“Kihet… Are you still angry?”

“I’m having flashbacks.”

My body was wrapped in thick amounts of linen bandages. It couldn’t have been that bad, right? A few broken bones here and there, maybe a concussion, but I was fine.

Moreover, Lemi wasn’t concerned for my injuries. She had been studying notes Elius lent her about the seals on my arms. It was probably why I could be healed this quickly.

“About what?” She asked, flipping a page.

“About how many times I’ve been bedridden.”

My words were muffled by bandages and I felt like one of those undead in Pamalyra temples. Mummies, I believe it was what they called them. I was fortunate they didn’t cover my nose and eyes.

“Hey, mind getting me out of this?”

“You’re not in a hurry. I suggest you stay there and rest a bit longer. I’m still uncertain to the extent of the mark’s power so you can’t leave until I say so.”

“No seriously, I’m fine. At least let me stretch out my arms and legs. These excessive bandages are making me hot.”

“I suppose.”

As Lemi unwrapped the bandages, one of the nurses informed us of a visitor.

“Kihet, my friend! You’re finally awake.” Shiba marched into room.

“How long was I out?”

“Two years.”

“S-seriously!?”

“Hahaha, you’re as gullible as Holy Lemi speaks of you. Only a day has passed.” Shiba laughed at my stupefied face.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Prince Shibata, in your opinion how was Kihet’s fight?”

“I was astonished. I would have never guessed you would be able to perform the [Crescent Moon Dance].”

“Crescent Moon Dance?”

“It’s named after that because one would move in an arc of a crescent moon as your foes lost sight of you. Most trained for years before they are able to work the first few steps. Many struggled where you must curve behind your foe in a sharp, but fluid single motion. It caught me off guard. I must say, most impressive. Now, if only you can adjust some of your habits to minimize wasted movement.”

“See? You’re not as incompetent as Irvan says you are.”

“Please don’t mention him again. It turns my mood sour.”

“Who is this Irvan individual?”

“A prick.”

“An asshole.”

Lemi and I exchanged small smiles, but since Shiba hadn’t met Irvan, we described Irvan as a terrible being. The Prince was confused but he had no choice but to side with our opinion.

“I’ll leave you two then. I still have preparations to make. Forgive me but I must finish my tasks before the ceremony.”

“Ceremony?” I asked.

“The alliance to fight against the shadow creatures. I’ve already confirmed the agreed terms with the King of Rozzosea. The only thing remaining is to sign the document in three days.”

“Aren’t things going too smooth?”

“If you are suspecting a sabotage, fear not. Security is the tightest as it could be.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.”

“Indeed. After these few days, I shall finally have time to spend with my dear sister! Maybe I’ll play cards with her-, oh! Maybe we’ll read some stories like my mother used to do for us! But…” For some reason his expression turned angrier. “I heard rumors of her declaring herself to have found a romantic interest. I won’t let whoever it is have my sister without my permission.”

-Yikes…-

“Do you know something, Kihet?”

“Nope. Nothing.”

“I see. If you do, please tell me. It’s important that teach that mongrel, who dares to take my dear sister from me an important lesson. I shall be on my way now.”

With that, Shiba left.

“What was that about?” Lemi asked.

“A siscon.” I jokingly answered. “But one that I respect. He has so many people looking up to him, puts in the effort to make things happen and looks after people he cares about. I wish I had some part of his mentality.”

“You think highly of him.”

“In a way, you can say I’m also envious.”

The voices of nurses shouting, and commanding others shook the room. There were many sickly individuals moaning in agony, mainly adventurers from return trips. With Lemi’s medicine, they’ve relieved themselves from any symptoms causing them discomfort and recovered in an hour’s time.

“Now then.” Lemi smiled under the shade of her hair. “I noticed a nice scent from you when I first welcomed you to Rozzosea.”

“You must be imagining it.” I said, bringing my arm up to my nose. I couldn’t smell it. “Maybe my nose gotten used to it, I didn’t know. What did it smell like?”

“Perfume. You don’t wear perfumes, could it be you recently gotten close to someone?” Lemi twirled the scalpel in her fingers. Four more gently floated next to her, already stabbing me with fear before the scalpels were pointed at me.

I guess since I hanged out with Martha and Lily, a lot their scent was left on me. Lily was especially clingy, so it might’ve been her.

“Please explain.”

“Nothing happened.”

It’s more of an annoyance by now. I laid back on the bed and heaved a dull sigh.

“I will accept it for now, but I want details later.”

“Sure, whatever. Am I good to go?”

“Yup, I’m just doing a last checkup. That strange mark isn’t putting a toll on your body is it?”

“It only feels like it burns off my arms when my life’s in danger. Anything else?”

“Lady Salith wants to meet you. She wants to talk to you face to face. The look on her face seems serious, but I doubt she wants another fight.”

“Oh… okay? I’ll look for her.”

“Don’t forget to wear a cloak, you know how social giants are.”

I stepped out of the clinic to find myself in a familiar street. Beside the entrance, I found Kridas loitering with his arms crossed, observing the passerby vigilantly.

“I almost didn’t recognize you, are you hiding from someone?” He asked.

“Lemi told me to wear this.”

“Huh… okay. How are your wounds?”

“They’re fine. Everything feels fine.”

“Already? When you had your head smashed into the wall, I thought for certain you would stay sleeping for more than a days. You Enuis have really good regenerative capabilities.”

“I’m special. By the way, I was told Salith was looking for me.”

“Yeah, and don’t make that face. She’s not going to lash out on you this time.”

“I hope not.”

“She’s at the guild. Down the street and turn left.”

“Thanks. You’re not coming?”

“Nah, this time I have to stay by Lemi’s side. I figured she might need a hand at controlling the lineup soon. Guild’s got a raid going on and adventurers are supposed to be back today.”

“Guild, huh.”

I walked down the streets and turned just as Kridas instructed me.

The guild. It was an enormous building weirdly shaped like a saloon from a western facility. With a few bone frames and skulls of a large monster, it somehow blended into the theme they had around the city.

As I opened the gate like doors, I was bewildered by the display of Giant people rushing back and forth holding stacks of boxes that were taller than me.

“This is insane. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Groups of adventurers chattered by the quest board. Each were equipped with different armor and weapons, wearing scales and pelts from the materials they collected from their trophies. Some were bragging about their finest catch while others laid their equipment and prepare themselves for their next quest.

I was awestruck by the scene I didn’t notice being approached until they intentionally made a small noise.

“You are Holy Kihet?”

They wore pure black leather garbs. Based on their weapons, one was a warrior and the other an archer.

“C-can I help you?”

“He’s pretty cute. Hey, hey, have you noticed anyone strange tailing you?” The archer spoke.

“No one’s tailing me, but there are some strange people I’m talking to.”

“Alam, Carmyn, that’s enough. You’re making him uneasy.” A third robed person emerged from behind.

Salith separated her companions and marched onwards from the center. She was normal, her gigantification mysteriously worn off which should have taken weeks to revert back to her normal size.

“How did- I thought you giants would stay, you know, giant for a few weeks before turning back.”

“Shh! Keep it down!” Salith hurriedly pressed her hand over my mouth. “It’s supposed to be confidential. I’ve tested a prototype Holy Lemi prepared.”

“Holy Kihet, if word got out. It would be catastrophic.” The warrior spoke.

“Who are they?”

“I’m Alam! Nice to meet you kid!”

A young-looking man similar to a generic happy go lucky man proudly thrusted his chest with his arms crossed. There was a scar running though his nose as wide as his brimming smile.

“Alam, he’s older than all of us combined.” Salith commented.

“Yikes, really? How much older are we talking about?”

“I’m older than Kridas if that helps.”

“Shit man, It’s gotta to be great looking that young huh?”

“Alam.” Salith glared.

“Sorry, got excited there.”

“And this is my cousin, Carmyn.”

“An honor to meet you, Holy Kihet~.” Her flirty wink reminded me of Megith.

Her dark red hair was similar to Salith’s. Physique wise, she exceled in everyway from height to muscles all while hiding it under her sweet smile like Lemi’s. Personality wise, she was more tamed than Salith though this was the first time I met her.

“Sorry about your father, Rodic.”

“No worries. I do feel sad, but at least I know he’s received a chance to help the holy race instead of dying a foolish death from something less honorable.”

“Enough introductions, I’ve reserved a room from the guild. Holy Kihet, keep your hood on and eyes straight. We don’t know if there will be spies. We’ll talk there.”

“Are you sure this isn’t an interrogation about your grandfather?”

“A part of that was an act.”

“Which ‘part’? The one you pummelled me into a wall, or you being angry at me?

“Who knows?” She spoke while not letting a single emotion ruin her serious character.

As Salith led me into the room, there was another person already sitting there. The Giant was cloaked in expensive robe, covering its face and body. I couldn’t even see the person’s eyes.

Salith threw herself onto the seat in the most unladylike manner. She was said to have been raised and trained by a family serving the army for who knows how long. As far as etiquettes, she doesn’t look like she learned any.

The seats were as tall as my hip, covered by pelts of unknown species hunted by adventurers. The idle fireplace on the far corner and its giant lizard skull hanged above, gave a cozy vibe of a get away cottage.

“Alam, keep an ear on the doors. Carmyn, watch the windows. If you two hear or see anything suspicious, warn me. Your highness, I brought Holy Kihet.”

“Much obliged, Salith.”

“Highness- Don’t tell me, the Queen?”

It fell silent for the first few moments. Adventurers downstairs could be heard yelling and cheering, the denizens outside the streets gathered around stores and mingled. For what seemed like a second of quietness became minutes of waiting.

“This is a joke, right?”

“It’s not common knowledge, the Queen is tasked with governing Rozzosea and the King controls the military affairs portion. But ultimately all decisions goes through her majesty. We are secretly under her service. The three of us have tattoos as symbol as proof, I can show mine if you like.”

“Before you do. Where is it located?”

“Above my chest-.”

“Stop right there. Let’s get back to the main topic.”

“Something wrong?”

“Yes. If you expose yourself like that to me and Lemi finds out, she’ll kill me on behalf of some misunderstanding.”

“It’s not like I’m entirely taking my top off. What are you? Stupid?” Said Salith all while keeping a stern expression.

“Hey, you-!” I growled.

-I really want to punch her! Knowing how much of a brawler she was, she would fight back and even win.-

“My, Salith. I’ve never seen you in such a relaxed state.”

“F-forgive me, your highness. I… I stepped out of character.”

“It’s quite refreshing isn’t it?” The Queen then turned towards me. “This is the first time we’ve met. I am Signy Danella Glaedus. I apologize for my appearance, Holy Kihet.”

“N-No, not at all. It’s an honor to meet you. I’m sorry for being rude. I just never thought of meeting you outside the castle.” I bowed.

“It’s alright. I was the one who startled you.”

“If I may ask , why are we meeting here?”

“I have questions regarding your stay in Xu. You see, there has been strange kidnappings in Rozzosea and I’m wondering if you’ve heard anything similar occurring in Xu.”

Here too? Looks like the Pixies are attacking Xu and Rozzosea.

“There were. I’ve heard about people disappearing from Xu’s capital, but I’ve never saw the culprits. I was also attacked by assassin… other than that, I can’t say anything else.” I answered.

“Assassin?”

“I’ve informed the Prince of Xu about this. It seems people affected by it were being manipulated by Pixies’ golden dust.”

The Queen and Salith exchanged a similar look.

“Don’t tell me the golden dusts are here too?”

They nodded.

“Does that mean Fairies from Sanctuary are trying to sabotage this treaty?”

“I don’t believe it’s that simple. Pixies are a sub race of the Fairies, but their nature are known to manipulate others out of desperate life-threatening measures. More so, they produce dust by expending some of their life force.”

“That means Pixies were massacred to produce barrels.” Salith explained. “We located and dismantled numerous facilities outside the capital producing them, but there was much more than we anticipated.”

“How many would you say?” I asked.

“One or two colonies. They couldn’t escape even if they wanted to. Their wings were plucked away and our architecture was against them.”

Just imagining how each of them, watching their friends and family having their lives wrung for their dust. Even if they escaped their cages, a staircase was enough to stop them from climbing to freedom. I was sickened there are people this cruel.

“Only Pixies can make full use of their dust, right?”

“Wrong. The victims will obey the first command they hear. Everyone and anyone could use them to manipulate weakened minds.”

“When did you guys start noticing?”

“A little more than a month ago. We’ve already seized numerous warehouses that stored barrels of them.”

-That was roughly the same time when Martha and Lily were being chased by assassins. Could it be just a coincidence?-

“Onto the reason why we called you here.” The queen signalled Salith to hand me some documents. “We suspected the Ogre from Xu has operation within Rozzosea of the kidnappings and usage of golden dust.”

“Eizan? I have my doubts about him, he tends to disappear a lot back when I tried following him. I did sense that magic was used right before I turn around the corner.”

“Teleportation magic?” Salith inquired.

“I don’t know.”

“This will be more troublesome than anticipated.” The Queen sighed. “Holy Kihet, I’m afraid I must impose you with a mission. These three are under my command, but Salith is supposedly in the rehabilitation center waiting for her said gigantification to wear off.”

“What about the other two? Can’t they do it?”

“Can you see us being the sneaking types?” Salith gestured over to Alam. He was waving back.

Seeing him that proactive, I couldn’t see him the type to be following anyone around from the shadows.

“We giants pride our raw strength, but we lack the size to do undercover work.” The Queen explained. “I need you to infiltrate the castle and follow the Ogre to discover his next step. My servants informed me he was always seen leaving his room at a specific time.”

“Alone?”

“Yes. I’ll be dismissing as many servants along the way back. I will also have Carmyn watch over you from one of the watchtowers as well as have Alam nearby to take attention off you if needed. Their ranks allow them to wander most parts of the castle without suspicion.”

“Are you sure I can do this? Stealth isn’t my strongest suit.”

“We have no one else to trust other than you. I would have offered this job to Holy Lemi, but I couldn’t overexert her knowing the condition of her body.”

“As for your strength, I can vouch for that. You’re a pretty hard hitter and nimble on your feet.”

“Yeah, thanks for giving me a concussion after that.” I groaned towards Salith. “Wasn’t that a bit too much to be an act?”

“I have my pride as a captain. I can’t afford to lose that easily.”

“Right.” I said with a mind of doubt.

“Holy Kihet, may we count on you?”

“I’ll do it. I don’t trust Eizan one bit. It might give me he evidences I need to show Xu’s Prince what I warned him about. I’ll start preparations as soon as I can.”

“I can’t thank you enough for Rozzosea.”

“Just one more thing.” Salith forcibly stood up. “This will be a risky mission. If we don’t hear back from you by tomorrow afternoon, that means they’re hiding something for sure. We’ll instigate a raid to find you. Stay safe.”

“You tell me this now?”

There’s chance that I might not come back alive? Why didn’t they tell me before I accepted?

For now, I decided to visit the market to stock up supplies. Although Giants were warmongers, I’ve heard they also adopted blacksmithing as their second favourite past time.

As I exited the guild, I caught a glimpse of a child. He was small. He wasn’t a giant for sure and had a deadpan expression like he was exposed to pixie dust.

“Hey!” I immediately called out.

The child slipped into the alleyway and next thing I knew, I felt magic resonating in the air. He disappeared at a dead-end path.

Was he spying on us? I better go back and tell the Queen about this.

The moon hid behind thick clouds which were both a blessing and a curse.

The Giants had little to no lighting by their gardens as oppose to the halls which were brightly lit. I took advantage of the dark areas with a black cape to hide myself easier.

I saw Alam waiting by one of the hallways and crept my way towards him.

“Alam. I’m here.”

“Did someone say my name?”

“Don’t play stupid. I’m right here.”

“No seriously, for a second I couldn’t see you.” He said. “You’re good.”

“So? Are the preparations ready?”

“Yeah. The Queen sent most of the servants back to their dorms. Carmyn’s eyes should be on us by now. How bout you?”

I was strategically outfitted with only leather layers and had short weapons for easier maneuverability in tight spaces. I’ve also prepared several flashbug bombs just in case.

“Ready or not. I’m here. By the way, did you forward my message to the Queen?”

“Sure did. We sent patrols around the city and couldn’t find that kid you said anywhere. For now, we should focus on our current task.”

“Right.”

“Before I send you on your way, Salith wanted me to give one to you. It’s glitter rubber, one squeeze will make a make them glow. Use this when you need to catch my attention.”

“That’ll be helpful.”

It was shaped like a rubber ball and as big as one. The light it produced was faint, but enough to notice it if you paid attention.

Then something rang in my mind.

“Hm? What do you mean by sending me on my way?”

Alam suddenly lifted me up under my arms. He tested my weight and looked to the sky.

“On three. One, two-,”

“Wait, what are you-!”

“Three!”

He freaking tossed me into the air! In a panic, I stretch my hands out and fortunately caught the ledge. If he told me before hand, that’d be great, you know?

I quickly scampered onto the rooftops, crawling where no light reached me. Before I gestured my complaints to him, he was making small talk with passing guards. Turns out he wasn’t as dense as he looked. With him distracting the guards, I made my way to a spot where I found Eizan’s door. On cue, he stepped outside walking casually down the halls.

I squeezed the glitter ball to signal Alam of Eizan’s appearance and had him follow from a distance.

Eizan walked in a suspicious pattern, but I don’t think he noticed me. Not yet at least. Every corner, he looked around to make sure nobody followed him. It was until he toured a full circle around the castle. He picked up two well armored bodyguards on the way then steered off track.

-That way leads to the storage cellar from the map Salith showed me. I can’t see any buildings connected to it. I’m going need to jump for it.-

“Make sure nobody enters behind me.”

“Yes sir.”

With that, Eizan slipped behind the door while the two guards stood watch.

While keeping a close eye on the guards, I went for a long jump onto the roof. I overestimated my ability for a long jump and hit my stomach on the edge. My hand began slipping off the tiles and fell on my back between the two guards.

“Oh shit.”

They were confused of the sight of me dropping down from the sky. I should be embarrassed. Even the enemy pitied me while I was in agony as I lifted myself up. There’s a huge difference between jumping from tree to tree in a forest than jumping onto buildings. It’s the fact I rely on the flexibility of branches for long strides I underestimated my jumping distance.

Immediately, their weapons pointed at my direction.

From the shadows, Alam rushed in and thrust a sword onto one of the guard’s side. He quickly drew his dagger on the throat before the guard’s partner recognize the situation. An arrow soar through the watchtower, quickly taking out the other.

“Good job, buddy. That was a nice distraction.”

“Yeah… a distraction…”

It’d be awkward to say it wasn’t. If he wasn’t nearby, I think my journey would’ve ended here.

“So, what’s next? We going in?” He asked.

“I’d like to say that, but do you know the layout of this building?”

“Nope. Never been in there before. I was told this was off limits even to high ranking officers. Heard all the booze you can drink is in there.”

-Then how did Eizan get permission to go inside? The guards stationed here weren’t affected by pixie dust. I can tell by the active tones of their voices.-

“Then I think it’s best if I go alone.” I suggested. “If anything, I’m small. I can find places to hide easier than if we both go in. I think you should clean up the bodies in case anyone else finds out about them.”

“Alight then. I’ll stand guard out here.” He nodded. “But, if you run into trouble, scream. Carmyn and I will rush in.”

“Noted.” I said as I closed the door.

I followed the staircase leading downwards. At the bottom of the steps, I heard faint moaning of suffering and unconsciously hid behind a nearby pillar.

-It’s stuffy, hard to breathe. This place is starting to give me the creeps.-

The foul rotting odor was beginning to upset my stomach. I put a cloth over my nose and secretly crept along the crimson walls.

It was then I reached the cellar and saw a dreadful scene.

Corpses of prisoners littered and hanged in their own cells. They range from Giants to Pixies to Devils. This was where they stored the kidnapped ones. Children to adults. Whether they were still alive, their limbs were severed, or had their heads axed, the maggots did not care. They continue to grow from the nutrients of their mutilated body.

-This is absolutely not where alcohols are kept. Why is there a place like this beneath the castle?-

I almost vomited. I held my breath and cover my mouth to prevent an upward force pushing up my stomach. There was no way around this foul acidic stench. The air was thick and cloying of rot and filth.

“I can’t really help, let alone know who’s still alive.”

Despite wanting to turn back, I decided it was best to march on. Eizan came here so there must be some valuable information I could gather for the Queen.

I readied my short sword on one hand, a knife on the other. As I walked deeper and deeper, I could hear ominous howling made by drafting wind.

I got chills as I explored the gore filled prison.

“How goes the progress?”

A voice echoed in the next room.

I can’t see, but one of them was Eizan but the other should be his lackey in charge of this place.

“Almost finished, sir. However, the supplies of pixie dust from one more of our warehouses were sabotaged. Would we have enough sacrifices?”

“Rozzosea’s king has come to agree with my plan. The king would give anything for a good fight. Besides, I have a plan to speed up the process if it goes accordingly. Continue to monitor the ritual’s progress.”

“Yes sir.”

-Rozzsea’s King? If he’s related to this, it’s bad.-

A loud Clack indicated the door was tightly shut.

From what I’ve gathered, Eizan was responsible for the golden dust and the kidnappings. They’re all dead. He butchered them. I can’t save them, but I can prevent more victims.

As I peeked around the corner, the person Eizan spoke with turned back to the table.

I’m certain he’s alone, but to be sure, I crawled along the edge of darkness and scanned the room before deciding to confront him.

Here goes.

I flung my knife into his back and quickly jumped him. As I flew towards him, I grabbed the back of his head and smashed him into the table and into the cobblestone flooring before he was able to make a noise. His body went limp, but still breathing with broken jaws and nose.

For a lethal but non-killing blow, I’d give myself a passing grade.

“Alright, let’s see here.”

One looked to be a map, the other a count of barrels. Eizan intended on smuggling approximately five barrels of golden dust this time.

Then there’s a door that leads deeper into the dungeon. I tried opening it, but it was locked. I guess that’s it, or maybe not.

Before I gather the papers, I searched the soldier’s possession. One was a key that led to the one at the end of the room. The thing that caught my interest was his necklace with a stone etched with a symbol. The same symbol as the ones on my arms.

-Why is it here? What does it have to do with the Shadow Knight and the tower back in my village?-

“Dammit. This doesn’t look too good. This makes me look like I’m with the bad guys.”

I decided to press on but after handing whatever I found back to Alam. When I opened the door, I saw two guards turning towards me and immediately dropped Eizan’s college to change into a defensive stance.

“Woah! Easy there, Holy Kihet! It’s us.”

Alam lifted his visor and pointed to himself. As for the other behind the mask, was Carmyn.

“Glad to see you’re fine.” Carmyn waved.

“You two scared me for a second. I didn’t think you’d dress up as gatekeepers.”

“Well, that’d give a chance for our foes to get suspicious. We gotta replace them and act the part to not draw attention.” Alam answered. “So, whaddya find?”

“Some documents about more golden dust. I also heard Eizan got the King to cooperate for something, but he wasn’t specific about it. This guy I brought up seems to know something. Get Salith to interrogate him.”

“You’re going back?”

“He has a key that leads deeper into the dungeon. I’m going to follow Eizan and see what else I can get.”

“That’s risky.”

“You two can’t come anyways. I’ll be careful.”

“But, if you aren’t back tomorrow-,”

“Find me. I know. I’m going now.”

I didn’t give them the necklace because it had something to do with the marks on my arms. It meant the apparition’s influence hasn’t affected the forest near the village but has already integrated into the world.

Perhaps there was a clue about the tower back home and how to unlock it.

When I returned to the end of the hall, everything was as is. I did my best to hide bloodstains by moving pieces of the table over it. Yeah. I can’t see myself being a hero anytime soon if I do more things like this.

“Now for the door.”

I turned the key and with my weapons ready, I slid past the door. My eyes scanned for movement in all corners, but the lanterns illuminated dimly, almost producing no light. I had to feel my way around.

I’m starting to wonder if this was part of the castle. It feels like I’m walking through someplace cursed.

The place is dead silent. Where did Eizan go?

While feeling my way around, I noticed the texture of the walls had changed. I was touching stone bricks, but my hand then ran through a continuous jagged surface. The air changed as well.

I recognized this stuffiness, claustrophobic feeling. I’m entering a cavern. I couldn’t believe there’s a place like this under Rozzosea.

In the end, it led me to a dead end. There were candles scattered around the room like a ritual being performed. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a soul. Even Eizan wasn’t there.

“He’s not here? But I saw him going through here unless there is a secret tunnel somewhere.”

Using my knife, I pried a candle off ground and balanced it at the tip. I started my investigation near the ring of candles which led my eyes on the podium.

“More documents.”

-I don’t recognize this language. It doesn’t belong to any of the seven races. And there’s the symbol again. What does Eizan know about this mark?-

Suddenly I heard clothing shuffling sharply. The wind in the room changed as I instinctively dived forward without a second thought. This was like cave exploring back home where I hunted monsters lurking in the dark.

I turned around as I landed, and the podium’s top half topple down. The same wind brushed my ear as I ducked towards the left. I brandished my sword towards the feeling of the breeze, clashing against something metal then lost track of him. There was too many noises bouncing around the cave to pinpoint his location.

I quickly moved out of the center and put my back to the walls. This way, I won’t be attack from behind anymore.

“Eizan, it’s you isn’t it? Show yourself!”

I was replied with silence in this darkness. My attacker hid themselves. It wasn’t Eizan. From my impression of him, he would’ve confronted me if I had guessed correctly.

Using this chance, I cracked a flashbug bomb over my head and painted the walls bright white.

Doing so, I heard a child like scream to my left. I raced towards the source and detained the person before they were able to run away.

“Drop your weapons.”

A child?

Roughly the same height as Lily, but this boy is an Ogre. He was dressed in black so I couldn’t see him. No wait. He was the one I saw hiding in the alleyway!

“Who are you and what do you have to do with this room?”

He kept struggling so I held him down by the neck and plunged my sword beside his head firmly into the ground. As much as I hate to threaten children, but as long as this boy is armed, I won’t hesitate to be merciless. My life’s also at stake here.

“Answer. I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

“I-I’m only following my father’s will.”

Father? Is this Eizan’s son?

“What is your ‘father’ planning? What do you know about the sigil on the paper?”

“I don’t know, but father said it was the symbol of the world.”

-Symbol of the world?-

“Father also said he needed its power to get revenge on the royal family. Father also said because of them, our legacy was ruined. Because of them, all the Ogres lost their pride and forced to live in shame!”

-He’s completely brainwashed. He’s dangerous.-

“Father, help. I failed you.”

The boy simply looked up at the wall. Peering through the dimly lit cavern, a bigger version of the symbol printed in blood.

As soon as I laid eyes on it, a chill went down my spine. My head was hit with waves of noise, my arms suddenly burst with silvers flames all while the sigil glowed crimson red. In the middle, a reflection of a different place appeared like it leads to another room full of trinkets and artifacts.

Suddenly a shockwave pushed me back.

Using this chance, the boy kicked me and ran towards the strange marking. He jumped through the image the strange marking projected.

“Wait!”

I recklessly jumped after the boy right before the portal closed.

The place looked familiar. It appears the portal leads to a chamber in the castle.

In the corner of my eye, I caught a glint. The attacker used a slim blade, sweeping aside my sword. His left hand had a small knife as well in a reverse grip and brought it down.

I caught the assailant’s wrist and headbutted him. We both staggered back.

“Most barbaric, Holy Kihet. To think you would resort to such attacks.” The Ogre said, wiping blood off his forehead.

“Eizan!”

“We’ve been expecting you, Enui. It seems my wife knows too much and has gone into hiding. My warriors are unable to locate her, but she will no longer pose a threat to our plans.” Rozzosea’s king raised himself from his seat holding his great axe. “Eizan, we must dispose of this Enui immediately.”

“I would not recommend that, your majesty. Simply disposing of Holy Kihet would rouse suspicion and trouble. I believe the crest contains a failsafe in some way that would be catastrophic to our plan and, for him to have been teleported here, he must’ve somehow tapped into the power of that sigil.”

-I knew it. He knows something about that mark.-

“We do not have time! The ceremony closes. We must not let any more factors decrease the chances of the ritual!”

“I agree, but he has something that piqued my interest, and he harmed my dear boy. We’ll put him in a place where he could not interfere with the ceremony.” Eizan snapped his fingers. “Arrest the Enui.”

-I have to get out of here!-