Even his most loyal retainers rarely received such a look from him.
The twins, ever perceptive to shifts in atmosphere, watched their lord’s unusual behavior with keen interest.
Claude, realizing too late that he had an audience, furrowed his brows and shot them a sharp glare.
“What are you staring at?”
Caught like wild animals in a hunter’s sights, the twins immediately flopped onto their bedrolls as if they’d never been looking at all.
But as soon as Claude turned away, they exchanged knowing glances.
‘It’s definitely that, right?’
‘Yeah, it’s giving that vibe.’
They had a feeling things were about to get interesting.
And once they returned to Winter Castle, they fully intended to have a heated discussion about this with their comrades.
* * *
Latian woke up to a light tapping on his shoulder.
As his fluttering eyelids opened, soft morning light spilled onto his vision.
It was his first morning in the Silent Forest.
“Mm…”
Still groggy, he rubbed his eyes and looked up.
As expected, Claude was standing over him with that ever-arrogant expression.
And, just like before, he was waking Latian up by poking him with the end of his sheathed sword.
There were plenty of normal ways to wake someone—shaking their shoulder, calling their name.
But no.
Claude had chosen this.
‘Does he just not want to touch me?’
The sleepy thought flitted through Latian’s head.
Then, as his mind cleared, he realized—he had made it through the night.
He was alive.
Eyes shining, he beamed up at Claude.
“Brother, you really did protect me.”
“……”
“As expected of you! A man of honor! A true gentleman!”
“Stop talking nonsense and get up. We’re moving out.”
Latian had been buttering him up, subtly pressuring him to protect him again tonight, but Claude only furrowed his brow and turned away without hesitation.
Fine. He said they were moving, so Latian quickly got up and began tidying his bedding.
As he broke apart the remains of the fire, Haen, who had been watching, gave him a teasing smile.
“Did you sleep well, Advisor?”
Even though he obviously knew the answer, he asked anyway.
Latian barely managed to keep his fake smile from cracking.
“Thanks to my kind and generous brother! I slept wonderfully.”
And you, the one who tried to scare me? You’re the worst.
“Oh? So we weren’t much help, huh?”
“Wow, that’s cold. You’re so mean, Advisor.”
“You treat our lord way too differently from us.”
“I mean, we get that you like him, but—”
‘You two were absolutely no help in me getting a good night’s sleep!’
Latian clenched his jaw, struggling to maintain his serene expression as the two identical faces grinned at him.
“Haha… Of course, I’m grateful to you both as well.”
Damn twins.
“How long are you planning to keep talking? We’re moving now.”
While Latian was internally cursing the twins in every possible way, Claude, who had finished checking the direction they needed to go, turned to him and gave a short reprimand.
“Alright, alright.”
“We’re coming, let’s go.”
The twins, who had packed the remaining luggage into their subspace pouches, followed behind Claude first, and Latian trailed behind them.
Soon, Sien subtly pulled Latian forward so he wouldn’t be at the very back.
“You trying to get yourself in trouble again by staying at the rear?”
“Exactly, Advisor. We’ll cover the back for you.”
Haen added in a playful tone.
“…Thanks.”
Latian let out a bewildered laugh.
They were infuriating people who constantly tested his patience, but at least they weren’t inherently evil—that much was clear in moments like these.
They moved swiftly, crossing the boundary to the south.
Since they had been delayed the previous day, they seemed eager to make up for lost time, picking up their pace.
Unfortunately, the path turned into an incline, making the journey even more exhausting.
“Huff… Huff… Ugh.”
For Latian, who lacked stamina, the steep climb was grueling.
Even Kang Seyun, his past self in the modern world, had been perpetually weak due to lack of exercise, but somehow, this body felt even heavier than back then.
‘Once I get back to Winter Castle… I seriously need to start working out.’
Latian’s body had a delicate frame, its slender lines even aesthetically pleasing—but that was the only upside.
When it came to physical activity, this body was an absolute disaster.
Even if he didn’t build muscle, he at least needed to improve his endurance.
“Don’t stop, keep walking, Advisor. You’ll lose sight of the Lord.”
“You’re so slow! What if the Lord leaves us behind?”
They could easily go ahead, yet they stubbornly stuck to him, chattering non-stop.
If for no other reason than to shut them up, Latian vowed to build up his stamina.
The uphill climb continued endlessly, and the group kept pressing forward.
Even the twins, who never seemed to shut up, started talking less and less.
By the time Latian was desperately hoping this never-ending slope would finally end—
‘Ah.’
At last, they reached the top.
Through the dense trees, an open view unfolded before them.
Claude, who had been striding ahead without stopping, finally halted at the forest’s exit.
“This is…”
The twins, who had followed closely behind, trailed off as they lowered their heads.
At the end of the path, waiting for them, was a cliff.
“Well. That’s what happens when you take a straight path.”
“Looks like we’ll have to climb down.”
The twins commented.
Instead of responding, Claude merely gazed down the cliff with an unreadable expression.
Latian, standing between them, glanced around uneasily.
The twins had no problem with this height.
Claude, as an awakened warrior, possessed a body strong enough to handle the descent alone.
In other words, the only real problem here was Latian.
That was why they were hesitating, and Latian knew it.
‘This is exactly why they shouldn’t have brought someone like me.’
At this rate, he was nothing but dead weight.
The thought of being a burden gnawed at him, but at the same time, it was deeply unfair—he hadn’t asked to be here.
And then—
The ground suddenly trembled violently.
Rumble—!
A deep, resonating roar shook the earth.
Startled, Latian instinctively crouched, just as the ground near the forest entrance bulged and rose into a massive form.
“Gasp…”
Just from the unnatural sight alone, it was clear—it was a monster.
“W-Why is a monster appearing here all of a sudden?!”
“It’s a species that primarily lives near cliffs. These creatures disguise themselves as part of the ground, then drive their prey toward the cliff before attacking.”
Hearing the twins’ explanation, Latian was gripped with fear and instinctively shrank back.
And at that moment—
“!”
The monster quaked violently again, sending another tremor through the ground.
Losing his balance, Latian stumbled backward.
“Ah…”
The problem was that behind him lay the cliff.
“Shit!”
There wasn’t even time to cry out for help.
Latian’s body wavered on the edge.
A terrifying realization struck him—was he really about to fall to his death?
Just then, a powerful grip yanked him back.
“Lord!”
His vision blurred as he flailed, struggling to find focus.
The twins’ voices sounded distant.
His feet found nothing but air.
Beneath him lay the abyss.
Heart pounding in terror, Latian quickly looked up.
Claude had an arm tightly wrapped around his waist, holding onto him with one hand while grasping a tree root embedded in the cliffside with the other.
As the delayed fear finally caught up with him, Latian’s heart pounded so violently it felt like it might burst from his chest.
“B-Brother…! D-Don’t let go of me! Please, I’m begging you!”
Claude, who had been watching the chaos unfold above, lowered his gaze to Latian.
His brow furrowed slightly before he let out a sharp click of his tongue.
Even that small gesture scared Latian so much that he instinctively threw his arms around Claude’s neck.
“This is why you shouldn’t have brought me! Why did you drag me along?!”
“…….”
“You bastard! If I die here, I’m going to haunt you forever!”
“…….”
“I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die a painful death! Please, save me!”
“You’re going to burst my eardrums. Shut up.”
Latian clung to Claude, pressing his face against his shoulder, and screamed at the top of his lungs.
Claude, tightening his grip around Latian’s waist, growled in irritation.
His voice was like ice, sharp enough to jolt Latian back to his senses.
He didn’t respond, but he tightened his grip around Claude’s neck even more.
Claude looked up and shouted toward the top of the cliff.
“Sien! Haen!”
“Yes!”
“I can’t hold on for long! I’ll be waiting below—get down here!”
“Understood!”
Latian was too terrified to even check what was happening.
He squeezed his eyes shut and clung to Claude as if his life depended on it.
His hammering heartbeat pounded loudly in his head.
“Hold on tight.”
“!”
A deep voice, low and steady, resonated near his ear.
Latian clenched his teeth.
For a moment, his body felt weightless—
Then, they fell.
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