It was only as the sun was setting that the subjugation team set up camp on a flat piece of land surrounded by rocks. While some White Knights went to scout the surroundings, a simple meal was prepared.

I looked around at the subjugation team gathered in small groups. The tension had long since disappeared from the faces of the knights other than the White Knights.

Most of the magical beasts are said to be distributed near the Red Spring in the middle of the mountain, so the entrance to the mountain is relatively easy to subjugate…

They shouldn’t be relaxing already.

“By the way, who do you think killed it?”

“The Scorpion? Maybe two of them fought each other and ended up like that?”

“But there were sword marks on it, weren’t there?”

Each group was having a heated discussion about the Scorpion’s corpse. I sat apart from everyone else, deep in thought.

There was a diagonal slash mark on the corpse. It wasn’t an attack on the relatively weak exoskeleton, as it was at the part where the head and body connected.

To cleanly cut through a Scorpion’s hard exoskeleton with an ordinary sword…

There’s only one way.

That is to use aura.

“Who on earth…”

The subjugation team had all moved together, so it couldn’t have been someone from the team. Then the conclusion is that there is someone in this mountain who can wield a sword.

Since I could feel the aura from the corpse, it wasn’t an ordinary swordsman but a Sword Master who could utilize aura.

As far as I knew, Rosebelia was the only Sword Master in the empire…

“No, that’s not right.”

There was one more. Just as I was about to recall that face, there was a rustling sound from behind.

It sounded like someone stepping on gravel?

I quickly got up from the log I was sitting on and looked around.

“Rosebelia, you were here.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The one who approached without concealing his presence was Gabriel. He silently pointed behind a large rock and gestured for me to follow.

How long had I been following Gabriel? Only when we reached a wooded path behind the rock did Gabriel stop and ask, stroking his beard:

“What did you think?”

“About the Scorpion’s corpse?”

“Yes.”

“I think it would be impossible without aura. I could also faintly feel the aura’s energy.”

“I had suspected as much, but…”

His hand stroking his beard hesitated several times. Confusion was evident on Gabriel’s face, lost in thought.

“That means there’s someone else in this mountain besides us, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose so. But I wonder why they killed the magical beast. Moreover, it means there’s another Sword Master in this empire besides you, which is hard to believe.”

In the original story, there were no other Sword Masters besides Rosebelia and Ian. But I couldn’t hastily conclude it was Ian.

If he wanted to participate in the subjugation, he could have joined the team, so why act alone?

And in this mountain teeming with magical beasts?

“I can’t even guess who would do this, or why.”

“From tomorrow, we’ll divide the subjugation team in half for the search, so you go with Renart. If we find another magical beast corpse tomorrow, you need to examine it carefully.”

“Understood.”

I left Gabriel, who said he would wait for the scout team’s report, and returned to the subjugation team’s camp first. As I was looking around for the long log I had sat on earlier, Renart suddenly entered my field of vision.

“Lady Rosebelia.”

“Yes, Vice Captain.”

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Before I could answer, Renart held out a silver bowl to me. What he offered was pieces of bread soaked in wine.

The bread we brought as provisions was hard and dry, so it had to be soaked in wine or water to be edible. It wasn’t tasty, but at least it could satisfy hunger – typical combat rations.

“Thank you. Aren’t you eating, Vice Captain?”

“I’ve already eaten.”

“Then why aren’t you resting?”

Unable to find the log, I sat down on a relatively flat rock, and Renart naturally sat down with me.

“I thought I’d keep you company while you eat.”

Would he be hurt if I said it was burdensome?

Facing his smiling face, I swallowed the words that were lingering in my mouth.

“Ah, yes. You’re very considerate, Vice Captain.”

“Not at all. By the way, the White Knights are certainly skilled at subjugation. Should I say their reaction speed is different? To be honest, I was impressed.”

“Well, they’ve been participating every year.”

“Even though I took classes about magical beasts, when I actually faced one, I found myself flustered.”

“I think the most important thing in subjugation is to never let your guard down. You can be overwhelmed by a magical beast in an instant.”

At least that’s how it was in the memories I had. Even on an ordinary forest path, you shouldn’t let your guard down, you had to be alert at all times.

There needed to be at least ten people on night watch. So that they could respond properly even if magical beasts suddenly attacked.

“I see. I’ll make sure to thoroughly instruct our knights as well.”

“Shall we get up now?”

As I was about to get up after finishing my meal, Renart suddenly handed me a small pouch.

“Please take this.”

“What is it?”

Inside the pouch were dried cranberries. I heard we had brought jerky, but were dried fruits part of the combat rations?

“Daisy packed it for you.”

Daisy gave this?

“Then you should eat it, Vice Captain.”

“I have my own. This was packed for you.”

Looking down at the pouch with its pale pink color and elaborate embroidery, I couldn’t help but smile.

Anyone would know this belongs to Daisy.

“Try one.”

I took out a cranberry and bit into it. A sweet taste spread throughout my mouth along with a fresh aroma.

“It’s delicious.”

I could feel my lips naturally softening into a smile. It was then that a strange light appeared in Renart’s eyes, which seemed to be staring at me intently.

Is there something on my face?

Before I could say anything, Renart suddenly stood up.

“Then I’ll be going first.”

Why is he suddenly acting like this?

As I watched his back hurriedly moving away, I ate one more cranberry before getting up.

*

The next day, magical beast corpses were found without fail. They were the corpses of three Werebears, each easily over 3 meters tall.

“This is really strange.”

“It’s not like someone knows our route in advance and is killing the magical beasts for us…”

Werebears were a bit more human-like than ordinary bears, always walking on two feet, with eerily red eyes.

Moreover, their hide was much tougher, requiring several people to attack at once to inflict a fatal wound before they could be subdued.

Looking at the corpses, they seem to have been dead for quite some time?

Perhaps because of this, I couldn’t feel the aura’s energy, but there was no other way to explain the Werebears’ deaths without aura.

Judging by the consistent sword marks, it wasn’t multiple people attacking, but one person who killed them.

It would be impossible for anyone other than a Sword Master to face three Werebears alone.

“Who on earth is killing these magical beasts? Lady Rosebelia, what do you…”

“If someone is killing the magical beasts, isn’t that good for us?”

The one who interrupted Renart was a knight from the Riley family. Pierre was his name, wasn’t it?

From today, the subjugation team had to be divided into two groups during the day for the subjugation.

Of all things, two knights from the Riley family and even the magical beast researcher were in the same group, which made me unnecessarily nervous…

He’s been saying such carefree things since yesterday.

As I let out a hollow laugh, Renart stood in front of Pierre.

“You’re Sir Pierre, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“There’s someone else in this mountain besides the subjugation team, an unidentified person, but just because they killed magical beasts doesn’t guarantee they’re on our side.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Isn’t it fair to consider them on our side since they’re killing magical beasts for us?”

Pierre boasted as if recounting his own heroic deeds. He even went so far as to lean against a large boulder.

“Sir Pierre, we’re in the middle of a subjugation mission.”

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that?”

You seem to be the one who doesn’t know.

I shot him a look of disdain and shook my head.

“I mean this is not the time to be leisurely leaning against things.”

Renart’s voice also carried a hint of anger, probably thinking Pierre’s behavior was inappropriate.

“Yesterday it was a Scorpion, today it’s Werebears. They’re picking out all the tough ones to kill, which makes it so much easier for us.”

Scorpions and Werebears.

If I had to find a common point, they were indeed magical beasts that required a lot of effort to deal with, as Pierre said.

“Honestly, this is the first time a subjugation has been this easy… Aagh!”

In an instant, the voice full of ease turned into a scream. While I was lost in thought for a moment, Pierre had vanished without a trace.

“Lady Rosebelia, it’s a Man-trap!”

At Renart’s cry, I looked again and saw Pierre dangling in the air, his legs caught by vines. The long, extended vines were connected behind the boulder.

“Rosebelia, the Man-trap is behind the rock.”

Lucas, who quickly approached my side with his sword drawn, said.

“Hurry up and cut these vines already! What are you doing?”

As Pierre shouted, the long vines tightened around his body even more.

He’s not helping at all.

I approached Pierre quietly, muffling my footsteps, then lightly jumped up and cut the vines. With a thud, Pierre fell to the ground and immediately curled up.

“Get out of the way! If you stay there, you’ll…”

“Lady Rosebelia!”

I turned my head at the urgent cry. This time, sturdy vines were flying towards me.