Chronicles of Forgotten Extra Chapter 368: The Time We Pretended to Be Runaway Lovers to Infiltrate the Kingdom of Floating Sky Islands.

Ruru had always been a quiet child.

As the only daughter of a merchant family, she had been doted upon by her father ever since she could remember but no matter how much he loved her, he couldn’t be by her side all the time.

And so, even within the warmth of their small home, she often found herself feeling alone especially after her brother left for the academy.

She still remembered the stories her mother used to tell her before she passed away. Perhaps because of those memories, she had gradually developed a love for reading.

Over the years, that love had grown into something of an obsession and recently, just to buy a few books she had desperately wanted to read, she had accompanied one of her father’s merchant caravans to a neighboring kingdom.

Her father, as always, had been excessively protective so despite the route to Rosarco being considered peaceful, he had assigned not one, but two Expert-ranked knights to escort her through the forest.

Now, as the carriage rolled steadily toward the kingdom, Ruru eagerly opened the book she had been waiting so long to read.

The Knight Who Fell for His Mistress.

The eighth volume.

She had searched every bookstore in Rosarco for it without success but now, at last, she could finally read it in peace.

"I wonder if she’ll finally confess her feelings to him in this volume?"

Ruru smiled to herself but before she could read even the first page, a loud commotion outside abruptly shattered the quiet.

The maid seated opposite her immediately looked out through the carriage window as the color drained from her face.

"What is it, Alice?"

"Young Miss... t-the orcs... they are attacking us."

Ruru merely frowned.

"Isn’t that normal?" She tilted her head curiously. "How many are there this time? One? Two?"

Completely unconcerned, she rose from her seat and walked toward the carriage window because Alice never answered but the moment Ruru looked outside herself, she understood why.

Charging toward them wasn’t one or two orcs, nor even a small hunting party, it was an army of hundreds upon hundreds of orcs surging through the forest, their thunderous footsteps shaking the earth as they raced toward the caravan.

"W-we are going to die!"

Alice muttered in fear as every knight guarding the caravan prepared for battle.

There were twenty of them in total, two Expert-ranked knights and eighteen of the lower ranks but every single one of them knew the same thing.

They had no chance of winning.

The battle began.

The guards immediately formed a tight defensive formation around Ruru’s carriage, cutting down every mindless orc that came within reach through disciplined coordination.

But there were simply too many and the moment the first knight was wounded, the formation faltered and then it broke as four orcs charged straight toward the carriage.

Before they could take another step, two figures flashed through the forest at blinding speed and a heartbeat later, the heads of all four orcs rolled across the ground.

Standing where they had been were two humans.

A young man with medium-length black hair and striking golden eyes while beside him stood a young woman with snow-white hair and cold crimson eyes.

Ruru’s eyes widened as the young man turned toward her with an easy smile.

"You seem to be in trouble, m’lady." He gave a small bow. "Do you perhaps require some assistance?"

Still staring at the two of them in astonishment, Ruru nodded almost unconsciously as without another word, the young man and the young woman moved.

Even the knights guarding the carriage stood frozen in astonishment as a battle that had seemed utterly hopeless only moments ago, was now tilting decisively in their favor.

The two moved like a pair of phantoms through the battlefield as one orc after another fell where they stood.

No matter how many charged at them, none survived long enough to swing a second time and soon, the surviving orcs instinctively began retreating.

Terrified, they fled deeper into the forest, no longer daring to face the two humans and only after the last of them had disappeared into the trees did the two finally stop.

They turned around to face the stunned caravan.

"Is everyone alright?"

Alden asked as the captain of the caravan guards stepped forward cautiously before giving a respectful bow.

"Yes. Thank you for your assistance, young master." He straightened himself. "May I ask who you are... and why you are traveling through these woods under such circumstances?"

The captain’s thoughts were simple.

He could clearly sense Master-ranked pressure coming from both of them and to reach such a rank at such a young age, they either had to be the descendants of powerful nobles or extraordinary geniuses and either way, they were not people one simply ignored.

Meanwhile, Ruru, who had been watching everything unfold in awe from inside the carriage, finally stepped outside before standing beside the captain, she cautiously peeked at the two strangers while clutching her book tightly against her chest.

Alden looked at the two of them, his gaze briefly passing over the book clutched in the girl’s hands before returning to the knight captain as a warm smile spread across his face.

"My name is Damien." He gestured toward the young woman beside him. "And this is my fiancée, Lumyn."

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"On our journey from the south, we unfortunately crossed paths with a group of thieves." His smile turned bitter. "They managed to scam us out of nearly everything we had."

The captain returned the smile, though the caution in his eyes never faded.

"That is certainly unfortunate." He studied the pair carefully. "But what brings the two of you all the way to Rosarco, young master?"

Alden let out a helpless laugh.

"I understand how suspicious this must sound, Sir Knight but I assure you... we are hardly troublemakers."

He hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.

"The only trouble we have ever caused was falling in love. Our families never approved of our relationship. So... we ran away together. We are hoping to settle down somewhere far enough away that they won’t be able to find us."

The moment those words left his mouth, the guard captain finally let his guard relax, meanwhile, Ruru’s eyes lit up as her grip on the romance novel in her hands tightened unconsciously.

"Were you... her knight?"

Ruru asked, barely able to contain her curiosity and for a brief moment, the smile on Alden’s face froze, his eyes widening ever so slightly in what looked like genuine surprise.

"How..." He blinked. "How did you know that, young lady?"