Crack. Crackle.

It was not a sound one should normally hear from a person’s neck being held in one hand. Marion squeezed her eyes shut, trying to steady her spinning vision amidst the rapidly changing situation. With her sight temporarily blacked out, the sounds became all the more distinct.

“From now on, if anyone so much as moves a finger…”

The voice was as cold as a knife-edged wind blowing from the peak of the tallest, coldest mountain. Thud, thud. The sound of heavy bodies hitting the ground echoed around. The paralyzing killing intent dug straight into the minds of the rough men, rendering them unable to even think about running. Some collapsed to the ground, their legs giving out, while others choked, making animalistic sounds, as if their throats were being blocked.

“You don’t want to find out what happens next, do you?”

The space around them seemed to compress under an unseen pressure. Despite being in the midst of an environment filled with hostility, only Marion and her escort knight remained untouched. Marion slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

‘My God.’

The adventurers or laborers who had surrounded them were all kneeling, trembling, their faces pressed against the ground. The hooded adventurer’s hand was still wrapped around the neck of the man who had first started the trouble. His face had turned from red to a sickening purple, as if all the blood in his body was rushing up to his head.

“Wa…wait.”

The person who broke the suffocating silence was Yvonne. Her voice was a mix of half-shocked confusion over the situation and half wariness of this unknown figure. She cautiously tried to intervene.

“Killing someone here… that’s not acceptable.”

Yvonne spoke in a calm voice. It might be fine to rough them up a little, but if someone were to be killed here, both Marion and Yvonne would be in serious trouble. And at the rate things were going, it seemed the man dangling from the adventurer’s grip would really die soon. The man in the hood, his eyes hidden in the shadows, shifted his gaze toward Yvonne. Yvonne flinched, instinctively stepping back to shield Marion.

“…I see.”

The man, who had been carefully observing the situation, muttered as if coming to a conclusion. He then released his grip.

Thud!

The sound of a heavy object hitting the market ground echoed loudly. The laborer who had been released from the adventurer’s grasp writhed on the ground like a worm freshly pulled from the dirt.

“I wasn’t planning to kill him, of course.”

The oppressive atmosphere dissipated. What remained were the trembling adventurers and laborers, Yvonne standing in a defensive posture, and Marion looking worriedly between Yvonne and the adventurer.

Yvonne, surprised by the sudden change in the adventurer’s tone and demeanor, stared at him in disbelief. It was hard to imagine that this was the same man who had emanated such intense hostility just moments ago.

“Oh… I see…”

What followed was an awkward silence. The adventurer stood at a distance, watching Yvonne and Marion.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. I was just a bit startled.”

“…I’m glad you’re unharmed.”

There was something hidden behind his composed tone. Marion couldn’t shake the feeling that the adventurer was concealing something behind his words. Still cautious, Marion stepped forward, lightly pressing Yvonne’s hand down as if to stop her from intervening, and addressed the adventurer directly.

“Thank you so much for your help. As for how we can repay you…”

The hooded adventurer shook his head stiffly and gestured toward Yvonne, as if indicating that his intervention hadn’t been necessary.

“I simply got caught up in the moment. Don’t think too much of it. If I hadn’t stepped in, the knight here would have protected you just as well.”

“No, it was my fault for hesitating too long and keeping the lady behind me. I should’ve reacted more quickly.”

Caught up in the moment. Yvonne narrowed her eyes.

The adventurer’s actions were far from what one would expect from someone merely acting on impulse. He had exuded a palpable killing intent and had swiftly seized the man by the neck. Yvonne moved even closer to Marion, tensing internally as if readying for a fight. However, the adventurer began stepping back.

“I’ll go and fetch the guards now.”

“…I’m sorry that I can’t offer a more proper form of gratitude.”

Marion bowed her head deeply before calling Yvonne over.

“Would it be alright to give him the money I had set aside for today?”

“Yes. I think that would be appropriate.”

Yvonne nodded and pulled out a small pouch containing several gold coins.

“It’s a modest reward, but please accept it.”

“Thank you. I’ll accept it gladly.”

The adventurer nodded as he took the pouch of coins. Seeing him accept the reward without protest, both Yvonne and Marion visibly relaxed. Yvonne turned to Marion, and the adventurer, with the sound of coins jingling in the pouch, began walking off to call the guards.

“It seems today wasn’t your day, my lady.”

“…Yes. Perhaps it would be better to return a bit earlier today.”

Marion responded in a tired voice.

==

“So, what was it you went running off for in such a hurry?” Pierre asked, his tone accusatory. Maxim was still staring toward the alley where the guards had rushed.

“There was just something I had to take care of.”

Pierre followed Maxim’s gaze to the alley, where a growing crowd of people had gathered around the guards. The commotion had attracted quite a bit of attention, and some guards were working hard to keep the onlookers from pressing further into the alley.

“Did you go over there? Doesn’t seem like your style to cause such a scene.”

“It was nothing. Just a few thugs who needed to be taught a lesson by the guards.”

Some trouble, it seems.

Pierre didn’t pry further into the details.

“…Though, perhaps it wasn’t nothing after all.”

Maxim corrected himself, mumbling under his breath. Pierre snorted in disbelief.

“What are you talking about?”

“There was a strange feeling in that alley. I can’t be entirely sure, but it was as if someone was watching us. And my instincts are usually right in these matters.”

Maxim knew it was nearly impossible for anyone to be specifically tracking him. That’s why he couldn’t quite put into words the uneasiness he had felt at the time. It was the familiar sensation of being watched, yet it hadn’t been directed solely at him.

Which meant…

“You’ve caused enough of a commotion. It’s only natural people would be watching.”

“No, it was before I even got involved. I have a good sense for these things.”

Pierre raised an eyebrow, questioning Maxim’s meaning.

“So, do you think that the ones watching us are the same people we’ve been hunting down?”

“It’s them.”

Maxim’s tone had shifted into something close to certainty. Pierre couldn’t help but chuckle at the sudden confidence in Maxim’s voice, thinking he was hiding some ulterior motive.

“I don’t intend to get tangled up in your personal agenda.”

Maxim’s tone remained serious as he answered Pierre’s sarcastic remarks, as if unfazed by the joke.

“…Think what you want. I’m going to track this down. And you agreed to follow me today, didn’t you?”

Pierre’s face contorted once again, losing count of how many times it had done so.

“Alright, fine. But if this turns out to be a waste of time, I’ll make you pay for ruining my day.”

Though he had no real means of enforcing such a threat, Pierre growled as if to scare Maxim. Maxim, however, let Pierre’s words pass by one ear and out the other, focusing instead on unraveling the source of that mysterious gaze and its purpose.

‘It’s possible the spies planted by Bening accidentally stumbled upon me.’

The seamless way the situation had progressed felt too natural for it to have been mere coincidence.

Marion.

Maxim could feel his heart beating uneasily. He began moving quickly, intent on confirming the source of that gaze.

==

“They’ve split.”

The voice came with the sound of someone grinding their teeth. As soon as Marion and Yvonne began acting separately from Irina, the Bening spies hurried to execute their plan.

“For a moment, I thought some unforeseen variable had come up, but for that guy to show up…”

“You think he noticed?”

“If he did, he’d be a real monster. Still, that man seemed quite troublesome, but it’s fortunate he left. I can’t say for sure we would have succeeded even if we had tried to use the confusion to act.”

The man who had been gritting his teeth turned to his trembling companion and barked at him.

“Hey, get up. He’s gone. Sure, he seemed competent, but I don’t see why you were shaking like a rat.”

“You idiots… I warned you.”

The trembling man muttered under his breath in a low voice.

“Get up. Are you still not over it?”

The man dragged his companion to his feet.

“We were supposed to act the night before the procession leaves. Why are we rushing now?”

“You moron. Would you sit around sucking your thumb waiting for the scheduled date when an opportunity like this presents itself?”

There was no need to worry about sneaking into the estate or bypassing the surrounding guards. The only concern was the lone female knight sticking close to the lady. Who knew when another chance like this would come?

The three of them needed to act now.

“Stop whining and grab your knife. We’re going after the lady’s carriage.”

Though it wasn’t yet dusk, the men blended seamlessly into the shadows. With their complaints and chatter silenced, the Bening operatives revealed their true selves. Eyes gleamed with malice as they hid short blades within their cloaks.

And then, the three men vanished into the darkness.

==

The outing had been brief. Marion, with Yvonne by her side, was walking along the main road to catch the carriage back to the estate. Countess Irina’s expression had hardened like ice as she listened to what had transpired.

‘I will ensure they suffer the worst punishment imaginable.’

Her face, filled with more anger than anyone had ever seen, was enough to make the captain of the guards and even Yvonne, who had always been at her side, feel a chill of fear.

‘You should return to the estate. I’ll make sure to give you a little extra allowance, but for today, it would be best if we ended things early, for my peace of mind.’

It was an order they couldn’t refuse. In any case, Marion had been planning to return early. The Countess even assigned additional guards to accompany them to the carriage. Marion was grateful for the Countess's consideration, though she felt sorry for the guards who had to escort her back.

“They’ve probably been waiting in the carriage since the afternoon. If we head back now, they should be there,” Yvonne said, breaking the silence.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

It was the fifth time Yvonne had asked that question, and Marion couldn’t help but laugh softly. It felt like she had received more concern today than she had in her entire life.

“Yes. For the fifth time, I’m fine.”

Marion responded playfully. Yvonne blushed slightly and cleared her throat. Out of consideration for Yvonne’s embarrassment, Marion decided to change the subject.

“By the way, who do you think that man was?”

“Do you mean the one who helped us today?”

Marion nodded.

“I think I’ve seen him before…”

“You’ve seen him?”

“Yes. Though it was from a distance…”

Marion began to explain the situation. The outing with the baroness, the bridge, the wind, and the moment when she had locked eyes with the black-eyed adventurer from afar.

“Ah… Was he one of the adventurers hired to escort the merchants?”

“Yes. I believe so.”

As Marion spoke, she fell into brief contemplation. Those black eyes… something about them seemed familiar. That voice and gaze continued to linger in Marion’s mind. It puzzled her deeply, for they reminded her too much of Maxim.

It must be a mistake.

Marion frowned as she scolded herself. She hadn’t realized just how deeply she still thought of Maxim. Marion shook her head, trying to clear her mind of any thoughts about him. Once she started thinking of him, the thoughts would spiral out of control, filling her head completely.

“My lady.”

At that moment, a guard’s voice broke her out of her thoughts. They had already arrived at the carriage. The coachman was absent from his seat, as if he had stepped away for a moment. There were a few other carriages lined up behind theirs, waiting for any passing customers. Yvonne slowly approached them.

“Have you seen the coachman who was here?” Yvonne asked.

The coachman who answered was an odd fellow, wearing an eyepatch over one eye.

“He went to the restroom for a bit. Say, would you like to switch carriages, miss?”

“No, we’ll wait for him to return.”

Yvonne chuckled, declining the offer with a polite smile.

“Thank you for your time.”

“Safe travels, miss.”

The guard responded before turning to head back the way he came. Yvonne opened the carriage door and called out to Marion.

“My lady, why don’t you wait inside the carriage?”

“Yes, I’ll do that…”

As Marion moved closer to the carriage, Yvonne suddenly felt as though time had slowed down, as if something had forcibly frozen the moment in place.

“Ah…”

My lady…

Before Yvonne could finish her sentence, Marion’s vision went black.

==

“…”

Maxim stood silently, looking down at the unconscious knight on the ground. In the distance, he could hear the faint sound of a carriage speeding away.

“Hey, this is…”

Pierre, sensing the gravity of the situation, froze in place. His body shuddered, and he stiffened up, unnerved by the adventurer's ominous silence.

The air around Maxim was disturbingly calm.

Like the stillness of a deep ocean, the quiet of a forest at night, or the tranquil shore just before a storm.

A chilling breeze swept across the ground. Maxim’s head turned, his gaze following something, and then his eyes locked onto a specific point.

“Pierre.”

“Huh, what?”

Pierre stammered in surprise as he heard Maxim’s voice.

“I need you to take care of this knight.”

Before Pierre could respond, Maxim’s figure vanished right before his eyes.