Chapter 58

Enria began to tell Caldeon about the evil deeds the Black Mage commits in the original story after absorbing a human soul. Since the contents of the original story were not exactly the same, she decided to focus only on the parts with the greatest potential for damage, and she started with the part where Caldeon first assisted Roseanne.

“Count Kaznaren’s territory will soon be attacked by countless monsters.”

Caldeon’s eyes widened slightly at the mention that the territories of Roseanne’s and Rahar’s family would be attacked by monsters, but he soon said to Enria, “I understand there is quite a distance between the Kaznaren territory and the Monster Forest.”

“Yes. But the Black Mage created a path from the Monster Forest that connects to the entire Empire.” Enria explained that the Black Mage created doors to various territories in parts of the Monster Forest to gather more human souls, and through these doors, monsters leaving the forest would massacre the Imperial citizens.

Caldeon’s face hardened at her words.

“Although it’s just a dream, it is close to a prophetic dream, so the possibility of it becoming reality is high.”

“I will need to investigate the Monster Forest.”

“Yes. But it would be best if you went with Rose.”

“Lady Kaznaren?” Caldeon asked with a puzzled look. Enria nodded firmly.

“Yes. There is a monster in the center of the Monster Forest that can only be restrained by Rose’s magic.” Enria recalled the episode in the original story where Roseanne, who went to the Monster Forest with Caldeon instead of Rahar, unexpectedly used her power to trap a powerful monster.

“A monster that can only be restrained by Lady Kaznaren’s magic…”

“The Empire hasn’t explored the deep center of the Monster Forest yet, so they have no information about that monster. That monster is unaffected by black magic or the abilities of spirits. It only succumbs to Rose’s magic, specifically her binding magic.”

Since she insisted that he absolutely must take Roseanne with him, Caldeon seemed to ponder something for a moment before nodding. “If your prophetic dream suggests so, it would be best to go together. Then, it would also be best for you to move with us.”

“Me? I have Hayden to…”

“You can leave Hayden to the spirits.” Caldeon continued that if they left Windel, Silri, Graum, and Blizzan—who, though useless now due to his fire attribute not working, was highly intelligent in emergencies—at the castle, they wouldn’t have much to worry about.

Enria tilted her head slightly and asked, “But aren’t the spirits busy fighting the mages of the Magic Tower right now?”

When Enria asked with a worried expression, he shook his head a couple of times and replied, “The battle has been temporarily suspended. Since the fire spirits couldn’t use their strength and were only taking damage, they mostly moved the Spirit Users the Magic Tower was targeting to the Spirit Village.”

Enria nodded with a look of concern. “It’s difficult to feel completely relieved, but that’s fortunate, at least.”

“The Spirit Users belonging to the Magic Tower also readily agreed to our suggestion since they were suddenly being attacked by their own colleagues.”

“I see.”

“So, don’t worry about anything else and come with me.”

Enria looked at Caldeon. She, too, felt uneasy about the relationship between Caldeon and Roseanne until now, so being present wherever they went felt more comforting. Thus, she naturally agreed to his suggestion. Enria nodded and replied that she would.

***

The next day, Roseanne, who had returned from the Imperial Palace, was slightly surprised to hear Enria’s words.

“How did you know I learned binding magic?” She seemed taken aback that Enria knew about the new magic she had begun studying secretly.

“Ah, you said you had a prophetic dream.” Roseanne mumbled to herself and nodded.

“Enri. How accurate is that prophetic dream? Have you had any other prophetic dreams?” As the heroine who fought on equal footing with the Black Mage in the original story, Roseanne was curious about many things Enria had to say.

Enria, in turn, explained to her in detail: how the Black Mage created a path in the Monster Forest to devastate numerous territories, including Kaznaren; how he began spreading a plague using black magic around the Imperial Capital, including the Imperial Palace; and how he used black magic on the people of the count’s territory, causing them to take their own lives.

“You dreamed all of that?”

“Yes. I think there’s a high possibility it will happen.”

At Enria’s words, Roseanne nodded and looked at Tearen, who was sitting next to her. Tearen, who had suffered through the Imperial Palace in Caldeon’s place, looked somewhat haggard compared to when they first saw him. This was due to the Imperial Palace meeting, which was scheduled for two days, being prolonged.

“If it’s a Saintess’s prophetic dream, it must be trustworthy.”

“Yes. Even my brother doesn’t know that I learned binding magic yet.” Roseanne nodded in agreement with Tearen’s words. Caldeon, sitting next to Enria, arched an eyebrow in displeasure.

“What do you mean, trustworthy? Are you suggesting Enria might be lying?”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve been suffering for days because of you—do you really have to act prickly right now?”

Tearen wiggled his eyebrows as if to say Caldeon was being unfair, but Caldeon just scoffed slightly, ignored him, and looked at Roseanne.

“In any case, since it’s a mutant monster that nothing works against except your new magic, Lady, you will have to move with us.”

At his half-hearted statement, Enria quickly added that she knew it must be difficult for her since she just returned from the Imperial Palace, but she was asking for her help given the circumstances, which made Roseanne’s lips curve into a slight smile.

“I’m fine, Enri. And this is to prepare against damage to our county, so of course, I have to go, even if it’s tough.”

“It would be good if Rahar also went. It will be challenging to penetrate the interior of the Monster Forest in various ways.”

When Roseanne nodded at Tearen’s suggestion, Caldeon looked at Tearen again and said, “What do you mean, ‘it would be good’? You must go too.”

“Me? Why me too?” Tearen frowned slightly at Caldeon’s words.

“Why, of course, you must go. This is a crucial matter that will save the entire Empire, not just the Kaznaren county.” Caldeon said that destroying the path the Black Mage created in the center of the Monster Forest and restraining the mutant monster—against which black magic and spirit power are ineffective—was the best thing they could do for the Empire right now.

When he added that Tearen’s power was needed as he was the genius illusionist of the Empire, Tearen looked at Caldeon with a look of slight emotion.

“Am I finally receiving recognition from my friend?”

“That’s wonderful.” Roseanne whispered to Tearen’s remark. Tearen nodded, a smile on his face.

“It’s quite moving to finally be acknowledged by a friend who rarely acknowledged me. It makes me feel like such a day could exist in life…”

“Quiet, Tearen. Anyway, we depart tomorrow morning, so stay in my castle today and relax a little.” Caldeon cut off Tearen’s words and frowned. Tearen merely shrugged, accustomed to his reaction.

Roseanne’s eyes widened at the fact that Tearen was staying in the Grand Ducal Castle tonight, and she looked at Enria. When Enria looked back at Roseanne, she made a joyful expression and her eyes sparkled.

Enria instantly realized what Roseanne wanted from that silent look and turned to Caldeon. “Since there are many guest rooms on the floor Rose is staying on, he can stay there.”

At Enria’s suggestion, Caldeon nodded and replied curtly, “I don’t really care where he sleeps, as long as it’s not on the floor we are staying on.”

Tearen let out a small rumble in his throat and muttered, “How mean,” but Caldeon ignored him completely and moved on to the next topic.

“And you probably already heard from Rahar, but Rahar’s fire spirit, who sided with the Black Mage, consumed a spirit soul and began to dominate the fire attribute.”

The smiles vanished completely from Tearen’s and Roseanne’s faces at Caldeon’s words.

“I wanted to hear a proper explanation about that. A spirit dominating an attribute, is that even possible?” Roseanne asked Caldeon with a hardened face, saying it was something she couldn’t possibly understand.

Tearen also looked at Caldeon and asked if there had ever been such a precedent.

“It is written in the ancient scriptures of the Great Temple that something similar happened during the time when the Master of the Oracle sealed the Evil God. I haven’t seen it myself, only heard about it, so I don’t know the exact details. But it is said there was a precedent where a water spirit allied with the Evil God dominated the entire water attribute.”

“Then what does that mean? That the power of black magic and the power of the Evil God are the same?”

Caldeon nodded once in response to Tearen’s question. “Since the Evil God itself is said to be a crystallization made of black magic, yes. Don’t ask me; when you have time, stop by the Great Temple and read the ancient scriptures about the oracle.”

“Me?” Tearen asked, his expression suggesting that Caldeon, who was chosen by God and possessed black magic, should be the one to read it. Caldeon replied to him as if it were the most natural thing.

“I am a very busy person.”

“And I’m not busy?”

“In any case, since Rahar’s fire spirit began to dominate the fire attribute, it’s likely that not only fire spirits but also mages who primarily use fire magic are powerless.”

Tearen nodded once at Caldeon’s words and muttered, “That would be the case.”

“So, whatever it takes, we must eliminate the Black Mage first. Only then will Rahar’s fire spirit stop consuming the souls of his own kind.”

At that, Tearen, Roseanne, and Enria all instinctively nodded.