Chapter 112: The Road Back (6)
Veracien—whether she was truly a succubus remained uncertain.
She had never explicitly revealed her true identity, but from their past conversations, it was clear that she was at the root of the problem.
"Tell me more about this… succubus."
Leopold's voice carried a sharp edge.
He had finally gathered the courage to face his emotions.
He had mustered the strength to sit across from Astrid, to have an honest conversation, to share a drink together.
And yet—
Now, Astrid lay there with her eyes closed.
For only one hour each day, she could truly be herself.
If she awoke and he was not there, even the time it took for her to seek him out felt too precious to waste. That was why Leopold never left her side.
Azdavarka, intimidated by Leopold’s imposing aura, shrank slightly.
"A succubus… a succubus is…"
Leopold waited patiently for his answer, holding back his growing impatience.
After what felt like an eternity, Azdavarka finally spoke.
"They are demons that control dreams. Because they manipulate dreams, they are known to be highly skilled in spells related to sleep. High-ranking succubi can even forcibly put their targets to sleep and freely manipulate their dreams."
"Can they also wake them?"
"That… I do not know. But I believe it is possible. That kind of demon should have such an ability."
The answer was clear.
Leopold gave a small nod and moved to stand up—
—Or at least, he tried to.
—Knock, knock.
"Who is it?"
Someone knocked on Astrid’s firmly closed door.
It was different from a casual knock—urgent, almost frantic.
The intervals between knocks were extremely short.
—"Your Grace, I have something to report."
"Wait a moment."
This was the room where his grown daughter lay.
Wolfgang could not bring himself to say, "Come in," so instead, he opened the door himself and stepped out.
"Dreams… dreams, huh? Then, if Astrid is unable to wake up because of this…"
No.
Something felt off.
Then what was the meaning of that single hour she could awaken each day?
The pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together, yet something was misaligned.
Leopold stroked his chin, deep in thought.
And then—
"Your Highness."
Astrid’s door swung open.
Wolfgang, who had stepped out to hear the report, returned with a rigid expression, calling out to Leopold the moment he entered.
"What is it, Duke? Why such a grave expression?"
To Leopold, no matter what news Wolfgang brought, it could hardly be worse than what had already happened.
Could anything be worse than this?
"What is it, Wolfgang? You look troubled."
Leopold was not the only one who sensed the gravity of the situation.
Baizik, seated beside him, also watched Wolfgang with a puzzled expression.
"Your Highness."
"Speak, Duke."
"…The academy is under attack by monsters."
A cold silence filled the room.
***
"My, my, the young lady is strong as ever."
The Copang Logistics Center was as crowded as ever, bustling with activity.
To make matters worse, it was kimchi-making season, meaning endless crates of salted cabbage were pouring in. By midday, nearly half of the workers who had clocked in that morning had already fled.
At this point, even she was starting to feel exhausted.
"Eat first, then keep going."
The entire morning had been spent unloading an endless flow of goods.
She was assigned to the unloading crew in the morning, but after lunch, she would switch to the loading crew.
‘How dreadful.’
Yet, nothing else gave her the same peace of mind as this work.
She didn’t have to worry about anyone’s judgment. She simply followed orders, did her job in silence, and that was enough.
"What’s for lunch today?"
"Pork stir-fry. Strange, isn’t it?"
She slipped off her work gloves, now frayed and losing their coating in places, and tucked them into her back pocket before finally stretching her stiff back.
People often said that stretching after long hours of labor made their joints crack and brought relief, but she felt no such sensation—just a dull stiffness.
Lunch consisted of stir-fried pork.
The meat was undoubtedly cheap, bulk-bought and hastily cooked, but it was still food.
Next to the pork, she heaped a generous serving of finely shredded cabbage onto her tray—something resembling a salad.
She drizzled it with ketchup and mayonnaise.
She liked her salads this way.
—Eat some salad, will you?
—You really shouldn’t keep doing that.
A voice echoed in her head.
It had been there all day, murmuring at the edges of her thoughts even as she worked, but she had chosen to ignore it.
Something felt strange.
She had the nagging sensation that she was forgetting something.
The bustling cafeteria, the workers she saw every day—people who normally brightened when they saw her—all felt unfamiliar.
This place—
It felt foreign.
"My… my name…"
What was it?
A wave of confusion crashed over her.
Something was just out of reach in her mind, like a memory slipping through her fingers. She stood there, frozen, struggling to grasp it.
"Hey, what are you doing? Holding your tray like that."
A tap on her shoulder snapped her out of it.
She turned to see the man who had accompanied her to work that morning.
With her standing still, tray in hand, the line behind her had started to back up, and the murmuring of impatient workers grew louder.
"Ah, no… It’s nothing. Sorry."
She hurriedly grabbed her utensils and made her way to a table.
She took a bite of rice—it was utterly bland, carrying only the scent of plain white grains.
"Why pork today, all of a sudden?"
"Who knows? What are you doing after work?"
"Nothing planned. Want to see a movie?"
"What’s playing? Anything good?"
"We’ll figure it out when we get there."
They must have been employees from the main contractor.
Judging from their conversation, probably a couple.
She glanced at them from the corner of her eye, then took a bite of pork.
Then, she scooped up some of the ketchup-and-mayonnaise salad.
—If you’re not going to eat the salad, give it to me. I’ll eat it.
The voice in her head grew louder.
It swelled, echoing, vibrating within her skull.
A voice she couldn’t place.
A voice that drowned out all else.
—You… I need your help.
—You’re the only one who can help me.
—Must be nice, being able to charm men so easily despite having once been one yourself.
—I know I’m not very feminine.
—That’s why I’m asking for your help.
—Give me the salad. I’ll eat it for you.
—Did you always like citrus dressing?
—You’re… weaker to alcohol than I thought.
—Sweat… It tastes sweet…
Without realizing it, she ran her fingers along her neck.
Cold sweat.
She stopped eating, pressing her palm to her nape. Anyone looking could see the beads of sweat glistening there.
It wasn’t even hot.
—Astie, you’ve changed so much.
Golden hair, shining brilliantly.
—I can hardly recognize you anymore.
Blue eyes.
A kind voice.
"Leo… pold…"
—Clatter.
Her spoon fell onto the tray with a sharp sound.
Her chopsticks followed, slipping from her trembling fingers.
—Baaaaaabmuuuurrmmmmmmuuuulgggggggggrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh…
Like an old cassette tape played too slowly, the man sitting next to her had asked her something—but his words stretched and warped into a monstrous, incomprehensible drone.
The cafeteria shook as if an earthquake had struck.
And yet, no one else reacted. People continued to eat as if nothing was happening.
—Astie, come back.
—Please, return to me, Astie.
—This time, I was going to be honest with you.
—Come back, come back… Astie.
—Astie!
My name is—
"…Astrid…"
The name slipped from her lips before she could stop it.
"And I—"
***
"Ashray, you will remain here. Protect His Highness and Astie."
"Understood, Father."
Wolfgang von Miterien.
Baizik von Jorgien.
The great nobles of Einthafen bore privileges, but with them came heavy obligations.
And so, when the academy faced an invasion of monsters, Wolfgang and Baizik prepared to head to the capital.
Even at full speed, the journey would take a week.
But that was for a carriage—an army in rapid deployment, fully prepared, could shorten the time considerably.
"I should go as well."
Leopold spoke.
But he hesitated.
As royalty, it was his duty to return in times of crisis. That was the logical course of action.
Yet Wolfgang raised a hand to stop him.
"Stay here. Please, take care of my daughter, Your Highness."
A part of Leopold was relieved to hear those words.
But another part knew—he had a duty to personally confront Veracien.
"That wretched succubus—I’ll capture her myself. You can interrogate her at your leisure once I bring her in. Now that we know the cause, it’s just a matter of cleaning up."
Baizik clapped Wolfgang on the shoulder, then turned to Leopold.
"It’s nothing serious. Monsters or not, Einthafen still stands. What is there to worry about? We’ll clean up quickly and return, so take care of my daughter, Your Highness."
Even as Wolfgang spoke, his gaze shifted to Ashray.
"Ashray, I leave this to you. Protect His Highness with your life. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Father."
Ashray bowed deeply.
Even if he hadn’t been ordered to—he had already resolved to do so.