Secrets of the Black Curtain
Before the banquet, I called Ren aside for a private conversation. It was because I planned to take him along to scout the monster habitat. That's when I learned something unexpected.
"You and Benjamin knew about it too?"
What I meant was that Benjamin and Ren had already caught on to the existence of the black curtain.
"Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."
Ren bowed his head apologetically.
"Hm."
But since I'd half-expected it, I wasn't particularly angry. I thought back to Marquis Ather, now a distant memory from the past. In the original story, he'd cursed the duke and ultimately killed him. After my possession, I'd prevented the duke's death with help from Ren and Benjamin, uncovering Marquis Ather's true nature in the process. During the Tentamen, we'd lured him out and captured him, imprisoning him in the Magic Tower's rune prison. But before my inauguration as heir, he'd been murdered. Afterward, I'd been too busy establishing outposts like Volta in the northernmost regions, and Benjamin hadn't brought it up much either, so my attention had naturally drifted away. And now, thanks to Xavier's research at Volta, I'd finally gotten a lead on the black curtain who had manipulated and killed Marquis Ather.
"No, the Magic Tower must have had its reasons."
"……."
"Did you uncover anything else in the meantime?"
At that, Ren began to reveal something astonishing.
"The one who killed Marquis Ather was Christopher Pel, a senior mage who visited the ducal residence some time ago."
"What, really?"
I widened my eyes in shock. The senior mage who had come to the ducal residence during the Magic Festival—when I summoned Ren and Benjamin—had visited. At the time, I had temporarily borrowed Benjamin’s clairvoyant eye in one eye to scout him out before he arrived. I had even handled official duties in his place throughout the festival. He had seemed like a highly trusted mage, so it was surprising to hear that he was a traitor.
"And before he died, he left the word 'Demonic.'"
"Demonic……!"
I was shocked again by Ren's words. Xavier's hypothesis had hit the mark perfectly.
"Ren, actually……."
I told him about the discoveries Xavier had made in his research: the clues about the northern god from the stele Xavier studied, the likelihood that someone was operating under the name Demonic, and finally, that they were summoning monsters using the North Artifact. With every word, Ren's eyes grew wider.
"No way……."
As expected, this was information even the Magic Tower hadn't known, and Ren was utterly stunned. I asked him casually,
"Has the Magic Tower found out anything else?"
"Hmm."
Ren furrowed his brow at my question. Wondering if it was something they were reluctant to discuss at the tower, I was about to say he didn't have to force an answer when he spoke up.
"We've been investigating the Lumine Church."
"The temple?"
"Yes."
This was another unexpected response.
"Why?"
Because the black curtain group worshiping the vanished northern god bore a grudge against the Lumine Church? Was that why they were looking into retaliation? As I speculated, Ren added,
"My master suspects Vice High Priest Vincent."
"Vice High Priest Vincent?"
Another surprising name popped up. Vincent, the paragon of virtue who diligently aided the female lead Yurina in repelling monsters and bringing peace to the continent. On top of that, he was Benjamin's twin brother.
"But he's……."
Ren nodded as if he knew what I couldn't bring myself to say.
"That's exactly why my master suspects him even more."
"What does that mean?"
His next words only muddled my mind further.
"Vice High Priest Vincent was originally a mage from the Magic Tower."
"What?"
Vincent Wall. Because he shared Benjamin's surname, the original story only briefly mentioned him as the deceased former Magic Tower master's older brother. But it never said he was from the Magic Tower. His role was purely to support Yurina as a side character—prominent, but not central to the plot.
"He was even the disciple of the previous Tower Master. In fact, his top disciple. By all rights, Vice High Priest Vincent should have become the next Tower Master."
"Then why did he become a vice high priest at the Lumine Church?"
"I'm not entirely sure. By the time I joined the Magic Tower, Master was already in charge. But from what he told me……."
I listened as Ren explained the complicated backstory between the brothers—a hidden tale absent from the original story. It wasn't just Benjamin who had eccentric tendencies; Vice High Priest Vincent was no slouch in weirdness either.
"But still, suspecting your own brother feels off, doesn't it?"
"Master didn't suspect him from the start."
"Then?"
"Well, it's like this."
Ren slowly unraveled the past events. Benjamin hadn't suspected Vice High Priest Vincent at first either. To probe about the Demonic, he'd summoned Vincent to the Magic Tower, but Vincent played innocent. Benjamin figured that no matter how outlandish Vincent's behavior, he couldn't be in league with those plotting to kill the duke and duchess. Then, not long ago, Benjamin caught Vincent in suspicious activity. To travel quickly between the distant south and north, even mages had to use the warp gates created jointly by the mages. But high-level mages could manage with personal spells—Ren was one of them, though it consumed vast mana stones. In any case, as Tower Master, Benjamin monitored mana consumption in the south, and recently, he'd detected an unusually massive surge. The source? The central Lumine Temple. Someone wielding mana, not holy power. None other than his brother, Vincent Wall. From then on, Benjamin secretly watched Vincent and discovered he cast warp magic during his private prayer times. The mana he used each time was enough to cross between north and south. That's how Benjamin grew suspicious.
"He planned to keep it secret from you, Lady Abigail, until he had solid evidence."
"No way, Vice High Priest Vincent……."
I recalled Vincent's image, the one Yurina followed with a bright smile. I'd found their pairing heartwarming, but if he was truly tied to the black curtain, it would hurt.
"It's not certain yet. But Master will uncover the truth soon."
"I see."
I nodded at Ren's words. For now, I'd have to wait on more from the Magic Tower.
"In any case, we can't scout without precautions."
If Vincent was in cahoots with the black curtain, who knew what he'd do while I was away from base? We needed countermeasures before heading out.
"Pass my words to Benjamin too."
"Yes, understood."
With that, we'd aligned our stories and left the base.
* * *
"Halt."
At my command, the three riders pulled their horses to a stop. Ian, Ren, and Sian turned to look at me from behind. We'd entered the monster habitat with Ren's magic concealing our presence, allowing us to venture deep without issue.
But…….
Have I ever been here before?
The interior of the monster habitat was more ordinary than I'd imagined. The entrance, where monsters barely survived, felt far more barren and desolate. I'd been confused since earlier. The scenery kept giving me an eerie sense of familiarity, even though this was my first time setting foot here. It felt like I knew this place well.
"What's wrong?"
Ren approached and asked. Despite being on high alert from constantly scanning with magic, he still regarded me with his gentle expression. I, on the other hand, was razor-sharp.
"This is definitely inside the monster habitat, right?"
"Yes, of course……."
Ren trailed off, glancing at someone. It was Sian, who'd been pretending not to notice. As eyes turned to him, Sian shrugged and nodded. He was assisting Ren with his own magic. If Ren was the main force, Sian was the backup battery. He was hiding his true power—the spirits—so I played along, pretending not to know. He probably had a spirit scouting and guiding the path. So the feeling that we were lost had to be my imagination.
"Something's off."
But the strange sensation persisted. Was it because I saw a massive tree bursting with green leaves after passing skeletal ones? Or crossing barren ground devoid of grass into a meadow blanketed in turf and wildflowers? Or maybe the restless thumping of my heart? Frowning, I snapped my head up at the crisp crack of a breaking twig.
"Who's there!"
"……!"
Ian drew his sword on alert at my shout. Ren and Sian tensed, ready to unleash magic. I placed my hand on my sword hilt. Dismounting, we fixed our gaze on the forest.
"If it were a monster, it would've noticed us by now……."
"……."
From Ren's quiet mutter, I realized we'd only been wary of monsters. We'd rushed in seeking black curtain clues, but the odds of them being here were slim. Plotting in a monster-infested zone would be risky even for them. But that assumption might be wrong. Tensing, I watched the sound's direction.
Rustle.
Rustle.
Something approached, stepping through the grass. When it appeared, I forgot my vigilance and stared in awe.
"……Kids?"
"……."
"……."
Two small children appeared before us, holding hands. Blinking, I stared at them. The slightly taller boy and the tiny girl both had pale green hair—the boy sky-blue eyes, the girl light purple. Their washed-out pigmentation made them look unlike northern children. Shaking off the dissonance, I regained my composure.
"Who are you?"
"……."
"……."
The children stayed back at a distance, watching only me. Despite the sudden appearance of adults, they stood calmly, unafraid.
"We finally met."
"…What?"
The boy spoke first, but his words were bizarre.
"We've been waiting for you all this time."