Chapter 97

“Is it too much to ask just to check out the Night Market before heading back?”

The sunset painted the sky as the Princess’s schedule came to an end. All that was left was to return to the Imperial Castle. However, Fertisha didn’t head back right away.

“Please, just a quick look at the Night Market? Pretty please!”

If she went back now, she would be cooped up in the castle until the day she started at the Academy.

So, she nagged her escort, Rimer, to let her explore for just a bit longer, ideally until it was pitch dark.

Of course, Rimer opposed.

All their official business was done, and staying longer wouldn’t bring any benefits. But after repeated pleas softened his heart, he finally surrendered.

“Sigh, fine. We’ll take a little look around.”

“Really? You’re serious?”

“But there are conditions.”

Rimer held up two fingers.

First, she must wear a mask.

Given that the Night Market would be packed with people, Fertisha’s beautiful face could easily draw attention, and that would be a problem.

This was crucial because she was a hidden Princess. So, he suggested she cover her face.

“Got it. I’ll wear a mask!”

As soon as she nodded enthusiastically, Fertisha quickly covered her face with the mask she had on hand. Rimer then added the second condition.

“Next, you must promise to return to the Imperial Castle as soon as we reach the end of the Night Market.”

“Yes, I promise!”

To prevent Rimer from changing his mind later, Fertisha nodded fervently, her face lighting up.

With that confirmation, Rimer informed the Royal Guard of the updated schedule through his attendants. This was all for the sake of exploring the Night Market.

Yes, this was a perfectly fine plan.

I didn’t even worry about what problems might arise. The Night Market of the Empire’s capital was known across the continent for its security.

‘But…’

Little did I know, problems were indeed brewing.

Rimer frowned as he let out a sigh. Before his eyes was the sight of Fertisha confronting a merchant, her voice raised.

“This is outright fraud!”

The trouble started at a gambling booth typical of the Night Market, specifically a game called “Light Out.”

The rules were very simple.

You throw darts made from shards of magic stones at the Magic Lights displayed on the walls. Hitting them creates a Magic Response that extinguishes the lights, and if you turn off a total of five, you win a prize of your choice.

‘It’s fine to be curious, but…’

The real problem arose right after that.

She had successfully extinguished four lights but failed to snuff the fifth. Fertisha tried again, and this time she certainly struck the light.

But once again, the light didn’t go out.

‘They must have rigged it somehow.’

This was a common sight at gambling stalls.

Rimer dismissed it with a shrug.

On the other hand, it got under Fertisha’s skin.

She realized there must be some trick with the Magic Light and began to question it.

She quickly figured out what the trick was, perhaps thanks to her spirit.

‘Spirits can see things humans often miss.’

And this was how the trouble began.

Initially, when Fertisha started her questioning, the merchants looked a little uneasy.

But once they figured out she had no evidence, they lashed back angrily.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Do you have any proof we did that?”

“As I mentioned earlier…!”

The argument dragged on endlessly.

Sighing again, Rimer pondered how to intervene when suddenly, attendants approached him.

“…Sir Lapidis.”

“We have word from the Royal Guard.”

“We’ve detected a Level 3 threat approaching this area.”

A Level 3 threat referred to entities that require vigilance due to their risk potential.

Simultaneously, it meant they were dealing with someone encountered previously in their royal escort mission.

Namely, someone they had already crossed paths with before. But there was no need to ask about the appearance or features of the threat.

Rimer had already caught sight of him.

‘A red-haired Barbarian.’

You could easily tell if someone was a Barbarian just by looking at their attire. He was the only one in the Night Market wearing no shirt.

Additionally, he was someone they had briefly encountered at the cafe earlier that day.

‘Back then, we didn’t feel the need to worry since he arrived ahead of us…’

But encountering him again was a different story.

Especially since it seemed he had come over on his own initiative this time.

So, Rimer kept his eyes locked on the red-haired Barbarian while approaching the still quarreling Fertisha.

He whispered softly.

“Let’s head back now, Princess.”

“But…!”

“There’s something suspicious.”

At those words, Fertisha fell silent.

She realized she could no longer be stubborn. Her face was full of discontent while she pressed her lips together. Seeing this change, the merchants grew emboldened and shouted.

“See! If you make a fool of yourself, you can’t say anything!”

“Quit disturbing my business and scram!”

Fertisha shook her shoulders, her expression livid.

Rimer cast a cold glare at the merchants, then murmured again.

“Don’t fret too much. I’ll ensure those scoundrels are duly punished later.”

He vowed to make them pay for their rudeness towards the Princess. Just as he was about to step back, the Barbarian approached.

Seeing this, Rimer’s eyebrows twitched.

Could it be that Fertisha was his target after all? Tension gripped him as he gauged her expression.

He stopped in front of the merchants.

“I want to try this myself.”

He stood right where Fertisha had been moments ago, directly in front of the merchants.

He seemed to be there to join the game. The merchants, realizing he was a customer, changed their demeanor.

“Ah, welcome!”

“The entry fee is three silver coins.”

“Here you go.”

The red-haired Barbarian, Ulan, silently handed over the money.

The merchants accepted it and told him to wait while they prepared the Magic Lights.

As they passed the time in silence,

“Wow, this is interesting,”

a familiar voice echoed out of nowhere.

A clear, chime-like voice.

It was Fertisha from his past life. Though she looked far younger than he remembered,

Meanwhile, Fertisha, standing about seven steps away from Ulan, suddenly pointed to the ground.

She spoke with awe, “I’ve never seen a wolf living in the shadows.”

She immediately sensed the presence of the White Wolf.

Ulan, however, showed no reaction.

Of course, he wouldn’t. She had the ability to see spirits and magical beings, and moreover, she could easily find them wherever they hid.

So, he didn’t respond.

This prompted Fertisha to try speaking again.

“By the way…”

“…?”

“Why are you walking around without a shirt?”

“Well, it’s hot.”

“Yeah, it has been getting pretty warm lately.”

After exchanging some trivial conversation,

the corners of the mouth hidden behind the mask curled up slightly. A gentle smile began to form.

“So, I guess that’s good news.”

“What do you mean?”

“If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry about your clothes getting wet.”

If Ulan had no memories from his past life, he would probably be confused by that statement.

However, having grown accustomed to Fertisha’s abilities and speech, Ulan instantly understood what she meant.

“I see. Does that mean it’s going to rain soon?”

“…!”

Her eyes widened behind the mask in surprise.

“How did you know?”

She could predict the weather through her connection with spirits, but only a select few were aware of that, and she had solely informed Ulan.

On the other hand, Ulan was different.

From just their short exchange, he had accurately gauged her abilities. It was the first time someone had figured that out so quickly.

“I overheard.”

Ulan responded evasively.

Explaining it in detail would likely bore him, so he chose to be vague.

Puzzled, Fertisha wanted to ask again, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Customer! We’re ready.”

“Here, take this.”

They had finished preparing the Light Out game.

Moments later, Ulan was handed six darts. Twelve Magic Lights flickered to life on the wall across from him.

“What do I need to do?”

“You just throw these and hit the Magic Lights accurately. Then a Magic Response will occur, and the flames will go out.”

“If you extinguish five Magic Lights in total, you can select any of the prizes displayed there.”

Sounds straightforward. Ulan nodded in agreement.

But at that moment, Fertisha, who had been quietly observing, interrupted the conversation.

“You should mention that if all twelve Magic Lights go out, you can choose three prizes.”

Suddenly, that extra detail slipped out.

The merchants frowned at her. Ulan glanced at them and quizzed,

“Is that true?”

“Well, it is, but…”

“It’s going to be tough to extinguish all of them in one go. No one has succeeded yet.”

“Of course. The lights on the outer edges have been treated with a special coating, so they won’t turn off.”

Fertisha’s patronizing tone only irked the merchants more.

Frowning, they glared at her.

“Hey, miss!”

“You keep slandering us, and we’ll call the guards!”

The merchants’ faces twisted with anger.

As another argument was about to break out,

“Understood.”

Ulan quietly nodded and then grabbed a dart.

“Then, I’ll aim to extinguish them all.”

“Haha, you’re quite the bold one.”

“But like I said, it won’t be easy.”

The merchants stepped back with smiles painted on their faces.

It seemed they were ready to allow the game to begin.

And in that moment, two changes began to unfold.

First, the wind stopped.

The breeze that had been tickling his cheeks and rustling the leaves had completely vanished, as if the area had become a windless zone.

And then,

Ulan’s muscles expanded tremendously.

‘Thanks to the Elixir, my strength has amplified.’

No more, no less. He only needed to throw with half the power he could muster.

After making that decision, Ulan wasted no time in hurling the dart.

Whoosh! KABOOM!

The dart flew with a terrifying force, tearing through the air, hitting the center of the wall clean through.

BAM! Crack! Crash!

The Magic Light shattered with a loud noise.

But that wasn’t the only thing that broke.

An intense shockwave erupted from the spot where the dart struck, sending the remaining Magic Lights and the wall itself flying.

“AHH!”

“What was that?!”

“Is there an incident happening?!

Maybe it was the thunderous sound that triggered the panic.

Amidst the screams around him, the once-standing wall, laden with the Magic Lights, crumbled down, releasing a cloud of smoke.

After a moment, when the smoke cleared,

what lay before them was nothing short of a disaster.

Tattered tents.

Fragments and debris scattered on the ground.

The remnants of what had once been a wall, as if an explosion had occurred.

And in the wake of the wall’s collapse, the Magic Lights that had once hung there had naturally become dust.

The absence of any light served as clear evidence.

“……”

The dreadful scene before them,

the merchants from the Magic Light game stood there, half in shock.

They stared blankly at the unbelievable situation unfolding before them, as if they couldn’t comprehend their current state. Then, a flat voice broke through their stupor.

“Well, that extinguished them all.”

It was Ulan’s voice.

He then turned his body.

“Now, I’d like to take my prize.”

Even if the tent was blown away and the wall had crumbled, he had extinguished all the Magic Lights.

But just as he approached the display case,

the merchants, now collected, stepped forward to block his path.

Chapter 24: An Incident in the Capital

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