TFPW 12

Chapter 12

Priests with healing abilities were rare. Regardless of their origin, they were treated on par with nobles. And if the priest could not only treat wounds but also remove scars, they likely held a high rank in the temple. Yet, such a person had been summoned in the middle of the night and made to rush over without rest.

This meant that Duke Spes, like Regis, held significant power. Since she hadn’t even seen Regis’s shadow since leaving the prison, perhaps the duke possessed even more power than him.

The only difference was that Duke Spes still felt like someone on her side. Though that could change at any moment.

Eluana, who knew all too well how unpleasant it was to be at the mercy of those in power, resolved to apologize sincerely to the priest as she faced him.

‘Huh?’

The priest sitting at the table had his head drooped forward. Eluana’s eyes widened in alarm. At first, she thought he might have fainted, but soon she heard soft, steady breathing.

‘He’s asleep?’

He must have been truly exhausted after riding nonstop.

Eluana looked at the priest’s pale face—almost as if it had never seen sunlight—and then carefully stood up. She tiptoed out of the reception room and gently closed the door behind her.

She walked a few more cautious steps before straightening her back. Her body felt light, as if it could float away. Just being free from pain made the world seem more beautiful. The existence of a healing priest truly did seem like something blessed by the divine.

Come to think of it…

‘I never even asked his name.’

Eluana looked back at the reception room where the priest slept, then turned and headed to her room. On her way back, she spotted Duke Spes walking toward her. Golden hair, golden eyes, and gold-embroidered clothes—he looked like a walking gold coin.

“Good morning,” she greeted first.

“Did you receive treatment?”

“Thanks to your consideration, I’ve made a full recovery. Thank you.”

Her tone was a little distant.

“I was thinking of departing this afternoon. But if you’re tired, we can stay another day.”

Just as Eluana was about to respond, the bell from the clocktower outside the fortress began to ring. Once, twice, three times…

By the twelfth chime, Eluana’s body started to tremble.

“Ah…”

What’s happening to me?

Whenever the clock rang twelve times, the First Prince, Regis, used to come. But… he won’t be coming anymore. Even though she knew that logically, her body wouldn’t stop shaking.

Duke Spes noticed something was off and his golden eyes sharpened.

“Was the treatment not successful?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Speak freely. If the priest’s skill was lacking, I’ll summon another.”

“No, really, I’m fine. My back is completely healed.”

“Then what is it?”

“Well… when the clock rang twelve times, His Highness the Prince would come. So I was startled…”

Eluana’s voice trailed off. She felt ashamed to admit she was trembling out of fear of being beaten by the First Prince.

Even now, her body was shaking uncontrollably, like a leaf in the wind.

“…I see. It’s all right now.”

With a serious face, Duke Spes reached out a hand toward her, intending to offer comfort—but Eluana flinched and stepped back instinctively.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to avoid you…”

The duke awkwardly withdrew his hand.

“It’s fine. I just wanted to reassure you. How about a warm cup of tea?”

“Yes, that sounds nice. And I’d like to depart today.”

Eluana bowed slightly and passed by him. The duke’s head turned to follow her movements.

Eluana quickly retreated to her room like she was fleeing. Her now-smooth back bore no scars. But the wounds etched in her heart remained.

Duke Spes could do nothing but stand there, watching her retreating figure.

***

Kazhar saw the world a little differently from others. His vision was always filled with light, as he could see mana.

‘I can’t get used to this.’

After spending a few days in an area with low mana density, it now felt especially bright. But floating specks of light like these were the norm.

As he looked out the window, Kazhar spotted a teleportation gate shimmering among the floating lights. The fourth teleport gate, located in the empire’s western plains, stood in the middle of a vast meadow.

It had no outer walls—just a stone arch resembling a miniaturized version of the main immigration gate. Once you passed through it, you’d arrive in the heart of the capital as if by magic.

[May you be as free as the wind]

The second blessing, the “Teleportation Gate,” was a gift from a dragon to the first emperor, Cantio, who loved to travel. It was meant to encourage the emperor not to remain cooped up in the capital.

There were nine such gates evenly distributed to the north, south, east, and west of the empire. While currently only royals and high-ranking nobles could use them, they could also serve as military routes during emergencies, making them strategically vital.

As the carriage slowed down, Kazhar peered outside to check if they’d arrived—only to see five men standing in front of the gate.

‘Which family are they from?’

He watched them carefully because he saw mana gathering around them—all five were mages.

As far as Kazhar knew, no single noble house employed five mages. Judging by the light around them, each was at least a 3rd-circle mage.

Strangely, none of them wore the signature robes of a mage. These were people who would even sleep in their robes—so this had to be a disguise.

‘The Western Mage Tower, perhaps?’

That might also explain why mana density in Aden and its surroundings had been so low.

After dragons vanished from the world, magic declined significantly. Most mages died without even reaching the 1st circle. Very few could even cast a proper attack spell.

Thus, mages had to affiliate with towers based on their abilities.

• The Eastern Mage Tower was filled with 1st-2nd circle mages who made practical artifacts and operated more like a merchant group.

• The Northern Mage Tower had mages capable of simple attack spells. They operated in the north under Count Arcas’s protection, hunting monsters. Their spoils were sold to the Eastern Tower.

• The Western Mage Tower, however, was the problem.

Though it had fewer than 100 members, it housed a large number of 3rd-circle mages and was not to be trifled with. Declaring they would uphold the pride of magic, they carried out illegal experiments and bizarre behaviors.

They loaned research funds to fellow mages at high interest—and turned them into slaves when they couldn’t repay. Enslaved mages were often experimented on and used as raw material for artifacts.

They could get away with this because imperial law didn’t govern disputes between mages. “Matters between mages should be settled among themselves”—that was the customary rule.

As the carriage approached, the men spread out slightly, their wariness visible. Kazhar studied them silently from within the carriage.

The murmuring mages crossed the gate and disappeared. Kazhar memorized their faces before stepping out of the carriage.

“You can return now. Thank you.”

Monaf and the disguised escort knights bowed slightly toward him. Leaving them behind, Kazhar walked to the gate.

Recognizing him, a gatekeeper placed his right hand over his chest and shouted loudly:

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

“The men who just passed through—where were they from?”

“They had travel passes issued by the royal family.”

The royal family, huh?

“I thought I recognized them. Just wanted to check.”

Kazhar patted the man’s shoulder and crossed through the gate.

***

A carriage pulled by four horses rattled along a forest path. The green trees flew past outside. Just watching the landscape made Eluana feel motion sick. Her back and hips ached from the bumpy dirt road.

‘So uncomfortable.’

She turned her gaze to the interior of the carriage. The most uncomfortable thing of all was Duke Spes sitting across from her.

Since leaving prison, he hadn’t mentioned Ron Vita at all. He probably already knew the truth. Maybe it would be better to confess herself.

‘How will he react if I tell him the truth?’

She needed to understand what kind of person Duke Spes was. It would be nice if she could live comfortably with Louis at the duke’s estate, but the world was rarely that kind.

If things went wrong, she’d have to flee with Louis before they even arrived.

“Um…”

Eluana opened her mouth, and the duke’s gaze met hers.

“Speak.”

“…My father passed away last year. There was a carriage accident. He left behind some money, but not enough to last until I came of age.”

Her throat went dry as she began her confession. She swallowed hard.

“I made swords in his forge, but had no way to sell them. So… I used my father’s name to sell them. Not many merchants visit Aden—only about once per season—so it was easy to deceive them. And our neighbors helped, too.”

Seeing Eluana refer to Ron Vita so naturally as her father, the duke felt a bitter ache in his chest. He suppressed his emotions and replied evenly:

“You did well. You won’t need to worry about such things anymore.”

“O-oh… okay.”

She had expected him to scold her, call her reckless, or say it was illegal and not to be repeated.

She hadn’t expected comfort.

‘Why do I feel like crying?’

Not wanting her emotions to show, Eluana lowered her head and gently stroked Louis’s pink hair as he lay across her lap.

Though his fingers fidgeted, Louis didn’t open his eyes. Ever since getting on the carriage, he’d been pretending to sleep—probably because he felt awkward around the duke.

The duke’s golden eyes studied Eluana’s expression.

“Tired?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“And your back?”

“It doesn’t hurt at all. That priest was amazing. Even the scar on my hand is gone.”

“Good. That was worth it.”

The duke considered donating more to the Great Temple and added:

“We’ll arrive at the village soon. Once we switch carriages, the ride will be much more comfortable.”

“Okay.”

Another long silence followed. This time, the duke broke it.

“How much do you know about alchemy?”

“Turning things like leaves into gold?”

As soon as she said it, realization hit her. She had the potential for alchemy. If she learned properly, maybe she really could turn leaves into gold.

‘Oh my god, Dad… I think I’m going to be rich.’