The carriage stopped abruptly in front of the castle.
The sound of horses snorting filled the cold midnight air as the wheels screeched against the stone path. Unlike the luxurious royal carriages usually arriving at the estate, this one was modest and plain, moving without any royal insignia or decorative ornaments.
Before the coachman could properly descend, the carriage door was already thrown open.
Jaesper stepped out hurriedly.
His long coat swayed sharply behind him as he landed on the ground without hesitation. The usual calm expression on his face was nowhere to be seen. His eyes were sharp, alert, and visibly rushed.
At the entrance of the castle stood Sebastian, waiting.
The old butler bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for coming at this late hour, Lord Jaesper."
Jaesper barely acknowledged the greeting.
Instead, he immediately looked toward Sebastian.
"Where is he?" he asked sharply. "I need to examine him immediately."
Even his tone carried urgency.
Sebastian did not take the coldness personally. By now, he understood Jaesper well enough to know the man became harsher whenever a patient's condition was severe.
"This way."
Without wasting another second, Sebastian turned and guided him inside.
Their footsteps echoed rapidly through the dim hallways of Delcra Castle. Servants quickly moved aside as the group passed by, tension already spreading through the atmosphere.
Jaesper's assistant followed closely behind, carrying several cases filled with medical tools and potions.
The deeper they walked into the castle, the stronger the smell of medicinal herbs became.
When they finally arrived before a room, Sebastian immediately pushed the door open.
Warm air mixed with bitter herbal fragrance drifted outward.
At the center of the room lay Robert.
His body looked frighteningly fragile against the large bed.
His pale golden hair stuck slightly to his damp forehead from sweat, while his breathing came out uneven and shallow. His complexion was almost colorless beneath the candlelight.
Beside the bed, one of Delcra's physicians was burning medicinal herbs within a small bronze burner, attempting to stabilize the room's atmosphere.
Jaesper immediately walked toward the bed.
He knelt beside Robert and grabbed his wrist gently, checking his pulse.
His expression darkened almost instantly.
"He suffered a heart attack several days ago," the physician explained quickly. "He suddenly coughed blood and collapsed. Fortunately, the amount of blood wasn't excessive…"
Jaesper stayed silent while examining him.
The longer he checked Robert's pulse, the tighter his brows knitted together.
Finally, he exhaled quietly.
"His body is far too weak," Jaesper muttered. "Once he starts coughing blood, it means the condition has already become severe."
His gaze shifted around the room.
Several bottles of medicine and potions were neatly placed nearby.
Most of them were half-empty.
Jaesper recognized them immediately.
They were medicines he personally prepared for Robert.
Which meant Robert had been taking them properly.
And yet—
They were no longer effective enough.
Jaesper's expression hardened slightly.
Without another word, he removed his outer coat and handed it to his assistant.
Sebastian blinked in surprise when he saw Jaesper opening one of the medical cases.
Inside were surgical tools.
Sharp silver instruments carefully arranged in rows.
The physician beside him visibly stiffened.
"What are you planning to do?" Sebastian asked, concern finally surfacing in his usually composed voice.
Jaesper calmly pulled down the black mask covering the lower half of his face.
"I'm going to perform a small emergency operation."
The room froze.
Sebastian's eyes widened slightly.
Jaesper already began sterilizing the tools one by one using blue flame magic.
"His condition will continue deteriorating if we don't open the chest and repair the damage directly," he explained. "Healing spells alone are no longer enough."
His assistant immediately moved to Robert's side, carefully unbuttoning Robert's shirt while preparing several potions.
The physician hurried closer to help.
"We'll put him into deep sleep first," Jaesper continued calmly. "He must not wake during the procedure."
The assistant carefully tilted Robert's head and fed him a sleeping potion little by little.
Robert did not respond.
His breathing remained weak.
Jaesper's eyes lingered briefly on Robert's face before speaking again, quieter this time.
"We need to be extremely careful."
He placed one hand lightly over Robert's chest.
"His heart is already under too much strain."
A faint glow of healing mana flickered beneath his palm.
"If we stress it again…" Jaesper murmured grimly, "…everything we do tonight will be meaningless."
Silence filled the room.
Then the surgery began.
The physician quickly assisted Jaesper, handing him tools while magic circles slowly illuminated around the bed. Soft healing light intertwined with the sharp scent of herbs and medicine.
At the corner of the room, Sebastian stood silently.
Watching.
The image from several nights ago replayed vividly inside his mind—
Robert collapsing suddenly after Kael's departure.
The violent coughing.
Blood staining the floor.
The desperate way Robert tried to hide the severity of it even while struggling to breathe.
Sebastian had known for years that Robert's heart condition existed.
But that night—
For the first time—
He truly realized how close Robert was to death.
His hands slowly tightened behind his back.
And still, Kael knew nothing.
-----------------------------------------
—On the other side—
Kael stared outside the carriage window quietly.
Far ahead, the teleportation port finally came into view.
Large stone pillars surrounded the area while countless glowing magic inscriptions covered the ground beneath the teleportation platform. Several mages moved around busily, preparing the portal for long-distance activation.
The journey had exhausted everyone.
Elric was currently assisting the mages personally to speed up the process.
At first, Kael wanted to help.
But teleportation magic required extremely precise spell chanting—something far outside his expertise.
Swordsmanship and battle instincts were his strength.
Not advanced magical formations.
Kael lowered his gaze slightly.
His mind still lingered on the vision he saw several nights ago.
The blood sea.
The dragon.
John pointing silently toward it.
The feeling reminded him painfully of Licht.
That same overwhelming presence.
That same suffocating instinct warning him something terrible waited ahead.
The carriage door suddenly opened.
Kael lifted his eyes.
Elric stepped inside.
A faint smile appeared on her face the moment she saw him awake.
"The portal is ready," she said softly. "We'll depart shortly."
Kael nodded quietly.
But Elric noticed immediately that his thoughts were elsewhere.
She watched him silently for a moment before moving closer and sitting beside him inside the carriage.
Without saying anything at first, she reached over and held his hand tightly.
Her warmth spread slowly through his cold fingers.
"Don't worry," she whispered gently. "I'm here."
Simple words.
Yet she repeated them countless times ever since this journey began.
Kael turned to look at her.
For a brief moment, the tension in his eyes softened.
A faint smile finally appeared on his lips.
"…Yeah," he murmured quietly.
He tightened his fingers slightly around hers.
Outside, the teleportation circle slowly began to glow brighter.
And somewhere far away—
Under the dark sea of the South—
Something continued waiting for him.
-----------------------------------------
The carriage slowly moved toward the teleportation portal.
Outside, the massive magic circle carved into the ground glowed brighter with each passing second. Ancient symbols lit one after another beneath the feet of the royal mages, illuminating the entire platform in pale blue light.
The air trembled faintly.
Kael sat quietly inside the carriage while Elric remained beside him. Even after resting earlier, his body still felt slightly tense from the lingering visions haunting his thoughts.
Then—
The world distorted.
For a brief moment, the sensation felt like being dragged through rushing water. Light twisted outside the carriage windows before dissolving into blinding white.
And within seconds—
It ended.
The carriage landed with a slight jolt.
Kael slowly opened his eyes.
A faint dizziness immediately hit him.
He exhaled quietly and pressed a hand against his forehead for a moment before turning toward the window.
Then he froze.
The sea.
Even from a distance, he could see it clearly.
Vast blue water stretched along the horizon beneath the cloudy southern sky. Sunlight reflected faintly against the waves while countless ships appeared like small shadows far beyond the shoreline.
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
It was still far away.
But it was there.
The sea from his visions.
The hand holding his tightened gently.
Kael turned beside him.
Elric was already watching the distant horizon through the opposite window.
"It seems we'll arrive at the Southern Port by this evening," she said softly.
Then she glanced back toward him.
"How was the teleportation?" she asked gently. "The last time we used one, you were unconscious."
Kael blinked faintly before remembering.
Back then, when they traveled from the North toward the West, his condition had been so terrible he barely remembered anything at all.
"…Just a little dizzy," he answered quietly.
Elric laughed softly.
"That's normal," she said. "Honestly, I prefer traveling without teleportation whenever possible."
She leaned slightly against the seat.
"Sometimes the motion leaves people nauseous for hours."
Her eyes softened while looking at him.
"But since your condition is improving, I think it won't cause much trouble now."
Kael nodded quietly.
Outside, the escort knights began moving again as the carriage resumed its journey toward the Southern Port.
After a moment, Kael reached into his bag and pulled out several folded papers.
Elric glanced at them curiously.
An official letter.
Kael carefully sealed it before handing it to one of the attendants waiting outside the carriage.
"Deliver this ahead to Lord Theodore," Kael instructed calmly. "Inform him that we'll arrive before nightfall."
The attendant accepted it respectfully.
"At once, Lord Kael."
Within seconds, one of the escort riders mounted a horse and sped ahead down the southern road.
Elric watched the scene with faint amusement.
Seeing Kael calmly giving formal orders like a proper noble still felt strangely unfamiliar at times.
Especially when she remembered the quiet orphan boy who once barely understood noble etiquette.
"You're getting better at that," she teased lightly.
Kael blinked. "At what?"
"Acting like an Archduke."
Kael looked away slightly.
"…I'm still learning."
Elric smiled softly at that response.
Then, after noticing the faint exhaustion returning to his face, she gently patted her lap.
"You said the teleportation made you dizzy, right?" she said casually. "Come here and rest."
Kael stared at her blankly.
Elric raised a brow.
"You can't look pale when meeting Theodore," she added. "The Southern nobles will overreact immediately."
Kael opened his mouth slightly as if wanting to refuse.
But before he could, Elric already reached over.
Her hand slipped gently behind his neck before slowly guiding him downward until his head rested against her lap.
"Rest," she murmured softly while lightly patting his shoulder.
Kael stiffened at first.
Then slowly—
He gave up resisting.
Because she was right.
Outside Delcra Castle, he could not afford to appear weak.
Not in front of Southern nobles.
Not in front of Theodore.
Kael closed his eyes briefly, letting the movement of the carriage lull his dizziness slightly.
Then suddenly—
His eyes opened again.
Delcra Castle.
Robert.
Kael turned his head slightly while still resting against Elric.
"Did we receive any letters from the castle?" he asked quietly.
Elric blinked.
Kael lowered his gaze slightly.
Ever since the journey began, he had written letters almost every night.
Most of them were simple.
Short reports about the trip.
Their location.
His condition.
The weather.
Small things.
All sent to Robert.
Kael knew Robert worried too much, so he wanted to reassure him constantly—that he could endure the journey safely.
That he was fine.
That he would come back.
Elric thought for a moment before answering softly,
"Maybe the replies are delayed."
She gently brushed several strands of white hair away from his forehead.
"We haven't received anything yet," she admitted. "But we're already quite far from the capital now. The letters might take longer to reach us."
She smiled faintly, trying to reassure him.
"Perhaps the response will arrive once we settle at the Southern Port."
Kael stayed silent.
For some reason, unease settled heavily inside his chest.
He remembered Robert's face before they departed.
Pale.
Tired.
Though Robert smiled like usual, something about him felt strangely fragile that morning.
Kael's fingers tightened slightly against his coat.
"I promised him," he murmured quietly.
Elric looked down at him.
"I told him I'd be fine."
His voice sounded softer now.
Almost distant.
Elric's expression softened immediately.
"He knows that," she reassured gently. "Robert trusts you."
Kael closed his eyes again.
But somehow—
The unease refused to disappear.
Neither of them knew what was happening back at Delcra Castle.
Neither of them knew that while Kael traveled south chasing the truth—
Robert was fighting to survive.