IICSYIRD l CH 59

Chapter 16

“…Pardon?”

“I told you clearly enough. That I used you as perfect bait. A noble lady like yourself surely didn’t miss the meaning of my words.”

“……”

“And that’s all you have to say?”

Schloitz wasn’t wrong. The moment I heard him speak, I understood that I had been used as bait.

“If you’ve figured that out, shouldn’t you at least be angry, Blandea Lefevre? If I had been even a little late, you could’ve died.”

“….”

I flinched not because of what he said, but because he didn’t call me “Lady Lefevre” like he usually did. He called me just “Blandea Lefevre.”

Schloitz often teased me, calling me “Princess of Lefevre,” so maybe he didn’t mean anything by it—but still, it didn’t sit right with me. It made me feel… oddly empty. Or maybe a little sad. I couldn’t even explain the mix of emotions I felt around him. Every time I looked at him, my heart reacted in a way I couldn’t predict.

And those feelings always led me to the same conclusion.

“If you’re ordering me to be angry, I will be… but honestly, I’m not really mad, Sir Procyon.”

“You’re not mad?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not hurt badly or anything… and in the end, you came to save me, Sir Procyon.”

Schloitz stared at me for a moment.

“You’re always so generous with me.”

“……”

He would never know. Just how much my heart shook every time he spoke.

Should I pretend to be angry now?

The thought passed, but I let it go. I had already said I wasn’t angry, so going back on that would just make me look ridiculous. And more than anything—I truly wasn’t angry.

Maybe it was because I owed him too much from when I was young. All I could think now was that I hoped the year would pass quickly so I could retreat deep into my family’s estate.

“Do you still want nothing in return?”

“…I do want something.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I’d like to keep Sir Laura Lenin as my assistant officer.”

Schloitz chuckled in disbelief, and I felt a little embarrassed.

“You’re really just saying whatever comes to mind.”

“I mean it.”

“Fine. Do what you want. I’ll let Agnes know.”

“Thank you, Sir Procyon.”

“That’s it?”

I nodded. I felt like I should ask for something more, but nothing came to mind.

I was already First Commander—asking for a promotion would be too much, and I knew it.

Asking him to share some monsters would sound petty… and he’d already given me twenty of them, which was a huge amount.

I suddenly remembered the monsters.

Even if he said it was for multiple reasons, one of them was definitely to figure out more about Gray and Jeremy. That’s why he brought me all the way here to the Nephele estate.

Should I return the monsters, then?

“Sir Procyon… Should I return the monsters to you?”

Schloitz’s face turned slightly annoyed, and I quickly backed down.

“Just kidding. I’m very grateful to have them.”

I’ll keep them. And if possible, I’ll have my name permanently recorded as their owner. And when I go on monster subjugation missions, I’ll try to share some with Laura. Once I started thinking about it, it kept bothering me.

I noticed Schloitz still didn’t look pleased and reflexively lowered my eyebrows in a nervous smile.

‘Why does he look annoyed?’

“Lady Lefevre.”

“…Yes?”

“You seem to find everything I give you… horrible.”

“What?”

I frowned.

“That’s not true, Sir Procyon. I just… felt like receiving twenty monsters was a bit much after you already helped me. That’s all.”

“A bit much?”

He let out a dry laugh.

“I don’t get it. Why are you like this toward me?”

“…Um.”

“You’re not exactly in a position to flatter me either.”

I hesitated, then said quietly:

“Because you’re the Commander-in-Chief of the military.”

“So you’re just naturally obedient to authority?”

“Isn’t that normal?”

“I wasn’t like that.”

‘Of course not…’

I smiled slightly. Schloitz was born with unmatched sword talent. Even before becoming Commander, he was already the brightest star of the military.

Would someone like that feel any need to respect authority?

Too much humility can be a flaw. And to be honest, Schloitz was never the humble type. Even in The Mad Beauty’s End, he was portrayed as the cold and arrogant strongest warrior.

He sat back in the chair beside my bed and began reading papers again. Watching him, I had two thoughts.

One—he must be really busy.

Two—he’s still here?

To be honest, I liked that he was still beside me.

The glint in Gray’s eyes and his terrifying, beastly smile still haunted me.

I was always sensitive to shock. Or maybe just weak against it. No matter how much I trained, my mind wasn’t as strong.

It was true when I was young, and it was true now. I knew I’d be scared if I were alone. But with Schloitz here, this place felt like a safe fortress.

Even if it felt like a fortress…

The problem was, I couldn’t fall asleep.

I thought about helping Schloitz with his paperwork, but I had a strong feeling he wouldn’t like that.

So I carefully lay back down and pulled the blanket up to my chin.

Then I glanced at him. He hadn’t looked up once from his mountain of documents, but…

Just knowing he was nearby made me feel warm. Like I was wrapped in a dream. From this angle, I didn’t even have to turn my head to see him.

I’m not sure how much time passed.

I must’ve dozed off briefly.

I heard quiet voices and opened my eyes to see Schloitz speaking in a low voice with a knight.

The knight had his back to me, but Schloitz was facing me directly. His eyes were looking right at me.

For a moment, he just stared.

The knight must’ve sensed something was off and started turning to look at me.

“Leave us.”

Schloitz dismissed the knight. Once the door closed, he sat silently for a moment, as if deep in thought. His eyes—always holding a cold intensity—slowly turned toward me again.

“All the administrators of the Nephele estate have been imprisoned. Lady Blandea Lefevre.”

“Oh… Yes, Sir Procyon.”

“They’re all being interrogated. You can join in if you’d like. I’ll give you special permission.”

“No… I’m fine. I’ve never been trained in torture.”

“Most nobles haven’t. But they don’t usually turn down the chance either. Most at least attend as observers.”

“……”

“You’re really afraid of blood, aren’t you.”

I coughed awkwardly.

He wasn’t wrong. I was afraid of blood. Especially human blood. It wasn’t very noble of me. But in this world, with monsters around and nobles often showing cruel tendencies, seeing blood wasn’t rare.

It often happened during love affairs gone wrong—duels to the death between jealous lovers.

Hunting was also a common pastime. The royal family even hosted huge hunting festivals every year.

So nobles who feared blood were rare.

Of course, no one would force me to torture anyone… but still. Even the idea of it scared me. I just didn’t want Schloitz to remove me from monster hunting missions because of this.

As long as he didn’t do that, I’d be fine.

Luckily, Schloitz changed the subject.

“I got word that a royal investigation team will arrive in an hour. Oh, and someone from Lefevre will arrive around the same time.”

I blinked.

“From Lefevre?”

****

Enrico was being dragged down by the collar by Lord Barock.

He shouted as he was pulled along:

“Why! Just one more road and we’re at Nephele!”

“You’ve said that at every checkpoint. You may be fine, sir, but the horses are going to collapse.”

“Blandy was almost kidnapped by thugs! How can you tell me to rest?! I can’t even sleep thinking of her crying in fear!”

“She’s not the type to cry in fear. Besides, didn’t you get a letter saying the Commander himself is protecting her?”

“Still!”

“To be honest, if something does happen to her while the Commander is guarding her… then the whole kingdom’s in trouble.”

“Then we should get there even faster!”

Though he said that, Enrico eventually let go of the reins with a sulky face.

“If anything else happens to Blandy, I’m declaring a territory war. Forget the Oparts…”

“Of course, sir.”

The Lefevre party stopped at the final checkpoint leading into Nephele.

The Kingdom of Razak had well-maintained roads connecting every estate. Because of that, there were relay posts every 15–30km where horses and riders could rest. These were royal facilities.

Unlike other estates, Nephele only allowed entry to people with official permission—mostly nobles or officials—so everyone here recognized the Lefevre crest.

“Welcome, Lord Lefevre! It’s an honor to have you here!”

The local officials were practically losing their minds with excitement as they rushed to greet him.

“Why is that carriage arriving right now?”

Enrico frowned.

The officials also froze in shock.

A new group was entering the checkpoint. The crest on the lead carriage was unmistakable.

It belonged to the Royal Family of Razak.