Episode 10
“Are you sure it’s that human? Where — where exactly?”
“It’s been confirmed in the eastern border of the Central Continent — within the Lohatin Empire.”
“…Lohatin Empire? The one ruled by that slick blue-haired emperor?”
“That emperor died five hundred years ago, but yes — the same country.”
At Ten’s affirmation, Rowe stroked his smooth chin.
If memory served, the emperor of that country had been a complete bastard.
“No, that’s not what matters.”
What mattered now was finding the human Ten had mentioned — that human.
Their lord had waited for that person for a thousand years.
Rowe glanced toward the central chamber where his master slept, then rolled up his sleeves.
“Whatever it takes, we’re going. Where in the east?”
“A small village called Feln, but… um, actually—”
Ten, who’d been brimming with excitement a moment ago, suddenly hesitated — which was unlike him.
Rowe’s eyes narrowed.
That reaction didn’t sit right with him.
He crossed his arms. “What is it this time?”
“T-the thing is… We did find traces of that human’s aura, but… a month ago, it vanished.”
“…What?”
Rowe furrowed his brow. Ten fidgeted uncomfortably, his huge body folding in on itself.
He’d better not be doing that to look cute.
Suppressing his irritation, Rowe fixed him with a cold stare.
“Speak clearly.”
“Ahem. Well… we detected that human’s presence in Feln, a village in eastern Lohatin, and investigated closely.”
“And?”
“But… the aura had weakened over the past few years and completely disappeared a month ago.”
Ten’s voice trailed off until it was barely a whisper.
Rowe tilted his head slightly. Though Ten had tried to soften it, the meaning was obvious.
“…So in short — you found traces, but not the person?”
“If you want to put it that way… yes.”
“You idiot.”
Rowe grabbed a nearby statue and hurled it. Ten dodged in the nick of time.
CRASH!
The wall shattered loudly behind him.
Rowe ran a pale hand through his hair, veins standing out on his forehead.
“Ten.”
“Yes, Lord Rowe.”
“That’s not finding someone — that’s losing them. Got it?”
“I see! We lost them!”
Rowe’s face cracked in frustration at Ten’s cheerful answer.
“You worthless—”
He picked up another statue, but clenched his jaw and set it back down.
“…Ha. Can you track again? It’s been a thousand years since that human appeared. They wouldn’t just vanish.”
If the person had never appeared at all, maybe — but once they had, they wouldn’t disappear so easily. Rowe was certain of it.
Ten nodded so hard it was a wonder his head didn’t fall off.
“The scouts reported there hasn’t been a funeral in that village for the past month, so it doesn’t seem the human died. And though the timing doesn’t match perfectly, a woman named Sophie left the village not long ago. She’s the only human to have left in recent months.”
“She left the village… Do we know where she went?”
“They said she went to the capital — but wouldn’t say more, even for six thousand gold.”
“…Six thousand gold?”
Rowe tilted his head at the oddly specific number, then clicked his tongue.
“Humans really are talented when it comes to greed.”
In the old days, he would’ve just killed them on the spot.
He muttered to himself and turned around sharply, his white robe billowing to his feet.
“That’s enough for now. Track again — thoroughly.”
“Yes, sir!”
“If you lose her again, you’re dead.”
Rowe’s voice was cold and sharp.
Startled, Ten clapped a hand over his mouth and bolted from the hall with a thundering noise.
“Useless giant,” Rowe muttered, clicking his tongue again.
He turned his gaze toward the far side of the hall — toward the entrance leading deep into the castle, where his lord slept.
“……”
After a moment of thought, he began walking that way.
***
Rowe arrived at the heart of the ashen castle.
There were no windows, no lamps — only complete darkness.
Moving easily through the blackness, he stopped before a bed draped in a dark curtain.
“……”
A faint sound of breathing came from behind the veil. Slowly, Rowe opened it with careful hands.
“My lord.”
A man lay upon the wide bed.
Even in the darkness, his beauty shone through —
black hair darker than any shadow, skin pale as snow, and beneath his closed lids, the faint glow of crimson eyes.
It was none other than Kalis Ercadein, master of the Western Continent.
“It’s been about a hundred years,” Rowe murmured, counting the years his master had slept.
“My lord, it seems we’ve finally found that human.”
Though he’d scolded Ten harshly, finding even a trace was a major breakthrough.
For a thousand years they’d scoured the continent — not a single hair had been found.
His master had fallen into long slumbers many times in that endless search.
There was no reply, but Rowe’s expression was filled with strange excitement.
“Soon, my lord, I’ll bring you good news.”
He bowed his head and gently kissed Kalis’s hand.
“Until the day you awaken, may you rest in peace.”
***
Meanwhile — Late at Night, at the Kedric Ducal Mansion
The door to the office opened.
Bastian, looking tired, stepped inside.
Huon, who had arrived earlier, bowed politely.
Bastian brushed past him without a glance and collapsed into his chair.
Huon, used to his master’s cold expression, said nothing.
“The letter.”
“It’s been sent.”
Bastian nodded in satisfaction.
“I’ve arranged a guild capable of slipping past the Imperial surveillance network. They should arrive on the Western Continent next week.”
“Next week, huh…”
A little slow, but considering they were acting without the Emperor’s permission, it was acceptable.
“Well done.”
The Western Continent was a perfect neutral zone.
Wars had raged for centuries over its ownership, but no one had ever claimed it.
Finally, three hundred years ago, the five continents had signed a peace accord.
Since then, no nation could approach the Western Continent without direct authorization from its ruler.
Bastian was no exception. By law, he should’ve met the Emperor to request permission.
But he had no intention of following such tedious procedure.
If the bureaucracy was that slow, it was faster to break the law.
Of course, discovery meant certain punishment — but Bastian possessed both the skill and cunning to slip through the Empire’s grasp.
“If the Emperor found out, he’d lose his mind.”
Then again, the Emperor would never find out — so it didn’t matter.
Bastian smirked quietly.
“Now then, let’s hear the report.”
Huon blinked, then quickly laid the documents on the desk.
“Fortunately, milady seems to have lived safely in the eastern village for the past five years. She maintained good relations with the villagers — especially with a commoner named Jera.”
“Jera — that’s the one who reported Amelia’s whereabouts?”
“Yes, sir.”
“My sister made herself a charming friend.”
He’d feared she might’ve suffered out there so far from the capital.
In the five years since Amelia disappeared, Bastian had scoured every corner of the Empire, but found nothing.
As a last resort, he ordered even the smallest border villages investigated — and finally, in one of them, they found her.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
