After slipping away from the commotion, Arcus returned to the student dormitory, then set out at dawn in a carriage bound for his family home. He had planned to return anyway for the long summer vacation starting the next day—his departure was simply a little early.
How Catherine Monvoisin had dealt with them…
It wasn't that Arcus didn't care.
Did she fight back on the spot?Did it escalate into a conflict between noble houses?Or did she choose some other option entirely?
It was an incident that might very well shape the foundations of the world he lived in. Saying it didn't bother him would be a lie—but poking too deeply into it would only be asking for trouble.
(Well, I'll find out whether I like it or not once the new term starts.)
The rumor of Catherine's deportation from the country reached Arcus's ears while he was idly swaying in the carriage—right as the unusually long journey was nearing its end, just before they crossed the border.
While waiting for border procedures at the checkpoint, Arcus was taking a break in the soldiers' rest area.
And there, absolutely everyone was enthusiastically gossiping.
"Hey, old man. One coffee."
Arcus tossed over a coin, and a cup was immediately shoved into his hands.
The beans were still gritty, almost sandy—but he'd grown used to that. Tilting the cup, Arcus listened in.
According to the rumors, Catherine Monvoisin had apparently bullied Viscountess Catherine Evans, a classmate of Prince Enrique who had even been officially recognized as a Saintess.
Threats.Assault.Property damage.
A parade of alleged crimes poured out. And the witnesses weren't just the crown prince and a single girl—several of his entourage testified as well. All of them sons and daughters of people who formed the very core of the kingdom's power.
"…Man. This really is an otome game."
Everything he was hearing was straight out of stories he'd only ever encountered before. Arcus sighed and downed the rest of his coffee in one go.
—Clink.
He stared blankly at the saucer and cup.
"Coffee, huh…"
For a medieval fantasy world, food—good or bad—was surprisingly developed. And yet, roads were awful, carriages shook violently, and his backside hurt constantly. Clothing, food, and housing were fairly well-off, but the infrastructure supporting them was pure Middle Ages.
Thinking about it that way, the otome-game elements had been there from the start.
Even so, realizing it was an otome game didn't mean he could interfere in the engagement of a neighboring country.
At best, he could make this awful coffee taste better.
Letting out a self-mocking sigh, Arcus was just about to relax when—
"Young master—about the passage permit—"
"Don't call me that."
Arcus frowned and turned around. Standing there was Harrison, the carriage driver.
"What are you saying? We're practically in Victor territory already, and it's just soldiers here. No need for you to play the polite noble now."
Harrison laughed loudly."And hey—you've gone back to your usual way of talking, haven't you?"
Arcus sighed. He'd been called young master forever, but it sounded like something used for underworld bosses, and he hated it. Still, correcting Harrison was pointless.
To survive in Victor territory, that kind of boldness was essential.
"So? What about the permit?"
"They said we have to wait until tomorrow."
"…Huh?"
Arcus raised an eyebrow sharply.
"Oh—but."
Harrison leaned in and whispered. Apparently, he'd slipped a little something to the gate guard and secured passage today.
Which raised the obvious question of why he'd said they had to wait.
"I paid it out of my own pocket, so I'll need reimbursement."
"You're shameless. Didn't you make plenty at the capital's casino?"
"What are you saying? There's never enough money."
With Harrison grinning beside him, Arcus left the rest area—while the rumors continued echoing behind them.
Beyond the massive border checkpoint lay a vast forest.
—The Demon Forest.
In this world, it was a literal monster domain where ferocious demonic beasts roamed freely. The towering wall behind them had been built to encircle it—serving both as the border between the Highland Principality and the Kingdom of Alexandria, and as a barrier against monsters spilling out of the forest.
No ordinary traveler would ever choose this route.
But for Arcus, it was the shortest path.
"Half a day more and we'll be there!"
With the carriage rolling forward and Harrison's cheerful voice, Arcus muttered, "Finally," rubbing his sore backside while sitting atop the carriage roof.
They were already within the Demon Forest. Even if it was a shallow area, monsters lived here. Staying politely inside the carriage would only slow him down if something happened.
Resting his chin on his hand, Arcus noticed something ahead—
Fresh ruts in the mud.
(It did rain until dawn…)
If the ground was muddy, ruts weren't strange—but just as Arcus was about to look away, something clicked.
(Ruts…? Here?)
His eyes widened.
A scream tore through the forest.
"Arcus!"
Without waiting for Harrison, Arcus leapt from the roof, greatsword in hand, and sprinted into the trees.
Weaving between ruts and trunks at a speed unimaginable for his tall frame, Arcus spotted a toppled carriage—and two women under attack.
Nearly ten men hacked away at a dome-shaped defensive barrier protecting them.
"Which side?""You even have to ask?""Support?""Don't need it—just turn the carriage around.""Got it."
The moment the barrier shattered, Arcus and Harrison split up.
Only women were being attacked.The carriage was overturned.No escort in sight.
Too many unknowns—but no time to question them.
One woman was dragged down by her hair.
Another was restrained from behind, a man about to mount the fallen woman—
Arcus smashed him from directly behind.
His left fist—trained relentlessly under the assumption this was a game world—crushed the man's helmet and sent him flying.
The body slammed into a tree, spat blood, and went still.
Arcus locked eyes with the woman on the ground.
Dirty silver hair.A torn dress.
She looked familiar—but what shocked him more was the stone clenched in her right hand.
(Huh. She's got guts.)
If Arcus hadn't intervened, she probably would've cracked the man's skull herself. But outnumbered, her resistance would've only delayed the inevitable.
So there was only one thing to do.
"Hey, soldiers. What're you doing in someone else's backyard?"
Arcus turned to them with a vicious grin.
The men dropped into combat stances, swords ready.
They weren't backing down.
Arcus glanced once at the trembling woman at his feet.
"Sorry about this."
Stepping over her, he hoisted the massive greatsword onto his shoulder.
"Who are you?!"
"You'll figure it out when you see."
Arcus closed the distance in an instant—splitting the man from head to waist.
"Just a passing traveler. Call me Traveler A."
Three soldiers rushed him.
One swing.
Three bodies torn apart, upper and lower halves flying.
Blood and organs splattered as the woman on the ground clutched her head and held her breath.
"…Oops. My bad."
Arcus pressed forward, separating the men from the women.
Three left.
"W-We're soldiers of the Kingdom—!"
"So what? This is a principality."
Arcus crushed one.
Another turned away from the gore—and was split cleanly in two.
"That leaves you."
The final soldier held a maid-like woman in a chokehold, voice shaking.
"D-Don't come closer or I'll kill her!"
"Go ahead. Let's see which is faster—your hand, or my greatsword."
Grinning, Arcus advanced—
"Damn barbarian!"
The soldier shoved the maid away. Arcus caught her.
The man turned to flee—and tripped over a small shrine, sprawling face-first.
Arcus loomed over him.
"That's unfortunate."
As the soldier whimpered, "Help… me…"
Black mist poured from the shrine, engulfing him.
"…What?"
Only a second passed before the man convulsed, clutching his throat.
With a final scream, he died.
"Hey. You've gotta be kidding me."
The black mist rose again—this time lunging at Arcus and the maid.
Arcus cleaved through it—
But it reformed behind him and surrounded the fallen woman.
"Milady!"
The woman's body floated upward.
Her dirty silver hair turned glossy jet-black.Her sea-blue eyes burned crimson.
"Hey. Don't transform without permission."
—Thud.
Arcus slammed the flat of his greatsword into her head.
A bell-like clang echoed through the forest as she crashed down, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Y-You're not supposed to interrupt the transformation…"
She passed out.
Her hair returned to dull silver as the maid shoved Arcus aside and rushed to her.
"Milady—C-a-th-er-ine! Lady Catherine!"
At the name, Arcus could only smile wryly.
Harrison's voice drifted over.
"Well now… you really went all out again."
And for some reason, Arcus found that comment oddly comforting.