Unable To Escape - Chapter 58

“Wrong. There’s nothing worth salvaging except for a single handprint.”

Kasa approached Killian with a dark expression after finishing the search around the carriage.

She seemed to feel responsible for the incident that occurred before they had even spent a full night outside the imperial palace.

“How is Her Highness?”

“The physician is examining her.”

“How should we atone for this sin…”

Hearing her words, the faces of the other knights also darkened.

Fortunately, there was no major issue with Alicia’s safety, but the fact that they failed to prevent a situation that could cause her to lose consciousness seemed to be troubling them.

Killian didn’t particularly comfort them and turned his gaze towards the forest where darkness had fallen.

He wasn’t worried about his subordinates who would be pursuing the unknown person inside.

They were guys who freely came and went through the Forest of Demons.

It didn’t make sense for them to encounter any trouble in a mere forest like this.

So his current worry was not about the wellbeing of his subordinates, but rather the possibility that even they might return empty-handed.

Some of the subordinates who entered that forest were former search party members, experts in tracking traces and following them.

If even they couldn’t find any traces…

“It would become very dangerous.”

Muttering to himself, Killian looked inside the disheveled carriage and realized that Alicia hadn’t even properly finished her meal.

Her wrists, already less than a handful, might become even thinner.

Disliking that thought, Killian clicked his tongue briefly and listened for footsteps coming from the forest.

Judging by the familiar sounds mixed in, it seemed some of the subordinates who had gone into the forest were returning.

“My Lord, we have a problem.”

His thoughts were not wrong.

Emerging from the darkness, Derrick immediately approached Killian and spoke.

“A problem?”

“We did find traces inside the forest.”

“And?”

“Rather than explaining… I think it would be better for you to see it directly.”

Derrick was someone who didn’t trouble Killian over trivial matters.

He often took care of things himself and reported afterwards, getting scolded by Brill several times for it.

Despite that, he couldn’t break the habit and still caused incidents occasionally, but now this Derrick was telling Killian to confirm with his own eyes.

“Lead the way.”

With the feeling that he would face a rather troublesome matter, Killian nodded, and Derrick took the lead again towards the forest.

“Please allow me to move along with you.”

Kasa requested, following behind Killian.

It seemed Reilly was also watching his reaction, likely wanting to come along.

“You may follow if you’re confident you won’t trouble me.”

“Thank you.”

At his words, Kasa and Reilly hurriedly moved their feet to follow behind him.

“It’s here.”

The place Derrick guided them to was not far from where Alicia’s carriage was located.

Killian, who immediately found the reason why Derrick had led him here, furrowed his brow.

“Was there only one?”

“Yes.”

It was a trace of artificially dug and rounded ground.

Judging by the smell of crushed grass leaves that still remained, it was clearly made not long ago. Unlike Killian, who hardened his expression seriously while looking at the pit, Kasa and Reilly, who didn’t know exactly what it was, tilted their heads.

“Those who only stay in the capital don’t know what this is, huh?”

Derrick, who had returned to his usual light-hearted demeanor as if he had never been serious, approached the two and asked in a small voice.

Of course, while doing so, his eyes were naturally watching Killian’s reaction.

“What is that, for Duke Diaz to make such a serious face?”

Kasa questioned Derrick.

He approached her side as if he had been waiting for such a question and opened his mouth in an even smaller voice than before.

“A nest.”

“A nest?”

“It means a demon beast was here until recently.”

The moment they heard Derrick’s words, Kasa and Reilly understood the whole situation and hardened their expressions just like Killian.

Kasa had received a direct warning from the Emperor to be cautious of ‘mutants’ before setting out on this journey.

At that time, she wondered how likely it was to encounter mutants, but now facing their traces directly, she realized how serious the situation was.

And it was the same for Reilly.

Reilly was one of the people in the empire who had access to the most information about mutants.

He had compiled and reported the constantly updated news to the Emperor, and he also knew from Jei that the frequency of mutant sightings had increased, but that was just information made up of letters.

The traces of mutants he confirmed with his own eyes made Reilly realize once again the seriousness of the current situation.

“It’s too close.”

Reilly opened his mouth while taking in the sight of the demon beast’s nest.

“I’ve heard reports that the locations where mutants are being discovered are getting closer and closer to the capital, but this is even closer than what I confirmed in the reports.”

They had only traveled for a day by horse and carriage from the outer walls of the capital.

To find traces of a mutant in such a place…

“We should return to the capital immediately.”

It’s dangerous.

They needed to return to the capital right away and inform the Emperor of this fact.

And they also needed to finish preparations in advance to deal with mutants that might appear in the capital soon.

“Are you saying we should ignore the Tower’s invitation?”

“Of course.”

Reilly answered firmly to Killian’s question.

If it were just them, it might be different, but Alicia was among their party.

They couldn’t leave her outside the imperial palace when mutants were roaming around calling Alicia’s name.

“We’ll let Alicia decide that after she regains consciousness.”

“Duke Diaz. You are the one in charge of this journey.”

“As the person in charge, I have the responsibility to consider Her Highness’s wishes.”

It wasn’t wrong, but why was he trying to be leisurely in such a dangerous situation?

Disliking that attitude, Reilly was about to open his mouth again when Killian asked Derrick.

“Wasn’t it human traces you were following?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why did you discover a demon beast’s nest?”

“The human traces led exactly to this point.”

“Wait a moment, Lord Burns. What do you mean by that?”

“It’s itchy, so just call me Derrick. Calling a thief’s son ‘Lord’ doesn’t suit me anyway.”

“Now is not the time to worry about titles!”

Kasa, thinking that Derrick was just as incompatible with her as Reilly, raised her voice and continued.

“You followed human traces and arrived at traces of a demon beast! Then where is that person? Don’t tell me they were caught by the demon beast…”

“There are no bloodstains around here.”

“They might be harming the person somewhere else.”

“That’s what’s strange.”

“What?”

“The traces end here.”

Killian furrowed his brow, realizing what Derrick was trying to say.

“Both the human traces and the demon beast traces end here. There are no signs of movement anywhere else.”

A black crystal was found in the center of the demon beast’s nest, but Derrick hid that fact.

He planned to report it later when alone with his master.

“It’s not like they flew into the sky or sank into the ground, but isn’t it strange that there are no traces of movement anywhere else?”

Human and demon beast traces intertwined into a single trace.

Unable to accept this situation that defied common sense, Kasa and Reilly closed their mouths.

“So, My Lord, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“What Her Highness saw… was it a person? Or a demon beast?”

The handprint left on the carriage window was human, and the footprints leading into this forest were also human.

That would mean what Alicia witnessed was also human, but Derrick somehow felt that might not be the case.

Among Killian’s subordinates, Derrick had the sharpest intuition.

When someone like him doubted the identity of the ‘person’, Killian’s face darkened.

He thought there might be another reason for ‘that’ to appear before Alicia.

“What should we do? Should we search more?”

“Search.”

“Yes, understood.”

At Killian’s brief order, Derrick bowed his head and signaled to the subordinates watching this side.

And he himself also walked deeper into the forest to follow Killian’s command.

“Duke Diaz. May I ask what Lord Burns meant earlier?”

Kasa, who had been staring at the demon beast’s nest for a while, opened her mouth.

“We should hear that story from Her Highness when she wakes up first.”

“But…”

Kasa tried to question again, but Killian, who no longer had any kindness left to bestow upon her, turned his body first.

Watching Killian walk back towards the campsite, leaving the demon beast’s nest behind, Kasa sighed as if there was nothing she could do.

“We should go back too.”

“You go first. I’ll stay a bit longer.”

Reilly shook his head at her words and headed towards the demon beast’s nest.

Did he want to examine it more closely?

Kasa, who had been alternately watching the backs of the two men heading in different directions, let out a long sigh and turned towards Reilly.

He was an annoying human, but the oath she had made to her sword prevented her from leaving him alone in a place like this.

That oath included not only protecting the Emperor and his bloodline but also protecting those weaker than herself.

No matter what kind of person Reilly was, he was clearly weaker than her, so it was right to protect him from danger.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Why?”

“It’s not what I want either. It’s because you’re too weak, so blame yourself for being weak enough to make me cry.”

“…What nonsense is that again?”

“Shut up and do what you were going to do.”

The oath I made to my sword is too heavy.

Thinking this, Kasa kicked Reilly’s behind as he made a strange face.

Indeed, he was a man who irritated her just by looking at him.