The wind element users, George, Ruth, and John, ascended into the sky to scout the path ahead. Following the direction of the wind they sent, Dennis relayed the way.
“Captain, it’s to the northeast!”
Exiting the densely packed forest, they quickly crossed the plains that appeared.
“Good, let’s all turn northeast.”
Since they were traversing unfamiliar territory, they remained vigilant against wild beasts, broadening their senses as they moved.
Riding further northeast, they came upon a clear path. George, Ruth, and John had already arrived there. After regrouping, they dismounted under the pretense of taking a brief respite.
“Captain, if we follow this path, the kingdom isn’t far.”
“We did get lost after all.”
Before winter, they had indeed lost their way, or perhaps Ethan’s directions had been less than stellar.
Before departing, Sylvia had prepared tonkatsu sandwiches and hallabong ade for the mercenaries. The tonkatsu sandwiches were made from all the remaining pork, breaded and fried, using up the somewhat stale bread.
Though each sandwich looked different, they were all filled with cabbage and tonkatsu, topped with a mix of mayonnaise, mustard sauce, and homemade ketchup spread on both slices of bread.
She poured the fizzy hallabong ade into wooden cups and passed them around.
“Sylvia’s sandwiches always seem to taste great.”
Jordan, casually sitting on the ground eating, remarked.
“Right, the egg sandwich we had last time was really delicious too…”
“And the one before, with chicken and vegetables mixed in mayonnaise, that was good too.”
“This one’s amazing as well. It tastes like the fish cutlet. I’ve never had meat like this before.”
Around the mercenaries, who were gathered eating, Felix and Sylvia leaned against a tree, taking big bites and chewing thoughtfully.
[Sylvia, I want to try a strawberry this big!]
Eryngium held up a small strawberry in both hands, lifting and lowering it while explaining.
[Asta wants to try it too!]
[Me too!]
Poppy and Asta, with strawberry juice smeared around their mouths, also flew up, echoing the sentiment. Sylvia, with her mouth full of sandwich, smiled narrowly with her eyes and tapped the grass with her finger, sending magic through it.
Instantly, a strawberry larger than the fairies themselves grew.
[Wowwww!]
The three fairies quickly flew to it, marveling and eating up the remaining strawberries with ecstatic expressions. Just then, Felix beat them to it.
Having finished his tonkatsu sandwich and hallabong ade, he naturally popped the strawberry into his mouth.
“Siri, this is really big, isn’t it?”
It was the largest strawberry among those Sylvia had given. The fairies flew towards Felix, their faces flushed red in protest, after he bit into the strawberry and then continued to eat the rest.
[That’s too much!]
[Asta is upset too!]
[Felix, that was supposed to be ours!]
After briefly acknowledging the grumbling fairies, he turned his head away, pretending not to notice. Sylvia couldn’t help but let out a laugh. She bit her lip to suppress the laughter leaking out and made the strawberry grow larger.
“Here, eat this. Feri, what would you do if you snatch food from the fairies?”
“Um…”
Seeing Sylvia trying to hold back her laughter, Felix casually changed the subject.
“I want a hallabong.”
Sylvia burst into laughter and grew a hallabong.
Despite the fairies’ complaints, Felix’s uncharacteristically indifferent past self was so different now that it filled her heart with warmth, and laughter continued to escape her. His naturally curved lips were a pleasant sight.
Seeing Sylvia smile like a picture, Felix thought,
‘Ah, she’s really cute.’
He remembered the moment when he had stamped his lips beside hers.
‘Next time, I have to try it on the lips.’
Felix, lost in a silly resolution, didn’t realize he had licked his lips. Sylvia, feeling embarrassed as his gaze intensely studied her face, felt her cheeks heat up.
‘Is he… looking at my lips?’
Remembering the heat of his lips on her face from a few days ago, Sylvia, her cheeks flushed, rubbed the corners of her eyes and turned away.
She looked at the three fairies happily eating the giant strawberry.
‘Now there are only three…’
With Clover and Daisy gone, from what had been seven fairies, only three remained.
‘Surely it has something to do with Feri… He seemed unaware, though.’
Her intuition strongly suggested that Felix and the fairies were closely connected. Yet, how could she uncover the nature of that connection if even Felix himself was unaware?
Sylvia, having fed the fairies their fill of strawberries, gently rubbed Eryngium’s swollen cheeks with her fingers.
[Sylvia, this is so delicious!]
Watching the fairy rub its cheek against her finger with a bright smile, Sylvia felt a wave of melancholy wash over her.
‘If you disappear too… What will I do?’
Felix, sensing her sudden melancholy like a ghost, grasped her chin with his large hand and turned her face towards him.
“Siri.”
He said, drawing his beautiful face closer.
“I’m here.”
He lightly pecked her cheek, causing Sylvia to flutter her eyebrows.
“You see…”
Overwhelmed by the peck, Sylvia was about to say something when Hubert’s voice interrupted.
“Captain!”
Felix slightly turned his head, scanning the surroundings with his eyes alone.
“Isn’t that a passing mercenary group?”
He was the first to notice the sound of dozens of horses moving… But why would Hubert call out to him with such alarm and underlying joy if it was just a passing group?
“That…!”
Hubert started to reply but glanced at Sylvia hesitantly, seeking the right moment. At his reaction, Felix stood up. The face of the person leading the approaching group became visible from a distance.
Felix, surprised, involuntarily raised an eyebrow.
“They are…”
Dennis, with widened eyes, continued.
“Isn’t that Captain Jess Saphia of the 5th Knight Squadron, formerly exclusive to the Queen Mother?”
They had often encountered each other in the royal palace, but since the king’s death, their meetings had been few and far between. So why were they passing through here?
No, it seemed more like they were directly seeking out the Croban Mercenaries.
Felix’s eyes wandered as if searching for something. By then, the Capitis Royal 5th Knight Squadron had encircled the Croban Mercenaries like wings wrapping around them.
Jess Saphia, whose hair had turned significantly whiter since their last meeting, dismounted and, without paying any respects, commanded as if issuing an order.
“By the august command of Her Majesty the Queen, the traitor and his accomplices of the Capitis Kingdom are to be executed immediately, right here!”
Jess’s aged but commanding voice boomed.
“What!”
Although they had suspected something upon this unexpected reunion, the joy of meeting was also present. But what nonsense was this? Felix’s gaze sharpened instantly.
After a moment of being caught off guard by the familiar face, he remembered. He hadn’t forgotten how they had been forced to flee the kingdom in disgrace. Felix scanned the encircling knights with a piercing look.
The knights of the 5th Squadron swallowed nervously under his dark, slowly moving gaze.
“Feri…”
Sylvia, standing behind him, called out softly. Despite the frailty of her voice, as if it could be scattered by the wind, Felix turned slightly to give Sylvia a gentle smile.
“It’s alright. Stay here for now.”
Knowing not only that they were from the Capitis Kingdom but also that Felix was the crown prince, Sylvia was deeply concerned for what was in his heart.
How bitter it must be.
The humiliation of a crown prince receiving such treatment in this foreign land was something Sylvia understood with both her mind and heart, deeply and thoroughly.
“Felix Aethernum… Cap…”
Just moments ago, Jess, who had been shouting confidently, now stumbled over his words with a lack of conviction.
“Capitis has attempted to poison Her Majesty the Queen. This is an act of treason!”
“What nonsense are you speaking!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Dennis stepped forward, raising his voice.
“Treason? Treason!”
Waving his arms wildly in the air, Dennis raged.
“How dare you accuse His Highness, the Crown Prince, of treason! You, who were once devoted to the Queen Mother as her exclusive knight squadron!”
Pointing directly at Jess, he spoke. Jess’s expression twisted completely. He had been knighted the year Felix was born and later joined the Queen’s exclusive knight squadron.
He had been believed to be a loyal and upright knight who served the royal family with unwavering devotion. Why had he changed so drastically?
Dennis, feeling a surge of heat rising from deep within, drew his sword.
“The traitors are not us, but you!”
“Dennis!”
Hubert called out, attempting to calm his precipitately acting comrade.
“It’s okay.”
Felix, who had been standing at the back, began to move forward slowly. Sylvia reached out to grab him, her warm touch briefly halting his steps. He turned back to her.
“It’s okay, Siri.”
He also softly added to the three fairies flying around her.
“Stay by Siri’s side.”
[Understood, Felix!]
[Don’t worry!]
[Asta will stick close!]
He let out a small chuckle, gripping Sylvia’s hand firmly before letting go.
“Feri…”
Turning back around, Felix strode forward with a face that had gone cold. His icy black eyes locked onto Jess’s red ones with clarity.
“Me, a traitor… Attempted to poison? That woman? Me?”
His voice, chillingly low, was starkly different from his usual tone.
Though his steps appeared leisurely, he quickly reached the front of the 5th Knight Squadron, tilting his head at Jess once more.
Felix spoke coldly.
“Why would I?”
Why would I need to poison that woman? If I wanted her dead, I’d make it quick and clean.
Why engage in such useless endeavors? Or, did I, as they claim?
Chuckling, Felix drew his Buster Sword from behind. At his action, the members of the 5th Knight Squadron simultaneously drew their swords, readying themselves with their elemental magic at the center.
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