Chapter 643
Whoosh!
Nersarn’s hawk, Byan, tapped insistently against the window of the Hielo estate. It was just after Lady Lien had left by carriage. Hana, who was tidying up some letters, noticed the unfamiliar sound and glanced toward the window. Her eyes met the drenched hawk, sitting quietly and still on the sill.
Clatter.
“Byan?”
Lord Nersarn had gone out chasing after the bird, so why had it returned alone? Hana hurriedly opened the window, but the hawk showed no intention of coming inside, perching stiffly on the frame.
Something was seriously wrong. Just as Hana grabbed her jacket to head out—
“Hana!”
“Mui?”
Her husband, Mui, a warrior of the Cheonryeo tribe, burst into the estate in a rush. The hawk’s mournful cry echoed through the room. Hana clutched the railing, looking down anxiously at her husband.
“Where’s Lord Nersarn?”
“He went out following Byan but hasn’t returned yet. Byan just came back, though. What’s going on? Are all those hawks from Cheonryeo?”
If multiple hawks had been sent from Cheonryeo at once, it could only mean an emergency.
Suddenly, Hana’s mind went blank. She already knew the answer, but the reality was too sudden to fully process.
“An intruder.”
Mui spoke for her. An intruder had appeared in Cheonryeo, and judging by the hawks sent out, the situation was dire.
Hana screamed and dashed upstairs.
Thud! Thud, thud!
“Everyone, get outside!”
“Why? What’s going on, housekeeper?”
“Contact the captain of the guards immediately! There’s an intruder! Search the borderlands near the Great Desert! We need to find Lord Nersarn!”
“Yes, yes! Understood!”
“Order the residents to evacuate, and tell the heads of each household to arm themselves and prepare for defense. If there are any unattended children, bring them to the estate!”
At Hana’s command, the servants hurried outside in a flurry.
Reaching the top floor of the main building, Hana flung open the window facing outside and carefully stepped along the narrow ledge. The rain and wind made it dangerous, but she steadied herself on her toes and slowly made her way beneath the massive bell.
Ding! Dong!
The enormous golden bell swung wildly, ringing out loudly. The estate’s residents, sheltering from the rain, stopped in their tracks upon hearing the alarm. Torches flared up at the distant guard posts.
“Gather all soldiers!”
“Hana!”
“Mui! Don’t worry about me—go ahead! I’ll send an urgent message to the palace!”
Hana shouted down to Mui, who looked up at her with concern. He hesitated briefly, then whistled sharply and mounted his Kusile.
“Byan!”
A call to guide him to where Nersarn was. The hawk, perched like a statue on the windowsill, flapped its wings vigorously and took flight.
Pat pat pat!
Whoosh!
“Mui! What’s happening here?”
“I don’t know. Grab your weapons! Guards!”
“Yes, this way!”
“Byan’s heading toward the desert! Clear the path!”
“Move aside! Everyone, move aside!”
The guards rushing toward the estate spotted Mui and turned their horses toward the border. Could it be a monster attack? Or Luswena?
Whatever it was, the peace of Hielo was undoubtedly shattered. Understanding the gravity of the situation, they charged through the driving rain.
“The desert’s in sight!”
They could see it, but the closer they got, the fiercer the wind became, making it hard to stand. Mui tore his sleeve and wrapped his weapon and hand tightly together, feeling the faint presence of his family’s spirit.
“Follow me! We’re entering the desert!”
“Understood!”
“Keep low and move stealthily!”
Through the swirling sandstorm, a faint figure appeared. Was it Nersarn? Mui shielded his face with his sleeve and approached, only to realize it was Kakanthir.
His chieftain, dead with his upper body severed. Even in death, his eyes remained wide open, blazing fiercely.
“Ka-Kakan!”
Ziiing! Ziiing!
Boom!
Explosions erupted one after another—massive forces fueled by magic.
Mui immediately understood that Luswena’s invaders had arrived and hurriedly covered Kakanthir’s body.
“Returning to Hielo! Intruders! Luswena’s mages—”
“Aaaargh!”
A shrill scream echoed from somewhere. Mui and the guards felt their hair stand on end—it was the desperate cry of someone on the brink of death.
A flash of lightning blinded them, and they staggered, struggling to keep their balance. The horses and Kusile panicked, rearing and bucking, making it even harder to stay steady.
Then—
Ziiing!
Through the shimmering light appeared a mage’s puppet—the invader from Luswena.
Luswena had struck Cheonryeo first to quietly cripple Hielo’s military strength. But Hielo had learned of this.
“Well, since it’s come to this—”
With no clear idea how many Cheonryeo survivors remained, retreating now was pointless. For the sake of the Luswena soldiers’ future advance, Hielo had to be dealt with first.
“Kill them all before reinforcements arrive from the palace.”
One of the three mages had been torn apart by a Cheonryeo warrior, another had lost consciousness.
For their fallen comrades, they would kill and kill again, engraving deep into the bones the fate of those who dared challenge a mage.
“Ugh—!”
The mage coughed up blood, his golden eyes flashing. The soldiers faltered. What was he trying to do? They didn’t know, but it was clear the battle with Cheonryeo had left him wounded.
The soldiers urged their horses forward with hand signals. Seeing the mage’s weakened state, they needed to retreat quickly.
“Ah, ugh. R-run away!”
“Retreat! Retreat! Fall back to Hielo and set up defenses!”
“Mui! Hurry! Come on!”
“Let go! That bastard did this to Kakan!”
“No! If we stay here, we’ll all die!”
Mui drew his sword, ready to charge the mage, but a guard grabbed the reins of his Kusile and pulled him back. The horse, swaying in the wind, took the chance to turn and bolt.
“How long has it been?”
“Don’t know. Two hours? More?”
“Hmm. You think deeply.”
For hours, Ian had been staring at a blank sheet of paper, chin resting on his hand. Since hearing that Prime Minister Shatima had been assassinated by a close aide, he’d been stuck in this state.
If only he had some orders to act on, but the mages could only sit and wait for Ian to make a move.
“How long does it usually take to send a message from Clipford to Kalamath?”
“It varies by courier, but usually under a week. This one took about five days, judging by the seal on the letter.”
Five days old information. Since Clipford had received it, her death must have occurred even earlier. If Prime Minister Shatima was truly killed by a close aide, the situation in Hwan might already be set.
“It’s unfortunate that information doesn’t come in real time. If Toorun was involved in Shatima’s death, that’s good news for Luswena.”
“Definitely. From Toorun’s perspective, there’s no reason to block Luswena’s path. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. As long as Bariel remains a common enemy, Luswena will be the beneficiary.”
“By beneficiary, you mean military moves?”
Exactly. Luswena had so far held back from Bariel, focusing on keeping Clipford and Hwan in check. But if Hwan falls under Toorun’s control, Luswena’s position will improve. A beast that’s comfortable will naturally reveal its hidden claws and strike.
The mages spread out a map.
“South of Bariel, there’s a region where Clipford, Luswena, and the three kingdoms meet. Won’t they try to seize it?”
“I think so too. We should leave the Merellof territory to Hwan… Wait, Hielo?”
The mages hadn’t realized it—right before their eyes was the noble in charge of the borderlands, their superior. Since coming to the capital, he had never returned home, working as if he had no roots.
“Hielo is here, Ian?”
“Then this side is safe. No matter how arrogant King Eldert is, he won’t dare attack a territory governed by Cheonryeo and the Minister of Magic.”
“Who knows? If he were reasonable, he wouldn’t have clashed with Bariel in the first place.”
“That’s true, now that you mention it.”
Ian folded his arms, pondering. If something happened in Hielo, it would be best for him to act.
But the problem was…
‘This might be a trap to lure me out.’
If war broke out east of Bariel, it would be a predictable move. Moreover, unlike here, Toorun’s puppeteers shared real-time sensory information. Acting rashly could play right into their hands.
For now, trusting Cheonryeo and waiting for the next report was the best course.
“Ian.”
“Your Majesty.”
Just then, Jin, having heard the news, came down to the conference room. He must have been with Tweller, because he followed right behind the emperor.
“Prime Minister Shatima is dead.”
“Yes. The palace must have learned of it by now, but I don’t know what decision they’ll make.”
At Ian’s reply, Tweller added lightly, “The palace will focus on central defense, won’t they? Unless the enemy pushes through the border, they won’t act rashly. They say the prime minister holds full authority in emergencies, but it probably hasn’t come to that yet.”
“I think so too, but it’s only a matter of time. Didn’t you say Shatima’s death came from someone close to her?”
“That’s right.”
Ian, Jin, and Tweller recalled the woman they had seen at the palace. She was someone with considerable respect and experience. Besides, she was on the verge of reclaiming royal authority and turning the tide. Unless there was some extraordinary reason, killing Shatima would bring little benefit to her inner circle.
“Toohrun must be involved.”
“Not just someone close to her, but the work of a puppeteer?”
“Yes. The circumstances point that way.”
“Hmm. That makes sense.”
Even if not a puppeteer, whoever killed Shatima must harbor resentment toward Bariel, which broadly means they side with Toohrun and Luswena.
“If unrest breaks out south of Bariel, Klipoford can handle it, but if the Hielo territory is invaded, I’m not sure what to do. It takes about a month for central reinforcements to reach Hielo.”
“Could you use a portal to check it out yourself?”
“That’s an option, but the distance from Kalamath to Hielo is too great.”
It consumes more than twice the magic power compared to going from Kalamath to Toohrun or the central palace. And it’s not just about getting there—the return trip also demands significant energy.
Above all, since the situation is uncertain, it wouldn’t be wise to expend such a huge amount of magic power just to ‘confirm’ things.
“For now, I’ll send a letter to Luswena. An official protest regarding their support of Ludford in the recent Agiar battle. If Bariel takes issue with it, Luswena might use that as a pretext to launch a preemptive strike.”
“So, provoke them to force a halt?”
“We’re just waiting for a legitimate reason.”
That could buy time—maybe even until they return from Toohrun.
Bang!
Just as Ian reached for his pen, the door burst open and Beric stormed in.
“Iaaan!”
Ian nearly spilled his ink again, but this time he managed to keep it together. Calmly, he withdrew the pen and checked that the paper was still intact.
“Get that bastard out.”
“The emperor is here, are you crazy?”
As the mages grabbed Beric’s arms, he shouted, “No, it’s simple, Ian! There’s—there’s a moving shadow in the Kalamath marketplace!”