Pursuit (1)
The sound of bones grinding and cracking echoed through the alley. It was unmistakably the noise of a human neck being crushed in a single grip. Marion squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to steady her spinning vision amid the sudden chaos. As darkness swallowed her sight, the sounds grew even clearer.
Thuds followed—heavy bodies collapsing to the ground. The raw, piercing killing intent bored straight into their minds. The thugs and hired hands couldn’t even think of running. Their legs gave out, dropping them to the dirt, or they choked out guttural, animalistic whimpers as if their throats had been sealed shut.
“You don’t want to find out what happens next, do you?”
The very air seemed to compress under an invisible pressure. Within that space thick with hostility, only Marion and her escort knight remained untouched. Marion slowly opened her eyes and looked around.
Oh my god.
The adventurers—or rather, the thugs—who had surrounded them were all on their knees, trembling violently with their faces pressed to the ground. In the hooded adventurer’s grasp, the neck of the thug who had first picked the fight still dangled. Blood had rushed upward so violently that the man’s face had turned from red to a sickly bluish-black.
“W-wait—”
It was Yvonne who broke the suffocating silence. Her voice carried equal parts bewilderment at the sudden turn of events and a wary fear toward the mysterious figure. She tried to intervene.
“Murder cannot be permitted here.”
Yvonne spoke with forced calm. Roughing them up was one thing, but an actual killing would cause serious trouble for both Marion and herself. And at this rate, the thug hanging limply like a sack from the man’s hand looked dangerously close to death.
The hooded man turned his unseen gaze toward Yvonne. She flinched and instinctively stepped back, positioning herself as if to shield Marion.
“...I see.”
Having observed her reaction closely, the man muttered something in apparent understanding and loosened his grip.
Thump!
The sound was like dropping a heavy sack in the middle of a marketplace. The thug, released from the adventurer’s hand, twitched on the ground like a grub freshly pulled from the dirt.
“I had no intention of killing him, of course.”
The oppressive aura vanished. What remained were the adventurers and thugs huddled and shivering, Yvonne standing in confrontation with the hooded man, and Marion, who kept glancing worriedly between the two.
Yvonne stared at the adventurer with an uncharacteristically dazed expression, caught off guard by his unexpectedly mild tone and answer. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had radiated such murderous intent moments ago.
“Ah… yes…”
An awkward silence settled next. The adventurer kept his distance, quietly observing Yvonne and Marion.
“Are either of you hurt?”
“No. We were just… a little startled.”
“I’m glad you’re both safe.”
There was something hidden behind that feigned composure. Marion sensed that the adventurer was concealing something beneath his words. Still on guard, she stepped forward. Gently pressing down on Yvonne’s restraining hand, Marion turned her gaze to the hooded man.
“Thank you so much for helping us. As for repayment…”
The hooded adventurer shook his head stiffly. He gave a slight nod toward Yvonne, as if to say he knew he hadn’t needed to intervene.
“I simply got carried away by a sense of justice and acted beyond my station. Please don’t think too much of it. Even if I hadn’t stepped in, that knight would have protected you, my lady.”
“No, it was my fault. I should have responded faster. I hesitated too long with the young lady behind me.”
A sense of justice? Yvonne narrowed her eyes. The man’s actions had been nothing like those of an adventurer swept up in righteous fervor. The vivid killing intent that had surrounded him as he seized a man’s throat by the neck—
Yvonne shifted closer to Marion, her body tensing like a drawn blade. But contrary to her heightened wariness, the adventurer simply stepped back.
“Then I’ll call the guards over.”
“...I’m sorry I cannot freely offer any reward. It is not within my authority.”
Marion bowed deeply, then turned to Yvonne.
“Would it be all right to give him the amount I was planning to spend today?”
“Yes. I believe that would be appropriate.”
Yvonne nodded and pulled out a small pouch containing several gold coins.
“It’s not much, but please accept this as thanks.”
“I’ll gratefully accept it.”
The adventurer nodded and took the pouch. The moment he accepted it without resistance, both Yvonne’s and Marion’s expressions visibly relaxed.
Yvonne turned to Marion and spoke. The adventurer was already walking away, the coins jingling in his pouch as he went to summon the guards.
“It seems today wasn’t the best day for an outing, my lady.”
“...Yes. It might be best to head back a little early.”
Marion answered in a drained voice.
“I wondered why you suddenly ran off in such a hurry. What the hell did you do this time?”
Pierre grumbled. Maxim’s gaze remained fixed on the alley where the guards had rushed in droves.
“I just had something I needed to take care of for a moment.”
Pierre followed Maxim’s line of sight toward the alley. A crowd had gathered after seeing the guards rush in, creating quite a noisy scene. A few guards remained behind, sweating as they tried to hold back the swelling throng of onlookers.
“So that’s where you went? Looks like you caused quite a stir—very unlike you.”
“It wasn’t anything major. Just some thugs who needed to be taught a lesson by the guards.”
Probably got into some kind of quarrel. Pierre didn’t press for more details.
“...Or maybe it was something major after all.”
Maxim suddenly corrected himself, muttering under his breath. Pierre snorted beside him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Earlier in the alley… I had a strange feeling. I can’t be entirely sure, but it felt like someone was watching. And my hunches like this usually turn out to be right.”
Maxim knew that singling him out for surveillance was nearly impossible. That was why it was so difficult to put the unease he had felt into words. It had the distinct feel of a watcher’s gaze, yet it hadn’t been directed at him. If so, then the one the gaze had been following was—
“Of course people would stare after you made such a scene.”
“No, it was before I even did anything. I have pretty good instincts for these things.”
Pierre raised an eyebrow, pressing him.
“What? So you think that gaze you felt belonged to one of the bastards we’ve been running our feet raw trying to find?”
“It must have been them.”
Maxim spoke as if the matter were all but confirmed. Pierre let out a dry laugh, assuming Maxim was hiding some personal motive behind those words.
“I have no intention of getting dragged into your personal agenda.”
Did this adventurer even know how to feel anger? Maxim simply answered Pierre’s mocking tone with the same grave voice.
“...Think whatever you like. Of course, I’ll be tracking that gaze separately. And you did agree to follow me today.”
Pierre’s face twisted for what felt like the umpteenth time.
“Fine, fine, damn it. But if this turns out to be a waste of time, I’ll make you pay for ruining this precious day.”
Pierre growled even though he had no real leverage. Maxim let the words go in one ear and out the other, turning over the origin, identity, and purpose of that gaze in his mind.
The ones Benning planted might have spotted me by chance.
The unease had flowed far too naturally into the next situation to be a mere coincidence. Marion. Feeling his heart begin to pound with anxiety, Maxim moved quickly to confirm the source of the gaze.
“He’s gone.”
At the man’s words, the sound of teeth grinding echoed sharply.
The group that had been monitoring Marion, Irina, and Yvonne had hurried to advance their plan the moment Marion and Yvonne began acting separately from Irina.
“I thought some variable had suddenly appeared, but I never expected that guy to show up.”
“He didn’t notice us, did he?”
“If he did, he’d have to be a real ghost or a monster. Anyway, he looked pretty troublesome, so it’s fortunate he left. Even if we’d tried to carry out the plan in the confusion, I wouldn’t have bet on success.”
The man who had been grinding his teeth suddenly snapped at the other, who had begun trembling in terror.
“Hey. Get up. He’s gone. He looked skilled, sure, but I don’t think he was someone you needed to shake like a rat over.”
“You ignorant fools… I warned you clearly.”
The trembling man muttered in a low voice.
“Stand up. Are you still not sober?”
The man forcibly dragged him to his feet.
“You said we’d move the day before the procession departs. Why are you rushing like this?”
“You brainless piece of shit. You’d really just sit there sucking your thumb, waiting for the execution date even when an opportunity this good falls into our laps?”
There was no need to worry about breaking into the mansion or evading the surrounding guard forces. The only obstacle was the single female knight glued to the girl’s side. If they hesitated now, who knew when another chance like this would come. The three of them had to act.
“Stop whining and grab your blade. The young lady will have a carriage waiting to return to the mansion. We’re going to take that carriage.”
Even though the sun had not yet set, the men blended into the shadows, nearly invisible. Once the complaints and discussions ceased, the vassals of House Benning revealed their true natures. A sinister gleam flickered in their eyes as they concealed short blades within their clothes. Then, the three men melted into the darkness.
The outing was short. Marion walked along the main road with Yvonne, searching for a carriage to take them back to the mansion. Upon hearing the full story, Countess Irina’s face hardened colder than ever before.
I must ensure they receive the most horrific punishment possible.
The countess’s fury was greater than any she had shown before. Even the guard captain who had accompanied them and Yvonne, who had always served at her side, felt a chill and stiffened in response.
Return to the mansion first. I can give you more allowance, but I think it would ease my mind if we ended things early today.
Her words carried an undeniable weight of authority. Since they had already planned to return early, the countess asked the guards to provide additional escort all the way to the carriage stand. While grateful for the countess’s kindness, Marion felt sorry for the guards who now had to follow them.
“They’ve been on standby since the afternoon, so if we head back now, the carriage should still be waiting.”
Yvonne broke the silence.
“My lady, are you all right?”
Marion let out a small laugh at the question, which had already been asked more than five times. It felt like she had received a lifetime’s worth of concern in a single day.
“Yes. Though this is already my fifth answer.”
Marion added the remark in a playful tone. Yvonne’s face flushed slightly as she cleared her throat. Taking pity on her, Marion decided to change the subject.
“Anyway, who do you think that person was?”
“That person… you mean the one who helped us today?”
Marion nodded.
“I’ve seen him once before…”
“You’ve seen him?”
“Yes. It was from quite a distance, but…”
Marion explained the circumstances. The outing with the baroness, the bridge, the blowing wind. The black-eyed adventurer whose gaze had coincidentally met hers.
“Ah… so he was one of the adventurers escorting the merchants.”
“Yes, it seems so.”
Marion fell into thought for a moment. Black eyes. Yet somehow familiar. The voice and gaze kept circling in her mind. That was why she couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Because his appearance had resembled Maxim’s far too closely.
It must be a misunderstanding. Marion scolded herself, frowning. She had been thinking of Maxim far more deeply than she had realized. She shook her head vigorously, trying to brush away the thoughts of him that threatened to surface. Once she started thinking about him, the thoughts would multiply endlessly and fill her head completely.
“My lady.”
Just then, the guard’s voice pulled Marion from her reverie. They had already reached the carriage. The coachman’s seat was empty—perhaps he had stepped away briefly. Several other carriages were lined up behind theirs, their drivers lingering in hopes of catching passing customers.
Yvonne approached them slowly.
“Excuse me, have you seen the coachman who was sitting here?”
The coachman who answered had a distinctive eyepatch over one eye.
“He said he was stepping out to use the restroom. Would you like to switch carriages, my lady?”
“No, we’ll just wait a little.”
Yvonne gave a small laugh and declined the coachman’s grinning request.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Safe travels.”
The guard answered and trudged back down the path they had come. Yvonne opened the carriage door first and called to Marion.
“My lady, why don’t you wait inside the carriage?”
“Yes. Then…”
Marion approached the carriage. At that moment, time seemed to slow for Yvonne, as if the hands of a clock were being forcibly held in place.
“Ah…”
Before she could finish saying “lady,” her vision went black.
…
Wheel tracks. Maxim stared down at the unconscious escort knight collapsed on the ground. In the distance, the sound of a carriage moving away reached his ears.
“Hey, this is…”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Pierre’s expression hardened as well—then he flinched, body trembling. The silent adventurer’s aura was unnervingly still. Like the depths of a bottomless sea, like a forest at night facing some unseen presence, or like a pristine shoreline just before a storm hits.
A desolate wind swept across the ground. Maxim’s head kept turning, following something. Then, at a certain point, his gaze stopped.
“Pierre.”
“Y-yes?”
Pierre answered in a fluster at Maxim’s voice.
“I’ll leave this knight to you.”
Maxim’s figure vanished before Pierre’s eyes.