Nagi’s heart pumped blood into his limbs. He was a commoner. His blood wasn’t special. Thus, nothing more came from this.
Unlike noble blood, he couldn’t turn it into a weapon.
Unlike noble blood, it didn’t grant him everlasting life.
Regardless, Nagi’s blood flowed through his body, granting his muscles strength. And with that strength, he could use the large knife clenched in his right hand to take a swing at the enemy before him.
The guard of the Forbidden Garden was a head taller than Nagi. His muscles were bulky and didn’t look well trained. He reminded Nagi of a beast of the forest that stockpiled fat so it could brave the winter. The movements of this guard were far duller than the prey Nagi had hunted many times before.
But the guard’s large build was a threat in itself. What’s more, his standardized equipment, consisting of a sword and buckler, was far superior to Nagi’s knife. Nagi was at a disadvantage just from the length of his weapon. He had a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back, but he didn’t have the leisure to ready a shot with it.
Furthermore, Nagi wasn’t used to fighting against people. He had never lost in a fight in his village up until now, but this was the first time he was fighting someone using a weapon. Above all else, however, Nagi was facing off against a noble.
Standing before the man, Nagi was but a hare in the presence of a lion. His heart quivered with fear. A commoner could never win against a noble... against a predator.
Even so, Nagi stepped forward. The guard likely never imagined a commoner would take a swing at him. The strike caught him off guard, and his shield didn’t make it in time. Nagi’s knife definitely tore through flesh.
Still, the guard didn’t panic. The corners of his lips rose into a sneer. The guard was a noble, whereas Nagi was a commoner. A blade wielded by a commoner meant nothing to a noble. Even if the blade itself could reach, there was no point.
Reality betrayed the guard’s disdain, however. Blood sprouted from the wound on his shoulder. His face was now colored with confusion and a far-too-late display of shock. He didn’t believe it. Nagi’s knife was large and sharp, but it was still nothing more than a blade wielded by a commoner. Even if cut by it, the guard’s noble body should’ve repaired the injury immediately. This was common knowledge.
But that common knowledge didn’t apply here. Nagi knew as much. It was the work of the Halahala that coated his knife. The guard’s shoulder tore apart, forcing him to drop his shield. The stiff sound of metal clanging against the hard floor rang in the air. After freezing up and standing there in a daze, the clang brought his consciousness back to reality.
He let out a meaningless scream. There was clear fear in his voice.
“Blood caliber? In the hands of a commoner? Impossible...”
The guard was unable to hide his agitation over the mystery of being dealt a wound by a commoner.
Nagi was also surprised by the effects of the poison. It seemed Keele had been telling the truth about its ability to wound nobles. Even though he was in the midst of battle, Nagi found himself remembering the past. He recalled why he had come to the Forbidden Garden in the first place.
A ghost had told Nagi about this place—the ghost of Nagi’s older brother, Keele. His brother was supposed to have died several years ago. The still-young Nagi hadn’t been told the reason at the time. He had only been told that Keele had died.
Thus, when Keele had secretly visited Nagi in the middle of the night a few days before the Blood Offering Festival, he’d thought it was definitely a ghost. Rumors of ghosts abounded. People claimed they saw some villager who was supposed to be dead, which became gossip among the children. Nagi didn’t believe the stories. He found such rumors to be rather irresponsible.
He wanted to believe an entirely different rumor altogether. It was a far more realistic rumor than ghosts, and a far more dangerous one at that.
Cobalt.
Just speaking of it could lead to imprisonment. Even though he knew this, Nagi couldn’t stop listening to gossip about Cobalt.
The brother before his eyes looked a bit strange for a ghost, but Nagi’s memory of him was a little vague. Keele’s sharp gaze turned even more severe, giving off the impression of a rock exposed to the elements. The one thing that remained unchanged about him was his dark-gray hair. It looked the same as in Nagi’s memories, but it was grown out, as if having it cut would’ve been too much trouble.
By contrast, his slender physique looked far smaller than Nagi remembered, but Nagi immediately realized that he was the one who had gotten taller. Nagi’s body had grown quite a bit over the last few years, but Keele still had half a head on him.
“So, there really are ghosts,” Nagi muttered.
“Don’t be stupid. I ain’t dead. I got kicked outta the village for certain reasons. It’s a pain to explain this kinda thing to kids, so they just make us out to be dead. If anyone happens to spot us alive and kicking, they just make a racket about us being ghosts.” Keele spoke as if it wasn’t his concern, then flashed a smile. “Hey, Nagi. I’ve got some juicy info for you.”
His brother’s expression made Nagi think this was what an actual ghost would look like. It was a wicked yet fascinating smile. Confronted with it yet again, Nagi remembered that he had gone through hell as a child many times over after being tricked by this exact smile.
“The Forbidden Garden. That’s apparently the name of the place. They call it a garden, but it’s actually a huge mansion. There’s a courtyard in the middle of it with a glass ceiling. You sneak in there, and you should be able to find the treasure right away.”
“And what exactly is this treasure?” Nagi asked hesitantly.
“Dunno.”
“What?”
“All I managed to get is a rough sketch of the building and word that they’ve got some crazy treasure there. Also, this Forbidden Garden is pretty much unguarded on the day of the Blood Offering Festival.”
“Isn’t that a little suspicious?”
Keele let out a snort. His behavior was clearly telling Nagi, “You’re as much of a wuss as ever.”
Nagi remembered now. He detested being laughed at by Keele. He really hated his brother. Keele had always made fun of Nagi, beaten him in fights, and trumped him in any and all arguments.
But the story his brother brought him now was strange. What was this treasure? Who had told Keele about this? Where had Keele been, and how had he survived after being exiled to begin with?
Keele looked ferocious. His slender body was radiating a new ferocity, as though he had to violently defend himself on a daily basis. He hadn’t had such an air about him before. That made things all the more suspicious.
If Nagi said anything about this, however, Keele would just make fun of him again. Nagi hated that idea, so instead he asked, “Why are you telling me? Can’t you just go do it yourself?”
“I’ve got things to do that day. I’d go if I could.”
Keele said no more of his obligations. Even if Nagi asked him, his brother would never tell. This man was full of secrets.
“So, say I go get this mystery treasure... What’s in it for me?”
“Oh, come on. You don’t need me to tell you that, do you? There’s definitely a treasure there. We can sell it and buy blood.”
The allure of blood had Nagi’s heart astir.
“I’ve heard people say you can buy blood in the capital,” Nagi said quietly.
“It’s true. Well, it apparently costs way more than the poor could ever hope to make, though.”
Nagi kept silent at this.
“How old are you now? Fourteen? Fifteen?” Keele whispered, pressing him for an answer. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. At that age, you can’t help but think about it, yeah? You don’t even have half your life to go. It’ll be over in less than ten years.”
Nagi didn’t reply. Keele’s words were so on the mark, they gouged at Nagi’s heart. His older brother was a talented man who knew everything about him. Keele’s behavior clearly demonstrated that he could easily read his little brother’s thoughts. Nagi hated this part of him. He had always hated this part of him.
“And how will I be able to tell what the treasure is?” Nagi spat, forcibly redirecting the conversation. “What if the treasure can’t be carried out of there?”
“I mean, in that case, you can just steal whatever looks valuable. You listening? We’re never gonna get another chance like this. The security around this garden is only gonna thin out on the day of the Blood Offering Festival.”
“Why?”
“The haves are gonna be just as busy as the have-nots. Even though they’re nobles, they ain’t no different. They gotta go to the ritual held at the royal palace for the Blood Offering Festival. Being able to meet and greet the bigwigs who gather there can change their long lives. Nobody wants to draw the short straw of guarding some treasure in the middle of a forest on a day like that. So, only one guard gets left behind while everyone else ditches work and goes to the palace. Nothing’s happened there for decades, maybe even centuries. Who’d think a thief would sneak into a place like that? The one guard left isn’t gonna be paying attention. It’ll be a cinch... so long as you have this.”