The Floating Continent's Princess
“Oh my, you must have had such a long journey. Please, come in.”
Mirp ia, the Pope of the Ahrirang faith, greeted her visitors warmly.
The guests who had come to see her were two women.
They wore white masks to conceal their faces. What made them unusual, however, was that unlike ordinary masks, theirs did not merely cover the features; the masks extended sideways to hide their ears as well, giving them the appearance of helmets.
“It is a tremendous honor to be granted an audience with Your Holiness.”
A bright, clear voice came from the smaller of the two women, who carried an air of youthfulness. Her voice was so pure it seemed to clear the air itself, and anyone could easily imagine the beauty hidden behind the mask.
That they were permitted to sit across from Mirpia at the same table made their status obvious, yet for some reason they showed her the utmost respect.
While the smaller woman lowered her posture along with her clear voice, the other woman standing beside her remained perfectly still, maintaining her original stance.
Observing the lack of courtesy, Karyun’s eyes narrowed slightly, but knowing their true identities and positions, he wisely chose not to comment.
“Hehe. Welcome, Princess of the Floating Continent. I believe your older brother visited a few years ago. Now it is your turn. Ah, has he become the Crown Prince by now?”
“Yes. When I mentioned I would be traveling to the continent, my brother asked me to convey his regards to Your Holiness without fail.”
After finishing her greeting, the masked woman sat down once more.
“I see. Thank you. By the way, did you come straight here the moment you arrived on the continent, Princess?”
“Yes. It is the most important custom of the Pointed-Ear tribe of the Floating Continent to pay our respects to Your Holiness first whenever we visit the continent.”
“I understand. As Pope, this is my first time receiving visitors from the Floating Continent…”
The Floating Continent.
As its name suggested, it was a continent floating in the sky. According to records, it had been created roughly a thousand years ago, after the great war between humans and Yokai, through the combined efforts of Ahrirang, the Seven Stars, and several others.
It was known to be home to the Pointed-Ear tribe with their sharp, beautiful ears, the diminutive tribe whose members were smaller than humans yet possessed an adorable appearance regardless of age or gender, and a few other heterogeneous races. The two women before her belonged to the Pointed-Ear tribe.
“I assume you have come to the continent to investigate the prophecy left by my ancestor, one of the Seven Stars, just as the Crown Prince did?”
“While investigating that prophecy, I also intend to experience this vast continent for myself.”
Mirp ia nodded calmly as she listened to the woman.
With the motion of her head, the veil covering her face swayed gently.
“Then what do you plan to do now, Princess?”
“I was thinking of traveling around the continent.”
“Won’t that be dangerous?”
“Of course not. I have Hee by my side, after all. There is no one more reliable.”
“Even so… Ah, how about this instead?”
As if a good idea had suddenly struck her, Mirpia snapped her fingers.
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
The woman tilted her head about a third of the way, clearly puzzled.
“Why not visit the National Academy? I believe it would be an excellent experience for you, Princess.”
“The National Academy… Do you mean the one in the Imperial Capital?”
“Yes, that is correct. As it happens, that person’s clan is currently staying there as well.”
“But I am not human. Do I even qualify to enter the National Academy, which only accepts humans…?”
The woman’s voice trailed off, fully aware of how unlikely it was.
“Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible. As you said, it is not admission season, and you are not human.”
“…”
“Still, there is always a way. I will speak with the headmaster in advance. I am certain he will gladly grant you special admission.”
“Hmm…”
When the woman hesitated despite Mirpia’s urging, the woman called Hee, who had been standing silently beside her, finally spoke for the first time.
“Your Highness, it would be wise to accept Her Holiness’s kindness. Not only will you gain information regarding the prophecy, but there is no better place than the National Academy to learn about the continent.”
“Is that so?”
“Furthermore, since the National Academy is located within the Imperial Capital, there will be no concerns regarding your safety.”
“Very well. Since Her Holiness has personally suggested it and Hee agrees… I suppose it would be best to stay at the National Academy during my time on the continent.”
“Hehe, I knew you would make the right choice. Then I should contact the headmaster soon regarding your enrollment.”
Mirp ia’s eyes curved gently behind her veil at the woman’s acceptance.
“I am truly at a loss for how to repay Your Holiness’s boundless generosity. I worry we may be causing unnecessary trouble. Once again, thank you.”
“Not at all, Princess. This is no trouble whatsoever.”
“Your Holiness, may we take our leave now?”
“Oh dear! Look at me. I have been keeping you here far too long after your long journey. You must be exhausted. Please stay here as long as you need until you have recovered.”
“We are endlessly grateful for your consideration, Your Holiness.”
“Hehe, welcome to the continent. I hope you achieve everything you desire.”
Once their business was concluded, the two women offered their farewells to Mirpia and departed.
“…Hmm.”
“Your Holiness, are you feeling unwell? Has the old injury still not fully healed…?”
Yushin asked with concern upon seeing Mirpia lost in thought, but fortunately, it was not what he feared.
“No, it is not that. Yushin, you know the contents of the prophecy the Princess mentioned earlier, correct?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you believe that prophecy will truly come to pass?”
“It is a prophecy from one of the Seven Stars, after all.”
“Hmm, I see… It seems I will need to meet with Haru again soon.”
“I will subtly inform the Seven Lords that Your Holiness wishes to see them.”
“There is no need to go that far… No, thank you. I will leave it to you.”
* * *
Thud.
“Uwah, uwaaah…! B-Brother—!!”
When Haru lost consciousness and collapsed, Blanser panicked and burst into loud sobs. The shock was so great that his eyes, nose, and mouth seemed to move independently.
Maru was equally stunned, her face pale as she stood frozen, unable to even breathe.
Surprisingly calm, Teraden quickly approached Haru and examined his body before speaking in a low voice to reassure Maru.
“He will be fine. Do not worry.”
After calming Maru, Teraden turned to Blanser.
“…Stop making a fuss and take care of Haru. Then take Maru and the others and go ahead.”
“Huh? Then what are you going to do, Brother…?”
“Hey, do not make me repeat myself. Just go ahead…”
Startled!
Normally, Teraden spoke without restraint. In situations like this, he was even more direct. Yet the atmosphere around him now was different from usual; he had not immediately started cursing as he typically would.
Startled by the palpable pressure emanating from Teraden, Blanser stammered and quickly left with Maru and the rest of the group.
“Make sure no one else comes here.”
“Uh, y-yes. Understood, Brother.”
Sensing the unusual tension, Karbin and his companions did not dare ask questions and obediently began moving the now-uncontrolled individuals beyond the cavern.
“Hey.”
Once everyone had left, only Teraden and Elien remained in the wide cavern. Teraden turned his head and slowly approached her with deliberate steps.
“Thanks to you, I am in a very foul mood right now. Haru ending up like that, the hole in my stomach, Junior getting brainwashed and forced to do terrible things… When you think about it, it is all because of you, is it not?”
Step.
Step.
“You are the first. The first time I have seriously considered using this Ineung on another person.”
“Y-You promised you would not kill me…”
“Ah, you do not need to worry about that. I was told to keep my promises, so I will not kill you. Not that I ever intended to in the first place.”
As Teraden drew closer, Elien tried to push herself backward across the ground, but the weight of his sunken gaze made her feel as though her body was being pierced. Her legs gave out beneath her.
“People think my Ineung is just neutralization. But it is not something as simple as that. Well, from the perspective of those on the receiving end, maybe it does not matter.”
“W-Wait. What exactly are you trying to do…?”
Thud.
Despite Elien’s panic, Teraden paid no attention and placed his hand on top of her head.
“I am taking it. Your Ineung.”
As Teraden began to apply pressure with his hand, Elien thrashed in pain and terror.
“Wait! U-Ugh…!”
Crack, crunch—!
“Plunder.”
“…!”
Elien, who had been about to scream, suddenly found herself overwhelmed by an immense sense of exhaustion as her Ineung was completely stripped away. She gasped for breath.
“Haa, ha…”
Plunder.
It was Teraden’s other Ineung—his final Ineung—known to the world only as neutralization.
When Teraden had first awakened this ability in Seo-Wangdo and used it, those present had witnessed the Yokai’s Ineung disappear and, based on the reaction, concluded that his power was neutralization.
Since no one in continental history had ever possessed the Ineung called Plunder, and Teraden himself had never bothered to correct the assumption, that was how it had appeared.
If it ever became known that his true ability was not neutralization but Plunder, it would undoubtedly cause another massive upheaval across the continent.
Teraden understood this better than anyone, which was why he had kept the stolen abilities hidden until now.
That was also why he had refused Mirpia’s earlier offer to examine his inner self, fearing that Plunder might be discovered.
But this time was different.
He could not simply let Elien’s actions—hurting his closest friend Haru—go unpunished.
“What a disgusting Ineung. You… It would be best if you kept quiet about what happened here.”
“U-Ugh!”
Teraden crouched down to meet Elien’s eyes. She merely trembled and nodded repeatedly.
“If you go around blabbing, I might not feel like keeping my promise anymore. Not that anyone would believe you even if you did talk.”
After giving the limp Elien one final, indifferent glance, Teraden turned and walked in the direction Maru and Blanser had gone.