Reconnaissance (5)

The monster herd had been dealt with skillfully, each one precisely struck in a vital spot, leading to their swift demise.

Dressed in thick leather gloves and unique, self-made gear, Duke Marchez carefully inspected the carcasses before turning back, visibly impressed.

"This is clearly the work of an exceptional expert. And they seem to have a significant knowledge of monsters. They didn't target the usual vital spots like the head or heart, but instead, they clearly identified and exploited weaknesses."

I pretended to be frightened and turned my gaze away from the gruesome sight.

"Weaknesses?"

"Yes. Places like sensory organs or nerve clusters, areas where the creature's direction sensing mechanisms are concentrated. It's an efficient approach. I wonder how they figured it out. It's knowledge that's difficult to obtain without careful observation."

Duke Marchez muttered with clear fascination.

"Well, I'd like to stay and conduct an autopsy, but if I drain some blood and scatter it around, wild animals won't be able to approach easily during our camp. I could also collect some useful specimens. Yes, these kinds of samples aren't easy to come by… leaving without them would be a waste… such a shame…"

As the fake Duke let out a small sigh in response to the increasingly passive demands, he muttered, "What on earth is going on for everything to come to a halt?"

Lopez joined a step too late. There was no need for further questioning, as the blatant scene unfolded before him, and his face instantly shifted from shock to strange realization. He silently mouthed words like "No way" or "Of course," seemingly overwhelmed by something.

Behind the excited Duke Marchez, who looked like a child receiving an unexpected gift, the fake Duke sharply observed Lopez.

Leonardo and I slowly took a breath, exchanging a wordless glance.

Despite running back in a hurry to make sure we didn't miss the timing, my calves were shaking, and my body was exhausted, but the result was satisfying. Acting surprised, I leaned against Leonardo's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around my waist to support my weight.

His body, which must have been in much more motion than mine, felt warm like a furnace. I could feel the bulging muscles under his sleeves as he held me.

As my head rested on his shoulder, I felt his quick pulse and the heavy rise and fall of his breath, and I gently patted his clavicle to calm him. Leonardo, signalling that it was okay now, briefly tightened his hold around my waist before loosening it.

Ugh. This shadowy work in the background isn't easy… really…

The problem was that we'd have to repeat this several more times.

「That's fine. It's better to sharpen our senses before we reach the mountains,」 Leonardo said.

'Yeah, at least you're okay with it. That's a relief.'

***

The hunting party stayed there for a day and moved on the next day.

However, strange things started to happen every time they crossed a mountain. Whenever someone found signs of a monster nearby and headed towards it, the creatures were already dead. Not old carcasses, but fresh ones, with blood still warm.

As time passed, the Duke's knights began to worry about safety, while Lopez' subordinates started babbling about the mountain monsters' superstitions. However, the knights of the Ertinez family were talking about something other than the monsters.

"Does that mean the young master is going first, or is it the young count? Rumours have been going around lately…"

"Oh, come on. It's not proper for the younger brother to go first."

"I do respect the young count, but if he waits around to see who he's going to date, the second young master will probably lose his mind."

"Not sure if the Count will allow it. The status difference, you know."

"I heard from the knights over there that it's not really an issue in the East. They say there's always a way."

"Oh, then…"

Raul, who had been listening to the chatter around the campfire, suddenly made a loud noise and slammed his forehead into the tree trunk.

The knights of the Ertinez family were startled but didn't pay much attention. Their technical advisor often caused such commotions. They felt a bit of sympathy for him and patted his shoulder, offering some words of comfort.

"You must be exhausted from driving the wagon. If you need earplugs, just let us know. If you rip open the seams of your winter quilt, you can make some padding out of the cotton inside. That's what the knights sleeping near the tents do. People like you don't usually worry about these things, so… hang in there!"

'What… No, never mind. Don't think too deeply about it.'

Raul, who was rubbing his slightly reddened forehead, muttered as he walked away.

"My body feels all twisted, and it's so uncomfortable and painful… is this a sickness?" 

At that moment, the three people who had been sitting near a small fire in front of the tent looked up in unison, like a family of moles emerging from the ground. They were making mulled wine by adding sugar, fruits, and dried cinnamon to the wine they had secretly taken from Lopez.

"Are you sick? Maybe you have a cold or something?"

The man, who was the cause of all this trouble, asked with concern, and Raul shook his head.

It couldn't be a cold. He hadn't seen anything that would make him feel ill—especially not the sight of his superior being all lovey-dovey.

"Or maybe it's a fever? If you get sick, it's hard to recover. Come have some mulled wine. Vittorio, can you bring it to Sir Raul?"

Vittorio handed Raul a cup of warm wine. The fruity and cinnamon aroma spread across his mouth, and the sweet taste lingered on his tongue. Raul, worn down by mental fatigue, took a sip and asked.

"So how much longer are we going to keep doing this?"

Then, the man who seemed the most detached from the commotion and chaos responded with a smile.

"Almost over. I think they will take the bait soon."

The warm reddish glow on the man's face looked strangely upbeat, and the glint in his slightly exposed eyes made him seem like someone plotting a mischievous prank. He clearly had some wicked intentions hidden beneath, but because of his constant cheerful expression, the slight curl of his lips made him seem more pleasant than annoying.

If he hadn't realized that those who were being played by such pranks were the ones who called themselves schemers or whatnot, he probably wouldn't have felt much regret.

Raul pretended not to notice his commander, who, every time the campfire flickered, scrutinized the face of the man in front of him as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Whether it was the smooth curve of his lips, the straight eyebrows, or his slanted, sharp gaze… In any case, it was a well-shaped face.

The only small contradiction was that the commander didn't seem particularly interested in the concept of human beauty or ugliness. No, it seemed that he wasn't interested in people at all.

Leovald's subordinates, including him, whispered that the king had lost his mind when a young brat who wasn't even twenty yet came in claiming to be their superior. Later, they whispered that the man must have been raised by a pack of wolves.

A few years later, he had at least learned to behave more or less like an ordinary person. But even so, there were strangely distorted or permanently unfilled voids in Leovald that left parts of him deprived.

Raul, with an uncomfortable heart, hoped that he would join his comrades as soon as possible.

Above all, he especially wished for the arrival of the only married one among them, Dame Natalie. He absolutely, definitively—under no circumstances—wanted her to be the one to teach his direct superior about proper romantic affairs!

More than anything, Raul was from a poor background, and most of what he knew was likely to fall into the somewhat unhealthy and vulgar category.

Raul, feeling nauseous just at the thought of awkward conversations with his commander, let out a soft groan.

"Ugh…"

"Goodness, you're looking terrible. Are you sure you're okay?"

Forget it.

He quickly downed some wine to calm his stomach and staggered off.

***

"Surprisingly weak with alcohol? It was boiled, so all the alcohol should've evaporated."

While concerned about Raul's condition, Leonardo noticed that Raul quickly regained his strength and left the area. He had always said that Raul could drink a whole barrel of wine and not get drunk, so he suggested they let him rest for a bit.

At that moment, he turned his head and squinted his eyes.

「Just now, the duke and his attendant exchanged signals.」

'Oh. Is he finally going to make a move? What about Lopez' side?'

「It seems the duke has placed surveillance on that side. The person involved seems to be completely unaware.」

'Good. Then let's start getting ready.'

That evening, as the night deepened and the entire camp fell silent, a figure cloaked in a heavy mantle moved quietly through the shadows. The further they entered the forest, the narrower their steps became, and they quickly transformed. As the figure hastily rounded the corner of a rock, a long, sharp sword shot out, blocking their path.

"Gah!"

Startled, the man jumped back, and as his cloak was lifted, his view cleared. Lopez recognized the person holding the sword aimed at him—Duke Marquez and the duke's attendant, standing ominously in the darkness, were glaring at him.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

The duke didn't wait for an answer and began to push Lopez further into the shadows.

"You seem to know something about the mysterious monster corpses found in the last few days. Tell me, what's your game?"

At that moment, Lopez flinched, trembling with fear, and dropped flat to the ground. His gaze was not directed at the duke.

Following his gaze, the duke and the attendant noticed a dark figure slowly emerging from the tall, leafy coniferous shrubs, moving leisurely as though taking a walk.

There was only one.

The duke's attendant—or rather, the real Duke Marchez—narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp through the lenses of his glasses. He knew that the brutal scenes of slaughter they had witnessed over the past few days were all the work of just one person.

Then, a soft and leisurely voice echoed through the darkness.

"That's enough. He's done me a favour, so don't feel too sorry for him."

Duke Marchez clenched his fist.

It wasn't him holding the sword, yet the gaze from the stranger was askew, fixed on him, as though they knew everything.

The shadowy figure, like an actor expecting applause, gave a slight bow. As he addressed the duke with "It's an honour to meet you, my lord," Marchez realized the words were directed at him. His expression hardened.

"…Who are you?"

At that, the unseen figure lightly shrugged his shoulders. The duke thought he might have smiled.

At the same time, the masked man had a thought of his own.

'Hell yeah. This is a big one!'