Caelis’s eyes were fixed on the star-filled sky.
Until now, he had struggled to accept the truth that his brother was gone.
There had always been a faint glimmer of hope—fragile, yet persistent—that somehow, somewhere, his brother was still alive.
But the moment he met Claude, that fragile hope shattered completely.
Whether he liked it or not, he was forced to accept the truth—his brother would never return.
And yet…
In that same moment, he had also encountered his brother’s legacy—his only son.
He had never expected to see his brother’s face again, nor hear his voice, even if only through a lingering fragment of consciousness.
Not only that, but he had also come face to face with the fox his brother had once saved from a group of wicked mages.
Caelis felt an unexpected lightness in his chest.
Slowly… he began to forgive himself for failing to save his brother in time.
At the very least, the presence of Claude and Elric reminded him that his brother had never truly disappeared—he still lived on, quietly, within his heart.
“Klaude once told me that he saved a fox and gave it the name Elric.
Unfortunately, that fox left him as soon as it gained a human form.”
“You recognized me right away?” Elric asked.
“My brother’s extreme ice energy has fused with your mana.
Didn’t you notice?”
Elric frowned slightly, recalling how the small flame within him had always been accompanied by a faint, chilling mist.
He had long wondered about the origin of that cold presence.
Fire and ice were two opposing elements.
Yet within him, they coexisted in perfect harmony.
He remembered how Klaude had often given him his essence to restore his strength after he had been poisoned by mages.
Somehow, that essence had completely integrated into his core.
“I thought he was a mage,” Elric muttered.
“I never expected him to be a beast like me.” No wonder Claude had never attempted to restrain him through a contract.
Beasts could not bind one another through contracts.
At most, they could suppress one another through their aura—and even then, only if there was a significant difference in strength.
Otherwise, their auras would clash violently until one proved superior.
“Your Grace,” Elric said slowly, “do you truly intend to pursue my mistress?”
“Are you planning to stop me?”
Elric shrugged indifferently.
“I don’t care what you choose.
I’m only warning you…
It won’t be easy to win her heart.” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Especially now… when Elric could clearly feel that Lina’s emotions were still laced with deep-rooted hostility toward the beast clans.
“If she were to yield so easily,” Caelis said, closing his eyes as a faint smile formed at the thought of his future wife, “wouldn’t that make her unworthy of the attention of the Lord of the North?”
He opened his eyes again, calm yet resolute.
“We have time.
And I am a very patient man.”
Elric offered no response.
A moment later, the temperature in the air dropped sharply.
“Elric,” Caelis said, his tone firm, “I entrust Claude to you.”
The moment the Grand Duke leapt away, Elric immediately contacted Lina through their telepathic link.
[Mistress, he is heading toward your location.]
This was Elric’s true purpose for remaining here: to act as Lina’s eyes and keep track of the ruler of the North.
At the same time, Selene had already erased every trace of her presence before Caelis arrived, preventing him from tracking her.
Phoebe and Reinhard had also successfully escaped beyond the Northern Territory.
Just as Lina returned to the palace grounds, Caelis descended there with a darkened expression.
Before him lay the ruins of the dungeon.
The structure had been completely destroyed, leaving behind a massive crater.
Distinct sword marks carved through the remains, and more than ten guards lay dead.
“Your Grace,” Marquis Zarkel greeted, kneeling respectfully, “this is my failure.
I did not realize that the White Calamity had infiltrated the prison.”
“It is not your fault,” Caelis replied coldly.
“The White Calamity is also a Sword Master.
If she chose to rely solely on her blade, even I would not have detected her presence.”
He reached out and touched one of the sword marks etched into a broken pillar.
A faint trace of the blade’s aura lingered, and Caelis etched it into his memory.
“How clever… she didn’t use any magic at all.” Otherwise, he would have pursued her to the ends of the earth.
“Spread my orders,” Caelis continued.
“Seal all the gates of the central city.
Search every corner.
I refuse to believe she can escape without using magic.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
To escape alive from the Northern Territory, Lady Lunar Frost Sovereign would normally have to rely on large-scale blizzard magic.
Even so, aside from the emerald phoenix’s healing presence, Caelis sensed no hint of magical energy.
By the next morning, an entire army of high-level monsters had been deployed to hunt down the legendary figure.
It was as if she had vanished into the earth itself.
“Zarkel,” Caelis said, his voice low, “did you spread the news that we captured a True Mage?”
“No, Your Grace.
I ambushed him in secret while he was off guard.
No one should know he was captured.
Otherwise, the Magic Tower would have already responded.”
“You’re right,” Caelis said, his gaze sharpening.
“The fact that they remain silent means they are unaware that one of their strongest members has been missing for days.”
All night long, one question lingered in his mind.
How had the White Calamity discovered that her closest friend was being held here?
Was there a spy?
Impossible.
Only he, Zarkel, and two trusted elders knew the truth.
All of them had served the royal bloodline for generations.
Their loyalty was beyond question.
“Your Grace!” A soldier rushed forward and knelt.
“We have discovered traces of long-distance teleportation magic beneath the prison.”
In an instant, a nearby tree split apart under a single, furious strike.
Frost surged across the ground, the temperature plummeting instantly.
“She escaped…” Caelis closed his eyes.
Then, a quiet, almost chilling laugh escaped his lips.
“Good… very good.” His gaze hardened into something terrifying.
“Run, then, legendary one.
I have memorized the aura of your sword.”
“The next time you set foot in my territory…” As his voice fell, an illusory white dragon erupted behind him, its fury radiating like a storm given form.
“That will be the day I kill you.”
Meanwhile, Lina lay curled up on her bed.
Although she had succeeded in saving her friend, the strain of unleashing her sword aura—and erasing every trace of her presence—had drained nearly all of her spiritual energy.
Even her natural resistance to cold had weakened.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her skin was as pale as snow.
She did not know how long she had been unconscious.
But when she finally opened her eyes, two pairs of eyes were staring at her with deep concern.