PRKE 38

CHAPTER 38……………………………………

Leo, who had been bound to the stone, had disappeared somewhere.

“He’s really hiding tight.”

I had already visited the temple where I first discovered Leo, but the statue’s forehead, where the stone had been embedded, now had a hole.

Everything else remained as it had been, yet Leo was gone. This seemed to confirm my suspicion that my regression had been because of him.

Although my curiosity was resolved, the frustration in my heart showed no sign of easing.

No matter how calculating I am, I recognize kindness.

Leo had been my benefactor. He never ignored me, never demanded anything in return, and had been the only friend to stay by my side.

He did what even my biological mother, who bore me, could not do.

The word “family” had long faded inside me, but if there were anyone who truly embodied it, it would have been Leo.

I clenched the cold stone tightly and closed my eyes.

“Come back. I’ll even quietly take it if you call me a thief.”

Thinking of Leo, I imagined the kingdom’s vast wheat fields.

Land brimming with life beneath a clear sky. A massive wolf running across it. The scene was vivid, like one I had seen long ago.

It would be beautiful even in the rain.

A light drizzle would be lovely, but with Leo, even wind-driven rain would be fine.

When wind and rain swirl together, he would frolic even more. The green wheat beneath his feet would be crushed, then somehow spring back to life as if by magic.

Words appeared in my mind, expressing him.

Without realizing it, my lips parted.

I slowly opened my eyes after closing them. Something was off. I felt tired. It was as if I had missed something incredibly dear, leaving a hollow ache in my chest.

“Why the rain all of a sudden?”

Jenny’s voice pierced my ears.

I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again, lifting my head.

Jenny, dozing in the armchair, rubbed her eyes and looked outside.

As she had said, rain was falling outside the window.

“It was sunny just a moment ago. Oh my, and now the wind is blowing too. Wind-driven rain.”

A sudden, inexplicable shiver ran down my spine.

Wind-driven rain?

“Could it be?”

I looked again at the rain falling outside and then lowered my gaze.

Slowly, I extended the hand that clutched Leo’s stone.

The back of my hand glowed with the same droplet patterns as the priest’s, radiating a blue light.

After several attempts, I reached a conclusion.

“This is the priest’s power.”

I looked up at the sky. The rain had stopped, and the sky was clear, bright, and beautiful. The earth and vegetation were moist, and the air carried the fresh scent of rain.

It was the result I had created.

Words had escaped my lips unconsciously. The sentence that had seemed to float before my eyes.

“Did I recite a water incantation?”

There was no doubt.

I closed the window and slumped into the chair.

I had used the priest’s power!

It was an incredibly moving and long-desired event, but now it was time to clear my confused mind.

How could this have happened?

Priests were said to be born with the blessing of water. Even if the power manifested late, their talent would be evident from a young age.

A priest appearing in their twenties with no prior signs?

“…For it to suddenly emerge as a gift.”

The thought made me laugh at its absurdity.

“Impossible.”

I covered my mouth with my hand. The corner of my lips slowly drooped.

“Did I steal it?”

One theory came to mind. The tattoo on the temple priest’s hand where I offered prayers—the blue light had transferred to my fingertips.

I immediately clasped my head in thought.

“But how could such a thing happen?”

I had never heard of anyone stealing the blessing of water from a priest!

If such a case had existed, it would have caused an uproar long ago.

Priests symbolized the kingdom itself.

Becoming a priest meant being guaranteed a future by the kingdom.

The entire royal family valued Aris not just for her noble origin or beauty, but because she was a priest.

I had taken that power from her.

“If this gets out…”

A chill ran down my spine.

“They’d kill me.”

They could even execute me for sacrilege.

Even if no one else knew, the priestly faction would surely act this way.

“No one can find out.”

Suddenly, someone came to mind.

Someone who would see this as good news.

“Giovanni.”

The thought that at least one person would welcome it calmed my restless heart slightly.

Giovanni and Kitchev were in a predicament. It had only been a day since leaving the palace, yet they were still on an unknown stretch of land.

“Are we on the right path?”

“I believe so! Once we get past here, we should see a settlement!”

“I…”

Only trees filled their view.

“I’m not sure…”

Giovanni’s gaze on the sweating Kitchev resembled someone checking an unreliable compass.

Though the kingdom was small, even crossing to the western edge required a day’s ride on horseback. Climbing the mountains could shorten it to half a day, but that was the issue.

“It’s different from the desert. The land is small, yet the paths are so confusing.”

Kitchev, sweating heavily, hacked through the undergrowth with his sword.

Unlike the dense mountain paths, the clearing ahead revealed a wide-open view.

Kitchev’s face lit up like a traveler discovering an oasis.

“Your Highness, we’ve reached India!”

Emerging from the thicket, they raised their heads.

The sky had shifted from violet dawn to a crisp, bright blue morning.

“Did it really take a full day?”

“….”

“It would have been faster if we had taken the route the old man told us at departure.”

Kitchev lowered his head silently while holding the reins, a drop of sweat trickling down his nape.

Giovanni added quietly:

“Focus on your training once we return.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Even a desert warrior would be exhausted after wandering a mountain for a day.

They walked in silence.

Before long, they reached their destination in the western lands.

A pleasant breeze stirred.

“Your Highness, this place…”

Kitchev couldn’t finish his sentence.

The wide plains, still partly green with wheat, stretched beyond the eye’s reach—majestic and breathtaking.

Kitchev stared at the vast wheat field, mouth agape.

After a moment, he managed to speak:

“The most beautiful view I’ve seen in the kingdom.”

“I see.”

Giovanni narrowed his eyes slightly, the previously stern expression softening.

“Beautiful.”

Green wheat fields.

In the desert, this land would be called a blessing.

“Now I finally understand why Your Highness obediently followed the Khan’s orders to go to the kingdom.”

Walking among the wheat, Kitchev spoke.

His shy smile reflected a youthful innocence.

“I couldn’t understand your obsession with the kingdom.”

“Is that so?”

“You intend to transplant this green land into the desert, don’t you?”

Giovanni shifted his gaze over the vast granary.

His dark eyes filled with green wheat.

“Yes. This land is life. If we can transform the barren desert like this, at least no one will need to eat live scorpions to survive.”

“My parents wouldn’t have sold me into slavery just to survive either.”

Kitchev smiled bitterly, eyes sparkling as he looked at Giovanni.

“As before, and from now on, I will blindly trust and follow whatever Your Highness decides!”

After a pause, Kitchev added:

“Even regarding that crazy woman—I mean, Egrain Lorenst—I will trust your judgment, Your Highness.”

Giovanni, still slightly displeased, chuckled.

Embarrassed, Kitchev cleared his throat and turned away.

As he tried to change the subject, something caught his eye.

Squinting, he pointed to a distant patch of land.

“Your Highness, look there. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

As they walked further into the farmland, the strange land Kitchev mentioned came into view.

Closest to the desert, yet still within Riorza’s outer territory, the land was parched and yellowed, unlike the lush wheat fields they had just seen.

Giovanni touched the brittle wheat. Even the slightest touch crumbled the stalks; there was no moisture.

Kitchev looked around in puzzlement.

“Is it only this land that’s sick?”

“It’s a drought.”

“A drought? That’s unusual. Even Riorza doesn’t have fertile soil everywhere, I see.”

Giovanni narrowed his eyes.

“We should check the village.”

Upon entering, they immediately sought a tavern.

“Something’s wrong.”

Sitting down, Kitchev lowered his voice. Giovanni nodded.

Unlike the fertile wheat fields, the village felt gloomy.

“It hasn’t rained for days; it’s a serious problem.”

“Until now, we’ve been drawing water from the river, but that can’t last forever. More farmland is drying up.”

“The lord requested priests from the capital; shouldn’t that help?”

The tavern patrons, sipping rum, seemed to be farmers.

Giovanni and Kitchev exchanged glances and listened.

“Eh, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. How many priests have been called? Even if it rains, it won’t last long. The land is hot. The fundamental issue isn’t solved.”

“Still, the priests from the central temple should be different. Things will improve soon.”

“Yes. A new temple has also been discovered. Brother, don’t worry too much. This land is blessed, isn’t it?”

A new temple. Giovanni and Kitchev exchanged glances again. That was why they had come.

Their food arrived shortly after.

“The drought seems worse than expected.”

Chewing a sausage, Kitchev whispered.

“Hmm? This is excellent. Delicious. Try some, Your Highness.”

Giovanni nodded and sipped his rum.

Having gone hungry while wandering the forest, Kitchev devoured one sausage and immediately began on the next.

“But well, if it rains, it should resolve the problem. Even without priests or temples, this is a country where it rains often—nothing serious should happen.”

After downing a glass of rum, Giovanni glanced at the distressed farmers.

“Well… I suppose we can’t be so optimistic.”