* * *
Looks like he’d planned to jump in if I was in danger.
But realizing I didn’t need any help must’ve caught him off guard.
“How did you even find this place?”
Relieved, I looked around again.
This wasn’t just a typical ogre hideout.
Anyone paying attention could tell—they were preparing to attack the city.
Even siege weapons like catapults, something monsters usually wouldn’t bother with, were ready.
There weren’t any other obvious clues, but it was clear someone had been orchestrating this.
“I stumbled upon it by chance and was observing how to handle them.”
We climbed back up the hill to where the horses were.
Even though I clearly proved I could ride on my own, Klen still checked for injuries before helping me onto the horse.
There was only one horse, so riding together was inevitable.
But why did I have to sit in the front?
“By chance, you say?”
“By chance.”
“…”
Don’t tell me… Did he ditch the job Fabian entrusted him with and wander around aimlessly?
He has this cold, calculating nature, yet somehow he’s lazy.
I wonder which came first—his hatred of becoming a Count, or his laziness?
Maybe his constant act of being indifferent was more about the latter.
“So, when you said you wanted to win the hunting competition, I figured this was perfect timing.”
“W-Wait… You don’t mean…”
“I was planning to bring you here once you got bored wandering that forest.”
Apparently, the appearance of the gargoyle had thrown off his plans.
The ogres were supposed to be the big finale.
And not just one or two—we hunted down so many it was practically guaranteed.
But defeating the gargoyle and then wiping out the ogre horde?
That wasn’t just winning the tournament, it would become a major event.
The noble society would be buzzing for weeks.
No, even taking down the ogres alone would be a massive incident.
“So, how do we handle this?”
If word got out that I did this, there’d be no hiding anymore.
But if Klen took credit, his reputation as a lazy, incompetent noble would crumble too.
One of us had to break character.
Yet, Klen calmly nudged the horse forward at a leisurely pace.
The horse, who had made such a fuss earlier, now seemed to accept its master, trotting obediently.
“Why would I need to bother with that?”
“…What?”
I tilted my head, wondering if I heard him right.
“Someone… a hero showed up, wiped out the ogres, and disappeared. Why should I care beyond that?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m just a man, enjoying a ride with my lovely wife, aren’t I?”
No one knew we came this way.
Even if they found the clean cuts and wounds, no one would suspect Levatein.
We just had to pretend ignorance.
There wasn’t a soul capable of connecting this incident to us.
At least, not in this territory.
“Pfft—”
I bit my lip, but laughter still spilled out.
I’d never left the aftermath so sloppily before.
Is he used to doing this?
Maybe Klen’s behind every strange incident that’s happened around here.
Neigh!
The horse, slowly walking, couldn’t contain its energy and sped up.
Klen didn’t stop it, knowing full well I could handle it.
With my body fully recovered, everything felt different.
The wind brushing past wasn’t sharp—it was refreshing.
Honestly, I almost regretted seeing the city walls drawing nearer.
Once we entered, I’d have to resume the act.
A sudden curiosity sparked in me.
I had to ask before we crossed the gate, while I could get a real answer.
“You’ll keep my secret too… won’t you?”
Judging from our conversation, he had no intention of exposing me, but better to be sure.
A quiet laugh echoed from behind me.
“We’ll keep each other’s secrets.”
The warmth behind me leaned in closer.
My heart gave a small, nervous thump.
And for a moment, I thought… maybe his heartbeat was a little faster too.
Klen spoke as if the two of us were holding each other’s weaknesses hostage.
But that wasn’t true. If we were to reveal each other’s secrets, how many people would actually believe me?
Perhaps no one at all.
No matter how unreliable he seemed, this was still Valuncio’s territory.
In fact, there was a higher chance they’d pin some ridiculous accusation on me instead.
“Then why have you kept your mouth shut until now? Is there a reason you haven’t told anyone?”
Klen always acted genuinely concerned whenever I pretended to collapse or fall ill.
He even went to the healer himself to get medicine, didn’t he?
That’s why I couldn’t tell if he had fallen for it completely or not.
“Isn’t it the same for you?”
“…?”
“You seemed to want people to see you that way, so I played along. Adrian, isn’t that why you’ve kept quiet all this time too?”
“Well, I mean…”
It’s true—no one would’ve believed me even if I’d spoken up.
But the fact is, I hadn’t even tried.
Because deep down, I wanted him to appear that way.
‘But I can’t exactly claim I did it purely for his sake.’
The truth is, leaving things as they were made it easier for Klen to stay away from the title and position.
“Did you have any real reason to help me?”
I knew what answer would come, yet the words slipped out of my mouth on their own.
This was the same man who’d practically smirked when he heard I was in poor health—saying it was the perfect excuse to avoid troublesome matters.
“Because of the oath made under the name of the gods… the only person you can rely on, having left everything behind and come alone to a foreign land, is me.”
“…?!”
I couldn’t help but be surprised.
His answer was completely different from what I expected, and his tone was serious.
Usually, when he wasn’t putting on an act, his voice carried a sharp, icy edge—but now, it wasn’t cold at all.
It seemed Klen was taking this whole situation much more seriously than I thought, and that he genuinely considered me his partner.
As we neared the fortress walls, slowing our pace so the guards could see us, neither of us spoke.
The silence stretched awkwardly as we rode back toward the stables.
My chest tingled strangely, and I couldn’t stop noticing the warmth surrounding me.
The stablehand, spotting us from afar, rushed out to greet us with a bright smile and a bow.
“You’re back! …Huh?”
But his eyes soon widened in shock.
Klen wasn’t handling the horse as skillfully as he had outside, and though the horse had calmed, there was no hiding the evidence.
After all, you can’t exactly teach a horse to fake its behavior.
Once we dismounted, the stablehand pretended to inspect the horse while sneaking me a question.
“You didn’t fall off, did you?”
“I’m fine. No problems at all.”
“That’s a relief.”
He sighed with visible relief and, though puzzled, led the horse away.
Even as the horse snorted softly, content, the stablehand seemed suspicious about how this temperamental creature had suddenly turned docile.
Thanks to that, he failed to notice how someone supposedly too frail to ride was standing perfectly fine on his own.
“Let’s head back.”
“Yes.”
We returned to our room before the stablehand’s curiosity could grow any stronger.
* * *
