Shadowless Night

Macaron untied the string impatiently and peeled off the wrapped leather, and then a rusted dagger appeared. Macaron’s senses read an intangible aura that normal humans would never see. Black and red shimmered from the dagger.

Macaron’s eyes narrowed. It was the dark red aura she saw in Balta, planted in the bodies of humans, with magical power that pulsated wildly and rampaged wildly. Can this be called magical power? The seeds are the same, but the germination process and flower type are different. Humans are amazing. How did they make this?

Macaron held the dagger close to his face. As Calyx cowered back, the ferocious-looking man laughed at him.

“Don’t be scared.”

“… Yes.”

“You look cute when you’re compliant. If I knew earlier, I would’ve been a little nicer to you.”

“Let’s get down to business, please!”

Macaron chuckled. He took the dagger and scoured it. Although the amount of ‘Fragments’ remaining was minimal, this much was already lethal to humans.

‘Hmm…’

After thinking for a while, Macaron cut the back of his hand with a dagger.

“Macaron!” Calyx screamed and grabbed Macaron’s hand roughly, but the ‘Fragments’ had already permeated through the wound.

“Are you crazy?”

“The hell you’re doing, you punk?”

Macaron smacked Calyx. Calyx grabbed his side and frowned. Why are you so strong?

“You know it doesn’t work for me.” Macaron smiled at the back of his hand. He seemed a bit crazy. “The ‘Fragments’ rampage ferociously without even knowing anything.”

Calyx looked at Macaron’s scars and face nervously. Although Rosaline eventually overcame the ‘Fragments’, the fact that it was dangerous enough that she went back and forth between life and death for a few days didn’t change. However, despite Calyx’s concerns, Macaron only laughed at him. Calyx’s blood pressure rose.

Macaron closed his eyes and looked inside his body. The ‘Fragments’ broke through his outer shell that imitated the human body and sharply penetrated the inside. Dark red magic spread through his body like blood vessels. The ‘Fragments’ that tried to dominate and devour his body soon stopped in the thick, deep darkness.

The black sea rapidly covered the ‘Fragments’ along the way it had spread. The ‘Fragments’ that danced like candles swaying in the wind gradually disappeared. Macaron opened his eyes when the darkness had already swallowed all the candles. He saw Calyx right in front of him with a nervous expression. Macaron grinned.

“It’s nothing special.”

Calyx sighed deeply. This race really excelled at making people tired.

“Humans fuss because of a thing like this… Poor you…”

Macaron looked at Calyx with a pitiful gaze. The wound on the back of his hand was clean as if it had never happened. Calyx was relieved that his worries were groundless. It was fortunate. Fortunately, he…

“You’re so weak… Oh, dear. What’s the difference between you and a caterpillar…”

…was pissed off. Calyx glared at Macaron fiercely, and Macaron gave an unpleasant grin.

Macaron toyed with the fluttering Calyx before turning his gaze back to the table. Rusty thing. It is useless to me.

Although a certain amount had been absorbed, the ‘Fragments’ remained. Macaron stood up after watching it for a while. Calyx tried to turn his head as Macaron’s body came full before his eyes. However, he couldn’t help but keep looking at Macaron because his shape started to distort. He collapsed, going from pale complexion to brown to black.

Calyx involuntarily covered his mouth. The moment passed, and something like a black shadow remained in his place. It flowed, collapsed, scattered, and smoked, like a handful of the night sky.

Calyx was speechless for a moment. It was his first face-to-face with the whole ‘It’. ‘It’ moved slowly like a cloud in the wind, completely overtaking the dagger on the table.

Calyx noticed Macaron’s intentions. He teased him for being weak, but Macaron was well aware that ‘Fragments’ was lethal to humans. Could it be that it’s trying to completely absorb the accident to prevent it from occurring?

Something seemed to ripple in the black mist. Calyx held out his hand hesitantly. Something tickling grazed the palm of his hand that touched Macaron’s surface. Calyx summoned his courage and plunged his hand deeper. It was neither warm nor cold. It was like dense air, and it was like fine grains of sand.

Was this magic? Calyx trembled. An agglomeration of powers of a kind unseen by normal humans. He couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful sight. A candle shone dimly behind the black fog.

It shone like a star in the black sky. It was beautiful.

Macaron soon returned to the Imperial Palace. The lofty white castles stretched into the sky; the Illavenian Imperial Castle looked good from an aesthetic point of view. But it was an objective evaluation. Unfortunately, that did not lead to a subjective evaluation.

Macaron didn’t like this place. Just looking at it was annoying and somehow uncomfortable. Even though it wandered out often, it returned to that awkward place as if it were its home because of Rosaline.

Looking at the red weeds growing haphazardly among the bushes, it thought of Rosaline, who was worried about wanting to eat it because the color was pretty. It couldn’t bear to walk over it just thinking about it. The eagle sighed while flying in the night sky.

Rosaline’s room. The shadow covering the large window soon turned into a four-legged beast with fluffy fur. Macaron licked its paws and washed its face.

Hessa came in while it was rolling around on the big bed. After changing the sheets and touching Mimi the cat, the boy left the room with a proud face. Later, Rosaline returned. Rosaline jumped onto the bed as she spotted Mimi. She buried her face in the cat’s soft belly.

“Where have you been?”

“Ah, to Calyx.”

“What did you do?”

“I ate something.”

Something called ‘Fragments’.

Rosaline looked at the cat with a shocked expression. It was an expression saying, What did you eat alone without me? The cat tapped her forehead with its soft paw.

“Children are not supposed to eat that.”

“I’m all grown up. I’m 23 years old.”

“This blackmail doesn’t work for me. Do it to someone else.”

Rosaline chuckled and buried her face in Macaron’s belly again. As Macaron gnawed at her, she rose to her feet, feeling sorry. The thing she hurriedly took out of the cupboard was champagne. It was the kind the knights drank when she won the martial arts competition.

Macaron was delighted and quickly mimicked a human female figure. The large bottle of champagne quickly ran out while the two poured and drank. The two sober people only smacked their lips. They didn’t know what it felt like to be drunk, but they felt a little aware of the fresh scent of fruit.

Oddly enough, Rosaline looked a little excited and genuinely drunk, so Macaron asked why she looked so happy.

“His Highness…is really…beautiful.”

When the answer came back, Macaron looked displeased. Rosaline enthusiastically explained what part of Ricardis was beautiful in response to Macaron’s dry reply. His twinkling eyes, high nose and angular jawline, firm chest, and ankles!

“…”

Macaron couldn’t understand how beautiful ankles could be. Rosaline changed her clothes and went out through the window. Again, she said she was going to Ricardis.

The quiet room was locked at night. The human Macaron, who had been staring at the window where Rosaline had left, turned back into a cat.

The cat jumped from the sofa to the table. The scent of the sweet fruit made its tail flutter. Macaron nibbled at the tip of the fallen champagne. It was strangely sleepy. Was it really drunk?

The cat dozed off on the table.

***

Aaaagh!

Awakened by the scream, Macaron realized that it was running. The smell of blood clung to the surrounding air. The inside of its chest pulsated terribly, and its whole body trembled as if it were about to disintegrate. The soft sound of the wind brushing the leaves was menacing.

Macaron was running!

Several voices overlapped in its ears. We have to run! We have to hide. To the deep, where no one can find us! Did this urgent running follow that voice? It couldn’t tell. Who was chasing them? What were they afraid of!?

Macaron looked back. Even in the middle of the night, it could see the white castle shining brightly. It had to stop for a while because it felt nauseous. As it lowered its head, tears poured out. But what was this blood smell? Where, where did the blood smell coming from…

It couldn’t tell if it was tears or blood flowing down its face.

We have to hide. We have to run… go deeper… But whose blood was on her hand? Her head was blank. A voice came over the thoughts. To a place no one will find…

Aaagh, someone’s scream, the sharp sound of a metal weapon pounded its chest.

The children were weeping. The sound made its heart ache and tears flowed. Where was it? Looking around, there were no children. It was a dark forest road.

Let’s hurry. Let’s run away quickly. Further.

Oh, the blood.

It kept smelling blood.

***

There was a bright landscape outside the window that one couldn’t believe it was currently nighttime. More lanterns than stars in the night sky were shining around the white castle. It was a common sight around this time of year, but nobles visiting from other countries always praised the fantastic sight. Illavenia shines in glory even at night!

“Beautiful.”

Haqab was also greatly impressed by the feast of lanterns that seemed to reach the sky. The view of the window as he lay comfortably on the sofa was not awkward, as if it were a masterpiece. The light occasionally flickered in the shadows of people passing by, so it felt alive.

“Its prestige is not in vain. The ‘Blessed Night’… The glory that drove away the darkness had such a beautiful appearance. Diech, why don’t you watch it too? Could it be that it isn’t so exciting because you see it every year?”

Diech was sitting in the chair across from him, pouring, swallowing, placing something on the table, pouring again. It was a strong liquor, but he drank more than two bottles alone, and his facial color hadn’t changed.

“Diech. You look deep today.”

“It’s because there are so many troublesome things. Starting with you.”

Diech looked down at him with cold eyes.

“You’re good at joking too.”

“I am serious. What did you propose… Sigh… You don’t think Sir Rosaline will accept it, do you?”

“I saw her shaking more than I thought, but the people behind her are not so easy… Therefore, my expectations are slightly dropping.”

“Slightly?”

“About…this much.”

Haqab gently folded the napkin on the table—making the corner about the size of a pinky fingernail. Diech’s eyes grew cold. Haqab grinned and ate his grapes.

“The beginning is half the battle.”

Diech was about to say something but turned his head away and sighed. The brows, which had always been straight, were frowning. He pressed them with his fingers. It seemed that he did not like to show his emotions.

In an instant, Diech’s eyes changed. A sharp light shone in his soft eyes. His gaze drifted in the direction of the window.

“The night guests want to take the blood of a prince.”

“Oh, no. I thought they’d wait a few more days. What impatient bunch.”

Diech sighed and blew the candle that had been lit on the table. Then he got up slowly and turned off all the lights in the room. The room quickly fell into darkness. Diech and Haqab’s escorts waited for their eyes to get used to the darkness.

A metallic sound rang out in succession outside the window. Looking down through the window, he saw people in white uniforms and people in dark gray fighting in the hallway.

“Unfortunately, I think the escorts caught them because they were too stupid…”

Haqab laughed. “Recently, Prince Ricardis increased the troops around the castle for me.”

“I can imagine Ricardis throwing his documents.”

“I really want to see that.” Haqab laughed as if he was amused.

Clink!

Just then, the window shattered, and debris poured into the room. It was on the terrace side, not the window where Diech stood. They’re a lot more stupid than I thought. A diversion tactic…

Diech closed the window curtains. The room got darker. The assassins seemed momentarily puzzled by the dim interior. In the room where not a single candle was lit, only vaguely recognizable shapes could be seen in the dim light of the lanterns shining through the curtains.

Haqab’s escorts standing in the room drew their swords. It was an escort unit made up of pure mages, demons. Diech walked toward the assassins and raised his hand to the escorts.

“Don’t come forward.” 

Haqab murmured as he popped another grape into his mouth. It was a voice with a hint of laughter, “Asun. His Highness Prince Diech is telling me not to step forward.”

The two intruders lowered their stance and sprinted. They appeared to be well-trained assassins, as they made no flimsy threats. However, compared to the Black Moon’s assassins, they looked like a child.

The intruder’s sword drew a diagonal line. Diech, who watched the attack with indifferent eyes, lightly waved his hand. The weapon that hit the back of his hand broke and flew away. The assassin staggered back, bewildered.

Swish.

With the sound of the wind, Diech’s hand grabbed the man’s neck. C-cough. The scream was short. In an instant, the figure of a man whose neck was twisted disintegrated.

The other assassin ran past Diech and towards Haqab. Diech grabbed his hair from behind and slammed him down on the table. The table was broken, and fruit flew everywhere.

Diech picked up a piece of broken wood and placed it slowly into the assassin’s head. The resistance of the solid skull collapsed meaninglessly in front of his strength. There was a crunch, the sound of bones and muscles cracking. Blood flowed viscously.

Even amid the wine splashing and bleeding, Diech’s clothes did not get dirty. Diech plucked the flowers from the vase next to the mirror and threw them on the floor. The remaining water in the vase dripped. He poured water into his hands and washed away the traces of the battle.

Diech approached the window. The battle outside the window also seemed to be in a lull. The white marble was sprinkled with blood. His faint frown was reflected on the window pane. Diech pressed the space between his brows again, smoothing out the wrinkles.

He looked away from the reflection in the glass and saw the lanterns shining all over the castle. There were countless clusters of lights brighter than the stars in the night sky, like the Milky Way.

It was beautiful. Glory of Illavenia.

He closed his eyes. Nothing was visible. Only after finding the darkness in the brightly shining white night, he felt at ease.