IRLDM 16

Chapter : 16

I Have to Become Stronger

“No, what on earth is going on, Vice Commander?!”

“The knight order has shown up now—why don’t you stop calling me that.”

“Ah, sorry. It’s just slipped out of habit.”

The Heinenstein winter villa, once quiet in the middle of the night, was now filled with all kinds of commotion.

Knights who had arrived at the villa in response to Leon’s signal, servants running back and forth—because of all the noise they were making, the hall of the villa was in complete disarray.

“You’re saying the demon race has pushed all the way to the capital?”

As Leon was watching the chaotic scene, a brown-haired knight raised his voice and waved a hand in front of Leon.

“…Strictly speaking, it’s not the capital. It’s the outskirts, some distance away.”

“But those demon bastards usually only cause trouble around the border regions. Haven’t they never openly infiltrated this deep before?”

That was true. Leon thought to himself. It wasn’t unusual for the demon race to send monsters across the empire’s borders, but this was the first time they had shown themselves near the capital.

“Leon Riefman.”

While Leon was lost in thought, someone called his name.

“……”

When he turned his gaze, he saw his former superior, Howard Lanistan, the commander of the Third Knight Order, standing there holding a scroll.

“Yes.”

After confirming who had called him, Leon raised one eyebrow.

“Riefman, were you the one who discovered the intrusion first?”

“Hah, no. The one who discovered it first is resting upstairs.”

When Leon replied with undisguised sarcasm, the knight commander’s eyes, which had been fixed on the scroll the entire time, shifted to Leon.

“…I see. Then I’ll have to ask that person.”

The commander’s eyes lingered briefly on Leon’s raised eyebrow, but as if there was no need to say more, he let out a short sigh and turned toward the stairs.

However, he hadn’t gone far before he had to stop.

“I told you already. They’re in the middle of resting.”

It was because Leon, tall as he was, had stepped in front of him, blocking the way.

“Haha, still, it’s fortunate that the vice comm—no, that Lord Leon is here. Even though the demon race came in this deep, not a single person was seriously injured, right?”

As the atmosphere instantly froze, another knight standing nearby hurriedly cut in, trying to ease the tension.

“…Yes. That part was well handled.”

A few beats later, the commander nodded with a somewhat resigned expression.

Then, after briefly looking around at the noisy surroundings, he shouted to the members gathered in the hall.

“Before the demon’s presence completely dissipates, we must continue the pursuit using the remaining magical energy as a clue. That’s enough for today—withdraw.”

“Yes!”

The restless footsteps stopped, and crisp replies rang out.

“Riefman, I’ll send an official notice once it’s morning. Come visit together with the initial discoverer.”

With those words, the commander left the estate.

“Hah.”

Leon gave a small snort at the commanding tone. Giving orders to the very person who had just driven him off—there was nothing not ridiculous about it.

A little while later, after watching the coordinate transfer magic move all the knights away, Leon headed alone toward the back door of the villa.

“Gone without a trace.”

Leon muttered as he swept his gaze over the ground.

When he had first arrived at the villa, Leon had felt a powerful protective magic surrounding the entire property.

As expected of the House of Heinenstein.

The Heinenstein family was a prestigious house that had produced several renowned magic knights. And the layered protective spells they had cast were showing their might not only at the ducal residence but even at this winter villa.

Yet what Leon was facing now was… a situation where those protective spells had vanished without a trace.

“To erase them completely instead of breaking them….”

As Leon retraced the now-disappeared protection magic, he thought of what kind of being could neutralize all of this.

The powerful scent he had felt the moment he opened the door, and the high-tier magic that vanished without leaving any trace.

None of this was something an ordinary demon could have done.

“No, I think we should inform the main house once it’s morning. The young lady doesn’t want to worry His Grace the Grand Duke.”

After finishing a brief investigation at the back door, Leon returned to the hall and spotted Lowell standing in the center, issuing various instructions.

“Oh, you’re back now?”

Sensing someone’s presence, Lowell turned to the side.

“…Yeah.”

Leon replied slowly as he looked at Lowell. Aside from looking a little tired, Lowell still had the same calm expression as before.

“Thank you for calling the knight order. As expected, with connections, things move fast.”

Lowell slightly curled her lips into a faint smile—still wearing that composed face.

“……”

Leon silently watched her.

And as he studied Lowell’s face like that, a question suddenly came to him. In a situation like this, was her calmness something shaped by repeated regressions?

“Are you okay…?”

That was why he wanted to check. Whether that was really the case. Whether it was possible.

“I’m going upstairs. I need to check if the young lady is asleep.”

But Leon couldn’t finish his question. Lowell cut him off immediately. From her firm tone, Leon could tell she didn’t want to talk any further.

“…All right.”

So Leon swallowed the words he had been about to say. Under the name of a “contract marriage,” he didn’t have the right to ask more.

Lowell gave him a faint smile in return, then turned around and placed her foot on the stairs.

“Ah.”

At that moment, a small cry escaped Lowell’s lips. Her legs suddenly lost strength, and she almost tumbled down the stairs.

Thud.

Fortunately, Leon immediately grabbed her upper body, allowing Lowell to regain her balance.

“You—”

But through the hand holding her, Leon could feel a subtle tremor. Lowell was shaking—hiding the turmoil in her heart.

Because of that trembling, words Leon wanted to pour out at her flashed through his mind: reproach, anxiety, concern.

Yet he couldn’t open his mouth any further. That was as far as he could involve himself. The way Lowell had shown she didn’t want to talk earlier must have been for the same reason.

“……”

Having ended up held from behind, Lowell blankly froze at the sudden situation. Only when Leon frowned did she notice his hand resting against her side.

Only then did Lowell realize she was practically in Leon’s arms. Feeling apologetic, she let out a small “Ah,” and moved to pull away.

“……?”

Instead, Leon’s hand tightened, preventing her from moving farther away.

“Um…”

Finally, puzzled, Lowell raised her eyes to scan Leon’s face and carefully spoke.

Meeting her gaze, Leon released the hand that had been holding her side.

“I have things to take care of, so go to sleep first.”

After saying that to Lowell, who was straightening herself, Leon seemed as though he would turn around and leave.

“And you.”

That is, until Leon suddenly turned back as he said this.

“Take care of yourself first, before anyone else.”

Leon said that last line to Lowell, who was looking straight at him.

“….”

Perhaps because it sounded like comfort, Lowell stood silently on the stairs for a long while, watching Leon leave the hall.

Thud.

Several hours later, on the second-floor corridor. Lowell closed a door and stepped out. Fortunately, Aria was sleeping peacefully, resting, and her face wrapped in holy power even bore a serenity it hadn’t had before.

I didn’t expect him to even call a holy knight.

Thinking of the holy knight who had infused Aria with holy power as she slept, Lowell leaned against the closed door and touched her left cheek, where the wound had disappeared.

Ordinary injuries could be treated with healing magic, but injuries caused by demonic power required the holy power of a holy knight.

However, holy knights belonged to the temple and were only dispatched in essential situations like war. As a result, commoners like Lowell might see holy power only once in a lifetime, if at all.

Yet the moment Leon saw Lowell’s injury, he immediately contacted his former superior, asking him to send a holy knight because there was an injured person.

So it was only natural that the holy knight looked troubled upon seeing that the “injury” was merely a cut on her cheek. He even looked as though he had been dragged out of bed, enough to make Lowell feel guilty.

“Hm….”

After falling briefly into thought, Lowell pressed her cheek lightly and began walking.

Soon arriving in front of her room, she happened to glance down at the window beside her.

A wide garden spread out below the corridor window. The plants growing there naturally led Lowell to a very old memory.

“Lowell, I want to become like this tree.”

“Huh? Why this tree of all things? It’s covered in scars.”

“Even with so many wounds, it keeps growing strong. I want to become strong like this tree too. So no matter how hard things get, I can always rise again.”

There had been such a time. A time when Aria had shown her determination to survive beneath that tree.

But repeated regressions had reduced Aria’s sole goal to “annihilation” itself—and just a few hours ago, that goal had nearly brushed right past her.

“I couldn’t do anything.”

Despite saying she would protect Aria, when danger actually came, Lowell had been unable to do anything at all.

“…What am I even doing right now.”

Reaching the end of her thoughts, Lowell lowered her head. The moonlight reflected off the pond felt like a blade stabbing into her, making it impossible for her to lift her head.

In that sensation, Lowell felt her legs about to give out again.

Take care of yourself first.

At that moment, Leon’s words flowed back into her mind.

That’s right. Right now, Lowell had to take care of herself first. She had to push herself so she wouldn’t collapse, and protect Aria no matter what.

“I have to become stronger.”

Murmuring that, Lowell clenched tightly—until her hand turned white—the blue mana stone Leon had given her.