Despite All My Preparations
As usual, our whole family gathered for dinner that evening. "I'm going to the cave with Hendel!"
"Uh... no, it's not quite decided yet."
Marinette announced it to our parents without even waiting for my answer. I waved my hands frantically, trying to resist as much as I could, but it was useless.
"Oh my, a cave trip sounds so romantic!"
"Hendel, you shouldn't just stay cooped up at home all the time. You need to get outside. Since it's already come up, just go tomorrow."
My objections didn't land at all.
"You said... you'd grant my wish..."
"Well... that's true, but."
When tears welled up in Marinette's eyes, my heart softened.
"Come now, the young lady wants to go this badly. You should accompany her."
"Yes..."
When Marinette started shedding actual tears, I had no choice but to surrender.
'Wow!'
The tears vanished in an instant. The moment I agreed, Marinette broke into a bright smile. My parents watched her bouncing around excitedly with fond expressions.
'In that case, I need to prepare thoroughly.' I had to make absolutely sure there were no variables at all.
"Would it be all right if I bring the knight commander?"
I first requested the strongest force available from Count Edgar's household.
"Of course. It would be a disaster if the young lady got hurt."
Fortunately, Father readily gave his permission. With the knight commander along, even if the cave collapsed, we should be able to escape safely.
After dinner, I grabbed the ring box the Tower Master had given me and went looking for Marinette. I would have preferred to keep it sealed away, but since our trip to the cave—which already reeked of trouble—was now set in stone, saving it might just be a waste.
Knock knock.
"Young lady, it's Hendel. May I come in?"
"Yeah!"
I opened the door carefully and stepped inside. Marinette was lying on the bed, wriggling around. I snatched the blanket she was wrapped in and tossed it aside.
"Eek! What was that for?"
Marinette shrieked as her precious blanket went flying. I ignored her and tapped the bed.
"Calm down and sit here."
"You're just here to nag again."
Even while grumbling, Marinette obediently sat on the bed as instructed. After I'd scolded the servants multiple times over the past few days to treat her kindly, she probably thought I'd come to lecture her again.
"I'm not here to scold you today."
"Then?"
"Give me your hand for a second."
"Okay."
She must have built up quite a bit of trust in me from living together, because Marinette held out her hand without any suspicion.
"Hek?"
When I pulled the ring from the box, Marinette flinched in surprise. I felt a little embarrassed myself, but I pretended to be calm as I slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand.
"Eeeeek?"
Now she was practically screaming. I avoided her gaze and explained.
"This is a magic tool for your safety, young lady. Don't misunderstand."
"Uh... okay..."
In this world, the average marriage age is seventeen—lower than on Earth—and among nobles, arranged marriages are the norm. It's extremely common for families to arrange engagements when children are only seven or eight. So there was definitely room for misunderstanding, but my decision had been made with nothing but her safety in mind.
Marinette fiddled with the ring on her finger. Realizing I was doing something this childish with a kid made me want to disappear. I practically fled the room.
It looked like I'd be kicking my blankets a lot tonight.
The day of the cave trip arrived. I woke up at the crack of dawn and paced around the mansion, double-checking every preparation.
"Young master, aren't you going to the cave and returning the same day? Is it really necessary to prepare three days' worth of food?"
"The knights are coming with us. Knights eat a lot, so we need plenty."
I used the knights as an excuse to stock up generously on supplies.
"What? The entire knight order?"
"Yes. Leave only the ones on duty to guard the mansion. Everyone else is coming along. The knights deserve a day off once in a while too."
"Whoa, thank you! I'll let the others know right away."
Not only the knight commander, but I'd brought along the entire order except for the bare minimum staff.
"Tower Master, if I go to the cave and don't return within a day, please come rescue me!"
"Ah... understood."
I'd even left an emergency rescue request with the Tower Master.
'Whew. This should be enough, right?'
I'd done everything I possibly could to prepare. Accidents? Crises? Bring it on. I'd smash them all to pieces.
The cave we'd chosen for today was a famous tourist spot belonging to Count Edgar's domain. Tens of thousands of visitors came every year, and it was a thoroughly verified location. For safety reasons, we'd blocked off tourists starting yesterday, and I'd hounded the cave manager into searching the interior ten times.
"Hendel, are you seriously scared of a little cave? You're such a kid. Hehe."
"..."
Completely unaware of my worries, Marinette was fully focused on teasing my tense self. I responded with silence.
"Ugh, you're no fun."
When I stuck to my ignoring strategy, Marinette quickly lost interest and turned her attention to the scenery outside. I closed my eyes and prayed.
'Goddess, please let nothing happen. Please.'
"We've arrived!"
After about an hour of travel, we reached the cave. True to its reputation as a tourist attraction, stalls of every kind had been set up in front. Of course, I'd chased them all away today.
"Hng, I really wanted to try the chicken skewers."
"I'll make some for you when we get home."
"Okay!"
Marinette seemed bursting with energy, as if just being on an outing made her incredibly happy. I was starting to understand why parents found raising children so exhausting. The stamina drain was no joke.
After passing the stalls, we finally stood right before the cave entrance.
"Whew..."
We'd arrived at the cave.
"Shall we go in?"
"Yes!"
With Marinette's cheerful reply, I stepped into the cave.
Once inside, I moved with extreme caution, every hair standing on end like a cat encountering a stranger for the first time.
"Whoa! That rock looks so weird and cool!"
"Ah... yes..."
"Hendel, Hendel! What's that? It looks so strange. Is it an ice spike?"
"It's a stalactite."
Because I was so focused on staying alert, I couldn't give Marinette the attention she wanted.
"Uuu..."
She must have noticed I wasn't paying attention to her, because she puffed her cheeks in a pout. I felt bad for Marinette, but the cave was littered with potential dangers, so it was hard to focus on her.
"No issues ahead!"
"No magic reactions detected!"
The knights I'd stationed in every direction reported back one after another that everything was safe, but I still couldn't relax.
Noticing how excessively anxious I was, the knight commander approached me.
"Young master, is something bothering you?"
I couldn't exactly tell him I was scared because of clichés, so I gave a vague excuse.
"I had a rather ominous dream last night."
"I see. That's certainly reason to be concerned. However, our knight order will protect both you and the young lady no matter what happens. Please trust us and enjoy yourselves comfortably."
Even though it could have sounded like I didn't trust the knights, the commander didn't show the slightest hint of displeasure.
Walking while so tense, we'd already covered half the cave.
'Am I worrying too much?'
With the reliable knight commander beside us and no signs of trouble after walking halfway through, my nerves gradually began to unwind.
Marinette was still sulking, and the knights' expressions didn't look great either after reacting to my hypersensitivity.
'Yeah. It isn't right to keep killing the mood when we're supposed to be here for fun.'
I'd prepared more than enough, so now I wanted to actually enjoy exploring the cave.
"All right. I'll trust the knight commander."
"Thank you."
I walked past the knight commander and approached a very pouty Marinette.
"Hmph!"
The moment she sensed me coming, she turned her head the other way to make her displeasure obvious.
"Haha... young lady?"
"I don't know any idiot who can't even keep his promises."
"Don't be like that. I prepared lunch, so we should eat soon."
Marinette glanced over.
"Cola."
"Sorry?"
"Do you have cola too?"
I smiled brightly.
"Of course I do!"
"Good!"
Marinette was such an easy villainess—one bottle of cola and her anger vanished completely.
"Team One, guard the left side. Team Two, take the right. Rotate every thirty minutes."
"Yes sir!"
"Team Three, set up the tents. Team Four, remain on standby."
"Understood!"
When I mentioned that we'd eat lunch soon, the knights moved with crisp efficiency to prepare the meal. While they worked, I stepped slightly aside with Marinette to look around the cave. Of course, I kept within ten paces of the knight order in case of an emergency.
"Wow, Hendel, look at this! It's a dinosaur!"
"I... it does look like one?"
I hadn't heard anything about murals in this cave, but Marinette's sharp eyes had spotted one tucked away in a corner.
The mural depicted what appeared to be a Tyrannosaurus and a cousin species breathing fire. From the archaeology books I'd read since arriving in this world, dinosaurs had gone extinct roughly one hundred thousand years ago. That would mean this mural was at least that old.
Once we got out of the cave, I should call in an archaeologist for a proper appraisal.
"As expected of you, young lady. You've discovered something truly significant."
I gave Marinette a thumbs-up.
"Right? Right?!"
Marinette beamed at the praise.
"Still, just to be safe, please don't touch anything nearby. Ancient murals like these sometimes have traps set up..."
Rumble.
Suddenly the cave floor began to shake.
"It... looks like I already touched it?"
When Marinette pulled her hand away from the wall, a complex magic circle was revealed.
It was incredibly disconcerting, but my decision was instant. I grabbed Marinette's hand and sprinted toward the knights.
"Young master!"
The knight commander had noticed something was wrong and was running toward us.
'Made it.'
The moment the knight commander's outstretched hand was about to touch mine—
Rumble.
The cave floor split apart, and Marinette and I plummeted straight into the abyss.
I gripped her hand with all my strength so I wouldn't let go and spat out a short curse.
"Damn it."