(Paul POV)
It's been five days since we arrived in Rikarisu, and things have been... quiet. At least compared to what we went through in the White Fire Coffin.
Not that we could go around bragging about that place. Anyone asked, and we'd have to explain the absurd, impossible things we saw—and why we left without a single scrap of loot.
To fund the basics for our return to the Central continent—such as food, gear, and maintenance tools—we've been selling some of the items Kagami left behind. Not easy. Most of it's so absurdly valuable that the average merchant can't even price it, let alone buy it.
So, back to the adventurers' guild we went. Picking up jobs. Slow, steady work. Grinding coins the old-fashioned way.
Thankfully, monster-hunting gigs were picking up. Well, by Demon continent standards, anyway. The stories they tell back on the Central Continent don't hold up here. It's meaner. Wilder. Harsher. And when something goes wrong, there's no shiny patrol of knights to fix it. You deal with it, or you die, like what happened with the Labyrinth.
We'd just come back from an A-rank job: clearing a snake nest. Vicious things. Honestly, it was almost a relief. Meant that Rudy's blessing hadn't wiped out the whole ecosystem. Work stayed steady.
And it was the kind of fight I understood—simple, clean. A sword swing here, one dead monster head flying there, and a reward to fill our pockets. No cursed magic, no labyrinth nightmares, and especially no immortal three-headed dragons.
Crazy how one Labyrinth on the same continent made the continent itself seem half as dangerous in comparison. Or, I just got too strong. But let's go with the former instead.
***
We cashed in our reward—decent coin, even if the guild underpaid us as usual—and I pocketed a voucher for a free tavern drink. The sun was bleeding orange through Rikarisu's dusty streets by the time we reached the inn. I was looking forward to a hot meal, a stiff drink maybe, and hopefully a quiet moment with the family before doing it all again tomorrow.
Then I entered our rented room, and I froze upon seeing one little thing that confused me. A small, ash-black bird sat on Rudy's head.
"What's that thing on his head?" I asked.
Inside the room were Lilia, Zenith, Roxy, and Rudy. All eyes (except for Rudy's) were locked on a letter in Roxy's hands. Tense. Pale.
The bird blinked. Just once. Its eyes matched its feathers—dull gray, like smoke behind glass. Its talons were knotted gently into Rudy's hair, perfectly still, like it had always been there.
There was something off about it—too still, too aware. Like it wasn't just perched there.
I frowned. My voice louder this time: "What's that thing on his head?"
Still nothing.
Even Lilia, who could stay calm through a house fire, looked rattled.
I stepped inside and sat down next to my son, looking at Roxy, who sat at the bed across from me. "Alright. What's going on?"
Roxy didn't look up. "We got another letter," she said.
My heart kicked. This could only mean one thing.
"From Kagami?" I asked.
She nodded and finally met my eyes. "It came just a few minutes ago. That... bird delivered it."
I looked at the thing again. It blinked slowly, like it understood.
"Well?" I asked, heat creeping into my voice. "Does it say anything about fixing Rudy?"
Roxy hesitated.
"Roxy." I stepped forward. "Does it say how to cure him?"
She shook her head. "No. Nothing about a cure. But..." She tightened her grip on the parchment. "There are some... serious developments."
More serious than Rudy's hollow stare?
I sat down beside Zenith, jaw clenched.
It was probably Demon God tongue again, so Roxy was the one who explained its contents to me.
"Kagami says the Water God's appearance in Millishion wasn't random. Darius Silva Ganius, the Prime Minister of the Asura Kingdom, orchestrated it."
I went still. The Asura Kingdom's Prime Minister? I vaguely remember that person being someone Sauros hated with his disdainful guts. And that's gotta say something if Sauros uses those words.
"His entire plan," she explained, "was built around framing you as a criminal. Darius knew your actions would draw scrutiny, so he predicted you might do something reckless, like kidnapping slaves from other noble houses. That alone would have violated the tenets of the Millis religion and turned public opinion against you.
What he didn't plan for was the cardinal's separate scheme—the disappearances of nobles in Millishion. That wasn't part of Darius's plan, but it went perfectly with his own.
But the real trap was the duel. If you had succeeded in killing the Water God, it would've triggered a diplomatic crisis—possibly even war. And because of your connection to Lord Phillip, the scandal would've dragged him down with you.
With both of your reputations destroyed and Lord Sauros still missing, Darius would have had the perfect opportunity to move in and seize control of the region. It was all a calculated effort to rebuild his recently lost influence in the Asura Kingdom."
The words hit like a hammer.
Of course. It had to run deeper than I would have guessed. But hearing it spelled out like that made my blood boil.
Those bastard nobles. Not only did the cardinal falsely accuse me of criminal acts that he had committed himself, but the conflicts of a Prime Minister with whom I had no connection were also affecting me and my family, even on another continent.
I clenched my fists until my knuckles popped. It's disgusting—nothing but power hungry shitbags wherever we go.
"Damn snakes in noble clothes," I muttered. "I should've known it wasn't just bad luck."
Zenith laid a calming hand on my arm. I knew what her eyes were trying to tell me: Focus.
I drew a breath, looked at Roxy. "Alright. So we know who was behind the attack through Water God. But what about Rudy? Anything about that in the letter?"
She nodded solemnly.
"The letter also talks about Rudeus," she said, her voice quieter now. "Kagami says... we shouldn't try to cure him."
I shot to my feet. "What?! Not cure him? Is he insane?!"
Rudy didn't flinch. The bird blinked again, deliberately. Was it listening to us?
Roxy didn't back down. "Paul. Listen. Kagami explained. Rudy's condition is due to the Black Dragon's poison."
I froze.
The black dragon. The one from the depths. The one that turned that place into a nightmare. I remembered the scars, especially the one across his forehead, going down over his left eye.
Black Dragons were known for their poison, and if I remember correctly, Rudy got scratched by one of them before he was encased in that crystal.
Roxy saw the recognition in my face.
"The poison's still in him," she said. "It's dulling his self-awareness. It is likely what is disconnecting him from reality... from what happened to him."
I ground my teeth. "So why not purge it? Detoxification Magic—Zenith could do it. She's powerful enough."
Roxy shook her head. "If we remove the poison, his awareness could return all at once. He'd be forced to face what happened to him, too soon. Kagami believes it could push him over the edge and make things worse than they already are."
Her eyes met mine before she finished with her last argument.
"If we wake him too fast, he may not survive it. Not mentally, at least."
I looked at Rudy again.
Breathing. Still. Empty.
He could walk, eat, and follow instructions. But the boy who laughed, who sparred, who lived—he was gone.
If we lost even what little was left...
I closed my eyes, exhaling hard through my nose.
"Damn it," I whispered. "Damn it all."
No easy fix. No magic solution. Just patience. Time. Hope.
Roxy stood, voice steady. "Kagami thinks Rudy's building a resistance to the poison. Being trapped in the labyrinth's crystal slowed its effects, allowing his body to adapt to it before it could have killed him. There's no immediate danger—if we leave him be and come back to it bit by bit."
I opened my eyes. Zenith watched me with quiet sorrow. Lilia was the same.
And Rudy—he sat there, that tiny bird perched on his head like it belonged, shadowed by the last light of the setting sun.
"…Fine," I said at last. My voice was hoarse.
Roxy nodded.
Silence followed. Just the soft, rhythmic tap of the bird's claws in Rudy's hair.
It's frustrating that we have to depend on Kagami's words about this, but the truth is, none of us, not even Ruijerd, who fought bravely in the Laplace war, can think of any possible cures apart from keeping him around those who truly care for him.
I could tell we were all thinking the same thing — What now?
Finally, Roxy broke it.
"There's... more," she said, glancing down at the letter again. Carefully, she unfolded the last piece of parchment tucked inside — a small, creased map.
She spread it out on the desk. The paper was old, ink faded, but the markings were clear enough: a rough path leading northwest of Rikarisu, ending at a spot circled in red. Next to the line was a symbol — a crude '8' scribbled in the margin.
"It was folded with the letter," Roxy explained. "Kagami didn't leave a detailed message about it, but... judging by this symbol, it likely means the location is about eight days' travel from here."
"Eight days," I repeated flatly. "Eight days toward some unknown spot because a damn bird dropped off a letter."
The ash-black bird shifted atop Rudy's head, as if it understood. It blinked again—slow, deliberate. I didn't like the way it watched us like it wasn't just a bird, but a messenger... or a spy.
I ignored it, jaw tightening.
Zenith leaned closer, studying the map. "The terrain doesn't look too bad. Some forested areas... but nothing like the Dead End zones."
"It could be a trap," Lilia said, her voice cool and professional as always. "Or it could be another test."
"Another one of Kagami's games," I muttered, scowling. "He always does this. No straight answers. Just riddles without a hope for clear answers. I'm sick of it! Rudy's broken, and instead of sending a goddamn cure or help, he sends us on a scavenger hunt!"
The anger burned hot in my chest — hot and helpless.
Zenith placed a hand on my shoulder — a firm, grounding touch.
"Paul," she said softly, "I know you're angry. But we need your head clear. Not just your heart."
I closed my eyes for a moment, jaw clenched tight.
She was right. I hated how right she was.
I drew in a breath. Forced it out slowly.
"…Yeah," I muttered. "Yeah, you're right."
I looked down at the map again, the circled point looming like a taunt.
"If there's even a chance this has something to do with Rudy's condition… I have to check it out."
Roxy opened her mouth, probably to volunteer, but I shook my head.
"No. You stay here. If something happens to me out there, he still needs a mage who knows what's going on. Someone who can understand what Kagami left behind. You're more valuable here."
She hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.
"I'll take Ruijerd and Ginger with me. They are both capable fighters, with Ruijerd being familiar with the terrain and Ginger possessing Healing Magic. If we take the Transport Lizard from Kagami, we should reach that spot in no time."
Zenith gave a small nod, then reached into the satchel beside her. She pulled out a small cloth bundle and unwrapped it carefully, revealing two dark-metal bracelets etched with strange, glimmering runes.
"Those are Healing Bracelets that I've already charged. They were also in the box Kagami left behind," she said, offering them to me. "I don't know what they do exactly, but he marked them as emergency-use only. Take them. Just in case."
I took the bracelets, feeling the familiar sensation of the Healing Bracelets from my training against those spirits that Kgami sends periodically resonating on them.
"…Alright," I said, sliding one onto my wrist and tucking the other into my belt pouch.
Rudy sat motionless, the strange bird still atop his head like a crown. I gave him one last look.
"I'll be back," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. "No matter what's out there, I'm not coming back empty-handed."
Zenith's hand lingered on mine for a moment, then let go.
But in the days that followed, I'd come to regret leaving her hand. Not because I failed, but because it was exactly what Kagami wanted.
Had I thought about it some more, I would have at least had the gut feeling that this was exactly what Kagami planned: to separate me from Rudy's side and allow him to implement his schemes.
///