Agni Comes to His Senses
Thanks to Agni Asper, who had snapped out of it and led his knights here, we managed to rescue all the children safely. If we'd delayed even a little longer, we would've been surrounded by monsters and in deep trouble. At least that was a relief.
The hunter outpost we'd hastily passed by with Fenrir on the way was mostly cleaned up. I approached the fat man kneeling on the ground. He was the top official here, right?
“Hey.”
“Y-yes?”
In front of all the hunters, I pulled off the robe covering my face. My long curly hair billowed through the air. I heard the hunters gasp in unison.
Black hair, red eyes. It was far more effective than me announcing who I was myself.
The official's face drained of color.
“Hiding like a rat, were you?”
“N-no way... L-Lady... Y-Young Duchess...?”
“Guess outside news hasn't reached you.”
I looked down at him pityingly, and Agni beside me bellowed at the hunters with a fierce glare.
“You insolent bastards! How dare you stare straight at the Heir of House Carpoem!”
“The... Heir...!”
“Pay your respects to Lady Carpoem of House Carpoem!”
“Eek!”
The hunters cowered in terror, all bowing their heads. The official in particular slammed his forehead into the ground with an audible thud.
Agni, who was usually so prickly, was actually useful in situations like this. His menacing face and sheer presence were still beyond my ability to mimic.
“You're the official in charge here, right?”
“Gah! Y-yes, that's right.”
The fat man nodded frantically, trembling pitifully from head to toe. But I felt zero pity for him. These scum had fed people to monsters for their crimes. If we took them back now, they'd all face the ultimate punishment.
“Your operations aren't just here, are they?”
“Th-that's...”
I could tell his mind was racing even without seeing it. He knew he was as good as dead the moment he was caught. Spill everything about the other sites to avoid execution, or stay loyal and die alone. Of course, most villains didn't choose loyalty.
“I-I'll tell you everything, so please... spare my life...!”
“Hmm.”
“Please, I beg you, my lady!”
Using this pig would make cleaning up Volta a breeze. We'd have to root out the villages cooperating with the hunters too, like Rimen Village. Then we could establish an outpost here.
I planned to set up outposts in Volta and all the connected monster habitats. Viscount Volta had built watchposts to monitor the beasts, but the front lines were practically abandoned. The monster population had dwindled compared to before, which was why criminals like these had run rampant. Lax oversight wasn't just a problem for monsters, it seemed.
I'd use the hunters as an excuse to shut Viscount Volta up, then step in myself to build outposts and monitor the monsters properly. All to prevent the monster surge six years from now.
“Fine. I promise.”
“Th-thank you!”
I nodded, and the official bowed repeatedly, as if his head might burrow into the earth.
I was glaring down at the pig official with disgust when—
“Lady Yurina!”
A booming voice rang out. I turned to see over a dozen men running toward us from the direction we'd come.
Pure white robes? But underneath, they wore sturdy armor.
“Sir Illein!”
Yurina gasped in surprise and ran to them. That's when I noticed the emblem on their robes: the sun symbol of the Lumine Church. The faint mana radiating from the pristine white fabric stabbed unnecessarily at my eyes.
“Lady Yurina, thank goodness you're safe.”
The holy knight Yurina called Illein let out a deep sigh of relief, as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders.
Wait, Illein? As in, Holy Knight Order Commander Illein Saiche?
I looked at him anew. The youngest commander of the Lumine Church's First Holy Knight Order, Seinel. Scion of the Saiche count family, he'd shown holy power early and joined the church, rising to become the youngest commander.
He was a major character in the novel too. One of the three sub-male leads, in fact.
The original story featured three male leads: Crown Prince Michael Lux Rampas, Magic Tower Master Ren Magicus, and finally, Illein—the holy knight who cherished the saintess above all.
He stuck to the heroine like glue, so running into him like this wasn't all that surprising. Still, meeting the novel's key players brought a fresh wave of emotion. I'd expected these encounters much later.
“We're so sorry for being late, Lady Yurina.”
“No, Sir Illein. If anything, I was the stubborn one...”
“...”
The two ignored their surroundings the moment they reunited, radiating pink-tinted vibes.
Well, yeah. The crown prince—another male lead—had the most trouble with Illein. As the heroine's longtime protector and most trusted ally, Illein was a constant thorn in the prince's side.
But as the original reader, their flirting didn't bother me. If anything, it was entertaining.
Did I stare too openly? Yurina whipped her head around to look at me.
“And Lady Carpoem here saved me, so it's all okay!”
“...Lady Carpoem?”
Illein's head turned. Our eyes met.
No matter how much I'd read about him in the novel, seeing him in person felt entirely different. Platinum hair verging on silver, emerald-green eyes, an overall pale, delicate beauty like a young noble. Unlike the prince or Ren, his upturned eyes gave him a catlike impression. Paired with his expressionless face, it was the kind of first impression that invited misunderstandings.
Abigail had a villainess-like intimidating face that turned people off, but Illein's stoic demeanor was no slouch either.
“Mm. A pleasure, Sir Illein.”
Illein's gaze scanned me up and down, probing. Agni bristled at the insolence and stepped forward, but I held up a hand to stop him.
Illein strode toward me.
“Illein Saiche, First Sword of Lumine God.”
He gave a curt bow with his signature cool expression.
“Thank you for saving the saintess. We'll take responsibility for her safety from here.”
“Well, that's fine by me...”
The holy knights were far more familiar with protecting her than me or my knights. But for some reason, Yurina looked flustered. Her pink eyes shook as she stared at me.
What? Why's she looking at me like that? All panicked.
“Sir Illein, I... the children are still so scared. Could you stay with us a little longer?”
“But Lady Yurina.”
“Please?”
Her wide, pleading eyes cracked Illein's mask-like facade. So that's the face he makes for the girl he likes, huh? I watched them both with keen interest.
“But if we don't go now, His Holiness will...”
“His Holiness wouldn't want me to abandon children who've been hurt body and soul.”
“...”
Illein fell silent, at a loss for words. With a resigned sigh, he turned to me.
“Then, if it's not too much trouble, may we accompany you?”
Cute couple. I chuckled and nodded.
“Sure thing.”
Agni's eyes immediately sharpened.
“You're really going to let those holy knights tag along?”
He grumbled softly, clearly displeased. The northern knight orders generally didn't get along with holy knights. The pope often dispatched them north without imperial approval—a rite of passage for rookies hunting monsters, or a humbling reminder for veterans.
The free-spirited Belio Knight Order clashed with them most often. Agni's thick brows furrowed in full dissatisfaction.
The sight was oddly amusing, so I smiled faintly.
“The saintess will head back once she's calmed down. Just bear with them till then.”
Right after the rescue, with the kids still shaken from being trafficked this far, she wanted to stick around for them. No way she'd follow us all the way to the mansion, right?
Agni thought for a moment, then surprisingly nodded.
“Understood.”
“...”
What's with him? The stubborn hothead's being compliant?
Come to think of it, he'd been oddly gentler since waking from that sleeping potion. Maybe he was embarrassed about chugging the spiked water without noticing. And in the end, Ian Servbo and I had saved the day, so yeah, plenty of reason to be sheepish.
“Ian.”
“...”
I called him on impulse to check his injuries, but Ian was staring off elsewhere.
“Ian?”
“...Yes.”
Ian, who always fixed me with that intense gaze, was distracted? His eyes had been on Yurina and Illein mid-conversation. He turned to me slowly, brows slightly furrowed in discomfort.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Doesn't look like nothing. Had Ian ever shown his emotions so openly to anyone? He was always calm as a doll, never excited—unless he lost control like during Tentamen.
The knights might dislike holy knights, but what reason did Ian have to dislike Illein? Or... maybe Yurina?
I was pondering when Yurina approached cautiously.
“Um, Lady Carpoem.”
“Lady Saintess.”
Yurina had that captivating heroine quality that drew the eye. Her yellow hair—common in the south—gradually deepened to peach-pink at the tips. The novel had noted her unique locks.
“What is it?”
I asked, and she bashfully lowered her eyes. An adorably lovable sight. If Abigail did it, it'd just look scary.
As that silly thought crossed my mind, Yurina spoke.
“I didn't properly thank you before. Thank you so much for saving us.”
She bowed politely, then looked up. Flushed cheeks, dewy eyes. Her gaze felt a tad overwhelming.
“It was just the right thing to do. If anything, I'm sorry for being rude earlier—I didn't realize you were the saintess.”
When I first saw her, my habit of casual speech had slipped out. But now that I'd met Illein and knew her status, I couldn't be so informal.
“Oh, no. I'm not officially a saintess yet—I haven't completed my pilgrimage. Please, treat me casually like before.”
“Still, I couldn't...”
“Lady Carpoem...”
Her eyes looked so wistfully disappointed that I couldn't refuse.
“A-alright.”
I mumbled awkwardly, and her cheeks flushed even deeper. With a sigh, she whispered so softly it was almost inaudible.
“Haa, she's so cool.”
“...Huh?”
What did I just hear? A chill ran down my spine.