“Suddenly riding a horse, huh.”

The Empress Dowager got on a white horse brought by the stable hand, looking uncomprehending.

“His Majesty must want to spend some quality time with his mother after a long time.”

Cassandra looked up while smoothing the wrinkles on the Empress Dowager’s dress hem.

“Quality time, my foot. Since when did we have that kind of relationship?”

The Empress Dowager’s expression as she stroked the horse’s neck looked refreshed, contrary to her tone.

“Still, it seems he hasn’t completely lost his mind. Ever since the Grand Duchess arrived in the capital, he’s been insufferable. At least he’s doing something admirable for once.”

“Are you referring to the mine collapse accident in the North? I should have seen it for myself. What a shame.”

Cassandra’s eyes sank deep as she forced a smile.

The dozen or so iron mines owned by Duke Grande were one of the main resources sustaining the barren and desolate North.

Although the imperial family regularly dispatched managers to interfere with production and imposed heavy taxes, there was a limit.

The Grand Duchy had been secretly buying enormous amounts of iron ore to produce weapons like spears and swords to arm the soldiers of the North.

After the marriage of the Grand Duke and Duchess, the Grand Duchy took over the management of the iron mines, so it was a thorn in the side for the imperial family.

But then, simultaneous collapse accidents occurred.

Anyone could see it was the work of the imperial family, but evidence that could be used against them would likely not be found.

As always.

“Many must have died.”

“During the Colina Rosa, they paid an immense amount in compensation for the fallen soldiers. This time too, I heard the compensation for the victims will exceed several billion gold. The lord of the barren territory is indeed very generous.”

Cassandra chewed the inside of her mouth to maintain a gentle smile. She swallowed her anger along with blood.

One of the places where news of this accident came from was the mining village where Cassandra had hidden after turning her husband into a pig before being discovered and chased by the Grand Duke.

She was arrested by the Grand Duke after three months, but it was like a hometown to her heart.

Poor but warm-hearted people. Rustic but friendly neighbors.

If only her own children had been born safely, they would have been just like that. The girls and boys her eyes kept being drawn to.

Some of those children must have had the mine tunnel become their tomb. Some must have become young widows.

As Cassandra glared at the Empress Dowager’s golden ponytail, tied up high like a girl’s, swaying lightly and cheerfully with the horse’s movements, she vowed.

When the day of victory comes, she would divide that beautiful mother and son into 206 bones, not enough to rip them apart, and transform them into that many insects.

She would turn them into undying creatures, begging to be killed rather than being crushed to death or burned to death.

A gentle mountain breeze blew towards Cassandra, who had been standing like an old tree for a long time even after the Empress Dowager left.

“Why are you crying, Cassandra?”

Cassandra blinked her wet eyes at the hand stroking her cold cheek.

“Your Highness…! How did you get here?”

A gust of wind carried Cassandra and gently flew to a small hill behind the Swan Palace.

“The Grand Duke lost Nero in the imperial palace. So I came to find him… but he ran away. Even when I called him…”

“Nero?”

Yuriella had said that Plama seemed to have hastily sealed some of its memories into the thieving cat of Colina Rosa before turning into the Demon Sword.

The dark mage, who knew ten things from hearing one, nodded.

“It seems part of Nero’s memories awakened when Plama reacted to the ring containing Your Highness’ blood.”

[Nero is in the Emperor’s Palace now. The Emperor’s Palace is dangerous.]

Airy said, nimbly avoiding the dark magic barrier cast over the forest.

[The Emperor is a corrupted piece of god. The one who will become the master of the Demon Sword.]

Cassandra closed her eyes tightly and let out a groan.

“That crazy Sophia. How could she do that to the child she painfully gave birth to…!”

During the previous Emperor’s reign. When there were events where even the local lords were invited, like the Goddess Advent Festival or Harvest Thanksgiving Festival. Despite her wretched husband’s mistreatment, the reason she stubbornly came to the capital was because of her angelic and lovely nephew.

From his infant actions to his toddling steps, it was so tearfully enchanting.

Little Justin, who was intimidated by the previous Emperor who was particularly cold to her, would hold tightly to the hem of his mother’s skirt and keep his large blue eyes downcast, not knowing where to look.

What in the world did that thing called a mother do to that pitiful child until he became a monster?

“When my blood or I got close, Plama reacted. When there is a change in Plama, a stigma appears on Nero.”

If the Emperor caused any change to Plama, Nero would react immediately.

“I will pay close attention. If any strange signs appear, I will get Nero to safety.”

Yuriella nodded. She felt very uneasy leaving Nero in the Emperor’s Palace, but she felt she should respect Nero’s wish to stay by her main body.

“Cassandra. Why is the Emperor just keeping Plama reverently in a room? Is he not capable of wielding it yet? Or is he able to but choosing not to?”

“Considering he mentioned returning Plama to its original state to Carina, perhaps he has no intention of wielding it as the Demon Sword yet?”

“Is it possible to return it to its original state?”

“If Carina’s divinity is squeezed to the last drop. Perhaps. But the Emperor is crazy about her, so there’s no way she would intervene. Because she thinks his intention to restore it is to present it to Your Highness.”

“What will happen to Justin if he wields the Demon Sword Plama?”

“He will be completely consumed by darkness and lose his sense of self. That’s probably the reason that child hasn’t wielded Plama yet.”

Yuriella nodded with a sigh.

After learning that he became a piece of darkness in agony regardless of his will, she kept getting a bad taste in her mouth.

“The Emperor broke the Mage Tower Lord’s magic too. Both Duke Greco and the Mage Tower Lord were surprised.”

“The Emperor did…?”

A deep crease formed between Cassandra’s brows.

“It’s troubling. Finding Airy’s main body is also meeting difficulties.”

Cassandra glanced at Airy.

“You haven’t found it?”

[I found it…! I found it, but I didn’t find it…]

Cassandra’s eyes widened as Airy untied the harp on its back.

“Oh. Is this the holy sword Airy? But there are no strings at all.”

“Originally, it had ninety-nine strings attached. Those strings were blades of wind.”

“This has become a difficult situation. What use is a holy sword with only a hilt?”

[What! You, you…!]

Airy’s face turned bright red as it puffed out its cheeks. It looked ready to blow Cassandra far away at any moment.

“I’m sorry, Cassandra. I can’t be of any help even though you’re struggling. I’m really sorry.”

But when Yuriella tightly held Cassandra’s hand, still bearing vivid torture wounds, Airy’s balloon-like cheeks deflated.

[I’m not sorry. Airy suffered so much in the East too!]

Yuriella quickly reached out to the wind spirit.

“That’s right. Our Airy worked so hard with Nikon in the East.”

[Ah! I totally forgot…!]

Airy’s eyes widened as it remembered its partner it had completely forgotten.

[I left him in the East! Nikon doesn’t even know I’m here.]

“What?”

[When my identity got exposed for hiding Nero’s true nature, I flew straight here.]

Yuriella’s eyes rounded, having assumed Airy would have left some instructions for Nikon before coming.

“Then where is Nikon now?”

Airy tried to communicate with Nikon through the wind orb it had given him, conscious of Yuriella’s gaze.

[Nikon. Nikon! Respond. Nikon!]

But no answer came.

[I guess he can’t hear my voice…]

“That can’t be. Try calling him again.”

[Nikon… Nikon Nivera. Handsome and cool former imperial knight… If you can hear me, please respond…]

Even though Airy called out using the best modifiers for the first time in its life, unfortunately, Nikon could not hear it.

.

.

.

“Urk. Gahhhh.”

It was because he was trapped in a fiercely swirling whirlwind, spinning dizzily round and round.

Where and how did things go wrong?

“Lady Airy! Save me! Commander! Please rescue me!”

He shouted until his throat nearly burst, but his voice was swallowed by the whirlwind without penetrating even a single layer of wind.

“Father! Mother!”

Even on the verge of his stomach flying out of his mouth from spinning endlessly in the massive whirlwind, Nikon did not give up his will to live.

“Riena. I miss you. I love you, Riena!”

Picturing the faces of his precious people he absolutely could not leave behind one by one, Nikon bit his lip hard.

‘Get it together, Nikon Nivera. Today is not the day of your funeral!’

Nikon vowed that if he met the heartless wind spirit who abandoned him alone again, he would surely pluck out its hair puff by puff.

Just imagining it made him feel better, so Nikon smiled a little.

Smiling loosened the tension in his body that had been kept taut.

As his body relaxed, his brain that had been frozen began to turn again.

He recalled the shouts of Commander Solas mercilessly beating him in the training yard.

[Fool! Relax! Uselessly tensing your body is why you keep getting hit!]

Nikon completely let the tension out of his body.

He fully entrusted himself to the flow of the huge wind like surrendering to waves.

It felt like he became one with the whirlwind.

For the first time since being swallowed by the whirlwind, he looked around.

“Woah!”

Candlesticks and a table flew towards him at a terrifying speed, riding the wind.

Nikon wasn’t the only thing swept up in the whirlwind. Even harmless things like candlesticks and branches became neck-severing weapons if brushed the wrong way.

“Ugh!”

Thankfully, the table missed him, but his thigh was torn by a candlestick.

“Damn it. I won’t die! Riena is waiting for me!”

What to do? How can I survive?

Commander Solas had said.

[When you’re lost in the mountains, go back and look for human footprints. When you’re lost at sea, you can find your direction using the North Star even without a compass.]

Then what should one do when lost in the wind?

He had never missed the wind spirit who had been annoyingly attached to him since coming to the East as much as today.

‘If Lady Airy was here, she would have immediately told me how to get out. If it was Lady Airy, she would have swallowed even this huge wind in one gulp.’

As the bleeding worsened, drowsiness came.

‘Oops. I can’t fall asleep.’

The temptation of sleep gradually grew larger than the fear of death.

[Nikon. Doesn’t the moon look delicious? I wonder if it tastes like the moon rice cake we ate from the Eastern Continent merchant.]

4 years ago. When they went to subdue a group of pirates wreaking havoc in the Eastern seas and the supply ship sank, having to swing swords during the day and forcibly sleep clutching hungry stomachs at night.

[Commander, does everything you see look edible to you?]

At the moment Commander was only talking about food while lying side by side on the deck looking at the full moon.

[Shall I cut off one of my arms for you?]

It wasn’t a joke, he truly wanted to cut off his arm for the Commander who got injured in the right arm wielding a sword trying to save him, feeling so apologetic that if he had the energy, he really wanted to cut it off.

[The Grand Duke said this.] [Commander, I thought you two weren’t on speaking terms?] [I overheard him talking to Commander Leo.]

The Commander, who had been gazing at the star-filled night sky with arms pillowed behind the head, mumbled uncharacteristically.

[The Grand Duke ran away from home when he was sixteen.] [Huh. Someone who looks like that ran away from home?] [What’s wrong with how the Grand Duke looks?]

The voice was sharp and the displeasure was evident.

At that time, Nikon briefly recalled a rumor circulating in the capital. That the Commander and the Emperor had that kind of relationship. He had made mincemeat out of anyone spouting such nonsense on sight.

But his heart sank because the Commander’s voice when talking about the Grand Duke was unusually excited, unlike normal.

Not out of disappointment, but worry that it might be hard.

Because he never dared imagine the Commander could be a woman.

[Anyway! He said he was once caught in a very strange whirlwind. It suddenly appeared on a plain with not a speck of wind.]

Nikon’s eyes, which had been hazily closing in the whirlwind, snapped open. His fading spirit returned.

[Thinking this is how I’ll be trapped forever. This is how I’ll die, I actually felt at peace and relaxed. Then I saw a yellow light above.]

Nikon’s eyes sharpened and shot towards the wildly spinning wind.

How much time had passed?

He really saw a yellow light at the top of the whirlwind.

[A widely spread yellow glow was visible. And in the center, a yellow stone was flickering like a heart, beating.]

“It really exists…!”

Nikon gaped while spinning around and around.

Even though everything around was spinning frantically fast, only that stone seemed unaffected, remaining still in that spot as if fixed!