AME 63

Chapter 63

Ah, the knights.

Alesia glanced briefly at her injured left arm. It looked like someone had replaced the bandages while she was asleep—the wrappings that had still been stained with blood when she briefly awoke at dawn were now clean.

“Is Lewick okay?”

“He’s fine, thanks to someone shielding him. The one who shielded him, though, had their arm wrecked.”

Kaon clicked his tongue, casting a glance at her arm. His bright gray-blue eyes quickly dimmed. Even without asking, she could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face.

Alesia meant to say she was fine, that he needn’t worry, but the words caught in her throat. She never got them out. She still wasn’t used to someone caring about her.

Especially when Kaon looked at her like that, her stomach churned, and her emotions grew muddled. She wished he would stop, but at the same time, she feared seeing the hurt expression he might wear if she said so. It was laughable—she had wounded him countless times before under the guise of cutting ties, and now she was scared of hurting him again.

That was always how it was when she thought of Kaon Ferdinand. He stirred contradictory emotions she couldn’t easily explain.

Sometimes, when he acted childishly, she found him ridiculous—but when she reminded herself that he had grown up in a safe environment where honesty and freedom were allowed, she felt envy.

It was foolish to find herself glancing in the mirror more often before going out, just because she had fallen for a face that could change with time. It was even more foolish to hope that he might think of her from time to time, even if only to remember, “There was that strange girl once.”

‘What’s the point anyway? It’s not like I can stay here forever.’

Alesia bitterly scoffed at her own thoughts. Nothing had changed. All that had happened was that Kaon Ferdinand now knew another secret she had tried to hide. The future wasn’t going to change.

No matter how desperately she tried to take root in Ferdinand, it was impossible. She had neither the justification nor the power to stay. Everything she had here had been given to her by Ingelos.

Would Ferdinand ever accept someone who had cast aside the name of Ingelos? Of course not. Worse yet, if the truth came out—that she couldn’t even use magic—she might be dragged before a tribunal.

Alesia shook off the ridiculous thoughts and instead asked,

“That was your first time seeing something like that, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. It was the first.”

She hadn’t explained in detail, but Kaon immediately understood what she meant and continued.

“You’ve been out with us enough to know by now—monsters don’t have reason. If they’re hungry, they eat. If something moves, they attack. But the one we saw that day…”

Kaon trailed off, as if replaying the memory. Alesia, too, thought back to that day.

She’d been in Ferdinand for over a year and a half, going out on inspections nearly every day, but that was the first time anything like that had happened.

Though the forest was always thick with the scent of death, Alesia had learned through those outings that, deep down, everyone had grown used to it. The knights treated it as routine.

In fact, even when monsters suddenly appeared, they all responded expertly. The squads were led by elite knights who knew how to make the most of minimal manpower for maximum efficiency.

But that day had been different. Every memory from that day was seared with horror and brutality. The knights had clearly been shaken.

“They used tactics.”

“…Yeah. That’s what it looked like.”

The cause was the mutated monsters. Instead of charging with pure aggression, they summoned other beasts and used them. It was as if they were observing the outcomes of their actions. Then, when they judged the time was right, they struck.

Thankfully, their method of combat hadn’t changed much—but it wasn’t something to take comfort in. The monsters had changed. Whether it was evolution or growth was unclear, but the important thing was this: they might no longer be able to fight them the way they had before.

“We might need to consult the Mage Tower.”

Kaon murmured thoughtfully. He didn’t sound thrilled. From what Morris had said, the Mage Tower always demanded absurd terms whenever they were asked for help.

Morris had grumbled, “If we can’t handle it, it’ll become a national issue anyway—what makes them so damn confident?”

Alesia figured that’s exactly how the mages saw it. Most mages were like that. Since they possessed power beyond that of normal humans, they believed that if they ever decided to act, they could solve anything. An incredibly arrogant mindset.

‘Even though they’re getting weaker.’

It was laughable how they pretended all was well outwardly when internally they couldn’t even agree on a proper successor.

‘…Not that I’m one to talk.’

Of course, she wasn’t even worthy of being called a weak mage. Thinking about magic only reminded her of the invisible chains tied to her label as a failure.

To escape this burden, she had to run—from Ingelos, from their gaze. If she could flee to somewhere they’d never reach and live in hiding forever, maybe then she could be free.

But first, she had to buy herself time. Steeling her nerves after all that had happened, Alesia composed herself.

‘Next summer… not even a year left.’

As she recalled the date Richard had mentioned and turned her head to the right, she froze.

Her eyes widened, pupils dilating.

“…It’s gone.”

“What’s gone? Did you drink all the water already? Want more?”

Kaon said something, but she didn’t hear him. Alesia stared blankly at her right hand.

“The ring.”

“What?”

“The ring is gone.”

The ring that should’ve been on her index finger was missing.

Alesia immediately threw off the blanket and frantically searched the area around her. Her pillow, under the blanket, even under her dress—she checked everywhere, but the ring was nowhere to be found.

“Hey! Don’t move like that—!”

“Ugh!”

As she tried to get off the bed, putting weight on her left arm, a wave of pain rushed in. If Kaon hadn’t grabbed her shoulders in time, she would’ve collapsed forward.

The jolt of pain in her injured arm made her gasp, but she didn’t even have time to register it. She grabbed Kaon’s arm with both hands. Surprised by how close she suddenly was, Kaon almost backed away, but held firm, likely worried she might fall.

“My ring is gone. Did someone touch me while I was unconscious? Did they take it?”

“Well, someone did. You had to be washed. Not by me! I didn’t go in. The maids handled it. But hold on—it might’ve been removed to keep it from getting wet. It’s a valuable ring, right?”

At that, Alesia slowly let go of his arms. She watched as Kaon pulled the bell cord to call someone.

‘How could I lose it?’

Her mind went white. How could she lose something like that? And not even realize it until now? It didn’t seem real. She didn’t want to believe it.

To Alesia, that ring was her lifeline. Without it, she was nothing. It was the most precious thing Ingelos had ever given her—the only precious thing.

That ring was the reason she could pretend to be a mage, despite being unable to sense or wield magic.

“Hey.”

“…”

She didn’t even hear Kaon calling her. She just stared blankly at the blanket.

The ring was gone.

If the maids didn’t know anything, if they hadn’t set it aside—then what?

Would Richard give her another if she told him? No. He’d say, “I knew this would happen,” and summon her back to Ingelos.

And then she’d walk right back into hell.

She couldn’t let that happen. She didn’t have the strength to endure it again. In Ferdinand, she had finally learned what it meant to live like a real person—to share joy, to comfort pain, to live a life filled with meaning.

She couldn’t go back. She wouldn’t.

She’d rather die.

“Snap out of it!”

Kaon shouted, finally breaking her daze. She flinched and met his gaze—his jaw clenched, his eyes blazing.

“The medicine you took—it’s strong enough to knock out seasoned knights. The doctor said your wounds were so deep that if we didn’t use a powerful painkiller, you wouldn’t survive the treatment.”

He looked utterly frustrated.

“He’s been treating people in Ferdinand for over thirty years. Do you think you’re the first knight he’s treated after a monster attack? He used the strongest stuff on you. You’re that badly hurt!”

She had guessed as much. The foggy mind, the sleep-like haze, the blurry memories—it all made sense.

“…So what?”

“What?”

Still, she should’ve remembered. Some things were too important to forget, no matter how out of it she was.

Why had she thrown herself in harm’s way to save that knight? Conscience? Pity? Sympathy?

No. It was all calculated. To make her stay in Ferdinand just a little easier.

But without the ring, none of it mattered. Everything would become meaningless.

“How long do you think I can avoid going on patrols? Once I recover, if I don’t go out, people will start to suspect something. And without that ring, I’m nothing. You, at least, know that.”

Kaon’s eyes trembled. Just as Alesia tried to rise again—

“Young master, it’s Lily. May I come in?”

“Yeah, come in.”

Just then, Lily knocked on the door. Kaon answered, and she entered, startled to see Alesia awake but quickly beaming.

“Young lady! You’re awake? Are you hungry? I’ll bring you something to eat right away—”

“No, Lily. Later, please. Right now… did you happen to see my ring? A ruby ring, with a large stone.”

“The one you always wear?”

Lily tilted her head, thinking for a moment before responding. She remembered the ring. A faint glimmer of hope returned to Alesia’s face.

“Yes, that one. Did you see it? You helped wash me, right? Did you put it somewhere safe?”