Chapter 86: Irregular Magic of the Ancient Family
The wind cut sharp across the hilltop, biting at Hannah's cheeks as she stood beside the duke's shadow guard atop the rise.
Below them, the capital city of Gorthmorde curled gently in the valley, its stone rooftops glinting pale under a wintry sun.
To the west and north, the monster‑haunted old forest rose like a living wall — gnarled, dense, and unyielding, the natural barrier that had shielded the duchy for centuries.
The air hummed with faint, wild mana, the kind that lingered where nature and ancient bloodlines wove together.
Ren circled lazily above the treetops, his tiny black form a fleeting speck against the gray sky, enjoying the freedom of open air after days confined within stone walls.
Hannah pulled her cloak tighter, her breath fogging in the cold.
"What are we doing out here?" she asked.
The shadow guard did not turn.
