Adrian sat still as a Healer-type mage from the Lions Hunt C Guild worked on him.
"You're all patched up now," she said, rising to her feet. But instead of leaving, she just stood there, staring.
"What is it?" Adrian asked. Wasn't her job to heal him?
"Well—it's nothing. You just remind me of someone." She shook her head, golden hair swaying, and walked away.
Adrian's eyes lingered on her back until she vanished from sight.
Dusting himself off, he headed for the Count. Two lords were absent—Lord Janesburgh and Lady Wiverton.
"How many casualties?" His voice carried a thin thread of fear. Any dead lord could throw Uthean into chaos.
"So far… we've lost two lords, and over a hundred other nobles." Lord Osborne's sigh seemed to carry the weight of a dying nation.
"Isn't the pure-blood noble population only seven hundred?"
As the twin blue moons rose and the chaos settled, Adrian found himself in his voiture.
'Though I am rather sad Axel didn't die as well,' Adrian sighed. 'It only means I can torture him myself now.'
Chris looked at Adrian in silence.
The knight's code: abhor evil, uphold justice. Serving Adrian, he had broken it more times than he could count. Was he even still a knight?
"Hahaha…" Adrian's laughter broke the quiet—loud, unrestrained, teetering on the edge of madness. Was he insane? No. But was it wrong to feel joy at his accomplishment? Chris's fists clenched, nails digging into his palms.
Adrian pulled out his Excel and dialed. "Shadow, you did good." He smiled.
Shadow's voice came flat and unfeeling, impossible to pin to a man or woman. "When you need me for anything else, just call."
Adrian nodded and hung up.
"Is there a problem, Chris?"
"No."
Adrian turned to the window. Uthean was no longer the utopia it once was. The further from the central region, the more the rot showed. Uthean was trying to recover—but would Adrian let it?
Two Months Later — Present Day
Outside the Divine Court, a woman in a white cloak stood before the great doors.
Crank.
The hinges groaned as the doors opened.
"Your Excellency," the bishop bowed.
"This county is a mess," she said, glancing toward the bustling Hunters' Guild. "Prepare a bath for me." She removed her cloak, golden hair spilling over her shoulders. If Adrian saw her, he would recognize her instantly. "Also… I'll handle all matters here."
The Oracle's nun, Seline, had arrived.
The Divine Temple
"I've finally pinpointed the kingdom he's in," the Oracle murmured, opening her eyes from meditation. She wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Oh, thank Ursla." Her relief faded into a frown. "That's… a problem."
She squinted at the parchment in her hands.
"Westeria?"
The empire was vast—searching might take far too long.