"What did Jakiel do?"
"Lord... Jakiel… his magic… dark magic... poison made from it… he used it... to kill the young ladies of the Peridot bloodline... and the young mistress... she helped..."
—Snap—
Julius's focus faltered for a moment, startled. In that split second, Laila blinked. Danger. He quickly regained control, and her eyes once again lost their focus.
"How exactly did Shamanaz help?"
"That... I do not know... Only that she... knew the whole plan... and said... she would help..."
"Did she tell you this herself?"
"Yes… she did…"
"Is that all you know?"
"…Yes… that is everything…"
"I see. Then, remember—this was all a dream. You, pure soul, shall recall none of this but as fading fragments of sleep…"
Julius whispered the spell, and Laila exhaled deeply, her eyes closing as she fell into a deep slumber. Julius immediately teleported back to his chamber.
The double teleportation in such a short time, combined with the charm spell, drained him severely. Dizziness and nausea overtook him as he collapsed into a chair, plugging his nose with a handkerchief to stop the nosebleed.
His body was wrecked with exhaustion, but his mind was electric—sharpened by adrenaline, disbelief, and fury.
That snake, Jakiel... I knew something about him was off, but this—this is monstrous.
Julius's thoughts returned to that day.
The Festival of the Peridot Bloodline.
In Sibareth, each bloodline honored two guardian deities. On sacred days, unmarried teenagers of each gender performed rites—girls for the Moon, boys for the Sun.
The girls' ceremony was called the Moon Rite. On that particular day, after returning early from their ritual—supposed to be an overnight stay in the Forest of Beasts—a hundred girls from the Peridot line began to fall ill.
One by one, they died.
It had rained heavily that day. Many parents believed the girls' suffering was divine punishment for failing the ritual. Since then, the Moon Rite was never held again.
Still fearing the curse, families began marrying off their daughters early, even taking in husbands as adopted sons-in-law to avoid divine wrath.
As a result, there were no longer any unmarried girls left among the Peridot bloodline.
Julius felt sick with himself. Just like everyone else in Sibareth, he'd believed it was the rain... the monsters... nature. He had never imagined Shamanaz and Jakiel had orchestrated a massacre.
And Jakiel—Jakiel was the Grand Vizier of the Kingdom.
Could he really care for Shamanaz that deeply? Deep enough to do something like this? Shamanaz is just his goddaughter., Even if she were his daughter, this... this is madness.
Julius rubbed his temple, the weight of it all pressing down. The more he thought about it, the more holes and questions arose.
Laila only knew what Shamanaz told her. And even then, how much could he trust her word?
The potion Jakiel supposedly made... Laila had called it poison. Enough to kill over a hundred young girls—an extraordinary toxin.
Such a powerful poison couldn't have been made with ordinary royal mana.
Then it hit him.
A sudden thought flashed through Julius's mind.
He rushed to the resting place of his divine beast, Gaia. For this very moment, he'd raised her—and now, that effort would finally be worth it.
Gaia was asleep in a secluded shrine known as the Moonlight Pavilion. Julius approached carefully. The divine beast's ears twitched before she opened one eye slowly, sensing his presence.
"I've learned something incredible, Gaia."
She stood up, her silver fur shimmering under the moonlight.
"There's talk that Jakiel killed those Peridot girls with a dark magical toxin. Do you know anything about it?"
Gaia shivered and tapped her front paw against the ground once. That meant no.
Divine beasts were highly intelligent and chose their companions with care. Though they couldn't speak, they understood human language and were said to possess wisdom equal to that of humans. Bonding with one was like gaining a true friend—one who offered unwavering loyalty.
"I see. I didn't expect you to know. But Gaia... I've come up with a very good idea."
Her ears perked up again.
"I don't need the exact poison Jakiel used. Something similar will do. I've got something in mind... a plan. A very grand one."
Gaia let out a soft, worried huff. Julius stroked her neck gently, and the divine steed closed her eyes in contentment.
"I'm going to release a diluted version of the poison in Nakil."
"Prrr...?"
Gaia's ears shot up, and she stomped her front hoof hard in alarm. Julius hushed her gently.
"Don't overreact. Nakil's nothing but a wasteland, It's just a mine with a very small amount of gemstone. Why waste resources reclaiming it when we could just conquer Muria? When I become king, I'll swallow Muria whole. The King Minophon made a grave mistake."
"Prrr…"
"To do that, I need to make Nakil even more worthless. That way, subjugating Muria will seem like a noble cause. Besides…" He grinned slyly. "There's a bonus to this plan."
Gaia tilted her head. Julius scratched behind her ears again, smug.
"You see, the Council of Elders—those doddering fools who flinch at every 'ill omen'—will never allow Mia to become queen once this starts. They'll say, 'It all began when that girl appeared.'"
Gaia blinked her dark eyes slowly.
"What's the advantage? Simple. With Leca gone, Mia will have no one left. She'll be completely alone. And the only one who can save her—will be me. Hahaha!"
Julius ran his hand down Gaia's back and leaned in close.
"And that's where you come in, Gaia. I need you to take me to where I can find the herbs for this little potion of mine. Think you can do that?"
Gaia stared silently at her master.
Afternoon in the reclaimed lands of Nakil.
Leca wandered off alone for a short break after lunch. It was the only way to escape the barrage of questions and hollow small talk he didn't care for.
Some of his fellow workers shot him dirty looks for isolating himself so blatantly, but none went so far as to bother him. For that, Leca was quietly grateful.
They looked rough and simple, but they weren't bad people. In fact, their simplicity made them easier to deal with. At the palace, he always had to stay alert—read between the lines, weigh every word, watch for unseen listeners.
I'd lived in that place almost all my life, and still, there were times I could barely stand it. How much worse must it have been for Lady Mia?....
The thought of her tightened something in his chest. According to his father's message, he would have to remain here for now. But...
What exactly did he mean by "when the time comes"?
Leca had seen many mana suppression collars before. Most were flimsy enough to break with brute strength. But this one—clearly made just for him—refused to budge, no matter what he tried.
Just then—
"Still enjoying solitude, High Commander?"
A cheerful voice. Leca turned, startled.
A slim young man in a beige robe stood a few steps away. Leca recognized him immediately. He had visited Muria several times as part of a diplomatic envoy.
King Thorpel III, sovereign of the fairies. Arms crossed, he glanced around with amusement.
"Your Majesty? How did you—?"
"As much as Sibareth finds Muria intriguing, I find Sibareth quite fascinating too."
He flashed a sunny smile. Though similar in age to Julius, Thorpel had ascended the throne much earlier. Unlike cold and eccentric Julius, Thorpel was bright and cheerful, just as one would expect from a fairy king.
"Tsk, tsk. You're quite the mess, aren't you?"
His eyes scanned Leca up and down. The High Commander wore ragged clothes, a suppression collar around his neck, shackles on his ankles, and he was filthy from days without a proper wash.
"As you can see—I'm a criminal."
Leca offered a faint smile. The fairy king clicked his tongue.
"I've heard the story."
"That was fast."
"How are you holding up?"
Leca didn't answer. He only smiled again.
"That collar must be the worst part."
Thorpel pointed at the ring around Leca's neck.
"…I'm used to it."
"Shall I break it for you?"
Leca's eyes sparkled briefly. But he shook his head.
"I broke the law. I won't accept freedom as a coward, by someone else's hand."
Thorpel laughed heartily.
"That iron loyalty of yours—that's exactly why I want you. Why not come with me?"
"To Muria?"
"Exactly. Why rot here forever when you could serve under me instead?"
"…My master is Lady Mia. Where she is, I belong."
Thorpel's smile deepened ever so slightly.
"I wouldn't stop you from bringing her with you."