CHAPTER 115
Twenty years ago, on an autumn night. Mount École.
A white moon was obscured by twin black moons in the dark night sky.
A single beam of light shone like a mirage through the sky, where even the stars had hidden behind the clouds.
The light pierced through the waterfall, cascading down a steep cliff, and ascended into the sky.
A faint buzzing sound was carried on the wind through the silent, deserted mountain, where not even the hoot of an owl could be heard.
Along the riverbank, where the waterfall continued, flames erupted, gradually growing larger.
A circular portal appeared, revealing a scene within the circle completely different from the surrounding mountain landscape.
Snap.
A foot stepped out of the portal and broke a twig on the ground.
A tall, slender man with long silver hair appeared, holding a camellia cane that reached his shoulder in one hand and a fluffy white rabbit in the other.
When the man bent down to place the rabbit on the ground, the rabbit's body emitted a golden light and instantly transformed into a boy.
The boy, who looked to be in his late teens and was quite handsome, scratched his head in embarrassment.
He had almost been sucked into the dark void that formed in the spatial rift due to his depleted energy during the teleportation.
If his master hadn’t been there to assist with the transformation...
The thought alone was horrifying, causing Beryl to shake his head.
“Thank you, Master. I was confident I could do it alone this time...”
“You nearly reached your destination this time without expending all your energy. You were halfway successful, so don't be too disappointed,” said his master, Esperel, making Beryl's nose tingle with emotion.
“Yes. I will succeed next time,” Beryl replied resolutely.
Startled by his loud voice, birds took flight from the trees above.
The two elves quickly crossed the river toward the glowing waterfall.
As they moved behind the falling water, a small cave formed by gaps between the rocks appeared before them.
Inside the cave, Esperel tilted his cane slightly.
Vines began to grow and spread outwards from the cave, eventually sealing the entrance tightly.
Once the light flowing from the cave was thoroughly blocked, the thin beam that had illuminated the sky vanished.
***
“The light has disappeared!”
“What’s going on? Find it, quickly!”
Find it? It was like trying to find a deer that had hidden in the forest underbrush from a hunter.
The light that had led them here had vanished without a trace—how were they supposed to find it now?
The men on horseback blinked in confusion.
Gradually, the white moon, which had been obscured by the black moons, began to reveal its round and serene form.
The thick clouds parted, revealing countless stars decorating the night sky.
With the moon and stars now competing to shine, it became even more impossible to find the light that had leaked from the mountain.
The half-dozen men who had been riding non-stop along the rough mountain path halted their reins.
Their plain black robes, devoid of any embellishments, and their horses without any identifying banners suggested they were hiding their identities.
Despite their ordinary appearance, their aura, horsemanship, and disciplined movements were unmistakable.
They were clearly knights on a covert reconnaissance mission.
“It seems the elves... have arrived first,” came the grating voice of the witch Vessilica, her tone always grating on their nerves.
Her eyes, tinged with blood-red, glared sharply at her.
Vessilica, who had been clinging to the knight’s back, flinched and hunched her shoulders.
“Tell me. How can we find it?”
King Kerjo of Raikanor drew his sword and held it to the witch’s throat.
“You must fulfill the task for which you took in thirty orphans. Otherwise, you won't leave here alive.”
“I have already fulfilled my promise, Your Majesty. Didn’t I inform you of the existence of the Lumen Savior in the Heltered Empire? It was because of me that you came this far.”
“Do you think I don’t know what experiments you’re conducting with those orphans? That crime alone is enough to execute you right now. Stop stalling and find the light of the Lumen Savior!”
As the blade of Kerjo’s sword pressed closer to her wrinkled neck, Vessilica’s lips twisted.
“Give me... give me some time, and I will find it.”
Kerjo signaled the knight who had been holding her.
The knight dismounted and roughly dragged the old witch to the ground.
“Just... please wait a moment.”
Vessilica knelt on the ground and began to dig through the weeds and moss.
The king and his knights encircled her, their horses forming a tight barrier around her hunched back.
In the barren southern territory of the Heltered Empire, considered abandoned land, they sought the Lumen Savior.
The witch had promised that the Lumen Savior could be found in Mount École of the Tudor Mountains, in exchange for thirty orphans.
Two days ago, King Kerjo of Raikanor and his elite knights had secretly infiltrated the Heltered Empire with the witch.
“Don’t even think about trying anything foolish. We will take your head right here,” the captain of the guard said coldly, making the witch bow her head.
“Don’t worry. When the moonlight shines here, we will know the location of the Lumen Savior. The moon is almost here, so please wait a little longer.”
King Kerjo looked up at the night sky, trying to calm his anger.
Uncontrollable heat inside him began to dominate his senses.
The light was very close.
He had been so delighted, thinking it was within his grasp.
But now, just as he had let the prey slip from his hands, anger surged within him.
He hadn’t imagined that the damned curse would manifest.
Fifteen hundred years ago, the curse had brought down the Velkenheim Kingdom, the cradle of the Raikanor Kingdom.
A wolf's blood had tainted the lineage destined for Velkenheim's throne.
When Velkenheim disappeared from the continent, a millennium later, it was reborn as Raikanor, a small island nation, meaning "land of the wolf."
Unlike the other two kingdoms that shared the curse, the Raikanor royal family did not hide the tragedy of the curse.
After establishing the kingdom, Raikanor maintained a closed policy until Kerjo ascended the throne, ushering in rapid changes.
He expanded the territory by conquering nearby islands and opening ports to encourage trade and interaction with other nations.
Under King Kerjo and his three sons, who dreamed of restoring Velkenheim's glory, the Raikanor Kingdom thrived daily.
Then came the forgotten curse.
They had ignored the line in the curse: "The curse will manifest in the bloodline of the royal family that brings the greatest prosperity."
They had thought the curse disappeared with Velkenheim's fall, but they hadn’t realized it would persist as long as Velkenheim’s bloodline continued.
Even worse, the curse had manifested not only in King Kerjo but also in his three sons.
They had to find the Lumen Savior by any means necessary.
His light was the only hope for the royal family and the kingdom.
How much time had passed?
The full moon's light passed over the king’s head and shone on the witch's disheveled head.
“It’s here. Just a bit longer, please wait,” came the witch’s chilling voice, spreading across the ground.
As the moonlight touched the spot where the witch’s hand rested,
Shiiiiing,
The earth, stripped of grass and moss, vibrated shallowly.
Hiiiiing.
The sudden tremor caused the horses to rear, pawing at the ground with their hooves.
The ground beneath them formed a small circle and began to sink.
“Now! Look up at the sky!” the witch cried out, and the king and his knights looked up simultaneously.
“Kikikiki. Fools! How dare you threaten me? Try finding the Lumen Savior’s light on your own! You’ll never find it! Hahahaha…”
In their downward gaze, the witch was nowhere to be seen.
Only her dirty heels were visible before quickly vanishing into the ground.
The knights dismounted and frantically dug at the earth, but it was futile.
The ground, where the witch had disappeared, returned to its normal state as if nothing had happened.
“Aaaargh!”
Kerjo, unable to contain his fury, jumped off his horse and thrust his sword into the ground.
His hood fell, revealing a face twisted into a hideous beastly form.
The shadow cast on the ground resembled a wolf rather than a man.
In his frenzy, the king's vision caught sight of his loyal knights.
His yellow eyes glowed blood-red with cruelty.
Suddenly,
“Graaaargh!”
Kerjo’s body sprang up, baring sharp fangs.
No longer could the sound of breathing be heard in the forest.
***
Inside the cave behind the waterfall.
“Who, who’s there?”
A trembling voice echoed, startled by the unfamiliar presence at the cave entrance.
Esperel lightly tapped his cane on the ground, and a soft white light emerged, illuminating the surroundings.
As the light revealed the interior of the cave, two women were seen by the dying fire.
One lay on an old blanket, clearly in great pain.
Next to her, another woman of the same age gazed at the unfamiliar figures.
Her large, hazel eyes were filled with fear and sorrow.
She clutched a small bundle even closer to her chest as if to protect it.
A tiny hand peeked out from the tattered blanket, wiggling slightly.
“Already… born?” Beryl couldn’t hold back his voice.
The woman holding the newborn baby was startled and scooted back on her bottom.
But she didn’t let go of the hand she was holding, in fact, she gripped it tighter.
Esperel stopped walking and spoke.
“Do not be afraid. We are here to help you.”
Meeting her wavering gaze kindly, Esperel opened his palm.
A silver light formed into a ball above his hand and floated towards the women.
As the light approached, Elenya’s expression gradually softened with relief.
The light within her was responding.
It told her that these strangers were not lying.
It was a light she hadn’t felt from humans.
Nor was it from the animals she communicated with.
“Elves,” Esperel said quietly, as if reading her thoughts.
“We are those who survived in nature, protected by the Lumen Saviors of old.”
Elenya’s round eyes widened as much as they could.
Her pure eyes, incapable of deceit, wavered uncontrollably.
She and her twin sister had lived hiding the fact that they were Lumen Saviors.
She looked down at her daughter, who was babbling and nestling into her chest.
The light within her told her that these elves wouldn’t harm them.
But still…
Her mind, in turmoil, made her lower her head.
“Aaaah... Elenya... the baby, the baby…”
Kisha, who was lying on the ground, twisted her body, clutching her swollen belly.
Her desperate voice seeped through her pain-twisted lips.
“Sister, the baby... is in danger... save my baby…”
At that moment, Arabelle began to cry softly in Elenya’s arms.
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