Adaptation, Part 5
'What is this?'
I felt an instinctive sense of dread. A sound that had no business being here was echoing in my ears.
"...It's the sound of hooves."
If I could hear it, it meant anyone else could too. My Insight ability wasn't particularly outstanding compared to others.
Cavalry was riding nearby. And not just a few, either.
"W-what should we do?"
The female knight, Selen, asked with a deep frown.
"Would it not be best to avoid them?"
"But there is no reason for another territory's cavalry to enter this area, is there?"
Of course, the borders between territories weren't blocked by walls or anything of the sort.
Though the probability was low, it wasn't entirely impossible for hostile cavalry to be patrolling nearby.
"No noble has declared war... and there are barely any lords who would know that you came here, young master."
"They are likely allies. Perhaps a horde of monsters appeared nearby. However..."
"Even if that were true, for them to have noticed it before us... it is strange."
Although it was only a small escort, I had a decent number of soldiers by my side.
One knight, twenty guards, and nearly fifty people in total if you counted the various coachmen and porters traveling with us.
A force of this size could easily wipe out an average goblin village.
"If monsters had appeared nearby, they would have summoned us first since we were already patrolling the area. Even if the enemy were too strong and they had to call for reinforcements from the main castle, it makes no sense that we would be left completely in the dark."
They would have needed to contact me to draft my soldiers into the fight, or at least to safely escort me back to the castle.
No matter how I looked at it, there was no reason for cavalry to be roaming this area.
"Could it be..."
A dark suspicion flashed through my mind.
Leaving the safety of the castle to tour the villages was inherently risky, but it was a risk I had to take.
My plan was progressing more or less as expected, even if it wasn't perfect. There was only one wild card.
The disgruntled knights attacking me without caring about the consequences, slicing my throat before I could even utter a word.
"For now, let us avoid them."
"Are you trying to slander the knights again?"
Selen immediately snapped, her anger flaring.
"There is no need to take unnecessary risks."
"If the knights mobilized in a hurry to protect the village from monsters, trying to avoid them might only lead to greater disaster."
"But..."
Before we could debate any further, the sound of voices began to draw closer.
"It seems we no longer have a choice. They are coming."
"Thank goodness."
Had they not known we were here, it might have been different. But now that we were spotted, a half-hearted attempt to flee was pointless.
I was riding in a carriage, and most of my followers were on foot.
Meanwhile, the thunderous beat of hooves shook the earth from the other side. It was simple physics: a running man could never outrun a horse.
'Besides, it's not like we can walk without leaving tracks...'
Carriage tracks and countless footprints were deeply pressed into the dirt.
We weren't a band of skilled rangers stealthily navigating a mountain path. With a crowd of amateurs walking together, there was no way they would fail to track us.
"Do not be nervous. There is no way Lady Irene would harm you in such a lawless manner—"
Selen, who had been speaking with absolute confidence, suddenly choked on her words as the knights came into view.
Their horses were exhausted, but their armor and weapons were pristine. This was not the look of soldiers returning from battle.
Their eyes burned with a murderous intent, as if they were ready to slaughter everyone in sight.
"I am Edrin Silverline, son of Wilhelm Silverline. Identify yourselves."
I already knew who they were. The knight in the red helmet leading the pack was a familiar face who frequently showed up around the estate.
"You have no need to know."
But he flatly rejected my command.
"...Ah?"
I could see Selen's face stiffening.
"Are you not knights of House Silverline?"
"I meant that you, Edrin, the traitor who murdered Count Wilhelm, have no right to know who we are! Today, I shall execute you with this very blade!"
"W-what is the meaning of this, Sir Wilson?!"
A horrified Selen shrieked.
She must have felt utterly humiliated. Just seconds ago, she had insisted that the knights would never do such a thing, only for the very men she trusted to shatter her expectations so spectacularly.
The knight in the red helmet, Wilson, shook his head.
"Lady Selen. Take the traitor's head. Right now!"
The atmosphere turned hostile. Yet, a smile of relief spread across my face.
'That was a close one...!'
The scenario I dreaded most was them charging to kill me without saying a single word.
If they had done that, no amount of Charm would have saved me.
The Charm stat only worked when interacting with intelligent beings. Swords and lances possessed no intellect. Trying to seduce or persuade inanimate objects would have been utterly pointless.
But if they gave me a chance to speak, the game changed.
'It seems they're wary of Selen...'
If their sole purpose was my death, they could have simply charged and taken my head.
Although my entourage wasn't small, very few of them were actual combatants. Even if they were, fighting mounted knights armed with swords and lances was a losing battle.
All they had to do was spur their horses and charge. My people would have scattered in panic, and they would have easily claimed my head.
'This is my chance.'
They were hesitant to clash swords with Selen, wary of the risk of killing her or being killed by her. That was why they were wasting time talking.
As long as I had a chance to speak, I could persuade them.
If overcoming a desperate situation with sheer martial prowess was the dream of a combat-focused character, then turning the tide through seemingly impossible persuasion was the ultimate fantasy of a Charm-focused one.
It was risky, but it was worth a shot.
"Selen."
"...Yes?"
To pull this off, I first needed to secure the trust of the female knight beside me.
"Whose orders do you think they are acting on?"
I offered her a gentle smile.
"..."
Selen could not accept the reality unfolding before her eyes.
The very knights she had trained with so cheerfully before taking this assignment were now pointing their swords at her.
Technically, their blades were aimed at Edrin, not her. Even so, she could not shake the crushing sense of betrayal.
"Tell me, Selen. Do you truly believe those fine knights... came here on Irene's orders?"
"That cannot be! Lady Irene would never... she would never harm you in such a cowardly manner!"
"I agree."
Edrin looked down at her.
Selen was a lady of a fairly high-ranking noble family. While not comparable to the Silverlines, she had seen Edrin a few times during their childhood.
She remembered his behavior back then. He had been a cruel, arrogant man—the textbook definition of a wicked noble straight out of a bard's cautionary tale, completely unlike Lady Irene.
But they had both been young then. Since growing up, she had rarely looked at his face from this close. She hadn't wanted to. He was a repulsive human being, someone whose very presence ruined her mood.
'...Was Edrin always this handsome?'
Selen never imagined she would have such a silly, starstruck thought in the middle of a life-or-death crisis.
Golden hair, flawless skin, and perfect features. Standing before her was a noble youth who looked as if he had stepped right out of a romantic fairytale.
He was mesmerizing. If she let her guard down for even a second, she felt she would drown in his gaze.
"Irene is not the type of person to give such an order. You know that better than anyone, Selen."
"That is... true."
As if possessed, Selen nodded.
'Wait, is this right?'
She tried to re-evaluate the situation, but even putting his breathtaking looks aside, his words made perfect sense.
This was not a method Lady Irene would ever choose. It was too extreme, and far too risky.
"What are you hesitating for, Selen?! Edrin assassinated Count Wilhelm!"
"Ah!"
Only now did the reality of the situation dawn on Selen.
The accusation of assassination was likely a fabrication, but Count Wilhelm's death must be real. And these knights had ridden out the moment they learned of it.
Because if things proceeded naturally, they wouldn't be able to stop Edrin from becoming the next lord.
That could become reality. Edrin would rule, and Irene would be left with nowhere to go.
Yet, Selen found herself utterly unable to strike down the man standing before her.