After a few minutes, Scuro returned to the balcony. Upon seeing Katerina sleeping peacefully on the queen's lap, he paused. Though a faint hint of jealousy flickered in his eyes, he remained silent, choosing not to disturb the tranquil scene before him. After all, witnessing such a moment of calm and tenderness was a reward in itself.
Another ten minutes passed before Katerina's eyes fluttered open. It took only a few seconds for her to fully awaken and realize her position. The moment awareness returned to her, her usual stoic expression was replaced by a flush of bright red, and her feline ears perked up in embarrassment. In one swift movement, she rose from Lucas' thighs, stepped back, and bowed deeply.
"I'm truly sorry, Your Majesty. I made you stay in such an uncomfortable position for several minutes. I was completely exhausted, but I still shouldn't have asked such a favor of you. Please accept my sincerest apologies!"
Lucas had to admit that it hadn't been the most comfortable position—sitting on his knees for that long had begun to take its toll. Still, thanks to Alberia's more flexible body, it hadn't been unbearable. If anything had been frustrating, it was the near-impossibility of seeing Katerina's sleeping face due to the enormous "watermelons" on his chest.
"Don't worry about it, Katerina. I was happy to do it," Lucas replied with a warm smile as he stood up. "You worked so hard maintaining that fortress of branches—if anything, as queen, it's only fair that I reward your efforts somehow."
"Yes…" Katerina murmured, still a little embarrassed, though her composure quickly returned. She turned to Scuro and added, "Thank you so much, Mr. Scuro, for coming to our rescue. If it weren't for you and Lucrio, I don't know what would have happened to the queen." She bowed slightly in gratitude.
Placing a hand over his heart, Scuro responded solemnly,
"I accept your thanks, but there's no need to thank me. Protecting this kingdom—and by extension, Queen Alberia—is my duty. I only did what was expected of me."
His voice radiated unshakable loyalty.
Katerina gave a small, appreciative smile and a nod.
"You're right, Mr. Scuro. Still, how did you know we were in danger? And more importantly, how did you get here so quickly? Even using Physical Enhancement and being extremely skilled with it, it would've taken at least five minutes to cover the distance."
Lucas, equally curious, stepped closer to hear better.
"Where I grew up," Scuro began, "I developed a heightened sensitivity to dark magic and its derivatives. Not long ago, I sensed the activation of a strong dark-type magic. I assume it was the portal used to bring that chimera into the square. Thankfully, I wasn't far from a window in the palace with a partial view of this area. I activated Physical Enhancement and concentrated a majority of my mana into my eyes, managing to catch a glimpse of the creature fly over the square."
He continued,
"I immediately realized Her Majesty was in danger. But I knew I couldn't make it in time alone, so I rushed to find Lucrio and asked him to cast his Luminous Speed spell on me. It allows the human body to approach the speed of light, though only for a few seconds—longer usage risks severe damage to the body. That gave me just enough time to reach you. When I explained the situation, Lucrio insisted on coming with me. For the reason why I arrived a moment before him—because Luminous Speed stacks on top of a person's base speed. And I'm faster than Lucrio."
As he said the last part, a confident smirk crept onto his face.
"I see… I'll have to thank Mr. Lucrio later," Katerina said to herself.
Then she addressed Scuro directly, "Forgive the request, Mr. Scuro, but could you call the carriages for us? I'd do it myself, but I still haven't fully recovered, and I'd like to get Her Majesty back to the palace as soon as possible. I don't think the Silent Gate will strike again today, but we can't take any risks—not with Her Majesty's fatigue and Lady Aislyra injured."
Though her tone remained calm, the guilt in her voice was unmistakable.
"No need—I already called for the carriages while you were sleeping," Scuro said with a soft smile, then turned and bowed deeply before Lucas.
"Your Majesty, please leave the chimera's corpse to me and my rangers. With the help of Minister Macro, we'll get to the bottom of how it was created—and where it came from."
Lucas, caught off guard by Scuro's intensity, stammered slightly,
"T-thank you, Scuro. I'll entrust it to you."
"You have my word, Your Majesty—I won't disappoint you. But until the carriages arrive, may I remain here to protect you?"
"Of course," Lucas replied.
"Thank you, Mr. Scuro. Extra protection is always appreciated," Katerina added with a nod.
Scuro smiled and nodded in return, and the three of them entered the villa to wait for the carriages.
After a few minutes, the three carriages that had brought Lucas earlier returned.
Lucas and Katerina boarded the middle one and departed for the palace, while Scuro remained behind to handle the disposal of the chimera's carcass.
The rest of the day passed quickly for Lucas. After bathing him, Katerina strictly insisted that he remain in his room to rest. She even brought his dinner to him, refusing to let him out of his room.
Lucas had wanted to check on Aislyra's condition, but was informed that the healing spells Heve had used were working perfectly and that she was now asleep and needed complete rest. It was best not to disturb her.
At least Katerina had given him something to occupy his time: a book titled "Light Magic for Beginners". It contained all the foundational spells and instructions on how to use them, helping him to accelerate his magical learning. As soon as she handed him the book, Lucas's eyes lit up with excitement, and he spent the entire evening poring over it with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, he'd have to wait until the next day to try out any of the spells.
When the clock in his room struck half past eleven, Lucas was halfway through the book. He placed it beside him, climbed into his soft bed, and drifted off to sleep. But just before his eyes closed completely, a thought lingered in his mind:
'I hope Aislyra is okay…'
The next morning, Lucas was jolted from his sleep by the sound of his bedroom door swinging open—and then slamming shut. Still groggy, he opened his eyes to find Aislyra standing in front of his bed, arms crossed, and looking completely normal—as if nothing had happened the day before.
"Aislyra?!" Lucas exclaimed in confusion.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Aislyra replied sarcastically, a proud grin spreading across her face.
Lucas immediately jumped out of bed and grabbed her by the shoulders, eyes wide with concern.
"Are you okay now?"
"Yes," Aislyra said confidently. "Heve's healing spells worked perfectly. The wound that monster gave me is completely gone. Though… I was told to avoid strenuous activity for at least two days. So, no combat training for you today. But your lessons with Mom and Katerina are still happening, so be ready."
Relief washed over Lucas. He had been deeply worried since seeing her injured the day before. On top of that, guilt had weighed on him—Aislyra had been injured while drawing the chimera's attention, giving him time to charge his spell. If he had been more experienced, he could have cast it much faster and prevented her from getting hurt at all.
Now that she was fully healed, something inside him—and within this new body—compelled him to act.
Lucas stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Aislyra.
"I'm really glad you're okay," he said softly.
Aislyra froze for a moment, her face lightly flushing pink. She wasn't sure how to react. On one hand, she was used to being hugged by her sister. But on the other hand, the person embracing her now only wore her sister's body—inside was someone entirely different. Someone she had sworn to follow as her new queen. Someone who, until just days ago, had been a man.
She remained still for several seconds, allowing the embrace, then gently tried to redirect the moment.
"Lucas, there's no time for this," she said, carefully freeing herself from his arms. "You need to get dressed. The meeting with all six ministers is about to start in the throne room to discuss yesterday's attack. Hurry up—we need to go."
Just then, a voice came from behind her.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
Aislyra turned, startled by the sudden interruption, only to see Katerina entering the room with her usual composed expression.
Letting out a small sigh of relief, Aislyra said,
"Perfect. I'll wait for you outside."
Before stepping out the door, she glanced back at Lucas and, with a sweet smile, added:
"By the way… you did a great job defeating that beast, Lucas."
Then she exited the room, leaving Lucas momentarily speechless—and just a little flustered.
In no time, Katerina had finished getting Lucas ready, and the three of them quickly made their way to the throne room, where Sequoria and the six ministers were already waiting.
With everyone in the same positions as the previous day, the meeting officially began.
"Ministers," Sequoria began in a solemn tone, "as you already know, yesterday our queen was attacked by the infamous assassin known as the Silent Gate. He summoned a chimera composed of parts from a lesser scarlet dragon and a superior lightning bear—two magical creatures, both capable of using magic.
As you are well aware, it is believed to be impossible for mortals to create a chimera using the parts of beings who possess mana. The only one known to have ever achieved such a feat was the God of Science, Macchinonius, who was killed several years ago by one of his own creations: the divine chimera, Artema. Therefore, by all current understanding, there should be no one left in this world capable of creating such a creature.
We have called you here today both to attempt to unravel this paradox and to determine how to better protect the queen from this assassin, who appears to have control over these impossible beings. Above all, I wish to hear the thoughts of our Minister of Defense, Scuro, and our Minister of Technology and Alchemy, Macro."
The first to speak was Scuro. His voice was grim.
"Unfortunately, at this time, we have only been able to confirm that the chimera was indeed composed of a lesser scarlet dragon and a superior lightning bear. My rangers are currently analyzing the carcass, searching for any traces or mana residue that could tell us more about its origin. Once their analysis is complete, the body will be transferred to Macro's laboratory for a more in-depth examination."
Lucas and Sequoria both nodded silently.
"What can you tell us, Macro?" Sequoria asked.
The shy Minister of Technology cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses nervously before answering.
"U-unfortunately, chimeras are n-not my area of expertise. I-it's never been a field that particularly i-interested me until... until a year ago. Of course, after Artema's attack, I began researching the subject more thoroughly, b-but without direct access to the carcass, I c-can't even begin to speculate how s-something like this could have been created."
"I see..." Sequoria said, her voice tinged with disappointment. "Then I suppose we'll have to wait until the body is in your hands before we can expect any real answers."
From there, the discussion shifted to the practical consequences of the attack: the extent of the damage caused, which, thanks to Katerina's defensive spell, had been surprisingly minimal, and plans to increase the number of guards within the palace for the queen's protection.
Just as the conversation seemed to be drawing to a close, Sequoria leaned forward slightly.
She had one final proposal to make.