“My guests and I have traveled a long way. Moria. What is this rudeness?”
Prince Helga sharply raised his eyes. Moria didn’t even pay attention to him and instead looked at Fernandez. He was a knight she had never seen before. Like Baimeer and Helga, who were recruited from outside, he probably wasn’t from a prestigious family.
“Forgive the rudeness, brother. As the Minister of the Royal Court, isn’t it a dereliction of duty to allow a stranger into the palace without verifying their identity?”
“Since when have you been so concerned about your position?”
“Oh? I’ve been handling the duties of the royal family alone while you’ve been frequently absent, and now you’re saying such hurtful things?”
Moria ignored her and walked toward the castle, matching Helga’s pace while leading the horse with a refreshing smile. Fernandez smiled as he watched her. During the brief conversation between Helga and Moria, he had been reading the traces of dark magic left on Moria.
‘Impressive. She must have a good teacher.’
-The Church of the Underground Burial specializes in necromancy…
‘A mentalist school. Mentalists are rare, so it’s easy to spot.’
Gian-Kel’s vision was an incredibly powerful relic. In terms of analysis and tracking, it was hard to find a relic of the same caliber. Even in the battle with Gian-Kel, he was the only one who noticed Faijashi’s presence.
Despite borrowing the power of such a relic, the remnants of dark magic Moria was hiding were extremely cleverly concealed. It was beyond the level of a young woman who appeared to be just twenty.
“So, what’s your name, stranger?”
“My apologies, Princess. Please call me Albert of Sernerd. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too. Are you my brother’s new attendant?”
Moria blatantly insulted Fernandez. If he were an ordinary country knight who had the honor of serving the prince, he would surely react to such an insult. Moria was ready to call the guards if this young knight lost his temper and acted rudely.
“Moria…!”
Prince Helga’s expression turned fierce. Then, Fernandez spoke.
“His Highness has graciously invited me to the capital.”
“…Huh? Really?”
Moria’s eyes sparkled with interest. He neither bowed to the royal authority nor showed any sign of suppressing anger. Fernandez answered with a charming smile and a casual tone.
Nobles and knights who value strength and honor usually can’t maintain composure at this age. Moria soon laughed cheerfully.
“Welcome, Sir Albert. I hope we meet again.”
“The honor is mine, Princess.”
Moria bowed to Prince Helga and walked away without another word. Helga gritted his teeth as he watched her retreating figure.
“That was disgraceful. I hope you understand, Sir.”
“I don’t cling to worldly honor, Your Highness. Please don’t worry.”
Fernandez found the prince’s reaction rather amusing. Knights of the Eastern Kingdom Alliance often became overly obsessed with honor and glory. Sometimes, they forgot that it was merely a tool to solidify the monarch’s legitimacy and royal authority.
“So, where do you plan to stay? Shall I arrange a place in the palace?”
“Just prepare an opportunity for me to meet His Majesty. I need to visit the church.”
“The priests’ street is near the north gate. My residence is on the 3rd road of the inner castle. Feel free to visit whenever you need.”
Baimeer rode off with the prince. Fernandez briefly bowed to the prince and immediately turned his horse toward the north gate. Without looking back, he said:
“Kirhas. Head to the west gate and search the nearby alchemy workshops. Don’t intrude directly; just observe the area. I’ll meet you at midnight.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
At Fernandez’s words, Kirhas bowed her head and disappeared into the alley.
‘The princess’s index fingernail.’
Princess Moria’s index fingernail and fingertip were tinged with a faint purple. It wasn’t due to a bruise or injury. It was a symptom that appeared when handling special potions.
‘Arazelmonae…’
Or a potion made from Arazelmonae. The fact that the princess handled such a rare potion meant that the alchemy workshops distributing it within the city were quite advanced. And alchemy workshops were usually not located inside the royal palace due to the risk of potion leakage.
According to the information from the vision, the area with the most complex magical entanglement was near the west gate. That’s where the investigation needed to start.
Moria watched Helga heading toward the palace from a distance. Her guard knight stood in the inner castle’s gallery. She slowly stretched out her arm.
-Whiiik.
A dove gently landed on her pale arm. She hummed and stroked the dove’s head.
“The prince returned from Baron Barbes’ territory, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness. It’s the area where two of Paliamen’s knights went missing.”
“Tsk, losing knights over a mere Walker incident. Paliamen isn’t what he used to be.”
Baron Barbes was one of the close aides of Paliamen, a Knight of the Round Table. It was laughable that Paliamen lost knights over a Walker incident, but Baron Barbes’ inability to quell the Walker unrest in his territory also became a topic of gossip.
The subsequent fall of the Guimerin royal family quickly silenced the rumors, but the damage to Paliamen’s reputation remained.
“Isn’t it fortunate? The Knights of the Round Table are just old men now.”
“True. Relics of the old era. Toothless lions. Hehe, do you think the prince noticed?”
“He probably suspects, but what can he do?”
“Right, no matter what he does, it’s already irreversible.”
Moria lightly shook her arm, sending the dove flying. As she watched the small letter tied to the dove’s leg, she smiled happily.
“You have something to do for me.”
“Give your orders.”
“Test the knight named Albert. His skills, ideology, and purpose. If the prince brought him along, there must be a reason.”
“Is it okay to kill him?”
“Sernerd is just a mountain village, and he’s a wandering knight. Who would care if he died on the road?”
If he died by a blind blade, it would be nothing more than that. Even if…
