Chapter 76: The Traces in Kataka Gorge

As the sun began to sink toward the western horizon, they arrived at the Kataka Gorge.

A cold wind howled between the massive cliffs, as if the sky itself had been split by a sword.

The crimson sunset stained the gorge’s black stones, spreading out like blood.

Beneath the wall that stood like a fence, a river laced with poison was surely flowing.

“So this is the famous Kataka Gorge, Your Highness.”

Martin muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Those seeing this place for the first time found themselves shuddering at its ominous atmosphere.

‘I was the same at first.’

In my previous life, when I traveled to Silvaren, I had once passed through this very place.

The infamous reputation of Kataka Gorge and its oppressive ambiance truly had something that made people shrink back.

Still, having seen it once before, it felt a bit less daunting the second time.

“Where were the traces of the scouts discovered?”

At the duke’s sharp question, the messenger flinched and spoke.

“O-over there. If you go toward the entrance of the gorge, you’ll find traces where a fire was lit.”

The spot he pointed to was a narrow passage where the two cliffs nearly met.

It was so tight that an adult man would have to squeeze through sideways, and the wind whistled eerily as it slipped through the gap.

“Everyone, search the area! Look for anything besides signs of a fire—anything moving in the vicinity, search it all!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers the duke had brought dashed toward the mouth of the gorge.

“Honestly, are you telling me that Kazine came and went through here? I can’t believe it.”

Shakan whistled, only to wrinkle his face as a blast of cold wind swept through the passage.

“Ugh, this place gives me the creeps.”

Retina let out a hollow laugh at his reaction.

“I don’t blame you. Thousands of Elphyrians have died here, after all.”

“Whaaat?”

Shakan’s eyes widened.

“W-what are you saying, sis?”

“In the past, this place was a grave for dead Elphyrians.”

Hearing it for the first time, Rohan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“So they… threw the corpses of dead Elphyrians here?”

“That’s right.”

“But why? Even if they’re dead, they’re still kin…”

“This place is one that no living thing could easily trespass. Nothing alive at all. That’s why it was regarded as sacred.”

“Oh-ho.”

It was an intriguing story.

“In the past, the river running through the gorge flowed from Silvaren to the sea. So they believed the river was blessed by Yggdrasil.”

“But… that water’s poisonous now.”

At Shakan’s comment, Retina narrowed her eyes.

“I said ‘in the past.’ Now, as you can see… it’s far removed from anything sacred.”

“I never knew that. As expected of you, sis.”

“Stop calling me ‘sis.’”

“You said you didn’t like ‘noona,’ so I have to call you ‘sis’ instead!”

Their conversation devolved once more into playful bickering between the two Elphyrians.

It was then.

“We found something!”

The searching soldiers shouted.

When they rushed to the source of the voice, the duke was lifting something from the ground.

“This is definitely a uniform from our scouting party.”

In his hand was a sturdy overcoat.

On the sleeve of the coat, the crest of the Malta Territory was embroidered.

The duke clutched the coat tightly.

His face was dark, as if storm clouds had gathered.

On the ground lay five such coats.

“No sign of the men, only these coats left on the ground.”

It was strange.

In this freezing weather, what reason could they have to strip off their clothes so suddenly?

“Hmm, there’s barely any sign of a struggle. At this rate, it’s as if they took off their coats of their own accord.”

Retina said as she inspected the coats on the ground.

Then, the duke turned to Retina.

“And who are you, lurking around here?”

“I brought her here.”

Rohan stepped forward.

“She’s exceptionally skilled—a master at tracking, as well. She’ll be a great help.”

With their hoods pulled low, the two Elphyrians could pass for ordinary folk at a glance.

“Is that so? Understood, Your Highness. Perhaps I’ve been on edge for no reason.”

Rohan nodded as if to say he understood.

At that moment—

“The smell of blood?”

Retina’s head snapped up.

“The smell of blood?”

The duke’s brow furrowed.

“Where is it coming from?”

When Rohan followed up with his own question, Retina turned her head.

“Over there, I think. Come with me.”

“……?”

At Retina’s casual tone, the duke blinked in surprise.

So she wasn’t just a simple escort?

Tilting his head in curiosity, he nonetheless hurried after her.

The group followed Retina deeper into the gorge.

As the path narrowed, strange scratches began to appear on the rock walls.

Martin ran his fingers along the marks.

“These are… claw marks. But not from a human—more like the claws of a beast.”

Rohan examined the scratches closely.

“They look like claws, but the grooves are as if made by sharp metal tools. Almost like… hooks.”

The duke narrowed his eyes.

“Marks like hooks, you say?”

“Do you know something about them?”

“Hmmm. Among the equipment used by the scouts, there are some items with similar shapes, but…”

As they spoke, Retina’s voice rang out.

“Rohan! Over here!”

“Looks like she’s found something.”

They left the traces behind and ran to Retina.

There, two scouts were lying unconscious.

“Hey, wake up!”

The soldiers tried to rouse them, supporting their bodies.

One of the scouts slowly opened his eyes.

“Where… am I?”

“You’ve come to your senses? What on earth happened here?”

The duke approached the awakened scout and spoke.

“Why were you lying here? Where are the others?”

The scout looked up in a daze.

“Duke… Your Excellency?”

“Yes, it’s me. So relax and tell me exactly what happened.”

“That is…”

With unfocused eyes, he looked around.

“I don’t remember anything. Why am I here?”

“What?”

The duke’s frown deepened.

The second scout who woke up was no different.

“W-what is going on?”

No matter how many times they were questioned, they truly remembered nothing.

They’d spent the night tracking traces, closed their eyes—and now they were here.

“There’s no threat to their lives, sir.”

The medic, who had examined the scouts, reported, and the duke nodded.

“Send the two back to the castle for recovery. The rest of the soldiers will continue searching for the missing scouts!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Duke, how many scouts were dispatched?”

Rohan asked, and the duke replied.

“Seven in total, Your Highness. All highly trained elite soldiers. With these two found, five remain.”

“Hm.”

“The sun will set completely soon. Let’s return to the castle with just the search party left behind. One wrong step in Kataka Gorge and it could be a disaster.”

“Understood. Let’s go back.”

Though he felt uneasy, the surroundings had grown so dark that nothing could be seen.

Deep in the forest, the area around Kataka Gorge was even gloomier than elsewhere due to the dense trees.

On the way back to the castle,

Retina quietly sidled up to Rohan and spoke in a low voice.

“Earlier, Shakan said he found something odd.”

“Something odd?”

“While we were checking on the scouts, he must have kept searching the area. And he found this.”

She opened her palm.

“What is it?”

There was nothing visible in her hand, but in the darkness, something faintly shimmering could be seen.

“It’s the pollen of a flower commonly called ‘Shineblue.’ Or in other words, ‘Forget-me-grass.’”

“Forget-me-grass? So, it’s literally a powder that causes memory loss?”

Retina nodded.

“The interesting part is, Forget-me-grass is extremely rare. It only grows near the World Tree.”

“……!”

Which meant…

“So it’s related to Silvaren?”

“I can’t say for sure yet… But if this powder caused the scouts’ amnesia…”

Her eyes gleamed.

“It means there’s a connection to Silvaren’s inner circle.”

Retina was not just any Elphyrian—she was Silvarennian.

That meant, having discovered traces of Silvaren, she couldn’t just let it go.

Even within Silvaren, the pollen of Forget-me-grass was strictly regulated.

“When we go to Silvaren this time… I need to look into this.”

She clenched her hand, the powder still clinging to her skin.

“You want to keep this secret from the duke, don’t you?”

The fact that she confided only in Rohan like this meant she didn’t want Duke Malta to know.

“This could easily escalate into a national crisis. If he finds out…”

“He’d be willing to go to war. That’s the kind of man Duke Malta is.”

“Right. But as far as I know, Lord Nas would never get involved in something like this. Which means someone is acting as a spy behind his back.”

Retina added, with emphasis, “How dare they.”

As they talked,

Rohan and his companions soon reached Malta Castle.

“Will you be joining us again tomorrow, Your Highness?”

At the duke’s question, Rohan nodded.

“I would like to, if possible.”

“Your talented subordinates were of great help. Especially this woman—she seems to possess incredible abilities.”

Duke Malta’s eyes gleamed.

He too was a seasoned warrior who had spent his life with a sword in hand.

Though there had been no actual combat, he had been watching Retina’s swift movements and tracking skills with keen interest.

‘At least a top-ranked mercenary.’

It was only natural for him to think so, since all of the Imperial Guards in the capital were men.

“You seem close to His Highness. May I ask if you have some special connection?”

“She’s a wanderer who roams the continent. We met by chance in the Gerald Territory.”

When Rohan answered simply, the duke grew even more curious.

“So she’s a mercenary, but without any affiliation?”

“Well, it’s hard to say she’s unaffiliated…”

Rohan glanced at Retina and nodded. With a small sigh, Retina pulled back her hood.

As her face was revealed, the duke’s expression stiffened.

“This person is…”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Rohan smiled.

“Sorry for the late introduction, Duke. This is my friend, Retina, a Blood Elphyrian.”

If she kept her hood on all the time, the duke would only get more suspicious.

Now that the subject had come up, it seemed better to be upfront.

“I kept it secret to avoid any misunderstanding, but it’s gratifying to hear you speak so highly of her.”

Rohan smiled, while the duke’s face soured as if he’d bitten a bitter fruit.

“I thought something was different, but to think she was a Blood Elphyrian… I never imagined it.”

Elphyrians were already rare on the continent, and Blood Elphyrians even more so.

“Don’t tell me, the other one too…?”

Suddenly realizing there was another hooded figure, the duke looked toward Shakan.

“Um… hello?”

At last, Shakan lowered his hood and gave a sheepish smile.

The duke’s pupils shook with shock.

“T-two Blood Elphyrians?”

He let out a quiet gasp.

A human accompanied by two Blood Elphyrians!

He was not easily surprised, but this sight was truly hard to believe.

“So the remarkable one isn’t them—it’s Your Highness.”

The duke’s eyebrows shot up.