“Night vision.”

At Yustaf’s short command, the dark tunnel suddenly lit up as if it were broad daylight, allowing the group to see clearly.

The companions, now able to see through the thick darkness, silently expressed their admiration.

Normally, magic required a long, precise incantation to be effective. However, the more skilled a wizard became, the more they could shorten their spells, and archmages were even known to cast spells without any incantation at all.

However, such shortened or incantation-less spells typically had weaker effects compared to fully cast spells.

Yet, the night vision spell Yustaf cast with just one word was far stronger than any spell a regular wizard might cast with great effort.

The members of the Imperial Intelligence who frequently experienced magic could feel the difference keenly.

When they had previously received night vision spells, they could see in the dark, but their vision was usually blurred. But now, the dark tunnel appeared as bright as daylight.

Not to be outdone, Harun, the Empire’s greatest alchemist, also contributed his expertise.

“With so many branching paths, I was worried, but I never expected this solution.”

The group, now moving through the tunnel illuminated by Yustaf’s spell, was soon confronted with numerous forks in the path, which caused them some concern. Harun, however, quickly offered a solution.

He took out a small vial from his pocket and sprayed a mist at the entrance of one of the paths. Soon, only one of the paths began to glow with faint traces.

“This is a substance refined from the saliva of the Chaser Puma. These creatures spray their saliva to track their prey, and by using it, we can find traces of human activity.”

The group, impressed by Harun's demonstration, allowed him to stand a bit taller with pride.

During their investigation, Harun had often been pestered by requests to demonstrate his alchemy, which had been frustrating.

“Sir Harun, do you have a title? Blood of Iron? No, no, something more creative, like the Alchemist of Light?”

“No, just Harun the Alchemist,” he would respond, only to be met with disappointed looks.

And when people questioned why he couldn’t create transmutation circles in mid-air, the suspicion in their eyes nearly drove him to despair.

Alchemy isn’t that kind of science!

Alchemy is a practical study of the principles of the world, not some sort of summoning art, he would think, holding back his frustration.

‘But with alchemy guild membership skyrocketing across the Empire, I’ll endure this for now.’

In the past, it had been difficult to recruit talent for alchemy, but after the release of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist, membership in the guild’s branches had surged. Harun decided it was worth enduring the misunderstanding.

He even instructed the guild’s alchemists to explain to newcomers that the more advanced aspects of alchemy, like what they saw in the manga, would be taught later.

What if they discovered the truth later?

By the time they mastered advanced alchemy, ten years would have passed, and by then, who would care?

Seizing the unexpected opportunity while it lasted was what mattered.

Thanks to the efforts of Yustaf and Harun, the group ventured deeper into the tunnel, where they soon encountered horrific sights.

The bodies of people, dried up and mummified, lay scattered around, making it hard for even the most experienced among them to suppress their emotions.

“I was hoping that I was mistaken, but...”

Everyone could sympathize with Yustaf’s sigh.

The more they investigated, the more it became clear that something terrible was happening, yet deep down, they all wished it were just a misunderstanding.

Shh.

Yustaf, leading the group, turned and signaled for silence.

Everyone obeyed, holding their breath and preparing for whatever might come next.

Soon, they understood why Yustaf had given the signal.

“How long have we been cleaning up the sacrifices? Damn it, I just want to go outside and hear people scream again!”

“Cut it out. Didn’t you see what happened to Venom when he messed up the sacrifice collection? The leader was furious.”

“Hmph, how hard is it to just go to some quiet village and slit a few peasants’ throats?”

The voices grew louder as they neared, revealing what sounded like low-ranking members of the organization responsible for all this.

Yustaf extended his mana quietly to sense if there were others nearby.

Realizing that there were only two of them, Yustaf calmly brought his hands together.

In an instant, tendrils of earth shot up from the ground and tightly bound the two men, who had been chatting as they walked.

“Mmph!!!”

They tried to scream, but their mouths were already sealed by the earthen tendrils.

“I’m not usually one for brutality, but I don’t think that will be the case for you two. If you try to stall for time, you’ll bear the consequences.”

Yustaf’s face was terrifyingly stern as he slowly walked toward the bound men.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group couldn’t help but murmur among themselves.

“Isn’t that the same alchemy from The Iron-Blooded Alchemist?”

“Oh, so you noticed it too.”

“Didn’t Sir Harun say something like that doesn’t exist?”

Though they whispered among themselves, Yustaf could hear everything.

Harun silently wished he could escape this investigation team as quickly as possible.

“Guard this place tightly and fortify the defenses!”

“Yes, Your Highness! We will defend it with our lives!!!”

Under the Crown Prince’s orders, the soldiers moved with perfect coordination.

Although the soldiers had been hastily gathered from the surrounding territories, which could have made them difficult to control, the authority of the Crown Prince had turned them into elite troops.

Even the most inexperienced soldier wouldn’t dare drag their feet when given orders by the man destined to be the next emperor.

“Is this the last location Yustaf identified?”

“Yes, Your Highness. The deployment is complete, so please return to the palace.”

“Enough. You know as well as I do that the reason these men follow orders so diligently is because I’m here with them.”

“But, Your Highness, if the enemy appears here…”

“Then that’s all the more reason for me to stay. No one would dare run away with the Crown Prince at their side, would they?”

At Alex’s words, the captain of the Imperial Guard, Cross, sighed and fell silent, realizing he had no choice but to agree.

‘His Highness has changed.’

When the Crown Prince first started to control his temper and stopped lashing out, Cross had assumed it was a temporary phase.

But now he had to admit it.

The Crown Prince had indeed changed.

In the past, Alex would have refused to be involved in such bothersome affairs and would have left long ago. Now, even when urged to return to safety, he chose to stay and see the mission through.

It was impressive when he dismissed his attendants, sending them back to the capital on the pretext that they wouldn’t be much help and might even be in danger during the battle.

Attendants usually played a minor role in combat, and dismissing them showed that the Crown Prince was considerate of their safety.

‘When did he grow so much?’

As the captain of the Imperial Guard, Cross had always served the Crown Prince with unwavering loyalty.

It pained him to see the prince constantly criticized by others.

Cross had always been close enough to see the prince’s true nature, but others were quick to judge, which often frustrated him.

But now, seeing the Crown Prince suddenly commanding with such determination was a moment he had been waiting for.

No matter what happened, Cross was determined to protect the Crown Prince and show others the capable leader he had become.

This was the man destined to lead the Empire.

“No!!! This is impossible!”

A scream echoed through the halls of Princess Iolyn Bell’s palace.

In the past, such outbursts would have been unthinkable, but lately, they had become more frequent, and the palace servants barely batted an eye.

However, the head chamberlain, Eitan, couldn’t help but notice that the princess’s outbursts often involved Rupert and the events surrounding him. Yet, ever since ‘that incident,’ he hadn’t been able to detect any signs of anger or frustration from her, which made him wary.

The servants in the palace referred to the incident as the ‘Third Prince’s Rebellion,’ a failed assassination attempt.

Everyone expected the princess to be furious and take some sort of action, but Iolyn had done nothing.

Eitan, too, had thought the measures taken after the incident might have been excessive, and he had been prepared to accept any reprimand from the princess. But her silence made him even more uneasy.

“Eitan, didn’t the elves bring us an elixir as a gift during the last exchange?”

The princess’s voice cut through Eitan’s thoughts, instantly bringing him back to the present.

The princess, having already exited her chambers as if nothing had happened, asked him this question.

An elixir?

The mention of the word made Eitan’s mind go blank for a moment.

An elixir, one of the treasures crafted by the elves from rare ingredients over a long period.

Just one bottle of elixir was said to be able to revive a person on the brink of death, a legendary remedy.

The Imperial family possessed only five bottles of this precious liquid.

Why would the princess suddenly be asking about it?

Eitan, worried that the princess might be ill, quickly assessed her condition, but aside from slightly dark circles under her eyes, she seemed perfectly healthy.

In any case, the members of the Imperial family were examined weekly by the Empire’s best doctors and blessed by a cardinal from the church. They were virtually immune to illness.

Eitan suppressed his curiosity and answered the princess’s question.

“Yes, Your Highness, that’s correct.”

“I believe it’s stored in the Imperial treasury?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The princess bit her nails nervously as she received Eitan’s answer.

She muttered something to herself, her expression growing more serious, but Eitan couldn’t quite catch what she was saying.

Eitan felt something suspicious was going on.

“Your Highness, are you unwell?”

“…No, I’m fine. But does an elixir have an expiration date or anything like that?”

“I’m not entirely sure, Your Highness, but I’ve never heard of an elixir having a shelf life.”

The princess’s face showed a slight sense of relief at Eitan’s words.

—Only Father has the key to the Imperial treasury… Should I just ask him directly? But an elixir…

Although she spoke very softly, Eitan’s keen hearing, honed through years of service, picked up her small muttering.

‘Does she intend to enter the Imperial treasury?’

For some reason, it seemed like the princess needed an elixir urgently.

Eitan felt like he was missing an important connection, but he couldn’t figure it out, which frustrated him.

“Eitan, summon the royal physician. I have a request for him.”

“I will carry out your orders immediately.”

As the princess calmly issued her command and returned to her chambers, Eitan became certain that something was amiss.