Chapter 91: Tenorieu (3)

The blood flowing through my body was telling me that there was a demon on this continent. The location was vaguely determined.

North. The demon's blood was pointing north.

The information I had gathered so far in my mind merged. In fact, there was a sense of puzzlement.

The information was too scarce, unlike the occasional "discovery of demon's blood" event in the game.

Only the ancient texts mentioned it. Now, I finally understood the reason.

It was because the demon's blood only reacted when there was a demon on this continent.

Hmm. If I remember correctly, demon's blood was needed to summon a demon...

Perhaps the demon worshippers have a way to obtain the blood.

'Anyway, it's faster than expected.'

Wasn't it supposed to be summoned around the main story? I couldn't be sure.

I don't know all the information in the game, including the timing of the demon's appearance.

It's possible that the summoning happened earlier, but the activity started later.

Perhaps, the terrorist attack targeting Erendil was a cover for the demon summoning in the north.

To divert the attention of the imperial intelligence agency.

Erendil's death was also a good thing for them, so they might have been trying to catch two rabbits at once.

"...Shurtaffen?"

While my head was in a mess, Erendil's voice reached my ears. His light green eyes were filled with concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Your eyes seemed to turn red for a moment."

I tried to calm my racing heart. I knew the symptoms when the demon's blood activated.

The color of the eyes and the atmosphere change. Fortunately, it wasn't too noticeable this time.

It was just a fleeting moment.

It wasn't because of desire, but because the demon's appearance caused a brief reaction.

"Is that so?"

"Hmm. You seem fine now. Was it the sunlight reflecting?"

After a moment of thought, Erendil nodded in agreement. Phew. It felt like cold sweat was running down my back.

It was fortunate that it was just a brief moment.

Perhaps he turned his gaze because of the strange atmosphere while looking out the window.

At that moment, he might have caught a glimpse of the red light.

A moment of silence passed. It would be better to change the topic to prevent him from thinking too much.

I looked out the window and suddenly spoke.

"Your Highness."

"Speak."

"Can I go outside the carriage for a moment?"

Erendil looked at me as if I were crazy. He might be thinking, "What are you talking about up here?"

"I want to ride on the dragon's back."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Don't you know my secret?"

Erendil, who had been looking at me silently, sighed lightly.

"You sometimes do strange things."

The reason Erendil said this was because of the eccentricities. Although it wasn't frequent, even after becoming Karl Shurtaffen, I occasionally engaged in eccentric behavior.

Fortunately, it wasn't to the extent of causing social problems.

Like flipping over a painting hanging in the corridor or waiting for a cat in the palace to move.

- Sir, what are you doing?

- I'm waiting for the cat to move.

- ...What?

The latter incident happened after a shift and was a bit embarrassing when caught by Erendil's maid.

I stood there for two hours, and the maid saw everything as she came and went.

I heard that the guard knight from Haisen was considered a bit unusual.

Actually, it wasn't a bad thing. It might have lowered the suspicion of the imperial intelligence agency, which was observing me.

"I'll sit here."

"No, go and see."

* * *

At some point, I felt that the scenery outside the window was repeating. It was strange.

The dragon didn't change direction in the sky, yet the scenery I had seen reappeared.

Soon, the window was filled with clouds.

Even with the wind expanded, it was difficult to sense the direction. This meant one thing.

'It's a grand magic.'

During the time of the founding emperor, when grand magic still existed, a barrier was definitely created.

Perhaps something in the dragon or this carriage allows passage through it.

There was a reason why Haisen, a minor country, didn't know where Tenorieu was.

All that could be seen were clouds.

The hazy window seemed to be the only living thing, with the dragon's wings flapping between the clouds.

After about five minutes, the view suddenly cleared.

In the middle of a space covered in clouds, there was a mountain. A majestic mountain.

On top of it, a white building that looked like a temple could be seen.

The dragon headed for the bottom of the mountain instead of the temple. It was a mystery. Erendil also tilted her head.

I opened the front window of the carriage and asked.

"Aren't we going directly?"

"The entrance is below! Due to the grand magic, it's impossible to fly there!"

The carriage driver, who was a knight, said. Should I call him a dragon rider? It's not a big issue.

The dragon landed next to a mansion at the bottom of the mountain.

"Your Highness, you have arrived. We have been waiting for you."

"Sir Feorn, it's been a while. Are you well?"

"Yes. Always the same. Your Highness, you have matured. You are remarkably beautiful."

The one who greeted us was Swordmaster Feorn. The old man over 70 was the former emperor's guard knight.

He stayed here to protect his lord even after his lord's death.

In the game, he usually died fighting the demon of remorse. The old swordmaster looked at me.

"You must be Sir Karl Shurtaffen."

"Sir Feorn, it's an honor to meet you."

"An honor for an old man? It's just the past."

The swordmaster's voice was faded. Did my words bring back memories of the past?

Well, he might look weak, but he's not. He's not just a swordmaster for nothing.

Swordmasters usually live up to 130 years, so he's still in his prime.

Perhaps he's just very emotional. You can tell from the fact that he has guarded this place for a long time, following his lord.

"It's an honor for the recipient of the Founding Emperor's Medal, isn't it? I often hear news from here, and it's impressive."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"No, the sword and the mind are different. I wondered if I would see that medal during my lifetime, but here it is."

Feorn looked at me with deep eyes.

"I wanted to thank you as a knight of the empire."

"It's an honor."

"By the way, Ludern's words weren't false."

"Did he talk about me?"

Feorn smiled.

"We often exchange letters. He said there would be a child who would become a swordmaster within 20 years. His eyes are good. I think 15 years at most."

"Thank you."

Whether he meant it or not, it was a nice thing to hear. I observed Erendil's expression.

She can see the truth. She was smiling faintly. It seemed to be true. Not bad.

"Isn't it lonely in such a remote place? You could return to a more comfortable place."

"How can I be lonely with my lord? This place is comfortable for me."

Erendil's words were met with a smile from Feorn.

"Still..."

"It's fine. A life with a sword, I can wield it without worry here."

"Is there anything inconvenient?"

"A luxurious life. Thanks to His Majesty, I can eat what I want and have what I desire."

Feorn spoke with the face of a grandfather looking at his granddaughter.

"This old man, it's a little moving to hear such words for the first time. To hear such words from the young princess."

"Didn't my brothers come too?"

"They just exchanged greetings."

The old man smiled bitterly. Was there a hint of humiliation? Was it my imagination?

No, it wasn't.

A retired guard knight, the old man. They probably judged that there was no need to pay attention to him.

They probably didn't care about Feorn either.

"Still, you've been here for too long. You used to come to the palace occasionally, but not lately."

"I'm focusing on my sword. It would be ridiculous for an old man to come and go to the palace without reason."

Erendil didn't say anything more after the polite refusal. I thought it was a pretty good conversation.

The arrival of the demon.

It was good to make a good impression on the swordmaster who would soon start his activities.

"This conversation has gone on for too long. I heard you're busy lately, so please go up."

"Is it just a matter of going up?"

"Yes. Go up with this friend and come back down."

It was simpler than I thought. It seemed to be just a formality.

"It might take three hours even if it looks high."

It looked like it would take a whole day to climb, but was this also due to magic?

Anyway, Erendil and I started climbing the mountain.

It wasn't a difficult path. There were marble-like steps all the way to the top.

I followed behind Erendil.

At first, the pace was quite fast. Erendil walked diligently. She managed her stamina regularly and had been training with me recently.

In fact, the elixirs she took as a child would make her stamina better than an average knight.

'Quite impressive.'

Erendil's posture was more reverent than just walking. It wasn't because she was silent.

The aura she exuded was filled with determination. Perhaps it was because she was going to meet the former emperors.

However, after about an hour, the pace started to slow down.

It was more due to the geographical characteristics than Erendil's stamina. This place was extremely rich in mana.

It was a space where you could easily see mana stones and mana trees just by turning your head.

The high concentration of mana made one tire more quickly.

By the time two hours had passed, Erendil looked very tired.

However, she didn't show any signs of fatigue on the outside.

"Let's rest a bit."

"No."

I briefly considered carrying her, but I didn't because of Erendil's atmosphere.

Erendil climbed steadily.

All I could do was assist her with wind, subtly supporting her body and maintaining her body temperature.

And at some point, the end of the stairs came into view. The surrounding scenery had changed. It was the summit.

As Feorn said, there was a difference between what was seen and what was expected.

The white building was more like a temple than a tomb.

Despite the long time that had passed since the founding emperor, the surroundings were neatly maintained.

Erendil looked at Tenorieu with a slightly overwhelmed expression and suddenly called me.

"Shurtaffen."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Do you know this?"

Erendil turned to look at me.

"I have now truly decided to become an emperor."

It was an unexpected statement. Had my efforts paid off?

"Your thoughts have changed."

"Yes. Seeing my brothers' behavior and what I can do, I had this thought."

Erendil smiled.

"The people who ignored and oppressed me, who sometimes made me afraid, turned out to be nothing. And the people who cared for me were more numerous than I thought."

Images came to mind.

Erendil's smile when the soldiers praised her during the war and her coldness in front of the first prince. That must be Erendil's true self.

Erendil had not been treated properly as a princess due to the pressure from the princes in the palace.

Perhaps her surroundings had made her passive. It must have been a new realization for her.

"And with you by my side, I feel I can achieve what I want."

Erendil glanced away.

"Do you remember what you said before? About the path for the empire. I now feel that your seemingly absurd words were sincere."

She must have known it earlier due to my secret, but it might have been embarrassing to say it out loud.

She wasn't the type to show her emotions. The reverence during the climb was due to her firm resolve. I bowed deeply.

"I am truly grateful."

"Let's go in now."

The inside of Tenorieu was also like a temple. In the center was a statue of the founding emperor.

From the entrance to the statue, a golden path was drawn, and on either side were statues of those who had been with the founding emperor.

The names of the former emperors were engraved on the golden path, starting from the feet of the founding emperor's statue.

Erendil stood at the end of the path.

"Father's name will be written below. I hope my name will be written below that."

"It will be."

While saying this, I was observing the temple with the wind.

Like the ruins of Leocren, there might be something to discover here.

I carefully examined from the entrance, paying close attention. Then I felt a faint air current.

Behind the statue of the founding emperor. This meant there was a hidden space behind it.