Episode 170

‘What should I do?’

I didn’t want to drag my brother into this any further…

The guilt and shame I felt made it hard for me to ask Noah for help. I just couldn’t bring myself to say the words.

“Hurry. We don’t have time.”

“Ah, time…”

But when he mentioned how little time we had, my conscience wavered for a moment, threatening to crumble.

The image of Lloydin on the brink of death overwhelmed my thoughts, filling me with fear.

The plan I had come up with was far more likely to succeed with Noah’s help. I knew that.

But it wasn’t impossible for me to carry it out on my own, which was why I had initially intended to do it alone…

“Ayla.”

Yet, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t bring myself to involve Noah in this. Still, he kept pressing me.

“So, I…”

“We agreed to do this together, didn’t we?”

“Yes, but…”

“Then let’s start by hearing what your plan is.”

Seeing how hesitant I was, Noah tried a different approach to persuade me.

“Just listen?”

“Yes. I’ll hear it first. Besides, it’s important for me to know if the plan will even work.”

He had a point. Noah knew more than I did about many things, and if I were to seek advice from anyone, it would be him.

“…Okay, but you’re just going to listen?”

“Alright.”

Finally, I relented and began to explain what I had in mind under the guise of discussing the plan.

“So… I plan to do to the ruler of the Black Forest what the Crown Prince is trying to do to the Duke.”

“Do the same thing?”

“I’m going to use the divine sword to drain his magic.”

“Weren’t we originally just planning to steal the divine sword?”

“Yes, we were. The plan was to steal the sword before the Crown Prince could use it, rendering him powerless.”

Before we left the estate, we had discussed what to do upon reaching the Black Forest and decided on this plan: to lie in wait, then steal the divine sword from the Crown Prince before he could use it.

Without the sword, the Crown Prince would no longer be a threat to Lloydin.

If this plan succeeded, we could resolve everything without directly confronting the Crown Prince. Although we had prepared for the worst, I hoped we wouldn’t have to go that far.

If we failed to steal the sword and ended up in a direct confrontation with the Crown Prince, it would be a difficult fight.

“But after thinking about it more, I realized the divine sword would likely work on the ruler of the Black Forest too. I’m sure it will.”

I spoke with confidence.

“You’re probably right; the divine sword should work. But the amount of magic that the ruler holds is far beyond anything we can imagine. The sword, imbued with only the High Priest’s divine power, won’t be enough to handle that kind of force.”

“I know. That’s why I thought about it more. You told me before that the three powers—divine, magic, and spirit—all influence each other.”

“Ayla, you don’t mean… you’re going to use spirit power to amplify the Duke’s magic?”

“Yes, exactly. Spirit power enhances magic, and magic enhances divine power. If the Duke and I combine our strengths, we can amplify the divine power in the sword even more.”

“That’s dangerous.”

Noah’s face turned serious as soon as I finished speaking.

“It probably is.”

I had known from the moment I devised this plan that it would be dangerous.

But it was a fight where I had to risk everything, so danger was inevitable.

“I didn’t think you’d be this reckless.”

“Neither did I.”

“You’re doing all of this because of the Duke, aren’t you?”

I didn’t respond. I simply looked at Noah and gave him a faint smile.

“Then let me join you.”

“Brother!”

My smile vanished at once when I heard Noah’s words.

I bit my lip and shook my head firmly.

“You don’t have to. Just help me steal the divine sword, and after that, I can handle the rest with the Duke. Please, brother.”

“Three heads are better than two.”

“Brother, please…”

“It’s funny, isn’t it? The three of us each possess different types of power.”

Noah said, refusing to budge despite my efforts to stop him.

“No matter what you say, I’m not going to leave you behind, Ayla. So you have two choices: either we do this together, or you give up.”

At this point, giving up wasn’t an option.

That left me with only one choice, but I felt incredibly guilty about dragging my brother into this. It weighed heavily on my heart.

“…If anything happens to you because of this, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”

“Don’t say that.”

Hearing my murmured words, Noah smiled softly and gently ruffled my hair.

“No one’s going to get hurt. Let’s do this together. I can’t stand to watch the Blighton family suffer like this anymore either.”

“…Brother.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. His understanding and willingness to join me, despite the risks, made my heart ache with gratitude.

As I looked at him, blinking back tears, Noah suddenly spoke in a playful tone.

“And besides, can you imagine what Jade and Luke would do to me if I came back without you? It’s better to stay with you than face them.”

His words made me laugh, and the tears that had been about to spill suddenly retreated.

Seeing me smile, Noah exaggerated even more.

“They might even kill me! I’m only doing this so I don’t have to deal with those two.”

Jade and Luke… Honestly, that wasn’t far from the truth. They’d do anything to protect me, and I knew how much they cared for me.

“So, no matter what happens, you can’t blame yourself. Promise me.”

Although I couldn’t completely agree with that, I nodded without saying anything more.

“Alright, it seems the horses have rested enough. Shall we head out?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

The dark night sky was gradually lightening as dawn approached.

We packed up our things and mounted our horses again. Thanks to the break, the horses regained their strength, and we resumed our fast pace toward the Black Forest.

* * *

After several more days of travel, we arrived at a military camp near the Black Forest.

When we reached the camp, it was still bright daylight, so Noah and I decided to hide in a nearby forest where we could keep an eye on the camp until it got dark.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any battles near the Black Forest today.

The knights stationed at the camp were going about their duties, scattered across the area.

‘Where is Lloydin?’

With so many tents, I had no idea where Lloydin might be staying. It would be easier if he came outside, but he hadn’t shown himself at all, and I was growing more anxious.

“Brother,” I whispered so softly that only Noah could hear.

“Yes?”

“Have you spotted the Duke?”

“No, not yet.”

“Right? Where could he be?”

“Let’s keep watching for now.”

“Alright.”

“Luckily, there’s no sign of the Crown Prince or his entourage. We definitely got here first.”

“Yeah, it seems that way.”

“But they’ll arrive soon. Let’s find the Duke before nightfall.”

“Agreed.”

After that, we fell silent and focused on observing the camp.

As the hours passed and the sun began to set, I started to feel anxious. I worried that it would be too dark to distinguish anyone soon.

Just as my impatience was rising, I saw a familiar figure emerge from one of the tents on the far left.

“Huh?”

Without thinking, I spoke a little too loudly and pointed toward the man, but Noah quickly pulled me down.

“Ayla, be quiet!”

“Oh! Sorry. But… isn’t that the Duke?”

I quickly ducked back down, lowering my voice as I gestured toward the man.

“Hmm, I can’t tell for sure.”

“You can’t? I’m pretty sure it’s him…”

The distance between us and the camp made it difficult to clearly see his face, but his hairstyle, height, and build all seemed to match Lloydin’s.

I kept my eyes glued to the man as he moved.

He left the tent and walked toward the stables, staying there for about ten minutes before returning to his tent.

“I’m certain it’s him. That’s Lloydin.”

“If you say so, then I believe you.”

“Let’s head over there once it’s dark.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

Now that we had located Lloydin, we waited for the cover of night to completely hide us.

As soon as the darkness settled in, we quietly descended from the forest and made our way toward the camp.