‘No, that’s not what’s important right now.’

“Then why didn’t you come to rescue me sooner?”

“How was I supposed to know monsters appeared and come to save you? I didn’t see it with my own eyes.”

“But I knew monsters were nearby before they even appeared.”

Evenel still felt chills remembering the ominous sensation she felt as the monsters approached. It was an indescribable feeling of discomfort.

“What are you talking about?”

Shuher asked, indicating he wanted a detailed explanation.

“I felt the monsters approaching from a distance. It’s hard to put into words. Haven’t you ever felt something like that?”

“Never.”

He could detect signs quickly enough, but he had never experienced what she was talking about.

“Could you be mistaken?”

“No. It definitely wasn’t a mistake.”

Evenel shook her head firmly. That feeling was unmistakably real. So the only possibility left was,

“Could it be this ability allowed me to feel that?”

“No, I’ve never heard of a similar case before.”

Evenel’s case was new even to Shuher. However, if she was right, it would be an unexpected benefit for him; they could certainly prevent surprise attacks from monsters.

“It’s good that you really didn’t know.”

“What do you mean, it’s good?”

Evenel slightly turned her head to look at Shuher. Because she was practically leaning on him, their eyes met at an extremely close distance.

“If you knew monsters were appearing and pretended not to know, I would have been truly hurt.”

Shuher couldn’t comprehend how she could openly say such a thing. Shouldn’t she be more upset about him not coming to rescue her sooner?

Since he didn’t say anything, Evenel turned her head back to look at the swiftly passing scenery. Then, with a calmer voice, she said,

“However, if someone else were in danger at the same time and you chose not to rescue me, I wouldn’t hold it against you.”
Shuher inadvertently tightened his grip on the reins he was holding. He then glanced at the woman seated before him.

He was intensely curious about what kind of expression she was making.

However, once again, all his speculations were wrong. Evenel was fixing her wind-tousled hair, wearing a faint smile.

For some reason, Shuher couldn’t tear his eyes away from her face. Finally breaking the silence, he spoke.

“What did you say? I couldn’t hear because of the wind.”

In the end, he chose to feign ignorance. To be more accurate, he couldn’t find an appropriate response.

He should have readily responded that way, but strangely, the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

“The wind just feels really refreshing.”

Evenel too stumbled over her words. When she tried to speak again, an inexplicable sense of embarrassment washed over her. After all, she knew he would act accordingly without her having to say it.

For a brief moment, she leaned slightly towards Shuher, as if becoming accustomed to their companionship. She then took in the surrounding scenery with a more relaxed expression.

Up until now, she hadn’t had the leisure for such things due to the urgency of keeping up with the group.

“It feels good. Like a weight’s been lifted.”

“You seem too relaxed.”

“That’s because I was so focused on riding up until now. Honestly, wasn’t that a bit much for a beginner like me?”

“There’s no room to accommodate for that. And if you came along for the hunt, you should naturally be prepared for that much.”

Evenel knew that, of course. But provoked by Shuher’s blunt remark, she leaned fully into him. No, she leaned in with even more force.

He obviously couldn’t help but feel it.

“What are you doing now?”

“What else? I’m trying to behave so I don’t inconvenience you.”

“Sit up straight right now.”

“You were the one who insisted on carrying me. So shouldn’t you put up with this much?”

Lifting her head slightly to look at Shuher, she parroted back his own words. With a mischievous smile, Shuher chose not to engage, looking straight ahead.

Feeling as if she’d won somehow, Evenel couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Her shoulders shaking, the vibrations also reached Shuher, whose body was touching hers.

“If you laugh any more, I’ll throw you off without hesitation.”

“Got it. I’ll stop now.”

Knowing he would indeed do as he said, Evenel finally ceased her laughter. As they drew closer to their destination, she began to ponder over something that intrigued her.
“But what kind of person is Count Ferti?”

Evenel had studied a lot about the Ferti territory, but she knew nothing about the one who ruled it.

“The Ferti family has been a distinguished knightly house from the past, and he himself excellently led battles against monsters from his youth. Perhaps he’s a typical knight.”

“Just hearing about it doesn’t give me a good sense.”

Evenel, who had been in the palace, had never met nobles, so she couldn’t easily imagine what they were like. Added to this was the fact that he was a head of a family that had been endowed with power, like Shuher.

‘In any case, he’s certainly not an easy opponent.’

Shuher chose not to add any further comments. The animosity he had felt from the servants in the palace would be on a different level.

She would find out soon enough, after all.

“Look over there.”

Following his words, Evenel turned her head and saw a mansion standing alone on a high place entering her sight.