Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 60

 

Chapter 60: In the Season of New Beginnings (2)

TL: Potato-tan

Proofreader: Asianpotato

 

“Put some more wood in the fireplace over there.”

 

“Yes, My Lady.”

 

While the maid tended to the fire, Irrucil removed her cloak and sank her weary body into the plush chair. The custom-made chair enveloped her comfortably.

 

The waves were now at their final stage.

 

The magical energy that gathered during the winter in Aurnhilnar caused the animals to transform into demon beasts, and the existing monsters also became more ferocious. This was in addition to the snowmen and monsters that had adapted to the local climate.

 

Although the attacks by the demon beasts were slightly more intense than usual, the six great families guarding the north skillfully endured them. One could not ignore their accumulated strength over a hundred years.

 

Irrucil had just returned from a sortie.

 

Knock, knock.

 

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

 

“Irrucil. May I come in?”

 

“Come in, Mother.”

 

The owner of the gentle voice opened the door and entered. Leila, the madam of the Zahard family, was there.

 

Leila Yubklin Zahard. Leila, who had been the second daughter of the Aledma family, had acquired the Zahard surname when she married Lahart.

 

She had dark golden hair and light blue eyes. Despite her considerable age, over forty, she appeared to be in her early thirties, thanks to her consistent efforts to maintain her figure.

 

Only Leila and Irrucil remained in the room as the maid bowed her head and left. Leila sat down on the chair opposite Irrucil.

 

“Have you finished your work?”

 

“Yes. And Father?”

 

“He’s gone to a meeting with the other family heads. He’ll probably come back late at night, drunk as usual. Your younger siblings have finished studying and gone out to play.”

 

“That’s a relief.”

 

“You are their older sister and blood. You are also the future leader of the Zahard family.

 

“In the end, did the council expel Russell?”

 

The mention of the name Russell caused a momentary pause in the conversation. Leila blinked and said,

 

“You were the stronger candidate for succession in any case.”

 

“Yes, I was. However, some of the older members preferred a male head. Even so, Russell was. . . special.”

 

“He was special. He was a child your father brought back after he went missing. The council wants a legitimate successor. You are the most legitimate successor.”

 

Twenty years ago, the young Lahart went missing during the winter. He had been returning from a subjugation mission when a fierce snowstorm struck, and he had lost his way in the process.

 

The Zahard family had searched with all their might, but the severe weather conditions made it difficult. After a week, when everyone was prepared to accept his death, Lahart returned dramatically.

 

Lahart, with a frozen expression, returned to the family in the same clothes he had been wearing when he went missing. He did not have a single injury.

 

He held a baby boy in his arms, wrapped in a blanket.

 

Lahart claimed that the baby was his son. And he named him Russell.

 

“I recall that Mother did not detest Russell.”

 

“I did not detest him. However, I could not bring myself to like him. The child was anything but a child.”

 

“He was handsome.”

 

“A beautiful appearance is just an indicator of first impressions. What matters is what’s inside.”

 

Russell was strange from the very beginning. His black hair resembled his father’s, but his purple eyes were a color that no one in the family had ever possessed. Of course, the same was true for the other families.

 

When Leila first asked Lahart who the baby’s mother was, Lahart replied that he didn’t know either.

 

He said that he had lost consciousness while clinging to his freezing body and trudging through the snow, and when he woke up, the baby was in his arms. And as if by miracle, the snowstorm had stopped, and he had arrived in front of his house.

 

Leila couldn’t believe it. However, the family’s wizards and doctors concluded that Lahart showed no signs of mental illness or manipulation. Lahart was sane.

 

Lahart had not been a man of loose morals before he married Leila.

 

People whispered that Lahart had been captivated by the strange magic of the north and had taken in the child of a monster.

 

However, as Russell grew up, he did not grow horns on his head, fur, or scales on his skin. He simply grew up as an ordinary boy.

 

Of course, that ordinariness had long since vanished, giving way to a body that sprouted like a plant experiencing a growth spurt, a strength that could subdue even the strongest of men, and an extraordinary talent for magic.

 

Contrary to Leila’s concerns, Russell got along well with her children. Russell had a good relationship not only with his younger siblings but also with his older sister, Irrucil, who was six years his senior.

 

“I’m beginning to think it was a blessing that the child left home.”

 

“Mother.”

 

Irrucil’s black eyes flashed. However, Leila did not avoid her daughter’s almost beastly gaze.

 

“Let me make this clear, Irrucil. That child is not my son, but he is definitely your father’s blood. If he wishes, he can become the head of this Zahard family.”

 

“Russell didn’t want that.”

 

“People’s minds change. Who can say for sure that he won’t have such thoughts as he wanders?”

 

“Don’t you know Russell, whom we raised together?”

 

Leila nodded.

 

“I don’t know. What thoughts did that child harbor? Sometimes, a young child would hit upon points that even adults could not. This includes the delicate balance of power between individuals and the psychological warfare that occurs in subtle conversations. Others said that he was too intelligent for his age, but I often thought that an old man was trapped in the body of a child.”

 

It was a remarkable insight that would have surprised Russell, but unfortunately, only Leila and Irrucil were present. Irrucil sighed softly.

 

“If you’re done talking, please go. I want to rest.”

 

“I’m not done yet. I heard from your father. He said that you would go to find Russell when spring comes.”

 

“Of course, Father, ever the meddler. . . Why? Is there a reason I should not?”

 

“Of course there is. Your succession ceremony is to be held this spring, is it not? How can we proceed with the ceremony if its star is absent?”

 

“This spring? Isn’t that too soon?”

 

“On the contrary, it’s late. Stop looking for Russell. I heard the Vladyka family is also considering breaking off the engagement. However, Hella is against it.”

 

Dissolving the engagement—of all the things Leila had said, this was perhaps the most welcome news. Irrucil did not let it show.

 

“I shall take my leave. Rest well.”

 

Leila left the room. Irrucil stood up to see her mother off and closed the door.

 

The firewood in the fireplace crackled and burned. Irrucil was deep in thought. Then, she suddenly approached the window and looked up at the sky. Countless stars twinkled in the night sky.

 

Somewhere out there, her younger brother would be looking up at the same sky. Irrucil clenched her fist.

 

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

 

Three strangers had come under the starry night sky. They were all men, armed with leather armor and swords. They had large bags strapped to their backs.

 

The man in the lead, wearing a chain vest, quickly scanned his surroundings. In a small clearing, a campfire blazed, and wooden chopsticks held meat skewers. A girl is sitting in front of it, paying no attention to anyone else but the meat.

 

The girl’s appearance was beautiful. Her white hair was unusual, but her small face, with its densely packed features, was like a doll’s. She looked like an elf or a draconian.

 

However, her ears were round, and there were no horns on her head. There was also no tail visible on her buttocks. Apart from her appearance, she looked like an ordinary teenage girl.

 

On one side, a handsome black horse was sitting with its legs bent. At first glance, the taut muscles rippling under its black mane suggested that it was an expensive horse.

 

The man, sitting with his back against a nearby tree, was tall and burly. He had black hair and strange-colored eyes.

 

The man in the chainmail vest shot a startled look at the well-muscled man before realizing that the man was unarmed. He wore only a black coat with silver designs and a simple tunic underneath.

 

He didn’t even have a single longsword. Was he a wizard? But there was no staff or rune book, which were common magical tools, by his side or anywhere else. There was only a whetstone, an old branch, and some firewood.

 

Having completed his quick assessment, the man in the chainmail vest raised his hands. It was a non-threatening gesture, and he kept himself outside the reach of the campfire’s glow. The man in the coat answered his companion’s unspoken question.

 

“Yes, we came here because we saw the light ahead. It’s a coincidence that we met in this unfamiliar forest, but would you allow us to join you?”

 

The man in the coat looked at them intently and nodded. Only then did the three strangers cautiously step into the inner circle of the campfire’s light. Their actions seemed to show that they were not dangerous people.

 

“Would you like to trade? We have a pot and some ingredients, so we’re going to make a stew.”

 

The white-haired girl, who had shown no interest until now, suddenly turned her head. As if on cue, the man in the chain vest opened his large bag and took out an iron pot and various cooking ingredients.

 

There was some meat, beans, onions, and various vegetables, such as potatoes. The man in the coat nodded.

 

“Very well. I shall contribute as well.”

 

Then he reached into the inside pocket of his coat. The men looked at him with curious eyes, but soon they could not hide their surprise at the amount of meat that seemed to be pouring out of that small inside pocket.

 

“Ha, haha. You have a lot of meat.”

 

“The little one has a big appetite.”

 

“I’m not a little one! Why do you keep calling me a little one when you’re the one who gave me the name?”

 

The white-haired girl exclaimed.

 

“You’re short. So you’re a little one.”

 

“I’ll be tall! And I’m 321 years old!”

 

“The proof of age is not the years you have lived, but the time you have experienced. And in my eyes, you’re still a little one.”

 

“Ugh!”

 

The conversation between the man and the white-haired girl had a strange scholarly quality. The man in the chain vest, who had barely regained his senses, spoke up.

 

“Excuse me, three hundred years old?”

 

“Don’t mind her. It’s just a child’s tantrum.”

 

“I’m not a child!”

 

“Be quiet.”

 

The men, who had not received an answer, began to make the stew in bewilderment. They added more firewood to increase the intensity of the fire, attached the grate under the pot, and boiled water, meat, and vegetables that were more numerous than before.

 

Soon, a delicious smell wafted through the air. The man in the chain vest took out bowls from his bag, filled them with stew, and handed them to the girl, along with wooden spoons.

 

The white-haired girl took them without hesitation, and she was about to take a spoonful of stew when the man said,

 

“Aellasis. You should say thank you.”

 

“. . . . . .Only when it’s convenient for you to call me by my name. It’s annoying.”

 

“Go ahead.”

 

The girl, named Aellasis, greeted the man in the chain vest.

 

“Thank you. I don’t know if I’ll remember your face, but I’ll remember that you did something truly great.”

 

The man in the coat nodded slightly. The man in the chain vest nodded slightly.

 

“Oh, yes. . . . . . Oh, and my name is Temoshi. These two are Doeden and Leham.”

 

“Russell.”

 

After exchanging names, the only sound left was that of eating. Russell also slurped up the stew. It was not bad, considering his cooking skills. Temoshi asked,

 

“By any chance, what is your relationship with that girl? Is she your daughter?”

 

When he asked, Temoshi thought it was unlikely. For one thing, their hair color and appearance were clearly different.

 

Indeed, two answers came at the same time.

 

“No.”

 

“It’s not!”

 

“. . .Erm, then?”

 

Again, two answers came at the same time.

 

“Burdensome baggage.”

 

“An unkind servant!”

 

Russell and Aellasis glared at each other. Temoshi felt even more confused. After a while, Temoshi asked again.

 

“Um. By any chance, where are you going?”

 

Russell, who had finished the remaining stew, wiped his mouth and said,

 

“South.”

 

“South? Are you also heading to a dungeon?”

 

‘Dungeon?’ As far as Russell knew, a dungeon was an underground prison. It was the same here, but with a more general meaning.

 

Usually, an ancient wizard left behind a dungeon as a laboratory or study, or as a space containing magical artifacts. Sometimes it refers to a labyrinth or ruins.

 

Of course, there were as many dangers as there were. Mad wizards, horrible monsters, physical and magical traps, mazes, and other similar obstacles create chimeras.

 

However, if you were lucky, you could find treasures that could make you rich for several lifetimes, so it was a place that stimulated the desires of many.

 

Russell nodded, seeing the various tools tied to the waists or bags of the other men: a small hammer, a tough rope, a pick, a chisel, and so on. They must be tomb raiders(relic hunters).

 

“No. I’m hearing about it for the first time here. Has one appeared somewhere?”

 

“Yes. Near a city about a day’s journey from here, an entrance to what appears to be a dungeon has opened. Rumors abound about its size and mysterious nature. Some say it’s the ruins of an ancient elven kingdom; others say it’s a dragon’s nest. . . .”

 

At the mention of a dragon’s nest, Aellasis’s eyes sparkled.

 

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