Deep inside the conference room of Malta Castle.
When Rohan, Drake, Martin, and the Elphirian warriors had all taken their seats, Duke Malta ordered the door to be firmly shut.
As soon as the door closed, he let out a short sigh.
“A few days ago, something… strange happened here at Malta Castle.”
He continued in a quiet voice.
“It started when Gonta the physician’s second daughter, Melissa, disappeared. Suddenly, without leaving a single trace. After that, similar disappearances kept happening. At first, we thought it was kidnapping or a runaway…”
Duke Malta slammed his palm onto the desk with a loud smack.
“Two days ago, my youngest daughter, Latsha, vanished right in front of my eyes.”
“…What did you say?”
Rohan reacted.
“To be precise, she disappeared without a trace from the wardrobe in my office. Right in front of me. In just a few minutes, while playing hide-and-seek, and I didn’t even notice.”
His voice was trembling.
“After that, we tightened the castle’s security, closed all the doors, and ordered a full internal investigation. But then, that very night, many people began disappearing at once. We were about to launch a large-scale search operation to find them…”
He lifted his head. His eyes were filled with wretched fury.
“Then, the search party who’d vanished and returned suddenly began to run wild, slaughtering their fellow soldiers without restraint.”
“Impossible…!”
Was that odd feeling they’d had—because of this?
Rohan and Martin exchanged glances.
They had already discussed how strange it was that the search party had returned.
“Afterward, those who had disappeared began coming back. But they had changed into completely different people.”
“Those were… the ones we saw earlier, right?” Drake said heavily.
Duke Malta nodded.
“That’s right. They looked just the same as we remembered. But they were unmistakably different. No words, no emotions… they just moved. Like puppets.”
Rohan’s hand clenched tightly.
Puppets.
That word had been used to describe him before his regression.
Drake asked, “How did they end up like that?”
“We still don’t know the exact cause. But they’re moving together with those shadows that appear at night. There must be a connection.”
“How could such a thing… This must be reported to His Majesty at once…”
At that moment, Rohan spoke up.
“If they’re nothing but puppet-like beings, silent and emotionless, was it really necessary to block them this way? Couldn’t you have just locked them up?”
“We tried that as well, but…”
His face darkened.
“The moment we tried to restrain and imprison them, they went berserk. They started harming themselves. One of the first captured even died from it.”
Duke Malta placed something on the desk.
A worn, faded pocket watch.
Rohan’s eyes flashed.
“…!”
“It was found by the northern warriors, who drove away the shadows and searched during the day.”
“May I take a look?”
“Of course.”
Rohan picked up the pocket watch and examined it closely.
“As I thought.”
The pocket watch was inscribed with ancient Yubrita characters, and a large crack split it down the middle.
The duke’s eyes narrowed.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince… do you know anything about these characters?”
“Just a moment.”
Rohan immediately drew a Yubrita script tablet from his coat and compared it to the back of the pocket watch.
And soon, his cool lips parted.
“‘When the one who brings the end opens the door, beneath the forgotten heart, the split world shall finally become one.’”
“…What?”
“I’m not certain, but it seems this pocket watch played a major role in all of this. It’s very similar to the one Kazin Fabian possessed.”
The room instantly fell silent.
The Elphirian warriors held their breath, and both Duke Malta and Drake were at a loss for words.
“Then, are you saying all of this is Kazin’s doing?”
Rohan quietly continued.
“It’s highly likely Kazin performed a ritual using this pocket watch. I suspect the shadow’s corruption abducted people and turned them into puppets for some purpose.”
At that, Drake raised his hand.
“There’s something I must tell you at this point.”
“What is it, Sir Drake?”
At Rohan’s question, he began to speak.
“The truth is, the reason I went to Silvaren was because something similar was happening in the Imperial Capital.”
“…!”
“In the Capital as well?”
Everyone stirred.
“It wasn’t quite the same as people changing strangely, like now. But, in Empress Emilia’s prison, a guard died.”
He explained the strange claw marks, the stench, and the story Empress Emilia had told him about the shadowy tendrils.
He also shared that Empress Emilia claimed the shadow was her father, ‘Kazin Fabian.’
“That’s why His Majesty, judging this to be a matter of magic, ordered me to travel to Silvaren.”
“Hah. Just how far have the demon’s claws reached…”
Duke Malta wore a devastated expression.
“How can we possibly stop this?”
Even if they had become puppets, they were still alive.
They were his own people, and among them was his beloved youngest daughter.
That was why he had not asked for outside help and had simply defended the castle while searching for a solution.
“Have you discovered any weaknesses?” Drake asked.
The duke answered.
“Those who became puppets cannot cross the castle gates, and the shadows are weak against fire. Thanks to a quick-thinking soldier who found this weakness, we’ve been able to hold our ground.”
“That soldier… Could it be…?”
“Yes, he was the one who returned with you earlier.”
“I see.”
A glint flickered in Drake’s eyes.
Then, Rohan spoke.
“We can’t just keep holding out forever. More importantly, those who became puppets are still alive, and they won’t last long without food.”
“Do you have a plan, Your Highness?”
“We need to cut off the root before this spreads any further.”
“The root…?”
“Kazin Fabian. We must find him.”
At the mention of that name, the duke’s brow twitched.
Clenching his fist, he ground out his words.
“Your Highness is right. I will find him and grind him to pieces myself.”
A murderous aura burst from his body at that moment.
It was enough to make their breath catch and their hair stand on end.
Kurke Malta, the Northern Bear.
He was also one of the empire’s strongest swordsmen.
“The Silvaren warriors who came with us are adept at tracking magic. Together, let’s find Kazin.”
At Rohan’s words, Duke Malta lowered his head gravely to Rohan and the Elphirians.
“Your Highness, Crown Prince. And warriors of Silvaren. I will never forget this favor.”
He struck his left chest three times with his fist.
“By the name of Kurke Malta.”
This was his vow, filled with resolve.
***
A deep and shadowy space.
There was no light, no wind, and not a single sound of any living creature.
Only a dull, resonant thumping—thump… thump… thump…—filled the air, like the pulse of some great heart.
At the center of this heartbeat, a massive tree stood.
Its roots were twisted and grotesque.
Blood-red sap flowed slowly along the branches, and crimson leaves swayed gently in the windless space.
It was none other than the World Tree of Darkness.
Before it, a man knelt.
Clad in a black robe, eyes closed as if in prayer, he was Kazin Fabian.
“…You’ve come.”
He opened his eyes.
His pupils glowed, blood-red, catching the light.
‘The time is ripe.’
Kazin quietly smiled.
There was a hint of chilling madness and certainty in that smile.
“Rohan. For you to crawl all the way up north with your own feet…”
He waved his finger through the air as he spoke.
Before him floated a magic mirror.
It showed the embattled Malta Castle, and Rohan arriving with the Elphirians.
How laughable, to ruin a meal just as it’s finished.
The very person who had thrown ashes over his carefully-laid plans was now so close at hand.
[I sense a presence.]
The World Tree of Darkness resonated.
“A presence…?”
[Yggdrasil. His aura has arrived in this place.]
“Great Tree. There are several Elphirians here in the north now.”
The presence the World Tree referred to was likely that of those close to the World Tree—Elphirians.
“I will make the north your domain and create a ‘core’ without fail.”
Kazin closed his eyes and bowed deeply, like a worshipper.
“So please grant me strength once more. If I receive the power you bestow, even I, lowly as I am, will offer the world to you.”
[Complete the fragment. My world shall soon be your world.]
A branch of the World Tree of Darkness moved on its own, touching Kazin.
At its tip hung a single fruit.
Kazin accepted it gladly.
It writhed as if alive, resembling a human heart.
The fruit soon entered Kazin’s mouth.
With an ecstatic face, as if savoring a sweet fruit, Kazin chewed and chewed it.
And then—
His body convulsed once, and a strange sound escaped him.
Grrrr…
Whoosh!
Straightening his posture, he swept his hand, and from the shadows at his feet, grotesquely transformed humanoid creatures emerged.
They looked just like the puppetized people of the north.
“My dolls. Let all life in the north fall into your hands.”
Thump…
Thump…
The World Tree of Darkness pulsed ever more quickly, its vibrations shaking everything around.
Step, step.
The shadow-born creatures from Kazin’s hand began walking slowly, heading somewhere.
***
The next afternoon.
“We’ll lock them up, but in a way they don’t notice.”
At Rohan’s words, everyone nodded.
“This way, at least they won’t realize they’ve been imprisoned.”
“Keep the inside as simple and hazard-free as possible.”
“An excellent idea, Your Highness!”
Duke Malta’s face brightened.
“We’ll handle this, Rohan.”
Letina raised her hand as she spoke.
“When it comes to speed, no one can match us Elphirians.”
“Good.”
Those who had become puppets spent the day inside the outer village.
They would huddle in dark places where sunlight didn’t reach, then flock to the inner castle when night fell.
“The sun will set soon. They’ll be coming.”
“Let’s get started.”
At Rohan’s words, everyone left the conference room.
“All soldiers, prepare yourselves for battle!”
“Waaaaaah!”
At Duke Malta’s command, the soldiers roared with determination.Kokdugaksi Emperor’s Return (86)
Deep inside the conference room of Malta Castle.
When Rohan, Drake, Martin, and the Elphirian warriors had all taken their seats, Duke Malta ordered the door to be firmly shut.
As soon as the door closed, he let out a short sigh.
“A few days ago, something… strange happened here at Malta Castle.”
He continued in a quiet voice.
“It started when Gonta the physician’s second daughter, Melissa, disappeared. Suddenly, without leaving a single trace. After that, similar disappearances kept happening. At first, we thought it was kidnapping or a runaway…”
Duke Malta slammed his palm onto the desk with a loud smack.
“Two days ago, my youngest daughter, Latsha, vanished right in front of my eyes.”
“…What did you say?”
Rohan reacted.
“To be precise, she disappeared without a trace from the wardrobe in my office. Right in front of me. In just a few minutes, while playing hide-and-seek, and I didn’t even notice.”
His voice was trembling.
“After that, we tightened the castle’s security, closed all the doors, and ordered a full internal investigation. But then, that very night, many people began disappearing at once. We were about to launch a large-scale search operation to find them…”
He lifted his head. His eyes were filled with wretched fury.
“Then, the search party who’d vanished and returned suddenly began to run wild, slaughtering their fellow soldiers without restraint.”
“Impossible…!”
Was that odd feeling they’d had—because of this?
Rohan and Martin exchanged glances.
They had already discussed how strange it was that the search party had returned.
“Afterward, those who had disappeared began coming back. But they had changed into completely different people.”
“Those were… the ones we saw earlier, right?” Drake said heavily.
Duke Malta nodded.
“That’s right. They looked just the same as we remembered. But they were unmistakably different. No words, no emotions… they just moved. Like puppets.”
Rohan’s hand clenched tightly.
Puppets.
That word had been used to describe him before his regression.
Drake asked, “How did they end up like that?”
“We still don’t know the exact cause. But they’re moving together with those shadows that appear at night. There must be a connection.”
“How could such a thing… This must be reported to His Majesty at once…”
At that moment, Rohan spoke up.
“If they’re nothing but puppet-like beings, silent and emotionless, was it really necessary to block them this way? Couldn’t you have just locked them up?”
“We tried that as well, but…”
His face darkened.
“The moment we tried to restrain and imprison them, they went berserk. They started harming themselves. One of the first captured even died from it.”
Duke Malta placed something on the desk.
A worn, faded pocket watch.
Rohan’s eyes flashed.
“…!”
“It was found by the northern warriors, who drove away the shadows and searched during the day.”
“May I take a look?”
“Of course.”
Rohan picked up the pocket watch and examined it closely.
“As I thought.”
The pocket watch was inscribed with ancient Yubrita characters, and a large crack split it down the middle.
The duke’s eyes narrowed.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince… do you know anything about these characters?”
“Just a moment.”
Rohan immediately drew a Yubrita script tablet from his coat and compared it to the back of the pocket watch.
And soon, his cool lips parted.
“‘When the one who brings the end opens the door, beneath the forgotten heart, the split world shall finally become one.’”
“…What?”
“I’m not certain, but it seems this pocket watch played a major role in all of this. It’s very similar to the one Kazin Fabian possessed.”
The room instantly fell silent.
The Elphirian warriors held their breath, and both Duke Malta and Drake were at a loss for words.
“Then, are you saying all of this is Kazin’s doing?”
Rohan quietly continued.
“It’s highly likely Kazin performed a ritual using this pocket watch. I suspect the shadow’s corruption abducted people and turned them into puppets for some purpose.”
At that, Drake raised his hand.
“There’s something I must tell you at this point.”
“What is it, Sir Drake?”
At Rohan’s question, he began to speak.
“The truth is, the reason I went to Silvaren was because something similar was happening in the Imperial Capital.”
“…!”
“In the Capital as well?”
Everyone stirred.
“It wasn’t quite the same as people changing strangely, like now. But, in Empress Emilia’s prison, a guard died.”
He explained the strange claw marks, the stench, and the story Empress Emilia had told him about the shadowy tendrils.
He also shared that Empress Emilia claimed the shadow was her father, ‘Kazin Fabian.’
“That’s why His Majesty, judging this to be a matter of magic, ordered me to travel to Silvaren.”
“Hah. Just how far have the demon’s claws reached…”
Duke Malta wore a devastated expression.
“How can we possibly stop this?”
Even if they had become puppets, they were still alive.
They were his own people, and among them was his beloved youngest daughter.
That was why he had not asked for outside help and had simply defended the castle while searching for a solution.
“Have you discovered any weaknesses?” Drake asked.
The duke answered.
“Those who became puppets cannot cross the castle gates, and the shadows are weak against fire. Thanks to a quick-thinking soldier who found this weakness, we’ve been able to hold our ground.”
“That soldier… Could it be…?”
“Yes, he was the one who returned with you earlier.”
“I see.”
A glint flickered in Drake’s eyes.
Then, Rohan spoke.
“We can’t just keep holding out forever. More importantly, those who became puppets are still alive, and they won’t last long without food.”
“Do you have a plan, Your Highness?”
“We need to cut off the root before this spreads any further.”
“The root…?”
“Kazin Fabian. We must find him.”
At the mention of that name, the duke’s brow twitched.
Clenching his fist, he ground out his words.
“Your Highness is right. I will find him and grind him to pieces myself.”
A murderous aura burst from his body at that moment.
It was enough to make their breath catch and their hair stand on end.
Kurke Malta, the Northern Bear.
He was also one of the empire’s strongest swordsmen.
“The Silvaren warriors who came with us are adept at tracking magic. Together, let’s find Kazin.”
At Rohan’s words, Duke Malta lowered his head gravely to Rohan and the Elphirians.
“Your Highness, Crown Prince. And warriors of Silvaren. I will never forget this favor.”
He struck his left chest three times with his fist.
“By the name of Kurke Malta.”
This was his vow, filled with resolve.
***
A deep and shadowy space.
There was no light, no wind, and not a single sound of any living creature.
Only a dull, resonant thumping—thump… thump… thump…—filled the air, like the pulse of some great heart.
At the center of this heartbeat, a massive tree stood.
Its roots were twisted and grotesque.
Blood-red sap flowed slowly along the branches, and crimson leaves swayed gently in the windless space.
It was none other than the World Tree of Darkness.
Before it, a man knelt.
Clad in a black robe, eyes closed as if in prayer, he was Kazin Fabian.
“…You’ve come.”
He opened his eyes.
His pupils glowed, blood-red, catching the light.
‘The time is ripe.’
Kazin quietly smiled.
There was a hint of chilling madness and certainty in that smile.
“Rohan. For you to crawl all the way up north with your own feet…”
He waved his finger through the air as he spoke.
Before him floated a magic mirror.
It showed the embattled Malta Castle, and Rohan arriving with the Elphirians.
How laughable, to ruin a meal just as it’s finished.
The very person who had thrown ashes over his carefully-laid plans was now so close at hand.
[I sense a presence.]
The World Tree of Darkness resonated.
“A presence…?”
[Yggdrasil. His aura has arrived in this place.]
“Great Tree. There are several Elphirians here in the north now.”
The presence the World Tree referred to was likely that of those close to the World Tree—Elphirians.
“I will make the north your domain and create a ‘core’ without fail.”
Kazin closed his eyes and bowed deeply, like a worshipper.
“So please grant me strength once more. If I receive the power you bestow, even I, lowly as I am, will offer the world to you.”
[Complete the fragment. My world shall soon be your world.]
A branch of the World Tree of Darkness moved on its own, touching Kazin.
At its tip hung a single fruit.
Kazin accepted it gladly.
It writhed as if alive, resembling a human heart.
The fruit soon entered Kazin’s mouth.
With an ecstatic face, as if savoring a sweet fruit, Kazin chewed and chewed it.
And then—
His body convulsed once, and a strange sound escaped him.
Grrrr…
Whoosh!
Straightening his posture, he swept his hand, and from the shadows at his feet, grotesquely transformed humanoid creatures emerged.
They looked just like the puppetized people of the north.
“My dolls. Let all life in the north fall into your hands.”
Thump…
Thump…
The World Tree of Darkness pulsed ever more quickly, its vibrations shaking everything around.
Step, step.
The shadow-born creatures from Kazin’s hand began walking slowly, heading somewhere.
***
The next afternoon.
“We’ll lock them up, but in a way they don’t notice.”
At Rohan’s words, everyone nodded.
“This way, at least they won’t realize they’ve been imprisoned.”
“Keep the inside as simple and hazard-free as possible.”
“An excellent idea, Your Highness!”
Duke Malta’s face brightened.
“We’ll handle this, Rohan.”
Letina raised her hand as she spoke.
“When it comes to speed, no one can match us Elphirians.”
“Good.”
Those who had become puppets spent the day inside the outer village.
They would huddle in dark places where sunlight didn’t reach, then flock to the inner castle when night fell.
“The sun will set soon. They’ll be coming.”
“Let’s get started.”
At Rohan’s words, everyone left the conference room.
“All soldiers, prepare yourselves for battle!”
“Waaaaaah!”
At Duke Malta’s command, the soldiers roared with determination.
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