Last Day of the Last Moon of the Gilded Staff, 17th Year of the Maywarble Era

The Count of Eldius City stood by the dungeon's hallway. Throughout the hallways were the unoccupied prison cells—this was supposed to be great news. However, it wasn’t the void stone containers that made the Count grit his teeth as he balled his fists. The hallways were littered with soldiers’ corpses bathing in their blood. Not only that but also the lifeless body of a renowned dwarven blacksmith lay behind him.

It was only a moment ago that this slaughter was committed by a man called Julius in these very hallways. It was the same person that saved his four children that took the lives of the people around him. Count Deynus huffed as he stood in silence. Although his eyes were fixed in the blacksmith’s body, his mind wandered somewhere.

“The prince must know of this right away.”

Count Deynus marched out of the dungeon, where more soldiers awaited by the entrance. He ordered them to clean the mess without elaborating what transpired and exited the dungeon with a sour face. He was then sent home by a carriage, and by the time he was walking into his manor, his son, Deynus, that was the spitting image of him stood at his path.

“Father! I heard Julius was detained. But why? What had he done?”

Count Deynus stopped in his tracks, looked at his son’s eyes, and sighed.

“He killed some soldiers... and Kasus.”

Deynus’s eyes widened. “W-What? Why? Why would he do that?”

“Let’s talk about this later. I have to go to the prince right away.”

Count Deynus continued at his pace, but Deynus kept standing in his path.

“Father, I need answers! Did you execute him? What action did you take?”

Once again, Count Deynus stopped in his path.

“That man cannot be killed by mere soldiers, son. There was nothing I could do so… I exiled him.”

“Exile? You should’ve at least given him a chance to settle it in the court—”

Deynus’s sentence was cut short with a thought that appeared in his mind. The victim was a dwarf that was raised in the Dwarven Mountains. Kasus, however, wasn’t just a normal artisan who traded his skills for meager coins—he was known in the Central and Southern region as a skilled blacksmith. His death, committed by a civilian of the Principality, would likely cause outrage from the side of the Dwarves.

“He’s done me so much for saving the four of you, but even if I could kill him to settle this matter right away, I have no means to do so.” His father said with a calm expression.

Was there anything else that Count Deynus could’ve done? Can the dwarves even accept a mere exile for someone who has killed their brethren? Deynus thought. Then, the count faced his son and placed his hands on his shoulder.

“For now, stay here and manage the city on my behalf. I will have to inform the prince first before we do any further actions.”

Deynus forced a smile, but a sigh followed afterward.

“Yes, father. I will do my best.”

The count and his son continued to march into the estate. They were greeted by Siara, Dalya, and Aldis who gathered in the living room for a chat.

“Hello, father…” Siara greeted with a smile, only to vanish at the sight of both his father and older brother’s sullen expressions. “What happened?”

“I will be leaving for the capital. I would love the three of you to go with me, but I cannot take the risk.”

“What happened? Can you just tell us?” Dalya said.

“You will know more. Ah, Dalya, how about you come with me? I have received a letter from the princess and she would love to meet you again whenever you come back.”

One of Dalya’s eyebrows raised, but then she remembered what she and Esylda talked about.

“I… All right. I will.” Dalya replied, smiling at his father.

Aldis pouted. “Aww, me too! I wanna go meet Esylda again!”

The count then walked towards her with a sweet smile, then patted her head.

“You will have to stay here for now, all right? There are still bad guys out there.”

Aldis crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. “Fine.”

“As for you, Siara, look for your younger sister, all right? I will be back soon.”

Siara, wearing a worried face as she clutched her pendant, said, “I will, father. Sedelions bless you and Dalya.”

Then, they ordered the maids to pack their baggage and prepare the carriage. As they did so, Dalya, who was sitting in the living room, stood up and stretched her arms.

“I think I should take a short bath,” she said before walking away.

On her way to the upper floor, she bumped into a maid. Several blue parchments fell from her arms.

“Argh! M-My lady! Apologies!”

“You shouldn’t rush, you know? What’s up, anyway? Where are you headed to?”

The maid picked up the papers and showed them to Dalya.

“I was cleaning sir Julius's room when I found these. I overheard the conversation about his exile, so I figured I should turn this to the Lord Count.”

Dalya took the blue parchment. They were much coarser than a common one and had a strong musty smell. What made her eyes widen were the characters that glowed blue. Dalya looked around her then back at the maid.

“I’ll be taking this. Keep it a secret from anyone, and I’ll pay you gold.”

The maid’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Then, she smiled.

“As you wish, my lady.”

“Good. Now, leave.”

After the maid left, Dalya hid the parchments within her clothes and strode towards her room. Upon her arrival, she locked the door, sat on her desk, and scattered the paper. She ran her finger on the characters that made her narrow her eyes.

“These characters look unfamiliar. Did that man write this?”

She shuffled through the parchments, but nothing was readable for her. Shortly after, she massaged her head as she leaned on her table.

“Why do I feel tired already?” she muttered.

A knock then came on the door.

“My Lady, the carriage bound for the capital will leave soon.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there!” she said, pilling the papers and storing them inside a leather purse.

“What a mystery,” she muttered before leaving her room.