Before the birth of Prince Lucian, a phenomenon unlike anything recorded in history appeared across the skies of the continent.
The heavens themselves changed.
The night sky became covered in flowing hues of green and crimson. Vast curtains of light stretched endlessly above the clouds like rivers from another world. The stars dimmed beneath those colors, and for a brief moment it looked as though the sky had split open into another dimension.
The phenomenon lasted throughout the entire night.
People across all three kingdoms witnessed it.
Even the pirates of the Sea of Arath spoke about the strange lights above the horizon.
The mages called it impossible.
The priests called it divine.
The astrologers and astronomers spent months studying the event.
Then—
On the same night the skies returned to normal—
Prince Lucian was born.
And as if to declare his arrival to the world itself, a bright stone descended from the heavens like a falling star and landed within the royal territory.
The astronomers proclaimed it immediately.
"This child has been blessed by fate."
From the moment of his birth, Lucian was different.
He learned words far earlier than ordinary children.
He walked before any royal physician believed possible.
He memorized books after reading them once.
Even the knights who trained the royal children were shocked by his growth.
And perhaps the most unbelievable part—
Lucian radiated warmth.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
A strange golden energy naturally flowed from his body at times, resembling sunlight itself. The mages could not identify it properly. It was not ordinary mana, nor holy energy, nor anything recorded in history.
Yet everyone who stood near the child felt comfort.
Hope.
Warmth.
Even exhausted soldiers claimed their fatigue vanished after meeting him.
Soon the entire royal court came to believe one thing.
Prince Lucian was destined to bring freedom and salvation to the continent.
He became the pride of the kingdom.
The hope of the royal family.
And above all—
The light of Princess Irwin.
Mark lowered his head slightly while speaking.
"My sister loved him more than anything," he said quietly.
Henry listened silently.
Then Mark continued.
"But that hope attracted darkness."
The first assassination attempt occurred when Lucian was still young.
A masked assassin infiltrated the palace at night.
Yet somehow—
The young prince survived.
Not merely survived.
He fought back.
Though still just a child, Lucian had already begun sword training. The assassin underestimated him completely and ended up retreating heavily injured after the royal guards arrived.
That incident shocked the kingdom.
But what followed was worse.
Again and again, assassins targeted Lucian.
Some came with poison.
Some with cursed artifacts.
Others disguised themselves as servants or merchants.
Yet every single attempt failed.
Almost as though fate itself protected the child.
Stories about the "Blessed Prince" spread everywhere.
Some believed no evil could touch him.
Until one day—
An assassin finally succeeded.
Not fully.
But enough.
The assassin appeared during a journey between royal estates. Unlike the others, this one moved with terrifying speed. He slaughtered Lucian's guards almost instantly and reached the prince before reinforcements could arrive.
Even then—
Lucian survived.
The prince fought back fiercely despite his age and forced the assassin to retreat.
But before escaping—
The assassin managed to leave a single scratch on Lucian's hand.
Just a scratch.
Nothing more.
At first no one worried.
Then the wound refused to heal.
Days passed.
The pain worsened.
Every physician in the kingdom was summoned.
Healing magic failed.
Ancient medicine failed.
Holy relics failed.
Then one night—
Black mist erupted from the wound.
Demonic miasma.
The corruption spread rapidly from Lucian's hand upward through his body like poison consuming him alive.
Mark's voice grew heavier.
"The entire royal family was informed immediately."
King Dan.
Irwin.
Her husband.
Max and his spouse.
Mike.
The ministers.
The elders.
Everyone gathered in panic.
Everyone except Mark and Irene.
"They tried to hide it from us," Mark said bitterly.
"But Irene eventually discovered it herself."
One day Irene accidentally saw Lucian surrounded by chains of sealing magic while black miasma flowed across his skin.
She never forgot that sight.
Neither did Irwin.
Henry remained silent as Mark spoke.
The image alone was horrifying enough.
A child treated like a disaster.
Eventually the royal family made a desperate decision.
Lucian was moved to an isolated facility deep within the Elven forests far from human settlements.
There, countless barriers and mana devices were constructed around him to suppress the corruption.
Irwin's husband searched endlessly for a cure.
He opened forbidden archives.
Consulted ancient scholars.
Even sought help from the Elders themselves.
The Second Elder personally investigated the corruption.
The Sixth Elder provided rare herbs capable of temporarily slowing the spread.
But the demonic contamination was unlike anything they had ever seen.
The Second Elder himself became infected during the research.
Now both Prince Lucian and the Second Elder remained under treatment within the Elven Kingdom.
Mark explained further.
"The skies above the Elven forests contain the highest natural mana concentration on the continent."
"The Evergreen Machine gathers that mana and redirects it."
Henry's eyes widened slightly.
Now he understood.
The Evergreen Machine had not merely been supporting the forest.
It had also been sustaining Lucian.
And the Second Elder.
The immense mana absorbed from the skies was continuously injected into their bodies to prevent the demonic energy from consuming them completely.
Suddenly the mana shortage around Lake Silvedor made perfect sense.
Henry slowly leaned back in silence.
"So that's why…"
Mark nodded.
"Your purification artifact changed everything."
Henry looked toward him.
"The purifier you redeveloped removes traces of demonic contamination from the body."
"It's still incomplete," Henry replied immediately.
"But it worked."
Mark's voice softened.
"You became their hope."
For several moments neither spoke.
Then Mark sighed deeply and looked out the window.
"They only told me this after I became king."
"Just a few days ago."
His expression darkened.
"I couldn't even imagine how my sister endured all these years."
"Watching her son slowly disappear while pretending everything was fine before the kingdom."
Henry remembered Irwin's distant eyes.
Her cold demeanor.
The pressure surrounding her.
And suddenly—
Everything about her made sense.
"She's at the facility now, isn't she?" Henry asked quietly.
Mark nodded.
"I believe so."
"She barely leaves his side anymore."
Silence filled the room once more.
The mighty Third Princess.
The woman feared by nobles and respected by generals.
At the end of it all—
She was simply a mother waiting for her son to wake up.
—
After some time, the two changed the topic slightly.
Mark requested Henry personally oversee the implementation of the Stone Guards along the borders.
"The ministers trust your designs," Mark explained.
"And the people trust you."
Henry frowned slightly.
"That sounds troublesome."
Mark laughed softly.
"You're already famous, Henry."
Then his expression turned more serious.
"You've become something important to the kingdom."
"A symbol."
"The people see hope when they speak of Tecka."
Henry felt uncomfortable hearing that.
He had never wanted fame.
Only survival.
But Mark continued.
"You're an adventurer."
"A noble."
"A reformer."
"And now perhaps the greatest artificer in the kingdom."
"If the continent falls into chaos someday…"
He looked directly at Henry.
"People will need someone to believe in."
Henry remained quiet after hearing those words.
The burden behind them felt heavier than armor.
Then suddenly—
Mark smirked slightly.
The serious atmosphere disappeared almost instantly.
"There's another thing I wanted to ask."
Henry immediately felt suspicious.
"What?"
Mark leaned closer slightly.
"What do you think about my sister Irene?"
Henry nearly choked.
"W-What?"
Mark burst into laughter seeing his reaction.
Henry's face visibly reddened.
After a long pause, he finally replied awkwardly,
"She's… just a prankster, all in all."
Mark stared at him silently for several seconds.
Then the King laughed even harder.
"You're hopeless."
"Why are you laughing?!" Henry protested.
Mark wiped tears from his eyes.
"Because that's exactly the kind of answer someone gives when they actually like her."
Henry immediately looked away.
Unfortunately for him—
That reaction alone answered the question completely.