Shadowless Night

Chapter 1:

Translated by Wook

Edited by Iris Sakura

Read carefully before you start.

The naming system in this novel is a bit unique. I believe the author has adopted the Chinese naming system. For those of you who read Chinese novels, you know that Chinese names are weird if translated literally, the easiest example would be; Xiao Bai, lit. Little White.

At first I thought they’re just titles, but they’re not.

Our main character’s first name in this novel is Rosaline/Roselyn/Roselin or the variations of those but I settle with Rosaline, while her last name is ‘of Red Wheel’.

For convenient purposes for me and especially the readers, I’ve decided to ‘rename’ the surnames a bit. I will insert a footnote of their literal names so as to not make you curious or to make it easier for you if you want to try reading using their literal names.

Before coming to this decision, I’ve translated Chapter 1 and consulted with a few other translators (we made fun of the names, actually :kek:), I hope to receive your feedback on whether we should continue or just go back to using their literal names.

Now, enjoy the story.

Rosaline Radwiell. She was the only one whose body they never found.

[Rosaline Radwiell: Rosaline of Red Wheel]

As the days passed, the sharp increase in the numbers of various wild animals and beasts had been a problem for many people. Subjugation squads were dispatched to Vista several times a year by Count Drythorne, but even so, their numbers persisted. Even well-trained knights could not last more than a few days because of the uneven mountain landscape. However, the biggest problem was that the monsters had lots of places to hide. Whenever they were close to dealing with them, the beasts would just creep out and run amok again.

[Count Drythorne: Count of Withered/Dried Thorn]

One day, after the hunters and subjugators returned to Count Drythorne, a beast in the shape of a wild boar with an enormous horn devastated the village below the mountain. Apparently, it had come down to the village because of the lack of prey caused by the subjugation mission. Before a knight under Count Drythorne killed it, the demonic beast had already eaten a skinny boy.

And so was the reason that the Imperial family organized a hunting competition in Vista. Many nobles, members of the Imperial family, and members of the Imperial knights took part in the hunting competition, which was held to calm the panicked public and to ensure the well-being of the Imperial family.

There were the Knights of the ‘White Night’ that belonged to the 2nd Prince; the 2nd Imperial Order ‘Foret’ Knights, who were escorting the 5th Prince; and the 4th Imperial Order ‘Spindrift’ Knights, ‘Drythorne’ Knights, and ‘Ironhoff’ Knights. Most of the Imperial armed forces were moved to such an extent that one would’ve thought a war was waging. The hunting competition went smoothly for a short period. There had been no casualties except for a few servants whose ankles were almost bent by the steep mountain pass.

[Foret Knights: Deep Forest Knights]

[Spindrift Knights: Water Spring/Spray Knights]

[Ironhoff Knights: Steel Hooves Knights]

Until the incident that happened on day 5 of the hunting competition. An assassination unit from Balta, a large kingdom bordering their Empire of Illavenia, invaded the mountain where the power of Illavenia was currently concentrated. Torches were lit one by one during the dark night, and the battle began. Although everyone had been disoriented for a while due to the surprise attack, as their vision cleared, the situation was turned around in an instant. Aside from the large difference in numbers, the Imperial force obviously could not be compared with a mere assassination unit.

The commotion gradually subsided as dawn approached. They had wiped out all the assailants, and the princes survived without a single scratch. However, the damage done to the allies was too high for them to be drunk of the joy of victory. Blood was splattered indiscriminately on the ground lit up by the morning sun. The dozens of assassins used poison and stealth to do as much damage as they could.

They could no longer continue the hunting competition, and the princes hurriedly returned to the palace. All the knights headed to the Empire’s capital, Tigard, to escort them, but a few remained to collect the wounded and dead.

The deputy commander of the Knights of the White Night was deceased. His lieutenant had to draw line after line over a list of knights. Fifteen people were injured, and seven people died. No, there were fourteen injured and eight dead. The doctor had just declared that one of the knights who had just been treated had died. The lieutenant could not hide his misery as he tried to find the name of the dead member so he could cross it out.

After about half a day, he’d divided the list to some extent. There were those who had left as escorts, those who were wounded, and those who had died. The lieutenant became aware that there was someone whose name was not included in any of those categories.

Rosaline Radwiell: the eldest daughter of Count Radwiell. She was a woman who had enough skill to join the Knights of the White Night. Although her strength was weak compared to the male knights, she was a person whom the late deputy commander cherished because of her sincere work ethic.

[Count Radwiell: Count of Red Wheel]

The lieutenant looked everywhere to check if her body had been misplaced by some other knights, but Rosaline’s dark hair was nowhere to be seen.

It was not until six days after the battle when a search party dispatched by Count Radwiell found her severely injured at the bottom of a cliff deep in the forest.

***

The mansion, lined with white cloth, was finally released from its long days of silence. The eldest daughter of Count Radwiell, who was supposed to have died in the battle that took place during the hunting competition, had returned alive. The white cloth, a sign of someone’s death, was half-hung on the wall, vague as to whether it was to be removed or not. There were more urgent tasks than collecting the cloth.

After a moment of turmoil outside, the mansion’s door opened, and a black-haired man came in with a hardened expression on his face.

“How’s Sister?”

“Welcome, young Lord. The young lady is in her room. The Ones Above have truly blessed us.”

They said that even though she had fallen from that high cliff, nothing was broken. However, there had been significant bleeding from large and minor wounds, and she had been running a high fever.

When Rosaline had just been discovered, somebody had even said that her life could not be guaranteed. Because of her critical condition, she could not immediately return to Radwiell County and had to be treated at Vista. The wounds gradually healed, but she had not opened her eyes during this whole time.

Count Radwiell wanted to prevent her death at all costs, and he ordered her to be transferred from Vista to the county. It should’ve been a strenuous journey for a patient’s body, but to everyone’s surprise, her consciousness returned the very next morning. ‘The young lady wanted to come home,’ thought the butler as he took out a handkerchief and wiped his tears away.

Calyx quickly climbed the stairs with a few servants and maids rushing after him. When he got to the floor, the county’s chubby doctor had just been leaving Rosaline’s room. He saw Calyx rushing up with a frown, and the doctor bowed his head in haste.

“What is my elder sister’s condition?”

“Ah, young Lord Calyx. Her fever has gone down… and she should be safe now…”

The way he stretched out his words was somewhat odd. Calyx looked at him with squinted eyes. The silence pressed heavily on the attending physician. Unable to bear the pressure any longer, he vomited out one more word.

“However…”

‘Why is he talking like that? So is she safe or not?’ Seeing Calyx’s ferocious expression, Basio, the doctor, darted his eyes back and forth. He usually sweated a lot, but at the moment, he was drenched as if he had been hit by rain.

‘The prognosis is not good.’ Calyx barely managed to keep his heart from racing.

“Is there something wrong with Sister?”

“A-About that.”

Calyx slammed the door open without listening to his words.

‘Even if we’re siblings, it is not polite to come in and out without permission, Calyx.’

He had often been scolded as a child because of such an act. However, at the moment, he was not relaxed enough to wait for permission from the owner of the room. The view of his sister sitting on the bed entered Calyx’s sight. She was staring at the door where there had been a sudden commotion.

She had a bandage on her arm and several small scratches on her face. Although her face was pale, she looked very healthy for someone who had been on the brink of death for days. Calyx sighed in relief. He had been worried about the strange behavior of Dr. Basio.

Calyx smoothed the wrinkles on his forehead and approached Rosaline. She looked only at Calyx’s face as he pulled the little chair by the bed and sat down. He was well aware of his sister’s serene personality, but it was a bit awkward when she still retained this nature as someone who had barely survived a tough battle. Even if they don’t hug each other and rejoice, she shouldn’t be so peaceful…

“Are you alright, Sister? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

There was a ticking sound of the clock hand. Even at Calyx’s question, she only blinked. The firmly-closed mouth showed no sign of opening.

“Sister?” In the slightly strange atmosphere, Calyx asked for an answer again.

His pretty peridot-colored eyes captured her image. Rosaline’s eyelids slowly lowered, then rose again before a harsh, low-pitched voice resounded as if proving the hardship she had gone through.

“You, alright. Any, where, uncomfort… able?”

Calyx suddenly straightened his body, which had been leaning towards her. His body instinctively responded to the sudden feeling of discomfort. Calyx frowned as if embarrassed by his actions and his eyes fluttered.

Rosaline was still staring at Calyx silently. Her eyes, which did not contain a single emotion, were chillier than usual. Calyx wiped his face a few times and forced out a smile. Anyone who saw him would know that he seemed bewildered, but his voice was calm and gentle.

“Get some rest, Sister. I have work to do, so I have to leave.”

“Get some… rest.”

“Yes. See you later.”

Calyx turned around and looked at the doctor. Basio followed Calyx as he left the room, all the while sweating profusely. The doors closed, and a terrifying silence descended over the area. Calyx pressed his hand around his eyes as if he was tired.

“This… What the hell is going on?”

Basio could hear the young lord’s teeth grinding. He couldn’t make eye contact with Calyx and only looked at his toes pitifully.

“What’s going on? You might as well tell me.”

Basio trembled violently. He barely cleared his trembling voice and told him his diagnosis.

She had fallen off a cliff and had hit her head heavily. There had also been heavy bleeding. She seemed to have lost her memory due to the weakened state of her mind and body. When older people get dementia, their cognitive functions may collapse, and the current situation seems similar to that.

“Dementia?” Calyx frowned. He didn’t like that the word ‘dementia’ was attached to the eldest daughter of the brilliant Count Radwiell.

Basio hastily responded to his words.

“The brain is such a delicate organ that it is difficult to grasp. I only wanted to explain the fact that a person’s cognitive function can be disrupted if there is a problem with the brain. It doesn’t necessarily mean that she has dementia.”