Only I Know the War Hero’s Secret Chapter 16

Before she knew it, time had passed, and the day of their departure for the Land of Chaos had finally arrived.

“Yaaawn—.”

Dominic inwardly clicked his tongue as he watched Louis stroll into the Black Knights’ barracks waiting room, yawning lazily.

There were lipstick marks all over his shirt.

Dominic had heard that Louis had been frequenting parties as though determined to enjoy himself before their expedition to the Land of Chaos, but he hadn’t expected him to spend the night partying until the very last moment.

“Sir Louis, you seem to have an endless supply of energy.”

“Dominic, are you hoping to become a priest or something? Why are you always so cautious? You’re going to sprout pearls from all that restraint, man.”

“Just hurry up and put your uniform on properly. Deputy Commander Hugo will make a scene if he sees you like that.”

Dominic took a uniform out of the locker room and tossed it to him.

“Thanks.”

Just as Louis finished pulling on his uniform, Hugo entered the waiting room.

“Deputy Commander! Good morning.”

“……”

Hugo’s disapproving black eyes lingered on Louis for a moment before slowly scanning the room as though searching for someone.

“Where’s Natasha?”

“Lady Natasha? I haven’t seen her today.”

Natasha Romayer was the only woman among the four elite members of the Black Knights.

That was why Hugo intended to assign her to escort and protect the female members of the investigation team.

He wanted to keep Louis, that frivolous womanizer, from pestering them and disrupting the team’s atmosphere.

“Deputy Commander, why are you looking for Natasha?”

“Worry about fastening your buttons properly.”

“Yes, yes.”

After clicking his tongue and leaving the waiting room, Hugo was gone.

Louis straightened his crooked buttons and asked Dominic,

“By the way, why is Natasha late? I think this is the first time she’s ever arrived later than me.”

“Who knows? ……Oh, there she is.”

Through the window, they could see Natasha standing still a few steps away from a large, pitch-black long-haired cat.

That cat had been living in the Black Knights’ barracks armory for a long time.

Natasha had always taken the best care of it, looking after everything from its sleeping spot to its water and food.

Normally, she would have scratched beneath its chin and stroked it affectionately for quite some time.

But this time, she left as though fleeing, abandoning the cat as it rolled onto its back and begged to be petted.

“……”

Watching the scene, Dominic’s eyes darkened.

It was unlike Natasha, who had always been so fond of that cat.

‘……Will this expedition really be all right?’

Dominic couldn’t help feeling worried.

Ever since their last subjugation mission, when they had been swallowed by an enormous, unidentified Chaos, everyone had started acting a little strangely.

‘It seems I’m not the only one suffering from strange side effects.’

Commander Richard was about to enter the dangerous Demonic Realm because of a single white-haired woman, whose existence he couldn’t even determine was real or an illusion……

And ever since returning from the subjugation mission, Natasha had suddenly begun keeping her distance from the cat she used to cherish.

That wasn’t all.

Louis had always been a bit of a playboy, but he’d never been such a rowdy partygoer. He seemed to have grown even more rebellious.

At least Deputy Commander Hugo still seemed dependable, but somehow, that only made Dominic more uneasy.

After all, he had been the person closest to the Chaos after Commander Richard.

Though they might look like a formidable force to outsiders, to Dominic, they seemed as precarious as a powder keg that could explode at any moment.

“Dominic.”

Louis lightly tapped Dominic’s shoulder, who was wearing a worried expression.

“Let’s get going. The long-distance teleportation gate is scheduled to activate at noon, isn’t it?”

“……Yes.”

“But my stomach always feels awful whenever I use a gate. Do you have any motion sickness medicine?”

“Argh! And yet you were out drinking and partying until last night?”

“Why are you lecturing me with nothing but sensible things to say? You’re scaring me……”

“I wouldn’t have to nag you if you didn’t give me a reason to! Commander Richard has been running around nonstop to prepare the base camp, while his subordinate is……!”

“But do you think our lord is really going to carry out that plan?”

“It’s Commander Richard. Of course he can.”

“Being too strong is exhausting, you know.”

Louis smacked his lips, then hopped onto the horse that had been prepared for him and set off ahead.

“……”

Still unable to shake his worried expression, Dominic began riding toward the gate in the west.

 

***

 

‘I can’t believe the week is already over.’

Making potions, gathering information at the library, packing her luggage……

Dark circles had settled beneath Mona’s eyes.

And today was finally the day of departure.

She had been told that they would travel to their destination, the western border, as quickly as possible by using three long-distance teleportation circles in succession.

‘I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d use these ridiculously expensive long-distance teleportation circles one after another.’

It was certainly nice to pay a hefty sum and get somewhere quickly.

However, because Mona’s constitution made her sensitive to the flow of mana, simply using a long-distance teleportation circle was already quite taxing.

“Phew.”

In the end, she took the motion sickness medicine her grandmother had made from her robe pocket.

It was a potion her grandmother used to make whenever Mona felt nauseated as a child, and the recipe wasn’t particularly difficult.

It just tasted…… absolutely awful.

“Scholar. Is that, by any chance, motion sickness medicine?”

Mona squeezed her eyes shut and tipped the medicine into her mouth. At the man’s voice from behind, she flinched and turned around.

It was the red-haired man she’d seen at their previous meeting.

He was a member of the Black Knights and had apparently been assigned to escort the investigation team this time……

He was handsome, but his casual manner gave him a rather frivolous air.

Having stubbornly devoted her entire life to studying monsters, Mona wasn’t used to this type of person, so she replied somewhat awkwardly.

“……Ah, yes.”

“Do you have another dose? I’m not asking you to give it to me for free. Just put my name down. I’m Louis.”

The man introduced himself naturally and held out his hand, clearly asking for some medicine.

“But it tastes terrible.”

“Do people take motion sickness medicine for its flavor? You scholars have a surprisingly good sense of humor.”

Since he didn’t seem to mind, Mona handed him a small glass bottle.

Just then, Louis let out a strangled sound. Hugo had grabbed him by the collar from behind and yanked him back.

“Ah! Deputy Commander, what is it this time?”

“I told you not to act recklessly.”

“All I did was ask for some motion sickness medicine……! But this tastes……”

……See? I told you it tasted terrible.

Feeling awkward, Mona watched his face turn deathly pale the moment he swallowed the medicine. As the departure time approached, she stepped into the gate.

The inside of the teleportation circle was extremely hectic, crowded with investigation team members and Imperial Family officials.

The investigators were busy checking their luggage, while the Imperial Family officials went around shoving documents at everyone and demanding various signatures.

Mona was signing the terms and conditions for using the gate when she spotted Richard entering. She flinched and instinctively stepped back.

‘……I’d better stay even farther away from him.’

Mona cautiously retreated to the edge of the magic circle, pulled her robe hood low over her head, and took a deep breath.

A little while later—

Vrrrrm—

The magic circle began to activate with the sound of mana spinning violently, and Mona squeezed her eyes shut.

 

***

 

The first stopover, the second stopover……

Each time she traveled through a magic circle, the same unpleasant sensation returned, as though her internal organs were being twisted.

By the time she emerged from the final magic circle, Mona was completely exhausted.

“Ugh!”

Still, compared to the several investigators who had rushed outside to vomit, she could consider herself relatively fortunate.

Mona stood there in a haggard state, absentmindedly looking around, when she happened to make eye contact with Louis, who had taken some of her medicine earlier.

With a pale face, he gave her a thumbs-up.

It seemed the medicine had worked to some extent.

And amid all this chaos, Richard Cronell stood alone, looking perfectly composed and dignified.

‘How is he even managing to look that fine?’

If he was a Sword Master, he should be more sensitive to the flow of mana than anyone else.

‘No, that’s not necessarily true. If his mana core is strong enough, the mana flowing around him might naturally align itself with his core, so perhaps he doesn’t feel the strain.’

Just as she was habitually observing this fascinating phenomenon and asking herself questions, a powerful gust of wind carrying the damp air of the western region suddenly swept over her.

“……!”

Mona tried to grab her robe before it could be blown backward, but in doing so, she dropped her bag.

And unfortunately, the various documents spilling out of the open bag were flying straight toward Richard.

At the sight of that dreadful scene, Mona nearly squeezed her eyes shut.