The imperial family, once revered, was now largely regarded as a shadow of its former self.
Yet, it was the very dynasty that had once established "Eda," the greatest nation in the world. Members of this family were known for their exceptional talents, rivaling even the Ragnar family, and were often born with extraordinary abilities.
One of these abilities was *future sight*, a rare trait that allowed glimpses into upcoming events. This incredible gift was encoded in their bloodline.
However, as generations passed, the bloodline weakened, and with it, the clarity of future visions diminished, until most descendants couldn’t see anything at all.
Yet now, after several decades, a new royal child had been born with the rare ability to clearly foresee the future.
This child was a girl, only around nine years old.
But there was one crucial issue with her.
"She’s an illegitimate child, born to a distant relative of the former emperor with a woman from a brothel."
The imperial family didn’t even acknowledge her existence as one of their own. She was considered the lowest of the low in terms of lineage, and almost no one knew of her existence.
Even her biological father was unaware of her.
"She lived in poverty in a brothel, oblivious to her lineage, until a visit from Troivan brought it to her attention."
Her mother had kept her parentage a secret, fearing the imperial family might harm her for carrying "tainted" blood.
But Troivan discovered her first and took her under their protection, exploiting her abilities for their own gain.
"Eventually, after Troivan’s downfall, she wandered from place to place and was forcibly placed on the throne as the empire crumbled around her...."
She was a woman born to a tragic fate.
Regardless of her talents and abilities, she spent her life as a puppet for ambitious power players.
"And Ragnar already suspects her whereabouts?"
Perhaps the accelerated timeline of the war with Troivan was responsible.
The crucial point, however, was that Ragnar’s intelligence network had located her.
Theo had also planned to request assistance from the Black Snow agency to locate Kassandra upon his return, so this development worked out well for him.
"Where is she located?" he asked.
Selpard responded simply.
"Priamos."
Theo's eyes flashed at the mention of the name.
It was a city within Troivan's territory.
* * *
"So, you’re leaving now?"
"Yes. Thank you for everything."
"It is we who should thank you. You helped us protect our homeland."
Vittorio and the *Knights of Kriemhilt* had come to the port to bid farewell to Theo and his team.
"We’ll keep in touch about the joint company for anything significant."
"Please take care of it."
With brief goodbyes, Theo and his team boarded the ship. Upon reaching the continent, they took a mage train, disguising themselves to avoid detection while traveling through Troivan territory.
"Today, you’re wearing the clothes Lady Cecilia gifted you?" Selpard gave Theo an approving thumbs-up upon noticing his attire.
Theo rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Does it... look alright?"
"Of course! You look refined. The outfit is white, but it’s far from the look of the White Armor Brigade uniform. You look like a young nobleman—elegant and wealthy. I’m envious. Wish I had a mother like that."
Theo’s cheeks flushed.
"I’ve never seen anything like it."
"This was a joint gift from Lady Cecilia and Lady Mae Blossom," he explained. "It’s this season’s top release from *High Theodor*."
"Oh! With both of their refined tastes, that makes perfect sense."
Arin, inspecting Theo from head to toe, grinned mischievously.
"Hey, can you get me a friend’s discount or something?"
"I’ll see what I can arrange."
"Yes!" Arin clenched her fist triumphantly, while Theo turned to see Rey tugging at his sleeve, looking up at him with bright eyes.
"..."
She didn’t say a word, but her expression made it very clear what she was hoping for.
Theo chuckled, unable to help himself.
"Alright. I’ll talk to them for you as well."
But she shook her head.
"Huh? Then...?"
"...?"
"...?"
"Oh! Of course, I’ll mention something for Lady Sunseok as well. You two would look lovely in matching outfits!"
At that, Rey let go of his sleeve, smiling contentedly.
*Skree! Skree!*
Umbra, their shadow companion, wriggled around as if wanting to join the conversation.
"You too?"
*Skree!*
"No way."
*Skree skree skree?*
Umbra protested, jumping up and down.
"Do you have any idea how big you are now?"
*Keeee!*
"And as a friend, shouldn’t you do this for me?"
*Kekeke! Keeee!*
"Fine, I’ll consider it for now."
*Keeee!*
Theo couldn’t hold back his laughter at Umbra’s indignant complaints.
Just as he was about to give in...
"Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! Get down from there!"
"Please! Let us board as well! We can’t survive here any longer!"
"Get out of here! You know where this is!"
Outside the window of their first-class carriage, a scuffle had broken out. A group of impoverished people was trying to board the mage train, only to be driven back by staff members.
*Thwack! Thwack!*
The train staff swung batons, desperately trying to push the people away, but the sheer number of desperate faces clinging to the doors made it nearly impossible.
"This won’t do! Tell the conductor to depart immediately!"
"But if we do that, people will fall off!"
"Are those beggars more important? We’re at risk of losing control of the train!"
"Understood!"
After several moments of chaos, the train let out a loud whistle and began to move.
*Woo-woo—*
"No! Noooo!"
"Please! Take us with you!"
"Aaagh!"
Despite the cries and pleas, the mage train continued on, leaving the station.
Most people fell dangerously onto the tracks, but a few managed to cling on, only to be detained or precariously dangling from the sides.
"What on earth is going on?"
Arin's eyes widened at the sight.
Selpard grimaced, and Rey looked up at Theo in silence.
Theo sighed deeply.
"It seems last year’s poor harvest and famine were worse than expected."
"I’d only heard about it, but I had no idea it was this dire."
For several years, severe drought had plagued the empire, leading to an influx of impoverished people everywhere.
Industrial cities benefited from cheap labor, but rural areas had been devastated.
This was one of the main causes of the *Great Turmoil*.
*Rrrrk.*
"Pardon us. We apologize for the disturbance and assure you this won’t happen again."
A weary conductor entered, bowing to the passengers, indicating that complaints had been numerous.
Arin asked, "They appeared to be destitute people. What will be done with them?"
"They’ve all been detained and will be handed over to the guards at the next station."
"Understood. Thank you."
With another apology, the conductor moved on to the next car.
"The famine is worse the further inland we go. We may see more situations like this," Selpard remarked, sighing.
A somber atmosphere settled over the group.
"..."
Theo looked down at his clothes.
A pristine, spotless white outfit.
Meanwhile, the destitute people outside wore ragged, dirty clothes, unable to even properly bathe.
The contrast weighed on him.
"Don’t even think about it."
Theo’s thoughts were interrupted as he looked up to see Selpard staring at him, his gaze serious.
"You are you, and they are them. Unless you plan to take in every destitute person, don’t get involved. The mission comes first."
"Yes, I understand."
Theo nodded heavily.
The *Great Turmoil* was an unstoppable force in history.
Even if he intervened, he doubted anything would change.
In fact, he knew it was best not to interfere with history’s main events if possible.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling as he continued to fidget with his sleeve.
* * *
"The next stop is Priamos Station. Please be cautious when disembarking...."
Theo and his team slowly stepped off the mage train.
A cold wind cut across their faces, and a barren landscape greeted them.
"Nothing’s different here, either."
The area around Priamos Station was just as bleak as the view from the train.
Bare branches.
Empty fields.
Abandoned houses.
And a crowd of destitute people around the station.
"Spare a coin, kind sir!"
"I have starving children at home. Please, have mercy...!"
"This isn’t a good place to stay. Let’s move quickly."
The group followed Selpard, who led the way through the city, which looked even more desolate from within.
No smoke rose from chimneys anywhere.
"Our target is in a small village on the outskirts of the city. Let’s head there."
Despite his best efforts to stay composed, Selpard’s voice grew heavy as they proceeded.
However, the village they arrived at...
"..."
"..."
"...What should we do?"
...was nothing but ashes.
It seemed a large fire had swept through, leaving the already desolate village as a ghost town.
Selpard rubbed his forehead.
They would have to inquire about the target’s whereabouts, but he worried that attracting too much attention could be dangerous in Troivan’s territory.
The mission was to "secretly" escort the target back
to Winterra, after all.
And they were deep in enemy territory.
Any slip-up could jeopardize their mission...
"It seems something has happened here," Theo remarked, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed the area.
"What do you mean?"
"They tried to cover their tracks, but this fire appears to have been deliberate. I can also see signs of looting."
"What?"
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.
Theo brushed aside the charred ground, revealing dozens of hurried footprints and large patches of dried blood.
"It looks like there was an abduction, about one to three hours ago."
Selpard's eyes widened.
"Troivan! They can’t have gone far. Let’s pursue them."
Just then, a familiar chime echoed.
*Ding!*
[A quest has arrived.]
+
**[Scenario Quest #5]**
The prophet who peers into time does not align well with one who defies it. Secure her and prepare for potential dangers.
- Difficulty: A+
- Reward: Clues to *The Secret of Time*
- Failure: Death
+
*"Potential dangers?"*