Chapter 79

The sound of the crackling campfire could be heard.

Katrin was sleeping peacefully inside the soft sleeping bag she had taken out from Biyo, and Biyo was sleeping soundly on her chest.

Heros, sitting on a chair (also taken from Biyo), was looking over a map filled with coded paths.

‘The tunnel collapsed at a time like this… this will take some time.’

They had occasionally sent people to inspect it, but unfortunately, there had been heavy rain a few days ago.

Now, the tunnel that connected to Montella was blocked and needed to be rebuilt. This was a serious problem.

‘In the meantime, we will go here.’

His long finger pointed to a small village on the map.

‘Just the lady and I will be… playing house for a while.’

Feeling his heart beat lightly, he let out a small laugh.

Then, he checked other information that had arrived tied to a bird’s leg.

‘It looks like purges and the power struggles in the palace have officially begun.’

Seeing that they hadn’t declared Katrin a revolutionary hero yet and were focusing only on finding her safety, Heros thought Etias was trying to protect her in his own way.

‘But I still don’t trust you, prince.’

There was also something Katrin didn’t know.

Heros’ gaze shifted to Katrin, sleeping with her guard completely down. His eyebrows twitched and his throat moved as he swallowed.

“She is safe now… so please stay safe too, my lady.”

He whispered quietly.

If it hadn’t been for the bond tied to her soul, he might have harmed Etias, just enough to stop him from holding so much power. But that wasn’t an option.

Etias, the owner of the shadows, was perhaps even more dangerous than the previous incompetent and greedy emperor.

But to Heros, nothing was more important than Katrin.

“….”

By now, the letter should have arrived to the Grand Duke of Montella.

“Arrogant, Jeffrey Wissler.”

Lancelot crumpled the letter sent in the name of the Scavenger’s guild master with an annoyed sound.

“The Scavengers’ Jeffrey?”

The secretary looked shocked. The Scavengers were a vast underground organization spread across the continent.

Jeffrey Wissler, the guild master, had been missing for years.

And now he learned that Jeffrey was none other than Katrin Ellemore’s butler?

“I suspected it. He smelled just like that Scavenger I met at the tea house.”

Lancelot Obierre’s sense of smell was sharper than anyone else’s.

“So I gave him a warning bite back then.”

—There is a secret Scavenger tunnel leading to Montella. The problem is that it collapsed and needs rebuilding. We will rebuild this side’s entrance with Scavengers, so please check the entrance on your side as well. Coordinates attached.

That was the letter sent by Katrin’s butler—no, Jeffrey—through a bird.

—One more thing. Until the tunnel is rebuilt and we safely pass through it, please stop your biting habits. I will take good care of the lady until then.

“I should have bitten someone else,” Lancelot growled as he stood up.

He didn’t like the tone suggesting that Jeffrey would be alone with her.

Outside, the scenery of this villa near the empire-duchy border looked peaceful.

But his mind was filled with thoughts of Katrin Ellemore.

‘At least she is safe. I don’t like that sly butler, but…’

He consoled himself, telling himself it was better than hearing she had been captured and executed by Emperor Etias.

He remembered the way she had held him tightly when he had been a dog, and his heart beat faintly.

The beautiful and cunning woman who wished to defect to Montella…

—Poor thing.

Even among incomprehensible words, those warm, sympathetic words had pierced his ears.

No one had ever said something like that to him, the master of Montella.

He raised his hand and touched his dry lips.

“I should send her a gift to help her defect safely.”

In the morning, I put the sleeping bag back into Biyo’s inventory and took out the small stove and ingredients.

Heros handled all the cooking, and he prepared food as delicious as any professional chef.

After filling my stomach with roasted ginkgo nuts and chicken skewers cooked over the fire, I stood up, feeling full and ready.

Then Heros received a small package from a bird circling above, checked it, and handed it to me.

“The Grand Duke sent something quite good.”

“The Grand Duke… you mean Lancelot?”

“Yes. Take a look.”

We had packed almost everything in Biyo’s inventory—wealth, supplies, camping gear—but this was something new.

“A potion that makes you invisible? This feels like magic!”

I thought of the invisibility cloak from some fantasy novel, and my heart raced.

Heros nodded too.

“Even the Scavengers never managed to make something like this. It’s amazing.”

“But how could they make invisibility potions but not a cure for the beast transformation?”

“The letter says it’s the opposite. This was a failed byproduct from experimenting with a potion to suppress the beast transformation.”

—It will help if you are in danger. But it doesn’t protect you from attacks like arrows, so be careful.

Once you drink it, it would last for about two hours.

This would be quite useful if we were ever surrounded by enemies.

“This is a great item.”

I placed it into Biyo’s inventory and stretched while looking out the window.

“The Grand Duke also said he would check the Montella entrance of the tunnel, right?”

We were already close to Montella’s border, but just looking at the heavily guarded land aboveground, there seemed to be no way out.

It was as if the empire had concentrated all its military power at the Montella border.

“There’s no other path to Montella besides that tunnel, just like the Scavengers said.”

“That’s right.”

If things had gone as planned, I would already be in Montella, spending money and shopping. But now we had to wait, and I didn’t like it.

“Shortest case, a week; longest, a month. Please stay in the village with me until then.”

At least Heros had managed to find a decent house in a nearby village close to the tunnel.

“I’ll cook delicious food for you every day. Like a loving spouse who would do anything for you…”

“That won’t be necessary.”

I replied flatly.

Suddenly, I felt the watch vibrate and looked at it.

Wasn’t everything over? Why was it doing this?

Revolutionary Army Information

Military Strength: (Cannot be measured)
Equipment & Supplies: (Cannot be measured)
Comfort Level: (Cannot be measured)
Funds: (Cannot be measured)

Revolution Progress: 99% (Imminent)

Revolution Success

HP: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡♡♡

What… is this?

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the HP again.

I was sure it had been full with ten hearts.

Was something happening to Etias? My heart began to pound with anxiety.

While I stood there in shock, the HP quickly dropped by another one.

HP: ♥♥♥♥♥♡♡♡♡♡