18 – A Dangerous Journey (3)
Count Roxen’s days had not changed much from the past to the present.
Most of his day was spent buried in a pile of paperwork. There was always a mountain of tasks to be solved for him.
The days have not changed much now, even with the vacant archduke title.
Instead, workload increased, casting deeper shadows over his eyes.
Although he virtually ruled the archduke’s family, he did not have a luxurious life.
He was originally a senior official in Ellencia. He had already achieved material wealth a long time ago.
Count Roxen was physiologically not a person who indulged in luxury.
Delicacies from the entire continent?
He could appreciate the taste for a day or two, but after his youth had passed, no food could arouse any special emotion in him.
Moreover, the imperial food culture had too many meat dishes. Count Roxen had a low activity level, and meat was not an easily digestible food.
At some point, he resolved most of his meals with bread, vegetables, and some fruit. This level of meal was easily managed even in a rural corner of the land.
There was no meaning in the vast gold, jewels, and fancy clothes for him.
His age was now approaching fifty. It made no sense for a frail middle-aged man to wear such things.
He would be fortunate if he did not lose any hair after seeing the bill coming in the future.
He was a bureaucrat to the bone.
Aside from tidy accounts, there was almost nothing else that made him happy.
“Count, it’s Yulen. May I enter?”
“Proceed.”
A voice that felt like a daily routine beyond familiarity.
As usual, his subordinate entered and put down the documents.
Normally, this would have been the end, but there was still something he had to ask.
“What happened to the children?”
“The report from the rats is delayed. It’s well past the promised deadline.”
“So, they either failed or ran away?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Count Roxen let out a deep sigh.
Under normal circumstances, his lieutenant should have delivered a report of the children’s deaths today along with the evidence.
The evidence was the severed heads of the siblings. He had planned to have them confirmed visually and then burned.
He tapped his desk a few times with his fingers. It was a habit he had when organizing his thoughts, feeling suffocated.
Images of the siblings swept through the Earl’s mind. They were children who used to believe in him as if he was their rock.
So innocent and young, that they knew nothing.
And he had failed to kill such children.
“What do you think happened?”
“Seems like they failed. If they just took the money and ran, we would have caught them earlier.”
“Of course. They weren’t crafty enough to deceive us.”
Lazen. Was that kid the problem?
He had heard that kid was somewhat talented, so he cautiously estimated him to be at the level of a mediocre knight in the house.
It seems that was still not enough.
What an unexpected event.
He did employ scum from the underbelly of society, that’s true. The plan was to dispose of them as soon as the job was done.
But he did not just employ any scum. They were quite adept; mercenaries, now outlaws, who had committed crimes somewhere and were on the run.
They were roughs who had barely survived by the sword.
Could Terion and that Lazen kid have taken them down?
A dry voice spat out a sentiment.
“What a bother.”
Indeed.
It was a big deal, but to the Earl, these were his only sentiments about it.
Even if the siblings escaped alive, it wouldn’t have changed much.
He who was perpetually short on time, was granted more than enough to spare on this occasion.
He was confident that he could kill the little rats before they could stir up trouble.
No, would they even manage to escape from that forest?
He didn’t bother mentioning it, but the forest he had trapped the siblings in was a very dangerous place.
A place with no visitors anymore, and even the rumors about it were expended. It was a place that could swallow four children in a heartbeat.
While he might send a chase team, there was a far greater likelihood of them returning with bodies rather than chasing the living siblings.
The lieutenant asked.
“What should we do? It’s difficult to mobilize our own military force.”
“I know some guys who are useful for this kind of thing. I didn’t want to use them, but I have no choice.”
Since the matter had begun, it should be finished neatly.
From the Count’s perspective, the siblings had to die in that forest.
Without anyone knowing.
For that, a taciturn and competent group was needed.
They had to possess excellent tracking skills to quickly pursue the fugitives and be able to end the siblings’ lives with an unadorned assassination.
Nameless assassins. They weren’t cheap, but the current Count of Rocsen could afford to hire them.
“No later than ten days. In ten days, I need the necks of the Ellensia siblings in front of me.”
“Yes.”
As soon as the order was given, a commotion arose outside.
Rocsen’s eyebrows furrowed briefly, but soon his lips curved into a smile.
“My lord, Mr. Glen has arrived.”
“Come in!”
* * *
After a brief rest, they moved a little further, but not for long.
Cirien argued that she could still move on, but I silenced her thoroughly.
Due to the Princess’s precious upbringing, she had no idea what kind of backlash she might face tomorrow.
“Let’s prepare for camping. We’ll sleep here tonight.”
“But there’s still time before sunset?”
“If you prepare for camping when it gets dark, it’s too late.”
“Ah, I see.”
We filled our stomachs with the simple ration we took from the shack.
Was she hungry? Cirien ate more than usual.
Even with that calculation, it didn’t change much, but it seemed like we had to be more attentive to the amount of food we ate.
‘If we ration, would it last three days?’
Even though I tried to gather as much as possible, the food situation was not so plentiful.
There was no guarantee that we’d escape the forest in three days, so it seemed like we’d need to start hunting or gathering from tomorrow, even if it was simple.
Fortunately, this forest was inhabited by many wild animals. We might have an opportunity if we keep walking.
So the most important issue was not food.
“Are we sleeping like this? Ugh, the floor is too cold and hard.”
Sirienn lay down on the futon and curled up like a corpse.
Even though I had brought the thickest and warmest one, it seemed to not be enough for her.
The cold would be manageable once I started a fire, but I couldn’t do anything about the hard ground with my own strength.
“Rajen, come in quickly. Wouldn’t it be warmer if we’re together?”
“I’ll come in after I start the fire.”
“Alright. Do you need any help?”
“Well, there’s nothing to help with, but…”
There was a big problem.
How could I say this? My mind was already filled with worries.
From now on, I had to make Sirienn understand the concept of night watch.
Would Sirienn be able to accept that she couldn’t sleep soundly even when night came?
I had to ask for a night watch from the princess who was struggling to sleep on such a floor and the girl who was afraid to walk alone in the corridors even when night came.
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No matter how strong I was, I couldn’t continue on without rest. If it was only one or two days, maybe, but there was no end in sight for us.
Starting from today, you have to watch the dark forest on your own while I sleep.
Wake me up when you can’t stand it because you’re too sleepy.
I couldn’t muster the courage to say that…
“What? Is something wrong?”
As I hesitated, Sirienn approached me.
Her clear, red eyes. Her blemish-free face was quite close to mine.
It was cute seeing her slightly tilt her head, not knowing anything, but I couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding that it was the calm before the storm.
It took a lot of willpower for me to say anything.
“You know, there might be fearsome beasts living in this forest.”
“Wh-why do you suddenly mention that?”
“Well, such beasts usually are active at night.”
“Oh. So…?”
“What if a beast approaches us and both of us don’t wake up from our sleep?”
Sirienn’s expression hardened.
It would be more accurate to describe it as frozen.
Her face, filled with anxiety, stopped, and she didn’t say a word.
Sirienn was smart, so she would have reached the answer quickly.
The reality of the answer was something they couldn’t accept.
Sirien tried to compromise.
“Wouldn’t it be okay if Rajen wakes up early and realizes it…?”
“Even I don’t have that ability.”
“Uh, uh, uh! What about magic?”
“That would be the best method if we could use it.”
I don’t know how to use it though.
Are you not able?
Of course not.
Sirien had never learned any sword or magic.
“…What should we do then?”
“We’ll have to take turns standing guard. One at a time.”
“Alone?”
“Of course alone. What’s the point if we’re both awake at the same time?”
“Well, that’s true but…”
It wasn’t long before Sirien was convinced.
One could say she was convinced when she said ‘Fine…’ with teary eyes.
Her unique expression when holding back tears appeared. It was a familiar sight, which made him feel both glad and sorry.
“It’s okay to wake me up if you can’t stand it.”
“No, I’ll try to bear it.”
“What if you get too tired?”
“I won’t!”
Sirien snapped.
Then, she quickly averted her gaze and muttered in a small voice.
“I’ll be fine… just hold my hand while we sleep.”
Her pale hand was held out to him.