Chapter 33: CASE 3. The Third Bride (8)

It was the worst camping trip yet.

To be camping on a mountain slope that wasn’t even a proper campsite while it was drizzling, no less.

“For now, it’s better if you two sleep in the carriage.”

“Then what about you, Sir Haze?”

“The carriage is quite spacious, so why don’t you sleep here with us, Teacher?”

“Listen to yourselves,” I said.

‘These kids don’t know how scary the world is because they’re young.’

“It can’t be helped during the day since I’m your guard, but what do you think people will say if we’re together until the middle of the night?”

This was a separate issue from the character of the Northerners. It was better not to give any room for rumors from the start.

“But aren’t guards needed more at night than during the day?”

“I won’t be far, so don’t worry.”

As I stepped out of the carriage, the drizzling rain soaked my shoulders.

‘Let’s see. What are the others doing?’

In the distance, I could see people huddled together around a campfire.

I wondered how they had managed to start a fire in this rain, but it turned out they had arranged three cargo wagons in a U-shape and placed a large cloth over them to create a makeshift roof.

‘They managed to make that in such a short time.’

I considered joining them for a moment, but I was held back by the fact that I said I wouldn’t go far.

‘…Well, it’s not like I’ll be able to sleep in this environment anyway.’

Even without a roof or a fire, there was another cargo wagon right in front of me. I climbed inside.

My plan was to stay awake through the night, squeezed between the cargo. However, unexpectedly, I wasn’t the only one who had made that decision.

“Lyman?”

“Oh, Haze.”

“Why are you here? I thought everyone else was over there.”

“I didn’t think I could sleep, and crowded places are uncomfortable. You?”

“Same. I’ll just sleep on the train tomorrow.”

“Haha, still, it’s better to get at least some sleep.”

To think a new friend I made on the journey would be here. Thanks to him, it didn’t seem like I’d be bored all night.

“If you can’t sleep, want a glass of brandy? It’s quite good.”

“No thanks. Not my thing.”

“There’s nothing better than this for driving away the cold.”

“It’s not that cold.”

It was a bit chilly for a rainy autumn night, but perhaps because we weren’t in the North yet, it was manageable.

“I guess you’re cold? I thought you wouldn’t feel it since you’re from the North. That’s unexpected.”

Lyman got huffy at my casual remark.

“Me? No way! I’m not cold at all! I was just trying to be considerate of a weakling from the capital. Your chin is smooth without a single hair. How cold must it be?”

“Are you saying that bushy beard is for insulation? But you look 10 years older because of it. I thought you were my uncle’s age when I first saw you.”

“It’s just that you guys from the capital look like such greenhorns! A 10-year-old kid from the North would look much more mature than an adult from the capital. Everyone in the North grows a beard! You can’t survive the biting cold without one!”

“Hmm, aren’t you just exaggerating? Women survive without beards.”

“Ha! You don’t know anything! Even women have bushy beards in the North!”

“You’re just making things up because I haven’t been there, aren’t you?”

“Um… Haze, are you really not going to drink the brandy? It’s quite tasty.”

“Look at you, changing the subject.”

Time flew by as we bickered over trivial things. After some time, Lyman’s speech began to slow down.

“Haze, brandy… sleep comes easy…”

He mumbled something like he was talking in his sleep and soon went completely silent.

‘You weak medieval guy. Falling asleep already?’

This is why people who are used to sleeping and waking up early are no good. I let out a sigh and leaned my body against the stacked cargo.

I could see the scenery outside the wagon.

The drizzling raindrops and the campfire burning in the distance. Looking at it blankly, I felt quite good.

‘Is this what they call “fire-gazing”?’

The campfire was a bit far away, but whatever.

In this darkness, even the light of a distant campfire was quite clear. The small red light beyond the drizzle wavered and flickered for a long time and then…

It suddenly went out with a *whoosh*.

‘Oh no. Did the rain get in? Or did the firewood run out?’

But the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

‘Doesn’t a fire usually weaken and fade away slowly?’

I hadn’t seen any sign of the fire weakening. But for it to go out in an instant, like a candle being blown out…

It looked as if someone had covered it with something to extinguish it on purpose.

‘…! Wait, what if someone put the fire out on purpose?!’

I suddenly snapped awake. In the middle of the night, on a night with no moon or stars, the only light source had vanished.

Can this really be dismissed as a coincidence? Can I be sure it wasn’t someone with malicious intent?

‘No way!’

The moment I realized the situation, I saw a dim figure near the tent. Normally, it would be impossible to see anything in the pitch-black darkness.

If something was visible, it had to be something supernatural.

In other words, that was…!

‘The culprit’s shadow!’

A black shadow was running through the night.

Toward this direction—no, toward the Grand Duchess’s carriage.

*Crash!*

Thunder roared.

I scrambled to my feet.

I had to move right now, but—

*Grab!*

My wrist was caught.

“Wh—Lyman?!”

I thought he was sleeping.

“Yawn. Haze, where are you going at this hour? Just go to sleep—”

“Let go!”

There was no time to explain.

I shook off Lyman’s hand and ran straight ahead.

“Mary! Lure!”

“Kyaaah! Teacher—!”

My heart sank at the scream that came as if in response. A scream, even though the black shadow was still running from the other side. What on earth happened?

‘Is there an accomplice?!’

Right on cue, lightning flashed.

In an instant of white vision, I saw two people struggling. One of them was wearing conspicuous pink clothes.

‘Then the enemy is on the other side!’

The flash of lightning disappeared in an instant, but once I recognized the culprit, the shadow was clear even in the darkness.

“Get away from her!”

I kicked the shadow with all my might.

“Ugh!”

I heard a low groan, but I didn’t have the presence of mind to care.

“Are you okay?”

“Teacher! I’m fine, but I don’t know if Mary—”

Before Lure could finish her sentence, another scream was heard. This time it was Mary.

I grabbed Lure’s wrist and ran toward the carriage.

“Mary!”

The moment I stepped into the carriage, a strong scent of alcohol wafted toward me.

‘This smell… brandy?’

I felt something like glass being stepped on by my shoe.

“W-what should I do, Sir Haze?”

Mary cried out in a panicked voice.

“I think I killed someone!”

“What?”

“Someone approached suddenly, so I just threw whatever was nearby…! It was a bottle of liquor…!”

“What about you? Are you hurt, Mary?”

“N-no…”

“Then it’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

As long as they were safe, that was enough.

Everything else was just secondary.

“It’s okay, Mary. It’s all over now.”

From over there, I heard sounds that supported my words.

“Hey, Haze! What’s going on? Why did you run off so suddenly?”

“Is something wrong over there? Are our ladies safe?”

They were the voices of familiar people.

Everyone had gathered after hearing the commotion.

“Is it… over? Really?”

“Yes. Whoever the attacker was, they won’t be able to carry out another attack in front of all these people.”

It was funny, but I was comforted by my own words.

The tension left my body, and my frozen mind began to work again.

“Lure. Wasn’t there a lamp in this carriage? Can you light it?”

Before long, the lamp was lit. The yellow, faint light of the oil lamp spread in a circle inside the carriage.

I saw Lure, who was wearing pink loungewear and holding the lamp, and Mary, who was wearing striped pajamas and panting while pale.

“Haa, it really doesn’t look like any of you were hurt.”

Only then could I breathe.

“I thought there would be a body… but there’s nothing.”

“Right. No one died, so don’t worry.”

Mary, seeing that we were the only ones in the carriage, also gradually calmed her breathing.

The peaceful yellow light of the lamp wrapped around us warmly. The disaster that had begun when the red campfire went out had finally come to an end.

However, when I looked outside the carriage, something was strange.

‘I clearly turned on the light, so why…’

Why couldn’t I see anything outside the carriage?

Was it because the light from the lamp was too weak? But…

“Oh, now that the light is on, I can finally see. My lady! Are you all right?”

“Step aside. I’m the leader of the escort; I should be the first to check. Haze! You’re okay, right?”

“My goodness! What on earth happened in the middle of the night?”

“Is everyone okay?”

Those voices were so close, yet why couldn’t I see anything?

I held the lamp and leaned out of the carriage.

The translucent glass cover of the lamp protected the fragile light from the rain. The shadow of the carriage swayed in long waves following the flickering light.

And then I suddenly remembered.

Shadows, the night—it all just meant the absence of light. When shadows gathered and clumped together to become massive, that was darkness, and that was the night.

“Haze!”

“Sir Haze!”

“Are you all right?!”

The voices clamored right in front of my nose, but no matter how close I held the lamp, there was nothing to see.

“Haha…”

I let out a hollow laugh.

‘Clearly, until this evening, not a single person had a shadow…’

Now that the night has passed, everyone is an enemy?

“Ah! Look there, Teacher!”

Inside the carriage, Lure shouted in a bright voice.

“The sun is rising. The rain is stopping, too. I guess it really is over now!”

However, still.

I couldn’t see anything.

The shadows of the people gathered and mixed, forming an endless night.