaded the foe’s attacks once or twice, was frankly taken aback.

Their attacks were too slow and weak.

By reflex he countered with a grafted technique, and that was the end.

The White Lady’s head fell cleanly.

Daniel, Ono, and Rena also took theirs down without much trouble.

He felt that he and his companions had all grown.

For a moment, pleased that their hardships hadn’t been in vain, something caught his eye.

An artificial something hung on the White Ladies’ wrists.

“This is…”

Hamel frowned as he looked at the design engraved on the bracelets.

No wonder; it was a pattern they’d seen moments before.

“A raven… is it?”

It was the pattern seen in the dungeon and the engraving on the ring that had been the adornment of Cornus.

Hamel’s unease took shape and approached reality.

Someone had been orchestrating things deliberately.

That Lunacornus had made a pact with a demon.

That Rupert had killed Cornus and taken the ring.

That they had used the White Ladies to block their path.

He was certain all were acts of the same parties.

So what did those people want?

As he pondered, Hamel flinched.

“We cannot let Rupert return to Sturnhelm.”

“What on earth are you blathering about?”

Ono asked back, and Hamel shouted briefly.

“There’s no time to explain. Follow me.”

Hamel gritted his teeth and started running.

Taken aback, the group hurried to follow behind.

After running for a while.

They emerged from the forest.

Outside, the sun had fully risen.

Hamel hurried toward the stables where the horses were.

There, the knights’ horses were already gone.

---

“You fool!”

• Slash

Rupert’s head snapped to the side from the slap.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Raikard, still not appeased, brushed his hair back and exhaled deeply.

“You’ve truly become vermin. You’re neither my son nor a knight.”

Raikard lamented as he carefully set the deer’s horn Rupert had handed him on the table.

“I should never have sent you. I should have entrusted it to Lord Hamel…”

“…”

Rupert silently kept his mouth shut.

Raikard frowned and said.

“Leave. I don’t even want to look at you.”

As Raikard, feeling exasperated, turned to drink water and picked up his cup.

“You always push me to the brink like this.”

“What are you talking about…”

• Thud

A sharp pain hit his waist.

Raikard immediately wrapped himself in aura to block the blade.

Clenching his teeth, he turned and swung a fist laden with blue aura.

• Jing

With the clang of metal, someone staggered back.

The blood-stained sword in Rupert’s hand trembled.

“You…!”

Raikard widened his eyes and glared at Rupert, who had struck him with the sword.

He was not surprised because the attacker was his son.

The aura woven into Raikard’s blade.

Its clear, distinct form was blade-strength, a privilege of the Sword master alone.

But something about it felt alien.

The ominous red aura carried a sinister tinge.

Only then did Raikard realize his son was not in his right mind.

At that moment, the door burst open and twenty royal guards flooded into the study.

Seeing them, Raikard felt a brief relief and said.

“Royal Guards. Subdue Rupert immediately.”

“…”

“…The royal guard?”

Raikard looked at the silent guards.

Red hues stained the guards’ eyes.

As if the aura dwelling in Rupert’s sword.

“…You lot.”

Raikard’s eyes trembled.

They had no weapons, and, worst of all, the area that had been struck was in poor condition.

He held it back with aura, but his organs were damaged.

A familiar scent wafted.

The scent of death.

Rupert, watching this, spoke slowly.

“If I can never gain your approval by any means… then I’ll be acknowledged like this.”

“What?”

Raikard paused in stunned silence, then suddenly laughed.

“Kekek.”

“…What’s so funny?”

Rupert’s brow furrowed then.

Raikard snorted and shouted.

“Yes. Now you’ve finally become more of a man!”

Raikard tore off his bloodied shirt.

Blue aura surged from both his fists like a vast ocean.

Rupert’s expression hardened as he watched.

Raikard asked coldly and sarcastically.

“But how long do you intend to prattle on with words?”

At Raikard’s words, twenty knights drew their swords.

And Raikard charged at the group bare-handed.

The next moment.

• Bang!

A thunderous roar shook the entire castle.