Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any other monsters for the rest of the day. At times, Roel would move ahead of the group to scout the area, but the truth was that he just wanted to have some personal space. After he killed the monster, he had been congratulated over and over by awestruck soldiers and obsequious officers.

The prince didn’t say anything, but Roel saw him glance over in his direction several times. At one point, he whispered something to Joseph who nodded in response.

They set up camp in a large forest clearing. It would take another day to traverse through Ferdinand’s Woods and then they would arrive at Brackith around the evening of the next day. Time was ticking. He needed to act while they were still in the forest.

His plan, which had started out very simple, had developed as they progressed through the forest. When he had gone ahead earlier, he had found several tracks belonging to Berine wolves, aggressive animals that hunted in packs. Unlike normal wolves, these ones were extremely prideful and vengeful – if he angered them, he might be able to lure them to attack the camp.

And if that didn’t work, the prince had kept the carcass of the monster he had killed, and it was being securely stored in one of the wagons. All he had to do was grab it, unfurl it on top of a hill, and let the scent travel. The time frame was limited, but it might also be possible to start a tent fire around the same time to cause further confusion.

The chaos would eliminate the need for a detailed alibi. He did think that a simple plan was sometimes better, but sometimes you wanted a large number of factors to clash together. If the wolves didn’t arrive, he would have to hope for some other animal to arrive, and if the prisoners didn’t create a big enough commotion, he might have to disguise himself and aid them.

From there, he had several ways he could kill the prince depending on how he responded. Ideally, the prince would give commands from a tent, and he could kill him there. After that, Roel would claim that he had been held up by a violent encounter with Graecian heretics.

It was certainly not foolproof. He was also waiting on Joseph to establish connection with him. He wasn’t sure how much Joseph knew about the assassination. What would he do if he tried to attack the prince? Would he avert his gaze or defend him? It would be a lot easier if he knew what Joseph was thinking. If the marquis didn’t come to him by tomorrow afternoon, he would have to carry on without him.

He also needed to figure out how many people would be doing patrols and guarding the prisoners. Tonight would be for gathering and confirming information.

When dinner was served, he quickly separated himself from the crowd of people trying to catch his attention. His target was Gilles; as irksome as the soldier might be, he would give easy answers.

Who he found first, though, was Mateo, who was sitting on a log near a campfire. Although there was a small group nearby, Mateo was eating by himself, and there was something solitary and somber about the man that compelled Roel to walk over.

“Greetings,” he called out. “How are you holding up?”

“Sir Roel!” Mateo started when he saw him, and he stood up to give him a bow. The group nearby heard him and also stood up to bow.

“You really don’t need to,” Roel said with a sigh.

“Of course I do. It would be rude not to,” Mateo said, his expression earnest. “How can I be of service to you?”

“I don’t need anything.” Roel took a seat on the log, and after a moment, Mateo sat down next to him but left a small distance between them. “You just seemed like you needed a little company.”

“Oh, well…” Mateo stared at the ground. “It’s not a problem. The other soldiers find me a bit standoffish, I’m sure.”

“Ah.” They didn’t say anything for awhile and just watched the flames flicker. He didn’t know what else to say now that he was here, but it had always bothered him a little to see someone sitting by himself. Perhaps it was just pity, but he was sure it was more similar to empathy.

“How old are you, Mateo?”

“I turn nineteen this year.”

“You’re young,” he said with surprise even though he was not that much older. The man’s solemn face and sturdy build had made him think otherwise. “When did you enlist?”

“Only this year, sir.”

“Has the prince treated you well?”

Mateo nodded. “We – my brother and I – were a bit terrified of him at first. But I eventually grew to respect him. He kept us alive. His Majesty chose his battles very carefully. It was always about the end goal, he would often repeat.”

“Hm, that’s very wise. There’s no point in rushing a siege.”

“Yes. And he always kept us preoccupied in our downtime. There was always a task to do. Gathering supplies, building cabins. Made us less antsy.”

“That is admirable, but I can’t imagine how he did it. I know soldiers well enough, and…” Glory hounds, most of them. There were no drafts of any kind. The people who enlisted chose to do so willingly.

Mateo seemed to agree with him. “My younger brother was a bit upset. Gilles was eager to make a name for himself.”

“You don’t strike me as the belligerent type. You came to help him?”

“Babysit him more like. You’ve met him. It's because Dad used to fight for King Maxime, and all that war talk rubbed off on Gilles. I was worried he’d run off somewhere impulsively and die without anyone remembering his name.” Mateo sighed. “Sorry, that was morbid.”

He shook his head and smiled. “You’re a good brother.”

“No, I… I am only following the Lord’s example. I have always been drawn to stories about His familial devotion. Was it not the Lord’s brother who acted rashly by making us humans? But still, the Lord forgave him for he was His brother.” He had a smile on his face. “No matter what Gilles does, I want to be there to forgive him for it.”

Roel felt a deep admiration for the young man. To only be nineteen and yet care so deeply for his brother. However, what he also felt was a slight tinge of envy. Family was something he tried not to think about often, but he was sure it would be easy to recall small moments of brotherly love from Aubert, Ethan, and Lou. He had been the youngest brother, and his family had most likely spoiled him rotten.

But those memories didn’t belong to the Roel that existed now. When he had been ordained, he had surrendered his given name and the family that had called him by it. “Roel” had a mission to complete.

“Where’s Gilles now?” he asked.

“He’s part of the night crew, so guard duty most likely.”

“I see.” He stood up. “I have other business to take care of, but I just want to let you know that you’re a wonderful brother. I’m sure he’ll learn to appreciate you one day.”

“Thank you, I don’t deserve such kind words,” Mateo said with an embarrassed smile. “And Sir Roel, I think your fight with the monster was awe-inspiring. I and many others will never forget that fight.”

Roel’s smile slipped. “Yeah, I suppose so. Take care, Mateo. There are many monsters among these woods."