Chapter 111
#111. Devil's Valley, Valley of Senua
The sky was so intensely blue it hurt the eyes.
Olivia quietly gazed up at the sky. The higher she tilted her head, the finer strands of her silver hair tickled her nape.
Before long, a coolness mixed into the scent of the wind. Perhaps it was the smell of ripening wheat fields.
Because even when she first went to Territory of Vikander, the plains that had been a refreshing green were now beginning to show patches of gold here and there.
Today's lunch wasn't the sandwich Masa had made, but a sandwich packed with turkey.
"It's not like a picnic, it is a picnic."
Edwin was right.
The Knights who had spread out their mats were exchanging jokes and laughing cheerfully. Even the horses grazing leisurely and the ears of wheat swaying in the wind.
The road to Territory of Vikander was always a picnic. Even now, hurrying back, they didn't seem to lose their leisure.
Olivia unknowingly raised the corner of her lips and looked to her side. Then she blinked and chuckled.
Only Edwin was missing from this perfect place.
Knowing that, Olivia had already looked at the empty space beside her three times.
It felt as if a cool breeze was sweeping through her heart. Had it only been a few hours since they parted...?
Olivia slowly shook her head. Instead, she thought of something else.
For example, the advantages of her leaving for Territory of Vikander before him.
It was good to be able to see the people of Territory of Vikander sooner, and she was thrilled with the anticipation of finding the secret hidden in the White Crystal Mine. Also, just being out of the capital made her feel much more at ease.
The smile that had lingered on her lips faded for a moment. Why did her calm heart stir just at the thought of the capital?
Esella's regretful face at their hasty farewell came to mind, and Sally, who had been crying, came to mind. But this feeling was something more fundamental. Something Olivia had never experienced before...
Something that made her uncomfortable even with just a vague thought...
Olivia was startled and shook her head. She had cut off everything, why was she wasting her emotions?
Knowing it wasn't worth it, Olivia ignored the constantly churning feelings. Nevertheless, it felt as if she could hear desperate voices calling her name, and she gripped the blanket covering her knees tightly.
Then she quickly looked around. The sight of Dian's face, which she saw as she sought something else to distract her, made Olivia let out a soft laugh.
When had the face that had been looking around warily become so blank?
His eyes, which had been quietly watching the wheat field, blinked slowly. Soon, as if noticing her gaze, Dian's face flushed as he looked at Olivia.
He had only been quietly looking at the plains, but Dian made excuses as if he had shown her something embarrassing.
"It's not that I'm letting my guard down or anything, it's just that it's so peaceful and nice. I haven't had many opportunities to see something like this until now..."
"Is that so? You'll see more of it as we go. I guess Dian likes picnics."
Unlike the brightly smiling lady, Dian was sweating behind his back. He was afraid he might be implying that there was no such beautiful scenery in Territory of Vikander.
Among the nobles from the capital, no one had seen the desolation of the north as much as Olivia.
But Dian, unaware of this, was burning with anxiety.
Could it be... that she was sad because she couldn't see such scenery in Territory of Vikander? Come to think of it, the lady's expression had been strange when she was eating the turkey earlier!
Dian, who had completely misunderstood, quickly spoke up.
"...Actually, there is no place as peaceful as Territory of Vikander. Haha. As the lady knows."
It was as if he was reciting the contents of a book. Olivia could see Dian's changing expressions as clearly as the palm of her hand, so she deliberately swallowed a mischievous smile and asked, pretending not to know.
"Is that so? My goodness. I didn't know. Well, when I went to see the mine, I was curious about what was beyond it."
What was beyond the mine?
All that was visible was a barren, stripped mountain. The bare dirt mountain, where almost no grass grew even in the middle of summer, appeared vividly in her mind.
Dian also seemed to have the bare mountain behind the mine in mind. His awkward face blinked. Just as Olivia was about to stop teasing him because his tanned face seemed to be turning white,
"That...!"
The voice he blurted out was loud. Even the Knights nearby turned to see what was going on, and Dian continued.
"...Originally, paintings are said to be more expensive the more they have of the beauty of emptiness."
It was a statement that only applied to some, but Dian nonchalantly generalized it.
The lady's eyes were smiling as she looked at him. Perhaps his excuse would work.
"The terrain of Territory of Vikander is very secluded because it is natural with a lot of the beauty of emptiness. Also,"
"Also?"
"Also... there were many rivers and lakes. And the buildings in Sonea Street are colorful and pretty. Also...Dian was listing the boasts of the Territory of Vikander, seemingly unaware that his words were mixed with the past tense.
How far would he go? Olivia, who had been listening with interest, chuckled, and just as the bragging were getting smaller and smaller, "Lord Szelin."
Dian paused as he heard a low voice calling from the side. The surroundings had become quiet. A senior Knight spoke in a voice that seemed to be suppressing something.
"You can stop now. You don't have to do that. I'm sure the lady knows how much you love Territory of Vikander."
"Huh?"
"After all, the lady has probably seen almost everything while touring the territory."
Dian, dumbfounded, finally realized that the lady was holding back a smile. In addition, the Knights around him were also holding back laughter as they looked at him.
Dian's face began to turn red. At the same time, small laughs spread out.
"It's a good thing it's just us. If Lord Interfield or Lord Kalter were here, Lord Szelin might have even received an award for being the number one Knight who loves Territory of Vikander."
It was a compliment that wasn't a compliment at all. The Knight who had patted him on the shoulder moved away again.
Beneath the cheerful laughter, the Knights were chatting noisily again.
"Seriously. If you guys were going to do that, you should have told me earlier."
Dian, who had suddenly become someone who had failed to exaggerate, glared fiercely around him as if grumbling.
Eek. As the Knights around him avoided his gaze, Olivia smiled a little as she saw the back of Dian's ears, which had turned red with embarrassment.
"Dian's story was so interesting. Also, I guess I was hoping there would be something new. Lord Szelin is the vice-commander of the 3rd royal guard, after all."
At the flattering words, Dian quickly perked up and chuckled. Then he nodded his head excessively and lowered his voice.
"That's right. Lady, in fact, during the last harsh winter when I went out to hunt beasts, I even discovered a valley where the water was really shimmering blue!"
Olivia's eyes blinked for a moment at his excited words.
It was a strange thing to say.
Unless it was in contact with seawater, the water in the valley would freeze in winter. And it was more than certain that inland Territory of Vikander was surrounded by mountains.
But there was no reason for Dian to lie.
Could it be that this was also related to the secret of the White Crystal Mine? Olivia shook her head with a chuckle at the sudden thought. All her thoughts were now converging on the White Crystal Mine. Surely not.
"I'm sure no one but me has ever seen it. If I hadn't seen something like smoke, I wouldn't have set foot in Valley of Senua. Not only is it off-limits, but it's been the Devil's from the past...!"
"Devil's?"
Oh dear. What did I just say?
At the same time as he spoke, a vague memory hidden somewhere in Dian's mind suddenly popped out. It was strange. Even though it was his memory, it felt as if it had been tightly hidden by someone else.
Unlike Dian, whose face had turned pale rapidly, Olivia spoke calmly.
"Interesting. Valley of Senua."
"That, well, Lady. That place is..."
"Lord Szelin is the only one brave enough to go to a restricted area."
"That's, well, because it was strange that there was smoke in the winter...!"
"Smoke. This is really something I need to look into. Isn't that right, Lord Szelin?"
From some point on, the lady was calling him Lord Szelin again.
When a cool dignity hung over her smiling, beautiful face, Dian straightened his back.
His face, which had suppressed the heavy momentum, looked complicated. Whether to give sincere advice or follow her words. Olivia spoke slowly.
"What was the identity of the smoke?"
"...I'm sorry. I couldn't confirm it."
"Why?"
Dian bit his lip at the emotionless question. Now that he thought about it, it was as if the memory of the day he went out to hunt beasts had been cut off.
It was unlike Dian Szelin, who always thoroughly cleaned up after himself no matter where he went.
What's going on? It was as if he had been bewitched. Did he really see strange smoke that day, and did he really go to Valley of Senua?
His eyes kept looking down in anxiety. He thought he saw something strongly shining on the lady's neck, but Dian didn't even have time to pay attention to that.
"Besides you, who else knows about this?"
"No one, no, there probably isn't... I don't know."
The contradictory answer was rather more trustworthy. His brown eyes, which couldn't even meet her gaze, were full of confusion.
"Strange..."
Olivia slowly tapped the blanket with her fingernails.
A rugged place with the nickname Devil's. It was just that, but the more she heard Dian's story, the more suspicious it became.
"A strange place with a vague memory. I really think we need to investigate it, what do you think, Lord?"
"If you give the order, I will go. Please give me a chance to make up for my mistake. Lady."
Dian's voice was firm.
Valley of Senua, if it wasn't a coincidence, he had never thought of going there even once. A rugged and deep valley that even beasts avoided.
But if it was the lady's order, he could go. Dian was about to recall the entrance to Valley of Senua, his eyes sharpened, when
"If I want to go myself, Lord Szelin will be happy to accompany me, right?"
"Lady, that place is really dangerous!"
"I'll only go to the entrance, and I'll never go in if it's dangerous. Should we make a promise?"
With a face that clearly revealed her feigned innocence, the lady was lying.
Dian was so flustered that he couldn't say anything. Olivia, who had boldly lied and was still calm, was waiting for an answer after the silence.
"Lady-!"
The loud voice was familiar.
Olivia jumped up from her seat and looked around. The blanket she had been covering herself with slipped down.
A carriage was rushing from the direction of Territory of Vikander, and the person visible through the window was...
"...Bethany?"
Unbelievably, it was Bethany.
With a feeling of overwhelming emotion, Olivia ran towards the carriage.
The moment Bethany's expression changed as she rushed down from the carriage in a hurry,
"Lady, what's that on your wrist...!"
Olivia's wrist, which was revealed below the lowered sleeve of her dress, was purple in her eyes.
