IDGM 67

Chapter 67

The door to Chloe’s room was slightly ajar.

At first, he had no intention of eavesdropping on her conversation.

But something felt a little off, and he slowly approached the door.

“Who is she talking to?”

He felt curious. He couldn’t hear anyone else’s voice—only Chloe’s.

“Is she muttering to herself?”

Her voice rose and fell as if she were speaking to someone, and her muttering continued for quite a while. Callius didn’t think much of it.

Some people talk to themselves to organize their thoughts.

“Maybe it’s some sort of game she’s playing.”

Chloe continued talking to herself in her room for quite some time.

A little later, Chloe finally entered the shared bedroom.

Although she always looked tired due to poor sleep, today she looked even more exhausted.

Callius knew the reason she looked tired, so instead of commenting on it directly, he expressed his concern in another way.

“You don’t seem well. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, did I look that way?”

Chloe quickly forced a faint smile.

“No, nothing at all.”

Her voice sounded slightly different from usual.

Callius felt as if she was subtly putting a boundary between them.

It reminded him of the atmosphere the last time he had accidentally left her alone on their first night together.

But back then, he had been at fault—this time, he hadn’t.

“It must be my imagination.”

Callius decided she was just tired and feeling down.

Chloe went around the bed and lay down near the fireplace—a spot much farther from Callius than usual.

“I’ll stay over here. You come closer.”

She answered listlessly when he offered.

“I’m cold. I like it as it is.”

Her lack of energy seemed to drain him as well.

Callius tried to lift her spirits and thought of something funny to tell her. He decided to talk about something that happened earlier that day.

“Something amusing happened while training the knights today.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. As part of a cooperative exercise, we sometimes divide the knights into teams and play a ball game. Alex, though, loudly boasted that he had been practicing a new technique and warned everyone not to be surprised.”

“…….”

“When the ball finally reached Alex, he became overly confident and started spinning around with the ball…”

Callius stopped mid-story when he noticed Chloe wasn’t smiling at all.

“Was it not funny?”

Chloe forced an awkward smile.

“I don’t really understand the ball game you’re talking about.”

“Even so, if you had seen it, it would’ve been hilarious. Alex’s expression was priceless.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

After that, an awkward silence settled between them.

Callius fiddled with his fingers, staring at the ceiling, trying to think of something else entertaining to say.

Finally, he remembered an anecdote and opened his mouth.

“A few days ago…”

But as soon as he began, Chloe cut him off.

“I’m especially tired today. I had a lot of work.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I’ll go to sleep first.”

“Yes, good night, Chloe.”

“……You too, Callius.”

Callius let out a quiet, disappointed sigh and glanced at her.

Chloe had already closed her eyes, seeking sleep.

He had come to the bedroom early, hoping to talk more with her, but without showing it, he stayed silent to let her rest.

“It makes sense that she’s tired.”

Anyone would feel exhausted if they were constantly sleep-deprived.

Callius firmly resolved again that he had to find a clue to lift Chloe’s curse.

The next day, Callius gathered a few of his subordinates.

Brentian and Hawick, along with a few other knights he truly trusted, quietly assembled in Callius’s office.

Callius handed each of the knights, except his aide Brentian, a small pouch containing jewels.

“What’s this?”

The knights opened the pouches and stared wide-eyed at the sparkling jewels inside.

“Is this… real?”

Brentian was also surprised by the high-quality jewels, staring at Callius with wide eyes.

The knights may have assumed these were Callius’s personal belongings, but Brentian did not.

“These aren’t crafted by Ronheim.”

The delicate and ornate craftsmanship indicated that they were definitely from Arenthal.

Callius didn’t reveal the source of the treasures and simply gave his orders.

“Take these abroad and sell them.”

“Eh? Us?”

The knights exchanged glances.

“But we don’t even know their value, nor how to handle such ornaments.”

“That’s exactly why I’m giving them to you. Don’t worry, just get as much as you can.”

“Is that really okay?”

“What if we get scammed…?”

Callius shook his head reassuringly.

“It’s fine. Use your discretion. Don’t feel burdened. You can even use some for yourself, but not a single piece is to remain in Ronheim.”

The knights asked in unison.

“Are you testing us? Please, tell us what kind of test this is!”

“It’s not a test. I plan to liquidate them and use the funds for the knights’ budget. It’s about time everyone got new weapons and armor.”

The knights became more careful holding the pouches, realizing these could become their new weapons and armor.

“So much wealth… from our lord…”

Someone murmured in awe.

“To give it to us…!”

Callius wanted to say the treasures came from Chloe, but he held back.

Revealing that now would earn Chloe praise, but in the future, rumors could spread.

Even if the knights would protect Callius’s secrets with their lives, Chloe’s secrets might not be safe.

“No matter what happens, I have to protect Chloe.”

If anything disrupted Chloe’s plans, he would take responsibility and cover it all.

For now, protecting Chloe safely was more important than easing the knights’ wariness toward her.

“All of this is at your discretion, but there are a few things you must absolutely follow.”

Callius spoke gravely.

“You must obey four rules. First, scatter and sell these far and wide. Second, no one can discover your identity—not even that you’re from Ronheim. Watch your habits, speech, and behavior. Third, return alive.”

The seriousness of his words brought tension to the knights’ faces.

Callius emphasized each point as he looked at them one by one.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t get full value, lose some, or even give them to beggars. Just make sure the knight order gets a reasonable benefit. But what I said, you must absolutely remember.”

The knights straightened, answering sharply and in unison as if they were one.

“We understand!”

“I trust you.”

As he turned to leave, Callius added one more instruction.

“Also, when abroad, spread one rumor.”

“What rumor, sir?”

“That in the coldest lands of the North, Lestio blooms flowers all year round.”

For a moment, the knights looked confused about why they should spread such a trivial story, but they answered seriously.

“Yes, sir!”

They trusted that Callius had a reason for everything he did.

The knights, summoned suddenly, departed Ronheim just as suddenly.

Though they had only recently returned home, no one complained about leaving again.