🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 02
The man didn’t rush her. He leisurely waited for Evelyn to step back.
Catherine tugged at Evelyn, who couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“Come here, Evelyn.”
Only then did Evelyn realize she was blocking the knights’ path.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Fortunately, her outward attitude appeared professional.
It could be dismissed as a rookie’s mistake.
Standing beside Catherine, Evelyn looked at the man with curiosity.
Why isn’t he wearing armor?
He was dressed lightly, as if going out for a stroll.
If not for the longsword at his waist, she wouldn’t have known he was a knight.
His attire was free-spirited, unlike his ascetic, neat face that resembled a priest’s.
“Well then… I’ll be on my way.”
The researcher who had delivered the message disappeared in a flash.
It was obvious he wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
Catherine was the first to greet him.
“D–Duke Ashford, i–it’s been a while.”
Oliver followed with proper courtesy.
“Y–Y–Y–Your Gr—…”
The man smiled with his eyes at Oliver, who was trembling even more than Catherine.
But unlike his picturesque smile, his words were cold.
“You haven’t changed.”
That was the man’s first remark.
The one who didn’t understand the situation was Evelyn.
Why are they shaking like that? Are they bewitched like I was?
Or… is it because he’s a duke?
Evelyn wasn’t used to the aristocratic culture of the capital.
She didn’t know how deferential one had to be toward high-ranking nobles.
So she followed her seniors’ lead and greeted him politely.
She had to hide her admiration for him.
“It’s my first time meeting you, Duke Ashford.”
“This one seems usable.”
Standing next to Oliver, whose teeth were chattering in fear, she appeared even more composed.
With that, the duke passed by the researchers, looking bored to death.
The knights followed their lord with disciplined movements.
Once inside the gate, the duke lazily tapped the hilt of his sword.
At that, the demonic sword trembled finely.
“Looks like it’s hungry,” the duke said in a languid voice.
“Try to soothe it,” a knight beside him replied indifferently.
What does that mean? Is it some kind of code among knights?
Evelyn rolled her blue eyes in confusion.
For some reason, their conversation was harder to understand than ancient language.
Near the Northern Monster Mountain, there was lodging prepared for researchers and knights.
Since it was provided by the imperial family, it rivaled luxury inns in the capital.
On the first-floor lobby, beside the fireplace, stood tables for dining.
There was also a large conference room, with long sofas arranged around a table.
They would use this space in common, and stay in their own rooms on the second and third floors.
As they walked from the gate to the lodging, green fields welcomed Evelyn.
Breathing in the scent of grass, she felt as though she had returned to her hometown for the first time in a while.
Nature made her that comfortable.
Though the same couldn’t be said for her two seniors.
“Are you catching a cold?” Evelyn asked Oliver, who was still trembling all over.
“N–No! You don’t know, but right now…”
Catherine poked Oliver sharply in the side as he tried to explain.
Then she shook her head.
Don’t scare the rookie with unnecessary talk!
Reading her gaze, Oliver shut his mouth.
“By the way, why are we working with the Ashford Knights instead of the Imperial Knights?” Evelyn asked.
Catherine explained.
“Sometimes monsters with extremely strong mana appear. You can tell by the energy around Monster Mountain. When that happens, physical force doesn’t work. You have to fight them with mana of equal strength.”
“So they’re magic swordsmen.”
“Duke Ashford is the greatest magic swordsman on the continent. The knights who came with him are probably the elite.”
“That’s amazing.”
Pure admiration shone in Evelyn’s eyes.
“…Amazing,” Catherine muttered.
In a different sense.
She swallowed the rest of her words.
A magic swordsman’s defining trait was the ability to condense mana into aura and infuse it into their weapon.
With a single movement, they wielded tremendous power.
With such great power, one would expect them to be cautious—but strangely, magic swordsmen were impulsive and moved according to their whims.
If someone proposed a peculiar game, they would carry it out immediately.
During a business trip a few years ago, they once tried to “create a rainbow” by emitting colorful auras, causing loud explosions in Monster Mountain for over an hour.
It looked as if they intended to shatter every rock in the mountain.
What if they damage a monument or something?
Frightened by what might happen, Catherine hurried to find Duke Ashford.
The duke, said to defeat dozens of monsters with a single swing of his blade, smiled gently without a word.
Intimidated by the heavy aura emanating from him, Catherine led him to Monster Mountain.
Upon arrival, he watched his subordinates immersed in their rainbow-making and said:
“How pathetic.”
At his words, everyone froze. Catherine thought he would finally stop them.
But his next remark left her in despair.
“After yellow comes green. Not blue.”
“Ohhh!”
As if that was the problem, the knights resumed blasting aura.
After glancing at Catherine as if to ask, Satisfied now?, Duke Ashford turned and walked away leisurely.
They were people you simply couldn’t reason with.
That was why she always kept a close watch, worried about unexpected incidents.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason they were frightening.
Coming back to herself, Catherine forced a smile and said to her juniors,
“Let’s rest a bit and meet again at lunchtime. After that, we’ll all have a meeting…”
After chatting in the second-floor hallway, the three headed to their respective rooms.
Or rather, they were about to.
“Oh my, there you are!”
A red-haired woman approached them with a refreshing smile.
The Ashford family crest was engraved on her armor.
“Looks like lunch was prepared earlier than expected! Let’s eat together!”
As she spoke cheerfully, Oliver and Catherine shook their heads vigorously.
“I’ll eat later!”
“I’m not hungry yet…”
The woman made a regretful face.
“But the meat gets dry and tasteless if it cools.”
“I prefer dry meat the most.”
“Cold meat already makes my mouth water…!”
With that, the two seniors quickly slipped into their rooms.
Only Evelyn remained.
The knight snickered as she watched them disappear.
She was like a cat teasing a mouse she had caught.
She turned to Evelyn.
“Do you like it too? Dry and cold meat.”
“No, I prefer warm and tender meat.”
There was no fear of the knights in Evelyn’s eyes.
Intrigued, the woman introduced herself.
“I’m Vanessa. I belong to the Ashford Knights.”
“Yes, I’m Evelyn Hart.”
“You’re like a rabbit. Cute.”
Vanessa’s eyes sparkled. She grabbed Evelyn’s arm and led her down the stairs.
“Come on, let’s go eat warm and tender meat.”
Will the duke be there too?
He was the most handsome man Evelyn had ever seen.
Once this trip ended, she might never see that radiant face again.
I should admire it as much as I can before then!
On the first floor, the Ashford Knights were already seated.
When Vanessa introduced her, their eyes widened.
“She’s eating with us?”
“Yes. Is that not allowed?”
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Evelyn hesitated, but Vanessa pulled out a chair for her.
Coincidentally, it was next to the duke.
This is a little awkward…
Evelyn tried to act natural.
She still wasn’t used to his beauty.
Thankfully, Vanessa continued speaking.
“It’s not that it’s not allowed. Everyone just avoids us.”
“Why?”
Vanessa put on a sorrowful expression.
“Things we do with good intentions keep getting misunderstood…”
“Oh dear…”
Evelyn nodded sympathetically.
“Haven’t you heard any bad rumors about us?” asked a large man who had been knitting. He introduced himself as Victor.
“I don’t really know much about what goes on in the capital. I only came up recently.”
I see!
At her answer, everyone’s eyes sparkled.
Evelyn decided to chat freely.
It was a good chance not to be overly conscious of the duke.
“Will I get to see a magic swordsman’s aura this time? I’m already excited!”
Each time Evelyn spoke, they reacted with exaggerated interest.
Soon she became engrossed in conversation with them.
She didn’t notice.
The duke’s gaze resting on her
