Chapter 2.4

“Oh, there’s the carriage!”

Brienne shouted, pointing halfway down the slope. Herace looked in that direction and slowly brought the horse to a stop.

“Is that the carriage the Marquis rode?”

“Yes! It has the family crest, so I’m sure.”

“Then we’ll have to go in on foot.”

Herace dismounted, quickly checked the path, and returned. Brienne was still sitting alone on the horse as he tied the reins to a sturdy tree.

“Um…”

Brienne looked at Herace with a troubled face. It was time to get down, but it was difficult to jump off in her indoor clothes and slippers.

“This used to be a path, but no one knows how deep it is now. If there’s a ditch leading to the sewer, it could be dangerous. So, Miss Ford, you’d better stay on the horse for now.”

But Herace wasn’t so oblivious. His firm words made it clear he hadn’t helped her down on purpose, and Brienne called out urgently.

“I’m all right!”

And, as always, her body acted before her thoughts. As Brienne tried to grab him, she lost her balance and wobbled, but Herace, quick as ever, immediately reached out his arm.

Thud.

“…It doesn’t look like you’re all right right now.”

In an instant, she found herself in his arms. She wasn’t fully off the horse, nor sitting on it—a strange, awkward position. Brienne quickly looked up.

“Ah…”

At that moment, Brienne unconsciously let out a sound between her teeth. Herace’s gaze was fixed deeply on her. A warm, gentle scent wafted from their joined bodies.

Why did it feel like something was stuck inside her?

“Um, Young Master, your hand, just a bit…”

At her words, Herace paused for a moment, then gently set her down on the ground.

“…Ah, pardon me.”

“No, thank you for helping me.”

Brienne, for some reason, hid her flushed cheeks inside the jacket.

He’d only helped her down from the horse, but had it felt like this before?

She hadn’t noticed at the start, since things were urgent, but now she was quite embarrassed to have been in his arms. Brienne cleared her throat exaggeratedly and took the lead.

“Let’s hurry. We might miss my father.”

Herace nodded and silently followed her. Because of the difference in their strides, Brienne was quickly caught up.

Noticing Brienne’s embarrassment, Herace offered his elbow toward her. It meant she should hold on.

“It’s just a precaution. I have no intention of pulling any tricks like before, so you can hold on without worry.”

“That… was a trick?”

Brienne’s eyes widened in surprise. Herace, enjoying those pale green eyes, let out a light laugh.

“Of course not. Just a joke.”

Whispering indifferently, Herace finally looked away from her. Then, pulling Brienne’s hesitant hand, he made her grip his arm tightly.

“You should hold on firmly. Just like you clung to my neck earlier.”

“What? Clung to your neck, when did I…!”

“You took my first hug, and now you’re going to deny it?”

What was he saying now? 

Brienne’s face grew red as she looked at Herace, who was teasing her.

“T-that couldn’t be helped. That doesn’t count as a hug.”

“‘Couldn’t be helped,’ huh…”

Nodding as if he understood, Herace glanced at Brienne.

“In that case, I suppose I’ll have to create a situation where I can’t help it either.”

How could a person be like this? 

Brienne glared at Herace’s relaxed smile with sharp eyes. Any gratitude for his lightheartedness was now canceled.

And one more thing.

“Maybe I was wrong. If you keep teasing me, I’ll take back what I said about you being a kind person.”

“Already taking it back? You’re really too much, Miss Ford, giving your first compliment and snatching it away so quickly.”

“Too bad you didn’t know! I’ve always been like this.”

Brienne, at a loss for words, turned her head and kept walking. Thanks to Herace clearing the way half a step ahead, it was easy to move forward.

Their conversation didn’t last long. Before they knew it, they had approached the carriage, half-submerged in water, and fell silent. Herace looked around, his eyes narrowing.

“There’s the carriage, but no people or horses. That’s odd. With the water this deep, they wouldn’t have been able to ride through…”

“Where could they have gone?”

“They probably couldn’t come back this way because the water rose too much. Is there a place nearby where the ground rises steeply?”

“Oh, there’s a hill around Mount Ripple over there. From the fork, it leads to Luman Square!”

Brienne pointed to the mountain. Luman Square. If they went there, there would be a shortcut straight toward the manor. Just as Herace was about to nod at the narrowed search area—

“Brienne…!”

Without warning, the tree the carriage was tied to began to tilt slowly over Brienne’s head.

* * *

Damon Ford walked along the hill, following the man who introduced himself as Zen. Zen led the way, cutting a path through the bushes with a pocket knife, while the Marquis followed behind, guiding the others.

Zen would occasionally check the surroundings, saying there might be more people to rescue, and his subordinate Lusell always joined him in these efforts.

“Sir Zen, there’s a mountain on the right. It’s dangerous, so let’s get out of here quickly, okay?”

“I know! I’m trying too!”

Wondering just what kind of people they were, Damon glanced sideways at Zen, who nudged the man beside him and laughed aloud.

“Ah, this guy? So, he’s… ah, Lusell. Lusell is my subordinate.”

Unlike Zen, who had a solid build and dark skin, Lusell was quite a delicate-looking man. His height and frame both seemed rather young compared to the massive Zen. It was amazing to see someone who looked like they’d only ever held a pen, not a sword, moving so nimbly through the wilds.

Before meeting Damon, they had already passed one shelter. But even that shelter had been submerged, and they’d met people wandering there.

Damon, feeling deeply responsible, promised to take the people to the manor.

“Come to think of it, I should have introduced myself sooner. You’re the Lord, so thank you for your kindness.”

“What kindness? For saving his life, this isn’t much.”

Lusell’s gentle voice and polite manner were, of course, different from Zen. Damon glanced between the two, mulling over Zen’s deep voice and rough words.

‘They really don’t seem like a match.’

But Zen misunderstood the look and raised his eyebrows.

“…What? Am I wrong? That price includes my lips, too!”

What a truly cheeky man. And to use such odd expressions about saving people… 

Damon shook his head as he looked at Zen’s handsome face.

You really can’t judge a person by appearances. Just because someone is good-looking, doesn’t mean their personality is as good.

“You know, I’m really grateful you saved my life, but if you keep talking like that even after we reach the manor…”

Damon was about to scold the man when—

Boom! Boom boom!

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, as if an earthquake had struck. Cracks began to form in the earth beneath their feet. At the roaring noise, Zen crouched low and shouted loudly.

“D*mn…! It’s a landslide!”

At his words, the people following Damon screamed in panic. When they looked up at the ridge Zen pointed to, they saw earth and rocks pouring down like a waterfall, the ground collapsing.

It was a sight Damon had never seen in his life, and his legs froze in place. As his face turned pale, Zen shook him urgently.

“What are you doing, Mister! Get a hold of yourself!”

In that split second, a huge old tree at the top was uprooted. The tree began rolling down, threatening to crush them at any moment.

“No…!”

Finally coming to his senses, Damon turned and reached out to the children. His rough hands pulled the small shoulders close, his body shielding them like a sturdy wall.

But when he squeezed his eyes shut, instead of the pain he expected, only a deafening sound rang out.

Creeeeak.

‘What, what is this?’

Bracing himself for terrible pain, or even to faint, Damon slowly opened his eyes, his family’s faces flashing through his mind.

A wall.

A solid earthen wall.

A huge shadow was cast over the heads of the people of the territory Damon had tried to protect.

Damon blinked at the massive outer wall that had suddenly risen from the ground, arching like a canopy. Only after the shocked people began murmuring did he look around.

Then, off in the distance, a figure hurried through the pouring rain.

The noise that had filled his ears faded away. Damon, watching the figure with half-closed eyes, finally gasped.

“…Young Master Belif!”

The man stepped into the shadow of the enormous wall. Herace appeared, his face twisted in pain, breathing heavily as he spoke urgently.

“The wall will collapse soon! Evacuate to a safe place!”

Despite his urgent voice, no one moved. The wall that had shot up before their eyes, and the man’s appearance, made the scene feel unreal, like a punishment from heaven or the end of the world.

Standing in the rain, the man looked strangely untouched by even a drop of water.

But on his abdomen was a long, deep wound. Blood flowed from the injury, mixing with the rain and staining the ground beneath Herace’s feet. Everyone there—Damon, who had already been shocked, Zen, who was always brash, even gentle Lusell—looked utterly terrified.

Standing in the dark shadow, Herace Belif looked like the incarnation of a god.