SYMDF 6

Chapter 6

Not daring to let a cough escape lest someone fling the door open, Ion forced his lips tightly shut. Yomnyong, curled on his thigh and clutching the warm mana stone, widened his round eyes in nervous agitation.

“Kkuu…”

“Shh. Quiet.”

Ion pressed a finger to his lips in warning. The little creature curled in tighter, and Ion stroked its back gently. Raising his eyes, he gazed out the open carriage window. At some point, they had already passed through the main gates of House Craiger, the carriage now racing into the capital.

Their destination: the Imperial Palace.

〈…What nonsense is this talk of a strange illness?〉

The Duke of Craiger’s mask had cracked when Ion asked to meet that “bastard child.” Only when he saw Ion’s bright blood staining a handkerchief had he seemed to grasp the seriousness.

Ion could hardly keep from scoffing at the memory.

I was bedridden for days and he never realized I was ill? What a fool.

Still, the Duke valued his heir enough to rage for a physician, and Ion collapsed once more into bed.

Even then, clutching the mana stone, he had endured another bout of endless illness. This frail body was truly detestable.

And yet, the warmth that had spilled through him upon first holding the mana stone had not been a lie. His coughing eased a degree. But the Duke frothed still.

〈Why in heaven’s name does your sickness not abate?〉

At the time Ion had checked his status window again. Though the other ailments remained, new lines had appeared:

[Status Effect: Overflowing Mana. The player’s body is saturated with mana. Vitality improves and negative status ailments are suppressed. Player’s probability of death decreases by 30%.]
[Current probability of player’s death: 17.5%]

His death rate had dropped noticeably—surely thanks to the mana stone.

So this warmth… it must be his mana…

His thoughts blurred with drowsiness. Yet even so the Duke had raged on:

〈Camillus—that fox must have tricked me! I warned you, Ion, over and over. That boy is a sly fox!〉

Ion whispered the name softly as scenery flickered past outside.

“Camillus…”

Camillus Valderas Clodel.

That surname—Clodel—belonged to the founder of the empire’s third dynasty. Even now the dynasty remained enthroned. Thus Camillus was none other than the illegitimate son of the Emperor himself.

And yet Father calls even the Emperor’s blood simply “that bastard”…

The contempt was clear in every word.

Ion pressed his hand to the mana stone held tight as Yomnyong embraced it. Warmth poured through him again, and instantly—

[Status Effect: Overflowing Mana]

The sweet current made him smile faintly despite himself. He did not know exactly how a mana stone formed nor why it held such power—and yet if this truly was Camillus’s mana, could someone harboring such warmth really be evil? Without reason, Ion wanted to believe otherwise.

Was Camillus in those lost memories?

The answer felt certain: yes.

His father clearly thought Ion had committed some grave mistake concerning Camillus—serious enough to call Ion disgraceful. Ion had tried to understand, but the Duke would not speak a word of it before others. He had been too tired even to demand a private explanation. That would be revealed when he met Camillus soon enough.

Shortly thereafter, the carriage halted. The butler’s voice came from outside.

“Young master, it is time to disembark.”

Ion coughed lightly before answering.

“Very well.”

He reached for the mana stone just as Yomnyong, nestled asleep on his thigh, stirred awake, face crumpled forlornly. Ion knelt briefly before stepping out, tucking the dragon under his seat.

“Wait here for me, all right? I’ll be back soon.”

“Kkuu.”

Its shimmering eyes glistened. Wings sagging, Yomnyong clutched Ion’s finger with its blunt little claws. Ion almost relented, but sighed.

“No. You’re too big.”

“Kkuunng…”

Tears pooled yet again, and Ion muttered inwardly, This creature really weaponizes tears, doesn’t it?

Perhaps… could he hide it? For all its plumpness, it was barely bigger than a man’s hand.

As he pondered, Yomnyong gave a longsuffering groan. Then—

“Kkuuung!”

Ion’s jaw dropped. The creature vanished with a pop—downsized until it fit neatly into his palm.

“…No way, Yomnyong…”

Tiny, gem eyes shining, it hopped onto his hand, still impossibly adorable.

Why so cute?!

He longed to nuzzle it, but the butler’s voice urged from outside.

“Young master?”

“Coming!”

With a reckless decision, Ion tucked miniature Yomnyong inside his tunic and lowered a handkerchief to obscure his chest.

Stepping out of the carriage, he immediately saw him: the Duke, standing tall ahead. Swallowing hard, Ion followed.

Then he looked up—into the vast form of a colossal tower, crowned by a vast glowing magic circle etched against the sky—an image like Atlas bearing the heavens.

Such a tower, within the Imperial Palace…

And faintly, around the tower, a translucent veil—

[Due to the restrictive force of the Imperial barrier, mana flow is curtailed. Beyond a certain point, curses may be enhanced.]
[Current probability of player’s death: 18%]

So the entire palace is under a barrier?

He startled as the butler asked softly:

“Young master, are you perhaps unwell in your movements?”

Extending an arm as if to offer support. Ion shook his head hurriedly.

“No, I’m fine.”

He could not afford distraction. This place demanded cautious observation—and at its heart lay the colossal Imperial Palace, where the 42nd Emperor surely awaited his father.

Knights stood at the gates. Ion held his breath, handkerchief clutched tight, while the butler offered him a cane. He refused, instead grasping the mana stone.

The Duke, Jemel, strode proudly—until suddenly stopping just before the gates.

There, waiting—an unwelcome figure.

Ion, too, froze.

“It has been a long time, Duke Craiger.”

A calm, low voice. Sunken eyes, black hair spilling shadows, and behind it, chilly lifeless blue eyes that deepened the gloom into decadence.

A boy.

Ion’s eyes widened as recognition struck—it was surely his peer in age. And when the boy’s gaze shifted from the Duke to Ion—

Those glacial blue eyes, like shards of glass, struck like barbed arrows into his chest.

Ion forgot to breathe, transfixed.

Ba-dump, ba-dump…

His heart pounded, or perhaps the tension drowned out every other sound.

His trembling hand clenched his handkerchief tighter as his other hand pressed over it.

Yet still, he could not look away.

As though bound, enthralled.

Footnotes

• Mana Stone (마나석): A crystalline artifact filled with magical energy. In fantasy contexts, often valuable and restorative. Here, Camillus’s mana within it provides warmth and health benefits.

• “Overflowing Mana”: Temporary state triggered when Ion channels the mana stone, decreasing risk of death and suppressing ailments.

Imperial Barrier: A protective magical field surrounding the Imperial Palace, restricting mana while paradoxically amplifying curses at certain conditions.