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Chapter 5
Kaiser let out a breath.
“The road gradually became unfamiliar. I thought I might get lost. I even thought I might never be able to return.”
A bitter smile formed on his lips.
Kaiser had always been an honest person. He did not hide his feelings or thoughts.
That was true even when he apologized. And that honesty often became powerful at crucial moments.
For example, in the original story, when the heroine was torn between the male lead and the second male lead.
Kaiser’s straightforward confession as the male lead had been widely talked about. He laid everything bare and begged to be loved.
And now, that same honesty was working on me too.
My chest stung slightly.
“…I suppose so.”
As much as I had been afraid, Kaiser must have been afraid too. At least I could speak the language—he couldn’t even do that.
“On top of that, the carriage driver demanded double the agreed fare.”
“Who did?”
“The carriage driver. He said it was compensation for going around in circles because I explained poorly. He said he lost a day as well, so he should be paid accordingly. That’s what it seemed like. He kept holding up two fingers and showing his palm.”
The moment I heard that, the soft, sentimental atmosphere between us completely evaporated.
That damn carriage driver.
I should have ripped out all his goat beard!
It was clearly a scam. He had taken advantage of Kaiser not understanding the language and deliberately driven him around in circles to increase the fare.
How did I know?
Thinking about it again, it was suspicious. The departure point and destination were the same—how could someone get lost?
In this era, carriage drivers were practically human navigation systems!
Now that my reason returned, I could clearly see what had happened. He had definitely scammed him because Kaiser couldn’t understand the language.
I gritted my teeth.
“It looks like you were scammed, Your Grace. This doesn’t make sense. We should find that guy right now—”
“I thought so too. I found it strange that I was wandering so much when the destination was fixed.”
“Ah!”
Kaiser grabbed my shoulder. I was about to charge out like an angry bison, but I stopped.
“Why! I feel like I need to rip out that goat beard right now!!”
“I already spoke to him properly.”
“Then why did you still pay double? You shouldn’t have paid at all!”
Kaiser scratched his cheek awkwardly and looked away. What was that reaction?
Wait. He said he “spoke to him properly”? That shouldn’t even be possible.
Kaiser cleared his throat.
“…I made a small mistake while speaking to him.”
“A mistake?”
“I broke two of his molars.”
“….”
“I only grabbed the shoulder of the man who couldn’t understand me.”
Kaiser said this with a face that insisted he was completely innocent.
So basically, he caught the scammer and then paid him compensation money for the injury.
I stared at him in disbelief.
“It really was an accident. He tried to run away when I thought he had been caught, so I grabbed his shoulder. But when I touched him, he struggled and ended up hitting his face on the hilt of my sword. His molars broke.”
The truth was, Kaiser was one of the top knights in the Luikaron Empire, with a body made entirely of muscle. A human weapon, essentially.
His grip strength and physical ability were extraordinary.
And his sword?
It was a mithril blade, gifted directly by the Emperor. Even the hilt was made of mithril.
That’s why I had told him repeatedly to be careful—his hands, his feet, everything.
Especially since mercenary work was dangerous and full of rough people.
And right now, he wasn’t even a duke—he had nothing. One mistake could easily put him at a disadvantage.
And yet…
Kaiser looked away. He wasn’t lying. He was just embarrassed.
“Ahem. I did manage to hunt four wyverns today, so I got extra pay. I suggest we have dinner outside. I will pay.”
Kaiser spoke stiffly, glancing at me awkwardly.
“No.”
“Why? I earned extra pay…”
“It doesn’t matter if you earned extra. You already paid more than that in compensation. Just go home.”
Pushed back by me, Kaiser looked wronged.
I slapped his arm lightly.
“I told you so many times—be careful! You’re basically a walking pile of muscle!”
“…It is not my fault. I only tried to reason with the wrongdoer. I could have been robbed even more!”
“Enough. No eating out for a while!”
At my words, Kaiser followed me with a sulky, puppy-like expression.
Seeing that made my resolve weaken slightly, so I sighed.
“…I bought some meat yesterday. Make tomato stew. There’s also bread from the bakery—it’ll go well together.”
“I can do that.”
At his answer, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Right. He came back safely, so that’s what matters. The one I should be angry at isn’t Kaiser—it’s that damn scammer.
If I ever see him again, I’m shaving off that goat beard.
At the same time — Luikaron Empire
Roella slammed her desk hard.
Ruberster Grayson, who had been pretending not to notice her, averted his gaze. Roella’s sharp eyes followed him.
He was the owner of the company that operated the sunken cruise ship Blue Dove. The rage from victims’ families was already overwhelming.
“Do you have any idea how much money I’ve already spent on the search? Why can’t you find them?”
Ruberster sighed and finally met her gaze.
Roella was the only heir of a marquis family, and also the emperor’s niece by blood. He could not ignore her background.
Moreover, the Emperor—who had no imperial princess—had raised her almost like one.
Ruberster cleared his throat.
“It has already been over three weeks since the search began. You saw it yourself that day—the enormous shadow. At this point, it is reasonable to assume they are dead, Lady Roella. Continuing this search is only a waste of money and time…”
“Are you joking with me, Ruberster? How much investment did you take from me, saying the ship was an unsinkable steel vessel? And it’s not just me. Among the missing are Duke Kaiser and Lady Milena. How much did the ducal house invest? How much did the Count Elbertan family invest? After betraying all that trust and causing this disaster, you’re telling me you can’t even continue the search?”
Roella’s voice was cold and precise.
Eighty-seven people were missing.
Only fifty-eight had been recovered over the past three weeks.
More than half of those returned were corpses.
The Duke of Lorencia’s house, the Count Elbertan family, and the Marquis of Cersia were all intensifying search efforts.
