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Aquiel, the territory of the Marquis of Quazel, is about a day’s journey from the Sevellinus Palace.

Under the setting sun in the western sky, the last travelers of the day were passing through the guards who were conducting the final tasks.

Leading the way, Garnian passed through the castle gate and looked around at the companions who followed.

“Since the day is drawing to a close, we will stay here for today.”

Then he carefully put the emblem shown to the guards earlier into his pocket.

It was a fake identification provided by the Garam Magic Society.

Thanks to it, they could easily pass through various cities and territories from the Empire to here.

Some disguised themselves with magic to conceal their identity as White Elves,

while others, unfamiliar with it, hid their faces with hoods.

“We’ll go and find a place to stay.”

Alphonse and a few others headed towards the inner part of the territory to find lodgings.

While waiting for a moment, Hastia looked around with innocent eyes.

Although not as splendid as Gaul or other cities, it was a humble yet charming territory.

“This is the territory of the noble family of Ushif, called Aquiel.”

As if responding to Hastia’s gaze, Roel added an explanation.

“It is said that the owner is the former father-in-law of the emperor of this country and one of the few 9-star rank holders on the continent.”

At the mention of the 9th-grade magic rating, Hastia’s eyes widened.

“He is said to have retired from his original duties and spends his remaining years here, but it would not be good for us to meet him. He might even recognize our true identities.”

Hastia just nodded silently.

As they wanted to return safely to Pruina, revealing their identities was certainly not a pleasant prospect.

Shortly after,

Alphonse and his group returned with a place to stay and led the members of the tribe into the territory.

Their steps soon stopped in front of an inn on the first floor with a tavern.

As time passed, it was filled with people who had come to unwind after a day’s work.

As there was nothing particularly pleasant about encountering elves, they all ignored them and headed to their rooms.

However, soon the attention of the people began to turn towards Hastia one by one.

“Wow! Look at that woman! Her skin is incredibly fair! She looks like a goddess rather than a human, doesn’t she?”

“I thought she was a new waitress, but apparently not? Too bad! I was hoping for some fun, hehe!”

“Where’s that woman’s room?”

The mockery directed at Hastia was conveyed to Garnian’s ears.

Unable to hold back his anger, Garnian was about to step forward when,

-Clang!

“…!”

Hastia grabbed his hand and shook her head gently.

It meant that she was okay.

As if there was nothing to be done, Garnian suppressed his rising emotions and guided her to the room.

Fortunately, the situation they feared did not occur on the way here.

It seemed that they could return to Pruina without any major problems, but nothing would be resolved just by going back.

“Ha…”

Hastia sighed complicatedly as she looked at the moon rising in the night sky.

Thinking of the tribe members waiting for them even now in their homeland, the future seemed bleak already.

Roel and Garnian prioritized returning to Pruina for now, but Hastia couldn’t help but worry about what would come next.

What came out of her frustrated mind were sighs and,

‘What is Cyan doing?’

Thoughts of Cyan.

In such desperate situations, it was both amusing and difficult to shake off thoughts of him.

It wasn’t even a serious thought.

Just wondering if he had eaten, what he was doing, if he was sleeping comfortably… Simple and pointless thoughts.

-Sigh

-Tap tap

“C-Can I come in, Lady Hastia?”

When Roel’s voice came from beyond the door, she hastily hid the Soul Stone.

Then, she quickly ran to open the door, and Roel and Garnian entered.

“Just beyond here is the northern border of the Empire. After that, it’s practically our territory, so please bear with us a little longer.”

Hastia smiled brightly, indicating that she was fine.

“Don’t worry about the mockery from the humans earlier. I’ll stand guard outside to make sure not even a bug gets in.”

Garnian clenched his fists, preparing himself to keep vigil outside her room all night.

Hastia tried to dissuade him, but knowing his stubbornness, she just sighed.

-Knock knock

“U-um, Lady Hastia, can we come in?”

Suddenly, the voices of other tribe members came from beyond the door.

Approaching, Garnian opened the door, and the tribe members entered.

Their expressions seemed uncomfortable, and they were glancing at each other.

“W-We feel terribly ashamed to say this, but it seems we’ve caused trouble.”

Sweat was dripping down their faces.

“Trouble? What do you mean?”

“We were patrolling outside the inn for any suspicious individuals, and u-unfortunately, we got caught. They realized we’re White Elves…”

Garnian asked, surprised.

“Are you out of your minds? You got caught as White Elves?”

“W-We were also taken aback. Even though we had disguised ourselves with magic, suddenly two human women appeared and asked if we were White Elves. They wanted to talk to us…”

In short, they had been caught red-handed.

But even more concerning was that they expressed a desire to talk.

It felt as if they knew White Elves would visit this territory.

Roel calmly asked,

“Where are they now?”

“They said they would wait on the first floor. We did request identity confirmation first, but…”

The tribe members were hesitating to speak.

“Unexpected visitors…”

“Who could it be to make them act like this?”

“They said they’re the Princess of the Empire.”

A heavy silence filled the room.

“W-Who did you say?”

“The Princess of the Empire! Her name is Arin Sevellerus, the 5th Princess…”

Everyone was too shocked to close their gaping mouths.

But among them, Hastia was the most astonished.

‘A princess?’

* * *

About a month ago.

Exactly before Saintess Nephrodite headed towards the Kingdom of Garam.

Arin was praying towards Lumendel as usual from the monastery inside the palace.

It was her diligent routine unless there was something special.

It wasn’t out of faith towards Lumendel.

It was just a superficial task she performed for others to see.

An action meticulously crafted to conceal herself thoroughly.

“The potential for growth in humans truly seems limitless. Perhaps it was said for Princess Arin.”

Saintess Nephrodite approached her.

“I believe even Lumendel in the divine realm would be greatly pleased to see Princess Arin. Perhaps he enjoys watching your growth.”

“You flatter me.”

Arin responded with restrained emotion in her eyes.

“I’ve heard that you’re going to the Kingdom of Garam. Is there anything our royal family can assist you with?”

“Why do you think I’m going to the Kingdom of Garam?”

On the surface, the reason was missionary work in the Kingdom of Garam.

However, at the moment she asked that question, Arin immediately realized that there was more to her visit than just that reason.

“From the look in your eyes, it seems you weren’t aware. Perhaps they didn’t intend to tell you. Or maybe they planned to inform you later?”

Arin was well aware of whom the Saintess was referring to as “they.”

“At least it seems clear that they are trying to hide something from Princess Arin, right?”

Instead of answering, Arin stared at the Saintess with a firm gaze.

“You seem to have anticipated it. Indeed, Princess Arin isn’t as naive as she seems.”

The Saintess seemed satisfied and smiled as if pleased.

“Since it has come to this, I’ll tell you. I’m going to the Kingdom of Garam to search for records from the ancient era.”

“Records from the ancient era?”

Arin’s brow furrowed slightly at the somewhat perplexing statement.

“Yes. There was a premeditated plan. There are likely some White Elves within the Kingdom of Garam right now. In exchange for helping them solve their problems, they will transfer the power of the key they possess to me so that I can search for records from the ancient era.”

Elves? A key?

These were words Arin had never heard from anyone, including Violet.

“What are you trying to find from the records of the ancient era?”

“For now, I can only say it’s a method to dispel the mist.”

For a moment, Arin’s heart sank.

However, she didn’t show it and quickly composed herself.

“This method could be shared with everyone or kept only between Princess Arin and me. Isn’t it interesting? Knowing a secret that others don’t…”

“Why are you telling me this?”

The Saintess approached Arin closely.

Then she whispered quietly in her ear.

“They are wary of me. And you are wary of me too.”

“…!”

“Remember, Princess Arin. To protect yourself, you need to have at least one secret weapon that your opponent doesn’t know about. And the opponent’s reassurance towards you… can be the greatest weapon.”

With that, the Saintess stepped back.

“Let’s return and see each other again.”

With a smile full of satisfaction, the Saintess left the place.

“The opponent’s reassurance…”

Arin couldn’t shake off those words from her mind even until now.

To put that teaching into practice, she had killed the Saintess with her own hands, providing reassurance to Violet and others.

For her, what was needed next was her own secret that they wouldn’t know.

* * *

Given the pretext of the tour around the palace, in reality, they were only given a day’s time.

Within that day, besides searching for traces of the White Elves, there was also the urgent matter of meeting with them. Nevertheless, whether by luck or fate, Princess Arin managed to accomplish it.

A strange yet familiar sensation felt as they passed by the inn.

Sensing the presence of the White Elves patrolling around, she immediately recognized their identities and, by revealing her own, signaled her willingness to converse.

Thus began the encounter with the White Elves.

However, what truly mattered now was the victory ahead.

Arin calmly took a breath and began speaking.

“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for agreeing to meet us despite the sudden request. I am Arin Sevellerus, the 5th Princess of the Ushif Empire.”

Arin bowed her head along with her companion Ressimus as a sign of respect towards them.

“I’m not sure for what reason the Princess of the Empire wanted to meet with us, but we have no intention of staying in the Empire any longer. We only plan to return to Pruina without lingering.”

“We understand. Therefore, without further delay, allow me to explain the purpose of my visit.”

Arin spoke confidently, meeting the eyes of the elves.

“I would appreciate it if you could inform me about the issue your tribe needs to resolve.”