Episode 28

What sort of reaction should I show toward Daiwen, who spoke so nonchalantly?

As if he hadn’t particularly been hoping for any reaction, Daiwen continued speaking.

“So I founded it. The Hugo Knights. Solely to lift my curse. If I kill every dragon in this world, someday my curse will be lifted too.”

Perhaps growing bored, Daiwen stopped fidgeting with his handkerchief and crossed one leg over the other.

“But because of what happened a month ago, I’ve been held back by the royal family. Thanks to that, my plan to head out on another expedition right after the banquet was ruined.”

“Isn’t that purely the Hugo Knights’ fault?”

Ruden furrowed his brows and reached toward his desk. In that instant, a blue aura flickered at his fingertips, and that aura connected to some document on the desk.

At the same time, he flicked his fingers sharply. Following his fingertips, a document floated through the air as if riding the wind and settled into Ruden’s hand.

“This is a report from over a month ago. You sent it immediately after subjugating the Pungjo Dragon, so surely you remember?”

“Hmm….”

“It bears Lord Glas’s signature, so Lord Glas must have written it. Look, there’s nothing here about the damned dragon bones being stolen.”

Even as he spoke, Ruden recalled the past with a sense of absurdity. When was it? Yes, it was before his younger sister had suffered from a high fever for a week.

He had clearly read the document first and found nothing strange, so he had passed it to his aide, Sollen. And then, he had happened to see it.

Count Sirius, carrying a cane that was clearly made of dragon bone.

At first, he had judged it to be a mistake. However, the magical power flowing from that cane was unmistakably that of a dragon. He had seen it several times while studying magic at the Magic Tower, so there was no mistaking it.

Could dragon bones be circulating now? Had it been written in the report but he missed it? Setting everything aside, dragon bones were extremely dangerous….

Feeling puzzled, Ruden asked his aide to read the document once more. Asked him to hand it over again.

“As it turned out, you hadn’t written it in the report to conceal the truth. If you had been honest with the royal family, things wouldn’t have escalated like this.”

“Well, I won’t deny it, but….”

“You even said that five dragon bones were stolen. Do you realize how urgent a situation that is?”

Ruden recalled the events of a month ago. While sending off his younger sister, who was returning to the manor, and engaging in tedious social activities, the aura of a dragon had poured out.

If he kept thinking about it, he felt the scene of his younger sister collapsing—a nightmare in itself—would surface, so Ruden let out a sigh and tossed the document aside. The document returned to his desk with a neat movement.

“We don’t know where what happened a month ago might happen again. For you to complain about being held back by the royal family in this situation is simply absurd, Lord.”

“….”

“If you want to go on an expedition so badly, recover the dragon bones first. Then the royal family won’t hold you back.”

Daiwen let out a hum, a nasal sound, his face sinking into thought. Then, with a slight movement, he shifted the foot resting on his opposite leg and muttered as if to himself.

“I came to ask for your cooperation so that while searching for the dragon bones, we could also subjugate dragons……. As expected, it was too much to ask.”

“Of course.”

“Well, it’s a shame, but understood. Then we’ll handle it ourselves.”

And just how will you handle it yourselves?

Daiwen stood up with a smile, speaking ominous words. Ruden sent a cold gaze toward him, then opened his mouth without realizing it.

“By the way, what is this ‘curse’?”

Having blurted out the words, Ruden was slightly flustered. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t curious, but it wasn’t something he had wanted to know badly enough to ask.

He had simply asked because, for some reason, his younger sister had come to mind. Because what his younger sister had confided in him today somehow felt like a curse.

‘There’s no guarantee it’s even true……. How foolish.’

Daiwen looked at Ruden with an expression that said he hadn’t expected that question. He merely blinked his eyes several times and showed no sign of answering, so Ruden clicked his tongue inwardly, about to tell him to forget it.

However, Daiwen, who had been deeply lost in thought, spoke first, his words flowing out.

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me or not, but three times a day. A so-called ‘mission’ appears.”

“….”

“I can’t tell you what the contents are, but……. If I succeed, I receive a reward, and if I fail, I receive a penalty depending on the type of mission.”

Daiwen smiled as if to say, isn’t it funny?

“It’s absurd and trivial to be called a curse, isn’t it? Forget it.”

With an amiable expression, he muttered lightly as if he had spoken for no reason, then went outside.

Ruden, wearing a rare blank expression, stared ahead, then suddenly jumped up and went out of the office.

“Lord Fergus!”

Daiwen turned around with a surprised expression, seeing Ruden shout for the first time in his life. Ruden was approaching at a fast pace.

“What is it? Ah, did you change your mind, by any chance?”

Thinking it couldn’t be, Daiwen asked slyly, but at Ruden’s refreshingly straightforward answer, he made a blank expression for a moment.

“Yes. I’ve changed my mind.”

“……Yes?”

“I said I’ve changed my mind. Recovering the dragon bones while simultaneously subjugating dragons.”

Ruden made an annoyed expression. He looked as if he was irritated with himself for being made to say such things.

“That is to say, if you need my help, I will help.”

“……Wow?”

“But you’re certain, right?”

“Of what?”

“That if you kill all the dragons, the curse will be lifted.”

Daiwen was a smart man. He immediately caught on to the reason Ruden had suddenly changed his mind from just those last words.

‘There is another person cursed besides us, near this Count.’

Daiwen, whose mind had turned quickly, answered with a soft curve to his eyes.

“Of course.”

And Ruden, looking at Daiwen’s expression, realized that Daiwen had caught on to the fact that there was someone cursed near him.

“That’s a relief.”

Ruden smiled in a businesslike manner and extended his hand. Naturally, Daiwen grasped his hand. It was a truly strange sight—one that meant an alliance, yet did not look like an alliance.

* * *

As soon as I arrived at the manor late at night with Ruden, I saw many welcome faces. Among them, Catherine stood out without a doubt.

“Catherine!”

When I approached her in a single step and called her name, Catherine made an awkward expression.

I fussed around her, making a big deal out of things.

“Are you okay? Any injuries? Do you know how surprised and worried I was when I saw you collapse last time? What about scars? You don’t have scars? The scar on our Catherine’s face is plenty enough……. If you get more scars, you’ll just become even cooler.”

“C-calm down, My Lady.”

At Catherine’s flustered tone, I laughed and teased her even more. And only after quite some time did I hear the explanation of what had happened a month ago.

As usual, Catherine had been waiting for me inside the carriage when someone knocked on the door. She said that as soon as she went out, she was attacked and couldn’t remember properly.

“I’m sorry, My Lady. If only I had been a bit more…….”

At that, I shook my head.

“I’m not curious about that at all. You know what I’m curious about!”

At my words, Catherine blinked her eyes and smiled.

“I’m fine, My Lady. I’ve completely recovered. I don’t have any scars either.”

“That’s really a relief….”

“You should be more worried about yourself than me, My Lady. You should go in and rest.”

“Ugh! I’ve already rested enough at the royal palace.”

Just as I was about to head to my room, wrapping up my conversation with Catherine and turning my head, I flinched. Because only a few steps away, Hendel was looking at me with an enormous gaze.

Not a little surprised by that, I wondered why she was staring at me like that and met her eyes, whereupon her face changed in an instant to an expression holding back tears.

“My ladyyy……”

My lady, my lady. As though those were the only words she knew, she repeated the same thing over and over until, at last, she blew her nose on her apron and even began to hiccup.

“Hendel……! If someone saw you, they’d think I’d died.”

“Don’t say things like that……!”

She sobbed even harder at my words. I sidled closer to Hendel and wiped away her tears. She was acting like this because she had been worried about me, after all.

Because I was grateful for that, I didn’t stop at wiping her tears; I hugged her awkwardly and patted her back. Then, noticing something strange, I grabbed Hendel’s chin and lifted her face.

Hendel’s swelling eyes opened as wide as they could.

“W-why, why, why, why are you doing this, my lady? I-I-I was too forward, wasn’t I? I-I-I-I’ll calm down.”

As if recalling some memory from the past, her face instantly turned deathly pale, and at last her body began to tremble. Feeling a little sorry for her, I quickly shook my head.

“That’s not it……. Hendel, what happened to your cheek?”

That was right. Hendel’s cheek was strangely red. No, to be precise, it was a mixture of red and blue. There were even scratches.

“Isn’t this a bruise? Don’t tell me you were hit. By who?”

Judging from how only one cheek was abnormally swollen, it seemed my guess was right. But Hendel was startled out of her wits and shook her head so violently it made a whipping sound.

“Are you lying to me right now?”

“……W-w-well……”

“……No, you mean there’s someone in this mansion besides me who hits Hendel? Who is it! What kind of person is it! How dare they touch our Hendel! Even I don’t hit you anymore!”

Since she seemed reluctant to talk, I deliberately spoke playfully and let it pass. I sensed something strange, but what could I do when she didn’t want to say?

“Make sure you put ointment on your cheek. Got it? No, I’ll put it on for you right now. Ah, this is upsetting.”

It seemed I would have to apply the ointment myself, so after parting with Catherine, I took Hendel and headed to my room. She had often applied ointment to my cheek, so I thought now it was my turn.

Just as we were going up the stairs toward my room, an unfamiliar voice came from behind.

“My lady, you have returned.”

Hm?

Since it was clear she was calling me, I turned around. Someone was standing not far away.

She wore a maid’s uniform so neat it looked new, her hair swept tightly back without a single strand out of place and fixed with a hairpin. She looked to be rather older.

The moment I thought I’d never seen her before, Hendel flinched in surprise and bent at the waist.

“H-Head maid!”

Her body was trembling, and there was no sign that her bent waist would straighten. Her lowered head, too, did not move an inch. As though there were something interesting on the floor.

That posture was not unfamiliar. When I first met Hendel, she had seemed to have no intention of raising her head either.

That was right. Hendel was trembling as if she had gone back to the day we first met. She was afraid.

Why?

The question lasted only a moment. I lifted my gaze slightly and looked at the person called the head maid.

Head maid…… If she was called that, then this must be the person who was also my personal maid. What was her name again? Was it Susan?

Susan’s impression was so striking that it felt strange I had never once seen her while staying in the mansion. A doll-like, orderly smile, businesslike eyes, neatly groomed eyebrows. More than anything, her posture was like a machine.

Her appearance, straight and precise as though measured with a ruler, was eerie. But was Hendel really this afraid because of that alone?

“Hell……”

Something felt unpleasantly off, but since she had greeted me, I was just about to greet her in return. Susan approached us with her back held perfectly straight.

And then, she swung her hand.