< The Heart of the Empire!... >

Somewhere... this phrase...

Then I remembered a familiar voice.

“If you need to, aim for the heart.”

Ah, it was something Leviathan said in the original story...

‘But why am I suddenly thinking about it?’

Was it just because of the word?

“Hmm. This is confusing.”

I frowned in annoyance. Just then, Hazel came in.

“Oh? Miss, why are you just standing there? You should get ready. Aren’t you going to see the Duke off at the fortress?”

“Oh, right!”

Now’s not the time to be standing around!

I quickly put the pamphlet away and took out the drawing I’d been keeping.

“Hazel, Hazel! Help me cut this!”

“Of course! What are we cutting?”

“Cut this nicely for me! So it can fit in the locket!”

I handed her the golden locket I had bought earlier.

Hazel used her skills to cut the portrait perfectly.

“Dad will like it, right?”

“Of course!”

Inside the locket was a picture of me and my smiling family. Just looking at it made me happy.

“Let’s go say goodbye!”

The Zebert Knights guarded the northern border.

Every spring, they went on a monster hunt.

They had to clear out the monsters’ nests often so the monsters wouldn’t suddenly multiply and attack.

It was a regular battle that happened every year, so everything went smoothly. It was something familiar.

But this year was a little different.

All the knights leaving for the hunt now had cute little decorations hanging from their sword sheaths.

“Sniff, thank you, my youngest.”

“Everyone, be careful and come back soon!”

Rubian went to the castle wall to wave goodbye.

The castle gate opened wide.

The knights, cheered on by their youngest, were full of spirit.

The purple gemstones shook on their sword sheaths.

‘My jewel is bigger!’

‘No, mine is!’

Leon heard the whispers but held back from saying that his jewel sparkled the most.

Rubian’s words, telling them to come back soon, echoed in his ears.

He went to Leviathan at the front.

“Your Grace, should we try to finish in just a month? Maybe we can change up the tactics?”

Normally, the monster hunt took two months, so Leon spoke carefully. But the commander’s eyes flashed with determination.

“We’ll do it in ten days.”

He held the golden locket tightly in one hand.

He remembered Rubian’s pouting face when she had handed it to him.

“If you ever miss me, just look at this... I’ll be in the portrait studio!”

Leviathan gripped the reins hard.

“I guess it’s not good for Dad to be away from home for long.”

The knights heard this, and their eyes glowed too.

“Guys, did you hear? Let’s move faster!”

“Yeah! We’re fired up!”

That spring’s hunt,

the Zebert Knights won an unbelievable victory, better than ever before.

No one was hurt.

A strange power protected them like a shield in dangerous moments.

It was an invisible power, so no one knew it came from the gemstones.

Anyway, the lively knights swept through the monster nests like a storm.

Morale was sky-high. The battle was so easy.

They didn’t even think about all the training they’d had in war—they just polished the decorations and thought,

‘It’s all thanks to our cute youngest!’

Well...

that wasn’t really wrong, so it was fine.

The day after Dad left for the hunt,

Liam and Void left the house too.

“Did you pack all your academy stuff?”

At Mom Rosetta’s words, Void checked his bag again.

“Textbooks, clothes, diary, new sword, hero cards—capital edition, spring festival edition, Ruby, shoes, pens...”

I blinked slowly.

“Isn’t there something weird mixed in there?”

“The hero cards?”

“No. I think you somehow snuck me in there.”

Void clicked his tongue, pretending to be upset.

“You caught me. Ruby, get in my bag. I bought a big one just for you.”

“No way!”

I ran and hid behind Mom, away from Void’s open trunk.

Liam stood there, looking uninterested.

“Mother, I think I need more home education this semester. I’ll study at home, and I have Asha’s lessons too...”

“Liam Zebert.”

“...”

She gently called his full name. Even fearless Liam’s shoulders shrank.

“Our eldest, did you pack everything?”

“...I packed even my bad mood.”

“You’ll feel better when you see your friends and study together.”

Mom smiled as she tossed their big trunks into the wagon.

“If you two don’t leave right now, I’ll hide with Ruby in the south.”

“We’ll go!”

At her sharp threat, my brothers bowed and quickly got ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) into the carriage.

I peeked out from behind Mom.

“Have a good trip, brothers... Let’s play together again at summer break...”

I waved at the carriage as it left.

Void and Liam’s cheeks were pressed flat against the window.

The afternoon after seeing off my brothers,

I was sitting and studying healing with Borbel.

As I read my book out loud, I glanced outside.

‘Wow, it’s really quiet.’

The castle felt so empty.

No Dad, no brothers.

Grandpa was in his cottage, working on weapons again.

Mom was whispering something with the maids.

‘It feels like a different house!’

It was always noisy, but now it was strangely silent.

Hmm, it was kind of lonely.

‘No way.’

I jumped up from my desk and touched my earlobe.

‘Khalid. Khaaal, what are you doing?’

Only my childhood friend could help with this lonely feeling!

I called him with all my heart—then, from an unexpected place, I heard an answer.

“I was checking where to put the bell.”

Right behind me.

“Ah! You surprised me.”

Khalid closed the door and came over.

“When did you get here?”

“Didn’t you hear me knock?”

I hadn’t heard him at all.

Maybe I was daydreaming while staring out the window.

“So is this the last bell?”

“Yeah.”

“Great, then let’s go make the magic tool.”

I was bored anyway, so it was perfect timing.

Just one more bell to make at Mr. Maddix’s place, give it to Khalid to install, and the barrier would be done!

“I should check on Asha too!”

I got Mom’s permission and left the castle with Khalid.

“The weather is so nice, right?!”

The sky was blue and the sun was warm!

I stretched and looked at Khalid. He nodded seriously.

“Ruby.”

“Yeah?”

“Once the barrier is done... like I said in Ipsen, I’ll have to leave for a while.”

I stopped in my tracks.

Ah, right. He did say that.

“Um... you have stuff to do outside?”

“Yeah, kind of. Don’t worry. I won’t be gone long.”

I stared at his calm face.

Khalid was growing up, just like me. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

His hair was a little short—maybe the knights had cut it for him.

...Cute.

‘Khalid is leaving too?’

I kicked at the ground for no reason.

My lips stuck out like a duck’s.

Of course, it wasn’t that rare for Khalid to leave. He always disappeared like smoke and came back suddenly.

But today, for some reason, I felt really sad.

“Ugh... What is this?”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I just feel sad.”

Dad went to do his work, my brothers went to do theirs.

Khalid was going to do his work too.

‘Maybe everyone spoiling me has made me needy.’

People really do get used to things.

I bit my lip and finally managed to say,

“...Don’t be gone too long.”

“Of course not.”

Khalid answered right away. His blue hair swayed in the wind.

His eyebrows looked determined. Khalid spoke with an unusually serious expression.

“I don’t like being apart for too long either.”

Just those words made me feel better.

‘Really, it’s strange.’

As soon as we went into the magic stone shop,

someone jumped on me.

“Ruuubiaaan!”

“Ack, Asha!”

Asha hugged my cheeks, not letting go.

Just then, the shop worker spoke behind her.

“You have to call her boss, Director Asha.”

Asha jumped, then let me go.

“Oh, sorry, Manager. I just got excited.”

She stood up straight. The two of them talked to each other politely, just like real workers. It was pretty funny.

I put my hands behind my back and laughed like a boss.

“What’s the difference between Director and Manager? There are only two workers anyway.”

Khalid whispered beside me.

“It’s my business style—to make everyone respect each other with fancy titles.”

“Weird.”

He looked like he didn’t get it at all.

But I was glad Asha could work here without anyone treating her badly.

“Ahem, ahem. So, the blueprint?”

I whispered to Asha, who was dusting the shelves.

She quickly handed me a scroll in secret.

“But Rubian, why did you want glow-in-the-dark paint on it?”

“There’s a reason.”

Asha looked confused, but I took the blueprint in my hand. Now, time to see Mr. Maddix...

“Eek!”

Suddenly, Asha went pale as if she had seen a wild animal.

I followed her gaze to the window and saw a familiar tanned person walking toward us.