Time to Work
Rood arrived at the office after walking down the long corridor.
“You’re here?”
Just like on his first day, only Isabelle’s voice echoed through the room with no sign of her figure. Rood naturally began searching for her.
He passed the wall of stacked papers that resembled a folding screen and stopped at the second window from the left.
Isabelle dipped her quill pen into the ink bottle twice before scribbling across the page.
“Feel free to sit on the sofa.”
Even though Isabelle had casually told him to make himself comfortable, Rood remained standing behind her.
“I said, sit comfortably.”
“Any knight who sits comfortably on a sofa while on guard duty has already had his head chopped off and no longer exists in this world.”
“You really are stubborn, Rood.”
One of Rood’s eyebrows twitched upward slightly.
“It’s not stubbornness. I’m simply carrying out the duty I’ve been given.”
“Hah, if that’s not stubbornness, what is? There won’t be any danger right now, so relax. There is no place safer than this mansion.”
“That’s not something you should say about a mansion that allowed an assassin onto the roof just the other night.”
The tip of Isabelle’s pen paused for a moment.
“You got me there. But would you listen to my reasoning?”
By the time the sound of the pen carving letters into paper resumed, Rood answered.
“Please tell me. Why do you think it’s safe right now?”
“Because you were here during the last assassination attempt.”
Rood couldn’t understand what she meant, so he had no choice but to ask again.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Yesterday… I went down to the basement.”
At Isabelle’s words, Rood let out a low groan.
Having lived in the mansion for several weeks, Rood had a rough idea of its current situation. He had heard that a maid who had been framed after a poisoned needle was found in a towel had been locked in the basement.
Isabelle had gone to the basement, and from that information she had deduced that there would be no assassination attempt today. Rood could grasp the logic well enough.
“So you’ve identified the mastermind.”
At Rood’s words, Isabelle let out a long sigh.
Since the mastermind had been revealed, it was obvious what had happened to that servant, so Rood didn’t ask.
Before long, the sound of the pen wounding the white paper stopped.
“Yes. He judged that those assassins alone would be enough to kill me, but your presence changed the situation.”
“Then won’t he just come again at any time? He could hire as many assassins as there are stars in the sky.”
“He is a cautious man. Whatever his personality may be, he is extremely thorough in his work.”
“Who exactly is this person?”
“It’s a name you’ve probably heard before. Duke Callisto.”
At Isabelle’s words, Rood’s eyes widened.
“You mean the Supreme Commander, Duke Callisto, the one they call the Monarch Blade?”
Monarch Blade Callisto.
Any man who served in the military couldn’t help but yearn for him. He was the ideal that everyone dreamed of becoming. The Supreme Commander of the Kingdom Alliance’s First Front was known for his gentle and generous character, as well as his sense of humor. His sword was neither violent nor crude; it was refined, noble, and merciful in sending enemies to their deaths—hence the title Monarch Blade.
Above all, the reason so many soldiers followed him was because of his origins. He had originally been a commoner, yet through sheer skill he had risen to the position of Supreme Commander. He was the dream and hope of every common-born soldier.
Rood had secretly admired Callisto for rising so high through ability alone, so the shock was immense.
“Why? Did you admire him too, Rood?”
“No, it’s just… it’s hard to believe that someone like him would hire assassins, isn’t it?”
Isabelle turned her head and rubbed the corners of her eyes.
“Sob sob, even Rood might become my enemy. I’m afraid I’ve already lost your heart completely to him.”
“This isn’t the time for such strange jokes, is it? More importantly, why is Duke Callisto targeting you?”
“That story isn’t certain yet, and it’s not something I can tell you right now, so I’ll have to hold back. However…”
When Rood stared at her with a dumbfounded expression, Isabelle spoke as if she had no choice.
“For the sake of Rood, who has fallen head over heels for me, I suppose I should badmouth Duke Callisto a little.”
When Isabelle ordered tea and snacks with a delighted face, Rood couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
Did she just hire me as her knight because she wanted to enjoy dessert in peace?
Watching the overly excited Isabelle, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Rood brought the cup of black tea to his lips and asked, “So what was Duke Callisto like?”
“That Callisto fellow… how should I put it? He’s very famously a… son of a bitch?”
Rood spat out the tea he was drinking and slowly set the cup down on the table.
It was the first time he had ever heard profanity come from Isabelle’s mouth.
“How could Duke Callisto, who is famous for having such a good character, be famously… that?”
“Listen. It was when I had been acting as the family head for less than a month…”
Isabelle sat Rood down in front of her and cheerfully began to unravel stories about Callisto.
At first, Rood listened with a look of utter disbelief. His legal wife had developed mental problems and tried to divorce him, but when that failed, he branded her entire family as traitors and had them all massacred.
When Rood was still in the military, this had been passed around as a heroic tale. Even if it was the family of the wife he loved, he had drawn his sword without hesitation against traitors—an image of a true hero.
He had heard that Callisto diverted military supplies in the middle of operations, secretly kidnapped women from nearby villages and brought them to his castle, and that those women never returned.
Unconsciously, Rood’s jaw clenched tightly.
And when he heard that Callisto had offered to take Isabelle as his concubine, Rood’s expression hardened completely.
The moment he heard that Callisto had judged Isabelle’s figure as lacking yet still lusted after her, and that he had dismissed her intellect as nothing more than a woman’s petty tricks, Rood’s hand gripped the hilt of his sword.
If it was all true, then Callisto was undoubtedly a man who deserved to die.
“How can someone like that carry the name Monarch Blade?”
“He does have talent in martial arts, but that talent is nothing but straw before his true gift.”
Isabelle let out a small laugh.
“When it comes to handling people, he surpasses even me. No matter how excellent one’s eloquence or negotiation skills may be, it is difficult to overcome his political maneuvering and ability to dominate relationships.”
Isabelle knew the tricks Duke Callisto employed, but she had no intention of responding in kind. While Isabelle built relationships based on fair trade and trust, Duke Callisto interacted with people through ‘contracts’ adorned with lies.
Duke Callisto was better than anyone at seeing through people’s desires and using them to his advantage.
“You can stop now. In any case, he’s a son of a bitch who needs to be killed, right?”
“So the rose-colored glasses have finally come off regarding Duke Callisto?”
Rood let out a sigh.
“Of course I believe what you’ve said, my lord, but…”
But. Even Rood himself knew that those words might mean he still found it difficult to believe.
However, Rood had not lived so naively that he would accept everything said by even the closest person as absolute truth.
He was even thinking this right now: perhaps Isabelle, who found Duke Callisto’s position irritating, was trying to use him to strip away the man’s ability to command and lead the entire allied army.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to believe me. Still… you were the only one I could tell these things to. Thank you, Rood.”
Rood looked at Isabelle’s expression. The pain of the humiliation and disgrace she had suffered had not completely faded, but the short, youthful smile she wore suggested she felt a little lighter.
“Next time as well.”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
Rood drank the rest of his tea in one gulp. The slightly bitter yet elegant fragrance flowed through his nose and mouth.
“If there’s anything you couldn’t say before, or anything you want to talk about in the future, please tell me.”
“Will you listen to anything I say?”
At Isabelle’s question, Rood nodded.
“I will listen to anything.”
Isabelle’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
“Th-then, there’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while. May I?”
“Please speak, my lord.”
Isabelle smiled brightly and said, “I would like you to speak to me casually from now on!”
“I refuse.”
“Why?”
“What would other people think if I did something that goes against propriety?”
“Aigoo, of course I meant only when we’re alone like this, excluding official occasions!”
“Even so, I don’t want to.”
“Hah, what is this? You said you’d listen to anything.”
Rood gave a small chuckle.
“And I am listening right now, aren’t I?”
“When we first met and in bed you spoke casually without hesitation, but now that you’re my knight you’ve become boring.”
At Isabelle’s muttered complaint, Rood felt a sting in his chest.
“Our relationship is clearly different, isn’t it? Back then I was a guest. Now I am a knight protecting you.”
“Ah, that’s right! There was that!”
Isabelle slapped the tea table with her hand and looked at Rood with sparkling eyes.
Feeling an ominous premonition, Rood asked, “What else have you thought of now?”
“Rood, how is your aura training going?”
“I was actually going to ask about that… Ha, don’t tell me this is it?”
Rood realized it while speaking.
“Of course! If you speak to me casually, I’ll teach you how to handle aura!”
“I’ll figure it out on my own.”
“Boo, Rood is an idiot! Since you’re an idiot, it’ll take you forever to realize it!”
Even at Isabelle’s blatant criticism, Rood didn’t feel angry. Instead, watching her puff out her cheeks, he felt a little amused.
“I’ll think about that later. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Eh, already? Aren’t you supposed to stay by my side since you’re my guard?”
“Didn’t you say the threat would come much later?”
“You only listen to me when it suits you. Don’t go.”
At her final plea not to leave, Rood stopped in his tracks. Her voice had carried genuine regret, but that wasn’t why he had halted.
“It seems you were wrong after all.”
“What do you mean?”
The sound of shattering glass rang out as Rood threw himself toward Isabelle.
Thud, thud, thud!
Isabelle opened her closed eyes.
More than a dozen arrows were embedded in Rood’s back.
“Rood!”
Rood slowly clenched his trembling fist. Green aura wrapped around his body, and the arrows embedded in him fell to the floor. New flesh sprouted from the torn and deeply pierced wounds.
“Are… you alright?”
“That’s what I should be asking! Rood, are you okay?”
Rood glared at the broken window, the garden beyond it, and the small forest even farther away.
“He’s over there. The opponent… is only one person.”
At the words ‘one person,’ Isabelle instinctively understood.
“An aura user, then.”
Rood nodded at her guess.
“My lord. Please wait here. I will deal with him and return.”
“Wait! What if it’s a trap?”
“It will definitely be a trap. That’s why—call for Pete. I am going to kill that bastard.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave him alone?”
“Having an aura archer lurking nearby while I guard you day and night without sleep would never be enough even if I had a hundred bodies. His very existence is a major threat.”
At Rood’s words, Isabelle nodded. She had already confirmed once before that his judgment in combat was superior. Therefore, even though she was still afraid, she decided to trust Rood’s decision.
“Go then. And you must return.”
“Yes. I shall obey your command.”
Rood leaped through the broken window and landed on the ground. Enveloping his body in aura as he fell, he reached the ground lightly without breaking any bones like before.
“Right. Time to work.”
Rood sprinted toward the forest.