Chapter 21
The Forest of Monsters lay at the easternmost edge of Ferdinand, according to the map.
The trees were so densely packed that the sky was barely visible, and this forest was known as the birthplace of monsters.
Once a beautiful place where deer hopped through the meadows and migratory birds rested, it had long since fallen into disuse. Now it was fenced off with iron barriers, restricting access.
“Everyone, get ready to enter.”
When they reached the forest entrance, Yvonne, who had been leading the knights at the front, came to a stop and issued a short order.
The knights, who had been joking among themselves as they moved along the iron fence, fell silent at that single command and began checking their weapons one last time.
Kaon, who had been following in the rear to guard the two mages, noticed that Alesia’s shoulders had gone stiff. The sudden shift in atmosphere must’ve made her tense.
“Alesia.”
He called her softly. As expected, her face as she turned back showed signs of tension and unease.
It was only natural. Training and real combat were always different, and the first experience with real danger was nerve-wracking for anyone.
Besides, Alesia had never actually encountered a monster before. There was a world of difference between hearing about them and facing them in reality.
“Take a slow breath. You’ll calm down soon.”
Kaon held out his palm downward and gestured as if pressing down near his chest. Alesia looked at him curiously, then nodded.
She took a deep breath and exhaled audibly, “Hooooo.” It was such a sincere breath that Kaon almost laughed, despite the serious circumstances.
After a few deep breaths, her trembling shoulders finally settled. She turned back and gave him a small, reassuring smile with her eyes.
“…Tsk.”
Kaon had just started to smile back when he stopped at the sound of someone clicking their tongue. He turned his head toward the noise and saw the mage walking beside Alesia wearing a displeased expression. Apparently not intending for the sound to be heard, the mage quickly looked away when their eyes met.
‘What’s his problem?’
Kaon glared briefly at the mage’s shiny, balding head, then turned back to Alesia with a grin as if nothing had happened.
“Proceed.”
At Yvonne’s next command, the knights entered the forest. The bright sunlight was quickly swallowed up by the shadows, and a gloomy darkness settled over them.
The trees here had taken on strange forms. Though each tree was its own, the way their twisted branches tangled and wrapped around each other made them seem like one entity.
The thick leaves overhead blocked out sunlight, making the interior cooler and damper than outside.
“Today, we won’t split into two teams. We’ll move together. Stay alert.”
“Yes, sir.”
There were two barrier zones inside the Forest of Monsters.
The first barrier, located deeper within, had existed since before Ferdinand was even called Ferdinand—before the Kingdom of Gaios was founded. It was known to restrict the movement range of monsters.
The second barrier, located much farther out, was erected over two hundred years later by summoning mages from the Magic Tower.
There was a reason they built the second barrier despite already having the first.
The very first monster to appear in this world had once been completely destroyed, thanks to the efforts of the great mage Ingelos and the swordmaster Ferdinand. It seemed as though monsters would disappear into history forever.
But they returned—not as formless spirits like before, but with solid, physical bodies. Though their appearances varied, they all resembled distorted versions of animals.
The problem began when these new monsters started breaching the first barrier. In response, the Duke of Ferdinand spent a fortune to construct the second.
However, the second barrier wasn’t as strong as the first.
Thus, Ferdinand declared another war against the monsters. Knights patrolled the vast forest frequently, hunting down any monsters that had escaped the outer zone.
At first, large numbers of soldiers were deployed to monitor the area. But these mutated monsters responded intensely to signs of life.
The more humans gathered, the stronger and more violent the monsters became. That’s why knights and mages now handled things directly, instead of relying on sheer numbers.
“It’s quieter than I expected.”
“Monsters don’t always show up. When nothing’s happening, this place can be eerily quiet.”
At first, Alesia was tightly wound, scanning the surroundings nervously. But gradually, she relaxed and even began chatting a bit.
Kaon continued answering her calmly while keeping an eye on the front, helping her get accustomed to the field more quickly.
The patrol continued for quite some time with no significant discoveries. Only the sound of footsteps crunching softly over layers of leaves echoed through the silent woods.
Alesia’s first patrol ended without incident. Kaon felt relieved watching her finally exhale in relief once they returned to the main stronghold.
Even if something had happened, he wouldn’t have let her get hurt. But ideally, nothing happening at all was best for everyone.
‘Damn etiquette homework.’
Freshly washed and hoping to relax after a long day, Kaon groaned when he spotted the stack of papers piled high on his desk. He’d completely forgotten about them.
Baroness Robert’s insistence that he always speak and act properly was certainly well-founded. She was a no-nonsense woman and had immediately summoned a manners tutor to the castle. Kaon had reluctantly agreed.
Two months had passed. At this point, he wanted to toss etiquette, court speech, and everything else straight out the window.
‘What am I, a kid? Why is there so much work?’
Classes after such a long break were no joke. He had technically learned all of this years ago, but he’d forgotten most of it since he never had to use it.
Some of the knowledge was coming back as he read through the books, but he was still far from catching up with the workload.
‘So pointless.’
Kaon felt bitter. If it were arithmetic or history, he wouldn’t mind. At least those were useful. He even remembered enjoying those subjects in the past.
But courtly speech? Absolutely useless. Kaon had zero interest in social circles or palace banquets. It wasn’t like he attended royal events more than three times a year anyway.
So why the hell did he need to learn this?
“Kaon, are you asleep?”
“No, Alesia. I’m awake.”
Kaon instantly responded to the soft voice, his frown vanishing and weariness replaced with a glimmer of energy.
“Can I come in for a minute?”
“Of course.”
Kaon stood up gladly. The untouched mountain of homework could wait until tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s Kaon Ferdinand could suffer through it. Tonight’s Kaon Ferdinand was going to spend a moment with Alesia. What a beautiful teamwork strategy—Kaon was deeply moved.
Soon after, Alesia stepped into his room through the parted curtains, smiling as she shook a basket in her hands.
“Alber prepared this. He found out we returned from the patrol and brought it over, saying we’d worked hard. I didn’t even do much, so it felt awkward… but I was really grateful.”
“Everyone feels that way the first time. You did great.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
Alesia smiled happily and set the basket down on the table, saying she’d brought it to share.
A sweet aroma filled the room. Inside were dozens of tarts, topped with honey-soaked peaches and apples. Even from a distance, the sugary scent was strong.
Kaon, who wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, didn’t care much for them—but Alesia looked so genuinely happy as she set out the plates that he decided to start liking tarts, starting now.
“Why is there so much?”
After taking a bite of tart, Alesia hadn’t stopped smiling. Kaon, who had been watching her with a fond gaze instead of eating, flinched when she asked.
“Ah, that… it’s the etiquette homework I mentioned before…”
He trailed off, a bit embarrassed. The pile clearly hadn’t been touched, and indeed, he hadn’t even started it.
“Wow, your tutor must be really passionate. Can I take a look?”
“Sure.”
Alesia wiped her hands with a napkin and walked over, curiosity in her eyes as she examined the books and assignments.
‘Come to think of it, she does visit the library often.’
Kaon vaguely recalled hearing that from Madeleine before. Most mages loved reading, and it seemed Alesia was no different in that regard.
“I used to read these a lot… It feels nostalgic now.”
“You studied court speech too?”
“No, not exactly. But court speech and the kingdom’s ancient language are almost the same.”
Which meant she hadn’t formally studied court speech—but she had learned the ancient tongue. Kaon wondered, Why?
As if reading his mind, Alesia continued.
“All magic is written and spoken in the old language. It’s so natural for me to read, write, and speak it that I sometimes end up using it in casual conversation. If you don’t know the old language, it’s hard to even keep up.”
Her fingers traced a line of text as she murmured it aloud. Her expression looked strangely lonely.
“Those were all things from a long time ago.”
Though her gaze quickly brightened again, the smile she wore as she said “a long time ago” still looked sorrowful. Kaon wanted to ask what had happened, but it felt like he shouldn’t pry.
There’s still so much I don’t know about Alesia.
Kaon suddenly realized that he wanted to know her better.
