Chapter 45: The Town (3)

At the hesitant tone of Lily, Evan also fell silent.

‘She’s changed quite a bit.’

Was she talking about those nasty rumors surrounding Adele?

But the Adele he had seen with his own eyes was not someone capable of such things. On the contrary, she was kinder and more compassionate than anyone else.

“She seems like a good person, despite the rumors,” Evan said.

At his words, Lily gave a small nod.

“She’s much better now. But there was a time when she was exactly as the rumors said.”

Her fingertips started to tremble slightly.

Seeing that, Evan, who had been about to say something more, closed his mouth again.

After all, he was just a knight assigned to guard Adele. Lily probably knew more about her than he ever would.

There were likely things he wasn’t aware of.

He could only guess.

“…To be honest, I’m still uneasy. It feels like Lady Adele could change back at any moment…”

Adele had lost her memory due to a carriage accident.

Not just the memories of her past misdeeds as a villainess, but most of her childhood memories as well.

When her pure and kind nature returned, Lily had felt relieved. At the same time, she was a little sad that their childhood memories together had vanished.

The Adele who had lost her memories was the one who had reached out to her first. That was how Lily found herself able to trust her again.

She was that kind. That gentle.

But if someday Adele were to regain all her memories…

How would she look at Lily then?

That thought worried her.

“Miss Lily.”

At Evan’s call, Lily slowly lifted her head.

The usual carefree expression was gone, replaced by a serious gaze.

With his arms crossed, Evan asked her,

“Do you trust Lady Adele?”

“…I do. But…”

Before Lily could finish her sentence, Evan shook his head.

“Then isn’t that enough?”

‘Enough?’

She tilted her head slightly, confused by his words.

Seeing that, Evan placed a hand on his chest.

Then, as if making a vow, he spoke slowly.

“I trust the Duke. And I also trust myself, whom he has placed his faith in.”

“Ah…”

“Isn’t that enough?”

Belief in oneself.

At Evan’s firm words, Lily found herself looking down.

Back when Adele was known only for her cruelty, Lily had once given her advice—

That behaving like that would never earn anyone’s trust.

But in return, Lily had been thrown away in the back alleys.

If not for Count Este rescuing her, she wouldn’t have been able to return to the mansion. The trauma from that event remained fresh.

A memory that the current Adele did not know.

But…

The Adele who lost her memories had reached out to her first, even though she had no knowledge of what had happened.

Carefully, patiently.

Even when Lily had panic attacks due to her trauma, Adele endured and approached her with understanding.

Yet, Lily had failed to fully believe in her.

‘How foolish of me.’

Even if Adele regains her memories, the moments they’ve shared won’t disappear.

The warmth she had shown, the kindness in her gaze—those things wouldn’t just vanish because of one regained memory.

Yet she had let herself be consumed by fear just because they were back in the alleys again.

How foolish.

“…You’re right. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“If my words helped, then that’s good.”

Evan smiled. Seeing that, Lily awkwardly smiled back.

A short silence passed, but it no longer felt suffocating.

How much time had passed?

The sound of steady footsteps echoed.

With them, Adele emerged.

Her slightly tired expression made both Lily and Evan pause.

“I got the information.”

Saying that, Adele pulled a compass from her coat.

Lily quietly observed her face and stepped closer.

“Did something happen?”

“Hm? Ah, no, nothing you need to worry about. I’m fine.”

But she didn’t look fine.

Her face was clouded with thoughts, but she didn’t elaborate.

Perhaps it was something that could be discussed another time.

“This artifact…”

Evan held the compass and carefully channeled mana into it.

A soft hum filled the air as the compass emitted a faint glow.

“Do you understand how it works?”

“It activates when mana is infused. It’s an old technique, but…”

The needle pointed toward the inn’s entrance.

All they had to do was follow its direction to reach their destination.

However, the mana consumption was considerable, making this type of artifact a rare relic.

“There’s enough mana stored already.”

“Then we just need to follow it.”

At Adele’s words, Evan nodded.

“Yes. Miss Lily, can you guide us?”

Taking the compass from him, Lily nodded.

Watching the two interact so naturally, Adele raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve grown close to Evan?”

“Ah, well… somewhat.”

When she turned her head, she saw Evan smiling as he nodded.

Adele chuckled and reached out to ruffle Lily’s hair.

“Well done, my Lily.”

“Hehe.”

For the first time, Lily laughed without a trace of anxiety.

She could finally trust Adele.

And herself.

“Let’s head out, then.”

At Adele’s command, Lily and Evan both nodded.

Leading the way, Evan exited the inn first.

As Adele turned slightly, she caught sight of a man bowing deeply.

She returned the gesture before stepping out of the information guild.

*****

A thick fog blanketed the forest.

The mist was so dense that even a single step ahead was barely visible. Lily clung to my arm like a cicada, her grip tight and unwavering.

Come to think of it, Lily had always been a bit of a scaredy-cat.

“I didn’t expect the fog to be this thick,” Evan muttered, his voice low with unease. He waved a hand through the mist and sighed.

He was right.

The fog in Arcusually allowed for visibility up to about a hundred meters. But here, in this suffocating haze, even three steps apart made it impossible to see one another clearly.

“Lily, stay close.”

“Yes, Lady Adele.”

Lily didn’t take her eyes off the compass, her gaze fixed on the needle.

Only when it shifted direction did she quietly raise a finger to indicate the new path.

We followed the compass, step by step, through the dense forest.

After walking for a while, a small shadow emerged between the thick trees.

Evan instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword.

As we drew closer, the figure became clear—a young girl in a red cloak.

She held a basket in one hand and a wooden tong in the other.

The girl seemed to notice us as well, her expression filled with curiosity.

Just as I was about to take a step forward, Evan lifted a hand to stop me.

“Excuse me, who—”

Before the girl could finish speaking, a burst of blue aura sliced through the air.

The girl’s body split clean in half—only for her form to dissolve into the fog, vanishing in an instant.

A chilling, eerie laughter echoed through the mist.

“This is…”

“It’s a Mist Phantom Bloom. They deceive people with illusions before devouring them whole.”

A shiver ran down my spine as I instinctively rubbed my arms.

If Evan hadn’t stopped me, I would have spoken to her without hesitation.

Thinking back, something had felt off. There was no way a young girl would be wandering alone in the depths of a forest this dense with fog.

“We need to be careful.”

With that resolution in mind, I followed Evan’s lead once more.

Not long after, a man’s silhouette emerged from the fog.

As we approached, the figure became clearer—a gaunt-looking young man with deep dark circles under his eyes.

His hollow face carried an eerie, unsettling aura.

“…Are you outsiders?”

He lowered the crossbow in his hands and looked at us.

Seeing this, Evan let go of his sword hilt.

“Yes. Is there a place where we can stay for the night?”

“Lodging…?”

The young man seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding.

“There’s a village nearby. As long as you have enough money, you may stay.”

At his words, Evan also nodded.

The young man gestured for us to follow him before turning away without another word.

He walked ahead without looking back.

A strange feeling crept over me, and I whispered to Evan,

“Is it really safe to follow him?”

Evan replied in a low voice,

“He doesn’t seem hostile. We should remain cautious, but I think we can follow him for now.”

“…Alright.”

Trusting Evan’s judgment, I followed after the young man.

His footsteps were firm, unhesitant, as though he knew exactly where he was going.

Almost instinctively.

“What brings you to a forest like this?” he asked suddenly.

“We got lost… by accident.”

I feigned nonchalance, but he scrutinized us with sharp eyes.

After a long pause, he finally turned his head forward again and spoke in a detached tone.

“This area is dangerous. Even I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“That won’t be necessary—I can protect us.”

“A knight, are you?”

The young man glanced at Evan’s armor before letting out a faint chuckle.

It wasn’t a laugh of amusement, but one of disbelief—perhaps even mockery.

Without another word, he continued walking ahead.

‘What a strange man.’

His movements followed the exact same direction as Lily’s compass.

Could the village he spoke of be the very place we were looking for—the Emperor’s hometown?

‘…I have a bad feeling about this.’

I could only hope it was just my imagination.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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