Moonlight, serene as water, paved Fisher’s path forward as he quickly made his way past tents and cooking gear, blown askew by the wind. Approaching the neighing horses in the night, he found the carriage behind them overturned. With both hands, he righted the carriage and headed inside.
Emhardt, who had been nestled in his arms, felt the din subside and cautiously floated out of Fisher’s embrace to hover mid-air. He frantically turned his head, scanning the surroundings before saying,
"What happened out there just now, it was so noisy... Wait, it’s over now, right?"
"Not yet, there’s still a curse monster related to the Phoenix Species outside, preparing to kill... The disappearance of the Phoenix Species is closely tied to the Spirit Realm, and the Turand Family is also connected to the Phoenix Species. I still don’t understand what they want with the Frost Snow Phoenix Tree..."
While rummaging through items that had rolled about the carriage, Fisher spoke to Emhardt.
Hearing Fisher’s words, Emhardt glanced at the still fierce storm outside and, not daring to utter another word, shrank down and scurried back into Fisher’s embrace to hide,
"You’ve scared me to death, so I’ll just keep hiding so as not to hold you back. When you’re done, remember to call me out. I know, you wouldn’t want to lose me, your adorable book friend..."
Fisher did not respond to the Book Knight’s remark. He continued his search, feeling for the magic fluctuations within the carriage, until he found what he was looking for next to a shattered picture frame. It was a chain of copper, ending in a small container that resembled a shell, designed to hold a photograph.
Engraved densely upon it were Magic Emblems, emitting a faint black glow, showcasing the profound skill of the Mage who had cast the magic there.
Gently pushing open the tiny "shell," an old, yellowed photograph came into view.
On it, a small girl sat in a wheelchair, her face devoid of expression, garbed in a heavy Northern Realm classic Princess gown. Her expression was far from pleasant, with a downturned face and a thick book cradled in her hands. The contents were unknown, but judging by the Mage’s hat on her head, it seemed this was a young Valentina being instructed in a Magic Class.
Next to her wheelchair stood a tall old man, his hair and beard white, touching his beard with a kind smile as he stood upright. Although he bore the typical features of a Northern Realm person, his demeanor inevitably reminded Fisher of his own teacher, Helson.
They belonged to the same generation and shared many similarities.
Inside the shell, hand-engraved in tiny Northern Territory Language and very similar to the outer Magic Traces, yet devoid of any magical glow, the inscription read,
"Miss Valentina Turand’s sixth birthday. Frowning for having to study magic with me."
Without saying a word, Fisher turned his head towards the outside of the carriage while firmly grasping the necklace that contained the Eleven-Ring High Magic Emblem.
"Moon Princess, the last of the Phoenixes... I have waited for you for so many years, and finally, finally..."
The cursed wailing was upon Helldor in a blink as he raced away from the temple. He saw nothing but felt the curse entity pressing close behind him, its attention fixated on the Moon Princess Sword in his hands. Yet it was unflustered, merely releasing its sword’s essence as it kept running.
From the moment the Turand Family sent Valentina out on what seemed like a death sentence to find the Frost Snow Phoenix Tree, Helldor knew this day would come.
But because Valentina was the only one in the family capable of wielding the Moon Princess Sword, she had to take on such a heavy responsibility at such a young age, challenging a history of the Northern Territory that no one else knew...
This could not escape being labeled as both ironic and absurd, yet what say did Helldor, a mere House Servant, have in such decisions? How could he have any right to alter Valentina’s fate?
All he could do was clear one or two obstacles from Valentina’s path with his battered body.
As he thought this, the mechanical arm holding the Moon Princess Sword tensed with increased effort. In fact, within his field of vision, he saw nothing but a sea of deep red warning signals and luminescence.
"Warning... Data loss... Warning... Data loss..."
He could feel his consciousness drifting away from his body, able to keep running and exerting one final effort for Valentina only because of the fiercely burning soul within him desperately holding on.
"Sizzle... Heh, I haven’t lost anything..."
As the curse crept closer behind him, a frosty coldness spread through his heart like the wind and snow. His mechanical body sprouted dark black feathers that fought for space within, and his joints, as if long unlubricated, screeched with every painful motion.
As he looked down at the slowly fading Moon Princess Sword in his hand and steam poured from his mouth, the glow of the soul on his body abruptly flared, shooting out from him like the Death Light used by Philone, lashing towards the curse entity behind him.