About half an hour ago, I first felt the first signs of the demons and their pursuers.
Rustling sounds from the forest's edge and howls from nearby beasts. They were a constant reminder to me that this place was not safe.
So I decided to eliminate the danger and get to the hidden piece.
My first plan was to dispose of the tracker.
It should have been…
Now, in front of me, the girl in the red is fidgeting, hands clasped together, avoiding eye contact. My head quickly spun.
I put my hand to my forehead and sighed, and Talia, who had been watching me carefully, explained.
"So… it's not that I did it, but you suddenly grew so big…? I wanted to be like you, so I followed you, and then I looked out the window at night and there you were…! I thought you were going somewhere. You must have some kind of special training method… So I followed you and saw a forest… Without thinking about it...."
It's a pretty far-fetched story for a second grader, but....
Three things were certain.
The first was that Talia thought more highly of me than I realized.
The second was that she didn't hold any ill will toward me.
The third was that she didn't think the world was dangerous enough to come after me in the middle of the night.
Which is understandable.
After all, I've cleared almost every main and side story in Inner Lunatic. Talia was a major character.
Talia's narrative can be summarized in one keyword: a deep-seated sense of defeat. It stems from her older sister, Chel. It originates from her.
I didn't expect it to come after me so suddenly and so unexpectedly.
Honestly, when I heard the rustling, I was reasonably sure it was Allen and Hearts.
They have a grudge against me in the first place, so it was quite possible that they were waiting to attack me when I was alone, i.e., when I disappeared down a dark alley.
They're not exactly known for their nasty personalities in games.
But this time was different. I wondered why Talia was so obsessed with me, why she'd escalated things to this point.
I was dumbfounded.
Why would she later help the protagonist and put a knife through Nox's heart…?
But oh well. I can't just leave her here.
She's going to be slaying tons of demons, and her own abilities will blossom to help the protagonists.
So abandoning her here is not a good option.
Keep her for now. It's better to go and decide what to do.
"Just follow me."
As I say this, I stop in my tracks and stare for a moment at Talia, who floats away as delicately as a baby bird.
"Let me make one thing clear, I am not here to help you. I'm just trying to fix things so that there's no embarrassment to my family."
"Ugh.... I'm sorry, that was wrong…."
Talia apologized meekly.
Good enough. That's enough to make her feel bad about me.
Even if I wasn't used to interpersonal relationships, I knew that this kind of tone wouldn't win anyone over.
I pulled Talia up behind me and went over the strategy for Mia's forest in my head, knowing that the first priority was to clear this forest somehow.
Finding your way around isn't difficult at all, as I mentioned at the beginning, as you can use your oiled torch.
However, the next part is a bit more challenging.
This is the area that opens up in the prologue, which is prepared before the start of the scenario. There are no boss monsters, but there are elite monsters that are one rank lower.
A typical one is a higher-ranked version of the Gray Wolf you encountered earlier. Elite Grey Wolf. A level that can be dealt with by surprise without using Genius Time.
But don't expect it to be that easy.
Consider my low health and the insane collaboration of my negative traits.
I must realize that I could be outnumbered at any moment.
In times like these, I recite the mantra I used to take on Inner Lunatic.
"I'm fucked."[1]
I feel a little better.
Then, I feel the girl's confused gaze on me again.
"That… thank you...."
"Never mind, just follow me."
I responded to Talia's words with a tasteless nod and began to walk into the forest, my sword gripped tightly in my hand.
With each step I took, Talia moved a little closer to me. She must have gotten over her fear… why else would she follow me?
'I'll just ditch her.'
I sighed, looking at Talia clinging to my sleeve.
Meanwhile, that time.
Talia is diligently following the white-haired boy, her eyes shining brightly.
'I knew it, I knew it… Yeah, I guess I'm not good enough for Nox… But I'm not going to give up, I'm going to show him that I can be a proper knight!'
* * *
It was an ambitious early morning for Rodwell.
He had been informed by Talia's maid Emma that Nox and Talia's whereabouts had become unclear, and he had hastily begun to gather knights in the neighborhood.
Of course, not long ago, his lordship had instructed him to keep an eye on Nox.
But even so… it is a family taboo to be out at this hour.
As prestigious as House Reinharbour is, it has many enemies from other countries and other houses.
They've even killed heirs who have strayed from House Reinharbor while hiding their true identities.
Given how often that happened, it was obviously dangerous to go out alone. So much for common sense.
'I was wrong. I must now admit that you are not the glazed-over Master Nox that you once were.
Rodwell, of course, hadn't expected Nox to be of such a delicate disposition that he would be out and about on such a late night.
This was not the same Nox who used to shiver and crawl into the bosom of his nanny's skirt when she read him fairy tales.
Such a timid boy… Rodwell hadn't even considered the possibility of this happening.
Moreover, there was something else that was almost as big. The honor of House Steiner. Talia had disappeared with them.
The Steiners and the Reinharbers, both masters of the sword, have long been close friends. There have been frequent exchanges between the two families, as well as marriage pacts.
In fact, the idea of allowing Nox and Talia to take knighting lessons was part of the plan to familiarize them with each other and eventually seal the deal.
Of course, that was put on hold when Nox came into play…
In any case, Talia was one of Knox's potential brides, and their disappearance was a big deal. Both as a family and as individuals.
"Head butler!"
"Where is the young master? Have you found him?"
The knights who rushed in front of him spoke urgently to Rodwell. Rodwell knew that the sweaty rush was a bad sign, even for a pretender.
The back of his neck prickled.
The next voice drove a wedge into that thought.
"It seems that the Young Master has gone to the… 'Forest of Mia'… with Miss Talia!"
"That can't be!"
Emma, who had been pacing behind him, threw her hands in the air in disbelief.
"First, lead them to the place where you believe the Master has disappeared."
With that, in unison, the knights, Rodwell, and a worried Emma rode quickly toward Mia's forest.
The path was flat, and they soon reached the warning sign in front of the grove.
Rodwell studied the footprints in front of the forest and thought to himself.
"Two pairs of long, small footprints… they must be yours and Miss Talia's.
"Perhaps our family's knight was right."
"Well, what are we going to do then! We're going to go into the forest right now and…."
Emma had almost lost her cool. Rodwell stopped her from going into the woods right then and there.
"I'm afraid that's not possible."
"What?! Why?!"
It wasn't exactly the most admirable thing to do to the head butler of Rineharbor House, but Rodwell didn't really care, given the circumstances.
In the first place, Mia's forest is not easily navigated by anyone who enters it. To keep the power from leaking out, the family's knights can't be sent out on a limb.
Even though he is the son of the lord, he is the youngest, Nox.
In such a crisis, he would not be willing to sacrifice so many to find him.
The same goes for Talia. If she were the next Matriarch Chel, the one Patriarch Steliner cared about, Rodwell would have used his forces to rescue her.
But Rodwell did not.
Even if Nox and Talia were the children of two families. He decided they weren't worth the risk.
He had come to this conclusion with uncanny calm.
Rodwell weighed the options.
The loyal vassals of the House, and the youngest son, just beginning to blossom, the second daughter of the other House. Which of the two would be of greater value to The House in the future.
"Wait and see."
Emma was still sulking.
But there was one more reason Rodwell had said wait and see.
It stemmed from a question.
"Why did you go into the woods?
At first, Rodwell thought he'd been tricked by a demon with mind-control powers. But this was extremely unlikely.
The family naturally has a strong magical connection. No other family, and certainly not one as prestigious as House Reinhafer, would not be unprepared for such a thing.
They have no enemies within their ranks.
It was Rodwell himself who recently hunted down and executed the last renegades in hiding.
So, what's your conclusion?
"That Mr. Nox headed for the woods on purpose.
"There is only one way for him and Miss Talia to return."
Rodwell closed his eyes for a moment, his expression calm, then opened them.
Emma asked, shivering like an aspen tree.
"What makes you think that's a possibility…."
"Master Nox will show you wisdom, and they will find their way out of the woods."
Rodwell assured her.
What if Nox showed the strength he had shown in his past battles with his brothers?
Whatever was going on in the woods might not be so hard to deal with.
The forest eats children. It could be conquered once and for all.
But Emma's lips were still quivering as she listened. She was almost certain that her nagging had caused Talia to run away.
"I killed her!
Tears rolled down the corners of Emma's eyes.
* * *
A moment ago, Talia had seen a sword flying in a trajectory.
An unremarkable-looking, transparent white sword had drawn a sword path and then killed the monster that was charging at her with surprise and precision.
The transparent blade, bathed in moonlight, sliced precisely through the enemy's throat.
Of course, it wasn't the kind of miraculous swordsmanship she'd seen from Nox in the past; he was many times stronger when he fought his brothers than he is now.
But Talia didn't question it.
In her opinion, the reason Nox hadn't shown the same strength earlier was simple.
"He didn't think he had to show his full power. He thought a wolf like that was nothing to him!
Talia had forgotten that Nox had once fallen to the ground bleeding. In the midst of her fears, the Nox she had seen had been the best knight she had ever seen.
Therefore, she had overestimated him.
'By the way… Emma's going to be very upset...?'
She relaxed a little, and this time she was worried.
What could she do to make Emma less angry?
Will I ever be able to eat Emma's apple pie again....
The thought sent a shiver down Talia's spine.
Of course, getting out of the woods was a priority, but Talia was the type of person who hated studying and loved to move.
'Now that I think about it, Emma had mentioned that the Reinhafers had a forest in the first place....'
Initially, Emma had definitely told her that the Reinhafer family had a forest of miasma that she was never supposed to enter, but she hadn't thought it was that dangerous.
…Or rather, she had forgotten!
So it would work out somehow, people would find her, she thought to herself.
"Yuck…."
Talia muttered, but Nox didn't answer.
The forest rustled, the occasional vine stepped on. The sound of grasshoppers echoed, sending a chill down her spine.
At that moment, a giant spider swoops down from above Talia's head and lands on her shoulder.
"Kyaaaahhhh!"
At the sound of the voice, Nox involuntarily drew his sword, ready to swing, but then he sighed and placed a chestnut[2] on Talia's forehead, just as he had done with Rona one day.
"Shut up, and if you're going to freak out about spiders, why the hell did you follow me into this forest?"
"It's a… it's a… it's a… it's a spider… aren't you scared…?"
"You're not going to be a knight."
"Oh, no!"
At least the mention of knighthood brought Talia back to her senses. Nox gently brushed the spider off her shoulder with his hand.
Just like that.
The distance between them closed for a moment.
Ooooooo…!
Suddenly, a wolf howled. Startled by the sound, Talia jumped out of her skin and hugged Nox tightly in front of her.
Nox was quite dangerous with his sword drawn, but Talia clung to him, perhaps fearing the wolf more.
Nox sighed. There were now several wolves gathered around them, including an elite monster, the Elite Gray Wolf.
'They're big, just like the ones I saw in the game. I've memorized all the patterns, though.
"Stay away."
Nox said and sheathed his sword.
Thalia carefully stepped away from him… and then saw a sudden shift in his momentum.
The same overwhelming sword he had used against his brothers.
Talia swallowed hard as she realized it had begun.
Nox tightened his grip on the blade and spoke coldly.
"In the future, do not entangle yourself. It hinders my ability to swing my sword."
As he spoke, Nox's sword slowly began to glow.
Krrrr!
An elite Gray Wolf quickly charged towards his body.
…Naturally, at that time. Rona had fallen asleep, not waking up at all despite the commotion in the mansion.
"Ugh… Carl… I can't use it if I hit him in the head with my hind foot...."