BTCATL 27

 27

“Waaahhh!!”

“So then, that lady…”

“Whoa! This is incredible!”

Early in the morning, I left the Seden estate with two men and teleported to the capital of the kingdom. Seeing the streets in full festival mode, I parted my lips slightly in awe.

In the plaza, people danced to cheerful music around the central fountain, and vendors lined the wide streets in tight rows, drawing in the crowd.

It was a staggering number of people—far more than I had ever seen in my life. Laughter and chatter surged like waves.

“This is a festival held in celebration of the founding of the kingdom. Since we’re here anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to enjoy it a little after finishing our business.”

Following the two men walking ahead, I was staring absentmindedly at the stalls and people filling the streets when I heard Rdin’s amused voice behind me.

I had been blankly staring at a stall displaying silver-toned pendants when I snapped back to my senses.

The unfamiliar sights had momentarily taken me out of it. I knew very well that I wasn’t here for fun.

— Ah, we’ll stop by the capital. There’s someone I need to meet.

That was what Rdin had told me this morning. I had thought we’d return straight to the Spirit Tower from the Seden territory.

There were two places we needed to visit.

“This way.”

Following Rdin, we left the bustling festival behind and entered a narrow alley that remained dim even in daylight.

After walking for a while, Rdin stopped in front of a tavern with a shabby signboard.

“We’re meeting here? Seriously?”

Knowing what kind of place it was, Kallios raised a brow skeptically and glared at Rdin. But Rdin ignored him and opened the door to the tavern.

Kallios followed with a sour expression on his face.

The moment the door opened, a faint scent of wine drifted out, and I blinked.

Contrary to its run-down exterior, the inside of the tavern was surprisingly clean, and there were no staff, as if the entire place had been reserved.

“You’re here? Oh my.”

Turning my head toward the soft voice from the corner, I saw a robed figure sitting at a table.

A pale hand slowly pulled back the hood, and a cascade of blue hair spilled out.

Kallios flinched at the sight.

The woman gracefully removed her robe and laid it neatly beside her. Her dress, made of fine fabric—not too flashy, not too plain—flowed elegantly as she gave a slight nod.

“I am Rubellia von Drouaz, the first princess and sole heir to the throne of Drouaz. Thank you for meeting me, Spirit Mages of the North.”

The princess, with striking violet eyes unlike her hair, straightened her back and smiled sweetly at me.

“Especially you, the new Spirit Mage of Darkness—I really wanted to make a good impression.”

“…You know me?”

She let out a soft laugh.

“I received a report from Marquis Seden that the continent’s third Spirit Mage of Darkness had resolved an important matter. The Marchioness is my aunt, so I was deeply grateful as well.”

I looked up at Rdin in confusion.

Resolved an important matter? Me?

“Asila was the one who dealt with Illudria—the cause of the disappearances in the forest. I brought her along as a learning experience, but she ended up solving it in my stead.”

Watching our exchange, the princess’s lips curved into what could only be described as a charming smile.

“Of course, I never imagined someone so cute. I’d love to become close friends. Please, just call me Rubellia. I wouldn’t want someone this adorable calling me ‘princess.’”

What she said next, from her alluring red lips, was so startling it made me forget Rdin’s explanation.

Cute? I didn’t know how to react—I just blinked in silence. Then Kallios, who had been standing nearby with a sour look, suddenly stepped between me and the princess.

Her enchanting violet gaze, which could easily entrance even another woman, was blocked by his large frame.

An awkward silence followed.

“You crazy bitch, who do you think you are flirting with our Asila?”

The one to break the tension was Kallios.

He growled and spoke far more harshly than usual, firmly placing himself between the princess and me.

“Kall…”

“Oh, that mouth hasn’t changed one bit over the years. And if I’m a crazy bitch, then you’re not even worth the fleas on a stray mutt. Got it?”

…Huh?

Before Rdin could say anything, the princess returned Kallios’s crude words with a smiling face and equally crude language, leaving me stunned.

Thus began their one-sided verbal brawl.

“…Do they know each other?”

“Not exactly, but I believe their families nearly forced them into an engagement once.”

“…Their families?”

Rdin looked as if he had forgotten to mention something and leaned in to whisper.

“That man is the elder brother of the current emperor of the Kantana Empire in the West.”

I blinked.

Looking at Kallios, who was fuming under the princess’s relentless verbal assault, I muttered:

“…Wow.”

It was like hearing something completely unbelievable.

“My apologies for the commotion, Spirit Mages. Please, have a seat.”

Soon after, Kallios stepped back with a sour look, and the princess, now visibly calmer, gestured for us to sit.

The air grew serious as the pleasantries ended.

With a click, Rdin opened the bag he had brought and pulled out several thin documents, which he handed to the princess.

So that’s what was inside.

“These are the terms proposed by the Northern Spirit Tower. We’ve considered the kingdom’s position as much as possible, so please review them.”

The sound of papers rustling filled the quiet tavern.

After reading through the documents, the princess signed them with a satisfied flourish, and the business portion of the meeting concluded.

Our encounter with the princess ended more quickly than expected.

As she slipped her robe back on and the two men were distracted, she winked at me and slipped a note into my hand before gracefully departing.

The note, written in elegant handwriting, included her address and a message saying she wanted to get closer and hoped I’d write to her.

—Knock, knock knock, knock knock.

As I stared at the note, a sound made me lift my head.

Kallios, still standing with a tilt, knocked on the wine bar table like a door.

“Ready to come out now?”

“…!”

Before he even finished speaking, a tall man suddenly emerged from behind the bar, startling me.

“Grandma is waiting.”

He bowed respectfully, then pulled a wine bottle from a shelf in the corner and pressed something inside the box the bottle came from.

—Clunk, clunk.

My eyes widened.

The wall rotated, revealing a staircase leading underground.

“…What is this place?”

“It’s called Tezen.”

Following behind the man, Rdin began explaining.

Drouaz may be a small northern kingdom, but one reason no one looks down on it—

Though officially a royal merchant group, in reality, it’s the largest intelligence guild on the continent, with roots so deep even the royal family doesn’t dare cross them.

Tezen’s members are scattered all across the continent. No one knows the true size of the organization.

“Right this way.”

We followed the man into a large room, where an elderly woman with graying hair stood, smoking a long pipe.

“You bring royalty here? Have you lost your mind, Raze Rdin? You know how sharp that princess’s instincts are, don’t you?”

Rdin smiled, as if he was used to this, and replied that he’d already paid the price.

“Clicking your tongue again… You’re just like that old fart’s disciple. So what do you need this time?”

“I need a Rune Jewel.”

The room fell into silence.

The woman puffed out a cloud of smoke and, after a sigh, told us to wait and stepped out.

While I stood there clueless, Kallios noticed and shrugged.

“Tezen deals in rare items too. Since there’s been an unusual number of rifts opening in the North lately, the old man probably asked for Rune Jewels.”

“…What are those?”

Scratching his head, Kallios furrowed his brow in thought before answering.

“You could say it’s a condensation of nature. If you use it to create a barrier, it reduces the frequency of rifts. It has an energy that repels monsters. Hard to explain properly in words.”

Rdin nodded in agreement.

Before long, the old woman returned with a box and handed it to Rdin.

“Tell him to use it carefully. There’s not much left.”

“Thank you, Grandma.”

And with that, we left the tavern—Tezen.

A clear breeze brushed past my hair.

A teleportation array awaited us in front of the shabby tavern.

It was time to return to the Spirit Tower.

Late that night, an old man took out a small, transparent jewel from the box and held it up to the moonlight.

The pure mana within shimmered under the glow.

The old man curled his lips into a crooked smile, then placed the jewel back in the box.

The fireplace’s roaring flames devoured the box whole.