Chapter 59
Cheyen protested that it was nonsense, but Luca didn’t even glance at him.
Instead, Kainel’s gaze turned back to Cheyen.
“Blue stone.”
“…Blue stone?”
“That thing you asked me about before. I want to hear the details.”
The blue stone—the same thing Cheyen had mentioned the very first time they met at the stew shop.
And then…
“That woman’s reaction.”
Ceres Drow, who had hastily crushed the memory crystal underfoot.
He hadn’t thought much of it at the time. But after hearing from Oselte, the head of the Ellucia family’s council of elders, who had recently come to see him, that moment kept replaying in his mind for some strange reason.
“She was the one who found the Lord’s ring?”
“Yes. And apparently, the Fire Spirit King seems to favor her quite a bit. It surprised even me.”
The Fire Spirit King, Jubelios.
That foul-tempered creature liked her?
And she even found the Lord’s ring—something only the family head could possibly locate?
Something about her kept poking at Kainel’s nerves.
Then there was the black forest incident in the capital.
A single wooden stick had been used to strike the core—Bakyura’s boss—right in its center.
When Kainel saw that stick lodged in the creature’s head, his mind went completely blank.
Because the traces of the swordsmanship there were unmistakably familiar.
The swordsmanship of the House of Ellucia.
More precisely, Grace’s swordsmanship.
How could a style of swordsmanship that had vanished long ago suddenly reappear?
How?
For some reason, when he tried to trace the thought, Ceres’s face came to mind.
At the end of every uneasy feeling—there she was.
Why? Why her?
And there was another memory that kept bothering him.
“By any chance… have you ever seen our blue stone?”
“…Blue stone?”
Bang!
“Ah, sorry. My foot slipped.”
“…Can’t you even make an excuse that sounds a little convincing?”
The image of Ceres abruptly cutting Cheyen off when he’d tried to ask that question.
Why did that memory keep resurfacing?
What was that “blue stone”?
In the end, Kainel had no choice but to go to the Magic Tower—using the secret passage that Artia had once created for him and Grace when they were children.
He hadn’t expected that it would still exist.
“What’s the blue stone?”
“Uh… why are you suddenly curious about that?”
“Just answer.”
“It’s a mana stone.”
Cheyen, who seemed to have regained his composure, now spoke more politely.
“A mana stone filled with immense magical power.”
“Then why did you ask me about it?”
“Because it was ice-elemental.”
“Ice-elemental?”
“Yes. A mysterious ice-elemental mana stone that glimmered with a vivid blue light.”
“That’s…”
…No, it couldn’t be.
It was absurd—yet Kainel couldn’t stop that impossible thought from digging deeper into his mind.
“Was it smaller than a fingernail?”
“That’s right! It was that small, yet it contained so much magic. You don’t find stones like that often. It must’ve come from the Duchy of Persia—do you know anything about it?”
“……”
‘Give it to Artie.’
‘No. Why should I? If you’re not going to take it, I’ll just throw it away.’
‘Fine, fine! Hand it here.’
A long time ago, from a monster he had slain, came a small blue mana stone—tiny, but packed with immense power. Even he had found it strange.
Grace, who wasn’t even a mage, had grumbled about why he was giving her something so precious, but in the end, she had carefully stored the stone in her dimensional pocket.
“That mana stone—why?”
“Ceres brought it to a magic shop to sell it, but apparently she lost it. She’s been trying to find another one since then.”
“……”
It really was an absurd thought… and yet—
Ceres, who kept tugging at his memories.
Ceres, who had found the Ellucia family’s ring.
Ceres, who had once possessed an ice-elemental mana stone.
And then there was the corpse of the Bakyura boss that lingered in his mind—its posture, the angle of the blow, the footprint marks around it, the strength behind the strikes…
All of it matched perfectly with the distinct traces of the Ellucia family’s swordsmanship—specifically, Grace’s.
And then—
“Ceres is a strange one, right? She didn’t just have a mana stone, but this too.”
“That’s…”
“It’s a barrier stone. It holds an incredible defensive enchantment.”
…Artia’s barrier stone.
How could he not recognize it?
‘Grace, this is a barrier stone! Keep it on you always, and if you’re ever in danger, use it immediately!’
‘What danger? You’re always right beside me. It’s pointless.’
‘Just shut up and take it!’
‘You shut up.’
“She said it was given to her long ago by a mage she once knew. Sounds like he was amazing—but apparently, he’s already passed away?”
“……”
“Uh… are you listening to me?”
Cheyen couldn’t finish his sentence.
Because it was the first time he’d ever seen that expression on the Ice Duke’s face.
Kainel stood frozen, his eyes locked on the barrier stone as if struck by something tremendous.
“W-what’s wrong, Your Grace?”
But Kainel didn’t respond.
He just clenched his fist.
Who… are you really?
“Haa… haa…”
“Damn…”
“Are… are we still alive?”
“Maybe we’re all dead together.”
At the edge of a snowy cliff, where white flakes swirled in the air, lay Antonion and the students of Group B—completely sprawled out.
Barely had they gotten used to the rocky mountains before they were climbing snow peaks, their entire bodies drenched in sweat despite the freezing cold.
“Still got enough breath to talk, huh?”
“……!”
Their pupils trembled violently as they saw who was approaching—Ceres.
When did she get here?
And how is she completely fine?
Is there another route we don’t know about?
What route? Didn’t you see her last time on the mountain? She practically flies.”
Unlike them, who were exhausted and staggering, she looked as calm as if she were taking a stroll in her backyard.
Monster.
All eyes turned toward one person—Antonion, her younger brother.
What’s your sister’s deal, huh?
Unfortunately, Antonion couldn’t answer that.
Because even he found his sister utterly unrecognizable—strange, and almost terrifying.
Is that really… my sister?
He already knew she’d changed since losing her memory, but this was on another level entirely.
This strange place, her superhuman endurance, her precise and forceful training methods…
Had she ever even known how to wield a sword before?
“Why? Want to go down and climb again?”
No!
The kids, including Antonion, all shook their heads furiously in unison.
“Let’s stop here for today.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Good. Because tomorrow, you’ll be climbing it twice.”
“W-what?”
Twice? They had to go up and down twice tomorrow?
Please—tell us that’s a joke!
“Head down.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
“Last one down does double tomorrow—”
“AAAAH!”
“Out of the way! Move!”
The kids who had been dragging their feet suddenly bolted down the mountain with lightning speed.
Watching them with a faint smile, Ceres finally turned her gaze toward a specific spot.
“Come out.”
Her eyes settled on the shadow between snow-laden trees. When there was no response, she picked up a small rock from the ground.
Whish!
“Hey! Stop throwing rocks at me!”
From the direction she’d aimed, a man leapt out—the same one who’d been tailing her all this time: Ben, a member of the Sky organization.
“I told you to show yourself when I call.”
On the first day she had arrived here, after sending the children ahead, Ceres had caught Ben tailing her.
She needed to sort out exactly what information he was trying to gather.
He’d yelled and complained endlessly—demanding to know how she’d discovered him, why she’d ignored him before only to suddenly confront him now.
But over time, he had become much more docile.
“Remember what I said?”
“Yes, ma’am…”
‘You can report anything else you want. Just not this place. I don’t want rumors spreading about it.’
“But, uh… what happens if I do report it to the higher-ups?”
