As soon as Elze finished speaking, the people hiding in the darkness of the forest appeared.
It seemed like they had decent skills, as they kept their presence low and then showed up again. She didn't know there would be a thieves group with this level of skill in the Renando Forest. Elze had a strange feeling of wanting to praise them.
The bandits slowly began to surround Shan and Elze in a semicircle. The two were completely surrounded by bandits, with their backs to the cliff. The one who seemed to be the leader stepped forward, pointed his sword, and asked urgently.
“Are you a noble?”
Shan nodded and asked again.
"Then?"
The leader of the bandits seemed momentarily taken aback by Shan's arrogant, if not carefree, attitude, but soon made a vicious face and threatened him.
“I won’t kill you. Just give me the money you have. Then I’ll step down quietly.”
Elze looked at Shan, and Shan looked at Elze. The two met eyes and were silent for a moment. There was not a trace of tension in their eyes. Shan raised his eyebrows and said.
“Let me sort it out.”
Elze nodded to Shan. The clothes were uncomfortable anyway, and she couldn't show off her skills in front of Shan. Elze decided to quietly play the role of cheering him on from behind.
Shan was empty-handed, but his opponents were a group of bandits, each armed with a weapon. However, Elze wasn't worried about him at all. The weapons didn't mean much to Shan anyway.
As Shan took a big step forward, the bandits flinched and took a step back. They were overwhelmed by the total numerical superiority. In the strange standoff, Shan slowly looked at them. It was the moment when his gaze swept over the whole place.
“Ugh!!”
His body moved so quickly that it was hard to follow with the eyes. Before long, one of the bandits was lying on the ground, and Shan was holding the sword he had taken from him in his hand.
From then on, it was just a massacre. Every time a sword gleamed in the moonlight in the darkness, a scream rang out. The overwhelming difference was beyond what a mere bandit could do.
While she was watching Shan's activities intently, several bandits that he had not been able to deal with approached Elze. They seemed to be planning to capture Shan by taking Elze hostage.
But they did not know whether they came this way or went that way, it was the same road to the afterlife.
“Be quiet... Ugh!”
Starting with a fist to the chin of a thief who was making unreasonable threats, Elze snatched one of the clubs the thief was holding and started swinging it.
"Hyah!"
“Ugh!”
The bandits fell one by one as they were struck by the club. Elze, who had already beaten the mercenaries with a table leg before, knocked them down one by one without Shan knowing.
In the midst of this, a cold feeling suddenly came to her. She looked at Shan and saw that he had just struck down one person and was about to turn to look at Elze. Elze was so surprised that she quickly threw the club she was holding onto the floor.
At that moment, a thief came from behind and grabbed Elze. His thick arm grabbed Elze's neck as if it were being grabbed. The moment Elze let out a squeak, he shouted loudly.
“Don’t move!”
“...”
In an instant, the surroundings became quiet. Everyone stopped moving and looked towards Elze. The thief who had caught Elze shouted, panting in tension.
“Hey, don’t move! Or...!”
Elze, who was caught by the thief's arm, thought for a moment. She could have easily escaped at this point. However, she couldn't move freely because Shan was watching her. She had just been caught because she was worried that Shan would look back.
She was thinking of waiting for Shan to come to her rescue, but Shan slowly opened his mouth.
"...You."
It was a very short, one-syllable word, but it was a voice that seemed to be scraping the edge of an abyss. A tingling sensation as if her eardrums were being torn apart came in.
Elze blinked as she hung onto the thief's arm. Elze was the only one who was calm amidst the raging murderous intent.
Shan stared intently at the thief who had captured Elze. Her purple eyes swirled deeply. The thief froze, unable to move, like a frog before a poisonous snake.
Shan didn't say anything. He just nodded quietly.
“...Eek!!”
The thief, who came to his senses belatedly, sat down in terror as if he had seen a ghost. He crawled on the floor and trembled.
Shan, who confirmed that Elze was separated from the thieves, slowly gathered his energy.
No one could move recklessly in the unbelievable scene they saw with their own eyes. The bandits were neither attacking nor retreating and were standing there in a daze. Then a loud voice was heard.
“Hey, over there!”
A man with a huge two-handed sword on his shoulder appeared from the bushes. He was Tarkun, calmly cutting through the crowd of bandits. Tarkun looked at Elze and asked her teasingly.
“Madam, are you hurt anywhere?”
The tone of the question seemed to indicate that he was certain that everything would be fine and that no one would be hurt. As Elze nodded, Tarkun looked around at the bandits and pointed upward with his finger.
“I’m saving you guys right now. Look over there.”
Rapine and Ivanna were sitting on the tree trunk that Tarkun had pointed to.
Ivanna, who held the tall glass bottles between her ten fingers on both hands, had an extremely cold and expressionless face. The cute and lively appearance she had shown in front of Elze was nowhere to be found. She spoke in an eerie voice.
“Who are these kids messing with...”
The moment Ivanna lifted her hand, the forest of Renando would disappear from the map. But there was no one to stop Ivanna. Rapine next to her was the same.
Rapine's bow, with its face frozen in coldness, had three arrows hanging from it. If he were to release the bow, exactly three heads would be pierced. And one of them was aimed at the leader of the bandits.
One of the bandits looked back and forth between Tarkun, Ivanna, and Rapine, then muttered with a blank expression.
“Hey, Elijah...”
Everyone was startled by those words, but another one looked at Shan's face brightly lit under the moonlight, and shouted with a pale face.
“Sir, could it be that purple eye, Shan Cirxus...?”
The moment they heard that, the bandits saw Shan's purple eyes and the pitch-black hair that was blending in with the darkness. No one among them did not know Shan and Elijah from the Hundred Years' War. The bandits realized that they had made a big mistake.
Everyone was frozen in an unbelievable reality. The leader of the bandits rushed out and fell face down on the dirt floor.
“Hey, Cirxus!!”
He asked for forgiveness urgently.
“Lord Cirxus, I dared not recognize you. Please forgive me.”
As the leader knelt, the rest of the bandits also dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground. Of course, Shan was not one to forgive him. Shan crossed his arms expressionlessly. However, Shan and Elze, who had tried to ignore him cleanly, could not help but pay attention to his next words.
“All of the bandits, including me, took part in the Hundred Years’ War.”
The leader of the bandits bowed his head and spoke in an earnest voice.
“But after the war ended and there was no way to make a living... Low-level people like us weren’t even given proper rewards...”
The war ended and not everyone had a happy ending. After the war, the nobles were rewarded for their service and the mercenaries were paid and sent off to fight in other wars. However, those who had been conscripted that way had nowhere to return to and were not outstanding enough to become knights, and no one cared about them. They were simply abandoned.
It was a miserable truth hidden behind the splendidly fluttering flag of victory.
“...”
Elze looked at the bandits. The sight of them trembling and bowing their heads was bitter. If Elze had not had talent with the sword and had not had strength... Elze might have been mixed in among them.
She felt like she wanted to help them somehow. They didn't seem like such bad guys. Plus, their skills were decent.
As Elze was pondering, she remembered receiving a report recently that the militia was being strengthened in the territory he owned.
It was located near the border, so the land was poor and difficult to live in, but Elze was constantly looking after them, so they wouldn't starve. It seemed like a good idea to live as a resident and participate in militia activities.
Besides, since she knew that it was a territory managed by Shan Cirxus and Elijah, he couldn't possibly have ill intentions.
"You."
The thieves all looked at Elze at the loud voice. Elze looked down at them and asked.
“If I can just earn enough to live on, can you promise not to steal again?”
The leader of the bandits answered Elze's question in a bewildered manner.
“That, that’s right...”
“All of you, go to Himov. It is Targayel’s domain.”
“...!!”
“It’s not too far from here. It may not be a wealthy estate, but it’s enough to keep you from starving. I’ll write a letter of introduction for you, so you can live as a citizen of the estate.”
They gaped at Elze's words. They had heard her clearly, but their expressions were one of disbelief. After a while, the leader of the bandits who had been kneeling in front of them suddenly burst into tears. He sobbed bitterly.
“Thank you... I really, really appreciate it... I will engrave this favor in my bones...”
In front of him, who was wailing and croaking, Elze smiled awkwardly out of embarrassment.
After many twists and turns, Elze and her party managed to escape the Renando Forest.
The bandits of the Renando Forest moved to Elze's territory. Elze felt sorry for making the decision alone and told Shan that she would definitely bear any additional costs that might arise in the territory.
However, Shan actively supported Elze. Thanks to this, Elze was able to introduce herself to the bandits and send them to the territory with peace of mind.
They decided to stop by the estate on the way back just to make sure they weren't doing anything stupid and were adjusting well.
Rosalie was taken from the group by Kalia, who was disguised as a fake thief. She was held near the border between Britain and Baluar, and was to be returned to the capital at the end of the journey.
There was one thing that was surprising: Shan had not killed a single one of the bandits. Some had lost arms or legs, but none had died. When Elze, unable to overcome her curiosity, asked, he simply answered.
"Because I thought you might hate it. It was not difficult to subdue them without killing them."
It was Shan who dug into people from strange places. Elze had to try hard to hide her agitated heart.
And finally, Elze and her party arrived at the border of Britain.
“Britain...!”
Elze peeked her head out the carriage window. Her heart pounded as she looked at the crowded immigration line.
Britain was a maritime kingdom. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, Britain had a strong navy and was rich in various types of seafood.
It was a place with a great culture but was famous for its food being bland. When people criticized the food, they would say, “Is it made in the Kingdom of Britain?” The story that the Britain royal family never hired a chef from their own country was known to everyone on the continent.
Communication was not a problem in Britain. Most countries on the continent used a common language, and Britain was one of them.
However, the accents and vocabulary differ from country to country, and in some cases, they are so distorted that they feel like completely different languages. Fortunately, Britain's accent is slightly stronger and more abrupt than Baluar's, which is soft and flowing.
As they entered the Britain border they went through a brief immigration check, where there was a small commotion.
“Please show me your identification.”
Unlike ordinary people, nobles were able to undergo immigration inspection in a convenient and fast manner in a separate place. The immigration inspection itself was simple, as it consisted of checking the identification card and exit permit issued by the Baluar Imperial Court.
But then, the examiner who was checking the ID suddenly opened his eyes wide. He read the name written on the ID as if he was possessed by something.
“Shan Cirxus Targayel...?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the immigration officers who were working on other matters nearby all turned to look in his direction.
Elze, who was standing next to Shan, looked around curiously. She wondered if there was a problem, but the examiner coughed loudly several times and then began to speak shyly.
“Um... Excuse me, but could I get your autograph..."
At first, she thought he was asking her to sign the immigration form. But that wasn't it. The officer quickly brought out a clean piece of paper and thrust it in front of Shan.
“I am a fan.”
“...”
As it turned out, Shan Cirxus, the hero of the Hundred Years' War, was renowned even in Britain. Tales of his bravery were widely known even in other countries.
Shan seemed a bit taken aback, but he signed the autograph obediently. But then other employees rushed in, and Shan's fan signing event suddenly started.
But that wasn't the end of it. After completing the brief signing, the examiners checked the IDs of those who had accompanied them as escorts. And when they learned that the Elijah mercenary group was in Targayel's escort, they were almost shocked to the point of fainting.
The place that was Shan's autograph session just a moment ago has now become Elijah's autograph session. Rapine, Ivanna, and Tarkun were held captive by them and had to sign autographs. While they were signing autographs, one of the staff members asked Lapine a question.
“But isn’t Elze coming with you?”
At the mention of finding Elze, Elze rolled her eyes here and there. Rapine glanced at Elze and then answered.
“Ah... Are you talking about the captain?”
“Yes. In fact, one of my lifelong wishes is to see Elijah’s Elze...”
Elze is here.
Elze thought so to herself. However, the employee did not know that his lifelong wish was right in front of him. Rapine tried to laugh it off when asked the question, but the oblivious employee continued to ask questions. In the end, Rapine made a serious face and said.
“The captain is currently training in secret.”
"That...!"
“It is a very harsh training to find the ultimate meaning of the sword.”
While Rapine was making a plausible excuse, Ivanna and Tarkun were trying to hold back their laughter behind them. Elze sighed inwardly as she watched the two of them twitching their faces.
Then Shan glanced at her, wondering what she was doing. And she was startled.
“... !”
Shan was staring intently at Elze.
The purple eyes that met her without any mental preparation dug deep into her heart. Elze swallowed hard.
When their eyes met, Shan’s eyes slowly curved. His round and gently curved eyes, like a shamshir (a curved sword), were filled with amusement.
Elze quickly turned her gaze elsewhere. It seemed that she needed to be more careful with him.
Elze and Shan decided to stay a day near the border and then move on.
The accommodations where the nobles who crossed the border mostly stayed were clean and luxurious. After unpacking their luggage in the accommodations, Elze decided to go sightseeing with Shan. Shan was the first to suggest to Elze that they look around the area.
Of course, she didn't really want to go with Shan, but she wasn't so much of a pushover that she refused. Elze took out a nice dress from the luggage she had packed and put it on.
The rest of the party decided to have their own free time, and Liv and the two knights followed as escorts. They followed at an appropriate distance, so Elze and Shan were able to move freely.
The two walked leisurely down the street. Occasionally, some people recognized Shan and whispered, but they did not approach him directly to talk to him. Shan silently followed Elze wherever she went. Thanks to this, Elze was able to wander around as she pleased. Her heart was naturally excited by the unique atmosphere of Britain, which was different from that of Baluar.
She had an urge to drag Shan to a sweet dessert cafe. As she imagined him sitting in a place filled with feminine interiors and cute props, something caught Elze's eye.
“...?”
Elze took a closer look at what she had almost passed by. There was a group of people dressed in black standing at the entrance to the alley.
Their clothes hung in flowing lines. The ends of their sleeves were edged with wide white fringes, and large star-shaped necklaces glittered around their necks.
It was strange. The moment she saw them, her body froze. Her heart was pounding and thumping. Shan stopped walking, following Elze who had stopped standing still. Shan looked back at Elze.
"Erzenes?”
At his call, Elze let out the breath she had been holding without realizing it.
"Ah..."
Shan followed Elze's gaze, frowned, and muttered.
“The priests of Ines.”
Ines is a religion that most countries have adopted as their state religion, and Ilwooz, who can be called the Pope of Ines, is regarded as the spiritual leader of the continent.
It was extremely rare to meet priests, who lived their entire lives in the sacred city of Inesian, unless there were special circumstances. This was Elze's first time seeing them in person.
Sensing Elze and Shan's gaze, the priests of Ines turned to look at them. They smiled kindly and approached them. Then they gave a blessing.
“May God be with you.”
“...”
But neither Shan nor Elze spoke, to the point of making the person who spoke to them feel embarrassed. Nevertheless, the priests of Ines smiled brightly and tried to talk to them.
However, Shan, who noticed that Elze was caught up in an inexplicable confusion, silently grabbed Elze's wrist and dragged her away. And then just passed them by. Even though the priests of Ines, who were said to be hard to meet, offered words of blessing, he just passed by.
Liv and the knights followed Shan and Elze, who were walking away quickly. They looked curious as to why they were ignoring the priests and passing by but did not ask directly.
Only when Shan reached a place where the priests were out of sight did he stop walking. He turned to Elze and asked.
“Are you okay?”
Elze nodded slowly. She herself didn't know why she was doing this. She suddenly felt tired. Elze whispered quietly to Shan.
“...Go back.”
At Elze's weak words, Shan went straight back to his quarters.
And eyes were watching the backs of Elze and Shan. They were the priests of Ines. They stared blankly at the two people disappearing, then slowly nodded their heads at each other.
“It was ‘him’ after all.”
“It was worth the wait. I’ll report back to Ilwooz right away.”
One of the priests took out a piece of paper he had kept in his bosom. The upper right corner of the paper had the words '997' written in small letters. He looked at it and muttered softly.
“It’s already early summer. There are less than three years left...”
Then he clenched his fists and spoke resolutely.
“We will have to hurry.”
The sacred city of Inesian was a small neutral city located at the center of the continent. At the center of Inesian, floating on the lake, the Temple of Ilwooz was where all sins were forgiven.
Ilwooz, the Pope who ruled over the Inesians and was the spiritual leader of the continent, was often described as being given by God.
As the death of the previous Ilwooz drew near, the priests scattered across the continent to find a new Ilwooz. When they found a child who was believed to have powers bestowed by the Gods, they would take the position of Ilwooz after going through several tests.
And this Pope, who was elected just before the millennium, had more power than any other Pope in history.
“Reports have come in from priests who have gone to the border of Britain.”
The Bishop of Ines bowed his head respectfully and gave his report. In front of him was a platform raised by high steps. On the platform, made of pure white marble, without any impurities, was a chair with a very high back.
There sat a beautiful man dressed in a long black robe. He was a man who seemed to glow white just by existing.
He had his eyes covered with a long black silk band, unusually engraved with gold thread. When he tilted his head slowly, his long, pure white hair fell down like a clear mark on his black robe. Although he should not have been able to see anything, his actions were natural, as if he could see everything.
“Is it really ‘that’...?”
It was a small, languid voice. The whisper, as if it was treading on the borderline between dreams and reality, was faint. The words were so faint that they were hard to hear, but the bishop listened attentively and answered.
“Yes, Lord Ilwood. He is said to be currently in the Kingdom of Britain.”
"Yes..."
Ilwooz spoke slowly.
“I had a dream...”
The bishop asked cautiously with a tense expression on his face at Ilwooz's words.
“You say it’s a dream...? Is it a dream about that?”
Instead of answering, Ilwoos nodded slowly. Then he continued speaking slowly.
“I am anxious because time is running out... Now that I have found ‘him,’ I must quickly find ‘that person’ as well...”
“I will give it my all, Ilwooz.”
But Ilwooz just shook his head in response to the bishop's words. Ilwooz remained silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then, after much thought, he opened his mouth.
“I think it would be better to seek help from the Kingdom of Ryeo...”
Elze had been feeling strange ever since she met the priests of Ines. Thanks to Shan, they hadn't seen each other for long, but it still bothered her as if a nasty scar had been left on her mind.
When she returned to the dorm, Elijah was gone. They seemed to have gone out to see Britain. Kalia was going to tidy up Rosalie and meet up near Aquis University, so Elze was alone in the dormitory bedroom. Elze took off her dress and went into bed wearing only a thin slip and underwear.
"Phew..."
The soft feel of the bedding rubbing against her skin soothed her mind a little. She was so tired that her body was starting to ache. The moment she decided to close my eyes for a moment, she fell into a deep sleep.
And when she opened her eyes again, Elze had no idea that this was a dream.
It was too vivid to be a dream.
What she sees with her eyes, what she feels on her skin, what she hears with her ears...
Everything felt so real. Only after a while did Elze realize that she was dreaming.
Elze was in a high tower. Below the window looking down, everything was burning red. It was a terrible sight. A scream that she couldn't tell who was coming from echoed in the distance.
A soft voice was heard from behind her.
"Elze."
Elze looked back, feeling a shiver run down her spine. Her eyes were filled with a bright purple color.
"Shan...?"
But he was Shan, but not Shan. His violet eyes were cruel. They were the same pretty violet color that Elze loved, but the pupils were long and narrow, like those of a reptile.
Goosebumps ran through his entire body. Shan laughed crookedly as he looked down at Elze, who was trembling. The laughter was rough. His hands hugged Elze’s waist. The grip made her lower back tingle. Shan’s lips covered Elze’s lips.
"Ugh..."
At first, he bit her lower lip lightly. But soon, his biting became stronger. He stopped just before it started to bleed, and then his tongue dug right in.
His tongue swept across her mouth. Her legs trembled at the sensation of her sensitive insides being swept away. She felt as if she would fall off, so she grabbed his forearm with her hand. She could feel the muscles twitching and moving under her hand.
Is this what it means to be kissed as if you're going to be eaten? Elze felt like it wouldn't be strange if he were to tear her alive right now.
"Ah...!"
She took a sharp breath of air through her lips which had parted for a moment. But Shan didn't let Elze go. The moment she thought she was free, he tightened again.
His lips moved down. The sensation of his lips tracing her slender neckline was tingling. He gently stroked her, then bit the nape of her neck. Pain surged over her. She thought she was going to die. Elze pushed him away with all her might, and Shan’s lips parted.
"..."
And the moment she faced him, Elze saw an unbelievable sight. In her darkened vision, there were pitch-black wings. The wings, like those of a bat, spread out and flapped slowly.
Dream... This is a dream.
Elze was breathing hard. His hand caressed Elze's trembling chest and slowly stroked it.
Heat rose wherever his hands touched. The hot sensation made her body tingle, so Elze tightened her thighs. However, it was not worth it to close her legs as much as possible. Shan's leg dug into between her thighs.
Elze was stuck like a butterfly on a pin. Trapped with nowhere to retreat, she could only see Shan. He whispered.
"There isn't much time left."
Elze looked at Shan. She saw a dangerous aura swirling around him. A deep obsession and a dark possessiveness clung to Elze.
"But if you don't leave me."
His fingers stroked Elze's hair. The sensation of his fingertips brushing her scalp was tingly.
"If you swear to love me."
Shan leaned his face against Elze's and spoke slowly.
"All this is just a midday dream..."
His breath dispersed. His voice trembled strangely. It dug deep into Elze's innermost being, and soon spread out hotly.
"Elze."
It seemed like they had decent skills, as they kept their presence low and then showed up again. She didn't know there would be a thieves group with this level of skill in the Renando Forest. Elze had a strange feeling of wanting to praise them.
The bandits slowly began to surround Shan and Elze in a semicircle. The two were completely surrounded by bandits, with their backs to the cliff. The one who seemed to be the leader stepped forward, pointed his sword, and asked urgently.
“Are you a noble?”
Shan nodded and asked again.
"Then?"
The leader of the bandits seemed momentarily taken aback by Shan's arrogant, if not carefree, attitude, but soon made a vicious face and threatened him.
“I won’t kill you. Just give me the money you have. Then I’ll step down quietly.”
Elze looked at Shan, and Shan looked at Elze. The two met eyes and were silent for a moment. There was not a trace of tension in their eyes. Shan raised his eyebrows and said.
“Let me sort it out.”
Elze nodded to Shan. The clothes were uncomfortable anyway, and she couldn't show off her skills in front of Shan. Elze decided to quietly play the role of cheering him on from behind.
Shan was empty-handed, but his opponents were a group of bandits, each armed with a weapon. However, Elze wasn't worried about him at all. The weapons didn't mean much to Shan anyway.
As Shan took a big step forward, the bandits flinched and took a step back. They were overwhelmed by the total numerical superiority. In the strange standoff, Shan slowly looked at them. It was the moment when his gaze swept over the whole place.
“Ugh!!”
His body moved so quickly that it was hard to follow with the eyes. Before long, one of the bandits was lying on the ground, and Shan was holding the sword he had taken from him in his hand.
From then on, it was just a massacre. Every time a sword gleamed in the moonlight in the darkness, a scream rang out. The overwhelming difference was beyond what a mere bandit could do.
While she was watching Shan's activities intently, several bandits that he had not been able to deal with approached Elze. They seemed to be planning to capture Shan by taking Elze hostage.
But they did not know whether they came this way or went that way, it was the same road to the afterlife.
“Be quiet... Ugh!”
Starting with a fist to the chin of a thief who was making unreasonable threats, Elze snatched one of the clubs the thief was holding and started swinging it.
"Hyah!"
“Ugh!”
The bandits fell one by one as they were struck by the club. Elze, who had already beaten the mercenaries with a table leg before, knocked them down one by one without Shan knowing.
In the midst of this, a cold feeling suddenly came to her. She looked at Shan and saw that he had just struck down one person and was about to turn to look at Elze. Elze was so surprised that she quickly threw the club she was holding onto the floor.
At that moment, a thief came from behind and grabbed Elze. His thick arm grabbed Elze's neck as if it were being grabbed. The moment Elze let out a squeak, he shouted loudly.
“Don’t move!”
“...”
In an instant, the surroundings became quiet. Everyone stopped moving and looked towards Elze. The thief who had caught Elze shouted, panting in tension.
“Hey, don’t move! Or...!”
Elze, who was caught by the thief's arm, thought for a moment. She could have easily escaped at this point. However, she couldn't move freely because Shan was watching her. She had just been caught because she was worried that Shan would look back.
She was thinking of waiting for Shan to come to her rescue, but Shan slowly opened his mouth.
"...You."
It was a very short, one-syllable word, but it was a voice that seemed to be scraping the edge of an abyss. A tingling sensation as if her eardrums were being torn apart came in.
Elze blinked as she hung onto the thief's arm. Elze was the only one who was calm amidst the raging murderous intent.
Shan stared intently at the thief who had captured Elze. Her purple eyes swirled deeply. The thief froze, unable to move, like a frog before a poisonous snake.
Shan didn't say anything. He just nodded quietly.
“...Eek!!”
The thief, who came to his senses belatedly, sat down in terror as if he had seen a ghost. He crawled on the floor and trembled.
Shan, who confirmed that Elze was separated from the thieves, slowly gathered his energy.
No one could move recklessly in the unbelievable scene they saw with their own eyes. The bandits were neither attacking nor retreating and were standing there in a daze. Then a loud voice was heard.
“Hey, over there!”
A man with a huge two-handed sword on his shoulder appeared from the bushes. He was Tarkun, calmly cutting through the crowd of bandits. Tarkun looked at Elze and asked her teasingly.
“Madam, are you hurt anywhere?”
The tone of the question seemed to indicate that he was certain that everything would be fine and that no one would be hurt. As Elze nodded, Tarkun looked around at the bandits and pointed upward with his finger.
“I’m saving you guys right now. Look over there.”
Rapine and Ivanna were sitting on the tree trunk that Tarkun had pointed to.
Ivanna, who held the tall glass bottles between her ten fingers on both hands, had an extremely cold and expressionless face. The cute and lively appearance she had shown in front of Elze was nowhere to be found. She spoke in an eerie voice.
“Who are these kids messing with...”
The moment Ivanna lifted her hand, the forest of Renando would disappear from the map. But there was no one to stop Ivanna. Rapine next to her was the same.
Rapine's bow, with its face frozen in coldness, had three arrows hanging from it. If he were to release the bow, exactly three heads would be pierced. And one of them was aimed at the leader of the bandits.
One of the bandits looked back and forth between Tarkun, Ivanna, and Rapine, then muttered with a blank expression.
“Hey, Elijah...”
Everyone was startled by those words, but another one looked at Shan's face brightly lit under the moonlight, and shouted with a pale face.
“Sir, could it be that purple eye, Shan Cirxus...?”
The moment they heard that, the bandits saw Shan's purple eyes and the pitch-black hair that was blending in with the darkness. No one among them did not know Shan and Elijah from the Hundred Years' War. The bandits realized that they had made a big mistake.
Everyone was frozen in an unbelievable reality. The leader of the bandits rushed out and fell face down on the dirt floor.
“Hey, Cirxus!!”
He asked for forgiveness urgently.
“Lord Cirxus, I dared not recognize you. Please forgive me.”
As the leader knelt, the rest of the bandits also dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground. Of course, Shan was not one to forgive him. Shan crossed his arms expressionlessly. However, Shan and Elze, who had tried to ignore him cleanly, could not help but pay attention to his next words.
“All of the bandits, including me, took part in the Hundred Years’ War.”
The leader of the bandits bowed his head and spoke in an earnest voice.
“But after the war ended and there was no way to make a living... Low-level people like us weren’t even given proper rewards...”
The war ended and not everyone had a happy ending. After the war, the nobles were rewarded for their service and the mercenaries were paid and sent off to fight in other wars. However, those who had been conscripted that way had nowhere to return to and were not outstanding enough to become knights, and no one cared about them. They were simply abandoned.
It was a miserable truth hidden behind the splendidly fluttering flag of victory.
“...”
Elze looked at the bandits. The sight of them trembling and bowing their heads was bitter. If Elze had not had talent with the sword and had not had strength... Elze might have been mixed in among them.
She felt like she wanted to help them somehow. They didn't seem like such bad guys. Plus, their skills were decent.
As Elze was pondering, she remembered receiving a report recently that the militia was being strengthened in the territory he owned.
It was located near the border, so the land was poor and difficult to live in, but Elze was constantly looking after them, so they wouldn't starve. It seemed like a good idea to live as a resident and participate in militia activities.
Besides, since she knew that it was a territory managed by Shan Cirxus and Elijah, he couldn't possibly have ill intentions.
"You."
The thieves all looked at Elze at the loud voice. Elze looked down at them and asked.
“If I can just earn enough to live on, can you promise not to steal again?”
The leader of the bandits answered Elze's question in a bewildered manner.
“That, that’s right...”
“All of you, go to Himov. It is Targayel’s domain.”
“...!!”
“It’s not too far from here. It may not be a wealthy estate, but it’s enough to keep you from starving. I’ll write a letter of introduction for you, so you can live as a citizen of the estate.”
They gaped at Elze's words. They had heard her clearly, but their expressions were one of disbelief. After a while, the leader of the bandits who had been kneeling in front of them suddenly burst into tears. He sobbed bitterly.
“Thank you... I really, really appreciate it... I will engrave this favor in my bones...”
In front of him, who was wailing and croaking, Elze smiled awkwardly out of embarrassment.
***
After many twists and turns, Elze and her party managed to escape the Renando Forest.
The bandits of the Renando Forest moved to Elze's territory. Elze felt sorry for making the decision alone and told Shan that she would definitely bear any additional costs that might arise in the territory.
However, Shan actively supported Elze. Thanks to this, Elze was able to introduce herself to the bandits and send them to the territory with peace of mind.
They decided to stop by the estate on the way back just to make sure they weren't doing anything stupid and were adjusting well.
Rosalie was taken from the group by Kalia, who was disguised as a fake thief. She was held near the border between Britain and Baluar, and was to be returned to the capital at the end of the journey.
There was one thing that was surprising: Shan had not killed a single one of the bandits. Some had lost arms or legs, but none had died. When Elze, unable to overcome her curiosity, asked, he simply answered.
"Because I thought you might hate it. It was not difficult to subdue them without killing them."
It was Shan who dug into people from strange places. Elze had to try hard to hide her agitated heart.
And finally, Elze and her party arrived at the border of Britain.
“Britain...!”
Elze peeked her head out the carriage window. Her heart pounded as she looked at the crowded immigration line.
Britain was a maritime kingdom. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, Britain had a strong navy and was rich in various types of seafood.
It was a place with a great culture but was famous for its food being bland. When people criticized the food, they would say, “Is it made in the Kingdom of Britain?” The story that the Britain royal family never hired a chef from their own country was known to everyone on the continent.
Communication was not a problem in Britain. Most countries on the continent used a common language, and Britain was one of them.
However, the accents and vocabulary differ from country to country, and in some cases, they are so distorted that they feel like completely different languages. Fortunately, Britain's accent is slightly stronger and more abrupt than Baluar's, which is soft and flowing.
As they entered the Britain border they went through a brief immigration check, where there was a small commotion.
“Please show me your identification.”
Unlike ordinary people, nobles were able to undergo immigration inspection in a convenient and fast manner in a separate place. The immigration inspection itself was simple, as it consisted of checking the identification card and exit permit issued by the Baluar Imperial Court.
But then, the examiner who was checking the ID suddenly opened his eyes wide. He read the name written on the ID as if he was possessed by something.
“Shan Cirxus Targayel...?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the immigration officers who were working on other matters nearby all turned to look in his direction.
Elze, who was standing next to Shan, looked around curiously. She wondered if there was a problem, but the examiner coughed loudly several times and then began to speak shyly.
“Um... Excuse me, but could I get your autograph..."
At first, she thought he was asking her to sign the immigration form. But that wasn't it. The officer quickly brought out a clean piece of paper and thrust it in front of Shan.
“I am a fan.”
“...”
As it turned out, Shan Cirxus, the hero of the Hundred Years' War, was renowned even in Britain. Tales of his bravery were widely known even in other countries.
Shan seemed a bit taken aback, but he signed the autograph obediently. But then other employees rushed in, and Shan's fan signing event suddenly started.
But that wasn't the end of it. After completing the brief signing, the examiners checked the IDs of those who had accompanied them as escorts. And when they learned that the Elijah mercenary group was in Targayel's escort, they were almost shocked to the point of fainting.
The place that was Shan's autograph session just a moment ago has now become Elijah's autograph session. Rapine, Ivanna, and Tarkun were held captive by them and had to sign autographs. While they were signing autographs, one of the staff members asked Lapine a question.
“But isn’t Elze coming with you?”
At the mention of finding Elze, Elze rolled her eyes here and there. Rapine glanced at Elze and then answered.
“Ah... Are you talking about the captain?”
“Yes. In fact, one of my lifelong wishes is to see Elijah’s Elze...”
Elze is here.
Elze thought so to herself. However, the employee did not know that his lifelong wish was right in front of him. Rapine tried to laugh it off when asked the question, but the oblivious employee continued to ask questions. In the end, Rapine made a serious face and said.
“The captain is currently training in secret.”
"That...!"
“It is a very harsh training to find the ultimate meaning of the sword.”
While Rapine was making a plausible excuse, Ivanna and Tarkun were trying to hold back their laughter behind them. Elze sighed inwardly as she watched the two of them twitching their faces.
Then Shan glanced at her, wondering what she was doing. And she was startled.
“... !”
Shan was staring intently at Elze.
The purple eyes that met her without any mental preparation dug deep into her heart. Elze swallowed hard.
When their eyes met, Shan’s eyes slowly curved. His round and gently curved eyes, like a shamshir (a curved sword), were filled with amusement.
Elze quickly turned her gaze elsewhere. It seemed that she needed to be more careful with him.
***
Elze and Shan decided to stay a day near the border and then move on.
The accommodations where the nobles who crossed the border mostly stayed were clean and luxurious. After unpacking their luggage in the accommodations, Elze decided to go sightseeing with Shan. Shan was the first to suggest to Elze that they look around the area.
Of course, she didn't really want to go with Shan, but she wasn't so much of a pushover that she refused. Elze took out a nice dress from the luggage she had packed and put it on.
The rest of the party decided to have their own free time, and Liv and the two knights followed as escorts. They followed at an appropriate distance, so Elze and Shan were able to move freely.
The two walked leisurely down the street. Occasionally, some people recognized Shan and whispered, but they did not approach him directly to talk to him. Shan silently followed Elze wherever she went. Thanks to this, Elze was able to wander around as she pleased. Her heart was naturally excited by the unique atmosphere of Britain, which was different from that of Baluar.
She had an urge to drag Shan to a sweet dessert cafe. As she imagined him sitting in a place filled with feminine interiors and cute props, something caught Elze's eye.
“...?”
Elze took a closer look at what she had almost passed by. There was a group of people dressed in black standing at the entrance to the alley.
Their clothes hung in flowing lines. The ends of their sleeves were edged with wide white fringes, and large star-shaped necklaces glittered around their necks.
It was strange. The moment she saw them, her body froze. Her heart was pounding and thumping. Shan stopped walking, following Elze who had stopped standing still. Shan looked back at Elze.
"Erzenes?”
At his call, Elze let out the breath she had been holding without realizing it.
"Ah..."
Shan followed Elze's gaze, frowned, and muttered.
“The priests of Ines.”
Ines is a religion that most countries have adopted as their state religion, and Ilwooz, who can be called the Pope of Ines, is regarded as the spiritual leader of the continent.
It was extremely rare to meet priests, who lived their entire lives in the sacred city of Inesian, unless there were special circumstances. This was Elze's first time seeing them in person.
Sensing Elze and Shan's gaze, the priests of Ines turned to look at them. They smiled kindly and approached them. Then they gave a blessing.
“May God be with you.”
“...”
But neither Shan nor Elze spoke, to the point of making the person who spoke to them feel embarrassed. Nevertheless, the priests of Ines smiled brightly and tried to talk to them.
However, Shan, who noticed that Elze was caught up in an inexplicable confusion, silently grabbed Elze's wrist and dragged her away. And then just passed them by. Even though the priests of Ines, who were said to be hard to meet, offered words of blessing, he just passed by.
Liv and the knights followed Shan and Elze, who were walking away quickly. They looked curious as to why they were ignoring the priests and passing by but did not ask directly.
Only when Shan reached a place where the priests were out of sight did he stop walking. He turned to Elze and asked.
“Are you okay?”
Elze nodded slowly. She herself didn't know why she was doing this. She suddenly felt tired. Elze whispered quietly to Shan.
“...Go back.”
At Elze's weak words, Shan went straight back to his quarters.
And eyes were watching the backs of Elze and Shan. They were the priests of Ines. They stared blankly at the two people disappearing, then slowly nodded their heads at each other.
“It was ‘him’ after all.”
“It was worth the wait. I’ll report back to Ilwooz right away.”
One of the priests took out a piece of paper he had kept in his bosom. The upper right corner of the paper had the words '997' written in small letters. He looked at it and muttered softly.
“It’s already early summer. There are less than three years left...”
Then he clenched his fists and spoke resolutely.
“We will have to hurry.”
***
The sacred city of Inesian was a small neutral city located at the center of the continent. At the center of Inesian, floating on the lake, the Temple of Ilwooz was where all sins were forgiven.
Ilwooz, the Pope who ruled over the Inesians and was the spiritual leader of the continent, was often described as being given by God.
As the death of the previous Ilwooz drew near, the priests scattered across the continent to find a new Ilwooz. When they found a child who was believed to have powers bestowed by the Gods, they would take the position of Ilwooz after going through several tests.
And this Pope, who was elected just before the millennium, had more power than any other Pope in history.
“Reports have come in from priests who have gone to the border of Britain.”
The Bishop of Ines bowed his head respectfully and gave his report. In front of him was a platform raised by high steps. On the platform, made of pure white marble, without any impurities, was a chair with a very high back.
There sat a beautiful man dressed in a long black robe. He was a man who seemed to glow white just by existing.
He had his eyes covered with a long black silk band, unusually engraved with gold thread. When he tilted his head slowly, his long, pure white hair fell down like a clear mark on his black robe. Although he should not have been able to see anything, his actions were natural, as if he could see everything.
“Is it really ‘that’...?”
It was a small, languid voice. The whisper, as if it was treading on the borderline between dreams and reality, was faint. The words were so faint that they were hard to hear, but the bishop listened attentively and answered.
“Yes, Lord Ilwood. He is said to be currently in the Kingdom of Britain.”
"Yes..."
Ilwooz spoke slowly.
“I had a dream...”
The bishop asked cautiously with a tense expression on his face at Ilwooz's words.
“You say it’s a dream...? Is it a dream about that?”
Instead of answering, Ilwoos nodded slowly. Then he continued speaking slowly.
“I am anxious because time is running out... Now that I have found ‘him,’ I must quickly find ‘that person’ as well...”
“I will give it my all, Ilwooz.”
But Ilwooz just shook his head in response to the bishop's words. Ilwooz remained silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then, after much thought, he opened his mouth.
“I think it would be better to seek help from the Kingdom of Ryeo...”
***
Elze had been feeling strange ever since she met the priests of Ines. Thanks to Shan, they hadn't seen each other for long, but it still bothered her as if a nasty scar had been left on her mind.
When she returned to the dorm, Elijah was gone. They seemed to have gone out to see Britain. Kalia was going to tidy up Rosalie and meet up near Aquis University, so Elze was alone in the dormitory bedroom. Elze took off her dress and went into bed wearing only a thin slip and underwear.
"Phew..."
The soft feel of the bedding rubbing against her skin soothed her mind a little. She was so tired that her body was starting to ache. The moment she decided to close my eyes for a moment, she fell into a deep sleep.
And when she opened her eyes again, Elze had no idea that this was a dream.
It was too vivid to be a dream.
What she sees with her eyes, what she feels on her skin, what she hears with her ears...
Everything felt so real. Only after a while did Elze realize that she was dreaming.
Elze was in a high tower. Below the window looking down, everything was burning red. It was a terrible sight. A scream that she couldn't tell who was coming from echoed in the distance.
A soft voice was heard from behind her.
"Elze."
Elze looked back, feeling a shiver run down her spine. Her eyes were filled with a bright purple color.
"Shan...?"
But he was Shan, but not Shan. His violet eyes were cruel. They were the same pretty violet color that Elze loved, but the pupils were long and narrow, like those of a reptile.
Goosebumps ran through his entire body. Shan laughed crookedly as he looked down at Elze, who was trembling. The laughter was rough. His hands hugged Elze’s waist. The grip made her lower back tingle. Shan’s lips covered Elze’s lips.
"Ugh..."
At first, he bit her lower lip lightly. But soon, his biting became stronger. He stopped just before it started to bleed, and then his tongue dug right in.
His tongue swept across her mouth. Her legs trembled at the sensation of her sensitive insides being swept away. She felt as if she would fall off, so she grabbed his forearm with her hand. She could feel the muscles twitching and moving under her hand.
Is this what it means to be kissed as if you're going to be eaten? Elze felt like it wouldn't be strange if he were to tear her alive right now.
"Ah...!"
She took a sharp breath of air through her lips which had parted for a moment. But Shan didn't let Elze go. The moment she thought she was free, he tightened again.
His lips moved down. The sensation of his lips tracing her slender neckline was tingling. He gently stroked her, then bit the nape of her neck. Pain surged over her. She thought she was going to die. Elze pushed him away with all her might, and Shan’s lips parted.
"..."
And the moment she faced him, Elze saw an unbelievable sight. In her darkened vision, there were pitch-black wings. The wings, like those of a bat, spread out and flapped slowly.
Dream... This is a dream.
Elze was breathing hard. His hand caressed Elze's trembling chest and slowly stroked it.
Heat rose wherever his hands touched. The hot sensation made her body tingle, so Elze tightened her thighs. However, it was not worth it to close her legs as much as possible. Shan's leg dug into between her thighs.
Elze was stuck like a butterfly on a pin. Trapped with nowhere to retreat, she could only see Shan. He whispered.
"There isn't much time left."
Elze looked at Shan. She saw a dangerous aura swirling around him. A deep obsession and a dark possessiveness clung to Elze.
"But if you don't leave me."
His fingers stroked Elze's hair. The sensation of his fingertips brushing her scalp was tingly.
"If you swear to love me."
Shan leaned his face against Elze's and spoke slowly.
"All this is just a midday dream..."
His breath dispersed. His voice trembled strangely. It dug deep into Elze's innermost being, and soon spread out hotly.
"Elze."
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