ESML 17

Chapter 17

Clop. Clop.

As the horse began to move, Emilia tightened her legs against its sides and bit her lip.

“You can hold onto my arm if that’s more comfortable.”

He acted courteous, yet everything he did was completely on his own terms.

Having little choice, Emilia grabbed his arm tightly.

The man spoke again.

“You could lean back a little more, you know.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Emilia refused in a flat voice.

“Why not? You said it’s your first time riding a horse. Aren’t you afraid of falling?”

“I think I should be more careful around people who abuse their authority.”

Her reply made the man burst into amused laughter.

“Me? That’s a new one.”

Even as he said that, he urged the horse into a faster pace.

Together, Emilia and the man rode deep into the forest.

Before long, they found a stretch of ground marked with jagged cracks.

If they went a little farther, there would be the sinkhole caused by the disrupted flow of mana beneath the earth.

“I think it was somewhere around here.”

“Is that so?”

The man pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a stop.

The sudden halt caused Emilia to sway backward, lightly bumping into him.

“Whoops.”

With an exaggerated grunt, the man jumped effortlessly off the horse.

Then he spread both arms toward her.

“Here.”

Emilia frowned.

After being forced onto the horse against her will, she had no intention of obediently letting him help her down.

Instead, she gripped the saddle with both hands and carefully climbed down on her own.

The man folded his arms, watching her with an amused expression after lowering the arms he had held out.

Emilia spoke curtly.

“Let’s go.”

“Certainly.”

Shrugging once, he tied the horse to a nearby tree before following behind her.

After confirming the deep mana sinkhole, Emilia turned toward the man behind her.

“This is the place. This is the strange spot I saw.”

Well… technically I read about it in the novel.

Deep beneath the Empire’s land, mana naturally flowed through the earth.

According to the original story, the sinkhole had formed because of a certain ore used when this forest had been converted into an imperial hunting ground.

It reacted with the mana underground and caused an explosion…

The blast had affected areas of the capital where mana was especially concentrated.

Her own house had happened to stand on one of those locations.

Looking at it that way… I really was just incredibly unlucky.

As Emilia silently reflected on that, the man spoke.

“Hm… It does seem suspicious. The flow of mana beneath the ground appears to be disturbed as well.”

Emilia’s eyes brightened.

Unlike her, the knight could apparently sense something.

Walking slowly around the edge of the sinkhole, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Emilia crouched nearby and peered down into it.

It’s incredibly deep…

It looked to be at least five meters to the bottom.

The diameter was nearly as wide as an entire room.

Then the man glanced at her.

“By the way… what brought you out here in the first place?”

“Huh?”

The unexpected question caught Emilia off guard.

She hadn’t prepared an excuse for that.

“Well… I was just exploring the capital.”

“Exploring the capital?”

“I only arrived here recently.”

She gave an awkward smile, avoiding his gaze.

Then she straightened her knees and stood up.

“Anyway, I’d appreciate it if you investigated this place. I’ve shown you where it is, so I’ll be heading ba—”

At that moment, the ground beneath her feet trembled.

“Huh…?”

Just as Emilia stood upright, she suddenly lost her balance.

Her body lurched toward the mana sinkhole.

Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut.

From this height, falling would undoubtedly leave her seriously injured.

Scrraaaape!

At that instant, accompanied by the harsh sound of something scraping against the rocky wall—

“Urgh!”

A powerful force wrapped tightly around her body.

She felt herself falling, yet strangely, there was no painful impact.

Moments later, the grip around her loosened.

Emilia slid down and landed sitting on the ground.

“Are you alright?”

Hearing the voice above her, she slowly looked up.

“Ah…”

The man who had been standing on the opposite side of the sinkhole only moments ago was now right in front of her.

Still dazed, Emilia spoke.

“Th-Thank you… But how did you…?”

How had he reacted so quickly?

Reading the question on her face, the man smiled.

“I heard a faint explosion underneath the ground just before it gave way.”

“Oh…”

Emilia nodded.

After calming her racing heart, she looked up toward the opening above.

From down here, the distance seemed far greater than it had from above.

“…We can get back up, right?”

“Of course.”

He shrugged as though it would be effortless.

That’s a relief.

If she had fallen down here alone, she would have been injured—and there would have been no way for her to climb back out.

Just then, the man leaned casually against the wall.

“Although…”

“If I don’t help you, you won’t be able to get out, will you?”

Apparently, the same thought had crossed his mind.

Yet something about the way he said it felt… wrong.

Emilia looked at him.

Unlike before, there was something dangerous in his eyes.

The playful, easygoing smile was gone.

A moment later, he pushed himself off the wall.

Slowly, deliberately, he began walking toward her.

Don’t tell me…

Suddenly, Kaiden’s warning echoed in her mind.

“Kidnappings are quite common as well.”

Emilia instinctively stepped backward.

It made little difference.

The man closed the distance much faster.

Keeping one hand pressed against the ground, Emilia quietly clenched a fist.

Coarse dirt filled her palm.

If he showed the slightest sign of attacking her—

She would immediately throw the dirt into his eyes.

After that…

She would somehow have to step on his back while he was blinded and climb out.

Watching him warily, she spoke.

“I don’t have any family… and I don’t have any money either. I’m completely broke.”

The instant the words left her mouth, Emilia regretted them.

Wait… doesn’t that make me sound even easier to kidnap and sell?

The man’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Hm… That’s an interesting way to introduce yourself.”

A grin spread across his face.

“What is this? Are you trying to have a blind date with me in a secluded place like this?”

He continued with a smile.

“I’m Lucas, by the way.”

By now, he had already walked right in front of her.

Leaning down slightly, he added,

“Ah, if you’re worried I might try something funny, you don’t have to be. Once I satisfy one tiny bit of curiosity, I’ll safely escort you back up.”

Without warning, he had switched to speaking informally.

“What… are you curious about?”

“It seems you know quite a bit about this ground collapse.”

His eyes narrowed.

“And not just guessing, either.”

Emilia stiffened.

“So… would you like to tell me how you came by this information?”

“Well…”

Unable to think of a way out, Emilia hesitated.

Lucas leaned even closer.

“As a member of the Capital Guard, I can’t ignore something this suspicious.”

He smiled.

“For all I know, you could be the one who caused these collapses and are now pretending to report them.”

The Capital Guard?

His words made Emilia pause.

She looked over his uniform once more.

Then she slowly spoke.

“You’re just as suspicious.”

“Hm? Me?”

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“You’re lying.”

Meeting his gaze without flinching, Emilia said firmly,

“You’re not with the Capital Guard, are you?”