Rukna scratched her head. It suddenly dawned on her that she hadn’t contacted Bolton much since running away from the military academy.

‘You remembered me after all.’

Even though he could have easily forgotten about her, it seemed he had been thinking of her from time to time.

Strangely, tears welled up in her eyes. Swallowing her surging emotions, Rukna turned her gaze to the gatekeepers.

They were staring at the woman who had climbed over the wall, perhaps finding it curious.

“I’m sorry, but he really is my friend. So please let him in.”

Rukna pleaded, but they exchanged glances with troubled expressions and soon shook their heads.

“We apologize. Even if he is lady’s friend, we cannot allow entry without the young master’s permission.”

“That’s right. Even if he is the elder young master’s former lover, we cannot open the gate… Why did you poke me?”

The gatekeeper who was speaking glared at his colleague. The one who had poked him held a finger to his lips, signaling to watch his words.

What could that mean?

As Rukna perked up her ears with intrigue, the gatekeeper shot his colleague a fierce look, blaming him for causing all this.

“Why do you keep doing that? Did I say something wrong? That person was the elder young master’s partner at the last banquet.”

“You idiot. Don’t you know that watching your words is a matter of life and death in the duke’s household?”

“This is the young master’s fault. Right after the banquet ended, he brought another potential bride and banned outsiders from entering. It was too much.”

The gatekeeper then glanced at Bolton with a pitiful look. Sitting on the ground, Bolton had a bewildered expression.

As the gatekeepers bickered, Rukna sighed and nimbly leaped over the wall.

If she waited for the gate to open at this rate, dawn might break.

“B-be careful, lady!”

If the lady gets hurt, the elder young master will be furious! The gatekeepers stopped arguing and hurriedly stretched out their arms.

The duke’s residence walls were so high that even men struggled to climb over them.

But contrary to their worries, even in a dress, she leaped as lightly as a cat.

And she landed perfectly, gently stepping on the ground with both feet.

Only the pair of shoes she was holding by her fingertips swayed intensely left and right.

“An, an angel.”

An angel descended from the sky. Bolton muttered as he blankly looked up at his academy mate who appeared as a woman.

“Long time no see, Bolton. And sorry.”

Rukna extended her hand to Bolton. What was she sorry for? Was she apologizing for being too pretty? The dazed Bolton mumbled.

“For lying all this time. I was actually a woman.”

“…”

“Bolton?”

“Gender… juice?”

“Yeah, I drank gender juice and pretended to be a man. As expected, a talented alchemist is different.”

Rukna waved her outstretched hand once more. But instead of taking her hand, Bolton stood up on his own strength. Yet he couldn’t take his eyes off Rukna’s face.

“Damn, this can’t be real.”

He muttered softly.

Rukna strolled through the forest with Bolton.

Saying that the matter she had asked for help with was well resolved, she briefly explained what had happened since leaving the military academy.

“I apologize again. I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

“You think you’re the only one who deceived me?”

Ugh, that Chad guy. Bolton shook his head as if he didn’t even want to bring it up.

“Anyway, I was puzzled that there was a priestess who resembled you at the temple ceremony, but I never imagined it would actually be you, you rascal.”

“You couldn’t recognize me then, but you do now?”

What a truly peculiar insight.

Wouldn’t this appearance, with makeup and a dress, be more unfamiliar than when she had a bare face and wore priestly robes? Rukna tilted her head curiously.

“Back in our school days, your face was fair, your lips were red, and your eyes sparkled just like now. You look more similar to how you were back then.”

Bolton glanced at Rukna and scratched the side of his head for no reason.

I wonder if this stride is okay to walk with her. Things he never cared about during their military academy days now bothered him.

It’s not like Rukna’s gait changed just because she put on a skirt.

“That’s absurd. How can a face with makeup look similar to when I was disguised as a man?”

“In my eyes, you were prettier back then. How much I liked you back then… No, that’s not it. Ahem.”

Bolton fake coughed and turned his head the other way.

A brief silence passed. Rukna clumsily continued the conversation while scratching her cheek.

“I was a bit haggard when I was a priestess. I was really busy then.”

“Yeah. You looked exhausted, ahem.”

And another moment of silence came. Once the atmosphere turned awkward, it seemed it would never ease up again.

Rukna stared at Bolton’s forearm that she was holding onto. She wondered if she had accepted his escort for nothing.

His muscular arm was so stiff that it felt as hard as a rock.

But if she let go now, it seemed like Bolton would be hurt, so she couldn’t refuse his escort either.

“Are you going to marry Matian?”

Bolton asked, looking at the towering araucaria trees.

“Marriage, what marriage?”

“I hate to say it myself, but Matian is a decent man.”

“I know.”

“You know, but you’re going to reject him?”

“Reject what? Matian has never proposed to me.”

“You know he’s liked you since our military academy days, right?”

“…”

“It was the first time I saw him show interest in someone. That’s why I remember it clearly. Seeing the Matian Wiegratz, greatest under the heavens, fidgeting anxiously was really…”

Right then.

Suddenly, from the edge of the forest, a tremendous explosion sound rang out along with the cries of magical beasts.

Bolton immediately grabbed the iron mace on his back, shouting, ‘Have the magical beasts invaded even the sacred forest now?’

He then stood in front of Rukna to protect her.

“It’s chaos wherever we go. At this rate, the entire empire will be overrun by magical beasts.”

“Is the outside situation that bad?”

Rukna also picked up a fallen tree branch from the forest.

“Oh my, a lady shouldn’t do rough work. Leave it to Sir Bolton!”

“But you’re an alchemist, not a warrior.”

Of course, it wasn’t that Bolton was weak. One swing of his mace could send two or three flying. But Rukna, who had beaten him in sparring during their military academy days, had good reason to worry about him.

“I-I’m a steel-like alchemist. I don’t go around getting beat up.”

Bolton pretended to be tough, but in Rukna’s eyes, he looked like a big oaf putting on airs.

Just then, from the direction of the commotion, soldiers carrying the golden lion flag came riding on horses.

It was a group of knights who had brought an imperial decree.

They were about to pass by Bolton with a cursory glance, but as soon as they saw the beautiful Rukna, they yanked the reins.

As the dust kicked up by the horse hooves rose hazily, Rukna coughed.

Thanks to Bolton taking off his jacket to shield her, she was able to avoid being completely covered in dirt.

“What is the meaning of this!”

Bolton asked the knights in a booming voice. Some knights snickered amongst themselves, saying, “Isn’t that the viscount’s man?”

The knight at the forefront ignored Bolton’s words and stared at Rukna.

“Are you coming from the duke’s residence, lady?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then we will escort you back. Apparently dark mages have invaded the forest, so we need to evacuate for now.”

The knight extended his hand. Rukna didn’t take it and just blankly stared at it.

“Ah, we are not suspicious people. We belong to the imperial knights.”

The knight pointed to the golden lion flag.

“If you’re imperial knights, shouldn’t you be slaying the dark mages?”

“Our mission is to deliver the imperial decree. Going to the Wiegratz ducal residence is our top priority.”

Still, he added that he wanted to fulfill his knightly duty by rescuing a beautiful lady.

“It’s alright. I have a companion.”

Rukna refused, linking arms with Bolton. The knight laughed.

“I don’t know which family the young lady is from, but it would be better to be under the knights’ protection.”

The knight pointed his chin at a nobleman they claimed to have rescued on the way.

A man with a pale complexion was sprawled over a horse’s back like a sack of luggage, unconscious.

“Perta Golden?”

Rukna’s eyes widened upon seeing him.

“So you know each other. What is the lady’s name?”

“Rukna.”

Rukna? The knights exchanged glances upon hearing that name.

“Are you truly Priestess Rukna?”

“Yes. What’s this about?”

“What a fortunate coincidence. An imperial decree has been issued to Priestess Rukna.”

The knights dismounted their horses one by one and surrounded Rukna.

Bolton warily sent Rukna behind his back, demanding to know what they were doing.

Rukna was puzzled. She had never even seen the emperor’s face, so for what reason would an imperial decree be issued?

“Stand aside.”

The knights pointed their swords at Bolton’s neck. Even when Bolton didn’t back down, Rukna walked forward herself.

No, you rascal! Bolton tried to stop her, but Rukna looked straight at the knight holding the emperor’s edict.

The knight showed the edict, saying she was quite a naive priestess. On the paper stamped with the emperor’s seal, Rukna’s name was clearly written.

The knight began to read out the emperor’s command with an arrogant expression.

“Priestess Rukna, currently affiliated with the central temple, is to be dispatched to the temple in the western Hilden region where battles are ongoing. Purify the area contaminated by dark magic as soon as possible.”

It was truly an absurd order. Rukna glared at the paper, trembling with rage.

Just then, an arrow that flew from somewhere pierced right through the center of the edict and stuck into the ground.

Eek! The knight was so startled that he dropped the edict he was holding.

As the paper, which was as good as the emperor’s face, tumbled to the dirt, the knights picked it up with pale faces and quickly brushed off the dirt.

“W-who goes there!”