Chapter 22
“Still, he was once a comrade. Let’s stop the slander. Everyone must be tired, so let’s call it a night and get some rest.”
Count Ross finally voiced the words he should have said long ago and rose from his seat. Rian snapped out of his thoughts and quickly instructed the servants to guide everyone to their respective rooms.
Tomorrow, they would have to wake early and return to the castle with a large group. He still hadn’t figured out how to rescue Rakia, but for now, it seemed best to get some rest himself.
After exchanging goodnight greetings with Count Ross and the knights, Rian headed to his own room.
However, sleep did not come easily.
Lying on the bed and staring out the window, he saw that night had already fallen completely. From somewhere, the cries of nocturnal beasts drifted in along with the sound of the wind.
A single image kept replaying in Rian’s mind. Rakia—injured, unable to receive treatment, hiding somewhere while enduring the pain. A man whose face he didn’t even know, yet the image continued to disturb his sleep.
At least it wasn’t winter. Though the nights grew chilly, the weather was still bearable enough to survive outdoors.
Where could he be?
Instead of forcing himself to sleep, Rian decided to think about where Rakia might be hiding.
To avoid people’s eyes, he likely stayed away from residential areas. He probably moved at night and hid in the mountains, fields, or tall grass during the day to sleep.
“…Wait. Tall grass?”
In the middle of his wandering thoughts, Rian suddenly jolted upright in bed.
Tall grass! Yes—tall grass!
Earlier that afternoon, just before their first encounter with the Imperial Knights in Fisher Forest, Rian had felt a strange presence. Since learning the Dragon’s Breathing Technique, he had become able to sense the flow of mana scattered through the air.
Perhaps it could be called a kind of mana dominance.
Once someone entered that range, Rian could perceive their presence through the flow of mana.
The sudden appearance of the Imperial Knights had made him forget about it for a moment, but Rian clearly remembered the sensation from then.
It had to be Rakia.
Strangely enough, the thought that it might not be him never even crossed Rian’s mind. Like fate itself, the man who had appeared before him had to be Rakia.
Ever since beginning his new life, Rian had been rather fortunate. He decided to trust that luck.
He hurriedly got up and put his clothes back on. There was no time to waste—he had to reach the forest under the cover of night before Rakia fled again.
First, Rian went to wake Oswald and Scott, who were sleeping in the neighboring room. He couldn’t explain everything, but there were things they needed to know, just in case.
Knock, knock.
As soon as he lightly knocked, movement stirred inside.
“Who…?”
As the door opened, Scott’s questioning voice was immediately covered by Rian’s hand. Rian pushed him back into the room and quickly shut the door.
“Lord, what—”
“Shh!”
Rian raised a finger to his lips and shook his head at Oswald, signaling him to keep quiet.
Though on different floors, the knights were staying in the same building. Given their exceptional abilities, Rian was careful that not even their voices might carry through the walls.
Oswald and Scott stood before him with startled expressions. Seeing them in their sleepwear, Rian paused briefly before speaking.
“I’m sorry if I startled you, Oswald. Sorry, Scott. But this is urgent. I need to go somewhere right now.”
“At this hour?”
“Where are you going?”
True to their master-and-disciple relationship, both questions burst out at the same time.
“I’ll explain everything when I get back. Or… I might not return here at all, so I’ll tell you next time we meet.”
“Excuse me? Not returning—what do you mean by that?”
Oswald looked as though his eyes were about to pop out. He couldn’t understand what his young lord was saying after appearing in the middle of the night.
“I don’t know what will happen either. But if I don’t return, Oswald, you’ll have to cover for me. Say there was an urgent matter in the territory, or that someone fell ill and I had to leave for the castle at dawn.”
“You’re heading to the castle now?”
Scott immediately began searching for his clothes, as if intending to follow him.
“No, Scott. Before going to the castle, there’s somewhere I need to stop by.”
“Where…?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, don’t ask anything—just do as I say. Please.”
Perhaps it was Rian’s earnest tone. Scott fell silent, staring at him blankly. Rian’s expression, pleading to be sent off without questions, was too desperate to argue with.
Oswald, however, seemed unwilling to give up and grabbed Rian anxiously.
“My lord, where on earth are you going at this hour? What if something happens to you out there? If madam finds out, she may collapse from the shock.”
“Oswald, you’re not thinking of telling my mother about this, are you?”
“…!”
“If the three of us stay quiet, there’s no way she’ll know about tonight. And have you forgotten? I returned safely from the Compton Mountains. Nothing will happen tonight either, so wait without worrying. What you should focus on now is dealing with Count Ross.”
“But—”
“There’s no time. I know you’re curious, but we’ll talk later. All right? I’m counting on you. Scott, I trust you.”
With those final words, Rian quietly closed the door behind him. Oswald and Scott desperately wanted to follow, but they couldn’t disobey their lord’s command.
After lingering briefly outside just in case, Rian relaxed when the door remained silent. He then pulled a necklace from his pocket.
It was the artifact said to have been made by the Red Dragon Beristein—Dance of Shadows.
Placing it around his neck, Rian turned the diamond at the center to the side.
Click.
With a soft sound, the diamond rotated, and red light and mist seeped out, wrapping around Rian’s body. His presence gradually faded from the space.
Rian ran straight for the stables. Along the way, he passed several guards on duty, but none of them seemed to notice him at all.
Some chatted among themselves despite him passing right beside them; others yawned lazily, complaining about their lot in life.
Reaching the stables, Rian found the horse he had ridden earlier that day and led it out. Perhaps due to his familiar touch, the horse followed obediently without resistance.
With a slightly tense expression, Rian mounted the horse. The red mist surrounding him moved as if alive, slowly enveloping the horse as well. Soon, like Rian himself, the horse gradually vanished into the darkness.
Just as he had suspected.
If it hadn’t worked this way, he would have had no choice but to abandon the horse and run on foot.
Fisher Forest was vast. Not only would it take time to reach it, but wandering through it to find Rakia would take even longer.
Relieved that he could use the horse, Rian urged it forward toward the forest, sincerely hoping that Rakia was still there.
As he increased speed, the scenery rushed past him. Yet despite the powerful motion of the horse, the surroundings were eerily silent.
It was a truly strange experience.
He had never imagined that the absence of sound alone could feel so awkward and unnatural.
But once Fisher Forest came into view, those stray thoughts vanished, replaced entirely by Rakia.
He had to find him tonight if at all possible. The knight’s words about the severity of Rakia’s injuries echoed constantly in Rian’s ears.
Please be safe…
While riding, Rian gradually focused on the flow of mana. Since his range of control wasn’t wide yet, he would have to search the forest bit by bit.
Fortunately, thanks to Dance of Shadows, Rakia wouldn’t sense his presence. If Rakia realized someone was nearby, he would surely hide again.
Rian felt renewed gratitude toward Seyfried for gifting him such an artifact.
Though it was dark, moonlight occasionally breaking through the clouds allowed Rian to observe his surroundings without much difficulty. He stopped from time to time to listen, but all he heard were insects and nocturnal beasts.
How long had he wandered like that?
As he rode tirelessly through the forest, he heard the sound of flowing water. Perhaps because of that, thirst suddenly hit him.
Rian headed straight toward the water.
The one working hardest tonight wasn’t him, but the horse. Its breathing had grown rough, as if thirsty.
The sound led him to an area dense with tall trees. Pushing through them, Rian emerged into an open clearing. At its center, a small winding stream babbled softly.
Holding the reins, Rian jumped down from the horse. As he led it toward the stream and took a step forward—
He saw someone he had been desperately hoping to find, standing on the opposite bank.
“…!”
It was Rakia. He had never seen him before, but Rian was certain.
But the joy of finding him was brief. Rian dropped the reins and hurriedly crossed the stream.
Thanks to Dance of Shadows, there was no splashing sound—but even if there had been, neither the frantic Rian nor Rakia, who lay unconscious, would have heard it.
“H-Hey!”
Was he thirsty?
The man Rian believed to be Rakia had collapsed face-down, one hand submerged in the stream. Rian rushed over and turned him onto his back.
“Ah…!”
Thankfully, he was still breathing. But his pale, bloodless skin and sunken cheeks, as though he hadn’t eaten properly, were painful to see.
His body was covered in small wounds and stained with fatigue, making it easy to imagine how grueling his journey had been.
With a grave expression, Rian examined the wound on Rakia’s right side.
His brow furrowed automatically. Just as Count Ross had said, a deep wound—likely from a blade—was lodged near his waist.
It looked as though he hadn’t even managed proper first aid. All that covered the wound were a few large leaves stuck to it.
Rian took a ring from his pocket—the artifact he had obtained at Rare last night, Spring Afternoon.
The magic imbued in Spring Afternoon was a healing-type spell, but it only restored vitality; it couldn’t heal wounds directly.
Still, it would help sustain his fading breath.
Rian quickly slipped the ring onto Rakia’s left middle finger. After laying him down briefly, Rian crossed the stream again to bring over the resting horse.
Now came the truly critical moment.
Rian had never once used magic on anyone other than himself.
But now, he had no choice.
If he placed Rakia on the horse and rode like this, the wound could reopen—or worsen.
