Chapter 90

“P-Please don’t kill me! Just let me live…! Agh!”

Hans, who had been shouting in desperation, hurriedly covered his eyes against the blinding light shining down on him.

“Put that glowstone away! I know who that is.”

As a familiar voice rang out, the light began to fade between his fingers.

Hans lowered his hand from his face and saw who was standing before him. It was someone he never imagined he would run into in a place like this, and the sight made him stumble over his words without thinking.

“S-Sir Kane? Wh-what are you doing here…?”

“That’s what I should be asking you, Hans. What the hell happened to you? You look like a mess.”

Only then did Hans seem to register the state he was in, quickly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. The knights standing alongside Kane chimed in one after another.

“Going into the boundary forest in the middle of the night? You’ve got quite the courage.”

“You’re lucky to have made it out alive. That place barely sees daylight, even during the day.”

Hans glanced over them, scanning each face.

There were five knights in total, all dressed in Order uniforms, each one holding a glowing stone. It seemed the reason this place was lit up like daytime was because of the stones they carried. Still, every time a rustling sound came from the forest, Hans flinched, terrified the girl was still following him.

Noticing him visibly flinching, Kane asked with a worried expression.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Ah, y-yeah. I-I’m fine…”

Hans stammered as he spoke, his eyes drifting down to the sword strapped at Kane’s waist. The emblem carved into the sword felt oddly familiar. He was sure he’d seen it somewhere before.

‘Where have I seen that symbol…?’

〈 Even if you forget the others, you must remember Elle’s crest. It’s the one place even His Highness the Duke can’t touch. 〉

‘Th-the Order of Elle!’

He instinctively stepped back as Zen’s repeated warnings echoed in his head.

“Hans?”

“Uh, I-I mean, I just…”

Hans’s thoughts were spinning.

So, Elle was the place he was supposed to stay away from. Because even His Highness the Duke had no influence there… Wait, no influence? The new thought made his racing heart begin to slow, and the panic eased just slightly. After all, if he failed to harvest the Philoia, it was obvious he would die by His Highness the Duke’s hand.

…But what if he were to receive Elle’s protection?

‘Then I might live.’

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. The panic in his chest dulled just enough to think straight. And only then did the stinging pain from the scratches all over his face begin to register.

“Ugh.”

“Well, let’s hear your story later. I’m not planning to interrogate you. Hey! Anyone got water? Toss him some if you do!”

At Kane’s call, one of the knights standing nearby, curious about the situation, pulled a canteen from his belt and handed it over.

Hans accepted it with shaky hands and muttered a small thanks.

“…Thank you.”

“This kind of thing is nothing between us.”

When Kane said ‘us,’ a wave of emotion hit Hans. For the first time, he felt certain that maybe Kane—no, maybe Elle—would protect him, whether it was from the Duke or that strange girl. After all, the leader of Elle was known by another name: the Guardian of Arbonis.

Guardian…

The one who guarded and protected… which also meant he wouldn’t kill without reason.

“Your hands and face are a mess, too. Give me your hands, and I’ll pour some water so you can at least clean up a little.”

Hans took another water flask from the knight next to him and held it up as he spoke. Then, he scrubbed his face with his sleeve.

Kane gave him a squinting glance, noticing the determined expression on his face.

“I-I surrender myself!”

“Surrender?”

“Yes! Please arrest me!”

Hans shouted at the top of his lungs, prompting the nearby knights to exchange puzzled glances. But even though the outburst was unexpected, Kane didn’t so much as blink, almost as if he had known Hans would say something like that.

“Let’s hear what you have to say first.”

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“Captain!”

Ban shouted as he burst into the tent, his voice filled with urgency.

Estieren, who had been looking at the Untact Paper they had used for their secret communication, turned his head toward him.

Ban went on, pretending not to notice his master quietly placing the paper into the jewel box that held the lapis lazuli brooch.

“We just got word from Kane. Your guess was right! The guy really did enter the country to gather Philoia!”

Noticing Estieren waiting for his next words, Ban quickly continued.