Book 8: Chapter 1
Located on the northernmost tip of the Varno, the Kingdom of Natra was known for being a nation of immigrants. Snuggled on the border between East and West, its land didn’t draw much attention to itself—except that it had terrible weather—but it quickly became a home for those without a place to stay, letting them quietly exist together…
A ray of fortune might be shining down on them now—largely because of Crown Prince Wein—but this didn’t change the fact that most of the citizens were originally from elsewhere.
Of these various peoples, the Flahm were the most known, with their characteristic red eyes and white hair. Due to their appearance and history as a people, they were discriminated against in Western countries; even a supposed meritocracy like the Eastern Empire saw them as a cursed race.
That wasn’t the case in Natra, however. About a hundred years earlier, Ralei, the leader of some nomadic Flahm, offered all his knowledge and skill to the King of Natra in exchange for the safety of his people. The king was eager to make this deal, but of course, he faced some backlash in the early days. After all, the will of a ruler wasn’t always a reflection of the will of the people.
Nonetheless, neither the king nor the Flahm bent to the public, and they eventually achieved harmony with the entire population.
A century later, the Flahm lived in Natra as part of its social fabric. This was a hard-won victory, a great feat that started with Ralei and bore fruit through the efforts of many Flahm.
That was exactly why they could never afford to forget…that there was incalculable worth hidden in the seemingly mundane—
“It’s our time!”
The scene opens in a room of a certain manor. Beyond the window, the night was chilly, the sky twinkling faintly with stars. It was autumn, winter nearing. Unlike the weather outside, however, the room inside was hot as the excitement of its occupants hung heavily in the air.