“The Mole Lords who are of the age to fight against the Talpeneus Lord’s family were forcibly taken to Serbiyan, and the weak, elderly, and children without the ability to fight were captured and are now forced to do labor. They’ve been ordered to make weapons, medicine, and food day and night.”

“…Preparing for war.”

Idris nodded slowly.

Dark clouds covered my mind.

I truly felt that war was imminent.

Can we defeat Serbiyan, which is so cunning?

Even if we win, there will be irreparable damages. Many people will die, and the land will be soaked in blood…

But now, there is no way to avoid it. I have to do my best to protect the people I love.

“All the supplies are going to Agila. And I, I decided to go to Talpeneus.”

I stared at Idris. I tried to gauge his thoughts slowly.

“Could it be… you’re planning to use snake venom?”

“Yeah, we’ll mix Serbiyan’s snake venom into the food and medicine they make.”

I opened my mouth in astonishment.

“If we’re lucky, we might be able to neutralize most of Agila’s power before the war even starts. It would be even better if their alliance falls apart.”

With that, Idris set off for Talpeneus. And of course, I was with him. Although Idris had repeatedly tried to get rid of me again this time, he couldn’t overcome my stubbornness. The fact that Central wasn’t all that safe also played a role.

Grinding our teeth and finding a compromise, we finally started fighting fiercely when we arrived near the territory of Talpeneus.

“Oh, no!”

I spread my arms and blocked Idris, who was wearing a dark robe.

“Cecilia, step aside.”

“How can you go alone into the middle of Talpeneus! Does that make sense? Let someone else do it!”

“There’s only one chance. I can’t entrust our fate to someone else’s hands.”

“What if Idris gets caught? We’re finished!”

“Even if I fail, I can escape. You know my ability.”

I know. The person who has suffered the most from that ability is probably me.

He can temporarily stop the opponent. It won’t be too difficult to get away since it also communicates with multiple people.

But I also know the side effects well.

“What if suddenly the curse worsens, and you faint? It’ll be much worse if you use your ability.”

“These days, it doesn’t get that bad.”

I know that best. Recently, I’ve been with Idris all the time.

I bit my lip. Ironically, there was hardly anything wrong with Idris’s words if you listened carefully.

However, how can I send him there alone, our fragile Idris! Look at his slender and vigorous arms. I absolutely cannot let him go alone.

“Cecilia, you have to go now. There’s no time to delay.”

I rolled my eyes.
“Should I secretly follow him? …That’s not a bad idea, right? If I stay close, at least I won’t faint due to the curse. Yeah! Let’s just think of it as taking a hedgehog plushie with me.”

Idris lifted my chin. His intuitive gaze pierced through my eyes. I felt embarrassed thinking he might have caught my recent thought.

“…Alright.”

Idris slowly scanned me up and down.

“Why?”

“Well, you’re suddenly sending me off so willingly.”

“Didn’t you keep complaining all the time?”

“Did I?”

I shook my head.

“I also have my own judgment criteria.”

I hugged Idris tightly. Confident that he couldn’t see my face, I raised the corners of my mouth.

“Come back safely.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

Idris calmly prepared to sneak into Talpeneus. Under the inconspicuous dark hood, he had three daggers hanging at his waist, and one on each thick thigh like logs.

He sealed the poison well on his back. He looked very busy, probably because there were many things to take care of.

I seized the opportunity.

After bidding Idris a final farewell, I sneaked into the pouch hanging behind his pants.

Phew, I’m glad I’m a small animal at times like this.

Talpeneus is surrounded by high stone walls across the entire territory. That’s why it’s considered impregnable. We learned that the hard way when we carelessly encountered Agila, who easily crossed the walls…

Anyway, from our standpoint, it meant it was difficult to invade from the inside. In addition, large eagles watched all around the perimeter of the wall with their wings crouched and shining eyes.

Still, we had a way to cross this wall.

If someone comes out from here, they can get in, right?

Recently, the mole beings who escaped from Talpeneus sought our help and told us about the underground passage through the wall.

In the past, it was a passage used to dispose of sewage from inside the city. Fortunately, now the sewage facilities have been maintained and are not in use.

But somehow, it still smells… I could sense the pungent odor even though I was deeply hidden in Idris’s pouch.

The sewer was longer than I expected. I gauged our current location by Idris’s faint footsteps and the unpleasant smell.

Finally, fresh air flowed in. It seemed like we entered Talpeneus.

Idris moved sometimes quickly and sometimes stopped for a long time.

Fortunately, nothing happened. It’s lucky that there’s been no trouble until now…

But I shouldn’t have thought that way.