It was not long after Derek found human footprints in the bushes that the mutant appeared at the campsite.

As if it knew they were there, the mutant suddenly appeared in the middle of the campsite, collapsing tents and pouncing on the knights guarding the area.

It just so happened that this occurred when Derek had left the campsite with the wolves to search for the rat bastard following them.

Although no lives were lost thanks to the carefully selected skilled knights included in the party to protect Alicia, one knight injured his right shoulder and was unable to wield a sword for the time being.

It was an accident that occurred while protecting Marie, who was unable to defend herself.

By the time Derek, who belatedly noticed the commotion at the campsite, returned, the beast had already disappeared.

“This is the first time a mutant or beast has chosen to flee.”

Mutants were a bit smarter than beasts, but the standard was still that of a beast.

“The tracking?”

“That’s the strange part.”

“What is it?”

“There are no traces.”

Reminded of the memory from the first day of the journey by Derek’s report, Killian frowned.

Even then, they had no choice but to contact the Imperial Palace to wrap things up as they were unable to find additional traces.

“Are you saying it’s the same one from back then?”

“But it doesn’t make sense that we didn’t notice the beast following us for such a long distance and time.”

The wolves were more accustomed to dealing with beasts than humans.

It made no sense that they didn’t sense a beast following behind them.

“What about you, Derek?”

“I have good instincts. And that was a rat bastard, not a beast.”

If Derek was that certain, they had to believe him.

Accurately assessing the abilities of his subordinates, Killian nodded and visually swept the ruined campsite.

Did they say one knight’s shoulder was injured?

It was a great relief that it ended with just that.

“They’ve seen us fight quite a bit. Plus, the White Gyeong came every evening to teach the wolves how to fight. I think it was possible to some extent even with just that kind of eavesdropping, since they’re skilled knights.”

Of course, they couldn’t kill it.

Even if they were told where the weak point was, it was difficult to accurately locate and stab or cut it off during a fight.

Although it was an illusion created by someone in the tower, Kasa’s ability to face any number of beasts with just theoretical knowledge was tremendously outstanding.

Thinking that Adrian had every reason to covet Kasa as Alicia’s escort, Killian moved his steps toward those waiting for him.

“Can you ride a horse?”

“It’s possible.”

“The patient should be quiet. Determining if it’s possible is my job as the doctor.”

Tightening the bandage around the injured knight’s shoulder to shut him up, Tilly spoke to Killian.

“Riding a horse shouldn’t be a problem, but galloping is too much. We’ll need to make space in the wagon.”

“I will!”

“Shall I wrap a bandage around your mouth too?”

“…I’ll be quiet.”

“Let’s rely on the wagon until we reach a village where we can purchase a carriage. I’ll be riding with you, so don’t feel embarrassed.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Of course, you’ll have to take off your armor, right?”

“That’s…”

“You’re going to wear armor and ride in the wagon with an injured shoulder?”

“But the armor…”

“Marie! This knight who saved your life says his body is uncomfortable!”

Summoned by Tilly’s call, Marie quickly rushed over and supported the knight with determined eyes.

She couldn’t ignore the knight who was injured while protecting her.

Understanding this, Killian nodded as he watched the scene.

That’s when he noticed Kasa discussing the suspicious person who had come near the campsite among the wolves.

And even Reilly was examining the broken camp gear with a serious expression…

“Kasa White!”

“Yes! Duke Diaz!”

Kasa immediately stood up and answered Killian’s call.

Perhaps because he rarely raised his voice, everyone’s gaze at the campsite was drawn to Killian.

“Where is Her Highness Alicia?”

“Huh? Ah, if you mean Her Highness, she was with Marie… Huh?”

Kasa, who was answering, saw Marie helping the injured knight onto the wagon.

Thinking that maybe Reilly had stayed by Alicia’s side, she hurriedly turned her gaze and found him looking at her with a serious expression, just like Killian.

“Kasa White. Her Highness?”

“I’m… I’m sorry. I clearly saw her with Marie earlier and briefly left… but…”

Although it was spring, a chilly wind blew and swept through the chests of the gathered party at the campsite.

They really didn’t want to admit it, but at the place where the beast’s attack had just occurred… Alicia had disappeared.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Alicia secretly slipped out of the campsite and was slowly moving in the direction where the beast had disappeared.

Her purpose was to search for the black crystal that might be nearby.

The party would soon notice her absence and set out to find her, so she had to examine as much area as possible before then.

‘I feel really bad for the injured knight, but thanks to him, I was able to get away.’

Deciding to give a personal gift upon her return, Alicia was rummaging through the bushes in a lowered posture.

She had only heard about the appearance of the black crystal, not exactly where, how much, or in what size it appeared, so she had no choice but to examine every part.

If it were an ordinary crystal, she would have to dig the ground, but…

‘When talking about the black crystal, there was no mention of digging the ground or breaking rocks. They just said they found it.’

Then there was a high possibility that it would be completely exposed somewhere above ground.

“Please let me find it in one go. Come out…”

Muttering like that, Alicia walked deeper and deeper into the forest.

How long had she walked like that, bending her waist?

Alicia, who straightened her stiff waist and stretched largely, realized that she had lost her way.

It happened because she never looked up while examining the ground, undergrowth, and near tree roots.

“…I think I lost my way like this not too long ago…”

Alicia, who recalled being able to escape a dangerous situation with Reilly’s help back then, sighed.

By now, they would have noticed her disappearance and a commotion would have arisen.

There would be a fuss to find her… Could she return before things escalated further?

‘It won’t work.’

Quickly reaching a conclusion this time as well, Alicia decided to stay at this place until the party came to find her.

Since there were wolves in the party who were second to none in tracking, she didn’t think they wouldn’t be able to find her.

The problem would be if the person who found her turned out to be Killian…

“He might report to Father that I’m gathering information about beasts, throwing away any promises.”

If it was Killian, he could definitely do that.

If only Reilly was the one to find her, she could persuade him appropriately…

“That’s impossible too.”

With Killian and the wolves, how could Reilly find Alicia first?

While acknowledging his intelligence as the future prime minister, Alicia couldn’t give him good marks in this aspect.

“By the way, it’s quite dense here, but why can’t I hear the sound of mountain birds?”

The fact that she hadn’t encountered any wild animals could be because the beasts avoided her, sensing the presence of a human.

In a place with this many trees and grass, it was normal to hear the sound of mountain birds.

“Is it because the beast appeared?”

It could be that the mountain birds, startled by the appearance of the beast, had temporarily left the forest… but something still felt strange.

A mysterious premonition moved Alicia.

“Shall I go in a bit further?”

If she left a mark of her movement here and moved inward, they would quickly grasp her location and catch up.

With that belief, Alicia picked up a branch and drew an arrow on the ground in the direction she was going, then soon walked deeper into the forest.

The escaped beast wouldn’t be hiding here.

It was a relaxed remark that Killian would surely get angry if he heard, but he wasn’t here now.

Still, just in case, Alicia moved while minimizing her footsteps as much as possible, and she could hear the sound of water flowing from deep in the forest.

It was a very small sound, but it was enough to hear in the forest where the sounds of mountain animals had disappeared.

Perhaps because the lake she saw on the first day of the journey left a deep impression, Alicia naturally thought of that lake when she heard the sound of water in the forest.

As if enchanted, Alicia moved her steps to where the sound of water was coming from.

“Wow!”

And what she found inside was a small lake connected to a short waterfall.

Alicia, who was appreciating the beautiful scenery created by nature in a daze, carefully approached the lake and put her hand inside the water.

Even though she only dipped her hand, the cool, even cold water instantly cooled the heat from her entire body.

However, having learned, Alicia didn’t bring her mouth to the lake water and instead took off her shoes after a brief moment of consideration.

She thought that if there was no problem with dipping her hand, her feet would be fine too.

It was a wrong choice made by Alicia, who had completely forgotten that a beast had appeared here not long ago, being absorbed in admiring the scenery of the lake.

But she, who had no way of knowing that fact at the moment, was spending a leisurely time with her feet dipped in the cold water, taking in the scenery of the lake.

How much time had passed?

A long, dark shadow fell over the head of Alicia, who was still preoccupied with taking in the distant scenery.

Alicia, who failed to notice the presence approaching her while focused on the distant view, was thus exposing herself defenseless to the approaching danger.