The Guardian Knight of Affection-Starved Young Ladies

26 – North, Blood or Wine (02)

027.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

Red… or rather, a slightly brighter scarlet.

Though he had never seen it in person, it resembled what was commonly called a ruby.

To say that a jewel was embedded in his eyes. It was quite a luxurious expression.

Still, it seemed the right way to describe it.

The ruby, staring at Kallen in the somewhat dark room, was shining brightly.

“It wasn’t the master.”

“Are you talking about the person who called you here?”

“I thought it was the Grand Duke of Hiart who called me.”

“Well.”

A soft and gentle tone.

It had the power to make the listener feel at ease,

Kallen couldn’t shake off a certain uncomfortable sense of incongruity.

“Isn’t it possible that I could be the head of the family?”

“I haven’t heard that the Grand Duke has stepped down from his position.”

“Ah, so cold.”

Sarak-

With the sound of the woman’s clothes brushing against each other, the ruby glinted languidly.

“Just like that time.”

Hair darker than her pupils fluttered simultaneously.

Soon, the woman approached Kallen.

There wasn’t much of a height difference, but Kallen was still a bit taller.

Lacatus was trying to prepare for Dranus’s return with the help of Hiatt.

In the midst of this, Hiatt changed his mind, causing the plan to go awry.

What he wanted in return for supporting the plan again was Kallen.

It was natural to assume that this was the will of the Hiatt family itself.

However, Kallen thought the situation was strange.

If it was the will of the Hiatt family, it was natural that the head of the family would have called him.

Nevertheless, the person he met as soon as he arrived at the mansion was not the head of the family.

If this situation was also part of Hiatt’s will, it would be fortunate, but if not…

Kallen narrowed his brows slightly and asked.

“Did the young lady call me, not Hiatt?”

It could have been a simple question for confirmation, but at this moment, it was an extremely important matter.

If it wasn’t Hiatt’s will, he might not help the Dranus family even if he completed this task.

“You’re anxious. Afraid that Hiatt won’t help Lacatus.”

“That’s the only reason I’m here.”

“Don’t worry.”

Although it wasn’t clear what kind of person the woman in front of him was, Kallen’s attitude could be seen as somewhat rude.

A person named Makbel was responsible enough to be in charge of command.

There was no way a person of low status would be in a place guided by such a person.

The woman smiled faintly.

“When you leave, my will shall soon become Hiatt’s will.”

Civil War.

People evaluated the current situation of Hiart as a civil war.

It was absurd to know the detailed situation of the closed and independent North, but it was urgent enough to be guessed only by the words that flowed out.

“Oh. You seem to know?”

“Is that why you called me?”

“Quick-witted~.”

The woman tapped her chin with her index finger.

Her eyes naturally curved gracefully.

“I was curious. Should I say it’s necessary? It’s a civil war, but I don’t have many allies. I needed a useful talent.”

If you are a member of the Hiart family, you cannot fail to gather talents.

Most of the influential people in the North belonged to Hiart.

But it was a civil war.

If she was fighting someone of equal or higher status than the woman in front of her, it made sense.

“So it was a bit difficult, but I happened to think of you.”

A ruby flashed between her gracefully curved eyes.

The ruby was aimed at Kallen.

“A great escort to come alone from the southeastern territory to the North. Well… I heard you are the servant of the Archmage, and you learned some magic~.”

The movement of the finger tapping her chin stopped.

“The civil war is getting worse. I couldn’t sleep well at night, so I asked for help.”

“When I return, did you say that your will would soon become the will of Hiart?”

“Huh?”

Kallen felt a bit chilly.

Contrary to her innocent appearance, the woman was so meticulous that it was impossible to fathom her intentions.

Kallen’s loyalty to the Dranus family was proven when he accepted this request.

Also, since he had already entered the Hiart mansion, it would be difficult to escape on his own unless Blamia intervened.

She created and drew him into a situation where Kallen had no choice but to accept this suspicious proposal.

Finally, she set a trap he couldn’t escape and asked.

The woman’s words were a bit roundabout, but in short, it was ‘help me.’

The statement that her will would represent Hiart’s will meant the victory of the civil war.

The phrase ‘by the time you return’ meant that Kallen would contribute to the victory.

It was truly a perfect trap from which there was no escape.

It wasn’t Hyat who called Kallen, but a personal request.

The moment he realized that, he was made unable to refuse.

Even if it meant deceiving him, they desperately needed Kallen’s help.

However, there was one thing, whether it was certain that Kallen couldn’t contact Blamia was unknown.

Even this might have been thrown as a gamble, perfectly acting out the seemingly perfect trap.

One move ahead of another.

The more you try to read the intention, the deeper you fall into the labyrinth.

As if to confirm whether it was intentional, the woman spoke as Kallen remained silent for a while.

“…Your intuition is really good?”

To the extent of setting such a trap in reverse.

It meant the woman was extraordinary.

She also read the fact that Kallen was seeing through her moves.

“I can’t give you much time, though?”

But the one holding the leash was still the other side.

The woman slowly pulled the leash tied around Kallen’s neck.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have suffocated long ago.

But one thing.

One thing she overlooked.

Kallen also doesn’t avoid gambling.

“No.”

“What…?”

“I have no reason to do it.”

The civil war seemed to be in a more serious situation than expected.

One couldn’t know the details of the situation in the north from the leaks.

It was unclear whether it was just signs of a civil war or if the civil war was urgently progressing.

In that situation, the woman needed Kallen’s strength.

It meant the leash wasn’t only tied to Kallen.

Anything could happen.

Helping her, he might face some disaster in the civil war,

Even if they win the civil war, there’s no guarantee they will keep their promise.

It’s a situation where they have to take too many uncertain risks.

Kallen’s gamble was to demand a reasonable explanation.

“Even if I can’t escape from the mansion, I think I can run around and join the ‘other side’.”

“…”

“How can you trust a relationship that was a lie from the beginning?”

The woman listened to Kallen’s words and began tapping her chin with her index finger again.

“First, let’s introduce ourselves-“

“Selassie Hyatt. The eldest daughter of the Hyatt family. Am I right?”

“Hmm~.”

More a man than a woman.

More a sword than magic.

Selassie Hyatt, the eldest daughter of the Hyatt family and a magician.

It wasn’t hard to guess.

A woman of such high status that winning the civil war would lead to gaining a family.

Above all, her distinctive reddish-brown hair was too famous.

At the first meeting, I couldn’t be sure with just that clue, but now it’s different.

Because she was renowned for her magical skills even in the North.

Although it had been a while since she had her coming-of-age ceremony, the evaluation that she could handle the second level of magic proficiently raised her status.

Even someone like her found it intriguing.

What is a Grand Duke?

There was no one who wasn’t nervous in front of that authority.

Moreover, Selassie, who knew how to use her completed elegance.

No matter how promising a young nobleman of a high family was, he couldn’t hide his nervousness in front of her.

But the boy in front of her neither trembled nor panicked.

He simply read her thoughts calmly and even counterattacked.

Reading that Selassie herself needed Kallen.

As soon as she realized that, Selassie dropped her mask.

It was much better to confront this type of person as they were.

Yes, this was actually more comfortable.

He was far more trustworthy than those who were smeared with the filth of hypocrisy and calculation.

And that was,

what Selassie had been desperately searching for all this time.

Because she was sinking into the swamp of betrayal and anxiety.

It’s too early to be sure.

But he was the first person who hadn’t come with gifts of flattery or trust.

“What’s your name?”

“Kallen.”

“Do you want to make a promise?”

Selassie turned her body, erasing the smile she had been wearing.

“You won’t betray me, and I’ll keep my promise when everything is over.”

There were two problems.

The risk of jumping into the civil war, and the risk of the promise not being fulfilled when everything was over.

The first reason had an answer.

It was Kallen’s physical condition.

Blamia said his body was extremely precarious.

To eliminate the unknown black phenomenon of his heart, there was only one place to rely on.

To raise his rank.

Participating in the civil war was that dangerous, but at the same time, it was a lot of real battles.

Considering his physical condition, it was right to jump in.

“What do you trust to make this promise?”

“Well, conscience?”

“If you’re joking…”

“I’m serious.”

Kallen hesitated to speak.

Because Selassie’s ruby was sinking too low.

“Shall I tell you the truth? When the civil war is over, you can go back and tell the Archmage, and you can force the promise to be fulfilled.”

It was so contrasting with the smile she had been wearing until now,

that it felt genuinely chilling.

No, it was more like defiance.

What was reflected in the eyes was closer to determination and venom than to fear.

“The risk is on my side. I have no choice but to rely purely on your heart, and you have the means to compel me.”

It was a fair argument.

Once the civil war was over, Kallen could simply return and inform Blamia.

Handling one Hyat was more than manageable, let alone the entire four families.

It was rather Selassia who was uneasy.

Not betraying was entirely up to Kallen’s heart.

Thinking about it that way, Kallen wondered why she was asking him so earnestly.

The brief encounter they had was somehow insufficient.

No matter how much she was a woman, a wizard, and inferior to the opponent in the civil war.

It was hard to believe there was no one more trustworthy.

In such a situation, he was curious why she insisted on having him as her guard.

“Why?”

“What?”

“What you said earlier is a bit lacking. Is that really the only reason?”

Was it determination and venom that were reflected in Ruby’s eyes?

Most of it was true.

It was the look of those with dedication and conviction.

But because it was Kallen.

Because it was Kallen, he could see something else in them.

Loneliness.

The emptiness he saw when he first met Eliana.

It was reflected in Selassia’s ruby-like eyes.

Was that why his heart moved a little?

All the reasons to help her instead of Hyat were fulfilled.

Kallen, who decided to help Selassia, inadvertently voiced such a question.

“Reason…”

Selassia tapped her chin with her index finger.

A faint smile had returned to her face at some point.

“Who knows?”

It was a strong refusal to speak.

“Can I take it as acceptance?”

“Who is the opponent in the civil war?”

“Our worm-like brother, and maybe father?”

“Are you saying you’re going to have a civil war with the head of the family?”

“Since they’re turning a blind eye to the civil war, I guess it’s okay to see it that way?”

Indeed, it was someone with high authority as expected.

Kallen thought so and slowly nodded.

“I accept.”

“Thank you. Then, shall we go back for today?”

“Are you okay being alone during the civil war?”

“It’s not yet to the point where they would openly target me in the mansion. Though I feel that will soon change… Anyway, I’m fine for now.”

“Understood.”

Thus, a precarious promise was made.

Kallen left the room, guided by Makbel, who was called by Selassie.

Creak-

Along with the sound of the antique door closing.

“Reason…”

Selassie’s murmuring voice faintly flowed.

It was full of questions.

Acting as if they would never do it, why did they suddenly change their attitude?

How did they possess such astonishing calmness for their age?

Although they said revealing their weakness was to gain trust, why couldn’t they tell the real reason?

Why did they look at me with those eyes?

Well, it didn’t matter whether I believed it or not.

After all, trust doesn’t exist in this world.

Someday, I will abandon that boy with my own hands.

Selassie collapsed onto the bed and covered her eyes with her arm.

The end was approaching.

There was no time to look back at the festering wounds.