Lily’s ambiguous expression caused Evan to fall silent as well.
“Changed quite a bit, huh.”
Perhaps she was talking about the vicious rumors surrounding Adelle.
But the Adelle he had seen with his own eyes was not someone who would do such things. On the contrary, she was kinder and gentler than anyone else.
“Seems like a good person, contrary to the rumors.”
At Evan’s words, she nodded slightly.
“She’s much better now. But there was a time when she was truly as bad as the rumors said.”
Lily’s fingertips began to tremble slightly.
Seeing this, Evan closed his mouth again, not knowing what to add.
After all, he was merely the knight assigned to protect Adelle; Lily likely knew her better.
Perhaps there were circumstances he was unaware of.
Evan could only speculate internally.
“In all honesty, I’m still uneasy. I always feel like Adelle might revert to her old self anytime…”
Adelle had lost her memories due to a carriage accident— not only her memories of her atrocious past deeds but most of her childhood memories as well.
When her pure and kind nature returned, he secretly rejoiced, though it saddened him slightly that her childhood memories of him were gone.
But Adelle, having lost her memory, had reached out to her first. That was enough for Lily to trust her again.
She was that compassionate and gentle.
But if Adelle’s memories were ever to return someday…
How would she treat her then?
This concerned her deeply.
“Lily.”
At Evan’s call, she raised her head slightly. Her usual carefree expression was nowhere to be seen; instead, a serious look had settled on her face.
With his arms crossed, he asked her,
“Lily, do you trust Lady Adelle?”
“I do. But…”
Seeing Lily about to add something, Evan shook his head.
“If you trust her, isn’t that enough?”
That was enough?
Confused by his words, she tilted her head. Seeing this, Evan placed his hand on his chest.
And slowly, as if making a vow, he spoke.
“I trust the duchess, and I trust myself, as she does.”
“Ahh…”
“Isn’t that enough?”
Trust in oneself.
With Evan’s forthright statement, Lily felt she couldn’t help but bow her head.
During the time when Adelle had committed acts fitting the rumors, Lily had given her counsel.
A commonsense suggestion that continuing such behavior would win the hearts of no one.
But her advice ended up cast aside in a back alley.
Luckily, with the help of Count Estes, she managed to return to the mansion, but the trauma from that time still lingered.
The current Adelle didn’t know about that event.
“But…”
Even knowing nothing of that incident, the Adelle who had lost her memories had reached out to her first.
Carefully, slowly.
Even when her trauma caused her to have a panic attack, Adelle had approached her patiently.
She hadn’t properly trusted her, even when faced with such kindness from her lady.
“Really, how foolish of me.”
Even if her memories were to return, the memories Adelle had built up again wouldn’t simply disappear.
The gentle face she had shown her wouldn’t vanish like a mirage, just because a few old memories resurfaced.
And here she was, being held captive by an unreasonable sense of anxiety, all because of a mere back-alley incident.
Such a foolish thought.
“…You’re right. I was being short-sighted.”
“If I was of any help, I’m glad.”
Evan smiled faintly as he said this. Seeing this, Lily awkwardly returned his smile.
Though a slight silence ensued, she no longer felt the same suffocating discomfort.
How much time had passed?
The sound of approaching footsteps—”tok tok”— heralded Adelle’s arrival. Her slightly weary expression caused both Lily and Evan to momentarily pause.
“I’ve retrieved the information.”
Holding out a compass, Adelle confirmed as such. Lily quietly approached her side, glancing at her expression.
“Is something wrong?”
“Hmm? No need to worry. I’m fine.”
Her expression didn’t entirely match her words.
A face reflecting deep thought—but she moved past it silently.
It was an issue that could be discussed at another time if needed.
“This Artifact…”
Evan held the compass in his hands as he quietly infused it with mana.
With a soft hum, the compass began to faintly glow.
“Do you understand how it works?”
“It’s a matter of infusing it with mana. An old method, but…”
The compass needle pointed toward the inn’s door. Following that direction would lead them to their destination.
However, due to its considerable mana consumption, it had become a rare antique.
“The mana I carry is more than sufficient.”
“Then we just need to follow this.”
Adelle’s words drew a nod from Evan.
“That’s correct. Lily, can you guide us in the right direction?”
Having received the compass from him, Lily nodded. The pair’s camaraderie felt less awkward than Adelle had expected.
“Have you gotten close to Evan?”
“Yes, somewhat.”
Turning her head, she saw Evan offering her a slight smile in response. Adelle chuckled softly as she gently patted Lily’s hair.
“Good job, our Lily.”
“Ahaha…”
Lily could laugh now purely, without a trace of anxiety. It was because she had come to trust both Adelle and herself once more.
“Then let’s set out.”
At Adelle’s words, Lily and Evan nodded in unison. With Evan taking the lead, they stepped out of the inn.
As Adelle slightly turned her head, she saw a male figure bowing courteously.
Returning the nod, she then exited the guild with a slight bow herself.
§
A forest thick with fog.
A sight where you couldn’t clearly see even an inch ahead greeted us. Lily clung to my arm like a cicada clinging tightly to its perch.
Come to think of it, Lily was rather timid too.
“I didn’t expect a place with such dense fog.”
Evan, too, appeared less than thrilled with the scenery as he muttered under his breath. He waved his hands in front of the fog and sighed heavily.
Truly, as he said, in Ark’s fog, one could see at least 100 meters ahead.
But in this thick fog, walking just three steps apart made us barely visible to each other.
“Lily, stay close.”
“Yes, Lady Adelle.”
Lily didn’t look around; instead, her eyes were fixed on the compass.
She only quietly pointed with her finger when the compass changed direction.
How long had we walked, following the compass’s direction?
Through the thick, dense trees of the forest, a small silhouette appeared. Upon approaching, Evan instinctively reached for his sheathed sword.
We noticed a girl cloaked in red, one hand holding a basket, the other a wooden tongs. Realizing our presence, she looked back at us with a puzzled expression.
But before she could even finish her question, “Who might you be?”, a blue auric sword strike flashed forth.
Split in half by the strike, her form dissolved like mist.
A chilling laugh—”kikik”—echoed before her silhouette vanished.
“This is..”
“A fog mirage flower. They deceive people with illusions and then consume them whole.”
A shiver ran down my spine as I rubbed my arm.
Had Evan not stopped me, I would surely have approached and spoken to that girl.
In hindsight, something was indeed off. There was no way a girl would be here in such a deeply fog-covered forest.
“We need to be careful.”
With that resolve, I followed Evan as he stepped forward.
Not long after, the figure of a man appeared before us.
As we got closer, a gaunt young man came into view—his sunken eyes and dark circles adding to his gloomy and eerie appearance.
“…Are you from out of town?”
Having lowered the crossbow he carried, the young man gazed at us. Upon seeing this, Evan also removed his hand from the hilt of his sword.
“Yes. Is there anywhere we can stay for the night?”
“Stay, you say.”
He seemed to contemplate for a moment before nodding slowly.
“There’s a village. You’re welcome to stay if you have enough funds.”
At his words, Evan nodded back. The young man gestured for us to follow him with a flick of his hand.
He then started walking ahead without looking back.
Though his confident strides through the dense fog seemed somewhat peculiar.
“What if we follow him?”
Even Evan, with a quiet voice, replied.
“He doesn’t seem hostile. While we should still be cautious, it should be fine to follow.”
“Alright.”
Following Evan’s advice, the young man moved forward.
The sight of him stepping through the fog without hesitation was slightly eerie.
It was as if he instinctively knew the path.
“What brings you here into such a forest?”
“I accidentally got lost…”
My evasive response made the young man cast a skeptical look at us.
He scrutinized us for a while before turning his head again.
And then, in an indifferent tone, he continued.
“This area is dangerous. I can’t fully guarantee your safety.”
“But I’m here.”
“Are you a knight, then?”
As the young man glanced at Evan’s armor, he chuckled in a mocking manner.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he resumed his lead.
‘What a strange individual.’
Ever since we started, he had continued walking in the exact direction Lily had been guiding us towards. Could this village he mentioned be the Emperor’s hometown?
‘…This is unsettling.’
It would be for the best if it was just a feeling.
As the three of us walked along, the silence persisted.
