Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Northern Grand Duchess (2)
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I never expected to reunite with Elaine this quickly.
And I certainly had no idea she was the type to wander around the house half-naked.
"Kyaaak!"
Right, if I had to compare, Elaine resembled a fox more than a bear.
The first time we met, I'd scoffed at Cattleya's claim that she looked like a bear.
But now I finally understood.
Why Cattleya had called her a baby bear before we arrived in the North.
Crash.
Shatter.
Bang.
As Elaine swung her arm, the sheer force sent household items tumbling across the floor.
No exaggeration—she truly had the strength of a real bear.
"Elaine, I swear I have none of the impure intentions you think—"
Whoosh.
I have none...
Her deadly palm halted right in front of my face.
I'd nearly gotten slapped and sent sprawling pathetically across the floor.
She took deep breaths, slowly calming her ragged breathing.
"Fine... I was too hasty."
Phew, what a relief.
"I should have just broken your legs so you couldn't wander off on your own."
Pardon?
With a chilling smile like that of the Grim Reaper, Elaine slowly approached.
The third daughter of House Delberg—the price for seeing her half-naked was beyond imagination.
"Miss, do you intend to defy the Grand Duke's orders?"
Cattleya now stood impassively behind me, as if nothing had happened.
Honestly, this woman scared me the most.
She'd dragged me into the lion's den without batting an eye, tossing knightly honor to the dogs whenever it suited her.
Her willingness to use any means for her goals was downright terrifying.
"I'll ask you this. Are you my knight? Or my father's?"
A cold sense of betrayal flickered in Elaine's eyes.
"I am a knight of House Delberg, and yours—"
"Say it clearly. Or our bond ends here."
She was seriously pissed.
But Cattleya held her own. Her expression blank, she responded curtly to every question.
"We can't keep antagonizing the mage forever. And it's not just because of the front lines. Your condition is worsening again."
Illness?
This sudden intriguing topic drew my full attention to Elaine.
Something felt off.
Now that I knew about this 'illness,' it felt like I could see it.
Elaine shot me a dirty look, but I stared back even harder, eyes narrowed.
Finally, unable to take it, she spoke.
"Hey, eyes down."
"My apologies."
I averted my gaze like a beaten dog in a dominance fight.
But at least I'd figured out what Cattleya meant by 'illness.'
"Cattleya... I'll handle my own health."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes. So get this mage out of my sight—"
"Even so."
Cattleya firmly cut off her mistress and continued calmly.
"You must live here together with Young Master Yudel."
Elaine let out a groan at the resolute tone.
"Why are you pushing so hard for this guy to live with me?"
"It's what the Grand Duke wants."
Life as an outsider was proving far tougher than I'd imagined.
I missed the days spent holed up in the family estate, tinkering with automaton puppets all day.
"In exchange, I won't interfere no matter what you do afterward."
At those words, Elaine mellowed a bit.
A tense standoff passed between the women, but Elaine was the one to back down first.
She let out a deep sigh.
"...Fine. I'll accept that. But how we live here is up to me."
Elaine glared at me coldly.
It felt familiar.
I'd seen that look somewhere before.
Where was it?
Ah!
I remembered.
It was the exact same gaze the family elders gave me when they wanted to ostracize and torment me.
"This is really troublesome..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Strong mana reaction detected. Enemy identified. Switching viewpoint. A light, cheerful feminine voice echoed in my mind, and my vision shifted.
"..."
When we arrived at Set Yeongho, I'd secretly deployed a few automaton puppets to scout Delberg territory without Cattleya knowing.
The goal was intelligence gathering.
No response had come, so I'd thought something happened, but they were diligently doing their job.
The visual feed from the puppet unfolded before my eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "How could this happen..."
The banner of House Delberg—known as the Empire's bulwark—was stained crimson with blood.
"Human... blood... delicious... Power surges within me."
"Someone, call a knight! This demon is beyond what we can handle alone!"
The demon proudly wore the severed head of a guard at its waist, smacking its lips as it eyed its next target.
"Knights, where are the knights?! Bring stronger ones before me! I'll kill knights and earn the king's recognition!"
Urk.
Guard Captain Ert steeled his resolve.
Though his talent fell short of becoming a knight, keeping him at captain, he was grateful for the position—it let him slay as many demons threatening the Empire as possible.
Bodies of his comrades littered the demon's feet.
That alone was reason enough to risk his life.
Backing down now as captain would leave him ashamed to face the Grand Duke.
"Hurry! Send a telegram! We need reinforcements!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
A new recruit dashed down from the ramparts in a panic.
Only then did Ert exhale in relief.
Even if he couldn't fell this vile demon, the knights of Delberg would pierce its heart.
"Come at me, you foul demon!"
The sun dipped low, its dying light making Ert's sword gleam like fire as it clashed with the bloodied demon hand in midair.
Clang.
'Damn...'
Ert's sword had shattered.
The bloodied spear thrust toward his chest with lethal force, and he sensed defeat.
That was when it happened.
"Huh?"
The demon froze.
A chill, solid touch grazed Ert's skin, and he collapsed on the spot.
Sensing something right behind it, the demon slowly turned its head.
There stood a figure in pristine white.
"...When."
Confusion flashed in the demon's eyes.
'Did a knight arrive already?'
But something was off.
Its keen senses picked up an alien quality that defied measurement of strength.
Ah. The demon realized the source of that strangeness.
No heartbeat, no blood flow, no breathing rhythm.
None of the vital signs of a living being emanated from it.
"You've brought a strange one."
Ert was just as bewildered.
He hadn't sensed a presence at all.
A mysterious figure had appeared atop the ramparts, draped in a pure white robe.
Only metallic plating, gleaming faintly in the moonlight, peeked from beneath.
'A doll?'
But Ert had never seen such an exquisite puppet.
The deep hood obscured its face, but its silhouette was unmistakably that of a human woman.
"Keeek! What an oddity. Crushing it will reveal its nature."
The spear, dripping viscous blood, lunged at her.
And then.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Mana Concentration: 75%... 83%... 95%... Thud.
The demon's fiendish grin cut off abruptly.
The full-force spear strike bounced away.
The blade that had cleaved a northern-forged sword in two was now grotesquely twisted.
"Kahaaaak!"
The demon writhed in agony.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 100% Mana Cannon firing preparation complete. Requesting final authorization. Ert's pupils trembled.
She was speaking to the air, as if addressing someone far away.
An emotionless voice, inhuman, drilled into his ears.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Authorization granted. Moments later, the woman's arm pointed at the demon.
"What?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Firing. Kiiiiing!
A pure white light erupted from her palm, briefly illuminating the northern darkness.
As the flash faded, Ert gaped at the impossible sight.
"Ke... gak..."
Crackle, crackle.
The demon was burning.
Staring at its charred right half reduced to ash, its face twisted in disbelief.
"This... can't... be..."
The demon collapsed without even a death cry.
Ert thought he was dreaming.
Kill a demon this easily?
"Urk..."
Clutching his chest, Ert approached the mysterious woman slowly.
But in the blink of an eye.
"Huh?"
She had vanished without a trace.
"Who the hell was that?"
The sun had set, darkness encroaching.
"Captain! Are you alright?!"
His subordinate arrived late with reinforcements.
Supported by them, Ert drew near the demon's corpse.
Its face was frozen in shock, never understanding what hit it.
"Captain, incredible! Taking down a demon single-handedly!"
"Not me. Can't you tell? I couldn't work miracles like this."
"Pardon?"
Ignoring the subordinate's puzzled look, Ert narrowed his eyes.
'Neither demon nor human. If it helped me, is it on humanity's side? No, can't assume that yet.'
In the past, a single human mage had toyed with Delberg—not a demon.
"..."
His mind raced, but one thing was clear.
Whatever toppled that demon so effortlessly matched the prowess of Delberg's knights.
This incident exceeded what he could handle alone.
"I'll report to command. About the unidentified powerhouse that slew the demon."
Ert sensed this would shake the northern front lines.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "What was that just now?"
"A flash of light... from the ramparts, definitely..."
As Elaine and Cattleya puzzled over the sudden burst, Yudel turned quietly to gaze at the northern walls.
No one noticed,
but his eyes were as cold as the northern chill.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Somehow, things worked out, and I avoided getting kicked out of the house.
But the trials weren't over yet, it seemed.
"I'm the master of this annex."
"I know."
"Then what should you do? Obey your master—me—and follow the rules here, right?"
"Hm..."
Elaine drummed her fingers on the desk, laying out the annex's rules one by one.
Whoever made them, they were absurdly arbitrary,
clearly tailored to someone's tastes, but voicing that would endanger my safety.
Anyway, the key rules boiled down to three.
"Repeat after me. First: We guarantee each other's privacy."
"...We guarantee each other's privacy."
Thankfully, the annex was spacious.
Collisions seemed unlikely under normal circumstances.
"Second: Yudel von Silverhardt may not look at Elaine Delberg."
"I can't look at you...? No, that's a bit much, isn't it?"
"No backtalk—just accept it! That's the rule."
I was at a loss for words.
How did I end up the fiancé of such a willful young lady?
"Third."
"There's more?"
"This one's the most important."
"...Go on."
She stood, pressing her finger firmly to my forehead.
"You will not lust after me."