In the end, Ludville gave in and let Odely tag along.
‘Why……?’
Why was it impossible to ignore this woman?
Was it because he had given her fifteen days?
Because he had told her that she could do whatever she wanted during that time?
Yes, that must be it.
He convinced himself of that.
He deliberately didn’t think about the fact that he was the kind of man who could easily go back on his own words if he decided he needed her.
At least not at this moment.
Ludville assigned Elderic, his escort knight and captain of the royal guard, to stay right beside Odely.
“Report to me if you notice anything even slightly suspicious.”
“Yes.”
“Keep an eye on her so she can’t do anything foolish. Absolutely no acting alone. If you lose sight of her even for a moment, you’ll be fully responsible.”
“……Yes, Your Highness.”
Elderic answered awkwardly.
Until recently, Ludville had looked like even breathing was too much trouble for him, yet suddenly he was talking far more than usual.
‘If you distrust me that much, wouldn’t it be better for you to personally escort Lady Odely?’
That was what he thought…….
But unlike the aide, the captain of the royal guard knew how to choose his words.
In the end, he had to endure his lord’s sharp gaze and constant supervision throughout the entire journey toward the forest.
When they reached the entrance to the forest, the subjugation party naturally came to a stop.
It was the middle of winter in the north.
The days were short, the wind was fierce, and gray snow mixed with demonic energy silently piled up across the land.
But the entrance to Arcadia Forest was different.
The demonic energy was so thick that the snow couldn’t remain on the ground for long and quickly melted away.
The trees grew densely and blackly, while thick, damp mist seeped through the spaces between them.
All the soldiers dismounted and lined up.
Yet not a single one of them checked the condition of their weapons.
“Maintain the formation. Stand by.”
Leaving only those words, Ludville urged his horse forward and entered the forest ahead of the formation.
The reason he had brought troops this far in the first place was merely for appearances.
Whenever he went out without a proper justification, the officials would annoy him by clinging to him, so at the very least, he needed a record showing that he had officially set out.
That was also why he hadn’t strongly objected when he heard Odely was coming along.
He had planned to enter alone from the beginning.
“……Your Highness!”
Elderic called out to him in alarm.
“Are you coming? If you want to be struck by my blind sword, I won’t stop you.”
It wasn’t mockery or a threat.
It was simply a calm, dry statement of fact.
Those who knew how Ludville changed whenever he picked up his sword didn’t even dare consider following him.
Lately, every moment he fought, he seemed less like a human and more like a natural disaster descending from the heavens.
He struck without warning, leaving no time to escape.
When he charged through the forest on horseback, the monsters had their heads severed and bodies torn apart before they could even understand what was happening.
Neither his speed nor his direction could be predicted.
If he swung, something was cut.
If something approached, it was pierced.
“Your Highness…….”
“Don’t just call for me desperately. If you have something to say, say it.”
“…….”
Despite saying that, Ludville didn’t seem interested in listening even with half an ear.
‘So this is why he left Lord Edwin behind.’
The one aide who could actually stop Ludville and nag him was not here.
While Elderic was briefly choosing his words, Ludville had already disappeared without a trace.
Instead of murmuring among the soldiers, a strange silence settled over them.
None of the soldiers asked why.
They simply waited as though they were accustomed to this.
Apparently, this wasn’t the first or second time it had happened.
“……Does he always do that?”
Odely asked Elderic with a bewildered expression.
He sighed and readily nodded.
“Yes. Always.”
“Alone?”
The soldiers nearby nodded one after another.
It seemed to have become part of their daily lives.
“He’ll probably go alone and wipe out the Groutter’s nest. Just as he always has. If we disobey his orders and enter the forest, we’ll only get in his way.”
That was what they said, but even they couldn’t hide their discomfort at the thought of their lord entering the forest alone.
Still, that reaction came from loyalty to their lord, not worry for his safety.
“Did this start three months ago?”
Odely asked.
Elderic thought carefully for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened as if he had just realized something.
“Yes. Before that, ‘monster subjugation’ was literally just an ordinary subjugation operation…….”
Subjugation.
The word originally referred to a military operation carried out to hunt monsters invading from beyond the border and protect the people.
But now, the meaning of the word seemed almost meaningless, considering how recklessly their lord swung his sword.
With a complicated expression, he turned his gaze toward Arcadia Forest, known as the Forest of Monsters, and continued.
Self-destruction.
Odely immediately thought of that word.
‘……This is why I came along.’
When she remained silent, Elderic hurriedly added, as if trying to reassure her.
“Ah, of course, there’s no need to worry. His Highness is exceptionally skilled, after all. If anything, I suppose it’s the monsters we should be worried about…….”
Odely showed no reaction.
Perhaps unable to bear the silence, he suddenly began rambling about their previous subjugation missions.
“Not long ago, he completely destroyed an entire village that had become a habitat for Velusa. Less than an hour after entering, the very terrain had been turned upside down…… After that, not a single living creature remained there.”
“…….”
Was this really supposed to be a heroic tale?
Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call it a horror story?
It was the kind of story whose meaning would change depending on who heard it.
“……Tell me more.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes…….”
Odely spent the time quietly listening to what Ludville had been doing during the past three months.
“He’ll probably go alone and wipe out the Groutter’s nest. Just as he always has…….”
Elderic had said that too.
So, for now, she decided to trust him and wait until Ludville returned safely.
Even the soldiers who specialized in subjugation said they would only get in his way, so what could she possibly accomplish by going in herself?
‘I’ll purify him as soon as he comes out.’
Just as Odely was desperately trying to hide her anxious expression, a terrible roar echoed from inside the forest.
A horrifying scream that was unmistakably a monster’s, not a human’s, rang out, and soon the ground began to tremble.
The battle had begun.
Even though the sounds came from far away, she could almost picture what was happening.
The sounds of a one-sided massacre continued to echo through the forest.
‘Hmm. Maybe there was no need to worry.’
Odely had barely begun to feel relieved when the problem arose—not with Ludville, but within the forest itself.
“……Ghk!”
A soldier waiting closest to the forest staggered with a groan.
The monster’s demonic energy.
It had broken through the boundary and begun to spill out.
“……!”
Odely sprang up from the rock she had been sitting on and immediately began walking forward without hesitation.
“L-Lady Odely? It’s dangerous!”
Elderic was startled and reached out to grab her, but suddenly stopped.
The demonic energy spreading like gray mist seemed to be avoiding Odely, as though it were deliberately steering clear of her.
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