A Small Recompense
A single water droplet fell from the stone ceiling with a soft plop.
It seemed the rain outside had yet to stop. Hwian thought so with the corners of his mouth curving upward.
“There’s a leak here.”
“...”
“The accommodations are terrible. Think they’d accept a complaint?”
“...”
“Hey… That’s cold. You really won’t talk to me?”
“I would appreciate it if you remained quiet until sunrise, Hero.”
“I’d like that myself, but it’s boring. Now, if there were something to read in here, that would be another matter.”
Hwian shrugged in response to the guard’s answer from beyond the iron bars.
The royal palace’s underground prison carried a desolate chill. Having been escorted here in the aftermath of the recent incident, Hwian rested his chin in his hand and let out a long sigh.
...It’s quiet. Honestly, just one book would make this perfect.
Though he was temporarily locked away, he held no particular complaints.
He had destroyed the Royal Guard and thoroughly crushed the princess who had been sowing the seeds of a future civil war. With that much evidence pouring out at once, neither royalty nor anyone else could escape severe punishment. On top of that, he had driven a blade home to settle his personal grudge. There was nothing left to regret.
Her expression was hilarious. That deathly pale face was really something…
The guard outside the bars glanced at the chuckling Hwian. Paying him no mind, Hwian exhaled in satisfaction and quietly stared up at the dim stone ceiling.
Once the sun rose, the royal family and ministers would gather for the trial.
The First Princess, who had committed every kind of corruption imaginable, would likely be struck down directly by Jin Adonia’s own hand. That was good news, yet… unfortunately, the odds were high that Hwian himself would not entirely escape punishment.
No matter his intentions, I physically demolished a ducal household. That man won’t let it slide, if only for the sake of appearances.
Whatever the intent or outcome, it simply wouldn’t look right for a cold-blooded figure who had razed a high noble’s mansion to walk free without consequence.
A nominal penalty would probably be handed down. It wasn’t difficult to predict.
Considering noble opinion… the verdict will likely be expulsion from the palace. It doesn’t matter. I was already thinking it was time to move on anyway.
Roughly one month had passed since his summoning. Many things had happened in that time, but the thought of eventually returning home meant he couldn’t simply linger here forever.
Fortunately, his body was more or less prepared, and he had filled the gaps in his knowledge. He had even managed to awaken his combat instincts right before leaving. There was nothing left to prepare.
Except…
“...”
Serena. She was the only one who worried him.
Elisie, who had hated her most viciously, would lose her position because of this incident. With Serion’s return as well, Serena would likely enjoy some peace for a while. But that did not guarantee her future safety.
Serena’s position remained precarious.
Beyond the First Princess, countless nobles despised her, and there was no assurance that something like this wouldn’t happen again. Even if Serion shielded her to an extent, there were limits.
She would gradually become isolated. In this narrow palace, that small, pale child would only grow lonelier.
It was a prediction grounded in fact, not mere delusion.
“Ha… Not a pleasant thought at all.”
He leaned his head back against the wall behind him and muttered.
The solution was simple, really.
She simply had to leave the palace. If the problem was a lack of allies, she could travel with him.
A truly simple answer. Yet Hwian did not want to choose that option.
“...”
The outside world was far more dangerous than one could imagine. And within the next two years at most, it would grow even harsher and more brutal.
Even Hwian, who had made thorough preparations before his regression, had nearly died countless times during his first journey. He had broken bones more times than he could count and tasted utter despair again and again.
How could he possibly suggest such a perilous path to that small girl?
Staying in the palace, even if somewhat difficult, would be better than setting out on a life-or-death journey. But knowing the palace could not serve as her sanctuary either, he found himself unable to reach a clean conclusion.
“...Tsk. In the end, I suppose I have no choice but to leave it to Serion…?”
His worries and inner conflict continued.
At their end, Hwian heard approaching footsteps and rolled his eyes toward the sound.
“Hero Hwian, you have a visitor.”
The speaker was a youthful boy who had not yet reached his full height.
Blue hair and golden eyes. Wearing small golden armor and maintaining a dignified expression, the boy was Roy Clover, second son of the Clover family and vice-captain under Sikal—one of the few decent officers in the Royal Guard.
He was the grateful friend who had taken the lead in verifying the materials Hwian had provided during the previous incident.
“I didn’t expect you to come, Roy. How are things above?”
“Still utter chaos. The captain is out cold, the princess has fainted… Couldn’t you have been a little gentler?”
“Sorry. You’ve had a rough time.”
“If I had known you would suddenly draw a sword on the princess, I wouldn’t have let you go. Though I suppose the fault lies with us for believing you would behave yourself.”
Hwian offered a bitter smile at Roy’s tone, which danced skillfully between smooth courtesy and sharp rebuke.
Unlike most of the Royal Guard, who had been thrown together for appearance’s sake, this friend was genuinely decent.
Diligent, sensible, and flexible. Precisely because of those qualities, Sikal treated him as something of an eyesore—which, in its own way, made him trustworthy.
“So, who’s the visitor?”
Hwian lifted his head and looked past Roy.
A figure wearing a thick rain cloak stood there. When the hood was pulled back, Hwian’s breath caught at the sight.
“...I’m not sure if ‘good evening’ is the appropriate greeting, but…”
Pure white hair scattered softly through the gloomy underground prison.
A small frame, slender fingers. The golden eyes revealed beneath the hood curved into a smile that carried a hint of awkwardness.
“Are you feeling all right, Hero?”
“...Why are you here?”
Serena. The very reason he had caused this incident.
Her unexpected appearance sent a flicker of surprise through Hwian’s mind.
He had put her to bed in her room before leaving. When had she woken up and followed him all the way here?
Perhaps sensing his thoughts, she offered a faint smile and spoke to the guard standing beside her.
“Would you let me in?”
“...”
“Thank you.”
There was no reply. Instead, the guard opened the door with a metallic clank.
Serena stepped through the iron bars without hesitation.
Seeing how defenseless she still appeared, Hwian pressed a hand to his forehead.
“...I told you to rest.”
More worry than reproach colored his voice.
“Ahaha… It wasn’t that easy, I’m afraid. There were constant noises from outside, and I couldn’t stop thinking about them.”
“You could have just ignored it and slept. It’s already past midnight. You must be exhausted.”
“I can’t deny I’m tired. Still, I thought you, Hero, must be having a harder time than I was, so without realizing…”
At her gentle, flowing words, Hwian raised his head. Serena gazed at him quietly, then murmured with a touch of sorrow.
“...Your cheek is hurt.”
“This much is nothing. An arm or leg would be another story.”
As she said, a thin cut marked Hwian’s cheek—a trace left by a sword he failed to dodge completely when surrounded by knights just before charging into the audience chamber.
Of course, as always, an injury of this level was little more than a scratch to him.
It wasn’t deep. No muscles had been damaged. The skin had merely been grazed and bled a little; left alone, it would heal on its own.
Just as he was about to dismiss it,
“...!”
“Please stay still for a moment.”
Serena drew closer.
Her soft, warm fingers gently stroked his cheek. The tickling sensation made Hwian’s hand twitch involuntarily.
“You’re wasting mana.”
“It isn’t a waste. This is for you.”
Bright yellow mana bloomed from Serena’s hand.
“I heard what happened. Not everything, but the general outline.”
“...”
“What you did, Hero… and why you did it.”
At her sudden words, Hwian quietly closed his eyes. A string of excuses flowed through his mind.
It was something that needed to be done eventually anyway. Even without her involvement, he would have carried it out in the near future. Her presence had simply moved up the schedule a little.
It hadn’t been for her.
“Thank you.”
But the moment those words reached his ears, he felt every layered excuse he had prepared melt away like snow.
“Thank you. Truly, truly… Thank you so very much.”
Her voice was wet with tears.
Thump. He felt her head lean against his chest.
“It was hard.”
A small voice reached him.
“...It hurt so much.”
A faint sob trembled against him, heavy with countless emotions.
Hwian had no idea how to handle a woman in a situation like this. He had no experience dealing with women, nor soothing children. He simply didn’t know what to do.
This is awkward…
When he opened his eyes amid complicated feelings, he saw Serena nestled tightly in his arms. Pure white hair swayed softly before his eyes.
“...”
“...!”
Without a word, Hwian placed his hand on her head.
There was no deep thought behind it. It was pure impulse.
“Mmm…”
Her warmth passed through the fluffy strands. Her slender voice tickled his ear.
...It’s soft.
A sense of satisfaction rose, accompanied by a faint heat that escaped on his breath.
Cute. The thought came to him for the first time.
When he glanced around at the sudden realization, both the guard and Roy had vanished. In the underground prison where the two of them had been left alone, Hwian simply continued to stroke Serena’s hair in silence.
“You’re warm, Hero…”
Serena whispered. He did not answer. Because he thought she was warmer.
It was good that he had worked so hard for this child. The hazy thought drifted through his mind.