Chapter 38
Thunk.
Rimos Terrion stepped down from the carriage alone, his face unusually bright.
As the door closed, only Ethan Behemos and I remained inside.
“…….”
Perhaps because Terrion had just suddenly kissed the back of my hand, being alone with Ethan in the carriage felt strangely awkward. …Was that intentional?
At least the fortunate thing was that after one more short warp and a few dozen minutes’ ride, we would reach the border of the territory. It seemed possible to arrive at the main castle before sunset.
“We’re not far from Crowell Castle either.”
Until now, while riding with Rimos Terrion, Ethan Behemos had never added a word to the conversation, so I assumed he wouldn’t respond to my comment either, and I spoke half to myself.
Then:
“What kind of place is it?”
Unexpectedly, Ethan asked succinctly.
“…It’s surrounded by mountains, with a large lake in between.”
I had thought he preferred contemplation over conversation during carriage rides.
“Spacious.”
I was a little surprised that he reacted, but I replied slowly.
“Yes. For a barony, it’s quite large. But it’s barren. It seems I’ve been assigned a piece of land that’s difficult to manage.”
“The roads are getting rougher, so there’s potential. Anything good about it?”
“Hmm… The mountains are beautiful, and there’s plenty of wildlife. It’s good for hunting. Most importantly… I have my family there.”
Ethan quietly added after hearing me:
“That’s promising.”
“…Promising in what way?”
“When you talk about your family, your expression changes.”
“…….”
Why would he suddenly comment on my expression…?
I lifted my hand to touch my cheek. The firmness of my cheek pressed against my hand. Apparently, I had unconsciously lifted the corners of my mouth. I quickly composed myself and cleared my throat.
“…Hmm. Because I love my family.”
“So I’m curious about who they are.”
“My younger sister is very cute.”
“Is that so? I don’t have a sister, so I wouldn’t know that feeling… Is it like Cain Ginevere?”
…What?
“Absolutely not.”
I said firmly, without hesitation.
Who exactly are you comparing to whom?
My sudden change in expression seemed to stop Ethan for a moment as he stared at my face. I cleared my throat and relaxed my expression afterward.
“My sister is much… cuter.”
From that point on, our trivial conversation with Ethan finally began to flow.
I told him how I had been adopted into the Crowell family, my sister’s age, how Camilla and Ethan had known each other, and even that the special juice Camilla had given me had never actually been tasted by her.
“They say it’s a drink sent from the Ginevere Marquis, but she herself has never tasted it.”
“So she entrusted it to me, huh? No wonder it was awful.”
“Even the smell alone was unbearable.”
“I’ll make sure Camilla drinks it next time.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Just then, Ethan’s push to start physical training at Crowell Castle clashed with my stubborn resistance.
“When you entered, I was doing personal training, so I knew nothing about the freshmen. I often said it was a pity I hadn’t known you sooner. So even now, if you take personal training with me—”
Ethan suddenly stopped speaking. I could feel him sharply tuning all his senses, an intensity that pressed against my skin.
Outside, a thin, gnarled branch began tapping ominously against the carriage window.
He turned to me.
“Don’t you feel it?”
The carriage jolted violently once.
Ethan’s gaze, slightly unsettled, remained fixed on me.
‘Of course I feel it.’
Though a few minutes early, Ethan Behemos had noticed it too. I replied briefly:
“Yes. I feel it.”
I leaned out of the carriage window and called to the driver:
“Could you stop here?”
“……?”
The carriage slowly decelerated and came to a halt. I turned to Ethan, who was following my actions with a curious expression, and pulled the hood of my cloak over my head.
“I mentioned there were conditions if I were to accompany you, didn’t I?”
“…Yes.”
Our gazes met.
“Don’t ask about trivial matters.”
“…I will act trusting you.”
Good, he remembered well. I simply nodded and hoisted the lightweight backpack I had prepared.
It was a terrible match with the fancy dress I had on, but there was no choice.
Still, I was confident I wouldn’t stain my dress, so it didn’t matter.
“All right. Then we start now. The road to Crowell Castle is a bit rough.”
After confirming Ethan nodded, I opened the carriage door and leapt down.
The driver, startled by our sudden exit, was trying to calm the horses.
“They were already a bit excited. Sorry, may I ask what’s going on…?”
“Master Behemos and I will handle it from here. You may return.”
“Eh?! Milady, but… you know, it’s still far to Crowell Castle. Walking isn’t feasible.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll borrow just one horse.”
“…Eh?”
It’s your family’s carriage. You should be the one to approve.
Ignoring the flustered driver, I looked at Ethan, who gestured calmly with his eyes.
“Do as she says. Give just one horse.”
“…Yes, yes. Understood.”
The driver chose a horse from the carriage and released it, hesitating over who should take the reins—me or Ethan.
Ethan calmly asked me:
“Riding together?”
“Yes. I know the way, so I’ll guide the horse.”
“Good.”
The driver handed me the reins.
Still, he seemed uneasy leaving Master Behemos and the lady alone on the hillside, repeatedly confirming:
“Then… may I really go back?”
“Yes, you may.”
Seeing our composed expressions, he eventually gave up and drove the carriage in the opposite direction.
Ethan, watching the Behemos carriage with the family emblem disappear, turned his gaze back to me. He clearly wanted to ask about what he had ‘felt’ earlier.
“Edith, in Crowell territory, do you raise beasts freely?”
“Of course not. As I said, the land isn’t fertile enough for that.”
“I can feel the struggle even from here.”
“Yes. Around this time, monsters tend to thrive. So we need to deal with them before they infiltrate the territory. First, we need to ride…”
The horse released for me looked strong, maybe even too big for me.
Seeing me hesitate, Ethan knelt down near my feet.
“Mount first.”
“Thank you.”
I stepped onto his sturdy thighs and adjusted myself on the saddle.
Everything felt slightly loose, probably because I hadn’t fully grown yet.
“All right. Got it.”
Soon, the sound of someone mounting behind me, and Ethan Behemos’ warm presence pressed against me. Finally, my body fit snugly in the saddle.
No need to worry about falling now.
“Then let’s go.”
“Good.”
Kicking the horse’s side, we left the carriage path and turned onto a completely rugged forest trail.
This was my first time traveling with someone like this.
As we went deeper into the forest, through the sparsely-leaved branches, Crowell Castle appeared atop a distant hill.
A quiet, antique-looking fortress stretched before us.
The Crowell Barony held an unusually large territory for their low rank, but naturally, they could not manage all of it properly.
Riding down a familiar slope, Crowell Castle rapidly approached.
Then, the sound we had been waiting for began: all around, in the reddish sunset, came the growls of beasts.
“They’re coming.”
“Indeed.”
I could feel Ethan tensing every muscle behind me.
Suddenly:
“Keng!”
Ethan drew his sword and struck down a massive wolf monster charging the horse.
Its thick hide tore easily, and naturally, blood spilled. I had to avoid getting it on my clothes, so I bent my head and grimaced.
If we kept fighting like this, I’d be soaked in blood. Then my dress would be ruined.
“Ethan.”
I slid off the horse. Glancing once at the fallen wolf, I looked up at Ethan on the horse.
“Let’s spread out and deal with them here.”
