Over the course of a long year, most of the information collected by Brik turned out to be mostly fictional.

They couldn’t infiltrate the royal palace directly, and there wasn’t enough time to question the nobles, so they could only gather rumors from various sources.

Rumors circulated about a young and beautiful queen who was sold from a distant land, a weak prince she gave birth to, and various stories about the sudden storm that struck the palace one day.

Comparing it to letters from Kalia’s father, Patrick, there were some stories that roughly matched.

Among them was a story that the queen summoned a demon using a stolen treasure from her country after killing a hundred young slaves.

However, in angering the summoned demon, they ended up taking the heart of the young prince. Then a passing genius doctor revived the prince with a ‘sacred heart’ or so the story goes.

A ‘sacred heart’, they said.

It fit so perfectly that it was hard to believe.

The expressions on everyone’s faces stiffened as if they had collectively come to a realization.

Kalexia and Leah, along with Kalia, fell silent for a moment before exhaling and then turned their gazes toward Gaia, who appeared clueless.

Their hearts were heavy, but they didn’t have time to mourn for the past that had already passed.

They composed themselves and returned to the main topic.

“A treasure from the country the queen brought… What could it be?” Leah’s question carried a hint of anticipation.

Kalia raised her head and spoke quietly.

“I’m not entirely sure either. According to the records, that princess, no, the queen, often said things like, ‘If you anger me, I will summon a devil,’ or ‘I have the dark god’s favor.'”

The faces of everyone present subtly distorted at her statement.

‘Devil’ and ‘the dark god’s favor.’

Could there be words that better match demons?

If that’s the case, could it be that the treasure the queen brought from her homeland is a ‘magical artifact’?

“Well, it’s just a rumor, but…” Kalia shrugged her shoulders with a nonchalant voice. “Sometimes rumors are closer to the truth.”

The truth within the rumors.

The queen summoned a demon with the magical artifact she brought from her homeland, causing Gaia to be sacrificed, and that demon… might still be lingering in this world.

Silence filled the reception room.

With stern faces and clenched fists, the Fairy King and Queen sat in silence, their exact situation unknown. Louismond and Janice, with cautious expressions, were immersed in the heavy atmosphere and maintained their silence.

And next to them was Simon, seeming lost in deep thoughts.

Tap, tap-tap. Tap.

Whenever lost in thought, he habitually tapped his fingertips, but now he raised his head.

“To tell the truth…”

“Hmm?”

Simon spoke in a muffled voice.

“Before returning to the capital, I visited Akan. To be precise… it was the ruined temple of the sun god in Akan.”

Upon Simon’s words, Kalia turned to him, something coming to her mind.

A few months ago, Simon had mentioned visiting the temple in Akan during his late return.

Yes, that night was certainly different.

He had promised to talk about it later, as there was no certainty.

“I found a strange coffin under the temple that had been sealed with multiple barriers and erased of all traces.”

“A coffin?”

Curious, Simon nodded in response to the questioning words.

He lightly tapped his arm with his fingertips again before revealing the information he had discovered.

“There was a skeleton inside a pure white coffin. Above the skull, there was a royal crown, and the clothes the person wore were made of silk, very high-quality attire. At first glance, it didn’t seem like a simple noble.”

“If they wore a royal crown, could it be…?”

“Yes. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that there was no information about what happened after the death of Akan’s queen. There were no reports of a funeral, nor any mention of sending the body back to her home country. That means…”

“They didn’t give a proper funeral to the deceased queen.”“It’s strange. Being the queen of a country, it’s unusual not to have a funeral…”

In response to Janice’s puzzled question, Kalia answered.

“According to Brik’s report, the prince hated the queen. Although the exact details of how the queen died weren’t revealed, the most credible rumor was that she went mad and committed suicide.”

“Akan has a tradition of not holding funerals for those who commit suicide, so that explanation makes sense.”

Adding to the conversation, Louismond explained.

If the queen had committed suicide and they didn’t hold a funeral, and the prince had hidden such a mother out of embarrassment and hatred, then the pieces of the puzzle were coming together.

Simon casually shrugged his shoulders.

“I may not know the exact situation… but I found something very strange inside that skeletal remains.”

“Something strange?”

Simon hesitated for a moment, then rummaged inside his pocket and pulled something out.

“It’s presumed to have been inside the queen’s abdomen. It came out from inside the clothes she was wearing, beneath the bones. It seems she swallowed it just before she died. I felt a suspicious aura from it, so I brought it back…”

Clank.

A cold sound echoed as a small pocket watch rose onto the table.

“For some reason, I suspect this might be the item you two have been looking for.”

Kalexia and Leah’s faces filled with astonishment as they looked at the watch.

Kalexia unknowingly stood up from his seat.

“This…!”

Inside the open watch, twelve unfamiliar characters were engraved, and the hour and minute hands pointed at the number 7, frozen in place.

Kalexia, who had been staring at the intriguing object, held the pocket watch up and examined it closely.

Soon, he smiled broadly and embraced Simon with excitement.

“Our grandson-in-law must be blessed by the god Layla! To have discovered a magical artifact in the temple of the sun god!”

“So, you mean…?”

“Yes, this is indeed the magical artifact. Leah, you should take a look too.”

Leah received the pocket watch from the excited Kalexia and examined it.

She nodded, her expression filled with astonishment and certainty.

If they had found the magical artifact, they could have completely annihilated the demons when they encountered them.

Everyone’s expressions relaxed, relieved by this fact. However, at that moment, Leah made a small noise of hesitation.

“Wait a moment. Look here, Kal. There’s no gemstone in the pocket watch.”

“What?”

“Right here. There’s an empty space where the hour and minute hands are fixed.”

Leah pointed to the empty space inside the pocket watch.

“Without the gemstone, it can’t exert its full power. Unfortunately, it seems someone has removed the gemstone from this magical artifact.”

“Oh no…!”

The buoyant atmosphere sank as if cold water had been poured over it.

Amidst the heavy atmosphere, Simon cleared his throat, scratching his head awkwardly, drawing everyone’s attention.

As if asking what he wanted to say in such a gloomy situation, they all looked at Simon simultaneously.

Simon’s usually composed brow wrinkled oddly, and he cleared his throat before speaking in a low voice.

“Well, the gemstone… it’s not missing. I took it out separately. I sent it to the Mage Tower for further research.”

“Oh…!”

“Really? You were the one who took it out?”

Louismond rushed over and tightly grasped Simon’s shoulder, exclaiming.

Simon nodded and apologized with a guilty look to Leah and Kalexia.

“The energy emanating from the gemstone was quite strange. If you want, I will bring it to you right now.”“…Haha, hahaha! I see. Good. Can I ask you right now?”

“You never cease to amaze, Simon. You have a talent for surprising people.”

Leah and Kalexia sighed in relief and wiped their chests with relieved expressions.

The puzzled Simon, who had hidden himself for a moment, quickly reappeared and reached out his hand.

“Is this it? Is this what you’re looking for?”

Inside the black gem, a red substance moved as if it were alive.

The gem was small, but the power emanating from it was not magical, divine, or the power of nature, but something unknown.

Ever since he discovered the pocket watch buried beneath the bones, he had sensed an unusual energy, so he had sent the gem to the researchers at the Mage Tower first…

“Yes, it seems right. It’s the power of the other realm.”

Kalexia placed the gem back into the pocket watch.

It fit perfectly into the previously empty hole.

“Good. I feel more secure now.”

“Kal, we need to prepare quickly.”

Leah and Kalexia looked at the sun high above beyond the window.

It seemed they had been away longer than expected.

Well, they had reliable children, so they didn’t have to worry too much. However, unexpectedly, their hearts became more anxious because of the magical artifact they now held in their hands.

“Then we’ll go now. Oh, and if there’s ever a situation where we’re needed, don’t hesitate to call us, Kalia.”

Both Kalexia and Leah pulled Kalia, who was holding Sasha, into a tight embrace at the same time.

“No matter what happens, even if we have to put aside our work, we’ll come running if you call us first.”

Pat, pat.

A warm hand gently stroked her back.

For Kalia, the overflowing love they showed her every time they met still felt awkward.

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t that she disliked it at all.

She just felt awkward and didn’t know how to respond.

‘…After today, I don’t know when we’ll meet again. There’s a big task ahead.’

Thinking of various reasons, Kalia mustered the courage and gently rested her head on the shoulders of the two and spoke.

“Take care of yourselves. Always. I’ll also be careful.”

As if understanding her heart, the Fairy King and Queen smiled side by side.

Gaia, who was watching it from nearby, rubbed under her nose and suddenly rushed at them with a teary face.

“We’ll break it down in no time and meet again, so why are you acting so gloomy, everyone!”

With Gaia’s cheerful voice, Sasha flapped his short arms as if he were expressing frustration and pushed Kalexia and Leah.

“Abu~!”

With both hands clenched and spread towards the two adults, it seemed as if he was eagerly greeting them.

Leah and Kalexia turned around with smiles but seemed surprised as they looked back.

“The children from the forest on the Akan side say that the atmosphere there is also uneasy. It seems they are gathering their forces.”

Louismond nodded heavily at Kalexia’s words.

“I think this alliance meeting might become a detonator.”

“Prince, don’t worry too much.”

Kalexia twisted his lips and smiled.

Despite being just that, he had a feeling that everything would work out well.

He reached out and tapped Louismond’s shoulder.

“As I mentioned earlier… We will take care of this side.”

Louismond looked straight at the Fairy King and thought.

“You should focus only on your own war.”

That it was truly fortunate to have gained such a reliable ally.