“Lucius, it’s been a while.”
At the sudden appearance of Cheon Ha-rang, Lucius stiffened, only able to gulp down his nervous saliva.
“Uh….”
While he scanned Cheon Ha-rang for clues, Lucius rapidly brainstormed.
How the hell am I going to get out of this situation?
Wait, is there even a way out?
Right behind him, he could hear the clanking of armor as knights clashed together.
No matter how foolish they were, they would know the knights were gearing up for battle.
And those knights were glaring with eyes full of suspicion.
‘You idiots…!’
Biting his lip, Lucius took a step forward and lowered his head.
First, he needed to calm the immediate situation.
Unless he wanted to commit suicide, a clash was absolutely out of the question.
After taking a deep breath, Lucius opened his eyes wide and spoke.
“Greetings, Lady Cheon Ha-rang. It’s been a while.”
It all started with a polite greeting.
“Hmm…”
Just as he was about to segue into a topic about the Nameless, Cheon Ha-rang casually nodded and raised her wooden sword, pointing it at what was behind Lucius.
“Coming to meet an old friend, yet you look rather heavy in your attire….”
“…”
“Moreover, there seem to be unfamiliar faces around? How am I supposed to take this?”
‘Honestly, I’m not sure either.’ Lucius managed to swallow the words that almost escaped his mouth as he cautiously replied, gauging Cheon Ha-rang’s mood.
“I understand why you might think that, but really, it’s a misunderstanding.”
In reality, it was a misunderstanding.
He had merely come to this place following the Emperor’s orders, and since there was quite a distance left, he hadn’t explained the plan.
He had no intention of attacking whatsoever.
Despite still radiating hostility, it seemed they were somewhat relieved that they hadn’t attacked him outright.
…Stay calm.
Given that she was fundamentally a good and pure person, as long as he spoke well, everything should be fine.
“We—”
Just as he was about to make an excuse under the pretense of being a messenger from the Emperor, the worst scenario he had feared happened.
“Have you not grasped the situation yet, you wicked witch!”
“Hmm?”
“You’re finished now! The Hero will punish your evil deeds!”
Lucius felt a strong impulse to knock out the knight as he rubbed his face in frustration.
*
“I’m a witch?”
“Yes!”
Lucius felt like he had only heard the term ‘witch’ when he first met the Nameless.
…This is quite perplexing.
What part of me is witch-like?
He scratched his head awkwardly, pondering.
Even if he argued that he wasn’t a witch, would those knights believe him?
Hmm, probably not.
The fact that they were calling him a witch wasn’t because he had used some strange sorcery.
It was just an insult.
So, are they enemies?
…Saying that now feels a bit off, but even this is shaky.
Right in front of Lucius, his complexion had gone pale, shaking his head roughly; it was hard to believe he shared the same opinion as them.
Besides, didn’t he greet me, not attack me with a sword first?
With his mastery in martial arts, Lucius should know that unless it was a surprise attack, he couldn’t possibly beat me.
Of course, a sneak attack seemed unlikely.
If they were indeed enemies, that wouldn’t concern Lucius…
Although he was at the forefront, saying it had nothing to do with him isn’t entirely accurate. Anyway.
Feeling the absurdity of the situation, he tapped his stiff neck with his sword and spoke.
“So, what exactly do you want?”
“They seem a bit excited—”
“Hero! Please, give the command at once!”
Lucius turned with a frown.
The knight who caught his gaze began to fervently rant against him with enthusiasm, clearly seeing it as an opportunity since the Hero was focusing on him now.
“Tsk, fools.”
He clicked his tongue softly and moved his arm.
-Whooosh!
The wooden sword sliced through the air, but against expectations, something with force shot straight at the knight.
“Cough!”
The knight who got hit awkwardly stumbled back and rolled around on the ground roughly three times.
Most likely, he was unharmed since it was just a gentle wind.
After all, the intention was just to shut him up lightly; the fact that he rolled like that was proof that he hadn’t trained properly.
“…The witch is attacking—!”
“Can’t you see that Lucius and I are talking? If your mind is settled, keep your mouth shut.”
He dismissed the foul glares from the other knights as if he were looking at something disgusting.
Lucius lowered his head and spoke.
“…I apologize.”
“For what?”
“…For how the Hero is treating the witch.”
“Please be quiet, I beg you.”
He shrugged lightly.
Foolish people are found everywhere.
“Now, why don’t you tell me why you came here with armed knights?”
*
“…Really?”
“That’s correct.”
After listening to Lucius’s explanation, I found myself speechless.
What could I even say here?
It was indeed true that the Cheonma Church attacked the imperial palace, and it was also true that the Nameless suddenly descended from the heavens… I had no words.
Of course, there were plenty of excuses to make, but Lucius had already added all of them while explaining.
He knew my intention.
But it was some nobles, not the Emperor, who were misinterpreting that.
Anyway, the reason Lucius had come to find me was to check if the intentions behind the palace attack differed from what he thought.
If they did, he wanted to know exactly why I did it.
He seemed to have gotten more confident in his thoughts now.
By the way, Lucius claimed he initially had no plans to come.
However, since there were quite a few thoughtless people like that knight who fainted in my presence, he came to monitor any potential developments.
Looking at things now, that decision was spot on.
Had Lucius not been here, things might have escalated.
Of course, the absurd knights weren’t the only potential trouble; there was also the Nameless watching from the back, looking displeased with the situation.
Sighing deeply, I waved my hand.
“Then, is that all for your business?”
“Yes, but….”
“…But?”
Lucius, who had been gauging me, bent down slightly and opened his mouth.
“Actually, I have one request.”
“…What is it?”
I hadn’t the slightest intention of fleeing from Lucius’s presence.
Well, I really didn’t want to do that….
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you please visit the imperial palace one more time?”
“…To the imperial palace?”
“Yes, I’d like to clear up the misunderstanding between the Empire and Lady Cheon Ha-rang.”
Seeing my perplexed head tilt, Lucius added.
“If I convey my words to the Emperor, things will likely settle for the moment, but there will still remain discontent among the nobles.”
He nodded as if encouraging me to continue.
“What you did, even if it was to eliminate risks, was akin to launching a massive operation in the Imperial Palace, which is as precious as its heart, without any prior warning—”
He certainly wasn’t wrong.
In truth, from the perspective of the Empire, there was nothing significantly wrong. I was the one at fault.
“So, I think it would be wise for us to face each other directly and gradually resolve misunderstandings while finding common ground.”
“…Common ground, you say.”
“Yes, even if you return just like this, the Empire will likely send people again to this Demon Realm… No, even this mountain range. Wouldn’t that make things troublesome for you, Lady Cheon Ha-rang?”
I couldn’t help but let out a murmured sound at Lucius’s genuinely logical explanation.
Still… I really didn’t want to go.
How could I have returned here just to be told to go back to the imperial palace?
“…You can take your time deciding.”
“Is that really okay?”
“I’ve already sent you here, so I believe things will resolve one way or another.”
Ah, it finally clicked that he was the Hero.
Sometimes displaying a lack of wits made me forget.
Hmm… Well then.
“Shall we at least go to my hut?”
Since he had said I could answer leisurely, I could invite Lucius to my home.
With news of the Cheonma Church coming this way, I had prepared a room for about three people.
If worse comes to worst, I could spruce up the storage shed where I kept the firewood.
“…A hut, you say…?”
“Yes, it’s the place where the Nameless and I live.”
And until I heard his answer, Lucius would have to rough it out with those foolish knights, but surely there had to be some form of bond, right?
Even though I didn’t particularly have fond feelings towards Lucius, there’s a saying about hate and love being closely related.
Taken aback, Lucius paused for a moment before a small smile crept onto his face, as if he found no harm in my suggestion.
“…Then, I’ll take you up on that for a bit.”
Ah.
“Of course, those knights will have to sleep outside.”
There’s no room for them to stay.
They probably brought their own tents anyway.
