The vine that Pope Eyong gave me truly had miraculous effects.
Every time I took a step, it felt as if the path was being drawn automatically. On the map that floated in my mind, the trajectory of my movement was being marked.
It was a unique sensation.
I could guess why Pope Eyong was able to find paths in the coniferous forest. With such an item, it would be natural to comprehend every corner of the forest.
I was certainly benefiting from it.
My eyes scanned the surroundings, which had been burned. In the places where everything had been scorched, a world of black and white unfolded.
Only the charred remnants testified to the objects that had been here.
Seeing the tents and other facilities, it was clear that this was a military camp. Humanity’s army had dug in as far as this area.
Yet it had suffered a fire due to some unidentified cause.
That point was a mystery to me.
The North was a cold and dry place.
Once a fire was ignited, there was a risk of it spreading indefinitely. Thankfully, there was snow covering the ground; without it, the fire from last night could have turned into a major disaster.
Still, the reason the coniferous forest could support such dense foliage was that it wasn’t inherently an environment prone to fire.
The coniferous forest was a place where water droplets froze the moment they fell. Furthermore, the winds that blew year-round were the main culprit for extinguishing any sparks that barely appeared.
Naturally, the probability of a natural fire occurring was extremely low.
Thus, the answer was singular.
The fire from last night had been artificially started.
However, I couldn’t fathom who the culprit could be. Who would dare to touch humanity’s army?
It could have been the elves.
Humanity and elves were in an adversarial relationship. Setting fire to the military camp was merely a part of a proper military operation.
Yet the suspicion I held began precisely from that point.
As far as I knew, this was the only elf village in the vicinity. And our village wasn’t even aware of the location of this military camp.
That meant the premise for burning this place down was fundamentally flawed.
Now, only two possibilities remained.
Either the elf who had gone missing yesterday had set the fire, or a third suspect existed.
The former was quickly dismissed.
Because I caught sight of the remnants of a burnt restraining device. It was an item that couldn’t be made with elf technology.
They had been kidnapped.
I immediately deduced the surrounding circumstances.
The unfortunate elf wandering through the coniferous forest had been captured by humanity’s reconnaissance squad and subjected to interrogation.
It would have been hard to start a fire while being restrained. Moreover, everyone in the military camp must have been watching that elf.
My eyes, having discarded another hypothesis, carefully scanned the surroundings.
In a corner of the fire scene, there was an oddly different terrain.
It was a small mound.
On top of it were a sword and a spear. Anyone could tell it was a grave for a fallen warrior.
Could the soldiers from the military camp have returned to recover the body?
I shook my head, denying that inference. If that were the case, they should have actively erased any traces.
No commander would want to expose their position to the enemy. They wouldn’t miss a perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack on an elf village.
After taking such conspicuous action as a fire, it was only natural that they would have cleaned up the remnants left here.
In the end, I had to turn back without finding any answers.
The missing elf was nowhere to be seen. And the arsonists of the military camp still lay hidden in the shadows.
It wasn’t a wonderful achievement, to say the least.
But what could I do?
I was a knight. Unlike a professionally trained scout, there were limits to what I could ascertain.
First and foremost, returning to the village as quickly as possible was paramount.
That would grant me the wisdom of the village residents.
Most were simple elves, but there were some elderly ones with rich experiences, like Pope Eyong. For now, I had no choice but to rely on their wisdom.
Yes, I thought so.
Until I saw the burning village.
I felt the heat licking at my skin. It was a blatant fire. Otherwise, what else could that red and blazing sight be called?
I lost my composure for a moment.
Humanity’s military camp had burned down last night. Naturally, I shouldn’t have returned here for several weeks.
Yet it had barely been a few hours.
In the time I had stepped away, the village had caught fire. The sounds of clashing weapons indicated a clear attack.
Who on earth, and why?
What brought me back to my senses was a series of shouted commands.
“Burn down the warehouse first! These bastards have quite a lot of food!”
“Oh, no! That food took so long to gather…”
“Gather all the elves in the center!”
I stumbled forward and took a step.
The heightened senses relayed all that was happening through my optic nerves. Among the buildings ablaze was the food warehouse.
It was where the snow leopard meat we hunted last time was stored. How joyful the elves had been back then.
Now, it was about to be reduced to ash.
That wasn’t all.
Rughet and Dolp’s huts were also on fire. Pope Eyong’s hut had just caught fire.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I charged forward, planting my feet into the ground and leaping. As I repeatedly jumped, my body soon arrived at the center of the village.
There, elves bound with ropes were being dragged. And soldiers were pulling them to the center.
The emblem of the Yuridina Clan was visible.
My mind unraveled like a tangled ball of thread. The Yuridina Army wouldn’t do such a thing.
The Yuridina Army never strikes first against elves.
I had heard this from Senior Delphine, and it was common knowledge in the Empire. The empire always suffered at the hands of the elves.
It never stood as the aggressor.
At least, that’s what I had understood up to today. But what lay before my eyes, what was it?
Unfortunately, I had no time to indulge in contemplation.
A strangled shout burst from my throat.
“Stop!”
The soldiers, who were about to set fire and move the elves, halted in their tracks.
All eyes, including those of the elves, turned to me.
A strange silence fell against the backdrop of the burning village.
The soldiers were unable to speak for a while. They blinked in surprise, exchanging glances.
I quickly inspected the elves. Thankfully, it seemed there were no elves who had died yet.
Then there was a chance to save them.
I was Ian Fercurus. A hero of humanity, receiving full trust from the next head of the Yuridina Clan.
If they were elves, but the opponent was human, they could not escape my radiance.
Even now, look.
At the soldiers, hesitating with confused looks.
I shouted once more.
“Stop it, right now… what are you all doing? Since when did humanity start attacking innocent elves!”
At my outburst, the soldiers began to visibly panic.
They fidgeted, lowering their torches and relaxing their grips on the elves they were dragging.
It was then that I became certain.
Communication was happening. If this continued, I could save the elves without any casualties.
Just as I was inwardly feeling pleased,
Suddenly, a familiar voice struck my ears.
“…Haha, quite the surprise. Who would have thought we’d meet here.”
As laughter rang out, the hesitant soldiers instantly stiffened.
They immediately assumed a formal posture and saluted. It was the highest form of respect, not even visible to me.
The glory reserved for a respected superior.
I slowly turned my gaze towards the source of the voice.
“Ultimately, you’re saying you don’t know the location.”
It was a sigh-tainted reprimand.
In the hospital corner of Yuridina Castle, many had gathered.
Not only the ailing Ceria but also the Lady Virgin Saint, Elsi, Emma, and even the Imperial Princess.
Everyone that Ian had brought along. Yulen also kept silent, like a shadow behind the Lady Virgin Saint.
The Lady Virgin Saint seemed somewhat anxious. I could tell she was nibbling at her lips out of worry.
It wasn’t just her.
Everyone gathered here wore troubled expressions. Only Ceria, the subject of the rebuke, kept her head down.
She muttered as if in defense.
“I can’t pinpoint the exact operational location. I have a rough direction, but the coniferous forest is an unknown space. Just entering so deep would be a miracle.”
“But you said our master is staying nearby!”
Elsi’s voice burst out in frustration.
Indeed. It was common to be unable to ascertain your location in the coniferous forest.
Under normal circumstances, it would not even qualify as a complaint.
It was a sort of irresistible force.
However, the reason the women were agitated now was due to the information that Ceria had brought back.
The last area that Ceria had marked.
The elf village there was where Ian was staying.
And he was doing so without any memories.
Each time that fact came to mind, the women felt an intense thirst. No matter how much cold water they drank, their thirst could not be quenched.
As Ceria lost her ability to speak, Elsi ultimately clicked her tongue and turned her head.
“Tch, so why did the fire start and what was going on… what were you doing until the fire broke out?”
“I did my best!”
Ceria argued with tears welling in her eyes, as if to say she was innocent.
“The watch was perfectly secure. I didn’t let my tension slip… surely, there were no signs of anything aside from the soldiers.”
“Does that make sense? You must have missed the signs of the elves. Who else would start a fire?”
However, Elsi’s attitude was exceedingly cold.
Ceria had nothing to say in retort. No matter what she said, it would only serve as testimony of her incompetence.
Yet Ceria could not give up the last semblance of hope.
“No, there were definitely no signs…”
“It’s highly likely that Sister Yuridina made a mistake.”
It was the Lady Virgin Saint’s assertion. Ceria eventually lowered her gaze again.
She looked deflated.
However, it did not provide any particular relief to the Lady Virgin Saint, who seemed to be on the verge of exploding with worry over Ian.
“If an ambush occurred in the coniferous forest, the probability of it being elves is overwhelmingly high. If not…”
The Lady Virgin Saint parted her lips and suddenly felt a suspicion flash through her mind.
It wasn’t a particularly convincing hypothesis.
But if Ceria was right?
If truly no outsiders had intruded that night.
Then there was only one answer.
“…There must be a traitor.”
Someone who could infiltrate the Yuridina Army and secretly set fire.
There was only one person who could do that.
The traitor of the Yuridina Clan, who was blocking information on the elves.
Of course, that deduction was soon discarded.
No matter how much I pondered, there was no reason for a traitor to burn down the military camp.
At least not with the clues provided so far.
Bloodstains marked the snowfield.
A moaning boy had been gripped by thick gauntlets.
His face was bruised, and he was coughing up blood, indicative of having undergone a fierce battle.
The outcome was likely a complete defeat for the boy.
To show off his victory, the winner gripped the boy by the nape and dragged him along. I quickly recalled the boy’s identity.
A groan of realization escaped my lips.
“Pope Eyong….”
With heavy footsteps, he brushed past me.
Until then, I was frozen, unable to move. The man who had suddenly appeared threw Pope Eyong without hesitation.
Thud, Pope Eyong fell atop the gathered elves.
“Pope Eyong!”
A commotion ensued among the elves.
Seeing that the pillar of the village, Pope Eyong, had fallen, they were understandably alarmed.
The man stood with his back to that scene.
As if the wailing elves were an orchestra playing a symphony. He stood with a proud smile, arms wide open.
His lips, stained with blood, formed a fierce grin.
Just as he always did.
“My lord, I didn’t expect to find you here! Hahaha! You’ve been struggling among the lowly elves all this time.”
“That guy doesn’t matter!”
Rughet shouted as if in desperation.
The man glanced back momentarily. Despite his hands and feet being tied, Rughet raised his voice in defense of me.
“That person lost his memory! He didn’t betray you humans! So don’t lay a finger on him!”
Hmm, the man fell silent for a moment.
While stroking his chin, he subtly signaled to one of the soldiers. The soldier then hurriedly ran off somewhere.
The man placed his hand on his forehead with a thud.
“This is unexpected… it seems I have more to report. To think there would be amnesia.”
Soon after.
A sharp sound echoed.
It happened in an instant. The man’s kick struck Rughet’s temple, and he fell unconscious without even letting out a scream.
I could only cry out the man’s name as I watched that scene unfold.
“Sir Alex, no!”
At that single word, the man’s eyes shifted slowly, as if surprised.
He was a stoutly built old knight.
His hair had long since turned completely white, yet that sharp energy remained.
Before long, he snickered softly.
“That unnecessarily soft part of you hasn’t changed, my lord.”
The silence of the Yuridina Marquis, the vassal who had pledged loyalty to the clan for generations.
He was none other than the arsonist who had set fire to the elf village.
