Chapter 78
“Ugh… Hngh.”
Lionel’s horse obeyed his commands perfectly, but its massive black eyes still blazed with a wild intensity, as if daring anyone to make a single mistake.
“C-Commander… is that horse really… okay?”
“Not okay? And what, you’d tell me it went ‘neigh’… or ‘grrr’ instead?”
Of course, that was impossible.
In the end, everyone silently agreed through subtle glances: it was better not to question the nature of this beast any further.
Meanwhile, Lionel handed the enormous horse its dedicated water trough and, holding Ruda gently in the palm of his hand, began a conversation.
“This horse… it’s a giant wolf, right?”
“Grrr.”
The response came as a low, guttural rumble from the horse’s mouth while it drank. It sounded far more like a beast’s growl than a horse’s neigh.
“Judging by the fact that it came with you, Ruda, it seems like it wants to follow me… Do you know where I’m going or what I’m going to do? It could be dangerous.”
“Grrr!”
The horse let out a short growl of protest before snorting.
The meaning was clear: it wasn’t afraid of a single monster.
Lionel knew this wasn’t mere bravado—it was the behavior of a truly battle-hardened giant wolf.
He turned his attention to Ruda.
“Does Riri know you came here?”
“…Psst!”
The answer, though affirmative, carried a slight hesitation that tugged at Lionel’s concern.
But Ruda was, after all, a being made from a fragment of Cecilia’s soul.
Ultimately, Ruda’s will was Cecilia’s will—and Cecilia’s will was Ruda’s.
Still… was it really safe?
“I don’t like seeing blood. Whether it’s struck by an arrow or sliced by a sword… ugh.”
Lionel had considered leaving Ruda behind out of worry that she might witness something traumatic that would affect Cecilia.
“Ruda, if Riri ever tries to transfer her consciousness into your body, can you resist?”
“Psst!”
Ruda nodded.
“And you’re okay with seeing monster blood?”
“Psst!”
The tiny creature ruffled its wings and mimicked throwing a punch, as if daring any monster to challenge it. Clearly, its experiences had made it more aggressive than even Cecilia.
“I don’t want Riri to see any blood or monster corpses. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Psst!”
“Good. Thank you.”
Lionel repeatedly emphasized that the connection between Cecilia and Ruda should only occur when he gave the signal. Each time, Ruda nodded earnestly.
‘Come to think of it… she might be grossed out by wolf claws too,’ Lionel thought. He briefly regretted not preparing for it—but he had no idea that Cecilia would soon start crafting magical tools from the giant wolf’s claws, and eventually request horns, teeth, claws, and more from any creature she could use.
Four days had passed since Lionel and the knights departed north.
Finally arriving at the capital, Duke Roham reunited with his family before heading straight to the royal palace.
There, he met Melania, who had come to handle matters concerning the Frost Mage Tower.
“Lady Melania! It’s been a while.”
“Been a while? You’ve worked hard too. It must’ve taken some time to travel here from your estate.”
“Hahaha. But the country is in peril. I cannot delay because of my own fatigue… Anyway, if you have a moment, I’d like to speak with you.”
“I don’t mind… but is this the kind of place for a private conversation?”
“I know somewhere more secluded.”
Duke Roham led Melania deep into the maze garden, a place difficult for anyone to follow, before revealing his purpose.
“Lady Melania, have you completed the tracking magical tool?”
“Yes, it’s finished.”
As if she had been waiting for this question, Melania produced a small compass from her pocket.
It looked like an ordinary compass, but the moment she infused it with magic, its needle glowed blue and began pointing north.
“North…?”
“Yes. And it’s not even close by.”
The needle remained steadily fixed to the north—meaning the target was far away.
“Just to be sure… from this location, where are the Second Prince’s palace, the First Prince’s palace, and the Empress’s palace?”
“The Second Prince’s palace is to the west, and the First Prince’s and Empress’s palaces are to the east.”
So the fragment of Cecilia’s soul was not in any of those locations.
Cecilia must have contacted her magical vessel somewhere in the palace, yet the compass still pointed north.
The answer was obvious.
“You mentioned the Second Prince went on a northern expedition a few days ago.”
“Then… the Second Prince must have it?”
Melania nodded.
“It seems the Second Prince has Cecilia’s soul fragment.”
Roham looked confused.
“But isn’t it true that someone with a magical vessel cannot absorb another person’s vessel?”
“That’s correct. But I forgot one crucial detail.”
To be precise, what Cecilia lost wasn’t her magical vessel—it was the ‘soul fragment’ containing it.
“Vessels cannot mix. But soul fragments can merge with another person’s soul.”
“You mean… Cecilia’s fragment has merged with the Second Prince’s soul?”
“That is highly likely at this point.”
This explained how Cecilia had regained her power just by contacting Lionel.
“And are there any side effects?”
“Yes. If the soul merge is imperfect, any severe trauma to the Second Prince could dislodge or even destroy the fragment.”
In the worst case, Cecilia’s life could be at risk again.
Roham slapped his forehead.
“And now… the Second Prince is—”
“Yes. Up north, where monsters run rampant. It’s no surprise if he suffers a serious injury at any moment.”
Both Melania and Duke Roham sighed heavily.
“In that case… our priority is to ensure he remains unharmed.”
“Exactly.”
Roham rubbed his forehead, exhaling. There was no way to call back someone already appointed as Grand Commander… all they could do was provide full support to keep Lionel safe.
“Lady Melania, I have a request.”
“You mean a request for the Frost Mage Tower, not me personally, right?”
Melania clicked her tongue in response.
“As you know, Cecilia isn’t my only student. At this stage, I cannot say much.”
“At this stage…?”
Roham’s eyes gleamed.
As expected, the daughter resembled her father in her playful demeanor and her beautiful mother in appearance. No wonder the Roham family cherished Cecilia so dearly.
Melania shrugged, smiling knowingly at Roham.
“You’ll need a way to convince your students that heading north to fight monsters is a valuable opportunity.”
“Ah! I understand exactly what you mean.”
Roham smiled confidently and pounded his chest.
“That’s my specialty. Just leave it to me.”
The next day, rumors spread across the capital.
Word had it that a monster wave had struck the north, and Duke Roham, rushing to the capital, promised not to spare any support for the northern front.
And he pledged a staggering 10 billion gold coins—in pure gold!
“Is he insane? Ten billion gold coins? Whose dog is that?”
“Enough to cover a year’s budget for most estates, and in coins, not checks?”
That wasn’t all. He also declared that all magical stones mined from his estate would be donated to the tower until the monster wave ended.
Upon hearing this, the head of the Frost Mage Tower immediately announced sending their students north.
With such smooth coordination, the nobles were left scrambling.
