VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 31

VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 31

[Black Keep – Stronghold of the Eye Collector Clan]

The valley stretched like a jagged wound across the land, its wide entrance veiled by mist and flanked by thorn-choked ravines. A series of winding paths descended into its depths—long, twisting trails so uneven and perilous that only those who knew the exact pattern of steps and turns could pass unscathed. To outsiders, the place seemed lifeless: black cliffs, withered shrubs, and the scattered bones of beasts that had strayed too close.

But once one managed to get past this hurdle, a seemingly entirely different world awaited them.

Inside, the valley widened into a vast clearing elevated above the lower cliffs. A faint mix of torchlight and filtered sunlight passed through the drifting mist, scattering soft patterns across the stone.

Torches lined the ledges like flickering stars, their flames swaying in the wind and casting gold and shadow over the jagged walls. From hidden cracks came the steady drip of water, each drop echoing through the still air. The wind carried a low hum as it moved through the hollow spaces—a sound that made the place feel alive, yet strangely silent at the same time.

At the valley’s heart stood a cluster of wooden fortresses and watchtowers built on varying cliff levels, all connected by hanging bridges and chain lifts.

The largest structure, the Black Keep, served as the Eye Collector Clan’s main stronghold. Built entirely from dark, weathered wood taken from the forests of the southern continent, the structure loomed like a shadow among the cliffs. Its surface was blackened not by paint, but by years of smoke, rain, and blood that had seeped into the grain.

Inside the Black Keep, the clan’s shaman was currently reporting an important finding to the Clan Leader.

“You’re saying that the Elder’s life signature vanished?”

The shaman’s eyes spun around in opposite directions. She smacked her dry, cracked lips repeatedly. In a hoarse voice, she replied, “Yes, Clan Leader…”

The Clan Leader frowned, his head remaining resting on his fist as he sat on his throne.

All of the high-ranking officials of the Eye Collector Clan had a small portion of their life force stored in voodoo dolls, allowing the Clan Leader to locate them at any time.

The disappearance of the life signature meant only one thing—its owner was dead.

That spell was forged through a secret blood pact passed down through generations of leaders of the Clan. Although it may sound simple, it was an intricate spell nearly impossible to fabricate.

“Kihihihi! That old man is dead, isn’t he, Clan Leader?” chuckled the shaman. “Once you retrieve his corpse, can you give it to me? Please? I promise I’ll use it well! I’ve been itching to study the body of someone who’d reached the pinnacle of external arts!”

The shaman started adding that it would be better to hand the corpse to her instead of letting it rot six feet underground. This way, even after death, the Elder would be able to contribute to the Eye Collector Clan.

“How about it, Clan Leader? Please? Please!”

The Clan Leader’s frown deepened.

This crazy shaman was really unhinged as always. Had it not been for the fact that she was their most reliable mage and healer, he would have plucked her eyes out long ago and thrown her lifeless body down the cliff.

‘Pinnacle of external arts.’

The Clan Leader fell into deep thought.

Everyone in the Clan knew that the Elder was an old monster who’d reached the peak of external martial arts long ago. His entire body was supposedly stronger than even iron. Even if the army of the kingdom surrounded him, it should have been possible for him to somehow escape.

‘Who killed him?’

In the southern continent, there were only a handful of people capable of killing the Elder—the Blood Commander of the Clan, the Clan Leader himself, the Twisted Snake of the Phantom Castle, and the Phantom Castle Leader.

The Beast King could also kill the Elder if they fought, but the White Lion should still be busy with the affairs of the United Grakas Alliance.

Moreover, the Beast King had no business in this part of the southern continent. The chances of him being behind this matter were slim.

‘Did the Phantom Castle Leader make a move?’

Out of all the suspects, the leader of the Phantom Castle fit the criteria the most. Only that monster could kill the Elder in a short period of time without alerting their allies nearby.

The Clan Leader ignored the shaman who’d been eerily laughing all this time. His gaze moved to the man standing near the throne room’s entrance, a large portion of his face covered by a burn scar.

The man was the newest member of the Eye Collector Clan—a former royal court magician from the Kingdom of Lukas.

Although this man had fled all the way here after being targeted by the Master of Wizzert Tower, his strength was real.

If he weren’t a wanted criminal, he would have been welcomed wherever he went.

By fighting prowess alone, he was probably only a bit weaker than the Blood Commander.

Had it not been for the fact that he’d used up quite a lot of life force from his last battle, this man wouldn’t have taken refuge in a bandit’s stronghold.

“Thunderlord Nickolai.”

When his name was mentioned, Nickolai didn’t step forward and simply looked at the Clan Leader in silence.

The Clan Leader’s personal guards were displeased by the blatant disrespect, but seeing that the Clan Leader didn’t seem to mind, they simply swallowed their anger.

“This will be your first mission. I want you to investigate the Elder’s disappearance,” said the Clan Leader.

“The corpse! The corpse! Please give it to me, Clan Leader! Kihihihihi!”

“Enough, Rubia! Someone, take her away!”

“Yes, Clan Leader!”

After the guards dragged the shaman away from the throne room, the Clan Leader asked again, “Well, Thunderlord?”

“Can’t the Blood Commander do it instead?” said Nickolai finally. “You can see I’m still injured after fighting those dogs of Wizzert Tower. That fucking Alecto sent nearly half the entire tower to hunt me. Damn bastards! I’ll have my revenge one day, I swear! Alecto… Lark Marcus… Blackstone City…!”

The Thunderlord started mumbling his usual monologue.

After seeing it numerous times, the Clan Leader had gotten used to it by now. He realized that this man was also broken inside like the shaman.

Well, despite his oddity, his strength was the real deal, and his skills should allow him to reach the site in a short period of time.

‘I can’t order the Blood Commander to investigate it.’

The last thing they wanted was for the Blood Commander to meet the same fate as the Elder.

The leader of the Phantom Castle was probably behind the death of the Elder.

And if by chance the Blood Commander encountered that monster, the chances of him surviving would be near zero.

Even the Clan Leader wasn’t confident of winning against that person. To survive an encounter with the leader of the Phantom Castle, the Elder, the Clan Leader, and the Blood Commander needed to combine forces – and even that wouldn’t guarantee that they would win that battle.

‘It’s too risky.’

The last thing the Clan Leader wanted was to lose the Blood Commander, too. If that happened, it would severely cripple the Eye Collector Clan.

‘I hope it’s not the leader of the Phantom Castle.’

If the leader of the Phantom Castle was truly behind the incident, the Eye Collector Clan could only pretend they didn’t know who the culprit was.

As cowardly as it may sound, they couldn’t risk fighting that transcendental monster.

When calamity walks the earth, mortals can only kneel and pray it passes them by.

“Thunderlord,” said the Clan Leader firmly. “You said you want to join the Clan—prove it. We agreed to take you in when you knocked on our doors several months ago. We even gave you one of our precious elixirs, allowing you to heal most of your injuries. You can investigate the matter for us at least, right?”

The Thunderlord stopped mumbling to himself. He stared at the Clan Leader for a long time before uttering a reply.

“Alright. I’ll do it,” said Nickolai. “I’ll prove my loyalty to you, Clan Leader. But don’t forget our deal.”

There was a hint of threat within the Thunderlord’s last few words.

The Clan Leader hid his amusement.

Did he think a mere former royal court magician could threaten him?

“Of course,” said the Clan Leader. “The Ten Thousand Poison Mist Formation. I’ll lend it to you.”

Hearing this, Nickolai’s lips widened into a grin.

The Ten Thousand Poison Mist Formation was one of the Eye Collector Clan’s strongest artifacts that they’d scavenged from an ancient ruin decades ago. Once activated, it was capable of engulfing an entire city in a poisonous mist, killing all of the inhabitants inside.

Even the Heaven’s Dominion protecting Blackstone City shouldn’t be able to block the poison mist.

Once he got his hands on that item, Nickolai vowed he would destroy not only the Tower of Wizzert but also Blackstone City with it!

Thunderlord Nickolai looked forward to Lark Marcus’s face once he saw the numerous dead bodies littering the streets of Blackstone City!

After discussing several other matters with the Clan Leader, Thunderlord Nickolai left the stronghold.

With the goal of proving his loyalty and obtaining the poison formation in mind, he shot toward the place where the Elder’s life signature was last detected, leaving a trail of lightning behind.

***

The Second Prince’s trusted soldiers discreetly handled the captured bandits and the headless corpse of the Elder, allowing the Saintess to keep her real identity concealed.

The Second Prince would probably hear about it eventually, but that was something the Princess decided to leave for her future self.

After handing over the bandits to the authorities, they switched carriages at a garrison before continuing their journey to the capital.

‘The leader of the Phantom Castle…’

It was a short encounter, but the events of that day remained vivid in Princess Vivienne’s mind. Even after entering the capital, her mind was still muddled with thoughts regarding that man.

‘I can’t believe I was saved by the leader of a criminal organization. But…’

Strangely, it didn’t feel bad.

Princess Vivienne’s heart would still skip a beat every time she thought of the man’s deep blue eyes. The way he stood his ground as he effortlessly deflected the Elder’s attacks had become etched in her memory.

‘I want to meet him again.’

As crazy as it may sound, she wanted to meet him again. She wanted to thank him for saving her life that day—at least, this was the excuse she kept telling herself.

‘My brother is the Chief Warden. Maybe he can help me?’

Dangerous thoughts started surfacing in the Princess’s mind. She only snapped out of her fantasies when their caravan suddenly stopped.

The Captain of the guards knocked on her carriage a couple of times.

“Your Highness, I apologize, but it seems we can’t escort you past this point.”

Hearing those words, the Princess opened her window and looked at the Captain of the guards.

The Captain looked at her apologetically before sighing.

“What do you mean?” said the Princess.

The Captain’s gaze moved in front. He said, “Over there, Your Highness.”

The Princess leaned her head out of the window and looked outside. She was surprised to see an armed group wearing the insignia of the royal family blocking the road ahead of them.

“The royal guards?” she whispered.

What were those soldiers doing here?

They normally remained inside the royal palace, protecting the king.

“It seems His Majesty, King Gram, is summoning you to the royal palace,” said the Captain. “I’m really sorry, Princess, but I can’t go against the king’s orders.”

Princess Vivienne slowly nodded. “I understand. Please don’t worry about it, Captain.”

No matter how loyal and capable the Captain was, he couldn’t possibly go against the orders of the crown.

In the end, out of all the people escorting her, only the mage had the qualifications to enter the royal palace with the Princess.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” said the mage. “I’ll escort you even once we’re inside the royal palace.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

A deep voice was heard. Looking to their left, they saw the royal guards, led by a white-haired man, approaching their way.

The white-haired man was a well-known figure in the kingdom—Swordmaster Rinsho of the Falling Petal, the leader of the Royal Guards that protected King Gram.

Although he’d yet to reach the rank of a Sword Saint, many people believed he was nearly at the peak, and given enough time, he would eventually achieve it.

The mage was one of the Saintess’s biggest fans. Naturally, he wouldn’t easily back down. He said, “Swordmaster Rinsho, what do you mean it won’t be necessary? I’ve been asked by Her Highness to protect her, and I must fulfill my duty until she reaches the royal palace safely.”

Some of the royal guards nearby snorted, finding the mage’s words preposterous.

Who would dare harm the Princess when the Swordmaster himself, along with the royal guards, was escorting her?

Swordmaster Rinsho said authoritatively, “This is an order from His Majesty. The royal guards shall escort her to the royal palace.”

“I’ll come along!” said the mage.

“That’s not for you to decide,” replied Swordmaster Rinsho.

Several royal guards moved and blocked the mage with their armor-clad bodies, separating him from the Princess.

“Your Highness,” said Swordmaster Rinsho. “Please allow us to escort you back to the royal palace. It is an order from your father.”

At this point, the Princess knew that she had no say in this matter. All she could do was accept the royal decree and come with the royal guards obediently.

“Sir… Everyone… I am extremely grateful for your help,” she said to the mage and the rest of her escort guards. “I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely. Please look forward to it.”

“Princess,” said the mage. “We aren’t going this far because of money.”

“I know,” said Princess Vivienne. “That’s why I’m even more grateful.” She smiled dazzlingly. “We’ll meet again. Until then, please take care of yourselves.”

She’d already made arrangements with the Captain to allow the injured soldiers to receive treatment for free. And for those who’d lost their limbs, she’d also promised generous compensation that would allow them to live the rest of their lives comfortably.

***

After reaching the royal palace, Princess Vivienne was immediately summoned by King Gram into the royal family’s sitting room.

She wasn’t even given time to change her clothes, making her a disheveled mess when she met her father.

“What happened to you?” said King Gram worriedly. “I received reports from my men. Were you attacked by bandits on the way back to the capital?”

Princess Vivienne didn’t know how she could possibly explain what happened without revealing her identity this time.

The people involved in that incident were too prominent, and even a single one of them would be enough to cause the military to go into heightened alert.

How was she supposed to explain to her father that they’d been attacked by bandits on their way to Dried Leaf Village, and when they were on the verge of winning, the Elder of the Eye Collector Clan suddenly appeared?

And as though that wasn’t enough, the leader of the Phantom Castle also got involved, appearing from god knows where.

Once her father learned that she was the Saintess, her activities would become restricted in the future.

There was no way her doting father would let her go out to various villages with only a dozen or so escorts.

“Vivienne?”

“About that…”

Should she just come clean about everything?

For a moment, the Princess considered telling her father the truth.

She opened her lips, but no words came out.

Seeing her hesitation, King Gram softly sighed. He shook his head and said, “That’s enough for now. You look tired, so rest. Four hours from now, I will introduce you to your potential marriage partner.”

Princess Vivienne’s eyes widened.

She felt relieved that her father didn’t pursue the topic any further after seeing her messy state. But now, he was telling her that she was going to meet her future husband?

“What? Marriage partner?”

“Yes. We’ve talked about this before, didn’t we? King Lark Marcus, the King of Lukas and the Coalition’s leader.”

For a moment, Princess Vivienne wondered if she heard him correctly.

She couldn’t understand why Lark Marcus was here, when the kingdom he ruled was located far away from their country.

By cart, it would take at least two or three months to reach this place, and that was if they didn’t meet any accidents or inconveniences along the way.

What was he doing here?

Did he come here just to talk about their marriage? To meet her?

No, impossible.

That person was the hottest topic in taverns right now. Even the Kingdom of Thornforge had heard of how the northern countries and the Empire bowed their heads to him.

Someone as great as him would never be interested in a mere princess of a small kingdom.

There were even rumors that Emperor Sylvius tried to pair his daughter with him but failed.

Believing that Lark Marcus would never be interested in her, Princess Vivienne asked in suspicion, “Did you coerce him, Father?”

King Gram faked a cough. “Haha… of course… not!”

Princess Vivienne squinted. She could feel that her father was hiding something from her. In the end, she decided not to probe any further.

“Lark Marcus…” she muttered.

Princess Vivienne looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She looked like a mess.

Her reflection looked nothing like the princess the court was used to seeing.

Her golden hair was tangled and dull from dust, her cheeks smudged with dirt, and her brown cloak bore the marks of long travel. The fine fabric clung to her shoulders unevenly, wrinkled and streaked with soil.

Still, even through the grime, her beauty was undeniable.

The faint flush on her skin, the determined glint in her green eyes.

There was something alive in her reflection, something fierce that no courtly powder or jewel could imitate.

The exhaustion only seemed to make her look more human, more real.

She brushed a stray lock from her face and sighed softly.

“Four hours,” she whispered, her voice calm but distant.

The thought of meeting King Lark Marcus felt almost absurd, like a story told over wine. She looked back at herself, the weary traveler staring in return.

No matter how messy she looked now, she was still a princess of Thornforge.

‘This can’t go on.’

She had to compose herself.

Straightening her back, she lifted her chin slightly and drew in a slow breath. The faint scent of dust and travel still clung to her cloak, but she didn’t mind. The woman reflected in the mirror no longer looked lost — only determined.

Whatever her father had planned, whatever purpose King Lark Marcus’ visit held, she would face it with the dignity of her crown.

She placed a hand over her chest, feeling the steady rhythm beneath her palm. “I am Princess Vivienne of Thornforge,” she whispered to herself, as though to reaffirm it.

When she finally turned away from the mirror, the faint trace of weariness in her eyes was gone — replaced by calm resolve.

She would address the matter regarding the leader of the Phantom Castle later.

For now, she would meet the young king who’d visited them all the way from the Kingdom of Lukas.