Chapter 32
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Ludville eventually gave in and allowed Odelia to follow him around.
'Why...'
Why couldn't he ignore this woman?
Was it because he had given her a two-week grace period?
Because he had said she could do whatever she wanted during that time?
Yes, that must be it.
He convinced himself of that.
He conveniently forgot that he was the kind of person who would easily go back on his word if he needed to.
At least for this moment.
Ludville placed Elderick, his guard and the captain of the guard, right next to Odelia.
"Report anything suspicious, even the slightest thing."
"Yes."
"Keep an eye on her so she doesn't do anything foolish. Absolutely no independent actions allowed. If you lose sight of her even for a moment, you will be held fully responsible."
"...Yes, sir."
Elderick answered with a reluctant expression.
Ludville, who until recently seemed too lazy to even breathe, had suddenly become more talkative than usual.
'If you distrust me that much, wouldn't it be better to personally guard the Princess?'
That's what he thought...
But unlike an aide, the captain of the guard knew how to choose his words.
In the end, he had to endure his lord's piercing gaze and surveillance as the Subjugation Force headed into the forest.
As they reached the entrance of the forest, the Subjugation Force naturally came to a halt.
It was midwinter in the North.
The days were short, the wind was fierce, and gray snow mixed with Demonic Energy silently piled up on the ground.
But the entrance to the Arcadia Forest was different.
The Demonic Energy of the Monsters was so thick that the snow couldn't stay on the ground for long and quickly melted.
The trees were black and overgrown, and thick, damp fog seeped out from between them.
The soldiers had all dismounted and were lined up.
But none of them were checking their equipment.
"Maintain formation. Stand by."
Ludville said only that and spurred his horse into the forest ahead of the formation.
Bringing the troops here in the first place was just for show.
Because of the annoying people who would cling to him whenever he went out without a reason, he had to at least leave a record of his departure.
That was also why he didn't strongly object to Odelia coming along.
He had planned to go in alone from the start.
"Your Highness!"
Elderick called out to him with a flustered expression.
"Are you going to follow me? If you want to be hit by my blind sword, I won't stop you."
It wasn't a taunt or a threat.
It was just a detached and dry statement of fact.
Those who knew how Ludville changed when he held a sword didn't dare to follow him.
Recently, he had been more like a natural disaster from the sky than a human being.
He struck without warning, giving no chance to escape.
When he charged through the forest on horseback, the Monsters were beheaded and torn apart before they even realized what was happening.
Neither the speed nor the direction could be predicted.
He simply swung and they were cut, he approached and they were pierced.
"Your Highness..."
"Don't just call out to me anxiously, say what you have to say."
"... "
Even as he said that, Ludville didn't seem to be listening.
'That's why you left Edwin behind.'
The aide, who was the only one who could grab Ludville and nag him, was not here.
While Elderick was choosing his words, Ludville had already disappeared.
Instead of a murmur among the soldiers, an odd silence fell.
None of the soldiers asked why, and they waited as if they were used to it.
It seemed like it wasn't the first time this had happened.
"...Does he always do that?"
Odelia asked Elderick with a bewildered expression.
He sighed and readily agreed.
"Yes, he always does."
"Alone like that?"
The soldiers nearby nodded one by one.
It seemed to be a daily occurrence for them now.
"He'll go and wither the Sprouts of Grauter by himself. As he always does. If we disobey orders and enter, we'll only get in the way."
That's what he said, but even they couldn't hide their discomfort at the situation of leaving Ludville alone in the forest.
However, that was due to their loyalty to their lord, not out of worry.
"Did it start three months ago?"
Odelia asked.
Elderick paused for a moment to think, then widened his eyes as if he had just realized something.
"Yes, it did. Before that, 'Monster Subjugation' was literally just ordinary Subjugation..."
Subjugation.
Originally, it meant military action to hunt Monsters that invaded across the border and to protect people.
But now, the lord was wielding his sword indiscriminately, to the point where the meaning of the word had become meaningless.
He turned his gaze to the Arcadia Forest, known as the Forest of Monsters, with a troubled expression and continued.
Self-abuse.
Odelia immediately thought of that word.
'...That's why I came along.'
As she remained silent, Elderick hurriedly added as if to reassure her.
"Ah, of course, there's no need to worry. His Highness is so skilled. You might even have to worry more about the Monsters..."
Odelia showed no reaction.
Unable to bear the silence, he suddenly began to ramble about past Subjugation stories.
"Recently, he annihilated an entire village that had become a habitat for Bellusa. The terrain itself was overturned in less than an hour after entering... After that, no living things remained there."
"..."
Was this supposed to be a heroic tale?
Should it be called a ghost story?
It was a story that would be interpreted differently by each listener.
"...Tell me more."
"Yes? Ah, yes..."
Odelia spent her time silently listening to what kind of strange behavior Ludville had been engaging in for the past three months.
"He'll go and wither the Sprouts of Grauter by himself. As he always does..."
That's what Elderick had said.
She decided to trust him for now and wait for Ludville to come out safely.
Even the soldiers who specialized in Subjugation said that they would only get in the way, so what could she do if she went in?
'I'll have to Purify him as soon as he comes out.'
Odelia was trying to hide her anxiousness when.
A shriek rang out from inside the forest.
It wasn't a human's scream, but a Monster's terrible cry, and soon the ground began to shake.
The battle had begun.
Even though the sound was coming from far away, she could roughly picture what was happening in her head.
Because the sound of a one-sided massacre rang out in succession.
'Well, I guess there was no need to worry.'
Odelia was relieved for a moment.
The problem wasn't Ludville, but what was happening in the forest.
"...Kugh!"
A soldier who was waiting in the position closest to the forest groaned and staggered.
Demonic Energy of the Monsters.
The Demonic Energy had broken through the boundary and was flowing out.
"...!"
Odelia jumped up from the rock she had been sitting on and moved without hesitation.
"P, Princess? It's dangerous!"
Elderick reached out to grab her in alarm, but stopped for a moment.
Because the Demonic Energy of the Monsters, which was spreading like gray fog, seemed to be avoiding Odelia.
