After escaping from the recent commotion, Randy returned to his dorm and, as dawn broke, he set off by carriage to his family home. He had already planned to go back for the long summer vacation anyway, so it was just a bit ahead of schedule.

He was curious about how Lady Elizabeth had driven those people off.

Did she retaliate on the spot?

Did it turn into a family feud?

Or did she choose another option?

It was an incident that might shake the very foundation of the world he lived in.

Pretending not to be curious would be a lie, but digging too deep might only invite trouble.

(“Well, I’ll find out whether I want to or not once the new semester starts.”)

While Randy sat back in his carriage, enjoying the ride, the rumor of Lady Elizabeth’s exile reached his ears—right when super long journey was nearing its end and he was close to crossing the border.

While waiting at the border checkpoint to cross, Randy stopped for a break in the soldiers’ rest area. There, everyone was gossiping openly.

“Hey old man, can I get a coffee?”

He tossed a coin, and a cup of coffee was handed to him. He was already used to the gritty coffee grounds that felt like sand. Sipping his coffee, he listened in on the rumors.

According to what he heard, it seemed Lady Elizabeth had acted outrageously toward Lady Catherine Evans, a classmate of Crown Prince Edgar and a certified saint.

Threats.

Assault.

Property damage.

One misdeed after another wee reevealed, backed by testimonies not only from the crown prince and female students but also from several students in his circle—each of them a son or daughter of influential figures in the kingdom.

“This is straight out of an otome game,” Randy muttered with a sigh, finishing his coffee in one gulp.

Clink.

He stared absentmindedly at the saucer and cup.

“Coffee, huh…”

Despite being in a world with medieval fantasy vibe, the food here was—though quality varied—quite good.

Still, the roads were rough, the carriage rattled horribly, and his back ached. While food, clothing, and shelter were quite decent, infrastructure was as outdated as it could get.

Thinking about it, there were definitely “otome game” elements in this world from the start. Still, even if he’d noticed that, he couldn’t intervene in something like another country’s engagement.

The most he could do was to improve the taste of this lousy coffee, Randy thought with a self-deprecating sigh, when—

“Young master, about the travel permit—”

Hearing the voice behind him, Randy turned with a frown. It was Harrison, his coachman.

“C’mon now, we’re almost in Victor’s territory, and it’s just soldiers here. No need for the ‘young master’ routine.”

Harrison laughed and added, “And it looks like you’re starting to sound like your old self again, eh?”

Randy sighed. He’d been called that since he was young, but it always made him feel like some underworld boss, a title he disliked. Denying it didn’t make a difference to people like Harrison, though.

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To survive in Victor’s territory, Randy needed the same kind of boldness that men like Harrison had.

“So? What’s the issue with the travel permit?”

“Well, they said we’d have to wait until tomorrow.”

Randy raised an eyebrow at Harrison’s irritation. “What?”

“Actually…”

Harrison leaned in to whisper. It turned out he’d slipped the gate guard some money to get their permit approved for today.

So why mention waiting until tomorrow?

“I used my own pocket money, so I’d appreciate if there’s a little reimbursement,” he said.

“You’re so sly. Didn’t you make enough at the casino in the capital?”

“Ah, you know how it is—money’s never enough.”

With a smiling Harrison by his side, Randy left the rest area. The rumors still echoed in his mind.

Once they passed through the large checkpoint at the border, they entered a massive forest.

—The Demon Forest.

In this world, the forest was notorious as a realm of ferocious magical beasts.

Surrounding it was a towering wall behind them, a border between Highland Duchy and Alexandria Kingdom, doubling as a barrier against the creatures that came from the Demon Forest.

A normal traveler wouldn’t even consider going through this path. But for Randy, it was the quickest route.

“We’ll be there in half a day,” Harrison said cheerfully.

“Finally,” Randy muttered, rubbing his sore back while perched on top of the carriage roof. They were already in the Demon Forest. Although they were still at the forest’s edge, where the beasts weren’t as numerous, staying inside the carriage could hinder him in an emergency.

Resting his chin on his hand, Randy stared at the fresh tracks ahead.

(Come to think of it, it rained until dawn…)

If the ground was muddy, tracks would form, he thought. But as he looked away, something felt off.

(Tracks? In a place like this?)

Just as he widened his eyes in realization, a scream tore through the forest.

“Young master!”

Without waiting for Harrison’s call, Randy leapt from the carriage roof, grasping his greatsword, and dashed into the forest.

Ahead, weaving through the trees with remarkable speed, Randy’s eyes caught the sight of an overturned carriage and two women under attack.

They had protected themselves within a dome-shaped magic barrier, while nearly ten men kept striking at them with swords.

“Which side will you take?”

"Isn't it obvious?"

"What about backup?"

"Don't need it...but turn the carriage around."

"Got it."

Randy and Harrison took off in opposite directions, just as the protective barrier collapsed.

The only ones being attacked were women. A fallen carriage. No guards in sight.

There were too many things he didn’t understand, but this wasn’t the time to hesitate.

One woman was being pulled down by her hair, dragged to the ground.

Another woman was pinned down, and just as a man was about to mount her, Randy slammed his fist into the man’s back, sending him flying.

Randy is a huge boy, towering over 190 cm, had trained relentlessly like he was in a game, and his left fist dented the man's helmet and sent him soaring.

By the time the man crashed into a tree, vomiting blood and falling motionless, Randy locked eyes with the woman lying in front of him.

Her hair was filthy, her dress torn.

She seemed somewhat familiar, but more surprising to Randy was the stone she clutched tightly in her right hand.

("Huh. She's got guts, considering the situation.")

It seemed that, even without Randy's intervention, she would’ve taken out that rude guy herself.

Still, the numbers weren’t in her favor, and her resistance would’ve only bought her a brief extension to her life. So, there was really only one thing to do.

"Hey, soldiers. What do you think you're doing…in someone else's garden?"

Randy turned back to the men with a mischievous grin.

Seeing him appear out of nowhere and knock out one of their own, the men surrounding the women lowered their stance, gripping their swords.

They didn’t look ready to back down. Randy glanced briefly at the trembling woman at his feet.

"Sorry 'bout this."

He took a step forward, stepping over her, and adjusted the massive greatsword on his shoulder.

"Who...who the hell are you?!"

One of the soldiers demanded.

Randy cast him a sharp look, saying,

"You can tell right," then closed the distance and split the soldier's head in one swift stroke.

"Just a passing traveler."

Randy grinned, and three soldiers attacked him at once.

With a single swing, he sliced all three in half, their bodies scattering across the ground. The woman on the ground held her breath, covering her head as blood and organs spattered around her.

"Oops…my bad."

Randy moved closer to separate the woman from the men.

Three soldiers remained.

"W-Who are you? We serve the kingdom—"

"So what? This is the duchy."

He crushed a trembling soldier underfoot, scattering more blood.

One soldier turned away, and his body sliced in two and sent flying.

"That just leaves you."

Randy faced the last soldier, who was holding a woman who looked like a maid in a headlock, trembling as he said, "D-Don’t come any closer, or I’ll kill her!"

"Why don't you try? Let’s see if you’re faster than my greatsword."

Randy grinned, slowly closing in with his sword still on his shoulder—

"Damn you! Barbarian!"

The soldier flung the maid aside, and Randy caught her.

The soldier tried to run, but he tripped over a small shrine and fell.

Randy blocked his path...

"Too bad."

The soldier tried to beg for mercy, but as he said, "Help…" a black mist rose from the shrine and surrounded him.

"What the…"

The soldier's expression twisted as he clutched his throat, his body convulsing before he let out a final scream and collapsed, and finally dead.

"No way..."

As Randy grimaced, black mist rose from the soldier’s body again, lunging at Randy and the maid he was holding.

Randy slashed at it with his sword, cutting through the mist—but it reformed behind him and encircled the woman on the ground.

"Milady!"

The maid cried in despair as the woman’s body, seemingly possessed, floated into the air.

Her dirty silver hair turned a glossy raven black, and her ocean-blue eyes glowed crimson—

"Hey, no transforming without permission!"

Just as the transformation was about to complete, Randy brought the flat of his sword down on her head.

A bell-like sound echoed through the forest as the woman, with a look of disbelief, collapsed to the ground.

"The...transformation...you’re...not supposed to...interrupt..."

Muttering bitterly, she fainted. Her raven hair returned again to its dirty silver, and at that moment, the maid pushed past Randy to rush to her side.

"Lady Elizabeth!"

The name sounded vaguely familiar, and Randy gave a wry smile.

As he looked up, Harrison appeared with a casual, "Wow, you really made a mess," which Randy found oddly reassuring.