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She puffed her cheeks and tried to focus on the rhythm of her father's footsteps.
“Father, must we go?”
“Ha, we must, little one.”
“Your father's right, Lina,” her mother said, fingers adjusting the clasp of Litana's cloak around her dress.
Her parents smiled, but their eyes lingered giving their daughter a familiar curious look.
‘She's so hesitant to go anywhere crowded, where there's many individuals present,’ her father thought, the words forming in Litana's mind. ‘…She's always been a strange little one.’
Then her mother's thoughts were gentle, but laced with worry.
‘Is she scared?’
She breathed, but shook her head.
‘…That might be part of it, but there's definitely something else doing on. I wonder what’s causing her to act in such a manner.’
Litana always acted in a manner they couldn't understand. She always either listened with an intensity that felt adult like, and with caution that’s quite extreme for a child. And her reactions in situations often made no sense at all. No child should behave that way.
It worried them greatly. There was always constant worry that was shared between their shared glances.
Litana blinked between them, clutching mother's sleeve.
“You don't have to say it,” she said in a whisper. “I already know.”
Her father froze, meanwhile her mother raised an eyebrow in question.
Her father spoke slowly, tense.
“What do we know, sweetheart?”
Litana slowly shook her head, a pout reaching her lips.
“That you think I'm strange. And mother's worried. And that you both think I should eat less bread.”
Her mother blinked.
“Less, what?”
“Bread.”
Litana said firmly, as the matter needed no further explanation.
“Ah.”
Litana's parents gave each other a look again.
A silent conversation passed between her parents in a single look. Her father coughed into his hand nervously.
He spoke up again.
“…Well, ah, that's impressive memory you have.”
There was a long pause, but soon enough Litana started speaking again.
“Um, you know… I could hear you.”
Litana saw that her parents were paying attention, and went on.
Litana’s smile wobbled.
“In my head, I don't need to try at all. I just hear you and what you think. I hear everything.”
Her parents froze for a third time, sharing a look again in a stunned silence. The kind that would make a child suspicious. Her father had his mouth shaped into a thin line, and her mother face slowly changed expressions from stock, to understanding, then stark alarm.
“What?”
Litana asked, glancing between them.
“Ah, well…”
Her father started off, but her mother cut him off with a sign. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
“…Lina, dear, please. You mustn't tell anyone. Not a soul, understand?”
Litana started at her mother expression and flinched. The air had grown cold and heavy.
After a few moments, she nodded fiercely after sensing the change in the mood that even a child could detect.
Her father cleared his throat.
“Yes, what your mother said. Not the tutors, not the advisors. Not a single soul. Do you understand?”
She said quickly, “I understand! I won’t!”
After saying that, she looking forward and paused for moment.
She then started fidgeting with her finger, she looked back at her parents and deemed it was fine to continue.
“But it's always been here. I hear…”
As Litana spoke both of her parents frowned, sadness flickering across their faces.
It's not like they didn't come to suspect such a thing. They knew she was unusual and how she acts, spouting things like she already knew. Although their daughter tend to avoid it, and this was the first time she actually said something.
“…Is something… wrong?”
She paused, asking quietly after looking at their expressions.
“No, no,” her mother said, voice soft but tight. “No, love. We just need to be careful with you. You must learn control.”
“Is that so?” Litana spoke.
Her father nodded and spoke out, “You are quite special, my daughter. Perhaps the only one in the world with such an ability.”
“Really?”
But, Litana knew that. She had learned from a mistake made from before.
“Really.”
They shared a brief, silent thought. A wish that passed through them both like a breath: It would be best if she used it for good.
“I'll use it for good!”
Litana declared brightly, trying to fill in the strange worry between them.
Her parents smiled, but worry still lingered their eyes.
“Yes,” her father said gently. “Good.”
When she was born, all she could hear was noise. Layers of voices crowded her head before she could even learn what a word was.
She saw a man and woman lean over her, both with long hair and smiles that seem so bright. Thoughts continued to pass through her mind without second thought.
It never stopped.
It was too much for her, her head was too full of everything. She cried at the spot.
Being so little, she thought everyone lived liked this. With too many thoughts aside from her own, inside one small little head.
As she learned to speak, the noise changed. Syllables shaped her in mind, and syntax separated from one another. The thoughts that passed through her mind became a sentence. The more languages she learned, the more the thoughts sounded more like people.
It truly was disgusting.
Who would give someone such an ability and call it a gift?
Someone else's thoughts was a way to give someone privacy. She didn’t like that she could hear those very thoughts.
She heard some kind, and some ugly thoughts. This ability brought meaning to what people really thought. The fact that someone's smile could mean something else entirely.
And being announced as the proclaimed heir made the situation seen through a different perspective. To her, it meant in a lot of ways she would never have peace.
Her own voice was always surrounded by others.
It made her head feel crowded at all times. It was like too many people talking in a tiny room, but it was in her head.
But still, she did like being near her parents. Their thoughts were nicer than most.
She held onto the promise she made to them. As she got older, she understood why they were so consistent about keeping it a secret.
It's a disturbing thing that she has no choice, but to hold onto. If it disrupts herself, she thinks about how much it would disturbs others.
She had many questions, especially ones that no one would ever answer.
Why her? Why this ability? Why…
She didn't understand.
She researched the Gods to the best of her ability. The Sun God, God of Death, God of War, and any of the others in record. Surely, it was one of them who did this to her?
But researching only made things more confusing. It only made up contradictions to her search. If it was a blessing, it felt like a punishment. And if it was a curse, it lacked the sender's mark.
A curse without a curser?
Her brows furrowed.
‘…Ha!’
“…Those damn bastards.” she muttered, the words slipping out before she could stop them.
Then she caught herself, she exhaled through her nose. She became completely composed and turned her glaze upwards.
And then she slipped into a tried half-smile.
“Well,” she said, her voice dry, “It's not like I'm a saint or holy maiden, I suppose it was never meant to make sense.”
It was ironic to her. She could hear every thought of man, woman, and other races, but not animals.
It would have been nice to hear Ten, still, it gives a sense of comfort. Her mind finally found a harbor.
It was the only proof she had that peace was still possible.
She grew older, things started to change, but the voices were the same. She learned to not try to stop them.
She eventually became used to it and learned to block out voices. In all honesty, there would always be voices passing through her mind, but it came down to whether her mind ignored those voices. It was a matter of attention and what she paid attention too.
This forced perspective made her see the similarities, but differences in people's thoughts. It was equally fascinating as it was heartbreaking. It made her see people completely differently.
Especially nobles.
Growing up in a kingdom where the hierarchy was unique compared to most, if not, all the kingdoms on the Western Continent have already given her a complicated view of power. But actually meeting with nobles, and having this ability made her have a completely different understanding and view of nobles.
It was interesting to see how much their minds were at war. She guesses how much truth and falsehood blended in to each other, until you could not tell the difference.
She believed it was extremely human.
And against her will, it made her feel pity for them.
Believe it or not, nobles were hiding layers of greed. It wasn't unbelievable in the first place, but they were also hiding pride, fear, regret, longing, and fondness.
When she was a child, this ability was a tool to helped with her studies. It helped her learn and adapt faster than others.
When she became Queen of the Jungle, it became her greatest weapon and curse. She could sense deception before it even reached her ears, so this ability really did helpher solidify her position. And recently, helped in unifying the fifteen tribes under her rule. She used this ability to help her understand and change the gap between doubt and faith.
But, this ability cannot help with everything. How can it help with something that has no conscious thought?
Before her, there was a fire that stayed in place for without spreading. It was nether a good or bad thing. It was alive that made everyone uneasy.
It wasn't anything she's seen before. Who would plant such a thing?
She looked to her left as a general had companioned her. His thoughts were loud and frantic, to which that was beneath the calm exterior.
Litana smiled faintly.
“A solution will come soon, hm?”
Her tone was gentle and firm.
He blinked, his panic thoughts still loud but seemingly to quiet down a bit. That was based on what she said.
“…Your majesty.”
He gave a stiff nod, shaking eyes looking at the fire.
They stood there for a moment before Litana turned her glaze.
Litana knew the answer was not here.
She should have known that she would've gotten lost. This is what wishful thinking can lead us here.
It had been two weeks since she and her subordinates had gotten stuck in the ‘Path of No Return.’
Outside the cave they were in was only rain and the sound of it.
“…I'm sorry.”
Litana said, her voice audible over the downpour.
“There's no need to apologize, your highness!”
“Leader, no need!”
She could hear that they were urging her through their tongues and mind.
But after seeing their condition she couldn’t help, but believe it was her fault. The fact that they even ended up here wasn't good, and she knew what they were scared about.
They might die.
She was angry at herself. she looked and touched the glass bottle in her chest pocket. A portion of that fire was inside the bottle.
‘If nothing else works, I'll…’
Her thoughts were cut short. Litana's eyes widened.
She hears other people's thoughts coming near.
Her subordinates peeked that reaction and before they could ask, Litana's hand wrapped around her spear, and the others silently did to. A moment later, the sound of squelching footsteps became clear.
One of her subordinates acted instantly, pressing the tip of the spear to the stranger's throat.
“Who are you?”
The fire lit his face faintly. He had a trembling kitten close to his chest.
“Ah, you see.”
He paused, and said something else with an awkward, strained smile.
“…I saw some light and headed over with joy.”
He swallowed hard, glancing at the spear that's close to his skin. He asked cautiously, “If it's okay, may I sit by your fire tonight?”
Litana slightly narrowed her eyes. Just him and the kitten?
She heard three voices in her mind, not two.
Suspicion curled in her chest and started to speak.
“Get him a blanket.”
Still, she spoke with authority of a queen who had been taught her entire life not to abandon the weak.
They obeyed.
The third voice was childish. That voice continued to echo inside in her head. But she ignored it.
The man was still shaking.
“Thank you very much.”
The interaction was interesting.
It was a noble who knew a lot about the south, herself included. His thoughts somewhat match his words, but actions definitely did not.
His thoughts spoke of her identity with confidence, which evidently lead to how he knew of her location. Whether that was problem was yet to be determined, honestly.
All the while, two child's voices chattered in her mind continuously. One was visible, the other was not. She ignored it. She had no intention of adding “mysterious child” to her list of problems.
She chatted with the red haired man and sat calmly throughout the conversation until she heard one thought that was passing through her mind.
‘However, he knew the identity of this fire.’
Litana flinched. She internally winced and cursed at herself for reacting in such a way before turning her full attention on the man.
Judging by the man's brief glance and thoughts, he caught it.
But, she couldn't dwell too much on her slip because of what was said next.
‘A fire that could not be put out through magic or incarnations.’
‘The answer was alchemy.’
‘…’
Ah. Then if was who she suspected, then it would make things a bit complicated.
‘The Empire with the Alchemist's Bell Tower was the one who caused this fire.’
‘To be more accurate, it is the imperial prince of the Mogoru Empire.’
This time she controlled her reaction. It was a skill of hearing truths she must never acknowledge. It more steadily this time because she knew what she was expecting, and she didn't want to initially show a reaction in situation like this.
Believe it or not, one of the worst things about this power is acting accordingly to every situation.
When every instinct to react, or strike something, she had to sit still and pretend that she was simply listening to a normal conversation.
It was a valuable piece of information.
There were a lot of things she would need to consider now.
Her eyes were strained on the man's back. Her and subordinates followed along all while being lead through.
Based on his intentions, it seemed like he truly wanted to help. She was extremely thankful towards the man. He just wanted a few things in return for help, which was fine.
She thought this before, but the noble man was a weird one.
He knew a lot of information about herself. A lot of it was correct, but then was some confusion with her character her beliefs and what she valued. Hm, how intriguing.
He also knew a lot of information overall. He knew about information about a few high ranking individuals, which felt incredibly too suspicious.
(…Well. Not so much when it came down to the information about Crown Prince Alberu. The young man who introduced himself as ‘Cale’, who came from the Roan Kingdom, after all.)
…But is she even allowed to have suspicions?
Hm.
Even so, Litana didn't intend to act rashly. Her father always told her to wait and to see the person intentions before judging them. With her ability, it was far too easy to make assumptions of people. She should only act if something felt fundamentally wrong, or if there was immediate danger.
He, too, had knowledge about future events that were to happen. There were mentions of partnerships, conflicts, and this one shaman. It made her think…
‘Human! Are we going to the jungle now? You absolutely can't get hurt while getting rid of the fire! Absolutely! I will not allow it!’
Ahem.
That child's voice again.
She cleared her throat discreetly, and kept walking.
She would have to check on the information regarding the shaman and the Imperial Prince Adin. It did require an investigation on her behalf.
As a royal, she absolutely could not trust information blindly.
Still, her mind wandered. Where did her get all this information from? Especially from events in the future?
He did say something about a novel…
But he read it? Does that necessarily make sense?
‘…Ha,’ she scoffed at own thoughts and doubts.
If she was cursed with the ability to hear people's thoughts…
Then wasn't it possible someone else might bore a different ability of their own?
It wasn't like she could say anything much about it either. The Vow of Death she made with her parents a decade ago about people secrets had conditions she had to follow.
Was there a way to unhear things?
Ugh. Those bastards!
Litana wanted to grit her teeth and cuss out the Gods again.
Up ahead, Cale, the noble slowed and without turning around and said.
“Careful. The floor gets slippery here.”
Litana looked forward a bit more. Cale had said it in a friendly tone.
Then she heard something else pass through her mind.
She exhaled slowly and continued to walk.
After they exchanged a few more words, she heard more thoughts drift into her mind. Obviously, many of those thoughts were overlapping.
“Miss Lina, we are almost at Hoik Village.”
She kept walking forward and multiple thoughts drifted through her mind. It was the murmur of new minds ahead, and strangers that overlapped the thoughts of those around her.
She continued on.
“We are almost there.”
Yes, she could tell.
The sudden influx of unfamiliar thoughts told her everything. She looked ahead, saw Young Master Cale and the kitten part the last of the fog, and the pale outline of Hoik Village started to appear.
There was instant relief among her and her subordinates, she could hear it.
She could see the kitten that was in sir Cale's arms run towards another kitten.
And there were three individuals near the entrance, a black haired, red haired and orange haired individual. The three individuals have thoughts filled with relief. There were also several villagers gathered outside the inn.
The villagers thoughts were extremely heavy. She heard many thoughts that were filled with sadness, grief, shock, and quiet mournings.
It was expected and made sense. She already knew of the situation in Hoik village before coming here, even though she had arrived through a different path and direction.
She kept her expression neutral, and tried her hardest not to frown at the thoughts and storming emotions passing through her mind.
Soon after, the joined parties began their urgent rush towards the Jungle. The journey took several tense days.
The man truly was a man of his word.
And he has a way of words, too.
Based on young master Cale's thoughts, and how the others were, it seemed like he was actually acting this whole time.
She didn't necessarily care or mind, he was a man who helped her kingdom immensely, and there was much appreciation to be had. But at the same time she grew a bit curious about it.
And her attention had also been caught by Rosalyn, the former heir of the Breck Kingdom. This was the most recent information coming from the Breck Kingdom. Under normal circumstances, Litana doubted she would have ever noticed her. That is, if she didn't have this ability of hers. She's fair too occupied with the affairs of her own kingdom, after all.
From the beginning, they did identify each other, but that's that.
Hmm.
Litana looked out the window, Ten's head rested comfortably on her lap.
Night had already fallen. The celebrations over Section 1 and the fire being put out were over. The citizens were reassured and all the previous chaos had lessened. Still, Section 1 demanded attention still now and in the future. There was work that could not be postponed and responsibilities that could not be ignored.
She glanced down at Ten, and spoke softly.
“…Shall I go take a peek, Ten?”
Ten tilted her head, clearly confusion. One of her subordinate in the room stiffened slightly. His thoughts were flickering with uncertainty and concern about the aftermath of Section 1.
Litana turned back around, turning her glaze back outside. Section 1 was close, close enough where it wouldn't take long to get to her destination.
She remembered it clearly.
'In the novel, a shaman from the Eastern continent will end up putting out the fire in about a month. The shaman goes over to the shore to gather some sea water when he happens to find a gold ore.'
‘That gold ore was just the tip of this, ‘Magic Stone’ mound.’
‘It wasn't a full mine, but just a pile of buried Magic Stones of the highest quality.’
She decided to push aside the phrase—‘in the novel.’ She didn't want to dwell on things that would only raise more questions than answers.
Instead, she focused on something else.
Did her ancestors…?
‘…’
Honestly, it didn't make much sense to her.
Even dating back to ancient times, her kingdom had never been particularly advanced in technology when it came to magic. The Jungle obviously understood basics, nothing more or nothing less.
So why would an ancestor leave a bunch of magic stones along the Shoreline of Section 1?
It made sense that no one would discover it until the forest was burned down and it was found during the aftermath. No one would ever go digging out there otherwise. Nature was one of things the kingdom cherish and protected after all.
And there's a lot of wealth made from magic stones. It didn't make sense to abandon such a thing unless it had been done deliberately. Though, was that really that plausible?
Though, Litana wasn't particularly interested in the magic stones. If anything, she felt hesitant to even look.
Her kingdom had enough wealth, and magic was not the foundation of her kingdom.
And there was another matter. Her actions and how she acted after hearing someone's thoughts mattered. It may be too much for her to say, but it was inherently dangerous.
Her parents were the only ones who knew. They still treated her the same, but they were frightened for her. They were so adamant about nobody ever knowing. There were many warnings of “not telling a single soul”, during her childhood.
It made them hesitant about her position, especially since she was in the highest position in her kingdom. And it was the reason why she made Vow of Death during her late teens to early twenties with her parents.
If word ever spread that Queen Litana could hear thoughts of others whenever she pleased.
She shuddered and rubbed her forehead.
This is a power anyone would desire and dread. Anyone would find it extremely desirable. One the other hand, it would cause many emotions of disturbance and even hatred.
It was a power anyone would want, and no one should have.
She could imagine what it would invite, what it would do to her, and her kingdom.
If she had given a choice, she would have chosen ignorance and never look back.
Without hesitation! …Of course!!!
People thought without restraint, quite literally without mercy. She has heard the utter most heinous things.
It made sense.
And what could she do about it?
The power had been forced upon her from birth. There was no current solution to get rid of these powers.
She couldn't just seize the collar of a God and demand answers, even if she wanted to.
Litana bit her lip, and breathed deeply. She took another breath and then stood up. She looked down at Ten, smiled slightly and got up. Ten followed immediately, padding behind her.
One of her subordinates hesitated.
“…Your highness?”
Litana paused only long enough to speak.
“I'll be back shortly,” her glazed was steady when she turned. “Stay here.”
Litana eyes widened so widely and Ten's eyes nearly left his face.
What was in her hands was patted back down into the ground and then she patted her own face.
She fix Ten up too.
“Let's just ignore it, Ten.”
‘I'll handle the mess by morning.’
She looked at the digging up ground, then turned away.
It was the next morning.
“Miss Lina, I wish to go there.”
She knew exactly what he meant. He wanted to go to the shoreline in Section 1. Which was more than fine with her.
What took long was deciding how to compensate him. She debated for a bit on whether to give a bill, or land for his help. The man seemed to like money, though not shown outwardly. That impression came from… her ability.
In the end, she settled on land to appropriately compensate him. Money could be negotiated later.
The conversation dragged on as they went around compensation, contracts, and documents. Even if the man in front of her was acting, Litana wasn't shameless enough to accept help without repayment. She does things according and gives back to those who have helped her.
Litana looked forward, she wants to ask because she still didn't know.
“Mr. Cale, may I know your family name?”
For a brief moment…
“I just wish to leave quietly. Let's forget about what happened yesterday and look towards the future.”
Liana shook her head.
“…You really aren't giving me anyway to pay you back.”
He was determined, as he was very adamant about leaving soon. There was things she could do still, but couldn’t if he left her kingdom first and was in a hurry.
Then she heard his thoughts.
‘In Cale's opinion, there was no need to pay him back. Nothing she could give would be worth more than the magic stones.’
‘They were not low or mid-grade magic stones but a load of highest grade stones. They were all refined as well.’
“…Ho.”
Litana smiled slightly, but didn't explain herself.
Meanwhile, Cale felt chills run down his back. It was the second time during this conversation. First when she asked about his family and now. He couldn't figure out why she was smiling.
‘What the…’
She simply turned away.
…
‘What the hell was that?’
She just called for Ten, despite knowing young master Cale was scared of Ten.
Ten seemed to like Cale a lot, and wanted to meet Cale again. She seemed oddly fond of the noble.
“Ten here really wants to guide you, Mr. Cale. You can ride him if you wish to.”
He could ride on Ten if he wished to, or use a horse. It didn't matter either way. It wouldn't be a token of appreciation if the other party didn't appreciate it.
Soon all the preparations were done for Cale's group to head towards the Section 1 shoreline.
“Have a safe trip,” Litana said. “Thanks for everything. I hope everything goes smoothly.”
Cale didn't know why she emphasized on that last part.
“…It was nothing.”
“Then, see you again next time.”
Based on everything and everyone's thoughts, however there wouldn't be a next time. At least, not one both parties would enjoy.
Litana personally hoped to meet Cale again. He's a pretty interesting character, reasonable in his way, and someone who was helped her and her kingdom.
‘What a terrible thought.’
She knew it.
‘If he was to see Litana again, there was a very good chance that it would be on the battlefield. That's why Cale had no desire to see her ever again.’
Litana pondered, thoughtfully. Though, it didn't necessarily appear externally.
Mhm.
That sounded about right. Especially considering the Empire and more specifically, Crown Prince Adin.
She had to look into that shaman on the Eastern continent. So there's that, too.
Cale started moving forward, heading forward towards the shoreline in Section 1. That was before looking at the expression on Queen Litana's face.
‘…Isn't Litana a bit different than how she was in Birth of a Hero?’
He frowned.
He questioned this because of how she acted and their conversations.
And based on what Rosalyn had to say about her.
‘…Let's just ignore it.’
It wasn't like he planned on meeting Queen Litana again anyway.
(Future Cale would deeply regret this decision.)