We were progressing smoothly into the depths of the forest—each step taking us farther from safety, deeper into shadow.
Our destination was a place considered the deepest part of this forest: a massive boulder called the Sacred Rock. The name carried religious significance I didn't fully understand, some connection to ancient rituals lost to time.
Reaching that location and bringing back a fragment was the condition for clearing this trial. Simple enough in theory.
It wasn't particularly difficult—at least, it shouldn't be.
The atmosphere was intimidating enough—twisted trees, oppressive darkness, the constant sense of being watched. But this forest didn't spawn especially powerful monsters. They were creatures a child could defeat with effort and basic training.
Of course, carelessness could still result in injury. A moment's inattention, a poorly timed dodge—even weak monsters could wound or maim if given the opportunity.
However, when it came to the Trial Ceremony—especially for nobles—the risk of injury was minimal to the point of being negligible.
Nobles didn't want to needlessly kill or injure their children any more than commoners did. Perhaps even less so, given the political implications of losing an heir.
They surrounded the trial area with covert guards, prepared to intercept even a single insect before it could threaten their precious offspring. That was the noble-style Trial Ceremony—safety theater dressed up as a coming-of-age ritual.
Whether it retained any of its original meaning at that point was debatable. I'd have to close my mouth and say nothing if asked. But going through the motions formally was what mattered, apparently. Tradition for tradition's sake.
So naturally, Erica had numerous guards assigned to her.
Look—if I directed my gaze toward those bushes over there...
"...!"
"..."
Our eyes met with an almost audible snap—like two pieces clicking together.
The guard hastily bowed his head in a flustered manner before disappearing back into the shadows. The movement was practiced but not quite smooth enough—nerves showing through training.
...That must be one of the newer recruits.
Veteran guards were truly invisible—their presence undetectable even when you knew where to look. But according to the briefing, more than ten guards were currently concealed in this immediate area. Hidden in trees, behind rocks, among the undergrowth—a web of protection surrounding us.
In the unlikely event of a life-threatening crisis, they would leap out to intervene. Overwhelming force held in reserve, ready to deploy in an instant.
...I hoped such a thing wouldn't be necessary. That today would pass without incident, without my death arriving on schedule.
"L-Liam? Is something there...?"
She gripped my clothes tightly—gyu—asking timidly, fear making her voice small and uncertain.
"...No. I was just curious about something. It was only shadows from the grass and trees."
"I-I see... I keep feeling like I'm being watched, so I thought maybe something was there..."
Oops.
She had sharp instincts, sharper than I'd given her credit for.
Surely she hadn't actually noticed the guards—they were too skilled for that. But she could sense their presence? Feel the weight of all those eyes tracking our movement?
I'd have to ask them to be more careful. Though honestly, if she could sense professional guards through sheer intuition, that was impressive.
"Don't worry. Even if something is there, I'll protect you."
"Uuu... Really, please do...?"
She pulled even closer—gyu—tightening the distance between us until her shoulder pressed against my arm.
Actually, being this close made it harder to move freely if danger appeared. But I didn't have the heart to push her away.
Still, if it helped her calm down, I suppose it was fine—
"—!"
"Hii...!"
Ahead of us, the grass rustled—gasa goso—a sound that made us both freeze.
That wasn't the sound of a guard repositioning. Something about the rhythm was wrong, too irregular.
I sensed a bestial presence, predatory and simple.
Please don't let this be the monster that kills me...
Cold sweat formed on my back as the source of the sound burst forth from cover.
"——————!!!"
The sound it made was like kyu kyu—a high-pitched squeal, like someone strangling a squeaky toy.
White fur, long ears, jumping ability several times its own body height—launching itself through the air with powerful hind legs.
And most distinctively: a short horn protruding from its forehead.
"...An Al-miraj."
One of the least dangerous monsters in this entire forest. A creature that barely qualified as a threat.
Also called the horned rabbit—and well, that's exactly what it was. Just a rabbit with a horn. Nothing more complicated than that.
In this world of magic and widespread swordsmanship, they were hardly considered dangerous at all. Some people even called them cute, kept them as exotic pets.
I secretly wiped away my internal cold sweat, relief flooding through me.
But I couldn't let my guard down. Complacency killed more surely than any monster.
About one person died to these creatures every year—usually through freak accidents or gross negligence. That was enough to warrant caution, to treat even this "harmless" creature with respect.
"Lady Erica, please step back."
I drew my sword—the familiar weight settling into my palm—and positioned myself between her and the creature.
"Are you going to... kill it?"
"...Yes. They're aggressive by nature. They'll attack any human in front of them."
The small animal growled—gurururu—while glaring at us. The sound was almost comical given its size, carrying no real intimidation factor.
Well, it wasn't exactly threatening in appearance. More adorable than frightening, if I was being honest.
"———!!!"
In an instant, the Al-miraj launched itself forward—a blur of white fur and determined hostility.
It tucked into a ball, horn thrust forward—a charging attack. The textbook pattern, exactly as described in the bestiaries I'd studied.
"—Fuu."
I drew in a short breath, centering myself. Not that I needed to get serious against an opponent like this—but there was no need to be sloppy either.
Every fight was practice. Every opponent a chance to refine technique.
I swung my sword in one fluid motion—from the ground near my left foot to above my right shoulder, a diagonal slash that cut through the air with a whisper of steel.
The dull silver flash of my blade intersected with the charging Al-miraj's trajectory.
In that moment, it suddenly lost all momentum, dropping heavily to the ground—pottori—like a puppet with cut strings.
It didn't move. Just lay there like an inanimate ball of fur, utterly still.
An instant kill. Clean, efficient, final.
After confirming it was dead, I slowly sheathed my sword—the blade sliding home with a soft click.
"...I-is it over?"
Erica asked with a puzzled expression, her blue eyes wide with confusion.
Well, from an outsider's perspective, I'd simply drawn my sword, swung it once, then sheathed it as if nothing had happened. The entire sequence had taken perhaps two seconds.
Understanding what occurred in that brief instant would be difficult for someone without combat training.
"Yes. It's finished."
"In just that one moment...!?"
"That's right. Feel free to praise me, you know?"
I puffed out my chest slightly—fufun—showing off jokingly. But she still looked disbelieving, approaching the beast's corpse cautiously, as if it might spring back to life.
"There's no blood or anything..."
"I used a specific technique for that. The interior has probably been cleanly severed, but the outside remains intact."
"I... see..."
The corpse's surface showed no blood at all—not a single stain marring the white fur.
To someone who didn't know better, it would look like the creature was merely sleeping. Peaceful, undisturbed.
Erica gently lifted it, cradling the small body. No reaction, of course. Just dead weight.
"Just moments ago... it was energetically hopping around..."
Her voice carried something fragile, contemplative.
"...Well, that's what combat is. What killing means."
"..."
She showed a pained expression, something complex passing behind those crystalline eyes.
...Watching a small life extinguished instantly before her eyes would be hard on any pure-hearted child, I supposed. The reality of death made concrete, immediate, undeniable.
Especially with something this small and cute—more pet than monster in appearance.
"Are you sad about it?"
"...No. As you said, it couldn't be helped... I understand that."
She gently placed the Al-miraj's corpse back on the ground and stood up, her movements careful and deliberate.
...If a ten-year-old could compartmentalize that thoroughly, she was quite remarkable. More mature than her years suggested.
The Trial Ceremony apparently served this educational purpose as well—teaching children to handle death without breaking.
Living in this world, killing couldn't be avoided entirely. If you let it weigh on you every time, you'd never function. Hunters, soldiers, adventurers—they all had to develop this particular callus on their souls.
But children who'd rarely witnessed such scenes lacked that hardened familiarity. Noble children especially, sheltered from the world's harsher realities.
This was the opportunity to build that resistance, that necessary emotional scar tissue.
In that sense, she'd perhaps fulfilled one of the trial's purposes already.
"But still... seeing something cute die is sad, isn't it?"
"Well, that's only natural."
"Yes... But if it were possible..."
This was the action beat that changed everything. Erica closed her eyes for just a moment—a brief pause that felt weighted with significance.
Then she directed her gaze at the furry corpse—an expression I couldn't quite categorize. Affection? Sorrow? Something else?
"I'd like to lock it away somewhere safe. Where no harm could reach it."
...Huh?
Wait.
What?
Did I mishear that?
"Al-miraj are apparently popular as pets, you know?"
I tried to keep my voice casual, normal, as if that statement hadn't sent ice down my spine.
"...Really? But Father would never allow it. He dislikes animals."
She smiled softly—fufu—the expression perfectly ordinary. Her usual demeanor, nothing unusual about it whatsoever.
Just a normal smile. Nothing strange at all.
So then earlier…
That lightless, unsettling gaze I'd glimpsed—Had I imagined it?
"There's no point standing around here. Shall we continue?"
"...Yes."
She took the lead, moving forward along the forest path. I stared at her back somewhat dazedly, unable to quite shake the unease settling in my gut.
But I couldn't articulate what.
＊＊＊
"Haaa... just hiding gets tiring, you know..."
One guard complained quietly, his voice barely carrying to his companion crouched behind a nearby tree.
"Oi, don't slack off. You're guarding the young lady."
"Yeah, but seriously? What's with that boy? He's legitimately strong. We're not even needed here."
"...Admittedly, Liam does show promise."
"Right? When our eyes met in the bushes earlier, I felt like I was looking at the captain for a moment there."
The comparison made his companion grunt in acknowledgment—high praise from soldiers who'd served under their legendary commander for years.
"You let yourself be spotted, though. Wasn't that him telling you to tighten up?"
"Maybe, but with that kid's skills, the monsters in this forest are nothing. Child's play."
"That may be true... but during the briefing, he kept insisting 'stay alert, be ready to move at any moment.' He was very emphatic about it."
The guard's tone suggested he'd found Liam's intensity surprising, perhaps even excessive for a child.
"Probably just scared since it's his first time in a forest. He's still a kid, after all. I bet right now he's thinking it's super easy~"
"You just want an excuse to slack off."
"Ah, caught me? Well, 'slacking off' is maybe putting it harshly. Though it's not exactly a lie either..."
"..."
"What's wrong? Why'd you go quiet?"
"...No, there are some unfamiliar footprints here."
"Footprints? ...Oh, you're right. Small humanoid tracks. And multiple sets."
"Were there monsters like this in this forest...?"
The veteran guard's voice carried concern now, his lazy posture straightening.
"Goblins maybe?"
"Not impossible, but they prefer plains and caves over forests. This doesn't match their usual behavior patterns."
"Then maybe commoner children? The ceremony runs simultaneously for different groups, right?"
"Possible, but the routes are quite separated despite sharing the same destination. It seems unlikely they'd cross paths."
"Ehhh? ...But it's probably nothing serious. Such small creatures can't be dangerous."
"...Just to be safe, I'll confirm with the forward scouts."
"So diligent. Well, I'll keep guarding the young lady then."
"Don't slack off."
"It'll be fine. I'm sure nothing will happen."
"...You really..."
The veteran's voice trailed off as he moved deeper into the forest, following those mysterious tracks.
Behind him, his companion settled back into his hiding spot, confident in his assessment.
After all, what could possibly go wrong?