It was chilly before sunrise. Aaron’s heart felt as if ice had been poured into it.

His body felt strange.

According to his precise memory, it had started right after his union with Lucilia. Perhaps due to their frenzied friction, a sharp pain had lodged in his lower regions. His legs also felt stiff, as if they had been forcibly spread open.

Perhaps he was being punished for touching a saint.

He had embraced her only because his possessiveness had exploded, but was that such a great sin?

Should he have stopped when he felt uneasy?

How was he now?

Just reflecting on last night made his eyelids hot and tears well up.

Aaron roughly wiped away the tears wetting his temples with the back of his hand, then pounded his aching chest with his fist.

It was absurd that he had contracted some terrible illness after having s*x just once.

Whether he was truly receiving divine punishment or experiencing an emotional change…

“Huu… d*mn it.”

The moment he ground out the low curse, he heard the rustling of bedding from the other side.

Lucilia seemed startled by his irritable voice.

He quietly closed his mouth and turned over to face the opposite direction.

The irritation he hadn’t fully released traveled down his large frame and crushed the bed.

Creaking and squeaking, the crude structure shook as if about to collapse.

* * *

After suffering from inexplicable heart palpitations all day, Aaron finally regained his senses after sunset.

The time was drawing near. By tomorrow, the moon would completely disappear.

Just in case, he had planned to take Lucilia upstream from today to observe enemy movements.

“I’ve secured an escape route, so we should be able to go and return without anyone knowing.”

“Huu… I’m so nervous.”

Though she had steeled herself many times, fear overwhelmed her when facing the reality.

Aaron showed no change in expression, as if accustomed to dangerous situations. There was no trace of the solemn air one might expect.

If calmness could be given form, it would be Aaron’s countenance.

His muscles didn’t tense, his breathing didn’t quicken, and his eyes didn’t tremble.

Thanks to this, she too could quickly suppress her emotions.

Before departing, Aaron briefly explained their route and provisions.

He said they had hidden clothes to change into at two locations: a midpoint between upstream and downstream, and a point further upstream. They would travel by paths unused by people.

He also mentioned that he had already surveyed the terrain and selected likely locations.

They would ride horses, but he cautioned that they would need to approach the riverbank carefully on foot.

He added that since there was no guarantee the enemy leader would appear there, they might need to move according to the lights the enemy would use.

“I understand. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Aaron nodded once, then hesitated for some reason.

Now that they were about to act, was he belatedly doubting her?

But as Aaron had said, taking her into battle when she had never held a sword would be more dangerous. It was safer to secretly probe the enemy’s intentions.

To dispel any possible doubts, Lucilia responded firmly.

“I’ll concentrate to avoid making mistakes. Even if we can’t find an opportunity, I promise I won’t linger with regrets and will follow your orders.”

“How is… your body?”

“What?”

With an embarrassed expression, he inhaled and lowered his eyes.

His heavy gaze settled on her violated chest, then moved down to her navel and below.

So embarrassed, Lucilia covered her reddened face with her hands.

“I’m, I’m fine.”

“When I saw you during the day, you didn’t seem bad enough to be carried on a stretcher, but can you ride a horse?”

“I’m really fine. It didn’t hurt as much as I expected.”

“So it did hurt.”

How could it not hurt when he had spread her opening with his unimaginable thickness?

But the pain truly hadn’t continued as if she were dying.

The tingling pleasure that had spread still seemed to permeate her body. It had numbed her senses enough to cover the pain. No, while it seemed to numb, it had actually laid bare all her senses.

Recalling the night’s events, her previously quiet region involuntarily twitched.

Lucilia kept her legs together, applied pressure, and once again showed strong determination.

“I’m perfectly fine now. According to your prediction, it will be today or tomorrow, at most the day after tomorrow, so there’s not much time left. We should make the most of it.”

“…Understood. Then let’s depart.”

* * *

While descending the hillside after tethering the horses, Lucilia was amazed by Aaron’s incredible physical abilities.

Despite his heavy, large frame, he moved with surprisingly silent footsteps.

When secretly leaving the allied camp, she couldn’t keep up with his nimble movements, so he carried her on his back.

“Huff, huff.”

“Are you… out of breath?”

He turned around while reaching for a tree trunk. His expression clearly showed surprise that human stamina could deplete so quickly.

Lucilia swallowed the breath that had risen to the tip of her chin and shook her head.

“No. I’m fine.”

He suddenly fell into contemplation.

After positioning Lucilia to lean against a tree trunk, he extended one foot toward the slope, standing with his legs apart.

After pondering for a moment, he seemed to recall unfavorable conditions he hadn’t accounted for and expressed concern.

“The river water will be cold. Can you endure it? Perhaps we should consider another method even now.”

“No! I’ve thought it all through. Even if we get wet, you’ve already prepared dry clothes, and we know where to build a fire.”

It would be bitterly cold after entering and leaving the water, as if her heart might shatter, but she only needed to endure until they reached the place where clothes were hidden.

Fortunately, the terrain featured boulders jutting out here and there, so they wouldn’t need to stay in the water long, making it bearable.

Aaron let out a short sigh and looked up at the sky.

Through the dense branches, the dark curtain of night spread out.

“I wish he would perform the ritual today.”

But that wasn’t something they could control.

That day, the two came up empty-handed.

Though they had resolved to wait for the next opportunity even if they failed, returning without results was incredibly disappointing.

Worried that she might be a burden without providing any help, her heavy heart prevented her from sleeping.

The next day, they tasted the bitterness of failure again.

Only one day remained of Aaron’s calculated timeframe. Lucilia was fixated on seizing what might be their last chance.

The day dawned, and night fell again.

She tied her cumbersome hair into one bundle and covered it with black cloth, securing it tightly.

“Yesterday my cloak came off in the wind, and my hair was flying everywhere. Even in the darkness, its silver-white color might catch someone’s eye.”

“Well done.”

Though she vaguely understood the importance of disguise, Aaron didn’t seem particularly concerned.

It was puzzling how calm he was despite the risk of being caught.

Although the king had issued a stern command to subdue the Mrangel tribe, they absolutely could not provide a pretext by invading first.

To hold the enemy fully accountable, they had to endure until the end, even if progress was slow.

Before that, Lucilia hoped to fulfill her role well and afterward avoid becoming a burden to Aaron.

After briefly closing her eyes in prayer, she picked up the bundle containing clothes to change into.

They left the camp by the same route as yesterday and arrived upstream.

The two crouched in an area thick with undergrowth.

“Let’s wait here like yesterday.”

A long wait began in a situation where they couldn’t gauge when the enemy leader would come to the riverbank.

When she shivered from exposure to the cold, Aaron took off his cloak and covered her with it.

“I’m fine. You’re cold too.”

“I don’t feel the cold well.”

“Are you really not cold?”

Even with the cloak on, the biting wind penetrated straight through.

With her bones aching from cold, she couldn’t tell if he was sincere or just saying that.

Just in case, wouldn’t it be better if they stayed close?

Setting aside the hardy Aaron, she was on the verge of fainting from the cold, so she tightly hugged his arm.

In response, Aaron pulled her shoulder and took her into his embrace. Thump-thump, her tactless heart pounded again.

Lucilia intended to stay alert by making conversation.

“What if he doesn’t come today either?”

“We’ll have to find another way… Shh!”

Lucilia immediately covered her mouth.

Anxious not only about sound but also about her breath spreading through the air, she exhaled as thinly as possible.