Chapter 59
“That’s right. Just some scars left.”
Ael adjusted his clothes and resumed fastening his armor’s straps. Duncan’s brown eyes flickered with uncertainty.
As Kiara had said, bears were notoriously aggressive this time of year, busy tending their cubs and preparing for winter. And the one that attacked Ael wasn’t just any bear — it was a giant grizzly.
Not only that, but since the encounter happened near the Black Forest, the beast was so massive it looked more like a monstrous creature than an ordinary animal.
Even after being attacked by such a bear, Ael had no real wounds, just a few brownish bruises.
“…How does this even make sense?”
Duncan asked Ael with a dumbfounded expression. Meanwhile, Ael finished putting on his armor, strapped on his shin guards, and nodded.
“Didn’t Maeve tell you?”
“Th-that nonsense about soulmates or whatever?! That’s just something the superstitious idiots of Bretnach believe in… Ugh.”
Duncan quickly shut his mouth mid-complaint. Bretnach, the western continent’s dominant empire, had been formed by the first Grandilgale Emperor uniting dozens of small kingdoms.
But the empire’s vast territory meant its distant border states often held their pride high despite centuries of Grandilgale rule.
Altenebra, where they were now, was one such place — and so was Oxania, Duncan’s homeland on the western frontier.
“If you say stuff like that to Maeve, he’ll just grumble about the Oxanian bumpkin being all proud again.”
Duncan snapped back sharply at Ael’s teasing smile.
“Who is he calling a bumpkin, that priest-turned-goody-two-shoes? And you’ve never been the type to believe that nonsense about witches and soulmates because you’re just as closed-minded…”
He stopped himself mid-sentence, rolling his eyes as he glanced between Kiara and Ael.
“So… the legend of the first Grandilgale Emperor and the Red Witch… is true?”
“Yes. It’s the power of the witch. To protect her soulmate… Anyway, what’s the situation now?”
Ignoring Duncan’s dumbfounded expression, Ael continued gearing up methodically, furrowing his brow as he finally addressed him.
Duncan snapped to attention, straightening his back and quickly launching into a report.
“Just as you said, we found a storage facility outside the castle. The amount of gunpowder and weapons stored there wasn’t small at all. It was exactly as you suspected.”
“…It must have been an armory prepared for the monsters lurking in the Black Forest. Though the gunpowder is probably no longer usable, right?”
“How did you know that?”
Tightening his armguard, Ael answered calmly, prompting Duncan’s eyes to widen in surprise.
“The man who was king until recently couldn’t have been the one who stocked it. He doesn’t know weapons. If he had, he’d have moved the gunpowder before the damp weather set in…”
“T-That may be so… but it’s a real shame. In such a poor country, it must have been incredibly difficult to prepare so much expensive gunpowder.”
Duncan clicked his tongue with genuine regret. Meanwhile, Ael, now mostly armored, picked up a cloak tossed carelessly on the floor and asked coolly:
“No need to check for traces of gunpowder leaks. What about the weapons?”
“W-well…”
Looking around cautiously, Duncan leaned toward Ael and whispered something.
Kiara, peeking out from under the sheet, watched Ael anxiously. Though she couldn’t hear the words, Ael’s furrowed brow made it clear the news was serious.
As Duncan stepped back, Ael turned to Kiara with a serious expression and began to speak carefully.
“Kiara, I have to head out now. Once I’m gone, I can’t say when I’ll be back. I’ll send Maeve or Duncan here to check on you from time to time. For now, as you said, Raelin…”
He trailed off, letting out a short sigh, then with a serious, resigned expression, he made a firm request.
“I’m going to have Raelin keep an eye on you. Please be careful.”
“More than me, Ael—no, Captain, you have to be careful.”
Kiara said with a nod. It seemed serious, but all she could do was worry, and she bit her lip hard, frustrated by her helplessness.
Ael teased her with a crooked smile.
“Well, since you’re stuck here anyway, I guess you’re right. If anyone needs to be careful, it’s me. Getting hurt or killed isn’t just my problem anymore.”
“T-that’s not it…!”
“I’m not someone who’s going to be taken down by some place like Altnebra.”
As a flustered Kiara exclaimed, she threw off the sheet she had pulled over herself. It was almost as if Ael had been waiting for that moment. He reached out and stroked her hair.
“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. My soulmate.”
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