Chapter 161: High Expectations
Denzel didn’t answer.
Maria stood before him with her head lowered, fingers tightly clasped together.
"I can explain..."
The words lingered in the quiet forest.
He wanted to listen.
He really did.
But...
Something was wrong.
His gaze remained fixed on her, his brows knitting together almost imperceptibly.
It wasn’t what she’d said.
It wasn’t even the fact that she’d just admitted she was married.
It was the feeling.
That strange sensation prickling at the edge of his awareness.
Ever since awakening his mana, his perception had changed. It was still rough—far from refined—but he’d learned to trust the instincts that came with it.
And right now...
Those instincts were screaming.
Denzel frowned.
"...No."
Maria looked up.
"H-Hm?"
He wasn’t looking at her anymore.
He was looking through her.
Past her shoulder.
The faint presence wrapped around her... wasn’t hers.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
It had fooled him at first because it had been so close, almost clinging to her like a second skin.
But now...
He could tell.
It wasn’t attached to Maria.
It was simply... overlapping her.
"...What?"
His breathing slowed.
The sensation shifted.
No...
It moved.
His head turned sharply toward the deeper parts of the forest.
There.
The presence that had been lingering around Maria suddenly separated from her and began slipping away.
Fast.
As if whoever it belonged to had realized they’d been found.
Denzel’s eyes sharpened.
"So that’s it..."
Maria blinked in confusion.
"Denzel?"
He didn’t answer.
His feet were already adjusting.
Weight settling.
Muscles tensing.
Every instinct told him the same thing.
If he let that presence escape...
He’d regret it.
He looked back at Maria for only a second.
"...Stay here."
"W-Wait—"
The ground burst beneath his foot.
Maria’s words were swallowed by the wind as Denzel vanished between the trees.
"...Denzel?"
She stared after him, frozen.
"..."
For a long moment...
She simply stood there.
Then her shoulders slowly slumped.
"...He didn’t even let me explain."
A bitter smile flickered across her lips before fading just as quickly.
She lowered her gaze.
"...I guess I deserve that."
The forest grew quiet once more.
Only the rustling leaves answered her.
Branches whipped past Denzel’s face as he sprinted through the woods.
The presence was moving quickly.
Not wildly like Maria had.
Deliberately.
It changed direction without warning.
Crossed over fallen logs.
Slipped through narrow gaps between trees.
"...You’re experienced."
Denzel clicked his tongue.
This wasn’t someone panicking.
They were trying to shake him.
Unfortunately...
They’d already made one mistake.
They’d moved.
The moment they’d fled, they’d confirmed exactly which presence belonged to the observer.
Denzel pushed harder.
His body surged forward, boots barely touching the forest floor.
The distance between them shrank.
Fifty meters.
Forty.
Thirty.
The figure glanced back.
"...!"
Even beneath the hood, Denzel caught the slight stiffening of their shoulders.
"You noticed."
His voice carried through the trees.
The figure didn’t answer.
They accelerated instead.
"...Not happening."
Denzel abruptly veered left.
Rather than following directly behind, he cut across the forest, trusting his memory of the terrain.
A rocky incline.
A narrow pass.
Only one path through.
Just as he’d expected.
The hooded figure burst into the opening—
Only to skid to a halt.
Denzel was already standing there.
Waiting.
Silence settled between them.
The figure’s shoulders rose and fell with controlled breaths.
Denzel folded his arms.
"...I almost chased the wrong person."
His eyes remained fixed on the hood.
"...I’d say that’s a clever trick."
A small pause.
"...Using someone else to hide your own presence."
The hooded figure didn’t respond.
Denzel smiled faintly.
"But now..."
He took one slow step forward.
"...the game’s over."
Denzel didn’t answer.
Maria stood before him with her head lowered, fingers tightly clasped together.
"I can explain..."
The words lingered in the quiet forest.
He wanted to listen.
He really did.
But...
Something was wrong.
His gaze remained fixed on her, his brows knitting together almost imperceptibly.
It wasn’t what she’d said.
It wasn’t even the fact that she’d just admitted she was married.
It was the feeling.
That strange sensation prickling at the edge of his awareness.
Ever since awakening his mana, his perception had changed. It was still rough—far from refined—but he’d learned to trust the instincts that came with it.
And right now...
Those instincts were screaming.
Denzel frowned.
"...No."
Maria looked up.
"H-Hm?"
He wasn’t looking at her anymore.
He was looking through her.
Past her shoulder.
The faint presence wrapped around her... wasn’t hers.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
It had fooled him at first because it had been so close, almost clinging to her like a second skin.
But now...
He could tell.
It wasn’t attached to Maria.
It was simply... overlapping her.
"...What?"
His breathing slowed.
The sensation shifted.
No...
It moved.
His head turned sharply toward the deeper parts of the forest.
There.
The presence that had been lingering around Maria suddenly separated from her and began slipping away.
Fast.
As if whoever it belonged to had realized they’d been found.
Denzel’s eyes sharpened.
"So that’s it..."
Maria blinked in confusion.
"Denzel?"
He didn’t answer.
His feet were already adjusting.
Weight settling.
Muscles tensing.
Every instinct told him the same thing.
If he let that presence escape...
He’d regret it.
He looked back at Maria for only a second.
"...Stay here."
"W-Wait—"
The ground burst beneath his foot.
Maria’s words were swallowed by the wind as Denzel vanished between the trees.
"...Denzel?"
She stared after him, frozen.
"..."
For a long moment...
She simply stood there.
Then her shoulders slowly slumped.
"...He didn’t even let me explain."
A bitter smile flickered across her lips before fading just as quickly.
She lowered her gaze.
"...I guess I deserve that."
The forest grew quiet once more.
Only the rustling leaves answered her.
Branches whipped past Denzel’s face as he sprinted through the woods.
The presence was moving quickly.
Not wildly like Maria had.
Deliberately.
It changed direction without warning.
Crossed over fallen logs.
Slipped through narrow gaps between trees.
"...You’re experienced."
Denzel clicked his tongue.
This wasn’t someone panicking.
They were trying to shake him.
Unfortunately...
They’d already made one mistake.
They’d moved.
The moment they’d fled, they’d confirmed exactly which presence belonged to the observer.
Denzel pushed harder.
His body surged forward, boots barely touching the forest floor.
The distance between them shrank.
Fifty meters.
Forty.
Thirty.
The figure glanced back.
"...!"
Even beneath the hood, Denzel caught the slight stiffening of their shoulders.
"You noticed."
His voice carried through the trees.
The figure didn’t answer.
They accelerated instead.
"...Not happening."
Denzel abruptly veered left.
Rather than following directly behind, he cut across the forest, trusting his memory of the terrain.
A rocky incline.
A narrow pass.
Only one path through.
Just as he’d expected.
The hooded figure burst into the opening—
Only to skid to a halt.
Denzel was already standing there.
Waiting.
Silence settled between them.
The figure’s shoulders rose and fell with controlled breaths.
Denzel folded his arms.
"...I almost chased the wrong person."
His eyes remained fixed on the hood.
"...I’d say that’s a clever trick."
A small pause.
"...Using someone else to hide your own presence."
The hooded figure didn’t respond.
Denzel smiled faintly.
"But now..."
He took one slow step forward.
"...the game’s over."
Denzel’s footsteps came to a stop a few paces away.
Neither of them spoke.
The forest settled into an uneasy silence, broken only by the distant rustle of leaves overhead.
The hooded figure remained perfectly still.
Not the stance of someone preparing to fight.
The stance of someone weighing their options.
Denzel studied them for a moment before sighing.
"...You’re not going to run again."
It wasn’t a question.
The figure let out a quiet, weary chuckle.
"...No."
The voice was old.
Immediately, Denzel’s eyes narrowed.
"I thought so."
He’d heard that voice before.
Not often.
But enough.
"...Take the hood off."
The old man hesitated for only a moment before slowly reaching up.
The hood slipped back.
A head of graying hair came into view, followed by a face lined with age and countless years spent under the sun.
Denzel wasn’t surprised.
"...Village Chief’s messenger."
The old man offered a tired smile.
"I suppose there wasn’t much point pretending any longer."
"You never had much of a chance once you moved."
The messenger let out a quiet laugh.
"I underestimated your senses."
"And I underestimated your tricks."
For a brief moment, neither of them said another word.
Then Denzel spoke again.
"...You almost had me."
The old man’s brows lifted.
"Oh?"
"I thought the presence belonged to Maria."
He glanced back in the direction he’d come from before returning his gaze to the messenger.
"But it never matched."
"It felt... layered."
"Like something was sitting over hers."
The messenger’s smile widened ever so slightly.
"You’re learning quickly."
"I’ve never seen someone perceive mana so soon after awakening."
"...So I was right."
"You were."
The old man inclined his head.
"I borrowed the girl’s presence."
"It made it difficult to distinguish where one ended and the other began."
Denzel let out a quiet breath.
"...An illusion?"
"Not quite."
"A simple application of mana."
"Though I imagine the distinction doesn’t matter much to you yet."
"No."
"It doesn’t."
Denzel nodded once.
"I’ll learn eventually."
The messenger looked at him with renewed interest.
"...You say that with remarkable confidence."
Before Denzel could answer—
"You found him."
A familiar voice drifted through the trees.
Both men turned.
The Knight emerged from between the trunks at an unhurried pace, her silver armor catching scattered rays of sunlight as she stepped into the clearing.
She didn’t look winded.
If anything, she looked as though she’d merely taken a leisurely walk.
Her eyes swept over the messenger before settling on Denzel.
"I expected you’d catch up eventually."
Denzel raised an eyebrow.
"You weren’t planning to help?"
"There was no need."
She stopped beside him.
"If you couldn’t catch him..."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"...then today’s training would’ve ended before it began."
The messenger let out an amused sigh.
"...You always did have high expectations of people."