The plan for the princess which Baptiste and Kamil came up with was easier said than done. It wasn’t easy to find a young man who was willing to literally sacrifice his entire life to become a fall guy. Before that, however, they had to find out Lillian’s taste which turned out to be actually easy because she frequently made a pass at men while taking a walk, grading them occasionally. They selected maids Baptiste could trust, and he asked them to eavesdrop her from a distance. Within a few days, they had collected quite a few clues on her taste.

“A tall man with wide shoulders. She likes brown hair and eyes. Men need to be assertive,” Baptiste repeated after what was written on paper.

Is it just me or does that describe the king? Daddy issues? This woman is messed up in more ways than one.

“Lord Flissing, why do I get a feeling that her ideal man looks sort of … alike the king?”

Baptiste looked disgusted for a moment but ultimately agreed with Kamil’s assessment.

“I think you are right. Then I suppose a big-boned man with an assertive character who looks like the king is what we should be going for.”

The duo nodded at each other as they schemed a plan for Lillan’s downfall.

Now, as much as Kamil wanted to see how the plan would work out, he couldn’t stay in Dido any longer. He had already been in the city for seven days. Since he wasn’t here on official business, he had overstayed his welcome. Realizing this, he notified Baptiste about his intention to leave.

“I see. You’d be right. You shouldn't be away from your fief for too long. I will continue on the plan and will keep you updated.”

Everyone was already packed up and was ready to depart, thus it was as easy as getting on the airship and off they went. There was no big farewell event because everyone knew that it was now easy to travel between the two places. By the time they arrived in Laufeld, Cezary had news waiting for him.

“We’ve received two orders to build airships?”

Kamil repeated what Cezary had just informed him. The Harga, Noah’s house, had just sent an order to build an airship for them. He cited that they had neither scholars nor materials to build it. He figured that asking Kamil, who had already constructed numerous airships already, had the knowhow and the capacity to build more. Noah’s excuse was an understandable one. Since he had just established his own house, it would have been understaffed just like his own. It was only due to Cezary’s brilliance and erraticness that he made it this far. In fact, it hadn’t even been a full year. When they had just arrived in old Laufeld, there was literally nothing and they had to pour money, which they didn’t really have, into projects to get going. It had certainly paid off. Would he do that again? Probably not.

“Lord Harga isn’t wrong, Milord. We have an actual facility to build airships.”

“We do? I’ve never seen a facility.”

“How many do you think we’ve built? We aren’t building them out of farming huts. Since we aren’t abandoning airships, I’ve built a facility that specializes in building components for airships since maintenance will be needed at one point. It’s actually one of the mining barracks.”

Parts would wear down. The linen balloon would need repairs at some point. Cezary had been preparing for these events. In doing so, Laufeld built a capacity to construct airships easier, faster, and cheaper.

Another order was from the Knell. Isaac decided to ask for a quote.

“From what I heard, his scholars ran into some difficulties building their second ship. It looks like they made modifications to the schematics and ran into difficulties.” Then he scoffed silently. “Amatuers,” He discreetly added.

Rather than continuing to waste money to make it right, Isaac decided to ask him. Crossing fingers, Kamil groaned, having no idea how much he should charge.

“How much do we charge?”

“Lord Harga wants a traditional one while Lord Knell wants a fast ship. The base cost for a traditional one is 3.5 gold coins. A fast ship is a newer design but far smaller. I’d say 2 golds for the baseline. We shall add a gold on top of those costs. Therefore, I suggest 4.5 gold coins for the Harga. 3 gold coins for the Knell.”

Kamil whistled. “Two gold coins of profit. Nice.”

“No, our net profit will be far lower. Do not forget the wages, Milord.”

“Right.”

“And some of the profits should be invested back for R&D.”

“R and what?”

“Research and development. The schematics should be refined. Parts need to be optimized further to make the ship cheaper and better.”

Kamil crossed his arms. “That is a lot of work. I thought you were taking your hands off developing more airships?”

“I have. I forgot to tell you but I’ve employed two scholars specifically for this purpose.”

Cezary was basically a CEO of a company at this point while Kamil was more of a chairman of the holding company that owned the company.

“If we are going to build airships for others, shouldn’t we advertise that we do?”

He waved his hand dismissively. “There is no need. We will have more leverage if they ask us out of their own will.”

“I see…” Kamil nodded along. Cezary was the brain. He wasn’t going to argue unless he felt that something was clearly amiss.

The new manor, built inside of a mountain, was also sort of a new invention in its own right. They didn’t just dig and make rooms. Cezary apparently worked on a ventilation system which was a complex maze of air ducts that circulated air forcefully with wind crystals. This was absolutely required for people to live inside of confined areas. Otherwise, air would become damp and stagnant over time. A room had at least two of these air vents, an intake and an outtake. The kitchen spotted four vents since more air circulation was required. Being an essentially underground manor also meant that heating was sometimes required, which was something that was not practiced in the kingdom until the recent expansion of their territory. If there was one aspect he missed, it was windows. He could no longer open a window and see the town. No room had windows, but there was an observatory located well above the pair of the towers in front of the manor.

“It is also … eerily quiet,” He remarked. He could no longer hear birds, wind, and rustles of tree branches. Instead, it was simply … quiet. He looked around his new study which was directly connected to his bedroom. It was divided by a stone wall. Interestingly, the bedroom was also connected to Flora’s study as well, meaning they were now officially sharing a bedroom. However, there were still two beds divided by a room divider. If they wished to share the bed, it was as simple as walking several steps over. He actually protested this arrangement to Cezary, citing that there would be times he’d want privacy, and he agreed to alter the layout “soon”.

As for Old Laufeld, almost every resident had left at this point. About 1,500 refugees were still staying, and food was provided by a handful of staff. There were also about ten guards stationed. Carpenters were tearing down houses to recycle materials. The log walls would be the last to go once the refugees were gone. By Nestor’s estimation, it wasn’t far, several months at the most before all refugees would settle down elsewhere.

image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/1538/KAuedg.jpg]

As for new Laufeld, it was turning out to be a busy place. There were now two landing platforms for airships. The new one built near the manor was for official use only. Tantan was sending two airships. Rokk was sending one. Laufeld was also sending two ships out to Gonne and another one for between old and new Laufeld. A total of six airships were in service. It’d be seven if they included the messenger-only airship which Kamil used to visit Dido. More airships were expected to enter service from other houses. The kingdom had yet to fully embrace the technology however. Those who didn’t see the immediate need had no reason to invest 5 gold coins to build one. But it was only a matter of time before other houses would build theirs because of people following the trend and subtle rivalries between houses.

A pair of maids brought in a food cart into his study. He and Flora were already seated by a wooden table with reinforced copper edges. He noticed that Cezary was replacing things with copper if able, essentially cutting down money spent on iron.

“So, how do you find the new manor?” He asked casually.

“Weird? is my honest take. I am not complaining. I just find it weird.”

He nodded along and agreed. “I think it’s the sound. It’s eerily quiet.”

“That might be the cause.”

“Milord,” A maid said to them as she rolled the cart to their table. “The chef said he has made a new dish for you.”

There was a large plate on the cart. It was covered by a large round cover. The maid lit the cover up to reveal something neither had seen before.

“What … are those?”

White buns were releasing steam. It was about the size of a baby’s fist. It was wrinkled on top.

“I … have no idea what it's called,” The maid confessed. “The chef didn’t tell us anything.”

“Well, that’s Gojar for you,” He remarked with a chuckle. “So…, how do we eat it? At least I hope he told you that piece of info.”

“Citing his exact words: ‘Grab it and bite.’”

Kamil and Flora looked at each other, speechless. They weren’t given any utensils anyway, probably on purpose. Thus, the only way to eat whatever it was was indeed grab and bite.

“Allow me to go first,” Kamil told Flora when both of their arms were about to reach out for the steaming buns. Upon touching it, his immediate thought was -

It feels like boobs. A bit sticky though?

The temperature was just right in spite of releasing steam. He drew it closer to his face and sniffed at once. There wasn’t any distinctive smell to note. Eventually, he took a bite out of it, revealing its inside where a mix of meat and greens revealed itself. It tasted like this inner filling was mixed nicely with spices, giving the whole thing a taste. It was a bit hot and salty, but the outer layer, the white bun, was tasteless. Overall, it was passable.

“Not bad,” He remarked. Only then Flora took one and took a bite herself. She munched a bit.

“It looks like spice can really make food a lot tastier.”

He stared at the bun which was still releasing steam. The white stuff appeared to be made from flour. If it was dried, it could be used as a substitute for vegetables. Looking at the plate, there were six more.

“Have you tried them?” He asked the pair of maids who were overseeing their meal.

“We wouldn’t dare…” One of them rushed to respond. He looked over them. They were the new ones from Lux. He had known them for some time, but it was the first time actually talking to them like this.

“What are your names by the way?”

“My name is Nora,” said the maid with black hair and brown eyes. She had very curly hair that was about neck length. She looked to be fairly young, probably in early 20s. Her otherwise unremarkable face was marred further by her freckles.

“My name is Sally,” said the other maid with dark green hair and blue eyes. She had a similar hair hue as Raem’s. Sally was considerably prettier than Nora with much better complexion. She looked also young, in 20s most likely. They were probably friends back in Lux.

“Nice to meet you, Nora and Sally.”

The duo bowed at once with Nora saying, “Please don’t mind us.”

With Gojar replacing Karla, Kamil gave her the position of the head maid which she rejected initially, stating that she was unworthy for the role. He disagreed. The woman, even over a decade after being expelled from the Fenchel Lux manor, kept all of her education as a maid properly. Perhaps, it was all she knew, and that was probably it. But, in his eyes, she deserved a better position. If all she knew was how to be a maid, then who else would be better? There was the seniority factor as well. Once appointed as the head maid, she began training three more maids, all of whom she found locally. Given their lack of adequate training, Kamil was seeing none of them for now. Only Nora and Sally who were trained adequately were allowed to serve Kamil and Flora.

“Do you happen to know Emily? She is one of the maids in Lux.”

He wondered how she had been doing. The duo glanced nervously at each other briefly, clearly hesitating to answer. They knew about her for sure.

“Did something happen to her?” He pressed. “You can tell me.”

He would be lying if he wasn’t disappointed that she didn’t tag along with him. She was one of the few who sided with him when he was younger and had no authority although she made it clear that it was her own agenda.

“She left the manor,” Nora informed him curtly before giving him a more detailed turn of events. Apparently, she attempted to appoint herself as the wet nurse of the new baby whose name was Reuben. She was denied the opportunity but kept on trying which got on Edmund’s nerves. She wasn’t explicitly fired; They understood that she was let go on her own volition. Basically, that was a roundabout way of saying that she was given a choice: Leave quietly or get fired.

“Do you know where she went after that?”

Sally didn’t seem to know, but Nora’s expression was different.

“I’ve heard that she went to the Lux guild,” Nora replied. He did recall her having twin daggers when they were outside during the Siwen invasion. She was likely trained as an assassin. She could certainly find a job at the guild or she could have become a staff.

“I see… Thank you for informing me. I am sure that you know that she used to be my maid.”

Both of them nodded in understanding.

“I was simply curious about her well-being. That is all.”

Everyone had their own versions of success. And, to Emily, it was to climb the ladder of the social hierarchy. If Kamil had stayed in Lux, she would have probably gotten her way. He would have eventually become the head of the Fenchel which would have automatically propelled her into the head of maids in the Fenchel Lux manor. It would have taken a decade at least, but she would have gotten her way nonetheless. When he left Lux, her dream was shattered, literally speaking. Of course, it was clear that she didn't give up simply and attempted to apply the same method by trying to become a wet nurse for Reuben except that it didn’t work. Edmund must have had someone else in his mind, which actually begged a question.

Somehow, Emily was good enough for me but not good enough for his newborn son?

Stolen story; please report.

Could it be that Edmund cared less about him? The hard truth was that the guy wanted a son with his blood running in his veins. He chuckled weakly.

Well, you’ve got one now. Cherish him.

It occurred to him that Emily was perhaps sent to him in case he needed to be gotten rid of since she was likely an assassin. If so, Edmund certainly wouldn’t want such a woman near his biological son. He had no hard feelings about this. He had been a noble long enough to realize what went through their head and their cold-blooded method.

After the dinner, he had a casual chat with Flora, talking about a wide range of topics from books to Daniel’s situation. While they were conversing about his situation, Kamil happened to learn that he was actually a fairly decent artist.

“Your brother draws?”

“Yes, but not the colorful art. He draws only in black and white. He drew me once, and I was impressed.”

He would never have guessed although, now that she mentioned, Daniel did give off a certain aura of timidness and shyness which was the stereotype of artists in this world. Arts weren’t accepted well in this world since it contributed to nothing essential. No one would pay for an expertly drawn portrait, either. Luxury was enjoyed by a select few. Even those luxuries were centered around consumable stuff, such as alcohol and food. For something like arts, they were overlooked and rightfully so.

“I assume he doesn’t draw frequently.”

“No, no, father gets really angry when he sees him draw, always telling him that a lord shouldn’t have a hobby like that.”

Man, that guy has it really hard. His wife is a whack job, and his father is breathing down on his neck for everything he does.

He wanted to invite him to Laufeld and give him some days off from his duties. However, until his wife was taken care of, that was wishful thinking because she’d want to tag along. There was also one more aspect. He was absolutely sure that she’d make fun of how dull his manor looked. It looked fine to him, but having experienced the Fenchel Lux manor, it wasn’t even comparable. The furniture wasn’t high grade. In fact, they were just regular wooden furniture but just slightly better quality with no paint whatsoever. Flora seemed to have gotten used to it or perhaps she gave up. Either way, the bottom line was that he wasn’t living like a standard noble. His current level of luxury was about on par with a rich merchant’s lifestyle. In other words, he wouldn’t be able to invite any nobles other than very close ones who’d understand for how he was. Those from the Flissing were probably the only ones who understood him better than others, who weren’t even his biological family.

I guess… me ending up with Flora is a blessing rather than a curse.

He stared at her, who had a notebook out and was writing down something. She was probably writing another story. There were already two books at the library which Marart was in charge of. The first book was titled, “The hare that tamed the bull” It was her version of a story about Raem and Lara. The title sounded just about right. When standing next to each other, Raem had a dominating appearance with being much taller and larger. It was clear, though, that Lara was in actual charge, which was a bit weird given the fact that she was younger and had a far smaller physique.

Well, she did proclaim that Raem was his. You go, girl.

The second book was titled, “The peasant knight” This was a chronicle style story about Sir Martin. She apparently went around and asked for details about his life and wrote it up in a short story. It had about a hundred pages. It turned out that there were people who were interested in “The peasant knight”, and Marat had been teaching them how to read. She was actually shocked that someone showed an interest in her books and was quite excited with the prospect of more people reading her books. And, because it was a chronicle story that piqued people’s interest, she was writing a similar one.

“What are you writing about?” He asked casually.

“I wish to write about the holy queen, AKA the fairy queen.”

“Oh? Interesting. I thought you like writing romance stories.”

“I do but…” She placed her pen on her ear while pouting. “According to Marat, nobody has shown any interest in ‘The hare that tamed the bull’ but there were several who wanted to read ‘The peasant knight’... I want my stories to be read. If it's a chronicle that attracts people’s interest, then I shall do just that.”

She was thinking more like a businessman than an author at this point. She was right however. There was no point in continuing to write stories if nobody read them.

She added, “I wonder if I could gain access to more of those stone tablets in Tantan.”

“Didn’t Lord Weber say it was the only one?”

She gave him a puzzling look. “Did you trust his words?”

“You mean you didn’t?”

“We, nobles, are educated to lie on the spot. You can never take their words at the face value. Besides, the content of the tablet was too incomplete to be just ‘the only one’.”

Folding arms, he did consider her latter point. The content of the tablet was indeed too incomplete. Just one such a stone tablet in existence did seem like a lie upon second thought. When he snapped out and saw Flora’s face, her eyes were puppy-like, looking right back at him.

Uh, she wants to ask for something.

She made such eyes when she wanted something from him.

“Could you please ask lord Weber for access to more tablets, husband?” She pleaded with both of her hands gathered cutely, again with puppy eyes.

If he indeed did lie, it was likely that he wasn’t going to grant access to wherever more stone tablets were. He wondered why he would hide them in the first place. He wasn’t his business in the end.

“I can ask but don’t expect it to be granted. I don’t think those were meant to be shown to outsiders in the first place.”

“I understand. All I am asking is just ask him.”

He really didn’t have a reason to refuse her request outright.

“I will write up a letter and send it via the airship.”

“Thank you.”

When they were about to go on their own businesses, Ravas had sent a messenger asking for both Kamil and Cezary. It said it was urgent. Apparently, he found a mysterious cave. When both men rushed over to the mine, Ravas had called off mining for the day and closed off the entrance temporarily. Only when they showed up, his face brightened.

“I’ve been waiting for you two,” He said while bowing.

“You said you found a cave?”

“Yes, but -” He looked over several miners who had yet to leave the site. “Please, come inside.”

As the three men entered, a pair of guards stood over the entrance, preventing anyone from entering.

“The cave is a weird one,” Ravas remarked as they descended deeper, leading the way. Initially, the mine was mostly dirt and then it quickly became very rocky. It was quite narrow as well with just barely wide enough for a single person to traverse. It was also just tall enough for Cezary who was the tallest among them. It was a claustrophobic’s nightmare.

“A weird one? In what way?” Kamil asked.

“It's really hard to explain. It’s beautiful, yet eerie.”

The mine had numerous forks. If a person who didn’t know the layout like the back of his hand entered, he would have gotten lost. Where he stopped was a larger cavity where they seemed to have dug downward. He stood on edge and pointed down.

“There is a cave down there. We apparently dug into its ceiling. It’s a vertical drop. I had someone check it out. He said it was beautiful and eerie. I need your order on how to proceed with the cave.”

The place was dimly lit, and of course it was pitch black down there. Kamil and Cezary were both holding crystal lamps which provided some decent luminance, but that wasn’t enough to lift the darkness in a satisfactory manner.

Cezary suggested, “Milord, you are a wind mage. I suggest you cast levitation and descend down there. It will be safer that way.”

It sounded risky, but he was indeed correct. Levitation did sound the safest and logical way to navigate the hole and the cave possibility.

“Take this lamp, Sir Waszak.”

“Milord? You will need a light source.”

“No, I do not.”

Elementals, grant me night vision.

His irises started to emit faint green light.

Grant me levitation.

Then his body lifted itself into the air slowly.

“Ohhh, chantless magic!” Ravas uttered in awe. Cezary was aware of his ability to cast chantless magic, but it was his first time seeing his eyes grow in green. He, too, looked in awe. Of course, there was another surprise.

“Elementals of fire, grant me a source of light.”

A blob of fire appeared nearby. He pointed at the ceiling of the chamber.

“Stay here,” He commanded, at which point the blob of fire slowly flew to the top and stayed still. It provided much more luminance than whatever they had.

“D, dual elemental affinity???” Ravas uttered. “Is that even possi-”

Cezary interjected at once. “You refuse to accept the reality?”

His retort shut him up momentarily before he kneeled down watching Kamil descend into the dark hole. He couldn’t see anything but Kamil who was glimmering in a faint green light due to the levitation spell.

“Were you aware, Sir Waszak?”

“Of course,” He let out a scoff. “My lord is exceptional. I wouldn’t be serving him otherwise.”

“What… is this?”

Where Kamil ended up landing was indeed a cave. It was an enormous hollow cave with quartz, or crystals, all over its surface with running water on its floor. It was hard to tell how deep the water was from where he was levitating. The crystals were vibrant in its hue; It didn’t appear they were elemental crystals. They just happened to have different colors.

image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/8279/5ro3am.jpg]

Before he could analyze his scenery further, he was met with extremely stagnant air. It was so humid and hot that he found it almost impossible to breathe properly. His chest felt like burning and it felt intensively suffocating. He wasn’t going to last long in the cave. He wondered how someone explored the cave in the first place as Ravas claimed.

The air here must have been sitting here for God knows how many years, decades, or even more … Time for some ventilation. Elementals, grant me breeze!

As soon as the air started to move, it also started to dye the crystals with a greenish hue. Essentially, he was turning crystals to wind crystals. The whole cave started to turn green.

“Uh, oh.”

He felt like he had messed up as he hopelessly watched the whole cave turning green.

“Well, at least the air seems breathable now…”

While it was still humid and hot, it wasn’t as bad as before, and he could actually take air in without feeling burnt. After eyeing the ground for a moment, he carefully landed on a dry spot. He no longer needed night vision at this point because the whole cave was lit with green light. The green crystals were also emitting green particles upwards.

“That’s a lot of wind crystals. I guess I won’t need to make them for a while.”

That was an understatement. He may not need to make wind crystals ever.

‘.....r s.’

“What?”

He felt as if he heard a faint voice and fanatically surveyed the cave.

“Is anyone here?” He exclaimed. It was that point that he realized the green particles were progressively getting larger, forming into green translucent butterflies.

“Wind elementals?”

There were a lot of them, thousands if not more. They were all forming around him. In fact, they had him surrounded and were closing in.

“Woah, wait, what is going on -”

Before he could finish, he was enveloped by the butterflies. His consciousness went dark momentarily before a scene was playing in his mind.

A young woman was standing on what appeared to be an ash-colored plain under a densely clouded sky. She had pitch black hair, black eyes, and somewhat yellowish skin. Her hair was neatly combed and was bob hair style. The ash-colored plain was devoid of anything. There was no plant life at all. The whole land was dead. Behind her, there were hundreds of impoverished folks who looked like they would drop dead at any moment. Their cheeks had sunken so much and their lips were dried like desert. However, their eyes were different. Their eyes projected a glimmer of hope, and their focus was on the woman who was standing a short distance in front of them. She was a petite girl who wore a black tunic that looked a bit large for her and a pair of equally dark pants. Her outfit was somewhat similar to how Lara dressed. Both of them were wearing clothes that they could grow further without replacing their entire wardrobe. It was perhaps an indication that this woman he was seeing was fairly young.

Who is she?

He asked.

‘The elemental queen,’ A voice answered in his head.

The woman looked up where ash-snow was falling slowly all over. She raised both of her hands into the air where it began to be enveloped in colors of red, blue, green, and yellow.

image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/4725/dz2GXW.png]

It looked like she was speaking, but he was unable to hear her words. The quartet of colors extended downward, eventually covering her whole figure. When the light eventually died off, there was a small plant in her hands which he recognized instantly.

That is the Macomaco tea plant.

She gracefully kneeled down and placed the plant which began to suck the ash-gray color right out of the soil, revealing an ordinary ground. It also grew exponentially. When it was fully grown, the plant had a certain radius of ground fully cured. The people behind her cheered with their arms in the air. He couldn't hear them but he could read their lips: “We are saved. We are saved.” She’d repeat the same procedure and planted more of the plants which cured more and more ground. At one point, a horde of undead rose from the ash ground and attacked her, only to turn into ashes even before reaching her. The cosmic elementals were protecting her; Orbs of the elementals were swirling around her figure, protecting it from any harm.

I see. I see now. So, that’s how the land was cured. The Macomaco tea plant was originally meant to cure this land of darkness.

‘Yes.’

Why are you showing this to me?

‘Because … the age of darkness is encroaching once more … and you are the only mortal in this era who has betrayed the wheel of life. You are the only one capable.’

Capable of what?

‘Of wielding the cosmic elementals under one banner.’

His soul was forfeit. He would no longer be reborn. He understood that as “betraying the wheel of life”.

What is the age of darkness? Why does it happen?

However, there was no further voice, and his vision came back to the cave but without the green-colored crystals. They had all reverted back to how they were.

One of you is speaking to me. Who are you? Please tell me.

There was a long moment of silence before a short answer came.

‘Lad.’

His eyes lit up. He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t recognize the voice before.

“L, Lord Ludwig?!” He blurted, looking around fanatically. “Lord Ludwig!”

A lone green translucent butterfly appeared in front of him. Placing both of his hands underneath, he slowly kneeled down. The butterfly followed down.

“Sir…, you… have been reborn!” He cried out joyfully. He was never pleased about how his life ended. He strongly felt that the man deserved better than the end he was forced upon himself. It was at this point that another butterfly appeared. He did recall seeing a lone butterfly watching him from afar at Dido during the Siwen war where he ended up vaporizing General Goss. Realizing the possibility that a mortal could be reborn as an elemental now, he made a bold guess after staring at it for a moment because there was only one other person who would be willing to follow him this far in his knowledge. After all, his social circle as Tom was extremely limited.

“F…io?”

Tears began to swell in his eye sockets, and his vision was blurred.

“Fionara, is that you?”

However, there was no answer. Unlike Ludwig, it didn’t appear that this particular element had an ability to communicate.

“Lord Ludwig, you must know who this is.”

‘I do not. I do know it was here before I was here. I do also know that it’s been keeping eyes on you even before I did.”

In spite of the lack of confirmation and evidence, he was sure that it was Fionara because there was literally no one else who’d follow him this far. His social circle as Tom was limited to his family. He barely knew anyone else in the village of Bronn. He slowly collapsed to the ground, punching the ground weakly and repeatedly.

“You should have been just reborn and live your life…,” He lamented. “You deserved happiness which was stolen from you absurdly by a stupid king!”

In fact, a lot of people’s happiness was stolen by a certain someone.

“Karsten … Egra…,” He whispered the king’s name, gritting his teeth.

“Milord!”

The sudden calling snapped him out. Ravas was apparently climbing down after throwing down a ladder made from rope and wooden planks. He and Cezary became concerned after they saw a burst of green light coming out of the hole. The two green butterflies vanished into thin air slowly. He wiped his tears off his face and calmed himself. There was a renewed sense of vengeance toward the king.

“I am fine!” He shouted back.

“What was the light about?”

“I cast breeze to circulate the air and it enchanted some of the crystals. It’s alright.”

Cezary was following right behind him. He pointed upward.

“Milord, can you make that blob of fire come down here?”

Nodded, Kamil shouted, “Elementals of fire, come down a little!”

The blob of fire descended into the cave slowly, drawing away much of the darkness within the cave in their immediate vicinity.

“What should we do with this cave?” Ravas asked as soon as he reached the ground.

Before answering him, he approached the water and inspected its possible depth. Since he could see its bottom, it wasn’t that deep.

“Perhaps, we should use this cave to build an underground settlement?” He mused.

Ravas helped Cezary get down, and both men inspected the cave carefully.

“We should mine the crystals out of here first,” Ravas suggested.

Kamil replied, “These are different from general quartz. When it absorbed my wind magic, it luminated but didn’t shatter. I think these are reusable crystals.”

“Reusable, you say?” Cezary repeated, his eyes sparkling.

“I think these should be used as a source of light since we can recharge it.”

“That was exactly what I was thinking,” Cezary agreed gleefully.

While Cezary and Ravas were walking around and inspecting the cave, Kamil stayed behind, standing still. His mind was very unstable at the moment due to the event he had just experienced. Was it really Fionara? There was literally no one else who’d follow him this far. If so, then another question arose: Why didn’t she answer while Ludwig could?

Damn it, more questions than answers. I hate this.

He heaved a long sigh with both of his hands on his waist.

Meanwhile -

A skeleton of a dragon was laid bare in an underground chamber. It was killed many centuries ago by Florent Mazet and let out its last breath in this very chamber which was dimly lit by mysterious glowing mushrooms, providing just enough luminance to make out the silhouette of the skeleton. It was simply enormous. Its ribcage alone was larger than a castle. This chamber used to be atop of the Siwen mountain. Yes, it was a dragon’s lair that had been ransacked after its demise. The lifeless skeleton released a weak wave of resonance at one point which lifted layers of dust upwards. Then a heartbeat could be heard. A large heart, about the size of a whole house, appeared out of nowhere within its ribcage, literally floating in the air. As it began to beat, blood veins began to climb its ways around the bones like vines and layers of muscle fibers started to cover the bones very slowly.

The dragon was healing back. It would take time, years probably, but it was back. The age of darkness was coming back.