“Hehe, you’ve been either sitting or lying down the whole way. How could you be tired?”
Field chuckled, teasing Liyakade as she sat up from Field’s lap.
“Don’t worry. Lying down for too long can be exhausting too.”
Liyakade easily pushed open the carriage door and stepped out with a cheerful stride.
Earlier in the carriage, the atmosphere had returned to its previous leisure and cheerfulness after Liyakade’s confession.
However, whether it was because the air inside was too stuffy or for some other reason, Liyakade had felt a bit restless.
She couldn’t get comfortable sitting or lying down, and something just felt off.
“Phew, the air outside is definitely fresher.”
Liyakade stretched her limbs and took a deep breath of the wild, fresh air, unable to help but sigh in appreciation.
After getting off the carriage, Liyakade realized the caravan had traveled into a forest.
A wide and long road stretched through the forest, which was clearly the route the caravan had been following.
Now, the caravan was parked along the side of the road, close to the edge of the trees.
Liyakade looked up at the sky and noticed it was already getting dark.
It seemed they would be resting here for the night.
The caravan had already started a campfire nearby, designating this area as their temporary camp to settle in for the evening.
“Should we head over there too… Huh!?”
Liyakade pointed toward the campfire and turned back to look at Alice and Field.
However, what met her eyes was Alice standing next to someone wearing a mask with pale gold patterns.
No, that wasn’t right.
It was Field, but she was now wearing a mask and had her hair tied up.
Her clothes were already somewhat gender-neutral, and this new look made her gender even harder to discern.
However, her feminine curves were impossible to fully hide, and a little observation would reveal she was a woman.
“Don’t scream.”
Seeing Liyakade look as if she were about to let out a cry, Field rolled her eyes and teased her.
“You… you scared me. Why did you suddenly put on a mask like that?”
Liyakade pat her chest to calm her racing heart.
She scrutinized the half-mask on Field’s face.
It was decorated with pale gold patterns and covered the upper half of her face.
Although it left her eyes exposed, someone unfamiliar with Field would never be able to recognize her under the mask’s cover.
“Did you forget who I am? There might be people in this caravan who recognize me. When you’re traveling, it’s better to protect your information and safety.”
Field gave a brief explanation before asking, “Do you want to wear a mask to protect your identity too?”
“I’ll pass.”
Liyakade waved her hand, declining Field’s offer.
“I’m just an obscure, ordinary person in the Kingdom anyway. People at the Academy might know me, but there shouldn’t be anyone who recognizes me out here. I don’t have a high status, so I don’t need that kind of protection.”
“Fine. Let’s head over then.”
Just as Liyakade and the others were about to walk toward the campfire, a young woman’s voice called out from behind them.
“Wait a moment, you three.”
Liyakade and her companions turned around to see a young girl wearing a black and white nun’s habit.
She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old and was walking toward them.
This was Natalia.
The talk she had overheard earlier regarding the Demon Race had been weighing on her mind.
Now that the caravan had finally stopped to rest, she intended to question them.
“Hmm? And you are?”
Liyakade and the others turned around.
Although Liyakade was the core of their group, it was better to let the more socially adept Field handle interactions.
Thus, Field was the one to address the nun.
Liyakade was a bit confused.
Logically, the people in the caravan shouldn’t know each other.
Furthermore, they had hidden their identities.
Aside from the caravan manager, no one should have proactively approached them.
She couldn’t help but feel that anyone striking up a conversation with them might have ulterior motives.
However, the person before them was dressed as a nun.
Since she belonged to the Church, she likely wouldn’t do anything malicious.
Even an Apprentice Nun had to undergo character assessments and meet certain moral requirements.
“My name is Natalia. I am an Apprentice Nun of the Church.”
Natalia slowly introduced herself while observing the three people in front of her.
They seemed quite unusual.
Alice was fine, looking like a typical Noble Lady, but the other two were far from reassuring.
First, there was Liyakade.
With her cascading silver-white hair and crimson eyes, her features were as exquisite as if they had been carved by a master artist.
Such striking and strange characteristics were far too rare among the citizens of the Kingdom, making Natalia highly suspicious of her true identity.
As for Field, she was even more suspicious.
The mask alone was a red flag; Natalia felt that only those with a guilty conscience would hide behind one at all times.
Moreover, judging by her physical traits, Field was likely a woman, yet she had her hair tied up and wore loose-fitting clothes.
While the clothes couldn’t entirely hide her chest, it felt like a deliberate attempt to create an androgynous appearance.
Both of them gave Natalia a very strange feeling.
Of course, Natalia couldn’t simply interrogate them right then and there.
If they really were up to no good, wouldn’t she be alerting the enemy?
“I have joined this caravan’s guard mission to train myself and improve my strength. It seems the three of you are heading to the Kingdom Border for some business. Would you allow me to accompany you as your Personal Guard?”
Natalia bowed to Liyakade and the others as she made her request.
The three of them fell silent for a moment, exchanging glances.
‘What on earth is this girl trying to do?’
Liyakade thought as she subtly observed the bowing Natalia, before glancing at Field and Alice.
‘She looks like a nun, but it’s so abrupt for her to offer to be our guard.’
‘I have no idea, but it feels like a lot of trouble,’ Field’s expression seemed to say.
‘Anyway… it’s probably better to just refuse her directly, right?’
Alice signaled with her eyes.
‘Hmph, with such a calm performance and such natural reasoning, they will definitely agree to let me be their Personal Guard without hesitation,’ Natalia thought to herself, feeling quite smug while still maintaining her bow.
‘When the time comes, I’ll have to see exactly what secrets they’re hiding!’
She was convinced her excuse was flawless.
“No thanks, we don’t need a guard for the time being.”
“Alright, then I’ll…”
Natalia stood up and started to step forward, only to suddenly freeze.
She finally realized that they had actually declined her offer.
“Wait, what?”