SWY 142

The one who answered Lestel’s question, prompted by what Kuph had said yesterday, was Rael.

“I figured that once we leave this place today, it might not be easy to come back.”

“……”

Rael’s voice was calm, and his expression indifferent. But the meaning behind his words was far from light. If they entered the castle through a secret passage in Adam’s house, no one knew what kind of danger awaited. The Emperor’s and the Marquis’s knights were all highly skilled. They might very well die facing them.

In other words, Rael’s words implied that they might not return alive. The rest of the group, fully aware of this, fell into heavy silence.

“There might not be a secret passage in Adam’s house, right?”

“And if there isn’t, we’ll just find another way into the castle, won’t we?”

Whether there was a passage or not, their goal, to sneak into the fortress and rescue Iris wouldn’t change.

Lestel nodded, took a sip of the hot water, then looked at Kuph.

“Butler, are you going with us too?”

If Kuph had planned to stay behind, he wouldn’t have lit a fire, out of concern for his own safety.

“Yes. Since we don’t know where Miss Iris is being held, I should be the one to guide you.”

“I can do that, so you should stay somewhere safe.”

“No, I know the layout of the castle better than you do. Let me guide you.”

“It’s dangerous. If things get bad, I might not be able to protect you.”

“I’ll protect myself. Please focus on saving Miss Iris.”

Kuph smiled gently, but the look in his eyes was firm. He had no intention of backing down. Lestel sighed, then shifted his gaze to Adam.

“I’m still thinking about it, but I’ll probably go with you. The people of the territory are dying every day, and I’m curious to see just how well the Marquis and the Emperor are living inside that safe castle. But anyway, if you’re done eating, you should get ready. I can already feel movement outside.”

Sharhan, who had just downed his now-lukewarm water in one go, stood up. He’d already noticed the approaching footsteps. Judging from the sound, it wasn’t just one or two people.

“We don’t need to pack. Just sling on our bags and we’re ready.”

“Then let’s head out immediately. Follow me.”

Rael, Kuph, and Adam were already fully prepared. Adam led the group out of the house.

Outside, more people had gathered than expected, drawn by the sight of smoke rising from the chimney.

They had guessed maybe five or six based on the sensed presence, but at a glance, there were more than ten. All were gaunt and hollow-eyed, their faces devoid of life, no different from walking corpses.

They hesitated in fear when they saw Sharhan’s group emerging one after another. Then a woman holding a thin child mustered her courage and stepped forward.

“F-food… do you have any…?”

Kuph shook his head sadly.

“We have nothing left either. But there’s still a bit of water inside, and the fire’s still going, so it’s warm–”

Before he could finish, the woman holding the child ran inside. The others stumbled after her in a daze.

“Let my child drink!”

“L-let’s share it!”

“J-just a sip…”

The sound of them fighting over water was heartbreaking. The group’s expressions darkened, but they gritted their teeth and kept walking.

Things hadn’t been good on the way here, either. Most people were starving, dying without hope. Survival had become a luxury only the powerful could afford.

They had expected Serman to be no different, but seeing the harsh reality firsthand still hit hard.

“At first, it wasn’t so bad.”

Adam, who had been silently leading them, suddenly spoke.

“It was awful, people coming back from the dead and eating the living, but we only panicked in the beginning. We believed the lord would fix everything.”

“……”

“We shared food, helped one another, and waited for salvation to come from the lord’s castle. We had just paid our autumn taxes, so we thought for sure there was enough food stored inside. But no matter how much time passed, those gates never opened.”

“……”

“Without hope, people started turning on each other. They became suspicious, hoarded food and water, and sometimes even killed for a piece of bread.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing, young master? I didn’t say this to make you feel guilty… It’s just how it happened. Honestly, I don’t even know why I brought it up.”

Adam scratched the back of his neck, looking awkward after seeing Lestel’s expression. His neck was dark from not washing, and now it had fresh scratch marks.

“Anyway, young master, what’s with the axe?”

Kuph glanced at Adam, clearly trying to change the subject, and Lestel spun the axe in his hand.

“It’s convenient. Great for chopping off corpses’ heads.”

“S-such crude language… What about the sword?”

“Don’t you think this looks tougher?”

“Young master, you suit a sword much more. Shall I find one for you?”

“I’m fine.”

Lestel answered quickly, then beheaded an approaching corpse in one swift motion. With a dull thunk, it fell to the ground.

Brushing off the filth on the axe blade, he grinned. “Looks good on me, right?”

Sharhan laughed quietly as he looked at the earring still dangling from Lestel’s ear.

***

“There it is.”

It had taken them more than twice the expected time to reach Adam’s house, which was supposed to be an hour away. Partway there, they’d encountered a horde of corpses. Over thirty, at least, so they had opted to detour instead of fighting.

“Looks like it’s going to collapse.”

Adam’s house was shabby and dilapidated, as if it might fall apart at any moment. Not just his house, the entire village was in ruins. Windows and doors had been torn away, the area was filthy with debris, and there was no sign of life. Even in broad daylight, the place felt eerie and desolate.

“The frame is sturdy. My ancestor built it with great care, or so I’ve heard.”

Adam laughed awkwardly as he spoke. The group, keeping a wary eye out, approached the house cautiously. No moving corpses in sight, but they couldn’t let their guard down.

The door was broken and hung half open, creaking whenever the wind blew. Adam stopped a few paces away and kicked a stone.

When there was no reaction, he peeked inside, then nodded. As expected, the inside was a mess. It looked like survivors had ransacked the place, every piece of furniture was overturned and scattered.

“Looks safe. Let’s go in.”

With a sigh, Adam entered first. Sharhan’s group followed and looked around. The house had a fireplace and two rooms on either side of the living area.

“I’ll keep watch here.”

Rael stood by the entrance. There were no corpses or survivors in sight, but someone had to stay alert.

“Please do.”

Leaving Rael on guard, the others began their search for the secret passage with serious expressions. They examined the walls and floors, peeked inside the fireplace, and moved furniture around.

All four, excluding Rael, were sweating as they scoured the house, but they found nothing that resembled a hidden passage.

“There’s no basement?”

Lestel asked, and Adam shook his head. The group looked discouraged. They hadn’t expected it to be easy, but they couldn’t help feeling deflated.

They sat down wearily on the dust-covered floor to take a short break.

“Maybe… there really isn’t a secret passage?”

Kuph cautiously voiced the concern.

“It’s possible. We didn’t come here with certainty to begin with.”

“So what now? The sun will set in a couple hours.”

They had to decide whether to spend the night here or find a safer place. If they wanted to move, they didn’t have much time.

Lestel looked at Sharhan, silently asking what he wanted to do. Sharhan bit his lip, scanning the house once more. He wasn’t ready to give up yet.

There was no guarantee a secret passage existed, but Adam’s father’s final words had been too significant to ignore. Even as he lay dying, he had shown loyalty to the Ailun bloodline, surely that meant something.

Most of all, they needed that secret passage to enter the castle. Right now, no other method came to mind.

“What do you want to do?”

Lestel finally asked directly as Sharhan’s thoughts deepened.

“I want to keep searching. I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s here.”

“I feel the same. But I was asking about tonight. The door’s broken, so it’s not safe here. If we’re moving, we have to go now.”

“The other houses in this village are, um–”

Before Sharhan could finish, Rael, who had been watching the outside the whole time, turned to Adam.

“Adam, does your house have two wells inside?”