Rumors have it that at this time of year, bringing servants to the Grand Shrine was a rather complicated procedure.

In the first place, the Maiden Priestess should be residing there now, and they required thorough proof of identity of anyone entering and exiting.

Rishe had left her maids in Garkhain, and Arnold had only his squire, Oliver, with him.

The knights who escorted them along the way were waiting in a town near the Grand Shrine.

There are a lot of things to worry about, though.

Rishe looked around.

“…”

The reddish glow of the setting sun illuminated the forest.

The path was overgrown with short weeds, which made the animal tracks clearly visible. There was a small scratch on a tree a little way off from her spot.

Traces of scraped weeds and animal hair tangled in the trees.

As Rishe looked at these things, her thoughts wandered.

“…From here on out, please follow my footsteps.”

“Huh, why?”

“Because there might be nests of vipers in the weeds. If you get bit by one, it’ll cause a commotion and they’ll know you went into the woods.”

“Thank you. But it’s nothing to worry about.”

She stood still and smiled at his little back.

“I’ve come this far, so I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Huh?”

Leo swiftly turned around. His eyes were wide and round, as if he were looking at some unknown creature.

“Thank you for showing me the way. I’ll proceed on my own, so you can go back to the shrine first.”

“…”

Rishe discerned Leo’s guard rising when she told him this while tucking her hair behind her ears.

“What on earth are you really doing?”

“Nothing for you to give me that look. But it would be wrong to ask you to accompany me a little longer, wouldn’t it?”

“I’ll stay.”

Rishe blinked in surprise.

“The sun will soon set completely, and it isn’t safe for you to remain alone in the forest. If anything should happen to you, I will be suspected and punished.”

The image of Leo with an eye patch flashed through Rishe’s mind.

“…Your master doesn’t seem like that kind of person, though.”

“I’ll stay behind anyway. If there is anything you want to see in this forest, please do so quickly.

“Are you sure? Well then, I’ll do that.”

“Ah!”

Leo screamed in panic as Rishe took a step forward.

Leo was probably alarmed because Rishe left his trail and started moving further and further into the forest.

“Wait! I told you, it’s dangerous to walk in the wrong direction because there are nests of poisonous snakes!”

“The snakes that live on this continent are venomous but timid. They’ll slither away upon seeing someone. Moreover, they won’t stick their heads out of their burrows when they can hear us talking.”

“Even so, there’s always a possibility, you know!”

“No. If anything, more dangerous than snakes are…”