The Hidden Enemy
The queen raised her hand.
On the small table beside the bed lay a crystal orb no larger than a palm.
Inside its transparent core, a soft glow slowly swirled.
Seraphina lifted it gently. Her fingertips brushed the surface and paused.
“Summon Captain Leona.”
A moment later, a voice came from beyond the door.
“Captain Leona has arrived.”
Seraphina lifted her head. She stared silently toward the door before speaking.
“Enter.”
The heavy door opened slowly.
It was Leona.
The knight captain stood tall in her teal armor.
The instant she stepped inside—
She froze.
The queen’s bedchamber. And the two figures sitting side by side beside the bed.
Seraphina and me.
Leona’s eyes trembled for the briefest moment. But she quickly composed herself, took one step forward, and bowed deeply.
“I greet Your Majesty the Queen.”
Seraphina raised her hand lightly.
“My loyal subject, Leona.”
“I have heard the tale.”
Her gaze slowly lowered.
“You made contact with Jun.”
Leona’s eyes wavered again, just a fraction.
The queen continued.
“And you even shared a relationship with him.”
Her crimson eyes remained fixed on Leona.
“So. What do you intend to do now?”
Despair flashed across Leona’s face. Her knees hit the floor.
Clank.
The sound of armor striking stone echoed.
Her head bowed low.
“Your Majesty…”
“I have committed a crime worthy of death.”
Leona’s breath trembled faintly.
“I will accept any punishment you decree.”
Seraphina waved her hand once.
“Enough.”
The air in the room grew heavy.
“I heard there was a resonance of mana.”
“Do you understand Jun’s ability?”
Still kneeling, Leona answered.
“Yes.”
“I believe the ability to discern truth has manifested.”
“Beyond that…”
Her words trailed off.
Seraphina nodded slowly.
“I see…”
“That is something we must investigate ourselves.”
She took a short breath before asking again.
“What do you intend to do from now on?”
Leona raised her head. Her eyes were still deadly serious.
“Outside the hours he spends working for Lunaris…”
“I will train him myself.”
I cut in immediately.
“No, Leona.”
“That’s not—”
At that moment, Seraphina raised her hand. It was a clear signal to stop.
The bedchamber fell silent.
“Continue.”
“My loyal subject, Leona.”
Leona took a breath and went on.
“I do not mean to train him harshly from the start.”
“There is a child I have been watching.”
She lowered her gaze briefly, then lifted it again.
“She has only just finished her basic education.”
“If he trains together with that apprentice…”
“I believe it would be appropriate.”
Seraphina nodded slowly.
“A fine idea.”
The bedchamber grew quiet once more.
The queen’s gaze returned to Leona.
“You understand, do you not?”
“This is no longer merely Lunaris’s concern.”
The air grew even heavier.
The queen’s voice continued, low and grave.
“It will bring enormous change to all of Elcia.”
Leona’s eyes trembled again, just slightly.
Seraphina went on.
“A man. A being who resonates with magic.”
A brief silence.
“If the world learns that such a person exists within Lunaris…”
“The balance of power across this entire world will shift.”
Her crimson eyes narrowed slowly.
“That is why Jun must grow strong.”
Her gaze turned to me.
“Strong enough to protect himself.”
“And strong enough to protect our kingdom.”
The queen looked back at Leona.
“Leona. I entrust this to you.”
“Train Jun. And guard his secret.”
Leona remained kneeling for a moment, head bowed.
Then she rose slowly, only to drop to one knee once more.
Her armor clinked softly.
She placed her right hand over her heart.
It was the knight’s formal salute.
“I, Leona.”
“As a knight of Lunaris.”
“And as the sword of Her Majesty the Queen.”
Her voice rang firm.
“I swear once more.”
The air in the bedchamber grew thick with gravity.
“My sword.”
“My body.”
“My life.”
She bowed her head deeply.
“For the glory of Lunaris!”
It was the oath of a knight.
Time passed.
The same council chamber.
The same seats.
Yet the atmosphere was far heavier than the day before.
The elders.
The mages.
And the technical officials.
Documents were piled high on the long table, bearing clear traces of having been studied through the night.
The door to the council chamber closed with a heavy thud.
Seraphina rose slowly from her seat.
She occupied the same central position today as well—the heart of the council, the ruler of Lunaris.
Her eyes slowly swept across every face in the room.
One by one.
She confirmed them all.
Then she spoke.
“I trust everyone has finished reviewing the directives I gave yesterday?”
Her dignified voice echoed through the chamber.
The air grew hushed.
Her gaze turned toward the elders’ seats.
“Report.”
It was a short command.
A woman stood up. She appeared advanced in years, an elder wearing a robe adorned with silver ornaments.
She bowed her head.
“Your Majesty.”
“The review is complete.”
The queen spoke curtly.
“Speak.”
The elder opened a document.
“The water supply plan proposed by Jun.”
“We have completed the terrain assessment.”
“It is feasible.”
A faint stir rippled through the council seats.
The elder continued.
“Especially in the southern region.”
“It will prove highly effective in resolving the drought issue.”
Her eyes moved toward the map.
“By connecting reservoirs with pipes,”
“We can drastically reduce dependence on existing wells.”
The queen turned to the next person.
A long, flowing robe embroidered with softly glowing magical runes.
A mage stepped forward.
“I shall report on the magical aspects.”
“Pipe construction is possible.”
The council fell silent again.
“Water purification.”
“Structures maintained by mana can also be implemented.”
Seraphina gave a light nod.
This time, the chief technical officer rose. She organized a thick stack of documents and stepped forward.
“I will report on the road construction plan.”
She unfurled a map.
“If carried out in tandem with the water supply works as he suggested,”
“We can significantly reduce costs.”
Her finger traced across the map.
“Strategically, it is also highly advantageous.”
“Both movement and logistics efficiency will improve.”
Once the reports concluded, the council chamber grew quiet once more.
All eyes naturally converged on one place.
Queen Seraphina.
She rose from her seat.
As she slowly walked, every gaze in the room followed her across the floor.
“The special committee I mentioned yesterday.”
Her voice spread low.
“Its formation is complete, I presume.”
The chamber fell silent for a moment.
Then two women rose at the same time.
Elara.
Sylphrena.
They bowed their heads.
“Your Majesty.”
Elara spoke first.
“…The committee has been fully organized.”
Sylphrena opened a document.
“The engineering team.”
“The mage support unit.”
“And the field supervisors.”
She turned the page.
“We have selected the responsible personnel for each field.”
Elara continued.
“…Construction will begin…”
“…in the southern region first.”
“…Reservoir construction.”
“…and pipe fabrication.”
“…We plan to carry out both tasks simultaneously.”
Sylphrena raised her head.
“Road maintenance will proceed in parallel with the water supply project.”
Her fingertip tapped the map.
“We have designated priority sections after considering movement routes and logistics.”
The council chamber fell silent.
Seraphina looked at the two women.
Then she nodded.
“Good.”
A single short word.
The queen’s eyes narrowed.
“Then it begins.”
“Lunaris shall execute this plan.”
In that instant, the air solidified.
One by one, everyone rose from their seats.
Chairs slid back quietly.
Elders.
Mages.
Technical officials.
They all bowed their heads at once.
And they cried out.
“Yes.”
“Your Majesty.”
Breaths united as one.
“For the glory of Lunaris!”
The resolute voices shook the council chamber.
Queen Seraphina quietly observed the scene.
Then she gave a slow nod.
With that single motion, the entire space seemed to fall into perfect order.
It was a solemn gesture befitting the ruler of Lunaris.
That was when it happened.
My eyes narrowed on their own.
One of the elders seated on the far side of the elders’ bench. An older-looking woman.
The air around her was subtly distorted.
A reddish aura?
I blinked.
Huh?
I looked more closely.
No way…?
Yeah. That’s it.
That bitch who’s stirring up trouble from within.
I narrowed my eyes and kept staring at the elder.
At first it had been faint, but now it was unmistakable.
A red aura!
If my senses were correct, this wasn’t falsehood.
It was the opposite.
Not surface-level emotion.
Something hidden.
Something concealed.
And…
Far too many truths were tangled together inside her.
I kept my expression neutral and glanced toward the queen.
Seraphina was already returning to her seat. Her face remained unchanged.
But I knew.
In the briefest instant, the queen’s gaze had swept across that elder.
So she already knows…
When the queen raised her hand, the council chamber fell silent once more.
“This concludes the meeting.”
A short declaration.
The elders and mages bowed again.
I never took my eyes off that elder.
Our gazes met for a split second.
The red aura flickered faintly.
And at the corner of the elder’s mouth, a razor-thin smile appeared.
What the hell are you scheming, you bitch?
She turned her head sharply and left.
A chill crawled up my spine.
At that moment, a very low voice spoke beside me.
“Jun.”
It was Seraphina.
I turned my head.
The queen was still looking straight ahead. Her lips barely moved.
“Did you see something just now?”
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Yes.”
“Who was it?”
The queen’s eyes narrowed.
I slowly turned my head toward one side of the elders’ seats.
Her gaze followed.
A moment later, the queen spoke in an extremely quiet voice.
“So… it really was her.”
“Elder Mardia.”
Seraphina bit her lip lightly.
I grumbled as I followed behind Leona.
“No.”
“I really don’t want to do that.”
Leona walked ahead without looking back.
I raised my voice.
“Hey, Leona. Huh?”
“I just want to live safely.”
The words kept spilling out.
“Normally.”
“Quietly.”
“Without being noticed.”
A moment later, she answered in a perfectly casual tone, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“It is precisely for your safety.”
Her steps never slowed.
“Jun.”
I let out a helpless, bitter laugh.
“Sword training is supposed to be safe?”
“Correct.”
An instant reply.
“If you lack the power to protect yourself,”
“Surviving in this world is difficult.”
I frowned.
“That’s just your standard.”
Leona paused for a moment, then turned her head slightly.
“Jun.”
Our eyes met.
“Right now, you are”
“the most dangerous existence in this entire world.”
Her words fell clearly.
“You could become a target at any moment.”
She resumed her brisk pace.
I shut my mouth.
I let out a long sigh.
Ah, fuck.
“Damn it…”
“So where the hell are we going?!”
I shouted as I trailed behind her.
That was when Leona’s steps finally stopped.
Before us stood a thick iron door engraved with the knight order’s emblem.
“We have arrived.”
She opened the door as she spoke.
The iron door creaked heavily.
Creeeeak—
And the space inside was revealed.
My eyes widened on their own.
