Iskariel replied calmly.

“Besides, I wanted to try riding a horse from the north at least once.”

“……If the Vice Minister says so.”

Doubtful, the knight handed the reins to Iskariel, who skillfully mounted the horse and began to gallop at a fast pace.

I paused to think. Obviously, no ordinary person could catch up to a horse on foot. But, the shoes I was wearing…

‘No, even if the speed increased several times, it’s still impossible.’

But I knew more about Donovan than Iskariel did. Especially around the Duke’s castle.

‘The only place Iskariel would go in this cold is… that place.’

I began to walk quickly. Even if I couldn’t catch up with the horse, I could at least arrive at the same destination as Iskariel.

‘In about 30 minutes of walking, I should be able to see what he’s up to.’

However, my plan failed within just ten minutes.

“……Angel?”

A puzzled voice sounded from behind me.

I turned my head sharply.

“Hades? What are you doing here?”

“That’s my question.”

I swallowed. Hades was looking at me with a somewhat perplexed expression. No, perplexed would be stretching it a bit.

‘He seems angry.’

I hastily replied.

“I was taking a walk.”

“……Alone? At this hour?”

I decided to be more assertive.

“Yes. I was planning to walk until Hades returns. What brings you here, Hades? You’re busy, aren’t you?”

“I.”

Hades’s eyes narrowed.

“I came chasing after the Vice Minister.”

“Aha.”

I showed no sign of surprise.

“Then you may continue. I’ve walked enough, so I’ll go back and rest.”

“No.”

Hades shook his head.

“Let’s go together.”

“Back home?”

Hades stared at me intently. His gaze made me involuntarily shrink. I had tried to act confident, but I couldn’t deceive Hades.

“It doesn’t seem like your goal is much different from mine.”

I felt as if I had been hit over the head. Hades had known my intentions from the start.

“Won’t it be a waste to turn back now?”

“You should’ve said so in the first place if you knew…”

I pouted. Although it was Hades who caught me, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“It was enjoyable to see your unique attempt to deceive me.”

I seriously doubted my ears.
Due to the change in his complexion, Hades cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“So, I’ve been watching you to see how far you intend to deceive me.”

“I suppose so.”

I replied carefully.

“Then, where has the deputy gone?”

“Follow me.”

I walked along a familiar path following Hades. As expected, he led me through the most treacherous mountain terrain near Donovan Duke’s Castle.

Newbies unfamiliar with Leodel struggled to climb this ominous mountain. But those who had cleared the game once were different.

“Step on this tree. Be careful.”

I grabbed Hades’ extended hand, stepped on the pine root, and then leaped onto the adjacent tree branch.

“…!”

My body sprung up like a spring. I had experienced this multiple times in the game, but experiencing it in reality was a different story altogether.

In an instant, I fell onto a mountain path and braced for the impending impact.

‘Why am I not hurt!?’

My eyes widened. Hades, who followed behind, caught me, preventing me from rolling down the path and suffering any impact.

“I told you to be careful, Angel.”

Hades shook his head.

“I didn’t think you’d go straight away.”

“I didn’t think I could jump up so easily either.”

“Anyway… you never listen.”

Was it an illusion?

A faint smile drew lines at the corners of Hades’ mouth.

“Where do we go now?”

It was when I was looking around. The sound of horseshoes clattering came from a short distance away.

‘Riding a horse up here?’

It was madness, to say the least.

But considering Iscariel’s actions, it might not be too outlandish to think of riding a horse up such a steep mountain.

As expected, Iscariel, who appeared shortly after, frowned upon seeing us.

“What are you two doing here?”

Hades responded slowly.

“We just came for a walk. What about you?”

Iscariel raised both hands.

“No need to glare so menacingly. I just came to find some herbs for this pitiful horse.”

My eyes widened.

There were herbs growing nearby. Specifically, Edelweiss had the efficacy of improving a horse’s vision and eradicating minor ailments. The horses would naturally graze on it, so Iscariel’s reason could indeed be genuine.

But Hades didn’t seem to believe Iscariel’s words.

“People hardly cure themselves, yet you came all this way to heal a horse. Isn’t your real motive elsewhere?”

Hades looked around.

“For example… the countless demons buried here.”