Reconnaissance (4)
The next day, the hunting squad finished their preparations to leave the city.
The mixture of knights, carriages, and banners from the three houses created a chaotic scene that reminded one of the royal procession of King Godric.
The knights of Duke Marchez, clad in black armour and bearing banners emblazoned with a red-maned lion, exuded a solemn atmosphere. Meanwhile, the Lopez hunting squad adorned their surroundings with golden drapes depicting grapevines, presenting an outwardly gaudy display.
In contrast, the knights of Count Ertinez' house seemed to have adopted more of Leonardo's methods, receiving small gifts like bundles of eggs or cured meat from the townsfolk before leaving the city.
Apparently, they had spent their spare time helping with small tasks—fixing fences, pulling wagons out of ditches, and the like.
Watching our knights roam around with their cheeks puffed out from munching on hard-boiled eggs, they looked less like a disciplined hunting squad and more like a group of sturdy young men from the countryside.
Especially when Vittorio casually ruffled his hair as he passed by or leaned in to subtly ask me about the lunch menu…
They say a group reflects its leader's demeanour, and this one was no exception. I imagine the First Field Army must have had a similar atmosphere. Despite their fearsome reputation in battle, they were known to barely scrape by during downtime—helping out with village chores or selling the beasts they hunted for some extra funds.
'Tsk, still, they're sharp when it comes to real combat. For some reason, though, everyone stiffens up and behaves perfectly when Leonardo's around.'
I had to give credit where it was due.
I glanced back and forth between the easygoing atmosphere of our group and the dignified knights of Duke Marchez. It was clear to me that approaching the actual duke like this wouldn't help us be seen as a formidable ally.
There was no other choice—I'd have to obscure our identity for now and approach like the shadowy figure of intrigue that I was.
"Move out!"
With that command, the group of over a hundred people left the city. As we moved steadily northward, the shrubs grew taller with pointed leaves, and the path became steeper.
Vittorio craned his neck to gaze at the faint outline of the silver-capped mountains in the distance, exclaiming in awe.
"Is that the Vernis Mountain Range?"
"Mm-hmm. They say it was formed when an evil dragon died and its body turned into the range. That's why it's nicknamed the Dragon's Spine."
"A dragon could be that big…?"
For Vittorio, who hadn't stepped out of Sinistra until he joined us, everything must have felt new. As I recalled the origins of the Dragon's Spine and shared them, a voice suddenly interrupted from the side.
"According to legend, after the death of the evil dragon, its body was covered by ashes and dirt, forming a great mountain range. But most of that is exaggerated. The dragon's size was not nearly large enough to compare with the entire mountain range. After cross-referencing some sources, it seems the dragon's body would have been about the size of the plaza in the capital, Kargasthol."
I turned to look at the person who had jumped into the conversation with a slightly dazed feeling. A monocle, slightly messy hair tied haphazardly, and an academic air—Duke Marchez.
"…Ah. I hope I haven't interrupted your conversation…"
After a brief awkward silence, he muttered in a soft tone. I couldn't let this opportunity slip by, so I smiled brightly.
"No, it's quite an interesting story. If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me more?"
"Ah."
The duke's face brightened slightly. His earlier downcast demeanour faded, replaced by a more engaged attitude. He asked if we had encountered any monsters during our journey, and I shared a tale about a venomous two-faced serpent. The duke pulled out a notebook from somewhere and began fervently scribbling down notes. A true monster researcher, it seemed.
"Would it be too much trouble for you to draw it out for me, if you can?"
He tore off a corner of the notebook and eagerly held it out, his eyes shining.
I fell silent for a moment, trying to recall as much as I could and began describing the appearance of the monsters. A round face with two mouths open, a long body. I drew eyes and a nose on the face, though the distinction between eyes and nose wasn't clear, so it ended up looking more like freckles.
Watching Vittorio's expression change from curiosity to confusion, and then to complete bewilderment, was a little painful.
"I… I'm not very skilled in the arts."
"Ah, hmm."
He silently muttered "worm?" under his breath. I saw it clearly. That was too much.
Duke Marchez took my sketch, carefully returned it, and gently asked if I could describe it in more detail. I spoke about the two-headed snake, savouring the bitter taste of defeat. As I continued, he buried his head in his notebook, concentrating on transferring the description into a drawing.
On the opposite page of the notebook, I noticed an intricate diagram of a monster's internal organs, like something straight out of an anatomy book. The level of detail was so fine it was almost unsettling.
It was a far cry from my shaky stick figure.
'I might just use this as kindling.'
But as I bitterly turned away from my rejected sketch, I noticed that, at some point, it had silently slipped into Leonardo's pocket, who had been closely following the carriage like a guard. Why?
It was so seamless that I missed the chance to ask why he was taking it, and before I could, he spoke up first.
"Raul found traces of a monster nearby. Since it's not far from the city, he's hesitant to leave it, so he plans to take care of it before we cross the mountains."
It's unlikely that nameless creatures would be reckless enough to approach this early. I suspect they might actually be real monsters.
Leonardo and I exchanged a long glance. As I whispered to him using
"I'm not forcing you, but it might be better to rest in the back. The knights should be enough."
He then reached his hand to my waist, neatly adjusting my shirt that had ridden up, a silent reminder not to overdo it, since my bruises hadn't fully healed yet. I nodded in acknowledgment, but before I could respond further, another voice interrupted.
"Pardon me, weren't you the attendant of Lord Ertinez?"
Duke Marchez, having raised his head from his notebook, asked curiously. I wasn't trying to hide anything, but I also wasn't keen on breaking the context of being a noble attendant, so I felt a little flustered.
What's this? I hadn't exactly acted informally.
Before I could explain anything, his gaze shifted quickly between us, and with a sigh, as if he had figured something out, he spoke.
"It seems the southern regions are quite tolerant. I didn't realize."
"Huh?"
"Yes?"
"I'm not sure what you mean…"
"Oh, you needn't worry. It's a fairly common occurrence in the East."
What on earth?
"The noble families are so few that if we married within our own circles, we'd all become relatives. Moreover, with the recent chaos severing the connections between regional powers, finding a spouse from a noble family willing to leave home and live a life of uncertainty in another land is extremely difficult."
The Duke nodded in understanding, his tone dry as he did.
"It's not uncommon for individuals of different status to elevate their lover or attendant to the rank of knight, allowing them to gain merit and eventually marry once they achieve a title."
His lukewarm gaze lingered briefly before moving away.
"By the way, may I ask what exactly these traces of a monster are?"
I couldn't help but stare at the Duke in a daze.
Could he possibly be a hopeless romantic like Count Ertinez? Why does everyone seem to interpret things in that direction?
'Is this world really open-minded, or is the range of permissible friendships just too narrow?'
But thanks to that misunderstanding, a good idea came to me.
'Since the misunderstanding is already there, I might as well use it as an excuse…'
Originally, love is an irrational emotion that, wherever it is placed, has a magical power that makes people accept it with a simple "I see" and move on.
And so, I managed to get Leonardo into our wagon.
This didn't mean we were sitting separately, as usual, on the horse and coachman's seat. No, we actually got into the wagon together, as though lazily avoiding the task.
The moment I said, slightly embarrassed, that we should rest inside the wagon, I didn't need to mention how awkwardly the knights shifted their gazes, each looking in different directions.
They even slowed their pace subtly, pulling back just enough to give us some space. I couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking—though, of course, this was exactly what I had planned.
I clapped Leonardo's shoulder. We had already shared the plan.
"What do you think? Should be possible, right? Your running speed will need to be quick."
"If I try, it should be possible. It will be quite a good training."
Then, he lifted me effortlessly, throwing me over his shoulder. I lightly patted his arm, silently cheering him on.
When the carriage turned a bend in the mountain road and finally slipped out of everyone's sight, Leonardo quickly jumped down, vanishing into the thick bushes. Raul, sitting on the coachman's seat, gave a subtle signal, indicating that there were no witnesses.
We hurriedly broke away from the main force of the hunting party.
The plan was simple.
"How many monsters are there?"
"About ten."
"Do you think it will take long? Sir Raul intentionally mentioned that he had placed the monsters a bit further to buy us some time."
"I'll try to reduce it to one hour."
And so, we left our positions and moved ahead of the hunting party, heading toward the monster herd. We had to strike before the main force arrived.
***
About two hours later, one of the knights rushed over on horseback, hesitating slightly as he circled the supply wagon, raising his voice.
"Your Grace! We've found something up ahead. You should come and see!"
At that, there was a loud bustle and the sound of fabric rustling from inside the wagon. The unmistakable noise of someone hastily getting dressed could be heard, but the knight decided to close his eyes and pretend not to notice.
The cloth covering the supply wagon was pulled back, revealing the young master, breathing heavily, and behind him, his lover, still adjusting the hem of his shirt. The knight swore that he neither saw nor heard anything.
The knight tried to focus on anything but the two of them, making his report with effort. Thanks to that, he missed the commoner's subtle movement, pushing his bloodstained and muddy clothes under his feet, trying to hide them.
Soon, the young master of Ertinez and the commoner moved to the front of the group.
The young master gently adjusted the commoner's disheveled hair, but of course, that went unnoticed. It was a known fact that the Ertinez family's hunting party often had the curious habit of becoming temporarily blind and deaf in certain situations.
At the front of the line, the duke's attendant, who had been closely observing the scene, stood up.
"It seems there was a guest here."
There, the remains of the monster herd were scattered, handled with clean precision.
"It looks like it was all done by one person."
The commoner, his simple shirt slightly poking out of his trousers, stared in shock.
"My goodness!"
His exclamation was delicate, filled with disbelief.