Chapter 27

Ariel didn’t remember Shane’s face at all.

So, Shane wearing a mask was all for nothing.

Since Ariel didn’t remember Shane, she naturally had no idea who the “young master” he was talking about was.

From Ariel’s perspective, Shane was just a masked thief who came in the middle of the night to steal a ring.

Which, honestly, wasn’t far from the truth.

When Ariel asked who the young master was, Shane made a bewildered face before promptly losing consciousness.

Probably because Ariel’s punch had left him in a battered state.

Thinking he might die if left like this, Ariel returned to her room.

She then grabbed Roo, who was sprawled asleep on the bed, and brought her back to Shane.

She intended to heal Shane. Ariel poked Roo’s face with her finger to wake her up.

“Ugh… what… huh, sis?!”

Roo’s eyes shot open, and she quickly sat up.

“Sis! Did the banquet go well?! But who’s this guy?”

Roo turned her gaze to Shane.

“Ah, this guy is the escort knight of that arrogant brat, Kal Kastark or something! What’s he doing here?”

“……”

Only then did Ariel remember who Shane was.

He was the knight who tried to fight someone at the banquet hall.

If that was the case, she could guess who the “young master” Shane was talking about.

The boy who suddenly approached her while she was admiring the night sky with Selly on the terrace.

Ariel looked down at the ring on her finger.

This ring was definitely the one Kal had personally placed on her finger.

Of course, she didn’t know why Kal gave her the ring. Nor did she know why Shane came to retrieve it.

What was certain was that Ariel didn’t particularly need the ring.

If he came to get it, she could just return it.

Earlier, Shane had been wearing a mask, and she didn’t remember who he was, so she didn’t hand over the ring. But if Shane had revealed his identity and explained the situation, Ariel would have gladly given it back.

If that had happened, Shane wouldn’t have had to get punched and sent flying.

Ariel removed the ring from her finger and asked Roo to heal Shane.

“Hmm, his condition is serious.”

Roo muttered as she examined Shane.

“I can heal him, but he won’t wake up right away.”

*

When Shane opened his eyes, the morning sun was quietly rising.

“……!”

Slowly looking around, Shane soon realized he was lying in an unfamiliar place and quickly sat up.

The events of the previous night began to replay in his mind.

Last night, Shane had infiltrated the lodging where Ariel was staying. He wanted to retrieve the Kastark seal ring.

Shane had first tried to use sleeping powder to put the silver wolf, Ghost, who was with Ariel, to sleep.

But Ghost, being a spirit beast, didn’t fall asleep easily, and Shane ended up using all the sleeping powder he had brought.

Then Ariel appeared.

Shane tried to forcefully take the Kastark seal ring from Ariel.

He didn’t want to, but he decided to use force.

However, even when Shane swung his wooden sword with all his might, he couldn’t even touch Ariel’s collar, and in the end, he was sent flying by Ariel’s punch and slammed into a wall.

Then he lost consciousness.

“……”

Shane checked his body’s condition. Before losing consciousness, he had definitely felt death approaching.

The bones near his solar plexus were all shattered. It would have been hard to survive such injuries.

But now…

“My body’s fine.”

Shane’s body was unharmed. His bones weren’t broken.

So what was that yesterday?

One thing was certain: it wasn’t a dream. There were traces of blood at the corner of Shane’s mouth, and he was lying near the wall he had been slammed into.

Then perhaps…

“Did the elf girl heal me?”

He couldn’t think of any other explanation. Otherwise, it made no sense for Shane to be up and about now. He didn’t have regenerative abilities like a troll.

Shane brushed his hand over the scattered powder around him. This was definitely fairy healing powder.

Come to think of it, when they had met before, Ariel had been with a fairy.

So, it was a reasonable assumption that the fairy traveling with Ariel had healed Shane with healing powder.

“But why…?”

Shane had attacked Ariel.

He hadn’t intended to kill her, but he had said as much.

Yet, Ariel had spared him.

“Was it an act of mercy…?”

This wasn’t a pleasant situation for Shane.

A knight’s defeat meant an honorable death. Being happy about an enemy’s mercy would mean he wasn’t worthy of being a knight.

If they wanted to make Shane happy, they should have just returned the ring…

“!”

At that thought, Shane’s eyes shot open.

Because the ring was now on his finger.

It was unmistakably the Kastark seal ring.

Shane stared blankly at the ring in a daze.

Returning it? Why? No, Shane had asked for it, but still, why?

“Could it be that she doesn’t know the value of this ring?”

If Ariel had demanded money in exchange for returning the ring, Shane would have paid any amount.

The Kastark seal ring was too precious to be bought with money.

That’s why Shane had been willing to sacrifice his honor to retrieve it.

“Even though I failed…”

The morning sunlight shone on Shane’s face. Squinting from the brightness, Shane suddenly remembered.

Come to think of it, he shouldn’t be here.

Today was the day they were leaving Sierra for the capital.

They were supposed to depart at dawn, so by now, Kal and the others would be looking for Shane at the lodging.

He didn’t know why Ariel had returned the ring, but at least he had it back.

“For now, I should head back.”

Shane took the ring off his finger and tucked it into his pocket. He had no intention of returning it to Kal.

He planned to keep it until they returned to the North and then deliver it directly to the head of the Kastark family. Without Kal knowing.

“After that, things will work out somehow.”

Retrieving the ring and delivering it to the head of the Kastark family was Shane’s role.

What happened after that would be up to the head of the Kastark family to handle. Like delivering it to Princess Illiana.

Shane was about to move when he suddenly saw something white and large.

The silver wolf, Ghost.

Ghost was lying quietly in the middle of the courtyard, staring at Shane.

Considering the amount of sleeping powder Shane had poured on him last night, Ghost had woken up surprisingly quickly.

If that much sleeping powder had been used on a person, they would have been out for at least two days.

Shane approached Ghost. Even as Shane got closer, Ghost didn’t move.

He bared his teeth but didn’t get up or attack.

Wondering why, Shane noticed a small figure next to Ghost.

It was Ariel.

Ariel was hugging Ghost tightly, fast asleep.

With a peaceful expression, completely at ease.

Ghost wasn’t moving because he didn’t want to wake Ariel.

“If I had been a real enemy, my head would be gone.”

Shane thought as he looked at Ariel’s sleeping face.

Last night, he couldn’t even touch Ariel’s collar, but if she were asleep like this, it would be different.

Killing a motionless opponent would be as easy as eating porridge.

Of course, that was Shane’s misconception.

Even if Shane swung his sword with all his might, Ariel wouldn’t shed a drop of blood. Shane’s strength could never pierce Ariel’s defenses.

“Are all elves this carefree… or is this girl just special…?”

Shane chuckled.

It was clearly Shane who had done wrong last night. He had intruded and tried to steal the ring.

If Shane had been in that situation, he would have killed the other person without hesitation.

Showing mercy to an enemy was something only a fool would do.

In that sense, Ariel…

“…I can’t bring myself to say anything bad about her.”

Shane scratched the back of his neck. After all, he owed his life to Ariel and had gotten the ring back. He should be grateful.

Shane quietly stepped back, careful not to wake Ariel.

And he thought about Ariel.

“Certainly, the young master could fall for her…”

In a way, she might suit Kal better than Princess Illiana.

In the North, strong women were admired.

Ariel was definitely stronger than Shane. Even if Shane went all out, he couldn’t beat her.

Someone that strong would be hard to find in the North.

“Maybe I made a mistake…”

Shane felt a sense of unease that he might have made the wrong choice.

Perhaps it would have been better for the North’s future if Kal and Ariel had been allowed to be together.

But he had already retrieved the ring, and it was too late to turn back.

“…I kind of hope we meet again.”

Before leaving Ariel’s lodging courtyard, Shane glanced back at Ariel.

She was still hugging Ghost tightly, fast asleep.

*

A few days passed.

All the nobles who had been staying in Sierra had left for the capital, and the once lively atmosphere had quieted down.

The street stalls disappeared one by one, and the various festival-like events came to an end.

Sierra had returned to its usual calm.

Thanks to that.

Ariel could eat strawberry tarts every morning.

Now she didn’t have to wait in line, and she could even buy two at a time.

For Ariel, it was a happy daily routine.

Apart from eating strawberry tarts, Ariel didn’t have much to do.

She spent her peaceful days wandering around the quiet streets of Sierra or lounging around the lodging.

Of course, that didn’t last long.

Exactly one week after arriving in Sierra.

Ariel left Sierra early in the morning with Roo and Ghost.

To embark on her original goal: adventure.