Chloe vs Hexion
I arrived at the Grand Ducal Castle and immediately took Chloe with me to my residence, the villa.
Squeak.
"Come on in. This is the place where you’ll be staying from today on."
I opened the door of the villa, and Chloe stepped inside with obvious hesitation.
And when she took in the view inside the villa, the girl’s eyes went as wide as saucers.
The finest silk curtains, the plush red carpet laid across the floor, even the wine display cabinet with its gleaming gold trim.
To an orphan who had only ever slept in a rundown attic in the slums, this room was nothing short of paradise.
Chloe carefully stepped onto the carpet, then reached out and gave the plush blanket on the bed a little poke.
"……Wow."
Her mouth fell open in pure awe, but the moment she noticed me watching her from behind, she cleared her throat loudly and forced a stern expression.
And, arms crossed, she shot back with a muttered complaint.
"What kind of gigolo furnishes his place like this?"
"I find it very pleasing while pretending not to."
"It’s not like that!"
So cute.
"Anyway, since you’re my bodyguard, you can use the spare room over there. The bed is soft, so you’ll like it."
Just as I was about to give her a rough tour of the place, a knock came from the door.
"Your Highness."
The servant’s voice came from outside.
"Lord Giselle has ordered me to bring you to the study."
"Oh no, again?"
I scrunched my brows and scratched my head.
"No need to look— it’s a video."
She’s going to start lecturing me about dragging Chloe around again.
I turned to Chloe and pointed a finger at her.
"Hey, I’ll be back in a minute. Stay put. All these things in here are super expensive, so don’t break anything. Got it?"
"Got it, got it. Come back safe and sound, Gigolo-nim."
"I’m dying of hunger here."
I strode off with swagger toward Giselle’s study.
Inside the study.
Giselle sat with a grave expression, chin resting on her clasped hands.
‘I admit the girl has exceptional talent in magic.’
Just by snapping her fingers, she had easily subdued five armed grown men.
If she received proper training, she would become an enormous power in the north one day.
But.
No matter what, I cannot place that young girl in the personal space of that man.
Kael Edgar.
The empire’s top playboy who partied with women every single day in the capital, drowning in debauchery.
A man who might bring home some random woman to his room every night.
Not even a few days ago had he actually brought a woman from a back-alley brothel into the city.
Placing an innocent young girl who still didn’t understand the ways of the world in his personal quarters?
As the lord and as an adult, it was something I absolutely could not overlook.
Bang.
"What’s all this going and coming? You’re making people tired."
Kael entered the study with a displeased look on his face.
Giselle kept staring at him in silence, then opened her mouth.
"It’s about the orphan girl."
"Chloe? What about her. We already agreed I’d make her my bodyguard."
"I grant permission to have her at your side. Since that child chose you, I suppose. But."
Giselle drew a line.
"That alone isn’t enough. You must bring at least one more official bodyguard with you."
"What? You don’t want to? I said one is enough."
"Don’t force it. Even if she’s a mage, she’s still just a child with no real battle experience."
"Hey, have you seen Chloe? She tied up five bandits with one finger. One of her is worth ten of your knights."
Kael grumbled, and Giselle’s gaze darkened.
"Do you think I’m doing this just because I’m worried about your safety?"
"Then what?"
"……It’s about your filthy sexual nature."
"What?"
Kael looked bewildered, but Giselle fired back in a voice full of contempt.
"The kind of man who drags prostitutes into his room every night and lives a life drowned in debauchery. Would I leave a young girl alone with you? Do you know what kind of vile things you might do to that child!"
"……"
Kael’s mouth fell open.
And then, as if he’d suddenly realized something, he burst into laughter.
"Ha!"
Kael strode forward, slammed a hand on the table, and shouted in disbelief.
"Hey! You little brat! I have my own tastes, you know! I’m not some mad pedophile who would do such things to a child!"
Kael thumped his chest like he was deeply aggrieved.
"And how rare mages are in this empire! Would I ever harm her? If I did something to her and she got angry and chopped off my head, what would I do? I value my own life, too. Not a fool."
"……"
"She’s an absolute lifeline to protect my body. I’d be the one pampering her if anything."
"Thinking about it, that wasn’t entirely wrong. Mages are that precious."
"Besides, Giselle knew I wouldn’t do something as stupid as putting my own life at risk just for some entertainment."
But she still refused to drop her suspicions and crossed her arms.
"……Still, it’s not acceptable. Her combat power hasn’t been proven yet. Fighting off a few bandits is completely different from real battle."
"Agh, this is frustrating!"
Kael grabbed the back of his neck and let out a heavy sigh.
If this continued, I’d have to keep attaching extra knights to her like leeches.
"Ah, forget it, forget it! You’d never believe me if I said so."
Kael jerked his chin toward the door.
"Call Hexion right now."
"Why Hexion?"
"Why, of course."
Kael’s lips curled up in a smirk.
"To see whether my bodyguard is truly useful or not, you should have a spar with the oldest knight you’re so proud of."
Back at the villa again.
"You’re back?"
"I opened the door, and Chloe, who had been sprawled on the sofa, shot up at once."
"I’m so hungry. When are we eating?"
"Before you eat, let’s digest a bit, kiddo."
I waved her over.
"Come here. It’s time to prove you’re worth your keep."
A little later, at a quiet practice field behind the Grand Ducal Castle.
With Giselle and me watching, in the center of the field stood Chloe with her red hair and Hexion, the burly knight commander, facing each other.
"Haa……"
Hexion sighed in exasperation and scratched his head.
"Your Highness. No matter how you look at it, drawing a sword against such a young child… This is an insult to the honor of a knight."
Giselle also seemed to think this was wrong and couldn’t say anything.
"What are you muttering about? Who said I’m going to actually kill you? I just want to see if you can withstand being tied up by her."
I clapped my hands toward Chloe.
"Hey, kiddo! Tie up that old man!"
"Not a kid! Anyway, once I’m tied up, that’s it, right? I won’t care even if I get hurt?"
"It’s fine, it’s fine. That old man looks tough but he’s actually sturdy."
"Understood!"
Chloe crossed her arms, got into position, and puffed out her chest.
Swooosh!
A sharp sound split the air as dozens of invisible mana threads shot toward Hexion.
"……!"
Hexion’s one good eye snapped open.
As an experienced warrior, he sensed something coming, but since the threads were invisible, it was hard to react.
Clang! Clang!
He swung his sword frantically and managed to block a few, but the threads swarmed in from every direction and wrapped around his limbs and body like snakes in an instant.
"Kyuht……!"
The giant knight froze in place, unable to move an inch.
Any movement at all would have caused mana threads tougher than steel to dig into the gaps of his armor and pierce his flesh.
"Hoo."
I sighed in admiration.
Even if I was a little careless, to have tied up the north’s best sword that easily… My judgment was spot on.
"Well done, old man Hexion! Does my bodyguard measure up?!"
I shouted with triumphant energy.
Giselle watched the scene with wide eyes, equally astonished.
But.
Hexion was the proud knight commander of the north, a man who had lived through countless magic beasts his entire life.
He could not kneel to the binding of some mere child.
"……Truly, an exceptional talent."
The scarred half of Hexion’s face twisted in a grimace.
"However!"
Whoosh!
At that instant, a blue aura exploded from Hexion’s body.
The real power of the north’s greatest sword.
The knight, whose entire body was wrapped in aura, gathered overwhelming strength and flung his arms wide as if tearing through something.
Thud! Thud!
"Aah……!"
Chloe’s mana threads were repelled by his overwhelming power and aura and began snapping one by one.
Chloe struggled desperately, but it was no use.
"Ugh!"
Chloe groaned and staggered.
Then a stream of nosebleed poured from her small nose.
Boom!
Finally, Hexion severed every thread and stood there panting, regaining his posture.
"I won…"
"You crazy old man!!!"
I yelled and burst into the training field.
I quickly steadied Chloe, who was about to sit down with a nosebleed, and hurled abuse at Hexion.
"What kind of crap is this? Trying to beat a kid like it’s nothing! Are you insane?! Do you have any conscience at all?!"
"W-well…… that, um……"
Hexion looked at the girl wiping her nosebleed and blushed in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head vigorously.
"S-sorry. I couldn’t control my strength… W-whew! The girl’s magic was sharper than I expected, and I nearly lost face……"
The great knight commander was apologizing while having unconsciously let his true feelings out against a child.
I proudly turned to Giselle and raised my chin.
"See? The old man who is supposedly the north’s best sword can only barely break free when he pours all his strength into aura. This is nothing for any assassin to handle."
Giselle looked at the nosebleed-wiping Chloe and the embarrassed Hexion in turn, then let out a small sigh and nodded.
"……I accept it. I will not allow that child to serve as your sole bodyguard."
"Good, nice."
I ruffled Chloe’s hair after wiping the nosebleed from her head and grinned.
The proof of my ability is done.
I demanded in my most shameless gigolo voice.
"Our daughter deserves a special meal to celebrate her new bodyguard job. She said she’s starving."
Giselle touched her forehead and shook her head.
