Chapter 160: Explain
Denzel slowed as the familiar clearing came into view.
The Knight was already there.
She stood exactly where she always did, beneath the towering oak near the center of the clearing, clad in her silver armor as though she’d been waiting for hours instead of minutes. One hand rested on the pommel of the sword at her waist while the other hung loosely by her side. Motionless. Patient.
"...You’re early."
"I could say the same."
He adjusted the strap of the wooden practice sword slung across his back before glancing around the clearing out of habit.
Empty.
Good.
He hadn’t been thrilled when she’d suggested training in the woods yesterday. It wasn’t that he doubted her intentions. If anything, she was probably the only person in the village he’d trust to teach him.
The problem was everything else.
His strength wasn’t something he could casually display in front of people anymore. Every strange improvement, every impossible leap, every ability he couldn’t explain... they all pointed toward the one thing he couldn’t allow anyone to discover.
The system.
If word spread, questions would follow.
Questions had a nasty habit of turning into problems.
"...Are you sure this place is secluded enough?" Denzel asked, lowering his voice despite there being no one in sight.
The Knight looked at him for a moment before giving a small nod.
"No hunters come this deep."
"And villagers?"
"They avoid it."
He let out a quiet breath.
"Good. I’d rather not have an audience."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"You dislike showing off?"
"It’s less about showing off..." He scratched the back of his head. "...and more that I’d rather not explain things I’d rather keep to myself."
She studied him for another second but didn’t pry.
"...Fair enough."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Then, just as Denzel was about to set down his sword—
"Who came with you?"
His hand stopped halfway to the hilt.
"...What?"
Her gaze hadn’t shifted from him.
"You’ve been followed since before you entered the forest."
For a heartbeat, Denzel simply stared at her.
Then his expression slowly changed.
...She sensed them too.
So...
It wasn’t his imagination.
Denzel let out a quiet breath.
"How long?"
"Since before you arrived."
"...Strong?"
The knight considered the question.
"Strong enough that most people wouldn’t realize they were there."
"But?"
A faint smile crossed her face.
"But not strong enough to hide from everyone."
Denzel nodded once.
That was enough.
The knight twirled the wooden sword idly between her fingers.
"So."
She looked at him.
"Are we training today?"
Denzel followed her gaze toward the treeline.
"...Not yet."
"No?"
"I’d rather know who’s watching first."
The knight smiled.
"A sensible answer."
Denzel gave a small nod.
That was enough.
The Knight rolled the wooden sword across the back of her hand before catching it again.
"So."
She tilted her head.
"Are we training today?"
Denzel didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze wandered past the clearing, lingering on the wall of trees surrounding them.
"...Not yet."
"Oh?"
"I’d rather know why someone has been watching us."
The Knight watched him for a second.
"I would’ve been disappointed if you hadn’t noticed."
Denzel let out a quiet breath through his nose.
"...Don’t underestimate me, knight. I might be weak in this world, but I’m not dull."
The clearing fell silent.
Leaves rustled overhead.
Neither of them moved.
The Knight’s eyes shifted lazily toward the trees behind Denzel.
"...There."
Denzel turned.
A hooded figure stood between two trunks.
Completely still.
For the briefest moment...
Their eyes met.
The figure stiffened.
"..."
Then bolted.
Denzel was already moving.
"I’m going."
His foot dug into the earth.
The ground exploded behind him as he shot into the forest.
The Knight didn’t call after him.
She simply watched him disappear between the trees.
"...Let’s see if your instincts are as good as your eyes."
Leaves burst beneath his boots as he tore into the forest.
The figure was quick.
Small.
Light on their feet.
They weaved between trees without looking back, ducking under hanging branches and cutting through narrow gaps that would slow anyone unfamiliar with the woods.
"...They’re used to this."
Denzel clicked his tongue.
Not a villager taking a wrong walk.
They knew where they were going.
Unfortunately for them...
So did he.
Instead of matching every turn, Denzel cut diagonally through the forest, reading the terrain rather than the person. A fallen log. A shallow stream. A cluster of boulders ahead.
There was only one clean path through.
As expected—
The figure emerged exactly where he’d predicted.
"...!"
They froze for a fraction of a second.
Denzel was already there.
He stepped into the narrow opening, blocking the only route forward.
The hooded figure stumbled to a stop, chest rising and falling as they looked left, then right.
No way around.
No way back.
Denzel folded his arms.
"...You’ve got two choices."
He nodded toward the hood.
"You can tell me who you are."
A beat.
"...Or I can find out myself."
The hooded figure didn’t move.
Neither did Denzel.
The forest seemed to quiet around them, as though even the wind had paused to watch.
"...Well?"
His voice remained level.
"I’ve already caught you."
"So let’s not waste each other’s time."
The figure lowered their head.
No answer.
Denzel watched carefully.
The chase had told him plenty already.
Whoever this was wasn’t particularly strong. Their breathing was uneven, shoulders rising and falling far too quickly to be someone trained for prolonged pursuit. Even the way they stood felt... hesitant.
Like they were cornered.
Not preparing to fight.
"..."
That only made him more curious.
If they weren’t an enemy...
Why run?
He took a slow step forward.
The figure immediately flinched and stumbled backward.
Their heel caught against an exposed root.
"...!"
They lost their balance.
One hand shot out to steady themselves against a nearby tree while the other instinctively reached for the hood.
Too late.
The fabric slipped.
A few strands of soft brown hair escaped first.
Then more.
Denzel’s brows drew together.
"...Brown?"
That wasn’t what he’d expected.
The hood fell back another inch.
Just enough.
He caught sight of a familiar profile.
"..."
No.
His eyes narrowed.
"...Maria?"
The name left his mouth before he’d consciously decided to say it.
The figure froze.
For a long second...
Neither of them moved.
Then, almost reluctantly, she lifted both hands and slowly pulled the hood back completely.
Brown hair spilled over her shoulders.
Her cheeks were bright red.
She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him.
"..."
Denzel simply stared.
Of everyone in the village...
She was probably the last person he’d expected.
"...Maria."
He repeated the name, mostly to convince himself this wasn’t some strange coincidence.
"What are you doing here?"
"I..."
Her lips parted.
Nothing came out.
She looked down instead, nervously twisting the edge of her sleeve between her fingers.
"..."
Something wasn’t right.
Not because it was Maria.
Because...
The presence he’d sensed earlier didn’t match the woman standing in front of him.
He’d only begun learning how to perceive mana, but he wasn’t imagining things.
The pressure he’d felt while training...
It had been sharper.
Cleaner.
Far stronger than anything he could sense from Maria now.
"...Did I misjudge it?"
Or...
Was there someone else?
The thought lingered for only a moment before he pushed it aside.
One mystery at a time.
"You followed me."
Maria’s shoulders trembled.
"...Yes."
The answer came so quietly he almost missed it.
Denzel blinked.
"...You admitted it."
She immediately realized what she’d said.
"...Ah."
"N-No..."
"I mean..."
She hurriedly shook her head.
"I wasn’t spying on you."
The words rushed out all at once.
"Please don’t misunderstand."
"I really wasn’t."
"..."
Denzel looked at her for a few seconds.
Then sighed.
"You know..."
"I’ve spent the last several minutes chasing someone I thought might be a threat."
"...I’m sorry."
"I cornered them."
"...I’m sorry."
"And now it turns out it’s you."
"...I’m really sorry."
Every apology became quieter than the last.
By the end, she looked ready to disappear into the ground.
Denzel rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Now I feel like the villain."
Maria looked up so quickly she nearly lost her footing again.
"N-No!"
"You aren’t!"
"This is completely my fault."
"I shouldn’t have followed you."
"..."
She froze.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
She covered her mouth.
"..."
Denzel raised an eyebrow.
"So you did follow me."
"..."
Her face emptied for exactly one second.
Then the realization hit.
Her ears turned red.
Then her cheeks.
Then, somehow, even her neck.
"I..."
"No..."
"I..."
She began waving both hands in front of her.
"N-Not like that!"
"I wasn’t secretly watching you!"
"I mean..."
"...I was following you..."
"But not because I wanted to spy on you!"
The more she spoke...
The more tangled her explanation became.
Denzel quietly watched her struggle.
"..."
For some reason...
It reminded him of someone trying to untie a knot by pulling every string at once.
Eventually...
Maria stopped talking altogether.
She lowered her head.
Took a slow breath.
Then another.
When she finally looked back up, there was obvious embarrassment in her eyes...
But something else had appeared alongside it.
Resolve.
"...Denzel."
Her voice was much steadier now.
"I know this looks bad."
"It does."
"...I know."
"And if our positions were reversed..."
"I’d probably think the same thing."
She clasped her hands together, almost as though trying to gather the courage to continue.
"There are... things I haven’t told you."
Denzel said nothing.
He simply waited.
She swallowed.
"...I wanted to tell you sooner."
"I just..."
"I didn’t know how."
A faint, bitter smile crossed her lips.
"I kept convincing myself there would be a better time."
"There never was."
The forest became quiet once more.
Even the birds had stopped singing.
Maria lowered her eyes.
When she spoke again...
It was barely above a whisper.
"...I’m married."
Silence.
Denzel’s expression didn’t change.
Not immediately.
His mind simply repeated the words back to him.
...Married?
For some reason...
That wasn’t the revelation that unsettled him the most.
It was the strange disconnect he still couldn’t shake.
He looked at Maria.
Then at the forest behind her.
The mana he’d sensed before...
It still didn’t feel like hers.
Not even close.
"..."
His gaze returned to Maria.
She bit her lip, mistaking his silence for something else entirely.
"I can explain..."
The words came out small.
Almost pleading.
And there, with the weight of those three words hanging between them...
The forest fell silent once again.