The Regressed Heir of Ravencrest

A few minutes later, two figures descended onto the ridge.

Marcus landed first, and a moment later Evelyn descended gracefully beside him. Their eyes instantly found the man who had manipulated the entire Beast Tide, kneeling in the snow before them.

Marcus tried to maintain his composure, but for a moment, the killing intent pouring out of him couldn’t be stopped. It struck the frozen man like a blade. His mind flashed with the faces of the soldiers and the people who had fought relentlessly on the walls for days, and who had died because of the demonic bastard in front of him.

But he quickly reined in his raging emotions before they could spiral out of control. He took a deep breath, and slowly, his eyes regained their usual calm. He waited for a moment, letting the last of his anger settle.

Evelyn simply observed him in silence, without saying a word.

Then the runes that had entered their minds earlier stirred once more.

Both Marcus and Evelyn sensed the change simultaneously. Sensing the presence of the Ice Dragon’s will in front of them, the runes emerged from their minds and floated into the air between them, where they gradually merged into a single, far more intricate symbol. Its interwoven lines rotated slowly, glowing with a faint silver-blue light that illuminated the surrounding snow.

After hovering between them for a moment, the transformed rune split into two halves. One condensed into a small, orb-shaped artifact and drifted into Marcus’s hand, while the other flew toward the chains binding Riennal and sank into them. The silver-blue runes etched along the chains flickered as the two merged, leaving the bindings intact.

The moment the artifact settled into his palm, Marcus instinctively understood that he now possessed complete control over the magic binding Riennal. He infused it with his intent and willed the chains to loosen. They responded immediately, slackening around the prisoner’s body before tightening again at his command.

Both of them could only marvel at what they had just witnessed. Human mages had developed and mastered magic over countless generations, and some of them had reached unimaginable heights. Yet the magic displayed by the dragons, built on their vast and ancient knowledge, still felt like something from another realm entirely.

Then, suddenly, Marcus’s gaze shifted toward the surrounding mountains.

Just after testing his control over the chains, Marcus sensed a faint gaze resting upon him. It was so subtle that he might have dismissed it as an illusion, but his instincts urged him to investigate. He swept his aura across the ridge, extending his senses over the surrounding peaks and the slopes below, yet he found no trace of another presence.

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed at his sudden reaction, and she quickly extended her aura as well.

“Did you sense anything?” Marcus asked, looking at her.

“No, Commander,” she replied calmly, meeting his eyes.

Marcus looked out over the mountains for a moment longer. Then he finally let it go, thinking that he must have been on edge lately, due to everything that had unfolded until now.

“Let’s go…” Marcus said, gathering aura at his feet, and the two of them began their journey back to Northwatch.

———

Meanwhile, in the Inner Fortress Courtyard

The courtyard was crowded with exhausted soldiers and mercenaries. Some sat against the walls with their eyes half-closed, while others lay on the cold stone, too tired to move. Healers moved between them, tending to those who still hadn’t been treated.

The Black Raven captains moved through the courtyard one group at a time, gathering the soldiers, the mercenaries, and the hunter guild masters wherever they were.

The captains first informed their own units before spreading through the courtyard to deliver Marcus’s orders to the remaining soldiers, mercenaries, and Hunter Guild masters. They made it clear that no one was permitted to speak about what had happened during the Beast Tide, especially about the dragon, and warned them of the consequences of disobeying.

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances. A few mercenaries frowned, clearly wanting to ask why such strict secrecy was necessary, but the captains’ expressions discouraged further questions. Once they understood how seriously Commander of Northwatch regarded the order, no one dared to argue.

Van stood at the edge of the courtyard, watching the captains move from one group to the next. Only when the last of them returned and confirmed the order had been delivered did he finally turn his attention back, quickly giving instructions to the soldiers who could still move to retrieve the beast cores and materials.

———

Within an hour, Marcus and Evelyn reached Northwatch.

But instead of entering through the main gates, Marcus led Evelyn toward a hidden entrance some distance away from the walls. Behind it lay a secret tunnel that led directly beneath the barracks, completely concealed by an ancient magical formation. It was something known only to the Ravencrest family.

Evelyn hadn’t known of its existence until tonight. Yet Marcus showed it to her without hesitating for even a moment.

Evelyn went ahead to prepare the sealed chamber beneath the Command Barracks in the Inner Fortress. It was one of the North’s most secure prisons, designed to hold high-level prisoners, and had remained unused for years. Although Marcus had given her its access keys long ago, she had entered it only once since arriving in Northwatch. Now, by revealing a secret passage known only to the Ravencrest family, he had shown her a level of trust that went far beyond her responsibilities as Adventurer Guild Leader.

A small smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

A few minutes later, Marcus arrived, carrying Riennal, still unconscious and sealed within the frost.

The chamber was cold and silent. Thick stone walls surrounded them on every side, layered with several different formations. Marcus set Riennal down in the center of the chamber, the chains still wrapped tightly around him.

“Are you going to interrogate him, Commander?” Evelyn asked.

Marcus considered the question for a moment.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to torture Riennal until even death would seem like a mercy, and to drag out every piece of information about where the Abyssal Pact members were hiding. But now was not the time…

He also needed to send a report to Adrian and decide what they should inform the Emperor and the churches. And above all, they had to conceal Ethan’s mysterious energy.

Not only had he thought about it himself, but just before the spatial fluctuation swallowed her, the Ice Dragon had also warned him through her will not to let anyone know about the Unknown Energy. Apart from her memories, she had also shared partial information about the purple mist. From that alone, Marcus had already realised how dangerous and rare it was, so rare that even the higher demons found it almost impossible to procure. If they ever learned that Ethan could destroy one of their most notorious creations, they would certainly send more of the Abyssal Pact members after him.

“No…” he said, his voice tinged with disappointment.

He seemed as though he wanted to say something more, but he stopped.

Evelyn remained silent, sensing that he wanted to say something but was struggling to find the words. She waited a few more seconds before she finally asked.

“Is there something you wish to say, Commander?”

Marcus looked calmly into her eyes… and finally opened his mouth.

“Thank you for everything.”

Evelyn blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his words. For a second, she wondered whether she had heard him correctly, but the sincerity in his eyes left no room for doubt.

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and she quickly looked away. “N-No, Commander. You don’t have to thank me. I was only doing my duty.”

Marcus smiled at her words.

Silence settled over the chamber once more before he finally broke it again.

“You must have already realised why I had to keep Ethan’s identity a secret…”

Evelyn nodded.

Marcus could see the curiosity burning in her eyes, the desire to know more about Ethan, even though she didn’t voice it.

“I will tell you about him later…” he said. “For now, don’t inform the Main Branch about anything that has taken place here until we decide what to tell the Emperor.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Okay. Go and get some rest. You’ve pushed yourself too much.”

———

Meanwhile, in the Guest Estate

Aisha’s eyes hadn’t left Ethan for a single second since Evelyn left.

Through the frost, she could see the critical injuries covering his body, slowly being mended by the frost encasing him. Yet her worry only deepened with every passing second. She had thought it would be a good experience for Ethan to take part in the Beast Tide, but never did she imagine that in his very first tide, he would face something so catastrophic that it would threaten his life.

She clenched her fingers tightly until her nails dug into her skin. She tried to hold back her tears, but they escaped regardless, rolling down her cheeks before falling to the floor.

She was like a godmother to Ethan and Amelia, and she had watched over them both since the day they were born. Even though she couldn’t always look after them because of her duties, her heart had always drifted back to them. Now, seeing Ethan like this, bloodied and unconscious, it felt as though someone was crushing her heart.

Beside him, Rune lay curled against the frost, his blue eyes still watchful.

Aisha reached out and rested her hand gently on the ice.

“I am sorry…” she whispered.