* * *
“…Huh?”
I looked up to see trees in front of me.
Not just one or two—quite a few.
I must’ve wandered close to the forest without realizing.
They say when you move unconsciously, you go to the place you like most or the one that lingers in your mind.
I guess, for me, it’s the forest.
The forest was quiet.
Peaceful.
All that could be heard were bugs chirping and small animals rustling.
Hardly a place for monsters.
“Adrian, the forest entrance isn’t a bad choice. It’s actually safer than other places. Knights patrol here regularly.”
“……”
“There wouldn’t be any dangerous monsters.”
Klen spoke up suddenly, following silently behind me for so long I almost forgot he was there.
Staring blankly ahead, he looked… dazed, somehow.
Maybe that’s why he let me roam freely without stopping me—because we were headed here.
The forest is relatively safe.
I turned back to him.
“How about we split up and search separately?”
Klen’s eyes widened in surprise, as if the suggestion had caught him completely off guard.
“…Didn’t you say it’d be dangerous if we separated?”
“You also said the patrols make this area safe. I’ll circle nearby and lure over any monsters I find. You do the same on your side and bring them this way.”
“……”
In short, the plan was to each lure monsters to this spot and hunt them together.
As he stared at me, his lips curved ever so slightly.
His eyes seemed to ask, ‘Can you really handle them if we bring them here?’
And I answered him with my gaze: I can.
‘Though ideally, I plan to have you do the fighting.’
Klen turned his gaze toward the forest.
Narrowing his eyes, the playful look from earlier vanished as he began sharply scanning the area.
The way he focused, like he wouldn’t miss even the faintest trace—he held his breath, and so did I.
Then, after a quick scan, that sharp intensity vanished from his eyes just as fast.
“Alright. But Adrian, if anything happens, call me right away.”
“Got it. Since you’re more likely to run into a dangerous monster, why don’t you take the sword?”
And maybe go ahead and fight it yourself while you’re at it.
As I handed him the sword again, he firmly gripped the hilt—but then pushed it back toward me.
Then he turned around, showing me his back.
“You should hold onto it. It’ll be far more useful than a tree branch.”
“…!”
That’s such an old story, and yet he still brings it up.
There wasn’t a hint of reluctance in the way he moved now.
Rather, it seemed like he was eager to hurry, as if wanting to get it over with and come back quickly.
“Whew… What’s going to happen, I wonder.”
Most of the knights had gone far out to hunt monsters.
The only thing I saw nearby was that small worm from earlier.
No powerful monsters in sight.
And Klen didn’t seem particularly motivated.
How did the Klen in the novel manage to win under these circumstances?
‘Did something suddenly ignite his motivation or something?’
All I could do was hope that while wandering alone, he’d stumble upon a special event.
I walked deeper into the woods.
I told myself I was looking for monsters—but really, I wanted to check this area more thoroughly.
Since the hunting tournament was underway, there wasn’t a single person around.
Maybe today the patrols were keeping their distance on purpose so they wouldn’t steal our prey.
Or maybe, because of the armed participants roaming around, the guards were focused on reinforcing the entrance in case of emergencies.
‘Either way, it works in my favor.’
A guy with no magic like me can’t see hidden enchantments or anything.
But since I rarely get to come here, this was a golden opportunity.
I inspected every corner of a spot I hadn’t had time to examine properly before.
Rustle—
“…?”
Then I heard something moving fast behind me.
A sharp presence approached—brimming with hostility.
I turned around and swung my sword without the slightest hesitation.
There was no need to fully face my opponent to confirm who—or what—they were.
If someone radiated killing intent this pure, it was easy to tell friend from foe.
I felt a clean slice as the sword cut through something.
As expected, it really was a good blade.
—Screeech!
With a shriek of death, a bat-like monster thudded to the ground.
These things rushed at anything in sight just to suck blood, so it was best to kill them the moment they were spotted.
Even someone as “fragile” as me could handle a low-tier monster like this, so no one should make a fuss over me taking it down alone.
For a moment, I considered whether I should bring it back with me.
In Caldrich’s name, I couldn’t return empty-handed without even having killed one measly monster.
“……”
But I quickly shook my head.
Better to say there weren’t any monsters around.
If no one else managed to catch one, maybe.
But bringing back this thing would just make me a joke.
I walked further in, scanning my surroundings.
“…Huh?”
I barely took a few steps before I stopped in my tracks.
My body reacted on its own.
Not far ahead, something caught my eye—a small, sketch-like symbol drawn plainly on the ground, with no attempt to cover it with grass or leaves.
I hadn’t noticed this the last time I came here—or maybe I just hadn’t looked around this area.
I hurried over.
‘A magic circle…?’
It looked crudely drawn with a stick, but it was unmistakably a well-structured magic circle.
In the past, I might have brushed it off as some kid’s prank.
But thanks to all the research I’d done, I now knew this was a spell meant to activate magic.
“Hm. But this…”
Just reading a few books wasn’t enough to tell me what kind of spell it was or how it was meant to be used.
I couldn’t even read the strange symbols.
But it wasn’t what I was looking for.
From my experience with the teleportation circle in the healer’s room, I knew that kind of spell only transported people standing inside the formation.
This one was too small for that—barely enough space for five people at most, even if they squeezed in.
Even if enemies kept coming nonstop, summoning just five at a time wouldn’t be enough to put the Count, Brother Fabian, or the estate itself in any real danger.
‘But how do I erase it?’
I’d only studied how to use and analyze magic circles—not how to remove them.
None of the books had mentioned anything like that.
‘Maybe I can just cover it with dirt?’
Most drawings on the ground could be erased with some dirt or by stomping them out.
I wasn’t keen on stepping on the circle itself, so I scooped up a handful of dirt and prepared to sprinkle it over the lines.
‘It can’t be that important.’
If it were a crucial spell, it wouldn’t have been left out here in plain sight.
I let the dirt fall onto the symbols.
Pop—!
“…?!”
Suddenly, the letters began to glow through the dirt, flashing brightly.
I immediately jumped back.
* * *
