Prophecy

"Nara is the most amazing." Isabella pinched her daughter's little cheek as she praised her.

Because Jacques bore the nailed-down identity of a criminal, Isabella and Nara, as the criminal's wife and daughter, had always been shunned by everyone else, struggling to survive here.

She had wanted to leave this place long ago, but every attempt had ended in failure.

The first time, she seduced a passing merchant, hoping to leave Reastmia with his caravan. But the next day, the merchant was found collapsed in his room, black blood spilling from his nose and mouth.

The second time was with a powerful mercenary. That night, Isabella witnessed despair. Hundreds of enormous crows burst forth from that great tree, which had already been designated a forbidden land, turning into a black cloud that blotted out the sky and swallowed the sun as they surged forward. That supposedly powerful mercenary became nothing but white bones almost instantly.

The third time had been not long ago, with a missionary from the Divine Grace Church. Trusting the Divine Grace Church, Isabella once again chose to set out on the road of escape with him. This time, she also witnessed that person's terror.

A trace of gloom flickered through her heart, but Isabella did not show it. She had now given up all thought of running away. In any case, as Reastmia had expanded over the years, she could at least make a living through weaving cloth.

Chris observed them from afar for a while, then left. He continued breathing, his whole body seeming to blend into the air as he sensed the rhythm of the air, his feet never stopping as he wandered through Reastmia.

Rea in the daytime appeared exceptionally prosperous. Merchants and mercenaries moved through its streets and alleys, while traders from both nations gathered here to deal in their respective specialties. As war between the two countries drew near, trade here instead grew even more fervent.

For example, a kind of fruit cake from the Interkami Kingdom had always been beloved by the nobles of the Kingdom of Roas. But with relations between the two nations tense, Interkami naturally had no interest in deliberately opening up such resources for the other side's enjoyment.

As a result, the smuggling of such goods became extraordinarily lucrative. A mere fruit pastry could fetch the price of gold. Merchants could be utterly mad when profit was at stake.

As Chris watched the prosperity here, he could also see the undercurrents hidden beneath it. More importantly, he saw certain people concealed within the crowds. Chris understood why they had come.

Half a year ago, someone had sought out a witch and asked her where the future of the gradually weakening Interkami Kingdom lay.

The witch gave an answer. She prophesied that a Saint of Salvation would appear in the future Interkami Kingdom. Her arrival would save the kingdom. She would be the Dragon Daughter, a gift from the gods, a truly pure person.

After speaking the prophecy, the witch vanished without a trace. This somewhat unreliable prophecy nevertheless spread into Interkami's upper circles, and quite a few people came to believe it.

After half a year of searching, people focused their attention on the phrase Dragon Daughter in the prophecy. According to legend, the first king of the Interkami Kingdom had been a Dragon Child, possessing mighty dragon power.

The prophecy naturally made people think of the royal bloodline. Because of this, several ladies with royal blood died mysterious deaths. Sers I was not someone willing to let go easily.

Although the Divine Grace Church missionary from back then had failed to take Isabella and Nara away, he had passed word of her existence to Bishop Austin of the Divine Grace Church. Thus, some people in the Interkami Kingdom who believed in the prophecy advocated rescuing the mother and daughter.

It was not easy for Interkami's official forces to make a move. After all, Sers I was still the king of Interkami in name. If he wanted to harm Isabella openly, it would be very simple.

Both sides had their own concerns. Sers I's people did not want anyone suspected of being the Saint of Salvation to appear in the open, while Austin and the others feared that exposing Isabella and her daughter would plunge the Interkami Kingdom into even greater chaos.

So Bishop Austin invited his friend, the legendary ranger Chris, and asked him to bring Isabella out. Those following and watching Isabella were agents sent by people within the country who stood on Sers I's side.

"There are currently four factions here," Chris analyzed the situation.

"The first is the host here, Negary. This intelligent Evil Spirit possesses the greatest power here: the Kexi People, unknown pathogens, and those crows under his control. For some unknown reason, he has confined Isabella and her daughter here. At present, he is the greatest obstacle."

"Then there are Sers I's spies. There are quite a few skilled individuals among them. Their goal is to kill Isabella and her daughter, but when necessary, they may also become a force against Negary."

"The third faction is the local merchants, mercenaries, and the like. As a neutral faction, they can side with anyone for profit. However, because of those pathogens, they may become our enemies."

"And finally, there is us. Austin will bring people here before long. My current task is to gather enough intelligence and protect Isabella and her daughter." Chris considered how to ultimately complete the mission.

"A Saint of Salvation?" Thinking of that exceptionally pure girl, Chris's thoughts drifted to the person he had met on the Great Snow Mountain. He touched the scar on his face, shook his head, and continued considering countermeasures.

"The main members of the Youth Gang are all Kexi People. They definitely have ties to Negary. I wonder how they will respond to my demands—refuse me, drive me out, or send someone to kill me?" Chris recalled the little information he had.

Those hundreds and thousands of crows were the greatest threat. If they truly swarmed him, he had no way to survive such an assault. However, according to the Divine Grace Church's records, these Evil Spirits required sustenance in order to exist.

In a place like Reastmia, where large numbers of people gathered, Negary could not easily dispatch a vast number of crows to kill him. Doing so would instead cause Reastmia to decline, something an Evil Spirit that required sustenance did not wish to see.

As for the other threat—pathogens and disease—Chris, who possessed the Breathing Method, did not need to worry too much. As long as he periodically adjusted his own rhythm and expelled those pathogens from his body, there would be no problem.

"The problem now is the existence that killed Bujiter."

Bujiter was the missionary who had come here back then. He possessed a gift from the gods, and his strength would not have been much different from Chris's. He had not been killed by the crows. At the time, he had used a special method of the Divine Grace Church to pass on information about Isabella's existence, as well as word that some unknown person was pursuing him.

Unfortunately, after Bujiter transmitted those messages, there had been no further news of him. The Divine Grace Church had also confirmed Bujiter's death through special means.

Chris's expression turned grave. He stopped in an alley, where a white ring in his hand radiated a peculiar rhythm within his senses.