Chapter 2

Oracle of Mysteries

Kazumi

When we finally arrived at the castle, Gunter gave me his famous hug, now dubbed 'The Gunter Squeeze' according to Conrart.

"Oh, Your Highness, I was so very worried. The moment I heard from Gwendal that you were attacked and were missing, I felt my heart stop! If it hadn't been for Her Eminence, the castle would've been in an utter mess. Thank the heavens you've been returned to us at last!" Gunter exclaimed, not noticing I was trying to refrain from hitting him. He was squeezing me a little too tightly and my injuries were hurting. He hadn't even noticed the huge bandage on my eye, nor the multiple ones around my wrists and chest. Gisela did though.

"Oh my goodness! Kazumi! What happened to your face?" she exclaimed, making Gunter pull me away to examine me. He gasped in horror, brushing my hair away from my face.

"Who dared to scar to royal face? I'll have them hung for their crime!" Gunter exclaimed dramatically angry. I sighed, turning to give Gisela a smile as she appeared at my side.

"This way; follow me. Let me examine your injuries." Gisela stated, dragging me away behind her. Thankfully Gunter didn't follow, he just stood there, proclaiming angrily to no one that he'd punish them, even though they were all dead.

I sat on the chair Gisela had put me on then took off my jacket and shirt so she could examine me. Thankfully the boys had stayed outside, and I heard them mention they were going to look for Hisako.

"Greta's been waiting patiently for your return. You should go see her after this, she'd love to see you." Gisela stated with a smile as she changed the bandages on my injuries while making sure they didn't get infected. I nodded, feeling happy at the fact that I'd get to see Greta again. She really was like a little angel.

"Alright, nothing seems infected. It seems your wounds were treated with excellent care. Who treated you? Conrart?" Gisela asked. I felt my smile fall instantly.

"No… It was a kind village woman who found me on her doorstep… Gloria… She died… Protecting me from my attackers a few hours later" I replied, hearing Gisela gasp. She looked down sadly, putting a hand gently on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry… Did you two become friends?" Gisela asked, looking at me sympathetically.

"Yeah, we did… She was a sweet lady, I think all of the villagers loved her…" I answered, turning to give her a weak smile. She returned one back at me, helping me change into clean clothes. Another copy of my school uniform, but at least it was comfy.

"I'll let you go see Greta now" Gisela stated, waving goodbye as I exited the room, walking down the halls. My chest was aching painfully due to the cream Gisela had put on, and my eye felt like it was being clawed out, but at least I was able to walk, even if it was small steps. When I ran out the house to find Conrart and the others the night before, I didn't recall being in this much pain. As I stepped out into the courtyard, Greta came running up to me, giggling happily.

"Mummy!" she called out, hugging my legs. I smiled down at her, patting her head gently. She looked up at me, giggling.

"Mummy! Mummy! Daddy said we're going to some hot springs! All three of us! This will be fun!" Greta exclaimed, letting me go and twirling around happily. I looked up at Conrart, who was walking to us with a smile on his face.

"Hot springs?" I asked, tilting my head in curiosity. Conrart chuckled.

"Yes, they're in human territory, but it's one of the few areas that are still in league with the Great Demon Kingdom. We have constant business trading with it. Their hot springs are legendary for their healing powers. My father had a mortal wound and he drank a cup of water from this hot spring, and it saved his life apparently. And when I'd gotten badly injured during my training in the army, I went to the hot spring and in three days I was even better than before. I think it'll work some wonders on your wounds." Conrart explained, brushing the hair from my bandaged eye. I smiled, giggling happily.

"Alright then, when do we leave?" I asked, seeing Gwendal approach us from behind.

"Right away. You deserve some time to bond as a family, and you wouldn't be able to get your work done in your current condition anyway. But before the three of you leave, His Eminence and Her Eminence want us all at the Tomb of the Great One." Gwendal explained, beginning to walk to the carriage that was waiting for us. I stepped in, with Gwendal and Conrart following behind me. Yuri, Gunter, Wolfram and Hisako hopped on horses beside us and we made our way to the Tomb of the Great One.

The Tomb was very different from what I'd imagined. For a start, the only people allowed in were women, with Murata being the only exception because he's part of the Great Wiseman of Double Black. Talk about a harem, even when he's dead. As I thought this, a small girl approached me. She had incredibly long silver hair and dark purple eyes.

"Your Majesty, it is truly an honor. I am Ulrike, High Priestess who communicates with the Great One" she stated, bowing a little. I smiled down at her.

"Wow, High Priestess? You're pretty young for someone so accomplished in life" I stated, hearing Conrart clear his throat. I blinked at him in confusion.

"Thank you for saying so, Your Majesty. But I feel I must inform you that I am over eight-hundred-years-old." Ulrike stated, making me yelp in fright. I regretted that and winced, clutching my chest in my hand as I tried to regulate my breathing.

"Your Highness?" Ulrike asked, looking worried. I let go of my jacket, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine… Just a little beat up. I'll heal." I replied, seeing Ulrike sigh in relief. She smiled at me, looking almost like an adorable little child.

"That must've been when your light almost went out. It's very fortunate that that woman was there to help you" Ulrike stated, making me blink in confusion.

"Wait… How do you know about Gloria?" I asked, raising a brow. Ulrike merely smiled, turning and issuing for us to follow her. I followed after her, trying to ignore the agony in my chest. We entered the main room that Ulrike did her praying to the Great One in. On a stone podium was a large crystal ball. It was black except for a couple really big, bright lights that resembled stars. Ulrike turned to look at us once she'd reached the crystal ball.

"I am the one entrusted with guiding you to this world when you travel between here and Earth, and this shining light here is you. The one right next to it is your brother Yuri, and then these colored ones off to the side are His and Her Eminences. When you were on the verge of death, your star was so very dulled." Ulrike explained, giving me a sympathetic look. I just returned a smile to her.

"I see, but if you don't mind my asking, why were we called here? What was so urgent it required all our presences?" I asked, seeing Ulrike smile gently at us all.

"Good question. His Eminence would like to discuss something important with all of you." Ulrike explained, stepping back as Murata and Hisako stepped forward, serious expressions on their faces.

"Kazumi… You know that black mist that attacked at the festival?" Murata asked, making me gasp. I instantly didn't like this conversation. I looked down, remembering when I'd gone berserk and tried to kill them all.

"Yeah, I remember…" I muttered, feeling all eyes on me. I wanted to shrink away into a little hole.

"That was a part of the originators. You remember them from your studies, correct?" Hisako asked. I looked up, nodding. At least the subject had no chance of going to when I'd attacked them all now.

"The Originators were sealed away into the floors of four different sacred bodies of water. It's unknown even to me, which lakes and oceans these are, but one of them must have cracked. That's the only explanation for part of the originators escaping and attacking us." Murata finished explaining. I blinked, taking in what he'd said.

"But… if these seals on the ocean floors are cracking, what are we going to do?" I asked, seeing Hisako giggle.

"That's where you come in. You need to seal the cracks back up! Think of it as stuffing a blanket into an already filled closet! You compress it down and then slam the door shut!" Hisako explained. I raised a brow in disbelief. That was a pretty simple comparison, but was it actually that easy?

"Of course you won't be able to do any sealing until your injuries are healed of course. Go on your vacation, heal up, and when you get back, we'll have hopefully pinpointed the crack and then we can begin the sealing!" Murata finished, both of them smiling almost cunningly at me. I felt a sense of dread wash over me. If I failed, would I just end up breaking the seal? My magic also wasn't as easy to access as I wanted either.

"You'll be fine, sis! Remember, I'm training to be your knight, so I can protect you at all times! Go get better, and then I'll make sure nothing ever hurts you again!" Yuri stated, trying to encourage me. He must have felt my sense of dread.

"Kazumi? We should get going. Greta's waiting for us and so is the ship." Conrart stated, putting a hand on my shoulder as he began leading me away and out the Tomb of the Great One. I remained silent, staring at the floor as I let him lead me out. Conrart definitely noticed this.

"Kazumi? Are you afraid?" he asked, his hand gently squeezing my shoulder as he pulled me closer to him. I sighed sadly, leaning into him as we continued walking. The carriage stood outside, waiting for us. Once both of us were in and we had picked up Greta and our luggage, the carriage began taking us to the port. Greta was excited, sitting on the other side of me and hugging me gently while Conrart's arm was wrapped over my shoulder. He kept glancing down at me worriedly.

"Try not to think about the ritual so much. His and Her Eminence will walk you through it, so it won't fail. Have a little faith in them and in yourself." Conrart stated, leaning down and kissing the top of my head. I sighed, leaning my head on his chest as my arms wrapped around Greta, pulling her closer for a hug. She giggled contently, her head resting near my left breast, listening to my heartbeat. I felt my eyes get heavy as the slow, rocking rhythm of the coach lulled me to sleep.

Conrart

"Daddy? Mummy's fallen asleep." Greta stated, snapping me back to reality. I glanced down at her and then looked down at Kazumi who had fallen asleep half on me. Greta was still wrapped up in her arms, but she was looking directly up at me. I smiled gently, patting her head with my spare arm. She giggled in response happily.

"I know. Mummy's very tired. She needs her sleep to recover. Otherwise, she won't be healthy again. Let's let her sleep, shall we?" I asked, seeing Greta nod as she maneuvered herself out of Kazumi's embrace and sat herself on my lap. She looked up at me, giggling as she grabbed my spare arm, wrapping it around her so I was hugging the both of them to me. I couldn't help but let the smile form on my face. I had never thought I would end up with a fiancée or wife, or children of my own, but it happened. It happened even quicker than I expected.

"Daddy? Are you tired too?" Greta asked, giving me a worried look. I smiled gently down at her.

"No, I'm just grateful. I'm grateful to have your mother and you. Are you looking forward to going to the hot springs?" I asked, seeing Greta nod happily.

"Hot springs! Yay! Um… what're hot springs?" Greta asked, making me snicker quietly.

"Greta, hot springs are warm, bubble baths." I explained as best I could to someone of her age. She giggled in response, cheering happily. It really was adorable, seeing her get so excited for hot springs.

Once the carriage arrived at the harbor, a guard opened the door as Greta jumped out happily. I glanced down at Kazumi, seeing her unconscious against my arm. I smiled, picking her up carefully in my arms, and exited the coach. The guard looked worried for a second, but my smile must've washed away any fears he had. Greta ran up the ramp, jumping around in the ship happily. I followed suit, seeing her spin around, giggling.

"Yay! Big boat!" she exclaimed. I smiled again. She really did brighten our lives up so much. Greta hugged my leg tightly, looking up at me with an innocent smile, then ran off again. She began chatting with the soldiers and sailors on the ship happily, making them all laugh and smile.

"She really is almost like a little angel, isn't she?" asked a voice and I smiled instantly upon hearing it. I looked down, seeing Kazumi watching Greta dance with one of the sailors on the deck.

"She really is looking forward to this trip." I stated, seeing Kazumi smile up at me. I held her closer to me in my arms, knowing that was as tight as I could hold her without hurting her. I wanted to do so much more than just that though. I wanted to kiss her, show her how much I truly was in love with her, but not with these injuries she had. I would just end up hurting her.

"Mummy! Daddy! Watch me!" Greta shouted, twirling around on one foot for about ten seconds before falling flat on her face. The soldier who was nearby rushed to her immediately, but when Greta sat up, all she did was laugh. The soldier nearly fell to his knees in relief.

"So when does the ship dock?" Kazumi asked. I lowered her down, placing her on her feet. She stood, wincing at the pain in her chest, but she shrugged it off quickly.

"Not util tomorrow morning. So we'd best get our luggage in our rooms." I answered, grabbing our bags of luggage as Greta ran after us quickly. We entered our room, seeing one giant king sized bed. I sighed, knowing this must've been Mother's doing.

"We're… all sleeping on this one bed?" Kazumi asked, her voice twitching a little. Greta jumped on the bed, falling on her back happily.

"It's big enough to fit all of us, but did Mother really need to go to this extreme?" I asked, hearing Kazumi giggle.

"I guess she wants everyone to believe we're a happily married couple with a child…" she stated, sighing at the end.

"Speaking of weddings, when is Lady Celi's and Raven's again?" She asked, turning to look at me. I gave her a smile.

"Next week. Don't worry, you'll be all healed before then. Now, we should probably get to sleep." I explained, seeing Greta falling asleep on the bed already.

By the time we sorted out how we were sleeping, we were already exhausted. Kazumi slept on one side, I slept on the other side, and Greta had plonked herself in the middle. She had also demanded to hold one of our hands in either of hers as well, so Kazumi and I linked our spare hands together over her. This was how we were going to sleep apparently.

"Conrart… I'm scared about the ritual. What if I mess up because I can't use my powers properly?" I heard Kazumi's voice ask from the other side of the bed. I propped myself up a bit, looking at her. She really did look worried. I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, your powers are incredible. They always answer you when you truly need them, so fear not and focus on getting better first, okay?" I stated, seeing her smile gratefully. Her eyes began closing sleepily, so I lay back down, feeling my own eyes getting heavy. We had a big day ahead of us tomorrow again, so we'd need all the sleep we could get.