Adeline’s quarters were different from the other tents. The size inside matched what could be seen from outside. For some reason, it was an ordinary tent untouched by spatial magic.
In the front chamber stood a round table large enough for several people to sit around. Beyond a curtain seemed to be a private inner room.
Three Rebel executives, two representatives of the Dravergh Clan, and one human.
With a total of six people seated around the round table, the meeting began. Theo, acting as the Rebels’ strategist, led the discussion.
“Then let’s continue the explanation we couldn’t finish yesterday. King Laskar is currently researching forbidden magic.”
All eyes gathered on Theo as he stood and spoke with practiced familiarity. At the words “forbidden magic,” Varen and Morpha both narrowed their brows.
“The first is the complete brainwashing and control of monsters. However, as those here already know, it’s still incomplete. They succeeded in controlling consciousness and increasing attack power, but the subjects can’t understand their master’s commands.”
I let out a low groan and held my chin.
When we were trapped in Zed’s tower, Varen lost consciousness and burned the forest, and Ella tried to attack everyone she encountered.
As if recalling the same memory, Varen clenched his fist and his eyes gleamed. I noticed Noance idly twirling his baton and grabbed Varen’s hand.
Only after confirming Varen had calmed did Theo continue.
“The second is the creation of an army of death.”
At the figurative expression, I slightly raised my hand. Theo nodded, granting permission to speak.
“What do you mean by an army of death? A powerful army that can kill everyone?”
“No. An army that has overcome death.”
“Then what does that—”
“Simply put, it means creating an army that doesn’t die even after dying. We’d be fighting things like corpses.”
An army that doesn’t die even after death. And corpse-like beings.
As the two expressions connected, one person’s face surfaced in my mind.
Yellow hair that chased me even in a corpse’s body, unable to die even when it wanted to.
I clamped my mouth shut, face drained of color. My heart pounded wildly, and it felt as if all the blood was leaving my body.
Everyone in the tent stared at my reaction. But I couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.
“Ceryl, are you alright? Ceryl, Ceryl!”
Only after Varen grabbed both my shoulders and shook me did I snap out of the shock. I wiped my soaked forehead with my hand and clasped my trembling hands together.
Then Adeline, who had been quietly observing me, spoke.
“Seems you’ve seen it before. The army of death.”
Cold sweat ran past my temples and dripped beneath my chin. My jaw kept shaking, so instead of words only my teeth clattered.
Varen looked at me with a face full of worry. His hot hands kneaded my shoulder and hand, trying to calm me somehow.
I barely turned my stiff neck to face him. Then I forced out the name of the thorn lodged deep in my chest.
“Leobin....”
“.......”
“D-dead but not dying... a corpse’s... body....”
As if a faded memory finally lit up, Varen slightly parted his lips. He looked shocked as well, though less than me.
“What are you saying? You’ve already seen the army of death?”
Theo leaned over the table with both hands, sounding frustrated. I needed to explain, but reason had already been swept away by a flood of emotion.
So Varen spoke calmly in my place.
“Yes. We saw it in the forest.”
“That’s impossible. Even King Laskar hasn’t succeeded in that experiment yet.”
“A man with a body that was clearly dead chased us. Bones protruding, throat torn open, an arrow lodged in his neck, but he didn’t die. More precisely, he couldn’t die.”
“...Who on earth succeeded in such a horrifying experiment?”
This time Varen couldn’t answer easily. Instead, he looked at me with bitter eyes.
Everyone in the tent focused on me again. Their gazes urged me to speak.
I couldn’t bear to face the horrible reality with open eyes. I squeezed them shut and spoke in a dry voice.
“The Aylos... It happened in the House of Aylos.”
Even after giving the answer everyone waited for, silence fell over the tent. Each person seemed lost in thought.
I desperately clung to my composure. I gathered scattered bits of information I knew about Leobin and tried to find a link between that and King Laskar.
But what I knew was pitifully shallow.
That Leobin liked sandwiches and was a pure person who rejoiced over trivial gifts. That he handled horses well but had no talent for fishing. That was all.
“It’s okay, Ceryl.”
Noticing my confusion, Varen tightened his grip on my hand. Just the dragon’s higher body temperature holding my hand warmed my entire body.
Then Noance, who had remained silent until now, spoke.
“So we have to find Aylos. Funny how you say that like you’re not Aylos yourself.”
At his words I swallowed dryly. I emptied the cup Morpha handed me in one gulp. Cold, clear water—probably from a stream—washed through my muddled head.
Keeping as calm as possible, I explained to Adeline.
“...I am Aylos, but I don’t know much about the House of Aylos. A few months ago I had an accident and lost all my previous memories.”
It was the false alibi I always gave whenever someone asked about my identity.
There was suspicion but no proof, so unless someone could smell lies or see through sincerity, it was difficult to challenge it.
Adeline nodded with the same unchanged face. The way she let it pass without probing made me uneasy.
Then Theo, who had been thinking deeply, let out a low sigh.
“Whether it’s King Laskar or the House of Aylos, succeeding in creating an army of death is a very bad sign for us. We already lack manpower terribly.”
“There’s no helping it. Who would volunteer for an army that can’t even provide meals, let alone wages?”
Resting his chin on one hand, Noance answered in a mocking tone. Theo shot him a glare, but the Rebel leader only smiled gently.
I slowly inhaled and silently exhaled. Repeating quiet deep breaths, I tried to calm my pounding heart.
The truth behind the curse on Leobin still struck me with shock. My head throbbed and my stomach churned, but having sat at this table without qualification, I couldn’t disrupt the meeting.
As confusion stalled the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) discussion, Morpha spoke.
“What Dravergh needs is information on the king. And I assume the Rebels are already prepared.”
Theo answered.
“We already have several spies active inside the palace. But accessing core information isn’t easy. All of King Laskar’s close aides come from the Council of Elders.”
Information I actually knew appeared for once.
The Council of Elders assisting King Laskar was the true power of the kingdom. The group consisted of six houses dividing the nation’s authority equally.
That meant the only way to approach the king was to win over one of those six houses. Not an ordinary member, but someone important enough to meet the king directly—or someone serving such a person.
“The easiest to approach is the Astan family. They amassed wealth through trade, so they don’t strongly guard against strangers coming and going.”
“Ease of approach is meaningless. What matters is which house is closest to the king.”
“In that case... the Litmus family. They produce all of Alberian’s physicians and handle the king’s examinations. The only ones who can meet him alone. But security is correspondingly strict, making access difficult.”
The Rebels really had spread their influence ahead of time.
I tried to erase Leobin’s lingering image and recall the original story, but no matter how hard I tried, the name Litmus didn’t ring any memory.
Suddenly Morpha rose from the chair with a scraping sound, drawing everyone’s attention.
“My explanation wasn’t clear. What I need isn’t a spy to enter the royal palace. I need a stepping stone to approach the king.”
Smiling, Morpha instantly changed appearance. Where a tall man in his thirties had stood now stood a greasy middle-aged man with half-bald head and protruding belly.
Seeing Morpha’s ability for the first time, Noance and Theo gaped and stepped back.
Even Adeline seemed surprised this time, the corners of her lips twitching slightly.
“If you build me a bridge to approach the king, I will prepare the game pieces myself.”
