Chapter 3 : The Hound of Hebron (2)
Chapter 3 : The Hound of Hebron (2)
The atmosphere at the Levadein Duchy was different from usual.
It was because the silence, maintained for the stability of the Duke's daughter left alone whenever the Duke (who served as the Empire's Chancellor) was away, had been broken.
Naturally, it was also because of Agnes's outing, which the servants here were preparing for for the first time in nearly two years.
There were worried gazes.
There was also anxiety about whether it might be too much for Agnes.
Nevertheless, they couldn't help but be happy.
How could they not be?
Wasn't the person accompanying her on today's outing Deltain Hebron?
It was inevitable that they would have the expectation that he, the hero of salvation, might show this pitiful woman the light of the world.
In the midst of the commotion, Agnes was smiling brightly, revealing her amusement.
Even her face, which usually had a haggard look, was free of that pallor for today.
Her blonde hair, which looked like spun gold, was neatly styled and tied back.
The dark circles around her cherry-blossom-colored eyes were covered with makeup.
Her lips, which had lost their vitality, were painted red for the moment.
On top of that, wearing a rather voluminous white dress, she looked exactly like the protagonist of a ball.
"When will the Count arrive?"
"Well, he's probably sitting in his office cursing right about now, isn't he?"
The servant tilted their head.
Agnes chuckled at that and continued her thoughts.
'He'll be agonizing over it. He'll be fretting over the thought that I might actually be preparing.'
It was a certainty.
She understood him better than Deltain himself did.
"How fun."
Even though the outing hadn't started, a pleasant feeling lingered.
Agnes was delighted by everything: Deltain thinking of her and agonizing over it, venting his annoyance within that worry, and eventually sighing and coming to her anyway.
It was gratifying that her place in his heart was growing.
If she kept devouring him piece by piece like this, one day his heart would be entirely hers.
Even after she crumbled into dust, the owner of that heart would never change.
'That's why I need more time.'
She didn't mean her lifespan, but the time they spent together during the day.
Agnes wished.
That wherever Deltain went and whatever he did in this land, he would think of her in the process, and that he would ruminate on memories of her in those places or atmospheres.
If that happened, she would be truly happy.
If that burning life of his were dyed with her colors, it would be so gratifying.
Agnes's smile deepened as her thoughts continued.
As her smile deepened, her beauty bloomed along with it.
Just then.
"I'm coming in."
Deltain said that and opened the door.
Once again, he was entering without waiting for an answer.
Agnes's gaze turned to Deltain.
Deltain gasped for a moment and stopped in his tracks.
His pupils were trembling slightly.
"Are you flustered? Because I'm too pretty?"
Deltain's fingertips trembled slightly.
He soon bit his lip and spat out a reply in a rebellious tone.
"...Don't bullshit. I was just flustered because I didn't expect you to actually be ready."
"So you were thinking about me even while saying you had a schedule?"
"I have a responsibility to care for my patient."
"I'll go with that."
Agnes stood up from her seat.
And walked toward Deltain.
She felt fatigue even in those steps, which were less than ten, but she ignored it.
After all, with Deltain showing the reaction she expected, did such things matter?
"I dressed up today. Because I wanted to look good for you."
The tip of Deltain's nose wrinkled slightly.
"...If you want to confess that badly, go ahead. Of course, I'm going to reject you."
"I told you. You're the one who's going to confess."
"I also told you. I'm never going to do something like confess."
Agnes reached out, then hesitated and stopped.
Then, after pondering something with a "Hmm," she smiled brightly and spread her arms.
"Hug me. Like the Princess."
"What?"
"I can't walk."
Deltain let out a dry laugh.
"If it's that hard, why don't you just stay home? Don't go out and annoy people for no reason."
"But I'm already all ready! It's my first outing in two years, so I was so excited, and you hurt my feelings when you say that."
"And what's with 'like the Princess'? That's an insult to the Imperial family."
"It's fine. We're friends."
"You have friends? That's nonsense."
"It's true."
Agnes giggled and spread her arms again.
Then she leaned her body against him.
"Hurry, I can't walk, so carry me."
Hesitation appeared on Deltain's face.
It was not a short hesitation, but this too was incredibly gratifying to Agnes.
Because she knew that after agonizing like this, he would eventually carry her.
Because she knew that by doing so, his pride would be wounded.
"...You annoying bitch."
Like this, Agnes would slowly break him down.
Deltain carefully bent his waist.
Agnes felt his arms supporting her waist and the back of her knees, and she relaxed her body.
Then she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Your breathing has gotten rough. Are you turned on by smelling me?"
"Please, for the love of god, get your brain washed. Listening to your delusions makes me feel like I'm going crazy too."
"I think you've already gone crazy. How is it? I even wore perfume for the first time in a while today."
"I hate the smell of perfume."
"For someone who hates it, your nostrils are flaring."
"Don't bullshit. I'm holding my breath right now because of the perfume smell, so why would they flare?"
"I didn't know you had the ability to talk while holding your breath."
"All Demon Hunters can do at least this much."
Deltain's muscles were tense to the max.
Even so, the fact that he maintained an indifferent expression was very like him.
Agnes felt a surge of playfulness.
So she squeezed his neck tighter with her arms and buried her face in the nape of his neck.
Deltain's neck stiffened.
"You smell good."
"...It must be my natural scent. Unlike some people, I don't wear perfume."
"You want to say you're a person who's perfect even down to your natural scent. But you're not perfect. It's just a normally erotic scent."
"You lewd bitch. Is that all you have in your head?"
"Yeah, I also think about doing it with you sometimes."
Thump-.
This reaction was quite dramatic.
Agnes, who had her head buried in Deltain's neck, felt it clearly.
The sound of him swallowing 'gulp', the heartbeat spreading to his neck, and the breath that collapsed in an instant.
Agnes expressed a small regret that she didn't have the ability to look into other people's minds.
It was because she was dying to know what she looked like inside his head.
"What are you thinking about right now?"
"...Thinking about wanting to go home quickly."
"Then shall we go?"
"I'm going even if you don't say anything."
Deltain started walking just like that.
Agnes didn't provoke him any further.
Because she quite liked the warmth wrapping around her body and the trembling of his heartbeat.
"Thanks for coming."
Agnes handed Deltain a carrot.
*
Returned to the Hebron County Estate.
Gerhart witnessed a scene he never thought he would see in the rest of his life.
"...A guest has arrived."
"Hi?"
Agnes, who was being carried by Deltain, waved her hand.
Gerhart looked at Deltain as a matter of course.
"What are you looking at?"
He was glaring with a face mixed with shame and annoyance.
"Go get a chair. So I can sit her down."
"Keep holding me."
"You're heavy."
"Liar. Where is there anyone as light as me? Or are you such a weakling that you can't even hold me?"
"Don't make me laugh."
When Deltain gestured with his chin, Gerhart stepped aside.
Agnes was looking at Deltain until then.
"I'm always thinking this."
"What now."
"Your eyes. I think they're really pretty. I like the gold color."
"What, do you want to say you feel a sense of kinship because it's the same color as your oh-so-great blonde hair?"
"Did you feel that way? That my hair is great?"
"Let's just not talk."
Deltain shut his mouth tight.
Gerhart, who had brought a chair in the meantime, placed it next to Deltain and stepped away.
"I will go back to finishing the cooking."
"Yeah."
Agnes looked at the spot where Gerhart had left and asked Deltain.
"Are there no other servants in the mansion?"
"No."
"He manages this huge place all by himself? My god."
"I made him do it because he can. Even though he looks like that, he's the first disciple I ever taught."
"Oh... then is he also one of the Hounds of Hebron?"
"He's retired now. Something about his joints creaking."
Even while being annoyed, Deltain answered Agnes's questions faithfully and sat her down in the chair.
Agnes felt a small sense of regret at the receding body heat.
"Your body felt good."
"Choose your words carefully."
"Yeah, it was nice because I could move comfortably."
Agnes rested her chin on her hand while sitting.
"If we wait like this, will those people come?"
"They'll be here soon. It's the promised time."
Tap.
Tap.
Agnes tapped her cheek with her index finger.
"Hmm...."
A smile played on Agnes's lips.
To Deltain, it was a smile that came across as meaningful.
"What are you smiling about again?"
"Because I'm looking forward to it. The Hounds of Hebron are famous, you know."
It wasn't just words to flatter him.
In reality, the Hounds of Hebron were knights whose names were so high that even Agnes, who had been sitting in bed the whole time, knew them.
"If you count by the number of demons caught, there are people who have caught more than you."
"They were made to clean up the riffraff in the first place. I caught all the really dangerous ones."
"Wow, as expected of the hero."
"Still, well... yeah, I went through so much trouble to make them, if they couldn't even live up to their name, they should just go die."
It was a harsh statement, but even so, pride that he couldn't quite hide was flowing from Deltain.
It couldn't be helped.
Because the Hounds of Hebron were the most perfect work he had created since entering this game.
They were the best units, mercenaries classified as S-rank even in-game, whom he had gathered before their stats had properly grown and raised to his liking.
On top of that, they were showing loyalty worthy of the massive support.
Since they even had the convenience of running the County estate on their own even when he cut off interest in outside affairs, it was inevitable that even Deltain, who was indifferent to people, would develop an attachment to the Hounds.
Agnes giggled and took in the sight of Deltain, who was smiling fiercely.
Just then, a commotion arose.
With a thumping sound, a buzz of voices erupted.
At the same time, Deltain's smile deepened.
"They're here."
Agnes's gaze turned toward the closed door.
Immediately after, the door opened noisily, and four men and women burst out.
Knights with a burning fire emblem engraved on their chests. They were the Hounds of Hebron.
"Boss-!"
A husky woman's voice rang out.
What Agnes saw when she turned her eyes to it was a grey-haired woman who was a head taller than Deltain and boasted muscles so full they stood out even over her clothes.
"That's the captain of the Hounds. Kaltara, from the Western barbarians."
Kaltara spread her arms with a bright smile, her eyes gleaming.
Because of her innate muscles, scars, and grey hair that fluttered like a lion's mane every time she moved, the gesture looked at first glance as if she were intimidating the opponent.
She ran over noisily and hugged Deltain.
"How have you been-!"
A crack appeared on Agnes's expression.
The light disappeared from her eyes for a moment.
Fortunately, by the time Deltain cast his gaze, she had already recovered her original complexion.
"Kaltara, we have a guest. Keep your dignity."
"Hmm? Oh... a girl!"
Agnes smiled brightly.
"So you're the captain."
After murmuring that and observing Kaltara for a moment, Agnes cast her gaze toward Deltain and said.
"...Deltain."
"What."
"Give her to me."
Agnes's hand reached out and pointed at Kaltara.
"Give this to me."
Absurdity appeared on Deltain's face.