By Zephyria 
Ran faster than the wind, they all gathered before the high-hanging moon began to wane.
In the center where they sat in a circle, a campfire was lit as usual. The crackling sound of magic firewood burning was peaceful. The children, settled in a tranquility that kept the few zombies in the distance from harming them, let out sighs one after another.
Without waiting long, they soon began to speak.
“The northeast is similar to our situation here. There are over a hundred of them clinging to the border.”
“Blood Corpse Fiends?”
“About five… only that many clinging to the border.”
Then the other three also readily recounted what they had seen.
“The southeast too. There are three red ones here.”
“The northwest has fewer, relatively. There were no of those crimson ones here, only the usual ones… but I suppose it’s the sea if you go out.”
“The south has seven Blood Corpse Fiends and swarms of the usual ones. It seems they gathered here intentionally, chasing us.”
Should we consider ourselves fortunate to have entered the Oasis’s domain in time, or lament our fate as rats trapped in a jar?
In this situation, it would be better to go to the Sanctuary of the Sun and wait for Ranunculus to be found, rather than going to Felix. Even if we returned to this relatively cooler, safe zone, that was the plan for now.
“What about the camels?”
“It’s a bit difficult here, let’s leave them near the water source.”
“Near the water source?”
“There’s water and grass, and Spirits too, so they’ll be looked after. We can come back for them later when we have more time… they won’t die if they’re not tied up.”
We have to charge through the Steel Corpse horde; where would we have the capacity to care for beasts?
We humans might somehow endure, but we couldn’t force hardships upon innocent beasts. We decided to leave the large luggage like tents with the camels and only pack food and water according to the number of people.
Peter and Ann were sent to take the camels to the Oasis.
It seemed we were destined to lie down under the stars tonight.
December had already passed its halfway point. Yet, it wasn’t cold at all. Even though I don’t usually feel the cold easily and had the help of a body temperature maintenance artifact, it was much better than I expected. This was because the Sanctuary of the Sun was close.
Also, everyone was wearing thick clothes for winter, and the sand scattered around was soft. Even lying down without a sleeping bag, my back didn’t ache. Thanks to that, everyone sat scattered more leisurely than usual.
From a distance, the sounds of Giselle and Leon sharpening their swords and axes while exchanging jokes, and Marianne chattering unnecessarily in between, gently permeated the night breeze.
As always, I lay with one arm outstretched, trusting that Ruben would come into my embrace. In my first subjugation, it was common to lie down with just a sleeping bag without a tent, but today, I had to lie on the bare ground without even a sleeping bag, so I thought I should at least serve as a pillow.
However, Ruben only hesitated and didn’t lie down immediately. He just sat there blankly, looking down at me. The bright moon seemed unusually close behind the child’s head, so I held my breath and looked up, then asked,
“Are you not sleepy yet?”
“No, it’s not that… Mika seems to have trouble sleeping because of me lately.”
“Pardon?”
Did he notice something? I froze, lying down in bewilderment. The child averted his gaze as if embarrassed and continued,
“My arm has been… a bit numb lately.”
“…Not at all. How heavy can Ruben be?”
“But still.”
“I could sleep with a cow on me and be fine, so don’t worry about it.”
Ruben didn’t refuse a second time and nestled into my embrace.
Instead of pulling the quiet child, who was lying with his arm as a pillow, closer, I looked up at the sky. The sky was so densely packed with stars that I couldn’t discern the dozens of constellations the mercenaries had once taught me.
The child, who had been looking up at the sky with me, turned to lie on his side facing me. My earlobe tickled with every breath, but I was a man seasoned in enduring. I closed my eyes as if nothing were wrong.
The child whispered.
“What are you thinking about?”
“What about you, Ruben?”
“…I’m talking about Wesley Kiadris.”
“…Pardon?”
Why did his name suddenly come up? I opened my eyes, which I had closed in confusion.
But he was too close for us to make eye contact. Counting the distant starlight before my eyes, I listened quietly.
“Why… do you suspect him?”
“…Should I call it a reason.”
“…”
“He once unleashed murderous intent.”
“Huh? When…?”
“On the day of my Debutante.”
I recalled the memory of the first time I met him.
It was the moment I danced with Rubel for the first time, when I was fifteen. Before I even saw Wesley Kiadris’s face, I felt his chilling murderous intent. Whether it was directed at me or at Ruben, I couldn’t say for sure then, nor can I now. He and the child were too close that day.
What reason would an unknown person have to harbor murderous intent towards me, or towards Rubel? Rubel’s description of the succession struggle wasn’t fought with swords, but it could be fought with swords. But was that all?
“It was for a very brief moment, but I felt a clear malice, so it bothers me. I know there are various reasons attached to his actions or disappearance, but the memory of that day is vivid, and it displeases me.”
“…I see.”
“What about you, Ruben, why him all of a sudden?”
“Well… you know how Edwin once said he wanted to expel Wesley Kiadris from the family.”
…Right. Ruben had mentioned it once. I remembered feeling awkward and embarrassed, wondering if Edwin and Ruben were that close, and I hadn’t pressed for the reason. The child continued speaking calmly.
“Edwin… thinks Wesley might not be his real brother.”
“What? He… suspects his own mother?”
“No, it’s not that. He said it seemed like they were switched.”
“Switched?”
Wilton Roberts, the professor of throwing knife technique, had tailed Wesley from the time he entered Shierun Academy until his graduation. The Duke and Duchess Kiadris had thought Wesley Kiadris was not their son from the moment he was born. His very existence was a seed of doubt and anxiety.
But what did he mean by switched in the middle? I was speechless and said nothing. Ruben, as always, explained in a calm and serene voice as if reading aloud.
“…Have you heard that Edwin has never met Wesley even once since he was born?”
“Yes. Of course…”
It was well-known that Wesley Kiadris and Edwin Kiadris had a thirteen-year age gap, and that Wesley Kiadris entered the Academy at the age of thirteen. Edwin, who detested the Eastern brothers who were all name and no substance, viewed all the members of the Swordsmanship Department with disdain.
It was all ancient history now. For me, who had received a direct apology from him, there were no lingering resentments, but the memory remained clear.
“But it seems… as he is a member of the same ducal family, it wasn’t entirely like that.”
“…Yes?”
“After Wesley Kiadris descended from the Yuil Mountains, they had to meet once or twice a year.”
Wesley graduated at sixteen and ascended the Yuil Mountains. At twenty-one, he became a Grand Sword Master, descended, and joined the Imperial Knights, immediately attaching himself to the First Prince’s side.
When Wesley was twenty-one, Edwin… was eight years old.
I recalled the bright, smiling face of my younger brother, Michael. I also remembered the serious look in his eyes as he puffed out his cheeks, staring at his plate, saying he wouldn’t steal his brother’s things.
Yes, he was old enough to know things.
But he was also not old enough to understand everything.
Ruben continued.
“Have you heard the saying that Wizards are determined from birth?”
“Yes. I know. It’s said that their eyes often open from birth…”
“Edwin Kiadris is an outstanding Wizard.”
“…Yes.”
What was he trying to say by beating around the bush like this? The child hesitated. But he didn’t stop talking. He continued in a calm tone.
“Young Master Edwin said that Wesley Kiadris’s body exploded once.”
“…Pardon?”
Was that something one should say to a person? I looked back at the child, wondering if I had misheard. Ruben, whose nose was barely touching mine, had a calm expression. He blinked slowly twice and raised one hand, drawing a line from his Adam’s apple down to his navel.
“From here, to here.”
Not even the sound of crickets could be heard. At some point, everyone in the group began to listen intently to the child’s voice. Ruben didn’t lower or raise his voice. He simply murmured calmly.
“There are traces of explosions remaining on his body, at least three times… or perhaps more. And he apparently witnessed the explosion himself.”
“…Witnessed? No, when.”
“Around the age of fourteen. And he said he wanted to research that part because he found it strange and miraculous that Wesley Kiadris was still alive… So Edwin is convinced Wesley is not human.”
“…”
“But that… is honestly unbelievable. Since Wesley and Edwin are the only direct descendants of the Kiadris ducal family… I understood it as a request from Edwin to expel Wesley in exchange for him supporting me instead of the First Prince. So I agreed.”
It was unbelievable. My mouth hung open, half-stunned. I remained silent.
Ruben let out a soft, whiny sound, then squeezed his eyes shut and opened them.
“…You heard it too, right? That Wesley Kiadris was at the highest level of Sword Expert upon graduation. Not a Sword Master, but the highest level of Sword Expert. Yet, in five years… he returned as a Grand Sword Master.”
“…”
“It’s strange.”
Yes. It was strange. Extremely strange.
My mind was so noisy and chaotic that I couldn’t collect myself.