Joshua slayed the Mercenary King, spreading his name far and wide; now, he was finally in Tripia.

In the Imperial court of Avalon, another life was disappearing. She came from the noblest bloodbut at the same time, the circumstances of her birth made her life harder than any of her kin.

Haah haah haah

The exquisite expanses of Hwahwa Palace were filled with a pained moan.

Princess Ellen, the Princesss only maid, leaned over the bed worriedly.

The Princesss golden hair had turned dull and ashen, and her skin was grey and worn, yet her beauty still shone through.

Im so sorry, Princess The maids eyes welled up with tears. If she was going to die before she even reached her twentieth year, why did she have to spend the rest of her life locked up in this place? The Emperors favor was no gift at all. God would take away her life as he had taken everything else from her.

A knock came at the door, and Ellen quickly wiped away her tears. She needed to be strong at times like this.

Who is it?

Its Amy, Madame. A visitor came to the palace, is all

Amy Ellens brow creased. You know that the Princess cant see anyone right now, right?

I, um

I came here to see my sibling. Its me, Kaisen.

Ellens eyes widened, and she leaped out of her seatit was no wonder Amy was so flustered. She opened the door and immediately bowed.

The guests somber visageas if his signature golden eyes werent enoughwas immediately recognizable. Ellen had seen this man many times before.

Greetings to the second prince. I am Ellen, a servant of Hwahwa Palace.

I see. The prince walked past Ellen without sparing her so much as a glance.

P-Prince! Princess Sersiarin is sleeping right now

How dare this lowly girl The second prince thrust a blade at Ellens neck, drawing a few drops of blood from the razor-thin cut. Try to get in my way again, and youll lose your neck. Kaisen left behind the quailing maid and approached the bed.

All your life youve been used by your father, and now youre so miserable, Sersiarin Kaisen watched his sister slowly die.

At first, Hwahwa Palace was forbidden even to the Imperial family. The Black Wind kept watch over it, but at some point, those eyes had vanishedspecifically, when shed fallen into a coma.

The implications were clear: even her father had abandoned her now that the poor girl was no longer useful. Was there ever a more tragic tale than this?

Your cursed power even broke your leash. Heand the rest of the Empireknew that the Princess had special abilities. Just like the legends of the elves, she had the eyes of truth. Emperor Marcuss judicious use of this ability secured his tyrannical reign better than any weapon by stopping any rebellion before it started. Sersiarins sicknesses didnt stop the Emperor for a moment.

I think he said she still has a month to live. You may not be useful to your father, but you are to me, Sersiarin. Kaisens lips stretched into a mad rictus.

Ill take Sersiarin.

Ellen heaved a deep breath.

Please, no She wanted to speak up but she wanted to live more. All she could do was watch Kaisen disappear with the Princess.

All of the demons suddenly froze like statues. The orcs curled into the fetal position; the house-sized trolls cowered behind the trees; the mad, man-eating ogre was nowhere to be found.

Ashs legs collapsed.

No, no How can this be?

Nothings impossible.

Dont bullshit me! The only dragon who isnt asleep is Crevasse!

Joshua shrugged. What makes you think its a dragon? You can change the color of your hair and eyes with magic

That just proves it! The boy snapped his fingers as he jumped to his feet. Dragons may change their appearance for amusement, but theyre too proud of their species to disguise their race. It goes against their very being!

Hmm Joshua sighed. He was only going to do a little trickery, but it seemed he couldnt fool someone who lived with a real dragon.

How is it that a human can use fear?

Are you curious? Joshua smiled mischievously.

No.

Joshuas smile widened. You look like youre about to die of curiosity.

Im not interested!

You seem very interested.

ARGH! The boy rounded on Joshua. Im not interested, so go away! I dont want to see you again.

Joshua couldnt help but reminisce about his past life. It was fun to play around for a while, but he was running out of time.

Someone thought they knew where an old elf-friend named Jerath dick Orbis was. Ill tell you what I know.

Wh-What? The boy couldnt help himself. Jeraths name was not spoken lightly.

For a moment, the boys eyes sparkled like real emeralds. I dont understand whats happening, but Why should I trust you? he demanded with a frown.

Cant you feel it, even if you cant see it?

The boys inscrutable eyes peered into Joshuas heart. What do you want me to do?

Joshua smiled softly. Theres a person born with a curse.

What? The boy cocked his head in surprise. She wont last long

But if the genius alchemist Ash made a cure for her

Thats The boys ears wriggled.

Joshua pressed forward, already knowing how the elf would react.

Can you?

Hmm So this is why you need Sanders. The boy coughed a few times and nodded in a forced display of seriousness. If I do, youll tell me how to use fear.

You thought it was interesting, didnt you?

Nuh-uh! This is a fair price for my genius, the boy insisted.

Okay. Joshua laughed helplessly. Ill teach you if you give me the cure.

Great! Ash ran up to Joshua with a sudden familiarity and stretched out his hand. Lets swear upon mana human friend.

Joshua looked confused for a moment, but shrugged it off and took the boys hand.

Stupid human. Hehe. The boys shoulders shook with sadistic mirth. A human like him had no idea because the eyes of truth were astronomically rare in humansit was a blessing for elves, but for anyone else, it would cripple their lifespan. Breaking the curse was anything but easy. Each component was near mythical. Hes going to spend the rest of his life looking for materials. Hah! Ash coughed to hide his laughter. Ill write down the ingredients, but you need to get this first. Itll probably take a long time, so Im going to say

Everythings been prepared.

Huh? The boy gave Joshua a dumbfounded look.

Joshua smirked knowingly.

I. Have. All. The. Ingredients. Here.