“Is anyone there?”

I was pushing through the thick undergrowth when I suddenly stopped in my tracks. I thought I heard the sound of water, and there was indeed a clear spring.

Not all the water in the ‘Abandoned Mountain’ was red. There was just an eerily red spring halfway up the mountain.

During the subjugation, when Rosebelia discovered a clear stream or spring, she would often take a quick bath with Vanessa.

By the way, I thought I heard splashing water, but did I hear wrong?

I calmly looked around the spring. The edges were shallow, with the water clear and transparent, but the center looked quite deep.

I was about to turn back as I didn’t sense anything unusual.

“Lady Rosebelia?”

Oh, that startled me.

I quickly turned around, my hand on my chest.

“Deputy Commander?”

The one who emerged from the bushes was Renart.

“Why are you out alone at this hour?”

“Well… You know the monster carcass we saw earlier today? When we found it, it looked like it had been dead for at least a few hours.”

“And?”

“If there’s someone else on this mountain besides us, I thought they might move at night or dawn…”

I trailed off, watching Renart’s reaction. He was looking at me with an expression of disbelief.

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you have told someone before coming out?”

“I couldn’t sleep and was just going to quietly check… I didn’t think it through.”

It was true that I hadn’t been able to sleep properly. Ever since Ian disappeared without a trace, I’d been suffering from insomnia, and the situation hadn’t improved since coming on this subjugation.

On top of that, the speculation that Ian might be on this mountain made it even harder to sleep.

So I had snuck out, but of all people, I had to run into Renart.

“I know Lady Rosebelia is strong, but acting alone is dangerous.”

“You’re right, Deputy Commander. I’m sorry.”

“Considering what happened earlier today too, don’t you think it would be better to rely on your comrades a bit more?”

The unexpected words made my mind go blank for a moment.

Did I appear to Renart as someone who doesn’t rely on her comrades?

Could it be that his expression was bad when I dealt with the man-trap because of that reason?

“About the man-trap incident, I thought it was a more efficient method, but I can see how it might have appeared that way.”

Even during the last subjugation, Rosebelia acted like that and got scolded by Edwin.

As Renart said, with so many people in the subjugation team, there was no need to take everything on alone. Besides, I had only absorbed Rosebelia’s memories, I wasn’t as skilled as her.

“…I apologize.”

Renart, who had been letting out a faint sigh, suddenly offered words of apology.

“Huh? Why are you suddenly apologizing…”

“I shouldn’t have gotten angry at Lady Rosebelia, I think I took out my frustrations unnecessarily. Actually, I was a bit angry at myself for not being more helpful in the subjugation…”

“No, you’re being plenty helpful to the subjugation team. Everyone says that having the Guardian Knights who understand monsters to some extent this time has made things much easier.”

Renart, who had been looking down, gradually raised his gaze. He just stared at me without saying anything for a moment.

Letting out an awkward laugh, I pointed to the distant subjugation camp.

“Shall we head back then?”

*

Ian only surfaced after the presence had completely disappeared. Perhaps due to the damn curse, he didn’t feel strained even while holding his breath underwater.

Walking out of the spring, he approached the bushes that looked like someone had pushed through them.

Until just now, Rosebelia had been standing there. And the person with her was…

“Must be Renart.”

His wildly beating heart sank miserably. Just imagining those two together made his chest feel hollow.

“Your Highness!”

‘It would be easier to just kill them. Simpler than you think.’

Ian ignored the auditory hallucination addressing him and replied.

“What.”

“Did Your Highness take a full bath?”

Nathan’s mouth gaped slightly as he looked Ian up and down, soaked from head to toe.

“I had to hide quickly and ended up like this.”

“Ah, come to think of it, was someone here? I heard voices.”

“Yeah, luckily I wasn’t discovered.”

“But why do you look like that?”

“…It was Rosebelia.”

Nathan covered his mouth with both hands.

“Lady Rosebelia came? Alone from the subjugation camp to here? Why?”

‘Why is my heart pounding? It would have been better if you two had met face to face.’

Ian laughed helplessly upon hearing Nathan’s true thoughts, which he had mistaken for shock and dismay.

“I don’t know that either.”

Rosebelia would at least know that there was someone using aura on this mountain.

‘She probably doesn’t realize it’s me though.’

That was enough. For now, he was satisfied with being able to ease Rosebelia’s burden a little, without directly encountering her.

He could do anything if it meant helping her.

“Isn’t it dangerous for her to go back alone?”

“She’ll probably be fine.”

Because at least Renart will be with her on the way back.

His chest ached. Someone else stands beside her in the place where I cannot go.

Will I never be able to stand there?

Ian, following Nathan, stops for a moment.

Wait.

I was close enough to hear her inner thoughts if need be, so why didn’t I hear anything?

It couldn’t have been because I was underwater, as I thought I heard Renart’s inner voice a few times.

Spoken words and inner thoughts have a slightly different texture. Speech is heard with the ears, while inner thoughts feel like they’re being transmitted.

‘Am I not someone you can rely on?’

‘I wanted to be of help to you, not just the subjugation team.’

Yes, these weren’t words Renart spoke aloud. They were his inner thoughts being transmitted.

Then why weren’t Rosebelia’s inner thoughts transmitted even once, when she was there longer?

‘Could it be that Rosebelia wasn’t thinking anything inwardly?’

Ian tilted his head, then reluctantly started walking again at Nathan’s urging.

*

“I really want to see who it is, even just once.”

“It would be good if they traveled with the subjugation team.”

“They’re definitely incredibly skilled. Maybe even a Sword Master.”

When the search ended and everyone gathered, they were all busy speculating about the person who had killed the monsters.

I glanced at Pierre, who seemed particularly excited, and sat down on a flat rock.

The night I discovered the clear spring. Three days had passed since then, bringing us much closer to the middle of the mountain. Monster carcasses were consistently being found.

It was true that the subjugation had become much easier since someone was killing monsters ahead of the team. So far, no one had been seriously injured.

‘Rosebelia, doesn’t this look like a footprint?’

‘You’re right, it is a footprint.’

The day I discovered the clear spring, after returning with Renart, I went back there with Vanessa before dawn.

What Vanessa and I found then were footprints leading away from the subjugation camp in the opposite direction. There were only a few imprinted in the mud around the spring, so we couldn’t track them to a hideout.

The spring wasn’t that far from the subjugation camp, so if they wanted to, they could have easily revealed themselves to the team.

The fact that they hadn’t done so until now meant that at least they had no intention of threatening the subjugation team.

“Why go out of their way to do something good for the subjugation team…”

Someone who kills monsters ahead of the subjugation team but doesn’t show themselves to the team.

And someone who can use aura.

Two days ago, I snuck out and witnessed a freshly killed monster carcass near the subjugation camp.

They’re definitely in the area, but unless they’re deliberately hiding, how could we not have run into them by now?

While I was lost in thought, the sky had darkened considerably. Night had fallen, with only the moonlight shining brightly. Everyone except those on night watch had gone into the tents.

It was a small temporary tent, just big enough for two people to lie down. I glanced at the soundly sleeping Vanessa and looked for a chance to slip out.

“Sir Pierre, open your eyes.”

“It’s not like monsters are coming out anyway, what’s the big deal if I catch a little sleep?”

“Don’t be so careless, do your job properly.”

It seems Pierre and Lucas are on night watch together today.

While their voices provided suitable background noise, I slipped into the bushes.

I felt that I couldn’t stop until I confirmed the identity of the other Sword Master on this mountain, whether it was Ian or not, as I suspected.

If it’s really you here.

If it’s you just hovering around the subjugation team.

“You’ll appear.”

I plopped down under a large tree a little way from the subjugation camp. Then I leaned back against the tree.

I won’t move an inch from here until you appear before me.

With that firm resolve, I gently closed my eyelids. How much time passed like that? It was then, as a somewhat cool breeze came and ruffled my hair.

A rustling sound gradually drew closer. Judging by the steady pace, it was the sound of a person’s footsteps.

Who could it be? Are you really here, Ian?

For some reason, my heart was pounding. A mix of anticipation at finally being able to confirm the face and a strange anxiety welled up.

Eventually, the footsteps approaching me stopped. I immediately grabbed the legs in front of me.

“Got you.”

“Eek! W-why are you doing this?”

Wait? That’s not Ian’s voice.

I immediately stood up and examined the man’s face.

This can’t be. I muttered lowly and blinked rapidly. Even shaking my head slightly didn’t change the man’s face.

The person who appeared before me wasn’t Ian. It wasn’t a face that remained in Rosebelia’s memories either.

“Who are you?”

“I-I’m Nathan…”