Chapter 441: Proof of Existence(29)

0% Finally, the day of the caravan’s departure arrived.

Although his true intentions were unknown, Perry gladly permitted us to accompany them. In fact, he even said it was convenient since it gave him an excuse to persuade Ria.

I already heard about this.

Previously, Perry had invited Ria to join the caravan.

Because Ria was holding a massive quantity of demonic beast carcasses, he wanted her to accompany him to the Shylock Trading Company’s headquarters to discuss various business matters.

It was a plausible excuse.

Ria then came clinging to me with a bright smile.

“Are you perhaps jealous?”

“Not particularly.”

I replied in a rare dry tone. While I had no idea how she interpreted it, Ria chuckled.

“You’re so easy to read… Don’t worry so much, Oppa.”

Her lips came close enough to touch my earlobe. Then, a moist whisper dampened my eardrum.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Regardless of her assurance, all that escaped my lips was a faint groan.

My eyes briefly scanned the surroundings. The group was already busy preparing to leave.

Celine and Yuren were chatting while carrying their own luggage, and Senior Elsie was listening to Mr. Reynold’s lengthy speech with a sullen expression.

She seemed to be suffering in lecture hell.

I figured I should go rescue her.

As I quietly stepped away, the corners of Ria’s eyes drew a strange arc.

“Hmm, still got people to say goodbye to?”

“Senior Elsie looks pitiful. She’s been like that for an hour already.”

Ria, who had her arm draped over my shoulder, let out another curious little hum.

Only for a moment, though.

As if she couldn’t help it, Ria smiled brightly and separated from me. However, there was a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes.

“You’re way too soft on Lady Rinella.”

“She’s pretty.”

With that, I ended the conversation and walked steadily towards Senior Elsie. She now had her eyes tightly shut with a fed-up expression on her face.

Her patience was clearly reaching its limit.

I figured I’d cut in before things got ugly.

“……Another thing I learned during my mercenary days–never trust people too easily–”

“Mr. Reynold.”

At my quiet call, the middle-aged man’s blue eyes shifted to me. While it was still a gaze that didn’t reveal much emotion, I didn’t miss the flash that crossed his retina for an instant.

It seemed I had become quite a welcome guest now.

“Oh, nephew-in-law? Perfect timing. I was just about to share some important tips on escorting large caravans–”

Of course, his wish wasn’t fulfilled.

Taking advantage of my distraction, Senior Elsie made a desperate dash for freedom.

“W-Well then, you two talk! I’ll be going now!”

“Elsie, Elsie! Where are you going–sigh… she’s hopeless.”

Mr. Reynold had tried to stop her at first, but quickly gave up and let out a deep sigh.

Watching the two of them, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Let’s leave it at that. Sometimes, one experience is worth more than a hundred words, isn’t that right?”

“That’s true, but……”

The trailing end of his words left a strange lingering impression. Fearing that the unfinished nagging might pour down on me if left alone, I quickly changed the subject.

“By the way… You said you were going to follow that black-haired girl?”

Hm? Ah, yes… That’s right. I still have an unpaid debt, after all.”

At the same time, as if he just remembered something, Mr. Reynold rummaged through his clothes, eventually pulling out a small bead.

“If you come across any related information, contact me.”

“What is this?”

Despite my puzzled question, he just waved it off as if it was nothing.

“Think of it as a charm. Well then, please take care of our Elsie.”

With those parting words, Mr. Reynold walked away without hesitation.

As always, he was like the wind. His exit was as sudden as his entrance.

I watched his retreating figure for a while, then shook my head and looked away. Even as I scanned the area, the person I was actually waiting for never showed up.

It was the Saintess.

She hadn’t even come to see us off–guess she didn’t want to speak to me at all. The bitterness I felt couldn’t be helped.

Even though I’d asked Yuren to explain the situation, this was the outcome. For a moment, I wondered if I’d been too harsh.

But it was already too late.

Old grudges could be resolved after returning. As I was about to take one last look at the orphanage, my eyes fell on a small child.

It was the boy who had asked me to save his little sister.

I hesitated, then walked toward him. I thought it was a good opportunity.

Teary eyes turned towards me. The scenery reflected in those pupils was wavering.

With a soft pat, I placed my hand on the little boy’s head

“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“R-Really?”

I nodded firmly and took out a silver rosary from my bosom.

“In return, I have one favor to ask… Will you give this rosary to the Saintess?”

It was an object that looked expensive at a glance. The little boy’s eyes widened at the silver rosary he had never seen before.

“H-How could I take something this expensive……”

“Because I trust you.”

Smiling as gently as I could, I gave his shoulder a couple of reassuring pats.

“So you trust me, too, okay? A true knight never lies.”

Whether he dreamed of becoming a knight or not, I didn’t know.

But it didn’t really matter.

With the dazed expression of the little boy as the last sight, we finally set off once more.

**

The caravan journey was peaceful.

It was exactly as expected, no more, no less. The scale of the escorting personnel was large, and at a glance, it was a procession guarded by seasoned professionals.

No bandits in their right mind would take that risk and even the demonic beasts didn’t dare to approach.

Still, there were various incidents over the past few days.

Our group set up a separate campsite from the merchants, to avoid any discomfort.

As a result, we often had time to bond with each other at night.

For example, quizzes about me were given under the pretext of seeing how well they knew their comrade.

Celine and Senior Elsie were especially enthusiastic about them.

The two, with their competitive spirits ignited, tackled difficult questions one by one without anyone taking the lead. However, due to the difference in years spent together, Celine inevitably had a slight advantage in this battle.

Celine became smug, while Senior Elsie ground her teeth.

The atmosphere between the two reversed when Yuren gave the next question.

“Okay, final round. How big is Ian’s–urk!”

It was a statement made with a refreshing smile, but it was far too likely to be taken as sexual harassment. I kicked Yuren in the side, making him collapse on the spot.

But it was already too late.

Both Celine and Senior Elsie’s faces turned deep red, to the point where I could practically see steam rising from their heads. And to make things worse, Yuren shamelessly acted as if he was the victim.

“What the hell, man?! Things were just getting good!”

“Are you insane?! How is that even a question?! Who would even–”

And then it happened.

With her ears burning red, Senior Elsie shyly raised her hand.

Everyone’s bodies froze simultaneously–even Yuren. In the silence, she carefully spread her hands apart.

“…..A-About this much?”

Yuren blankly looked back and forth between Senior Elsei and me.

“Y-You bastard! Cheating on my sister, are you?!”

He started punching me with veins popping on his neck.

In the end, I had to scramble to explain myself.

“No! Wait–it’s a misunderstanding!”

But once the fuming Celine joined in, there was no saving me. That night, I became the group’s punching bag.

The next day, seeing my face still not completely free of bruises, Ria made a sour expression.

“…….Looks like you had a great time last night?”

“Maybe.”

It was a bonus that Ria’s jealous gaze was directed at Celine and Senior Elsie with a ‘hmph’.

Of course, these enjoyable moments didn’t last long.

Once we split off from the main caravan, the real mission began.

Ria even tried to rile me up before leaving with the caravan.

“Aaah, what do I do? Mr. Perry keeps showing interest in me lately. It’s so troublesome… especially since I only have eyes for one person.”

All while sneaking glances at me.

I let out a dry laugh.

“Stop talking nonsense and go.”

“Humph! Idiot Oppa!”

Making a ‘beh’ sound and sticking out her tongue, Ria angrily followed the caravan with small steps.

Our pursuit also began from that moment.

The journey of following the procession while suppressing even our breathing was arduous. It would have been even more difficult without auxiliary tools.

Although Yuren still looked skeptical.

“Is that spell tag really effective?”

“It’s from the Imperial Intelligence Agency. If cast on an object, it can track it for at least two weeks.”

And it was pricey, too.

But it wasn’t my concern. After all, The Imperial Family had more money than they knew what to do with anyway.

By the time the red sun was setting behind the mountain ridge, Celine and Senior Elsie were taking a short rest due to the forced march of the past few days, leaving just me and Yuren to continue the pursuit.

A faint presence was felt far away. It was Perry and his group.

We tensed up more than ever. It was because the path that Perry’s caravan was heading towards was gradually narrowing.

There was no reason for them to avoid the main road.

They would only enter such a narrow path if there was a good enough reason to.

I was dying to know exactly what reason could justify such secrecy.

But naturally, as they entered the more secretive path, their vigilance also intensified.

Yuren and I had to quietly watch the caravan that had stopped moving. It had already been several hours at this point.

Unable to bear the boredom, I broke the silence first.

“…..I wonder if the Saintess is doing well?”

Hmph, Yuren swallowed a laugh as if finding it absurd.

“She should be fine since we’ve greatly reinforced her guards. She’s God’s favorite… We should worry about ourselves instead.”

I was about to nod–but then paused and looked at his face.

That indifferent expression.

It was a look that showed not even a hint of respect or awe. It was completely different from the Saintess.

She would always show deep devotion whenever she mentioned the Heavenly God.

“Hey, are you really a Holy Knight?”

At my joke, Yuren tapped his scabbard with his finger.

“Want to test it out? I’ll show you the swift sword technique known as ‘Siendel’s Lightning’.”

“No thanks. Still… come to think of it, you never say stuff like ‘Immanuel.’ And you’ve never talked about the doctrines of the Heavenly God Church either.”

Hmm, Yuren showed an overtly bored look at my continued questions.

His eyes fixed once again on Perry’s group located far away.

“Ian, for orphans… it’s really hard to survive.”

It was the same tone as always, but his confession felt strangely heavy.

It was something I had heard before.

Didn’t the Saintess say something similar last time?

“They often go missing and disappear at the drop of a hat. Where did all those children go? From my childhood, I hated being an orphan more than anything.”

“Is that related to your faith?”

“Of course. Would you thank the gods when the whole world’s against you?”

He had a point.

I chose silence instead of rebuttal. Meanwhile, Yuren’s lament continued.

“Only a very small number of people can do that. Only people who are mentally strong and unbreakable… My sister was like that.”

Yuren’s eyes softened with nostalgia. His gaze must have been wandering to somewhere in the past.

“She said she would create a world where orphans like us don’t suffer. It was impossible for me, but I thought if it was my sister, it might be possible.”

“So?”

“I’m asking you to consider her position too.”

As he said this, Yuren slowly got up. I also sent a sharp gaze far beyond, matching his movements.

They were finally moving.

“Sacrificing the few for the greater good of the many… Sometimes it’s an unavoidable choice.”

Instead of answering, I snapped my fingers with a click.

Then a faint vibration was transmitted through the mana thread placed on the ground. It meant that the signal had successfully reached Celine and Senior Elsie.

“……That’s quite a relatable statement, isn’t it?”

The caravan continued forward.

Deep into the forest, a secluded cabin in a remote corner was coming into our view.

“For the sake of the world, those bastards might need to die.”

The smell of blood piercing through my mind like a large needle.

It was the Dark Order.