「THE SAME DAY — 5:45 P.M.」
The fading light of sunset barely reached the private chamber of the Utility Magic Department. G6 and Edmund sat opposite one another, still wearing the aftermath of the forest.
Drying blood darkened their clothes, dirt clung to their boots, and the lingering stench of goblin had followed them all the way back into the palace.
Neither paid it any attention. The black paper lay on the low table between them, its strange red writing unchanged.
G6 occupied the center couch with her legs crossed and her sunglasses still concealing her eyes.
Across from her, Edmund leaned forward with his elbows against his knees and his forehead supported by his clasped hands. He had been staring at the paper for several minutes.
"What… should we do about this?" he finally asked.
"I don't know."
G6 kept her gaze on the writing.
"But isn't it strange? The entire forest had no natural mana. Then my blood touched that damn writing, the paper lit up, and right after that, the natural mana came back."
Edmund raised his head before looking at the paper again.
"Indeed. It is strange… The timing is difficult to dismiss."
"Could still be coincidence."
"Could be."
He considered it for a moment, his brows drawing together.
"But if the two events are related… perhaps our description of what happened to the natural mana is incorrect."
"What do you mean?"
"We assumed it had been dampened somehow." Edmund studied the markings. "But considering how abruptly it returned once the writing reacted… perhaps it was not dampened."
G6's fingers stopped tapping against her arm.
"Locked away?"
"Perhaps."
Edmund nodded slowly. The possibility gave them another theory rather than an answer, adding to a collection that was already irritatingly large.
G6 leaned back.
"That still doesn't explain what this paper actually does."
"Nor why your blood caused it to react."
"Exactly. Another fucking mystery."
Edmund sighed.
"There is something else that concerns me."
"What?"
"If this truly is the writing I believe it to be…"
His expression grew more serious.
"Such a language is not associated with common monsters or ordinary new-type demons. The old records attribute it to ranking demons."
G6 remained silent, allowing him to continue.
"Most people in Einston consider such beings little more than distant horrors. The creatures commonly found within the kingdom are common monsters and lesser new-types."
His attention returned to the paper.
"Those capable of producing something such as this are associated with the Charnel Land."
G6's brow twitched.
"The place you mentioned before?"
"Yes. The Charnel Land lies beyond the northern reaches of Einston. Scutum stands along that direction as one of the kingdom's primary fortified barrier towns."
"The place you used for my alias."
"Yes, Lady Reise."
Edmund gave her an awkward look before the implications of his explanation seemed to catch up with him. His posture straightened.
"If something from there managed to breach the barrier—"
"Stop."
G6 interrupted before his rising panic could gain momentum.
"You're jumping to conclusions."
He opened his mouth, but she raised a finger.
"We don't know who made the paper."
She raised a second.
"We don't know who put it in that forest."
A third joined the others.
"And we sure as hell don't know if something crossed your northern barrier."
Edmund's shoulders lowered slightly.
"That is true."
"Scutum is far from here."
"Approximately twenty days by ordinary land travel, depending on the route."
I did my research after you used that place for my alias.
G6 leaned forward.
"And you already told me every registered town has a teleportation tool and an emergency rune linked to Sanctum."
Edmund nodded.
"So if something actually breached the North and started moving through the kingdom, there should've been other signs before it magically appeared near the Capital."
"The settlements along the route…"
"Exactly. Your theory is shaky."
Edmund released a breath through his nose.
"I admit the sight of that paper encouraged my imagination to outrun my judgment."
"Clearly."
He gave her a tired look, which she ignored.
"I noticed something else when I was studying the kingdom maps in the Bastion," G6 continued. "The forests."
"What about them?"
"They stretch through huge sections of the domain. A lot of them connect."
Edmund considered the suggestion.
"So you believe something could have traveled through the forests while avoiding the main roads and settlements."
"Could have."
She shrugged slightly.
"Doesn't mean it did."
"Or perhaps the goblins themselves carried the paper," Edmund suggested.
"Maybe."
"But new-type demons are still beasts. Stronger and often more cunning than ordinary monsters, certainly, but not known for deliberate strategic thinking."
"The one I fought wasn't mindless."
Edmund looked toward her.
"It could think," G6 continued. "Not brilliantly, but it watched what I was doing and adjusted. Like a novice combatant."
His expression tightened as she glanced toward the black paper.
"There was something else."
"What?"
"Before it came out of that cave, I felt something coming."
She lifted a hand slightly, indicating the movement.
"I used Reaper's Ascent and moved upward. Whatever came out passed beneath me and cut the tree behind."
"The tree you mentioned earlier?"
"Yeah."
"What was the attack?"
G6 hesitated.
"It looked like a Wind Blade."
"Wind Blade?"
"Maybe."
The qualification stopped him. G6 folded her arms and continued before he could turn her observation into something more certain.
"I only saw it once. It felt like Wind. The pressure, the direction, the way it moved through the air. It cut that tree clean enough that it looked like a Wind Blade too."
"Then the Hobgoblin used elemental magic?"
"I said maybe."
Her eyes sharpened behind the dark lenses.
"Don't turn an assumption into a fact."
"Of course."
Edmund nodded immediately.
"It never used that attack again," G6 said, leaning back. "For all I know, it could've been some skill or trait belonging to that specific new-type variant."
"That is certainly possible."
"But if it really was elemental magic…"
She left the thought unfinished, and Edmund did not complete it for her. One attack offered too little evidence to establish the answer, but enough to unsettle them both.
He looked between G6 and the paper.
"A new-type demon behaving with unusual intelligence. A single attack resembling Wind magic. A forest from which natural mana had disappeared. And demonic writing found inside a newly formed dungeon."
"Yeah."
G6's mouth flattened.
"A very irritating pile of coincidences."
Three sharp knocks sounded against the chamber door.
"Lady Reise? I am coming in."
Felicia opened the door before either could answer. Her hand found the light switch, and the room brightened enough to expose the full condition of their clothing.
She froze, looking from G6 to Edmund and back again. Blood, dirt, and scratches covered them, accompanied by the lingering smell of iron and monster.
"I…"
Her professional expression slipped for only a moment before she recovered.
"I will draw you a bath at once, Lady Reise. We must have you presentable before you return to the West Villa."
"Let's continue our discussion later, Edmund."
G6 reached for the paper and folded it carefully, preserving the writing before slipping it into a concealed pocket. Felicia had no opportunity to examine it properly.
"Of course, Lady Reise."
Edmund remained seated as G6 followed Felicia toward the adjoining room. Once the door closed, he continued looking at the empty space on the table.
They had spent most of the discussion producing theories, and he was beginning to suspect that actual answers would be considerably harder to obtain.
❈.❈.❈
G6 stood before the full-length mirror and assessed the damage. A wide purple-blue bruise had spread across her ribs where the Hobgoblin struck her, and pressing two fingers against it produced an immediate flare of pain.
"That fucker. That overgrown pest got a lucky shot."
She turned and craned her neck to inspect her back. Fine red scratches crossed her shoulders and portions of her back, accompanied by darker bruises from crashing through the branches.
"Ugh. There too?"
The injuries were not severe, but they were deeply annoying. Every bruise reminded her that Reise's body still could not endure combat as Akira's once had.
She prodded the swelling near the corner of her mouth.
"Fuck. Not only did I get beat up by a flying log, I also reek. Do all monsters smell like a garbage dump? I smell like shit."
Several minutes later, she lowered herself into the bath Felicia had prepared.
The heat stung her scratches before gradually loosening the tension in her back and shoulders. Roses and lavender scented the water strongly enough to erase most of the forest from her skin.
G6 rested her arms along the edges of the tub.
"I wonder what's happening with this kingdom."
Steam curled around her.
"Should I even bother? I can barely solve my own problem."
She closed her eyes, but the day's events refused to disappear with the blood.
The strange cave, the Hobgoblin, and the attack that nearly cut through her before she saw its source remained troubling enough without the forest's missing mana or the writing that reacted to her blood.
Too many missing pieces.
Freedom had always been her priority. Everything else came second, though freedom would become considerably less useful if the kingdom around her grew unstable enough to interfere with it.
G6 opened her eyes as a faint discomfort persisted beneath everything else.
It felt neither painful nor immediately dangerous. Something about the black paper was simply unpleasant.
Her gaze shifted toward the discarded clothes where she had concealed it. With natural mana present around her again, the sensation surrounding the paper had become easier to distinguish.
It did not attract her. The effect was repulsive, scraping against her senses with the same instinctive disgust as discovering contamination where none should exist.
Her nose wrinkled.
What the fuck is that?
She remained still for several seconds, trying to understand it. Nothing useful emerged beyond the same immediate aversion.
Whatever lingered around the paper did not feel right, and that was all she could establish.
Eventually, G6 stood and stepped onto the floor, water running across her bruised skin. She wrapped herself in a robe, retrieved the paper, and examined it again.
The red writing remained without any light or further reaction.
"This shit."
She folded it carefully and left the bathroom.
Felicia had already begun preparing everything she would need for her return to the West Villa. G6 attended to the practical necessities first, securing her concealed thigh belt and placing the paper inside one hidden compartment. A dagger occupied another.
Then she put on the gown.
Its elegant black fabric left her back exposed. G6 examined the scratches visible in the mirror while Felicia considered how best to conceal them.
"Exhausting."
At least the bruise near her mouth could be covered. She sat at the vanity and applied the cosmetics herself, blending foundation and powder over the darkened skin until the injury became difficult to notice.
She selected a dark red lip color. The instant it touched her mouth, a broken memory surfaced.
Cold wood pressed against her cheek in the liquor storage. Her vision swayed beneath a shadow that blocked the light, and sandalwood mingled with the scent of expensive soap. Someone stood far too close.
Then the pain returned within the memory. The chained rose behind her right ear had burned violently enough to cut through the alcohol fogging her mind.
Her eyes had opened to find Prince Dio close to her, his face moving away from hers. Panic and guilt marked his expression, accompanied by something she had been too drunk to understand.
It's fucking burning.
Her own voice sounded slurred and disgusted.
The memory ended, leaving G6 motionless with the lip color suspended between her fingers. Her expression emptied rather than erupting, then cooled as she slowly placed it on the vanity.
"I knew that stupid ass Snow White was lying."
Her voice was very quiet. He had deliberately omitted it when she questioned him, which was irritating enough. Remembering what he had done made something colder settle beneath her skin.
"As if it wasn't bad enough."
She stared at her reflection.
"He does it while I'm drunk and unconscious? What is he, a common pervert?"
She hated unsolicited contact under ordinary circumstances. A hand grabbing her without warning could still make her body calculate a counterattack before her mind caught up. Being touched while barely conscious, then remaining unable to remember it until later, left her feeling deeply, physically violated.
Her mouth tightened.
"I am certainly going to make him pay for daring to touch me."
Another part of the memory interrupted her anger: the tattoo's burning.
Wait. Was that the missing data point? Was that why the tattoo felt like it was on fire?
She frowned.
Another mystery.
That disgusting piece of trash.
I need to shower in acid.
The thought alone is making me sick.
G6 stood, adjusted her gown, and took one final look at herself. Then she pushed the adjoining door open harder than necessary.
Edmund waited outside, already washed and dressed. His composure had returned so completely that no one looking at him would have guessed what they had been doing a few hours earlier.
"Lady Reise. It is nearly seven in the evening. Shall we?"
"Uh-huh. I need strong alcohol."
Edmund blinked. Before he could respond, she turned toward Felicia, who was gathering their ruined clothing.
"Felicia, do something about these. If they can't be saved, make me a new set. Exactly. The. Same."
"Of course, Lady Reise."
G6 walked away with controlled steps and her usual cold neutrality restored. Edmund watched for a moment. Something had happened in the adjoining room, and he had enough sense not to ask what.
「WEST VILLA」
"I wonder what is keeping Lady Reise so late this evening."
Lady Brenda had paced around the dining hall long enough to attract Lord Earl's attention. Dinner was prepared, but Reise had yet to appear.
"You are correct. She is typically here before sunset," he said, tapping a finger against the polished table.
"Maybe I should go check on her?"
Lord Keith was halfway out of his chair when Prince Dio lifted his head.
"Why would you need to check on my fiancée?"
Lord Keith stopped and slowly turned toward him. A grin appeared, deepening the Prince's frown.
"Perhaps Lady Reise simply became occupied with her studies in the Utility Magic Department," Miss Eliza offered from farther down the table.
"Reise? Immersed in Utility Magic?"
Lord Keith dropped back into his chair.
"The only magic she's interested in lately is whatever lets her hit something."
"She would rather spend an afternoon destroying training targets than learning how to polish them," Lord Earl added, his mouth twitching.
"Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't converted the whole department into a combat hall."
Prince Dio remained silent. Their assessment was annoyingly believable.
The Reise he remembered would never have voluntarily spent hours exhausting herself in combat training, but the woman now occupying the West Villa could apparently forget everything else when she found a physical skill to master.
The sound of carriage wheels eventually reached the entrance. Tina and Lilia turned as Edmund climbed down and opened the door for G6.
Both maids paused when she emerged.
A sumptuous jet-black fur coat covered her gown, fastened neatly at the neck and concealing the scratches and bruising across her shoulders and back. Long black gloves hid the injuries along her arms. The effect belonged in a royal court rather than anywhere near a battlefield.
"Lady Reise! Welcome home!"
Lilia hurried forward while Tina examined the coat, gloves, and her mistress's face.
"Good evening, Lady Reise. You are… unusually covered this evening."
"Yeah. It was made by me."
A faint, smug smirk accompanied the claim.
"It is beautiful, Lady Reise!" Lilia exclaimed.
As if.
Felicia was the one who sewed this in record time and claimed it as my work to the others.
Who would've thought her quick thinking would become so handy today?
"The others are already waiting for you in the dining hall," Tina said. "They have been somewhat anxious."
G6's smirk disappeared.
Right. Snow White.
The memory returned with uncomfortable clarity, cooling her expression so abruptly that both maids noticed. Neither commented as she turned toward the villa and walked inside.
Her pace remained controlled, though each step carried more force than usual.
At the dining hall, she caught the handle and pushed the double doors inward hard enough for them to strike their stops with a heavy THUD.
Conversation died. Lady Brenda startled, Lord Keith turned sharply, and Lord Earl's tapping finger stopped. Miss Eliza looked toward the entrance while Prince Dio found G6 staring directly at him.
Her composed face did little to disguise the anger in her eyes.
Wait.
What am I so work up for?
This is not so me. I should deal with him in an old way.
She took a controlled breath and concealed her displeasure behind the familiar mask.
"Reise… I know we're rich, but please think of the doors," Lord Keith said, glancing between her and the entrance.
G6 ignored him.
"Lady Reise! I'm so glad you're home."
Lady Brenda approached, then became distracted by her clothing.
"Your coat and gloves… they are beautiful."
"I apologize for keeping you all waiting."
No, I'm not.
"And thank you. It was a piece I've been crafting in my sessions there."
The lie came smoothly.
"Good evening, Lady Reise," Miss Eliza greeted.
"Likewise."
G6 continued toward her usual seat, prompting an immediate contest for the adjacent chairs. Prince Dio took the place on her left before Lord Keith could properly rise, while Lord Earl was already settling on her right.
"Jerk," Lady Brenda muttered.
"This annoying prince," Lord Keith complained, dropping into the chair beside him.
Miss Eliza quietly took the remaining seat near Lady Brenda.
"So it appears you're taking to your work there with newfound vigor," Lord Earl remarked, examining G6's clothing.
"Yes. Aren't I simply the best?"
She lifted her chin slightly. Prince Dio leaned closer.
"I'm glad to know you're coming to like it there."
"Shut up."
He drew back slightly, confusion crossing his face. He searched his memory again, but nothing came to him.
Lord Earl noticed and changed the subject.
"Anyway, you cannot go to the department tomorrow. The knight recruitment gathering begins mid-morning."
Yeah, I was so intending to go. I'm going to drop my proposal to that witch about splitting my time anyway.
"Okay."
"Whoa. You're oddly agreeable today," Lord Keith said.
"That is even more frightening," Lord Earl murmured.
G6 regarded them tiredly.
"Let's just settle on the fact that I'm far too tired to deal with your collective stupidity tonight."
"So, Reise—" Prince Dio began.
"I said shut your mouth."
He stopped, and Lord Keith failed to suppress a laugh.
"Reise, don't be so harsh on His Highness."
"Shut up, Keith. I'll have you mucking out the royal stables for a month."
"You wouldn't dare! Reise, tell him!"
"If he doesn't, I will."
G6 picked up her fork.
"Now, can we please eat? Or do I need to start throwing things to get a moment of silence?"
"Lower that, black lady."
Alistair's gruff voice interrupted as he and Janin guided serving carts into the room.
This old fart. His timing is as impeccable as his annoyance.
"Good evening, everyone," Janin greeted warmly.
G6 lowered the utensil and leaned back too quickly. Pain seized her bruised back, forcing her forward again.
"Fuck!"
"What's wrong?" Prince Dio asked immediately.
"Lady Reise, are you hurt?" Lady Brenda added.
Near the smaller servants' table, Edmund remained beside Tina and Lilia with his expression carefully neutral. His attention had fixed on G6.
"I'm… fine. Just this stupid chair. The carving is digging into me."
Her jaw tightened.
"Throw this out before I smash every piece of it."
"I will have every one of them replaced in the morning," Prince Dio said, looking at the offending furniture.
G6 stared at him. He appeared entirely serious.
Alistair approached and placed a generous cut of medium-rare steak with creamy mashed potatoes before her. Beside the plate, he set a small goblet of murky green liquid.
"This will help."
His voice was low enough that she almost missed it.
"What?"
Alistair straightened as though he had said nothing unusual.
"It is a new herbal tonic meant to help strengthen the body. Drink it after your meal."
He added another half-slice of steak to her already full plate.
"You need your strength."
"Isn't that rather heavy?" Lord Earl asked.
"For someone as busy as her, it is not nearly enough."
G6 looked from the goblet to Alistair. He was not supposed to know anything, yet the timing was suspicious.
Did Edmund tell Alistair?
Her gaze shifted briefly toward the butler.
Or does the old fart just see everything?
The steak smelled excellent. Edmund looked at it and became noticeably paler.
"I will request a salad, Alistair. I will skip the meat for now."
He moved toward the smaller table.
"Lady Reise, we will proceed at our own table."
G6 watched him retreat. The bloody steak had apparently accomplished what nearly a hundred goblin corpses had failed to do.
"I will eat meat!" Lilia declared cheerfully.
She looked toward G6 and gestured at their corner.
"Lady Reise?"
"Edmund never changes. He has always had a weak stomach," Alistair observed while finishing the service.
G6 examined him again.
Was that merely an old man's observation?
Or something else?
Alistair offered no explanation.
"Send one of the girls to the kitchen for another serving."
He gave a short bow.
"We'll be taking our leave now."
He and Janin wheeled the carts away. Prince Dio watched G6 finally take up her knife and fork.
"Let's eat."
The clink of cutlery replaced the earlier chaos, allowing the table to settle into something resembling an ordinary dinner.
Several minutes passed before Prince Dio cleared his throat.
"The knight recruitment begins tomorrow at the Main Palace arena grounds. I expect it will be a long day."
"I checked the records," Lord Earl replied with a nod. "Almost every eligible Adventurer has shown interest."
"Why does this work only fall to Bastion? Tsk," Lord Keith complained.
"Maybe because Bastion handles the kingdom's military offense and defense, you dimwit," Lady Brenda answered.
"Shut up, nerd!"
She glared at him as Miss Eliza cautiously entered the conversation.
"Well, I am rather excited. I heard this is the first time the Palace has decided to accept knights who are not of noble birth."
"Formally into the corps, yes," Lord Earl explained. "Adventurers and other common-born fighters have cooperated with royal forces before, particularly during large monster incidents or temporary contracts. But they remained independent."
He adjusted his glasses.
"This recruitment is different. Those who qualify will actually enter the knight structure."
"So it truly is unprecedented."
"For the kingdom as we know it."
Lord Keith leaned back.
"Which means tomorrow will be full of ambitious Adventurers attempting to impress people with larger titles than theirs."
"As opposed to you attempting to impress everyone every day?" Lady Brenda asked.
"That is completely different."
"How?"
"I am naturally impressive."
Lady Brenda looked toward G6, who continued cutting her steak. She wanted no involvement in the argument.
Lord Earl's attention had already drifted elsewhere.
"I wonder what is happening in the North…"
His voice lost its earlier lightness. The sudden recruitment had not been organized merely for novelty.
G6's knife stopped.
Right. The rushed recruitment.
The northern concern.
Edmund's earlier theory.
Does this have something to do with that Charnel Land?
She stared at her plate for several seconds. Prince Dio noticed, glanced toward her, and wisely decided not to interrupt.
Quiet conversation continued until a firm knock sounded at the dining-hall door. It opened to admit Leo, who offered a deep bow.
"Good evening, Your Highness, and to the esteemed heirs of the Pillars. Forgive my intrusion. I am here to deliver a message from Her Majesty."
Everyone fell silent. Prince Dio set down his utensil as the Queen's personal butler straightened.
"All of you are requested to attend a meeting in the Main Palace Meeting Hall two hours before the recruitment begins."
"The recruitment begins at ten. Her Majesty wants us there by eight?" Prince Dio asked, frowning.
"It was stated to be a pressing matter."
G6 lifted her gaze.
Hmm. That was fast.
Confused looks passed around the table. Lord Keith frowned, Lady Brenda stopped eating, and Miss Eliza turned toward Prince Dio.
Only G6 and Edmund already had a likely explanation. She calmly took another bite of steak while he briefly met her gaze from across the room before looking away.
The Guild report had reached the palace. Nearly a hundred goblins near Oak Village and a newly discovered new-type demon were enough to raise alarm so close to the Capital.
The forest's missing natural mana, the black paper, its strange writing, and the reaction to G6's blood remained between the two of them.
For now, those secrets were still theirs.
—To Be Continued…—