Chapter 63
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The relief that she might slip by was short-lived. The knights weren’t satisfied with just checking her face and demanded other identification.
Seeing no way out, her head began to spin. She was at a complete loss for what to do.
But then Kazan, who had been silent, stepped forward, showed the knights something, and said a few words. The knights all went ‘Oh my’ and backed away from her.
“Then, have a safe journey.”
Suddenly dismissed, Edith passed through the checkpoint without understanding what had happened. Entering the dense jungle spread before her, she asked Kazan curiously.
“What on earth did you say to make them let us through?”
Kazan merely turned his head, glanced down at her briefly, then looked forward again and continued walking in silence.
As Edith stood there dumbfounded at being ignored, Perry came up beside her and whispered the answer quietly in her ear.
“Kazan told the knights Edie was his fiancée and that they were on their way to his homeland together.”
Watching Perry chuckle as he spoke, she processed the words she’d just heard.
So, the knights thought a man from the kingdom had fallen for a woman from the Empire and was taking her home to marry her, which is why they let them pass without issue.
Once she’d processed this, Edith’s face turned bright red and she began to stammer.
“Ah, n-no, you could’ve just said traveling companions, that would’ve been fine! Why did it have to be that?!”
“Perhaps the reason is they wouldn’t have found the sight of a kingdom man and an imperial woman traveling together convincing otherwise?”
Perry’s words were persuasive. Anyway, he’d gotten them through safely without raising suspicion. Edith felt awkward, realizing she was the only one making a big deal out of it.
“Umm… thank you, Mr. Kazan.”
Since she was looking at his profile as she spoke, his face, hidden by the robe, wasn’t clear.
‘But what was that thing he showed them earlier?’
From the outside, the forest seemed so dense she wondered if there was a path, but there was a surprisingly wide trail. It likely existed because of merchants traveling between the kingdom and the Empire.
“Well, at least it seems beasts or monsters don’t appear in this forest.”
Thinking the path looked relatively safe, Edith spoke. Perry shook his head.
“It’s safe on the outer edges of the forest, but deeper in, beast-type monsters do appear. That’s why merchants usually take the long way around. This path is probably like that.”
“Oh, then if we just stick to this path, we shouldn’t run into monsters often.”
“If we only follow this path, I suppose so.”
His answer felt rather ambiguous. It wasn’t a confident affirmation, but something puzzling. Edith tilted her head in confusion.
“Edie, crossing through the interior of the forest is actually faster than going around the outskirts.”
“Of course cutting straight through the middle is faster~ Even a child knows that.”
Edith thought Perry was being rather odd.
‘Why is he explaining something as obvious as ‘taking a shortcut is faster than going around’? It’s something even a child would know.’
She tried to ignore it, but Perry, with a smile, hammered the point home again.
“Right, of course. So we’re going through the center. We seem to have been delayed more than expected.”
The idea of deliberately going where monsters were shocked Edith.
As far as she could see, even a common sword was nowhere on Kazan or Perry. Kazan might be okay, but Perry looked too delicate to fight monsters.
But why would they want to go through the center? She couldn’t understand it at all.
“I know you’re worried, but it’ll be fine.”
They had already left the village, and she was the one who had asked to accompany them in the first place, so she couldn’t voice any objections.
Praying that they had some method or means, Edith followed as they left the path and headed into the forest’s interior.
* * *
Fortunately, they hadn’t encountered any monsters by the time the sun set and they had to camp.
However, they hadn’t yet left the forest’s central monster habitat, so they couldn’t relax.
Moreover, it was basic knowledge that night was when monsters became more active.
‘Speaking of which, what’s with my luck…?’
Before coming here, she’d already had her wallet stolen and almost got caught at the checkpoint, but she found it surprising she hadn’t faced a monster yet.
Setting up camp for the night, Edith unpacked her things, finally ready to earn her keep.
Using the ingredients she’d bought in the village before departure, she made a dish called “Tomato Vegetable Stew with Meat.”
For previous travelers, she’d made a version without meat, but these two seemed to have some money.
The thought that she’d get to taste meat after so long made her hum without thinking.
Perry, tasting her cooking, marveled and praised it. Kazan gave a slight nod but showed he was enjoying it too.
Feeling proud, she also scooped up the largest piece of meat in the stew with her spoon.
But just as she was about to taste the meat after so long, a low, eerie growl from somewhere made her jump and drop her spoon.
‘Of course something like this would happen. That’s just my luck…’
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