Chapter 58
I wondered what it was, then realized it was something I'd said at the departure ceremony.
'She'd seen that and gone ahead again.'
It was obvious what had driven her to charge ahead.
It must have been her competitive spirit toward me.
Whatever her reason, I wanted to welcome her to the expedition, but...
"Going ahead alone like that was too reckless. It was dangerous."
"I didn't go any farther. I stopped and waited for you."
Selena grumbled.
The entrance to the Ashen Forest was supposedly not all that dangerous, but one could never be sure. She could have been caught up in some unexpected danger.
Of course, Selena was a knight who had proven herself capable of handling that much. Her exploits in the North had been no exaggeration.
She knew that herself, so she must have stopped at an appropriate point and waited for us.
Even so, as her younger brother, I couldn't help worrying about her.
"That's not like you, Big Sis. No acting alone from now on. If you're joining us, follow my orders only."
"You don't have to tell me that."
She looked displeased, but she was clearly agreeing.
Selena was a veteran with extensive practical experience. There was no way she didn't understand the importance of a chain of command in the field.
Whatever she thought of me, it was a knight's duty to respect authority and follow orders. If she hated it that much, she could leave the forest.
The scolding ended there.
Overdoing it didn't suit my temperament, either.
"Adjutant Lucia. Could you take the troops and return to formation? I still have something to discuss with Big Sis."
"Yes. Take your time."
Perhaps she had sensed something was up, because Lucia immediately took the soldiers and headed back.
The elven scouting party and the Black Lion Knights, who were still dismantling the demon beast, followed them as well.
"In any case, thank you for coming."
Only after Selena and I were alone did I slyly raise the corners of my mouth.
"I thought you weren't coming. Even if you did, I expected you to follow behind us. I didn't expect you to come ahead and clear the path."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't come here to help you."
"Then why did you come?"
"For martial prowess. I came to prove that I—not you—am Cardenos's heir."
Just as I thought. She'd come because she thought her exploits in the North might be overshadowed by mine.
It was only natural, perhaps, but Selena was still laboring under that misconception.
"If that's really why you came, you've got the wrong idea. I never intended to become head of the house in the first place."
I was staying with the family to borrow its power.
I could build up my foundation without becoming head of the house.
My goal was not the family's prosperity but the world's survival.
The burden of becoming head of the house and looking after Cardenos was far too heavy for me to bear.
Glare-
For an instant, killing intent flickered in Selena's eyes. She had obviously twisted my words into something else.
For a moment, I thought she might grab me by the collar.
"……What nonsense."
Selena clicked her tongue and muttered. It must have taken considerable self-control for her to restrain herself.
I swallowed a sigh and shrugged.
"You have every reason not to believe me."
Even if she believed me, she wasn't the sort of person who would meekly accept the position.
Selena was the kind of person who would prove herself superior to me by any means necessary and seize the position of head of the house for herself.
"But, Big Sis. Is that really all?"
"What?"
"Martial prowess and succession to the headship. Is that really the only reason you came here?"
I narrowed my eyes to slits and stretched my lips into a thin smile.
Selena narrowed her brows and glared at me as well.
She thought she was hiding it, but I could see everything. She was my sister, but she needed to be a little more honest.
"Big Sis. Tsunderes aren't popular these days."
"Tsun—what?"
"Never mind. I actually like tsunderes second best. After megaderes like our Celine."
"……What are you talking about?"
Selena lightly struck my shoulder as she walked past. I watched her retreating back steadily.
Though their mothers were different, Selena and Celine were still blood relatives.
Perhaps one day even Big Sis would become a younger-brother-obsessed sister who had eyes only for me……
―Astin, you pathetic loser who ran away. I don't consider you my little brother. Get lost. Never show your face in front of me again.
Like Celine.
Maybe I was seeking my sister's affection, too.
***
Within the forest, dense fog and ash drifted through the air.
Astin clicked his tongue softly as he surveyed the enormous camp filling his field of vision.
"With this many people, even finding somewhere to set up camp is a job."
Lucia, standing close beside him, replied.
"There are seven thousand combat troops, plus three thousand personnel in the supply and engineering corps."
With ten thousand troops stretched out like a snake, the formation's middle was bound to break.
Even building a huge circular encampment consumed an incredible amount of manpower.
Astin and Lucia picked up their axes again and resumed felling trees.
The smell of sweat mingled with the sounds of axes and saws from every direction.
"Whew—Maybe it's because my father was a carpenter, but I'm pretty good with an ax."
"Bullshit. Looking at your sorry ass, we'll be up all night. We should've brought your father instead of you."
Strangely, the construction of the camp was brimming with energy.
Astin had contributed to that, at least a little.
Astin was their employer and field commander, while Lucia's noble bearing was obvious at a glance.
The two of them worked tirelessly, causing the mercenaries to sneak sidelong glances at them.
'Even those two are quite unusual.'
'Normally, noble lords just crack whips from behind. Maybe that young master really is different.'
'As long as this isn't just for show.'
With the commander refusing to shy away from hard labor, even the centurions rolled up their sleeves as though pushed into it.
As a result of the entire force working together, the logging soon neared completion, and the camp began to take shape.
Because it was a wide-open clearing, the soldiers' numbers were vaguely visible.
A massive circular encampment.
The combat units formed a ring around the outside, while the supply corps, engineering corps, and vanguard formed up in the center.
From then on, the soldiers began pitching their tents.
Astin inspected the engineering corps, which was still hard at work, alongside Lucia.
"Stop the palisade here. Don't bind the remaining timber; load it onto the wagons."
"Pardon? If we leave this area open, demon beasts might enter during the night."
"There's no need to fortify everything perfectly. This much is sufficient. And the remaining timber will have another use."
Rather than concentrating all their efforts in one place, it was better to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.
Astin was aware of the dangers of the Ashen Forest, at least through his journal.
The engineering commander looked doubtful but nodded for now. If the commander told him to do it, he had to. What else could he do?
"Good work. Once the defensive line is complete, arrange shifts and get some rest."
After that, Astin did not return to his tent. He continued walking around the area, with Lucia always close at his side.
The two walked side by side, surveying the work sites where the supply and engineering corps were finishing up.
Astin came to a stop and turned toward Lucia.
"Did I give the escort an order?"
At Astin's question, Lucia nodded.
"If you mean the supply-wagon escort, yes, you did. You ordered them to form a night watch and guard the wagons."
In the Ashen Forest expedition, the horses had only one purpose: pulling the supply wagons.
Astin had emphasized the importance of the supply wagons and ordered the escort, led by Julian, to protect them closely.
Meanwhile, using a tent a short distance away as a screen, someone was watching the two of them.
A woman stood with her arms crossed and her silver eyes narrowed—Selena.
Her gaze followed Astin's bustling back.
People never change.
Selena knew Astin's true nature better than anyone.
'That bastard has never experienced actual combat even once.'
Setting his nature aside, even his ability to command was highly suspect.
At most, all Astin had received from his family was a head full of theory.
Yet someone like him had planned and carried out an expedition, assumed overall responsibility, and even volunteered to lead the vanguard.
As a warrior, Astin's only experience was sparring with real blades.
He had never once experienced a battlefield where blood splattered and flesh was torn away.
Selena wanted to stop Astin and make him reconsider, even now.
But it had already begun. She couldn't spoil things now.
'This won't last long.'
He was intoxicated by his position as commander, joining in the labor, inspecting the defenses, and trying to control everything.
It was nothing more than a performance for show.
He was working hard because it was the first day. There was no way he could keep wearing himself out so recklessly without knowing how to pace himself.
The fatigue of the field was on an entirely different level from training in a practice hall. Astin did not seem to know that.
The limitations of an inexperienced commander would soon become obvious.
The planning and execution of the expedition.
Securing funding, preparing ample supplies, and conducting a month of systematic training were all worthy of praise.
The expedition members valued those efforts, which was why they still followed Astin.
But that was all.
It was obvious that Astin would collapse before long and come to understand his limits.
Selena intended to take over command then and salvage this reckless expedition.
Step- Step-
After finishing their inspection, Astin and Lucia turned toward the vanguard camp.
Selena followed them back to the camp as well, suppressing her presence.
Her sharp silver eyes kept glaring at Astin and Lucia walking beside him.
'Lucia von Elzerna.'
Astin was a problem, but that woman was an even greater one.
Wasn't she the young lady hailed as the star of high society?
They said she had considerable talent in magic and swordsmanship, but even that acclaim had been earned only in a sheltered environment.
Why such a pampered young lady had joined the expedition remained a deep mystery.
Regardless of the reason, why had such an inexperienced noblewoman been entrusted with the important position of the commander's 'adjutant'?
'Astin said he decided it himself, didn't he?'
Selena clicked her tongue in displeasure.
A commander with no field experience and a high-society noblewoman as his adjutant. As expected, this expedition was already in danger from within.
In truth, it was amazing that ten thousand soldiers had followed them this far at all.
She hoped they would botch things, but only to a degree that could still be salvaged before the casualties grew too large.
That was what Selena secretly wished.
Just then, Astin stopped while crossing the center of the vanguard camp.
"What is it?"
Lucia asked in puzzlement. Astin raised his head without answering.
Sniff-sniff-
The tip of his nose twitched faintly.
The dry, dusty air of the Ashen Forest had become damp and heavy before he knew it.
With every breath, he sensed faint moisture, and the air brushing against his skin was sticky.
The ash drifting through the air had absorbed the moisture and grown heavy, settling like snowflakes.
Swish-
Astin swept together the ash accumulated on a tent with his fingertips and rubbed it between them.
The dry powder that should have blown away in the wind clumped together like clay between his fingers.
"The humidity is rising. It will rain soon."
Patter, patter-
No sooner had he finished speaking than raindrops began to fall.
Heavy raindrops washed the dry ash away. Rain soaked the ground, and the soldiers' feet began to squelch.
In an instant, the once-hardened ground turned to mud.
That was the warning sign.
Rumble-
A vibration that shook the ground mingled with the sound of rain—a sinister tremor traveling up through the soles of their feet.
Selena's instincts, honed through countless brushes with death in the North, sounded the alarm. Without hesitation, she drew her sword.
……A subterranean demon beast.
The vanguard members had not realized this yet.
Just as Selena was about to take control of the front line—
"Everyone, take up your weapons!"
Half a beat ahead of her, Astin drew his sword and shouted.
The vanguard camp, where soldiers had been resting, erupted into chaos. Soldiers hurriedly seized their weapons and rushed outside.
"W-where is it?! The scouts said there were no threats……"
A bewildered commander holding a shield looked around.
But there was nothing threatening in the area ahead within sight. Instead, an eerie silence prevailed.
The tense mercenaries looked at Astin and tilted their heads in confusion.
Are you making a fuss for nothing? There's nothing here.
"Below! Watch the ground!"
Astin's fiery shout tore through the rain.
At his words, the mercenaries were thrown into even greater confusion.
Selena was shaken as well, but the shock she felt was of an entirely different kind.
'How did that brat…….'
The greenhorn who had only ever swung a sword in a practice hall had detected a threat from a blind spot.
A warning that even Selena's senses had struggled to catch.
Fwoosh-!!
"Aaaagh!"
That was when the mud beneath the soldiers' feet exploded.
"Gasp!"
"Fr-from beneath the ground!"
Scale-covered hands burst through the mud and reached for the soldiers' ankles. The reek of briny water reached their noses.
Selena drew five or six channels of power up from her core.
Raindrops falling on her were repelled by Luna's repulsive force.
Her sharp silver eyes began to shine with a moonlike radiance.
Even as Selena watched the ground, her gaze flicked toward Astin for an instant.
Slash―
He was already cutting down the hands as they burst upward.
-No matter how desperately you struggle, Big Sis, what will it change? Just give up and prepare for high society.
"……"
Selena adjusted her grip on her sword. With difficulty, she wrenched her gaze away from Astin.