DBOFS 72

Chapter 72

 Clang—

The blade flew along with the arm of the stuffed doll and thudded into the floor.

At the same moment, Dymuard’s knees went weak, and he collapsed with a heavy thump.

The boy’s young chest heaved violently in shock.

“Ha… ha…”

His heart pounded red-hot, as if it might burst.

Even so, Dymuard couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jade.

He knew, deep down, that this racing heartbeat wasn’t just from fear or terror.

Dymuard’s gaze lingered on Jade’s profile, on the delicate lines of his features and the fine lashes, until he suddenly realized:

“Are… you okay…?”

Their eyes met.

Large, blue, breathtakingly beautiful eyes.

No sapphire could ever be this clear.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Even while gasping for breath, Jade’s voice rang out clear and pure.

Dymuard’s wine-colored eyes trembled as he stared blankly at Jade. It was the moment his composed, beautiful face softened without him realizing.

[Sqeak…]

The dying moan of the stuffed doll rang in his ears. Dymuard jerked his head sharply, as if waking from a sudden illusion.

“…I-I’m fine.”

Pressing down his heaving chest with deep breaths, Dymuard glared even more fiercely, trying to hide his flushed face.

“And don’t start speaking casually with me!”

“…Y-yes.”

Even after saving his life, he still had to scold him—what a personality.

Jade, catching his breath, thought:

‘Looks like he’s fine for now.’

If he weren’t, would his tone even register? Either way, that could’ve gone horribly wrong.

‘No, actually, the one in real danger here is me.’

Jade glanced at the pistol in his hand and swallowed. He had been trying not to pull it out since he was carrying it discreetly.

‘But I can’t just let someone die.’

Even if that someone was a bratty little punk like Dymuard…

Jade swallowed another sigh and fixed his gaze.

‘And it’s not over yet.’

Click—the sound of a round chambering. Jade immediately pivoted and fired toward the opposite side.

Bang—!

“…?!”

Dymuard, thinking it was all over, jumped in shock. The shot seemed to have gone into empty air, but a scream—“Ugh!!”—had sounded.

‘As expected!’

He had suspected it from the start: that stuffed doll monstrosity didn’t look like a natural magical beast.

‘It didn’t seem to suffer at all from the attack.’

In other words, it wasn’t a living creature—it was closer to a puppet being controlled.

Then its controller would also have to be nearby, watching and directing its attacks.

‘Even though I brought it into a blind spot, it attacked precisely without losing sight.’

That left two possibilities:

Either the opponent had possessed the doll’s consciousness, or they were watching from somewhere, even where visibility shouldn’t reach!

Jade acted on the latter possibility.

“Ugh—!”

His guess was correct.

From the seemingly empty space, the air shimmered, and a shadow began to slowly form.

With one hand on the trigger, Jade advanced while using his other hand to shield Dymuard behind him.

“What are you?”

A clear, firm voice, but the steps approaching carried tension.

“Come out immediately!”

The sudden appearance of the doll monster put Jade’s body on immediate attack mode, but in his mind, he was nearly in a panic.

‘What is this! What is this! What is this—!’

Even within the Godwin estate, is this allowed? No safe zone at all—it’s too much!

A few tears pricked his eyes.

How on earth did the late Duke handle security…

“…Hmm.”

A calm voice whispered into his ears.

“You fight better than I thought.”

“Eek—!!”

Jade jumped like a frog sprinkled with salt.

The deep violet eyes that smiled at him belonged to…

“Ah, Princess Irene?!”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Even with the muzzle at her face, Princess Irene smiled calmly, showing no hint of fear.

“Wh-what… are you doing here?”

Why are you here?!

Only then did Jade realize that Dymuard, whom he had been protecting behind him, was gone—and Princess Irene had already stepped forward.

“….”

From a distance, Dymuard was pale and expressionless, surrounded by countless Layerr family guards behind Princess Irene.

“…?”

What is going on here?

Princess Irene calmly watched Jade, who was quickly scanning the situation in confusion.

Jade Rian.

The Baron of Rian. Harris’s companion guide. A clever and charming girl, beloved even by her fussy father.

From what Jade had read, she was unpredictable in action.

Despite her innocent appearance, Jade reacted instantly to the appearance of the doll.

Her subsequent judgment, the daring switch between offense and defense, and her bold, precise shooting skills…

She’s naturally skilled in combat.

Princess Irene admired this. She had expected that, accompanying Harris in the Unknown Dungeon, Jade would just obediently stay by her side.

Life always reveals new surprises in unexpected ways.

But what shocked Princess Irene most was…

She protected Dymuard.

Without calculation or hesitation, Jade stood in front of Dymuard the moment the doll appeared, shielding him.

It was an instinctive move—protecting the weak and the young.

“….”

Princess Irene’s violet eyes deepened.

Jade’s actions completely defied her expectations. She was very surprised.

Yet now that she had observed his behavior, there was nothing new to be shocked about…

“Are you crazy?! How can you get this close to someone with a gun!”

…or so she thought.

Princess Irene froze, seeing a much younger, lesser girl glaring at her with blue eyes and scolding her.

“What if you’d gotten hurt!”

But Jade didn’t notice Princess Irene’s reaction, shouting out in panic.

‘Ah! That scared me!’

He almost pulled the trigger—just the shock of her sudden appearance beside him made his finger tense on the trigger.

“…Never again.”

Fortunately, seeing Dymuard safe behind Princess Irene, Jade finally composed himself. He exhaled deeply and turned a strict gaze on her.

“Don’t scare someone holding a gun like that.”

I can’t let this start a Godwin vs Layerr war!

“Understood? Answer me!”

“…Y-yes.”

Intimidated by Jade’s silent force, Princess Irene answered.

“I’ll be careful.”

“Ha…”

Hearing her response, Jade exhaled in relief.

‘That could have gone very badly.’

As he holstered his gun and rubbed his forehead, Jade paused.

‘Wait a minute…’

Princess Irene’s timing was terrible. She appeared just as everything was about to end…

As he looked up, the man from whom he had just fired got up with an embarrassed expression.

“Master, you witnessed a shameful sight.”

“It’s fine.”

Princess Irene returned to her noble demeanor, speaking generously.

“How could we have known Baron Rian’s skill would surpass our expectations?”

Wait, what?!

Jade glanced at Princess Irene and the man gathering the doll.

“Could it be….”

Was this all planned?

A test for me, using this setup?

‘And not even in her own house—but at her father’s…’

Not just any house, but the Godwin Duke family’s main estate, one of the Empire’s three great houses, where only the heir and direct family live?

‘What kind of insane people…!’

Jade looked at Princess Irene with disbelief, but she was already focusing her gaze elsewhere.

“Though our original goal wasn’t achieved…”

Her son, Dymuard, remained silent, fists clenched, eyes cast down.

‘Even he knew?!’

Only when Jade saw Dymuard’s expression did he realize. He remembered how Dymuard consistently pushed him away, telling him to flee.

“Ha.”

It had all been a setup. Jade held his head in exasperation.

How insane is the Layerr family!

‘I can’t believe this.’

Even back at his residence, he shook his head in disbelief.

“Baron Rian.”

Lenor, who escorted him on behalf of the Layerr family, greeted him awkwardly.

“Truly, I thank you for protecting my sibling. Regarding this incident…”

“A setup?”

“…Yes.”

Receiving Jade’s skeptical gaze, Lenor couldn’t deny it and gave a wry smile.

“Given your intelligence, you likely guessed it. Dymuard has many enemies. His mother wanted him to be trained to handle any situation.”

Ah, I see.

“Absolutely insane.”

“…Baron Rian, you just spoke your mind.”