Chapter 5
When I stopped moving, the baby made a dissatisfied sound. It stretched its upper body toward the shelf and shifted its weight. At the baby’s urging, I shook my head and stopped overthinking. I must have been seeing things. Dismissing it like that, I approached the shelf, and the baby immediately grabbed the strange carving that was supposed to be a butterfly.
Seeing how quickly it snatched it up, I was about to feel touched that my hard work hadn’t been wasted—when the baby shoved the carving straight into its mouth.
“No!”
These days, the baby put everything it could grab directly into its mouth. I hurriedly pried the carving from its hand and set it back on the shelf.
“No, Jiji.”
Of course, the baby began to wail. I couldn’t help but sigh. I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them and gently patted the baby’s back.
“Did I scare you by shouting?”
The baby cried for a long time, and as a result, I had to hold and soothe it until I was drenched in sweat. This was the first time it had been so stubborn, and it completely drained me.
Thanks to the baby’s generous taste, the mobile was safely hung above the cradle, but I still worried whether this was really okay. At least I was relieved it probably wouldn’t cause trauma.
***
There were intruders in the forest. While walking through the woods to reach the village, I spotted people. As soon as I saw their black uniforms, I urgently ducked behind a tree. Through the dense branches, dark figures moved here and there. I caught a glimpse of the golden brooch on their chests—an eagle guarding the sun. The Knights.
Why were they here?
I couldn’t think of any good reason. The northern frontier forest was a place even the Knights rarely visited. Every few years they’d conduct a raid to cull the monster population, but even that rarely happened here. It made sense—this was a dangerous place known simply as the Winter Forest, without even a proper name.
“Did you find it?”
At that booming voice, I straightened from where I’d been peeking and crouched lower. This was followed by irritated cursing. They were searching for something. If it warranted dispatching the Knights, it must be important.
Did it mean something related to the Emperor was in the forest? The Knights only moved on the Emperor’s orders. As I thought about it, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Trying to calm myself, I wracked my brain. If they were looking for me, they would have found the cabin by now. So at least I wasn’t the target.
I sighed inwardly. But that didn’t put me at ease. If they couldn’t find what they were searching for, there was a chance they’d come to the cabin anyway.
The sound of many boots trudging through snow rang in my ears. I stuck my head out again and tried to count the number of Knights in the forest.
Even at a rough glance, there were more than ten. If this many were visible from here, there would be several times more in the deeper parts.
“Any word from Mika?”
“No, not yet…”
“Ah, how are we supposed to find it anyway?”
Along with that grumbling voice, I heard someone kick a tree, followed by snow falling with a heavy thud. That voice. A familiar voice. When I checked the direction it came from, well-groomed blonde hair caught my eye. Daniel. He was here too.
“Always sending me on these kinds of jobs. Annoying bastard. Going crazy with his love affairs.”
Daniel muttered, irritably rolling his neck and shoulders.
The moment I confirmed it was Daniel, alarm bells went off in my head. I didn’t want to run into him. Everyone connected to the imperial palace made me uncomfortable, but there were two people in particular I never wanted to see again. Daniel was one of them.
I absolutely couldn’t be discovered. I felt my legs going weak. I forced strength into them to keep from collapsing and carefully peered out to survey the area. Even though no one seemed to be looking this way, one or two were standing guard, making it difficult to move carelessly.
“Are you sure it was around here?”
“All the trees look the same so…”
“If that’s the case, clear orders should have been given from the start. Why reprimand us now?”
When Daniel kicked another tree, the snow piled on top came tumbling down. The nearby Knights quickly dodged, but one ended up with snow dumped on his head and fell. Daniel didn’t seem to care either way.
Thanks to that, everyone’s attention focused on the fallen Knight. Not missing the opportunity, I immediately started retracing my steps.
“Haah, haah…”
My breathing was so ragged I worried it might carry to them. Despite standing in a freezing snowfield, I was sweating profusely. I needed to get home. Now.
***
Knock, knock knock.
Not long after I’d gotten back, there was a knock at the door. I glared at it with frayed nerves. With the baby sleeping, I was sensitive to even the smallest sounds. If it woke up, I’d have to hold, rock, and soothe it for another endless stretch.
Knock, knock knock.
Before I could think, the knocking came again. This might wake the child. After confirming the baby was still sound asleep, I quickly walked to the entrance and opened the door.
The first thing I saw was dazzling blonde hair. Wearing a deep blue uniform with his back to the cloudy sky and snow-white forest, with eyes as blue as a clear summer sky.
“Long time no see, Arden.”
The eagle soaring with light at its back sparkled on his chest. He looked like a knight straight out of a fairy tale, but Daniel was a man better suited for nightmares. Behind him, five or six more Knights were watching me. Sweat ran down my palm. I examined their faces one by one.
Except for Daniel, there was no one I recognized. It seemed that in the two years since I’d left the palace, there had been personnel changes not only among engineers but within the Knights as well. The palace rarely had quiet days, so it wasn’t particularly surprising. It was a small mercy that Seirios wasn’t among them.
“Oh, you’re still wearing those.”
Daniel casually reached for my ear. I reflexively jerked back. Suddenly, memories flooded in. I couldn’t control my expression. You want to kill someone? Daniel sneered, looking into my eyes.
“No need to be so tense. I don’t have any particular business with you.”
“What brings you here?”
“Relax a little. Or, hmm—are you doing something we shouldn’t know about?”
Daniel smiled, pointing at the machines positioned near the house. They were devices I’d installed as a precaution against monsters, even though the cabin wasn’t deep enough in the forest where monsters typically appeared.
“I didn’t make those.”
There was no way to verify such a claim.
“Yes, that’s how it should be. You’re not an engineer anymore, so you shouldn’t be making things like that.”
“Why have you come?”
“What are you going to do with that look? A criminal like you.”
Daniel, who’d been grinning impudently, suddenly hardened his expression. Pointing at me, he turned back to address the Knights behind him.
“You know, right? This is that famous traitor. The one caught releasing top-secret experimental subjects.”
None of the Knights could answer. The cold wind of the winter forest kept blowing past.
When neither I nor his subordinates reacted, Daniel seemed to lose interest. His face, when he looked at me again, was expressionless.
“Let’s end the pleasantries here. Have you seen any monsters around?”
I couldn’t understand what Daniel was asking. This was the Winter Forest. The northern edge of the Artalis Empire, the Winter Forest adjacent to the village of Winterishe. A place teeming with ferocious monsters.
“Monsters?”
“Yes, monsters. Not the usual kind. A somewhat peculiar monster.”
“What are you talking about? This is the Winter—”
“Ah, at first glance, it might look like a human baby. Have you seen anything like that?”
Only then did I understand what they were searching for.
He called it a monster. They called the baby a monster.
Until recently, I’d also referred to it as such, but when someone actually said “monster” out loud, it felt strange. It was just a helpless baby that could do nothing but cry.
I tensed my neck and looked directly at Daniel. I didn’t know why the Knights were searching for the baby or what its true identity was, but I instinctively felt I needed to hide it.
“I haven’t seen it.”
“Really? I was worried because you’re known for being so meddlesome.”
“…”
“I thought you might have taken in the monster’s offspring out of pity. Getting involved in things without fear is your specialty, isn’t it, traitor?”
Daniel smiled, lifting just one corner of his mouth. It was clear mockery, but I couldn’t get angry. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if I was angry at all. I just wanted everyone to leave. Soon.
“Mind if I take a look around?”
Daniel flicked his index finger against my cheek and threw open the door I was holding. It happened in a heartbeat. I hurriedly blocked his path.
“What?”
Daniel’s eyebrows twitched as he glared at me. Blocking the Knights’ way meant being willing to have your head cut off. The supreme commander of the Imperial Knights was the Emperor himself. Moreover, in an era like this where the Emperor’s power was absolute, the Knights’ authority naturally rose with it. Especially for a Knight wearing that brooch—everything was permitted. No one would reproach Daniel for beheading a traitor.
“That machine is a device that detects monsters. If there’s a monster within range, it reacts and makes a sound.”
It was a lie. It would recognize any living creature, not just monsters, and its range was limited. Moreover, it didn’t make any sound—I hadn’t included such a feature because it would be disastrous if noise attracted other monsters.
It emitted a scent that monsters disliked but humans couldn’t detect, and if something entered its range, a sensor inside the house would light up. That was all. It was a flimsy machine for keeping myself safe.
Daniel asked with an amused smile.
“Are you bragging about your machine to me right now?”
“Why do you think I would have installed that? As you said, I’m just a banished traitor.”
I tried to maintain a gentle tone to avoid provoking Daniel, but I couldn’t predict how he’d take it.
Daniel glanced at the device outside, then looked at me again. I needed to say something more.
“The fact that it’s not making any sound means there’s no monster you’re looking for inside.”
“It’s quite a unique monster, so maybe your machine can’t detect it.”
“No. To be precise, I said it’s designed to react to everything except humans and small forest animals. So there’s no way it couldn’t detect it.”
“Sounds like someone knowledgeable made it for you?”
“…Because it’s an item I ordered directly.”
This was also a lie, but deceiving someone without knowledge of engineering wasn’t difficult.
“Above all, what reason would I have for buying an expensive machine that I can no longer make myself? I installed it so I wouldn’t die.”
That last statement was sincere. I had no attachment to living, but I didn’t want to die either. The reason I’d come to live in this winter forest was entirely so I could exist a bit more comfortably. I was more afraid of living among people than among monsters.
I wanted to spend whatever time I had left very quietly and peacefully. Without any disturbance.
“So there’s no reason for me to bring a monster into my house.”
“…”
“I don’t know what you’re looking for, but if it’s a monster, it’ll be in the deep part of the forest.”
