As soon as dawn broke the next day, the expedition set out for the Labyrinth.
“From now on, we will have to travel for three days, surviving solely on supplies. Please take care to preserve your health, Your Highness.”
Baron Erka brought word of the arrangements. He limped as if he had been kneeling in the grass all night.
The Labyrinth was a maze of barren caves and rock walls. Passing through it was like crossing a desert.
And even if they reached the outpost, it was clear that their hardships would not end.
This was because it was well known on the continent that supplies beyond the barrier were not abundant.
The luggage had to be packed mainly with food and water, and the number of horses had to be kept to a minimum.
Homunculus knights, except for the commander, had to move on foot like soldiers. The construction craftsmen who came with Anais also rode on carts.
He endured hardships by doing so.
Given this situation, even the royal family pretended to make some effort.
Instead of using individual carriages, they decided to ride in pairs together.
Thus, from the beginning of my journey, an unexpected and terrible disaster befell me.
“Sister.”
The most beautiful woman in the empire took her place opposite me.
“Since Betty and Derek are on the same side, I guess me and Eve should be paired up."
“From now on, we will have to travel for three days, surviving solely on supplies. Please take care to preserve your health, Your Highness.”
Baron Erka brought word of the arrangements. He limped as if he had been kneeling in the grass all night.
The Labyrinth was a maze of barren caves and rock walls. Passing through it was like crossing a desert.
And even if they reached the outpost, it was clear that their hardships would not end.
This was because it was well known on the continent that supplies beyond the barrier were not abundant.
The luggage had to be packed mainly with food and water, and the number of horses had to be kept to a minimum.
Homunculus knights, except for the commander, had to move on foot like soldiers. The construction craftsmen who came with Anais also rode on carts.
He endured hardships by doing so.
Given this situation, even the royal family pretended to make some effort.
Instead of using individual carriages, they decided to ride in pairs together.
Thus, from the beginning of my journey, an unexpected and terrible disaster befell me.
“Sister.”
The most beautiful woman in the empire took her place opposite me.
“Since Betty and Derek are on the same side, I guess me and Eve should be paired up."
'What kind of match is this!'
I was in a situation where I had to spend three days cozying up in a carriage with my half-sister who had poisoned me in my past life.
A chilling sense of rejection came over me. But given the circumstances, there was nothing I could do.
'Let's not worry about it. Let's just assume that no one is there.'
I brainwashed myself and stared out the window.
Various various various...
As if to prove that we were not very close sisters, an awkward silence fell over the carriage.
As we climbed over the hillside, a huge, towering gray rock wall came into view.
Another name for the gray wall was the wall of god. Indeed, it was so large that it was hard to believe that it was a wall built to keep out human footsteps.
“That’s the gray wall.”
Rosenite was so impressed that she muttered without realizing it.
As I got closer, I couldn't feel the dizzying height. It was like the sky was being obscured.
With the huge wall right in front of us, the ground we were standing on now felt like an underground world.
Finally, the expedition entered the valley. The road width was so narrow compared to the height of the wall that it was dark enough to make daylight seem insignificant.
Now all we could see out the window was a wall that threatened to overwhelm our view. Rosenite, quickly losing interest in the barren landscape, poked me.
"Yes."
“Did you travel like this by carriage back then too?”
"Yes."
“There won’t be any inns or anything like that where you’re going, right?”
"Yes.".
“...How was your summer rainy season?”
"Yes."
“Sister, you don’t like me, do you?”
"Yes."
I had been making good on my resolve to ignore Rosenite.
I stared out the window, oblivious to Rosenite's exasperated glare, and lost myself in thought. My mind was filled with the tasks that needed to be accomplished at the outpost.
The procession of the contingent's movements consisted of two knights in front and behind the wagons and carts. Wallblood and Flame led the way, followed by Punishment and White Night.
The leader of each order rode on horseback on the right side of the long line of knights.
Up until now, everyone was walking steadily at the same speed without any particular problems.
Michael, who had returned to his original position, watched the carriage Eve was riding in. In fact, he was quite nervous every time he saw it.
'Alone with the 8th Princess.'
Belladonna of the Empire, whose death had separated him from Eve in his last life, was with Eve in the carriage.
Rosenite, whoever she was. She was the source of the catastrophe, the seed of evil. She was as much a threat as the Demon Dragon, for she might one day repeat his past life at the moment of her obsession.
Michael's eyes, glaring as if they could pierce through the carriage, were filled with murder.
“Michael.”
Then a figure approached that would purify Michael's dark thoughts. It was Sylvestian, a noble silver-haired knight.
“It’s been a while.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Even though they were sharing the same room, they were both embarrassed by the awkward greetings.
Come to think of it, since the last day of the midsummer daydream, Michael has had little opportunity to meet Sylvestian.
'It's been about ten days.'
Needless to say, it was a week of ecstatic pleasure, and even after the rainy season ended, Michael stayed in the green room.
It was disloyal of him to leave Eve, who was working hard until late at night, behind and leave her to go home early.
It was because he just liked being by her side and didn't want to leave.
Despite Eve's permission to leave work, Michael insists that he left the villa after Eve laid her head on the bed. Then he stopped by the Colosseum Arena.
He tortured his body with intense swordsmanship training.
When he arrived at his accommodation, it was deep in the morning and everyone was asleep.
“Ahem.”
Looking back on his lifestyle, Michael felt embarrassed.
Because his overnight stays and late returns home seemed to expose his intimate circumstances.
At that moment, Sylvestian came to see the clear wall and asked an unintentional question.
“You didn’t come back to your accommodation even for a single day during the rainy season. Are you still staying at the 7th Princess’s quarters?”
“Well... that’s what happened.”
An endlessly awkward atmosphere swirling between the two.
Sylvestian's eyes, which seemed to waver for a moment, soon regained their composure. He lowered his eyes and replied as if he understood.
“It seems Her Highness wanted you very much. After all, a knight must serve in such a way.”
“...It was not an obligation.”
Michael couldn't just let the misunderstanding go.
Sylvestian's reaction at that moment was more intense than Michael had expected.
Sylvestian turned sharply to Michael. The walls were shaking like glass on the verge of breaking.
“It wasn’t... an obligation?”
“I’m not the type of person to force something like that... Sylvie?”
“...Oh, yes. I see.”
Michael's strange call woke Sylvestian up. He quickly collected his expression.
It was then that doubt crossed Michael's mind.
“Since you know I didn’t go back to the dorm... Sylvie, you were at the dorm the whole rainy season?”
“Oh, yeah. I was in the dorm the whole time.”
Surprisingly, Rosenite didn't seem to bother Sylvestian during the summer rainy season. It was unexpected, but it was a good thing.
Then Sylvestian blurted out:
“I envy you.”
“Yes? What did you just say?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The lonely smile of his friend was fixed in Michael's eyes. He felt an uncomfortable sense of unease, but he was not yet sure what it was.
No, maybe he just wants to pretend not to know.
At that moment, another person joined their conversation.
"Brother!"
Elijah, who had to take the lead, approached Michael and Sylvestian, who were at the rear. He could not contain his joy as soon as he saw Michael.
“Brother, how have you been during the summer rainy season? I heard that the 7th Princess spent a hot night with the 8th Princess, so you must have been free for a week. Hey, look at the color of your face. You must have had a good rest, right?”
When Michael did not respond, Elijah continued the conversation on his own
“Oh, of course, I was fine. Our Princess was very fond of men. Thanks to the sacrifices made by the youngsters, I was able to live comfortably.”
“Third Princess... Her Highness has a fiancé and yet you say that?”
“Hey, you shouldn’t expect chastity or fidelity from the royal family. Let alone someone who aims to become an Emperor who legally tolerates monogamy.”
Michael's purple eyes cast a gloomy look down.
Because the goal that Elijah spoke of was equally applicable to Eve.
Elijah also said hello to Sylvestian.
“Oh, Sir Millard. You look pale. I guess you’ve been squeezed a lot by the summer rains. Alas, it's all right, you don't need to tell me, I know it all, and although this rainy season has prevented me and my brother from sharing the pain of our fellow sufferers, don't feel too bad.”
At this point, it seemed as if he had come here to ruin the mood under Brigitte's orders.
Michael steps in to protect Sylvestian from Elijah's evil maw.
“What brings you here?”
“I miss you, bro.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Yes, bro.”
Elijah confessed the truth honestly.
“Our Princess asked me to periodically check on the status of Punishment and control of the White Nights.”
“I don’t think it’s surveillance... It seems like Her Highness wants to pretend to be the commander-in-chief.”
“That is correct.”
Today, Brigitte revealed her ambition to control all the homunculus. Michael smiled coldly.
'You're working hard. This is how I feel like I'm neglecting my duty.'
Although he still does not have a strong sense of kinship with his own people, he is still inferior to Brigitte, so he does not deserve to be called a King.
“I should also check for blood clots and inflammation.”
“Huh? Then it would seem like the 3rd Princess and the 7th Princess are sending out their own knights to fight each other.”
“It won’t be bad.”
Eve said before that they should not treat conflict as useless and try to avoid it.
Eve wasn't the type of person who couldn't handle even the slightest friction. Michael rode the horse alone, relying on his strong support.
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