"Still not done yet?"
Julius asked, to which Gaia responded only with a soft, rumbling "Prrrr."
The night was pitch dark.
Julius and Gaia were headed toward the southern swamplands of Sibareth. The moon had hidden behind thick clouds, and the only light came from a few stars and the faint glow of lesser spirits trailing after Julius.
They were searching for a poisonous plant called Palophernimus. During the day, it was indistinguishable from ordinary weeds—but at night, it glowed faintly blue.
This plant wasn't just enormous; it could move, like an animal. A carnivorous species, it preyed on anything that ventured near. And worse yet, it grew only in swamps infested with crocodiles. Ordinary people wouldn't dare approach.
Among the royal bloodlines of Sibareth, only those who were both elite mages and spirit-bonded warriors could dream of hunting it. Julius, confident in his own power, didn't think twice.
In fact, a certain excitement bubbled in his chest—like when he used to plan dangerous pranks as a child. It even reminded him of his beloved siren girl, Neria.
"This time, I won't lose her like I did the Karakal or the Siren," he murmured.
"And I'll certainly not let that Leca brat have her."
Before long, they arrived at the crocodile swamp. The eerie cries of marsh insects and monsters echoed through the silence. From the deeper waters, slithering noises signaled crocodiles stirring below.
"There it is."
In the center of the swamp—
A towering, human-sized blue flower bloomed ominously. This was the deadly Palophernimus. When prey was captured, it would release digestive fluid to melt it down. These types of plants existed in both Sibareth and Naizman, but Palophernimus produced the most potent toxin of them all.
The flower seemed to stare at Julius—or at least, that's how it felt. He drew his bow slowly, savoring the thrill of the hunt.
A crocodile emerged from the waters, creeping toward him. Julius let his arrow fly. It struck the beast's skull with a snap, and the creature vanished beneath the murky surface with a shriek.
His second arrow pierced the flower's central stalk. The plant screamed in a bizarre, unnatural pitch. In the pitch-dark night, its wailing echoed through the black swamp.
Julius smirked. Somehow, the flower's scream cleared away the foul mood he'd been in since morning.
That morning, Julius had been summoned to his father's study.
Lucan, the Grand Duke, with his neatly slicked-back blond hair streaked with gray, glared at his son.
"You've done something completely foolish."
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."
"I mean that human girl you rescued. Even using a gnome, no less."
Lucan's light green eyes—so much like Julius's—gleamed with fury. Julius wasn't surprised. He'd expected someone to find out eventually, just... not his father.
Not that he particularly cared who knew.
"Why is that foolish? She might very well become my wife. I was merely looking after her."
"That girl cannot be queen!"
Lucan slammed his desk.
"Really? His Majesty seems to disagree. He looks quite fond of the idea."
"The king won't live much longer. Everyone in the palace knows that."
Julius let out a sharp, dry laugh.
"So I should marry Shamanaz, is that it?"
"…No one wants that human girl as queen, at the very least."
"I do, Father."
"What… did you just say?"
Lucan's eyes flared in rage.
"She's the only one I'll marry. If not her, I won't marry anyone."
"That madness again! You're still cursed by that damn siren!"
Lucan hurled a crystal ashtray at him. Julius tilted his head and dodged it with ease.
"A curse? No, Father. I love her. That's all there is to it."
"You've been out of your mind ever since that siren bewitched you. This is just her lingering curse!"
Julius ran a hand through his golden hair with an exasperated look.
"Please stop with the talk of curses and nonsense. I love her of my own free will."
"Why don't you add her to that ridiculous collection garden of yours?"
"…Honestly, Father, I don't think we speak the same language anymore. In any case, I'm not marrying Shamanaz. And the Grand Vizier disgusts me."
"Why, you insolent brat—"
"I'll be going now. My mind is made up."
Julius turned and left. Knowing what Shamanaz and Jakiel had conspired—the horrifying crime they committed—only made him more disgusted. Whether every part of the rumor was true or not, they had certainly played a role in the mass death of their own bloodline's maidens.
Still, he had no desire to publicly expose it and see Shamanaz, the girl he'd grown up with like a sister, be executed.
'This is the greatest mercy I can give you, Shaminy'
He took the canned cola Mia had given him from inside his coat and rolled it between his fingers. Strangely, touching it brought him a sense of calm.
Then Leca's face flashed through his mind, and he nearly crushed the can—but just barely held back.
'Leca? I'll erase him from your mind myself. I won't let you run away like the siren did... my girl from another world.'
Julius reached out. From his palm flowed a stream of starlike purple light, like a tiny galaxy. The light entered the sagging petals of the wounded flower. The Palophernimus writhed and screamed, but it could not prevent its fluid from being extracted.
The galaxy of light solidified into a purple vial in Julius's hand—filled with a vile-looking yellow liquid.
He grinned wickedly and turned to Gaia.
"What was the next herb on our list, Gaia?"
Mia didn't wake until midday. When she rubbed her eyes, a flood of intense sunlight was pouring in through the window.
Whew... What was that unpleasant dream last night? Did I have an out-of-body experience or something?
Becoming someone else and watching herself from afar. That's what they call astral projection, right? The creepiest part was that the scene felt like a real memory.
Did I just project out of my body and observe my past...?
A chill ran down her spine. Fairies really seemed to have every power imaginable. But if this was one of them, she wanted no part of it.
Mia sat up lightly in bed. She checked the sword, shield, anklet, and earrings Behemoth had given her, making sure they were still snug against her body.
As she touched them, a question crossed her mind.
How did none of those high-ranking old men in Sibareth, or even the King and Julius, say anything about these? Did they just think they were normal accessories?
She shook her head. Even if they weren't very large, those with high sensitivity to mana should have noticed. Thinking this, Mia casually walked over to the mirror.
"Eh...!"
To her surprise, nothing was visible in the reflection. But she could clearly feel them when she touched them. It seemed these items couldn't be seen by others—only the wearer could see and feel them.
"This is amazing!"
Mia was once again struck by how incredible Behemoth's gifts were. She felt like she could win any battle. Well, that was the whole point, wasn't it?
Do I really even need combat training with stuff like this on? she wondered. If I told Leca, he'd probably just say gear is still gear and I should keep training.
Then maybe she should test the performance of the sword and shield herself—without Leca. But how? She didn't want to hurt anything…
With no specific plan in mind, Mia decided to head toward the monster forest again. Just then—
"Lady Mia, are you awake?"
It was Lily's voice outside the door. Mia hurriedly called out, "Yes!" and Lily cautiously entered the room.
"Welcome back safely from your journey."
"Ah, yeah. Thank you."
Does she not know what happened with Leca? Well, even if she does, whatever.
"If you're feeling well enough, would you care to visit the market with me today?"
"The market?"
Mia's ears perked up.
"Yes. It's the monthly grand bazaar. Merchants come not only from Sibareth but from Naizman and Muria as well. You'll find all sorts of rare things there."
"If it's that kind of event, of course I want to go! But... these wings—will they be okay?"
"Ah... That... I'm sure there's a concealment spell for that. I'll try to find someone who can help."
With that, Lily rushed out. Mia began changing clothes. Sibareth's attire, with its layered fabrics and pin-fastening system, could be worn even with wings. Though her back ended up a little exposed, she managed on her own.
As she adjusted her clothes in front of the mirror, the sound of a child sobbing furiously echoed from the hallway.
"I don't wanna! I don't wanna! Let me go home! Waaaaah!"
It was a young girl's voice. A child in the palace? Mia thought it strange and opened the door. There, a few elderly maids were struggling to hold down a girl of about twelve who was kicking and screaming on the floor.
"Be quiet! Stop crying! Hush!"
Wait... that girl...?
She was a beastfolk. A girl, with features similar to the cat-boy Mia had seen with Leca in the desert.
But—
The moment the girl spotted Mia, she fell instantly silent. And then she just stared—unblinking, as if entranced.