Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint-Chapter 462: Escape from the Duchy No.4

Step by step, I walk on the damp earth. The grains of dirt work together, trying to support my weight. When I lift my foot, they momentarily settle into the shape I left behind, but some unseen force lifts them effortlessly. The footprints etched into the ground vanish the moment I take a step, like a ghost.

"The benevolent Goddess of the Earth will even erase the traces you leave behind with a single glance."

Crunch. A twig I brushed against snaps and hangs limply. After a brief pause, new buds sprout from the broken part, and soon a fresh branch extends. Lush branches and leaves quickly fill the gaps.

"Nature, with its overflowing /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ vitality, restores the forest damaged by beasts."

Using the remnants of the Earth Magic and Druidism, I erase the traces. As I manipulate the magic, Hilde, watching me use the power of the deities, pointed at me with a look of indignation.

"That's cheating! I’m here, walking step by step, but you just erase everything with the power of deities! It’s so unfair!"

What’s unfair? I erase my footprints with Earth Magic and make grass grow with Druidism. How is that unfair? If you think that's unfair, then I’m just as wronged! I pointed at Hilde in response.

"I use the power of deities, but you manage all that with your internal energy. That’s way more unfair, right? Deities are supposed to be more powerful, so why is your energy better?"

"My father gave me this power for free! But my internal energy is the result of years of training and real-world experience! I’m resentful!"

"Ha! The deities are like a single flower that bloomed from the extraordinary genius in the history of humankind over thousands of years, you know? Trying to compare that to a few years of training doesn’t make sense."

"But my father didn’t make it bloom!"

"I’m the king of humans. Everything humans accomplish is essentially my own achievement. So what’s the problem if I decide to use it?"

"But my father was absent all this time!"

As soon as we reached a suitable patch of brush, we dismounted. We had set up a mechanism for the horse to run on its own, but no matter what, a horse that isn’t guided won’t keep running down the path.

But that’s fine. We can erase all traces, and that in itself is an advantage, keeping the possibilities open for our opponents.

"The biggest problem was erasing the traces, or more precisely, the traces that my father would leave behind. But it's all good now! I was wondering if I had to carry my father and run for it!"

"Oh!"

"What’s with the ‘Oh’? I won’t carry you unless your stamina gives out!"

"If your stamina runs out, you’d be willing to let me carry you? Haha. Even if I have a daughter, I bet I wouldn’t be as devoted as Hilde."

"I’m starting to run out of devotion too, you know?"

"Running out of devotion? If our ancestors heard that, they’d mourn."

"Did you even have ancestors?"

I don’t. Not even a daughter. Running out of devotion? Hilde’s devotion minefield is impossible to develop anyway. After all, she’s not my daughter. I nod.

The so-called daughter (older than me) grumbled while sticking to her concept.

"Even a well should be somewhat moist to release water. Please fill up your devotion before it runs out."

"Okay, good job."

"Waaah, it’s so rewarding~."

While Hilde was grumbling, a faint presence flickered beyond the ridge. It was Yeiling, the direct subordinate of Baron Jenryu, a member of the Dark Knights. Before he could spot us, I quickly moved toward Hilde and covered her mouth.

"Uhh? Mmmph?"

"Shh. Crouch down!"

Hilde, who was tilting her head in confusion, soon sensed the ghost-like presence approaching. Without needing an explanation, I grabbed Hilde and laid us both flat on the ground. Slowly, vines began to grow at my will, wrapping around us with thick leaves.

Soon enough, the ghostly presence passed by us. Hilde and I held our breath as though we had made a pact.

Vampires aren’t particularly sensitive. They can pierce through the darkness and have an excellent sense of smell for blood, but they can’t detect other scents, faint body odors, or the warmth of exhaled breath. Well, calling this a vampire’s incompetence is a bit much. Since Hilde and I were close, we could feel it clearly. A normal human wouldn’t have been able to find us hidden in the brush. It’s just a bit unfortunate. If the person had trained internal energy, they might’ve noticed us. But then, I would’ve hidden underground.

The vampire’s presence moved farther away. Once I confirmed there was enough distance, I slowly withdrew the vines and stood up. Hilde, like a cat, crouched on top of me, still scanning for the vampire’s presence.

"See? Now you understand how great I am, right? Let’s get up now."

"As expected, you’re my father! I think my devotion is starting to fill up again!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Hilde leaned on my shoulder and slowly rose. Peeking out, she scanned the surroundings, looking puzzled.

"One tracker? Hmmm, this kind of search seems pointless."

"Pointless? You would’ve been spotted if it weren’t for me."

"That’s not the point. The important thing is that they passed by without seeing us."

Hilde stood up slowly and said, "The key to a successful chase is numbers. You need to maintain a certain density in your encirclement to prevent someone from slipping through. The moment doubt creeps in and they think 'Maybe I missed them,' the chase is already a failure. But... they don’t seem to have that many people."

It must be true. This is the Mist Duchy, a land where sunlight barely reaches except at the edges of the northern and southern ends. The shepherds and those living off material wealth enjoy a prosperous life, but the population support is inevitably lacking.

Still, as a nation, if they gather enough, it might be considerable.

"The Duchy wouldn’t want to use humans for something dangerous, right? After all, they’re precious resources."

"That’s wrong from the start! Thinking that humans shouldn’t be used because they might get hurt! Where’s the investment with no losses? You have to put everything in if you want results!"

"Such a military mindset. This damn country. I really don’t want to live here."

"You say that, but the ones who are truly shattered are the kingdoms and duchies, right? The military and communications officers are still intact, aren’t they? Your words say one thing, but your body speaks the truth!"

Hilde smirked. If someone overheard, they’d think I was the one causing trouble in every country. I just stripped off the ill-fitting clothes, nothing more.

"We passed by here once, so the encirclement will gradually widen. We haven’t gone too far, but since the encirclement is thinning, it should be easier to slip out. We can rest for a bit, but are you okay, Father? Is your stamina good?"

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"I’m in top shape. It’s better to move more tonight."

"You’re looking much better than before. There’s a bit of a disconnect from what I’ve seen so far."

...Definitely.

I feel less effort. Normally, after moving for a long time, the muscles I’ve been using would be sore and tired. But right now, it feels like something invisible is wrapping around my body, making me move. Not only that, but I can vividly picture how my blood is flowing, how my body is moving. Is this the power of the deities?

Though it’s not an exact match, in terms of internal energy, it’s like having mastered the art of sensing it. But unlike true internal energy, I don’t have the energy to release it, so compared to a true internal energy master, this is ridiculously weak.

"Is it internal energy? This feels a little different from what I’ve seen so far. Have you been hiding your power, or did you learn something in the Duchy?"

"Secret. No comment."

It’s roughly accurate, but I didn’t feel like explaining, so I brushed it off. Hilde then leaned in with a pointed question.

"Why? Isn’t there a secret between us?"

"Isn’t it rude to ask about someone else’s internal energy...? Besides, compared to me, whose secrets are all out in the open, you’re the one with more mysteries."

"Me? Where am I mysterious?"

"Of course. You use internal energy, shapeshifting, divine power, and even though you were once part of the Sacred Sword Order, you’ve been working in the military under the guise of a prophet? If you wrote an autobiography, people would think a split personality wrote it. Doesn’t that strike you as more surprising?"

I compared it to an autobiography purely based on my own feelings. No matter how much I lived acting, if I kept changing the speaker or actions like that, I’d probably lose my mind reading it.

"Ah~. I didn’t know you were so interested in me, Father! I thought you were neglectful, but now I’m a bit happy?"

"Neglectful? I never raised you in the first place. Why on earth do you call me ‘Father’ when you have your own dad?"

When I asked what I was most curious about, Hilde gave me a suspicious look and walked ahead. She turned to me, showing her back, and spoke.

"If I had a father, would I be calling you ‘Father’?"

Oh. Is she trying to make me feel awkward by hinting that she didn’t have parents? Ha, nice try. I’m the king of humans. I was born a natural orphan without parents, just like the human species.

I don’t buy into the sympathy card of not having parents. So, I casually pried into Hilde’s family situation.

"Do I look like Hilde’s father?"

"No. You don’t look like any of them."

"‘Them’?"

Why did she use the plural for 'father'? I remembered something I had read earlier.

Hilde’s mother was a courtesan. If she didn’t know who her father was, that would make sense. But why does she call me ‘Father’ then? There’s no explanation for that!

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t find a clear explanation. Even Hilde herself can’t come up with a valid reason for calling me Father.

Did I instantly figure out her true nature? If that were the case, she should have called Yuel ‘Mom’ too! She just called me that without any real reason!

Anyway, this is something I figured out with telepathy, so I can’t mention it first. How should I respond to her strange statement...?

"Why do you refer to your father in the plural?"

"Well~. Want to guess?"

The reason she calls her father in the plural. If a normal person weren’t a telepath, they’d definitely be curious about this. That’s it. I voiced the answer that came to mind.

"Excuse me, but, could it be... the cocktails...?"

Just as I thought this might be wrong, it was already too late. Hilde suddenly turned around and came up close. Her body pressed against mine, and soon I felt pain in my foot. Hilde had stepped hard on my foot.

Unable to scream out of fear of being detected by the pursuers, I swallowed the pain, and Hilde whispered in my ear.

"There are things you can and can’t say, even if it’s the right answer~."

She’s the one who started it!