HDBMTD 80

~Chapter 80~

Looking in the direction the children were pointing, I saw something faint moving in the fog. However, since I couldn’t use my sensitivity, I couldn’t figure out what it was.

At that moment, Nocturne spoke calmly.

“Don’t worry, it’s a person.”

“A person?”

“Nocturne.”

“Yes!”

Nocturne’s assistant immediately answered and sent the scene hidden by the fog into my mind.

“Wait, really like this…”

Showing such detailed information to someone else must have been a big burden on the assistant. I thought that Nocturne must have used every trick to avoid waking up my sensitivity.

But once the figure of the man appeared in my mind, I focused on him first.

The man in the fog was wearing a full-body suit. Through the clear window on his face, I could see black spots on his skin. I immediately recognized what it was.

“He’s a victim of Magi Poisoning.”

Magi Poisoning was a disease caused by contamination from Magi, which turned the skin black. If a person couldn’t resist the poison, their whole body would rot, starting from the skin. It was a terrifying disease.

The suit he was wearing was a Magi-resistant suit. It’s worn when entering contaminated zones, and even victims of Magi Poisoning wore it to prevent spreading the disease.

“It’s probably Eshafe.”

Most victims of Magi Poisoning were Eshafe. When a normal person got the disease, they would die quickly.

Especially, seeing his face so black yet still able to move meant he had a high resistance to Magi, which was impressive.

“…So, this is why they call them ‘Mazu.'”

Victims of Magi Poisoning were avoided in any town. In the northern regions, where Cambiata’s influence led to the despising of Eshafe, they were called “Mazu” and often attacked.

The assistant rolled down the window and scolded the children in a firm voice.

“Hey, don’t bother sick people!”

“They’re not people!” one of the children shouted.

“Don’t say things like that!” The assistant was angry, and the children shrank back.

“Hey, stop it. That’s a military vehicle.”

“Let’s hurry and go!”

The children whispered to each other and quickly ran off.

After the brief commotion, the carriage started again, but stopped once more soon after.

“Oh, the mansion’s here.”

When I looked up at the driver’s voice, a massive mansion was in front of us.

The gray building gave off a cold, dry feeling, almost like a concentration camp or fortress. The tall, sturdy fence surrounding the mansion made it hard to guess what was beyond it. Instead of a garden, there were only practical drainage ditches outside the wall.

The driver got out and called the gatekeeper, who opened the gate and five people came out. Among them was an Eshafe.

They looked at us as they came out of the mansion and asked with surprise.

“Did the legendary S-rank Royal Pair come to our mansion?”

I had just arrived but already wanted to leave.

The servants at the Governor’s mansion seemed surprised, but they thoroughly checked the visitors’ identities.

I thought to myself, “Just five servants coming out to check identities…”

As the carriage moved inside, I saw a large garden. Even while the carriage was being parked, I could see the servants moving around busily.

When I got out of the carriage, Nocturne naturally extended his hand to me.

I grabbed it without thinking but then slowed my steps and looked up at him. Nocturne, who had been walking ahead, seemed to notice my gaze and turned to ask.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

He really won’t light a fire for me.

But I wasn’t too worried. In a mansion this big, I’d probably find candles or lanterns somewhere.

As we walked toward the main building, I tried to count the number of servants but gave up after I reached over thirty.

It seemed like the Governor’s power was great, but such sights were common in the north. As long as people had a stable place to stay, many would work without pay.

Actually, if there were too many servants, it would increase the number of mouths to feed. So, the number of servants wasn’t a sign of power but of the owner’s generosity.

And the generous owner was coming out to greet us.

“Your Grace, Princess, welcome!”

The Governor had gray hair mixed with white, and his black eyes gave off a friendly impression.

“I can’t believe you came all this way because of my son. I don’t know how to thank you.”

He greeted us warmly, bowing and offering his hand.

“He’s washing up right now, so please wait in the drawing room. I’ll tell him to hurry down.”

“Tell him to take his time. You’re already so kind to welcome us without notice.”

I smiled and replied.

The Governor had been a merchant who sided with the Empire during the Cambiata war and was appointed as the Governor after the war. As a merchant, he was naturally skilled and experienced at hosting guests.

It felt strange. Even though I hadn’t done much to help the northern region, he was treating us so warmly.

During the Cambiata reign, unless it was a situation that required help, the rulers of the north would normally treat Princess Eshafe poorly or look down on her. Even if they were outwardly polite, most of them were just waiting for a chance to betray her.

“The war really is over…”

If Aria had seen this, she would have been very happy.

As we followed the Governor inside, I noticed hanging lanterns by the entrance.

‘Just as I expected.’

I was glad to see them, but then, the flames suddenly went out.

“Uh…”

I blinked, surprised.

As Nocturne pulled me along, I heard a puzzled voice from a servant behind us.

“Why did the light go out all of a sudden?”

I looked around in confusion and noticed a servant holding a lantern. As he passed by, I made sure to watch the light.

Whoosh.

And then, the flame went out again.

“What’s going on?”

The servant tilted his head and continued on.

I was baffled, but the phenomenon didn’t stop. Every time my gaze landed on the light, it would go out.

The peak of it was when we passed through the hallway. The walls were lined with lanterns, and as we walked by, one by one, the lights went out.

“Oh no! What’s happening?”

Like a ghost passing through, the lights went out one after another, and the Governor turned pale.

He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and looked back at us.

“This has never happened before. Maybe there’s a draft…”

But he said it in a way that made it seem like he wasn’t convinced. He must have known there couldn’t be a draft inside…

“Your Grace, stop.”

I grabbed Nocturne’s hand tightly and spoke in an annoyed voice.

“Why is this happening?”

But Nocturne calmly asked in return.

“Don’t worry, I won’t look.”

“Stop turning off other people’s lights.”

“Promise?”

Nocturne smiled and raised his pinky finger.

Using his ability to create and extinguish flames just to play around with the Governor’s lanterns felt childish, like a fairy tale, but I couldn’t help but think he looked charming while doing it, probably because of his appearance.

“I promise.”

I nodded reluctantly.

Then, Nocturne stood in front of me and gently held my face with both hands, whispering.

“Keep looking forward.”

“…Yes, Captain.”

Just after I answered, I heard the sounds of the lights turning back on behind us.

The Governor, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped and looked back in surprise.

Seeing his shocked expression, I knew the lights in the entire hallway had come back on.