Shakky picked up the second scroll and began reading it silently. The more she read, the more curious she became. What was written inside was strange—far beyond anything she had expected.
> "From the condition of the bodies we found there, it is clear that the experiments being conducted in the facility went far beyond the limits of the human body.
Our investigation revealed that they were attempting to create a superhuman prototype—a body capable of containing an unimaginable amount of power, one that would be nearly impossible to destroy.
The first prototype appeared to violate the every laws of nature. We tried to find out more, but there was no evidence that the prototype itself had ever existed. It is possible that they were never able to complete it. The same seems to be true for the second prototype."
Shakky fell into thought after reading it. These experiments... Superhumans? The things written here were far beyond the knowledge of this era.
She wondered,
"What kind of experiment was this? And why were they trying to create a superhuman? What were they trying to accomplish... and why were they specifically trying to create these things?"
Shakky looked back at the scroll and continued reading.
> "The name of the second prototype was 'Lad.' According to our findings, it was specifically being developed for the princess. Its purpose was to protect her."
Shakky's eyes widened in complete shock.
"What...? A prototype... specifically for me? I don't know anything about this. And does Father know about it too...? He must have the answer. When I return, I'll definitely ask him."
She continued reading.
> "However, even after searching the entire facility, we found no trace of the prototype itself. We discovered several large glass tubes that had been completely destroyed, along with numerous containers bearing the name 'Lad.' It is possible that they had already completed the prototype, but it may have been destroyed in the explosion.
We have no information regarding the third prototype. However, based on our findings, we can conclude that they were definitely working on one."
After finishing the passage, Shakky rolled the scroll back up and set it aside.
"We still have far too little information. Did Father already know about all of this? And the second prototype, Lad... it was being created specifically for me. But why? There are still so many things I don't understand."
Shakky picked up the third scroll and began reading.
> "THE UNDEAD
These monsters usually attack at night. They are primarily the corpses of people who were killed by monsters. Once they are dead, 'Fuges' develop within their bodies, reviving them and allowing them to move according to the will of the creature controlling them.
However, the undead encountered in the North were considerably different. As Lord Manice mentioned, their movements were unlike those of normal monsters. They could not be killed by ordinary weapons, nor could they be defeated with holy weapons. They could only be killed using silver blades, which is highly unusual."
Shakky lowered the scroll and began thinking.
"Silver blades... They're extremely rare, and their price is incredibly high because they're forged using dragon fire. And there is only one place in the world where they can be obtained. If that's true... this is very bad. If we can't even kill them, then how are we supposed to defeat them?"
Just then, the carriage came to a stop.
Shakky looked ahead.
"What happened?"
Ameria opened the carriage door and looked outside.
"Princess, I'll go take a look."
She stepped out. A moment later, Derland rode over to her on his horse.
"Tell the princess that we've reached our people. They'll rest here for a while before we continue onward."
Ameria nodded.
"Understood."
She returned to the carriage, got inside, and closed the door behind her. She told Shakky what Derland had said.
After hearing it, Shakky asked Ameria for a book.
"Alright. I'll read a book until we leave again."
Ameria handed her one.
After some time, the carriage started moving again.
Ahead of them were numerous wagons carrying large amounts of grain and meat covered in snow. The snow covering the meat wasn't melting. Soldiers traveled alongside the wagons, some on horseback and others on foot. They carried spears and shields in their hands, while all the knights wore red armor.
Inside the carriage, Ameria was beginning to get bored.
She glanced at Shakky, who was still reading her book.
"Princess, how long are you going to keep reading?"
Shakky turned a page without looking up.
"If you're bored, there are books in the bag. Take one out and read it."
Ameria looked toward the bag, then back at Shakky.
"You want me to take a book out of that?"
She puffed out her cheeks, looking annoyed.
"There are only a few books, two sweaters, and some food in that bag."
Shakky finally looked at her.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Ameria puffed out her cheeks again and turned toward the carriage window, refusing to answer.
Shakky stared at her for a moment, completely confused.
"Oh, come on..."
And just like that, night fell.
Shakky sat beside a campfire, still reading her book. They had stopped in an open field with the forest some distance away. Above them stretched the open night sky, filled with countless stars and the seven moons.
Ameria sat beside Shakky, feeding her with a spoon while a warm fire crackled in front of them.
Just then, Derland arrived. He was carrying a box in one hand and a spoon in the other. He walked over to them and sat down.
"Ah, this is a nice place."
Ameria looked at him.
"What happened? Don't you prefer eating with your men?"
Derland smiled.
"It's not that. I thought it would be even better if I ate beside the princess."
Shakky looked at him.
"Uncle, you can eat here."
Derland had just started eating when he noticed how Shakky was being fed by Ameria.
"Can't the princess eat with her own hands?"
Ameria looked at him.
"No, she can't. She has blisters on her hands."
Derland chuckled.
"Of course she does. After all, the princess swings a sword that hard. But... don't they heal?"
Ameria continued feeding Shakky as she answered.
"No. They can't heal. Her Saint Power is still unstable, so no kind of magic works on them."
Derland chewed his food thoughtfully.
"So you're saying her Saint Power has become a curse for the princess?"
Shakky answered him.
"It's not really a curse, Uncle. The Saint Power inside me prevents my body from weakening too much. If I use it, I become extremely powerful for a short period of time. But once I return to normal, the side effects appear... like you saw that day."
Derland nodded.
"Oh, right. I was a little scared that day."
After finishing his meal, Derland stood up.
"Alright then. I'll keep watch until midnight. If you need anything, just let me know."
With that, Derland walked away.
A little later, Shakky finished her meal as well. Ameria ate hers and then brought some more firewood over to the campfire before sitting beside Shakky.
"Princess, if you want, you can sit inside the carriage."
Shakky looked up at the sky.
"No. I'd rather sit beneath the open sky."
Ameria stood up and went over to the carriage. She returned with two blankets.
She placed one over Shakky before lying down on the ground beside her and falling asleep.
Some time passed.
Midnight arrived.
Shakky was still reading her book.
She turned the page—
—and suddenly froze.
The next page was completely blank.
There wasn't a single word on it.
Shakky frowned and turned another page.
Then another.
Her eyes widened.
Every word in the book had disappeared.
She stared at the pages in confusion.
"What's happening...? Where did all the words go?"
Just then, Shakky noticed something.
She slowly looked toward the forest.
There was a strange presence coming from within it.
As she stared into the darkness, she could make out a shadow watching her.
Only its glowing eyes were visible.
Shakky stared at it in surprise.
Then she quickly turned toward Ameria.
"Ameria... Ameria, look over there."
But Ameria didn't wake up.
Shakky's expression became confused.
Normally, Ameria would wake up immediately whenever Shakky called her.
Shakky reached over and shook her.
"Ameria."
Nothing.
She shook her again.
Still nothing.
A worried expression appeared on Shakky's face.
Then she noticed something else.
The surroundings had become completely silent.
She couldn't hear the horses.
She couldn't hear the knights guarding the area.
There wasn't even the sound of people moving around.
Shakky slowly stood up.
She looked around.
Her eyes widened.
There was no one there.
The entire road was empty.
There were no knights.
No soldiers.
No wagons.
Even Derland was gone.
Everything had disappeared.
Shakky stared around in disbelief.
"Where did everyone go...?"
Then she understood.
Whatever was happening had something to do with the shadow standing inside the forest.
Shakky turned toward it and clenched her fist.
"So... is that shadow doing all of this? Looks like I'll have to go there."
She hesitated for a moment.
Then she took a step forward.
As Shakky continued walking, something felt increasingly strange.
It was almost as if the forest itself was moving toward her.
She stopped and turned around.
She had only taken a few steps—
yet the camp was already incredibly far behind her.
Shakky's eyes widened.
"What is happening...? I barely walked at all. Is this some kind of illusion?"
She turned back toward the forest.
Her expression changed.
The forest that had been so far away moments ago was now standing directly in front of her.
That should have been impossible.
"What just happened...? I turned around for only a moment, and now I'm already this far ahead..."
Shakky swallowed nervously.
She clenched her fist.
"Whatever this is... I'll find out when I get there."
She took another step forward.
The moment her foot touched the ground, something strange happened.
The trees standing directly in front of her shifted on their own, moving aside and creating a path.
Shakky froze.
The sight was unsettling.
Through the newly opened path, she could now see the shadow clearly.
And even more frighteningly—
she could see the trees moving by themselves.