Emperor's harem: Transmigrated with SSS mana talent
Chapter 101: [Summoning]

Chapter 101: [Summoning]

The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue—too peaceful for a day like this.

Kael stood quietly at the entrance of his manor, hands behind his back, watching the horizon.

The air was crisp, the kind of morning that could almost fool one into thinking nothing was wrong.

Above, Yue hovered lazily, her eyes scanning for the rest of the group.

"No one here yet," she called down, "They’re late."

In front of him, the carriage waited, the horses pawing at the ground restlessly. Kael glanced to the side.

There, by the fountain, the Divine General—his uncle—was feeding birds with a scowl on his face and a bowl of seeds in his hand.

The man looked like a general forced into retirement.

Or worse—into administration.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

The old man had been burdened with both the duchy’s affairs and training the troops ever since Kael and Selene decided to go devil-hunting.

A noble cause, yes. But to the Divine General, it was hell on paper.

He kept mumbling under his breath and shooting Kael looks that could curdle milk.

Kael stared back blankly. "Being dramatic again," he muttered under his breath.

He didn’t feel guilty.

Not much, anyway.

Lyra and Riven had asked to be dropped off at the church. They had friends there. It was a safe enough place—and Kael didn’t stop them.

Let them have their sanctuary.

Then came the voice.

"Kael!"

He turned, and for a moment—even time seemed to hesitate.

Selene stepped out from the manor. But she wasn’t in her usual layers of flowing robes and ceremonial fabric.

Instead, she wore a short, tailored battle-dress, snug at the waist and light on fabric.

Practical. Mobile.

Beautiful.

Kael froze.

Selene walked with a bounce in her step, clearly excited.

"Everything’s packed. I even brought snacks!"

She was glowing, practically bouncing like this was a spring outing.

Kael stared.

Speechless.

Selene noticed. Her steps faltered slightly.

"What?" she asked, flustered. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He didn’t answer. But his eyes said plenty.

Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly looked away—yet the corners of her lips curled upward.

She was happy.

Kael took her hand and gently pulled her closer.

Selene’s eyes fluttered, a flush rising on her cheeks.

"W-What are you doing? Everyone’s watching..."

Kael glanced around.

The maids and staff quickly turned their heads, pretending to focus on anything else. Not a single soul dared to meet his eyes.

He looked back at Selene, voice low but firm.

"You’re really looking beautiful today."

Selene laughed, playfully pushing his chest.

"Careful, Duke. Flirting so early in the morning? What will the kingdom think?"

Their quiet banter lingered in the morning air—until Yue coughed sharply above, her tone dry.

"They’re coming."

Kael turned his head just slightly, and in that heartbeat, Selene slipped from his grasp with a teasing smile.

He watched her go, lips curling in a resigned smirk.

Soon, Kael noticed a line of ten carriages rolling steadily toward the estate gates.

He raised an eyebrow—So many? Clearly, the War God Temple and the Nightgoddess Church were taking this "devil hunt" seriously.

Haa... quite the force, Kael thought, watching dust rise behind the convoy.

One of the front carriages stopped, and Eiden stepped out with a calm air of command. He approached Kael and greeted him with a slight nod.

Kael returned it. "So, how many did they send?"

Eiden’s lips curled slightly with pride. "Twenty-five Rank 3s. Each. And one Rank 4 elder from both sides."

Kael kept his face neutral, but inwardly—Where the fuck did these Rank 4 elders come from?

"They’re still inside," Eiden added.

"Contemplating spells. They won’t move unless things get...

Out of control."

Kael simply nodded again, eyes flicking toward the lead carriages.

"Let’s go," Eiden said, voice steady.

Kael and Selene were just about to step into their carriage when a window slid open from one of the front ones.

Elara sat inside, graceful and composed, her gaze sharp.

"Kael," she greeted with a sweet smile, eyes shifting to Selene with clear irritation.

"Why are you not riding with your future wife?"

The words hung in the air like a blade.

Selene opened her mouth, clearly about to refuse—but Kael, eyes narrowing slightly as if catching on to something, nodded.

"Okay. Why not?"

Elara’s smile deepened.

Eiden, watching the scene from the corner of his eye, clenched his jaw slightly.

His face remained calm, but Kael didn’t miss the flicker of jealousy in his eyes.

"Oh, good," Eiden said, too brightly, and turned toward his own carriage.

Kael watched him leave with a quiet exhale, then gently took Selene’s hand and stepped into Elara’s carriage.

Yue followed from above.

Soon, the convoy rolled forward—ten carriages bound for Duskwitter Forest, and a destination none of them truly understood.

***

Inside the carriage, Kael watched through the window as commoners bowed and stepped aside.

Their eyes were full of awe, fear, and hope—products of yesterday’s announcement that a divine investigation was being launched into Duskwitter Forest, searching for the cause behind the disappearances and unnatural events.

Kael’s tone was quiet but edged.

"How did you convince them the devil would just sit in the forest and wait to be surrounded like some idiot?"

Elara, resting her chin in her hand, gave a sly smile.

"You really don’t know what a Godsbreaker Mark means, do you?"

He frowned. "Hmm?"

Elara said, "It’s a mark given only to those who’ve summoned, or nearly summoned, a forgotten god."

She sipped her tea, calm as ever.

Kael’s eyes widened. "What?"

He turned toward Yue, who was gazing out her own window, her expression unreadable.

"There are many ways to trigger it," Elara said, her voice low but steady.

"Ritual sacrifices, forbidden meditations, collecting cursed relics... and the most important part is—it can’t be stopped once it begins."

Kael stared at her, stunned.

"So you just told them the devil was behind some summoning in the forest... and tied the disappearances to that?"