* * *
“Where are you planning to go? Don’t tell me—”
“Just for a bit…”
“No.”
His tone was firmer than I expected.
But I understood right away.
That’s just the kind of person he was.
If I tried to go somewhere dangerous, he’d block my path.
If I overworked myself, he’d get mad.
Normally, I’d have smiled and been proud—“Look at how loyal my attendant is.”
Well, I was proud, but it was a bit of a problem right now.
“That’s why I went to get potions. I won’t collapse out of the blue.”
Of course, those weren’t for me collapsing.
They were all for Klen, just in case something happened.
Bis’s expression relaxed a little.
“Still… I can’t let you go.”
But he tensed up again almost immediately. I didn’t have time to convince him.
“I’m just going to investigate near the forest. I can’t just sit around doing nothing. Besides, we’re not even allowed inside, remember? If I’m not feeling well, I’ll take a potion. And if I do collapse, the patrol knights will find me, right?”
Finally, I turned a little, just enough for him to see Levatein.
“Don’t forget—I’m the one who won the hunting tournament.”
“…”
His face twisted ever so slightly.
He understood how I felt.
He acknowledged that I wasn’t someone weak.
But he couldn’t give a quick answer, because he still worried I might collapse at any moment.
Was it really possible to be both strong and fragile?
It wasn’t an easy thing to accept.
Even I sometimes found it hard to believe.
“…Please come back quickly.”
“Of course.”
At last, it seemed he realized trying to stop me wouldn’t work.
I patted him gently on the shoulder to reassure him, then quickly turned away.
If I hesitated or said anything more, he might change his mind.
And if he grabbed me again, convincing him would be even harder.
Though I didn’t have much experience with infiltration, it wasn’t difficult to suppress my presence.
Circling widely around the guards patrolling nearby, I made my way to where the freight wagons were lined up.
Slipping into a wagon just about to leave the castle turned out to be surprisingly easy.
‘Shouldn’t they be tightening security on this side?’
Whether they had already thoroughly inspected the cargo when loading it, or simply didn’t check outbound traffic as closely as incoming, I made it through with nothing more than a casual glance into the wagon bed before we were completely out of the castle.
Once I was safely outside, I seized the opportunity and slipped out of the wagon.
I quickly found a nearby shop and covered my face with a hood.
Even though I’d shown myself during the hunting tournament, the shopkeeper didn’t seem to recognize me.
In fact, he rambled on, saying he completely understood the desire to hide one’s face—launching into stories of what he was like when he was younger.
I gave him a few vague replies, paid for my things, and slipped out through the castle gates, blending into the crowd.
“……”
The escape had been far easier than expected, considering how tense I’d been.
Likely because things had been peaceful lately—no infiltration attempts, no one trying to escape.
I didn’t head straight for the forest.
That would’ve drawn attention.
Instead, I walked a good distance away before circling around and entering the forest from a different path.
It took more time, but it wouldn’t raise suspicion.
Once I reached the outskirts of the forest, I quickly pulled out a whistle and blew into it.
Piiiik—
As always, it only produced a weak, air-leaking sound.
“Adrian.”
But somehow, despite the odd sound, Ebony appeared before me almost instantly.
His expression was not a bright one.
His face had always been unreadable, but now it looked darker, more somber.
I instinctively tensed up.
“Sir Klen investigated the forest alone two afternoons ago. It seems that, after standing still for about two minutes in a spot northeast of here, he was suddenly dragged into the forest by something that flew at him. It happened so quickly, no one could react.”
“Something?”
“I didn’t get a good look… but it looked like a tree branch.”
And then, he told me what I’d been hoping to hear.
A phenomenon that could only be explained as the doing of a divine beast or a spirit.
If he’d seen it himself, then that made it even more certain.
“Can you lure the knights guarding the entrance away?”
“……”
“Can you?”
“I’ll try.”
He didn’t give a clear yes.
But without another word, he vanished into motion.
I hid myself behind a tree and followed from a distance.
He was a knight who had guarded this forest for a long time.
I had to maintain maximum distance and erase all traces of my presence.
I had a feeling I’d have to go into that forest if I wanted to find Klen.
As I neared the entrance, the chaotic sound of footsteps reached my ears.
“Which direction?”
“Seems to be over there!”
Just as planned, Ebony had successfully drawn their attention.
I saw the knights rushing in the opposite direction from where I was.
As expected of someone trusted enough by Klen to be treated without pretense—he was quite capable.
‘Is it really okay for them to be fooled so easily?’
What worried me more now was the knights themselves.
Was it really okay for the defenses here to be so easily bypassed?
Even if they were confident, could this place really be secure?
Peeking out from the brush, I saw they’d at least left one knight on either side of the entrance, and a shadow was moving on the watchtower above, scanning the area.
But with their focus concentrated elsewhere, they hadn’t spotted me.
I pulled a ball of yarn from my bag.
Supposedly it couldn’t be reused.
Carefully grabbing the end sticking out, I began to unwind it.
It unraveled smoothly, as if greased, and I could see why they said it couldn’t be wound back again.
With the yarn in hand, I circled it several times around a sturdy nearby tree and tied it off tightly.
Though it had unraveled so easily, once tied, it tangled firmly, as if treated with glue.
‘It really is something special, just like they said.’
Even after all that, the yarn in my hand hadn’t noticeably decreased in size.
‘Now I’m ready.’
In one hand, I held the yarn. In the other, my sword—Levatein.
A clash with the knights guarding the entrance was inevitable.
The best plan was to subdue them with as little injury as possible and focus on getting inside.
There were only two on the ground.
If I could avoid the arrows from the watchtower, I just had to take down those two.
A simple task.
‘Alright.’
I lowered my stance like a predator stalking its prey, creeping forward toward my targets.
Just a few more steps, and I’d be upon them before they even sensed me.
I stepped forward sharply, aiming to strike while they were off guard—
“That’s far enough. Did you think we’d fall for such a trick? …Wait—Sir Adrian?!”
“Ah?!”
The Knight Commander and several other knights suddenly sprang out in front of me.
Judging by their position and stance, they’d been lying in wait for someone to approach.
They’d realized Ebony was a decoy and made the area look empty to bait someone in.
As expected of a seasoned Knight Commander.
If I moved now, I’d be walking right into their trap.
‘And here I was thinking I’d been lucky today!’
Everything from sneaking out of the castle to getting here had gone so smoothly, like water flowing without resistance.
I hadn’t expected a trial like this waiting at the end.
But I couldn’t stop here. I willingly jumped into the trap.
“You know this area is off-limits!”
“But Klen was dragged in there, wasn’t he?”
Clang—!
I parried the knight’s sword right in front of me.
The unexpected force of the blow made him stagger, breaking his defense.
I was about to kick him, but felt a pang of guilt and instead wrapped my arm around his waist and threw him aside.
“Wha-ugh?!”
* * *
