“Trust me?”
Gro had spoken those words in a tone of praise.
But to Ileil, they sounded particularly jarring.
Coming from her father’s killer, the word “trust” seemed somewhat ridiculous no matter how you looked at it.
Ileil did not respond to Gro’s words.
The light in her golden eyes gradually dimmed—she could not accept Gro’s evaluation; to her, it felt more like an insult.
“This can’t even be called trust.” She approached Gro somewhat agitatedly, intending to get close and look him straight in the eyes.
But when Ileil got in front of Gro, she suddenly realized she had lost the tall, sturdy body of her youth.
Although Ileil’s current body was not short among women, compared to Gro—a standard former Northern Border warrior—Gro was as tall as a wall.
“Doesn’t the confidence the contract gives me count as trust?”
Gro half-bent down, leaned close to the girl’s ear, and lowered his voice. “This is my recognition of your strength, kid. You look like you really want to punch me directly, but you seem to have forgotten what you possess now—the body of a witch.” His deep blue eyes reflected the girl’s delicate angry face as he teased.
“But compared to the sturdy young man who was like a gray leopard before, I actually like the current you a bit more, Ileil. At least you look more pleasing to the eye.”
“You…!”
Now it finally hit the mark.
Kaze stood not far away, watching Ileil’s face rapidly darken, then looking at Gro with a mischievous grin on his face—this was the normal way the two interacted.
Ileil would always be provoked by Gro’s few words, and Gro would deliberately tease her like a foul-mouthed brat at such times.
Even though Gro usually maintained an arrogant and cynical persona, when dealing with others he always carried an appropriately cold detachment.
Even Kaze, who had been Gro’s “old friend” for many years, was no exception.
Kaze considered himself a foolish person, but he thought his intuition was surprisingly accurate—over so many years, Kaze felt Gro rarely removed his mask.
Gro would smile and call him a close friend, but Kaze could sense an invisible barrier between them.
This subtle sense of distance, Kaze could not describe exactly.
—But Ileil was an exception.
Gro seemed to show special favoritism and tolerance toward her, the daughter of the “Blade Ghost.”
Kaze knew that “Black Edge” Gro de Morant and Ileil’s father “Blade Ghost” Isende Claude had a special relationship over twenty years ago.
Although Kaze did not know how “Black Edge” and “Blade Ghost” ultimately became enemies… this mystery was perhaps known only to Gro.
At least in Kaze’s view, Gro’s feelings toward Ileil were not false.
He had guided Ileil to grow into a qualified warrior—although the matter of Ileil becoming a witch had indeed exceeded everyone’s expectations, in any case, Gro as her “mentor” had fulfilled his basic duties.
For the vast majority of people on this continent—cases where one person taught both literacy and martial arts were almost only found in elite education beyond the reach of commoners.
……
“I’ll leave for a while. You two be careful, don’t go too deep.”
They were currently in the outskirts west of Renn Town, not far from the town.
There were still people from the duke and the mercenary group on alert at the town edge.
Kaze turned to head back the way he came and, before leaving, instructed somewhat worriedly.
“Take care of yourself, Kaze. I don’t want you ending up like Kol.”
Looking at Gro’s calm and composed expression, Kaze put away his unnecessary worry.
That guy Gro was far more cunning than him; since Gro could trust Ileil without any reservations, he must have enough confidence to face her alone.
“I’m nagging like an old mother worrying everywhere.” Kaze sighed lightly and muttered.
…
The night wind passed through the treetops, carrying the scent of decaying fallen leaves across their cheeks.
Ileil tightened her nerves; she vaguely smelled the scent of danger.
After Kaze left, only Ileil and Gro remained in the forest.
After sending Kaze away, Gro immediately entered investigation mode.
“The clues are broken.” Gro looked thoughtfully at the rock wall marked with grooves from the giant axe. From here onward, he could not find a single trace left by humans.
“……No scent of blood. If we assume the missing people were chased by someone, they should have left obvious clues no matter what, right?”
Ileil looked toward the rock wall Gro had reached and said.
“Yeah. It’s as if the clues here were erased by someone using some method. Without special ability, it’s impossible to cover tracks so cleanly.”
Gro nodded in agreement and analyzed.
“First assume the enemy wielding the giant axe was chasing exactly Kol’s unlucky bunch, and they were completely wiped out right here.” He walked closer to the rock wall and gently brushed the traces with his fingers.
“After they were killed, someone stayed behind to clean up the scene. Not even the bodies or bloodstains can be seen, but the traces left by weapons, the cut trees, and the sliced rock wall are things they could not cover. Through these—what can we think of? Who exactly has the ability to do this?”
Gro slowly stated his thoughts, the words sounding like self-talk or directed at others.
“……”
Ileil stood silently behind him, her gaze sweeping the surroundings.
She always felt something was peeking from the shadows—not a beast, but something more dangerous.
“Nothing found. Staying here like this will only add to the confusion.”
Gro turned around and suggested.
“We’ll split up. I’ll continue along the northern path and patrol once around outside the town—you head back and check for me if there are any missed clues near Renn Town. Who knows… these scary axe marks might actually be a bluff, and Kol and the others might not have had any accident at all?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ileil frowned and asked back. “If you want to seek death, I hope I can do it with my own hands.”
The corners of Gro’s mouth curved into an enigmatic smile. “Haha… are you concerned about me?” When he turned, his black cloak drew a stylish arc.
“Rest assured. To let you live until the day you can take revenge with your own hands, I will try my best not to die.”
Gro laughed out loud, and his figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Once the footsteps had completely faded, Ileil turned toward the northeast.
The black-haired witch’s voice arrived as promised.
Now is the perfect opportunity, my kin.
That voice rang in her ear again, carrying an uncomfortable intimacy.
Do not head back. Continue walking west… you will get what you want.
She was unsure whether to trust the witch’s words—but if she could really find clues, perhaps she could use them to break free from Gro’s control.
Do not hesitate.