Chapter 39
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The Demon in the Garden
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A month had passed since Eirana became the crown prince's bodyguard.
Today marked a fairly significant event at the royal palace.
A delegation from the Kingdom of Atun, an allied nation of the Adea Kingdom, had arrived.
The reason for the delegation's visit was straightforward.
It stemmed from the nobles of Atun who had been captured during the recent Gold Sky Merchant Group incident.
Even as allies, the situation couldn't avoid diplomatic repercussions.
The Kingdom of Atun still permitted slavery, but the incident had occurred in a foreign land where slavery was forbidden, making a diplomatic apology inevitable.
Princess Lea fidgeted restlessly, her eyes fixed on Eirana standing before her.
A diplomatic delegation naturally came with a social party.
This one would be even grander than usual. And in such settings, it was all too easy to find fault.
"No long lectures."
An hour before the party began.
Eirana smiled faintly as she spoke.
"You know, right?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Eirana nodded at Lea's crisp, disciplined response.
Even so, Lea's gaze kept drifting toward the silver tiger cub playfully batting at the quill pen on Eirana's desk.
It was Silver Fang.
Silver Fang was engrossed in pawing at the quill.
Suddenly, the inkwell holding the quill toppled under Silver Fang's playful force, spilling ink across the desk.
Hearing the spill, Eirana unhesitatingly grabbed Silver Fang and began rubbing him across the mess, like a towel wiping the surface.
Silver Fang struggled wildly before finally wriggling free and fleeing to a distant corner.
Eirana, unfazed as if this were routine, cast a simple spell.
The spilled ink on the desk was sucked neatly back into the inkwell.
Magic.
Even witnessing this, Lea showed no surprise.
To the princess, Eirana was a woman who could do anything.
Time passed, and the party commenced.
After seeing Lea off, Eirana returned to her quarters.
It was a gathering of nobles, after all—bound to include plenty who would shower her with unwanted advances.
Eirana was never one to walk willingly into such a den.
On her usual path back to her lodgings, Eirana suddenly halted.
She scanned her surroundings.
This was the garden between the main palace where Lea resided and the annex managed by the prince. The night brought a profound stillness, but it felt unnaturally quiet—not just the hush of darkness.
No insect chirps. Not even the whisper of wind.
Eirana's eyes narrowed. Then she spoke.
"Who's there?"
With those words, the space before her rippled, and a man stepped forth.
His black bowler hat and impeccably tailored black suit gave him an air of refined politeness at first glance. He was handsome.
But the aura emanating from him clashed sharply with his attire—intensely threatening.
His eyes gleamed as he regarded Eirana, then he spoke.
"I heard the one who's settled here is a dragon who's lived quite a long life."
He murmured softly, then flashed a smile.
"But no matter how I look, this seems like a young lady who's just become an adult dragon?"
"......"
The moment their eyes met, Eirana felt as if her breath had caught.
Staring directly at the man with his ash-gray eyes and hair, she wore a tense expression.
Seeing Eirana's cautious demeanor, the man looked intrigued.
"Is it sharp instincts, or just exceptional caution?"
Other dragons her age might not have sensed his threat so readily.
But Eirana clearly detected the danger radiating from him and stayed on guard.
It was quite amusing to him.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kerdic. I hail from the demon realm."
The demon removed his bowler hat with a courteous, elegant bow.
From his introduction, Eirana grasped the source of the ominous vibe she felt.
A demon from the demon realm.
Not all demons were powerful, but high-ranking ones posed a threat even to dragons.
This one was undoubtedly a high-ranking demon.
Eirana kept her guard up while scrutinizing him closely.
Kerdic adjusted his bowler hat with flair as he addressed her unwavering vigilance.
"I have no intention of hostility right now, so you can ease up."
Of course, Eirana didn't believe him.
But provoking him further wouldn't help, so she slightly relaxed her stance and asked.
"What's your reason for showing up here?"
"Someone interfered with a little prank of mine recently. I came to scout out who was behind it."
Naturally, that "someone" was Eirana.
She recalled the Gold Sky Merchant Group incident from not long ago.
The demon realm monster that had suddenly been summoned to the plaza.
She'd dispatched it easily enough, but without her, Arlaten would have been devastated.
That ironclad giant had been a monster far beyond what humans could handle.
"So, have you come to deal with that foe?"
"Hardly. Just out for a stroll to satisfy my curiosity. I never expected to get spotted like this."
Kerdic tilted his head as he said that.
"Still, you look like a dragon around 500 years old on the surface, but you're no pushover."
He eyed her intently as he spoke.
Ignoring his interest entirely, Eirana crossed her arms and replied.
"So? You're contracted to someone in this kingdom, aren't you? Is it wise to reveal yourself so carelessly?"
Having suspected some link between the demons and suspicious activities in the kingdom—perhaps the grand duke's faction—Eirana probed for information.
Kerdic furrowed his brow at her question.
"Contracted to a human in this country?"
His earlier amusement vanished; he sounded genuinely displeased.
"Young dragon lady. You know this well enough, but humans are truly pathetic creatures. Though, every now and then, one of exceptional quality appears."
"......"
"But such special humans are rare—like jewels. And this kingdom has no such gems. The very idea that I'd contract with one here is deeply insulting to me."
Eirana gave him a bored look as he lectured her.
Meanwhile, her mind raced.
She'd vaguely suspected ties between the grand duke's nobles and demons, but his reaction suggested otherwise.
'He could be lying, of course.'
But it didn't seem likely.
He genuinely despised humans.
After a moment of silence, Eirana ventured a guess that the grand duke's faction might be linked to some other power and spoke.
"So, now that I've spotted you, what's your plan?"
"Hmm, what to do."
It was a question meant to lighten the mood.
Kerdic truly seemed to harbor no immediate ill intent toward her.
Stroking his chin thoughtfully, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Mind manipulation on a dragon is tricky, but on a freshly matured young one? Not impossible."
Eirana scowled at that.
"Not a pleasant idea."
"You might feel a bit off afterward, but don't refuse."
Dismissing her opinion outright, she clicked her tongue.
At that instant, Kerdic moved.
He had already seized her from behind.
But Eirana reacted swiftly, drawing Black Fang and slapping away his hand.
"Impressive treasure you've got there."
Kerdic admired Black Fang before vanishing again.
Eirana calmly tracked his movements and spun around.
Thwack-!
Something grazed her side in that moment.
Grimacing, she didn't hesitate, kicking out at his head.
But her strike was blocked by a barrier, dealing no real damage.
Eirana quickly put distance between them.
Blood now trickled from her side.
Kerdic licked the blood from his fingertips and smiled faintly.
Watching him, Eirana remarked.
"Didn't peg you for a vampire."
She spoke casually, but her mind was a whirlwind.
'He isn't using spatial jumps or anything like that. He's just moving too fast for me to track easily.'
That meant she could predict his movements to some extent.
The problem was his proficiency in combat.
His patterns were too erratic for rash predictions.
'What now.'
As Eirana pondered, Kerdic—who had been silently observing her—muttered.
"Curious. You resemble her."
Eirana furrowed her brow at the cryptic words.
"I've changed my mind."
"......?"
"I think I'll take you with me."
Her face naturally twisted in response.
Kerdic shrugged at her expression.
"Don't look so disgusted. No harm intended. I'll just take you along."
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
"Even if I say so myself, I'm pretty high up in the demon realm."
"Who asked about your status?"
Eirana growled with fierce rejection.
But he had anticipated as much and paid it no mind.
He took a light step forward.
At the same moment, Eirana swung her sword to the left.
Clang-! Whoosh!
Black Fang clashed with Kerdic's fingertips, sending out a shockwave.
The surrounding grass bent away from where Eirana and Kerdic stood.
Gripping Black Fang with both hands, Eirana ground her teeth and withstood his strength.
Blood seeped from her side wound.
Clenching her jaw, she shoved him back, channeled mana into her body, and rammed her shoulder into his chest.
Bam!
His barrier clashed with her mana, producing a thunderous noise. Her shoulder charge carried immense force, momentarily throwing off his balance.
But it wasn't enough to stagger him significantly. He was toying with her.
He calmly regained his footing and charged again.
As Kerdic rushed her in an instant, Eirana twisted aside to evade, then kicked at his back.
But he didn't lose balance, quickly righted himself, and pursued.
In that moment.
Stab-!
Black Fang pierced through his barrier and impaled his throat.
"......!"
Kerdic's eyes widened in surprise.
Eirana had used his momentum to strike his throat.
She gripped Black Fang tighter, forcing the blade deeper with brute strength.
Blood trickled from Kerdic's mouth.
But his reaction was shocking.
After blinking a few times, he smirked, his expression unchanged, grabbed the blade barehanded, and pushed it out.
Czzzzt!
Sparks of black energy flew from his hand and Black Fang.
He ignored the pain, steadily forcing the sword out.
Eirana recoiled in alarm, shaking off his hand and leaping back to create distance.
It had been a perfect, lethal strike that hit its mark precisely.
Yet it seemed to have done him no harm.
Even Eirana was awed by how casually he pulled the sword from his throat.
Kerdic rubbed his neck.
The puncture wound from Black Fang healed in seconds.