Epilogue

Lalatoya was an elven village located deep within the Great Canada Forest.

The village elder lived in a three-story house that was an amalgamation of a tree and

a elf-made structure.

Past the entrance was an open hallway, at the center of which a large pillar ran straight

up through the ceiling. The door-lined hall ran around the outer perimeter of the

house.

The first floor had stairwells on either side, the top of which opened into a large room

that served as the dining area and kitchen. At a large, wooden table in the center of

this room sat Glenys, Ariane's mother.

Glenys was a dark elf like Ariane, as evidenced by her amethyst skin and snow-white

hair, which she wore tied back in braids that hung over her shoulders.

Ariane sat across from her mother, with Chiyome and me seated beside her. Ponta was

under the table, wagging its large cottony tail around cheerfully as it munched away

at a dried apricot-like fruit Glenys had prepared.

Chiyome was the first to speak. "I apologize for coming here unannounced." She hung

her head, her black cat ears folding close to her head.

Glenys just smiled at the young girl. "It's nothing really. After all, Arc's the one who

teleported you straight into town."

When I'd used Transport Gate to take us away from Leibnizche and return us to

Lalatoya, I'd accidentally taken Chiyome right to the village elder. Bringing an outsider

into an elven village without permission was a serious offense. But there really was

nothing for Chiyome to apologize for—it was all my fault.

I bowed my head as well. "I apologize, Glenys. I will be more careful from here on out."

"Please do. However, since our guest this time is one of the mountain people, I think

it'll be fine to grant our approval after the fact. We're both unwelcome as far as the

humans are concerned, so I guess that gives us something to bond over, huh, Chiyome?"

Glenys gave a sly grin and brought her hand up over her mouth at her own gentle

teasing. Chiyome looked unsure how to respond.

Ariane lifted the white cup in front of her and took a sip of tea. "When will father be

back?"

"He left for Maple the same day you two headed off to the Revlon Empire. He hasn't

been back since, though he did send a message. Anyway, why don't you tell me what

happened?"

Ariane explained all that had happened in Leibnizche. Glenys listened in silence, then

let out a slow, controlled breath.

"So, the five elves who'd been brought there were no longer in town, and we don't

know where they were taken?"

"Correct. The town is also in a complete state of chaos right now after what happened

with the hydra. We'll need to give it some time before we start looking for new leads

and…"

Glenys waved a hand to stop me.

"That won't be necessary. It's already been decided to table the rescue operation.

Thank you, Arc, for your services."

Ariane stood, the table shaking as Ariane pounded on it, fixing her mother with a

steely gaze.

"Just what are you saying?! You want to turn our backs on the remaining five?!"

Glenys shrugged. "We've been hearing some unsettling rumors about the East Revlon

Empire. If you have no further leads, then there's no sense in continuing to put

yourselves in danger out there. This decision came from Maple, so take it up with them

if you have any questions."

Ariane slumped her shoulders and sat back down. She looked unconvinced, and

averted her gaze, her hands clenched tightly atop the table.

Chiyome looked back and forth between Ariane and her mother, as if to try to gauge

the situation.

Glenys spoke again, her voice taking on a more cheerful tone. "Besides, we have a new

assignment for you. We'll need someone to guide Arc to the spring near the Lord

Crown as his reward for aiding in the rescue operation. We'd like you to do that."

I'd joined Ariane as a mercenary, and the payment offered for my assistance was a trip

to a spring near the tree known as the Lord Crown. This spring, which had originally

been mentioned to me by Elder Dillan, was rumored to be able to lift any curse. As

such, it just might be able to cure me of whatever kept me looking like a living skeleton.

Ariane stirred in her seat, her face a mix of emotions.

Before I had a chance to say anything, however, she let out a heavy sigh, a melancholy

smile gracing her face.

"Of course. Arc has been a great help in this mission."

"If you tell me where it is, I'm sure I can get there on my own."

The thought of having to part ways with Ariane saddened me, but I didn't want to

cause her any more trouble by making her accompany me all the way to the spring.

Ariane looked incredulous. "Arc, you'd never be able to find it. Not with your sense of

direction."

That stung, but I could hardly disagree with her.

Glenys clapped her hands together, a wide smile on her face.

"Then it's settled! You may run into the Dragon Lord, in which case, your only chance

to negotiate is if an elf accompanies you. It's a rather unique place, and the route there

is treacherous, so I want you to be careful, all right?"

I remembered them mentioning something about the Dragon Lord before. But I put

thoughts of it aside for the time being.

"So, where is this spring located?"

"The Lord Crown is north of Lalatoya, in the valley between the Furyu and Hyoryu

mountain ranges."

Before Glenys could explain any further, Chiyome stood up from her chair, a look of

shock plastered across her face.

"Miss Glenys, do you know the route to get there?!"

Glenys was visibly surprised at this sudden outburst, but she nodded all the same.

"I, um, yes. The Furyu Mountains, as the name implies, are full of Furyu wind dragons.

Crossing them is no easy task. However, there's a vast basin off to the northwest where

the Karyu and Furyu ranges meet. There's a cave there that will take you under the

mountains."

"Can… Can you take me with you?" Chiyome clasped her hands together and pleaded

with Glenys, her eyes locked on to the older woman's.

A look of uncertainly washed across Ariane's face.

"What business do you have there?"

"Remember back in Kaysehk, when I said I had a request for Arc?"

I nodded.

"I was hoping you'd help me find the way to the land between the Furyu and Hyoryu

mountains. Hanzo's hideout was located there, and I thought your teleportation

abilities might come in handy."

Glenys looked deeply intrigued by Chiyome's story.

Ariane arched an eyebrow at me.

Apparently, our party of three would continue for the foreseeable future. My heart

welled with excitement at the thought. However, I tried keeping this in check, and

instead focused on taking a sip of tea. It was only then that I realized I was still wearing

my helmet. I set my helmet on the table next to me and lifted the cup again.

Chiyome let out a loud gasp, instantly springing to her feet.

"You're undead?!"

Oh. Right. I hadn't told her about my body yet. She may have been shocked, but I was

starting to feel rather casual about the whole thing.

***

Houvan was located to the southeast, between Olav, the capital of the Rhoden

Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Limbult, serving as a center of trade between the

two.

Countless tents had been erected in the land around the city, serving as temporary

homes to nearly three thousand soldiers.

In the largest of these sat Sekt Rondahl Karlon Rhoden Sahdiay, first prince of the

Rhoden Kingdom. He sat in a chair so luxurious that one might almost forget he was

in the middle of the wilderness. He looked well and truly bored as the officer in front

of him delivered a report on the casualties suffered in their efforts to dispatch the

haunted wolves along the road.

Tall and handsome, and impeccably dressed in an elaborate military uniform, Prince

Sekt waved a hand to dismiss the officer before running his fingers through his light

brown hair.

Another man entered the tent in the officer's place.

Everything about this new man's appearance gave the impression of a soldier, from

his muscular body, to his uniform, to his immaculately trimmed mustache. Even his

stark silence and curtness added to his stern appearance.

The man's name was Cetrion du Olsterio, lieutenant general of the First Royal Army.

He was the son of General Maldoira du Olsterio, who had once overseen the Third

Royal Army, though he'd killed his own father during the confusion in the capital a

short time ago.

Lieutenant General Cetrion approached the prince and took a knee, looking pointedly

at the other men in the tent.

Prince Sekt waved his hand in the same well-practiced gesture he'd used to dismiss

the officer. He and the lieutenant general remained silent until the tent was empty.

"Is it urgent?"

Cetrion glanced around again, to make absolutely sure they were alone.

"I just received word from the lord of Tiocera. The men sent to retrieve Yuriarna's body

couldn't find anyone matching her description."

Sekt's eyes went wide in disbelief. "That's… impossible! Kaecks reported on the

success of his mission and delivered her necklace to me! Maybe… Maybe her body was

eaten by some monster roaming the forest?"

"There were some signs of monsters scavenging the bodies, and we were able to

confirm the identities of several of the guards and bandits. However, both Yuriarna

and her carriage were nowhere to be found."

Cetrion kept his voice low and steady, his eyes respectfully averted from the prince.

This only seemed to annoy Sekt further, even though he knew Cetrion was simply

doing his job. He turned his gaze away, clenching his teeth.

"Send an urgent message to the capital and demand an explanation from Kaecks! And

tell Lord Tiocera to double his efforts and do a more thorough search of the area! If

Yuriarna is still alive, things will become quite troublesome indeed."

"At once, your Highness."

Cetrion stood and quietly left the tent.

After watching the lieutenant general depart, Prince Sekt pounded his fist on an

armrest, fuming over the position he found himself in. He grumbled out loud to no one

in particular.

"Dammit! So, I only eliminated that idiot, Dakares? If Yuriarna returns, the nobles in

his camp will almost certainly align with her. Maybe I shouldn't have disposed of him

so soon."

Until recently, Dakares's supporters had been against Yuriarna. But now that he was

dead, support for her would almost certainly increase.

The prince rubbed at his throbbing head and took a deep breath.

"Pouting won't change anything. I need to put a stop to the uprising in Houvan and

make my way back to the capital. If I'm not careful, I may be the next one snuffed out."

Sekt's eyes narrowed as he glowered at the town of Houvan, visible through the flap

of his tent.

It was his money and weapons that had made this uprising possible, and now he was

commanding royal troops to quell it and bring peace back to the town.

He turned his gaze east, mumbling comforting platitudes to himself.

***

The Holy East Revlon Empire held domain over the massive swath of land on the

eastern side of the northern continent. The town of Kaysehk sat on its southernmost

border.

To the west, on the other side of the Siana mountain range and its dense forests, was

the Great West Revlon Empire. To the south lay the Rhoden Kingdom.

Kaysehk itself looked almost like a fortress, surrounded by stout, stone walls that

stretched high into the air. A military fort, made of simple, wooden structures, had

been set up outside the town's western wall.

In one of the fort's barracks, a man sat alone.

Though the interior was simply furnished, there were a few decorations scattered

about to give it some atmosphere. The large flag of the Holy East Revlon Empire above

the door marked this room as that of the fort's commander.

A knock came at the door, and a man marched smartly into the room.

"You called, Commander?"

The man who'd entered had a thickset body and a wild look in his eyes. He sat across

the table from the commander and saluted. The commander acknowledged the salute

and set a wooden box on the table, sliding it toward the newcomer.

"These are the magical items you will need to carry out your operation, Major. Or so

I've been told."

The commander spoke in a deliberate manner, his tone carrying a deeper meaning

shared only between the two men in the room.

The major straightened. "Understood!"

He took the wooden box and carefully opened the lid, peering inside. However, upon

seeing its contents, the major's eyes narrowed.

He wasn't exactly certain what he was looking at.

Inside the box was a crystal sphere, polished so brightly he could see the commander's

face reflected on its perfect surface. Encased in the center of the sphere was a

grotesque green and red eyeball that stared blankly off into space.

The major looked up at the Commander, his face a mask of confusion.

The commander let out a heavy sigh.

"This is, apparently, a magical item developed by the Runeology Cloister that can tell

you how much mana is concentrated around you. The higher the concentration, the

darker the crystal becomes."

The major picked up the freakish-looking crystal and squinted at it. "So, with this…?"

"With this you can find a safe route through the forest… or so they claim."

The commander shrugged, stood up from his seat, and walked over to the window

facing the forests that stretched off to the west.

The major allowed himself a low chuckle. It was clear that both he and the commander

weren't sure they could believe any claims that the Runeology Cloister might make.

The commander continued staring out the window. "Never mind that the Runeology

Cloister brought about this whole situation in the first place. Anyway, that's all.

Dismissed."

He turned back around to face the major.

"Yes, sir! I'll be off."

The major returned the crystal to its box and put it under his arm. After offering

another salute, he left the commander alone in his room again and made his way to

the parade ground at the center of the fort, where many soldiers stood in rows,

waiting.

Behind them stood several more rows of ogres. The monsters wore metal battleaxes

on their backs and steel collars around their necks that gave off a dull glow. Several

minotaurs, even taller than the ogres, stood in the middle of this formation. The

monsters made for an awkward sight behind the soldiers.

Suddenly, a massive roar broke the silence, causing the trees off in the forest to shake

violently, as if being whipped about by a sudden breeze.