The first thing Rosenta did when he woke up the next morning was find Enoch.
He’d fallen asleep while reading a book yesterday. That wasn’t an issue, but...….
The problem was that he fell asleep with magical tools on.
Although he had brought some spare tools, this was not the Duchy’s castle where Anna or Hugo was.
There was no telling what was ahead, so it wasn’t a bad idea to conserve mana.
"Did you call for me?"
He looked at Enoch with an unfamiliar glance.
He couldn’t get used to seeing him performing his butler duties in casual clothing, even after seeing it for the last few days.
"You look like a different person.”
"Do I?”
Enoch smiled faintly at his words.
Drawing closer to his face, Enoch's light green eyes, which looked like willow leaves, approached Rosenta.
"Do I still seem like a different person?”
"...Not at all."
The atmosphere changed quickly, and Rosenta became nervous without realizing it.
However, he quickly shrugged his shoulders as if nothing had happened and held out the jewelry box.
He got straight to the point.
"I want you to replenish their mana."
Enoch stared at the jewel box.
He didn't seem to be very interested in the jewelry box, and he didn't seem annoyed either.
He just looked at the jewelry box without taking his eyes off it.
"This is...."
Enoch slowly took his eyes off the jewel box. This time, he stared at Rosenta.
But the corners of Enoch's mouth were faintly raised.
"Could you call this touching?"
"Touching?"
He had not given Enoch any heartwarming words or gifts.
Rosenta felt that word didn’t suit the current situation, so he was puzzled.
Then Enoch lifted up the jewelry box Rosenta had handed him and examined it.
"The fact that you entrusted this to me...…. It must mean that I have been allowed within your boundaries, at least a little.”
It sounded like he was talking to himself, rather than Rosenta.
Soon Enoch’s hands produced blue magic. Then, he poured that magic into the jewelry box itself.
In the meantime, the only thing in Enoch's eyes was Rosenta.
"That gaze is very uncomfortable."
"I see."
Enoch calmly replied.
Then he held out the jewelry box to Rosenta. As if everything was over.
Rosenta couldn’t believe it was over so quickly. It would take Hugo half a day.
Realizing Enoch's tremendous ability, he received the jewelry box.
As he was looking at the magical tools in the jewelry box, Enoch suddenly called him.
"Duke."
Enoch approached Rosenta, who was sitting on the end of the bed and knelt on one knee.
He put his head forward and acted like a dog waiting for praise.
"What are you doing?"
Enoch raised his head.
He made eye contact with Rosenta and brought up the story of last night in a gentle voice.
"The emperor was about to come in last night. It could have been a disaster…….”
Enoch took one of Rosenta’s hands.
Rosenta decided to just watch and see what he was trying to do.
"I stopped him from coming in."
Enoch took Rosenta’s hand and raised it above his head.
The intent behind this action was obvious.
But it wasn't bad. For the first time, Rosenta recognized that Enoch could look pretty cute.
"I’ve often seen you pat her hair...….”
Those light green eyes were very stubbornly focused on Rosenta.
Rosenta knew that look.
It was a look that promised not to move until he was given what he wanted.
"All right."
So, he put his hand on that black hair.
The soft texture felt good, but it was so long that it felt tangled in the middle every time he swept his hand down.
Eventually, he muttered, "I wish it was a little shorter.”
Then it would be easy to sweep through. Well, he was just touching it for a short while, so it didn't matter.
He took his hand off Enoch's head, thinking that this would be enough.
He immediately got up.
"Enoch, are you ready?”
Unlike usual, Enoch acted sluggishly.
"I retrieved all of our horses that were housed in the stable."
From here, Rosenta had to ride horseback, instead of in the carriage.
As he got closer to Silva, he would no longer be able to drag the carriage there.
So, from now on, it would be much more convenient for only him, Enoch, and Theodore to move on their own.
"Let's go now."
It was time to get back on the road.
***
It seemed that, after the means of transportation changed to horseback, they moved faster than before.
At first, Rosenta thought it was an illusion, but it was definitely faster.
There was no carriage to confine them, so he and Theodore rode as fast as they could.
Then Rosenta’s hips and arms quickly began to get tired from the heat.
He pulled hard on the horse’s reins.
"Let's take a break."
"All right."
After getting off their horses, they hitched them to the base of a moderately shady tree.
"Are you having a hard time?"
Enoch approached Rosenta, who was sitting in the shade and handed him water.
The water had already cooled down, but he drank it in a gulp because he was thirsty.
"The heat is driving me crazy. Right, Your Majesty?"
At the same time, he’d answered Enoch's words, he naturally asked Theodore a question.
Theodore also looked quite exhausted, and the only person who looked lively was Enoch.
‘Did you use magic?’
While observing Enoch for a moment, Rosenta heard something drop on the floor.
"I can't do this."
Theodore was taking off his clothes one by one with a tired look on his face.
Theodore's clothes were more than one or two carefully wrapped layers.
It was amazing that he’d rode all the way here in layers like that.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Theodore took off his top without hesitation. As close as they were, it was still Rosenta’s first time seeing his naked upper body.
Rosenta tried to pretend to be as fine as best he could, but he was quite embarrassed on the inside.
In the end, he said something to Theodore that he didn’t need to.
"Oh, you're in good shape."
"Oh...."
Theodore, who made eye contact with him, blinked as if embarrassed.
Then he took a piece of clothing and brought it to his chest.
There was an awkward atmosphere.
It was Enoch who broke that awkwardness.
"Duke."
Rosenta quickly turned to Enoch.
Then Enoch's hand came forward and covered Rosenta’s eyes.
Rosenta felt something damp.
"What is this….”
Rosenta wiped his eyes with his hand. It was plain water, colorless and odorless.
Wondering what to do, he wrinkled his nose and looked at Enoch.
"It feels like there’s something on my eyes."
***
Two days had passed.
As they got closer to Silva, tired of the crazy humidity, they spoke less and less.
When Rosenta thought that he might be completely exhausted at this rate, they finally reached the entrance to Silva.
Theodore cried out loudly in a tired, but delighted voice.
"We’re here!"
It was a tropical rainforest so densely covered with trees that the sky was invisible.
However, there was an entrance to what looked like a road, the only way into it.
The two tallest trees.
The two trees were arched, decorating the entrance.
On top of that, women with huge muscles were guarding it, holding spears.
They approached them, holding the reins tightly.
But as they approached, the sharp end of the soldiers' spear gradually tilted forward.
They were on high alert.
"Stop there!"
"Don't come any closer!"
Rosenta wasn't too upset.
He’d studied in advance before he came to Silva.
Each duke's territory had a different culture. In the case of Silva, it was a place where they were particularly known for being cautious against outsiders.
Rosenta just raised his hands.
"Raise your hands quickly."
Rosenta looked behind him.
Rosenta could see that, although he didn't understand this situation, Theodore raised his hands as he was told.
Enoch, on the other hand, tilted his head and raised his hands only when his eyes met Rosenta’s.
He looked forward again.
He shouted very loudly for the soldiers to hear.
"I’ve come at the invitation of the Duke of Cardia. I have a plaque in my sleeve, so you can check it out."
With the mention of Nike, their spirits eased slightly.
Of course, that was just for a moment. She cautiously came forward, still raising her spear at them.
Rosenta turned slightly so that he could pull the plaque out of his sleeve.
Some pushed their spears to the tip of their jaws, while another confirmed Rosenta’s plaque.
Then they whispered among themselves.
"The skeleton and the fog...….”
"It's the crest that the duke told me to allow to pass at any time.”
"Oh, then...….”
One walked forward.
As though reacting to a higher-ranked soldier, everyone lowered their spears at one signal of her hand.
"I will show you to Duke Nike of Cardia."
When she returned his personal plaque, he quickly put it in his pocket.
They then followed her.
"You guys will have to keep the entrance safe while I'm away."
"Yes! Understood!"
The soldiers returned to their respective positions.
She straightened up, looking only forward, never looking back at them.
She was a very well-trained soldier. Rosenta was amazed at her.
Suddenly the soldier, who was ahead, stopped.
Then she looked back and gave them a piece of advice.
"Leave the horses here. If you bring them inside, they will only become food for the jaguars."
"Then where can we leave them?"
The soldier's eyes narrowed at Theodore's question. She even snorted, as if she were shocked.
Then, she looked Theodore up and down with displeasure.
"You're rude for a man."
"What, what...….”
"Let's go."
The soldier curtly ignored Theodore's words, although this could only be done because she did not know he was an emperor.
Theodore's face was flushed with rage.
I felt like he was going to yell at her at any moment. However, Rosenta couldn't allow an accident before he even met Nike.
He grabbed Theodore by the wrist and shook his head. With desperate eyes asking him to bear with it, at least for him.
"……I got it."
Theodore took a long deep breath.
He smiled at Theodore and whispered softly.
"You've been patient."
Turning again, Rosenta followed the guide.
Even the places he stepped on were full of long grasses. As expected, it emphasized the jungle-like nature.
And before long the guide stopped walking.
Enoch and Theodore took a deep breath as soon as they saw it.
"This is……"
"Oh, my"
The jaguar was very big.
It was a jaguar five times the size of a human.
The Jaguar stretched out his front legs. The sharp teeth were exposed.
The soldier pointed to such a jaguar and told them, "Get on."