Mikhail pointed out the window with his finger and said, “Do you even know what time it is? This isn’t Basamiel—we’re in some remote village. It’s dangerous to wander around alone.”
“I’m not a kid. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not even carrying a sword. Where do you think you’re going on your own?”
“…What danger could there possibly be in this countryside village?”
At most, maybe a petty thief? Adrian chuckled like it was nothing, but Mikhail, standing before him, was resolute. He blocked the path as if he had no intention of letting Adrian leave until he agreed to take him along. Yet Adrian remained unbothered. No matter where he went, there was nothing that could truly threaten him.
He let out a soft sigh and stared straight at Mikhail. “Mikhail, I’m curious. Are you worried about me because we’re friends… or because you like me?”
He had never given Mikhail permission to care this much. Adrian waited for an answer with a cold, unreadable expression.
Mikhail glanced away, murmuring under his breath. “Of course… of course it’s because we’re friends…”
Damn it. Mikhail swallowed down the words that nearly burst out. That was when he realized just how pathetic he was being in front of someone he’d already confessed to. Still, he couldn’t help worrying. Sure, Adrian’s swordsmanship was impressive for a student, but he was still a student—and right now, he was heading out without even a single weapon on him.
“…If I’m such a burden, then at least take another guard with you.”
Adrian looked at Mikhail’s worried face with a strange expression. Honestly, it wasn’t that Mikhail felt burdensome—just annoying. So instead of bothering to call for another escort knight, he decided to just take Mikhail along. With a small shrug, he said,
“Haah… fine. Just hurry up and get ready.”
“…!”
Mikhail’s eyes lit up at the unexpected response. “What? You’re really taking me with you?”
“Yeah. If you can be ready in ten minutes.”
“Of course I can. Just wait. Don’t you dare leave without me.”
“…Yeah, yeah.”
Adrian frowned slightly and muttered under his breath. Leaving the door open, he stepped briefly back into his room. When he returned, he was wearing a coat over casual clothes and had a sword in hand. Glancing at the sword strapped to Mikhail’s waist—the one from Fellen Deeps—Adrian commented,
“We’re only stepping out for a bit. Do you really need a sword?”
“You never know what might happen.”
“…Fine. Suit yourself. Let’s go.”
So you’re that fond of that sword, huh? Adrian looked at Mikhail with an amused glint in his eyes, then stepped out of the inn. From the way he sensed the surroundings, it was clear Mikhail had dismissed the other guards—he clearly thought he alone would be enough.
It was their first time in this village, but the direction of the forest was obvious. Adrian walked, following the scent of the woods. Mikhail trailed behind, too busy watching Adrian and scanning the area for anything suspicious to catch a break.
Then suddenly, Mikhail stopped in his tracks, furrowing his brows as he looked up at the enormous tree before them. “Wait, how far is this ‘stroll’ supposed to go? This… this looks like a forest.”
Adrian gave a small nod in response. “Yeah. Since I couldn’t sleep, I thought I’d check out that place from earlier—the one they said black mana shows up around during the day.”
“What?”
Assuming Mikhail had forgotten, Adrian patiently explained. “The spot mentioned on the bulletin board memo we found today. You don’t remember?”
“Of course I remember. You’re the one who said we should check it out first thing in the morning!”
Back then, he’d also said it was dangerous to observe some unidentified black mana in the dark of night.
As Mikhail raised his voice in frustration, a bird rustling in the brush flapped its wings and took off. In the distance, a wolf’s howl echoed faintly.
Adrian raised his index finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh. You can’t be yelling like that near the forest, Mikhail. What, are you trying to summon every wild beast in the area?”
At the same time, not a trace of guilt could be found on Adrian’s face as he shot a sharp glare in Mikhail’s direction. Seeing that expression, Mikhail let out a hollow laugh, baffled.
Adrian pulled out a large map of Tamahild Village, one he had sneakily taken from Kyle’s pack, and unfolded it wide in front of him. Let’s see… “If we go from here to the forest entrance…”
“You really were planning to come here alone, weren’t you?”
Mikhail abruptly cut into Adrian’s train of thought. Adrian lifted his head from the map and stared at Mikhail standing right in front of him. His face was cold and unreadable.
Adrian had been about to enter deep into the mountains—alone, without a single piece of equipment, into a place rarely touched by people.
“…”
“So if I hadn’t insisted on tagging along because I was worried, you would’ve just come out here by yourself?”
Mikhail’s voice was sharp, tinged with disbelief. Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly.
“…”
But he had no excuse to offer. Brushing past the clearly angry Mikhail, Adrian moved to step deeper into the forest. They were nearly at the area marked in the note—the one that supposedly had sightings of black mana.
But just as Adrian stepped forward, Mikhail reached out and grabbed his arm. Adrian’s eyes widened in irritation as he turned to glare at him.
“Adrian. You said it yourself. We go back now, and come check it out with the others in the morning.”
Adrian yanked his arm back with a flick, annoyed. “So we’re just going to waste time walking all the way back here tomorrow morning? And what if we come with everyone and find out it isn’t black mana? Odds are, it’s probably not. It might just be some ordinary black-colored liquid.”
“…”
“You’re really saying we should come all the way back just to look at that?”
Mikhail didn’t answer. He simply stared at Adrian, who was now speaking with a sarcastic edge.
“…We’re already here. It’s fine if we take a quick look. It’s not like I came alone—you’re with me. And if something happens, you can hel—”
“No.”
Mikhail cut him off. Adrian fell silent mid-sentence and turned his gaze toward Mikhail, whose red eyes looked as if they were burning even in the dark forest.
“We’re going back to the inn. Now.”
Huh? Adrian let out a soft laugh at Mikhail’s unwavering tone. Then, with the map still unfolded in his hand, he gave a lazy flick of his fingers. His posture made it clear he was barely listening.
“What’s the matter? Surprised the prince is actually scared of Kyle sunbae?”
But Mikhail didn’t rise to the bait. He knew better—Adrian was probably hoping to lure him into a petty argument and use the distraction to sneak further into the forest.
Instead, Mikhail simply shook his head.
“Then what is it? You seemed so eager to check this place out during the day… I figured if I suggested we just take a peek, you’d go along with it.”
Adrian rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. With a sigh, he closed his eyes in frustration. He was starting to regret bringing Mikhail along.
He had let his guard down, thinking this little excursion would be nothing more than a trivial game. If he had truly intended to stay in Adrian Heather’s role properly, the correct move would have been to cast a concealment spell over the entire inn before leaving.
In any case, the mistake was his. He had left an opening. And now, Mikhail was pushing his way into that small, vulnerable crack in Adrian’s defenses.
“Back then… I didn’t know it’d be this dangerous.”
Mikhail clenched his fists tightly and lifted his head, locking eyes with Adrian.
“Even if it’s dangerous—I won’t let you go into the forest alone!”
Well, well. Adrian’s eyes curved into a slight, amused squint as he looked at Mikhail shouting at him.
But at that exact moment—Adrian’s body, which had been facing forward, suddenly stiffened.
Huh…?
He slowly turned his head in a particular direction. Damn it… Tossing his hair with an irritated flick, he muttered,
“Mikhail… didn’t I tell you not to raise your voice?”
He was staring into the pitch-black void of the forest, his voice low and tense.
Kiiiiiiiek—!
A shrill, bloodcurdling sound—definitely not the cry of a wild animal—rippled through the earth, making it tremble.
Mikhail slowly turned his head in the same direction.
And in the midst of this worst-case scenario, Adrian found one small silver lining.
“Well… at least now we know the note was right. That was black mana.”
As if in agreement, a guttural, inhuman screech echoed through the darkness.
Kkiiiaaaa—aaaah!
The grotesque howl stirred the forest. Birds that had been resting in the trees burst into flight with a sharp flutter, leaving behind a chilling stillness in their wake.
