Due to Madilo family’s financial situation, they wouldn’t have been able to hire a first-tier mercenary group.
At best, they could barely afford a second-tier one.
‘No, seeing that the mercenary emblem looks unfamiliar, it must be third-tier.’
On the other hand, Balzac often sparred in groups with his father’s army or Igritz’s troops, rated as the very best among the first-tier mercenaries.
In other words, those guys aren’t even a match for Balzac.
The mercenaries seemed to sense Balzac’s overwhelming presence.
Their faces stiffened.
The mercenary captain swallowed dryly and adjusted his grip on his sword.
“How many do you think we are? No matter how strong you are, you won’t be able to handle this number.”
“If you want to see the gap, then come, you small fry.”
“Damn...!”
The mercenary captain’s face flushed red at Balzac’s arrogant words.
Ted flinched and looked at his grandfather.
“G-Grandfather, if this goes on, the ★ ★ mercenaries will all die.”
“Whoever opened the gate without the head of the house’s permission dares to raise their voice!”
“But at this rate, grandmother will die...!”
“If others learn how your grandmother looks, it will mean the ruin of the family!”
The marquess’s wife suffers from a magical illness caused by damage from forbidden alchemy.
Alchemy is strictly banned by law.
‘But to go so far as to block even the imperial palace’s people?’
This is outright defiance against the imperial family.
Moreover, knowing Astra’s prestige, they sent mercenaries against us—the grandchildren of Duke Astra.
I flinched and muttered.
“The imperial palace barrier...”
“...!”
As soon as the barrier was mentioned, all of the Madilo family was thrown into panic.
I let out a bitter laugh.
“They were lunatics...”
“What?”
Balzac looked at me as if I was speaking nonsense.
“The alchemy used was the imperial palace barrier.”
“What?”
“If they investigate the marquess’s wife, they’ll find out alchemy was used on the barrier. That’s why all this chaos.”
“Alchemy used on the imperial palace barrier? Why would that happen?”
“Obviously. Someone was brought into the palace without His Majesty the Emperor’s knowledge!”
“Who exactly did they bring in?”
As the Madilo family stiffened, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Obviously. It’s a traitor aiming for palace secrets or a spy from a foreign country.”
I flinched and looked back.
Kainrod was walking out from the darkness.
“Uncle, how—!”
“I heard from your brother that Mother’s condition is grave.”
“Why didn’t you wait?”
“Given that old man’s nature, he would never surrender Mother, so I came to fetch her myself.”
At Kainrod’s words, the marquess shouted.
“How dare you defy my will!”
“There’s an old man who defies the Emperor’s will, so what problem is it if I defy the marquess’s will?”
“Get lost! You’re no longer my child!”
“I don’t consider you my father either.”
“You—!”
Kainrod looked at his older brother and sister-in-law and said.
“Are you going to just let Mother die like this?”
“Kain...”
Ted’s father hesitated with a grim face.
Another scream echoed from the room.
“Ahhhhh─!”
Kainrod flinched and stared at the room.
Then clenched his teeth and shouted.
“Are you really going to just let her die like this?!”
“...”
“How can you be like this? My brother, who lived through Mother’s blood and sweat, how can the Marquess Madilo be so cruel to her!”
“...”
“Brother─!!”
Kainrod screamed as if about to die.
. I stopped his collapse with one arm and told Balzac.
“Balzac Astra, clear the way.”
Balzac, Kainrod, and the Madilo family all looked at me wide-eyed.
Without blinking, I looked at the marquess.
“Cut down anyone who blocks the way. No matter who.”
Even the Marquess Madilo.
The marquess panicked and raised his voice.
“You dare lay a hand on me? I am Marquess Madilo!”
“I’m Kainrod’s nephew!”
The absurd words caused silence around.
The marquess opened his mouth and closed it again.
“You, you...!”
“There’s a child here who has a dying mother right in front of them. A child who came running even though they can barely stand!”
“What...?”
“Neither father nor brothers can see their tears, so even a relative not by blood must step up. Balzac!”
As I shouted, a sharp swish cut through the air.
Balzac swung his sword.
The aura and sword energy wrapped in blessings sliced through the wall with a loud crack, shaking the mansion violently.
“Please, let’s end this quickly.”
“...!”
“...!!”
The mercenaries, pale-faced, muttered quietly while looking at Balzac.
“When our child gets angry, she’s truly terrifying.”
Some mercenaries dropped their weapons.
The marquess shouted with a sallow face.
“What are you doing! Quickly, chase these scoundrels out of my mansion—”
“Stop!”
Ted’s father shouted.
All eyes turned sharply to him.
“I will guide you to Mother. Follow me.”
“Kasad!”
“Even if we all attack, you won’t beat that boy.”
“Do you want to be kicked out of the family too?”
“Today, I will become Kainrod’s brother, not Father’s child.”
“You bastard, Kasad─!”
“Take Father to his room.”
When Ted’s father ordered, the mercenaries subdued the Marquess Madilo.
It was a very coordinated movement.
For them, it was easier to restrain one old man than face Balzac.
With the marquess subdued, we hurriedly followed Ted’s father into the room.
And saw the person lying on the bed...
“...”
“...”
Balzac and I both froze, unable to speak.
The sight was too horrid to continue speaking.
Even Balzac, who had seen all kinds of terrible things during missions, stiffened his face.
“I wondered why there was such a terrible smell... but the skin is all...”
Ted, who came in behind us, said weakly.
“The condition suddenly worsened three days ago.”
“We need to move her first.”
“She suffers greatly even from the slightest movement of air.”
I nodded and looked at the shadow.
“Ombre.”
I called, and Ombre appeared from my shadow.
“Swallow the marquess’s wife. So she can be moved safely.”
Ombre, who had been playfully winding around my ankle, opened its mouth wide.
As Ombre swallowed the marquess’s wife with the bed, Ted’s jaw dropped.
“Th-That’s a shadow monster...”
“There won’t be any external influence inside Ombre.”
“But won’t it affect her mind?”
“She’s unconscious, so hopefully it will affect her less.”
I approached Kainrod, who looked dazed, staring at where the bed had been.
“Uncle.”
“....”
“Let’s go, uncle.”
“...Alright.”
Balzac glanced at Kainrod and whispered to me.
“He looks dazed.”
“Since Mother’s condition is more serious than expected, it must be hard on him.”
He probably even sensed that Mother’s death could be inevitable.
Her condition was that critical.
I looked at Kainrod and told Balzac.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
While manipulating the blessing stone for teleportation, Ted shouted.
“Grandmother...!”
“Prince?”
“Please take care of Grandmother and Uncle.”
His expression was extremely earnest.
I smiled and nodded.
The light spreading from the blessing stone enveloped us.
When I opened my eyes, it was an unfamiliar place.
In front of an old mansion with a turquoise roof.
As I looked around, someone called me.
“Erilot.”
“Brother Richmond. Are preparations ready?”
“All the people you mentioned are gathered.”
Alexis, Han Jihyeok, sister Selene, and Ashlie Manin were all there.
Ashlie was wearing only pajamas and a cardigan like sister Selene.
She scratched her neck and frowned.
“What is this doing at this late hour? Do you know how much money passes through my hands in an hour?”
“I wanted to show you the true land of blessings.”
“Why did you call me only now? If you’d called since afternoon, I would’ve been fully prepared.”
Ashlie laughed hoho and covered her mouth.
I asked sister Selene.
“Sister, can you sense where the strongest sacred power is here?”
“No need to track it.”
“Huh?”
“Because I’ve felt it so strongly since we arrived it’s almost terrifying.”
“Where is it?”
Sister Selene pointed to a spot in the garden.
‘A statue?’
It was where a statue of the goddess of mercy stood.
We all headed there together.
While I examined the statue carefully, sister Selene muttered while looking at it.
“But it’s strange...”
“Strange?”
“At other times I don’t feel it, but suddenly the power becomes terrifyingly strong.”
“What...?”
“It was strongest right when we arrived.”
The power that isn’t felt at other times, but suddenly felt at some moment...?
Sister Selene flinched back.
“Yes, right now.”
“Now?”
“There are moments when such tremendous power is felt, like now.”
What condition changes it?
‘Time?’
I pulled out my pocket watch and checked the time.
9:41.
Nothing special about the time.
I asked Han Jihyeok.
“When did sister arrive?”
“Sorry, I didn’t record the time.”
“I see...”
“She only remembers arriving when the full moon was shining especially bright...”
Full moon?
I suddenly lifted my head.
The dark clouds cleared, and the full moon shone brightly.
“Moon...”
“Huh?”
“Sister, it’s the moon!”
Sister Selene nodded.
“Ah, yes. That’s right. When the clouds fully cleared from the moon... that’s when the power felt strongest.”
Balzac said.
“Then shouldn’t we open the root quickly before the clouds cover the moon again?”
“No, wait until the clouds completely clear. Then, we move.”
We gathered before the statue and all looked up at the sky.
“More...”
“A little more.”
“Hurry!”
“More.”
The clouds that were moving gradually parted completely.
I shouted.
“Ombre, spit her out!”
Ombre spat out the marquess’s wife with the bed.
“Sister, please inject sacred power into the ground, like when opening the root!”
“Okay.”
“Alexis, assist sister. You copied Iseze’s , right?”
“Yes.”
Sister Selene began infusing sacred power into the ground.
A crack of light opened on the earth, and the dark surroundings gradually brightened.
Kainrod glanced at Mother.
“Is opening the root the right thing? Even pouring this much sacred power, it won’t open!”
Ashlie also watched sister Selene with an uneasy face.
Sister Selene’s complexion grew paler.
Despite pouring an enormous amount of power, the root refused to open.
‘Failed guess.’
Was this really not the land of blessings?
‘No, I saw it in ! Surely...!’
Sister Selene’s face turned completely pale blue.
“Alexis!”
By Alexis’s blessing, chains of light appeared in the air.
The chains tightened around sister Selene’s arm, pumping power, but there was no sign the root would open.
“Erilot...”
Balzac muttered my name with a flustered expression.
I hurriedly sat down and placed my hand over sister’s hand.
Just as I was about to transfer my power to her—
Crackling─!!
The earth suddenly started rapidly cracking as if an earthquake had occurred.
“Huh?”
“What, what’s this!”
“Ah─!”
The group staggered and shouted.
Then.
Flash──!!
A massive light surged from the gap in the earth.
“Th-This is....”
“The root? No, it’s not the root...!”
Ashlie and Balzac looked around in panic.
The light pouring out engulfed everything.
In the blinding light—
“Ugh, uuuugh!”
“Ahh!”
“Aaaah─!!”
The group screamed.
Power, mana, surged to the point of bursting inside their bodies.
I took a deep breath and gazed at the air.
“Ah, ugh, ugh...ughk...!”
Stop.
Stop.
Stop─!
The agony was similar to when I opened my land of blessings, but there was a completely different sensation somewhere.
A voice came.
A voice with a strange power, like Ceylon or the guardian stars.
[...Lost.]
[Choice... made.]
[Oh... Ma.]
The fragmented voice swirled inside my head.
Then some time later—
Crackling....
A sound of something breaking.
I saw the illusion of chains wrapped around my body.
The bloodstained chains looked like they would snap any second but suddenly snapped with a sharp twang and completely crumbled.
And then—
“Mother─!!”
Kainrod’s voice echoed.
At that moment, I felt as if my floating body was falling down.
The light completely faded, and I looked around.
Kainrod rushed to the marquess’s wife’s bedside.
My brothers held me.
“Erilot! Erilot, a-are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“Suddenly light was radiating from your entire body, and you started muttering strange words...!”
“What did I say?”
Richmond hugged me.
“As long as you’re not hurt, it’s fine.”
“...”
“You’re not in pain, right? Hm?”
“Yeah... I’m not hurt...”
Balzac and Richmond looked at me.
“Why?”
What is that?
I tilted my head and looked at the strange characters floating in the air.
Above the marquess’s wife’s head hovered bizarre letters.
[Recovery complete.]
...Such strange words.