Chapter 211
“A lake?”
“That’s right. In that person’s painting, there’s water, trees, clouds, birds, and flowers. And if we cross this mountain range, that’s where the body was found.”
I examined the map based on the location my sister pointed out. Surprisingly, a clear path appeared, as if I were moving along it myself.
“If they were hiding here, they probably moved like this.”
I traced the predicted route with a command baton. After finishing my explanation, including the reasons for my prediction, my sister made an immediate decision.
“Luwen. Go check it out. We’ll look for a second search location in case there are no traces.”
“Yes. I’ll be back shortly.”
Right now, when it’s so dark?
I instinctively wanted to ask if he could wait until daybreak, but I desperately held back from saying it aloud.
“Darkness is no obstacle for me.”
As if knowing my thoughts, Luwen spoke in a gentle, reassuring voice. Then he lightly kissed my forehead and smiled confidently.
“So don’t worry. Could you tell me the Third Prince’s description?”
“Fiery red hair with green eyes. He was found wearing a plain white shirt and black pants. His clothes might change, and he might dye his hair, but eye color is hard to conceal, so keep that in mind.”
In such remote mountains, it’s rare for someone to wander alone, so finding him shouldn’t be a problem. But if he’s been captured by Tuaso forces, verification would be necessary, so I explained the important characteristics.
“He’s a bit shorter than Luwen, and his build is thinner than yours.”
“That’s enough information. I’ll be back soon.”
Luwen, with a sword strapped to his waist, left the tent with firm steps. I watched quietly until the flapping entrance cloth settled, then composed myself and looked at the map again.
‘This prediction is based entirely on the assumption that he was rational. If he panicked, we can’t know which route he took across the mountains.’
My sister and I remained in the vacant tent, discussing and predicting the Third Prince’s movement route until daybreak.
* * *
When my vision became blurry and I felt I couldn’t hold out any longer, Luwen returned. I didn’t expect him back so soon. Could it be that he found nothing? Due to fatigue, I had to squint hard to see his face clearly.
He looked the same as when he departed, so after swallowing a sigh of relief, I asked:
“What about the Third Prince?”
“You should sleep first.”
“No. This is more important. Did you find the Third Prince?”
My sister, who unlike me seemed as energetic as if she’d had a good night’s sleep despite staying up all night, approached while tidying her disheveled hair.
“There were traces of someone staying at the location you both pointed out. But judging by the amount of dust accumulated, they seem to have moved long ago.”
Luwen took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his chest and unfolded it. It was an unfinished landscape painting with footprints on it.
If it had been exposed outdoors, it couldn’t have remained in such good condition. Rain would have ruined it.
“So there was a place to shelter from the rain.”
“Yes. In a not-so-deep cave, there was a bed made of dry leaves and dried fish. Painting supplies were scattered about too. He probably left in a hurry without properly gathering his things.”
Did he realize he was being tracked? If he left a long time ago, he probably wasn’t in this area anymore. This meant the Tuaso soldiers were wasting their efforts…
“I also followed the route you mentioned, but couldn’t find any traces of someone passing through.”
“If it’s been a long time, everything would have been washed away, whatever it was.”
Luwen quietly nodded in agreement.
“The Third Prince seems smarter than we thought.”
My sister interjected as she listened quietly. I agree with that opinion. Our encounter with the Tuaso soldiers was essentially the Third Prince’s doing.
‘Wait. Something seems off…’
Dried fish, painting supplies, an unfinished painting, and footprints.
He fled, leaving behind items that were essentially evidence of his presence. It could be seen as a situation where pursuit teams chased him to the vicinity and he barely escaped with just his body, but… could the Third Prince really have evaded the pursuit team?
‘If his physical condition is similar to mine, he would have definitely been caught, right?’
Even if he were healthier and had better stamina than me, he couldn’t possibly evade a selected pursuit team. Yet from the current circumstances, he wasn’t captured by them either. If they had secured the Third Prince, they would have secretly left the Empire, so yesterday’s battle wouldn’t have happened.
“Ha.”
I let out a hollow laugh at the sudden realization and looked at the map again. Then I spotted a notable place and pointed to it.
“Here. There should be a Kans hideout.”
It’s a completely different place from the escape route we initially identified. Although the slope is steep, there’s also a path leading to where the Third Prince’s body was found.
The pursuit team isn’t stupid to be searching around here. There were no traces of movement elsewhere, so could he have disappeared without a trace and remained?
But for the Third Prince, who would obviously be unfamiliar with this kind of terrain, it would be difficult to do alone. If he managed it, he must have had help.
“I’m sure of it. I once heard from Taran about the criteria for selecting a dwelling. A place with flowing water, surrounded by cliffs on at least two sides, and flat ground in front where people can gather and live. This location meets all those conditions.”
These are conditions for surviving in a deep forest. Even with different leaders, wouldn’t they select similar places?
“What about the possibility of a hunter’s village?”
“This map was meticulously surveyed and created in preparation for war. Hunter villages aren’t hidden, so they would be marked on the map. But Kans hideouts are different, right?”
The entrance is concealed. Unless thoroughly searched with the intent to eliminate them, it would have been missed. The Kans would also have no need to provoke the imperial army, so they would have quietly observed until they passed.
‘But in the end, the main base was revealed to the pursuit team… they barely escaped but died near our unit—that’s how it would have happened, right?’
There’s also a hypothesis that the body was deliberately placed somewhere it would be found, but based on the information written in the book, I had already concluded that the Third Prince did indeed die in that spot.
“A Kans hideout…”
My sister murmured.
“We can’t deploy troops. If there’s a commotion, the enemy will also know. It seems best to infiltrate quietly and extract the Third Prince, but what do you think, sister?”
“I agree with that. But can we avoid suspicion in times like these? Besides, we don’t know if they’ll accept us.”
“There is a way.”
I grinned.
“I’m a nobleman, remember?”
“You’re not going.”
“Come on, sister. Just listen.”
“No matter what you say, no.”
“I’m against it too.”
Wait, I haven’t even said anything yet.
It felt like hitting a wall as high as Karnan’s ramparts, but I was confident I could crush it to dust.
“A love escape.”
“Pardon?”
“…What?”
I deliberately started with something unexpected to grab their attention, and they took the bait. For the two curious people, I explained with a bright smile.
“I, the eldest son of a noble family, was caught in a secret love affair. Because of that, my lover, a male guard, was falsely accused and became a Kans, and we fled together—that’s the setup.”
“Why do we need such a setup?”
“Because they’re the group that took in the Third Prince.”
“…Ah.”
My sister nodded as if she understood. Luwen still didn’t seem pleased. Judging by his expression, he had already understood but didn’t like the idea of me moving together with him.
“I see. So they’re a Kans group similar to the boss we know.”
“Yes. And there are no villages to plunder nearby, and Karnan is a city guarding the border, so it’s not commercially developed either. Although the Imperial Palace sends support supplies periodically.”
“The defenses are too strong for Kans raids to succeed. In other words, they’re Kans who live self-sufficiently rather than through plunder. They might take in people if they have a convincing story.”
My sister followed up on my words.
“Right. So, do you think this will work?”
“If that’s the reason, there’s no need for Fei to go personally, is there?”
“Who else but me would pretend to be Luwen’s lover?”
I don’t want anyone else doing it, even if it’s just acting. Of course, we could use a different setup, but one of us needs to look obviously weak, and it feels wrong to send someone else to risk their life instead of me.
“It’s still dangerous. I should just go alone…”
“Luwen, anyone can see how strong you are. They might be wary, but they won’t reveal themselves. We need someone to break down that wariness.”
The only suitable person to act as Luwen’s lover instead of me would be my sister, but as the commander-in-chief, she can’t leave her unit, so she’s excluded.
“Even though it was a small-scale battle, the medical tent was like hell.”
Both of them fell silent at my seemingly abrupt statement.
“What must the situation in Karnan be like? How many people have lost their loved ones? Will they have enough time to properly mourn?”
I continued, my eyes filled with the sight of those I love.
“I want to end this terrible war as quickly as possible.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
