The Philip he knew was never the sort of man to ask someone to take over his shift. Even if something came up, Philip always kept the hours assigned to him, and that was why Ronald was so astonished.
Moreover, they were currently under emergency conditions. Because the commander of the Guard Knights had taken nearly all of the order’s forces outside on an important mission, the remaining guard knights were standing several times more shifts than usual. Taking on someone else’s duty was hardly something anyone would welcome. But Philip was desperate as well.
“I’m truly sorry. But it’s an extremely important matter, so I hope you’ll do me this favor. Of course, I’ll personally inform the deputy commander that you’re standing in for me.”
“W-well, all right.”
Perhaps Philip’s expression looked far too urgent, for Ronald readily accepted the request, despite the fact that standing guard for a full eight hours would not be easy. Judging from that, the friendship between the two did not seem shallow. Philip expressed his sincere gratitude.
“Thank you, truly.”
“Don’t mention it. Buy me a drink later. I don’t need to change clothes, so I can head straight to the post.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
After Ronald left, Philip immediately called in his squire, Jimmy. Jimmy had been with him since before he became a guard knight, so to Philip he was no different from a loyal confidant. A short while later, Jimmy entered with a tousled face, rubbing his eyes.
“Did you call for me, sir?”
Philip gave his order at once.
“Go straight to the Marquis Edward’s estate. Tell Eliza that I will come to see her shortly, so she is to wait for me.”
But Jimmy only hesitated and did not immediately acknowledge the order. It seemed there was some circumstance behind it.
“You fool, why are you standing there instead of running at once?”
As Philip’s brows arched and his angry voice burst out, Jimmy hurriedly confessed what was on his mind.
“I-I’ll go, sir. B-but I’m certain it’ll be a wasted trip. Miss Eliza is almost certainly not at home.”
A strange light flashed in Philip’s eyes.
“On what grounds are you saying that?”
“Th-the truth is, I went out to the city center earlier and saw Miss Eliza there.”
“You saw Eliza in the city center?”
“Y-yes. Miss Eliza was with Young Master David of House Baystone.”
David of House Baystone was a lecher famous for being a womanizer. The strange light in Philip’s eyes grew even darker.
“Is that so? What were the two of them doing?”
“Th-the two of them were admiring the night view at De Marcel, the finest restaurant in the city. They looked very intimate…”
“Hmm…”
Without another word, Philip rose.
“Then there’s no need to go to the Marquis Edward’s estate. Instead, go to the stables this instant and have a horse saddled. No barding is needed. Just prepare the basic tack, such as the saddle, and have it ready to depart at any time.”
“U-understood, sir.”
Leaving the hesitant Jimmy behind, Philip departed his quarters. The place he headed for was the deputy commander’s office of the Guard Knights, located in the building right beside it. Since they were under emergency conditions, Marquis Edward was still in his office despite the late hour. With the commander away, the marquis had to approve all of his documents as well.
Clack.
Philip opened the door without hesitation and entered. Seeing Philip, Marquis Edward welcomed him with delight.
“Oh, you’ve come?”
Philip took a deep breath before speaking.
“The truth is, I came because I have something to tell you, Deputy Commander.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Philip laid bare his feelings directly. His attitude showed not the slightest thought for the consequences.
“I have finally made my decision regarding what you spoke of before. I mean your proposal that I marry Eliza.”
“Hadn’t you already accepted that?”
Looking at Marquis Edward, who widened his eyes in puzzlement, Philip took another deep breath. Then he spoke each word clearly and distinctly.
“No. I have changed my mind. I have no intention whatsoever of accepting Miss Eliza. The reason is that I cannot possibly abandon my wife and child.”
At the unexpected response, Marquis Edward looked utterly shocked. Hadn’t he believed the matter was already as good as done? Yet with the wedding so close at hand, the person involved had suddenly changed his mind…
“Are you… are you serious?”
Philip answered without hesitation.
“I am. Even if this results in my being demoted to an ordinary knight, so be it. Even if I am dispatched to some remote mountain region, I will accept it. No matter what price I must pay, I intend to protect my wife and child.”
“…”
“That is all I came to say. And one more thing. In order to bring back my wife and child, I was forced to ask my fellow knight Ronald to stand in for me tonight. Of course, I will bear all responsibility for that. Then, if you will excuse me.”
After kneeling on one knee and offering his respects, Philip turned away without hesitation. There was no trace of regret in the way he strode out. Marquis Edward, who had been blankly watching his back, gave a bitter smile.
“Just why did that fellow change his mind?”
Marquis Edward had now returned to the face of a parent worrying over his daughter.
“What a pity. It isn’t easy to find a man like him. But where am I supposed to find a match for Eliza now?”
There was no way he would not feel disappointed in Philip, who had ruined everything at the final stage. But the dignified image of Philip giving up a golden opportunity without lingering attachment for the sake of his wife and child was deeply engraved in Marquis Edward’s heart. Perhaps it was a feeling he might not have felt even if Philip had become his son-in-law.
“In any case, that fellow Philip is quite a man. A thoroughly knightly act, yes indeed.”
Before he knew it, a satisfied smile had settled around Marquis Edward’s mouth.
After leaving the marquis’s office, Philip ran straight to the stables. His squire Jimmy had already prepared the horse so it could depart immediately.
“You’ve done well.”
Philip mounted the horse without delay.
“Hyah!”
The horse charged spiritedly out of the stable. Philip urged it on again and again, driving it toward the western main road.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Because of the lone horseman suddenly galloping through the city center in the middle of the night, people had to fling themselves aside to avoid him. But since the rider was a guard knight dressed in formal uniform, no one complained. They merely assumed he was rushing off on official business.
Thanks to riding at full speed, Philip soon reached the gate leading out to the western main road.
“Open the gate.”
After confirming Philip’s attire, the gate soldiers opened the gate without another word. To mere gate soldiers, a guard knight was an imposing existence they would never dare approach carelessly.
Philip shot through the open gate on horseback like an arrow. His face was filled with determination to search every corner of the western main road and find Kate no matter what.
“Wait for me, Kate. I will never make you cry again.”
“How did it go?”
At Damon’s question, Incubus bowed his head deeply.
“I carried it out exactly as you commanded, without the slightest error.”
“He didn’t notice, did he?”
“Of course not. I am Incubus, lord of the dream demons. Please do not think of me as being on the level of an ordinary dream demon. I created a perfect world thoroughly based on that man Philip’s memories, and I myself transformed into his appearance twenty years later and acted the part. He likely found nothing awkward anywhere. It was a truly flawless setup.”
“Good. Then recreate the situation at that time once more.”
“Understood.”
After personally experiencing the nightmare Philip had dreamed for roughly four hours, Damon smiled faintly. As if proving himself lord of Nightmares, Incubus had produced a flawless performance. Even in Damon’s eyes, there was not a single visible flaw.
The plan Damon had devised had been engraved into Philip as reality without the slightest error. Now all that remained was to wait for the man to come.
“Excellent. You’ve worked hard.”
“It is an honor that it pleased you.”
“Good, then return. When I call you from time to time, come and show off your skills as you did today.”
“U-understood.”
Incubus wore a reluctant expression. In truth, there was no reason an Incubus, who belonged among the lesser demon lords, would be pleased doing something like this. His greatest pleasure was enjoying human suffering, and something like changing the heart of a single person, as he had done now, was by no means what he desired. But there was no helping it. The one with power was the necromancer before his eyes.
“I shall take my leave now.”
“Good. I’ll open a magic circle to return you to the Demon Realm at once.”
A demon lord on Incubus’s level could return to the Demon Realm on his own easily enough. But Damon chose to consume a certain amount of dark mana and forcibly send Incubus back. If, by any chance, he did not return and instead caused havoc here, Damon would find himself in quite a troublesome situation.
After Incubus vanished, Damon hurriedly dispersed the magic circle.
“It would be troublesome if he interfered between Philip and Kate again. The denizens of the Demon Realm are all impossible to predict…”
Damon staggered to his feet. Perhaps because he had consumed too much dark mana, even dizziness surged up within him. Yet a smile was drawn on his face instead.
“Still, ten kisses from that proud girl Juliana isn’t a bad bargain.”
Damon’s heart was swelling with thoughts of the kisses he would receive from Juliana tomorrow morning. Her kisses brought back his sweet memories with Daphne as if they were reality.
Damon silently moved his feet. Exhausted by fatigue, he wanted to go to where the mercenaries were and collapse. Moonlight shone brightly over his head as he descended the mountain.
“You’ve returned. You’re late.”
Kasim greeted Damon warmly when he returned late at night. Seeing how bloodshot his eyes were, it seemed he had waited for Damon without sleeping.
“Did things go well?”
Damon smiled faintly.
“To some degree. If my thoughts are correct, that fellow Philip will certainly come tomorrow. But there is one thing you must be careful of. He may perhaps show severe hostility toward Mitchell. When that happens, step in and mediate properly. I will be deep asleep until everything is over.”
“U-understood.”
Kasim nodded with a bewildered expression.
“Then I’ll go sleep.”
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Damon entered the tent assigned to him. Even after he went in, Kasim had to tilt his head in confusion for quite some time.
“Just what method did he use? In my judgment, this seems like something impossible to achieve…”
But before long, Kasim stopped thinking about it. Damon was a person difficult to explain with the common sense Kasim knew. If he said it would be done, then it would be done. Ever since the dragon had been slain, Kasim had almost blindly believed in Damon.
“Well, it’ll be decided tomorrow anyway…”
Shaking his head, Kasim entered the tent beside him. He intended to wake one of the men, hand over the night watch, and then fall fast asleep.