━Coo, coo.

The pigeon outside the window was making a racket today. Elga, who had just fallen asleep, got out of bed and opened the window.

“Why are you being so loud?”

Flap.

A pigeon fluttered inside, flying directly into the birdcage.

‘A carrier pigeon?’

The pigeon sat quietly on the perch inside the cage, a small scroll wrapped around its ankle. Elga unfastened the scroll and read the rather welcome message.

“No time to sit around, it seems.”

Elga quickly got dressed and headed towards the royal palace as soon as the morning sun rose. Normally, it was just full of noisy or boring talks, and she didn’t like being there. 

But today, she had a reason to be.

Thud, thud.

Her steady footsteps led her to the queen’s chamber. A few maids were guarding the entrance, and seeing Elga approach, they tapped on the door to announce her.

━Your Majesty, Field Commander Elganes Von Lioness of the Third Army requests entrance—

“That’s enough. Step aside.”

Ignoring the overly strict maids, Elga simply brushed past them and opened the door. It wasn’t locked in the first place. 

Inside, the room was draped in cobwebs. It looked less like a luxurious and beautiful chamber and more like a dungeon.

“Why are there so many cobwebs…?”

Suksuk-. 

Brushing away the dust and cobwebs with her hand, Elga headed towards the bed. There, her cousin was curled up asleep with a frown.

Was she having some nightmare?

Elga gave her sharp nose a gentle pinch.

Twitch-. 

Her brow furrowed even deeper.

“Hey, Aira. How long are you going to sleep? It’s morning. I have something to tell you.”

“…….” 

Even with her nose pinched shut, there was no sign of her waking up. How long could she hold her breath like this? Elga didn’t know, but she had no intention of wasting more time with her headstrong cousin.

“A carrier pigeon came from Deadbell Citadel. It’s under the command of a guy named Baldor, who once made a name for himself in Borgia’s army.”

“……”

No reaction at all.

Would she really stay asleep even after hearing this?

“Apparently, Theo is staying there.”

“……”

Seururuk-. 

Aira’s jet-black, obsidian eyes opened just a sliver. Even though she was her cousin, and they were both women, Elga couldn’t help but feel her heart race a little.

‘… She really is beautiful.’

Then, a sudden flash of irritation struck her.

‘But her chest is still smaller than mine!’

The thought brought a subtle sense of satisfaction. But, of course, this wasn’t the focus right now.

Charuru-.

Elga unrolled the scroll, showing its contents to her cousin and queen, Aira.

Slowly, Aira’s eyes drifted across the words, and she let out a small puppy-like whimper, “Hmm…” 

She didn’t say anything, but she probably felt some relief. This girl liked the half-fairy as much as a child liked a doll. Elga was also relieved to receive the letter, so she could somewhat understand her feelings.

“Well, it’s not like he’s the type to just die. Looks like he’s healthy and barely injured. So don’t go moping around—get up already.”

“Hmm…”

‘What kind of reaction is that?’ 

Elga felt a sudden urge to smack her cousin on the head, but she refrained. Recently, she had been working on cultivating her patience.

Meditation.

Patience.

Connecting with nature.

They said it was a crucial point in mastering the ancient relic halberd, the Crusher, which had been forged in ancient times. Elga was finally starting to get the hang of it, so it didn’t make sense to get angry now.

“Anyway, it must have taken the carrier pigeon about two days to get here, which means they arrived three days ago. So, we can call off the plan to charge at Dolnar Citadel.”

That was her main point.

Charging beyond the wall. 

It was like riding a horse and crashing into a windmill at full speed.

But Aira only chuckled.

“Fufu, Elga.”

“Stop saying my name with that weird laugh.”

“Elganes~.”

“… That name is also a bit much too. Sounds way too self-important.”

Aira let out a deep sigh, like a parent resigned to dealing with a difficult child.

“Elga, you’re a very picky cousin. Only someone like me, Aira, would put up with your whims.”

─Of all people to say that. Elga almost snapped but held back.

The queen slowly rose and slipped her feet into two silk slippers. As she looked around at the dust and cobwebs scattered around her, she frowned slightly and snapped her fingers.

“It’s too messy.”

━Hiiing…!

At that, spiders appeared from somewhere and began cleaning the cobwebs and dust with swift movements. Magic? No, Elga corrected herself.

This wasn’t magic, it was more like sorcery.

A practice from very long time ago. 

It was a kind of gift that the founding matriarch of the Tarantera family had received after a pact with the wise spider, the immortal Argala. 

Since ancient times, the women of the Tarantera family were said to have the power to command spiders to perform various magical feats.

That was why they were called witches.

Over different generations, the bloodline had thinned, reducing this to mere stories. But for Aira, the last remaining descendant, this power somehow ran the strongest.

‘Whatever. It’s none of my business.’

What mattered was Aira’s mention of Dolnar Citadel—a key military stronghold beyond the wall.