Midnight had already fallen over the Royal Knight and Mage Academy.
Most of the grand buildings were dark. Only a few windows still glowed with soft magical light. Inside one of the more private chambers reserved for high-ranking visitors, Princess Seraphina sat by the window, a single crystal lamp illuminating the desk in front of her. She had not yet changed out of her academy uniform.
A quiet knock sounded at the door.
“Enter.”
Alex stepped inside, travel-worn and dusty from riding at full speed. He dropped to one knee and held out the deep violet One-Voice Stone with both hands.
“My apologies for the late hour, Your Highness. This is from Lady Silvia.”
Seraphina took the stone without a word. She crushed it lightly between her fingers. A soft shimmer of light rose from the fragments, and Silvia’s calm voice filled the room.
The message played in full — the confirmation of the targets’ identities, the description of the strange metallic weapon that produced loud continuous noise and killed from a distance, and the request for further orders.
When the voice faded, the stone turned to fine dust and scattered onto the carpet.
Silence lingered for several seconds.
Seraphina’s expression remained elegant and controlled, but her eyes had sharpened.
“A weapon that does not rely on mana… and can kill a C-rank Evolved Tyrant Tree.”
She stood up slowly.
“Prepare the fastest horses and a light escort. We leave for that town immediately. I want to arrive by noon.”
Alex raised his head in surprise. “Your Highness, the academy—”
“I will handle the academy. This matter is more important.” Her voice left no room for argument. “You will accompany me. We ride through the night.”
At the same time, far away in the quiet town near the Dark Forest, Ren sat at the small wooden table inside their inn room. Lyra sat across from him, still slightly damp from a quick wash after returning from the healer.
Ren opened the system interface and began reviewing everything they had gained from the Hollowroot Domain.
**Current Important Assets:**
**Currency (estimated after previous sales):**
Around 6,200 gold coins remaining before selling the new materials.
**Materials to Keep:**
- Special Hardwood / Tyrant Wood ×8
- Evolved Tyrant Tree Trunk ×1
- High-Grade Tree Core ×1
- Ancient Root Essence ×2
- Rare Growth Seed ×1
- Manaheart Fruit ×1
- Remaining Wolf Leader Bones
- All Mana Stones and Magic Stones (including the Level C ones)
**Materials to Sell tomorrow:**
- Moonveil Grass ×5
- All common wolf and rabbit materials
- Low-grade monster drops
- Any other unnecessary parts
Ren closed the window and looked at Lyra.
“Tomorrow morning we’ll go to the guild early. We’ll sell all the Moonveil Grass and the common monster materials. We keep the Manaheart Fruit, the Wolf Leader Bones, every Tyrant Tree material, and all the Mana and Magic Stones.”
Lyra nodded. “That way we’ll have more usable gold while still holding on to the truly valuable things.”
Outside, the town was quiet under the night sky.
Neither of them knew that a princess was already riding through the darkness toward their town, determined to arrive by noon the next day.
The quiet period they had left was growing shorter with every passing hour.