“We’ve arrived.”
At the young man’s words, I cautiously looked around. Thick fog hung heavily in the air, and beyond it, only a few wooden buildings were faintly visible.
The gloomy atmosphere sent an unsettling feeling through . This was not a place I wanted to step into if I could help it. Of course, the young man’s face only added to the eerie mood.
‘What about the compass?’
I asked with my eyes, and Lily carefully pulled out the compass.
The needle was still pointing sowhere deeper into the village.
‘So we haven’t reached it yet.’
According to Evan, the compass would start spinning wildly once we arrived at the designated location. If that were true, then the emperor’s hotown must be even further in.
Just the thought of it gave a headache.
“Where can we stay for the night?”
At Evan’s question, the young man gestured for us to follow. The way he did it was unnerving, but at this point, turning back wasn’t an option.
“Just follow .”
With one hand on his sword’s scabbard, Evan cautiously trailed behind him. Despite his obvious wariness, the young man showed no particular reaction—just an indifferent gaze.
To be that calm while leading a knight gripping his weapon… Was it boldness? Or was he just that strange?
“This is the place.”
When the young man finally stopped, what stood before us was an abandoned house. Scorch marks here and there suggested it had once been in a fire.
It looked like it could collapse at the slightest touch.
The interior was sowhat tidy, suggesting soone had maintained it, but that was the best that could be said.
I barely held back a sigh. Lily’s expression crumpled in clear disapproval, and even Evan frowned at the state of the place.
Turning to look at the young man, I found his expression just as indifferent as before.
“There’s nowhere else. Unless you’d rather go knocking on other doors and ask for a place to stay.”
He scratched his head as he spoke.
No matter how scarce the options were, who in their right mind would stay in such a creepy abandoned house?
And the fact that he actually intended to charge for this dump… It was laughable.
Seeing Lily’s expression, the young man seed to realize we weren’t interested. He clicked his tongue and turned away.
“Well, if you don’t like it, that’s your choice. If you change your mind, co to my house.”
He had already started walking away when he suddenly paused and turned back.
“Oh, right. My house has a yellow roof. Don’t mix it up with the others.”
With that, he disappeared into the fog.
Watching his retreating figure, Evan clicked his tongue in annoyance. Lily had a similar look on her face.
“There’s sothing off about this place. Stay close to .”
I nodded at his warning and moved a little closer. Lily also gave a firm nod, acknowledging his words.
She glanced at the compass again before pointing in a direction.
“So, this isn’t the place after all.”
Muttering under his breath, Evan took the lead, following where Lily pointed.
Unlike usual, he was on high alert, his voice lower and more serious than before.
As we walked through the village, where even the path ahead was barely visible, the thick forest gradually ca back into view.
Beyond the trees, the fog obscured everything. That made it even harder to take a step forward.
Evan stopped in his tracks and turned around.
“You must be getting tired. Do you want to keep going?”
Now that he ntioned it, we had been walking for quite so ti.
Lily was slightly out of breath, and I wasn’t in much better condition myself.
We had taken a few short breaks along the way, but it wasn’t enough to recover fully.
Even though that house was practically a ruin, it was still better than collapsing in the middle of the forest.
“It would be safer to rest in that house than out here.”
Evan seed to share the sa thought.
But Lily frowned, clearly uneasy.
“That man… and this whole village…”
She hesitated before letting out a deep sigh.
“Wouldn’t the village actually be more dangerous?”
“…That’s a fair point.”
She wasn’t wrong. The young man’s deanor was strange, and Evan had also sensed sothing odd earlier.
Not to ntion, I had noticed sothing while walking through the village—the abandoned house was located almost exactly in the center of it.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
It had to an sothing.
Seeing my expression, Evan seed to co to the sa conclusion and nodded.
“Alright. Let’s keep going.”
There was still so ti before nightfall.
If it really ca down to it, we could always return later.
Evan drew his sword and lightly slashed a tree.
As we moved forward, he continued marking trees along the way.
Was he making a trail so we wouldn’t get lost?
That was actually a smart move. If we needed to, we could follow these marks back to the village.
How long had we been walking, following the compass’s direction?
Before we knew it, we arrived at an open plain.
A patch of vibrant green grass, oddly out of place in the midst of the dense forest.
It was suspicious, but the compass still pointed beyond the plains.
“Are you alright?”
“…We have to go.”
That was my only answer to Evan’s question. Lily nodded vigorously in agreent.
“Stay cautious.”
With those words, he pressed forward once more.
Lily and I followed behind, watching as Evan cut through the grass with his sword. His grip on the hilt was firm, his steps slow and deliberate. Lily also scanned her surroundings carefully as she walked.
‘…A cabin?’
A small wooden cabin ca into view. Unlike the houses in the village, it wasn’t very large.
A faint light flickered beyond the window, and thin smoke curled up from the chimney.
Unlike that eerie abandoned house, this place seed warm and cozy.
Evan silently approached the door. After returning his sword to its scabbard, he cautiously knocked.
Knock, knock.
There was no response.
The sky was growing darker, yet the dim light inside the cabin remained. That alone raised questions.
Frowning slightly, Evan knocked again.
“Is anyone there?”
Knock, knock.
This ti, there was movent from within.
Monts later, the door swung open, revealing an old woman.
Her wary eyes darted around, scanning the surroundings before she motioned for us to step inside.
The mont we entered, she shut and locked the door behind us.
Her hurried actions only deepened my curiosity.
“You must be outsiders.”
“Yes.”
Leaning on her cane, the old woman let out a deep sigh before sinking into a chair.
“Sit wherever you like. I’d offer you sothing, but I don’t have much.”
“No, we’re just grateful you let us in.”
It was certainly better than staying in that abandoned house.
With that thought, I took a seat on a wooden chair.
The old woman studied us for a mont before speaking in a calm voice.
“What brings outsiders all the way here?”
At her question, Lily hesitated and glanced at nervously.
The compass in her hand was spinning wildly now, as if its job was done.
That ant this house was the emperor’s hotown.
When I turned back to the old woman, her sharp gaze was fixed on .
‘She won’t fall for lies.’
She had hesitated before answering Evan’s knock.
She had locked the door the mont we stepped inside.
Soone that cautious wouldn’t be easily deceived.
If anything, lying might make things worse.
With that thought in mind, I slowly opened my mouth.
“The emperor’s hotown.”
At my words, the old woman’s expression stiffened slightly.
“We ca to this village looking for it.”
Lily gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth. Evan, too, looked startled, his lips parting slightly in shock.
The old woman observed us carefully before placing her cane on the table.
After a mont of silence, she let out a soft chuckle.
“You’re quite the honest one.”
“L-Lady Adele!”
Lily had crept behind , whispering urgently into my ear. Evan stared at , his expression torn between disbelief and frustration.
His trembling gaze alone spoke volus about his emotions.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” the old woman reassured us with a warm smile.
“If you were really imperial spies, you wouldn’t be acting like this.”
Her words made Lily hesitate before she reluctantly took a seat beside .
Evan let out a long sigh before finally speaking.
“Lady Adele, please consult with us before making such decisions in the future.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next ti.”
Hearing my apology, he nodded and moved closer.
“So, why are you searching for the emperor’s hotown?”
“We want to know the imperial family’s deepest secret.”
At my words, the old woman exhaled sharply.
“That’s quite the bold statent.”
She chuckled, shaking her head as if reminiscing about her younger days.
After a brief pause, she finally spoke.
“I was the one who raised that child when he was young. So yes, you could say this is his hotown.”
That child…
She must be referring to the emperor.
So we really had co to the right place.
“But there’s not much I can tell you. I was never part of the royal family.”
I stiffened.
Only those of royal blood could reveal the imperial family’s secrets.
Even after coming all this way, the sa restriction was blocking our path.
It was frustrating.
Noticing my expression, the old woman shook her head before speaking again.
“There is… one thing I can tell you.”
“What is it?”
She hesitated for a mont before finally parting her lips.
At the sa ti, a thin stream of blood trickled from her eyes.
A different kind of restriction?
Despite the blood running down her cheek, she showed no intention of stopping.
“That child… is not the emperor.”
– – The End of The Chapter – –
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