Nathan Evenhart:
I walked toward the dining area. That part of the event would mark the end of the night, and unfortunately, I had to stay until the very end. Fortunately, we were at the port, and a ship would take us away as soon as everything was over.
I wanted to relax my mind a bit. Truthfully, I was curious about the contents of the transcribed docunt.
"At least we got sothing useful," Cylla comnted.
"Yeah, it was worth it. I was hoping for sothing interesting to co out of this event, but finding a mural exceeded my expectations," I replied in thought.
A part of felt satisfied, but another couldn't shake off the unease caused by the raven. That was the second ti I had seen that creature, and the sensation of being watched by sothing unknown—without understanding its origin or intent—was far from comforting.
"Aren't you even going to peek at the docunt? I'm curious," Cylla said as we walked.
"I'll take a quick look, but I don't know what might happen if I read the runes. What if the letters float up and translate themselves automatically for —or for everyone around? I can't risk triggering sothing like that here."
I took the letter from my storage bracelet. The paper was high-quality, expensive, and well-preserved. I examined the docunt for a mont, admiring it. But as soon as I turned the letter over to see the front, I was caught off guard. My expression shifted instantly, and I had to blink several tis to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
"What is it?" Cylla asked.
"A raven…" I replied aloud.
The letter's seal was made of red wax, but what truly surprised was the design of the stamp. The emblem imprinted there was a raven.
I crouched beside Cylla in a corner of the corridor to avoid blocking the flow of people.
"Could it be a coincidence?" she asked.
I didn't answer. I imdiately opened the letter, and inside the envelope, I found a folded piece of paper containing the translated docunt. However, sothing even more intriguing caught my attention. Inside the envelope, there was a handwritten ssage. The penmanship was refined, the ink dark.
"Look at this, Cylla," I said, holding the letter closer so she could see as well.
I held the envelope open, and together, we read the ssage:
"Greetings, Nathan Evenhart!
It was no re chance that one of my creations guided you here. I needed to et you personally, though circumstances do not yet allow to reveal everything. My master has entrusted with delivering sothing to you—a fragnt of knowledge, a clue to sothing tied to you.
But rember, nothing in this world cos without a price. My master is an admirer of riddles. What you hold in your hands will only reveal its true value once the answer is found.
The solution is the key.
Good luck, Nathan. Let’s see what you're capable of."
— Siegfried Hraesvelgr VII
A strange sensation coursed through my body as I finished reading. I imdiately stood up and began walking briskly down the corridor.
"Where are you going?" Cylla asked, running beside .
"Back to that staff mber," I replied, quickening my pace.
I ignored the people in my way, sidestepping and lightly pushing past so of them as I moved forward.
There was no way Siegfried had prepared that letter in the few minutes I had been out of the room—this docunt had already been written. That ant he had known who I was and had planned to et beforehand.
I analyzed the information I had.
And besides… the raven… was it his familiar?
My mind swirled with questions as I tried to piece everything together.
I was the one who wanted to search for sothing related to the Ancient Civilization, but it was the raven that led to that place. So… was that Siegfried watching ? As soon as I find that guy, I’ll have so questions for him.
Then, sothing happened. Sothing that caught completely off guard.
The mont I turned the corner to enter the room, an impossible scene unfolded before my eyes.
"It’s gone…" Cylla murmured.
I stopped in the middle of the corridor, stunned.
"The room… disappeared," I muttered.
The space where the door should have been was now just a plain wall.
The room was gone.
***
"Nate, where were you?" my mother asked.
"I went to take one last look at the exhibition," I replied.
I had returned to the dining area after several failed attempts to retrace my steps back to that room. But it was simply no longer there. As if it had never existed.
I looked for one of the staff managers, and to my surprise, there was no one nad Siegfried on the list.
That guy… To materialize a room and then make it disappear… He was definitely not soone ordinary.
My mind spun with speculation as I watched Cylla jump onto a chair beside .
Cylla's people? They are powerful beings and even possess the Celestial Eyes.
On my way back, I considered several possibilities. But regardless of the truth, the answer—or sothing close to it—was probably in the docunt I carried with .
"Your cousin and your aunt have joined the other dukes and the main heirs," my mother comnted as I sat down.
The event was reaching its most solemn mont. Each duke would give a brief speech about their duchy and the importance of unity in tis of peace and war. It was also the perfect occasion to introduce the new generation of nobility—those who would eventually take on political responsibility. Each duke would step onto the stage with their heir.
Even though I was one of the heirs, I wasn’t the main one. The hierarchy was similar to the relationship between Grand Duke Ryan and King Charles. Despite being cousins and mbers of the royal family, one belonged to the secondary branch while the other was part of the main lineage. And in high nobility, the secondary branch served the main one. That was how the system worked.
"Oh, Nathan," Kinue called as she approached. "I was looking for you."
She sat beside , making herself comfortable in the chair.
"I was enjoying the excursion for a bit."
"You ended up missing so weird jokes and strange stories from Marquess Eldric," she said, laughing.
"He also reinforced the invitation for you to attend the duchy's annual noble eting," my mother added.
I pondered for a mont. I didn’t like noble gatherings. They were always tedious and ceremonial, filled with people pretending to be friends and forcing laughter at the most unimpressive jokes.
"I’d rather skip this opportunity, but I guess I’ll have to go…" I murmured.
My attention shifted back to the grand stage at the center of the hall. The surrounding lights gradually dimd, darkening the environnt and making the stage stand out even more.
The eight dukes were there, standing side by side, accompanied by the heirs of their respective houses.
The first to speak was Thaddeus Saul, Viktor Saul’s father. His family governed the duchy closest to the capital—both geographically and in political influence. Among all the dukes, they were the ones the royal family trusted the most.
With his impeccable posture, Thaddeus Saul introduced each of the other dukes and their heirs, ntioning the nas of their lineages.
The hall was filled with nobles from all the duchies. Many of them had never t in person before that night. Even I didn’t know most of them.
Each of the dukes gave a speech, speaking a little about their duchies. It was a way to bring the high nobility closer to the lesser nobility spread throughout the kingdom. Even at an event restricted to the aristocracy, a baron, for example, had direct contact with the people in the villages he administered. If a high noble interacted with a baron, that connection ant that his ssage would reach the common people living under that baron's jurisdiction.
"As a token of appreciation for joining us at this event, we would like to do sothing special for you," Thaddeus Saul announced. "The other dukes and I have pooled a bit of our wealth and influence to promote sothing unique."
He paused, and curiosity filled the audience.
"An auction!" he declared. "An auction featuring exclusive and unique items from each duchy. From weapons to… magical beasts."
Upon hearing the last part, murmurs spread through the hall. Many were excited. Magical beasts were rare and extrely difficult to ta. An adult animal would never accept a bond with a human, making it uncontrollable. Only cubs could develop bonds, and even then, only if raised from an early age alongside a human to form a connection of trust. However, obtaining a cub was nearly impossible, as these creatures hid with their parents until they were mature enough to survive on their own.
"In respect to you, the high nobles will not participate in the event," Thaddeus continued with a smile. "Otherwise, we’d end up buying everything."
He let out a lighthearted laugh, and a few people joined him.
The master of ceremonies took the stage, and the dukes and their heirs sat together at a table facing the presentation. The auction began, and it was evident, from the gleam in many nobles' eyes, that excitent dominated the atmosphere.
I had expected this. Auctions were the nobility's favorite pasti.
Will I find another mural?
I continued eating the appetizers laid out on the table.
"I hope there aren’t people," Kinue murmured beside .
"Don’t worry. There won’t be slaves. So duchies are against it, and this event is ant to reinforce harmony," I reassured her.
The slave trade varied by region. Depending on the place, a slave could be a criminal, soone in debt, or even an orphan. Many nobles saw it as a more practical solution than maintaining orphanages and offering a chance at a dignified life until the orphans could support themselves. To so, selling a child to a noble seed like a "better" alternative than letting them starve and fall into cri. In my duchy, this practice didn’t exist, but I couldn’t control the laws of other territories.
I shifted my gaze to the small gray cat beside .
"And the animals in the auction are cubs from dosticated magical beasts’ litters," I added. "No one took them from the wild."
The auction continued, with bids being fiercely contested. Hugo and Martha remained standing near the table where my aunt and Chloe sat, alongside the other dukes' attendants.
But my attention wasn’t there. My mind was trapped by the letter I carried.
When I realized Siegfried wasn’t an ordinary human, I had gone to a secluded place and opened the docunt. There was nothing—it was just a blank sheet… and yet, there was sothing.
On the sheet, there was a single, solitary rune. As soon as I looked at it, the rune glowed, and words appeared before , saying:
"I am as light as the wind, yet I do not dance with it.
I am part of all that lives, yet I am never seen.
When I leave Midgard, all things cease,
And the void takes my place.
Who am I?"
It was a riddle.
Instinctively, I knew that if I answered correctly, a secret would be revealed to .
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