132
“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
Arriving at the rendezvous point after a quick escape from the capital, August Varian casually asked the already waiting Kel Grigor.
“…”
Kel Grigor frowned deeply at her question and looked back at her. August Varian subtly turned her head away from his fierce gaze.
“The situation would not have gone awry if you had not forgotten your responsibility.”
“Well, it’s not entirely my fault. If you had snatched the target quickly from the start, it would have been over.”
“Hmm.”
That statement wasn’t entirely wrong, but if blame was to be apportioned, Kel Grigor considered himself responsible for about 20% of the failure, while August Varian was 80% at fault.
He gritted his teeth at her brazen attitude.
“But what really happened? Kel Grigor, you were in such a serious state that even I had to snap back to reality and flee.”
“I also considered your condition grave in another sense.”
“Come on, I was always like that, but you’re not.”
August Varian’s recklessness had always been something anticipated from the planning stage, but Kel Grigor sending an urgent signal was exceptionally unusual.
The situation must have been dire for her to quickly gather her senses and flee while invoking a blood curse.
“Are you really alright? That arm… it looks like it’s about to be severed.”
“I’ve reattached it, so there’s no problem.”
“It’s not like it’s a lizard tail that you can just put back on!”
“If you say such things in front of a beastman, they’ll chop your arm off and tell you to reattach it. Lizard tails regrow but don’t reattach.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
The stab wounds on Kel Grigor’s body were quite severe. His left arm, especially, was nearly severed.
Even August Varian, who thought she knew Kel Grigor well, was taken aback when he clenched his fist with an arm he claimed was reattached after only hastily stopping the bleeding.
“I didn’t expect the Aries Order to be keeping an eye on the target.”
“Hmm, the Aries Order, huh…”
“I see traces of holy energy on you too. Were you involved with them as well?”
“Well, something like that. Was your opponent a holy knight? Must have been someone quite skilled who attacked you.”
Their powers and holy energy were opposing forces, with holy energy being clearly superior.
Being natural enemies, they avoided dealing with the Church whenever possible, but never did they imagine that the Church would be watching over the target they were after.
“It wasn’t multiple skilled attackers. There was only one.”
“What? Really? You’re saying that only one person put you in that condition?”
“The opponent was strong, but not unbeatable. It was difficult to protect the target and escape simultaneously. As time dragged on, the situation just became more complicated…”
“Kel Grigor, your excuses are long-winded. Are lions naturally long-tongued?”
“Isn’t it all your fault!”
“Suddenly?”
However, Kel Grigor thought that none of this would have been an issue if August Varian hadn’t been reckless.
In truth, the reason for their failure was that their opponents were far stronger than anticipated.
He couldn’t help but feel annoyed at August Varian who hadn’t come to her senses at that critical moment.
“But there’s a more pressing issue.”
“Problems keep arising, huh.”
Seeing August Varian gesture as if telling him to continue, Kel Grigor spoke again.
“The target seems closely related to the kingdom of Rondel.”
“Oh, yes, it did seem that way. They were hiding between Miles and Ferdida. Plus, the ones who came to rescue were a holy knight from the Aries Order and a woman who seemed like a high-ranking priestess.”
If it continued like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if the king of Rondel was somehow involved.
“And Worden was involved too. Wait, this is serious.”
“Worden?”
“Yes. The boy who stopped me said his name was Christian Worden. There’s only one place in this country that uses the name Worden and where someone so young could have that level of skill.”
“Hmm. Worden, Miles, Ferdida…”
“Weren’t those three families connected to each other?”
Though they were foreigners to this land, they had already done extensive research on it since entering the kingdom of Rondel.
“This got troublesome.”
If those three families were protecting the target, all existing plans needed to be scrapped and reconsidered from the beginning.
Unlike the thoughtful Kel Grigor, the eternally carefree August Varian smiled wide, saying, “Things are getting interesting, aren’t they? Anyway, now that we know who has the target, it’s just a matter of killing them all and retrieving it next time.”
“Hmm…”
August Varian easily spoke of killing everyone, but Kel Grigor knew it wouldn’t be that simple.
He wasn’t sure whether she genuinely didn’t realize that such thoughts shouldn’t even be entertained, or if she was merely pretending not to know.
“For now, we need to leave this place and report on what happened. After that, we will wait for orders before making any moves.”
“How boring.”
“Let’s go. Soon, those who noticed the commotion will come swarming.”
“Okay, okay.”
August Varian grumbled, clearly displeased by Kel Grigor’s words, but she seemed ready to follow and leave the area together.
‘I hope we meet again, Christian.’
The skill and knowledge he displayed at such a young age intrigued August Varian, filling her with a strange excitement.
Above all, his demeanor of appearing to know her too well aroused questions and curiosity in her.
Smiling with a gleam in her white teeth, she looked forward to their next meeting.
***
“Whoo.”
Having left the room, Christian slumped as if all energy drained from him.
The investigation into August Varian’s attack had prolonged significantly.
Fortunately, his status as an injured person and his backing as part of the Ferdida Marquisate allowed him to be questioned comfortably at his maternal relatives’ house.
Had he gone directly to the capital’s guards for questioning, things wouldn’t have ended with just being utterly exhausted.
“Great job, Christian.”
“Yes, you really did a great job.”
Liber approached the tired Christian, who was easing his stiff shoulders, and comforted him with concern.
Caedwin stood nearby, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t decide.
Glancing once at Caedwin, Christian asked Liber, “Did Aira and, um… Lena awaken?”
“No, they’re still asleep. I heard they were put under on purpose.”
“Right.”
Knowing Lena Isban’s real name, Nemea Robran, by only a few was preferable, so only Christian and Aira, who had grown quite close, were aware.
The Worden County’s involvement was primarily why Aira was told, but there was no need to reveal further.
Despite appearing unconcerned, Christian was somewhat troubled by knowing they were still asleep.
Noticing his concern, Liber cautiously spoke, “Don’t worry too much. The priest who accompanied you ensured they were well taken care of. People from the Aries Order also came, and the Marquis even called in renowned doctors from the capital.”
“Well, that’s certainly reassuring.”
That priest was even the Saintess of the Latima Order, and the one coming from the Aries Order was undoubtedly a high-ranking priest.
Only then did Christian’s expression relax a bit. He quietly turned to Liber and Caedwin, asking, “Is it noisy outside?”
“Of course.”
Caedwin first answered Christian’s question, then sighed and continued, “Don’t even get me started.
The Marquis said he would find and tear apart the culprit, and even the Miles Viscounty sent people, offering their support in any way they could.”
“Viscount Miles sent people?”
While his grandfather’s violent words were concerning, the willingness of Viscount Miles to get involved was surprising.
‘Is it because Aira was injured?’
Even though Miles Viscounty valued gold over blood, Aira was still their granddaughter.
Being nobles, wary of public scrutiny, seemed inevitable.
“In any case, the place is in turmoil. Even the Aries Order’s martial arts tournament has been temporarily halted.”
“Why was it stopped?”
Seeing Christian’s bewilderment, Liber responded with a wry smile, “Two of the contestants were attacked. With intruders in the capital, the higher-ups probably judged proceeding with the tournament as problematic.”
“The Aries Order must be quite upset, like having a festive occasion disrupted…”
“What can they do? The intruders targeted the heir of the Worden County, and Marquis Ferdida and Viscount Miles families got involved. The king himself ordered an investigation. It would be difficult for the Aries Order to hold any grudges now.”
“It really did get loud, huh.”
A direct attack on the heir of a Marquis within the kingdom was no small affair.
Furthermore, the families connected to the Worden family, Marquis Ferdida and Viscount Miles families, were significant forces.
This incident couldn’t be dismissed as mere misunderstanding or coincidence.
Had anything happened to Christian and Aira, the kingdom’s power structure might have been utterly disrupted or severely shaken.
This forced the king to intervene, and what was expected to be a simple incident morphed into a significant political scandal contrary to Christian’s intentions.
“We were so lucky that Ail, the holy knight, and Rachel, the priest, happened to save you two.”
Consequently, unexpected connections were noted in ways removed from the actual events.
A group of despicable individuals had suddenly appeared, targeting Count Worden’s heir, and it was the holy knight and priest from the Latima Order in the East who saved them.
Thankfully, the Aries Order’s quick response prevented any suspicion of their true intentions, and Christian did not reveal the full truth during the investigation.
In actuality, Rachel saved Christian and Aira, and Ail had rescued Nemea Robran from Kel Grigor, who had abducted her. So it wasn’t entirely false.
Thus, Rachel and Ail found it difficult to explain why they were there and why they helped the Worden siblings.
“I want to meet them. Do you know where they are right now?”
“Now? Aren’t you going to rest?”
Even if Christian appeared composed, he must have been utterly exhausted.
Participating in a fierce battle, suffering injuries, and being questioned by the capital’s guards early in the morning after a sleepless night must have taken a toll.
Despite Liber’s concerned query, Christian simply shrugged.
“Why would I endure all that to build stamina if not for times like this?”
“Are you preparing for the apocalypse or something?”