Cecilia noticed that Rita had been acting a bit off these past couple of days.
Every day, Rita would meticulously report to her about the day’s events: how many battles had taken place, any unusual situations nearby.
There was nothing unusual about that.
Before bed each night, Rita would thoughtfully help Cecilia change clothes, and in the morning she would prepare hot water early.
Washing outdoors was inconvenient, so Cecilia never insisted, but she never doubted that if she needed it, Rita would handle everything perfectly.
The problem was that every night after Cecilia fell asleep, Rita would quietly slip out of her tent and only return a while later, drenched in sweat.
At first, Cecilia didn’t pay much attention, assuming Rita was just going to the bathroom late at night.
But after several nights of the same routine, Cecilia couldn’t help but become suspicious.
This core team of soldiers was both the candidates’ protection and their strongest support.
If any special situation arose, these well-trained soldiers, under Maggie’s command, would clear most obstacles.
As for guarding Cecilia’s camp, the elite among the elites took turns on watch duty—it was unnecessary for Rita to get involved.
So the question was, what exactly was Rita doing?
At first, Cecilia didn’t want to interfere with Rita’s decisions—after all, she allowed Rita to act independently as long as she was protecting her.
But after several days of the same behavior, she couldn’t help but ask.
“Rita, what have you been doing at night these past few days?”
“Huh? That… I’m just getting up to use the bathroom, after all, I’m a girl, so I have to go a bit further away. It wouldn’t be good to go near the camp, right?”
“But why do you come back soaking wet every time?”
“Well, since I have to go a bit farther, I have to hurry back! Think of it as exercise.”
All lies.
Even if Cecilia hadn’t asked, she could tell Rita was hiding something.
But since she didn’t have solid evidence and knew Rita meant no harm, she hadn’t confronted her directly.
Still, not confronting didn’t mean Cecilia wasn’t curious.
On the sixth day since leaving Solus City, the first major incident finally occurred.
A candidate volunteered to be part of the first advance squad into the Forest of the Trappers.
Along the way, his companions witnessed with horror several withered vines sprouting from the decaying leaves, immediately binding his ankles.
The vine, like a giant constrictor snake, dragged his feet into the depths of the forest.
No matter how he screamed or swung his sharp sword at the vine, it was useless.
“Help! Help! Somebody save me!”
“That idiot! He’s useless but still trying to be tough!” a mercenary muttered darkly, then loudly called out, “Help! Quick, help!”
Several people heard the call and drew their weapons, running after the man’s trail.
But barely two steps in, another person was caught by a newly emerging vine, becoming a new victim.
The scene descended into chaos, and the remaining group was torn between pressing deeper to rescue and retreating before more fell prey.
A gray figure dashed past the crowd like the wind.
Moments later, the group saw Promi, the silver-haired swordswoman, several steps ahead, charging alone into the forest’s depths.
A mercenary unfamiliar with Promi shouted, “Don’t act recklessly! Come back! We don’t have the strength to rescue you!”
The only response was the flash of Promi’s sword.
Several strands of vines snapped under her blade, rolling out from under the leaves and flopping like fish out of water.
The mercenary’s jaw dropped, and after a long pause, he croaked out, “A-amazing… How does she manage to keep moving forward while precisely cutting these Luring Vines?”
“That’s the sister of Silver Gray Fang, what did you expect?” a candidate who knew the details said proudly, as if sharing some of the glory. “I thought she was only strong against people, but turns out she’s just as deadly against monsters.”
The mercenaries snapped back to reality—one of their employers was still trapped by vines, and they needed to help.
“Stop gawking! Follow her! Save them!”
With Promi’s lead and the mercenaries’ call, the others finally gained courage and pressed deeper into the forest.
But Promi could only cut the vines closing in at her feet.
Several others were caught by hidden vines and dragged into the depths.
It wasn’t until Momoka’s reinforcements arrived that the situation eased.
Rita, who accompanied Momoka, finally understood where the title “Crimson Spear” came from.
Wherever Momoka’s burning spear touched, the dry leaves burst into roaring flames.
The Luring Vines lurking beneath the leaves began to retreat amid crackling explosions.
Though Rita didn’t possess Momoka’s specialized power against these plants, she was no stranger to Luring Vines.
She had once planned to rest in the forest but ended up caught by one of these vines.
Fortunately, they were far weaker than her claws.
Quick and sharp, Rita slashed through several vines, freeing those caught.
With more people joining the rescue, the operation went more smoothly, though the situation remained chaotic at times.
“They’re afraid of fire! Hurry, light torches!”
“Are you crazy? If this catches fire, we’ll all die!”
“Saving lives is more important! Charge!”
Thanks to Maggie’s decisive command, the heavily armored soldiers formed a wedge and pushed into the forest like a bulldozer, destroying everything in their path and creating a safe zone.
This gave others enough room to conduct rescue operations.
The rescue lasted two whole hours.
Fortunately, no one died, but the first victim had been so corroded by the acid that he was disqualified from the trial.
That night’s discussion naturally centered on the rescue.
“What was that thing? Why was it so terrifying?”
“That’s a Luring Vine, a plant-type monster with no intelligence. It binds nearby prey and corrodes them with acid. It basically grows from corpses, but I’ve never seen such dense concentrations.”
“Speaking of which, that guy Johnson was amazing—how did he manage to tear apart vines that even swords couldn’t cut? Is he even human?”
“Albert was great too… Not many can cut through Luring Vines with a blade.”
“So, Rita must be impressive too. Didn’t you notice her sword seems sharper than before? She saved so many people.”
While the discussion heated up, Momoka found herself the target of a teasing assault from Rita and Albert.
“If that fire spreads to the supply carts or the horses, Lady Cecilia’s going to hold me responsible! She’ll say I didn’t rein you in!” Rita said seriously, still shaken from the ordeal.
“Yeah, setting fire in a forest, you’re really something. If not for the special circumstances, you’d be doing hard time for arson.”
Momoka almost cried, “I know! I know! I was wrong! You two could ease up a bit!”
“What about Johnson? Why has he been hiding in his tent every night lately? Is he that tired?” Albert suddenly remembered not seeing Johnson’s bald head the past two days.
“No idea, but he seems fine during the day. Should be nothing serious, right?” Rita thought for a moment.
“Ah, why worry so much? Here, tonight’s beer! Let’s drink under the moon and celebrate today’s victory.” Momoka, relieved she wasn’t the scapegoat anymore, quickly brought out the beer.
“What moon? It’s days until the full moon!”
“It’s almost here!”
The group drank and chatted, a routine by now.
When the cups were empty, Rita stood.
“I’m heading back first. Don’t forget tonight’s plan.”
“Got it! Don’t worry!” Momoka gave a thumbs-up.
Albert, confused by their secretive conversation, asked, “What? You have plans at night?”
“That’s a secret! Can’t tell you!” Rita said solemnly.
“Exactly! No you for us!” Momoka crossed her arms firmly in front of her chest.
The target was Momoka?
Hearing the soldier’s report, Cecilia was taken aback.
She had ordered the soldier to keep an eye on Rita’s movements and notify her of anything suspicious.
The order was given in the morning, but the suspicious news reached her that very night.
Whether this was progress or simply that Rita left no traces was unclear.
What Rita did sneaking out alone at night required thought, but going out with Momoka? That was obvious.
And then the line, “No you for us”—this wasn’t just two people’s business, maybe even three!
No need to guess anymore.
Cecilia felt her cheeks flush.
She knew Momoka’s background well enough—she wasn’t the type to be corrupted by Rita.
But what if she was? What if Momoka got a taste for it?
Hearing the approaching footsteps on the ground, she knew Rita was back.
She hurriedly told the soldier to leave.
As usual, Rita reported today’s situation, chatted casually with Cecilia, then extinguished the tent light and prepared to rest.
About half an hour later, a very faint rustling sound came from behind Cecilia, followed by the metallic scraping of a drawn sword.
Finally, the tent flap was very carefully lifted.
If Cecilia hadn’t been holding her breath and listening closely, she probably wouldn’t have noticed these faint noises.
Out again!
On the last night before departure, Cecilia had concluded that Rita was not a common courtesan—she simply had questionable personal habits.
But habits aside, was she really that restless to sneak out every single night?
She had to give Rita a serious talking-to when she came back tonight.
No, she couldn’t.
If it turned out like the last misunderstanding when Rita went to a brothel, that would be bad.
She had to catch her in the act before it got out of hand.
Thinking this, Cecilia quietly climbed out of bed.