AME 56

Chapter 56

Kaon had just stepped out the door when he ran into Alessia.
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise before she spoke first.

“You’re leaving ea—”

Before she could even finish, Kaon brushed past her and headed for the stairs. His long strides carried him quickly downward, his face flushed red.

“……”

“……”

At first, he couldn’t believe it.
It was as if the lower half of his body were utterly exposed, every brush of the wind’s chill registering on his skin—an impossible sensation he could scarcely accept.

But the towel lying crumpled on the floor dragged him back to reality.
Without even thinking to cover himself with the towel still in his hand, he slowly bent down and picked it up.

“…I didn’t see anything.”

“What… didn’t you see?”

“……”

What happened next… he didn’t even want to recall.

Never in his life had he felt such humiliation. Kaon wished he could simply vanish from existence—sink into the ground or soar into the heavens, he didn’t care which—as long as he disappeared. But of course, neither wish came true.

By the time he passed the front hall, his brisk pace had turned into a dejected trudge. Madeleine, who had just come in from outside, greeted him with a bright smile.

“Young master! You’re down. They say the meal’s ready—you should eat. The young lady will be coming down soon too, so this works out perfectly.”

“Forget it, Madeleine. I’m eating with the knights.”

At the mention of “young lady,” Kaon flinched. If there were any words he wished could be erased from existence right now, they’d be “young lady,” “Alessia,” and “Ingelos.” And if those words could disappear and take him along with them, he’d be even more grateful.

“Young master, did you and the young lady have a quarrel?”

“No. Nothing happened.”

Kaon shook his head at Madeleine’s cautious question. Even she, not known for her quick perception, seemed to have noticed something—proof that he must have been broadcasting his mood. But it hadn’t been a fight. If it was, then what would the cause be? An unintentional lower-body exposure? Emotional damage inflicted thereby?

With a short exhale, Kaon rubbed at his throbbing temples. Remembering that miserable morning incident was enough to give him a headache. He made sure to leave the main building before the source of that headache came downstairs.

The one-sided cold war lasted for some time afterward. Meanwhile, Ferdinand’s air had grown chill, and biting winds lashed between bare tree branches.

Snow had begun falling in the early evening, and by dawn it had piled so deep that one’s feet sank with every step. Kaon, unable to sleep after reliving that night’s memory in a nightmare, rose early.

He headed straight for Coda. Since the start of winter, Coda’s kennel had been completely winter-proofed: layers of straw stacked atop the wooden roof, covered with discarded cloth, and thick blankets spread along the walls and floor inside for insulation.

On especially cold days, a dog-loving soldier would take Coda to his own quarters. By all accounts, he was perfectly prepared for winter.

“Sleeping soundly, aren’t you.”

Sure enough, Coda was curled up in his blankets, snoring gently, blissfully unaware his master had come to visit.

Kaon reached out to ruffle the dog’s soft fur, but stopped himself. He didn’t want to wake him. Instead, he stood there for a while, simply watching, before stepping away.

Each slow step crunched softly in the snow, the sound carrying in the still morning air. Kaon drew a deep breath of the crisp winter air, the cold scent filling his lungs.

And in an instant, his mood soured. The sting of the wind against his body felt far too similar to that day’s sensation. His expression tightened as he made his way toward the knights’ building.

The snow showed no sign of stopping. It had already piled high, yet still fell in great, heavy flakes. For now, it was just thick snow, but if it kept falling and the wind picked up, a blizzard would hit.

Looks like there’ll be no inspection today.

Unlike the first kind of monsters, which let nothing hinder them, mutated ones rarely came out in blizzards. Not that humans could move around easily in such weather either—so it was, in a way, good news.

“Sir Kaon, you’re here early.”

“Is today’s inspection canceled?”

“It’s not confirmed yet, but likely. If we do head out, we’ll send a soldier to inform you. For now, assume it’s canceled—and please let the young lady know as well.”

“Alright.”

Inside the building, Kaon ran into the watchman—who also reported the weather to the knight commander. The commander seemed undecided, but from past experience, Kaon knew that on days like this, they stayed in.

He could have gone back to bed—there was plenty of time—but instead, he picked up his sword. Lying in a warm bed would only invite unwanted thoughts, so he preferred to work his body and quiet his mind.

While most were still asleep, Kaon trained alone until daylight, then returned to his room. Alessia’s room was still silent—she must have been fast asleep.

“Al—”

He almost knocked to wake her and let her know the inspection was off, but stopped. She always visited the training grounds before inspections; someone else could tell her.

Deep down, a trace of resentment—something along the lines of did you really have to walk in then?—made him petty.

Some people just waltz in and shatter another person’s peaceful life…

Not that it was entirely her fault—he knew that—but the shame and humiliation from that day weren’t something he could shoulder alone.

So he decided to blame her anyway. A little pettiness wouldn’t hurt. And in truth, all it meant was she’d make an extra trip to the training grounds before coming back—hardly a cruel punishment.

With that, Kaon drifted into a sweet sleep, earned after a morning of hard exercise.

When he woke, Kaon felt unusually refreshed. He got up and went to the window. Though the sun was up, the sky was dark with thick, heavy snow still falling.

No soldier came to fetch him—so the inspection was indeed canceled. Good thing, too; heading out in weather like this would have been asking for trouble.

I’m hungry.

As his stomach growled, Kaon considered heading downstairs. But then he noticed how unnervingly quiet it was beyond the curtains.

…She must have gone to eat already.

But that was unlikely. Having slept in so well, he’d woken well past lunchtime.

Training grounds? Library? Well, she’s somewhere.

He told himself not to worry. At Ferdinand, all inspection parties were thoroughly briefed before heading out, especially on weather-related safety. Alessia Ingelos was a model student—of course she’d remember.

Trying to reassure himself, Kaon stretched and stepped into the hall—where he spotted Lily, one of the maids close to Alessia.

“Lily.”

“Yes, young master.”

“Is Alessia in the dining hall?”

He kept his tone casual, expecting Lily to say Alessia was happily passing the time somewhere.

“The young lady? I assumed she was in her room… I haven’t seen her at all today.”

Instead, she said she hadn’t seen Alessia at all.

A prickle of unease ran through him. Kaon immediately headed for the training grounds.

“Sir Kaon, you’re here?”

“Nils. Have you seen Alessia today?”

“Wouldn’t she be resting? Hey—any of you seen the young lady today?”

Kaon didn’t bother explaining, just asked outright. Nils looked uncertain and repeated the question to the other knights. Responses of “no” came from all around.

“Damn it.”

“Sir Kaon?”

Ignoring the voice calling after him, Kaon spun on his heel and strode out. Heavy flakes were already piling thick on his head.

The eastern forest could only be reached via the back gate. Hurrying there, he found multiple sets of footprints—soldiers’, surely. They had to be.

“Sir Kaon, what brings you here?”

The gatekeeper looked surprised at his sudden appearance. The back gate’s heavy wooden doors were firmly shut.

“Has Alessia come through here?”

“The young lady? No, sir—she hasn’t passed this way.”

“Where’s the other guard?”

“He was sent to clear the front steps. On days like this, if you don’t keep ahead of the snow, it’s a real headache. With this weather, it’s fine for me to watch alone.”

It was a reasonable answer. The back gate was mainly used for inspection parties—on a day like this, that meant idle manpower, better used for shoveling snow.

Perhaps he’d been worrying for nothing. He’d just check the library to be sure.

But as Kaon turned to leave, he noticed something: the snow piled before the gate was thinner than elsewhere.

“…Did you open the gate today?”

“Yes, this morning. The snow didn’t look like it’d stop anytime soon, so if we left it, it’d get packed too hard to push. It’s easier to clear it early, before it piles too much.”

The fortress of Ferdinand was old, most of its buildings built in the old style.

The main gate had been upgraded decades ago to a winch-and-grate system, but the back gate was still two massive wooden doors that had to be pushed open by strong arms. Since no one lived back here and only knights used it, no one had bothered to modernize it.

“Did you leave it open unattended?”

“I had to rush to the privy for a moment… but no more than ten minutes—no, less than five, I’d say. Did I do something wrong…?”

Kaon’s expression grew grim. The gatekeeper’s face paled at the sight.

“Open the gate.”

“…Now, sir?”

“Push. Right now.”

Kaon set his shoulder to the door, and the suddenly flustered gatekeeper quickly joined him.

“Haa…”

When the gate creaked open, Kaon saw them—footprints leading straight toward the forest.