Chapter 2.11

Since the Lorus Hunting Competition, Richard had been sighing daily. Greta, beside him, sighed along with him.

“D*mn expedition.”

“Exactly.”

The expedition training, known as the most grueling of all knightly training, was a two-month-long ordeal that everyone wanted to avoid. Richard was one of those who had to walk into that living hell willingly, and Greta was in love with the man responsible for leading that hell. The thought of him leaving soon made her despondent.

‘The atmosphere during the Lorus Hunting Competition was so good.’                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Ragaen had started calling Greta by her name, and they had even enjoyed the festival together. But they couldn’t carry that feeling forward. It wasn’t just that they couldn’t; it was impossible. Ragaen, who was about to leave for expedition training with his black horse Devin, couldn’t even receive the small, modest gift Greta had prepared for him. She desperately wanted to give it to him in person!

“Ugh, d*mn expedition training.”

“Ugh, exactly.”

“I hope the expedition training ends quickly so His Grace can return soon.”

At those words, Richard frowned deeply.

“That’s not what you should be hoping for. You should wish for a natural disaster to cancel the training altogether. Thinking a two-month training plan will end quickly is even more horrifying.”

Richard shuddered, then sank back into his gloom with another sigh.

***

“D*mn expedition training!”

Jespa ground his teeth. He hated expedition training. He hated it so much it made his skin crawl. During the expedition, he would have to fill in for the Duke of Adantie. Although the honorary position of Duke of Adantie, without land or hereditary estate, didn’t involve as much work as nobles with inherited territories, his duties as the Crown Prince’s aide and Commander of the knights were significant.

‘I already handle most of it anyway.’

He didn’t mind the paperwork. He was intelligent, sharp, and a genius. But attending the various events where the Duke of Adantie had to make an appearance was pure t*rture.

Officially, Ragaen was known as a very reserved and serious man. All he had to do was quietly eat, nod appropriately at what others said, and leave. However, Jespa, as his aide, would always get stuck and couldn’t escape.

The thought of living like that for two months straight starting tomorrow was horrifying.

“D*mn expedition!”

What made him even angrier was the letter in his hand—from Lady Greta Lievo.

‘The atmosphere was so good!’

Recalling the two during the Lorus Hunting Competition—Ragaen calling her by name and walking around the festival together—Jespa felt as though tears were blurring his vision. For the first time, a pink aura had surrounded Ragaen Sol Adantie’s life. But now, the man himself was off to a monster-infested wilderness for expedition training! Even Crown Prince Hayel, upon hearing this, had reportedly slammed his desk and muttered complaints to the heavens. Yet, considering he hadn’t exempted Ragaen from his duties, it was clear that the Crown Prince’s affection for him was only lip service!

Jespa ground his teeth in frustration.

“Your Grace, a letter has arrived from Lady Lievo.”

Ragaen, who had been staring at the training plan with a clear expression of reluctance, immediately lifted his head and reached out. A familiar beige envelope landed in his hand.

“What does it say? Huh? Huh? What does Lady Lievo say?”

Although he didn’t want to share, Ragaen felt pity for Jespa, who was about to endure hardships, and answered as if doing him a favor.

“She says she has something to give me.”

“What could it be? What is it?”

Casting a sidelong glance at the overly excited Jespa, Ragaen opened the envelope. After staring at the blank sheet of paper for a while, he finally managed to write a single sentence:

I will visit the Lievo Count’s residence tonight.

Though the content was sparse compared to the size of the paper, Ragaen had done his best to squeeze out that one sentence. He carefully sealed the envelope and handed it to Jespa. Without needing to say a word, Jespa understood what needed to be done.

***

“Oh my goodness, Richard! Richard, listen to this! His Grace is visiting the residence tonight!”

Thud.

Richard, who had been gloomily stuffing cookies into his mouth out of habit, dropped one onto the floor.

“Tonight, at the residence?”

“Yes! I wrote to him saying there’s something I want to give him, and it seems he’s coming to get it!”

“Oh, right. Yes, he probably is.”

Richard reached for another cookie, trying to shake off the mischievous thoughts that had briefly crossed his mind.

For an unmarried young man to visit the residence of an unmarried young woman late at night was not advisable. Such visits typically implied a private and intimate meeting. However, the visitor in question was the stone-faced Duke of Adantie. Given his busy schedule due to the expedition training, no one could criticize him for briefly stopping by for business.

‘I’ll make sure not to leave the house tonight.’

Richard had no desire to see the face of his superior—whom he would have to endure for the next two months—on the last free night of his life.

Greta, meanwhile, waited for the sunset with a heart pounding half in anticipation, half in anxiety. Two small pouches sat ready on the table. Feeling dizzy from pacing around the table at a breakneck speed, Greta rushed to the door at the sound of a knock.

“My Lady, His Grace the Duke of Adantie has arrived at the front gate.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll be right out!”

Throwing on the shawl handed to her by the servant, Greta picked up the two pouches and headed for the front of the residence. From a distance, she saw the silhouette of a massive black horse and a man.

“Your Grace!”

“Apologies for visiting so late, Greta.”

At the sound of her name spoken in his deep voice, Greta’s heart thudded heavily, leaving her momentarily speechless.

“Greta?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing. How have you been?”

“Well. …How is your injury?”

“It’s perfectly fine.”

Greta waved her still-aching arm in the air.

“I received your letter saying you had something to give me.”

Always straight to the point. Staying true to his principles, Ragaen got to the matter at hand. Fortunately, Greta, too, was someone who valued simplicity.

“Here, these are small gifts I prepared for you and Devin. I hope they’ll be of some help during the expedition training.”

Silently, Ragaen accepted the two pouches Greta handed to him.

“One contains Yuji sugar cubes, which Zara likes, and the other has Dadian leaves. They’re not essential, but I thought they might be helpful.”

“Thank you, Greta.”

“Please return safely.”

Greta noticed Ragaen’s blue eyes widen slightly. Her heart sank.

“Thank you.”

As Ragaen seemed ready to leave, Greta hurriedly stopped him.

“Your Grace, by any chance!”

“Yes.”

This wasn’t part of the plan she had prepared all day, but Greta, as always, followed her emotions in the moment. Though she felt as though her entire body was curling up in fear of rejection, it was better than saying nothing at all.

“Once you return, would you… that is, would you like to go to the Kentaro Fields with me, Zara, Devin, and yourself? Of course, only after you’ve rested and when you’re free.”

Bathed in moonlight, Greta’s face was a picture of nervous anticipation. Ragaen gazed at her silently for a long time.

The silence stretched on, long enough to suggest a gentle refusal to someone less sensitive. But Greta, not being particularly sharp, waited patiently.

Finally, Ragaen spoke.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

Having assumed the prolonged silence meant rejection, Greta couldn’t hide the smile that burst forth. She looked like a flower blooming under the moonlight.

Suddenly, Ragaen felt as though he couldn’t breathe.

Quickly averting his gaze, he mounted Devin.

“Then I’ll see you when I return, Greta.”

“Please take care and come back safely!”

That was the last face Ragaen Sol Adantie saw of Greta Lievo under the summer sky.

***

Passing through the teleportation gate was always an unpleasant experience. Ragaen disliked the sensation of mana wrapping around his body and the feeling of distortion.

Suppressing the nausea rising in his stomach, Ragaen was approached by the vice-commander.

“Commander, the headcount is complete.”

“Let’s move.”

The summer expedition training. Held annually, its official purpose was to improve knights’ ability to combat monsters and adapt to harsh environments. However, in truth, this training was nothing more than a subjugation mission. The term “expedition training” was merely a euphemism to avoid alarming the citizens, who still shuddered at the mere mention of subjugation missions after the Great Demon War.

Although the war had ended, the territorial disputes between humans and monsters persisted. The northern Zelita Snowfields and the southern Burmato Mountain Range, in particular, were teeming with monsters, serving as their last strongholds on the continent.

“This year, there’s been one reported sighting of a Ritmaom.”

“What’s the damage?”

“It came near a village but retreated without causing harm. The Nibelota, however, have caused significant damage. Their numbers increased greatly due to the mild winter last year.”

“…Inform everyone that there will be no resupply.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The Nibelota were omnivorous monsters inhabiting the entirety of the Burmato Mountain Range, consuming anything and everything, whether human, animal, or crop. Despite their small and fragile appearance, their destructive impact was immense. To minimize the damage until the next summer, they would have to be slaughtered en masse.

Having grown up among monsters, Ragaen had never found expeditions arduous. But this time was different.

‘I don’t want to go.’

For the first time, he felt an urge to defy the Crown Prince’s orders.

‘I don’t want to go.’

He couldn’t pinpoint the reason. He just didn’t want to go. Camping in the mountains, lacking proper meals due to delayed supplies, and hunting monsters nonstop for two months were all fine. Yet, he simply didn’t want to go.

Unable to find the reason, Ragaen gave up searching.

Still… he wished he could return to Hiteria instead.