TYND 27

Chapter 27

Wearing only pants, a shirt, gloves, and military boots, he first put on a fur coat, and over that, another thick outer coat reinforced with buffalo leather.

He wove cloth through metal chains to form a strange contraption, then used those chains to tightly bind himself. When he finally pulled a fur hat over his head, he looked just like a northern wanderer roaming the wilds.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and looked up at him seriously.

It felt strange—someone who used to walk around Pomnos in relatively light clothing was now standing there in full winter armor against the cold.

“Your Majesty. Whis is here.”

With a knock, Whis entered the room, bringing with him a Lafi Lucy had never seen before.

The Lafi accompanying him was young, with vivid blue feathers. His slightly drooping eyes were distinctive. He clicked his beak together a couple of times nervously, then bowed politely to Lucy.

“It is an honor to meet Your Majesty. I am Napari Hoya, from the Nuthatch Corps, 8th Squad.”

A white feather dangling like an ornament at the end of his blue wings fluttered gently with each movement. Unlike Whis, who gave off a somewhat arrogant aura, this Lafi had a soft, gentle presence—a strange contrast.

Whis handed Napari an object that resembled a one-sided handcuff. A small weight was attached at the end like a pendant. Lucy was just about to ask what it was when the door opened again and Jen strode inside.

“Preparations are complete. We just need to begin the operation and—hmph.”

Jen had entered with a straight back and composed manner, but the moment his eyes met Whis’s, his tail shot straight up and he let out a growl. Whis and Napari likewise drew back their necks and glared fiercely at Jen.

“So one of our key personnel is from Recon Corps? Didn’t expect the little fur puff to be you.”

“How elegant your speech is. Says the sewer-digging mole calling someone else a puffball.”

“What did you just say, you bastard?”

“Don’t say ‘bastard’ in front of His Majesty, you dog bastard.”

Every time a Lycan and a Lafi faced each other, one truly understood why people used the phrase mortal enemies. Before Lucy could intervene, Walter stepped in, sweeping away the hostile atmosphere.

“I don’t care how many insults you throw at each other when you’re alone, but excessive language in front of His Majesty will not be tolerated.”

Grumbling under their breath, both looked away. Walter adjusted the sword strapped firmly to him and asked Jen:

“Are the troop deployments finished?”

“Just as you ordered. We’re ready to enter through the secret passage. It’s a brilliant plan, but… is it really okay to expose a royal secret passage to regular soldiers?”

“Capturing the duke is more important. Security can be dealt with later—focus on the mission for now.”

Finishing calmly, Walter briefly turned his head to look at Lucy.

Hesitation, worry, uncertainty, and anxiety flickered across his eyes one after another. He quickly masked his emotions behind his usual stern expression before turning to Napari.

“Napari.”

“Yes, Grand Marshal.”

“As instructed, you will accompany me to the duchy. We’ll enter the ducal residence before dawn, complete the mission, and return to the capital before sunrise tomorrow. Jen.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You are hereby appointed acting commander of the Eagle Battalion. Follow the plan, but remember—His Majesty’s safety is the highest priority. And finally, Whis.”

“Yes, Grand Marshal.”

“Even if it means defying His Majesty’s orders, if you judge her to be in danger, grab her and flee immediately.”

He spoke the words—permission to disobey the king—without hesitation. Then he reached out his hand toward Napari.

Napari fastened the cuff Whis had given him around his own ankle. Then he inserted the weighted end into the chains wrapped around Walter’s body and secured it tightly.

Napari took the lead toward the terrace. With every step the two took, the chain connecting them clattered softly.

A heavy tension—signaling that everything was about to begin and that there was no turning back—pressed onto the soldiers’ shoulders. Napari, his face flushed with excitement, glanced back at Walter before stepping onto the terrace and preparing to leap.

“Your Majesty.”

Walter turned his head, lifting his gaze from the sky to look at Lucy. He licked his lips and spoke in a voice slightly lower than usual.

“I trust Your Majesty’s foresight. Until the sword returns… may the scabbard remain intact.”

Then Walter turned away and tugged on the chain.

With a loud flap, Napari shot into the sky, and Walter—connected to him—was lifted into the air as well.

Under the sunset-stained sky, the silhouettes of the two bound together glowed faintly red. Soon they shrank into distant dots and finally disappeared into the mountain shadows.

Lucy watched them quietly before turning away.

A mischievous smile tugged at her lips for a moment. Then she wiped it away, licking her lips as her expression sharpened fiercely.

“Well then… shall we begin the hunt?”

The servants hustling around the garden had vanished by the time night dew began to settle. In the eerie darkness, white cloth and royal standards fluttered gently, stirring the silence.

The deepest, quietest part of the palace.

From within the audience chamber—where even the faintest sound had vanished—came a small yawn.

“What time is it? I’m so sleepy.”

Behind the audience hall, sitting before a curtained passageway, Lucy rubbed her eyes with a long yawn. Whis, who had been silently holding his breath beside her, panicked and covered her mouth.

“Your Majesty! We went to all this trouble to hide—please keep quiet!”

“There’s no one here anyway. No need to be nervous yet.”

Whis shot her a disapproving look and pulled out a pocket watch.

The operation had begun long ago, and yet it was already nearly 3 a.m. with no word from the troops. While Whis fidgeted anxiously, pecking nervously at his beak, Lucy stared lazily at the air with half-closed eyes.

Why is there still no contact?

Is the operation actually going according to plan? Ever since he learned the queen herself devised it, Whis had felt uneasy. Could the whole plan be wrong?

“Whis. I told you—don’t worry.”

“Your Majesty isn’t nervous?”

“Well… maybe a little.”

Her carefree attitude made Whis deflate with a long, dying sigh.

“To be honest… I’ve never heard of such an outrageous battle plan in my life.”

“Ah. The Grand Marshal said the same thing.”

“Are they really coming?”

“We’ll find out if we wait. It’s only three. Let’s relax.”

Lucy spoke lightly and blinked at Whis with gentle eyes.

Her gaze slowly drifted downward until it stopped at a point on his chest. She stared at the blue pendant hanging there, then reached toward it absentmindedly.

Before her hand could touch it, Whis quickly drew back, flustered.

“Please, Your Majesty, you mustn’t touch it carelessly.”

“Oh… sorry. It’s just my first time seeing a real coolant stone. Will it really freeze you if you touch it?”

Whis’s eyes softened a little. He cleared his throat and tapped his beak awkwardly.

“No, nothing like that. It won’t drop below a certain temperature, and being stone, it isn’t especially cold to the touch. But losing it would be disastrous.”

“What happens if you don’t have one?”

“I’d collapse from heatstroke. Weather that feels cool to humans is scorching for Lafi.”

Lafi physiology made them extremely vulnerable to heat.

Thus, aside from winter, Lafi could not descend south of the Northern Region. Their only method of survival in the warmer regions was to carry the blue stone—coolant stone—that lowered the wearer’s body temperature.

But coolant stones were extremely rare and difficult to mine, obtainable only through the government of Antevacila. Since Antevacila monopolized all mining rights, no other option existed.

“If Your Majesty is truly curious, you may touch it once.”

Acting as if it were his personal belonging rather than military equipment, Whis puffed out his chest generously. Lucy hesitated briefly before touching the pendant with a small smile.

“You’re right. It’s neither cold nor hot—just feels like an ordinary jewel. Do all Lafi soldiers have these?”

“Yes.”

“I heard it’s expensive enough to rival diamonds, but your corps is still functioning somehow.”

“There are only twelve Lafi in the 8th Squad including myself. And we’re scouts, not combat troops. Even with countless coolant stones, gathering Lafi soldiers would still be difficult.”

“Why is that?”

“Why do you think?”

“Is the pay too low…?”

“It’s not a money issue.”

Whis scratched under his beak and gave her a smug look, as if urging her to guess.