The Four-Day Slumber

Only Viscount Travie gasped as the Emperor’s chilling words hung in the air. The knights simply signaled their compliance by pressing their hands to their chests and bowing.

The Viscount was included in this meeting for one reason: to ensure he wouldn’t interfere when the knights eventually moved to execute Chase.

Having served in the Imperial Palace for years, he knew this was a “silent command”—one that was never to be repeated. He didn’t personally believe in prophecies; he believed only in God. Thus, he felt no personal malice toward Chase, but as a loyal subject, he felt he must follow his master’s will, however distasteful.

He had heard the Crown Prince was defending Chase, which gave him a moment’s pause.

‘Well, it’ll be fine,’ he thought. Every noble in the Empire knew the two brothers detested each other. He hadn’t seen their recent reconciliation with his own eyes, so he assumed the Prince would simply be a little saddened for a moment before moving on.

But now, watching them in the carriage, he felt a strange sense of unease. Things weren’t going according to his expectations.

‘Should I warn him?’ Should he tell the Prince to be careful because the Emperor was displeased? But the Imperial Family always maintained a facade of closeness in public. He feared that speaking out might sow discord between father and son, especially since Ailen was at a rebellious age. If the Prince turned against the Emperor, it would be a disaster for the Empire.

He considered warning Chase instead, but he had to bite his tongue as others approached.

“What is the meaning of this? Why have we stopped?”

It was the priestesses. They had caught up and were now peering into the carriage, demanding to know why they were stalled when the Great Forest was just ahead. Since the Viscount was the only one fluent in the local tongue, he looked up at Mayril with a troubled expression.

“His Highness has fainted from severe Warp Gate sickness.”

Mayril was dumbfounded. She thought the Prince was being unnecessarily dramatic, likely due to his overwhelming Divine Authority, but she swallowed her annoyance and made a suggestion.

“The Great Forest is only forty minutes away. It would be better for him to rest there.”

The Viscount agreed. He requested they travel slowly, and Mayril nodded, though she couldn’t help but cast a mocking smirk at Chase, who was looking at the unconscious Ailen with desperate eyes.

Chase was walking willingly into a place where he was despised more than anywhere else on earth. Mayril couldn’t hide her satisfaction as she walked back to her own carriage.

When I finally opened my eyes, I was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling.

The scent of damp earth and fresh greenery—scents you’d never find in the sterile Imperial Palace—filled my nose. I knew immediately where I was.

‘The Great Forest.’

I sat up and took in the modest room. Unlike the glass windows of the palace, the windows here were made of wood and stood wide open, letting in the sunlight. Looking out, I saw a landscape that looked less like a city and more like a high-end fantasy campsite.

‘It looks like an elven village.’

It felt profoundly “fantasy,” whereas the palace had felt like a historical reenactment. I was about to swing my legs off the bed when the door creaked open.

“…Your Highness!”

It was Chase. He was carrying a washbasin, but when he saw me awake, he jumped, dropped the basin, and scrambled toward me. The water soaked his boots and trousers, but he didn’t seem to care as he grabbed my hand.

“You’re awake!”

“Yeah, just now. Um… Chase, you’re soaked.”

I pointed at his wet pants, but he ignored it completely before gasping.

“That was your wash water, and I spilled it all! Wait! I’ll go get more!”

Before I could tell him it was fine—it was October, and he’d catch a cold—he scooped up the basin and dashed out the door.

‘Will he be okay?’

I noticed I was in pajamas. Someone must have changed me out of my travel clothes, and since Chase was the only one likely to do that, I assumed it was him. I moved to a small wooden chair and began to think.

‘What happened?’

My last memory was the world spinning after the third warp.

‘And I coughed up blood.’

It was absurd. I had chalked it up to motion sickness, but you don’t vomit blood from a dizzy spell.

‘Then what was it?’

I rubbed my stomach, recalling the way my insides had felt like they were being wrung out. Was it an internal injury? No, I felt perfectly fine now. I hadn’t been injured recently…

“…Ah.”

Then it hit me. I let out a small sound of realization. Fortunately, Chase wasn’t back yet.

‘It’s the poison.’

That damn poison. The poison currently eating away at my life was a cocktail of a Black Dragon’s breath and whatever Chase’s father had added to it.

To a dragon, everything they breathe out is mana. So, the poison was mana-based. Furthermore, Chase’s father hadn’t just used herbs; he had used his own magic to reinforce it.

‘That’s two types of supernatural energy.’

And then there was my own Divine Authority. Since that was based on holy power, my body was currently a battlefield for three different types of energy.

I could control the holy power, but the dragon’s mana and the father’s magic were stagnant, festering pools within me. My body was a ticking time bomb. I was vulnerable to any external mana interference—like a Warp Gate—which caused the energies to clash and force blood out of my lungs.

I couldn’t believe Chase’s father had given Dalia such a horrific poison just to use “if necessary.”

‘No… he probably didn’t expect anyone to survive it.’

Usually, it would be instant death. But I had a massive amount of holy power. That power was the only thing suppressing the other two. It wasn’t a cure; it was a stalemate, and the poison was slowly chipping away at my life force.

‘I wish I had a healing authority.’

What use was a high-attack power in a civilian setting? If I had a healing ability, I could have drunk that poison like it was water.

From now on, I had to be extremely careful around mana. If I slipped up, I might start bleeding from every orifice.

‘Wait. How am I supposed to get back?’

If I had to avoid mana, I couldn’t use the Warp Gates. The realization of the distance between the Great Forest and the Capital hit me like a physical weight.

‘Two months… I won’t be home until mid-January?’

A one-day trip by Warp Gate would take over sixty days by carriage on the main roads. And that was only because the roads were good; otherwise, it would have taken six months.

‘This primitive civilization!’

Why couldn’t they have invented trains or cars? Of course, I was the only one miserable about it, so complaining wouldn’t help.

Chase returned then, placing the basin on the table in front of me.

“I brought fresh water.”

He poured water from a leather canteen into a wooden cup.

“You must be thirsty. Please wash up and then drink.”

“Thanks.”

I dipped my hands into the basin and was surprised to find the water was warm—not hot, not lukewarm, but just right. It wasn’t like he could just turn on a tap here. I looked at him, but he didn’t look like he wanted praise. He simply stood there with a clean towel, waiting for me to finish.

I washed my face and took the towel. The cup of water he gave me afterward was ice-cold, as if it had been drawn from a spring seconds ago. I hesitated, wondering how to thank him for the effort, when he spoke.

“I was so worried. You collapsed and wouldn’t open your eyes.”

“Really? How long was I out? A few hours?”

“Not hours, Your Highness. It’s been four days since we arrived in the Great Forest.”