Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Guardian Shadow (1)
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Chapter 48
Chapter 11
Guardian Shadow (1)
1
Niberis was immersed in humiliation amid the darkness.
-I didn't expect things to turn out like this.
Voices drifted in from afar.
-A heavy loss... but under the circumstances, we have no choice but to abandon the Dragon Demon Princess.
-With the Dragon Sword Duke appearing, we had no other option. Since he, a Guardian Shadow, has made his move, we must avoid provoking them further.
-We should have kidnapped the Dragon Demon Princess sooner, before it came to this... At least we didn't lose Niberis.
-Sir Durang, I salute your wise decision.
"No need for that."
Durang, who was in the same room, demurred humbly.
Originally carrying out a different mission in the Lurein Kingdom, Durang had rushed over the moment he obtained information that the Dragon Sword Duke was leaving his territory and heading toward the Dragon Demon Princess's location. If his departure had been even slightly delayed, he might not have made it in time.
-Niberis.
"Yes."
-Do not be too disheartened. It was expected to a certain degree, and our efforts were not entirely fruitless.
"What?"
Niberis furrowed her brow. Were the higher-ups anticipating failure even as they sent her on the mission?
-The Lurein Kingdom is a place where our foundations are particularly weak. Information there is scarce. As such, we had no way of knowing what safeguards they had put in place to protect the Dragon Demon Princess.
-From the start, you were thrown into a gamble with slim odds of success. Escaping without injury alone proves your exceptional skill.
Niberis was proud and deeply confident in her abilities, believing that kidnapping the Dragon Demon Princess would be no great challenge. However, unlike her—who was still young within the organization—the veteran elders who had lurked in the shadows for so long understood the world's perils all too well.
This operation was one in which a secret society, forever concealed in darkness and never to be exposed to the world, attempted to abduct a nation's royalty. Even with flawless preparations in advance, success could not be guaranteed. Charging in with such scant intelligence made this outcome all but inevitable.
-For now, you and Durang are to withdraw from the Lurein Kingdom.
"But..."
-Since we have been exposed to the Dragon Sword Duke, the Guardian Shadows of the Lurein Kingdom will surely mobilize. You do not yet grasp how terrifying they are.
This incident was far from ending with a mere failed kidnapping. The desperately concealed secrets of the organization—information about their formidable assets, Niberis and Durang—had been revealed to the enemy.
-I will grant you an opportunity to redeem yourself later. Withdraw for now.
"Um..."
Niberis was dissatisfied, but the elders' tone was so resolute that she could not press the issue. She bit her lip.
'A mere Dragon Sword Duke—what gives him the right.'
She now regretted fleeing the moment he appeared. If she had joined forces with Durang, they could have surely subdued him...
-Then, I leave the aftermath to you, Sir Durang.
"Understood."
With Durang's reply, the elders' voices faded away. In the darkness that settled into silence, Durang spoke to Niberis.
"Miss, I understand how you feel."
"...What exactly do you understand?"
"You cannot accept why we must go to such lengths to stay hidden."
"......"
"But please understand that our fear has its reasons. The Guardian Shadows are truly terrifying entities. If there were no cause for fear, we would have already conquered the world."
In truth, they had come perilously close once before. Back in the days when they exerted influence across the entire continent, manipulating history and eradicating the lineages of knowledge they targeted.
"Until the day His Majesty returns, when all preparations are complete... we must continue to fear the world."
Durang recalled those past events as he stroked his face. In the darkness, the wrinkles on the face his hand touched were etched with scars that would never fade in his lifetime, like indelible brands.
2
After Kairen joined them and they spent the night in the forest, the group proceeded at a leisurely pace. They no longer had any need to worry about enemy ambushes.
After crossing the mountains and arriving at a rural village, they stayed the night there before procuring a scrawny horse and a dilapidated cart. It was questionable whether it could even be called a cart, but thanks to it, they reached the most prosperous city in the vicinity the next day.
"Farewell to this cart as well."
Azel said as he walked alongside the cart. They had acquired it for Enora's sake. Had they traveled on foot at her pace instead, it would have taken two or three extra days to get here.
Kairen's demeanor during the journey had surprised Azel somewhat.
'A duke, yet so utterly unpretentious.'
Throughout the trip, he had shown no signs of dissatisfaction. Though the others were wary of him and mindful of his presence, he displayed no displeasure toward the rickety cart, the sluggish pace, or the outdoor camping.
When Azel mentioned this, Arietta laughed.
"Master still occasionally heads into the mountains on a whim and lives like a savage. He's not the type to complain over something like this."
"Even as a duke?"
"He says that when he truly unleashes his power, it upends everything around him. Even when I was training under him, we often lived in the mountains, and conditions were quite austere back then."
"I see."
It made sense. After all, he was the one who had put Arietta through such training. His casual attitude ill-suited to his ducal status was only natural.
After booking rooms at an upscale inn catering to nobles and having a meal, Azel asked Arietta,
"Won't you stop by the lord's residence?"
"There is no lord here."
"Pardon?"
"Earl Ranning is working at the royal palace, so his family acts as proxies. We would be well received, of course, but it would be a hassle and delay our schedule, so we won't."
Azel glanced at Kairen, who appeared to share the same sentiment. Master and disciple alike, for all their high status, they both detested ostentatious receptions and tedious formalities.
Enora said to Azel,
"Sir Azel. Come out with me for a bit."
"Hm? Where to?"
"To buy some things and fetch a healer."
"Ah. So, porter duty."
"Wouldn't it feel better if you thought of it as an escort?"
"And I'd still end up carrying the luggage. Why just me, though?"
"Yes."
"Why not Sir Boer or Sir Zail?"
"Um, well..."
Enora gave an awkward smile.
"They both seem clueless about the ways of the world. We can't let it slip that there's a princess and a duke with us, or it might cause unnecessary trouble..."
"......"
It was a brutally honest assessment. But Azel had no choice but to agree.
Boer certainly, and even Zail, gave off the strong air of sheltered noble young masters. Boer went without saying, but Zail did not seem particularly savvy about the world either. A slip of the tongue or blunder in dealing with commoners would spell disaster.
'Hm?'
As Azel stepped out of the inn with Enora, he suddenly felt eyes upon him. He glanced around casually, but saw nothing.
'Masters of concealment. Could they be Dragon Demon Worshippers?'
Azel did not dismiss it as his imagination just because nothing was visible. Someone—or rather, several someones—was definitely watching him. And their ability to hide themselves was so masterful that he could not pinpoint their presence at a glance.
'Hmm. Even if it is them, with the Dragon Sword Duke here, it should be no issue.'
In this case, they themselves were the potential problem. He needed to ensure Enora did not get hurt if something happened.
As he walked the streets with such thoughts in mind, Enora asked,
"What are you thinking about?"
"Hm? Nothing in particular. Why?"
"You're looking at people with such a curious gaze."
"Was I?"
Azel was puzzled. Had he really been doing that?
It made sense, though. The sights of a city two hundred years after his own era were utterly fascinating to him. Filled with things both familiar and strangely alien to his time.
Though much had happened since, Azel had been cast into this era less than a month ago. For all his flexibility in adapting to any situation, he could not help occasionally becoming lost in sentiment.
Enora said,
"Oh, right. Sir Azel, there's actually something I wanted to say."
"What is it?"
"Thank you."
"......"
"For protecting me and the princess... and for looking after me every night."
"What are you talking about?"
Azel feigned ignorance. Enora pouted.
"You know exactly what I mean."
"So, what do I know?"
"My dreams changed so blatantly—did you think I wouldn't notice? It was you, Sir Azel."
After the ambush by Niberis, Enora had been tormented by nightmares. No matter how spirited she was, she was still just a young girl; she could not remain unaffected by such an ordeal.
But her suffering from nightmares was short-lived. From some point onward, they transformed, as if by magic, into serene memories of the past. The fields of her beloved hometown, the joyful days of running and playing there.
It was unmistakably artificially manipulated. Even Enora, who knew little of Spirit Order or magic, could tell as much.
Azel said,
"Manipulating someone else's dreams? I'm no mage—how could I possibly do that?"
"You can."
"Nah, I can't."
"I know you can. I felt you there."
"Hm? You felt me?"
"Everyone has their own distinct presence. It was yours, Sir Azel."
"......"
Azel looked at Enora in mild surprise.
It was indeed him who had tampered with her dreams. Since it was just meddling with a commoner's mind, he had not put much care into it. Rather than crafting natural flows with effort, he had crudely steered her toward pleasant memories, and he had not even erased the lingering traces of his aura in her subconscious.
Even so, for a commoner like Enora to detect it and use that as evidence was impressive.
Enora said,
"Anyway, thank you. You really look after others so well, Sir Azel. Did you have a lot of siblings, by any chance?"
"No, I had no siblings... but I did have children."
"I see... Eek?"
Enora, who had nodded naturally, suddenly jolted in shock. He had children? Did that mean he was married?
"Goodness. Were you married?"
"Do I look it?"
"I never imagined. You're at an age where it's perfectly normal to be married, but..."
It had been the same in Azel's era, and it remained so now: as long as one underwent the coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen, marriage before twenty was commonplace. Among nobles, it was rarer for someone of Azel's age to remain unmarried.
Azel said,
"I'm unmarried."
"But you have children?"
Enora's gaze toward Azel took on a peculiar glint. Azel chuckled softly.