Chapter 58
Robert Hamel could not hide his astonishment as he walked through the Iron Forest.
It was all because of Diana Wilhelm, who walked through the dark forest as if she were strolling down a bright street in broad daylight—completely unbothered.
The Grand Duchess Wilhelm.
To be honest, Robert’s impression of her wasn’t much different from the other northern nobles.
“An annoying southern woman.”
It wasn’t just because of her soft pink hair—rare in the North—or her light green eyes.
Nor was it just because of the rumors of her affair with the Emperor.
The Hamel family didn’t have a particularly good relationship with the Emperor.
And the Isla family, Diana’s family, had consistently tried to curry favor with that very Emperor. It was said that Diana had been desperate to marry him.
Even though there had been no official engagement announcement, she had posed as his fiancée at every event he attended—and ended up humiliated several times for it.
That alone was reason enough for Robert to view her negatively—but there was an even bigger reason.
[“No matter how I look at it, it seems His Grace made a good choice in marriage.”]
His old man had started speaking positively of the Grand Duchess.
Ever since the day he claimed to have met her near the Hamel estate, his grandfather’s attitude toward Diana had become unusually favorable.
[“I hope you meet a woman as spirited as Her Grace!”]
[“…I plan to marry someone modest, okay? Don’t interfere in my marriage! I’ll choose who I want!”]
[“Will she even marry you if you choose her?”]
Damn old geezer.
He treated everyone with an equal level of coldness.
He didn’t trust easily and rarely formed emotional attachments.
But during the pre-celebration, when he spoke to the Grand Duchess…
‘Anyone would’ve thought she was his daughter-in-law.’
He looked at her with the warmth of someone welcoming a new member into the family.
[“Looking at Her Grace reminds me of your mother when she was young. Bright and skilled with the sword.”]
[“…Skilled with the sword? That delicate woman? Have you seen her arms? Just holding a sword seems like it would make her tremble and drop it.”]
[“You need to see her wield a blade.”]
So that damn geezer had seen her hold a sword?
Could that woman, who looked like she’d only ever held a kitchen knife, really wield a real weapon?
Robert sneered.
That’s why he didn’t believe it when they said the Grand Duchess had taken down a wolf.
‘She probably didn’t even deal the final blow.’
And yet…
Slash!
Diana’s sword carved deeply into the back of an angry coyote.
Frankly, Robert hadn’t even seen the beast appear in the dark woods. But Diana—not only did she walk through the forest like it was broad daylight, she also tracked the coyote’s movement by sound alone and cut it down.
He had opposed walking through the forest in the first place.
[“Shouldn’t we just wait for rescue? Those bastards who ran probably saw us getting swept down the river.”]
[“You think only they saw us?”]
[“…What do you mean?”]
[“Even you know it’s strange that the dwarves are using swords and arrows, right, Robert?”]
[“Wait… no way…”]
[“Exactly.”]
[“You’re saying the Wilhelm family really is controlling the dwarves?”]
At that, Diana’s expression turned strange.
But after a moment’s thought, Robert frowned.
[“Even if the Wilhelm family has that kind of power, why would they send the dwarves to attack the Grand Duchess? The war ended just a year ago, and this hunt is meant to be a peaceful event. His Grace would want everything to go smoothly.”]
Diana smirked at his words.
[“Wow, you actually use that brain of yours. I wish everyone thought like you…”]
[“…?”]
[“But of course they don’t.”]
[“You mean someone’s trying to endanger His Grace by controlling the dwarves?”]
[“Probably. This isn’t the first time they’ve been acting strangely. There was even an incident near Hamel territory. If this ends badly, it won’t just be Wilhelm in danger.”]
Robert’s eyes widened.
Naturally, he thought of his ailing grandfather—who was back at the barracks.
That old man would mount a horse even knowing it might be his last time, all for the sake of protecting their territory.
[“Of course, if you don’t want to come with me, you can stay and wait for rescue. They’re probably targeting me, not you…”]
[“I’m coming.”]
Robert answered firmly.
But walking silently through the dark forest was far more terrifying than he expected—while Diana showed no fear at all.
Her eyes, beautiful like a doll’s, shone like wild flames in the dark.
And that graceful swordsmanship…
‘…!’
Robert instinctively covered his mouth with both hands to stifle the gasp trying to escape.
At that moment, Diana, having taken down the coyote in one strike, murmured something with her sword still in hand.
“Good job.”
“W-What did you say…?”
“Wasn’t talking to you.”
She was talking… to her sword.
Robert suddenly remembered his fencing master always scolding him not to get ahead of his blade.
At the time, he couldn’t understand why his master spoke as if the sword were alive.
Frankly, he thought those swordsmen who treated their weapons like friends or lovers were ridiculous.
‘That’s just lame…’
Or so he had thought…
But now, watching Diana praise her blade and wipe the blood before sliding it smoothly into its sheath—
She was different.
‘She’s… so cool.’
“What are you staring at? Am I that pretty?”
Diana asked, stroking her chin.
“Not pretty, but…”
Cool. You’re just really cool.
He was about to say that when Diana’s brow furrowed.
She signaled for him to get down.
‘Dwarves?’
That’s what Robert assumed.
But then, a different sound emerged.
Hoofbeats.
At first, he thought it might be an elk.
But no—it wasn’t.
Flickers of unnatural light shimmered in the distance.
“Could be a rescue party?”
He whispered to Diana, hiding behind a large tree trunk.
Diana held a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.
The hoofbeats drew closer.
“No one on this side.”
“You sure? Keep searching. If we don’t find them within the hour, Lady Isabelle will go ballistic.”
Isabelle.
Robert’s expression darkened at the name.
They were clearly looking for something—or someone.
If it were Hamel or Wilhelm, those names would’ve come up…
As he turned to look at Diana, her eyes were locked on something—serious and intense.
Her hand gripped her sword hilt as if ready to draw.
Robert followed her gaze—and saw it.
Yellow eyes, glowing in the dark, staring directly at them.
Growl…
A wolf.
“Get inside!”
Diana shouted.
We scattered in opposite directions.
The wolf’s claws slashed deep into the tree trunk where we’d just been hiding.
I quickly drew my sword and aimed for its eyes.
It lunged.
I barely rolled out of the way, avoiding being pinned.
But then—something worse happened.
Robert, who I had specifically told to hide in the small den beneath the roots, attacked the wolf from behind.
Bark!
The wolf howled like a dog.
“Over there!”
Naturally, the soldiers’ attention shifted to us.
Soldiers—likely the ones searching for me or Amin Wilhelm.
Their conversations made it clear.
Amin Wilhelm hadn’t been captured either.
Which meant I had to act as bait and let Robert escape.
If Amin was still alive, they wouldn’t just kill me.
If he survived, then we both might.
But that damn fool…!
“I told you to stay hidden.”
“Nope. What do you take me for?”
This idiot.
The wolf lunged at me again.
Robert tried to intercept, but masked soldiers blocked him.
“Who the hell are you?”
They drew their swords in silence.
Could Robert hold out against them?
Would I die first—or would he be taken down first?
Would they even keep him alive?
While I was lost in those thoughts, the wolf targeted my right side.
Smart.
My right arm, wounded by a dwarf’s arrow, couldn’t rotate fast enough.
The difference was just one or two seconds.
But in a life-or-death fight, that’s all it takes.
So I rolled away instead of slashing.
A poor choice.
Losing balance meant I couldn’t use most sword techniques—only thrusting remained.
Even so…
‘Just a little longer.’
If I stayed alive even a bit more, Robert could help me.
But I questioned the meaning of it all.
What did staying alive even mean?
That thought often consumed me.
‘If killing Walter doesn’t bring my father back, what’s the point of revenge?’
Even if I surpassed my father and became a great blacksmith, it wouldn’t belong to Diana anymore.
What was the point of wishing happiness for Amin Wilhelm after I was gone?
What did any of it mean?
Whenever such thoughts darkened me, I recalled his words.
[“It was because of that damned sword. Because of that broken blade, you ended up like this. Right?”]
My self-loathing question.
[“Maybe. But… it was a good sword.”]
A good sword.
[“I’ve never met a better blade than that one.”]
Amin called the sword that ruined him good.
My father taught Leon to be a blacksmith, even knowing he’d eventually leave the forge.
Leon searched for me even when he believed I was dead.
Why do people cling to things without meaning?
Why do I still live inside your words?
This life might be meaningless.
So are all the feelings I have for you.
I stared at the wolf’s fur glowing under the deepening blue moonlight.
My eyes closed, as if I wanted to see something other than the beast in front of me—something imprinted on the inside of my eyelids.
And then—
Squelch!
Something warm dripped down my forehead.
When I opened my eyes, the wolf’s golden eyes were still locked on mine.
Its jaws opened—
But just beneath them, something protruded from its throat.
A sword tip.
As the blade pulled free, blood splattered across the face of the man behind the wolf.
He grabbed the wolf’s scruff and hurled it aside with a rough shove.
Then he looked down at me.
Breathless, he spoke.
“That was close, wasn’t it?”
“W-What…?”
“That legend I mentioned. It was about when the blue moon is at its peak, my lady.”
The Legend of the Blue Moon.
Finally, I remembered it.
[“On the night of a blue moon, if you enter the Iron Forest and pray, the moon goddess Diana will show you the face of the one you’ll love for the rest of your life.”]
Amin Wilhelm.
The man who told me that legend was now smiling crookedly before me.
His golden eyes, wolf-like and fierce, gleamed.
They looked angry—and relieved.
“So? Was my lovely wife praying to the goddess Diana because she wanted to see me?”
…Damn it.
Was that really…
A prayer?
