Dame Catherine of Leonhart,
I am penning this forthwith receiving your delightful news. Words itself would be deemed incapable of expressing just how grateful I am to you! Once again, I would like to extend my greatest gratitude for your generous heart. The roses that came with this letter might be insignificant compared to the kindness you had shown me, but do regard it as a small token of appreciation.
"Small? Which part of it is small? Also, since when does she knows of my name?"
Despite being the main purpose of the delivery, the letter looks like a side gift being tucked in a large bouquet of roses. Each one of them bloomed so beautifully that I thought it might be fake, had it not be for its amazing fragrance. The size of the bouquet is so grand that I feel like hugging a person! Not to mention that there's not a single thorn on its stem, how thoughtful!
Pardon my previous gracelessness for having been faulty in requesting your favour, not being able to share the whole story of mine. The very subject had affected me in more ways than one, intervening with my own thoughts. A letter might be improper as a medium but time had urged me to make haste.
The person I spoke of before was the second son of Baron Willowfield, Noah Willowfield. The man is currently bedridden while his health has been deteriorating. We had called upon many healers of water attribute, yet his condition does not seem to get any better. One of them even suggested that the cause might not be of an ordinary poison, but something extracted from dark magic.
The letter continued for another page, expressing her concerns before thanking me again multiple times.
"Dark magic, huh? Didn't expect something like that would appear after the Scourge. How cliché of a fantasy world," I muttered to myself.
According to the novel, appearance of dark attribute itself is very rare. Even if there were any, the wielder will be hunted to death without mercy. Their existence soon be thought as insignificant, seeing that it had ceased to exist. Even in the novel, it had only been mentioned in a passing.
However, there is one more way to create it artificially which is by no doubt,"The human sacrificial ritual...." I felt a chill down my spine when that thought crossed my mind.
*Shit, I'd prefer slaying monsters over this type of thing!*
I brought the letter over to Lucius' office, wishing to share only the main part of it. I was a bit hesitant since this simple gesture towards the princess may unravel an unwanted truth. Despite feeling the dread of it, I still wished that Lucius won't turn his back on the issue.
"Um…ehem…the letter from the princess arrived."
Seeing my anxious state, the sharp-sensed Lucius immediately caught on. "…is there a problem with it?"
"Well…nothing, really…," my voice trailed off while my hand involuntarily reached for my right ear. "We're healing the second son of Baron Willowfield. I'm guessing that he is the princess' lover or some sort. And, uh….that's pretty much of it, yeah!"
Lucius squinted his eyes in doubt, his index finger began rapping on the table. Had it been in the other world, I'd think of him as an interrogatory policeman!
"That's not all, is it?" he asked.
As he locked his gaze on me, I tried not to confess despite the pressure. However, knowing that he is the pivotal figure in this favour, I finally relented.
"They are suggesting the involvement of dark magic in this matter," I sighed. "After giving it some thought, I believe such is a possibility, after all. Knowing that power had been roaming freely is truly disturbing."
"Dark magic?" Lucius repeated.
"Yes, seeing how water attributes aren't helping…."
Albeit his always composed tone, I could see his gradually seething gaze at the mention. Vein popped on his temple as he gritted his jaw in fury. He looks so infuriated that his face became flushed red.
*Good heavens, he's scary!* I cried out in my heart.
He's never been this pissed even after I called him names. I suppose he despises dark magic that much. Probably got some nasty memories with one. I mean, he did fought with the demon king back then.
"Let's go to the barony tomorrow."
"Huh? So suddenly?"
"Let's check whether it's really dark magic or not. If it's true…we'll find whoever responsible for it."
Lucius stood up from his chair, putting on his coat. As if lost in a trance, he strode towards the door without a word.
Only when he passed me did he spoke,"You're off now. We'll go to the Willowfield in the morning."
"Ah, alright…."
When I looked at him closely, I realised that it's not only pure anger that he's radiating, but also a hint of…sadness. After receiving my response, he proceeded to leave the office as if in a hurry. Being left alone, my eyes trailed on him until he's out of sight.
Once I am back in my room, I slumped onto my unmade bed, going through the previous event. The sadness in Lucius' eyes….it somehow resonated with me.
"Ugh…how bothersome," I grunted against the pillow.
Something like a dark magic really just had to emerge out of nowhere. It would be such a hassle if we ever got involved. However, Lucius seemed like he won't be backing off now. Why did he got so fired up over it? To top it off, it's not even in his territory.
It might sound irresponsible of me but I was just hoping for him to heal the man and that's it. Didn't expect him to pursue it further. Maybe because he's a light attribute so he got extra sensitive over it?
"Hah….I don't like where this is going!"
Out of mixed emotions of frustration and anxiety, I was extremely restless. I paced around, punched the pillow, got down and do push-ups, but none of those worked to ease my raging thoughts.
*You brought it upon yourself,* entity scoffed.
"I suppose you're right….but only for this once," I sighed.
That night, I didn't even get a proper sleep. It was the longest slumber I ever felt, but failed to ease my worries. Contrary, it was taking a toll on me mentally, as if having a sleep paralysis, but only on my mind. Perhaps due to my crumbling mental barrier, yet another peculiar dream appeared.
"KILL HER!" Someone yelled.
A few feet afore me, a man stood in a hesitant position, trembling with a sword in his hand. Ah, my vision is blurry, but I could still make out the silhouette. Is he going to kill me? I think he would, but I don't feel like running away.
"DON'T HESITATE ANYMORE! SHE'S LOST HER MIND, KILL HER NOW!" The voice yelled again, this time sounding even more pressing.
The last thing I remember was a sword slashing through the air in front of me. Blood gashed out and filled my view. Was it red or black? I think it's black. The only red thing that caught my attention was…those teary eyes.
As everything turned pitch black, I gasped up from my sleep, propping myself to sat up. Beads of sweat rolling down my temple, my mouth was panting for air. Heaves of panic filled the room as my pulse became so rapid, it could burst through my capillaries.
*HA…HA…*
I placed my hand on my chest, calming the vigorously beating heart. My eyes trailed to the window, where a faint light shone through. It's already dawn.
"....That was….. a hella nasty dream," I took in one deep breath, rubbing my face. My hands were still trembling but I've stopped sweating. It took quite some time before my breathing finally stabilised.
Today, we're going to the Willowfield barony. Lucius seems to be in a foul mood, I better not get on his nerve. I've sent a messenger at dawn, the princess should've been notified by now. The Willowfield barony is not that far from the Leonhart march. It's a small land between the Empire and the Kingdom of Edesia. The journey will take about three hours at most, given that we hadn't encounter any issues on the way.
"We're from the Leonhart march," I informed the guards of Willowfield.
The guards swiftly opened the gates without further inquiries. Maybe the princess had already informed them about us beforehand.
*She's very dependable, that cotton candy,* I thought.
The Willowfield manor isn't as lavish as the Leonhart's, but it is still proper for a noble. If I were to size it up, it might only came up to half the later.
"Welcome to our humble manor, Marquess," the Baron of Willowfield personally greeted us by the entrance.
"I apologize for the sudden visit," Lucius replied with a slight nod.
"No, not at all, Marquess! Rather, we are more than grateful to be in your presence," the Baron said humbly.
"We're here to see your second son."
"Oh, Noah. Of course!" the baron nodded before gesturing for us to get inside. "Let me show you the way."
We walked through the foyer, up the second floor, and down the hallway. A single chamber was located at the end of it. As the Baron pushed open the wooden door, a young man in his mid-twenties came into view, laying lifelessly on the queen-sized bed. His skin was pale and his body was skinny, as if the life was sucked out of his body.
The sight had proven to be disturbing for Lucius, who frowned from the moment we stepped into the room.
*Did he sensed something?* I pondered.