Chapter 340
Chapter 340: Boy, You've Already Found Your Way to Death
The noble lords stood rooted in place, watching without blinking as the ghostly green flames that seemed capable of setting half the sky ablaze, along with the thick mist, gradually dispersed.
The skeletal horses moved at a steady pace, their ghostly green fire flickering with each step, leaving behind burning footprints wherever they passed.
Though the horses' movements were many and varied, strangely enough, the rhythmic clatter of hooves never rang out—as if a procession of phantoms had swept silently across the earth.
The 2 Carriages wreathed in ghostly fire, which the Grand Duke and his party had ridden, likewise slipped soundlessly into the thick fog and vanished from sight.
Auguste remained where he stood, gazing at the jade-green embers of sparks drifting through the air, a smile on his face.
Watching the departing convoy, he turned to address the nobles around him:
"What do all of you make of Princess Auréliane?"
A noble nearby answered respectfully:
"Your Majesty, Princess Auréliane may be young, but standing before so many of us, she was composed and unflappable—not the slightest sign of nerves."
"All one can say is that the Empire's etiquette is, indeed, polished to perfection."
Another noble nodded and took up the thread:
"What matters most is who she actually is. She could have afforded to be far less courteous."
If she were merely an ordinary princess, that would be one thing.
But her status was that of a princess of the Carencian Empire……
The Emperor of the Empire was the warrior universally acknowledged to stand at the world's very peak.
Even after all the years the Kingdom had spent cultivating its warriors, not one had ever come close to Aubrey's level.
To say nothing of surpassing him.
What level was Aubrey? And what level were they?
And there was the added fact that Auréliane was also Grand Duke Balo's granddaughter.
What level was Grand Duke Balo? And what level were they?
Still not weighty enough?
Add Viktor to the list—was that enough weight?
With the highest-tier backing of 2 great nations, and even the support of the Mage Council behind her, Auréliane could walk sideways through any country she pleased.
And yet she still carried herself with the attitude of someone here to conduct diplomacy on the Empire's behalf—friendly and warm toward everyone she met.
Even in the presence of these Kingdom lords, she remained thoroughly courteous.
It was admirable, and at the same time effortlessly endearing, making it very easy for them to feel a deep and genuine warmth toward her.
Auguste nodded, then turned to ask Laurien at his side:
"Count Laurien, you were the one who received the princess yesterday. What did you make of her?"
Laurien considered for a moment, then answered:
"Princess Auréliane is excellent. I believe she must be a kind person."
As he recalled the moment the princess had gone to comfort the Maidservant, a flicker of admiration passed through his eyes.
A princess going to comfort a Maidservant—now that was something unusual.
It was also precisely why he believed Auréliane would help him make that request.
Hearing everyone's praises of the princess, Auguste looked deeply satisfied.
"I see."
"It seems this princess not only possesses an extraordinary background and more than enough talent."
"Her character is also truly excellent."
At that moment, he turned his gaze to Hilda at his side, raised an eyebrow, and his expression took on a touch of seriousness.
"Hilda, today—your performance was a little lacking."
"How could we let a honored guest come to blows?"
Hilda knew she had made a mistake. She lowered her head, overcome with shame.
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I couldn't help myself."
She closed her eyes, her heart twisted into knots.
"I know, because you were sure to say something like that."
"At least I now know that this princess is no mere decorative vase."
Auguste smiled and gave Hilda a pat on the shoulder, then continued in an offhand manner:
"Perhaps this princess does not yet have a partner?"
The phantom convoy had long since vanished at the road's end, and a gentle breeze drifted past.
His words carried on the wind and began to drift, unhurried, across the open ground.
The assembled noble lords all nodded, adopting thoughtful expressions.
Only Hilda kept her head low, silent, her face dim.
***
The bright moon cast its silver-white radiance down upon the earth.
Jade-green ghostly fire wove together with the moonlight, dotting the night sky with drifting, eerie stars.
High above, the flames blazed fiercely, wrapped in heavy smoke, as the fire-clad undead horses charged forward at speed, weaving through a deep and shadowed forest.
The horses encircled a convoy of Carriages equally wreathed in ghostly fire, rushing in a determined direction.
Strangely, though hooves struck the ground and wheels turned, not a single sound was made.
The only noise was a distant, haunting toll of bells beneath the night sky, as if warning wayfarers of approaching spirits.
Where the convoy passed, the traces it left behind slowly faded away.
Before long, the convoy emerged from the dense forest and a magnificent fortress city came into view.
The banners here bore a green insignia, and at each banner's apex, flames burned in the very likeness of those upon the Carriages.
The mark upon those banners was the Family Crest of the Balo House.
This fortress city was vast in scale, like a silent city of the night, veiled in a jade-green atmosphere, its windows occasionally revealing glimpses of pitch-black shadow.
The entire castle stood quiet and mysterious beneath the moonlight, made all the more eerie by the ghostly flames surrounding its towers.
With a faint green glow, the city's enormous gates slowly swung open.
Under the cover of the thick fog, the convoy drove swiftly inside, as if entering a pitch-black tunnel.
The jade-green firelight shone unusually bright against the darkness, uncanny, yet bringing a faint illumination to that gloom.
Grand Duke Balo spoke then:
"We have arrived."
As his words fell, the entire city seemed to have life breathed into it, as though something stirring deep in the earth had been awakened.
Jade-green flames rose up from the ground, encircling the entire territory.
The previously dim street lamps lit up one by one, as if a great wave were sweeping across the earth.
At the far end of the street lamps stood the great castle towers; the flames at each tower's peak swelled once more, like clusters of fire swaying on massive frames.
The Knights urged their horses out of the tunnel and looked up, drawn by those magnificent flames.
The fire seemed to have a life of its own, twisting its body toward the crowd and dipping into a slight bow.
The Knights pulled their reins and gradually brought their horses to a halt, while the Carriages continued deeper into the city.
Along the way, tall and ancient buildings rose on either side, ghostly fire flowing among them.
And yet in this vast city, there was not a single passerby.
The Knights followed close behind. Gazing at this desolate city, they felt a peculiar sense of solitude and emptiness.
At last, the convoy rolled into a sweeping Manor.
The Manor was immense; beyond iron gates flickering with green spirit-fire lay roads that branched off in every direction.
The grounds within were like a labyrinth, gardens spread throughout.
Only a single wide road ran through the whole Courtyard, just wide enough for a Carriage to pass.
This grand residence resembled a small castle in its own right, its surrounding walls wound with ghostly flames, draped like the cloak of some phantasmal fortress.
At the tops of towers that soared into the sky, clusters of ghostly fire burned, blooming into jade-green flowers.
When the company arrived in the Courtyard, the skeletal horses lowered themselves obediently.
The Knights and the Demi-humans all dismounted.
And the jade-green flames that had been burning on their bodies vanished the moment their feet touched the ground.
The 12 diplomats stood on the Courtyard road with solemn expressions, staring at the ghostly flames with apprehension in their hearts.
After all, this was their first time dealing with this Grand Duke of the Kant Kingdom.
They had no idea what sort of temperament this Grand Duke possessed.
Though—could someone who lived in such an eerie environment possibly have a pleasant one?
The diplomats swept their gazes across the surrounding flowerbeds.
Despite the grim atmosphere, the flowers still stood graceful and upright, blooming in vivid purples and reds.
The group walked into the residence, but not a single Servant came forward to greet them.
Cold wind carried with it an oppressive chill; the Courtyard was utterly empty, exuding a sense of profound solitude.
Could it be that the Grand Duke lived here entirely alone?
At that moment, Grand Duke Balo also stepped down from the Carriage, and Auréliane followed Viktor's footsteps out as well.
The next instant, Grand Duke Balo gripped his walking cane and struck the ground.
With a thud, the green mist surrounding them abruptly dispersed.
The undead Carriages and horses transformed together into white bone dust, gradually dissolving into the air.
Everyone present stared blankly at the environment around them.
The instant the green mist fully cleared, the night sky became extraordinarily clear.
The bright moon shone even more brilliantly; countless stars, like white pearls set into a black canopy, poured down tranquil light.
The lamps within the residence cast their glow through the windows, and warm, faint light spilled outward.
The green ghostly flames gradually returned to their ordinary state, the road ahead now clear and bright.
Suddenly, Auréliane froze in place, her gaze fixed straight ahead.
Countless Servants stood before them, arrayed on either side, bowing deeply to the assembled company.
"At last—home."
Grand Duke Balo said it plainly, then lowered his gaze to look at Auréliane.
On her face, he saw an expression of astonishment.
"This is……incredible."
It was the first time in her life she had experienced anything like this—as if she had been connected in an instant from one corner of the world to another entirely.
Grand Duke Balo turned his head back around.
"The place we just passed through was the dwelling of the dead, and so our Carriages could move freely within it."
"It is also the fastest way to return here, aside from Teleportation Magic."
"But once we have come to the realm of the living, they should withdraw of their own accord."
The Grand Duke was referring to the horses and Carriages that had quietly dispersed.
Once the green fog had vanished, it meant that the company had returned to the realm of the living.
Naturally, the undead constructs would dissolve.
"The dead should not tread upon the territory of the living. Likewise, the living ought not disturb the peace of the dead."
At those words, Auréliane drifted for a moment into her own thoughts.
They made her think of her mother.
She had heard that her mother, who had died in childbirth, was buried here.
Auréliane had come to the Kingdom, come to this ancestral home she had never once set foot in before.
A great part of the reason, she knew, was to visit the mother she had never known.
And so, Auréliane opened her mouth and asked:
"Grandfather, my mother……where was she buried?"
"I want to go and see her."
Grand Duke Balo listened to Auréliane's words and did not turn back.
Only a calm, unhurried voice rose slowly:
"You will see her."
"But not now."