When she asked the villagers, they said there was a valley where a waterfall dropped and pooled water somewhere above the middle of the mountain. They said that was the water source for this spring.

It seemed there was a problem there that needed purification, but since Rupert was the only one she could openly show her abilities to, Saena had no other options.

If Commander Wesley had been there, things might have been different (he already knew because of what happened in the Imperial Capital), but coincidentally, he couldn’t come today, so they had to go just the two of them.

After climbing the mountain for quite a while…

“I think we need to dismount.”

“Yes…”

The terrain reached a point where they could no longer proceed on horseback. They dismounted and tied their horses to nearby trees.

“This way, let’s go.”

And they began climbing the mountain on foot.

They weren’t moving quickly because of Saena.

Unlike Sir Rupert, who walked as if on flat ground without even breaking his breathing pattern, she started panting more and more heavily.

“Shall I carry you, Madam?”

“Mm. I’m fine.”

“Why?”

“Constantine probably wouldn’t like it.”

Sometimes he gets jealous over strange things.

“Hah, he is… like that, isn’t he.”

Sir Rupert agreed, wondering if he wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“But we could keep it a secret.”

Rupert kept suggesting, clearly concerned about Saena’s heavy panting.

“We’re almost there anyway. I can walk that much.”

“What about riding that little guy?”

“Yolly?”

“Yes. It’s just us here now.”

“That’s a good idea… but I think we should be careful right now.”

Though they came after making sure no one would follow, you never know.

Though she’d need to use purification at the source anyway, openly traveling with a Guardian Spirit seemed too conspicuous.

“Phew…”

But it really wasn’t easy. Having almost no regular physical activity, it showed quickly.

At some point, Rupert started chatting continuously. He seemed to think she might feel less tired if they talked while climbing.

“But training for demonic beasts was definitely different.”

“Really? How was it? Was it manageable?”

“It was tough. There were many joint techniques.”

“Ah, because you need to coordinate with each other?”

Come to think of it, it made sense that regular knights without Guardian Spirit powers would find it easier to work together to catch demonic beasts larger than themselves.

“But since other knights all call you madam, I think I’ve gotten used to it too.”

“Huh?”

“The word ‘madam’ comes naturally now.”

Ah, that’s why he unusually called her madam earlier.

Saena couldn’t help but smile.

Though this wasn’t really a situation for smiling and chatting, she couldn’t blame him since it was obvious that Rupert considered looking after his master’s mood and wellbeing more important.

If anything, she felt grateful.

“I heard they still haven’t found the prince?”

The topic shifted to the prince as they discussed various things.

“Yes.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. In a way.”

Rupert marveled.

“He didn’t seem that capable(?)”

“…Right.”

Saena gave a bitter smile.

“But I heard you really got one over on His Highness the Prince?”

“What?”

“His Grace mentioned it the other day.”

Constantine did?

She had heard that Constantine occasionally made time to oversee Rupert’s training.

They must have talked about it then.

“That it was you, Madam, who figured out how Her Highness the Princess could inherit.”

“Well, that…”

“Every time the prince committed crimes, they were swept under the rug because he was the only heir candidate.”

That was true.

“So wouldn’t you say our Madam provided the most crucial evidence in this incident?”

Sir Rupert wore a proud expression.

Though it felt a bit strange, like a father beaming at his daughter’s cute antics.

“No, Her Highness the Princess was the one who first had doubts. I just happened to discover it while following those doubts.”

“That’s the same thing!”

Seeing he wouldn’t believe her no matter what she said, Saena just closed her mouth.

Well, it wasn’t completely wrong.

“Anyway… This must be the valley…”

They had arrived at the source while talking. The sound of the waterfall hitting the water surface was so clear it felt refreshing to the ears.

“This… is this okay? The color looks serious.”

But what was this?

There was a seemingly deep pool of water below the waterfall, but the color was… really serious. It was so black it looked like it might have already rotted. Of course, they couldn’t even guess the depth.

“What in the world…”

What could have been added to make the valley water this color?

—This is definitely the source of the problem.

The color was so bad it made them frown just looking at it.

—It’s definitely not natural. It’s artificial. The spring below was much more diluted. Wow, the poison energy is incredibly strong.

At that moment, Saena shouted when she saw Rupert trying to smell near the water.

“Sir, get away from there. The poison is extremely strong.”

At her warning, Rupert flinched and stood up from the bank.

—D*mn it! There’s something in the water!

Yuri suddenly shouted urgently as if he sensed something.

“What?! Be careful! Sir!”

As soon as she spoke, something leaped out.

Splash–! Something burst through the water surface and lunged at Rupert.

“Sir Rupert!”

Clang!

Metal rang from the reflexively drawn sword. Whatever had jumped out was knocked back into the water.

“Wh-what was that?”

Rupert backed further away from the water, startled.

He looked surprised even though he was the one who had struck it.

—It’s a poison demonic beast.

“A poison demonic beast…?”

—A poison fish, an aquatic type of demonic beast. It’s fine as long as you stay away from the water.

“It seems it’s fine if we stay away from the water, Sir. Come over here.”

“Wow, that gave me chills…”

Looking cold-sweated, Rupert moved closer to Saena.

“It felt like hitting a chunk of metal. It definitely didn’t die.”

So this must be one of those demonic beasts with metal-like hard bodies they talked about.

“…We should go down and report this.”

In the end, this wasn’t something they could handle alone. Things had gotten complicated.

“Yes. Let’s go down right away. Purification isn’t the issue now. It’s dangerous. I can’t handle this alone.”

Fortunately, it seemed to be a type that couldn’t leave the water, so at least their escape shouldn’t be difficult.

“Quickly–”

Rustle. Before she could finish speaking, they heard movement from ahead.

“Who goes there!”

Rupert instantly raised his sword in defense.

Someone emerged from the bushes.

“What, a civilian? Suspicious. State your identity immediately or I’ll attack.”

Though they couldn’t tell who it was because of the deeply pulled hood, judging by the height and build, it was definitely a man. No weapons were visible, but he was clearly suspicious.

“I hadn’t planned to show myself like this… You should have just died quietly from the poison fish…”

His statement made him even more suspicious.

Saena and Rupert exchanged quick glances.

They needed to capture this man. He was clearly connected to this incident.

As Rupert slowly raised his sword to take an offensive stance, Saena also slowly aimed her ring at the man.

“No… I just realized it’s all because of you, wench, so I shouldn’t let you die easily.”

The eerie muttering followed by a giggle, somehow the voice seemed familiar.

“Because of one wench like you… everything got ruined… I’ll tear you apart…”

It was a voice she had heard somewhere, but who?

“If only, if only it weren’t for you…! How dare you teach a woman the succession method?!”

…Could it be the prince?

As if to prove her suspicion, the man’s hood slightly shifted, revealing his face.

‘How on earth is he here?’

It was indeed the prince.

He must have had a rough time, as his complexion was terrible and he exuded an overall haggard appearance.

She forgot she had been aiming her ring. Her mind seemed to freeze at such an unexpected situation.

“I’ll kill you all! You! And that detestable Kramer bastard!”

The prince glared at Saena with eyes glinting with madness as if he would devour her. An ominous aura emanated wildly from beneath his dark eye circles. Though his expression was a bit chilling, she finally managed to remember they needed to capture him quickly now that he had appeared.

‘We need to capture him alive…’

Of all things, the ring she happened to wear was a light arrow ring, not a stunning or lightning ring. With her skill level, she wasn’t confident she could shoot just his arms or legs to cause minor injuries. So if she attacked wrongly, she might end up killing him.

Though she wondered if that might be better than letting him escape, she suddenly remembered the prince no longer had Dios. Without Dios, Rupert’s skills should be enough to subdue him.

Having finished her calculations, Saena ordered Rupert.

“Sir Rupert, subdue him!”

“Yes!”

When they saw the prince reach into his clothes, Rupert swung his sword hastily while gathering his internal energy.

Crack!

Something the prince pulled out and threw shattered as it hit Rupert’s sword.

‘…Hm? What did he throw?’

He had parried expecting at most a dagger or short spear, but it wasn’t that. Though they should have felt relieved it wasn’t a weapon, they didn’t. Instead, it felt ominous and unsettling.

“I wonder what expression the Duke will make as he wails over your remains when there won’t even be a proper corpse left…”

Ah, was it something like a smoke bomb?

Suddenly, something like black mist settled down thickly, and their surroundings became hazy. Before they knew it, their view was obscured and they could no longer see the prince.

“Struggle to survive if you can!”

Rupert tried to attack following the prince’s voice but hesitated and instead moved closer to Saena, switching to guard mode.

Something was wrong. Rather than from one specific spot, an eerie feeling like killing intent or something indescribable began ominously emanating from all directions where the mist had settled.

“It will be hard! Hahaha!”

The giggling laughter gradually grew distant.

However, they had to stay frozen in place. The black mist constrained them, blocking their vision.

Now that things had come to this, Saena thought she might have made the wrong judgment.

Was there really any need to capture him alive? Though she didn’t know how the prince had made it to Kramer territory, no one would have known anyway.

“I should have just shot him…”

Saena muttered like a regret as she watched the mist gradually fade.

And after a brief moment passed, Saena tilted her head slightly as she looked at Rupert. Though it was just grumbling to herself, given Rupert’s personality, he would normally agree or joke when hearing such words right beside him.

Why was he so quiet?