Ch. 121

As soon as I laid Annie down on the bed, she hugged the pillow and fell into an even deeper sleep.

She must have been really tired. Even if she was from the jungle, camping outdoors must’ve been hard for a child.

Still, throwing a tantrum like that was beyond unreasonable and unforgivable.

“Thanks. I would’ve had a hard time without you.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

The room was a bit too dark to be alone with a man I didn’t know.

The only light came from a single candle on the table, and the man stood still as if the situation was awkward.

Even so, I could tell that he was looking at me.

Dark brown eyes—not the eye color of the Ash I remembered, but I kept getting the feeling that this man might be someone I knew.

So I took a step forward and abruptly asked. I leaned my face toward him by the candlelight.

“Do you know any blondes?”

“I know many blondes, but…”

“Well, it’s a common hair color. Then how about this—does my face look familiar? Because yours really does.”

“I imagine this face would feel familiar to most.”

“That’s true.”

He looked like someone who had gone out of his way to be born with an ordinary face.

Prince Epiros, the second prince, had rare black hair and golden eyes.

Such distinctive features were easy to recognize, and plenty of reasons to conceal them.

I didn’t know the details of how the [Path of Trial] for the princes worked, but it seemed entirely possible that they’d use disguises or transformation magic to hide their royal traits.

With the royal family’s resources, nothing would be impossible…

“Hm, you really… look extremely average.”

“Is that such a surprise?”

Once you start doubting someone, everything seems suspicious.

Touching his face might tell me whether magic was at play, but that would be way too weird. Especially between strangers of opposite sexes.

Maybe I had gotten too close, or maybe my gaze was too intense. Ash took a step back and cleared his throat.

He was clearly trying to put some distance between us.

“Ahem, if you’ll pardon me… what is your relationship with the child…?”

“Annie? She’s a friend’s daughter.”

“I see. You didn’t seem like siblings.”

“Well, we don’t even have the same skin color. We’ve only known each other for two weeks, and we’re not that close. Besides, she kind of hates me. I think she blames me for being separated from her mother… And well, she’s not wrong.”

If it weren’t for the trade with the spirit stone, I never would’ve agreed.

Traveling with a child was emotionally exhausting.

This cruel world was already annoying enough just taking care of myself.

“Now that I think about it, you said you were hungry. Let’s head down.”

I stared silently at Ash’s back as he turned toward the door, avoiding my gaze.

It felt like he was uncomfortable sharing a space with me for too long.

Weird. Maybe I was wrong. If he were really Ash, he would’ve recognized me.

Then again, even Rashamu and Rovenin didn’t recognize me. Men really are—

Wait, I didn’t recognize Rashamu either.

Oof. That stings.

Rovenin did, though. I guess it’s a matter of interest.

“Ash.”

At my short call, as if I had a realization, he quietly turned around.

We weren’t particularly close, but I had no choice but to call him by name. It was the only thing I knew about him.

“Now that I think about it, we haven’t exchanged names, have we?”

Most commoners only had a given name. Some had surnames, but they rarely used them.

It could make them targets for thieves, kidnappers, or random attacks—basically suicide.

There was a reason nobles never traveled without attendants.

“Nice to meet you.”

As I held out my hand for a shake, I felt the roughness of a scar in his palm.

“Likewise, though belatedly.”

“My name is Geenie. Just Geenie.”

It was a common name, but not so much when paired with blond hair.

I smiled slyly and watched Ash’s eyes waver.

His entire body tensed through our joined hands—I could feel it clearly.

“Geenie…”

—

“Here’s your food. Enjoy your meal.”

The table was overflowing with dishes Chad had ordered in advance. Clearly, he’d splurged since it wasn’t his money, ordering things he usually couldn’t eat. But I didn’t care. I had mountains of money.

A turkey showed up, followed by lamb shank, steamed fish, and a thick beef steak, all at once. The waiter stacked our dishes three tiers high using special tools.

It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, so the presentation wasn’t refined, but the portions were generous—and that was all I needed.

Most of all, I was hungry too. Without hesitation, I grabbed my fork and went for the biggest piece of meat on the table.

Bread could wait. Bread was a dessert—something to nibble on if you still had room.

“Is it really okay for us to eat this much… Chad! When did you order all this?!”

“She said it was fine!”

“Still! This is way more than four servings!”

Lox looked horrified and glared at Chad, but the food was already served and I had already begun chewing a piece of meat.

Chad had the dumb jock vibe I hated, but judging by what he ordered, he at least knew his food.

To order this much variety in meat—impressive.

“You… Thank you for the meal. Come to think of it, we haven’t exchanged names properly.”

“I know. You’re Ash, Chad, and Lox.”

I pointed each one out with the turkey leg I was busy eating.

Lox seemed like a light eater. He adjusted his glasses more often than he used his knife.

“You’ve got a good memory.”

“Pretty average. And my name’s Geenie. I’m on my way home.”

“Where’s home?”

“Dmitri.”

“Oh? Chad’s from Dmitri too. What a coincidence, meeting here in distant Koiren…”

Ugh, him?

“With that ill-mannered woman?”

“Look who’s talking.”

“What! Wanna go?! I don’t go easy just because you’re a girl!”

“You want a duel?!”

“Don’t forget the meat you’re eating is on my tab!”

“Oh… Right. Sorry.”

Idiot.

Chad shot up like he was about to flip the table, but my blunt response made him sit back down and quietly start eating again.

Lox, clearly conflict-averse, panicked and tried to defuse the situation.

“Please, don’t fight. I can’t tell if you’re joking or serious. Why do people from Dmitri love duels so much?”

“Maybe it’s because they value honor. It’s a nation of knights, after all.”

“Chad challenges people to duels over nothing.”

“Don’t generalize all Dmitrians. I’m not like that. Though I do know like a dozen who are.”

I was refined, thank you very much.

Didn’t I look like I could only lift a fork like a noble? Sure, the turkey leg I was holding was as big as my face, but still.

“Sigh, people from Koiren are aggressive, Dmitrians are too proud…”

“People from Vailan are full of themselves.”

I chimed in with a laugh. It was the kind of banter we used when teasing each other about our countries. Even if we spoke the same language and interacted freely, our regional traits didn’t change easily.

Travelers could often guess someone’s origin based on their tone, eating habits, or worldview.

“That’s right! People from Vailan are so arrogant. Miss Geenie, you think so too?”

“Lox, where are you from? Let me guess—Elan?”

“How did you know? I didn’t think it was that obvious.”

Everything was friendly up to that point. I sipped the fruit wine that came with the meat and continued talking casually.

“It’s your accent. Elan nobles use that kind of refined, slow tone. But your pronunciation of numbers is sharp. When you said ‘four servings,’ it was obvious.”

“……Pardon? But I’m… I’m not a noble…”

I hit the mark and Lox looked flustered, glancing anxiously at Chad.

Chad looked like a textbook commoner who’d despise nobles.

Luckily, he was too busy eating to notice our conversation.

“Haha… Thanks for the compliment, but my name is Lox. I’m a humble traveler. I serve as the group’s guide. People say I speak politely.”

“Ohh, so you’re good with maps?”

“Something like that.”

“To be good enough to guide others, you’d need some serious education, wouldn’t you?”

Wow, his eye just twitched so obviously. I didn’t even hit that hard.

“Ah, n-no. Ash and I have been friends for a long time. We’re from the same hometown… both commoners, right Ash?”

Even his voice is trembling. This guy couldn’t spy to save his life.

I still wasn’t sure, so I was just poking at all the suspicious parts.

I suspected Lox might be an attendant.

When I’d studied the [Path of Trial] back at the academy, I learned that princes always traveled with an attendant.

Their job was to support and guard the prince, but also to “monitor” him—to ensure the prince was sincerely taking the trial without cheating.

Apparently, quite a few princes had tried to cheat or pull underhanded tricks during past trials.

Like bribing companions with money, sending subordinates ahead of time to scout talents and gather weaknesses, then roping them in.

‘If you’re aiming to be emperor, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do.’

Becoming crown prince meant eventually becoming emperor.

Everyone knew that. Elan’s unique method of selecting a crown prince—the [Path of Trial]—was so well known it even showed up in textbooks.

For nobles, it was basic knowledge. Even commoners with little access to education were usually familiar.

That’s why secrecy was life-or-death once the trial began.

“Ash? Say something too. Why are you so quiet?”

Maybe Lox had given up—he dragged Ash into the conversation in a hurry.

Ever since we came down from the room, Ash had been quiet with a strange look on his face.

His plate only had one slice of bread, and even that he hadn’t touched.

“Yes. Lox and I have been friends for a long time.”

“Yes! We’re from a small mountain village called Tokalam. It’s so remote you’ve probably never heard of it. I got some education by luck. The village chief was a well-educated man and shared his knowledge freely with the kids.”

Is that their backstory?

The more Lox added to their past, the more certain I became.

“Hm, must’ve been a skilled village chief then? Like, in swordsmanship?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, look at Ash. That’s the body of someone who’s trained for years. His muscles are tight and defined. His steps are light and responsive. His reactions are quick. His wrists are thick and callused like someone who’s held a sword for a long time… He must’ve been trained very systematically and professionally.”

“……”

“He’s probably way stronger than Chad. Am I wrong?”

Lox had clearly underestimated me and now looked shocked.

He’d be even more shocked if he knew I was suspecting Ash might be Prince Epiros, the second prince of Elan.

I narrowed my eyes and continued watching Ash carefully.