Yuder carefully set aside the cloth that looked like a table cover and opened the bag first. As the brittle-feeling cover creaked open at the slightest touch, a few items came into view. A small wooden box turned black from decay. A wad of paper crumpled from being folded repeatedly. And a broken piece of a quill pen... along with a small notebook, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ about the size of a palm, with the broken pen stuck into it.

"These definitely look like they’ll tell us something more."

"Let’s hope so."

Kishiar silently picked up the small wooden box and twisted the lid open. Inside were a few small, round lumps emitting a rotting stench, and something the size of a thumbnail, just as blackened as the box itself.

Closing his eyes and sniffing, Kishiar spoke cautiously.

"These rotted lumps were probably medicine. Travelers usually keep emergency supplies like this on hand. And this discolored item here..."

Kishiar pinched it between two fingers and lifted it up. After turning it over a few times, a familiar smile spread across his lips—one that appeared whenever he figured something out.

"Yuder. Could you apply a bit of heat to this?"

"How much heat do you need?"

"Just enough to warm water slightly. Keep it going until I say stop."

Yuder did exactly as requested. As the color of one of his pupils shifted to gold, a small flame bloomed midair and slithered toward the object like a worm, wrapping around the black lump resting in Kishiar’s palm. Though it appeared to burn with a crackling sound, the flame’s temperature was low and likely not hot to the touch.

At first, there seemed to be no change in the blackened lump engulfed by the flickering flames. But after an indeterminate amount of time, as Yuder silently continued to apply the fire, the color of the object slowly began to shift.

Like rust flaking off a metal surface, the blackness started to fade, revealing hints of transparent green and silver from within. The process was slow, but unmistakably, the lump began to clean up. Watching it happen, Yuder didn’t blink once.

"That’s enough now."

At last, Kishiar gave the signal to stop. The flame vanished instantly.

The object now resting in Kishiar’s hand was no longer an unrecognizable black lump. Although it wasn’t completely clean, its shape was now clearly identifiable. It was a pale green circular gem, surrounded by silver metal segments shaped like petals.

Lifting the item, Kishiar spoke in a voice that left no room for doubt.

"The pin that used to be attached at the back is missing, but there’s no mistake. This is the front part of the badge that magicians carry."

"..."

The metal back that Kishiar flipped over showed faint traces where the pin had once been attached but was now broken off. After turning it once in his hand, Kishiar placed the item back down on the table and lowered his eyes.

"And I know exactly which group of magicians uses a badge like this. No, to be honest, I already suspected it might show up even before we found it."

Yuder blinked and parted his lips.

"...How?"

Kishiar furrowed his brows and gave a faint smile. He took Yuder’s hand, guiding him to sit down, then settled directly across from him. Through their joined hands, the warmth and pulse transferred, and only then did Yuder realize how fast his heart had been beating.

After Yuder calmed himself, Kishiar spoke serenely.

"Ever since that lady mentioned the tragic story of the neighboring territory."

...Since then?

"The incident where several magicians dispatched to the Aireik Mountains for an investigation twenty years ago died due to monsters. There aren’t many incidents in the Empire with such a clearly defined time and target. Especially when someone close to me was involved—it’s hard not to remember."

Just as Yuder wondered who he meant, Kishiar answered.

"Someone you know, too. Helrem. Once known as Helrem Caspir, head of the Royal Court Mage Division."

Even though the number of mage-related acquaintances they shared was small, that name still came as quite a surprise. Looking into Yuder’s eyes, Kishiar continued.

"This badge is made by magically combining four types of magic stones. Although it appears to have only two colors to the eye, that’s just an illusion crafted through the process. It discolors easily, but its hardness rivals that of Euchalactium. And when you apply just a bit of heat, it regains its original color quickly."

"Just hearing about it... it doesn’t sound like something a mediocre group would use."

"Exactly. Only magicians belonging to the Imperial Magic Research Institute could possess this badge. It was an agency under the Royal Court Mage Division, tasked with monitoring magic distribution and natural changes throughout the Empire. The name changed after that infamous incident twenty years ago."

Kishiar’s eyes said it all—that “infamous incident” was the very same one the old lady at the grocery store had described earlier.

"Helrem was the head of the division even before I was born. Her husband, her children—every one of them were magicians. Her daughter is now the Deputy Head of the Royal Court Mage Division, and her son continues to gain renown as a research mage at the Pearl Tower. Even her grandchildren are more than half magicians. Truly, their family is a prestigious one in the magic community."

Helrem, who once led such a distinguished lineage, had suddenly retired years ago—after a certain tragic incident.

"Originally, Helrem had a daughter and two sons. Not the one currently researching at the Pearl Tower, but the other son. He, too, was a magician, and just like his mother and older brother, had a talent for research. He joined the Imperial Magic Research Institute."

"Then..."

"Yes. That son took his wife—also a member of the Institute—and their newborn child to the mountains for a long-term assignment. But they were all killed in an unexpected accident. A monster appeared when it shouldn’t have. It wiped out the entire mage research team and the village they were staying in. The uproar among magicians at the time was intense."

A few years later, Helrem stepped down as head of the division. Only after handling the incident’s investigation, compensating the victims’ families, and overseeing a full reorganization of the Institute.

"My elder brother, His Majesty, and I tried to stop her. Even if she retired, Helrem still had great talent. It would have been such a waste to let her vanish into obscurity. Out of pity for me, Helrem decided to choose Peleta as her retirement destination—and that’s how our current relationship began."

So the reason Helrem had left behind her title and lived simply as an elderly mage in Peleta... was all because of that.

The memory of Helrem, who always smiled serenely and never let her past show, suddenly came to mind—and with it, a feeling difficult to put into words.

"Then you... how much do you actually remember about the incident?"

"Back when it happened, I didn’t really understand what was going on. I was still young, and the people around me didn’t go into detail. Even afterward, I only had a basic understanding from what Helrem told me, so I didn’t even know exactly where it happened."

Until today.

Kishiar’s gaze shifted to the badge on the table, missing its pin.

"In Helrem’s house in Peleta, there are two badges identical to this one. She placed them in a magically preserved container and set them in front of a portrait."

That was why Kishiar had recognized it immediately.