After finishing their meal, the three paused their carriage and strolled through the rugged alleys of Tamahild. It was due to Kyle’s firm insistence that they needed to walk a little after eating. Adrian had no choice but to give in to Kyle’s stubbornness and agree to the walk. Mikhail, grumbling, “…It’s not about before or after meals—you just need to exercise regularly,” nevertheless started walking alongside Adrian.
Suddenly, Adrian halted, sensing eyes on them from somewhere. Mikhail also stopped in sync and looked at Adrian, but Kyle remained oblivious, continuing his story as he walked on.
“What is it?” Mikhail glanced at Adrian’s face, concerned at the sudden stop.
“…Ah, it’s nothing,” Adrian replied, shrugging his shoulders as he turned his head toward the direction of the gaze.
He had sensed the presence of three people nearby. In that brief moment, Adrian had already identified all three as the escort knights who had been following their carriage.
Now that he thought about it, no family would send royal or noble heirs off on a journey without escorts. As long as they weren’t suspicious individuals, that was enough for him.
Up ahead, Kyle’s excited voice rang out. “This city is the birthplace of Dekibes, the sculptor considered the greatest on the continent!”
Yeah, yeah. Adrian responded half-heartedly and walked on with Mikhail, following Kyle’s lead.
As they wandered the streets, the village of Tamahild turned out to be quite a picturesque place—suited to a dragon’s taste. The traditional architectural style and especially the rustic cobblestone path they were walking on appealed to him. In the village center, beside a large fountain, stood a massive bulletin board, about the size of a building wall. It was old and worn, covered with all sorts of notices and scribbled memos.
“Back during the last game, checking a board like this every day used to be a routine…”
It had been the best way to get a quick overview of important town information and job requests.
Adrian found himself unable to take his eyes off the board that had accidentally entered his view. Kyle, noticing where Adrian was looking, let out an admiring “Ooh~!” These days, in the capital, magically enhanced guides had become commonplace and far more refined, so nobles like Kyle—young and from wealthy families—rarely got to see such bulletin boards in person.
“I’ve never seen an old-school bulletin board like this before!”
“Right.” Adrian feigned curiosity, nodding along nonchalantly.
Mikhail frowned at the two of them standing in front of the board, arms crossed in irritation. From the back, they looked like a well-matched couple on a trip.
“And if we keep going straight down that way, we’ll get to the sculptor’s birthplace! Let’s go check it out.”
Kyle, having skimmed the board quickly, turned around to head off again. But Adrian was still staring intently at one particular section of the board. Sensing something off, Mikhail stepped forward from behind, arms still crossed.
“What? Did something catch your eye?”
At the sound of Mikhail’s quiet voice, Adrian seemed to snap back to reality and lifted his head. He looked at Mikhail’s face—who had somehow ended up standing right beside him.
“Mikhail. How far are we from Hildeke, from here?”
“Well, we traveled by carriage for about eight hours from the Academy, so we’ve got… maybe another eight hours to go.”
It was a sudden question, but Mikhail casually checked his watch and answered. Adrian gave a quiet nod.
“I see.”
“What’s that about?”
Instead of answering, Adrian simply pressed his index finger against one of the memos on the board, a tattered piece of parchment bleached by the sun. He read aloud the roughly scrawled handwriting on it.
“It says here: ‘An unidentified black liquid has been discovered at the edge of the forest. Do not approach—avoid the area at all costs.’”
“Black liquid?” Mikhail’s expression turned grave at once.
The village they were standing in—Tamahild—was an old one. It was unlikely that any of the commoners living here had deep knowledge of magic. No one who read the memo on the board would have realized it either. What they had discovered wasn’t just some black liquid—it was black mana.
“Why aren’t you guys following? I went all the way over there by myself,”
Kyle called out sheepishly as he walked back over, having gone ahead alone. Tilting his head, he looked at Adrian and Mikhail who were still staring at the memo on the board.
“Sunbae, take a look at this. This memo. Even Tamahild is seeing an emergence of black mana. We need to investigate.”
“What? Black mana? But…” Kyle’s face darkened.
In his mind, a map of the continent where the Kingdom of Rustavaran was located spread out. The known sightings of black mana they had studied were concentrated around the coastal regions on the continent’s outer edges. The mountain where the Hildeke Cliffs lay was also in one of those outer zones.
“So the prediction that black mana is spreading from its point of origin was correct. It really does seem to be creeping toward Rustavaran’s capital,” Adrian replied, nodding slowly as if he were reading Kyle’s thoughts.
According to previous records, black mana had first emerged on the outskirts of the continent, and then, at a certain point in time, had swept across the entire land all at once. The fact that it was now appearing here in the village of Tamahild meant there wasn’t much time left before monsters would rise from within it and swarm the humans.
“…Right. We should confirm it, just in case. It might not be black mana like the note says,”
Kyle muttered uncertainly. He glanced toward Mikhail. The prince was already under enough stress because of black mana. There was no reason to stir him up further with information that wasn’t even confirmed.
Adrian let out a soft hum, considering something, before speaking. “Then shall we go check it out tomorrow?”
“What? We should go right now.” Mikhail shot back immediately. It was already past dinnertime, but the sun hadn’t yet set. They still had plenty of energy left to walk to the small forest near the village and return.
“Mikhail. Don’t underestimate the forest at night. And if that really is black mana, it’s even more dangerous. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks by heading out in the dark,” Kyle said firmly. He had the final say when it came to these types of decisions, and his word stood. Adrian agreed with Kyle’s judgment and suggested they head out first thing in the morning instead.
Mikhail wasn’t entirely happy with the decision, but he wasn’t the kind of royal to override everyone and act selfishly on a whim, either. Reluctantly, he gave a nod, and Kyle beamed, satisfied that he’d made the right call.
Then Kyle led Adrian and Mikhail to their lodging for the night. The place Kyle had reserved was the finest inn in Tamahild. As soon as they stepped inside, he handed them each a room key and informed them of the meeting time in the central lobby the next morning.
He then gave each of them a hearty shove toward their rooms, saying they must be exhausted after spending the whole day in the carriage.
“Got it? Be in the lobby by seven tomorrow morning!” Like an overzealous chaperone, Kyle repeated the instructions several times, his voice loud and insistent. Adrian and Mikhail half-heartedly nodded through the nagging and went into their rooms.
***
But Adrian had no intention of going to sleep like this.
By the time dusk had fully turned into night, he sat up in the dark room without hesitation and stepped out without a shred of doubt in his stride. He pressed his ear against the wall and listened. Kyle was already snoring soundly in the room next door. As for Mikhail… he didn’t seem to be asleep yet, but judging by the lack of movement, he’d likely drift off soon.
The three escort knights he’d sensed earlier were also staying in the same building. But evading them was nothing for a dragon.
Adrian gently cracked his door open and stepped into the hallway.
At that moment, he sensed someone moving quickly in the room right next to his. Mikhail’s room.
As Adrian carefully closed his door, he wondered, Is he going out to train at this hour? That’s when the adjacent door suddenly burst open.
“Where are you going?” Damn it.
At the sound of Mikhail’s voice, Adrian quickly masked the guilty expression that had flickered across his face. Then, turning his head casually, he addressed Mikhail as if nothing were amiss.
“…Just stepping out for a bit.”
“Where to?”
“Mm, I couldn’t sleep. Just thought I’d take a walk.”
Adrian lazily swept back his hair as he replied, sounding indifferent.
“No. I’m coming with you.”
“….”
What?
Adrian’s expression momentarily faltered—an uncharacteristic reaction for him. No? It had been a long time since anyone had butted into his business like this. He scratched his cheek with one finger and mumbled,
“What do you mean, no? I’m saying I’ll be back.”
