Eustar shook his head.

“No. It’s not always there… If it were, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

Laila was curious about what that meant, but she didn’t bother to ask.

However, it was fortunate that the Deceptor wasn’t always nearby. Yesterday she had been in a hurry and hadn’t thought about it, but if he had been watching the two of them from somewhere when she was copying the seal…

“Don’t worry,” Eustar said, as if he had seen right through Laila’s thoughts. “He left last night and hasn’t returned yet.”

A small sigh escaped Laila’s lips.

She quickly finished eating the remaining food, then washed up and changed clothes with Mel’s assistance. Laila found it strange that Mel’s touch was oddly careful as she rubbed her nape and shoulders, so she asked,

“Mel, did something happen?”

Mel looked at Laila. She glanced briefly towards the living room where Eustar was, then lowered her voice and said,

“I should be the one asking you that, Lady Kristrad. Are you alright?”

Laila’s expression became puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

Mel blinked for a moment, as if unsure what to say, then spoke.

“Yesterday, His Royal Highness… He suddenly entered Lady Kristrad’s room. He told me to wait outside, which was so unlike the usual Prince that I was scared.”

“Ah, that…”

Laila’s lips, which had been about to answer, stopped moving. She couldn’t tell Mel about the Deceptor. Or about how she had almost been deceived by a demon…

“It was nothing. Just… I think he was curious if I was doing well.”

However, Mel’s expression became even more doubtful at Laila’s answer.

Laila hurriedly put on her uniform shirt, followed by the vest and jacket. As she was pinning on the badge symbolizing her as a Tentinella member, Mel, who was adjusting the suspenders to fit her body, said regretfully,

“Lady Kristrad has just become the Prince’s wife… You should be receiving greetings from noble ladies and making yourself known to the royal family, but there’s no time for that at all.”

“I don’t mind. I prefer it this way, actually.”

Laila answered immediately, but Mel didn’t seem to believe her words. It was an understandable reaction for someone who had been receiving a salary from the royal family since she was fifteen.

“I’ll be going, Mel.”

“Lady Kristrad.”

Laila, who was about to turn around, looked at Mel as if to ask what was wrong.

She hesitated for a moment, rummaging in her sleeve, then pulled out something like a very old and small pouch and placed it in Laila’s hand. It was clearly an old item at a glance, but it gave off a strangely pleasant scent.

“What’s this?”

Mel answered.

“It’s a charm my grandmother gave me when I came to work at the palace. I’ve always carried it with me, but I think it would be good for you to take it, Lady Laila.”

Laila blinked her eyes a couple of times without answering, then shook her head.

“It’s a precious item, you shouldn’t give it away to others. Keep it yourself.”

She tried to return the charm to Mel, but Mel refused. For a moment, there was a tussle between Laila trying to return the charm and Mel refusing to take it back.

“Laila, are you ready yet?”

Eustar’s voice urging them was heard from outside. Mel, seizing the opportunity, quickly snatched the charm from Laila’s hand and tucked it into the inside pocket of her jacket as if hiding it.

“Take it with you.”

Laila wore a troubled expression for a moment, then resignedly buckled her boots.

“I’ll give it back when I return.”

At her words, Mel gave a smile that was neither affirmative nor negative. As Laila went out to the living room, Eustar extended his hand as if to say ‘come quickly’. Mel, standing a couple of steps behind, bowed to see them off.

“Take care, Your Royal Highness. Lady Kristrad.”

When the two entered the Sercita headquarters, Galen Tott, who had been busily examining something, stood up abruptly to greet them.

“Your Royal Highness, you’ve arrived.”

He first greeted Eustar, then hesitated for a moment—seemingly pondering over how to address her—before bowing politely to Laila as well.

“Your Highness.”

“You can call me Laila. Or Kristrad is fine too.”

At her words, Galen looked at Eustar’s face instead of answering. It was a silent question asking if that would be alright.

Eustar said,

“It wasn’t I who gave the order, Galen.”

Galen made an “Ah” sound and looked back at Laila.

“I apologize. Then I shall call you Lady Kristrad.”

“Thank you.”

As Laila nodded, Eustar immediately said,

“Where did the report come from, Galen?”

“From the 3rd Branch. However, the location where the sync occurred is quite far from the 3rd Branch.”

“Is it alright not to go through a stopover?”

“Calculations show it’s actually better that way.”

Good. Eustar muttered under his breath as he walked towards the portal. Another waiting member handed him a report.

While setting the coordinates for the portal, Eustar quickly skimmed through the contents of the report. Meanwhile, Laila packed three or four oranges into a leather pocket to prevent portal sickness. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need to eat them.

“It’s a small village. Helos? Never heard of it before.”

Galen answered,

“On the map, it’s barely marked as a dot. It was only recently added to the latest maps.”

“It’s not a monster, is it?”

“No, it’s not a monster. Probably an unknown spiritual phenomenon…”

Galen trailed off for a moment, then shook his head and said outright,

“It seems to be some kind of ghost. It’s having physical effects.”

“What kind, mainly?”

“Hallucinations, it seems.”

“It seems to be hallucinations.”

Eustar repeated Galen’s words and tucked away the report.

“Alright, if it’s not a monster, the two of us will go first. Still, just in case, contact Branch Director Jimius.”

“I’ll do that.”

Following Eustar, Laila also took her place on the portal. She seemed nervous, taking a deep breath and then exhaling.

With each transfer, the transmission method varied by location—sometimes feeling like being submerged in water, other times like the body was being fragmented—so her heart was pounding, wondering what it would be like this time.

“Don’t be nervous, Laila. If you’re tense, the motion sickness will be worse. The portal is a magical tool too. If the energy is disturbed, it has a strong effect.”

“I think I’ll be fine after about ten more transfers.”

Laila said with a deadpan expression. Only Eustar knew that she was joking.

He smiled slightly and carefully took Laila’s hand.

“Will this help ease your tension a bit?”

Laila stared at their joined hands for a moment before turning her head without answering. Her cheeks seemed to flush slightly, but she tried to ignore it. Still, she was grateful that he showed just enough kindness not to be burdensome.

“Ten seconds until transfer.”

Galen said, watching the coordinates. As soon as his words fell, there was a feeling of the ground sinking beneath their feet.

It felt like standing on a swamp… Laila almost grabbed and clung to the edge of the portal without realizing it. But before she could, Eustar gripped her hand more firmly.

“It’s alright.”

He said again.

“Don’t worry.”

“Eight seconds left,” Galen said again, and now Laila was feeling a chilling sensation, as if she had sunk almost up to her knees. This really felt like a swamp. It was damp and sticky, and she even felt as if rotten, mushy water plants were wrapping around her ankles…

“What kind of person is Branch Director Jimius?”

Laila asked urgently, trying not to cling to the portal. Of course, she wasn’t really curious about that.

She just wanted to turn her thoughts in any direction… Now the cool and sticky swamp was undulating and swallowing her up to her chest.

“He’s the Branch Director of the 3rd Branch, Gilonik. He’s a charming person. Though there’s almost no chance we’ll meet him today.”

“In what way… is he charming? No, wait. Eustar, I feel like something is grabbing and pulling my feet right now.”

“Well, it probably is actually pulling, but don’t worry… Jimius comes from a military family. At first glance, he looks like a handsome gentleman steeped in melancholy. But…”

There was a ‘plop’ sound. Laila felt the bitter taste of mud filling her mouth and regretted not having eaten an orange earlier.

Baso, the king’s closest aide and head chamberlain, looked extremely tired, having not slept a wink all night.

Despite usually being quite robust for someone who handled such docile tasks, perhaps he was getting older, as dark shadows under his eyes were clearly visible.

“Lord Baso, I’ve brought the medicine.”

The court physician who had quietly entered spoke in a lowered voice. Though it was barely audible, Baso frowned and gestured for him to be quiet.

“His Majesty has just fallen asleep. Go wait outside.”

“But if he doesn’t take the medicine now, again…”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

The physician turned around with an expression mixed with concern and fear. As he took three or four steps, Baso said,

“Leave the medicine here.”

The sound of a bowl being set down was heard, and the door quietly opened and closed. Even with his back turned, Baso could clearly picture the physician’s movements in his mind.

The image of him walking with quick, small steps, his back hunched. Everyone who entered this place, Ord’s bedroom, tended to move in such a manner, trembling with fear and in a fluster.

Why wouldn’t they? Baso thought. A king afflicted with an unknown illness, withering away and prone to violent behavior. When he contorted his face, which had become skeletal, and suddenly burst into laughter, he was no different from a madman.

But not now. Baso, who had inwardly murmured this, approached Ord’s bedside.

Although the canopy curtains were drawn, even from the very faint silhouette, it was clear that he was sleeping quite soundly.

Regular breathing and a body that had cooled as the fever subsided. Baso could tell Ord’s condition without touching or checking.

“Your Majesty.”

Baso murmured in a low voice. Ord slept like the dead. There was no trace of the scene from last night, when he had been thrashing about, coughing up blood and clawing at his chest.

“You must remain in good health until that day, by all means.”

A groan escaped Ord’s lips. As if a nightmare had invaded the peaceful sleep like a needle, he frowned and curled up his body. As a tear rolled down from his eye, an identical tear fell from Baso’s eye as well.