The Regressed Heir of Ravencrest

"No. It will only alert them," Riennal said, looking at the Four-Eyed Demon beside him. His voice was laced with anger, yet he refrained from acting.

"Let’s go..."

The Four-Eyed Demon took one last, lingering look at the scouting unit far below, his eyes narrowing with disappointment before following Riennal.

He turned his gaze toward the enormous transparent barrier stretching across the mountainside. It was an ancient demonic formation, completely invisible to anyone who didn’t know it was there.

Reaching into his robes, Riennal drew out a dark, eye shaped artifact overflowing with demonic energy and began muttering a low, guttural chant, one foreign to any tongue spoken openly within the Empire. Slowly, a hairline fracture appeared across the barrier’s surface before widening enough for the two of them to step through.

Beyond the barrier lay a nightmare.

Tens of thousands of beasts stretched across the hollow. Their eyes burned with bloodthirsty madness, the kind of feral hunger that should have driven them to tear one another apart, yet not a single one moved an inch. Their sheer presence thickened the air with a tension so heavy it felt almost physical, pressing down against the chest with every step forward.

Predators and prey stood shoulder to shoulder, natural enemies ignoring one another entirely. Beasts that would normally attack each other over the slightest provocation now stood united, their feverish gazes fixed upon the distant silhouette of Northwatch Fortress.

Riennal and the Four-Eyed Demon grinned, surveying the sea of trembling, barely restrained violence spread out before them.

From the outside, however, the mountain valley remained a picture of untouched wilderness. The ancient barrier held absolute, seamless concealment over the corruption within, leaving no visible distortion in the air, no trace of dark mana to be sensed, and not a single murmur of the tens of thousands of maddened beasts crowded just feet away. To the Northwatch scouts scanning the ridge below, there was only the quiet rustle of snow laden pines and the familiar, calm expanse of the mountain forest, completely oblivious to the nightmare hidden deep within the mountains.

"It’s time," Riennal said. "It must’ve corrupted a bit further by now."

———

Ravencrest Estate

Elena sat in her study, reading through a stack of reports on resource allotment, the afternoon light filtering softly through the tall windows behind her desk. After a while, she set the papers down, her thoughts involuntarily drifting toward her son. Beside her, seated in his usual chair near the hearth, Adrian sipped at his tea, absorbed in the latest reports concerning the Four Great Evils’ movements across the Empire, his brow furrowed in quiet concentration.

He noticed a small sigh escape his wife and looked up, setting his own reading aside.

"Dear, it seems something is concerning you?" Adrian asked gently.

Elena offered him a faint smile. "It’s nothing..." she said, though the tightness at the corner of her eyes suggested otherwise.

"Is it about Ethan?"

She set her quill down against the desk. "It’s been months since he left for Northwatch, and he hasn’t sent a single letter this entire time. I wonder who he takes after," she added, a teasing edge slipping into her voice despite the worry underneath it.

"Cough... cough..."

Adrian cleared his throat loudly, nearly choking on his own breath.

A knock sounded at the door before either of them could pursue the matter further.

"Come in," Adrian said quickly, already sensing the familiar presence waiting outside, and, more importantly, grateful for the timely interruption.

Sir Gareth entered the room and bowed deeply.

Elena and Adrian regarded the veteran commander, each offering a small, welcoming nod.

Elena gestured toward the chair across from her desk. "Please, sit."

"Did the meeting with His Majesty go well, Sir Gareth?" Adrian asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Yes, my lord."

Gareth recounted the events of the audience in careful detail: how the Mage Saint had been present, having only just emerged from her seclusion, and the combined reaction from both her and the Emperor upon reviewing the forbidden research he’d carried before them. He explained how the Emperor already seemed to know of Ethan’s breakthrough, and how the Mage Saint had abruptly excused herself partway through their conversation, departing to seek Ethan out directly.

"It seems Sir Reiner must have learned of it through his Divine Ability when he investigated the Ice Valley," Adrian said thoughtfully.

"Did His Majesty say anything else?"

Before Gareth could answer, another knock echoed against the door.

"Enter."

A Black Raven Knight stepped through, bowing quickly. "My Lord. My Lady. Commander," he said, his voice crisp with formality.

"A report has arrived from Commander Marcus." The moment the words left his mouth, the sealed report shot forward through the air at startling speed, landing squarely on the desk in front of Elena.

The knight could only offer a nervous smile before excusing himself and pulling the doors shut behind him.

"Let me take a look at it," Adrian said, already reaching toward the report, only for a single, sharp glance from Elena to send his hand retreating back to his lap without a word of protest.

Elena broke the wax seal carefully and drew the pages free, beginning to read through everything Ethan had accomplished at House Bluemoon: how Ethan had been chosen by the Mercenary King’s legacy, the war against Count Thorn, Luna’s sworn loyalty, the elixir patent, every detail laid out in vivid clarity. As her eyes moved steadily down the report, her fingers began to tremble against the parchment, and the ambient mana filling the room surged violently enough to send several books from the shelves flying into the air, their spines fluttering open as they crashed against the walls.

A brief silence followed as Elena continued reading, a proud and unmistakable smile slowly appearing across her face as she took in everything Ethan had accomplished. Yet as she turned another page and absorbed another remarkable detail, her emotions surged once more, the mana around her fluctuating violently before settling again. This continued for several long minutes, Elena’s expression shifting between pride, disbelief, and growing concern, until she finally reached the end of the report and carefully placed it back on the desk.

A distinctly menacing expression settled over her features.

"Marcus..."

The instant the name left her lips, a chill far colder than any northern winter wind began to seep slowly through the room, curling around the edges of the furniture.

Adrian and Gareth exchanged a wary glance. Neither had ever seen the normally composed Lady Elena go through such a violent swing of emotions.

"My Lady..." Adrian swallowed hard, watching his wife carefully. Even Gareth had gone visibly tense in his seat.

Without a word, she handed the report across to Adrian. Gareth leaned in close beside him to read along, and within moments, both men’s eyes had widened as they absorbed the sheer scale of everything that had transpired, expressions of pride and disbelief appearing on their faces.

"This—" Adrian started, before the full understanding finally settled over both men at once, making abundantly clear exactly why Elena had reacted the way she had. Their thoughts drifted briefly toward Marcus, and they could only feel pity for him, having just witnessed the look still lingering, unmistakable, in Elena’s eyes.

"This is... great news," Adrian said, clearing his throat and coughing awkwardly into his fist.

"Yes, My Lord. The Young Master has done something that will greatly benefit House Ravencrest," Gareth added quickly, doing his best to ease the thick tension still hanging heavy over the room.

A few minutes passed in silence, the only sound the faint crackle of the hearth fire.

Elena drew a slow, steadying breath, calming the last of her emotions, her mind already turning ahead toward practical matters, calculating that the formal alliance declaration needed to happen swiftly, well before the Grand Mage Tower revealed the Gold-Grade Patent to the Empire.

Meanwhile, back in his command room, Marcus sat comfortably at his desk, sipping a cup of hot tea.

Suddenly, every hair on his body stood on end as a chill ran down his spine.

What the...

Marcus paused, staring blankly at his teacup for a moment before shaking his head and taking another sip.

A moment later, his ears began to burn and twitch violently. He rubbed them with a puzzled scowl.

Is someone talking about me behind my back?

"Let’s send the alliance proposal," Elena said finally, her voice returning to its usual measured calm.

Within a matter of days, the alliance with House Bluemoon was formally finalized under Lady Elena’s direct supervision. Word of the alliance spread through the Empire almost overnight, drawing widespread attention. House Bluemoon, a house that had maintained strict neutrality for decades and repeatedly turned away House Albright’s proposals, had finally pledged its full alliance to House Ravencrest.

Two days after the alliance was formally announced, the Grand Mage Tower issued its own declaration, confirming that House Bluemoon had secured a Gold-Grade Patent for a genuine breakthrough in alchemical research, revealing the elixirs to the public for the very first time and sending a wave of ripples through every corner of the Empire, one that would only grow louder in the days that followed.