Within the Boundary
We spent another day inside the Boundary. The green-haired man did not show himself before us again. Since we had no way of knowing where he was, nor any reason to find out, it seemed unlikely we would ever cross paths again.
Our journey was smoother than before. There were no more monsters like that giant from the other day. While this forest still teemed with threatening enemies, they weren't so overwhelming that we couldn't even stand against them.
We clashed with beasts about two or three times a day. Perhaps we were finally getting the hang of things. Although the frequency of encounters had increased, our ability to avoid unnecessary fights had improved even more. Even when monsters did spot us and charge, they tended to be weaker than the ones we had faced before. Naturally, the number of wounds on my body decreased. Not that they disappeared entirely—battle, by its very nature, always demanded a toll in blood.
"Can you keep moving?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Don't force yourself like last time."
"I'm not."
One of the biggest changes was how quiet Sirien and I had become. We spoke almost exclusively in whispers now. It was a lesson bought with blood from our encounter with the giant. A single careless word of idle chatter could draw the attention of a predator. There was no guarantee our senses would always detect the enemy before they detected us. Naturally, we became hyper-aware of the noises we made and the space around us.
We should have been doing this from the start. It was a lack of experience on my part. Because I had always been the one to spot the enemies first since we entered the forest, I had grown complacent. Besides, my training in the knighthood had focused on vigilance over concealment, and engagement over evasion. It simply hadn't crossed my mind.
That didn't mean we spent the entire day in absolute silence, though.
"Oh, look. A cave."
"Where?"
"Over at the far end. No, not that way—over by the cliff. Yeah, right there."
Whenever we discovered something new like this, we would talk. In the direction Sirien pointed, there was indeed a cave. Even from a distance, it looked spacious enough to make an excellent base camp. If we were setting up camp for the night, it would have been perfect. Unfortunately, it was still far too early in the day. Not wanting to waste precious daylight, we simply passed it by.
"Our family's ancestral tomb was in a cave, too. It was filled with the scent of incense, just like this place."
"Do you still smell it?"
"Yes. It's gotten even stronger since we crossed the line."
"Is there really something here?"
I couldn't smell the incense Sirien kept mentioning at all. Her sense of smell was sharper than mine, but could the difference really be this vast? Sirien insisted it was just a scent and that nothing felt out of the ordinary, but... I couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking out of sight.
"Judging by how it fades and intensifies, I think it gets stronger the closer we get to a certain place."
"What about right now?"
"It's not overwhelming, but... I feel like we're quite close."
"Can we avoid it? I'd rather not seek it out if we don't have to."
"Okay. I'll let you know if we get too close."
At this point, it was hard to dismiss the suspicion that the green-haired man from before was connected to this scent. I had no desire to run into him again, and my only goal was to escape this forest as quickly as possible. After walking a bit further, we decided to take a break. We unpacked our gear beneath the shade of a suitable tree.
"It feels much smoother than a few days ago, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. Maybe we're moving away from the heart of the forest. If we keep going like this, we might make it out soon."
"Will we see people once we're out? I want to eat delicious food. The meat here has such a terrible gamey smell."
"Now that you mention it, you've held up surprisingly well."
"We ate plenty of things like this back at the cabin. At first, I used to sneak away to throw it up, but I got used to it over time."
Sirien giggled. It was a rather grim confession to make with a smile, but she seemed to view it as nothing more than a distant memory now. No wonder she used to sneak out of the cabin so often, despite claiming she hated going outside. When I stared at her blankly, she shook her head in frantic denial.
"I don't do that anymore!"
"Hmm."
"Really!"
"Alright, alright. Let's just eat."
Though our choices were limited to gamey meat or dry rations. We had tried foraging for herbs or berries nearby, but eating unfamiliar plants was too dangerous a gamble. They say even experts don't touch wild mushrooms lightly. Unless it was a plant we recognized with absolute certainty, we left it untouched.
"What will you do once we reach the Elloran Marquisate?"
"Hmm. Well, first I want to find out what happened to my parents. I can't trust a single word my uncle said."
"And after that?"
"I'll take it back. Everything."
No matter how cunning Count Roxen was, Sirien was the legitimate heir. If Sirien requested aid from Marquis Eloran, and the Marquis declared his intent to suppress the rebellion in the Grand Duchy, the moral high ground would be ours. In a war with such clear justification, plenty of jackals smelling profit would jump on the bandwagon. Since it involved the Grand Ducal family, the Imperial Court would inevitably intervene, ensuring we wouldn't be outmatched in military power. Of course, Sirien would have to incur a massive 'debt' in the process, and the reclaimed Grand Duchy would undoubtedly be weaker than before.
"The Marquis of Eloran is one thing, but his wife is from the Hintz Count family. We might be able to establish a connection through them as well."
"The Hintz family... Ah, Sir Levan. The Miracle Sword Master."
In this world, there were two ways to become a Sword Master. The first was the orthodox path: reaching the absolute limit of the sword. By refining one's swordsmanship to the extreme, a warrior would eventually attain enlightenment, allowing them to manifest and control Sword Qi. It was the classic depiction of a Sword Master found in any typical novel.
The other way was quite literally a 'miracle.' This sudden awakening, said to visit only the most talented swordsmen, was an exceptionally rare phenomenon even among the already scarce Sword Masters. While it sounded grand, it wasn't entirely a blessing. A Sword Master who awakened this way possessed a somewhat irregular power. They might be incredibly strong in certain aspects but glaringly weak in others. Simply being able to wield Sword Qi did not automatically make one the strongest. Without a solid foundation, they were bound to be overwhelmed in a duel against a true master. In truth, if someone possessed enough talent to receive such a miracle, they would have eventually reached that realm on their own anyway. Consequently, those who did not walk the orthodox path tended to be looked down upon as a tier below—often dismissed as 'half-baked' Sword Masters.
Sir Levan was one such Miracle Sword Master. He was considered the weakest among his peers. Even so, a knight capable of unleashing Sword Qi remained an asymmetric force on the battlefield. Warfare with cold weapons was fundamentally a game of formations. A single human who could cleave through cavalry and spearmen with a single swing was nothing short of a walking disaster.
"No matter how powerful a Demon King is, they won't be able to run rampant in the Empire forever. Father said Eligos isn't even that high-ranking of a Demon King. By the time we reach the Marquisate, the demon army will likely have retreated. And I believe the knights of our house will eventually stand by my side."
"The seniors I know certainly would. They might hesitate if they're kept in the dark, but as long as they know you're alive, they'll find a way to help."
"Yes. The real problem is the Imperial Court..."
Listening to her, I realized Sirien had laid out a remarkably detailed plan. Even at her tender age, noble blood ran true. Unlike Therion, who had spent all his time on swordsmanship and physical training, Sirien had dedicated herself to theology and other academic pursuits. It seemed the Grand Duke of Ilencia himself had also passed down various political insights to her. One way or another, she was destined to play the role of the novel's final boss alongside me. When we were first thrown into that cabin, I had wondered, 'Can this fragile, gentle child really turn into that monster?' But the sheer talent she displayed in the novel was already proving itself. Besides, by now, there were a few things I had come to understand—such as the reason why Sirien had ruthlessly slaughtered her own kin. It was the very first point of contrast between her and the original novel's female protagonist.
In the original novel, it happened in the Imperial Capital. A branch member of the Ilencia family had committed a crime, and Sirien had executed them in a horrific manner. Shocked by the brutality, the female protagonist had confronted Sirien.
The Saintess chosen by Light, and the Saintess chosen by Death. The woman who died protecting her family, and the woman who slaughtered her own kin. The paths of the female protagonist and Sirien were in constant, stark contrast. They were each other's perfect antithesis.
Back then, the Imperial Court's attitude had been... ambiguous. It was a time before any real spark had ignited between the female protagonist and the Crown Prince. After all, the Crown Prince hadn't joined her reverse harem right from the start. In the beginning, his relationship with Sirien had actually been quite amicable. Right about now, the Crown Prince was likely enduring his own share of miserable days. If I had been reincarnated into any other novel, I would have tried to build up his favorability beforehand. But trapped deep inside a forest like this, there was absolutely nothing I could do.
While I was lost in thought, Sirien, who had been chattering away, suddenly pointed up at the sky.
"Oh, Rajen. Look at those dark clouds. Do you think it's going to rain?"