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Chapter 4
Ethan slowly shook his head, stammering as he spoke.
“Ah, no way… surely not? Are you actually planning to head there right now?”
“Kylian, was it Humphrey Robere? I’m entrusting my knights to you.”
At Kylian’s words, Humphrey raised his head with a troubled expression.
“My lord, the young master specifically ordered us to escort you safely to the fortress. Reinforcements from the inner castle will arrive there soon.”
But as if he hadn’t heard that earnest plea, Kylian turned his horse and spoke to Ethan.
“Head to the Marquis’ estate first, Ethan.”
“What—are you planning to abandon us and go off somewhere alone?!”
Ethan shouted desperately, but Kylian’s spurred heels showed no hesitation. With a sharp neigh, the enormous black stallion kicked up dust and surged forward.
“Unbelievable…” Ethan’s jaw dropped as he stared blankly at Kylian’s retreating figure.
It had to be that “sunstroke” he had only heard rumors about.
The lush green scenery swept past in a blur.
Ethan chased after Kylian immediately, but the dark silhouette had already long since vanished from sight.
‘Why in the world is he cutting through the forest when the castle gate is perfectly fine?!’
This route was the shortest path to the outer walls. But hadn’t they intended to go through the official gates? The Black Forest had long been declared a forbidden zone under the jurisdiction of the Este territory.
‘If he was going to ignore procedure all along, then why did we wait under the scorching sun for so long in the first place!’
Ethan tried to calm his boiling frustration. Hunger and thirst had left him hollow, but now his stomach was full only of indignation.
“Hurry it up, you stupid horse!”
Snorting angrily, the steed thundered forward, as furious as its rider.
“I’m mad too! Furious, I tell you!”
Clenching his teeth against the searing pain in his backside, Ethan kicked at the horse’s flanks.
“Ahhh—owwww!”
The sharp, lingering ache left him dizzy; he could barely even tell left from right anymore.
‘I thought stepping onto Imperial soil would finally mean I could rest easy!’
The whipping wind made Ethan’s dark-brown eyes glisten with moisture.
The senior knight wiped sweat from his brow and swallowed dryly.
Having just finished cutting down orcs, Rune was still on edge.
“What’s the damage so far?”
The knight hurried after her brisk strides, reporting dutifully.
“The outskirts still need inspection, but within the city, three houses were destroyed.”
“And the physicians? Have they reached the shelter?”
“Yes, the city’s healers are tending to the wounded. Fortunately, no one is in critical condition.”
“…Good.”
Rune let out a sigh, her tense expression softening slightly. Thanks to their timely arrival, greater losses had been avoided and the orcs eliminated quickly.
There were some injuries, but thankfully, no deaths. Considering part of the wall had collapsed, it was a relatively good outcome.
‘Still… the outer wall collapsing is no ordinary event.’
Approaching the ruined earthwork, Rune ran her fingers over the cross-section, scanning carefully inside and out. After closely surveying the area, she turned to the knight with a grim face.
“…When will the workers arrive?”
“We dispatched wagons half an hour ago—they should be here soon.”
“And the corpses?”
“All seven slain orcs have been gathered in the clearing.”
“I’ll join you shortly. Go ahead and set the pyre.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The knight bowed and rode off toward the clearing, leaving Rune to examine further on her own.
“As I thought. Something’s strange.”
The sight of the earth wall reduced to a worthless heap of dirt felt oddly out of place.
“Orcs’ weapons are crude axes and clubs at best… could they really cause this?”
The scope and manner of the collapse seemed far too extensive for mere brute force. While scanning the ground, Rune spotted black powder scattered over an exposed foundation stone.
“Gunpowder?”
Kneeling, she touched some powder to her fingers and brought it to her nose.
“No smell of burning… Then what is this?”
She scraped the substance into her handkerchief. The powder was faintly scattered all along the fallen wall.
“…The northern side.”
The sturdy wall stretched northward along the border of the Black Forest. Rising to her feet, Rune followed the faint trail of powder along the wall.
Before long, she reached the section where the earthen wall transitioned into stonework.
‘The trail ends here.’
The powder veered off—leading straight into the Black Forest.
“The Black Forest… Could it really be connected to this raid?”
Just then, something large shot out from the dark underbrush.
Shhhk!
Rune twisted aside swiftly, dodging the projectile.
Crash!
Stone fragments crumbled down from the wall. Embedded in the outer wall was a crude battle-axe.
“Grrrk—A human!”
“Human! Krrrk!”
Before she could fully assess the situation, orcs surged out of the forest and surrounded her.
Their flat noses flared as they sniffed rapidly, yellow eyes gleaming.
“Krrrk—Human female. Krrrk—Smells like woman.”
Rune tilted her head, sneering with disdain.
“Oh, so those pig snouts actually work.”
Indeed, the beasts with swine-like faces seemed to have a keen sense of smell.
“Orcs in broad daylight. The world must truly be ending.”
Normally, orcs shunned sunlight. For them to gather and attack so openly was bizarre.
‘I suspected something was off from the moment I heard of the raid.’
The collapsed wall, the black powder, and now this behavior—everything reeked of abnormality.
‘Five of them.’
This far north, it would take the knights time to catch up. With her back to the wall, her movement was limited, but being alone meant no distractions.
Shing. Drawing her sword, Rune spread her stance. The dirt grated beneath her boots.
Orcs were only about the size of small men, but their strength vastly outmatched humans.
‘If they close the distance, I’ll be at a disadvantage. I’ll cut them down before they get within reach.’
“Krrrraaaah!”
One orc lunged with a shriek. Rune’s blade slashed downward in a wide arc, cleaving through it.
Slash! The tough hide split beneath her sword.
Another rushed in, but Rune twisted her blade diagonally, lopping off its head.
“Grrrkkk!”
In moments, three orcs lay dead, their bodies flung to the dirt. The remaining two howled wildly, aroused by the stench of blood.
“Hungry! Krrrk! Eat her!!”
“Eat human!! Grrrk!!”
Their yellow eyes glistened with feral hunger, nothing but pure instinct.
“You must be starving.”
Rune’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“Allow me to end that hunger forever.”
Lowering her stance, she darted between them as they charged, her blade whirling like a gale.
Thud. Before they could even scream, their heads hit the ground.
Straightening, Rune sheathed her sword.
Snap. A twig cracked nearby. She instantly raised her head.
“Grrrhhh!”
From above, an orc hidden in the trees lunged at her.
‘Damn—it missed one!’
She spun around, preparing to counter—
Clang. The sharp ring of steel, and suddenly a large black figure appeared before her, blocking the strike.
A tattered black robe flared wide, obscuring her view.
‘Who—?’
With a sweeping slash, the man unleashed a torrent of dark aura.
Crash!
The orc’s body split in two, bones snapping as the corpse slammed to the ground.
‘An Aura Sword?’
Rune’s eyes widened at the broad back before her. Other than her father, she had never seen anyone wield such power.
The robed man flicked his blade casually. Not a drop of blood clung to it, as though the motion was second nature.
‘A man well-accustomed to blood.’
Sheathing his sword, he tilted his head slightly, turning toward her. A fall of jet-black hair slipped across his smooth forehead.
“You. Were in danger.”
A strange sense of déjà vu tinged his unfamiliar voice.
‘What… was that feeling just now?’
Rune tightened her grip, raising her sword warily.
“Identify yourself.”
The man frowned at her drawn blade.
“Correction. You still look dangerous.”
He advanced slowly, like a languid predator.
“I’d advise putting that sword away.”
Rune was ready to strike, but he moved faster—disarming her with only the tip of his scabbard.
Vrrrm. His sword resonated, dark aura spilling into the air.
“Urgh!”
A shock of pain jolted through her wrist, forcing her to drop her blade. It clattered helplessly to the ground.
Rune ducked back, drawing a dagger from her belt.
‘Damn it—who is he?’
She slipped behind him in a flash, pressing the dagger to his neck.
“I’ll ask again. State your name.”
Even with cold steel at his throat, he smirked in amusement.
“Quite intimidating—for a decorative blade with no edge.”
Rune’s eyes narrowed.
It was true the dagger was ornamental, but its tip was sharp enough. How had he realized so quickly that the blade wasn’t honed?
Regaining her composure, she hissed in a low voice:
“…It’s sharp enough to pierce your neck.”
“Is it now?”
He chuckled faintly, then seized her wrist in a crushing grip.
“—!”
In an instant, she was pulled hard against him, wrists pinned effortlessly against his chest.
His large hand still had room to spare as it restrained both her arms. With his free hand, he seized her chin firmly.
“Ugh!”
From beneath the tousled black hair, his muted eyes locked onto hers.
Summer air carried the scent of the forest through the tension between them.
“…It’s been a long time, Rune Adeluz.”
