Even though she knew Raphael’s statement about leaving the castle in a week was a trap, she had no choice but to fall for it. He had come to inform her to test her.
“Have a… safe trip.”
All she could do was muster an awkward response, hoping he wouldn’t catch on. But Raphael’s face remained the same as when he had brought it up.
“Finally, an opportunity.”
“……”
She wished she could see it as purely an opportunity like Leonel did. However, she had seen his golden eyes, beyond human comprehension, testing her. Her whole body froze, and she couldn’t speak. At that moment, it felt like everyone else disappeared, leaving only her and him in the world.
“We need to change our approach…”
“What?”
At this rate, they would never escape him. They had been playing into his hands all along. They could only move within the limits Raphael allowed. It was never a feasible plan. Their opponent was the man called the strongest in the empire. Thinking they could escape his eyes was a mistake from the start.
“Raphael will leave the castle in a week.”
In reality, he would step back and observe them. He would scrutinize and investigate their every move.
“Mother…?”
“We will stay in the castle that day, Leonel.”
Raphael had thrown out bait she couldn’t resist. Even knowing it was a trap, she had taken the bait. He was an impregnable fortress, and he had openly shown a gap. Missing this chance might mean it would never come again.
“We won’t sneak out of the castle.”
After taking the startled Leonel to his room, Amelia began to reorganize her plans. Until now, they have been using Leonel’s magic to sneak out of the castle. They would then board a hired carriage and leave Siegfried.
“But we got caught every time.”
There were many times they were caught before even leaving Siegfried. Sometimes they were caught before boarding the carriage, and other times Raphael met them at the magic tunnel. Sometimes he appeared the moment they arrived in another city via the tunnel. There was no pattern.
That was the problem. There was no way to counter it.
“……”
She bit her nails anxiously, but no good ideas came to mind. It was indeed a trap, but it was also a golden opportunity. If she hadn’t met Raphael’s eyes, she would have thought the same as Leonel.
After thinking hard for a while, something suddenly came to mind. Until now, they had always tried to leave the castle. Whether through the front gate or the back gate. With Leonel’s magic, getting out wasn’t the problem. No one noticed their departure.
“There’s just one… other place.”
She felt frustrated that she hadn’t thought of it sooner. It was an option no one would choose.
“The western forest.”
Going there was practically a death sentence. It was like offering their lives.
***
They had been caught in all their previous escape attempts because they tried to leave the castle through the gates. Using hired carriages also played a part. What if they disappeared from within the castle itself? Without any means of transportation to track, it would cause confusion.
No one would expect them to escape through the western forest.
“The problem is…”
Going to the western forest was like going to die. It wasn’t a place anyone would go unless they were cornered. Siegfried Castle was connected to the dangerous western forest. One might think it was dangerous to be connected to such a place, but it was fine because of the extraordinary Raphael.
There was an invisible barrier that monsters couldn’t pass through. This meant humans could come and go freely. But no one ever thought of entering, except when Raphael patrolled.
“It’s a ridiculous plan.”
But it was indeed an unexpected escape route. And they had Leonel. Siegfrieds could control monsters. Although Leonel could only calm them…
“Mother?”
“Leonel.”
As soon as the plan came together, Amelia ran to Leonel. This plan was just a hypothesis without Leonel. Escaping through the western forest to another empire sounded insane to anyone.
“I have an idea.”
All of this was possible because of Siegfried.
“What do you mean?”
“A way to leave Siegfried safely.”
“What is it?”
Seeing Leonel’s sparkling hazel eyes, her hope quickly faded. The western forest didn’t hold good memories for Leonel. And the Leonel in front of her was a child she needed to protect.
“No… I’ll think of another way.”
Indeed, it was an impossible plan.
“Why?”
“I think I’ve been under a lot of stress.”
No matter how urgent the situation, she couldn’t believe she had considered using Leonel. Amelia was exhausted from the endless game of cat and mouse. No matter where she went, it was impossible to escape his gaze. He wasn’t omniscient, but the moment she stepped out of his sight, he would come running.
He might be even worse than a god. Her desperate escape attempts must have felt like a mere stroll to him. It was a fight with a predetermined outcome from the start.
“Shall I try to guess?”
“Huh?”
“The new method you’ve come up with, Mother.”
Sometimes, Leonel’s demeanor didn’t seem like that of a child. He seemed more like an adult hiding something.
“Did you find another way?”
Amelia had never mentioned the western forest to Leonel. She had only just realized it herself.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“Leonel…”
“Going through the western forest to cross into the Carta Empire.”
Unlike her simple thought of just escaping Siegfried through the western forest, Leonel’s plan was more complete.
“If we go there, Father won’t find us. We’ll also gain some time.”
Leonel had always struggled whenever he went on patrol in the western forest. In fact, the day she first met Leonel was a day he had returned from such a patrol, feeling ill. And now he was saying they should go there.
“Do you know what kind of place that is?”
“Of course. I know it very well.”
Amelia awkwardly looked at Leonel, who continued to smile brightly. Even in the original story, Leonel didn’t like the western forest… She remembered that he only became okay with it after fully awakening his abilities.
“Isn’t it a place teeming with monsters?”
“Yes… it’s a place full of monsters, and you still want to go?”
Unless he had a sudden change of heart, this didn’t make sense. Come to think of it, Leonel stopped her from making him quit patrolling the western forest.
“It’s okay. I’m a Siegfried.”
He was indeed a Siegfried… Leonel could only calm the monsters. Her plan also relied on Leonel calming the monsters so they could escape quickly.
“But…”
“Shall I show you?”
Wondering what he meant, she suddenly found her vision distorted, and they teleported. It was a hidden passage in Siegfried leading to the western forest.
“Leonel?”
“I’ll show you.”
She was surprised by Leonel’s confident action of leading her through the passage to the forest. She wondered if he really hated going to the western forest.
“If we go in…!”
She wanted to say they shouldn’t go in, but they had already crossed the barrier long ago. When did they get inside so quickly? She was bewildered by Leonel standing calmly beside her. Shouldn’t he be struggling and scared?
“Look, Mother.”
With a bright voice, Leonel pointed to a line of monsters standing in formation.
As if they were obeying their master.
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Nous_Defions
I have a feeling Leonel is also reborn/reincarnated, which explains why his demeanor is different and somewhat on a hostile/defensive stance with everyone other than Amelia.