“It really doesn’t seem like much.”
Abel, the botanist, carefully examined the plants growing at the cliff’s edge and came to a conclusion.
Due to the geographical conditions, the vegetation here was short and clung close to the ground.
“There don’t seem to be any plants that grow large enough to be a real threat.”
“Please check more thoroughly. The path is extremely narrow—if we encounter a dangerous magical plant here…”
“This environment is fundamentally too poor in nutrients. Even if there were magical plants that could attack us, they wouldn’t be large.”
Abel answered firmly.
Hearing his conclusion, Isaac nodded vigorously and took a step forward.
“Alright, then let’s go this way!”
The expedition leader, who had been standing behind him, shouted in warning.
“The path is narrow—be careful! Here, the sheer cliff is more dangerous than those damned magical plants.”
“Wow, it’s so high I can’t even see the bottom…”
“I’ll lead the way. I’ve traveled paths like this before.”
Efron stepped forward, pushing through the murmuring crowd to take the lead.
“There’s a chance the ground might be unstable, so just follow exactly where I step.”
Without hesitation, he turned and started walking along the narrow path, which was just wide enough for two people to pass side by side.
“I’ll cover the rear with Walter. The water mage and knights should stay toward the front.”
Following Wendy’s instructions, the group arranged themselves in a single file behind Efron.
At the very back, the expedition leader leaned in and whispered to Dante in a low voice.
“Your Highness, please stay toward the rear… along with the mages.”
Unaware of this exchange, Letier had been hurrying to follow behind Efron—only to have her wrist suddenly grabbed by Dante.
He looked down at her and said,
“You stay in the back too.”
“What? Oh… okay.”
She nodded, slightly confused, and naturally ended up walking alongside Wendy, Walter, and the expedition leader at the rear.
Efron, having turned to check if Letier was following, noticed her walking with the other mages instead.
Rather than concern, he nodded as if reassured.
Letier also gave him a slight nod, signaling that she was fine.
Although it was a bit narrow for so many people, just as Isaac had said, the cliffside path posed no immediate threats.
As they walked, Letier occasionally glanced down at the abyss below, now swallowed in darkness.
Just how high is this…?
Staring into the void long enough made it feel like she could almost see something moving down there.
So lost in thought, she didn’t notice Dante approaching until he spoke.
“Letier.”
“Huh?”
Startled, she turned to look at him.
Dante was standing right behind her, much closer than she expected.
“This is dangerous.”
Extending an arm, he blocked her from getting too close to the edge.
Feeling slightly embarrassed at her own childlike curiosity, Letier quickly stepped back from the cliffside.
“This makes it hard for me to relax.”
His muttered words sounded oddly reminiscent of Lucina Efron’s overprotectiveness, making Letier feel a bit awkward.
“I’m usually not someone who needs looking after.”
“Really? From what I’ve seen, I imagine your secretary and bodyguards have their hands full.”
“Prince— I mean, what would you know?”
Letier started speaking casually before catching herself and glancing around nervously, adjusting her tone.
Dante let out a quiet huff of amusement.
“‘You’?”
“…Then what should I call you?”
She asked in a small voice.
Dante frowned slightly behind his mask but then tilted his head as if to say whatever.
“I’ve been called worse. At this point, I’d be grateful if you just settled for that.”
“Worse?”
“It doesn’t matter. You asked what I knew? I know that whenever you have the chance, you wander alone and get lost in the capital’s shopping district. I also know that you don’t hesitate to poke around dangerous crime scenes.”
Letier couldn’t refute him.
Because everything he said was true.
Wait… but…
“How do you know I did that?”
She asked.
It was true that everything he said had happened, but Dante was someone who mostly stayed confined within the Imperial Palace’s offices.
Her question was surprisingly sharp, and Dante hesitated before answering.
“…I heard about it.”
“Heard? From who?”
“…A friend.”
“And how did your friend know? No one should have realized that I was Letier Lenever…”
“Don’t assume you’re someone who doesn’t stand out.”
“I stand out?”
“Yes.”
Letier still looked skeptical.
“What makes me stand out?”
Dante said nothing for a moment, simply looking down at her round, pale face.
Beneath her long lashes, her violet eyes shone with an unexpected brilliance.
“I wouldn’t know.”
He brushed off the question and strode ahead.
Left behind, Letier furrowed her brows in thought, still puzzled.
It was a reminder not to underestimate how quickly word spread in the capital.
And maybe… she should consider how to use that to promote her cosmetics line.
****
After that, the expedition continued walking for another half-day without much trouble.
“We should be able to see the western outpost soon.”
As the path neared its end, the expedition leader called out in a slightly more energetic voice.
At his words, the weary faces of the expedition members brightened slightly.
“Finally…!”
“Just a little more, and we’ll be out of this dreadful forest!”
They nodded at each other, forcing smiles as they tried to muster the last of their strength.
“Wait, but…”
Efron, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
As soon as they rounded the cliff’s bend, they spotted an unnatural-looking magical plant clinging tightly to the wall.
At a glance, it looked like a beautiful flower, but it was far too large to be an ordinary one, and a strange liquid dripped steadily from its pistil.
“What is that…?”
“It doesn’t seem too threatening. And there doesn’t seem to be a cluster of them nearby. Let me take care of it.”
The water mage in the front group formed a large droplet at her fingertips.
She launched the water directly at the magical plant.
“Huh?!”
Contrary to expectations, the plant, now drenched in water, didn’t freeze up. Instead, it began thrashing wildly, as if enraged.
“This seems different from the tendrils we encountered earlier. Water isn’t working on it.”
“It’s hard to tell which magical creature’s traits it inherited just by looking at it…”
Wendy, who had been standing at the very back, stretched her neck to get a better view of the writhing plant.
Pushing past a few people, she moved toward the center of the group and said,
“No need to overcomplicate things. Something like that—I’ll just blast it away with fire. Walter!”
At her signal, Walter, who had been trailing behind her, ignited flames at his fingertips.
He launched a fireball, merging it with the wind Wendy conjured, turning it into a powerful flame.
Boom!
The swaying flower caught fire, withering away into black smoke.
Judging by its completely charred state, there was no chance of it regenerating.
After hesitating for a moment, Efron stepped closer, drew his sword, and swiftly cut it down entirely.
Then, he flung the severed plant over the cliffside.
“It’s handled. Let’s keep moving.”
Careful not to step on the smoldering remains, the group passed by one by one.
At the very back of the line, Dante and Letier also cautiously stepped past the scorched area.
As she rounded the charred bend, Letier didn’t look back. She just hurried to catch up with the others.
“Letier!”
Just then, Wendy, who had been watching from the front, shouted at her.
From within the blackened ashes, a sharp, thin tendril shot toward Letier at high speed.
Wendy reacted almost instinctively, summoning a gust of wind.
She conjured a sharp current of air, trying to push the tendril back. But just as she did, Walter, unaware of her intent, launched a fireball toward the wind.
“Walter, not now!”
Wendy shouted, but it was already too late.
The fireball rode the air current, accelerating toward the unidentifiable tendril.
Boom!
The sudden explosion obliterated the attacking tendril, but the force of the blast impacted the ground beneath them.
“Letier, are you okay?”
“Ah… yes. I’m fine.”
Rumble!
“Oh no…!”
A brief silence followed before a deep rumbling sound shook the earth.
The explosion had destabilized the cliffside, sending debris tumbling down. Cracks spread rapidly across the ground and the rocky walls.
Both the path and the cliffside itself were beginning to crumble.
“Watch out!”
As the ground wobbled, Letier lost her balance and fell backward.
“Ahhh!”
“Ugh!”
Nearby expedition members turned and ran forward, desperate to escape the collapsing section.
Letier tried to get up and flee, but rubble from the cliff tumbled down, pinning her in place.
She reached out, struggling to free herself, when Dante grabbed her arm and swiftly pulled her into his embrace.
“Letier!”
Letier instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Dante.
Lifting her almost effortlessly, he turned quickly, trying to escape the crumbling ledge.
But at that moment, the ground beneath them gave way.
Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the solid earth vanished beneath her feet.
Clutched tightly in Dante’s arms, Letier felt weightless—falling into the endless abyss below.
