CHAPTER 94………………………………………..
The princess, not noticing her strange reaction, shook her head briefly.
“The priests who lost their powers said it’s through ‘contact.’ She never gave me a chance to do anything. Could it be… just by meeting her eyes, she stole my power?”
“……”
“No, if that were possible, she would have done it long ago!”
Seeing her so confused, Karsatuna clenched her fists tightly.
“Princess.”
“That’s impossible…”
“I have something to tell you about Egrain.”
Princess Laratu stared at Karsatuna with eyes full of despair.
Karsatuna, used to seeing the bright and cheerful princess, felt her heart sink.
Being near the princess usually calmed her, but now it had no effect.
Knowing why, her heart ached deeply.
“I’ve never told you about my nightmares. Not since I was very young, anyway.”
“Nightmares? Didn’t you say you often dream of people fighting?”
Karsatuna nodded. When she was little, that was all she could express.
Now, she wondered how Princess Laratu would react to what she was about to say.
Would she dismiss it as nonsense? Get angry? Cry out?
“They were dreams of ancient humans. In them, people… interacted with the gods…”
Karsatuna began to speak of the dreams with a trembling heart.
She ended when the god’s face shifted into Egrain’s at some point.
Princess Laratu’s gaze turned cold, making it hard to continue.
“So that’s what you wanted to say.”
“……”
“Is that really what you wanted to say? Right?”
Karsatuna’s body shook. She had been the princess’s closest childhood friend.
It was the first time the princess had treated her with such a cold expression and tone.
Tears threatened, but Karsatuna clenched her hands together and held back.
The thought that she couldn’t run away here kept her steady.
“Yes.”
Her unusually firm voice made Princess Laratu’s eyebrows twitch.
“You’re saying Egrain is something like the reincarnation of an ancient god. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
The princess’s voice wavered.
“You’re saying our ancestors stole the power of an ancient god, and Egrain, as its reincarnation, reclaimed that power. Is that really true?”
“Yes.”
The princess didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she stood up abruptly, glaring at her dear friend.
“I appreciated that you came all this way even though I didn’t call you. I knew it meant you cared about me. But…”
“……”
“You probably shouldn’t have left your home, Karsatuna.”
Every word dripped with resentment.
Karsatuna pressed her lips together and bowed her head. Her smooth black hair fell forward.
Her pale eyes, a sign of royal blood, held a gloomy sheen, as if tears might fall at any moment.
Seeing Karsatuna stagger as if about to collapse, Princess Laratu bit her lip. It was venting her anger—and she knew it.
The princess called for her maid in a raised voice.
“Let’s go to Father.”
Passing Karsatuna, Princess Laratu stopped after only a few steps.
“I know that the Legatan house has a trace of magician’s blood.”
She took a deep breath.
“…I’m sorry. For taking my anger out on you.”
Karsatuna, who had been secretly wiping away tears, widened her eyes.
“No, it’s fine. I said strange things, so of course…”
“Right now, we need any clue we can get. You were brave enough to tell me, and I shouldn’t have… reacted this way.”
Princess Laratu sighed and wiped her face.
A tear she hadn’t fully wiped fell from Karsatuna’s captivating eye.
Princess Laratu gave a tired smile.
“Will you continue helping me? If you weren’t disappointed by today’s events.”
“Of course!”
Karsatuna wiped the remaining tears and smiled brightly. Relief spread across her face at not being hated by the princess.
“Wait here a moment. I’ll speak with Father and return.”
“Yes. I’ll wait.”
Click.
The door closed.
Princess Laratu’s face hardened.
As she went to her father, she ordered the steward:
“Send word to the nobles. Mobilize every available mercenary to drive out the Empire’s guests! The royal house will cover the cost later.”
Guests? The princess let out a hollow laugh at her own words.
She remembered how excited she had been, thinking the imperial prince’s arrival was destiny. That now felt like a distant memory.
The imperial delegation wasn’t a destined match—they were invaders.
She couldn’t shake the thought that their very visit had caused this chaos.
Steeling her swirling thoughts, she knocked on the king’s door.
“Right now, capturing Egrain is more important than anything else.”
Dufeng’s presentation, royal secrets, even Karsatuna’s dream—they all seemed connected. Creepy and uncanny.
“Let’s think this through.”
Giovanni’s visit had weakened the kingdom’s magic, and Egrain, the reincarnation of the ancient god, exploited the gap to break the magic and reclaim her power.
But what if Egrain left the kingdom?
A shiver ran through her shoulders.
One thing was certain.
The kingdom would not enjoy the current peace for much longer.
The wind cut sharply across her cheeks. Riding at full gallop was far from easy.
She wanted to hold her sore backside, but letting go of Giovanni’s waist would make her feel like a fluttering sheet of paper, so she closed her eyes tightly.
From behind came shouts: “Faster! Chase them! They’re close!” forcing her to endure even more.
‘Before, they were pushing me to go faster… why now?!’
The escape route was treacherous.
At first, things were smooth. With treasure in tow, she felt unburdened leaving the kingdom.
She had wanted to torment Hubert and Aris more…
‘Maybe I don’t have to touch that part.’
After all, she had already stolen one of the pillar roots.
Thinking of that brought a smile to her lips.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The sound of pursuing hooves snapped her back to reality.
Giovanni noticed first that they were being chased. From then, he increased their speed.
Only one day remained to reach the desert.
Yet snares appeared from all directions, forcing them to keep going without rest.
Though they hadn’t slept a full day, the heightened tension kept them alert.
“Your Highness! We’re about to enter the plains!”
Kichev shouted.
Bad news for those fleeing.
In open terrain without cover, speed was critical—but they were already exhausted.
The fleeing side always expends more energy, and with Jenny among them, it was even more disadvantageous.
Ahead lay an expansive plain with no shelter.
The horses ran hard. Giovanni and Kichev’s riding skills were exceptional, keeping them fast despite fatigue.
The problem: their pursuers were just as formidable.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The thunderous sound of hooves continued and seemed to grow nearer.
She glanced back.
The kingdom’s soldiers looked tiny, like fingers.
Soon, they would be close enough to identify faces.
‘This is bad.’
She wasn’t the only one thinking so.
Kichev rode closer.
“Your Highness, I’ll stay behind.”
Giovanni’s hair whipped in the wind. He intended to hold back the soldiers if necessary.
It was basically a death sentence.
Yet Giovanni said nothing—an unspoken agreement.
A heavy weight settled in her chest.
Partly, this situation was her fault.
But if Kichev were harmed, how could she not feel guilty?
‘I have to use my power.’
At that moment, a piercing scream rang out. She whipped around.
A soldier at the front had fallen from his horse as flames erupted before him.
Another fire bomb landed in the dry grass.
Bang!
Whoosh!
Flames roared up instantly.
The western plains were dry; the fire spread fast and terrifyingly.
“Who’s there?!”
The soldiers searched for the culprit, but their gaze rose to the sky.
A huge bat—or a human resembling one—was flying overhead.
A figure with a black cape resembling wings threw fire bombs and zipped through the air.
“What is that?!”
One soldier shouted in disbelief.
She narrowed her eyes, watching those who hid after completing their task.
‘The bats of Amtein?’
A mercenary group funded by money. Obsessed with science, they performed experiments underground, impossible to do openly.
Hiring them required vast sums, all spent on research.
‘Who hired them?’
No one came to mind. She knew rich people but none who were close enough.
Kei wasn’t it—maybe Chii?
‘Whoever it is, thank you.’
While the bats disrupted the kingdom’s soldiers, Giovanni and Kichev pushed their horses faster.
The horses leapt over fences marking the village boundaries and darted through buildings.
“Wow, my heart almost stopped.”
With the kingdom soldiers out of sight, Kichev clutched his chest. Sweat ran down his bronze skin.
“What was that?”
Jenny muttered weakly:
“Wasn’t that a bird?”
Kichev helped her off the horse, shaking his head.
“It was a human.”
“A human? But it flew through the air.”
“A bat.”
Jenny and Kichev stared at her.
“A bat?”
“A group from Amtein. True to Amtein’s ways, they’ll do anything for money.”
“How do you know that?” Jenny asked.
She smiled.
“I’m from Amtein.”
“Wha—?”
Jenny only knew her father was a thief; she didn’t know she came from the underground world.
She gently lifted Jenny’s dropped jaw.
