The next day, at the time Yohan departed for his mission, Francia took a vacation and arrived at a certain location with her escort knights.
“Is this the right place, Your Highness? It’s just a dense forest.”
One of the knights asked.
Before them stretched a massive forest where nothing but trees could be seen.
“This is the right place. Let’s go.”
Francia stepped forward.
Her outfit was comfortable and suited for the occasion, as if she had anticipated arriving in such a place, being the attire of the Ferbache family.
Swish.
They entered the forest.
The knights remained alert, keeping their guard up.
In places like this, sudden dangers often lurked.
Swish.
Francia did not stop her stride.
Even though it was her first time here, perhaps because it was untouched by human hands, it felt familiar.
She moved confidently and looked around.
The knights followed her silently.
Even with their first-class knight senses on alert, there was no sign of danger from any beasts.
Swish.
How long had they been walking?
Francia suddenly halted.
Before her stood a large cave that emanated an unusual aura.
“Everyone, wait here.”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“It’s fine. Here.”
The knights’ duty was to protect Francia at all costs.
Since childhood, they had sworn loyalty as vassals of the Ferbache family.
To let the only daughter and heir of such a family enter a cave in an unknown forest…
“We’ll accompany you.”
“I told you it’s fine.”
“It’s just that the energy feels unusual.”
“Hmm…….?”
Francia rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
‘How can I get the knights to leave me?’
No matter how much she insisted it was safe, they would likely insist on following her.
The strange energy emanating from the cave heightened their vigilance even more.
But there was nothing dangerous in that cave.
Just one artifact.
‘I should be somewhat honest here.’
After all, they were her people.
There was no worry of betrayal, and they had sworn loyalty to the Ferbache family, no matter what.
It would be fine to tell them the secret of this place.
“I hope you can trust me right now. There’s nothing dangerous in this cave.”
“…The energy is quite unusual. There may be a high-grade beast.”
“You knew that coming here, right? There are no beasts in this forest. It’s because of the artifact inside the cave.”
“Artifact… you say?”
An artifact.
Places where treasures or artifacts hidden across the continent are locked away are called artifact storages.
“Yes.”
The knight turned his gaze away, scratching the back of his head.
It seemed he swallowed the question of how she could be so certain.
“It’s a place with an artifact storage, so it’s fine.”
“Couldn’t there be traps?”
“There are no traps here.”
Francia pointed into the cave with her hand.
“You can tell just by the aura, but this artifact storage type does not have traps or beasts guarding it; rather, it prevents entry with its energy. It’s designed to elicit a rejection response in living beings.”
In places where artifacts slumber, there are types.
Either there are beasts crowded around, making them guard the storage, or there are traps everywhere that make entry difficult, or the aura radiates to cause living beings to avoid it.
The artifact storage here was of the third type.
“Does that convince you? I’ll be in and out quickly.”
“…Yes. But if anything happens, please shout right away.”
“Okay. I know.”
Francia gave the knights a light smile and stepped into the cave.
Naturally, it was dark inside.
The visibility was so poor that the only thing she could see was her feet beneath her.
“Ra, Endus, Fire.”
She conjured the basic spell, Fire, to illuminate the inside of the cave.
At the end of the cave, a now-dim altar revealed itself.
Francia swallowed hard and walked forward to place her feet on the altar.
Kugugugu—
With a slight vibration that stirred up dust, green light flooded the magic circle surrounding the altar.
And in the center, a pendant floated up.
It was the item Francia had been looking for.
Whoosh!
The moment she grasped the pendant, a chill coursed through her fingertips, spreading a brief shiver throughout her body.
Francia instinctively inhaled.
But soon, as if nothing had happened, the light of the magic circle calmly dimmed.
‘It worked.’
Francia stared intently at the pendant she held.
The green light flickered.
Though she didn’t know the name of this artifact, she clearly understood its effect.
If someone with murderous intent was nearby, it would glow red.
There were many people targeting Yohan at present, so it would surely be a great help.
It was the artifact that had saved her multiple times in the time that had now passed.
‘Protecting Yohan’s safety comes first.’
Using the knowledge of the future she possessed to enhance Yohan’s standing would be the next task.
Right now, she had to help Yohan blossom his potential as he once did.
“……That’s how it is.”
“Oh.”
After two whole days of travel, they had just crossed the border into the Rogino Empire.
Yohan was sharing his past stories at Rudella Bismark’s request.
Whatever he said, Rudella Bismark listened with an intrigued look in her eyes.
Even trivial stories were fine.
Whether it was tales of friends from his academy days or the troubles he faced due to odd noblewomen being entangled with him,
Even if it wasn’t particularly entertaining or special, Rudella sometimes showed slight changes in her expression, focusing her gaze on Yohan.
“It seems you had a more enjoyable academy life than I did.”
“It wasn’t that enjoyable. Now that I look back, it’s just a memory.”
Yohan smiled awkwardly.
At the time, everything had been a source of annoyance, but now it didn’t seem so difficult.
“Was there no noblewoman who caught your interest among those who showed you attention?”
“Indeed, there were some, but the drawbacks outweighed the benefits, so I didn’t pursue it as a goal.”
“Hmm.”
Rudella raised an eyebrow and looked at Yohan.
“To calculate the pros and cons of forming a connection with someone, you’re unexpectedly a person of this side, aren’t you?”
She then smiled slightly.
“It’s not something I boast about, but wasn’t I referred to as the trophy of high society? It was like walking on thin ice, so I had to be good at tightrope walking.”
Rudella nodded in agreement, understanding Yohan’s reasoning.
“That makes sense. As the third son of a baron, you don’t have that much power. You wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”
Getting involved for no reason could lead to Yohan facing difficulties in family disputes.
It was best not to give them any opportunity.
“However, I must ask. How do you explain that you offended His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that day? That must have been a difficult situation to handle.”
Rudella tilted her head slowly.
Her silver hair flowed down like silk over her subtly revealed shoulders.
The light caught her hair, giving it a faint sheen, leaving a scent of lilies in the air.
“No matter how much you say it’s the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t easily touch me, a future promising Archmage under the protection of the Ferbache family.”
Her voice was gentle and soft, but it contained a thorough calculation.
“You’re more cunning than I expected.”
Rudella replied with a hint of sarcasm, rolling her eyes lightly.
“And you have some backbone. Although you seem to have some confidence, making such a decision couldn’t have been easy.”
“I believe it’s only natural to protect my lover.”
“Oh.”
This time, the change in Rudella’s expression was distinctly different from before.
As her eyebrows rose, her pupils widened, and her lips parted slightly.
“…I wish I had someone like you.”
There was no discernible change on Rudella’s face as she spoke.
Her eyes seemed hazy, as if bored, and her expression was subtly slack.
A wave of unexpressed emotions passed over her face, darkening her complexion.
Yohan didn’t know what to say.
To be honest, it was quite unexpected for him to hear such words from Rudella.
Though he was mostly familiar with the characters in the story, Rudella’s current demeanor felt oddly unfamiliar.
As far as Yohan knew, Rudella Bismark was quite the madwoman.
A ruthless figure who didn’t bat an eye at taking lives as if they were flies.
To see her showing such vulnerability? Especially to someone she had only recently met?
‘I don’t understand.’
It was only natural to be confused.
‘I don’t know what she’s thinking or why she’s acting this way.’
He didn’t think there would be a sudden change in her mood due to some incident.
‘Rudella Bismark was… created that way.’
Yohan smiled awkwardly.
There wasn’t much he could say at the moment.
“It will happen someday.”
All he could offer was a comforting platitude.
“Someday, you say.”
Rudella, with her legs crossed, rested her chin on her hand and stared intently at Yohan.
Feeling the weight of her gaze, Yohan turned his eyes downward, revealing her white skin on her shin.
There was nowhere else to look. It wouldn’t be polite to gaze out the window, and looking directly ahead felt strangely uncomfortable, as if Rudella’s enigmatic gaze could read him.
“You have a surprisingly cute side.”
Rudella chuckled, breaking the awkward atmosphere with one of her few smiles.
“You’re free to look at my body. I’m not really the type to care. Or would you rather continue staring into my eyes?”
She subtly leaned in, closing the distance between them.
Rudella’s slightly raised smile formed a faint grin.
“Well, I suppose that could be possible.”
“Do you enjoy our conversation?”
As Yohan took a slight step back, Rudella grabbed his wrist, preventing him from escaping.
“That day, the image of you protecting the princess keeps flashing before me.”
“At that moment, you acted without fear. Even knowing it could lead to trouble, you stepped up for your lover.”
“That’s only natural as a lover.”
“Many people in this world are unable to do what they think is natural.”
“…Is that so?”
“I had no one like that. Maybe that’s why you keep coming to my mind.”
Yohan narrowed his eyes.
He instinctively sensed that her interest wasn’t just mere curiosity.
“By the way, Lady Bismark, how was your life at the Academy?”
He changed the subject.
To shift the atmosphere.
“Are you trying to change the topic? It seems I unintentionally put you in a difficult position.”
Rudella smiled lightly and gazed deeper into Yohan’s eyes.
“True, it’s my story. But I don’t really have much to share. It’s been a boring life. Even during my time at the Academy, it was all about studying for improvement and fulfilling my responsibilities. Even if I interacted with someone, it was all for political gain.”
It was a dull school life, much like her personality.
“I see. So, that’s why you asked me to share my story?”
“That’s not it. Didn’t I say earlier? I was just curious about how you became such a person.”
Rudella’s sky-blue eyes swayed like ripples as they gazed at Yohan.
Though she appeared calm, there was a glimmer of longing for something unattainable.
KWAAM!!
Just as Yohan was about to continue speaking, a loud explosion echoed, and the floor of the carriage jolted with a shock.
With the sound of wood panels cracking, the seat twisted, and metal parts flew off like sharp shards in all directions.
“Oh no!”
Yohan quickly assessed the situation and pulled Rudella into his arms, wrapping his arms around her head and shoulders as he activated his protective magic.
“It’s an ambush…!”
“Ugh! M-my arm!”
Amidst the screams of people and horses outside the window, the inside of the carriage turned upside down in an instant.
The carriage was falling off a cliff.