That moment.
There were quite a few people in the cabin where Andrew was hiding.
“The snowstorm is making no progress.”
“This damn blizzard. How can it not stop snowing!”
Three magicians sent by Kavala were sitting around a large table in front of the fireplace.
They were the people Andrew had brought with difficulty from Northern Abene a few days ago and had hidden in this hut.
He doesn't know how much trouble he had to go through to get back to Ronheim, avoiding Callius's tight search net and the nomads.
After many twists and turns, Andrew succeeded in bringing them to a cabin deep in the forest, off the beaten path.
“Even with boots enchanted with heat, my feet are still cold. Damn it.”
“At this rate, I’ll end up using up all the mana stones I brought just to maintain my body temperature.”
The wizards grumbled.
Andrew listened silently to the sound, stirring the contents of the cauldron hanging over the fireplace with a ladle.
It was a soup with deer meat hunted during the day.
The wizards came bearing many magical items that Andrew could not have imagined.
One of them was a stone that generated heat on its own without needing a fire, and by placing a pot on it, one could cook without light or smoke.
The lights in the cabin were hidden by the magician who cast the illusion spell, but they couldn't hide the smoke that rose when the fire was lit.
If you had to light a fire every time you cooked, the smoke would have revealed your location long ago.
During the few days they spent hiding in Ronheim, the wizards began setting up a movement circle, looking for a place where they could station their troops without being detected.
I was working in a deep valley where no human footsteps had set foot, and the illusion magic was at its most powerful at that time.
The entire wide area of the valley where the moving magic circle was being installed was completely covered like a snow-covered field.
Every time he lifted the spell and began working, Andrew was amazed at the scenery that changed in an instant before his eyes.
'I'll never find it.'
Ironically, Ronheim, where various mysterious powers such as sorcery, divine power, and prophecy exert their influence, is far from magic.
So Andrew was amazed at the many unimaginable things wizards could do.
'They said the moving magic circle would be completed in three days.'
Andrew stirred the soup and thought absentmindedly.
When that time comes, he will be able to end this tiresome life of hiding and go to Arrental.
Kavala had promised him that if he went there, he would receive the title of Imperial Knight, and Hillen would receive the position of Imperial Maid.
'Of course, Hillen's recovery comes first.'
Andrew tried to calm his anxious heart, hoping everything would be over quickly.
At that moment, a wizard shouted at Andrew from behind.
"When are you planning on dealing with those guys? At this rate, they'll end up being the ones to blame."
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
Andrew replied curtly, glancing down at me.
There were three children in the corner of the fireplace.
They were children who looked to be about sixteen years old.
They were children who had gone out hunting but were stranded in a snowstorm that started earlier than expected, and were wandering around the forest.
A wizard found the children near the cabin and captured them all, confining them in the cabin.
The reason was that since he was nearby, he might have seen people coming and going in the cabin.
The children, who had been shivering in the corner for a whole day with their hands and feet tied, burst into tears when they heard the wizard say, "When are you going to deal with this?"
“S-save me!”
“Please, just spare my life. Please.”
A child looked up at Andrew pitifully.
“Brother Andrew...”
Coincidentally, that kid was a good friend of Andrew's.
It was Edzel, the youngest brother of Karl and Leviche, who lived right next door.
Andrew tried to look away from Edzel.
He was a long-time colleague of Karl, and Leviche was a dear friend who took care of Hillen every day while he was away.
'Why of all things..'
Andrew's hand holding the ladle gained strength.
Edzel was too scared of the wizards to speak loudly, so he whispered to Andrew almost in a mouthful.
"Brother, you're the Prince's knight... You're the one protecting Ronheim. Don't do this. Please spare my life..."
Andrew gritted his teeth.
The Knight of Callius. The one who protects Ronheim.
Edzel's whispered words pierced his conscience like a knife.
Andrew couldn't stand it any longer and got angry at Edzel.
“Shut up!”
The children were so shocked that they burst into tears.
“Please, please save me...”
“Huh..."
“I told you to shut up.”
The wizards were looking at Andrew and the children, arguing with a wary gaze.
“You noisy savages.”
One of the wizards muttered.
He was watching the children, but Andrew knew he was among the 'savages' he spoke of.
“...”
Andrew's hand was so strong that it bent the ladle.
As he sat with his back turned, the sound of the wizards laughing and mocking the children pierced his ears sharply.
“How long are you going to let those stinking beasts live!”
“Aren’t you planning to come to the next meal?”
“Don’t be creepy. You dirty bastard.”
The wizards acted as if they were nobles of Arrental.
It seemed as if Kavala had promised them a title of nobility, just as she had promised Andrew a title of knighthood.
That's why it seemed like he was already completely absorbed in the game of playing unluckily like the Arrental nobles.
It seemed to them that Ronheim and their people, who would soon be trampled and destroyed anyway, did not feel like fellow human beings.
An enemy that must be defeated.
A being different from me.
Conquerors and conquered.
Such dichotomous thinking seemed to make them morally lax.
They were deliberately encouraging Andrew to kill the children without getting their hands dirty.
It was a fun toy to entertain them when they were tired from their mission.
Pushing Andrew, who was hesitating.
The pleas of terrified children.
A game that brings misery to the barbarians who betray their own kind and serve us.
"There's no need to kill them. Just hold them here until the movement magic circle is set up..."
Andrew knew they wanted to see me hesitate, but he couldn't help but say so.
As expected, the wizards laughed at Andrew's words.
There was a cruel pleasure in their eyes.
As one person spoke teasingly, another immediately became annoyed.
"How long are we supposed to listen to those kids whining? It's already cramped."
There were two very small rooms in this cabin.
The wizards shared one room and a living room with a kitchen, while Andrew and Hillen shared another small room, almost like a storage room.
Yes, Hillen was here.
Andrew felt even more miserable, and his pride was hurt when he thought of Hillen listening to all this in the room.
One of the wizards nodded.
"Yes, finish it quickly. Or we won't be able to endure it any longer. It's annoying, but we have no choice but to end it ourselves."
At that moment, Hillen, who had heard the threat, finally opened the door and showed himself.
She stood with her skinny body, holding onto the doorknob, and shook her head at Andrew.
“Brother, don’t do that. Please... Please, I beg you.”
Then she spoke to the wizards.
"I'll stay in this room with those kids. I'll make sure they don't make a sound. Please... just spare the kids."
Andrew's eyes turned fierce as he saw Hillen, who was crying pitifully to the wizards.
“You stay inside! I told you not to come out of that room!”
Andrew saw a wizard looking Hillen up and down, so he jumped up and pushed Hillen back through the door.
"I told you to just hold on a little longer. You can't stand it anymore, and you're showing your face to them? It's over now. Can't you at least do as I say? Do you think I'm doing this because I want to?"
Andrew yelled at Hillen in a small voice that couldn't be heard outside.
Hillen grabbed Andrew and hung on.
"Brother, I still don't think this is right. Please don't touch those kids. Yes? If you just spare them, I'll just sit here and do nothing. Yes?"
“...”
Andrew said nothing.
What can I say?
The wizards wanted those kids dead.
“Let go. Lie down. I’ll bring you food soon.”
Andrew, who had said so, roughly took Hillen's hand away and forced her to sit on the blanket.
Hillen looked sadly at Andrew's back as he turned coldly and closed the door, leaving her in the darkness.
'Ah...'
She was clutching her head.
'Because of me. Because of me...'
She didn't know things would turn out like this because of her.
Hillen thought with tears streaming down her face in the darkness.
"Should I tell the truth now? Can I?"
There were quite a few people in the cabin where Andrew was hiding.
“The snowstorm is making no progress.”
“This damn blizzard. How can it not stop snowing!”
Three magicians sent by Kavala were sitting around a large table in front of the fireplace.
They were the people Andrew had brought with difficulty from Northern Abene a few days ago and had hidden in this hut.
He doesn't know how much trouble he had to go through to get back to Ronheim, avoiding Callius's tight search net and the nomads.
If there hadn't been a wizard who knew how to cast an illusion spell, they would have been discovered long ago.
“Even with boots enchanted with heat, my feet are still cold. Damn it.”
“At this rate, I’ll end up using up all the mana stones I brought just to maintain my body temperature.”
The wizards grumbled.
Andrew listened silently to the sound, stirring the contents of the cauldron hanging over the fireplace with a ladle.
It was a soup with deer meat hunted during the day.
The wizards came bearing many magical items that Andrew could not have imagined.
One of them was a stone that generated heat on its own without needing a fire, and by placing a pot on it, one could cook without light or smoke.
The lights in the cabin were hidden by the magician who cast the illusion spell, but they couldn't hide the smoke that rose when the fire was lit.
If you had to light a fire every time you cooked, the smoke would have revealed your location long ago.
During the few days they spent hiding in Ronheim, the wizards began setting up a movement circle, looking for a place where they could station their troops without being detected.
I was working in a deep valley where no human footsteps had set foot, and the illusion magic was at its most powerful at that time.
The entire wide area of the valley where the moving magic circle was being installed was completely covered like a snow-covered field.
Every time he lifted the spell and began working, Andrew was amazed at the scenery that changed in an instant before his eyes.
'I'll never find it.'
Ironically, Ronheim, where various mysterious powers such as sorcery, divine power, and prophecy exert their influence, is far from magic.
So Andrew was amazed at the many unimaginable things wizards could do.
'They said the moving magic circle would be completed in three days.'
Andrew stirred the soup and thought absentmindedly.
When that time comes, he will be able to end this tiresome life of hiding and go to Arrental.
Kavala had promised him that if he went there, he would receive the title of Imperial Knight, and Hillen would receive the position of Imperial Maid.
'Of course, Hillen's recovery comes first.'
Andrew tried to calm his anxious heart, hoping everything would be over quickly.
At that moment, a wizard shouted at Andrew from behind.
"When are you planning on dealing with those guys? At this rate, they'll end up being the ones to blame."
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
Andrew replied curtly, glancing down at me.
There were three children in the corner of the fireplace.
They were children who looked to be about sixteen years old.
They were children who had gone out hunting but were stranded in a snowstorm that started earlier than expected, and were wandering around the forest.
A wizard found the children near the cabin and captured them all, confining them in the cabin.
The reason was that since he was nearby, he might have seen people coming and going in the cabin.
The children, who had been shivering in the corner for a whole day with their hands and feet tied, burst into tears when they heard the wizard say, "When are you going to deal with this?"
“S-save me!”
“Please, just spare my life. Please.”
A child looked up at Andrew pitifully.
“Brother Andrew...”
Coincidentally, that kid was a good friend of Andrew's.
It was Edzel, the youngest brother of Karl and Leviche, who lived right next door.
Andrew tried to look away from Edzel.
He was a long-time colleague of Karl, and Leviche was a dear friend who took care of Hillen every day while he was away.
'Why of all things..'
Andrew's hand holding the ladle gained strength.
Edzel was too scared of the wizards to speak loudly, so he whispered to Andrew almost in a mouthful.
"Brother, you're the Prince's knight... You're the one protecting Ronheim. Don't do this. Please spare my life..."
Andrew gritted his teeth.
The Knight of Callius. The one who protects Ronheim.
Edzel's whispered words pierced his conscience like a knife.
Andrew couldn't stand it any longer and got angry at Edzel.
“Shut up!”
The children were so shocked that they burst into tears.
“Please, please save me...”
“Huh..."
“I told you to shut up.”
The wizards were looking at Andrew and the children, arguing with a wary gaze.
“You noisy savages.”
One of the wizards muttered.
He was watching the children, but Andrew knew he was among the 'savages' he spoke of.
“...”
Andrew's hand was so strong that it bent the ladle.
As he sat with his back turned, the sound of the wizards laughing and mocking the children pierced his ears sharply.
“How long are you going to let those stinking beasts live!”
“Aren’t you planning to come to the next meal?”
“Don’t be creepy. You dirty bastard.”
The wizards acted as if they were nobles of Arrental.
It seemed as if Kavala had promised them a title of nobility, just as she had promised Andrew a title of knighthood.
That's why it seemed like he was already completely absorbed in the game of playing unluckily like the Arrental nobles.
It seemed to them that Ronheim and their people, who would soon be trampled and destroyed anyway, did not feel like fellow human beings.
An enemy that must be defeated.
A being different from me.
Conquerors and conquered.
Such dichotomous thinking seemed to make them morally lax.
They were deliberately encouraging Andrew to kill the children without getting their hands dirty.
It was a fun toy to entertain them when they were tired from their mission.
Pushing Andrew, who was hesitating.
The pleas of terrified children.
A game that brings misery to the barbarians who betray their own kind and serve us.
"There's no need to kill them. Just hold them here until the movement magic circle is set up..."
Andrew knew they wanted to see me hesitate, but he couldn't help but say so.
As expected, the wizards laughed at Andrew's words.
There was a cruel pleasure in their eyes.
“If we capture him? Then the army of the Empress of Kavala will come and attack Ronheim, so you want us to die together then?”
"How long are we supposed to listen to those kids whining? It's already cramped."
There were two very small rooms in this cabin.
The wizards shared one room and a living room with a kitchen, while Andrew and Hillen shared another small room, almost like a storage room.
Yes, Hillen was here.
Andrew felt even more miserable, and his pride was hurt when he thought of Hillen listening to all this in the room.
One of the wizards nodded.
"Yes, finish it quickly. Or we won't be able to endure it any longer. It's annoying, but we have no choice but to end it ourselves."
At that moment, Hillen, who had heard the threat, finally opened the door and showed himself.
She stood with her skinny body, holding onto the doorknob, and shook her head at Andrew.
“Brother, don’t do that. Please... Please, I beg you.”
Then she spoke to the wizards.
"I'll stay in this room with those kids. I'll make sure they don't make a sound. Please... just spare the kids."
Andrew's eyes turned fierce as he saw Hillen, who was crying pitifully to the wizards.
“You stay inside! I told you not to come out of that room!”
Andrew saw a wizard looking Hillen up and down, so he jumped up and pushed Hillen back through the door.
"I told you to just hold on a little longer. You can't stand it anymore, and you're showing your face to them? It's over now. Can't you at least do as I say? Do you think I'm doing this because I want to?"
Andrew yelled at Hillen in a small voice that couldn't be heard outside.
Hillen grabbed Andrew and hung on.
"Brother, I still don't think this is right. Please don't touch those kids. Yes? If you just spare them, I'll just sit here and do nothing. Yes?"
“...”
Andrew said nothing.
What can I say?
The wizards wanted those kids dead.
“Let go. Lie down. I’ll bring you food soon.”
Andrew, who had said so, roughly took Hillen's hand away and forced her to sit on the blanket.
Hillen looked sadly at Andrew's back as he turned coldly and closed the door, leaving her in the darkness.
'Ah...'
She was clutching her head.
'Because of me. Because of me...'
She didn't know things would turn out like this because of her.
Hillen thought with tears streaming down her face in the darkness.
"Should I tell the truth now? Can I?"
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