Letia stared at him with a puzzled look.

‘Lost in the Red Forest of all places, in such an ordinary way.’

Though the excuse seemed too implausible to believe, Letia didn’t bother to inquire further.

‘At least he doesn’t seem to be an assassin. But still…’

Letia looked at the fog spreading intricately like a spider’s web around them.

It seemed Serina intended to trap her in this forest to make her death appear accidental.

‘If I can just escape from here without Serina knowing.’

Letia’s pupils quietly gleamed.

“If you’re lost, please allow me to accompany you.”

“What?”

“It’ll be less dangerous if we’re together, and we might find a way out faster.”

Kallion’s eyes widened at the somehow familiar words.

“It’ll be less cold if we’re together. Less dangerous too.”

For a moment, Kallion’s lips softened and his eyes grew distant.

‘Despite claiming to have forgotten everything, your excuses remain the same.’

Though thinking it would be better not to get involved, Kallion’s heart stirred at her small remark that reminded him of that day.

Letia also felt a strange emotion at Kallion’s expression.

‘Why such an expression all of a sudden…’

Especially as the cold, stern light in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a warm yet wistful gaze, she couldn’t look away.

Strangely, his eyes had caught her attention from the start, curiously tugging at her heart.

‘Who exactly is this person?’

But as if it never happened, his lips hardened again as he firmly pushed Letia away.

“Isn’t being less dangerous only applicable to you? Besides, what can you do to help find the way?”

Letia hesitated at his cold voice but didn’t back down, putting strength in her voice.

“I can be of help if I can, right?”

Letia looked around.

She frowned as the humid air pressing down on her body seemed to make even breathing difficult.

‘So this is what they meant by being trapped forever if you don’t enter the Red Forest through the imperial-approved entrance.’

Then we need to find the path that starts from the imperial-approved entrance.

“Can you find it?”

There was not a hint of expectation in Kallion’s voice.

Letia spoke to him.

“The sky isn’t very visible because of the fog, but we should walk towards where we can see even a little bit of it.”

“Is that meaningful?”

“The reason for the fog is lack of sunlight, and the trees in the Red Forest are tall enough to block the sky. But if it’s an imperial-approved path, the trees would be relatively lower to allow sunlight, so we should be able to see the sky.”

“But couldn’t the fog itself be magic?”

“The magic cast on the Red Forest probably traps the fog in specific places through barriers, rather than creating the fog itself.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s magic created by Spinel.”

When she mentioned Spinel, Kallion’s eyes flickered intensely.

“Spinel can only use holy magic related to protection and healing, so it can’t create fog.”

‘Right. Spinel is the power of healing. But Cristalos is the jewel of ice.’

Yet she clearly saved him with healing power back then.

‘Moreover, it was power that emerged even before awakening. Though she calls herself Nebula, perhaps the Spinel I’m looking for is…’

After listening to Letia’s words, Kallion silently turned his back.

Letia’s expression showed disappointment at his reaction.

‘He doesn’t believe me.’

Well, everyone calls her a useless stone anyway.

As she was about to turn away reluctantly.

“What do you plan to do after we get out?”

“Pardon?”

“It seems your life is in danger.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Letia said firmly.

“I’ll run away.”

‘Completely, from everyone.’

Hearing Letia’s answer, Kallion seemed satisfied and raised the corner of his mouth.

“I won’t help if you fall behind.”

“What?”

“Keep up on your own.”

As Kallion started walking, Letia, who had been standing dazed for a moment, quickly followed with a brightened expression.

Kallion forced strength into his lips that kept moving on their own.

‘It won’t hurt to find out.’

Yes, that’s the only reason.

***

‘He said not to fall behind, but…’

Though she tried her best not to be a nuisance and walked diligently, Letia kept stumbling as her dress caught on branches and rocks.

Despite saying he wouldn’t help, Kallion’s pace had also noticeably slowed.

Eventually she stopped, and accordingly, Kallion turned around.

“What is it?”

“Could I borrow your sword for a moment?”

Kallion frowned as he looked at her injured hand.

“That’s not something for those hands to hold.”

“Ah! I’m sorry. It seems to be a precious sword…”

As that wasn’t what Kallion meant, he sighed inwardly and handed her a lighter dagger from his chest.

“I didn’t mean the sword was precious, but that you might hurt your hand again.”

Surprised by the unexpected concern, Letia’s eyes widened.

‘His words sound harsh, but his actions are completely different.’

“What are you planning to do with that?”

“Oh, this.”

Letia used the dagger to tear off the hem of her dress.

Kallion raised an eyebrow at the sight.

“This outfit is uncomfortable to move in. You told me not to fall behind, right?”

But somehow he swallowed a sigh and took off his outer garment, approaching her.

“W-why are you doing this?”

Letia was flustered by the suddenly close distance, but Kallion wrapped his arm around her waist, ignoring her reaction.

“Eek!”

Disregarding her short scream, Kallion silently tied his outer garment around her waist.

“Don’t carelessly show your bare legs like this.”

Letia, who hadn’t thought that far, lowered her gaze with a slightly reddened face.

“Th-thank you.”

Because of this, her neck was exposed defensively to Kallion, and he noticed a clear wound on her pale skin where veins were visible.

That wound was from his sword.

His eyes sank deeply as he looked at the wound.

“We should move without further delay…”

Letia tried to turn away from him carefully, but Kallion was still holding her.

“Um?”

Kallion took out a small medicine bottle from his chest and showed it to her.

Letia’s eyes widened in confusion at the unexpected situation.

“What is this?”

“It might seem like I’m giving you the disease and the cure, but it’s better than not giving anything.”

When Kallion lightly pressed on Letia’s wound, she felt the pain for the first time.

“Ah, it’s fine…”

“Even a small wound can become serious if it gets infected.”

“I keep thanking you.”

“No need to thank me.”

Letia carefully received the medicine bottle and was about to apply it to her neck.

But as her fingers kept missing the area around the wound, Kallion sighed and took the bottle back.

“Stay still.”

“Um, that…”

Letia unconsciously held her breath.

As Kallion tried to apply the medicine to the wound, her hair kept getting in the way, so he carefully grasped it.

At that moment, strange shadows suddenly began to rise around Letia.

Sensing an eerie killing intent, Kallion hugged Letia and leaped away.

“Ugh!”

Though Letia suddenly rolled on the ground, she wasn’t hurt thanks to Kallion.

“Wh-what’s happening?”

“We’re under attack.”

“What?”

Kallion blocked Letia’s front and drew his sword.

‘Was it really just about making it look like an accident?’

What excuse would they make if it’s revealed that the person who brought her here was the empress?

‘Well, I guess they’re trying to get rid of me somehow this time. They can make up excuses later.’

While Emperor Kalua wants to rebuild House Harencloud to be remembered as a wise ruler in history books, for the empress, it would mean a troublesome political rival emerging.

After all, it was Empress Terisia who sent her to the frontier, intending to kill her through war.

‘The more this happens, the more I can’t help but suspect.’

That they were behind the death of his father, Takel!

Seeing the shadows start to attack, Kallion swung his sword precisely while luring them away to avoid involving Letia.

But though his attacks clearly landed, there was no sensation of the blade cutting through anything.

Kallion thought ‘surely not’ as he slashed through several shadows in succession.

But they just sank into the ground without any substance.

‘Could it be an illusion? Such an elaborate illusion at that.’

Letia, having the same thought as Kallion, unknowingly murmured.

“…Illusion, if it’s a jewel that uses illusions, could it be Peridot?”

Hearing her whisper, Kallion’s eyes widened. But there was no time to think slowly.

“Get away for now!”

Letia moved her body to avoid hindering Kallion, but seeing the ever-increasing shadows, she gritted her teeth.

‘Maybe it’s all because of me. No, it is because of me. Serina and uncle set this trap to kill me, and he got caught up in it!’

I need to help him.

I can’t be a useless person again.

‘If such magic was cast without a Gemma, they must have hidden a magic circle somewhere.’

Where could it be? Where did they hide it?

‘Please. I must figure it out. Please!’

At that moment, something flashed in her mind.

“The palace maid’s head covering…”

There are no palace maids who wear head coverings.

People working in the palace always undergo body searches, so they’re not allowed to have anything that hides or conceals their body.

‘That’s right. It was strange from the start. Hiding the hair means concealing the green color that symbolizes Peridot.’

She wasn’t a maid from the beginning!

“Your hair is disheveled.”

‘That was the only time she touched me.’

As her thoughts reached that point, Letia didn’t hesitate to cut off her hair with the dagger Kallion had given her.