A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

After a short pause, he motioned toward the path that led to the mansion.

 “…Shall we go?” 

He seems a bit tight-lipped, or am I mistaken?

 

If it were me, I’d tell him to just go with the mercenary, but he’s diligent.

 

In Morgana’s experience, kindness for no reason was either a scam or a favor in return.

 

Be it money or something else. She wondered if he was using her to make connections to settle in Britain.

 

‘Well, considering he’s asked to introduce him to Britain before, this makes a lot more sense.’ 

 

For someone who’s so carefree, I feel a little sympathetic for him, knowing that he’s probably nervous about how to survive in a foreign country.

 “Cheer up, at least in Britain, people are friendly to outsiders!”

said Morgana. 

 

Cheering him on with a fist pump.

 

He only smiled faintly.

 

As they approached the manor’s entrance, the mercenaries standing guard greeted them.

 “Miss, are you returning from the tavern?” “Yes, Mr. Raon asked me to give you his regards.” “Tell him not to worry. I’m keeping my eyes and ears open to make sure no one sneaks in this time.” 

Before he could finish his sentence, I heard a thud, the sound of something heavy falling from somewhere.

 

It was dull, more like a thud than an object…

 

Morgana looked around at the familiar sound, like something he’d heard in the mountains once.

 “Didn’t you hear a man or a pig falling somewhere?” “Maybe there’s a fish house nearby, but where do they get pigs?” 

The mercenary muttered to himself, too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

 “It’s a person, no doubt.” 

The location of the sound was vague.

 

It was near the manor, but the manor wasn’t small. The darkness of the night made it even harder to tell.

 

As Morgana looked around, the mercenaries moved in the direction of the sound and called out.

 “The young lady needs your protection!” “He’s probably hovering somewhere around the mansion. If we catch him, let’s rip his head off! Let’s go! Let’s kill him, to avenge our wounded comrade!” “Whoa!” 

It was a shout that sounded more like an exclamation from someone who was more than happy to catch a thief.

 

Unlike the scattering mercenaries, a few of the men guarding the entrance remained.

 

Kellive glanced around for a moment, then settled on one.

 

Stopping short of entering, Morgana turned and called out to him.

 

Without warning, he was in front of her, his arm around her shoulders.

 

Unlike a polite escort, the grip was firm.

 “Excuse me.” “Confucius?” 

She lifted her head from his wide embrace, revealing golden eyes staring off into the distance, glinting fiercely in the moonlight.

 

A rustle in the bushes startled him, and he drew his sword and flung it.

 

The blade clattered into the landscaped trees along the path, and with a grunt, the black figure fled.

 

Morgana watched in disbelief. His reaction speed was incredible.

 

The mercenaries shouted at the sight.

 “There he is! Get him!” “The enemy to our fellow man!” 

Kellive’s cold gaze lingered on the spot where the figure had disappeared.

 

‘He’s colder than I thought.’ 

 

It seems that no matter how strong a person’s inherent ability to think, they could not beat someone with a smile.

 

A small sound came from behind him.

 “Hiccup.” 

Wasn’t that a hiccup?

 

Kellive laughed as nonchalantly as ever, gesturing with one hand to the bushes.

 “He may be young, but he looks suspicious, so we’d better catch him, right?” 

Young?

 

How could he know, he could barely see in the dark.

 

But the culprit dragged out by the mercenaries was, as he said, a boy barely over ten years old.

 

The boy said,

“Let go, let go!”  

One of the mercenaries scolded him sternly, but the boy’s eyes remained fierce.

 

But the way he spoke, the way he fumbled around, he was just a little kid. Even vulnerable.

 

Tapping his hand lightly on the empty scabbard where his sword had been thrown, Kellive gently released her from his embrace.

 “Did that startle you? Your shoulders are stiff.” 

Ah, so he’d been holding her this whole time.

 

Hiding in his arms was a habit, and it felt strangely familiar.

 

‘Like at the succession ceremony…’

 

Morgana ran a hand through her hair and averted her gaze gracefully.

 “I, I guess it’s hard to blame the kid for being a bit of a brat.” “Just close your eyes for a second, and I’ll take care of the rest of them.” “Why don’t you just leave them to it, they’re mercenaries who can look like that and still kill, and they have good stamina and endurance.” 

Although I don’t know why he’d become the enemy of a fellow mercenary who was still alive.

 

Kellive handed the empty scabbard back to the other mercenary, his jaw tightening as he looked in the direction of where the others had disappeared.

 “We don’t want another thief.” 

His golden eyes seemed to glaze over in the dusky evening air and moonlight.

 “Or maybe you’d like me to keep being your escort while the mercenaries finish their work, after all, I’ve got a proven track record.” 

Why are his arms spread so casually…?

 

Morgana shook her head firmly and quickly.

 “Just go. Please!” “Your rejection hurts a little, but I’ll be right back.” 

With that, he bowed politely and followed the mercenaries out the door.

 

Morgana stared in the direction of his disappearance, then squinted at the boy she’d caught a glimpse of.

 

‘Are they going to use their full strength on a child…’

 

More than that, she wondered if it was okay to leave empty-handed, given the use of a sword.

 

Morgana glanced at the sword embedded into the tree and clicked her tongue.

 

‘You throw away your sword every day.’

 

So it was disposable. Now it made sense why his sword had suddenly disappeared from the mountain the day of the abduction.

 

The mercenaries brought the child to Morgana’s front, bound.

 “Lady, what shall we do with him? Shall we kill him or bury him?” “I don’t know.” 

She crossed her arms, tilted her head, and stared at the child’s innocent face.

 

Then, as if to prove a point, the boy became even more agitated.

 “You herbalist! You made your money by cheating other people!” “See that loose mouth of yours, do you think I’ll take you for a kid?” 

Morgana held up a hand to halt the mercenaries’ tirade.

 

An impostor?

 

Brown hair, round eyes. Green eyes that made him look so pure and innocent, so determined for such a child.

 

Morgana watched the child and asked,

“You know something about herbs, don’t you?”  

In the bushes around the corner.

 

Kellive stared at the grunting man, his back pressed against a tree.

 

A smile tugged at his mouth, but his finely slanted eyes were somehow cold. Beside him, Gawain tilted his head, uncomfortable with the silence.

 “No, I mean, did you come all the way to Britain for a little air?” 

It had been a long time since he’d been summoned out of the blue on such a vulnerable night.

 “Uh, yeah. It seems traveling to Britain is all the rage in Avalon these days.” 

Kellive’s gaze fell on the mage, gasping for breath and barely able to keep his eyes open.

 

Unlike Britain, where swordsmanship had developed thanks to demons, magic had always been prominent in Avalon.

 

As such, most of the guilds in Avalon had mages.

 

As Kellive stood and watched, a tiny glow that looked like a flame flickered around him.

 

Slowly, the light approached him.

 

Gawain recognized it and raised his sword, calling out.

 “Your Majesty, it’s dangerous.” 

But before he could, a transparent barrier whirred, knocking him away with a sound like wind.

 

Despite its tiny appearance, it was a type of offensive magic that unleashed a massive explosion when attached to the body.

 

Gawain scratched the back of his head in amusement, even though no one was watching.

 “It’s night, you know, night.” “Usually when you say the unasked-for question first, it’s because you’ve been poked.” “I just came back from almost dropping off an obligation to Raves to open a portal, and you’re being quite mean.” “If only someone hadn’t fled during the day to confront his sister’s alleged crush.” “Not even at night, Gawain Green. You always come running, don’t you, haha!” 

Spitting out an awkward laugh, the wizard stammered, terrified at the sight of the magic that had once and for all been extinguished.

 “Hmph, ugh… why are you next to that woman…”