Chapter 63
“The horse disappeared?”
“No, it’s just that…”
As I got closer, I could hear the flustered words of Ferton.
“The Forest of Mist is known for strange happenings, but still… how can a horse that was just here vanish into thin air? We haven’t even entered the forest yet.”
“I swear I didn’t leave it behind! This is an order from His Highness himself! Would I be careless?”
The man who had managed horses in the imperial palace for decades had no reason to lie, but Ferton still looked doubtful.
“You… could it be—”
“That’s why it’s called the Forest of Mist!”
A sudden voice cut in, and Ferton turned his head toward the person approaching him.
“What do you mean?”
Karin, carrying a bundle in his arms as if he were a peddler, laughed heartily.
“The Forest of Mist has long been infamous for bizarre rumors. An incident like this isn’t unusual.”
“If this kind of thing happens, then we should reconsider entering at all. If one of our party vanishes the way that horse did…”
“No, no!”
Karin raised his hand high.
“With me and that guy over there!”
He pointed at Kalton, who was surveying the perimeter of the misty woods.
“You don’t need to worry. The horse vanished only because we haven’t started using magic yet. Once we shield everyone with mana, there’s no way anyone will just disappear.”
“But still—”
“And besides, I think it’s less that the horse vanished and more…”
Karin turned a suspicious gaze toward the stablehand.
“I really didn’t!”
“If there had been enough magic to erase something, I would have sensed it!”
“I swear, I didn’t lose the horse—”
Ignoring the man who looked on the verge of tears, Karin smiled faintly.
“On such an important day, carelessness is inexcusable, but in truth, losing one horse isn’t a major issue.”
“Not having enough mounts is a very big problem. The knights can walk if they must, but we need to reach the center of the forest. And once we’re there, if something happens, we may have to fight. We must conserve our strength…”
“Yes, yes, I know. Naturally, conserving energy is important. What I mean is—no knight has to walk. We can simply ride double.”
“That’s an option, but that should only be considered in a desperate situation. We can’t afford to weaken our forces by having two knights share one horse from the very start.”
“But it’s fine if it’s not a knight, isn’t it?”
“…What?”
Karin pulled Bellia closer.
“Eh?”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Karin declared,
“I’ll share a horse with this attendant.”
“Ah.”
Ferton nodded in sudden understanding.
“That should be fine, then. Will you manage?”
“Of course! Let’s go!”
“But my opinion—”
“It’s not bad for you either. Riding with a mage is safer. Let’s do it.”
“Well, I—”
“Come on, let’s go!”
Dragged along by Karin, Bellia could only look helplessly.
Ferton raised his brows in mild surprise.
Mages of the Tower were usually unbearably proud.
Yet both Kalton and this Karin behaved so modestly that it was hard to believe they were mages at all.
Ferton recalled the Tower mage once stationed in the Empire—how arrogant he had been, how he scorned the knights. If someone had suggested that one ride double with an attendant, the outrage would have been tremendous.
“…I suppose this is fortunate.”
His fears of conflict between mages and knights due to arrogance were proving unnecessary.
“Well, then. It’s not a bad start. As for the missing horse, I agree with the mage—it was likely left behind from the start. We’ll check the palace again later.”
“Yes, understood.”
With the dejected groom left behind, Ferton turned to lead the way.
The foggy forest loomed ahead, waiting for them.
“You can’t see, right?”
“Not at all.”
Bellia straightened her back and answered.
“Why don’t you relax?”
“I’m fine.”
She gave an awkward smile. Riding a horse together with someone she had just met today made her self-conscious.
“You could’ve ridden with him instead.”
Karin jerked his chin toward Kalton, who rode in front.
Bellia flinched and quickly shook her head.
“No way. I couldn’t…”
“Why not? Let’s be honest—you’re pretending to be an attendant, but you’re a noble lady. By that logic, it would’ve been proper to ride with him.”
“It’s fine. This is comfortable enough.”
Though his endless chatter unsettled her at first, soon Bellia relaxed and leaned lightly against him.
Forget it.
Awkwardness didn’t matter. If she was going to endure the forest, she needed to save her strength.
Scanning her surroundings, she tried to recall her childhood memories.
The estate where the incident occurred was far away, but Kalton had said the forest itself was key.
While she searched for any possible clue, Karin wrinkled his nose.
“…The mana is thickening.”
Kalton narrowed his brow. Sensitive as he was to magic, he could feel the sticky, unpleasant energy saturating the air.
“You feel it too?”
“Yes. Not just mana, but all kinds of strange energies…”
Karin stretched out his hand and swirled it through the air.
“Whoa.”
Bellia gasped in awe.
“Refreshing, isn’t it?”
“That was magic, right?”
“Yep. Feels better now. Though deeper in, even this won’t work.”
Bellia nodded—better than nothing.
Karin glanced down at Bellia, who sat before him.
“By the way, I heard from Kalton that you’ve been to the Forest of Mist before?”
“Ah, yes.”
Bellia explained what little she knew of the accident, though she had no memories of it herself.
“There’s a mansion on the eastern road leading out to a village. I went there once, not the center of the forest like now.”
“Is that where you met Vane?”
“I’m not sure… Kalton said it was possible.”
“Hmm.”
While she leaned fully against him, Karin secretly examined her mana.
Impurities.
His eyes narrowed.
All humans have their own innate mana. Unless one practices magic, it’s rare for that mana to be tainted.
Kalton, skilled in orthodox magic, wouldn’t have noticed—he wasn’t versed in Karin’s unorthodox methods.
That was why Karin had stuck close to Bellia, chatting idly the whole way.
He glanced down at his right hand. His lips stiffened.
Within the murky gray hue of her mana, he saw several other colors that hadn’t fully merged.
Mana no ordinary human could possess.
“…You—”
“Yes?”
“…Never mind.”
Karin quickly clenched his fist, hiding the discovery, and his tense expression softened again.
With a faint smile, he asked in a gentle tone,
“You said you’ve never left the Empire, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“What do you usually do?”
“Just… work.”
“Work?”
“Ah, I mean I handle business tasks sometimes, different things here and there.”
“And as a noble lady? Do you have hobbies?”
“What?”
Bellia blinked, caught off guard by his prying questions.
“Ah, sorry. It’s just—I never deal with nobles in my life, let alone someone my age. I’m curious, that’s all.”
Seeing his sheepish grin, Bellia nodded in understanding.
“I don’t really have hobbies. Just the usual—work, rest when I have time… that’s it.”
“And as a child?”
“As a child? Hmm, I don’t think I had any hobbies then either.”
Karin pressed further, asking about her tastes in food, her daily habits, and other personal details.
“Stop here!”
Ferton, who was leading, suddenly shouted, and the knights halted.
“The fog is thickening. We’ll rest a moment. Don’t break formation!”
Ferton unfolded a map and walked toward Kalton.
Meanwhile, Karin hopped down from the horse, bundle in hand.
“Wait—where are you going?”
“I need to relieve myself.”
“Ah… alright.”
Bellia nodded for him to go.
Karin slipped away into the woods.
From his bundle, he pulled out a small pouch.
“Time for an experiment.”
Inside his hand was a short lock of brown hair.
He placed it in the pouch, shook it, then crouched to draw a formation on the ground and set the pouch atop it.
The pouch burst into flames and disintegrated, leaving behind a single long, black hair on the formation.
“…Hm?”
Kalton, still discussing the route with Ferton, suddenly stiffened and glanced around.
“What is it?” Ferton asked.
“…Nothing.”
Just now… I felt something.
Kalton frowned and scanned the group behind him.
“Where’s Karin?”
“Ahh, that’s better!”
As soon as he spoke, Karin emerged cheerfully from the trees, dusting off his hands as he walked back toward the group.
