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Chapter 56
Since When Did You Know?
Anahita controlled the ship in a strangely unique way.
The order in which she navigated the seas was as follows:
During the day, she went up to the deck and held a crystal-clear stone, angling it toward the sun. She would manipulate it this way and that, marking directions on the map and guiding the ship along the correct course.
According to her, the stone changed color depending on the angle of sunlight. She claimed she could determine the ship’s position from this.
At night, she counted the constellations and, astonishingly, found her way with perfect precision. Whether she had memorized all the stars in the sky or the routes of the sea, no one could tell.
Rose tried following her method, moving the iolite around on deck, but gave up after only a few seconds.
“Ugh…”
She slumped down to the deck. Once the water disappeared from her view, she felt a little relief.
Though she had been tense getting onto the ship, she rarely had full-blown panic attacks upon seeing the water anymore. Perhaps that was why some inexplicable courage had carried her onto the deck in the first place.
“Still too much for me, I guess.”
Her small progress had made her unreasonably hopeful. She thought carefully: the improvement was surely thanks to Heria’s nightly prayers.
After receiving his prayer magic, she could maintain a clear mind for a while.
‘At times like this, you really see that he’s a cleric,’ she thought.
Even Priest Moldin hadn’t mastered a prayer like that yet. To anyone, Moldin seemed far more like a priest than Heria.
Rose shifted into a more comfortable position and let herself drift with the flowing ship. At one point, she couldn’t even have imagined doing something like this. Whenever she felt she might collapse, Heria seemed to sense it and would cast his prayer magic, letting her recent days on board pass peacefully.
Now, she even had a reasonable suspicion:
‘Doesn’t he already know?’
He was perceptive; it was likely he had noticed her condition.
At that moment, Heria climbed the deck stairs.
‘See? He shows up at just the right time,’ she thought.
When she met his gaze, he smiled slyly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Tell me. You know everything, right?”
“Know what? That the princess likes me?”
“Likes you… who said that!”
Rose nearly shouted at his absurd comment but forced herself to whisper, straining her voice.
“I’m afraid of water!”
“Ah. That.”
Heria replied nonchalantly. As he sat beside her, a wooden plank creaked beneath them.
“You ask early,” he said.
“Since when did you know?”
“Hmm… was it the day the festival started?”
He was referring to the opening ceremony of the Foundation Festival. Rose was shocked that he had known for so long.
“What? You knew that long ago? How did you know?”
“You were clinging to Sir Lafayette. I have good eyesight.”
Rose, staring dumbly at his pronounced dimples, realized he had seen everything with Arsen and her. Her face slowly warmed in embarrassment.
“I wasn’t clinging to him!”
“Oh? From what I saw, anyone would’ve called that a courtship scene.”
“Courtship…!”
“You even kissed, didn’t you? Like this.”
Heria placed a quick kiss on the back of his hand.
“That was a pledge!”
“Well… pledge or whatever.”
The knight’s vow of loyalty had instantly turned into an act of affection. He was naturally adept at steering conversations his way.
“In that sense, I will too.”
He wiggled her hand into his and kissed the back of it before she could react. Intense contact came and went. Rose tried to hide her embarrassment, acting as if it were nothing.
“What is this? Courtship or a pledge?”
The man laughed softly, his gently curved eyes beautiful.
“This is a wish.”
“Huh?”
“The vanguard has arrived,” he said, delivering a telegram from below.
Rose’s expression immediately hardened. Gawain’s fleet had reached the Northern Continent. By now, they might have fought through monsters and been advancing toward the fortress.
‘Please, I hope nothing goes wrong.’
Heria shook her hand, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“See? My wish is really needed, isn’t it?”
“What wish?”
For her, the current wish meant the safety of the vanguard or Arsen. But the man smiled gently and said something unexpected:
“Please don’t let the princess worry.”
The Pontos sailed slowly and steadily through the Anatome Sea, each vessel carrying their own prayers.
Two nights passed, and two suns rose.
Sleet fell. The water split and chilled them, and as they neared the Red Forest, the waves calmed as if dead. Calm seas were rare in the Anatome Sea. Rose felt as though even the wind had been consumed by the magic taint.
“Once docked, the ships will remain at sea for a while. Further orders will be given once we reach the fortress,” Anahita informed Rose.
Unaware of the Allied Army’s situation, they could not easily withdraw the fleet. In emergencies, the ships would drop anchor in nearby waters.
“There! I see the vanguard’s ships!”
A sailor shouted from the watchtower.
The Pontos, sails folded, gradually came to a stop. With a heavy thud, it docked, and with Heria’s help, Rose safely disembarked.
The thin layer of snow crunched beneath her boots. Beneath, the black moss-covered ground was revealed: the eastern frozen region of the Northern Continent.
A cold, desolate wind brushed against her cheek.
“Terrible…”
Priest Moldin’s face darkened at the sight of the crimson taint. The forest began just a short distance from the shore, tall, spire-like trees forming dark paths. This was a curse upon the barren land.
“Well, let us pray for the safe reunion with the Allied Army,” he said.
“Yes. Please wait until the telegram is sent,” Anahita responded and climbed back to the deck.
Once all troops had disembarked, they reorganized under Duke Benoit’s guidance. Priests led the formation from the Red Forest onward, purifying the taint with their divine power as they advanced.
Short prayers dispersed the corrupted air, yet the taint returned almost immediately.
“The contamination is astonishingly thick,” Moldin muttered, reciting a longer prayer than before. Brighter light scattered across the area, but he had to chant for a long time.
Finally, the path into the forest was revealed.
“The vanguard passed through and purified this, but the energy has been completely covered over.”
“Meaning we have no time to dawdle,” Duke Benoit said, issuing advance orders.
Thousands of horses surged forward. Whenever the taint blocked the path, priests repeated their prayers. Advance and purification continued in repetition.
By the time the army entered the deep forest, they slowed.
“It’s strangely quiet.”
“Feels like all the beasts are dead.”
“The monsters are silent too. Not a good sign.”
The Red Forest felt unnaturally eerie. Despite the large army, monsters had attacked before. Something was clearly off. Heria glanced skyward, uneasy.
“At this point, something should have appeared already.”
Duke Benoit agreed.
“Sir Duke, it’s far too quiet.”
“Yes. Two days have passed since the vanguard, yet the premonition is bad.”
It felt as though they had walked into a trap, led by monsters into their lair.
Sure enough, a roar erupted from all directions.
“Apes!”
Knights drew their swords at once.
The Duke raised his blade to organize the ranks.
“Protect the supply wagons!”
Knights formed a shield around the supplies. From between the trees, swarms of monsters appeared. Small yellow-fanged apes charged like monkeys, silver manes flying as they clawed at horses’ necks, limbs, and flanks.
Hiiiing! Horses panicked and reared. Trying to calm the horses while fending off the apes, the formation quickly fell into chaos.
Even the medical unit Rose was with was attacked.
“Princess, stay behind me, don’t move!”
Heria blocked her path, cutting down monsters fearlessly. Rose, awkwardly drawing her sword, stayed as close to the supplies as possible. She gripped her sword tightly, scanning the surroundings.
Though knights swung valiantly, the monsters’ onslaught seemed endless. The apes dodged attacks and persistently targeted the supplies and horses. They were cunning and knew exactly what to attack.
‘This can’t go on like this!’
Rose noticed one ape gnawing at the rope tying the supplies to the wagon. No one had noticed it slip through the encirclement.
“No!”
Without thinking, she leapt from her horse. She swung her sword but did not strike as effectively as the knights. The weight of the blade pulled her down, and she landed with a thud just behind the ape.
Kyaaah!
The ape bared its teeth, mocking her attack.
“Why won’t this come out?”
Her sword had lodged firmly into the ground. She drew a dagger from her waist in haste. Following Heria’s previous instructions, she plunged it into the beast’s neck in one swift motion.
Screech! The piercing pain sent shivers up her fingertips. Blood spurted from the precise strike.
“Ugh.”
The foul liquid stained her clothes. The corpse fell, eyes still glaring at her.
“Ghh…”
Shivers ran down her spine. Her training with the guards had prepared her remarkably well.
Kyaaah! The apes screamed in unison, retreating like a tide. They vanished into the forest almost instantly, leaving only the chaotic battlefield behind.
Amid the stunned knights, Heria shouted ahead:
“Avalanche!”
The ground shook violently. Trees trembled, dislodging the accumulated snow. The rumbling grew, and the sound of winter approached from afar.
“Scatter to both sides!”
Duke Benoit commanded, and the formation split. Knights dismounted to calm the horses, guiding them along side paths.
Heria glanced back in alarm—
But the princess was nowhere to be seen.
“Princess! Where are you?”
The man’s face went pale. Despite kicking the horses, the animals wouldn’t respond, blocked by snow and chaos.
“Princess!”
“Sir Deon! Move quickly!”
The avalanche was coming, yet her pale hair was nowhere in sight.
