The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 25

“Ah, I’m sorry. Sei, you look quite young. May I ask how old you are? Is it rude to ask such a question?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m nineteen.”

“Nineteen? I see…”

He seemed more surprised than expected, a hint of astonishment flashing in his eyes. Seeing my curious gaze, he quickly masked his expression.

“It’s impressive to be in public service at such a young age. Your parents must be very proud. Still, it must not have been an easy decision to take on an assignment at this time.”

There was a strange sense of discomfort in his words. It felt like he pointed out something that could have been glossed over.

“What do you mean by ‘at this time’?”

“…Ah, I meant it’s a dangerous time in many ways. Since the Demonic Beasts have reappeared.”

It felt like that wasn’t what he initially meant to say. But since it was just my impression and not an obviously problematic answer, I merely nodded.

“I’m just following orders. Honestly, it’s not out of a great sense of duty.”

“You’re still remarkable. Didn’t your father insist on coming with you? If I had a son like you, I couldn’t let him go alone.”

“…Nineteen isn’t that young.”

It wasn’t as if I was running errands as a child. I couldn’t hide my embarrassment at the notion that a full-grown son needed parental accompaniment for an assignment. Moreover, he didn’t appear old enough to have a son my age.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention, but… the fact that we’re from the Imperial Palace…”

“Of course, I won’t tell anyone. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

After that, the conversation stalled, and an awkward silence settled. Or perhaps I was the only one feeling awkward. Semeion seemed lost in his thoughts. He appeared to be pondering something, his expression a bit complex. “Was I mistaken? But still…” I heard him mutter softly to himself.

I heard him mutter, but I couldn’t understand the meaning. Suddenly, he seemed to have a realization, and then he stared at me intently.

“…Your eyes are red, I see.”

His comment made me instinctively touch the area around my eyes. In bright sunlight, they could appear red, but truthfully, my eyes were closer to dark brown. Occasionally, some people said they looked like wine, but that was usually just those who were fond of me; most people saw them as brown. It was the first time someone I’d just met described them as red.

What was strange was his expression. Semeion looked shocked, as if he had realized something completely unexpected.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no…”

He quickly shook his head but still couldn’t take his eyes off me. His gaze, filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite identify—whether it was confusion or excitement—swept over me as if searching for something. He had shown a similar attitude when we first met, but this time it was more intense. The follow-up question was even more startling.

“Sei, do you perhaps have any siblings?”

“…Are you talking about me? I do have an older brother.”

“An older brother, not a younger sibling……?”

“Yes, I’m the second son.”

“Hmm, does your older brother have a different hair color?”

“No, he has the same black hair.”

Was this an unexpected answer? Various emotions flashed across his quickly fading expression—self-deprecation and disappointment? It was definitely disappointment, though what exactly he was disappointed about was unclear.

“I apologize. My questions must have been strange and caught you off guard. The truth is, I’m looking for someone, and that person is about your age, so I just wondered.”

“Ah, I see. It’s fine. So the person you’re looking for has black hair and red eyes?”

“…Actually, I don’t know what they look like.”

Then why focus on my eye and hair color?

Though puzzled, seeing the deflated look on Semeion’s face made me keep silent. I had no intention of getting deeply involved in the story of someone I’d just met today. It also left me with an uneasy feeling.

“So, by any chance, is your hometown in the southern region?”

“No, I’ve lived in the capital all my life.”

I lied. Geographically, Count Lavant’s territory is in the south, and since I spent my childhood there, I could say the south is my hometown. But admitting that here felt like it would lead to complications. Even if he seemed more disheartened, my decision didn’t change.

There’s a saying that if coincidences pile up, it might be someone’s design. The fact that the person he’s looking for is of a similar age and from the same region as me—doesn’t that seem unsettling no matter how you look at it?

‘A few years ago, there was a similar scam.’

It was a method of guessing someone’s origin by their accent and pretending to be from the same area to build a relationship. Although Semeion didn’t seem like that kind of person, it was better to be cautious just in case. He seemed to realize that I was wary of him and didn’t speak further, though he still couldn’t take his eyes off me.

“Hmm……”

At that moment, Hamar groaned. As I hurried to check, Semeion reached him before I could. He meticulously wiped the sweat from Hamar’s face and neck, then continued the process of rinsing the cloth in cold water and wringing it out.

“I’ll take over.”

I stopped him from wiping further and took the cloth from him. However, just as Semeion was about to hand it over willingly, he suddenly took my hand lightly. Surprised by the unexpected situation, I stood frozen while he muttered with a serious expression.

“……Indeed. I still can’t figure it out.”

“What are you doing right now?”

I asked with a displeased look, but he looked straight at me even more.

“I’m sorry, Sei. It might sound a bit absurd, but could I ask one more favor?”

“It already sounds absurd.”

“Yes, I understand. I truly apologize. But it’s important on my end too.”

“Listen, Master apothecary.”

“Could I have a drop of your blood?”

What on earth was he asking for now? After the unexpected request for blood, I was left speechless. If he had smiled, I might have thought he was playing a joke, but his serious expression made it clear he wasn’t.

“I’ll just make a very small cut. It will heal quickly and won’t leave a scar.”

“That’s not the issue here…”

“Please, I humbly ask. Is it really not possible?”

His earnest gaze left me momentarily at a loss for words. Suddenly, I thought of his hand and quickly looked at it. The moment I lowered my gaze, I involuntarily took a breath. The wound that had been on his palm had vanished. It had been quite a deep cut, but now there wasn’t even a faint mark.

My heart started to race uncomfortably fast.

When our eyes met, Semeion still wasn’t smiling. A feeling of wanting to say something mixed with the desire to remain silent. I ended up slowly nodding. Semeion’s face brightened instantly as he brought out a small knife. Soon, a warm sensation accompanied a drop of red blood on his fingertip. Semeion carefully collected it and slowly rubbed it with his finger.

Thankfully, he didn’t engage in any strange behavior like tasting or smelling it. However, even though he had achieved what he wanted, his expression grew darker and darker.
After a while, he lifted his head with an awkward smile. That was when I realized that whatever test he had been conducting was over—and that I hadn’t passed it. My tension eased immediately.

“I’m truly sorry. I must have been mistaken.”

“……I don’t know what you did, but is it all done now?”

“Yes, I apologize again.”

After repeatedly apologizing, he hurriedly brought an ointment to treat the cut on my finger. The pain, which had been a sharp sting, quickly dissipated, and the wound healed before my eyes. Just moments ago, the cut had been visible, but after blinking a few times, there were no traces left. The rapid effectiveness was astonishing.

‘Such a medicine exists?’

Had he used this on the cut on his palm too? I’d never seen such potent medicinal effects. It made sense that he was confident Hamar would recover by tomorrow.

However, Semeion still appeared preoccupied with something else. His persistent gaze toward me was filled with lingering curiosity. Just as I was about to ask what he wanted to confirm, I found myself at a loss for words.

“Sei, big trouble! The Demonic Beast…!”

At that moment, the door burst open with a loud noise. Camille stormed in with urgency. He seemed to sense the odd atmosphere between Semeion and me and paused.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

“No, we were just having a conversation. But what do you mean by the Demonic Beast? What happened, Lord Camille? Did the Demonic Beast reappear? Where’s Edmil?”

Both had gone out for the search, yet only one returned. Surely, he couldn’t barely escape on his own? Startled, I began to check his condition, but Camille quickly waved his hands.

“Oh? Ah, no, it’s fine, it’s fine! No one’s hurt; we’re safe. It’s not that serious… well, maybe it is serious in a way…”

“Explain properly.”

Camille took a deep breath and calmed down. His explanation was surprising. They had indeed encountered the Demonic Beast during their search, but it wasn’t alive. They had found a dead body.