Chapter 202
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202
The man, who had been running frantically toward us, suddenly clutched his stomach and collapsed in the hallway.
To anyone watching, it was clear that Wolf Subordinate 1 had just taken a critical hit to the gut.
The prime suspect?
‘I didn’t actually see it happen, but...’
The only person capable of throwing a punch that fast was, obviously...
“You hit him, didn’t you?”
“No?”
‘He definitely hit him...’
Was he embarrassed about what he said earlier?
“Ugh... hic...”
Regardless, Subordinate 1, the victim of the surprise attack, managed to stagger to his feet. He then wobbled toward Klaus like a zombie.
Almost simultaneously, Klaus pulled me behind his back, hiding me.
“...?”
Klaus was a full head taller than me and had very broad shoulders. Consequently, the only thing I could see was his expansive back.
“What is it? Why are you showing up out of nowhere? You said you’d be back tomorrow.”
“The investigation concluded, so I returned immediately.”
“I’ll hear about it tomorrow, so get lost for now.”
“Then I shall give you a brief report and—”
“No, I said get lost!”
“I will truly say just one thing and then leave! It is far too serious! The curse you mentioned, the one clinging to Lady Frezier—it is a curse from the Ruined Continent!”
“...What?”
‘Huh?’
Me?
A curse clinging to me?
In an instant, I remembered what Klaus had said a few days ago while leaning in close.
“It’s not a foul smell; I’m talking about an ominous one.”
“How exactly should I put it...?”
“Right. The scent of... a curse? Let’s go with that.”
‘So he ordered an investigation into that?’
Suddenly, the hand Klaus was holding tightened.
The minor problem was that he was more wolf than human, meaning even a slight increase in his grip felt like my hand was being crushed.
“Gwek...”
I tried my best to stifle the scream, but it only resulted in a bizarre groan leaking out.
It was mortifying. Even a flasher caught in the act and sentenced to death would have made a more human-sounding noise than that.
“Gasp. Hey! Are you okay?”
Klaus immediately spun around to check my hand. Seeing my fingers turned bright red, he couldn't even lift his head in shame.
“I’m sorry. No, why are you so fragile... No, it’s my strength. I’m sorry. Does it hurt a lot? I should call a doctor. Jin—!”
“No, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt that much.”
I lightly shook my hand to dull the stinging pain and looked up.
Naturally, it was to meet the gaze of the mysterious mage who had been staring at me intensely for a while now.
‘Whoa.’
Internally, I was quite startled.
The mage’s eyes were extraordinary.
It was as if a crescent moon had been engraved inside them; a vivid golden crescent mark sat within pupils as dark as the night sky.
Furthermore, various lunar symbols were drawn across his face like tattoos, making him look so intimidating that a faint-hearted person would struggle to look him in the eye.
‘As expected of a Summer Continent mage, his appearance is anything but ordinary.’
Is this why their status is worlds apart from the mages of the Spring Continent, who are treated merely as high-level technicians?
However.
“Klaus. Is this mage also one of your subordinates?”
“...Yeah,” Klaus answered, his voice sounding reluctant as he introduced him. “Kaitan. Greet her. This is Lady Tulia Frezier.”
“Greetings... Lady Tulia Frezier. I am Kaitan, the seventy-seventh mage of the Great Lupinus Kingdom.”
Just as I was observing Kaitan, he was observing me with meticulous detail.
In that moment, we both felt it.
‘This guy... is no ordinary person!’
‘This woman... is no pushover!’
Of course, that last part was just my imagination. Though, judging by the look in his eyes, he was definitely thinking something along those lines.
An ordinary young lady—no, it wasn't just about being a lady.
An ordinary noble of the Spring Continent would have certainly been intimidated by his peculiar appearance.
Even I had felt a flicker of fear the moment we locked eyes.
But.
I couldn't forget that the formidable potential of Tulia always resided within me.
“You’re Klaus’s subordinate?”
The mage named Kaitan merely tilted his head without giving a proper answer.
All the while, he was looking at me as if I were a 'storage container that once held a curse.'
To put it bluntly, he was being rude.
“I see. Then you shall obey me as well.”
A vein immediately popped on Kaitan’s forehead.
“...I beg your pardon? My Lady, I only obey and submit to royalty who carry the Rocheva bloodline.”
“Well, I’m the one who saved the life of that great prince carrying the Rocheva bloodline. Klaus, surely you didn’t hide such an important fact?”
Klaus, who had been staring at me, let out a short chuckle.
“No. I told him.”
Klaus immediately gestured toward the mage with his chin.
“Everything she said is true, so treat her with respect. I’m only alive because of her, after all.”
“...Understood, Prince.”
‘Mother, Grandmother. Are you watching from heaven? I’m standing above a haughty mage from the Summer Continent.’
Perhaps the urge to crush this mage’s pride came from the blood of my mother and grandmother flowing through my veins.
Both of them had been high-ranking figures in the Summer Continent. They were said to be something akin to royalty.
‘That’s right. So I can’t let a mere mage treat me like I’m insignificant.’
That would be an insult to the royal blood in my veins!
Mage Kaitan seemed to read the arrogance in my eyes, as his lips twitched.
“Prince!”
Kaitan suddenly straightened his posture.
“Since it has come to this, and the Lady is present, I must report everything I have discovered! The truth is, the Lady’s body is extremely ominous!”
‘What did you just say, you punk?’
“What did you just say, you bastard?”
It was a very fresh experience to hear the words echoing in my head come out of someone else’s mouth.
Before I knew it, Klaus had grabbed Kaitan by the collar and lifted him up.
Even though Kaitan was tall and well-built, as expected of someone from the Lupinus Kingdom, he was still slightly smaller than Klaus. His feet dangled in the air.
“No! Prince! Truly! You said you smelled a curse! In my estimation, there is more of the curse left! I shall break it for her! I’ll break it... ack!”
“Klaus. He’s the only mage you have, isn’t he?”
“That’s right.”
“Then you should let him go... If he dies, you’ll have to bring another one all the way from that distant kingdom.”
“Hah.”
Klaus abruptly dropped Kaitan.
Kaitan gasped for air like a man just rescued from drowning, then shot a terrified glance at Klaus.
And then.
“Thank you for saving me! My Lady! I shall serve you with my life!”
He suddenly clung to my leg. Klaus’s voice turned low and menacing.
“Hah. Don’t make me look pathetic. Get off her...”
“Yes!”
Kaitan immediately let go of my leg and took a few breaths to compose himself.
“However, it is true that I must speak with you immediately. Shall we move to a tea room or somewhere similar?”
Klaus frowned and looked back at me.
“You said you were hungry.”
“With all this commotion, the food must have gone cold anyway... Let’s have some tea while they reheat it. We can listen to him then.”
Klaus glared at Kaitan with a dissatisfied expression before taking my hand again and leading the way.
After walking a few paces, I realized it.
Klaus was walking while holding my hand.
And he was holding it very tightly, as if he were a child afraid of losing his mother.