Chapter 16: Fragments of Memory

“Hey, I might not look like much, but I’m the one and only saintess of Gyo Kingdom. Isn’t this treatment a bit too much?”

Rii felt wronged. 

She was the most elite talent on the continent, unmatched by anyone, yet everyone here was treating her like a nuisance.

‘If this were Gyo Kingdom, you’d all be dead!’

But this wasn’t a normal nation where diplomatic logic applied. 

This was the northern plains, where only the law of immediate power ruled.

Just moments ago, she had been knocked unconscious, her head slamming against the carriage wall. 

Now, she was forcibly dragged to her feet and brought before the prince.

Until they arrived at the duchy, Frennila had been kind and gentle. 

But now, her gaze was so sharp it felt like it could kill. 

She glared at Rii, demanding that she save the prince. 

Rii held back her tears and focused on recovering.

‘Hey, you prince! Wake up already! At this rate, I’m going to die before you do!’

For the first time, Rii realized that sheer willpower could indeed kill a person.

Whether or not Kenneth understood Rii’s feelings, his body remained motionless.

“Lady Svioha, we’ve brought what appears to be the medicine you mentioned.”

“Bring it here quickly!”

Just in time, the tribal warriors who had gone to search for the medicine returned.

Many of the collected medicines were crushed and unusable, likely due to the impact of being dropped.

The warriors had gathered only those that seemed to be in decent condition.

Rii quickly snatched one of them, crushed the medicinal herbs, mixed them with water, and forced it down the prince’s throat.

Within minutes, his complexion visibly improved, and his breathing began to normalize.

“Prince!”

Frennila rushed toward the prince, but Rii stopped her, saying he needed to rest.

Rii then had him carried to a nearby temporary tent, and Frennila could do nothing but watch his retreating figure.

Rii let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed the situation had been resolved, and Svioha, equally relieved, approached Rii and asked,

“Does the Chosen One have some kind of chronic illness?”

“Huh? You can speak the Empire’s language?”

“A little. More importantly, I’d like to know about the Chosen One’s current condition.”

Rii hesitated for a moment before explaining what she knew.

“It seems like a psychological issue. I’m not entirely sure, but the prince seems to have something like panic disorder. He has episodes like this occasionally.”

“Psychological… issue?”

Rii, exhausted, lay down on her back. 

Svioha, who had many questions, stayed by her side.

“What kind of medicine did you give the Chosen One?”

“Bosimdan, have you heard of Cheongsimhwan? It’s a higher-grade version of Cheongsimhwan made in Gyo Kingdom.”

“Cheongsimhwan? The one that relieves tension?”

It seemed like a severe condition. 

Could something like Cheongsimhwan really resolve it?

Svioha, being well-versed in magic, which was the art of controlling the life force of nature, also had some knowledge of medicine.

Feeling the need to investigate further, she asked,

“May I examine his condition with magic? If it’s a psychological issue, I might be able to help.”

“Uh, with magic? Hmm…”

Rii, as a saintess, had been taught from a young age that magic was heresy, so the idea made her uncomfortable.

Instinctively, she wanted to refuse, but this was their territory.

‘Well, it’s not my body anyway.’

Sorry, prince! With no good reason to refuse, she decided to let it happen.

With Rii’s approval, Svioha entered the tent where Kenneth was resting, under her supervision.

Frennila’s gaze followed her, but now wasn’t the time to react to every little thing. 

Ignoring the stares, Svioha quickly examined the Chosen One’s condition.

Kenneth seemed to be doing better, breathing steadily at regular intervals.

Svioha placed talismans infused with magical energy around him and lit an aroma of lotus fragrance.

“Then, I’ll take a look.”

One of the pinnacles of magic, the art of consciousness sharing.

It allowed the caster to glimpse fragments of the target’s memories.

Though it felt guilty to peek into the memories of an unconscious person, it was for the Chosen One’s sake. 

She tried to justify her actions.

This ability was rarely used due to the potential for severe side effects on the caster, but Svioha didn’t mind.

If the compatibility between the caster and the target was good, there was no need to worry about side effects. 

As the Star Maiden, she had no doubt that her compatibility with the Chosen One would be fine.

“Tehasto chi habiya.”

Svioha’s consciousness darkened. 

In that darkness, new memories formed and began to glow.

Soon, she arrived at a fragment of memory. 

The backdrop was filled with massive marble structures and beautiful architectural styles.

Though she had never visited, it was clear to anyone that this was the capital of the former continent, Lontania.

But Lontania was engulfed in flames, as if it had been invaded by something.

Amidst the screams of people and the sound of collapsing buildings, there was a large-scale purge.

‘…What is that?’

Two figures stood out in the scene.

One was taller and more mature than she remembered, with jade-colored hair, blue eyes, and pale skin.

The only person with those features was Frennila of the Bow Tribe.

And on the other side, about to be thrown into a boiling cauldron, was a man in a life-or-death situation.

‘The Chosen One?’

As Svioha recognized him, the rope was cut, and he was plunged into the boiling water.

The sight of him writhing in agony, his hair falling out, and his flesh turning white from the intense heat was so horrifying that Svioha had to look away.

‘Why does the Chosen One have such a memory?’

The timeline suggested this was an event that hadn’t happened yet, but the vividness of the scene proved it wasn’t a fabrication.

‘Could it be that the Chosen One can see the future?’

There was no other explanation.

She wanted to delve deeper into the memory, but the fragments began to crumble. 

If she stayed any longer, her own mind might be swept away by the waves of memory.

‘…It’s a shame, but I’ll stop here for now.’

“Tehasto chi robia.”

The crumbling fragments disappeared, and darkness returned. 

Svioha opened her eyes.

“How was it? Did you find out anything?”

Rii yawned and asked. 

How should she explain this?

‘It’s better not to say anything for now.’

The truth was too serious to reveal just yet. 

She needed to gather more information.

“Unfortunately, there’s not much information yet. I’ll need to try a few more times.”

If Frennila was going to betray the Chosen One in the future, she couldn’t just stand by.

‘I need to intervene more actively from now on.’

Why would the Chosen One keep Frennila by his side knowing such a future? 

There must be a reason, but…

Leaving the Chosen One alone with Frennila seemed too dangerous.

Svioha felt the need to either separate the two or insert herself between them.

*

Later, Rii mentioned that she had been unconscious for a full day.

“Sorry for causing everyone so much trouble. We need to deliver the goods quickly.”

“It’s alright, Prince. Why don’t you rest a bit more?”

“No, I’m fine now. We can’t afford to delay any longer. Let’s hurry and depart.”

The atmosphere had completely changed since they were first captured. 

The Bow Tribe now showed considerable goodwill toward me.

Thanks to that, I quickly regained my strength and received help in gathering the supplies. 

However, Frennila was still wary of Svioha, and I was too busy keeping an eye on her to relax.

“Our tribe’s warriors will be here soon. I’ve already sent word.”

Screech!

As the saying goes, speak of the devil. 

Just as Frennila mentioned it, the familiar cry of a bird echoed from afar.

A group of horsemen was approaching from the distance—warriors of the Bow Tribe.

Some people mistakenly think that those who wield swords or axes are the strong ones. 

But the true strength lies with those who use bows.

Perhaps that’s why the Bow Tribe warriors all boasted robust, muscular builds.

Neigh! 

The horses came to a halt.

“Lady Frennila, we’ve come to escort you.”

Pipi, who had been absent for a while, had likely gone to summon the Bow Tribe warriors.

Now, the Bow Tribe warriors who had come to protect Frennila were facing off against the Stick Tribe warriors.

Svioha, who had been waiting nearby to greet me, approached to express her gratitude.

“Thank you for your help this time, Svioha.”

“Oh, Chosen One. You can speak our tribe’s language? No need to thank me. I did it because I wanted to.”

Even though I had told her my title and name, she kept calling me the Chosen One.

What’s that about? 

I asked her, but she only smiled in response.

I decided to let it go.

“Still, I’m grateful.”

“Geez, why do you keep talking like we’re about to part ways?”

“Well, we are about to—”

“I’m coming with you.”

Huh? 

Coming with me? 

Who?

Svioha was a woman whose inexplicable kindness was somewhat burdensome.

Whenever she made eye contact with Frennila, she would growl, but when she looked at me, her expression softened.

Now, she was declaring that she would join the journey.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You’ve been standing by all this time, and now you want to join? We can handle the plague situation on our own!”

As expected, Frennila was vehemently opposed.

“Standing by? That’s rich coming from the Bow Tribe. And without me, who else can treat the Chosen One’s condition?”

“Well, that’s…”

I wasn’t entirely sure, but it seemed Svioha had been a great help while I was unconscious.

It was possible she could find a way to resolve my physical issues.

I thought it would be enough to occasionally consult with her, but unexpectedly, she wanted to join the journey.

‘Svioha is quite skilled. Her joining would strengthen our forces. But…’

Frennila’s expression showed more than just dislike. 

How should I handle this? 

As I pondered,

“Tch. Do as you please.”

Frennila clicked her tongue and walked away.

Was that permission? 

She began loading the gathered supplies onto the horses with the Bow Tribe warriors.

Regardless, Svioha stood beside me, smiling brightly.

Well, I guess it’s fine.

“Let’s depart.”

“Yes, Chosen One.”

After much turmoil, the end was finally in sight.

The condition of the gathered supplies wasn’t great, but it was better than nothing.

Confirming that everything was loaded, I gave the order to depart.

Unlike when we first entered the plains, having the escort of the tribal warriors made me feel much more secure.

This time, it seemed we could comfortably reach our final destination—the northern plains frontlines.