Chapter 124
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This was the first time Blake had seen her like this, and it made his cheeks tingle.
She, who always wore an expression as if she knew all the outcomes, was now pleading so desperately, and it was adorable.
Without bothering to hide his rising smile, Blake bent down and kissed the back of her hand.
“It would be my honor to accompany you.”
And so the journey of the two began.
***
The first thing they did was change their attire.
Angelina changed into priest’s clothing with a hood that could cover her face, while Blake changed into a mercenary outfit that wouldn’t make his sword stand out.
Since Angelina’s silver hair was particularly noticeable, they ended up dyeing it black.
Deliberately the same color as Blake’s.
“She’s my sister.”
That was the reason it would be easier to deceive people.
Additionally, to attract less attention, Pudding concealed his appearance until they reached the Dark Forest.
“Even though we took a different route from last time, I didn’t expect to arrive this quickly.”
Riding horses day and night, the two were able to reach the vicinity of the Dark Forest in just two and a half days.
“When traveling leisurely by carriage, it took over a week.”
“We went around to avoid the eyes of mercenaries, otherwise we would have arrived half a day faster.”
Both showed clear signs of fatigue from not resting properly.
But they had agreed to rest in the Dark Forest, which is why they had rushed like this.
They deliberately avoided stopping at village inns.
It was clear that if they delayed even a little, Ante Flaubert would pour money into deploying search parties like mad.
After selling their horses in a nearby village and walking the rest of the way, the two paused in front of the forest shrouded in smoke.
“Are you really sure about this?”
Before entering, Blake asked again.
They were at the forest boundary, far from the path to the tower.
“Once we enter, it will be difficult to get out.”
“If it gets too hard, we can go to the tower path.”
“That might be difficult too if we’re too far away.”
“It’s fine.”
Despite his continued concern, Angelina remained calm.
“Grr-!”
Beside them, Pudding snorted as if to say, what’s there to worry about when I’m here?
He was in a particularly good mood after being able to drop his invisibility after several days.
Nevertheless, when Blake couldn’t erase his worried expression, Angelina narrowed her eyes and murmured.
“If Your Grace is afraid to enter, I could……”
“Don’t even think for a moment that I would let Miss Flaubert go in alone.”
Before she could finish saying she would go alone, his firm response made Angelina laugh.
“I was just joking because you were so worried. Shall we go then?”
Angelina extended her hand.
It wasn’t a calculated action. It was a habit she had with her brother that emerged.
“……”
When Blake paused in surprise, Angelina belatedly recognized her action and withdrew her hand.
“Ahem, I’m sorry. I thought we should hold hands so we don’t lose each other……”
Was she unconsciously nervous despite this not being her first time in the Dark Forest?
When had Blake become someone she felt as comfortable with as her own brother?
Angelina blushed at this sudden realization and made up an implausible excuse.
As she cleared her throat unnecessarily and turned her head, she felt a warm sensation enveloping her hand.
Surprised, she looked back to see Blake firmly holding her hand and smiling.
“Let’s go like this so we don’t lose each other.”
At his soft whisper, Angelina felt all the strength drain from her body.
It seemed she had become stiff with tension at the thought of entering the Dark Forest.
Belatedly realizing why he had looked at her with concern, Angelina felt even more grateful to him.
The warmth spreading from her hand throughout her body made her feel as if a small current was flowing through her, causing a tingling sensation.
“This feels reassuring.”
Angelina took a step into the forest, relying on his large hand.
***
After walking for an hour while holding hands tightly.
“I thought this before, too, but the Dark Forest is really quiet.”
Their journey was as peaceful as if they had gone out for a stroll.
In the stillness, the occasional distant cries of monsters sent chills down their spines.
“It seems the Magic Tower Master doesn’t want Miss Flaubert, his friend, to be in danger.”
Blake said with a small sigh.
As she had said, the surroundings were very quiet.
While it was comfortable without battles, it was frustrating compared to what they had experienced last time.
If Mason had been beside them, he would have shouted, “That Magic Tower Master, what a nasty person!”
“Looking at the state of the fog, it seems like it’s trying to guide us to the tower path or outside……”
Blake frowned as he looked at the thick fog surrounding them.
There were no monsters, but the fog was worse than before. They didn’t notice at first, but after walking for about an hour, they could tell.
The fog was guiding them to a specific place.
As he marveled at the Magic Tower Master’s ability to use fog that normally makes people lose their way to instead guide them, Angelina asked.
“Can fog be used to guide like that?”
Angelina opened her eyes wide.
“In the Dark Forest, the Magic Tower Master controls even monsters at will, so wouldn’t the fog move according to his will as well?”
Blake said that it was just his speculation. But it was speculation close to certainty.
“……What did you say?”
However, Angelina murmured softly and stopped walking. She looked at Blake with shocked eyes.
“You didn’t know?”
‘Did the Marquis never tell her?’
Blake, who was certain that the Magic Tower Master was Marquis Flaubert, was rather surprised that she didn’t know this.
Could it be that Miss Flaubert doesn’t know the identity of the Magic Tower Master…?
“If the Magic Tower Master directly controls the Dark Forest, then why……”
Judging by her reaction, it seems she does know his identity…
While Blake was puzzled, Angelina was experiencing a different confusion.
If her brother controlled the Dark Forest, why had he abandoned her here when she was young?
Of course, it was the Order that abandoned her.
They told her nonsense about “role-playing” so she couldn’t seek help, and left her here.
But if the Magic Tower Master knows everything in the forest as Blake says, her brother should have found her quickly after she was abandoned in the Dark Forest.
‘Is this… what he was trying to hide from me?’
Is that why he tried not to be discovered as the Magic Tower Master?
Angelina felt like she had found enlightenment.
If this was the case, she could understand why her brother was so desperate to hide it.
His asking if she remembered, his saying it was for himself and not for Angelina—it all made sense now.
But knowing the reason only made her feel more indignant.
‘Did he think I would resent him for something like that?’
Her brother probably didn’t know she had been abandoned in the Dark Forest.
No matter how much he “controls everything,” that couldn’t happen every day, all day.
Then couldn’t she understand if her brother was a bit late?
Did he think she didn’t have that much capacity for understanding?
‘So… that’s why it was so quiet last time too.’
Realizing it was all her brother’s doing, Angelina couldn’t help but laugh wryly.
“I didn’t know this is what it meant when they say nothing happens in the Dark Forest without the Magic Tower knowing.”
Pretending to be concerned, but handling everything separately behind the scenes?
While she could understand her brother, she felt upset at being deceived by his act.
“Miss Flaubert.”
Hearing her somewhat angry voice, Blake called her with a concerned tone.
But without relaxing her expression, she added.
“We need to change our strategy.”
Angelina’s initial plan was to struggle in the Dark Forest until Aesi came to rescue her as the Magic Tower Master.
She had intended to induce him to appear directly, but this wouldn’t work now.
“Your Grace, where should I go to put myself in danger?”
“Danger… you say?”
“Yes, can you sense which direction the monsters are coming from?”
Even if they couldn’t see them, someone of Blake’s skill level couldn’t fail to sense the faint cries and unmistakable magical emanations.
“I find that direction very suspicious.”
Even Angelina, who used the power of the sun, could feel it if she concentrated.
In fact, since entering the Dark Forest, the power of the sun had been surging so much in her heart that her chest felt tight and her headache was severe.
But when she decided to go toward the dangerous area, the power of the sun became even more agitated.
‘At this rate, I’ll collapse before meeting Aesi or any monsters…..’
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