IHDOE Ch 79

Undoubtedly, that boy matched the Marchioness' nephew from the game. The reddish-brown hair, teal eyes, four moles on his shoulder blades, and even the pendant were identical.

In the game, the female lead accidentally ventured into the forest within the Idiris viscounty and discovered an injured boy. After curing his wounds, she spoke with him and realized through his watch that he was the Marchioness of Riermont's long-lost nephew. By assisting in their reunion, she gained the Marchioness' backing to successfully enter high society.

Then why is his age different?

Satina scrutinized the status window floating beside the boy.

[Name: Gaiden]

[Age: 18]

Twelve years had passed since the Marchioness' three-year-old nephew went missing, meaning her real nephew should be fifteen now.

There was no mistake. The hunter's son was not the Marchioness' nephew.

How do I explain this? Should I use the deity as an excuse?

Yet the Marchioness firmly believed this boy named Gaiden was her nephew. Besides, if he was a fraud, where was her actual nephew?

Satina observed the boy with deep uneasiness. The boy wore a dazed smile as the Marchioness embraced him, matching the nephew the female lead rescued in the game. Yet Satina couldn't shake off the lingering, unsettling feeling.

[M. Riermont] "Thank you so much! If not for you, I would never have known my nephew was alive and well! It is all thanks to you!"

She approached Satina and grasped both her hands, pouring out endless gratitude. Her face flushed red with joy.

Watching her excitement, Satina pondered her options.

I shouldn't tell her just yet. I need to investigate quietly on my own.

If her suspicion proved to be a misunderstanding, she could rest easy. If not, she could at least uncover the truth. And if something terrible had actually happened to the real nephew...

Satina's eyes darkened.

---

Overjoyed by the miracle of her presumed-dead nephew returning alive, the Marchioness hosted a lavish party that very day, treating the hunter couple with the utmost hospitality as her benefactors.

Satina approached the Marchioness, who sat beside Gaiden chatting warmly, and spoke carefully.

[Satina] "My Lady, I apologize, but the long carriage ride has left me unwell. May I excuse myself early?"

[M. Riermont] "Of course. Severe motion sickness can do that. Traversing unpaved roads must have been even harder on you. Go get plenty of rest today. Ah, I shall send over the motion sickness remedy I take frequently."

Her voice overflowed with sympathy, brimming with the joy of finding her lost nephew.

[M. Riermont] "Once we return to the capital, I shall host a proper grand celebration instead of a modest gathering like this. There are so many people I wish to introduce you to then."

[Satina] "Thank you for understanding."

The moment she exited the party, Katan fell into step behind her. She tied her neatly styled hair back into a ponytail and asked a question.

[Satina] "Did you locate the house where the hunter resides?"

[Katan] "Yes. They normally live in a cabin inside the forest."

[Satina] "Good. Let's go."

Slipping out of the estate, the two ventured into the forest.

Though the setting sun plunged the woods into pitch darkness where seeing ahead proved difficult, Katan walked without hesitation, moving as effortlessly as if in broad daylight.

[Satina] "Katan, do you actually know the way?"

She asked as she trailed behind him.

Getting lost in a forest like this was easy. She intended to ask Liv to display a map, yet he navigated with the familiar ease of someone who had traversed the path dozens of times.

[Katan] "I am simply following human footprints."

[Satina] "You can see those in this pitch darkness?"

[Katan] "I am accustomed to operating in the dark."

[Satina] "Is that so?"

As she hurried after him, her ankle caught on a thick tree root.

She nearly tumbled forward, but something like a cold whip caught her ankle. Though it saved her from falling, the strange sensation on the dark mountain path sent a shudder through her.

Satina looked back with trembling eyes. She looked down to inspect her feet, but nothing unusual appeared.

What was that? Did I imagine it?

Yet the sensation gripping her ankle felt far too vivid to dismiss as her imagination.

[Katan] "What is wrong?"

He stopped ahead and turned back toward her.

[Satina] "Ah, no. It's nothing."

He reached out his hand.

[Katan] "Careful. Falling is dangerous, so take my hand."

[Satina] "Mm, okay."

She grasped his offered hand. His skin felt strangely icy, reminiscent of the sensation that had brushed her ankle moments ago.

Wait, how did he know I almost fell?

Hadn't he been walking ahead of her? She hadn't uttered a sound, nor could he have seen her stumble, so how on earth...?

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought.

He must have sensed my presence.

The eerie, deserted forest atmosphere was making her imagine strange things. Consequently, she failed to notice his gaze lingering on her ankle. A red mark remained, as if something had grabbed and released her skin.

Though the wind blew and swayed the leaves, the long shadow stretched across the darkness remained completely still.

The two finally reached a cabin deep within the forest.

[Satina] "Pardon the intrusion."

Offering a greeting to no one in particular, she broke into the house without hesitation.

The three-room cabin was not spacious, yet it provided adequate living space for a family of three.

Three rice bowls sat on the dining table alongside hastily cleared food, as if they had rushed out mid-meal upon hearing that a high noble marchioness sought them.

Satina headed toward Gaiden's room first. Though he looked like someone unacquainted with studying, books filled the room.

Easy Composition, 20 Essential Works of Imperial Literature, Foundations of Etiquette, Intermediate Etiquette, Subtle Social Nuances…

What is this? Why are there so many books on etiquette?

Looking at these books made it easy to discern where the boy's focus lay.

These books... mostly cover knowledge needed when making a debut in high society.

While nobles typically hired tutors to learn etiquette and general culture, impoverished nobles lacking resources sometimes purchased books to cultivate refinement.

This is suspicious. Why would a hunter's home, isolated in the forest with little interaction with villagers, hold so many books related to high society?

When she stepped back out into the living room, she found Katan searching the kitchen.

[Satina] "Did you find anything?"

[Katan] "No. I have located nothing yet."

Despite searching every corner of the house, no relevant traces emerged.

[Satina] "Only the storage shed is left, then?"

When she stepped into the shed, the pungent stench of meat hit her nose. Judging by the animal hides hanging from the ceiling, they butchered hunted game here to sell in the village.

Katan lifted layers of stacked animal hides and spoke.

[Katan] "Nothing particularly stands out."

Is this really the end?

[Katan] "I shall inspect the cabin again to see if we missed anything."

As he returned to the cabin, Satina leaned against the shed wall, lost in thought.

Gaiden matched the Marchioness of Riermont's nephew rescued by the female lead in the game.

Could the real nephew actually be dead?

If they found a corpse and a watch drifting down the river... It was a worst-case scenario, but not impossible.

As she pondered, her eyes caught a rice bowl sitting on the workbench.

This isn't an environment suitable for eating... Huh?

The hunter's family consisted of three members: the couple and Gaiden.

Satina counted on her fingers.

The rice bowls sitting on the cabin dining table were one, two, three. And counting the bowl here... that made four.

One more person lived with them, yet had not appeared at the estate.

What reason would require someone to hide under such circumstances?

Something foul was clearly going on.

The knights had been waiting outside, so needing to hide in a hurry meant they couldn't have gone far.

If they left on their own feet, it would be somewhere in the forest at best. If forced to hide against their will...

Satina slowly surveyed her surroundings.

They're definitely inside this shed. The problem is where they're hidden...

Looking around the shed, stacked with meat and hides, offered no clues.

After pondering briefly, she chose a direct approach. She cleared her throat and shouted at the top of her lungs.

[Satina] "Excuse me! Is anyone here?! Can you hear me?! I came to rescue you!"

After shouting loudly, she held her breath, listening for any sound within the shed.

If forced to hide against their will, they'll surely try to signal us somehow to escape.

Yet no sound came for a long while.

Did this method fail? For now, I should prevent anyone from approaching this cabin.

Time is tight, but I could recruit beastkin with sharper senses than humans to search...

Just then, a faint thud echoed. A dull sound, like someone pounding weakly against a wall, continued at a sluggish pace.

Underneath!

Satina dropped to her knees and began searching every inch of the floor, unconcerned with dirtying her hands.

She felt a wooden plank on the floor sticking out slightly higher than the rest. When she pulled the plank, it slid open to reveal hidden stairs beneath.

Satina cautiously descended the stairs.

Soon, she discovered a boy bound hand and foot inside an iron cage.

The moment the status window floating beside the boy caught her eye, she knew her deduction was correct.

[Name: Max]

[Age: 15]

---

Requested by readers, hope you enjoy it. If you do, feel free to leave a rating or review on KakaoPage, Naver Series, Ridi, and Novel Updates.