She's Dead

Ryuen returned to his room with a subtle headache.

His mind kept replaying the Queen's words—her warnings.

The three missing humans.

And her disturbing instruction to check what she had given him at midnight.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

Something so wrong that, if he didn't figure it out soon, he would deeply regret it.

He sat on his bed, leaning backward, supporting his head against the headboard with one hand.

Still lost in thought.

DING!

The blue holographic screen appeared suddenly, moments before Ryuen was about to close his eyes.

[New Data: Hiro—Northern Army Captain]

[Combat Level: 80]

[Class: SS]

[Location: Basilan Temple, Class B Sphinx Dungeon]

[Additional Information: Physically spotted along the North Coast, Mount Yū]

Ryuen stared at the screen, his eyes narrowed.

The name Hiro—it was exactly the name the Queen had mentioned.

But how? And why? How did the system get such information?

As he read through the details, he was baffled by the man's strength and influence.

A combat level of 80 and an SS-Class warrior, was just outstanding, almost unbelievable.

But Hiro's disappearance.

The Queen had said he went missing, so how did the system know his exact location?

However, it wasn't the time to ask questions.

Even if he did, no one would answer.

Pushing aside the questions, Ryuen stood up and decided to take a walk around the palace.

And maybe grab something to eat to distract himself.

He threw on a coat to warm himself up, considering cold and quietly stepped out of his room.

Walking slowly through the halls, he tucked his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes.

Letting his thoughts drift.

Memories from the previous night came back—strange, and unfamiliar.

Like they weren't his

It wasn't a nightmare, nor was it a dream.

It was almost disturbing.

If Ryuen wasn't such a deep sleeper, he might have been more worried.

Yes, Ryuen's one bad habit was his deep sleeping.

But on the bright side, even as his brain and heart rested, his senses remained active.

His body worked on their own.

As he passed by the throne room, he paused in his steps.

Through the half-open doors, he could see the royal family seated separately.

Erina and Althea stood by the king's side, consoling him as best as they could.

Aika stood beside what resembled a coffin, made of glass, with sadness in her eyes.

Jun, on the other hand, was speaking quietly to one of the guards.

When Jun finally noticed Ryuen, his brows furrowed for a brief moment before his expression shifted to one of sorrow.

'Okay, that is very strange,' Ryuen thought to himself.

He stepped into the throne room, closing the door behind him.

As he turned around his gaze landed on the body inside the coffin.

His heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Ryuen took a step closer. Slowly the face of the body inside the coffin came into view.

His eyes widened in horror, and for the first time, Aika saw something other than mockery, hate, or just emptiness in his gaze.

Sadness.

"What happened to her?"

His voice was soft, careful to avoid sounding insensitive.

Since he was known for talking like he didn't care—almost like a professional.

The king only cast him a sorrowful look, before Erina embraced him again.

"She's dead."

Jun's low voice came up behind him, his eyes were swollen, like he had just cried.

But he managed to keep a straight face, at least to be the strong one.

"How... how did she die?" Ryuen asked, still staring at Queen Akane's face. He expected her lids to twitch.

Or a smile to appear on her lips, like she was pranking everyone.

But she just lay still, her skin pale, with an almost impossible-to-see blue shade.

And her hair didn't have any life in it—it was just dry and dull.

I just spoke with her some hours ago. No one stepped into the palace after me. I'm sure of that.

And he was. His room was at the far end of the hall on the first floor.

And it was placed where the entrance to the palace was.

The guards were on full patrol, and he was certain the Queen's room was also guarded.

As Ryuen turned to Jun to ask, Jun simply smiled and exhaled.

"No one is responsible. I checked. She was really sick and died after finishing her work in the study," Jun replied, turning back to face the coffin. "Hey, did you perhaps speak with her today?"

"Hm." Ryuen glanced at Jun with a raised brow, watching his expression carefully, and asked in return, "Why do you ask?"

"The guards said they saw you walking through the part of the palace where her room was."

"Oh?"

Ryuen shifted his gaze to the same guards who had let him into the Queen's room.

He saw that they averted their gaze from him nervously.

But he was oddly grateful.

They managed to tell half of the truth and still protect him.

They knew if they mentioned anything about him seeing the Queen last, he could be blamed for her death.

Trusting a human, huh?

Ryuen chuckled silently and turned back to Jun.

"I didn't see her today. The last time I saw her was the day I arrived," he answered casually and added, "I actually thought she traveled too. It would have been lovely meeting her."

"Yeah," Jun answered, still staring at Ryuen with a side look.

"Aren't you even supposed to be asleep?" Aika suddenly asked, clearly irritated by Ryuen's presence.

But could he blame her?

Right now, she could be angered by any little thing, especially him.

And he didn't care. He only wanted to know why the Queen told him what she did and then died at the same time she asked him to check what she had given him.

With a heave of a sigh, Ryuen turned around to leave, but before he did, he gave a short bow to the King.

"She's in a better place, Your Majesty."

That's if that better place existed here, he told himself and left the throne room.

The second he stepped into his room, he shoved his hand into his hair, roughly and impatiently searching for what she had placed.

As he felt the strange object, he pulled it out of his hair and saw a tiny bottle filled with a red substance.

Blood?

He thought, frowning slightly.

Around the bottle was a note.

As soon as his fingers touched it, he felt a faint pulse of energy.

He unfolded it quickly.

And saw a map, marked with several locations, each one circled in red.

Along with the name Masked Crusader written boldly at the top.

"How does she know about..."

He trailed off when he saw what was written in ink on the bottle cap.

Drink it.

It read, and it only made Ryuen frown. However, who was he to go against the words of a Queen?

The fact she told him a few things, warned him, and gave him strict orders before dying that same day...

He wouldn't dare question her. After all, she seemed to be the wisest.

And he wasn't assuming; the aura she gave off screamed wisdom and strength.

"Might as well do as she says and wait for what comes next," he said, flipping the cap of the bottle open, instantly hit with the familiar metallic scent of blood.

It gave him a sense of déjà vu, and it oddly felt wonderful.

Without wasting any more time, he poured the entire contents into his mouth.