Adelheid 19: Blood (Patreon)

Under the cover of darkness, a small rabbit dashed out of the shrubbery and towards its goal, a sip of water. It was a small little thing, barely a quarter of a meler, less than a year old. It dipped its mouth into the calmest area of the river, its nose wetted along the way.

The rabbit's ears perked, and a moment later, it dashed back towards the shrub from whence it came as something broke out of the water.

A pale and delicate hand grabbed onto the shore. The white sleeve covering the arm was covered in rips as the owner of the hand pulled the rest of her body out of the river, gasping for breath.

Her left arm hung limply on the wet ground as Adelheid collapsed onto her back, groaning in the process. Her clothes were covered in rips, and her body was full of scratches. Her hair was no longer bound and was free to gather the dirt beneath her body.

It was the sorriest state that Adelheid had found herself ever since she awakened.

She sneezed and used her good hand to wipe the snot still attached to her nose. "I am alive. Ahahahahaaha… I am alive!"

Her laughter was cut short as she felt a sharp pain in her side. She clutched it with her good arm. Soon, she shivered as the autumn wind buffeted her elfin body, lowering her body's temperature.

Chilled awake by the wind, Adelheid propped herself up with what little energy she had left. Her first objective was to find a shelter to shield her against the pre-winter chill. It would have to be close since she couldn't travel far with her battered body.

Luckily for her, she found a small hole under the roots of a giant tree. It was large enough for her to fit her body inside comfortably but not large enough to stand. It was enough. Adelheid allowed the sweet release of sleep to claim her once she sealed the entrance with branches and leaves.

It was not a peaceful sleep, and she awoke just four hours later when the sun had just begun to rise into the sky.

Adelheid rubbed the cloudiness out of her eyes, or at least tried to, before remembering that her left arm was broken. She left her temporary shelter to inspect her body's condition now that she had recovered some energy.

Her attire was woven from Traurig Fleece, which made them resistant to the cold and water. This was also the reason why Adelheid dared to sleep with them after coming out of the river. Still, it was only effective to a degree as she rubbed her chilled skin.

She rolled up her left sleeve to see a nasty purple bruise between her elbow and hand. She could feel the bruise pulse on her swollen arm now that she saw it. The good news was that it didn't seem like the bone snapped in half, but the bad news was that it might be fractured.

Remembering the first-aid procedure she learned on Earth, Adelheid fastened her arm to a similarly sized branch for a makeshift cast. The bandages used were made from the left sleeve of her silk shirt that she sliced by using the broken rapier on her waist.

Her wand wasn't so lucky. It had snapped in half in its holster and was unusable. Trying to cast a spell with a broken wand was likely to result in an explosion. If you were lucky, you would get away with a few scratches or light burns, but if you were unlucky, your whole hand could be blasted clean off.

This presented a dilemma to Adelheid. She didn't know how long it would take for her rescuers to find her, so she would need a method to sustain herself. Her only option was game since she couldn't differentiate poisonous and safe vegetation. Less needed to be said about fungus.

Speaking of rescuers, Adelheid's eyes darkened when she recalled the events of the previous night. "Second Prince Albrecht," Adelheid muttered.

She diverted her focus. It would do her no good to brew over past events since she still had to survive in the wilderness.

Unsheathing her rapier, Adelheid stared at her reflection. Her pale pallor was downright sickly, like a sheet of paper, her formerly silky hair was a tangled mess, and dark bags hung under her eyes. It was a stark contrast to her previous glamorous appearance, one that was even worse than when her parents had just died back on Earth.

Adelheid tightly clenched the rapier. Rather than being saved, she preferred to save herself.

Calming her agitated emotions, she began to plan her next move. She was lost in the Midgard Forest with no map, her wand was broken, she had no food, and her only tool was a broken rapier. And there was a behemoth that was targeting her.

Follow the water.

Adelheid recalled that was a popular saying in her previous life. She didn't know if it was correct or not, but this was her best choice. The Midgard River ran through the forest and into the capital, hence its name. Using the sun and the direction of the currents, Adelheid determined the direction.

Midgard was south of the city, and the river currents flowed north, so Adelheid decisively traveled south. She knew that she was on a time limit. The food she ate the previous night would only last so long, and the chill of the night would eventually wear away at her strength.

Worst of all was that she had no tonics. Adelheid didn't know what would happen if she stopped drinking them, but she didn't care nor want to find out. However, she had a suspicion as to what would occur, and that only increased her urgency.

Two days later, Adelheid was using all her willpower to travel down the river. Several times, she had attempted to hunt some game to fill her stomach but failed each and every time. Without her wand, Adelheid could only use her snapped rapier, but that was easier said than done. But before she could enter the striking distance, the prey would have already detected her and fled.

It only became worse after she started starving. The rumbling of her stomach alerted those cautious prey worse than her own footsteps, light as they were.

The only good news was that she had not seen a hide nor hair of the behemoth, but that was hardly comforting. If this went on, she would starve to death before fulfilling her ambition or returning to the capital.

Adelheid slumped onto a tree trunk a few hours later, devoid of all strength. 'I cannot continue like this. I have to think of something, or else I really will die!'

She slid down the trunk and onto the ground as she started to consider her options. It was not an easy task, with her stomach devoid of food and fatigue racking her mind.

After minutes of planning, she could not think of a method. Sighing, she checked her arm. The bruise was still there, but the swelling had considerably decreased, which she considered a good sign. After tightening the cast around her arm, she prepared to move.

'I am glad that this world has magic. Who knows what the doctors of medieval times would have done if they saw such a nasty bruise. They might suggest bloodletting to get rid of the bad blood by cutting it and draining some blood. I would probably draw a predator to me, instead.'

Adelheid allowed herself to give a mirthless chuckle before forcing herself to stand up. Her foot paused before she had lifted off the ground.

'That could work.'

It was certainly a better alternative to starving to death. Knowing that she should conserve her strength, Adelheid began to plan. She needed it to be someplace close to the river so she could jump in if worse comes to worst. At the same time, Adelheid needed to be able to kill the predator quickly.

Adelheid had no delusions that she had the stamina to contest with a predator that roamed the Midgard Forest all year. Her body was underdeveloped, and she was injured and hungry. Not a great combination.

In the end, Adelheid settled for a small clearing near the river. She took her rapier, slashed her injured arm, and allowed the blood to dye the grass red. She made sure that she didn't let out too much since that would cause her amenia, and once she was done, she focused her aura onto the wound so that a scab would form over as soon as possible.

Aura was a miraculous thing. It could keep a practitioner warm on the chilly autumn nights, and by focusing on a specific location, a practitioner could accelerate their healing but at a cost. Adelheid could already feel her dwindling aura lessen even more. Aura didn't come from nowhere; it was energy produced by an aura practitioner's body. This was the reason why higher-ranked aura practitioners were all big eaters.

She retreated towards the nearest tree. Using her rapier, she climbed atop the tree—a skill she practiced the last two days finding a safe location to sleep—and directly above the spot where her blood fell. This was why she chose this spot. As long as an animal came directly below her, she could drop down and pierce its skull with her rapier using the momentum.

Adelheid knew it was a stupid idea to use blood as bait to draw in a predator to kill, but she was getting desperate. She didn't want to, but she could only leave it to god's hand at this point. If she couldn't get any sustenance, she would grow weaker by the day and eventually become a pile of bones in the Midgard Forest.

As time passed, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and her head nodded on and off. She snapped her eyes open and shook her head to try to rid herself of the drowsiness. She couldn't afford to fall asleep, not when she needed to focus on killing her prey once it came.

But no matter how hard Adelheid tried, her mind continued to grow duller and duller. She counted each blade of grass on the ground, the number of dried leaves, anything to stave off the drowsiness, but it was for naught. As she focused on her fallen blood, she fell into a trance.

Blood was beautiful, a vibrant red that symbolized the passion of life. Even under the darkness of night, that crimson tone stood out against the shadow-colored grass. Red, the color of courage and war, even ambition. It was like a mirror, one that only reflected Adelheid.

In her reflection, Adelheid saw herself sitting on that coveted throne. Below her were all the nobles, her cousin, her brother, and even Albrecht kneeling with their head hung low, venerating her. This was what she dreamed of, what she craved.

Adelheid snapped out of her fantasy when the howl of wolves entered her ear. She tightened her body, all traces of drowsiness gone. Wolves were social animals that lived in packs. More often than not, if you meet one wolf, there would be six others nearby.

She tightened her hold on the branch she was on and waited. There was nothing else she could do. As she waited with bated breath, her ears picked up the sound of critters rustling the grass and other unintelligible noises.

Time passed, but Adelheid never lowered her guard. Finally, her head snapped towards a particular rustling bush. As the rustling increased, she held her breath and waited for what would emerge. The breath she had been holding was released when she realized it was a rabbit running away.

In fact, it was running towards the spot Adelheid was directly above. Her eyes gained a hungry gleam as she readied her rapier. It was likely this was her only chance.

Just as she prepared to drop down, a second figure rushed out of the bush, chasing after the rabbit. Adelheid's body froze as she saw the head of a wolf and marginally relaxed after realizing it was only an ordinary animal.

The wolf stopped its chase of the rabbit and paused under Adelheid. It lowered its head and sniffed the ground, sniffing Adelheid's blood. She stilled as the wolf continued sniffing the ground, leaving the splattered blood towards the tree trunk she had climbed.

The wolf gazed up, and its eyes connected with Adelheid's.

A tense silence followed as the two beings just stared at the other. Then, the wolf backed up and attempted to jump up the tree truck. It was obviously insufficient to scale the tree, so the wolf backed away and growled at the tree's occupant.

Then, it began to bark, shattering the quiet forest night. It was an obnoxious bark that caused her bones to tremble. Oh, how she wished she could just jump down and silence the damn mutt before it attracted other unwanted beasts.

But she didn't, she couldn't.

As Adelheid expected, six more wolves shuffled out of the bush minutes later. Five out of the six were injured. She could see gashes on several, and two were moving with limps. The seven wolves barked at one another, communicating. Once they were done, they all gazed up at the lone halfling.

The two uninjured wolves began to tackle the tree shrunk, causing the branch she was on to shake chaotically, forcing her to clutch it for dear life. Adelheid had no illusion that the wolves would tear through her should she fall.

So she clung desperately to the tree branch, because her life literally depended on it. Time passed like a blur. Her mind was fraught with terror as she continuously prayed for the wolves to leave.

Adelheid clung and clung until the wolves stopped trying to get her. When she looked down, she saw the wolves giving her one last look before disappearing into the forest. She glanced up to see the three moons high in the sky and sighed.

She moved back to the tree's center where it was more secure. Adelheid was spent. She stayed up for hours waiting for prey only to nearly die to wolves. Closing her eyes, Adelheid hugged herself as she turned in for the night.

She was awoken not by the morning rays of the sun but rustling movements near her. Opening her eyes, Adelheid stared at a squirrel that had decided to climb by her. She froze for a second and whipped out her rapier, intending on skewering her first meal in days. Alas, the squirrel was quicker and dashed away from the starving princess.

As if to mock her, her stomach grumbled as she stared at the retreating squirrel. She sighed and sheathed her broken blade. After making sure there were no dangers, Adelheid slid down the tree, nearly falling over once her feet touched the ground.

Holding her shrunken stomach, Adelheid's gaze was glued onto the dark red splotches on the ground. It wasn't her blood—hers had already dried and turned into crystals—but the wolves, specifically the injured wolves.

Adelheid hesitated. The wolves must have been injured fighting something. Perhaps therein lied her chance?

Taking a deep breath, she persevered through her hunger and fatigue to follow the trail. As she followed the blood trail, a distinct coppery smell entered her nose. In addition to the increasingly powerful aroma, there was an undeniable attraction calling out from within her body.

Finally, Adelheid walked into a small clearing where the aroma was most fragrant. At the center was a fallen bear, a little smaller than the one Albrecht had hunted but still dwarfing her in size by manyfold.

The bear was obviously dead. It had collapsed onto the ground on its front side with its tongue hanging out. Various gashes and bite marks marred the bear’s thick fur, predominantly on its lower half, and with coagulating blood that had turned nearly black.

Adelheid stumbled as she covered her mouth, her eyes the very picture of unfettered desire. Only after taking several deep breaths did she manage to suppress her illogical desire threatening to spring forth.

Crouching down, Adelheid made sure that the bear corpse wasn't rotten. Perhaps she was lucky, because the chilly autumn air slowed down the decomposition process.

Unsheathing her knife, the Adelheid began to butcher the bear. Or at least attempted to. In her weakened state, she only managed to tear a hole slightly larger than her hand. Blood immediately started to flow from opening, causing her to stop.

Adelheid's eyes were glued to the blood. Every fiber of her body was telling her to "drink the blood," but the mind was saying no.

"I cannot drink raw blood. The bear has been dead for hours. Who knows what bacteria is already multiplying inside."

She gulped. Having traveled along the riverside, the one thing she did not lack was water. But now, it felt as if she hadn't drank any liquid for months. Her throat was parched, her tongue was bristly, and her lips were chapped.

"Blood is a popular ingredient full of nutrition. Many people used it to create blood sausages and even blood pies. Some directly ferment and eat it as cubes! So… a little should be fine, right?"

"Yeah, there is nothing wrong with drinking blood. Desperate times call for desperate measures," Adelheid said. She lowered her lips towards the gash, her pale lips creating a stark contrast against the dull red liquid.

Moments before her lips touched the fragrant liquid, Adelheid's body froze, and her eyes regained their clarity. Noticing how close she was to drinking the corpse's blood, she recoiled and landed on her butt, her rapier clattering against the ground.

"What was I thinking?" Adelheid asked. She pulled herself up and looked at the corpse with fear. She had half a mind to leave then and there, and in fact, she turned to leave, but one step later, a sense of weakness overcame her, and she dropped to her knees.

After what seemed like an eternity, Adelheid stood up and walked back, picking up her rapier as she did so. When she neared the gash she made on the bear, she plunged the rapier into it, causing blood to gush out. With total clarity in her eyes, her lips touched the flowing blood.

Adelheid's body shivered as she suppressed the moan that was threatening to escape. It was like nothing she had ever tasted. Nothing, not even Methu Honey, could compare to the flavor of the blood.

The word delicious could even describe a tenth of the flavor Adelheid was experiencing at the moment. She called her company the Ambrosia Firm, named after the nectar of the gods, and now, she was certain this was the ambrosia spoken of in legend.

It wasn't just the taste but the overflowing vitality that was filling her body. Her previous weakness and fatigue seemed to be a lie that her mind had fabricated. Even her dwindling aura was surging at an astonishing rate, and she could feel an intense itch in her fractured arm.

Abandoning all resistance, Adelheid drank and drank until she could no more. When she stopped, blood was leaking down her chin and neck, staining her silk shirt crimson.

With her stamina restored and full of energy, Adelheid checked her left arm. The intense itch had subsided into tingling, and the ugly purple had receded by quite a bit. By her estimation, it would heal in three days max.

She glanced at the bear. After a moment of hesitation, she used her rapier to skin the bear. Not only that, but she also sliced it open to reveal the bones, but her target was not the meat. She wanted a bone to craft a fish hook. The skin she would wash and wear to conceal her scent and keep her warm.

Now that she was no longer starving, she disdained eating bear meat. Predators like bears use many of their muscles to hunt, resulting in tough and gamey meat. However, Adelheid still sliced a portion as emergency rations.

-line break-

"Pshh, it's her."

"Who? Oh, that thing."

Herja's forced her ears not to twitch as she brushed past the two maids while keeping her head down. In her arms was the seventh princess's bedding.

"She's still here? I'd thought His Highness would've kicked her out by now."

"Why would he kick her out?"

"Why else? That animal is the reason the princess is missing."

"But I heard it was a monster attack."

"What do you know? Don't you know black cats bring bad luck?"

"Isn't she a cat beastkin?"

"Cat, beastkin, what's the difference?"

Herja buried her face into the sheets as she sped up. "Ah?"

"Are you okay?"

Herja looked up to see red hair and green eyes. "I'm fine, Sir Rowan."

"Do you need any help?" Rowan asked as he held out a hand.

"N-no. I'm fine, thank you," Herja said. She quickly stood back up and gathered the fallen sheets. "I'm sorry for bumping into you. Goodbye!"

Without waiting for the squire to reply, the cat beastkin left in a hurry. When she came to, she was outside the princess's room. She recalled Rowan's handsome face and felt heat infect her cheeks but quickly pushed it down. She needed to turn in the sheets.

'Why is he in the castle?'

"You're finally back." Herja shrunk a bit as she heard Sofia's judging words.

"Honestly, why does it take so long for you to get a simple task done?" Sofia asked. She took the bedding from Herja's arms and began to inspect. "Why is it so dirty? Weren't these just washed? Can't you even do this? Wash it again!"

"I'm sorry," Herja said softly as she took the sheets and ran out of the room. Her acute hearing caught Sofia's long sigh before the door closed.

Her feet slowed down as she turned the corner. It has already been a few days since the seventh princess has gone missing, and the second prince returned bearing news of the A-class monster appearing in the Midgard Forest.

All the servants were missing, and both Matilda and her teacher, Olga Muller, required urgent medical care when they were brought in. Herja heard that it was because both of them tried to fight the behemoth when it chased after the princess. Had the princess not jumped into the river, the behemoth might have killed the two had it not opted to give chase.

Herja thought about visiting the two in the infirmary but quickly dismissed the idea. Sofia would skin her alive if she delayed her tasks any more than this.

When Herja returned with a new set of bedding, Sofia was nowhere to be found. The cat beastkin checked the clock. It was one o’clock, meaning that Sofia was likely in the princess's study with Leopold trying to keep the Ambrosia Firm together. She hadn't learned to read yet. Matilda couldn't calm down enough, which meant that it was a job only Sofia and Leopold could accomplish.

Herja sighed in relief. Without Sofia bearing down on her, she began to replace the bedding. Once she was done, the beastkin just stood there, waiting for Sofia to order her to do the next task.

She could leave and go to the cafeteria for a meal, but she would rather not. The tension grew with each passing day, and so did the unkind looks. Herja was afraid, so she stayed in the room unless she had to leave.

It was boring, but at least it was warm. If possible, Herja even wished to sleep on the floor instead of her own room. It was the same as every other maid's, but it was located at the farthest end, and she had no neighbors. Not that she wanted one.

Herja's ears twitched as she heard an unfamiliar noise in the room. It was small, almost soundless had it not been for her acute hearing. The maid tried to search for the sound, fearing she might be scolded if Sofia were to learn that some unwanted bug or animal invaded the princess's room on her watch.

The maid searched everywhere and eventually found that the source of the sound was the bed. Hoping it wasn't due to the bedding—it wouldn't be the first time the other servants pranked her—that resulted in such a situation. Herja combed through the bedding but still couldn't find the source.

Herja picked up the black egg and moved to place it elsewhere while she searched but paused as she felt a vibration transmitted through her hands. With an expression of amazement, Herja inspected the egg and discovered faint cracks on it.

She couldn't believe it. According to Matilda, the egg stayed in the princess's room for over two years. It would not be a lie to say the egg had higher seniority than her.

Herja's hands trembled as she placed the egg back on the bed. She thought about running for Sofia, but she didn't want to risk something happening while she was gone. Still, she didn't know what to do to help. She heard that chicks needed to hatch without any help. Otherwise, it wouldn’t survive. But was it the case with the princess's egg?

What if it died because she didn't help it? Would she be executed?

Under her conflicting thoughts, Herja watched as the cracks on the egg became more noticeable, almost resembling spider webs. And then, a piece of the egg fell off, allowing the maid to peer into the inside of the egg.

She froze.

Peeking out of the crack was a single eye with iris the color of embers. It didn't resemble the blind state of newborns or the confusion of entering a new world. No, the eye was fully conscious and understanding of its surroundings.

Most of all, those eyes reminded the beastkin deeply of the seventh princess.

While Herja stood frozen, the monster inside the egg continued its work and eventually broke out a small exit for its body. It was almost comical how small it was compared to the actual egg, which was three times as large.

With it fully out of the egg, its avian shape was revealed. Unlike a regular avian, it had a flat face with two large eyes and a small beak. On its forehead was a red jewel where a red crest sprung out. The red greatly contrasted against the slick black charcoal of its body.

Herja felt the room unnaturally heat up, and the source was the owl that hatched out from the egg. When the owl monster's fur was fully fried and fluffed, the sheet it was standing on was charred black. After stretching, it hooted and sprung towards the window, where it promptly smashed headfirst into the glass pane.

The owl hooted in dissatisfaction. After flying around the window, trying to open it, it settled onto the ledge. It turned around and looked at Herja. It opened one of its wings and slapped the window several times.

"You… want me to open it?" Herja asked.

The owl hooted in confirmation.

"I can't. If I lose you, I don't know what they will do to me," Herja said.

The owl hooted in dissatisfaction and spread its wings. With a flap, it began to claw Herja.

"Ow! Ow! Stop it, I really can't open the window for you," Herja said as he covered her head with her arms.

The door opened, and Sofia walked it. "Just what is going on in here? Herja, did you bring that thing into the room?!"

The owl attacked her too.

-line break-

"Your Highness, the Ministry of Justice has tracked the culprits, and the trails have led to House Schmid. According to the interrogators, Viscount Schmid wanted revenge against Her Highness for his son, Jurg Schmid's, imprisonment," Alfred said. He glanced at Albrecht who was hiding his mouth behind his intertwined fingers as he rested his elbows on his desk.

"I do not want to hear the official story." Albrecht stared straight into Alfred's eyes. "Viscount Schmid does not possess the power to smuggle a behemoth into Midgard Forest. Whoever the culprits were, if they could smuggle a behemoth into the Midgard Forest, then they can smuggle a behemoth into the capital too. This is not simply a concern of national security, but an affront to the imperial family!"

"I understand your concerns, Your Highness. Viscount Schmid genuinely believes he achieved this by himself. Evidence shows that there were some dealings with merchants under the Gold Firm prior to the event," Alfred replied.

"Gold Firm?" Albrecht asked. He narrowed his eyes. "Is Count Auor dissatisfied with his current status? Has he already joined the Duke's faction?"

"I believe that is incorrect," Alfred said.

Albrecht gave a look to his butler.

"Count Auor has four children, each more ambitious than the last. The count's eldest child has the highest chance of inheriting the title and the firm, but none of the children are satisfied," Alfred said.

"So you are telling me that they smuggled a behemoth and targeted Adelheid because of their in-fighting? A mere merchant has the guts to act against the hands that feed them?" Albrecht asked as he slammed his against the desk, shaking the stationaries.

"Please calm your anger, Your Highness," Alfred said. "I believe they were agitated by the success of Heinrich, the count's youngest son. So they wanted to cull his influence before it grew too big."

"What does the count's youngest son have to do with them targeting my daughter?" Heinrich asked.

"Heinrich is the partner Her Highness partnered with to create the Ambrosia Firm," Alfred said.

The second prince tapped the table with his fingers. "Those insignificant merchants targeted Adelheid because she was dabbling in business?"

Alfred swallowed as he lowered his gaze. "The count's second son, Dietrich, is partnered with Princess Antonia..."

The prince's study became silent as Alfred lowered his gaze even more. "Your Highness, they have both the motive and the means. If Princess Adelheid was eliminated, they would be one step closer to the throne!"

"But William and I have a higher chance at inheriting the throne than the young Adelheid."

"Perhaps they saw her as a rising danger. Her Highness's business has started to become wildly popular with the nobles and even the commoners. You need to nip them while they can't hurt you!"

"Enough. Antonia is just a little puppy playing a wolf. Alexander is not even worthy of carrying the Vuldar name. They are not threats."

"The Ministry of Justice has discovered a trail that leads to Dietrich's men. There can be no other. If Princess Antonia were to grow, Prince Friedrich's own supporters might make a stand. Please, Your Highness. I have watched you grow up, I only want what is best for you," Alfred said.

"I said enough! Do not speak to me of the matter anymore." Albrecht turned away from Alfred, who closed his eyes. "Tell me, how goes the search for Adelheid and the behemoth?"

The butler breathed in to compose himself before replying. "Currently, the empire's knights are chasing after the behemoth. We can repel him, but we can't deliver a decisive blow. Luckily for us, it seems the behemoth is content to remain in the Midgard Forest.”

"What about Adelheid?"

Alfred looked down. "We haven't been able to ascertain any traces of Her Highness. It's difficult to ascertain someone's location after they fell into the river. Some say she may already be..."

"Impossible," Albrecht said. "My daughter chose the best course of survival. Even if she was swept away by the currents, I believe she is still alive."

"The tracking squad hasn't come up with anything concrete."

Albrecht turned towards the silent occupant of the room, one Eric Redland. He was fiddling with the various trinkets displayed in the prince's study. Upon sensing the prince's gaze, he turned around and smiled.

"Magic is all-powerful, but mages are not," Eric said.

"I did not summon you to make excuses. Did I not order you to place a tracking spell on Adelheid's wand?" Albrecht said.

"How could I ever do something so scandalous? Why, if another mage were to learn of my actions, they would exile me from the magical community. You wound my heart, Your Highness," Eric held his chest as if he was physically wound.

"When has that ever stopped you?" Albrecht asked.

"Your Highness knows me very well." Eric chuckled. "I can't track her."

"What do you mean?" Albrecht asked.

"Exactly what I mean. The tracking spell only works if the wand is intact. Even if it's lost, I can still track its whereabouts to a certain point and spy on its surroundings," Eric said.

"So you are saying..."

"The wand is broken, rendering my spell moot." Eric raised his hands to show his helplessness.

"Useless," Alfred said. "Your Highness, Mister Redland is only wasting time."

"Now, now, I still have a method to locate Her Highness."

"Then why didn't you say so instead of dilly-dallying?" Alfred asked.

The court mage gave a sheepish smile. "I just need a little bit of funds, just a teensy bit. I'm kinda running out, you see."

"What happened to the previous funds?" Albrecht asked.

"All used up. Not a coin left," Eric said.

"That was over ten million kronen! How did you use it all?" Alfred asked.

"My research topic is very expensive." Eric gave Albrecht a look.

"How much and how long would it take?" Albrecht asked before the butler began his rant.

"Not much, just a million kronen," Eric immediately continued upon seeing Aflred's face growing red. "And it would take a month to create a magic tool that can locate Her Highness."

"That is too long. Shorten it," Albrecht said.

"That's impossible. It is true that Princess Adelheid's mana is unique and is impossibly expansive, but we are talking about locating a speck in the Midgard Forest. One month is already the best I can do." Eric shrugged. "It's only a pity. Her Highness had so much potential."

Albrecht frowned. Although he had taught Adelheid the basics of survival and hunting during their hunt, that was only for a short period. Ideally, Adelheid would have been taught over two years as he had with William. "I guess it can't be he—"

A knock interrupted the second prince's words. "Come in."

A servant walked in with a hesitant expression. "Your Highness, two of Princess Adelheid's maids are seeking an audience."

Adelheid had three maids. Matilda was in the infirmary, so that only left Sofia and the beastkin, Herja.

"Why is that thing asking to see the prince?" Alfred asked. He turned towards the prince. "I just realized another possibility. It could be that thing that delivered important information to the culprits. After all, it was present, too."

"Impossible," Albrecht said. "Everyone else can betray Adelheid. Only she can't."

Alfred didn't understand his lord's words, but before he could ask, he had already summoned the princess's maids. When the two maids walked in, Herja stood out not only because of her ears but because she was cradling a little black owl in her arms.

Sofia also stood out because her face was filled with scratch marks. Her face flushed when she saw all the occupants studying her face, and she quickly lowered it.

After explaining the origin and intention of the little owl, the two maids became silent, awaiting the prince's decision. The prince, in turn, turned towards the court mage.

"Well, the princess has been supplying the egg with her mana for years now. It wouldn't be strange if a bond would form before the two formed their familiar contract. But the more interesting point is that a carbuncle hatched from the egg," Eric said.

"What do you mean by that?" Albrecht asked.

"You see, carbuncles aren't natural creatures. They were born with a magic stone atop their forehead and were created by alchemists in the Apotheosis Era. Carbuncles need a mage's mana to be born, so they would form a preliminary contract during the process of incubating. Their form and size would vary depending on the mage's mana, but they will always have a jewel atop their forehead. Honestly, just where did Prince William find a carbuncle egg? Modern alchemists can no longer create them, and their birthrates are declining, almost to the point of extinction. I simply must consult with Prince Wil—"

"Stop dawdling and give me a straight answer," Albrecht said.

"Yes, it's very possible that the carbuncle can lead us to Princess Adelheid," Eric said.

Albrecht stood. "Summon Sir Griselda and a squadron of knights. Make haste and recover the princess at all cost. If the behemoth blocks your way, kill it!"

-line break-

Two days later, Adelheid continued her trek along the river. She was cloaked in the bearskin that emitted a foul odor that she had grown accustomed to. While washing the bearskin, she also cleaned the blood off of her. Keeping it would only attract predators.

During this time, Adelheid had macgyvered a fishing line using her silk shirt in her left hand, so she could acquire sustenance while traveling.  The bait was bear meat she had portioned, and a broken branch made an excellent float.

Adelheid paused as she felt the float sink under the water through the fishing line. She pulled it out to see nothing on the other end and the bait untouched. She frowned before throwing it back into the river.

Moments later, she felt the float go under again. She pulled it up to see no marks on her bait again. Adelheid's body stiffened as she felt the ground shake for a brief second. She released the fishing line held in her left hand and allowed it to disappear into the river's currents.

Her right hand grasped her sheathed rapier for what little good it would do. She could feel it. She could feel the tremors increasing. There was no need to guess what was causing the land to quiver in fear.

Turning towards the forest, she ran into the seas of treas, not caring to remember the route. Everything would be meaningless if she died anyways. Still, despite the princess's best efforts, she could feel the tremors increasing.

Perhaps it was an hour, perhaps it was only a minute. Adelheid didn't know, it was all a blur to her. But when the tremors stopped, so did she. The last time the tremor stopped, it meant the behemoth was looking for its target, her.

Adelheid shifted her head behind, searching for any signs of the behemoth. However, she found nothing, but that only caused her terror to heighten. Then, the ground quivered. It wasn't quite the tremor that occurred by a massive beast walking but as a result of something shifting its weight.

Adelheid faced forward and saw it. The behemoth was staring straight at her with its claws raised high into the air. In her panic, she had forgotten the obvious escape and dove straight into the beast's claws.

She turned to run. If she could escape the behemoth once, then she could do so again. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and she summoned all the energy she had as she fled in a zig-zag pattern without turning back.

Adelheid's heart jumped as she heard something slice through the air. Acting on instinct, she dove as far as possible. Immediately after, something whizzed past her head and obliterated all the trees around her. She rolled onto her back and stared at the behemoth's cold black eyes.

She watched as the behemoth raised its claws once more, this time to deliver the finishing blow. Adelheid knew she was out of options. Her broken rapier was little more than a toothpick to the behemoth, and even if she had her wand, her second circle spells were nothing to the A-class monster.

Adelheid was unreconciled.

Perhaps it was an act forged out of desperation or her body's instinct, but she raised her hand towards the behemoth. A gash appeared on her palm as massive amounts of mana conglomerated there.

“Allfather of Life, the Blood that flows within this vessel of mine, Blood Origin, I command. You are the lord of blood, the progenitor of evolution that birthed even the divine, a rebel has arisen. You are the Beginning and shall know no End, annihilate your rebellious subject.”

"Blut Atgeir!"

A red light erupted from Adelheid's hand and pierced towards the behemoth's face. The behemoth reared its head back and roared in pain. When it finished, it stared down with its one good eye, no longer simply cold but furious.

Adelheid wanted to struggle, but that spell took every ounce of energy she had. Not even the aura in her body remained.

"I… want to live," she whispered weakly as she saw the behemoth stand on its hind legs and raise both its paws. Its intent was obvious. It was satisfied with killing Adelheid. It wanted to pulverize her very existence.

"Incinerate everything in thy path. Shatter the world! Muspell!"

An inferno of red and white erupted and encased the behemoth before Adelheid's eyes. Her eyes widened as she kept staring at the pillar, not comprehending even as the behemoth's shrieks of pain resounded throughout the forest.

"Hoot!"

Adelheid turned her head and saw a little owl barely larger than her hand flying towards her. Its whole body was like charcoal except its ember eyes and the single red orb in its forehead where a red crest sprouted. Despite having never seen the creature, there was a deep sense of familiarity.

Raising her hand, the little owl landed on her hand and hooted happily. The black owl rubbed its body against her hand and closed its eyes. Seeing the owl falling asleep, Adelheid became speechless, but she quickly composed herself.

Something, or someone, had attacked the behemoth, giving Adelheid a chance. She stood up and made to leave, but a rustling nearby stopped her. Soon, she heard the distinct noise of metals clacking together. She recognized the trademark sound, and they appeared as she expected.

"Our apologies for arriving so late, Your Highness!" A band of knights wearing the insignia of the Imperial Guards appeared. "Please forgive our rudeness, but we must leave as soon as possible!"

Without waiting for Adelheid to respond, the knight picked up Adelheid in a princess carry and ran in the direction he came. The other knights followed after. The black owl hooted with displeasure and flew after the running knights.

"Who is fighting the behemoth?" Adelheid asked, curious as to who could fight that monstrous colossal.

"It's Sir Griselda," the knight answered without a pause in his movements.

"Can she hold the monster off?" Adelheid asked as she glanced towards the battle. She could make out a tiny pale golden figure dancing around the behemoth as it raged.

"The captain will slay the monster. We need to leave before we are caught in their battle," the knight said.

Adelheid found it incredulous that a single person could compete and even slay that beast, but she didn't have time to ponder as the tension left her body and fatigue assaulted her. She tried to keep her eyes open, but they felt like lead, and Adelheid soon lost consciousness.