Side Chapter: The Young Lady's Outing

Noral Village was a relatively new settlement. The first generation of villagers was a group fleeing from a territory with bad harvests, and that was less than a hundred years ago. They had to start from scratch when they arrived, but partially out of fear of being pursued, they stayed in the village and didn't try to search for nearby settlements. Still, by the time Hanson encountered the village, it was only slightly below average compared to other villages in the area.

At the southern edge of the village, there was a sparse collection of trees and a large building that served as the barracks for Hanson's soldiers. They had no official title, but internally they used the name 'Creeping Shadow', which was proposed by one of the captains under Hanson's command. There were many reasons behind the selection of that name, but that was a story for another time.

It was an ordinary day for the soldiers staying in the village. Those who weren't resting after a difficult mission were either secretly patrolling the village or training. However, with Hanson's sudden arrival, six of them had to change their plans.

"Listen. This mission is of the highest importance. I would have selected more of you if I could, but you six will have to do. She won't like it if you interfere too much, but you absolutely cannot allow her noble person to experience any danger. If there's even a mosquito flying around, I want it dead before she can hear it. But don't make it too obvious; you must be fast and subtle. Give her space if she requires it, but never let her out of your perception."

Hanson was particularly concerned about this mission, but it wasn't strange considering who they would be guarding. Her identity was so much of a secret that even though everyone in the room was aware of it, none of them could say it out loud. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that even compared to his wife and children, Hanson valued her life the most. If she died, he might even decide to follow her to the afterlife, which meant that this was a mission with the same level of priority as protecting Hanson and the village. However, besides Kathy, none of them could attach the same level of gravity to this task, especially not Adam.

As the captain in charge of protecting the village, Adam was often too busy to take a look at her, but he wasn't very curious either. Although he understood Hanson's stance, he couldn't empathise with it. In his eyes, no matter what her bloodline was, she was still just a young girl.

His opinion remained the same even when he met her for the first time. She was more beautiful than he expected despite knowing of her lineage, but she was still lacking in nobility even compared to a pampered young lady you could find shopping in the city. Adam knew the expectations Hanson had of her, but he didn't think there was a point in pushing someone without the capability to the forefront.

Given the opportunity, he tested her using a scenario from his own experiences, but her answer wasn't as naïve or reckless as he expected.

'There's always a chance that I can find my target again, huh? That's certainly something to look forward to.'

While still critical, he decided to take a wait-and-see approach. On the day of their expedition, he had her show her archery even though the calluses on her palms were proof that she had done serious training.

When he saw her stance, he already knew the result, but it was still impressive to see her arrow fly into the target as if it was sucked in. There was combat talent in both of her parents' bloodlines, and it seemed she wasn't missing it. Still, he didn't show much of a reaction after seeing her performance. For a villager, she was certainly a cut above the rest, but that wouldn't be enough to reclaim her birthright.

Adam ensured to keep an eye on her while leading the way to Riddly Village. He had made this trip several times, so he didn't need to worry about bringing them there and had more than enough leeway to look after her. Her mind was troubled by memories of the day she separated from her parents, so he joined Harold in improving her mood. He didn't acknowledge her, but he didn't think negatively of the girl either.

As they neared their destination, Adam sensed that Carolyn was reaching her limit. It would have been simple to call for a break, but he deliberately decided to push forward and asked her about her own condition. She was studying under Doctor Teri, so he judged that she would be able to examine herself, but he was interested to see if she would tell the truth.

"I should be good for another hour or two, but any more than that would be dangerous."

The girl's answer impressed Adam. It might not have seemed like much to tell the truth, but in the short time since meeting her, he could tell that she was a stubborn and diligent person who hated to be seen as a burden. Although no one would have complained if she wanted to take a break, she was very reluctant to do anything that could be seen as holding them back.

He was well aware of what problems could arise from a party member pushing themselves and end up dragging the entire party down, but she, at most, only understood it in theory. Despite this, she told the truth, not for herself but for them.

"Then you should be fine. Keep it up."

Adam was so pleased that he couldn't stop a smile from surfacing on his face, but he quickly hid it. She was still quite lacking to assume the responsibilities of her bloodline, but he could see a bit of the potential that Hanson saw in her.