Free Web NovelChapter 7: The NightBane Territory
The warm summer breeze drifted gently through the trees surrounding the lake as Lilith and I sat quietly near the water’s edge. freewebnσvel.cøm
The sun had already begun to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Lilith skipped a small stone across the surface of the lake before suddenly glancing toward me.
"Leo."
"Hm?"
"I’m leaving tomorrow."
I blinked in surprise.
"So soon?"
She gave a small nod.
"My birthday is in a few weeks, so Father wants me back in the Nightbane Territory early. Apparently there’s going to be a celebration."
Right.
Thirteen.
The age when mana capacity awakened.
For normal nobles, a thirteenth birthday was already important.
For the daughter of Duke Rosthwall Nightbane?
The event would probably attract nobles from across the entire kingdom.
The future Void Witch’s awakening ceremony.
Just thinking about it made me nervous.
Lilith quietly watched my expression before speaking again.
"You should come."
"...What?"
"You should come to my birthday," she repeated while staring directly into my eyes. "I want you there."
For a moment, my brain completely froze.
Me?
Attend the Nightbane family’s main territory?
That sounded unbelievably dangerous.
The Nightbane Duchy was one of the most influential powers in the Kingdom of Valenor. The amount of important nobles gathering there would probably be insane.
More importantly—
Lilith’s awakening.
"I don’t know if my parents would allow that," I answered carefully.
Lilith puffed her cheeks slightly.
"Father already asked them."
"...He what?"
"He said it would strengthen relations between our families," she replied innocently. "Your father already agreed."
Traitor.
I stared blankly at the lake while internally screaming.
Of course Father would agree.
Being personally invited by the Nightbane family was an enormous honor for a minor border barony like ours.
Rejecting that invitation would practically be political suicide.
Meanwhile, Lilith seemed completely unaware of the chaos happening inside my head.
Her deep purple eyes sparkled slightly as she leaned closer.
"So you’ll come, right?"
I looked at her hopeful expression and immediately realized something terrifying.
I physically could not say no.
After several painful seconds, I let out a defeated sigh.
"...Yeah. I’ll come."
The moment those words left my mouth, Lilith’s entire face brightened.
"Really?"
"Really."
Before I could react, she suddenly wrapped her arms around me.
"Then I’ll show you everything in the Nightbane Territory!" she said excitedly. "The castles, the training grounds, the markets—everything!"
I awkwardly patted her head while trying to ignore the ominous feeling growing in my chest.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Because if my memories were correct...
Lilith Nightbane’s awakening ceremony was the exact moment the entire kingdom first realized that a monster had been born.
And now—
I was going to witness it in person.
———
The sound of carriage wheels echoed steadily across the stone road as we traveled deeper into Nightbane territory.
I sat quietly beside the window, watching the passing scenery with growing unease.
Dense forests stretched endlessly across the land, broken only by towering mountains in the distance. Occasionally, heavily armored patrols passed by our carriage, each bearing the black wolf crest of the Nightbane family upon their armor.
Compared to the Aldric Territory, the difference in power was overwhelming.
The roads were cleaner.
The villages were larger.
Even the soldiers looked vastly more disciplined.
Across from me, Lilith sat happily humming to herself while occasionally peeking outside the window like an excited child going on vacation.
Which, honestly, made this entire situation feel even stranger.
Several years ago, this same girl could barely speak to people without lowering her head.
Now she was enthusiastically dragging me into the territory of one of the most powerful families in the kingdom.
Life was weird.
"You’ve been quiet for a while," Lilith suddenly said while tilting her head slightly.
"I’m thinking."
"You think too much."
"That’s because one of us has to."
Lilith puffed her cheeks before lightly kicking my leg.
"You’re being rude after I invited you."
"You practically kidnapped me."
"You agreed."
"I was emotionally manipulated."
Lilith stared at me for a moment before suddenly laughing.
It was soft at first, but gradually became louder until she had to hold her stomach.
I watched her blankly.
"You know," she said between laughs, "Father was right."
"...About what?"
"He said you’d definitely panic if you ever visited our territory."
Wonderful.
Even the duke had apparently been making fun of me behind my back.
I leaned my head against the carriage wall with a tired sigh.
Outside, the scenery slowly began to change.
The forests thinned, replaced by massive stone walls stretching across the distant horizon.
At the center—
A colossal city stood beneath the mountains.
My eyes widened slightly.
The Nightbane capital was enormous.
Towering black walls surrounded the city like a fortress built for war itself. Countless banners bearing the black wolf crest fluttered from watchtowers, while enormous gates allowed streams of merchants, knights, and nobles to move in and out.
And standing above everything else—
A gigantic dark castle overlooked the entire territory from atop the mountain cliffs.
It looked less like a noble residence and more like something built for a final boss.
"...That’s your home?" I asked slowly.
Lilith proudly nodded.
"Mhm."
That explained a lot.
As the carriage continued approaching the city gates, I could already feel countless eyes turning toward us.
The moment the guards noticed the Nightbane crest upon the carriage, the massive gates immediately opened.
Every nearby soldier bowed their heads as we passed.
The atmosphere was completely different from the relaxed feeling of the Aldric Territory.
This place felt powerful.
Dangerously powerful.
Lilith, meanwhile, looked completely unbothered.
"Oh right," she suddenly said as if remembering something important.
"You’ll probably meet a lot of nobles during the celebration."
"...What?"
"And Father invited some important people from the capital too."
I slowly turned toward her.
"How important?"
Lilith thought for a moment.
"Some dukes. Marquesses. Royal knights. Oh—and I think a few members of the royal family are coming too."
I stared at her in horror.
Why did she sound so casual about that?
Meanwhile, Lilith simply smiled brightly.
"It’ll be fun."
I had a feeling my definition of fun and Lilith’s definition of fun were completely different things.
