Chapter 91
The thick trees in the forest blocked the moonlight, and rays of light streamed straight down to the ground through the gaps in the branches.
From the outside, it looked like a dark, eerie forest, but once inside, it was brighter than expected. The clear air and mystical scenery took my breath away.
"Amazing... wait, no—"
Finn, who had looked up at the sky and let out a gasp of admiration, shook their head as if to say this wasn't the time, then crouched near a nearby bush. After observing something intently, they said, "I knew it," and motioned for me to come over.
"Look, the grass has been trampled. I figured this area with fewer plants would be where they passed through."
"Deeper in from here?"
"That way is darker since there's no light. Over there, low trees are densely packed in the bushes, so you'd have to push the branches aside to get through. That's why I think they went deeper in from here."
There was no path in the untouched deep forest, so we had to rely only on the moonlight and faint clues to follow after Sil and the others. Even though it was our first time here and we had no map, Finn chose the route without hesitation, occasionally muttering something as they proceeded straight ahead.
"You're really used to this."
"Hmm, not used to it exactly, but my dad's a soldier. During long breaks, he'd take me into the mountains or forests and drill all sorts of things into me."
"Even how to walk through a dark forest?"
"He said it was essential if I ever joined a reconnaissance team, so I learned it, but I don't plan on joining one anytime soon."
"It's never a bad thing to know. I should thank your father."
"I never thought it would come in handy before joining the military."
Thanks to Finn, whose parent was a soldier, we were able to follow Sil and the others without issue, but the scenery of grass and trees in the forest didn't change, and everything looked the same no matter where we looked. It wasn't a place we could wander around carelessly.
I now unintentionally understood why entering the forest had been forbidden.
"I don't see them..."
"They shouldn't have gone that far yet."
As we went deeper, the thick vegetation blocked our path, narrowing our vision and making our footing unstable. We occasionally stopped at the sounds of beasts or birds behind or above us, cautiously scanning the surroundings before moving again.
In forests like this, there were many poisonous creatures and plants, so we had to be extra careful, which was mentally as well as physically exhausting.
How to deal with such things was taught at the military school, but we hadn't learned it yet.
It was only natural, since we weren't supposed to enter the forest in our first training exercise.
"Looks like they're still heading deeper. What should we do?"
I looked away from Finn, who had stopped and was watching me, and narrowed my eyes to peer into the depths of the forest, but Sil and the others were nowhere to be seen.
"Should we keep going, or turn back?"
"We can keep following them, but I still don't know where those three are headed. Something about this just feels off."
"Bad feelings tend to be right on the mark."
"My dad said how you act in moments like this can make all the difference in the world."
"If an active soldier says so, then it must be true."
Sil and Severi had clearly been acting strangely, and Instructor Doan had gone into the forest with them at midnight. They weren't particularly close, and there was no reason to enter a forbidden forest.
"We can go back the way we came, right?"
"We can, but..."
"If anything happens, I want you to go back to camp and get an instructor."
"What about you, Celestia?"
"I'll stay."
"N-No way. Then I'll stay, and you go back to camp, Celestia."
"I'm not sure I could make it out of the forest alone. Besides, you're faster than me, right?"
"I... might not make it out either... right, getting lost in the forest would be dangerous."
I patted Finn's shoulder as they mumbled and gave a small smile to the Finn who was cautiously watching me.
"I'm just talking about if something happens."
"...Let's hope nothing does."
"Come on, let's keep going. I want to make sure Sil and the others are okay."
"Yeah."
I gave a wry smile at Finn, who said we'd scold them for making us worry once we caught up, but in the back of my mind, alarm bells were ringing.
※
"......Celestia."
"Wait, the branches—"
"There, over there."
I pushed aside the thin branches and walked up next to Finn, who had been walking a bit ahead. Where he pointed, a river sparkled under the moonlight, suddenly appearing in the forest. This was probably the river they said they fetched water from during expeditions.
And along the riverbank stood several figures.
After exchanging a glance with Finn, I quickly crouched down, lowered my posture, and crept on all fours toward the figures while straining my ears.
"......So I was right."
"Even though I prayed otherwise."
At the riverbank were Sil and Severi, just as we had been searching for, and of course Instructor Doan was with them—but for some reason, there were others too.
Large men in dark capes and a young man standing as if commanding them.
"Do you recognize them?"
"No."
"Then they're probably not affiliated with the military school."
While keeping an eye on the situation, we carefully moved closer until we could clearly hear their voices.
"Are those men knights?"
"Knights?"
"The ones standing beside that young man."
"They look like guards, but they're not even wearing armor. How can you tell?"
"They're too well-groomed and built to be hired guards. Also, do you see the longswords under their coats?"
"Ah, yeah."
"The grips are decorated. Only high-ranking knights serving the kingdom carry those."
"So you think those people are knights?"
"Most likely."
"If that's the case, then that man must be someone of a status worthy of being protected by knights..."
Thanks to the moonlight, we could see Sil and the others clearly.
A young man stood in front of Sil and Severi, casting a provocative gaze at them. He had glossy reddish-brown hair and a well-formed face. Though lightly dressed, he didn't look shabby—he had an air of refinement.
"No matter how you look at it, he must be royalty or someone of similar status."
"Eh...!"
I placed a finger on Finn's lips, then carefully moved toward the bushes on Sil's side. We were only a few meters away. Even the slightest sound could get us discovered.
"What a terrible expression you have."
The young man said with a tone of amusement as he reached toward Sil. Sil turned her face away to avoid the hand, but he grabbed her chin and forced her to look up.
He frowned at Sil, who showed no sign of resistance, and continued to observe her.
"Can't even greet your brother after so long?"
An outrageous statement came from the young man's mouth.
Brother... brother, as in Sil's...?
"Huh...!?"
I heard a sharp gasp from beside me and quickly covered Finn's mouth with one hand. His pupils were dilated in shock, so I pinched his cheek with a finger.
I had heard Sil had siblings, but she had said she wasn't close with anyone except her real brother.
"Were they ever close enough to greet each other... ugh."
"Still as cheeky as ever."
When Sil talked about her real brother, she looked so happy—nothing like the harsh expression she had now. So maybe the young man here was a half-brother from a different mother?
"You're Adote's eldest son?"
The young man let go of Sil's chin as if brushing her off, and turned to Severi, who caught the staggering Sil. He looked Severi up and down as if judging him, then snorted.
Perhaps used to such arrogance, Severi remained expressionless as always and bowed his head.
"It's been a while, Second Prince."
"Must be tough babysitting the useless Fourth Prince."
"I am grateful for the valuable experience."
"Haha, valuable experience, huh? Oh right, you two were both useless followers trailing behind Dick."
As the young man laughed, the men beside him and Instructor Doan let out mocking chuckles.
Whatever they found amusing, only the young men were laughing. Sil and Severi just stared at them.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Finn leaned close to my ear and whispered "Prince," then pointed at them and added "Dick," tilting his head.
The young man was the Second Prince, Sil was the Fourth Prince. Severi was Sil's attendant, and Dick was probably another prince not present here—or perhaps Sil's real brother.
I leaned close to Finn's ear and whispered, "Another country. I don't know."
"I was wondering where you'd disappeared to lately—so you were at the military school, huh?"
"......"
"When I heard from Instructor Doan that our country's Fourth Prince was at the military school, I couldn't believe my ears."
"Is Instructor Doan from Sleiran?"
I was more shocked than when the young man had said 'brother', and for a moment, I stopped breathing...
It was certain he wasn't royalty from Russell, but to think he was from Sleiran of all places.
Finn, who must have been just as shocked as I was, covered their mouth with both hands and froze, their face turning pale.
"Every country plants spies in others. That includes knight orders and militaries without exception. Doan is one of my most capable retainers."
"......"
"Since the former Knight Commander was going to be an instructor at the military school, I had him infiltrate there instead of the military itself, and it seems the timing was just right."
"I suppose I was just unlucky then..."
"Don't glare at me like that. This situation is because Dick made his little brother act like a retainer."
"My brother has nothing to do with this."
"Then this was your doing alone? No wonder. I thought it was a foolish act, even for him."
"Ugh...!"
When the young man grabbed Sil's bangs and lifted them, Sil let out a cry of pain as his body was pulled upward. Reacting to that voice, Finn flinched slightly, but was held back by an arm, told it's not time yet.
"Let... go...!"
"Because of my foolish little brother, Dick will be left with a scar that will never fade."
"What...?"
"Don't you get it? While my brother and Dick are fighting for the throne, I have you—someone who could be Dick's weakness—in my hands."
"Do you intend to use me as a bargaining chip?"
"Of course not! I'm not foolish enough to challenge Dick head-on."
Releasing the hair he had grabbed, the young man looked down coldly at Sil, who had fallen to his knees, and smiled icily.
"That's why, let's say you were killed not by me, but by the country of Russell."
I gasped at the dangerous words, and as cold sweat ran down my back, I reached for the dagger.
No good. No matter how I look at it, there's no way we'll get out of this unscathed...
"Second Prince. Silvio is the Fourth Prince of Sleiran, and the biological son of Lady Berta, daughter of the Marquis family, the largest faction in the country, even if she is a concubine. You do understand what it means to lay hands on her son, don't you?"
"Do you think I wouldn't understand something like that?"
"Then please, just return to your country."
"I heard there was a training exercise, and came all this way just to hunt it down, and now you want me to go back? That's a strange thing to say. Were you not listening to what I said?"
"......"
"The one to kill Silvio won't be me, but a soldier of Russell."
"Even if we report to the military school that we're from Sleiran, we're still underage children. Even if there is punishment, it likely won't be execution, right?"
"That's probably true. But why bother reporting it at all? I'll finish you off here, and when Dick hears you died in Sleiran, that'll be enough."
"He's not someone who would be fooled so easily."
"But he won't be able to think clearly when faced with his precious little brother's corpse. The tension he's held will snap, he'll show an opening, respond too slowly, and be driven away from the throne—perfect."
"You're willing to frame Russell and start a war over this?"
"That's exactly what I want."
From the flow of the conversation, it was clear that the young men, including Instructor Doan, were political enemies of Sil's real brother, and they had come here tonight with the intent to target Sil.
Worse yet, they hadn't come to capture him—they came to kill him...
"Finn, return to the military tent."
On the young man's side were two knights and Instructor Doan. On our side were only children with no real combat experience, just soldiers-in-training.
"Bring the instructor."
"......It'll take time."
"I know. Hurry."
"Prioritize escaping."
I nodded at Finn, who moved without hesitation, and while listening in on Sil's conversation, I confirmed that Finn had completely vanished into the forest and readied myself.
—Please, don't let anything happen yet...
I gripped the dagger like a prayer, exhaled slowly to calm my pounding heart.