NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 39
The road back to the castle was much quieter than when we left.
As I was deep in thought about the unease I had felt earlier, I didn’t have time to speak, while Inerma, seemingly excited, was even humming a little tune as we walked.
That said, the empty eye sockets and the thick darkness in the background combined to create a rather eerie sight.
Neither of us was saying anything, and since Inerma didn’t seem inclined to continue the conversation either, our steps naturally quickened. By the time I collected my thoughts, we had already arrived at the castle.
Inerma bowed her head in my direction precisely.
“Thank you for indulging my selfishness today, New Knight.”
“No need for thanks. I enjoyed breathing in the night air after a long time.”
Truth be told, I was rather preoccupied thinking about what had happened in the forest, but I decided not to bring it up. I wanted to avoid suspicion without solid evidence.
“I’ll be going in now. I’m starting to feel a bit sleepy.”
“Alright. I should sleep right away after I get in too.”
Just as we exchanged our usual pleasantries and were about to part ways, Inerma called out and stopped me.
“And Knight, you might be sleeping a bit late tonight.”
“Me? Sleeping late? Where is this coming from—”
“Newbie!”
What now?
A voice boomed down the corridor, causing me to stiffen. Without surprise, it was Lize. She came rushing over, scattering ice fragments in all directions, and clung to my right arm, growling cutely at Inerma. It was entirely non-threatening, more like watching a cat or a puppy squirm around.
“Hello, Knight Lize. It’s a lovely night.”
Still, Inerma greeted her with a smile, just as she always did. Lize wasn’t oblivious to the tone of her voice, so she must have sensed Lize’s expression.
“……Where have you two been at this late hour?”
There was suspicion laced in her voice.
“I just went for a night stroll with the New Knight.”
“A stroll? That’s really all there was to it?”
“Of course, you were watching from a distance, so you know, right?”
At Inerma’s words, I jerked my head around. Lize’s eyes went wide, clearly shocked.
“……You saw everything? From the start, Lize?”
“Yes. I’ve been watching since we first left the castle until now.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You were sneaking around behind our backs. I wondered if there was some reason you might do that.”
“…….”
Lize’s expression was one of disbelief: ‘How did I get caught?’ Inerma, who had just dropped the bombshell, cheerfully waved goodbye and skipped away.
Now, just a pair of dumbfounded man and woman remained in the castle hallway.
“……I thought I was well hidden.”
“That’s your grand revelation?”
After some time standing there speechless, Lize finally spoke up.
I wasn’t angry that Lize had been tailing us. I was just taken aback. I didn’t want to apologize, and it seemed Lize understood that well.
Moreover, I was in a rather awkward position to be angry. Knowing that those actions stemmed from affection meant I couldn’t react harshly. As long as she didn’t cross any lines, it was best to just consider it cute.
“So, why did you follow us?”
Of course, that was one thing, and this was another. I deliberately pressed her with the question.
“Well, I had no choice! How could I ignore you and that girl going outside the castle together?”
Lize responded confidently. My expression relaxed at the absurdity of it all.
“You could’ve just thought it was a simple stroll and let it go. Why trail us?”
“Are you insane? A man and a woman going out late at night alone—how could I let that slide? Have you lost your mind, Newbie?”
“Am I the one losing my mind? What do you think about all the outfits women wear? Not everything is scandalous just because of that.”
It’s true that due to the Mod, the clothing styles of women were extremely revealing, but this wasn’t a world where sense of modesty was entirely thrown out the window.
Right to the point, see walking around in a single loose shirt and only panties was an outfit people could find quite easily on the streets, and nobody batted an eye at that.
Before the Mod took effect, it probably would have just been plain fabric or leather clothing. This doesn’t indicate that women were lustful and couldn’t control their exposure.
Lize was just the one thinking weirdly.
“Isn’t it like that?”
“Of course not.”
“Prove it.”
“Huh?”
Before I could respond, Lize grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside, and under the guise of a night walk, we roamed the city until sunrise.
Looking at Lize’s expression on our return to the castle, it seemed she had planned this from the start.
The very next day after that noisy night stroll, the girl quietly bid farewell to the Silver Dawn Knights.
Iris and Erica said she could stay longer, but there was no reason to linger, so she politely declined.
Since the Empress had already indicated that her purpose had been achieved, it was right to return immediately.
The girl left the knight order wrapped in a single piece of cloth just like when she first arrived here. However, since she had washed the cloth clean while staying at the castle, she looked a bit better than before.
After walking and walking further into a deep mountain forest, the girl threw off the cloth that had been wrapping around her body. She stood there completely naked.
She infused the cloth with magic. Then, the cloth began to float by itself around her, and before long, it transformed into the leather outfit she had been wearing.
The top clung tightly, revealing her slender figure with a hoodie pulled over her head, and extremely short leather pants that only reached to the length of her fingers.
The artifact used to change her clothes was hanging around her neck once more.
As before, the girl listened to the surrounding sounds for a moment and after confirming no one was there, she activated the artifact hanging around her neck.
A magic circle was drawn below her feet. In an instant, along with a beam of light, the girl’s body vanished somewhere, and the magic circle disappeared as soon as her body was gone.
“Have you arrived?”
In the blink of an eye, the girl transported to the imperial palace, knelt on one knee in the direction of the voice, pressing her palms to the floor and bowing deeply.
Empress Kaiquilia. The person she had to absolutely obey.
“Did you find the person you wished for?”
But this time, there was another voice. The girl stiffened as soon as she heard it, stopping her movements. The golden eyes stared down at her without flinching.
“Indeed. I have finally found what I sought.”
“Hmm, really? If you’re showing such reactions, they must be quite the person. I’m curious who it is.”
“Would you like to verify? I assure you, you shall regret it not.”
“I’ll not decline. Then, let’s see.”
With a different tone than Kaiquilia, the voice was imbued with a noble, mystical quality, and it snapped its fingers lightly. The girl, who had been lying flat on the floor, suddenly raised her head.
In the empty sockets should have been, the mysterious ultramarine eyes shone brightly.
Those eyes shared the exact color with the voice next to Kaiquilia.
“Oh?”
How much time had passed? The pitch of her voice slightly lifted in surprise. The empress grinned triumphantly.
“I told you, didn’t I? I promised you wouldn’t regret it.”
“Hmm, indeed. This child has amplified her magical power in such a short time… Quite interesting. Though the absolute value isn’t anything to be impressed by, that’s not what’s important.”
The ultramarine glow from her eyes dimmed. Returning to dull black pupils, the girl bowed her head deeply. The owner of the ultramarine eyes snapped her fingers once more.
In an instant, the girl’s form turned blue and scattered like mana, converging back towards the voice.
This whole time, the girl had not been a human being but something crafted from magic. Yet so exquisitely detailed and human-like that no one in the Silver Dawn Knights even noticed.
The fact that she moved around effortlessly, despite being blind, was entirely accepted without unease due to the special magic applied to her body.
A magic that slightly distorted the perception of those around her.
“So you’ve regained the mana used to cast that, huh? Did you like it that much?”
“I found it intriguing. I plan to improve this magic further while researching that man alongside it. Guess it’s time for me to head to the Mage Tower instead of the library for a change.”
The woman with ultramarine eyes said that as she waved her fingers, elegantly sketching a magic circle on the ground. Soon, the magic circle completed, and a beam of light surrounded the woman’s body.
“However, I must make one thing clear.”
The woman halted her teleportation at Kaiquilia’s words. Her mysterious eyes turned back to Kaiquilia.
“I won’t mind you taking an interest in that man. I was the same, and I believe you should as well.”
The golden eyes blazed with intensity.
“However, if you show more interest in him than I do, I will not sit idly by. Keep that in mind, Minerva.”
The woman called Minerva showed no fear at the Empress’s chilling warning. With a charming smile, she vanished into the pillar of light after leaving one final remark.
“Don’t worry, set aside your jealousy. I won’t have any thoughts like that.”
Soon, the pillar of light faded, and the magic circle disappeared.
Kaiquilia, still with her glowing golden eyes, stared at the place where Minerva had just vanished before she quickly turned away.