Two people strolled across the moonlit plains of the grassland.
Frennila, who had barely managed to compose her emotions, was quietly comforted by the prince until she stopped crying.
His care warmed Frennila’s heart.
“Are you going back to the capital now?”
“Yes, there’s still work to be done.”
“If you ever need my help, please let me know. Even if my strength is insignificant, I’ll rush to your aid without hesitation.”
He simply smiled at her words.
Though things had gone well, he couldn’t rely on their help.
Bringing foreign forces into the empire could lead to accusations of treason from either the first prince or princess.
So, while he appreciated her offer, he decided to accept only her goodwill.
Soon, Frennila pulled out a document from her pocket—a secret research paper stamped with the empire’s seal.
“What is this?”
“I found it in the den of the dark mages.”
It seemed to detail experiments linking dark magic and voodoo, likely related to the infected.
But what caught his eye more was,
‘…That’s the first princess’s emblem.’
Why was this in the hands of dark mages?
Was she the culprit?
No, that couldn’t be.
It was too obvious, which made him even more certain.
His mother had apologized to the Emperor and the first princess, Kaela.
If they were truly behind this, would his mother have said such a thing?
Even without hearing the full story, this was a significant clue for him.
‘Perhaps this was the catalyst for the empire’s invasion.’
If so, it made sense to help Kaela seize power.
It was better for a known figure to hold the throne than for a shadowy force to manipulate the empire, which could lead to unpredictable variables.
“Can you leave this matter to me?”
“Yes, I trust you, Prince. I’ll leave it in your hands.”
Though they were both members of the Ron Empire’s royal family, she placed her trust in him.
Yes, imperial matters should be handled by the empire.
“Will you return?”
“Yes, I’ll come back. When I do, I hope to see the village restored to its beautiful state.”
“I’ll make sure of it.”
He handed her a gift he had prepared in the tent.
While Frennila and her people fought fiercely on the battlefield, he hadn’t been idle either.
Along with the Cheonho system, he had hastily crafted something from leather—a crude but functional item.
“…What is this?”
“It’s called a stirrup. I made it myself. You’ll understand how to use it once you try it on horseback.”
His poor craftsmanship had made the process time-consuming.
With training taking up most of his time, it took a while to complete.
But he managed to finish it before leaving the Great Plains.
He wasn’t doubting her skills, but it was true that her horseback archery looked precarious at times.
Firing arrows while riding backward was no easy feat, after all.
In a previous timeline, he had seen them using stirrups during the empire’s invasion, but at this point, they hadn’t been invented yet.
Perhaps they were developed during the infected crisis.
But since his intervention had quickly resolved the situation, they never saw the light of day.
Delivering this would mark the end of his journey in the north.
The serene moonlight cast a mystical glow over the grassland.
Frennila, holding the precious gift, smiled brightly and thanked him.
Decalito Arastia Kenneth!
‘Thank you for your help, Kenneth!’
The emotionless harbinger of death known as Frennila no longer existed.
Instead, there stood a bold, strong, and beautiful girl with a radiant smile.
*
His decision to return to the capital wasn’t solely based on his mother’s message.
News from Kyle about the capital:
“The Emperor has suddenly fallen ill. The capital is now divided into two factions, and it wouldn’t be surprising if bloodshed breaks out at any moment.”
The Emperor had fallen ill?
Based on his memories from a previous timeline, this was two years earlier than expected.
…Could an illness strike so suddenly?
“He didn’t just fall ill—he was made to fall.”
“You seem to have some idea of what’s going on?”
Excluding the Emperor and Princess Kaela, there were only three other royals left.
The most likely suspects were the first prince, Kyle, and his mother, Queen Dahlia.
These two could be considered as one. Given their opposition to Kaela, they were the prime suspects.
Then there was the second prince, Kade.
Though he was Kyle’s brother and Dahlia’s son, he wasn’t grouped with them due to memories from a past life.
Kade was an ambitious child.
He excelled in many fields and sought to compete for the throne.
But after repeated coercion from the Queen, he gave up and was sent to Istian for studies.
He had relinquished all his rights and left for a foreign country, so there was no reason to suspect him.
But if the first prince wasn’t the culprit, Kade was the only one left.
Without solid evidence, it was best not to exclude any suspects.
…
Lost in thought, he quickly prepared to depart with Kyle’s caravan back to the capita
“Huh? Erka, why are you coming?”
“Frennila insisted on sending an escort.”
Frennila had argued that the prince needed an escort for his return journey.
Bows, shields, and axes were needed for rebuilding the village, so they were in short supply.
The only ones available were staffs and swords, but Svioha was vehemently opposed, so Erka ended up joining as the escort.
Well, having Erka along was reassuring.
‘I can also get some training along the way.’
Rii stayed behind with Svioha to continue some research.
And so, unlike when he first set foot on the northern plains, he now rode back to the capital with Kyle and Erka.
“We’ll be back.”
They were seen off by everyone.
The northern affairs were settled, and once the empire’s matters were resolved, he believed there would be no more threats to his life.
However, he was slightly worried.
In the previous timeline, he had ample time to prepare before the conflict between the first prince and princess escalated.
Now, he had no idea how things would unfold.
But he was no longer paralyzed by uncertainty and fear.
Looking out the window, he saw Frennila waving as the carriage disappeared over the horizon.
A smile naturally spread across his face.
*
The city of Latvia, located at the center of the triangular trade route connecting the Tritan Kingdom, the Law Nation, and Istian, had grown into a major commercial hub.
Economically, it rivaled even the royal capital, Tritania!
In this bustling land, Xenon, a devout inquisitor from the Church, arrived.
His mission was to root out dark mages suspected to be hiding across the continent.
“In the name of the Goddess, the heavens, and the Church.”
He recited a prayer while holding his rosary.
It was a solemn duty—capturing heretics, extracting confessions, and leading them to their deaths.
According to the Church’s doctrine, killing was forbidden by the Goddess Teshua, but this was an exception.
These were evil beings who deserved to die.
This sense of exception made him feel as though his role was divinely sanctioned.
Now, where should he go?
According to his training, the best place to start tracking dark mages was the slums.
It was easy to hide there?
That was true.
But the main reason was the availability of materials for dark magic.
In the slums, death was a daily occurrence.
So, if a person or two went missing or died, no one would notice.
As he left the commercial district and entered the residential area, he began to sense an ominous presence.
Xenon immediately pulled out his Bible.
It was no ordinary Bible—it was thick, large, and bound with a heavy iron cover, making it a formidable weapon.
“Foolish and ignorant beings who defy the Goddess’s will, I shall teach you the doctrine.”
Soon, chimeras and ghouls began to appear, though fewer than ten in number.
Roaming the streets in broad daylight—these creatures were utterly mad.
Swinging the holy Bible, he smashed their heads as if wielding a club.
The monsters were quickly dealt with.
Xenon’s expression hardened as he wiped the blood off the cover.
Even before entering the slums, this situation suggested the entire city was already infested.
From the moment he entered, his life was as good as forfeited.
‘Inquisitor Xenon, in accordance with the Goddess’s will, I shall martyr myself in this den of evil, Latvia.’
As he prayed, more monsters began to surround him.
By rough estimate, there were hundreds.
The creatures lunged at him.
There was no escape.
At least he had discovered their presence in time.
The Church would surely eradicate them soon.
But he didn’t know.
That similar situations were unfolding across the continent.
That the Church had long since lost the capacity to respond.
In just one day, 30 inquisitors were killed across the continent.