The crackling of fire and the aroma of roasting meat filled the inside of an improvised cabin.
Kaito slowly opened his eyes.
He could still feel the deep exhaustion weighing on his body, yet he quickly realized something strange—
the pain of hunger was gone.
Then he noticed he was wrapped in a soft blanket, lying atop clean straw.
"…Where am I…?"
As he murmured those words, his gaze caught a figure seated in front of the fire.
With perfect posture, moving with the exact precision of a soldier, the woman stirred a pot over the flames.
"You have awakened, Commander Kaito," Adelheid said calmly, without turning around.
Kaito sat up—and froze in surprise when he realized he could move.
"Did you… do this? How…?"
She nodded silently and finally turned toward him.
Her face showed little emotion, yet deep within her eyes shimmered a faint trace of pride.
"It is a stew prepared from Black Forest boar meat and local medicinal herbs.
It possesses high nutritional value and is suitable for your recovery."
Kaito blinked and looked around.
The cabin was built from sturdy wood, the roof layered with thick leaves, and it even had a crude chimney to vent the smoke.
"…But when did you make all this? By yourself?"
Adelheid poured the stew into a wooden bowl and handed it to him with a clean, efficient motion—no waste, no excess.
"I was not alone."
"…Huh?"
She closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"…I will show you."
---
[Memory]
Right after Kaito collapsed, the air of the forest shifted.
Adelheid remained seated in silence, Kaito's body resting across her knees.
Her face showed no emotion, yet her stillness radiated a pressure impossible to ignore.
"Well, well… is this the forest where trash tends to gather?"
A mocking voice echoed.
From the bushes emerged two knights wearing ostentatious armor.
One held a spear; the other carried a bottle of liquor.
"So this is the 'useless summoner'? Heard he got kicked out of the castle. Still breathing, huh?"
"And what about that beauty over there? Taking care of him? Or just a toy to comfort the loser?"
Both laughed crudely.
Adelheid rose to her feet without a single word.
Her movement was so smooth it seemed to erase even sound itself.
The air grew heavy.
"Silence."
It wasn't spoken loudly.
But it was absolute.
An order…
and a death sentence.
The knights froze.
"And who the hell are you? Gotta admit, you've got a nice face," one said as he stepped closer with a twisted grin.
"Come on, come with us. There are men way better than this useless—"
In that instant—
Adelheid raised her right hand.
"Skill Activation: "Iron Will"."
The glove glowed crimson.
Black energy erupted from her body like a crown.
The knights' eyes clouded over.
Their smiles vanished.
Their bodies trembled… then snapped straight into rigid military posture.
There was no fear on their faces.
Only devotion.
"…This ideal… is pure," one murmured as he dropped to his knees.
"This command… is justice," said the other, pressing a hand to his chest in a military salute.
Adelheid walked between them with the calm of a general.
"Construct a shelter for my commander.
Not a single nail, not a single branch is to be misplaced."
"Yes, understood!"
"Gather supplies. Game, herbs, water. Everything must be perfect.
Only what is worthy of his recovery."
"Yes, understood!"
One hour later, the same knights who had mocked him worked in silence.
There was no doubt in their eyes.
No hesitation in their hands.
Adelheid supervised everything, correcting details, issuing precise orders.
When it was finished, she gave the final command.
"As a final proof of loyalty… jump from the cliff."
"…Yes, understood."
Without hesitation, both turned and ran.
There were no screams.
No resistance.
Only absolute obedience.
The silence that followed was almost sacred.
Adelheid returned to the fire and began to cook.
"You have awakened something within me beyond mere loyalty…" she murmured as she stirred the pot.
---
[End of Memory]
"…Did those two soldiers really… jump?" Kaito asked in shock, still holding the wooden bowl.
"They did," Adelheid replied calmly, sitting down and crossing her legs.
"They were disrespectful, lacked worth, and above all…"
"they were meant to obey your ideal."
Kaito swallowed.
Should he feel fear?
Or relief at being protected?
But one thing was undeniable.
He was no longer alone.
And before the woman capable of rewriting even human will itself, he could say only one thing:
"…Thank you."
Adelheid did not respond immediately.
She simply inclined her head.
"I will serve you until the day the last kingdom burns and turns to ash, Commander Kaito."