Chapter 18
I swallowed nervously.
At least he hadn't recognized me as Rishima.
I quietly let out a breath.
"I should let you continue training," I said.
Cassian nodded.
"You should sleep," he said
"Yes, Your Grace," I replied.
I gave a small bow before turning back toward the tent.
Vanessa was still fast asleep when I returned.
I quietly slipped inside and lay down on my bedroll.
This time, my mind was finally quiet.
I closed my eyes.
Before long, I finally fell asleep.
~~
The next few days passed in a blur.
We continued deeper into the forest, fighting monsters and clearing the areas assigned to us.
Unlike the first day, nothing particularly unusual happened.
The work was exhausting, but with the knights and mercenaries working together, we slowly pushed the monsters back.
By the fourth day, the number of monsters had decreased significantly.
Finally, the order we had been waiting for came.
"The subjugation is complete!"
A knight's voice echoed through the camp.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It was finally over.
I looked around at the exhausted mercenaries.
Everyone looked relieved to be heading home.
As for me...
I had something else on my mind.
Rishima.
I couldn't stop thinking about the memory I had seen.
What if she really hadn't deserved to die?
What if everything I had read in the novel was only part of the truth?
I had always thought of Rishima as the villainess destined to meet a terrible end.
But after seeing that memory, I couldn't help wondering...
What if there was more to her story?
I knew I wasn't Rishima.
Her past wasn't my responsibility.
And yet, the thought of what happened to her continued to bother me.
I wanted to know the truth.
And the first place I needed to look was Solaris Kingdom.
We were already in the northern part of Sylvania, and Solaris was just beyond the border.
So the journey wouldn't take long.
I returned to the camp and began packing my things.
The other knights stationed along the border hadn't returned yet, so we were still waiting for them before everyone headed back together.
As I finished securing my belongings, Travis approached me.
"You're already done?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied.
Travis glanced at my belongings. "You seem ready to leave already," he observed.
"I won't be going back with you," I said.
Travis stared at me for a moment.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I'm going to Solaris," I replied.
His eyebrows rose.
"Solaris?" he repeated.
I nodded.
"Why would you suddenly go there?" he asked. "We're heading back to Duke Cassian's estate once the others arrive. There's going to be a celebration tonight."
"I know," I said.
Travis looked at me, clearly confused.
"Then why Solaris?" he asked.
I hesitated.
"There's something I need to find out," I said.
He frowned.
"Can't it wait until after the celebration?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"No. I need to go now," I replied.
Travis sighed and studied me for a moment before shaking his head.
"I don't understand you sometimes, Luna," he said.
I let out a quiet laugh.
"I know," I replied.
"One more thing. Could you tell the innkeeper to keep the rest of my things for me?" I asked. "I'll come back for them eventually."
"Sure. I'll let her know," he said.
"Thank you," I replied.
I glanced toward Duke Cassian's tent.
Since I wouldn't be returning with the others, I needed to inform him before I left.
I headed toward his tent.
"Your Grace, it's me Luna," I called.
"Come in," Cassian replied.
I stepped inside.
Cassian was looking over a map spread across the table.
He raised his eyes when he saw me.
"Luna. What is it?" he asked.
"I came to inform you that I won't be returning with the others," I said.
Cassian studied me briefly.
"You're not going to join the celebration?" he asked.
"No, Your Grace," I replied. "I'm going to Solaris."
His gaze sharpened slightly but he didn't ask any further questions.
"Very well, take a horse with you," he said.
I bowed my head.
"Thank you, Your Grace," I replied.
I blinked.
He was letting me take one of his horses without asking why I was going to Solaris.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Duke Cassian was surprisingly kind.
I bowed once more before leaving the tent.
Outside, I made my way toward the horses kept near the camp.
I chose one and secured my belongings before mounting.
Thankfully, I knew how to ride.
I had never expected to be grateful for that skill, but it certainly came in handy now.
I turned my horse toward the road leading to Solaris.
With one last glance at the camp, I urged the horse forward.
The road ahead was quiet, and I continued toward the border.
And hopefully, it would bring me one step closer to the truth about Rishima.
After riding for a while, I had finally reached the border.
Several knights were stationed along the road, checking everyone who entered Solaris.
As I approached, something strange caught my attention.
A faint shimmer stretched across the horizon, almost invisible against the sky.
I slowed my horse and stared at it.
"What is that...?" I muttered.
It looked like some kind of transparent barrier surrounding Solaris.
I had never seen anything like it before.
I stared for another moment before shaking my head.
Maybe it was some kind of magic.
I decided not to think too much about it and continued toward the checkpoint.
As I approached, I noticed the knights' uniforms were the same as those worn by Duke Cassian's knights.
These must be Solaris knights.
One of them stepped forward.
"Stop," he said.
I pulled the reins, bringing my horse to a halt.
"State your name and reason for entering," he said.
I swallowed hard before answering.
"My name is Luna. I'm a mercenary. I want to look for work in Solaris since there aren't enough jobs in Sylvania," I said as I handed him my mercenary card.
I lied.
I just hope they don't have some kind of magic lie detector. T_T
The knight took my card and examined it carefully.
He glanced at me before looking back at the card.
"Very well. You may pass," he said, handing the card back to me.
I let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank you," I said.
I tucked my card away and urged my horse forward.
Once I crossed the border, I noticed several knights stationed on the other side.
Their uniforms were completely different from the ones worn by Sylvania's knights.
I stared at them for a moment.
These must be Solaris knights.
I had finally entered Solaris Kingdom.
★★★
The men immediately turned their attention toward them.
They carefully observed the returning knights and mercenaries as they entered the estate.
They searched the crowd for a particular woman.
Rishima
But she wasn't there.
One of the men frowned.
"She's not among them," he said quietly.
"Let's make sure," another replied.
They watched the remaining mercenaries pass.
Still, there was no sign of her.
The men exchanged glances.
"We should speak with the duke," one of them said.
They approached the estate and requested an audience with Duke Cassian.
When they were brought before him, one of the men reached beneath his cloak and revealed the Grimaldi crest.
"We are here on behalf of the Duke Grimaldi," he said.
Cassian's gaze settled on the crest.
"What do you need?" he asked.
"We're looking for a young woman who joined the monster subjugation," the man replied.
Cassian remained silent.
"She has silver hair and violet eyes," the man continued. "Her name is Luna."
Cassian's expression remained calm.
The men exchanged a brief glance.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but we can't say," one of them replied.
Cassian's eyes narrowed slightly before answering.
"She didn't return with the others," he said.
The men's expressions immediately stiffened.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
They exchanged a nervous glance.
They had failed.
They had expected her to return with the mercenaries, yet she was nowhere to be found.
One of the men swallowed hard and asked.
"Do you perhaps know where she went?"
Cassian remained silent for a moment.
"I don't," he replied.
It was a lie.
Cassian didn't trust them.
They had refused to explain why they were looking for Luna, yet expected him to reveal where she had gone.
"Is there anything else you need?" Cassian asked.
The men exchanged a brief glance.
"No, Your Grace," one of them replied.
Cassian nodded.
"Then you may leave."
The men bowed before leaving the tent.
Cassian watched them go, his expression thoughtful.
Whatever their reason for looking for Luna was, he had no intention of helping them find her.
Meanwhile, the three men left Duke Cassian's estate with grim expressions.
They had gotten nothing from the duke.
"What do we do now?" one of them asked.
The men exchanged uneasy glances.
They couldn't return to Duke Grimaldi empty-handed.
Then one of them spoke.
"Travis."
The others immediately understood.
"Let's find him," one of them said.
They headed toward the area where the mercenaries were gathering.
After asking around, they soon found Travis.
The three men exchanged a glance before approaching him.
"Are you Travis?" one of them asked.
Travis looked at them cautiously.
"Yes. Why?" he asked.
"We're looking for Luna," the man replied.
Travis's expression changed slightly.
"Why are you looking for her?" he asked.
The men exchanged a glance.
"It's none of your business. Just tell us what you know," one of them answered.
Travis frowned.
Their answer immediately made him suspicious.
"I don't know anything!" Travis said. "I'm actually mad at her because she left without even saying goodbye."
He lied.
Just like Cassian, Travis had no intention of telling them where Luna had gone.
The men exchanged frustrated glances.
They had no choice but to return to the Grimaldi estate empty-handed.
"Let's go," one of them said.
One of the men took out a teleportation scroll and unrolled it.
He placed his hand on the seal.
"Grimaldi Estate," he said clearly.
The seal glowed brightly, and a magic circle appeared beneath their feet.
A moment later, the three men vanished and reappeared inside the Grimaldi Estate.
They immediately made their way toward Duke Grimaldi's study.
When they entered, Yohan was already there.
He looked up at them.
"You're back," Yohan said.
The men bowed.
"Your Grace, we have a report," one of them said.
Theon looked up from his desk.
"Where is Rishima?" he asked.
The men exchanged nervous glances.
"We couldn't find her," one of them replied.
Theon's expression darkened.
"She wasn't among the returning mercenaries," another man explained. "We asked Duke Cassian about her, but he claimed he didn't know where she went."
Yohan frowned.
"What about Travis?" he asked.
"We found him," the man replied. "But he said he didn't know anything either."
Theon went silent.
The three men lowered their heads.
"We're sorry, Your Grace," one of them said.
Theon slowly leaned back in his chair.
"Leave," he said.
The men bowed before quickly leaving the room.
Yohan remained silent for a moment.
Then he looked at Theon.
"We've lost track of her again," he said.
Theon clenched his jaw, clearly frustrated.
"I don't care if you have to turn the entire kingdom upside down," he said. "Just find her."
Yohan nodded.
"Yes, Your Grace."