Chapter 48. Derga's Secret Letter

"Are they really knights, though?"

"What?"

Erica reflexively retorted at Ian's words. It was a question Ian shouldn't have asked, especially coming from him. Suspecting the Thalir race now! If Ian said this, it was almost like a confession.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"Of course. I do. When we captured Derga, I thought we had taken care of all his knights in the forest. But now, suddenly, there are knights."

"Hah!"

Look at this! Erica let out a hollow laugh in exasperation. But it was only for a moment.

"Could there be a traitor among your subordinates, Lady Erica?"

At that moment, Erica felt as if a hammer had struck her head. It wasn't that she believed there was a traitor, but she understood the implications of Ian's words.

"The rumor that Merry and Chel survived and fled the territory has spread widely. With the help of an assistant, everyone would think they escaped safely."

"You, you...!"

"But if the so-called assistants are traitors trying to get Lady Erica into trouble, wouldn't they hide the two people without anyone knowing?"

As someone sent by the royal palace, Erica had the duty to chase after the two. But what if they vanished in the middle?

She had to report on whether the two were still alive, with some understandable evidence, like a piece of a corpse.

"We should chase after them with all our forces as soon as possible. Who knows what might happen to them?"

To a third party, it sounded like Erica was being worried about, but to her, it sounded completely different.

'If you don't withdraw the soldiers from the mansion, I'll kill Merry and Chel and hide them. Then you'll have to wander the mountains for years looking for any trace.'

"Damn you..."

Swoosh.

Erica cursed and drew her sword. But they say you lose when you get excited. She instinctively realized she had fallen perfectly into Ian's trap.

"Why are you getting so worked up? I was just giving you advice out of concern for you, Lady Erica."

"Where did you find Merry and Chel?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Ian, do you think you can get away with this? I am the head of the investigation team sent by the royal palace. Obstructing me is the same as obstructing the royal palace's solemn decision!"

Erica spat out her words, but soon realized her mistake and frowned. She had repeated that she was sent by the royal palace.

So, chasing after Merry and Chel outside the territory was her duty, and staying here was admitting to dereliction of duty.

"Yes, I know. So, you should hurry and capture those who helped Merry and Chel escape."

The only way to prove Ian's connection to them was that. While Erica bit her lip and glared at Ian, her subordinate who had gone on an errand returned.

"Lady Erica, the stable manager said that two of Bratz's horses are missing..."

He quickly trailed off upon seeing Ian, but it was too late. Ian smiled brightly, as if to say, "See?"

"That's right. They're the mansion's horses. They are definitely traitors."

"Shut up. Do you think I don't know you're colluding with the Thalir? Where do you get the nerve to keep lying?"

"Me? With the Thalir? How can you accuse me of such a thing?"

"Just look at their inhuman skills!"

"If you wish, check the Thalir's forces that entered this side. You'll see if there are two missing."

"You, you...!"

"Surely, you didn't check the Thalir's forces? The head of the royal investigation team seems to be handling things rather loosely."

Ian's words were clearly insulting, but she had no grounds to refute them. Even if she had checked, how could she know if they had attached someone else outside?

"I'll kill you."

"Don't. I'm scared."

"I mean it. I'll kill you."

It was almost a curse. She would decapitate that arrogant commoner herself one day. Erica clenched her teeth, grabbed her coat, and went outside.

Bang!

Ian, left alone, shrugged and scanned Lady Merry's room. She had said there was something to take...

Click.

The drawer was half empty. It seemed the investigation team had confiscated valuable items like jewels and ornaments. With the missing taxes, the mansion's valuables would all belong to the royal palace.

'What could it be? What...?'

While Ian clicked his tongue in thought, Erica and her subordinate ran down the corridor and outside. She felt the Thalir's suspicious gazes but had no time to deal with them.

"Summon the soldiers."

"How many?"

"Leave the minimum and form the rest into a pursuit team."

"But, if we do that...,"

Knowing they were Thalir, a regular force wouldn't be enough. They had to attack all at once to beat them and prove that Ian and Thalir had taken Bratz family members.

'Right. I'll crush your trap.'

"Keep an eye on Ian and Kakan."

"Yes, understood."

"If anything suspicious happens, report it immediately."

Nothing would go as planned. The moment she captured the two Thalir who called themselves Derga's knights, she would sweep away all the foreigners in the mansion, including Ian.

"Summon!"

As Erica and the central army became noisy, the Thalir, who had been observing the situation, moved secretly. A warrior reported to Nersarn.

"Lord Nersarn, they've started moving as Sir Ian said. It's time to send the hawks."

"Alright."

Nersarn nodded in satisfaction at the warrior's words. By maximizing the pursuit team's strength, he was signaling that it was time to deal with Merry and Chel.

He wrote a short note in Thalir and handed it to his subordinate.

"They say it's a rugged mountain range. I don't know how well they're doing. They've only faced sandstorms."

"Do you not trust your family?"

"Of course not. They are warriors. I'm just worried."

Warriors know no defeat. Defeat means death, and after death, one cannot realize defeat. Even if they faced danger, they were not afraid of sacrifice. They would not give the enemy any leverage, even if it meant tearing out their own hearts.

"Send the hawks."

"Yes. Oh, the remaining hawk is Kakan's."

The warrior glanced at the bed behind Nersarn. Kakan was enjoying a peach in light clothing. He nodded in permission.

"Then, I'll send Zenon."

"Feed him some sweet fruit before sending. He's been acting strange lately."

"Understood. Rest well."

Creak.

As the subordinate left, Nersarn turned around. Kakan was still staring blankly out the window, enjoying the coolness. It was mid-summer, but compared to the desert, it was refreshingly cool.

"Kakan. Once the central army leaves the territory, it's time to kill Derga and wrap things up. We can't leave Thalir empty for long."

"Right. Yes."

There was also the matter of Bumart, and the garrison in the desert was short of troops. While the Great Desert's protection meant no major worries, leaving home for too long was not good.

"By the way, Nersarn. If Ian, a mana user, catches the royal palace's eye and eventually has to go to the capital, who will manage this place?"

"Perhaps Beric."

"Even if you leave him, he's not up to the task."

Kakan glanced at Nersarn. Having been by his side for so long, he could understand what Kakan meant just by his gaze. Nersarn's eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't want to."

"What don't you want?"

"Are you telling me to stay here?"

"Oh, did you feel that way?"

"If I stay, it will benefit Thalir in many ways. But I don't know if Sir Ian will allow it, and most importantly...,"

"Most importantly?"

Nersarn glanced at Kakan and turned away.

"...I don't like the cold."

"Ah. That's important."

"It's a place with snow. It's freezing."

Kakan chuckled and bit into the remaining peach. It didn't have to be winter. In a couple of months, when the autumn wind turned cold, the Thalir warriors' nostalgia would deepen. They had to wrap everything up before then.

"The letter of appointment should be on its way by now, right?"

"It should be."

"Do you really trust Ian?"

"Trust? That he's a mana user? Didn't you see Beric fighting the knight?"

"I mean, is being a mana user worth overturning the letter of appointment?"

I've heard of the empire's reverence for magic. They follow Vincen like we Thalir center around mages.

But I've never experienced it, so I can't be sure. Besides, this is the frontier. The territory is full of people who don't even know what magic is.

"I don't know. It doesn't seem like a lie. If someone comes from the royal palace, they can verify it immediately."

"Still, it's definitely taking longer than expected."

Nersarn counted the days on his fingers, muttering. It should have arrived by now, but there was still no sign.

'What is the royal palace doing?'

* * *

Knock.

The office of the First Prince, Marib Verosion, was lit even at night. The prince, in light clothing with his long hair tied back, put down his glasses at