Lance Charge on the Arkship, but No Mount

Claude waited patiently, free of any negative emotions as he entered a light meditative state. The campfire cast a red glow over his face, illuminating its sharp contours and long eyebrows.

Unfortunately, nothing happened that night. He slept peacefully through the latter half of the night and encountered nothing strange in his dreams.

"Didn't you rest well last night?"

Centaurea looked at Claude curiously and asked him.

Claude was slightly fatigued. After all, he had gone a full week without proper sleep. He waved a hand to indicate that he was fine.

As he stepped out of the cave where they had stayed upon arriving, the biting wind jolted him fully awake.

What a cunning and cautious prey.

A faint, meaningful smile touched Claude's lips as he called to his companion and set off.

Generally speaking, traveling was not a comfortable affair. Travelers had to consider the dangers they might encounter on the road, their food and fuel supplies, carefully calculate their remaining resources and where they could replenish them. Not to mention the physical fatigue and poor lodging conditions.

Yet despite all those troubles, the reason travel still made people yearn at the mere thought of it lay in the desire for exploration and curiosity hidden within everyone's heart. People were born wanting to explore the unknown, born full of curiosity about it. Some craved the unknown even more intensely. To them, seeing magnificent scenery and learning of unfamiliar things brought a greater sense of fulfillment than anything else, making them more likely to become outstanding adventurers.

Just like now. Even though Claude had never wanted to become an adventurer, he was still awestruck by the sight before him.

Beneath the azure sky stretched an endless grassland. A gentle breeze swept through, raising waves of grass. Distant low hills were blanketed in snow, and the wind blowing down from them carried a clear, chilling coolness. The sunlight was partially obscured, leaving distinct boundaries of light and shadow across the ground. At the foot of the hills stood a small patch of woods surrounding a tiny village.

Nothing blocked his view, as though he could see all the way to the end of the world. The magnificent vista made Claude feel as if his heart had taken flight with the wind.

A cheerful melody suddenly sounded. Centaurea turned her head and saw Claude whistling. One hand held the steering wheel steadily, while the wind blowing in through the window tousled his hair, leaving a lock draped across his face. It was obvious that he was in an excellent mood.

The melody gradually became more stirring. Listening to it, one could almost picture a grand triumphal ceremony: red carpets covering the entire street, iron boots striking the ground, halberds gleaming coldly, and flower petals scattered from the balconies on either side.

The off-road vehicle came to a light stop at the village entrance just as Claude's tune ended.

He pushed open the door and stepped out. Before him lay a dilapidated village. Even the words on the sign at its entrance had weathered into illegibility.

"Looks like our luck isn't great. There's no one here either." Claude looked down at the road covered in dead leaves.

Centaurea did not ask why, because the reason was obvious. The leaves had piled up over the road, yet not a single one had been crushed. That meant no one had walked through here for some time. No village, no matter how xenophobic, would have its inhabitants remain indoors forever. The only explanation was that there was no one in the houses either.

He drove the car down the village road, crushing the leaves beneath its wheels and leaving a very conspicuous trail. He drove it all the way in and parked where they could keep it in sight.

After briefly exploring the village, they found no signs of a natural disaster or calamity. It seemed the residents had left voluntarily. Every valuable item, as well as all the pots and bowls, had been taken away. Not even a single piece of clothing remained. It seemed the village's former inhabitants had no intention of returning.

It was the same familiar routine: gathering fuel and lighting a campfire. After spending so much time together, the two had developed a tacit understanding, but the atmosphere had also grown somewhat stifling. Once a pot had been placed over the fire, with jerky and biscuits boiling inside—

Centaurea suddenly broke the silence and asked,

"What was that tune you were humming earlier? It sounded interesting."

"I've heard it a lot, so I learned it without realizing." Claude's answer seemed unrelated to the question, but the white Kuranta girl did not pursue the subject further.

She reached up and touched her long hair, which the wind had turned into a mess. Her hair was especially difficult to manage, particularly while traveling, when she had little time for such things each day. Now that they had a rare moment of leisure, she wanted to fix it.

Sitting across from her, Claude also noticed that his own hair was disheveled. His was not long, though, so he easily fixed it with his hands, restoring it to its usual immaculate state.

Centaurea felt a faint sense of regret, because she thought Claude had looked a little better when his hair had been slightly messy.

Holding her comb, an idea suddenly came to her.

"Claude, could you help me comb my hair? There's no mirror, so it's inconvenient to do it myself." Her heartbeat accelerated the moment she said it, and she immediately began to regret asking. Yet for some reason, she did not say anything else.

"Of course. I'd be happy to help." Claude agreed almost without hesitation.

That was how this man always was. He appeared cold on the surface, but those who knew him understood the warmth hidden in his heart. He almost never refused a friend's request.

He took the comb from her, but held it as though he were gripping a sword. It looked as if he might use the comb to slit someone's throat the next second, making Centaurea's brow twitch.

Claude had never combed a woman's long hair before, so naturally he had no experience with it. Still, he was full of confidence. That confidence came from his absolute control over his own hands. He could pluck the wings off a fly with a blade as easily as breathing. Therefore, he was equally certain he could handle any delicate task.

Standing behind Centaurea, he reached out and lifted her long hair, white as silk. The strands flowed through his palm and slipped between his fingers. Claude curiously felt the coolness at his fingertips and actually forgot what he was supposed to do for a moment. But he quickly recovered, raised the comb, and tried to smooth her hair out.

The fine teeth of the comb slid through her hair as smoothly as if passing through flowing water, gathering the scattered strands together. Claude's nimble fingers held the hair in place while his other hand picked up a hair tie and deftly bound it together.

Looking at the hairstyle, identical to how it usually was, Claude was very satisfied. As though admiring a work of art, he stared at her hair for a long time. Every now and then, he even reached out and adjusted her head. It was not until he heard a soft cough filled with barely restrained annoyance that he realized such behavior was very rude toward a lady.

He coughed awkwardly twice, feeling somewhat ashamed of having gotten carried away. Claude returned to his seat as though nothing had happened.

Fortunately, the strange atmosphere soon passed. They were, after all, far too familiar with each other. Before long, things returned to normal.

After dinner, Claude began wiping down his blade. He tilted his head to the side, signaling for her to sleep first. Naturally, she placed her weapon beside her sleeping bag and crawled inside, while Claude kept watch by the door.

A trace of energy flowed into a rune on his armor, causing it to glow. The rune had never fulfilled its intended purpose before, and Claude did not know whether it would prove useful today. Still, he had a premonition that the presence lurking in the shadows would make its move soon.

Immortal Black Snake had accumulated countless experiences over his long life, yet none of them could help him deal with the situation before him.

Everything had originally been proceeding according to his plan. Talulah would eventually walk the path he had prepared for her, and the Empire would once again become great under his designs. The black snake had coiled itself around the Draco girl's soul, intending to find a crack and stain it with his own color. Under his arrangements, that was the fate she had been destined for.

But then, out of nowhere, Claude appeared. Immortal Black Snake had assumed he was just some inexperienced brat, yet Claude had effortlessly ruined his plans beyond recognition, leaving them nearly impossible to continue. More importantly, he had exposed his secret.

What Claude had said to Talulah had also shocked Immortal Black Snake immensely. The information contained in those words had astonished even one who had lived so long. His words were like a sharp scalpel, dissecting the entire Ursus Empire until nothing remained hidden, stripping away every last pretense. They had also dealt a considerable blow to Immortal Black Snake's worldview, plunging him into prolonged thought.

At the same time, they had made him intensely curious about Claude. How had someone who looked so young, and whose body was equally young, come to know such things?

In pursuit of an answer, he had taken a rash action. It should not have been his style, but Claude's words had shaken him deeply enough to make him lose his composure for once.

That operation had brought him considerable danger. Fortunately, he had prepared contingencies in advance, or he might have suffered severe damage. Yet what he truly cared about had still made no progress. He was extremely unwilling to accept that and did not want to give up directly. Even across his long life, this was an exceedingly rare occurrence.

After lying low for two weeks, he believed the target had lowered his guard. This time, he had made thorough preparations. Even if the other side discovered him from the start, they would not be able to harm him. Besides, this fragment of his soul was a disposable pawn to begin with. Even in the worst-case scenario, he could accept such a loss.

It was late at night, the time when people were most defenseless. Something invisible to the naked eye began to spread toward the sleeping Claude. It started from his sleeping bag outside, seeped into his body as though passing through water, and entered his soul.

The process was extremely slow. He proceeded with utmost caution, preferring slow progress to alerting his target.

An hour later, he finally entered the target's soul. Only then did he relax slightly. Everything seemed normal.

"You finally came."

He was startled. Only then did he see Claude standing before him at some unknown point, both hands resting on the pommel of a sword planted upright before him.

Before he could say anything, Claude spoke first, his face filled with impatience.

"I won't waste words with you, or you'll run away."

The moment those words fell, an intensely ominous feeling spread through Immortal Black Snake. Without hesitation, he activated his contingency and tried to leave.

His premonition had come true.

He could not move, as though his entire soul had been locked in place by an invisible cage. Before he had time to panic, a bright light suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Claude had sat up in his sleeping bag. In his hand was a golden spherical cage woven from threads of light. Within it, a wisp of black gas slammed about wildly. Without question, the soul trapped in his hand was the one confined by the rune.

With a thought from Claude, flashes of electricity began crackling within the cage, followed by a faint, almost inaudible scream. After five or six rounds, it finally learned its lesson and obediently stayed inside rather than running around.

"All right. Even for someone who tried to harm me, I'm sometimes willing to give them a chance to speak. Explain yourself. I'm listening."

"There's no need to worry. We have plenty of time for you to tell me everything you know."

The black soul inside the cage trembled uneasily.

"What?!! All the food in the car is gone?"

Claude, who had been in a good mood, stared dumbfoundedly at the completely empty trunk.

A New Beginning: Sacrifice

This was not a good situation. Claude was certain of that. Since they had plenty of remaining food, they had not brought it into the house and had left it in the car instead. Now, looking at the pried-open lock, Claude fell into thought.

The two of them had not slept at the same time. They had taken turns keeping watch. Moreover, their car had been parked very close to the house. Logically, with their hearing, neither of them should have failed to notice someone approaching. Yet throughout the entire night, apart from that hunt, neither Claude nor Centaurea had heard any other sound.

He crouched down for a closer look and finally found several shallow footprints behind the vehicle. They were very small and did not look like a man's. The marks were also faint, suggesting the person had not been carrying a heavy load and was relatively light.

After circling halfway around the car, he found more footprints in front of it. This time, however, they were noticeably deeper, indicating that the person had been carrying quite a lot.

He could not make out anything more for the moment, and Claude's brow furrowed deeply. They were still far from their destination. If they lost all their food supplies now, especially their most important supply of fresh water, it would be difficult to reach their destination. Of course, it was not as though they had no options. They could hunt for food, but having to eat nothing but meat from now on would still be unpleasant.

Thus, Claude decided to pursue the thief and take a look. If that did not work out, they would continue their journey.

"I'll go take a look. Keep an eye on what we have left. Don't let anyone steal it too, or we really won't make it there."

After reminding Centaurea, Claude took all his weapons and followed the deeper footprints toward the back of the village.

Footprints were difficult to leave on the dead leaves in the woods, but crushed leaves were clearly visible. Following that trail, Claude moved farther and farther from the village, drawing closer to the low hill.

After walking nearly a kilometer, Claude looked at the uninterrupted trail of footprints and was slightly surprised. He knew they had brought a great deal of food. Yet the thief had carried all that weight for an entire kilometer without even stopping to catch their breath. It seemed the other party possessed impressive physical fitness.

The footprints extended all the way to the foot of the hill. Beyond that was a mountain path made of loose stones, where no prints could be seen. Still, it was highly likely that the thief had gone up the hill. Claude slung his lance over his shoulder and followed the path upward.

Fortunately, the path did not branch in the middle. It led straight to the summit, saving him considerable time. His iron boots stepped on loose gravel, making the stones grind and roll against each other with clattering sounds. The slope was extremely steep, and combined with the easily rolling stones, it was difficult to keep one's footing. Anyone coming here would make quite a bit of noise.

Finally, after climbing for fifteen minutes, Claude neared the top. The entrance to the summit was formed by two enormous white boulders, with a narrow path between them. Passing through would bring him to the top. It was an extremely defensible position. If someone guarded it, they could hold off an attack from more than a dozen people. Therefore, Claude raised his vigilance to its highest level as he passed through the rocks.

Just as he was about to reach the summit, a sharp sound tore through the air. A battered short blade embedded itself in the stone wall before him like a heavy crossbow bolt. Looking at the tip buried several inches into the rock, Claude's expression turned grave.

"Go back down. You are not allowed here."

A clear but dry voice rang out. It was obvious from the sound that the speaker was a girl.

Claude looked around, but he did not find the attacker. Or rather, the attacker was far away, somewhere beyond his field of vision.

"Calm down, miss. I don't intend to hurt you."

Seeing that no more weapons came flying, and realizing the other party had calmed down, Claude continued.

"Miss, I tracked a thief who stole our food to this place. Do you know who it was? Without food, the rest of our journey will be very difficult."

"O-of course I don't!"

Claude raised an eyebrow. Such a guilty tone. So it was her.

"Then could you allow me to come up and look for the things we lost? Please rest assured, if they aren't there, I'll leave immediately."

"Then wait a moment." The voice instantly became flustered, accompanied by sounds of frantic movement.

An explosive stomp of iron boots sounded against the ground as Claude leaped through the passage. He had been waiting for this opportunity. This thief was extremely dangerous. If he carelessly took a hit from her, Claude could be seriously injured or even die on the spot. He did not know whether she bore ill intent, but if he turned and left now, he would have almost no chance of dodging an attack from behind. He was certainly not going to gamble his life on her character. No matter how he intended to settle this, he had to subdue her first.

The summit was a broad, flat expanse covered in loose stones just like the mountain path. Beside it was a cave descending into the earth, and a petite figure in a gray robe stood at the entrance. She was frantically trying to cover something with rocks.

Hearing the noise, she hurriedly turned around, but it was already too late. Claude crossed the short twenty-meter distance in the blink of an eye.

The other party visibly panicked. She drew a lance from somewhere and swung it down at him with all her strength. Claude's tense heart relaxed slightly. It seemed she was not good at close-quarters combat; she did not even know how to use a lance. Instead of thrusting him with the blade, its most lethal part, she was wielding it like a staff. That completely failed to bring out its killing power.

His feet paused slightly as he made up his mind. He would knock the shaft aside with his gauntleted hand, then seize her arm and subdue her in one motion.

The lance swept toward him with a fierce gust of wind. The instant his gauntlet touched the shaft, Claude's expression changed slightly.

Bang!!

With a dull impact, the shaft was knocked aside, and Claude's hand went numb. He had no time to marvel at her tremendous strength. With quick reflexes, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, then pulled hard.

She let out a startled cry and lost her footing, getting yanked off balance. Claude immediately wrapped an arm around her, seized both her wrists, and used all his strength to restrain her.

The girl in his arms panicked as well and began struggling fiercely. The force she unleashed in that instant nearly made Claude lose his grip, but he ultimately proved stronger. Gritting his teeth, he forced both her hands behind her back. Yet that still did not subdue her. She began kicking backward with all her might, trying to strike Claude, but the human body simply was not built in a way that allowed that.

The child flopped about on the ground like a large fish caught and dragged ashore. Claude was like a novice sea fisherman facing his first big catch, completely at a loss and able only to pin it down with all his strength. There was nothing else in his mind. He only knew that he could not let it escape.

The restrained girl suddenly threw her head back viciously and smashed it into Claude's face. A buzzing filled his head, and stars burst before his eyes. Even so, he did not let go, holding her firmly to the ground.

After an unknown amount of time, her struggles finally began to weaken. Yet she still occasionally jerked suddenly, trying to break free from his hold. Seizing the opportunity, Claude quickly used the weapon belt at his waist to bind her hands tightly. Then he removed another belt and tied up her feet as well.

Claude stood up. With his current physical condition, he was actually feeling considerable fatigue after that struggle. Letting out a long breath, he crouched in front of the petite gray figure. He reached out and pulled back her hood, revealing a Perro girl.

The child had yellow hair, along with a pair of large pointed ears on top of her head, their tips covered in black fur. Her hair was a mess from the struggle, and her face was covered in dirt. Yet even all that dirt could not conceal her pretty features.

She had bright, crystalline eyes like red gemstones. Those eyes were now filled with vigilance and ferocity. Though she wore ragged clothes, her face was not thin. It was rather plump, making her look very cute.

When Claude removed her hood, she kept twisting her head around, trying to bite his hand. She looked somewhat... foolish.

He stood and walked over to where she had hidden the stolen goods. After moving aside the loose stones, he found their bags underneath. He picked them up and placed them in front of the girl. She immediately became guilty, her eyes darting everywhere as she no longer dared glare at Claude.

"Why did you steal our things?"

"I was very hungry."

"You were hungry, so you took our things?"

"Because I was hungry, I needed food." The girl's face suddenly became perfectly righteous, as though she had stated an immutable truth.

"Where is your home?"

"I don't know."

"What's your name?"