IBWCD 35

Chapter 35

Evelyn’s face cracked a little at what she thought was a very cold answer.

Another man would have been satisfied with her weakness, but he was not amused in the least.

Evelyn’s eyes fluttered as if they were about to burst into tears at any moment.

Her jaw was clenched tightly to hold back the tears.

Even the thin skin of her body, trembling like a wounded man, scratched her nerves.

If only she could cry out in pain, if only she could cry out in sorrow, if only she could cry out in sadness, she wouldn’t feel so sick to her stomach.

Just then, the carriage slowed down.

When she opened the curtain to reveal that they had reached their intermediate destination, Kalian said coldly.

“If you can’t do that, quit now. Tomorrow at dawn, while we head for the swamps, you can take the carriage and get off at the next town.”

* * *

The Blackwood Knights’ procession came to a halt in a clearing near the Cabana Grove, a vast broadleaf forest.

Dismounting from the carriage, Kalian studied a large map to confirm the route. His two lieutenants and aides quickly rounded the table.

“There are two main roads to Litchev. One that will take time, but is easier to travel by carriage, and one that can be found at…”

Kalian tapped their current location with a long finger, then drew a path along the river, straight toward Litchev.

“Dangerous, but swamps and gorges that can be traversed quickly.”

In their warrior minds, the option of traveling by wagon was not even a consideration.

“Tsk,” Kalian added, folding the map twice and handing it to Benjamin.

“But the shortcut will not allow the wagon to pass. Have the wagons ready to go on the main road with minimal loads.”

“Yes!”

The temperature plummeted as the blazing sun disappeared.

Kalian divided the wagons appropriately between those who would escort them and those who would make the quick trip through the swamp to Litchev, based on their deputy leaders, Max and Dwayne.

“At first light, the wagon convoy led by Dwayne and Benjamin will take the main road, and the rest of us will follow me and Max into the swamp.”

“Yes!”

“The convoy’s greatest task is to distribute the cordite to the private houses. Make sure there are no mistakes.”

“Is it really necessary?”

Dwayne, who had been silent the entire time, snapped.

He tried to keep his temper in check, but he didn’t like the idea of his master being played by outsiders.

“Once we’ve given the Imperials everything we’ve got and everything we don’t have…!”

“Dismissed.”

But Kalian turned away as if he would hear no more.

Benjamin and Max hastily interrupted Dwayne, who was about to grumble that he still had something to say.

“Dude, come on, dude!”

“Do you want to die? It’s written all over my face that I’ll kill you if you touch me, so please, mind your own business, okay?”

Dwayne looked like he was about to explode with frustration.

He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew that if he touched him, he would be in for a very bad time.

* * *

It was spring, but the winter had just ended, and the weather was still chilly.

It took a lot of preparation to camp in the forest, where there were no houses, let alone inns.

Of course, this was not the case for men from the north, who were at home in the rugged mountains.

While they were busy with their own business.

Slumped back in his chair, Kalian stared coldly down at the key, which was engraved with the same markings as the vial in the small box.

“…It seems my aunt has indeed crossed the river of no return.”

The empress was a woman who would do anything to get what she wanted.

The fact that she had stolen an old friend’s hand in marriage was a testament to that.

The problem is, it’s hard to see what the empress has to gain by helping the temple.

It wasn’t the usual one-dimensional act of poisoning his teacups or sending assassins.

‘That means there are other forces manipulating her…’

Most troubling were the identities of the people Evelyn had met in the temple’s basement.

Distinctive looks, northern Lingus village, blood with regenerative powers.

‘Perhaps they used their powers to bring something back to life in the temple… Any ideas?’

“Benjamin, have you ever heard of the village of Lingus?”

He pulled out a cigar and put it to his mouth, a shadow of complexity crossing his expressionless face.

Benjamin, who had been briefed on the incident, was equally disturbed.

Benjamin spread the folded map out on the table and began to trace the small print with his fingertips.

“Hmm, I don’t see that name.”

“I know it’s not on the map, I’m just asking if you’ve ever heard of it.”

Johansen’s lands consist of a total of sixteen large and small estates.

But the name Lingus did not exist thousands of years ago, nor does it exist now.

Especially not near the Irina Gorge.

It was home to a colony of frost giants and was uninhabitable due to the extreme cold that raged there year-round.

Benjamin’s eyes suddenly lit up as if he had read his worried expression.

“Ah! I wonder if they’ve built a fortress underground and are hiding out, or else we’d have to make a major inspection of the estates once a year, and there’s no way we could have missed it, no matter how small it is.”

Kalian tapped the table.

“Perhaps we should investigate.”

“Shall I send a message to Sir Viktor?”

“Tell him to investigate covertly.”

“Yes.”

All would be revealed in time.

And if what they want has anything to do with Evelyn, they’ll get to her one way or another, so it’ll only be a matter of time before they figure out what they’re after.

His brow bones knit together in thought, and he sheathed his odd-looking sword.

“I’d better patrol the area to make sure there’s no danger.”

The Cabana Forest and its surrounding swamps are home to some of the most bizarre flora and fauna on the planet.

They were no match for the demonically trained, but there was no better way to clear his mind than to use his body.

* * *

Meanwhile,

After washing her face and changing out of the wagon, Evelyn watched the back of Kalian’s head as he left the clearing and headed somewhere.

She wondered where he was going in the middle of the night, and wished she could talk to him a little longer.

But he was too far away now to catch him. He’d be back anyway, and they could talk then.

“…Ah, my head hurts.”

Evelyn held her head.

She thought it would go away with time, but the pain was getting worse.

And she suspected it was because she had overdone it in the temple’s processing room.

Ever since her hand had emitted a bizarrely bright aura, a headache had set in, as if some invisible force was pummeling her brain.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, her vision spun and blurred.

A quick grab for the straw bales kept her from collapsing in front of the knights, but she couldn’t keep this up.

Evelyn wiped a sweaty brow with the back of her hand to collect her thoughts.

“The first contact with the grand duke was painful, but it was also a way to heal me, so I’ll just have to substitute a little magic…”

While she slept, Kalian carefully channeled his power into her.

Though it was a much smaller amount than usual, since he was only holding her hand, it was enough to serve as a backup.

But perhaps this was just an illusion on her part.

She hid among the straw bales in the corner, breathing slowly as if to gather her sporadic energy into a single burst.

“Kolok, Kolok!”

Evelyn’s mouth tasted fishy, and blood gurgled in her throat.

Evelyn panicked, but she calmly wiped the blood from her face, removing the priestly robes she wore in place of her cloak.

‘I shouldn’t be in trouble here.’

She thought she could survive without Kalian’s help, but now that she looks at it, she can’t say she’s in the best of health.

Evelyn glanced uneasily down at her darkened priestly robes, then looked up with a frustrated sigh.

She could see the knights bustling about.

They were camped out in a clearing, straw bundles gathered around them, firewood piled high.

She muttered a name that came to mind.

“Mom…”

Her mother’s gentle face flickered through the blazing flames.

She remembered when.

One day, after a particularly bad day of abuse.

As she watched her mother cry for Evelyn, who was smiling broadly at her, Evelyn thought, ‘If only I had been stronger.’

Or if she had never been born in the first place.

Then at least her mother’s life wouldn’t have been so devastated.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Evelyn pressed her palms firmly against her heated eyes.

She knew crying wouldn’t solve anything, but she didn’t know how to stop the tears that kept coming.

But she couldn’t stay drowning in her sorrows forever.

Forgetting how to cry, Evelyn fiddled with the ring on her ring finger to distract herself from her grief.

‘Sanans Lumen.’

The words on the silver ring, a memento of her mother’s, shimmered in the moonlight.

Evelyn bit her lip as her mother’s voice echoed in her mind.

“When you want to help someone, close your eyes and pray fervently. Even though you may be far away, mommy will always be by your side…”