086. The Forest of Mist (4)

After finishing their meal, the trio headed into the Forest of Mist with the knights in tow.

The forest lived up to its name, cloaked in a dense, almost impenetrable mist.

“I can hardly see anything,” Bella said in a voice tinged with wonder.

The reason it would take two days to map the relatively small forest was the mist. Bella had assumed it couldn’t possibly be ‘that’ thick, but reality far exceeded her expectations.

“There’s a small monster hiding just behind us,” Owen said casually.

Of course, the difficulties posed by the mist were primarily for Bella and the ordinary knights. Among their group, four knights could use aura, allowing them to sense their surroundings despite the poor visibility.

As for Owen…

“This way,” he said, his voice calm and steady.

Owen was someone who could see clearly even in pitch darkness. A mere mist was hardly an obstacle.

“Is he even human?” Bella muttered under her breath, clearly disgruntled.

She couldn’t help but feel incredulous. Even when reading ‘The Flower of the Empire,’ she had known “Owen” was an extraordinary figure, but seeing it firsthand was entirely different.

She had witnessed his skills during the hunting tournament but had rationalized it then as “Owen’s” abilities. Now, it was someone else wielding them.

It was hard to believe that someone who wasn’t “Owen” could utilize his skills so effortlessly.

Swoosh.

Just then, the sound of Owen drawing his sword and slicing through a monster’s flesh echoed in the mist.

A dying creature’s labored breaths mixed with the metallic scent of blood in the air. When Owen withdrew his blade, blood dripped from its edge.

Bella stared at him, her gaze filled with confusion.

He’s not “Owen.” He can’t be.

And yet, why does he feel so…

“Let’s keep moving,” Owen said, his deep black eyes devoid of hesitation or emotion.

His gaze was calm, almost unnervingly so, and his demeanor exuded a sense of quiet familiarity with such scenes.

The blade slid back into its sheath, its black surface inlaid with golden ancient script that spelled:

[Verdun]

It was the heirloom sword of the Verdun Dukedom, a gift from the first Emperor of Freion to the first Duke of Verdun.

“You…”

Bella stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Though the mist obscured most of their surroundings, she could see him clearly now.

“How are you so skilled with a sword?”

“The knights will hear you,” Owen replied, glancing back briefly.

Fortunately, the knights were still a bit further away. Kyle, however, was only three steps behind.

“If they had heard, you or the Mage Tower Lord would have stopped me,” Bella said, dismissing the concern and pressing on.

“Are you telling me you can use a sword like this just because you inherited his memories? Did you do something like this back in Korea?”

“You saw me at the hunting tournament,” Owen replied curtly before turning away and continuing his walk.

Bella frowned, her confusion unresolved.

“Are you planning to survey the entire forest on foot?”

As Bella tried to make sense of it all, Kyle walked past her to join Owen.

“Wouldn’t it be better if I used ‘the Eyes of Time and Space’?” Kyle suggested.

“That would drain your mana significantly,” Owen countered.

“It’s nothing compared to the imperial banquet. I managed for five days straight back then; surely, I can handle one day.”

Kyle smiled wryly, summoning his mana. Blue energy swirled around him, concentrating in his eyes, which briefly shone with a bright, radiant light.

Then the glow dimmed as the mana settled.

“I can record everything here and review it back at the manor.”

“The mist will blur the images,” Owen pointed out.

In ‘The Flower of the Empire’ Kyle hadn’t used ‘the Eyes of Time and Space’ to survey the forest. There must have been a reason for that.

“I can see through the mist if I amplify my mana,” Kyle explained.

“….”

Owen’s assumptions had been wrong.

Thinking back, Kyle had also surveyed the Forest of Snow in the original story. Both forests required protective barriers to be set up.

The reason Kyle hadn’t used this technique must have been…

“It was all an excuse, wasn’t it?”

Kyle had simply been scheming to spend more time with “Bella.”

Both Kyle and “Bella” had been busy, their schedules rarely aligning. Even when Kyle invited her under various pretenses, “Bella” often couldn’t make it.

“Not that it mattered in the end—it was all to ‘Owen’s’ benefit anyway.”

The irony of Kyle’s scheming was that while he made the effort, it was “Owen” who ultimately won “Bella’s” affection.

“Anyway, I’ll record the images. It’s going to snow soon, so we won’t cover everything we planned to today,” Kyle said, breaking Owen’s train of thought.

Owen nodded in agreement.

Relaying the update to the knights trailing behind, he signaled for the group to stop and regroup for the next phase of their plan.

The knights appeared to be pleased with how quickly and smoothly the situation was progressing.

In stark contrast, Bella found the entire scenario absurd.

The reason for her frustration was simple: just like Owen, she hadn’t expected Kyle to use ‘the Eyes of Time and Space’ in the forest.

So it was all just a ploy? she thought, clicking her tongue in disbelief as she grasped how cunning the original Kyle had been.

And now, he has no interest at all.

The thought left her feeling indignant. Even if the person inside Kyle had changed, what kind of shift in attitude was this?

Bella had never been particularly interested in Kyle, but seeing the narrative of the original story unravel in directions she hadn’t anticipated was undeniably irritating.

It’s all because of that man.

Her resentment ultimately directed itself toward Owen.

The man, whose face was far more exquisite in person than the cover illustration or webtoon adaptation of ‘The Flower of the Empire’ could ever convey, was impeccable once again today.

His neat and calm gaze, the unfathomable depth of his black eyes, his straight and noble nose, his sharp and crimson lips, his defined jawline.

His pale skin and the striking prominence of his Adam’s apple.

Even dressed neatly in his knightly uniform, it was easy to imagine how flawless his physique must be.

I still don’t understand why he wields a sword so well or carries himself in the exact same manner as Owen.

Bella couldn’t reconcile the man’s abilities with the fact that he wasn’t Owen. How could someone who wasn’t the original Owen wield his sword so proficiently and project the same aura?

If his demeanor had differed even slightly, she would have begun to suspect him at the hunting tournament.

The only noticeable difference in Owen during the hunting tournament was his softened behavior toward Lucia.

That remained the only true distinction. He liked Lucia and put her above everything else.

Then fine. Even if Owen disappears, it doesn’t matter.

Since arriving in this world, Bella had dreamed of meeting Owen and making him hers. Most people in her position would have sought a way back to their original world, but Bella’s old life held no meaning.

Unlike Owen, who had no family or friends, Bella did. But they were merely burdens wearing the masks of loved ones—cold and distant relationships masquerading as family.

Her so-called friends were alliances forged out of mutual benefit, nothing more.

In that world, Bella had lived in crushing monotony.

Then she discovered ‘The Flower of the Empire’ and, through it, Owen.

Owen was a man who defied reality. Perfect in every way, yet unwaveringly devoted to those he considered his own.

Desiring him was only natural.

Of course, with that man inside him, there’s no way I’ll ever become one of Owen’s people.

With Owen’s body occupied, the original Owen was out of reach. But even so, he still looked like Owen.

And that’s enough. Even if he looks at me with hatred or contempt, as long as he keeps looking at me.

If she couldn’t have him entirely, having a part of him would suffice. Keeping him by her side forever, even as he gazed at her with loathing, was acceptable.

* * *

After Kyle recorded the entire forest with ‘the Eyes of Time and Space,’ the group returned to the manor.

While they reviewed the footage and assessed the forest’s layout, snow began to fall outside.

“We’d have been caught in the snow if we’d stayed out any longer.”

“Indeed.”

The knights exchanged words as they watched the snow drift lazily outside the window.

“Now that the snow has started, the monsters will emerge,” one knight observed.

Listening to their conversation, Bella suddenly spoke up.

“When they realize winter has arrived, the monsters that were hibernating underground will surface to search for food, right?”

“….”

She wasn’t wrong. In the March of Ceres, the monsters that appeared during winter all lived underground.

Even the hunting tournaments didn’t target subterranean monsters, so the March would spend the entire winter fending off monsters from attacking villages.

The Taylor County faced the same issue. While a routine patrol was sufficient to maintain order during most seasons, the start of winter brought a unique challenge.

This was when the underground monsters made their first appearance.

“Of course, they won’t venture as far as the villages. There’s plenty of prey in the forest.”

Despite the northern region’s year-round cold, true winter brought unparalleled levels of chill.

For now, in early September, the forest was still green—thanks to the hardy flora that thrived in the North’s unique climate.

“There are plants, animals… everything they need.”

Monsters were omnivores. They consumed plants, animals, and, when resources grew scarce, humans.

“But this could complicate things. We might encounter them while setting the protective barrier at the forest entrance.”

Above all, their preferred prey was human.

That was why humanity fought monsters—to protect themselves. When monsters were presented with a choice between animals and humans, they always targeted humans.

“What a worrying thought,” Bella concluded, her voice filled with apparent concern.

Owen watched her closely, his suspicions momentarily flashing across his mind.

Surely not…

Saintesses were known to possess far greater reserves of holy power than ordinary priests, and they wielded it with exceptional precision.

This was both the established lore of *The Flower of the Empire* and a fact accepted in this world.

She couldn’t have known about the snow in advance… could she?

There was no way Bella could have predicted today’s snowfall.

Yet this oddly timed coincidence gnawed at him.