episode_0027

The next day, when Johan left for his mission, Francia took a vacation and arrived at a certain place with her escort knights.

“My Lady, is this the right place? It’s just a dense forest.”

A journalist asked,

Before them stretched a vast forest in which nothing could be seen except trees.

“This is the right place. Let’s go.”

Francia took a step forward. Her attire was the comfortable uniform of the Duchess of Perbace, as if she had expected this place to come up.

Sabak.

They entered the forest. The knights looked around and kept their guard up. In places like this, the devil is likely to suddenly appear.

Sabak.

Francia didn’t stop walking. This was her first time here, but it felt familiar, perhaps because it wasn’t touched by human hands. She moved without hesitation and looked around.

“… … .”

The knights followed her silently. Even though they had the senses of a first-class knight, they were on high alert, but there was no sign of the devil.

Sabak.

How long did it take to walk like that?

Francia stopped in her tracks. In front of her was a large cave, which seemed to be emitting an ominous aura.

“Everyone, wait here.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“It’s okay. Here.”

“… … .”

The knights’ mission is to protect Francia no matter what.

These are the people who started out as servants of the Duke of Perbace and swore loyalty to him from childhood.

Sending the heir to such a family and his only daughter into a cave in the forest of unknown origins…

“We will join you too.”

“I said it’s okay.”

“That’s because the energy is not good.”

“Hmm… … .”

Francia rested her hand on her chin and looked thoughtful.

‘How to separate the knights.’

Even if you tell them it’s safe, they’ll obviously follow you anyway. The ominous energy coming from the cave will make them even more wary.

But there’s nothing dangerous in that cave. It’s just that there’s one relic there.

‘I think it’s better to be somewhat honest here.’

They are his people anyway. There is no need to worry about betrayal, and they swear loyalty to the Duke of Perbace no matter what happens.

I don’t mind telling you the secret of this place.

“I want you to trust me now. There’s nothing dangerous in this cave.”

“… The energy is extraordinary. There may be a special demon.”

“You knew it when you came here, right? There are no demons in this forest. Because of the relics in the cave.”

“Relics… … are you talking about?”

relics.

The places where artifacts and treasures hidden throughout the continent are locked are called relic vaults.

“Yeah.”

“Uh… ….”

The knight looked away and scratched the back of his head. He seemed to have swallowed the question of how he could be so sure.

“It’s okay, since there’s a relic storage there.”

“Could there be a trap?”

“There are no traps here.”

Francia said, pointing inside the cave with her hand.

“As you can tell just by looking at the energy, this relic storage is not guarded by traps or demons, but by energy that prohibits entry. It’s a place that makes people reject it.”

There is a type where relics sleep.

There are a lot of demons, so let’s make them guard the storage.

There are traps everywhere, making it difficult to even enter or exit.

Or emit energy to make living things avoid approaching.

The relic repository here was of the third type.

“Is that enough to convince you? I’ll be in and out in a second.”

“… Yes. Instead, if something happens, just shout out.”

“Yeah. I know.”

Francia smiled lightly at the knights and entered the cave.

Naturally, it was dark inside. It was difficult to see even an inch ahead, so the only thing visible was the ground beneath my feet.

“Ra, Endus, Fire.”

She casted basic magic, fire, and floated it in her hand, illuminating the interior of the cave.

At the end of the cave, a now-collapsed altar appeared.

Francia swallowed hard, walked forward, and placed her feet on the altar.

Kugugugu-

A green light entered the magic circle surrounding the altar, along with a slight vibration that shook off the dust.

And one pendant floating in the center.

It was what Francia was looking for.

Hwaaak!

The moment she held the pendant in her hand, a brief shiver spread along with the cold air that touched her fingertips. Francia unconsciously took a deep breath.

But soon, as if nothing had happened, the light from the magic circle calmly died down.

‘Okay.’

Francia stared at the pendant in her hand. It was glowing green.

I don’t know the name of this relic, but I know its effects very well.

If there is someone nearby who has the ability to kill the wearer, a red light will flash.

There are a lot of people targeting John right now, so this will definitely be of great help.

It was a relic that had saved her several times in the now lost time period.

‘Making sure John is safe is the priority.’

The next task is to increase John’s position with the knowledge of the future that he knows.

Now it was time to help John reach his full potential again.

* * *

“… … That’s how it happened.”

“Hoo.”

After two full days of traveling, we had just crossed the border of the Rosino Empire.

At Rudela Bismark’s request, Johan was telling stories from his past.

Whatever he said, Rudela Bismark listened to his story with interest.

Even trivial stories were good. Like stories about friends from my time at the academy, or stories about strange ladies getting involved and having a hard time.

Even when it wasn’t fun, even when there was nothing special, Rudella would occasionally show small changes in her expression and focus her gaze on Johan.

“Unlike me, your academy life must have been fun.”

“It wasn’t that fun. Now that I think about it, it’s just a memory.”

John laughed awkwardly. At the time, everything had really annoyed him, but now that I think about it, it wasn’t that hard.

“Among the young ladies who showed interest, was there one that you liked?”

“It should have been there, but the harm was greater than the gain, so it was not considered a goal.”

“Hmm.”

Rudella looked at John, raising her eyebrows.

“When making a connection with someone, you calculate the pros and cons. You were unexpectedly one of these people.”

Then he raised the corners of his lips slightly.

“Not to brag, but wasn’t I called a socialite trophy? It was like walking on thin ice, so I had to be good at tightrope walking.”

Rudella nodded in agreement. It was Johan’s judgment that she also understood.

“That makes sense. As the third son of a bard, you don’t have much power. You probably couldn’t handle it.”

If he gets involved in a family feud, it could only cause trouble for Johan. In that case, it would have been better to not give him any room at all.

“But how can you explain that you offended His Highness the Crown Prince that day? It must have been a difficult thing to handle.”

Rudel slowly tilted her head. Her silver hair flowed like silk over her slightly exposed shoulder line. Her hair, bathed in light, gave off a soft sheen, leaving the scent of lilies in the air.

“No matter how much you call me His Highness the Crown Prince, I am protected by the Perbache Dukes and I am a promising high-ranking magician, so you won’t be able to easily touch me.”

His voice was gentle and kind, but the words he spoke were thoroughly calculated.

“He was more foxy than I thought.”

Rudelarden gave a slight glare and answered in a mocking voice.

“And there is a podium. Even though there is a corner of belief, it must not have been easy to make such a decision.”

“I think it’s something I have to do to protect my lover.”

“Hoo.”

The change in Rudella’s expression this time was clearly different from before.

As the eyebrows rose, the pupils dilated and the lips parted slightly.

“… I wish I had someone like you.”

There was no change in Rudella’s face as she spoke.

Her eyes were somewhat dull and bored, and her expression was subtly sagging.

A wave of unexpressed emotion passed through his face, his expression darkening.

“… … .”

John didn’t know what to say. To be honest, it was quite unexpected to hear such words coming out of Rudela’s mouth.

Although Johan was familiar with most of the characters appearing in the work, Rudella’s appearance now was so awkward that it was almost unfamiliar.

As far as Johan knew, Rudela Bismark was quite the madwoman. A cruel person who treated human lives like flies, without any care for them.

How could she show such a weak side? How could she even show such a little honest side to someone she had only just met?

‘I don’t know what it is.’

It can’t help but be confusing.

‘I don’t know what I’m thinking, and I don’t know why I’m doing this.’

I don’t think there will be a sudden change of heart due to any incident.

‘Ludela Bismark… … is the kind of person who was created that way.’

John laughed awkwardly. There wasn’t much he could say right now.

“It will happen someday.”

All I can do is offer some comforting words.

“Someday, yes.”

Rudella crossed her legs, rested her chin on her hand, and stared at Johan.

John, who felt burdened by her gaze, turned his eyes away. When he looked down, he saw her shins with their pure white skin exposed.

There was nowhere to look. It was not polite to look out the window, and it felt strange to look straight ahead, as if Rudel’s unfamiliar gaze was reading him.

“You have a secretly cute side.”

Rudel chuckled. It was one of her few smiles that broke the awkward atmosphere.

“You can look at my body. I’m not the type to really care about it. Or, will you keep making eye contact with me?”

She shoved her waist in slightly, closing the distance between herself and Johan. The corners of Rudella’s lips rose subtly, forming a faint smile.

“… I guess you enjoy talking to me?”

“Well, maybe so.”

As John took a small step back, Rudella grabbed his wrist and prevented him from turning his waist.

“That day, the image of you embracing the princess keeps coming to mind and flashing before my eyes.”

“… … .”

“You acted without fear then. You stood up for your lover even though you knew it would be difficult.”

“That’s natural as a lover─”

“There are more people in this world who can’t do things that are taken for granted.”

“… Is that so?”

“I never had someone like that. Maybe that’s why you keep catching my eye.”

John narrowed his eyes. He intuitively realized that her interest would not end with mere curiosity.

“By the way, how was Lady Bismark’s life at the Academy?”

Changed the subject.

To change the mood.

“Are you trying to change the subject? I guess I unintentionally made things difficult for you.”

Rudel smiled faintly and looked deeper into John’s eyes.

“Yes, that’s my story. But I don’t really have a story. It was a boring life. Even though it was my time at the academy, I only studied hard to advance and fulfilled my responsibilities according to my rights. Even when I interacted with someone, it was all about political gain.”

It was my school days like that of a blunt girl.

“I see. So that’s why you asked me to tell you my story?”

“That’s not it. Didn’t I say that before? I was just wondering how you became that kind of person.”

Rudel’s sky-blue eyes stared at Johan, rippling like waves. Although she seemed calm, there was a glimmer of longing for something unattainable within her.

“I─”

Kwaaang!!

Just as John was about to continue speaking, a loud explosion was suddenly heard and the floor of the carriage shook and twisted with the impact.

The seat twisted with a loud cracking sound, wooden panels snapping, and metal parts flew into sharp shards in all directions.

“Oh no!”

John quickly recognized the situation, grabbed Rudella’s wrist, and held her in his arms.

He activated the spirit wave while wrapping his arms around her head and shoulders.

“Raid…!”

“Aaak! My arm!”

Inside, the screams of people and horses could be heard outside the window, and the inside was turned upside down in an instant.

The carriage crashed into a cliff.