“These blades carry an ancient curse,” Sierra explained. “One filled with a holy magic quite effective against those with evil aims.”
The roots that had tried to assault the group lay lifelessly on the half-destroyed balcony, now nothing more than a pile of ordinary plants.
“I see... Especially after witnessing you save us with that power of yours.” Silverd said, expressing gratitude to Sierra.
“Not exactly, Your Majesty,” the elf replied.
“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“While I’m not completely sure of it just yet, I suspect that the item in Lady Krone’s hand saved you.”
“This...item?” Krone asked as she held up her hand.
“Precisely,” Sierra nodded. “But it’s best if we move elsewhere before I explain myself further.”
Krone borrowed Sierra’s hand to stand up. The young lady had twisted her ankle and an intense pain shot through her body, but the splitting headache that followed drowned out any other pain she felt.
“Ouch...” Krone winced.
She just managed to stand up, but she almost buried her head in her hands due to the sheer torture. She could barely make out Sierra’s and Silverd’s worried voices; they were so faint, as if they were out in the distance.
“Lady Krone!”
“What’s wrong, Krone! Can you answer me?”
Instead, a different voice entered Krone’s head to relieve her of her agonizing headache.
✦ ✦ ✦
When Krone came to, she was curiously no longer on the balcony. She noticed a few changes in the decor, but she found herself in what appeared to be a corner of Silverd’s room. She tried to move, but quickly realized that she couldn’t move her legs or turn her head to look around. Barely managing to maintain her composure, Krone noticed a man and a woman nearby.
The man sat up in bed as the woman noticed that he’d regained consciousness.
“I feel sluggish from sleeping for so long,” the man said. “Could I go outside and swing my blade around, just a little?”
“If you want my permission, you better speak to the citizens next month,” the woman replied.
For a moment, Krone thought that the man’s voice belonged to Ein, and that the woman’s tone was hers. She was shocked by the stark similarities in their voices; however, the bed’s canopy obscured the couple’s faces.
“Next month? Next month, huh...” the man muttered.
“Good grief!” the woman cried. “Why are you hesitating?”
“Sorry. It’s just that...I don’t think I can last a month.”
There was a tone of resignation in the man’s voice as he petted the woman’s head. She, in turn, buried her face in his chest as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her body trembled as she wept.
“Is there...nothing we can do?” she asked.
“Nothing at all,” he replied.
“It’s because I—we—let you fight all by yourself!”
“No. I believe I am simply the one who was supposed to fight.”
She raised her tear-filled face. “Is there anything you’d like to do?”
He thought for a moment before he smiled. “I’d like to spend my last days in my hometown.”
She said not a word and nodded.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Lady Krone!” Sierra shouted.
“Huh? What just...” Krone muttered.
When the young advisor came to, she found herself lying in one of the castle’s many bedrooms, without a vine to be seen. A worried Sierra sat at Krone’s bedside and helped her sit up. Krone looked out a nearby window and spotted the warships still out at sea, but she noticed the water’s surface had returned to its natural calm and tranquil state.
“I’m truly glad to see that you’re safe,” Silverd said as he rushed to stand by her side, looking visibly relieved. “You gave me quite the scare.”
“Quite right. I’m so glad,” Sierra added.
“What have I...” Krone trailed off.
“You’ve been unconscious for about an hour,” Silverd replied.
“I’m terribly so— W-Wait! The leather bag! Would you know where it is?” She called out after noticing her good luck charm was gone.
Sierra quickly pointed to the bedside table.
“It’s right here, Lady Krone,” Sierra said kindly.
The bag sat atop a wooden tray, and when Krone reached out, she clutched the bag tightly. Silverd and Sierra exchanged a glance.
“Pardon me, but I looked inside the bag,” Sierra said.
“I don’t mind,” Krone replied. “I received this from Lady Mist—I mean, a very special someone. However, I have no idea whom that magic stone belongs to.”
“Lady Misty? You mean...”
Krone realized that Sierra probably didn’t know about the Elder Lich and rephrased her wording. However, she soon realized that her display of consideration was completely unnecessary.
“She’s the person I told you about,” Silverd said. “Lady Misty, the Elder Lich, is the first king’s mother.”
This implied that he’d filled Sierra in on the details of Ein’s rampage as well.
“Are you sure about telling her that?” Krone asked.
“I had to,” Silverd replied. “Because the good luck charm you’ve got in your hands is actually—”
“If you don’t mind, can I take over from here, Your Majesty?” Sierra inquired. She grabbed a round chair and sat beside the bed. “The stone within that bag has been in Syth Mill since ancient times. And considering that it had been kept in the chief’s quarters, only she and myself should’ve been aware of its existence.”
“This stone must be very precious then...” Krone murmured.
“I believe so. But to tell you the truth, I’m not sure whose magic stone it is either. The chief said that she’d tell me the truth when the time came for me to succeed her.”
“Then why did Lady Misty have it?”
“Indeed. That puzzled me.”
“I was confused as well,” Silverd added. “I can’t possibly imagine Lady Misty as a thief, and it’s impossible for the chief to have lost such a valuable and precious stone.”
“And so, His Majesty and I have reached a conclusion,” Sierra said confidently. “The chief must’ve given it to the crown prince without informing me.”
It was then that Krone recalled her last interaction with Misty. The Elder Lich had handed Krone the bag and said, “Here’s a new good luck charm for you. I was in Ein’s room before I came here and— Whoops. Forget what I said.”
If the chief had really given the stone to Ein, and Misty had taken it from his room, it all made sense.
“And it’s that very stone that stopped His Highness’s rampage,” Sierra said.
Krone had assumed as much. When the elf had arrived to offer her aid, she’d mentioned that Krone’s lucky charm had fended off the roots and vines for a short amount of time.
“Putting aside any petty grievances I have with the chief for keeping me out of the loop, it seems that the stone can keep His Highness from running wild,” Sierra explained. But she soon spoke of her suspicions. “However, that stone had been kept wrapped in a special silk woven with magical energy from our holy grounds. Without the cloth’s protection, anyone who touches it would have their body eaten away—it possesses a very special power. And yet, Lady Krone, you seem completely fine touching it. That’s very peculiar to me.”
“Perhaps it’s because this leather bag was made by Lady Misty,” Krone reasoned.
Sierra shook her head. “That leather bag is a normal bag, and nothing more. It’s well tanned, but that’s all.”
“What?”
“Neither Sierra nor I could handle the bag,” Silverd explained. “In fact, merely touching it made us feel sick.”
“It’s true,” Sierra said. “I had a few of our warriors and some of your Ishtarican knights touch the bag, but not one of them could safely move it.”
“Indeed. We only managed to carry it here thanks to one of Majorica’s special magical tools. However, the implement quickly hit its limit and broke down.”
And yet, Krone had managed to store such a potent item in her chest pocket. She clutched the bag with both hands, but her present company could hardly stomach it. They looked at Krone suspiciously as she held the stone without succumbing to any adverse effects. It led Krone to reach a certain conclusion.
Sierra said that I could suppress Ein’s rampage, Krone thought. And it seems only that I can use this power. Maybe there is something that I can do for Ein. The feeling that filled her heart was impossibly minuscule and feeble, but it was there—hope. Her heart pounded with excitement.