陳小小的小書房

Stigma Effect By Organic

Chapter 1 – Departure
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays

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Yuriel was a girl who was beaten in Raphlet’s stead until he turned fourteen, when he left to join the Holy Knights as if he were fleeing.

‘If I said I was aroused by your tears, would you still call me noble?’

Years later, Raphlet, who had become a man, asked this. During the day, he was as cool and noble as a saint, but he held a vulgar lust hidden in the innermost recesses of his mind.

Staring at the thick snowflakes falling from above, Yuriel thought to herself.

At that time, how did she reply to Raphlet?

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Yuriel boarded the train that was headed for the imperial capital, where the Order of the Holy Knights of Albraca was located, and nervously looked around for her designated seat written on the ticket.

Unlike those who took the train like it was second nature for them, it was Yuriel’s first time riding the train and the first time she had ever left the Mogris mansion.

Everything was amazing, but she wasn’t in the mindset to look around and observe everything one by one.

Yuriel sat down and let out a sigh. A small luggage bag was her only companion.

She opened the newspaper she was holding in her hand. She had bought it earlier from a child who was busily running around the train station.

Yuriel’s green eyes anxiously scanned the words.

On the very front page, the large letters announcing the special news made her mind feel cluttered.

Her eyes widened at the news. Although the article excluded the subject matter, it was more shocking and sad than any other news to Yuriel.

[Commander of the Albraca Knights 1st Division, Raphlet Mogris, is expected to face difficulties due to injury from suppressing monsters…]

This was the reason Yuriel left Grand Duke Mogris’s estate, where she had lived her entire life.

The injury of the Albraca Knight’s 1st Division commander, Raphlet Mogris.

At the news she had heard last night, Yuriel decided without delay to leave the mansion and head for the capital. It was because she realized how useless it was to wait for Raphlet to return.

“I’ve been waiting for seven years,” she mumbled, chewing on her lips.

Her hands, which were so beautiful it was hard to believe they belonged to a servant, crumpled the newspaper.

Yuriel had been saved by Raphlet’s hand. In rescuing her, a commoner with no background to speak of, Raphlet’s body was carved with a large scar that was not suitable for the heir of the Grand Duke.

Raphlet not only saved Yuriel, a child who was less than ten years old at the time, but also created a job for her.

Raphlet’s personal maid. That was Yuriel’s first job.

Although her title was a maid, Yuriel’s only responsibility was to be Raphlet’s companion–someone he could talk to. He took care of her.

Later, she started attending and observing his classes and was hit in his place, but it was fine. [1]

Yuriel was under Raphlet’s protection. She was fully aware of how much she was benefiting from it.

She had dared to presume that later, when Raphlet became Grand Duke, married, and had kids, she would still be able to stand by his side and assist him.

But that conviction was shattered when Raphlet joined the Albraca Holy Knights.

The Albraca Knights Division was an extremely closed and noble collection of men that did not accept new applications from anyone over the age of fourteen.

They led the vanguard of the monster subjugation force in the name of God. With a sense of faith and spirit that was heavier than the black armor that protected their bodies, the holy knights cut through evil monsters and protected the weak.

Those who joined the order had to pledge to give up everything in secular society, and Raphlet Mogris gave up his position as the heir to the Grand Duke title without hesitation.

“You said you would come to get me…”

Yuriel buried her face in the newspaper and mumbled.

While throwing everything away, Raphlet had told Yuriel that he would definitely return for her.

‘When I become a little more mature… When I’m able to control myself, I’ll come to get you. So, wait until then, Yuriel. It’s dangerous out there, so don’t go anywhere and wait at the Mogris mansion where it’s safe.’

She could still remember his touch clearly, how he comforted her while holding her hands awkwardly. Yuriel still couldn’t understand what Raphlet, who had always been calm and rational, had said.

Yuriel was the reckless one, the one who was always running around wildly, and Raphlet was the calm one who always watched over her and listened to her stories.

How overwhelming was it whenever the gold-colored eyes, which were calm and soothing, watched over her affectionately?

Maturity and self-control were virtues that she needed more than him.

Yuriel held back her tears and sucked in a breath.

As soon as she took a long breath, the steam whistle rang loudly. Not long after, the train carrying all the passengers began to move.

The Grand Duchy of Mogris, where she had spent a lot of time, began to slowly, then quickly, move away. Yuriel touched the window and took a long view of the passing scenery.

It was the place where Raphlet was born and where she shared her childhood with him.

For Yuriel, it was the second most precious place after being by Raphlet’s side.

She hugged her luggage and shook her head. To Yuriel, who had stayed up all night, the regular noise of the train had a power similar to a lullaby.

“I shouldn’t go to sleep…”

It was her first trip.

She recalled the warnings from people who worried about her departure, preaching about the dangers of traveling and falling asleep. When you wake up, your luggage could be gone, the wallet with money could have disappeared, or you could end up opening your eyes at a scary place you’ve never seen before.

She shook her head and pinched her thigh several times, but it was impossible as a human to fight against the growing drowsiness.

In the end, Yuriel lowered her head and fell into a light sleep.

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Yuriel opened her eyes, feeling stuffy. She could hear a clanking noise above her head.

“Eup.”

She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything to judge where she could be. The thin stream of light that came in between the fabric that brushed against her eyelashes was the only view Yuriel could see.

Fearful of this unknown situation, Yuriel’s body jerked up. Bouncing back, she felt soft bedding around her body and shook her head.

“Uh, um…!”

An ominousness that Yuriel had never felt before swallowed her. She began trying to twist her body around when suddenly, someone’s hand gently pressed on her wrist.

The fingers of the one who held both of her wrists in one hand were rough. Yuriel clenched her teeth at the chilling touch and tried to grasp the situation she was in.

Her mouth was gagged, and her wrist was tied by a person whose identity she didn’t even know. No matter what direction you think, there was only one conclusion.

Somebody, someone…

She couldn’t finish her thought. The cloth covering her eyes became wet with her tears. She couldn’t breathe properly with a gag in her mouth, and the unidentified person silently took off the hand that had been pressed against her wrist.

Slowly, they unwrapped the cloth covering Yuriel’s eyes.

“…How many times have I warned you? I told you to go back before you get into trouble, and that I can’t control myself yet. The one who ignored my warning is you, Yuriel.”

“…..?”

Yuriel, who squinted at the sudden light, blinked confusedly at the man’s words. It sounded like he was implying that she had been hovering around him for a while now.

The man went on to mutter, touching the gag that had been blocking her mouth. “I’d love to pull your gag out, but… I don’t know what I’ll do if I hear your scream now. It’ll be better for you to keep this.”

The figure of the man who said so began to be clearly reflected in Yuriel’s eyes.

She could see messy black hair and a cold face devoid of a smile. He was a handsome man with a straight nose and a firm chin. He was so handsome to the point he felt unreal.

Yuriel stared blankly at the man’s lips before shifting her gaze slightly upwards.

“Hic.”

When their eyes met, Yuriel suddenly found herself unable to breathe. She stiffened after a quick breath and her eyes reflected the man’s bright golden eyes clearly.

‘Raphlet?’

The hard chest and thick shoulders seen through his loosened collar were unfamiliar, but those golden eyes were unmistakably Raphlet’s.

“Yuriel, breathe.”

“Huu, euk…”

Surprised by the man’s unexpected identity, Yuriel had stopped breathing.

Raphlet hurriedly grasped Yuriel’s chin and coaxed her to breathe. He raised and supported the back of her head to make it easier for her and met her eyes.

“Yuriel, come on.”

His voice made Yuriel unknowingly reclaim her breath.

Once he saw her breathing slowly, he steadily lowered her head.

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[1] The relationship between Yuriel and Raphlet, here, seems to be that of a whipping boy and the young master. Historically, whipping boys would get punished in their master’s place to discourage the master from misbehaving. Can read more about whipping boys HERE

T/N: I know you all saw that cover/tags and came for the smut plot. Good choice. This is a novel that I’ve been casually translating and sharing with some of the other staff (we all got lured by the cover too heh). So no set release schedule yet, chapters will be uploaded after going through edits, but join our discord for the latest updates!

Chapter 2 – Premonition
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays

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Yuriel just couldn’t wrap her head around the situation.

It was strange enough that Raphlet suddenly appeared, having the appearance of a grown man, but it was even stranger how he seemed to lust for her.

The Raphlet that Yuriel remembered had always been someone with a calm and composed aura. He was a kind, warm boy who had always carefully applied medicine to the wounds she suffered from being hit on his behalf.

But the Raphlet in front of her now was the exact opposite.

All she could see was passion and lust.

The eyes full of desire and the sensation that she felt vehemently stirring in her lower body were unfamiliar.

Raphlet kissed her lips, cupping her chest with one hand, and carefully pushed his finger into her tight entrance with the other. But when a slight groan escaped from Yuriel’s gagged mouth, his attitude changed abruptly.

He grabbed her by the waist and aligned his member with her entrance, as if his patience had run out. His large manhood parted her lower lips and pushed through the opening that was not yet ready for him.

Yuriel’s thighs trembled against Raphlet’s legs, unable to overcome the pain. She tried to back away from him, but Raphlet only tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her back down strongly.

She could see his member driving in and out of her dry tunnel repeatedly while Raphlet watched her attentively with hooded eyes.

Raphlet reached out and pressed on Yuriel’s belly with one hand while a rough finger rubbed circles on her lower abdomen. After a few hard thrusts, he came inside her.

But the fluid leaking out from where they were completely joined did not stop his movements. Rather, he lowered his hand and thumbed her small, protruding nub and resumed his thrusts.

Yuriel began to cry and groaned pitifully from the continuation of intense stimuli that followed after the climax, but only the suppressed sounds of yes and ahs came out from her obstructed mouth.

Raphlet shifted his position slightly, firmly gripped her trembling thigh with one arm, crossing his legs and hers, and rammed in as if to fill her up completely.

The leg that was hung over Raphlet’s shoulder dangled unattractively, while the other leg pinned between his thigh and the bed twitched intermittently.

It was a position that forced his opponent to submit.

Every time their lower bodies met, there was a squelching sound as their intermingled fluids leaked out. Raphlet’s lower belly, pelvis, and the area around his manhood were lewdly soaked with the wetness that spilled from where they were joined. With each thrust, the fluid slowly traveled down his tan body.

As his movements became easier with the fluid flowing out from her warm, molten cavern, Raphlet’s neat forehead scrunched in pleasure.

The soft bed underneath them also became damp, but Raphlet paid no attention to the soiled sheets. He was too busy rutting into her warmth.

“Haa…ngh…”

Yuriel could barely hear the sounds that the well-endowed man, who was currently burrowing in and out of her, was making.

“Sa…ve…no…more….”

She cried for help as her fluttering walls clamped onto his member continuously, sucking him in. The stimulating movement became stronger and Raphlet reached out to release the gag from Yuriel’s lips.

“M-Master, stop, Raph, sa-save me… mmph, ah…!”

Master, Raphlet, Raph. The names she called him were jumbled together.

Raphlet tossed the gag aside and took a firm hold of her chin.

“That’s why… I told you… to wait till I returned.”

“Ah, ngh..st-stop…”

“You’re the one who didn’t listen to me when I told you to stop and go back to the ducal territory.”

The voice that followed the rough movements of his waist was full of ardor. His rugged voice was disguised under a polite tone, as if he was trying to restrain himself, but it didn’t seem to be very effective.

Sensing that he had no intention of stopping, Yuriel burst into tears. She felt that she was falsely accused of being the reason behind his seemingly unwillingness to stop.

I don’t even know what’s going on, why are you saying it’s my fault…!

For the first time in her life, Yuriel felt like rebelling against Raphlet.

She was afraid that her brain would melt away if this continued, losing herself to the intense pleasure she was currently receiving under him.

Yuriel clasped her hands, which were still tied above her head, in prayer.

I don’t know what the hell this is about, but please, please, let this be a dream.

She wished to wake up from this dream soon.

“Hk…!”

Perhaps he noticed Yuriel wanting to run away from this place, but Raphlet chose that moment to pull himself out completely before slamming back in hard.

His manhood just barely grazed her entrance, then pushed in all the way to her innermost parts.

“Ah, aaah!”

Her fingers that were clasped tightly together loosened and Yuriel’s entire body, from the tips of her fingers to her toes, convulsed as if it had been struck by lightning.

Raphlet grabbed the sides of her face, which were still aching from the gag, and kissed her like a beast. Yuriel’s teeth, melting from the pleasure, scratched his tongue, but he remained unaffected.

After carrying out successive battles against the monster forces, Raphlet’s body was far beyond the common person’s.

Yuriel’s feeble defiance only ate away at his rationality.

He kissed her lips, swallowing her screams so that his reasoning wouldn’t collapse. For him, Yuriel’s screams were an excessive stimulus.

He was afraid that if he were to continue listening to her screams, he might end up crushing her completely like he would when suppressing monsters.

As she was receiving and responding to his kiss, Yuriel noticed that his eyes were violently blazing.

When he heard her scream, he couldn’t even imagine what he might end up doing if he heard her moan. Raphlet feared that the sound of her moaning would devour his rationality at once.

“Nghh…”

Raphlet gladly surrendered his tongue to Yuriel, who was trembling in fear. He lowered the thigh he was holding in his arm and made her wrap them around his solid hips.

But her leg lacked the strength and slipped before it could completely wind around him. Raphlet removed his lips from hers, trying to wrap them several more times before giving up with a sigh.

He placed his finger in her now empty mouth and warned her, “Don’t bite too hard and try to hold it in as much as you can. My hand will be fine, but your teeth won’t be.”

“…?”

Before she could infer what he meant, Yuriel felt her inner walls being stretched and filled once more by his slow thrusts.

Yuriel shook her head, pushing away the finger he had put into her mouth with the tip of her tongue. Even if this ended up being a dream, she couldn’t bring herself to hurt his body or his hands.

Suddenly, Yuriel’s eyes widened dramatically.

“Aaah!”

It was because the initially languid thrusts increased to an unthinkably rapid pace. Raphlet lifted her hips, pushing himself in as far as he could and hitting the deepest part of her insides repeatedly.

Yuriel’s vision flashed white. There seemed to be stars floating in front of her eyes, and love juices spilled out from where they were joined.

She was incapable of processing any thoughts and ended up lightly chewing on Raphlet’s finger that was still lodged in her mouth. But her teeth shook anxiously, unable to bite down on his finger.

Recognizing her hesitance, Raphlet hurriedly took his finger out and replaced it with the sheet that was under her head, rolling it up before putting it in her mouth.

Unlike his fingers, the sheet was soft, though it became hard for her to breathe because it obstructed her entire mouth.

Looking down at the sight of Yuriel panting and her eyes rolling towards the back of her head, Raphlet bit his lip and quickly pulled out of her.

He slapped her thigh and pinched her raised n*pples roughly to prevent her from passing out.

“Ah, mmph!”

“It’ll be over soon, just a little more, haa…” Raphlet comforted her with a rough voice.

He paused thrusting into Yuriel’s quivering walls and pulled out again. He shifted her legs, which had been hanging lifelessly by his waist, and folded them over her body, lifting her knees above her.

As her body clung flat to the bed, Raphlet pushed himself back in her velvety walls and found release. He stared intently at her changing facial expressions as he emptied himself into her, pressing down on her body.

Sensing she was being watched, Yuriel lowered her head and met his eyes. The eyes that stared back at her still gleamed wildly, as if they would swallow her.

Her violently beating heart began beating even faster.

Yuriel closed her eyes after catching the look of satisfaction on Raphlet’s face as he pulled out once he completely emptied his load inside her.

Her mind was filled with scattered thoughts and soon, another scene was reflected in Yuriel’s eyes.

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Yuriel found herself watching a horde of monsters storming the train that she was riding on.

“Argh!”

“M-mom, I’m scared.”

“Stop the train, now!”

The terrified screams of the passengers pierced her ears. They shouted that the train had to be stopped, but it was obvious that the speeding train could not be stopped immediately.

Yuriel got up from her seat and, at that moment, the train derailed. She didn’t even have time to grab her luggage.

“Huk…!”

Yuriel abruptly woke up from her dream shortly after hitting her head against something on the train that had been falling sideways.

It was another one of Yuriel’s occasional prophetic dreams.

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T/N: Bet y’all weren’t expecting THAT to happen this quickly (I wasn’t either). Also, if you’re confused on what just happened, it’ll make more sense in the next chapter.

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Chapter 3 – Thief
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays

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Yuriel was famous for her keen senses since her days at the grand duchy.

On days when monsters invaded the mansion, Yuriel would find herself in a state of anxiety all day. Unlike those who resided in the main building, which was protected by the knights, the servants living in the annex were under direct threat from a monster attack.

Whenever Yuriel, who was usually always smiling, showed signs of anxiety from the morning, the servants all gathered together and spent the night in the same room.

The servants who were hostile towards Yuriel sometimes ended up being the first victims to the monsters.

‘What would she know? I’m going to sleep by myself. I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Does it look like I have time to be hanging around with you all?’

It was because the servant went back to their room all alone like that. Although the monsters were strong, if several servants combined their strength—especially the stronger young men—they would be able to deal with at least one monster at a time.

Those who had been able to get through the nights safely like that, narrowly escaping death, all became remarkably friendly to Yuriel.

‘Do you want me to do that for you?’

‘You must be tired. How about you take a nap?’

As a result, Yuriel never suffered any hardships during her time at the Mogris mansion.

But unlike in the past, when she only dreamed of monsters invading the Mogris mansion, her dream this time showed a train derailing. Yuriel had a feeling this dream would soon become a reality.

A huge monster had appeared and, as a result, the train ended up derailing.

Ruminating on her memories, Yuriel was about to jump out of her seat but stopped herself at the last minute.

I think I just had a very strange dream aside from the prophetic dream…what was it? 

The last scene of her dream, where the train derailed, caused all memories of anything that happened before it to fly out the window. But Yuriel was sure she had another dream before the train accident.

Was it another prophetic dream warning of danger?

In a daze, Yuriel blinked as she tried retracing her memory before abruptly standing up from her seat. This was not the time for such worries. The train was heading towards its destination, the imperial capital.

“T-train. How do I stop this train?”

Yuriel got up in a hurry and looked around. She had to stop the train right away. She spotted a man dressed in a suit just in front of her, leisurely reading a book. Judging from his natural behavior, he looked like someone who was familiar with traveling by train.

Yuriel picked up her luggage and approached him.

“Excuse me, sir.”

At Yuriel’s call, the man tilted his head, raising a long finger to point at himself, silently asking for confirmation.

“Yes, yes. That’s right. You, sir.”

“Is something wrong?” he asked affably.

He placed a bookmark in the book he was reading, putting it down on the seat next to him before turning back to Yuriel with a kind face.

The man left a favorable impression on her. He was quite handsome with his uncommon blonde hair and blue eyes.

Unlike his soft-looking appearance, his handling of the book was rather rough. Type printing had developed significantly over the years, so it wasn’t too difficult to find books, but it wasn’t cheap, either.

The book he was reading was made of thick covers and high-quality white paper. The man, who threw such an object as if he were handling a block of stones by the roadside, looked up at Yuriel and tilted his head.

“Miss?”

He’s not as handsome as the man I saw in my dream… wait, what am I thinking? What kind of man did I see in my dream….?

Yuriel widened her eyes at the sight of the man in front of her, who was giving her a puzzled look. She inwardly berated herself for getting lost in thought during such an urgent situation.

“Do you know where I need to go to stop this train?”

“Stop the train? We’re about to arrive at the destination…Hm, well. It’ll stop on its own in the next 10 minutes.” The man explained kindly as he took out a pocket watch and checked the time.

He continued in a kind, but dismissive tone, as if he were dealing with a country bumpkin, “Miss, the passengers aren’t the ones who stop the train. The conductor is the one who controls the train and it’ll stop at the appointed destination.” He added an eye smile as if it would be enough.

“I know that! But…before we get to the station, this train…!”

Yuriel, who raised her voice, abruptly closed her mouth.

Who would believe her if she were to tell them that monsters would soon appear and cause the train to derail? This wasn’t the Grand Duke’s residence, where everyone was kind to her.

What should I do? No one is going to believe me, and I can’t just jump off the moving train by myself.

As Yuriel held her luggage tightly, her face paled.

At this rate, am I going to die before even getting to see my master’s face? 

The man stared at Yuriel—who was visibly white—then glanced at the cover of the book he was reading. He said, “The book I’m reading now has a character who is trying to stop the train just like you. Miss, by any chance, did you hear some kind of dangerous information like this character?”

“What?”

“Maybe something like the train being loaded with explosives, or perhaps there’s a dangerous person on board that we have to hunt down before we get to the station.”

“…Would you help me stop the train if I told you I knew such information?” Yuriel asked with a nervous look.

“If there is indeed such a dangerous risk, why wouldn’t I help you?”

The man rose from his seat with an amused expression. When he was sitting, his frame didn’t look very large because of his pretty face, but he suddenly looked large enough to overpower Yuriel with just one hand once he stood up.

“I don’t have anything urgent today…and your face looks desperate, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give you a hand.”

“Are you really going to help me?” Yuriel asked in a startled voice. She didn’t expect him to agree to help her so easily.

She was told to be careful of people she was seeing for the first time…but it seemed there were still good people out there. Yuriel was thrilled.

“Yes, of course. Stopping the train has always been something that I’ve wanted to do at least once in my life.” The man wheezed and laughed, pointing to the luggage she was carrying.

“Are you going to be carrying that around the whole time?”

“Ah.”

“If you’re worried about losing your luggage, here’s your locker. It seems you didn’t see it because it was up there. You do have to insert a silver coin to use it, but its security is certain.”

A silver coin. It was an amount that was enough to cover all her meals at the Mogris estate, and an amount that should be saved as much as possible right now because it was impossible to predict how expensive things would be in the capital.

The man seemed to assume that the reason Yuriel chose not to use the locker was simply because it was out of her line of sight.

He stretched out his hand, implying that he would put the luggage in for her himself.

Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to simultaneously move with her luggage in her arms in their urgent situation, Yuriel handed it over to him with tears.

When she took a silver coin out of her purse—which she had kept safely guarded in her arms—and handed it over, the man’s eyebrows went up with interest.

“This is a silver issued in the Mogris domain. I see you’ve come up from Mogris.”

The front side of the coin was stamped by a dynamic horse seal representing ‘Mogris.’

The value of silver coins was all the same, but the minters, like the Grand Duke of Mogris, engraved their seals on the front of the coins to show off their power. It was a trend among nobles in the imperial capital these days.

The man fiddled with and scanned the silver coin with interest before putting it into his pocket.

“I’ll keep this as a souvenir.”

Yuriel was dumbfounded. It felt as if she had been slapped on the cheek.

Souvenir? Do the people here celebrate robbing other people’s money?

From well-managed hair to a suit made of high-quality material, not the mention there was also the golden pocket watch he had pulled out earlier and the expensive book. A man who seemed to lack nothing had just robbed Yuriel of her little silver coin.

“Give it back! I have to secure my luggage and quickly stop the train!”

“Ah, yeah. It was just a joke… I’m not some ruffian that’s after your money.”

“Hurry!” Yuriel shouted, slapping the man’s arm.

“Yes, yes, but there’s someone I’d like to show this to so I’ll be taking it as a souvenir. I’ll let you use my silver coin instead.”

The man gave her a poised smile, rubbing his arm as he made an excuse. But his muttering excuse fell on deaf ears—he had already been branded as a thief in her eyes.

He pushed the coin in the slot and instructed Yuriel to put her palm over the locker.

“When you need to take your luggage out, put your palm back there and it’ll open. Once you open it, you’ll need to insert another coin to close it again so only open it when it’s time to get off…”

Following the man’s instructions, Yuriel placed her hand over the designated area and felt a current running along her palm. It was an unpleasant sensation that made her spine tingle.

“That’s all then? All right, now, let’s hurry up and go stop the train. Sir, if you could lead the way.”

Yuriel rubbed her palm with her other hand, urging the man to hurry. The man put his luggage in a separate locker then stood in front of her.

“The engine room is just ahead. We’ll be able to stop the train before we get to the station even if we don’t hurry.”

After hearing his relaxed voice, Yuriel checked the windows with a side-glance. It was similar to the scenery she had seen in her dream. At this rate, she predicted the monsters would attack in less than five minutes.

“Even so, I think we should hurry a little bit. Let’s go,” Yuriel said nervously, but the man asked leisurely with a carefree look on his face. “By the way, miss, what’s your name?”

Yuriel let out a sigh at his easy attitude but answered while shoving his back.

“It’s Yuriel.”

“Aha, so it’s Yuriel. Your last name?”

“I don’t have one, I don’t have parents.”

“I see. Yuriel, an orphan from the Grand Duchy of Mogris… Good. I have everything I need to know, so let’s get going.”

The man, who muttered something while looking in her direction, smiled and finally began walking forward.

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Chapter 4 – Step On Me
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays

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“Before that, miss, could you hold this?”

“What is this?”

“Hold on to it.”

While heading towards the engine room, the man looked back at Yuriel. He took something out of his pocket and placed it in her hand.

“Not like that, like this. Yes, that’s how you hold it.”

Yuriel became flustered by the object that suddenly came into her possession, and the man repositioned her hand, helping her hold it properly.

It was a heavy, black thing.

Yuriel blinked her eyes absentmindedly as she held onto the heavy object with one hand and supported it with the palm of her other hand.

The man raised an eyebrow at her awkward posture and asked, “Have you never seen one of these before? It’s called a gun.”

“No, this is my first time.”

“Oh, wait, don’t pull that trigger. All you have to do is place your finger over it.”

“Is this the trigger?”

“It seems you really don’t know. Yes, that’s the trigger.”

He pointed the long, round part of the gun at his waist and gave a cryptic smile.

“Even though it hasn’t been long since it started being made, it’s something that everyone in the capital can recognize right away.”

His face looked like he held an ulterior motive, but Yuriel had no choice other than to follow him. She closely trailed behind him while nodding her head.

“I don’t know what this is, but you’re saying all I have to do is hold it like this, right?”

“Yes. Then I can stop the train.”

Soon, the two arrived in front of the engine room after passing by the passenger cars. The man, who had been about to open the door of the engine room, suddenly slammed his head against the door and dropped to his knees in front of Yuriel.

The scene looked as if he had been beaten by her.

Yuriel became flustered by the situation and bent down. She tried to examine his wound, but the man pushed her hand away.

“Wh-what are you doing?! You’re badly injured, we need to stop the bleeding right away…!”

“Shhh. Don’t say anything and stay still.”

The man whispered briskly underneath her when she tried to help him up. When he saw Yuriel’s hardened expression, his lips twisted into a smile as he opened the door.

“Wha-what?!”

“What are you doing, you’re not allowed in here!”

The people in the engine room jumped up in shock at the sight of the man who was bleeding and the woman who was pointing a gun at him.

“…Stop the train right now. The person behind me has a gun.”

“A g-gun?!”

“H-He, you’re Sir Helio, aren’t you?”

“She said she would shoot if I don’t stop this train immediately…Please help me…”

While Yuriel obliviously pointed the gun, the bulky man abruptly fell to the floor pitifully as soon he finished his words. The blood pouring from his head soaked the floor of the engine room ominously.

How hard must he have slammed his head against the door for the blood to show no sign of stopping?

Yuriel got a grasp of the situation once she saw him fall to the ground.

You want me to act out a hostage situation? But wouldn’t it have been better if I was the hostage?–was what she thought because she was significantly smaller than the man who was currently pretending to be down.

Yuriel twisted her lips while glancing at the man who pretended to have collapsed without telling her anything. She swung her gun around awkwardly and shouted, “If y-you don’t stop this train right now, I’ll use this!”

At the sight of the woman who was stammering, holding a gun that she didn’t even know how to use, the engineers exchanged looks with each other. It seemed they thought they could probably overpower and subdue her.

The man who was lying on the floor signaled to Yuriel.

‘Step on me.’

He used his lips, twisting them slightly to point to himself.

‘Step on me and say it again.’

Yuriel followed his lead and shouted again, stomping on his waist with her foot.

“Did you not understand me? I said stop this train right now!”

“Kuk…!”

“S-Sir Helio!”

The man under Yuriel groaned in pain. Even though she hadn’t stepped on him with much force, his groan made it sound like she had broken a bone.

The engineers were frightened out of their wits and stopped protesting.

“W-We understand. We’ll stop the train so please don’t hurt him anymore, please!”

Yuriel tilted her head. They were acting like they knew this man.

Was he someone famous?

When the man let out another groan, the engineers swiftly moved towards the instrument panel and their hands became busy, pulling and pressing things.

Soon, there was a loud whistle–just like when the train first took off–and the train’s speed began to noticeably drop.

“It st-stopped.” The engine manager stammered out, and the man who was on the floor pushed Yuriel’s foot away and got up.

Hope filled the eyes of the engineers who saw him stagger up. It was obvious that they thought the man would save them from this sudden unexpected threat.

Yuriel squinted her eyes and stared at the man’s back.

Who the hell was this guy, and why were those men reacting like that?

Meanwhile, the man who had now risen to his full height turned around and took back the gun he had handed Yuriel.

“Commander Helio! Are you all right? I called for backup as I was stopping the train. If we wait a little while, the support from Albraca…”

Helio? That was a name Yuriel had heard several times before somewhere…

“Helio…?”

Yuriel narrowed her eyes, mumbling to herself as the train slowed down.

Helio, commander… Oh, that’s the name of Albraca’s second commander!

She remembered seeing that name in the newspaper right next to Raphlet’s. Having figured out the man’s identity, Yuriel raised her head with a wide smile. This man in front of her was a colleague of Raphlet!

“Oh, you’re one of the commanders of the Albraca Knights!”

“Cough.”

“Huk!” 

As she called out to him, smiling, he moved to knock out the engineers. He struck their heads with the gun before sweeping back his disheveled hair and turned to face her.

His blood-soaked bangs were pushed back neatly.

Wiping his exposed forehead with a handkerchief, he gave her a faint smile.

“Yes, that’s right,” he answered before Yuriel could say anything else, carefully wiping his forehead and staunching the flow. Once he had the bleeding under control, he dropped his handkerchief and lifted the gun with one hand.

Unlike Yuriel, who had barely been able to support the gun with two hands, it was an easy task for him.

“This is a gun. I’m sure you realized how dangerous it is based on the reactions you just saw from these people, miss,” he said, pointing the weapon at her forehead.

“What?”

“Tell me why you tried to stop the train. What do you know?”

Yuriel now realized why the man had so easily cooperated with her without asking any questions.

“The train has been stopped, so I’m sure the primary threat has been eliminated. The engineers must have alerted the knights of an attack and I’m sure they’ll be here soon. I suggest you confess before you get arrested.”

“I thought you were helping me.”

“I’ve done more than enough to help you. I secured your luggage and I’m willing to kindly listen to your explanation before you get arrested. Now, please tell me what you know before you go to prison.”

It was most likely that he hadn’t stopped the train because it seemed like a fun thing to do.

Rather, he just used himself to create a reason to stop the train without any explanation. It wasn’t him being kind to a lady who had just come from the countryside.

It was a cover to reveal unexplained threats.

Yuriel breathed a long, exaggerated sigh, realizing she had no choice. She stretched her hands out meekly.

“If you’re going to arrest me, that’s fine. But I’d like to ask you to evacuate the passengers first. Monsters will soon storm the train.”

The good news was that at least the engineers had called for backup. Yuriel had been able to successfully stop the train, but she wasn’t confident that they would be able to handle the big monsters she had seen in her dream.

The monsters she had foreseen were far larger than the ones she had come across in the Mogris domain. There, the servants combined their strengths to subdue the monsters and call for the knights to finish them off. Here, however, there were no other knights to aid them.

It would have been difficult to subdue them with only the passengers on the train, so it was reassuring that the backup team consisting of knights would arrive soon.

All they had to do was hide and wait for the knights to rescue them before the monsters attacked.

“Oh, and if I’m going to be sent to prison, I’d like to be thrown in a prison that’s under the Albraca Knights’ supervision. It would be even better if the first division commander could be the one to come and interrogate me himself,” Yuriel muttered quickly.

She was anxious that the man would cut her off, so she had poured out what she wanted to say quickly and continued to hold her wrists out in front of her, indicating that she had no intention of resisting.

Helio furrowed his brows, noticing how Yuriel looked visibly relieved to hear that the Albraca Knights would be arriving soon. He sighed as he saw how she did not show a single indication of fear, despite being told she was going to be arrested.

He put away his gun.

“…Can you help me evacuate the passengers?”

“If you allow me to.”

Helio gave her a nod when he looked out the window and noticed the small figure of a monster in the distance. It was as Yuriel said; there were monsters charging towards the train.

“If you can help me, I’ll escort you to Albraca and interrogate you as a guest, not as a prisoner.”

There was no time to waste.

◈❖◈

Lifting up the fallen engineers in one single movement, Helio evacuated the passengers to the very last train car. It was the farthest one from the engine room.

“Cover the windows and keep your heads down.”

Helio gave out orders, diligently checked the frantically moving passengers, then turned around to leave the car.

He held the door open and beckoned for Yuriel to follow.

“Follow me, miss.”

“S-Sir Helio! Let me come with you too.”

“Me too!”

“What are the rest of us supposed to do if you only take her with you?”

Several of the passengers got up and tried to follow him, but Helio shook his head resolutely.

“It’s safer here. This lady and I will be luring the monsters away, so you just have to hide until the knights arrive. Well, if you want to be bait for the monsters, you’re more than welcome to follow us.”

Helio calmed down the agitated passengers easily, as if it was second nature to him.

When he asked again if there was anyone willing to act as bait, the raised voices of those who had shouted saying they would follow him subsided.

At the sight of such passengers, Helio covered his face with both of his hands.

A frightening smile appeared on his face for a moment before it was quickly replaced by a calm one as he took his hands off to reassure the passengers.

“Please relax and wait here.”

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Chapter 5 – Burden
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays

◈❖◈

“…Are you all right?” Yuriel carefully asked as soon as they left the passenger car.

Helio didn’t answer her question. He just continued walking in silence until he reached the cabin where they stored their belongings.

Yuriel had seen him store his light luggage, such as his books and outer garments, in one of the lockers earlier. But the locker he was opening now was not the same one.

This locker contained a large sword and bag inside.

First, he took out the bag and unfastened the lock to open it. The bag was full of what appeared to be an official Albraca uniform, guns that looked similar to the one he handed over to Yuriel earlier, and explosives.

Yuriel, who checked the contents, murmured sourly, “It seems the one who was carrying explosives was not me, but you, Sir Helio.”

“It’s for fighting against the monsters. Here, you take some too.”

“I just light it up then throw it, right?”

“If you don’t throw it far enough, I’ll be caught in the blast, so only use it when I’m out of range.”

“I understand. So, what you’re saying is, if I’m going to die, I should die alone.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be bad if you went in between the monsters and exploded. That explosive is more expensive than you think–it’s quite powerful.”

Taking the explosives Helio handed her, Yuriel rubbed the thick wick and nodded.

“Yes, well, I have no intention of hurting my master’s colleague. Don’t worry!”

“…Master?”

“Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m–”

The moment Yuriel–who was wearing the explosives around her neck–bowed her head and was about to introduce herself, the train jerked roughly.

“They’re here.”

Helio steadied Yuriel’s staggering body and looked at the window.

The eyes of a monster, large enough to cover the entire window, were pressed against the glass. It was a monster with a large head and an overall bizarre appearance.

Helio let go of Yuriel and pulled out a gun from his bag, aiming it at the fiend.

“Look carefully, miss. This is how you use it.”

He released the small safety lock and aimed precisely at the monster’s eyes before pulling the trigger.

Bang!

An intense blast pierced their ears.

A large shriek was heard and the monster’s blood splattered all over the window. Although the bloodstains covered the window and blocked his view, Helio fired two more times in a row at the window. The hand holding the gun shifted slightly from the recoil.

The window broke and the monster lay on the floor, shaking.

It had made a tremendous noise.

Helio turned to Yuriel, whose eyes were wide open, and pointed his chin at his bag.

“I don’t have time to explain further, but if you can do what I just did, you’re free to use one of the guns in my bag. The bigger the gun, the stronger it is but…”

“The bigger the burden, right?”

Yuriel nodded and pulled out a smaller gun than the one Helio was using and held it in her hand. Its weight was slightly lighter than the gun she had been forced to carry earlier.

Helio’s eyes narrowed when he saw Yuriel holding the gun and turning her wrist to check the weight.

“That’s a good choice–you don’t want to break your wrist after only using it once. Good. Now, I need you to get on top of the train and tell me what direction the monsters are coming from.”

He said as he opened the small door on the ceiling of the car.

However, Yuriel had a hard time trying to climb up on her own while wearing heavy explosives around her neck as well as carrying a gun in her hand.

Noticing her struggling, Helio grabbed her waist and lifted her up easily.

“Ack–thank you.”

Yuriel looked down at him, shooting him a smile. Then, she disappeared for a moment before sticking her head back over the opening. Her long hair stretched into the cabin.

Helio stared blankly at Yuriel’s neatly braided hair that hung down like a rope but came back to his senses when he heard her voice.

“I got it! We have two approaching us at two o’clock! But Sir Helio, can I try throwing this? I think I need to get an idea of how powerful it is if I’m going to help you…”

“I’ll throw it this time. If you think you can watch and follow–”

“I’ll throw it in the opposite direction of where you are, Sir Helio.”

Yuriel finished quickly and looked back at Helio, who had climbed onto the top of the train to join her. He had changed out of his suit and into a knight uniform, holding a sword in his hand.

Glancing in the direction Yuriel had mentioned, Helio confirmed there were indeed monsters approaching.

Yuriel took out a match to light the wick of an explosive, which she then handed to Helio.

“…Miss, have you ever received training as a knight somewhere?”

“No, but I have studied how to use it by myself with items that my master used to use… Oh, Sir Helio, throw it! Hurry! The wick, it’s burning!”

Helio was distracted when he saw her skillfully light the wick, and he foolishly asked her questions in the middle of an emergency.

He nodded his head and threw back the arm holding the explosive, revealing the taut muscles. When he swung his arm and threw the weapon, the explosive fell exactly between the two monsters.

Soon, the bombs exploded and the bodies of the monsters were thrown back, but they were twitching about, slowly regenerating.

“That’s how powerful they are–they look like they’re dead, but they’ll only stop moving when you pull out their core. Even if a monster stops moving after being hit with an explosive, report it to me immediately.”

“Got it.”

Helio pulled out his sword and jumped off the train after hearing her answer.

It was due to this special nature of the monsters that the presence of the Albraca Knights did not decrease despite the development of weapons like the explosives.

Bombs weren’t what destroyed the cores of monsters; it was humans.

◈❖◈

“Wow.”

While she was reporting the direction of the approaching monsters from her spot on the top of the train, Yuriel watched the scene before her in admiration.

Helio was disposing of the monsters without a single trace of exhaustion. If she had to exaggerate a little, it almost seemed like he was flying.

Her eyes followed his movements, marvelling at his strength and stamina.

Then, she spotted something other than the monsters that had been gathering relentlessly. There were people on huge warhorses approaching the stopped train.

She noticed their clothes were similar to Helio’s.

“Sir Helio, the knights are coming!” Yuriel shouted happily after narrowing her eyes to check their attire–the uniform of the Albraca Knights.

Helio nodded at Yuriel’s cry and let out a sigh. It was quite difficult to carry out a fight while simultaneously protecting the train. In order to make sure the monsters’ attention didn’t stray to the crowded cabin where all the passengers were gathered, he had to use larger than usual movements against the monsters.

He shook off the blood from his sword and jumped onto the train car where Yuriel was.

“Now, please return the gun.”

There was no doubt that if the knights, especially the one running the front line–a man who held the same rank as himself–saw a civilian holding a gun that was only issued to officers, he would be criticized for days.

“They said it was an injury, but you look just fine,” Helio grumbled while taking back the gun from Yuriel.

Despite the fact that there were still monsters approaching, Helio flopped down on top of the roof of the train.

“Um, Sir Helio? The monsters are still coming.”

“It’s fine. There’s a scarier person over there who will arrive first. But enough of that. Let’s hear more about you,” Helio replied, patting the spot next to him.

“About me?”

Yuriel glanced at the approaching monsters before hesitantly sitting down next to Helio. She sat down for now because she had been told to, but she felt anxious because the monsters were drawing nearer.

However, Helio began his questions, not caring whether Yuriel was feeling nervous.

“You mentioned earlier that your master is my colleague. What did you mean? Do you know someone in Albraca?”

“Oh, that!”

Yuriel, who had been restless staring at the monsters, suddenly looked at Helio with shining eyes. Her light eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly which easily caught people’s eye.

“My master! I’m his personal maid!” Yuriel said proudly, showing off a broad smile. The edges of her eyes had curved upwards to the point her green irises could no longer be seen.

“What I meant was, who is your master? I don’t know how you figured out monsters were going to attack, but since you helped me, I’ll return the favor and help you meet him.”

“Really?”

“Yes, so tell me who he is.”

Helio suggested lightly. It was quite an unprecedented offer on his end.

But whether Yuriel was aware that he wasn’t the type to do such a thing or not, she pondered over his offer with a hand on her chin.

Helio silently watched the woman contemplating over what to do before picking up a gun and aiming it at a monster that had gotten a little too close to the train.

Despite the loud noise, Yuriel remained in deep thought.

Helio wondered who her master could possibly be to cause her to be in such a troubled state. After shooting several more bullets at the regenerating monster, Helio couldn’t wait anymore and opened his mouth.

“I’m Albraca’s second division commander. I’m someone who keeps his word so you don’t have to be so hesitant.”

“You’ll really let me meet my master?”

“Of course.”

Having made up her mind, Yuriel nodded her head.

“I’m here to see Sir Raphlet Mogris.”

“…Who?”

“Raphlet Mogris.”

“Hold on. That person…”

Helio, who had been staring at the smoking barrel of his gun after a series of shots, turned his head stiffly and hurriedly closed Yuriel’s mouth.

“Miss. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’d be best if you stayed away from him, and be careful of what you say. It might be hard to tell, but that person over there who is heading this way is him.”

“Eh?”

“If you want to live a long life, watch your mouth,” he whispered, pointing to the knights that came closer.

The man at the forefront checked Helio’s face and frowned when he saw a woman in his arms. He dismounted his horse and addressed Helio coldly.

“What are you doing, not even cleaning up the rest of the monsters, Commander Helio?”

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Chapter 6 – Reunion
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays

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A voice as sharp as a blade followed.

“I won’t limit your personal activities, Commander Helio. The only thing I request from you is to be mindful of the appropriate time and place.”

Rather than a colleague, Raphlet seemed more like a judge. He finished his words cold-heartedly, while his face remained expressionless–there was not even a trace of disappointment.

“Since you stopped fighting just to converse with a civilian, I’ll be punishing you formally after reporting to our superiors.”

Helio twisted his lips as if to show Yuriel that this was the kind of person Raphlet was. But though Raphlet’s voice had been cold and rough, to the point that even Yuriel noticed, Helio showed no signs of feeling hurt.

Wanting to show her more about the type of person Raphlet was, Helio opened his mouth to speak.

“She’s not an ordinary civilian. This lady is the one who stopped the train. I was keeping her in custody, so I hope you won’t decide to punish me for this.”

Even before Helio finished talking, Yuriel felt someone grab her wrists.

Raphlet had come up from behind her during the conversation. He pressed down on Yuriel’s back with his knee and twisted her arm to restrain her.

Ignoring the woman who didn’t even have time to utter a groan at the sudden pain, Raphlet addressed Helio in a monotone voice.

“If that’s true, what were you doing, not even arresting the criminal? Is she part of a terrorist group?”

“I can’t say for sure, but she was trying to stop the train because she knew the monsters would come. In fact, as you can see, the monsters did end up appearing.”

Raphlet and Helio began a conversation while Yuriel was still pressed against the train. She listened in to their conversation while letting out groans of pain due to her sore wrists.

‘Terror? Wait, am I being accused of being a terrorist?’

She remembered reading about it in the newspaper. A terror incident that threatened the capital. She never thought she would be misunderstood as the main culprit behind the incident.

Yuriel found it hard to breathe due to the knee that was pressing against her back. She turned her head, which had been facing the floor, to look at the man who subdued her.

Scanning him from bottom to top, she saw the figure of a flawless, perfect man.

Dark, black hair that did not change color even under the sunlight, sun-kissed skin, and a strong body hardened by training stood right behind her.

Though it was the first time she was seeing him in seven years, she felt a sense of familiarity.  It felt like she had imagined being pressed against him like this just a moment ago.

Of course, it had to have been just an illusion. Yuriel had never once left the Mogris Grand Duchy in the seven years since Raphlet had left, and Raphlet himself never returned to visit.

While Yuriel stared absentmindedly at Raphlet’s form, the two men continued their conversation.

“She wasn’t carrying anything someone involved in terrorism would carry, and it seems she’s never seen a gun–something anyone from the imperial capital would recognize–either. I don’t think she’s a part of the terrorist group that’s been going wild these days…But it would be better to thoroughly interrogate her.”

“I understand. I’ll finish things here Commander Helio, so if you could transfer this person to the temple…”

Raphlet, who was in the middle of responding to the blond, trailed off when he lowered his head and saw a pair of green eyes staring at him.

He blinked several times, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He blinked slowly three more times before he was convinced that what he was seeing was indeed real and not some illusion.

“…Yuriel.”

Helio looked at the two with widened eyes when he heard Raphlet’s voice, followed by a brief silence.

“Why are you here?”

It seemed the woman hadn’t been lying when she said she had come to see Raphlet.

◈❖◈

Yuriel followed behind Raphlet like a baby duckling imprinted on its mother.

He dragged her to the train station by his hand, and she was now gazing at the figure of his back while he stood in front of the ticket counter.

Even inside the busy train station, which was crowded with a large number of people coming and going, the only one reflected in her eyes was Raphlet.

She had always imagined what he would look like and how much he would have grown over the years, but to think he was now in front of her eyes, in the flesh.

Every step, every gesture overwhelmed her.

While Yuriel was in a state of excitement, Raphlet bought a train ticket from the counter and returned to her side.

“The train for Mogris leaves in an hour. I’ll guard you until then, so go back,” he said, handing her the ticket.

It was a polite and formal tone, as if he was talking to a stranger. Yuriel blinked when she received the train ticket from him.

“Pardon?”

She thought her ears must have become defunct due to the hard work of her first-ever train trip. As if having to hear Raphlet speak formally wasn’t enough, she thought she was being told to go back. She knew she was tired, but perhaps she was more fatigued than she initially assumed.

“I think I misheard you just now, master. Could you repeat that?” Yuriel asked with an embarrassed smile on her face.

Raphlet looked down at her face for a moment before responding to her in a flat tone, “Please return to the Mogris Grand Duchy immediately.”

Yuriel’s smiling face hardened into shock. It seemed she didn’t mishear the honorifics that felt distant–as if he was dealing with someone he had never seen before–or the cold demand telling her to go back.

“M-Master. Are you angry because I came without telling you? But when I heard that you were injured, I was overwhelmed and wasn’t in the right mindset–”

“Please stop calling me master. I’m not your master right now.”

Raphlet rejected Yuriel with an icy face she had never seen before.

His golden eyes–which had always been affectionate–now had a mineral-like glow, like some kind of metal.

Raphlet continued to explain in a machine-like manner, “It’s a train with protective magic covering every car. You don’t have to interfere to stop the train even if the same situation occurs. In the event of a monster attack, all the cabins will be sa–”

“I’m not going back.”

“What are you saying when you don’t even have a place to stay?”

“I can stay at an inn and find work.”

“It’s too dangerous. Go back.”

He began to turn her away without any signs of hesitation. Intimidated by Raphlet’s insistence, Yuriel clenched the train ticket in her hand and looked to be on the verge of tears.

“Do you not need me anymore? If I’m no longer useful, it would be better for me to die.”

“…What are you saying?”

A tolerant [1] light flashed through Raphlet’s eyes at Yuriel’s extreme words. He let out a sigh.

“Although the capital has improved, monster attacks are still frequent. There’s also the danger of terrorism, so it’s not a good place for women to live alone.”

“Master, no…Raphlet, I’ll just stick next to you. If I’m not alone, it’ll be okay, right? Please let me enter as your personal maid.”

“No, it’s dangerous.”

Yuriel and Raphlet’s scuffle continued endlessly. Watching their quarrel, Helio let out a hollow laugh.

Her claim that she came to see Raphlet had not been false. The two were continuing their quarrel without any awkwardness, as if they had seen each other just yesterday.

Raphlet’s face also had the most human-like expression since he joined the order.

Even though this was Helio’s first time witnessing such an expression on Raphlet, he could not hide his displeasure towards him. Rather, Helio thought it was better when Raphlet’s face was devoid of emotion like usual.

The way Raphlet expressed his emotions felt as if a clumsy mechanical device was mimicking human speech and expressions.

Yet this woman was continuing her conversation with such a person with no signs of discomfort.

“I can’t go, I’ll stay in the capital even without your permission! I’m sick and tired of hearing about your injuries through the newspaper.”

The conversation showed no signs of ending while simultaneously revealing her intense feelings. The woman was unable to stifle her emotions, and tears began to flow down her cheeks.

“Can’t you just let me stay by your side? I’m good at cooking and other chores. Whatever you ask me to do, I’ll do it, so please just let me be by your side…”

“…Yuriel.”

“I can even be beaten in your place again, just like before. If you ask me to take a knife for you, I can do that too,” Yuriel said, throwing her luggage aside and clinging to Raphlet’s chest.

It was amusing yet revolting to see Raphlet, whose face had hardened into an unreadable expression, being unable to push a single woman away.

Helio, who was watching them and fiddling with the silver coin in his hand, stood up.

As Helio approached them slowly, Raphlet–who had been restless and unable to lay a finger on the woman clinging to him–glared at him with piercing eyes.

It was a look that seemed to warn against coming any closer, but Helio ignored him. He grabbed the lower end of Raphlet’s uniform with one hand and took hold of Yuriel’s sagging shoulders with the other, separating the two, before addressing her in a friendly tone.

“You seem to be mistaken, miss.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re under investigation, so even if Commander Raphlet tells you to go back, you’re not in a position where you can do so.”

Raphlet’s face twisted at his gentle explanation. Fiercely slapping Helio’s hand away, Raphlet stood in front of Yuriel so that she was blocked from Helio’s view before addressing him.

“She stopped the train in good faith. There’s no reason for her to be investigated.”

It was a cynical and sharp tone. The commanders glared at each other, both on edge, while Yuriel glanced nervously between the two.

It seemed Raphlet didn’t get along with this man.

Yuriel, who was nervous about Raphlet sending her back again, thought so.

◈❖◈

T/N:
[1] – The author used 인간적인 a lot in this chapter when describing how Raphlet reacted/responded to Yuriel. The literal translation is “human(-like)” — which sounds weird in English so it’s been slightly modified several times throughout the chapter. But basically, this chapter showed us that Raphlet is the typical cold/emotionless male lead whose walls come down only when he’s in front of the female lead.

Also, just a little note that Raphlet and Yuriel speak formally to each other, but it gets lost in translation. I’m pointing it out because the author will be emphasizing those moments when Raphlet talks formally to her and later in the future, when he starts to drop the formality when they’re alone together.

But note that Yuriel will always speak politely to him, as she views herself as her master’s maid. She always adds a -님 (-nim; equivalent to the JPN -san) at the end of his name, which I could TL into “Sir Raphlet” but I think that looks a little awkward to use constantly (whereas “Sir Helio” looks fine, or is it just me?)

WHEW. End long TL note.

Tl;dr Raphlet is a simp for Yuriel while trying to keep her at arm’s length

E/N: I wanted the title of this chapter to be “Simp” just so you all are aware

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Chapter 7 – Endurance
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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The recent series of terrorist attacks were a big headache for the imperial capital.

The clock tower and drawbridges, as well as the alchemists’ tower and research facilities that developed new weapons like the guns Helio showed earlier, had become agitated by the attacks.

The joint works of the temple, the imperial palace, and the alchemists’ tower were victims of a series of bombings. The core, the energy source for maintaining the buildings, disappeared, and the buildings were blown up.

The restoration of the buildings could be done quickly, but the disappearance of the core was a problem. The core held enormous energy, and it wasn’t a readily available object.

Yuriel, who was sitting in the interrogation room listening to Helio’s explanation, stammered and asked, “…You discovered a bunch of bombs on the train?”

“Yes. The train was set to explode if it had stopped normally at the train station. But since you stopped it, the train went straight to the waiting station instead and didn’t explode.”

A large number of explosives were found in a locker in the last cabin where all the passengers were gathered in the stopped train. The detonator was at the very train station where Yuriel had a scuffle with Raphlet.

It was clear that since it was a busy train station where many people came and went, the bomb would have caused numerous casualties if it had exploded.

Yuriel was aghast by the shocking news.

“On that day, there must have been a passenger who overheard our conversation. There’s an article in the newspaper that states someone was trying to stop the train,” Helio said, showing her the newspaper he had prepared beforehand.

Yuriel felt like her head was going to explode with all the information.

She knew she wasn’t a very lucky person, but to think her luck could be this bad!

As soon as she had left the Mogris Grand Duchy, she had almost died in a train accident and now, she was being falsely accused of being a terrorist.

“I-I’ve never carried out a terrorist attack before. It’s also my first time in the capital.”

“Miss, calm down and take a closer look at the article,” Helio said, calming the shaking Yuriel.

Although his words barely soothed her, Yuriel forcibly gathered her mind and checked the article he was pointing at.

“Oh.”

“You’re not suspected of being a terrorist, it’s actually the opposite. It seems they heard our conversation where you mentioned you knew the monsters were going to ambush us.”

“This is…”

“I told them to hide in the train, but it seems someone snuck out and even took some pictures.”

There was a picture of Yuriel standing on the train and holding a gun. The picture even had Helio in front of her, making Yuriel appear as if she was helping him fight the monsters.

Contrary to Yuriel’s expectations, it was a favorable article.

The article said that she noticed the approach of the monsters and evacuated the passengers alongside Helio, the 2nd Division Commander of Albraca.

Helio pointed his finger to a specific section.

“My thoughts are the same. Rather than stopping a terrorist attack, it seems that you were aware of the monster ambush.”

Yuriel’s shoulders, which had been relaxed, stiffened again and her breath hitched as if he had hit the mark.

“How did you know about that?” he asked.

Yuriel clamped her mouth shut but his questions continued.

Helio was calm and persistent; he was like a natural-born hunter who waited for a long time and drove his prey into a place they could not escape from.

“I saw a monster approaching.”

“Where. How.”

“I s-saw it through the window of the train.”

“Did you see it before you came up to me?”

“Um, yes…That’s right.”

“Before you approached me.”

“Yes.”

“Sadly, the train was passing through a long tunnel before you came up to me. You wouldn’t have been able to see a monster approaching from afar. Not to mention, that’s not what you told me earlier either.”

“I, I…”

“You said you were sleeping. You said you fell asleep not long after the train departed.”

The longer Helio talked to her, the more Yuriel wanted to bite her tongue.

Seeing her fists on the table turn white, Helio placed his chin on his hand and continued, “If you really have a special ability to know about the monsters ahead of time, as the article says, we won’t treat you poorly.”

“No, I really…I really don’t have that kind of ability.”

“Haa….”

A long sigh escaped from him as he looked at Yuriel shaking her head stubbornly.

He straightened up his posture and breathed out another sigh–a rather sharp one this time–as if he were facing a troublesome situation.

Helio, who had been leaning forward expressionlessly, did not hold the title of the 2nd Commander of the Albraca Knights for no reason.

Rising up from his seat like a well-trained soldier, he placed his hand over the cuffs that were restraining Yuriel’s wrists.

Yuriel, whose hands were tied to the restraint that popped out in the middle of the table, cowered as she watched his actions.

Helio looked at her shoulders draw back in fear. He held something over the gold button that shone in the middle of the restraining device for a moment.

But nothing happened.

Helio took his hand off, leaned back in his chair, and observed Yuriel.

The moment she tilted her head in confusion, something like an intense current hit and passed through her whole body.

It was a tremendous shock that felt like it was thinly slicing up her entire body.

“Kyaak!”

“It’s a physical punishment used in interrogation rooms when a suspect doesn’t cooperate properly. The pain lasts for about a minute.”

“Ah, euk!”

Watching Yuriel tremble and throw her head back in pain, Helio murmured dully, “I wasn’t planning on using it if you cooperated with me, miss. But since you keep lying, I’m not sure if I can get you to talk if I continued like before.”

“Wa–, euuuk, wait a minute…”

“If you don’t answer me properly from now on, I’ll continue with the shocks. Based on my past experiences, I’m informing you that it would be more beneficial for you to open your mouth.”

Despite seeing Yuriel writhing in pain right in front of him, Helio continued to explain without changing his expression.

“It’s hard to lose your consciousness from this shock. Even if you faint, the shocks are powerful enough to make you regain your senses, and you’ll suffer even more. But you won’t die, so rest assured and continue suffering.”

It was a kind tone. It was the same as the one Yuriel encountered when she met him for the first time on the train–a gentleman-like attitude explaining the new products of civilization to a girl who came straight from the countryside.

In this situation, he seemed to have buried his emotions, becoming dull and worn out, a human who felt nothing.

No, not a human. He seemed more like a machine.

Yuriel thought so through the pain.

Helio calmly rummaged through his belongings and pulled out his watch. He opened the watch and held it in front of Yuriel’s eyes.

“I’ll keep the device running every three minutes. Whenever you feel like talking about how you knew about the monsters, please tell me.”

Yuriel’s forehead, which was leaning on the desk, broke out in cold sweat and she felt a chill run down her spine.

Staring at Yuriel who was frozen in a state of fear, he gently shifted his gaze and moved his hand.

“Three minutes have already passed.”

Once again, a gruesome shock passed through Yuriel’s entire body.

“I have to leave for a while now. I’ll have someone replace me, so feel free to talk whenever you’d like. If you find it hard to tell someone else, you can ask them to call for me. If it’s something that needs to be kept a secret, I’ll vow to keep it.”

Helio said to Yuriel, who was stretched out on the table. He rose from his chair and tapped his knuckle on the surface.

When Yuriel didn’t answer, he twisted his lips and fixed his lapel–which had rumpled when he took out his watch earlier–and left the room.

While the door was open for a moment, Yuriel could hear Helio giving instructions to someone outside the room.

“Send a shock every three minutes. If she shows any signs of opening her mouth or asks for me, come find me right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Be careful not to let this situation get into Raphlet’s ear. It seems that he has some kind of relationship with this woman, so it’s best to be cautious.”

◈❖◈

“Did she talk?”

“She hasn’t said a word.”

Helio, who had only finished his schedule in the afternoon, frowned.

Throughout the course of his schedule, Raphlet had continually tried to take jurisdiction over the woman, causing Helio to be at his wit’s end.

Helio currently had the power to interrogate her, but he knew that the jurisdiction would be turned over soon. Everyone in Albraca knew that the leaders of the temple and alchemist tower listened to Raphlet’s words.

He had to figure out what kind of ability the woman had before that happened.

If she really had the power to predict the monsters’ movements, the uses for that were infinite. The efficiency of battles would increase, and the sacrificing of knights could be greatly reduced as well.

Even Raphlet wouldn’t be able to refute Helio’s plans if it were put forward as a tactic that predicted the activity of the monsters.

Helio had enough of Raphlet’s military operations which often sacrificed many of their knights.

Looking through the glass into the interrogation room, Helio saw that Yuriel was limp and unmoving. There was no response from her even when the knight in front of him was constantly operating the device.

He glanced at the woman for a moment before sighing and putting on the gloves he had brought.

“Commander Helio. That’s…”

“I’ll finish the interrogation before Raphlet is able to take authority. If he tries to come in, stop him.”

“Sir, she’s a civilian with no power. She won’t be able to endure it.”

“If she can’t endure it, then so be it. I’ll have no choice but to take care of it the way Raphlet did with my knights.”

The palm of the black glove was rough with bumps. The knight who saw Helio put on the gloves without any hesitation opened his mouth slightly.

Those gloves were a torture weapon made from the skin of a monster. If the glove touched someone’s skin without any preparation, the victim would suffer pain equivalent to skin melting on the spot of contact.

It was used only when dealing with the most terrible criminals. It had the effect of obtaining a confession, but it would be too much for a woman who was collapsed in the interrogation room.

While the knight was fidgeting, Helio went inside and patted Yuriel’s cheek with the back of his hand.

“Miss. Miss Yuriel. Get a hold of yourself.”

“…Sir…Sir Helio…”

“I thought you had fainted because you didn’t respond, but I see you’re conscious.”

Helio bent down to secure Yuriel’s waist onto the chair. Yuriel tilted her head, blinking her eyes as her vision was blurred from pain.

As her weak head hung sideways, Helio supported her cheek with the back of his hand and comfortably sat on the desk in front of her.

Meeting Yuriel’s eyes, he spoke in a subdued voice.

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Chapter 8 – Ablution
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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“If you can just tell me how to predict the monsters’ behaviors, I promise we’ll release you right away. I’ll make sure you’re rewarded handsomely as well. No, if you’d like, I can even let you work in Albraca’s strategy office.”

“…The strategy office?”

“Yes. If you share the knowledge you know with the strategy office, the damage and risk the knights face will be greatly reduced.”

“Damage, reduce….So, Raphlet…You’re saying Raphlet will be less likely to get hurt…”

Yuriel showed a reaction.

“That’s right. So tell me exactly what you want,” Helio replied, careful not to touch Yuriel’s skin with the palm of his glove.

“I want to be next to Raphlet.”

“…Is that all you want?”

“Yes.”

She had been stubbornly silent this entire time, so Helio was baffled to hear that such a ridiculous demand would get her to finally start talking.

Helio took off the gloves and placed them on the desk. He had come in wearing the gloves with apprehension, but now there was no need for them.

“I’ll give you what you want. Will you be satisfied if we allow you to work in the strategy office and also let you be Raphlet’s personal maid?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Helio ran his fingers through his hair, sweeping it up. He felt slightly let down. If only he had known earlier that they would be able to come to an agreement this easily, then they could’ve avoided going through all this trouble by communicating with each other what they wanted.

Freeing Yuriel’s body from the chair, he asked, “May I ask why you suddenly changed your mind? You avoided answering me before, so why are you suddenly saying you’ll answer now?”

“Because you said I could work in the strategy office…” Yuriel began, a crease forming on her forehead, which was breaking out in cold sweat. She couldn’t pronounce her words properly because her tongue was twisted in pain from being chewed on during the shocks.

“If it means Raphlet can be safe, I don’t care if it’s dangerous for me.”

“He rarely gets hurt during subjugations. His larger injuries aren’t from subjugations, rather they’re….But wait, what do you mean? It doesn’t matter if you’re in danger?” Helio asked with a frown while raising Yuriel’s staggering body.

It looked like she might faint before he could even get the information out of her so he decided to take her to the infirmary.

Yuriel, who was able to get up with his help, spoke slowly, “I can only foresee the movement of monsters when I’m in danger. If I sleep in a dangerous place, I end up having a prophetic dream.”

“Oh, yes… A prophetic dream.” Helio responded sourly.

“I’m telling you the truth. When we were on the train, I dreamed that it would derail because of an ambush. If we hadn’t stopped the train, most of the passengers would have died. Of course, I would have been badly hurt as well.”

Seeing his furrowed brows, Yuriel managed to let out a feeble laugh with her weakened body.

“It’s been like that ever since I was living in the Mogris Grand Duchy. I foresaw every single day we had a monster invasion,” she said, her body continuously drooping every time Helio helped her back up.

“Then it seems like it’ll be hard to predict when a monster would appear in front of someone else. If you can really foresee when and where monsters appear through your dreams, that is.”

“Yes,” Yuriel replied while letting out a small groan of pain.

“…Pardon me for a moment.”

Seeing Yuriel slow down and unable to walk anymore, Helio let out a sigh and lifted her up.

Yuriel, now held in Helio’s arms, let out a fleeting sigh, as if she was at ease and could finally relax. Despite being held in the very arms of the person who had tortured her just earlier, she showed no signs of fear.

“Thank you.”

“No, I’m the one who made you like this.”

“Oh, you have a point.”

Yuriel and Helio both exchanged looks of embarrassment before Helio cleared his throat.

“Then is it possible to predict other dangers? For example, what about terrorist attacks?”

“Ah, no, I can’t. I can only foresee dangers associated with monst….”

“…Miss?”

Yuriel embarrassedly held her hands–which were still trembling from the aftermath of the pain–together and twitched her lips, as if to explain more about her precognitive powers, but she was unable to finish her words.

It was because she ended up fainting without any warning.

◈❖◈

The humid air was stifling.

Yuriel slowly opened her eyes and found herself in an enormous bathroom.

She was the only one in the huge bathtub. Yuriel felt like her whole body was melting in the hot water that came up to her chest.

She felt like a piece of ice floating on hot water.

Her vision was also blurry, making it feel as if she was in a dream. Yuriel, who was enjoying the luxury of using a bathroom full of foggy steam all by herself, shook her head.

Where am I?

Yuriel had never seen such a sight in her life. It was clear that this was most likely a prophetic dream since she didn’t recognize the location, but the monsters that normally threatened her were nowhere in sight.

Gathering strength in her relaxed body, Yuriel slowly got up.

She was completely naked. Turning around, she found a large towel and a drink prepared near the back of the tub. Yuriel placed her hand against the wall and stepped out cautiously after wrapping the towel around her body.

“I need to figure out where I am.”

So far, Yuriel’s dreams started only in two places, the Mogris Grand Duchy and the train.

Yuriel had been living in the Mogris territory for almost her entire life, so she was always able to discern where the incidents would take place as soon as she woke up. The same was true for the train.

She was confident of where the monsters would appear. She would wander around the place in her dream like it was reality and confirm the monster’s approach.

And the dreams always ended the same way: with her death.

Of course, the way she died was different each time. A monster’s gaping maw that approached her, hard claws that pierced through her body, huge feet trampling over her fallen form, crushing her into pieces…

Recalling these sensations caused her body to tense.

It seemed she would have to experience death again in order for this current dream to end.

“I’m sure I told you to warm up inside.”

A long shadow fell on Yuriel, who was groping the walls, unable to find an exit from the huge bathroom. The shadow of the man, whose frame was large enough to cover Yuriel’s whole body and more, stretched out.

Yuriel immediately stiffened, fully aware that she wasn’t wearing anything under her towel.

“Wh, who–”

Before she could ask who he was, the man peeled off her towel.

Yuriel quickly covered her exposed chest with her hands and tried to crouch down in an attempt to cover at least some of her body.

But it was futile as the man behind her was faster. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up gently.

Yuriel was so startled that she couldn’t even scream, and her body began to tremble.

Dr-Dream. Wasn’t this a prophetic dream? Or is it just a dream? This could just be a regular dream instead of a prophetic one….

Yuriel never had a normal dream before, but there was no other explanation for this current situation.

“Why are you out here when you’re shivering like this? You’re all cold.”

“We, well, mo-monsters…I was worried they’d come–”

Yuriel stammered back. The man’s voice sounded familiar. She wanted to check his face, but her mind was filled with complicated thoughts, so she just sat still in his arms, letting her body soak in the warm water again.

Yuriel continued to keep her arms wrapped around her body, but the man behind her slowly took each of her hands from her shoulders and placed them in the water.

The soft curves of her pale breasts were revealed, causing Yuriel to hold her breath.

Her heart was pounding so hard to the point where she thought she could see it over her skin.

The man who had lowered Yuriel’s hands was now repeatedly scooping up water with his big hands and gently pouring it over her shoulders.

“You don’t have to worry about predicting the approach of monsters from now on.”

He swept his hand down her tense back and continued.

“Nobody can force you to do it.”

His manner made it seem as if he knew about Yuriel experiencing a horrific death every time she had a prophetic dream. His hands that were rubbing her shoulders stopped moving.

Holding her slender shoulder in one hand, he lowered his head slowly.

He swept her long hair aside and carefully kissed her exposed neck. Slightly cool lips touched the back of her neck, which had been warmed by the heat of the bath.

As soon as Yuriel flinched and stiffened, the man’s hand made its way down slowly. It moved from her shoulders to her forearm then lightly grazed her submerged wrist. He held her hot hand for a moment before letting it go.

“Wa, wait. Wait, there is…!”

The man, who hadn’t even rolled up his sleeves, moved his hands to Yuriel’s chest. He gently caressed the underside of her half-submerged mounds and pressed on the peaks before grabbing them entirely with his large hands.

“Aah, wait–”

“I won’t go all the way. Just… let me touch them for a little while.”

Yuriel was thrown in a state of complete confusion.

Breasts? My breasts? These? You want me to let you touch them?

It was the first time someone asked her if she could let them touch her chest.

Yuriel stared at the man’s hands in a daze as he fondled her mounds. For some reason, the copper skin looked familiar.

Wet sleeves and thick wrists. Big hands that were warm and clean.

The man tenderly pressed and squeezed her breasts, like he was giving her a massage. It was a warm touch that made her feel good. When she felt him pinch and roll her towering peaks between his fingers, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting out a light moan.

“Nghh…”

It was a sound that came out naturally.

As she tilted her head back, the man behind her leaned down slightly so that her head could rest on his shoulder.

Yuriel slowly opened her eyes. She was curious about the identity of the man who was doing this to her.

Even if it’s a dream, I want to kn—

“Kyaaak!”

Yuriel interrupted her own thoughts, breaking out of her languid state, and let out a loud scream when she recognized the man’s face.

“Ma, master! I-I to my m-master, I d-dared to, h-how, this wicked dream…!”

Raphlet, who held on to Yuriel when she abruptly stood up, hurriedly spoke, “Calm down, Yuriel. You’ll fall–”

But Yuriel was unable to calm down and her feet ended up slipping in the bath. Seeing her falling backward, Raphlet hugged her body and fell with her in the tub.

The water, which had been running over the huge bathtub, overflowed and spilled out as the two people fell. Water poured down onto the dry floor with a loud splash.

Despite the loud noise, Yuriel’s dream continued.

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T/N: I saw a user’s comment under the korean raws, which I’ve translated below so we can all be sad:

“I was wondering how she was able to endure the electrical shocks so well, but I see now it’s probably because she grew some resilience after getting attacked so many times in her dreams ㅠㅠ Yuriellll” 

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Chapter 9 – Warmth
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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Raphlet’s back hit the bottom of the bathtub.

He had grabbed Yuriel as they were falling and pulled her into his arms so that she would fall on top of him.

There wasn’t a single scratch on her body thanks to his swift action, but Yuriel was much more surprised than if she were to have fallen by herself.

Raphlet got up as soon as his body touched the floor and stepped out of the bath to scan Yuriel’s body for any injuries. When he confirmed she wasn’t hurt, he let out a sigh and tried to push himself away, but Yuriel grabbed him by the forearm and pulled him close.

“Master, are you all right?”

“…I’m fine. What about you? Weren’t you surprised to fall down suddenly?”

Yuriel’s eyes glistened with tears.

The Raphlet before her in this dream was no different from the one she knew in her childhood. He didn’t care if he was injured himself and only showed concern for Yuriel, worried that she might have gotten a shock.

When Yuriel first began receiving beatings on his behalf, she was once severely punished for ten days as Raphlet argued against her new position to his parents.

As soon as she was released from punishment, Raphlet would examine her to see if she was hurt anywhere and ask her if she was okay.

He never looked back at himself, so Yuriel had to be by his side.

Yuriel vowed to stay next to him once she woke up from this dream.

In fact, this must have been a dream for that reason. It was a dream telling her to stay by Raphlet’s side so that he wouldn’t be alone and to protect him.

“What do you mean you’re fine. Your arms, no, your back. Please show me your back.”

Yuriel threw herself on him with no hesitation. She had a lot of experience serving him as a maid. A minute was more than enough for her to strip and dress someone. Her nimble fingers quickly unbuttoned Raphlet’s wet shirt and pulled it back.

A wet, solid body was revealed. It was an admirable body that caught people’s eyes. Yuriel was on the verge of tears as she moved her hands around his back, scanning for injuries.

“An injury, injury…Oh. There’s nothing.”

“I told you I was all right. I wouldn’t get hurt over something like this, so don’t worry,” Raphlet said, grabbing her wrists. Yuriel’s fingers, which had been groping his back, hung in midair as they had no place to go.

Only then did Yuriel realize what she had done.

She had rushed in naked and stripped Raphlet of his clothes. And as if that wasn’t enough, she even dared to have a scene in this dream of her master fondling her breasts.

Yuriel staggered, feeling dizzy, and ended up leaning forward.

As soon as her forehead touched Raphlet’s back, he spoke in a low voice that sounded clearly troubled.

“I’m really fine, so it’d be best if you don’t touch me too much right now. I can endure it of course, but…”

He turned around and pulled her into his arms.

At the feeling of something hard and hot poking her, Yuriel cast her gaze downwards but quickly raised her head back up in shock.

How dare I, even the master’s erection…

Raphlet was a man of nobility. Even if this was a dream, he was not one to show this kind of lust towards her…

Yuriel let out a groan while pulling at her hair.

“I’m sorry, Master….”

I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for dreaming this kind of dream. 

It was clear that the Raphlet in her dream didn’t know why she was feeling guilty. His expressionless face gently loosened.

After apologizing several times in a row, Yuriel found herself comfortably hugged.

“I’m really fine, Yuriel. You’re the one who has to be careful as you’re still in the early stages of pregnancy. I’m sorry for startling you,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

What…?

◈❖◈

Yuriel opened her eyes while caressing her stomach.

She could only remember the last moment of her dream. She was pregnant with someone’s child, and…

But she couldn’t recall who had appeared and what conversation she had been having.

It’s my first time having a dream where no monsters appeared… Hm, is it the first time? I think I might have had a different dream on the train. 

Yuriel pondered over it for a while, but she ended up deciding to think of it as her first time as she couldn’t remember.

To think this kind of dream would be her first “normal” dream.

Yuriel remembered hearing that dreams were the manifestations of one’s desires. The only other person who knew about Yuriel’s prophetic dreams thought those were also an expression of some kind of desire and wanted to study her.

Yuriel cooperated, but in the end, they weren’t able to find out what it ultimately was.

So then, was this dream reflecting a desire to build a family? But she didn’t want anything other than being next to Raphlet.

Even if she was going to start a family, it would only be after Raphlet settled down and his own child was born. When the moment came that she could no longer support Raphlet, then her child would devote themself to Raphlet and his child.

Yuriel thought so while groping her flat lower abdomen and staring blankly at the ceiling.

“I see you’re up, but why are you touching your stomach….? Oh, come to think of it, you haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

“Sir Helio.”

“They said your body is all right now, so let’s eat first.”

Yuriel pressed her hands against the bed and raised herself up. Her long, loose hair trickled down. Roughly combing her hair with her fingers, Yuriel stuck her legs off the bed.

“This is where you’ll be living from now on, so I’ll give you a brief tour for now.”

“You’ll be guiding me yourself, Sir Helio? I’m fine with being guided by someone else if you’re busy.”

“I’m the best person for this task as I have to explain what I’ve arranged for you while you were out.”

All the pain Yuriel felt before she fainted was now completely gone. Excluding the fatigue from not being able to sleep well the past few days, she was in the same condition as usual.

Helio, who confirmed Yuriel was getting out of bed, took the lead and began to guide her.

The place where the Knights of Albraca resided was designed with intuitive and easily recognizable structures.

There were four paths that stretched out from the strategy office which was in the center. Helio walked on the path heading north and pointed his finger at a building.

“If you become Commander Raphlet’s personal maid, you’ll use that northern blue building. The knights and servants under his direct command all live there. The soldiers below them use a different building, but that’s information you don’t need to know, so I’ll skip it.”

As Yuriel listened carefully to Helio’s explanation, she sensed something strange.

“What do you mean by ‘if’ I become his personal maid…?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Ah, well, I can’t do anything if Commander Raphlet doesn’t want a personal maid. We can’t force him to do anything if he doesn’t want to, but you don’t have to worry. If you’re able to prove your ability, you can stay within the order regardless of whether Raphlet accepts you as his maid or not.”

Recalling how Raphlet tried to send her back at the train station earlier, Yuriel let out a worried sigh.

She felt stifled by the unfamiliarity of his cold way of speaking and demeanor. She couldn’t fathom what he must have gone through since joining the order that would cause him to look so expressionless like that. She had no idea at all.

Yuriel tried to forget that memory by changing the topic and forced a smile.

“Sir Helio, are you close with Raphlet? Since you both have the same rank, I assume you would have a lot of exchanges…”

“We aren’t close. We cooperate with each other solely for the sake of the operations, but our relationship isn’t one where we could casually talk and laugh with each other. Ah, but since Raphlet never smiles, ‘laugh’ would be an unnecessary word.”

Helio muttered coldly with a smiling face. Rather than intimacy, his face seemed to be full of hostility.

“If it weren’t for us both being in the same order, he’s someone whose face I wouldn’t even want to see. I’m not virtuous enough to have someone next to me who isn’t even like a human being,” he added, looking down at the blue stones laid in regular intervals.

At the clear rage coming from his voice, Yuriel unconsciously vented her dissatisfaction.

“What are you saying? Raphlet is just clumsy at expressing his emotions. You don’t know how warm and kind he can be, please don’t speak so carelessly about him when you don’t even know anything.”

“‘Warm.’ Well, I suppose if the kindness you’re talking about includes willingly sacrificing your own knights for a cause, that’s quite plausible,” Helio snickered.

On the surface, Helio gave off the aura of an upper-class gentleman, but underneath, he turned out to be no different from a scoundrel.

He was the type of person the people back at the Mogris territory told Yuriel to avoid. They warned her that she could run into trouble just by keeping such a shameless and flashy person next to her.

“He’s quite a warm person indeed.”

“He’s much more of a warm and kind person than someone who tortures a civilian to figure out how to predict the activity of monsters,” Yuriel shot back sarcastically, rubbing her lips.

She regarded Helio as an enemy. If anyone disliked Raphlet, they were an automatic enemy to Yuriel.

At the sight of her face–which hadn’t distorted even during torture–now suddenly marred by a frown, Helio let out a hollow laugh.

It was evident that this woman was a fervent admirer of Raphlet.

Helio was about to give some proper advice to this innocent, young lady who seemed to know nothing when a low voice came from behind them.

“Torture? What are you talking about?”

Yuriel’s face lit up at once, recognizing the owner of the voice immediately.

“Raphlet!”

She ran forward and hovered around him like a dog wagging its tail.

Raphlet grabbed her shoulder, moving her behind him, and stepped forward. As soon as he grabbed her shoulder, Yuriel’s face overflowed with emotion.

With Yuriel full of joy behind him, Raphlet addressed Helio in a sharp tone.

“Commander Helio. Did you torture Yuriel?”

◈❖◈

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Chapter 10 – Hierarchy
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

◈❖◈

“If you tortured Yuriel, regardless of the reason, I’ll have you punished immediately.”

“I didn’t think you’d use your authority in this situation. Even if it’s you, don’t you think it’d be difficult for you if you punished me?”

Though she had been delighted by Raphlet’s appearance, Yuriel became startled by Helio’s words, as if his words had burned her.

She pulled on Raphlet’s clothes. Yuriel didn’t care whether Helio received punishment or not; she just didn’t want Raphlet to be troubled.

Raphlet’s body didn’t seem like it would budge, but it was easily pulled by Yuriel’s tug.

“No, that’s not it, Raphlet. I didn’t mean that he actually tortured me, I was just exaggerating a little. I meant that his way of questioning was like torture, so there’s no reason for you to get angry!”

Instead of answering, Raphlet turned and calmly examined Yuriel’s body. When he moved her hair to one side to expose her neck, Yuriel felt a strange feeling she couldn’t explain.

As a rough finger grazed the back of her neck for a split second while brushing back her hair, her whole body tingled but Yuriel could only fidget her fingers in front of him. Meanwhile, Raphlet carefully examined her entire body.

“…I see you’re unharmed,” he then said, sounding reassured when he saw no marks on her.

“Yes, I told you.”

Fortunately, Helio’s method of torture left no visible marks on her body. Though the pain was still vivid in her memory, there was nothing amiss in terms of her physical appearance.

Yuriel frowned slightly at Helio’s gaze that was locked on her but continued.

“Raphlet, did you hear that I might start working here?”

“I heard.”

“Even if you don’t give me your permission, I’m still going to stay here in Albraca. I’m sick and tired of hearing that you’ve gotten hurt through the newspaper.”

“I’ll start replying to your letters from now on, so please go back.”

“Then, does that mean you’ve been receiving my letters this entire time and yet you’ve been purposely ignoring them? I thought the letters had disappeared in transit!”

Despite never receiving any replies, Yuriel had continued to send him letters.

As Yuriel voiced her complaints with widened eyes, Raphlet stealthily avoided her gaze.

“Raphlet, you really received my letters? Then why? Why didn’t you reply?”

The two continued their own conversation while completely ignoring Helio.

Helio was stunned by the sight of Yuriel swinging Raphlet’s arm. He had experienced the same feeling back then at the train station and when he had taken Yuriel under custody, but he still couldn’t believe it.

Raphlet, who seldom opened his mouth unless it was an important matter, was currently in the middle of a trivial scuffle with Yuriel.

It looked like he had no thoughts of pushing away the woman who was in the middle of dangling his arms back and forth. Rather, it seemed like Raphlet had naturally relaxed his arm to match her movements.

“Miss Yuriel wants to be your personal maid, Raphlet. It would be nice for her to temporarily work under you, at least until she can formally start working in the strategy office…”

“No.”

Yuriel’s face withered in disappointment. At the sight of her lifeless face and drooped head, Helio offered, “Then I’ll have her work as my personal maid for now. Miss Yuriel, this way you can stay in Albraca while you wait to get the clearance to start working in the strategy office.”

“Really? Then I’ll do that!”

Raphlet’s piercing gaze turned towards Helio—it was a gaze full of hostility, possessiveness towards Yuriel, and a dark desire.

Helio twisted his lips and grinned.

◈❖◈

Yuriel stood in front of the mirror in her new uniform, humming as she tightly braided her hair and fixed her collar.

The uniform was a much more sophisticated style than the one she wore back at the Mogris Grand Duchy. After snapping the buttons around her neck, Yuriel gave one last check over her uniform before leaving the room in contentment.

The room right across from hers belonged to Raphlet.

Raphlet had accepted her as his personal maid after Helio’s last remark. Yuriel didn’t understand why he had changed his mind all of a sudden, but she wasn’t complaining.

One good thing about being Raphlet’s personal maid was that the room she was assigned to was the closest to his, as it would make it easy for her to answer as soon as she was called by her master.

Having the honor of taking over the room across from Raphlet’s, Yuriel made an effort to calm her excited heart and calmly knocked on the door.

But there was no response.

“Raphlet, it’s Yuriel.”

It was currently 5 a.m. It was a relatively early time for one’s day to begin.

Around this time was when the dawn light of summer began to leak through the windows and into the hallway. Staring at the window shining with a bluish tint, Yuriel rummaged through her pockets.

After finding the appropriate key, Yuriel unlocked and opened the door cautiously before stepping inside.

It was a spacious room that was about four times the size of her own. But it felt a bit desolate as there was only a bed and a desk.

Yuriel felt suffocated at the sight of a room that didn’t seem to have any personal objects.

It had been over seven years since Raphlet began to live here after leaving the Mogris domain. But what in the world was this barren room?

Even the room Yuriel had temporarily used yesterday hadn’t been as bare as this one. Yuriel scanned the room with a choked breath. The bed was empty.

It seemed Raphlet had already left. Confirming that her master was no longer here, Yuriel began looking for the lamp.

After turning on the lamp, which was embedded with a magic stone, the room lit up as if it were broad daylight. Most of the items used in Albraca were studded with magic stones.

They weren’t difficult to use because she had seen them often in the Mogris mansion.

Yuriel began tidying up Raphlet’s room under the artificial light, but she became gloomy as there was nothing much to clean. Still, Yuriel kept organizing thoroughly and found a piece of paper lying on top of his desk.

[Rest when you’re done cleaning the room. You don’t have to do anything else. If you’re bored, you’re welcome to go out. Please use the money next to you to buy whatever you need.]

It was a note left by Raphlet.

And next to it, more than ten times the amount of money Yuriel had saved and collected all her life was laid down.

Yuriel glanced back and forth between the money and the room that lacked personal belongings before she finished cleaning and left the room.

◈❖◈

“Money? Why did you come to get it from me?”

The money Raphlet had left behind for her was put in a drawer next to his desk.

Yuriel, who had come to the East building that Helio used, found him in the middle of training. She held her hand out in front of him.

Helio frowned at her request to be paid the moment she saw him.

“I’m sorry, Miss Yuriel, but I’m not the one in charge of the maid’s salary.”

“You’re the only one I know, so I have no one else to ask. When I said you could let someone else give me a tour yesterday, you’re the one who told me you would guide me yourself. You have to take responsibility until the end.”

Helio instructed one of his subordinates to take over the training of the other knights and led Yuriel elsewhere.

“I don’t think the one in charge of wages is in yet. Do you have something you urgently need?”

“Yes. I’d like to put some furniture in Raphlet’s room. He likes to relax while reading books so I’d like to get a comfy chair for him to sit in comfortably, as well as a table for refreshments, and….”

“Miss Yuriel. Those are things you should discuss with Commander Raphlet, not me.”

“I can’t take up Raphlet’s time for something like this.”

“So you’re saying you don’t mind taking it away from mine?”

Yuriel didn’t want to be courteous to Helio, who had spoken ill of Raphlet, so she nodded unsympathetically and continued with a smile.

“And I’d like to take a look at the furniture myself, so I’d appreciate it if you could show me around the store yourself.”

“Why would I…”

“I don’t know anything about this place. Please come with me, Sir Helio.”

At her acerbic way of speaking, Helio wore a displeased look on his face and his mouth twitched. He opened his mouth with the goal of refusing, but Yuriel cut in before he could do so.

“Aren’t you curious about when I started being able to predict the approach of monsters? There’s nothing I can’t tell you if you agree to come with me.”

“Was there anything left that you didn’t tell me? In that case, let’s go back to the interrogation room.”

It was a casual tone of voice, as if he had just suggested going for a walk.

“I won’t tell you anything in the interrogation room, even if I’m on the brink of death. I won’t cover for you in front of Raphlet if you torture me again.”

“It seems Miss Yuriel wants to bully me. You must have really not liked it when I spoke ill of Raphlet?”

Yuriel straightened her lips at Helio’s question.

Staring at her expression, Helio gave a shrug and said, “If you can prove your ability, we’ll be seeing each other often. It’ll be difficult for both of us if we’re awkward with each other. All right, then. It’s hard for me to say that I won’t continue disliking Raphlet, but I suppose I can work towards having you understand me.”

After the long explanation, Helio then spoke in a firm voice, “Go back for today.”

“But…”

“Not today. Once we finish the monster subjugation, we can discuss it again once you’ve proven your ability. Your position right now is that of a maid, so even if you don’t like it, you don’t have the authority to refuse my orders.”

It was the high-handed attitude of a superior in the command of many people.

Yuriel was given no choice but to nod her head, unable to refuse the order given to her by the one who was above her in rank.

◈❖◈

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Chapter 11 – Reminiscence
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

◈❖◈

The site of the next monster subjugation was close to Albraca. It was a forest owned by the palace where hunting competitions for aristocrats were held in the summer.

Although monsters were reported in the area, the place did not need an urgent dispatch as there were no residents. However, it was heavily suggested that the hunting grounds be cleared before the upcoming hunting competition.

As a result, the other urgent sites were placed on the back burner and the hunting ground was chosen as the first subjugation site.

Yuriel didn’t even have time to adjust to living in the capital before she was chosen to take part in the subjugation.

Raphlet, who had been against Yuriel’s involvement to the end, was currently leading the knights at the front. Deep sighs escaped from his mouth whenever he saw her, as if he was displeased with her joining them.

Whenever she had to clean his room, which left the two of them alone, she felt his stinging gaze follow her every movement.

Ever since they had reunited, Yuriel had been unable to relax and unwind due to his cold-hearted demeanor.

“I see you know how to ride a horse,” Helio commented, approaching Yuriel who was frantically staring at Raphlet’s back.

“Yes, Raphlet taught me when we were younger.”

“When you were young… Then, that means it was before Raphlet joined the order, right? He was 14 years old when I met him. How old are you, Miss Yuriel?”

“I’m 21. I don’t know my exact age so I decided to go with the same age as Raphlet.”

“21…”

Helio was momentarily lost in thought, reciting Yuriel’s age.

“The same age as Raphlet…Were you born in the Mogris Grand Duchy as well?”

“I don’t have any memory of where I was born, but most likely?”

“How interesting.”

“What is?”

Yuriel, who had been watching Raphlet’s back the entire time, turned her head. She had to shift her gaze upwards as Helio’s horse was much bigger than her own.

As sunlight leaked through the trees and over his dark blond hair, Helio looked like an angel who had come down to save mankind.

Yuriel squinted her eyes as she looked up at the unrealistically beautiful man. If only he didn’t loathe Raphlet, she was sure they could have gotten along well.

Despite being the victim of torture on top of a dramatic first meeting, Yuriel didn’t hate Helio. Rather, she had a favorable impression of him, though she couldn’t explain why.

But it definitely wasn’t because of his appearance. In fact, rather than a saccharine appearance like Helio’s, Yuriel preferred a stoic face like Raphlet’s.

The inexplicably favorable impression came from his overall image. For example, the air about him.

She even had a strange experience back when they had been dealing with monsters rushing the train; her fear had vanished when she saw the figure of his back. The strange feeling had also contributed to her taking the gun without hesitation and even wearing multiple bombs around her neck.

Her determination to make sure one of Raphlet’s colleagues wouldn’t get hurt also played a big part.

Though she didn’t tell Helio, that’s how Yuriel felt.

Helio shot Yuriel a slight smile and continued in a low voice. “His skills aren’t the only reason he was able to become the First Division Commander after only 7 years.”

Of course, that didn’t mean his skills weren’t good, as Raphlet was quite talented.

“If it wasn’t for the Book of Prophecies, he most likely wouldn’t have been able to take the position of First Division Commander at such a young age,” Helio added. His voice was full of detest, and Yuriel gave him a side-glance.

“Book of Prophecies?” she asked, eyes sparkling like she had heard an interesting story.

“I can’t share any details as it’s not something that’s open to civilians.”

Yuriel’s face crumpled dramatically.

At the sight of her sullen face, Helio burst into pleasant laughter. It was loud enough to cause the knights around them to turn and stare at them.

“If you’re curious, you can join the order. Though you can only join if your ability is real,” Helio said.

“It is real.”

“Yes, yes. I’m looking forward to it,” he drawled.

Feeling strangely comfortable, Yuriel and Helio continued their conversation, throwing sarcastic remarks at each other.

The maid who worshipped Raphlet and the man who despised him.

They shouldn’t have gotten along, but for some reason, Yuriel felt more comfortable as their conversation continued.

Raphlet, who was riding on ahead at the front, cast a glance at the two who were talking excitedly amongst themselves.

Yuriel was leaning towards Helio, and the corners of her mouth were raised. The same was true for Helio, as his usually straight posture was slightly tilted towards Yuriel.

Appearance-wise, they looked quite good together. A woman with long, flaxen hair and a man with blond hair. In addition, their personalities were also probably well-matched.

A woman who approached everyone with a lively, unhesitant manner, and a man who was rather friendly to anyone–as long as they were not Raphlet.

The knight with an elegant and gentleman-like appearance stretched out his hand towards the maid’s hair. Without swaying even a little on top of the shaking horse, he took the leaf off her head with a mischievous look.

Helio dangled the leaf in front of Yuriel’s face, commenting on how it was a similar color to her eyes.

Yuriel stared at the fluttering leaf in front of her. Her big, green eyes blinked before creasing softly as she smiled.

Her carefree face held a smile as she mumbled her thanks.

It was like a scene right out of a romance novel.

The veins on the back of Raphlet’s hands bulged as he observed the sight.

The horse stopped with a loud neigh as soon as he roughly pulled on the reins. When the horse raised its front two feet high in the air and hit the ground, everyone’s eyes turned to Raphlet.

“We’ll make our temporary shelter here,” he said in a monotone voice. Raphlet’s gaze then shifted to Yuriel.

He, who had not spoken to her even once after she was confirmed to join the subjugation, called for her.

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel, who had been in the middle of a conversation with Helio, jumped off her horse without even saying goodbye and ran to Raphlet.

◈❖◈

Staring at the knights who were setting up the barrack tents alongside Raphlet, Yuriel was in awe.

Every time they moved, she could see the makeshift building being built well over the height of the knights. It showed that they had plenty of experience building these temporary barracks.

Temporary lamp posts embedded with magic stones were put up between tents. When everything was complete, rather than a camp for subjugation purposes, it looked more like a summer resort created by laid-back aristocrats to enjoy a night out.

The temporary lanterns had been requested by Yuriel.

She had asked them to make it easy for monsters to notice, like bait.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Raphlet asked Yuriel, who was holding a medicine bottle in her hand while staring at the finished tents.

It was a bottle containing sleeping pills that were temporarily prescribed to help her sleep before the monsters came.

“Because they’re not good dreams.”

There was concern infused in his rigid tone. Raphlet was well aware of Yuriel’s dreams.

There was no way he wouldn’t know, as he was the one who comforted Yuriel in his arms every time she trembled in fear after waking up from her dreams of being attacked by monsters.

Shortly after being saved by Raphlet, Yuriel had also slept many times in Raphlet’s room while avoiding the eyes of the grand ducal couple. She would hide in Raphlet’s wardrobe and run into his arms once he opened the door after all the servants left the room.

Raphlet would happily welcome and hold Yuriel in his arms and head for the bed.

Because they were about the same height back then, when Raphlet wrapped his arms around her waist to carry her, Yuriel’s toes would drag gently against the floor. Whenever that happened, Yuriel would hug Raphlet’s neck and bend her knees.

The wide bed had more than enough room for two children to lie down with their arms completely spread out. Yet they always laid in the middle of the bed, clinging to each other.

Raphlet would hold Yuriel in his arms as she clung to him and slept.

That was when the two were about 10 years old.

It had already been more than a decade since then.

Yuriel was now an adult and knew she couldn’t snuggle into Raphlet’s bed anymore.

Come to think of it, it was most likely that Raphlet already knew that Yuriel shouldn’t be in his bed back then.

The children of aristocrats received sex education early, as engagements were often set at a young age, so perhaps Raphlet was already fully aware.

Nevertheless, Raphlet had accepted Yuriel every night.

For Yuriel, who would be trembling in fear due to her dreams, he always made sure to keep the candle beside the bed from going out all night, and swept her back calmly.

Rubbing the medicine bottle, Yuriel raised her head.

If I were to be held in Raphlet’s arms now, my feet would no longer drag along the ground like they did in the past.

Yuriel thought so while staring at the figure of the man who was now well over her height.

But I don’t think I can be held by him anymore.

“I’m all right.”

For her, there was now something even more frightening than being torn apart and trampled by monsters in her dream.

The scariest thing for Yuriel was to hear that Raphlet received injuries without being able to see him.

◈❖◈

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Chapter 12 – It’s Okay, I’m Here
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

◈❖◈

Instead of sleeping inside the tent, Yuriel leaned against one of the trees and swallowed her sleeping pills there, claiming that her ability would only work if she slept while exposed to danger.

The effects of the sleeping pills lasted about two hours. For those two hours, Yuriel was left completely vulnerable.

The medicine was strong to the point that she wouldn’t feel anything even if she were stabbed by a sword. Yuriel fell asleep the moment she took the pills and was left utterly defenseless.

The knights glanced at the woman who was fast asleep against a tree.

The usual tension before a battle was redirected towards Yuriel. At first glance, a woman who was passed out with her neck exposed in a place of overflowing primal instincts seemed like easy prey.

“Don’t get too close.”

“Commander Raphlet.”

Raphlet, who was a little away from Yuriel’s side, blocked the cautious approach of a knight.

“No one is to approach Yuriel until she wakes up.”

“B-but wouldn’t it be too dangerous to leave her alone like that? The knights can take turns in guarding–”

“It’ll be enough with me alone,” Raphlet said in a subdued voice.

Intimidated by the fierce aura that spiked from Raphlet, the knight backed away.

“Yes, sir.”

And as soon as he did, the sharp aura radiating off of Raphlet silently subsided. Raphlet sent back all the nearby knights and stood by Yuriel’s side, guarding her alone.

◈❖◈

“Ugh…”

Rubbing her eyes, Yuriel raised herself upright and took out the watch she borrowed from Helio. The needle indicated that it was six o’clock.

She had taken the sleeping pills at 1 p.m.

Now, she was in the middle of a dream and the time was 6 p.m.

“Six o’clock.”

Yuriel repeated the time out loud and surveyed her surroundings. The tents that had been set up by the knights were intact and unharmed. It seemed that there was not yet a fight with the monsters.

She got off the tree she had been leaning on and cautiously looked around. There was no sight of any monsters.

After straightening her back and glancing around, Yuriel found traces of a monster left behind on the ground.

Footprints with claws split into two were sparsely scattered on the dirt. The marks were not there before she had gone to sleep.

“But why isn’t it showing up?”

Normally, a monster would come find Yuriel as soon as her dreams began. She would always end up dying helplessly and then wake up from the dream.

There were no exceptions.

Tracing the monster’s footprints with her fingers, Yuriel thought to herself.

Why isn’t the monster showing up? Or is it because I’m near the knights?

Yuriel swallowed in nervousness as she stared at the footprints that seem to lead somewhere.

If it’s not going to come out, then I’ll have to go and find it myself. 

She had a hunch that the important thing in this dream was the ending rather than the process. She would encounter the monster and the dream would end with her death.

Concluding her thoughts, Yuriel pulled herself up.

She had dreams of monsters coming to her before, but this was the first time she sought them out herself. Her lips dried up in nervousness.

Even though this was only a dream, she was tense as everything felt vividly real.

The rustling sound of leaves, the dwindling sound of grasshoppers, and the chirping of birds. As the traces of the monster thickened, the surrounding air began to feel increasingly chilly.

As Yuriel followed the footprints, she tried to memorize the direction she was going by reciting each step over and over again. She needed to remember so that she would know where to go once she woke up from this dream.

Following the marks, Yuriel guessed at the direction based on the drooping branches and small, blooming wildflowers.

As she reached her hand out to feel the features of a tree, she shifted her gaze and suddenly came eye-to-eye with a monster baring its blunt teeth.

The creature was three times her size.

The monster who had appeared without making a single sound, started to bring its nose closer to Yuriel while making a fiendish ‘kek, kek’ noise.

Yuriel stiffened. Her legs began to tremble with intense fear, and she held on by holding onto the tree next to her with both hands.

“Eu…”

A faint sob escaped from her mouth. At that moment, the monster drew back its large ears and let out a long, sharp cry.

Barely managing to hold back her tears, Yuriel took in the monster’s appearance.

Its eyes were located on the sides of its face and bulged out.

It looked quite different from the monsters she was used to seeing back in the Mogris domain. Most of the creatures there walked on two legs and had sharp, sword-like claws. Though they were much larger than humans, most of them still looked similar to humans.

But the creature in front of her was different. This monster looked more like a rat. It actually looked much more terrifying than a rat, but that was the best comparison Yuriel could make in regards to its overall appearance.

The monster rubbed its nose against her waist then curled its long tail around her.

Yuriel was startled by the grotesque tail that wrapped around her waist; it was a truly nasty-looking tail.

Her eyes welled up with tears again, but she wiped them away immediately.

The monster was on the move, and she needed to remember the way properly.

Yuriel had barely managed to memorize the path thus far, but she wasn’t sure if she could also remember this place.

‘This is too much…!’

It was because the monster went into a big den and wandered through tunnels, crawling on all fours, before arriving in the middle of a large cavity and released her.

It was pitch dark.

Trembling in fear, Yuriel felt something touch her back. She was pushed forward and before she could even move a few steps, something pushed her body forward again.

Kiiiiek, kiiiek. 

Yuriel recognized that there were multiple creatures surrounding her that were making a similar but quieter cry than the monster that had caught and brought her here.

This was a nest.

It was where the monster’s babies were and Yuriel was their prey.

A fear more terrifying than darkness weighed down on Yuriel. The only silver lining in this situation was that she couldn’t see her surroundings because it was too dark.

She didn’t want to know just how many little monsters were surrounding her.

But the moment Yuriel tripped over a rolling stone beneath her feet, the small creatures picked up on the sound and rushed at her.

◈❖◈

“Hic…!”

Yuriel awoke in horror, gasping for breath. Tears were pouring down her cheeks.

Her arms and legs trembled uncontrollably, her heart thumped violently, and her head throbbed achingly.

The feeling of multiple fangs ripping her body apart was still vivid and fresh in her memory.

She began to sob and was unable to speak, clawing at the dirt, and someone quickly rushed to her side.

Yuriel, terrified, pressed her back against the tree and scratched the ground while the person in front of her lifted her up and drew her into their arms.

“Yuriel. Yuriel, wake up, it’s just a dream.”

“Ra-Raphlet…”

“Yes, it’s me. Calm down. It’s just a dream. You’re okay,” Raphlet coaxed, gently sweeping his hand down Yuriel’s trembling back.

“Raph…Master…”

Buried in the arms of a man much bigger than she remembered, Yuriel clung to his body and burst into tears.

Raphlet embraced Yuriel with his entire body and comforted her.

“It’s okay. I’m here, aren’t I?”

Yuriel scratched pitifully at Raphlet’s back, which was too wide for her to hold with both hands, and burrowed herself deeper into his arms. Raphlet flinched for a moment when her body dug between his legs, but he couldn’t push her away.

Her trembling had yet to cease or calm down in the slightest. Letting out a low sigh next to her ear, Raphlet could only entangle one of his hands in her hair and pull her head tighter against his chest.

“Hic…Raph….”

Yuriel’s slender fingers on his back left ticklish sensations. Her waist, which stuck to his lower body, shook with anxiety.

Feeling his entire body react to the stimulus, Raphlet bit his lip and pulled her closer while raising her body slightly upwards.

It was an act done in order to not let his aroused state be caught, but the moment her lips touched the back of his neck, his reasoning almost flew away for a moment.

Raphlet was beset with an impulse to stab himself in the thigh. It was going to be dangerous at this rate.

Not for him, but for Yuriel.

Her hot, damp lips tickled his nape as she called out for him.

Yuriel was too fear-stricken to notice Raphlet’s tense state. His strained pectoral muscles raised and lowered laboriously due to his aroused state.

Lifting her body so that she wouldn’t graze his stiff member, Raphlet continued to console her.

“….You’re safe, Yuriel,” he said in a raspy voice, making an effort to ignore his body’s vulgar reaction.

She would be safer if she wasn’t by his side. Raphlet had yet to learn how to remain calm while having her close by.

“You’re safe…”

Raphlet repeated, almost as if he was saying it to himself, and hugged her tighter.

When the time comes where he would be confident that he wouldn’t automatically be driven into an aroused state when Yuriel was in front of him, was when he planned on keeping her by his side. He had been working towards that goal, not wanting to shock Yuriel–who worshiped him–with his immodesty.

But it had been all for naught. The moment he felt her breaths, all of the sexual desire he had been suppressing till now burst out.

It felt like everything that he had struggled to build up for the past seven years was falling apart, but Raphlet quashed his urges and simply stroked her head.

“It’s all right, Yuriel….”

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T/N:
Some translated comments from Korean readers:

– “Dying by getting ripped apart and eaten by baby rats T_T….I’d be so traumatized after just one of those dreams, the fact that she’s still sane is amazing.”

– “Ahhh Yuriel ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ She might lose her sanity if she keeps having those prophetic dreams.”

– “Raphlet seems very healthy…heh.” 

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Chapter 13 – Hindrance
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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Raphlet raised himself up carefully while holding an unconscious Yuriel in his arms.

He had forcibly knocked her out, unable to watch her cry to the point her breathing became erratic. It was clear that she would have fainted due to the lack of air if he let her be.

His heart ached when he saw that her tremors after a dream were more severe than they were in the past.

This place was full of things that posed a threat to Yuriel: monsters that appeared frequently, Raphlet himself, and not to mention Helio, who was showing interest towards her.

Helio’s interest was particularly unwelcome.

Raphlet breathed a heavy sigh and moved Yuriel to his tent. After carefully brushing aside the hair that clung to her wet cheeks, he lit several candles so that she wouldn’t wake up to a dark tent.

As the artificial light of the magic stone-embedded lamp wouldn’t help calm her nerves, Raphlet had chosen to light the candles instead.

He swept his hand through her hair roughly, then gently rubbed her forehead with his thumb. He only stood up once he saw her wake, an embarrassed expression on her face.

It seemed his decision to light the candles had been the right choice, as Yuriel scratched her cheek sheepishly, glancing around the candlelit room before giving him a bright smile.

Just the sight of her relaxed expression almost made him inadvertently smile, but he quickly caught himself.

This incident only convinced him further that he needed to send Yuriel away.

◈❖◈

Yuriel’s head cleared after waking up from a sleep in which she didn’t have a single dream. Every time someone gently swept her hair, her breathing evened.

Taking slow breaths, Yuriel scratched her cheeks bashfully when she found a pair of golden pupils observing her.

She recalled that she had been crying in Raphlet’s embrace before she had passed out and the memory of him comforting her.

She always thought the most terrible thing would be to hear about Raphlet getting injured. But she was embarrassed and ashamed for showing him such a state–quivering in fear due to something that was only a dream.

“Sleep in my tent tonight. You’ll also feel more at ease if you sleep here,” Raphlet said with a worn-out face. His tone was a cold contrast to the warm touch of his hand that had stroked her hair.

“But…”

“If you appear restless like that in front of the knights, you’ll only intensify their nerves. If you want to help, please stay in my tent today.”

“Yes… I’m sorry, Raphlet.”

Although she wanted to stay outside to make use of her ability more accurately, she couldn’t refuse him. Recalling how Raphlet had been comforting her, Yuriel became sullen and apologized.

At the sight of her drooping shoulders, Raphlet’s hand flinched–as if he wanted to reach out to her–but soon sank, unable to approach Yuriel when she was awake.

With her shoulders still slumped, Yuriel pulled out her watch.

“Oh, it’s already five o’clock. Raphlet, it was six o’clock when I met a monster in my dream. We’d better move fast.”

“It’s fine. Don’t you think it would be better for you to rest a little more?”

Yuriel shook her head and got out of bed.

“No, I’m fine now,” she answered sincerely. She genuinely felt all right to the point where she was surprised at how okay she felt.

It almost felt like a lie how she had shuddered so much before passing out. It was most likely because of the touch of his hand.

Yuriel thought so, frowning as she lowered her gaze to stare at Raphlet’s fingers.

She had been able to calm down as soon as his hand had touched her.

◈❖◈

Yuriel continued to stare at Raphlet’s fingers as they moved to the tent where Helio was waiting for them.

When Raphlet–who noticed the intense gaze directed towards his hand–clenched his fist, Yuriel regrettably lost her focus.

Raphlet pulled up the cloth of the tent with his hand, waiting until Yuriel passed under his arm before lowering the cloth back down behind him.

Confirming that there was no one else other than Helio around, he stepped forward into the center. This tent was specifically set up for planning strategies and was thus equipped with maps of the hunting grounds, large tables, and small flags to mark the locations of the monsters.

Helio stood before the map of the hunting grounds and welcomed them.

“I’m not sure if you were able to get a good night’s sleep, but I’ve been waiting to hear some good news. Do you have any to share?”

Unlike how he talked to Yuriel when she first came here, Helio didn’t have a playful expression. Instead, he pressed her with an expectant look.

He looked at her as if he believed their whole situation would change based on what she had to share.

Yuriel recounted her dream to Raphlet and Helio. The map was still hard to read, so she explained by drawing the path on a piece of paper that was on the large table.

As she fumbled to the location where she first encountered the fiend, Helio–who had been listening quietly–raised his hand and stopped her.

“What were some of the features or characteristics of the monster?” he asked sharply.

“Its body was thick, and its toenails were rather blunt. Its eyes bulged out, while its body was covered with fur… Oh, it also seemed to be quite sensitive to sound.”

“I see. The monster you encountered is a monster that nests underground. Its eyes developed that way to collect as much light as possible while living underground. It makes a nest by digging a hole in the ground, similar to a mole. The creature isn’t hard to deal with as long as we’re able to find the entrance to its den,” Helio explained, nodding his head. Identifying the shape and form of a monster was the first thing to do in a subjugation.

“In fact, while you were asleep, we sent a couple of knights to check for tracks. We ended up getting the same response from them.”

She wasn’t disappointed, as it was what she had expected. Yuriel had yet to figure out how to utilize her abilities herself, so using her ability as a reference while letting the knights handle it as they’ve always done was advantageous for Yuriel as well.

If the knights hadn’t gone out and found traces of the same monster she had seen, she would have been a little hesitant while making her claim.

But because Helio confirmed that the knights had seen the same indications, Yuriel was convinced that she had seen correctly.

It was reassuring to hear that the traces the knights had found were similar to those she had seen in her dream.

Yuriel gained confidence and continued. She knew the location of the nest entrance that Helio mentioned. She began to feel that there was a benefit in having to endure the experience of getting ripped apart by the monster’s offspring.

“I also confirmed the location of the den’s entrance in my dream. Sir Helio, were the knights also able to find the entrance?”

Seeing Yuriel say so with her chin proudly raised, the ends of Helio’s mouth curved upwards.

She looked confident, as if she was sure she could prove her use. The look of confidence was quite good to see.

Helio shook his head slowly. The nest was the place the monsters wanted to hide the most to protect their young from humans.

It was their greatest weakness.

They would have made the entrance of their nests difficult to find in order to shelter themselves from the eyes of humans.

In truth, it wasn’t difficult to track the entrance of this specific monster, but Helio didn’t interrupt because he needed to confirm Yuriel’s ability.

“No, they couldn’t find it. Could you guide us, Miss Yuriel?”

“Yes, of course.”

Yuriel nodded confidently. Yuriel smiled and turned to walk out of the tent, saying that she would guide them. But Raphlet, who was sitting next to her, grabbed her wrist the moment she was about to brush past him.

“Isn’t it enough to figure out the nature of the beast?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s more than enough for you to remember and write down what you saw as you did just now. Please stay back here in the barracks with the other knights.”

“No, I have to go with…”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Commander Raphlet, we need to confirm Miss Yuriel’s abilities. What’s the point if she doesn’t show us the way herself?”

“To start with, it’s wrong to use Yuriel’s dreams for our advantage. Our knights aren’t so weak that we need help from a civilian. Finding the entrance to the cave isn’t a difficult task, either. What I’m saying is that we don’t need Yuriel’s help.”

The ends of Yuriel’s lips sank when she heard his matter-of-fact explanation.

“Rather, it’s more of a hindrance. If she has a fit like that after every dream, it would only make the knights feel uneasy.”

“A hindrance…” Yuriel repeated Raphlet’s words with a pale face.

“Are you going to cry that way every time you find out where the monster is? While hoping for someone to calm you down?”

Unaware that she had a breakdown, Helio looked over Yuriel attentively and said, “First of all, why don’t we check if Miss Yuriel’s dream is correct and then discuss more afterward? The majority of monsters that burrow and hide themselves carry out attacks at night. It’ll most likely attack tonight because we’ve plowed through the forest, so it would be best if we find its den and dispose of it beforehand.”

Helio pulled out Yuriel’s hand from Raphlet’s grasp.

“It’ll be too late by the time the knights find the entrance. Please lead us there directly, Miss Yuriel.”

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Chapter 14 – Ruthless
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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The place Yuriel led them to was indeed the monster’s den, its entrance wide open and waiting for them.

Though it was obvious that it was her first time in this place, Yuriel found her way easily, navigating through the forest like it was her own home. She cast a proud smile in Raphlet’s direction, but he was looking at the den with a grave expression.

“Is that really the monster’s den?”

It seemed he had been hoping for her ability to be proven wrong.

The knights who went to survey the entrance came back and confirmed that it was indeed a den belonging to a monster. They then set fire to the entrance and efficiently disposed of the beasts that came out as they tried to escape.

Watching from a safe distance under the protection of one of the knights, Yuriel tried to suppress the feeling of disgust that rose up.

The sight before her was nothing but a ruthless slaughter.

She found something odd as she glanced at the knights’ movements and asked the knight beside her, “Why aren’t they destroying the monsters’ cores? Don’t the monsters only lose their strength once their core is destroyed?”

“You’re right. In critical situations, we choose to destroy their cores. However, their cores are also a powerful source of energy. There’s no other energy source that’s stronger than their cores, so when we’re able to subdue a monster completely, we collect their core instead of destroying it.”

“Then, the energy that supplies power to the train…”

“Yes, the train also relies on the core of a monster for power. In fact, the core it uses is from a strong monster that Commander Raphlet defeated himself,” the knight said proudly.

“The same is true for the clock tower and drawbridge. They were the biggest attractions in the capital before they became the victims of terrorist attacks. The view of the bridge opening up and the boat passing below it was so popular that people would keep track of the time in order to see it. Though it’s just a simple bridge now that the core is gone,  it was also built using the core of a monster that Commander Raphlet hunted.”

“Oh, that’s right, I heard that terrorist attacks are frequent in the capital?”

“Yes. You never know when or where you might get caught in an explosion, so it’d be best for you to be careful, Miss Yuriel.”

“I understand. Thank you for your concern.”

Yuriel nodded calmly, but in her heart, she felt a sense of uneasiness rising up.

Monsters didn’t die unless their cores were destroyed. She witnessed too many times the sight of a monster constantly regenerating and attacking humans.

If they weren’t destroying the cores and using it as a power source instead… Didn’t that mean the monsters could revive at any time?

Her eyes followed one of the cores that the knights were moving. Its size was about the size of an adult’s face, and there were still traces of a monster stuck to it.

It looked like the monster had tried to regenerate itself while still attached to the core, but ultimately failed.

The blood remaining on the core was particularly eerie.

For a moment, Yuriel thought it might have been fortunate that a terrorist attack destroyed the clock tower and drawbridge.

◈❖◈

Yuriel’s ability had been proven.

After accurately predicting the location of the den, Yuriel officially became a member of Albraca’s strategy office.

It was already the third subjugation since she had joined, and Helio was very satisfied, as there had yet to be any injuries or deaths.

However, Yuriel was becoming noticeably thinner and weaker by the day.

Unlike her dreams in the past, which ended quickly after a monster appeared, it was extremely stressful to endure dreams in which she also had to actively search for the monster before getting killed by them.

There were times where Yuriel would abruptly wake up in the middle of the night, turn on the lamp in her room, and curl in on herself on the bed. But after learning that the lamp was powered by a monster’s core, she couldn’t bring herself to use it, and would stay up all night.

It was unclear how he knew she would be in such a state, but at those times, Raphlet calmly entered her room, lifted her in his arms, then carried her to his room.

Laying on his bed, Yuriel was able to calm down and regain her composure as she watched him work till dawn.

“Didn’t I say it would be dangerous?” he would occasionally say to her as he sat in front of his desk after lighting several candles.

Hugging her knees to her chest, Yuriel tilted her head and countered, “What do you mean? I’m not hurt at all though?”

Raphlet turned slightly to examine her face before letting out a sigh. It seemed she didn’t understand what he meant. He shook his head and told her to go to sleep.

And so, like this, Yuriel barely managed to get some sleep. Before she knew it, it was already time to leave for the next subjugation.

The fourth subjugation had begun.

◈❖◈

Heading towards the subjugation site on her horse, Yuriel was lost deep in thought.

As she accompanied the knights on the subjugations, she continued to encounter monsters and consequently death in her dreams.

Though it was only natural for her to die helplessly when faced with an enemy she couldn’t overpower, a sudden question came to mind.

Were monsters really beings she couldn’t fight and win against?

‘If I’m able to subdue the monsters, how would my dreams end?’

What would happen if she were to blow up the monster’s den after she discovered it in her dream? Or what if she shot a monster with a gun?

As Yuriel continued to ponder over the possibilities, she saw Helio standing not too far away and walked over.

“Sir Helio.”

Helio became noticeably friendlier as they spent time together during the last three subjugations. Though he didn’t like how she was close to Raphlet, his behavior seemed to reflect how he still wanted to treat her well since her ability was useful.

He greeted her as she approached, eyes crinkling.

“What is it, Miss Yuriel? Are you bored?”

“No, that’s not it. You’re the last person I would choose to joke with even if I was bored. Rather, I was wondering if you could provide me with a gun and some explosives before I take the sleeping pills this time?”

Helio tilted his head, frowning at her request.

“Are you planning on sleeping while armed?”

“If it’s not too dangerous.”

“The gun won’t be dangerous if you put on the safety lock, as for the explosives… Well, it should be fine as long as they’re not lit… But would they be of any use in your dream?”

“Wouldn’t it be useless if you can’t use it?” Helio muttered, looking straight ahead. Re-examining Yuriel’s words, he nodded his head after another moment of thought.

“The gun would do you more bad than good since you don’t know how to use it. I’ll just prepare a couple of explosives for you instead.”

“Hm… I might get caught in the crossfire if I use bombs. Would it be possible for you to provide me with just a gun instead?”

“No, I can’t. Once this subjugation is over, I’ll teach you how to use one. Once you’ve learned how to use a gun, I’ll provide you with one. But until then, you’ll have to wait.”

Yuriel nodded regretfully. Helio was right. If she was caught early on by a monster after rushing in with a weapon she didn’t even know how to use, the chances that her dream would end before she could even find the den was high.

As always, Yuriel’s role was to be the bait.

◈❖◈

Her bottle of sleeping pills had already dwindled to half of its original amount. Although Yuriel was told it wouldn’t be good to take too many, it wasn’t easy for her to be able to fall asleep willingly, knowing that she’d end up having a dream where her life was always in danger.

Dipping her feet in the small lake behind the campsite, she swung her feet absentmindedly. It was already nearing the end of summer.

Helio came over and sat down roughly next to Yuriel, who was staring blankly at the sky.

“Once this subjugation is over, there’ll be a short break.”

“I see. It’ll be nice to relax.”

There was a momentary silence as Helio stared at the sky like Yuriel, but he soon opened his mouth to speak once more.

“Miss Yuriel, did your fits after dreaming get any better?”

“Well…”

“It seems the answer is no.”

During the last subjugation, Helio had been the one by Yuriel’s side instead of Raphlet, as the latter was temporarily absent due to being called away by the temple.

Helio had been completely taken aback when Yuriel–who had experienced getting torn to shreds by a monster–woke up screaming.

She eventually had to be sedated by a medic as her screams showed no signs of ceasing. While under the effects of the sedative, she had barely managed to give the details regarding the monster she had seen in her dream before passing out.

When she had woken up again, horrific screams followed.

At a loss of what to do, Helio had pulled her into his embrace and tried to comfort her. But it had all been in vain, as Yuriel hadn’t been able to calm down in the slightest until Raphlet held her.

It was only once she was in Raphlet’s arms that her breathing had managed to start evening out.

For some strange reason, when Helio saw the two of them like that, he felt like his place had been stolen.

It had been quite bizarre.

He noticed Yuriel’s legs were thinner than when they had first met. She had originally been thin, but perhaps it was because she suffered through many hardships during the last subjugation that her legs dangling in the water of the lake looked pitifully frail.

“What are you looking at like that?”

It seemed he was staring at her legs too obviously. Yuriel covered her legs while shooting a side glance at him, but Helio simply gave her a smile and passed her a large towel.

He had seen Yuriel playing in the water and had purposely come to give her this.

Receiving the towel, Yuriel patted her legs dry. Her white legs looked even paler under the sun.

She lowered her skirt, which had been pulled up to her knees, and was in the middle of putting on her shoes when she suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, but I think I found a solution now.”

“A solution to your breakdowns?”

“Yes, though it’s a little embarrassing…”

“Well, now I’m curious. What is it?”

Gathering her legs and wrapping them in her arms, Yuriel turned her head towards Helio, her loose braids hanging off to the side.

◈❖◈

Yuriel fidgeted with her sweet, cream-like hair with her fingers as she awkwardly spoke, “If Raphlet touches me while I’m sleeping… I’m able to wake up feeling a bit more comfortable.”

Helio opened his mouth slightly in surprise at the unexpected answer. In fact, he wasn’t able to close it.

Yuriel stood up with a pout on her face and continued, “That’s why… Today, I’m going to ask Raphlet to keep touching me.”

“…But are you sure you’re okay with that, Miss Yuriel? You’re going to let him touch your body however he wants while you’re asleep…?”

“Yes, but it’s probably a bit too bothersome, isn’t it? Asking him to stroke my hair for two hours, I’m sure it’d just be a nuisance for him…” Yuriel muttered sheepishly.

“Ah, your head… No, that should be fine. He’s a knight after all. Tell him to touch you as much as you want.”

Gaining courage from Helio’s words, Yuriel ran off to find Raphlet.

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Chapter 15 – Dacryphilia
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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“‘Touch me,’ you say…” Raphlet muttered as he stared at Yuriel. She had fallen asleep in front of him, utterly defenseless.

Her shy request to him before she fell asleep gnawed away at his mind. He didn’t know it could be this difficult to stay rational while staring at her slumbering form on the bed, which tilted slightly with the addition of his weight.

“Did you say if I touch you, monsters won’t scare you?” he asked in a low voice.

But having entered into a deep sleep after taking the sleeping pills, Yuriel did not respond to any of his questions.

Two hours.

For the next two hours, no matter what Raphlet chose to do, Yuriel would remain asleep. Moreover, she had requested that he please touch her during those two hours.

She had essentially revealed her neck to the fangs of a predatory beast.

“I’m the one you should be afraid of, not the monsters.”

Even a monster would be better than Raphlet, who was overwhelmed with a desire to bite and swallow her up every time he saw her.

He wanted to see her crying while pressed under him; he wanted to grab her slender waist, open her up, and penetrate her.

It was a dirty, filthy desire.

He knew that her interior would satisfy him like no other.

His hand, which was large enough to easily strangle her if he wished, moved carefully. Raphlet tentatively undid her buttons as if he thought he might tear her clothes if he didn’t act with care.

“I don’t think this is what you meant when you asked me to touch you,” he muttered, self-mocking in his voice as he finished unbuttoning her shirt.

Round shoulders, soft skin, and an alluring body that seemed like sweet juice would flow out of if he sunk his teeth in.

Raphlet took off the upper undergarment that covered her chest and stared at her body for a long time. When he brushed aside the braided hair that was spread out across her chest, her bosom was completely exposed, from the curve of her breasts to their peaks.

Raphlet placed a hand on her body like he was possessed.

Yuriel let out a small groan when he pressed on her flat stomach. A red imprint remained on her skin, as if he put in a little too much strength.

As soon as he released his hand, Yuriel’s stomach steadily rose up and down with her breathing. The same was true for her chest.

With each inhale, her breasts rose up for a moment before sinking back down.

Leaning over her with a hand on her waist, Raphlet quietly observed her sleeping figure.

“Ungh…”

A low moan escaped from her mouth as if the fingers stroking her stomach tickled her. The sweet sound of her voice prompted him to bend and lower his body.

◈❖◈

“Aaaahh, ngh…”

Raphlet clung to Yuriel’s chest, not caring how his position looked–his upper body was bent over dramatically.

Massaging the soft skin of her breast with the palm of his hand and pinching the towering peak with his fingers, the skin glowed red from his ministrations.

But its twin was in a more serious situation. After being sucked on heavily by his mouth, the nub glistened with his saliva.

He fondled her breasts to his heart’s content, gathering them in his hands, pinching them with his fingers, and grazing them with his teeth.

A sense of satisfaction that he had never experienced until now settled in his stomach. He drank in her body like a man possessed, ignoring his twitching member.

Her breasts, stomach, and beautiful curves. He liked everything about her too much.

He lifted one of her legs and fought back a groan.

“Damn it.”

He could see her soaked underwear. Her body had reacted to his suckling.

Trembling with excitement, he stroked her underwear, which was no bigger than his hand. Placing her leg back down, he stripped her of the obtrusive fabric in one swift movement.

“Shit…” he cursed as he rolled her skirt up to her waist before lowering his head.

As soon as he placed her slender thighs over his shoulder, the apex of her thighs was revealed. The movement caused her most private place to open up slightly, which he placed his lips on.

“Haaa…”

When he swiped his tongue over her moist folds and pressed on her protruding nub, a sweet moan spilled from her lips.

Holding her trembling thigh with one hand and keeping it secure on his shoulder, Raphlet began to move his tongue impatiently. Every time he pressed down and brushed against her sensitive bud, more juices dripped from her lower entrance.

Giving the nub another lick, he then used his teeth to nibble on it gently, careful not to make it painful.

“Aahhh–!”

Though she was still fast asleep, her entrance, as well as her thighs, trembled violently while still pressed against his tongue.

She had climaxed.

He lowered her legs back onto the mattress and wiped them with a towel. Though the sheets had been spared, the skirt she was laying on had gotten a little soiled from her release.

He lifted her lower body slightly and laid a towel underneath.

When she had reached her peak just a few moments ago, he had pushed a finger into her parted lips and pressed on her tongue. Pulling it out now, he found it completely coated with her saliva.

After rubbing her lips with the thumb on his other hand, he took the wet finger he had taken out from her mouth and placed them over her lower entrance.

“Aaah, ngh…”

“I’ll touch you as you requested.”

He parted her folds with his fingers and then gently inserted one, letting out a sigh of content.

The inner walls squeezing his finger were hot. Though he had only inserted his middle finger, her walls quivered and clenched around it so tightly.

When he pressed down on her sensitive bud with his other hand, they tightened around his finger even more, releasing it for a moment before tightening over and over again.

Raphlet’s attention was concentrated on her entrance, where the tightening and loosening motions were repeated whenever the stimulus on her bud was applied.

When he slowly pulled out his finger and tried inserting another finger with it, it elicited a groan from Yuriel’s mouth.

At the sound that seemed to signal pain, Raphlet lowered his head and sucked on her breast again. With double the stimulation, her tense entrance loosened automatically.

Confirming that her body had relaxed, he rubbed her inner walls with his fingers, stretching her out a little before calmly pulling out.

“Ahhh, hngh…ngh!”

As he began pumping his fingers, it evoked louder noises from Yuriel. Sloshing sounds from his fingers moving against her slick folds filled the room. The noise of wet flesh slapping as they met sounded overly salacious.

When he raised his head from her chest, he saw tears spilling from the corner of her eyes.

He found the sight of her slightly scrunched eyelids and nose to be beautiful.

When he saw her back arch, he pressed her back down with one hand, and moved the other hand with his fingers inside her even faster.

“Aah, ahhhh–!”

As her body was held down by Raphlet’s palm and unable to move, it was pathetically stretched out on the bed. Her legs became tense, and her toes stretched out as she rode the waves of ecstasy while letting out suppressed moans.

“Hnghh.”

The muscles of her inner walls convulsed, clamping down on Raphlet’s fingers. Feeling her tremors, Raphlet paused his fingers and observed her attentively.

He slowly pulled his fingers out once her inner walls stopped twitching, confirming that she had calmed down.

His entire hand and wrist were completely drenched in her fluids.

Raphlet climbed on top of her and took out his stiff and neglected member. Gripping himself with the hand that was wet with her juices, he began pumping himself roughly as he stared down at her face, which was still flushed from her climax.

Not long after, he reached his own high and spilled his release over her stomach.

◈❖◈

Yuriel awoke from her dream feeling refreshed.

A monster had definitely appeared in her dream, yet she hadn’t felt afraid at all.

“Raphlet, I think it really was effective! I’m not scared at all.”

“…That’s a relief.”

“As expected, nothing can scare me when you touch me. I liked it, but it was probably bothersome for you, right?” she said, starting off lively and bright before dampening.

She glanced warily at Raphlet, twitching her lips, before adding in a listless voice, “I’ll do my best to hurry and get adjusted so that I won’t get scared even without your touch, so please help me just until then.”

“It’s not a bother.”

“Really?”

“It’s not a difficult task either, so you don’t have to be so sorry.”

Hearing his answer, a broad smile settled over her features and she made to get up, moving her legs to the edge of the bed.

But her face grew red when she felt something wet between her legs and stuttered, “R-Raphlet, um. I’m sorry, but could you go out, first? I’ll be o-out in a second, just need to straighten my clothes.”

Did my menstruation cycle start? It’ll be troublesome if it leaked and stained Raphlet’s sheets. 

Raphlet nodded quietly after scanning her face for a moment. He didn’t press her with any questions and left the tent wordlessly. Yuriel watched the figure of his leaving back, waiting until he completely left before jumping out of the bed.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t blood. Her underwear was damp with the wetness that came as a result of excitement.

“I m-must be crazy…”

Yuriel held her cheeks and released a long groan.

“Why am I like this all of a sudden, in the middle of a monster subjugation no less?”

Patting her hot, reddening cheeks, she quickly changed into a new set of underwear and exited the tent.

Raphlet was waiting for her right outside the tent with his arms crossed. Bumping into his wide back as soon as she came out, she looked up at him and gave him a sheepish smile.

◈❖◈

T/N: Dacryphilia – aroused by tears or sobbing

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Chapter 16 – Core
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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“So… Er, did Commander Raphlet touching you help?” Helio asked, unable to withhold his curiosity.

“Yes, very.”

As someone who had witnessed her screaming and trembling after a dream firsthand, it was hard for him to not be surprised.

He scrutinized her face. Even after giving him the information relating to the monsters from her recent dream, Yuriel’s face looked completely fine.

It didn’t seem like she was lying, as she genuinely looked all right. In fact, there was a shine to her face, like she had woken up from a very deep and pleasant dream instead.

Feeling his gaze, Yuriel met his eyes and gave him a bright smile. There was also the fact that Raphlet’s complexion looked strangely good as well, which left a bad aftertaste in Helio’s mouth.

Both Yuriel and Raphlet’s faces were glowing.

No matter how he saw it, Raphlet’s face didn’t look like the face of someone who should have a sore arm from stroking someone’s head for two hours.

It was suspicious. Helio was well aware of when men had that particular look on their faces.

But apart from his personal grievance against him, Helio was also aware of Raphlet’s finicky personality, so he didn’t think anything intimate happened between them, however…

“You must have been worried about me, Sir Helio,” Yuriel interrupted his thoughts, smiling at him.

It was an innocent and pure smile, as if she had completely forgotten about how they had fought over their clashing views of Raphlet.

As he stared at her smile, Helio had an inkling as to why Raphlet’s face slightly seemed to hold more human emotions as of late.

◈❖◈

Just like Helio had said, a short break was given to all divisions after the latest subjugation. It was around the time Yuriel finished her fourth subjugation and the season was transitioning into autumn.

The efficiency of the subjugations had increased as there were no casualties since Yuriel started participating and they no longer wasted manpower unnecessarily, but there was no automatic solution to the fatigue that piled up from successive battles.

The only thing that could help everyone’s exhaustion was rest. In consideration of the heavy fatigue that burdened the knights after consecutive subjugations, a month-long break was granted.

Even though it was officially a break, it could still end at any moment.

If a monster appeared in the capital or if there was a site that needed an urgent dispatch, all knights had to return to their posts. As a result, all members of Albraca were prohibited from leaving the capital during their break.

“Am I really getting my own gun, Raphlet?” Yuriel asked excitedly. They were currently in a building that was mostly devoid of any other individuals. Though Yuriel took part in the subjugations, she didn’t participate in the training sessions.

It would be a miracle if she could even hold a sword with both of her hands, let alone slice the belly of a monster. Fortunately, the newest weapon developed before Yuriel joined the order was suitable for her to use.

It was a new weapon that was only issued to commanders. Ironically, it wasn’t very efficient for commanders to use. Its range was short and its firepower wasn’t much. As a result, it was of little help to commanders who mainly fought in close combat. It was faster for them to draw and swing their swords than to pull out a gun and aim.

But it was something that would be of considerable help to Yuriel.

Raphlet loaded the gun he had received from Helio and said, “You’ll be given one after you’ve gone through and pass the necessary training. If it looks like you can’t handle a gun properly, then we can’t give you one.”

All the guns that had been issued to Raphlet were of considerable size, inevitably forcing him to lower his head to Helio in order to obtain the smallest gun they had. He handed her this gun after setting up the targets.

“How’s the weight?”

“It’s manageable. I think I can comfortably sh–”

“Don’t point the barrel towards your body. And don’t ever point it towards other people either.”

“Oh, is this the barrel?”

“Don’t look in it!” Raphlet shouted, flabbergasted.

He reached over and took the gun back from her when he saw her staring down inside the barrel, with her finger on the trigger.

He then released the safety device, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger. A loud shot rang out throughout the empty training ground.

Raphlet explained in a gruff voice, “Though it’s not often used by commanders, it’s still a weapon. You can easily blow off a man’s head or a monster’s with this. There have been cases where people have accidentally shot themselves in the foot or hurt the people around them.”

That target plate he aimed at had traces of bullets piercing through it.

“Ah, I guess so…”

“Have of you ever used one bef… No, of course you wouldn’t have.”

“Yes, I’ve only seen and heard about it. But Sir Helio easily pointed this at other people’s heads. I see he wasn’t supposed to be doing that.”

Noticing her curious hands wandering near the gun, trying to touch it, he pushed them away before continuing. “After you fire, the barrel will heat up considerably. Be careful not to touch it.”

“Yes.”

Firing until he used up all the bullets, he stopped Yuriel when he saw her trying to load it.

“When it comes to using a gun, your body’s overall strength and stamina play a key role. Go and take a lap,” he said, face expressionless as he lowered his gun. Though she had seen many knights running laps around the training grounds, this was the first time Yuriel had ever gotten an order to do so herself.

She was dumbfounded.

“Right now? You want me to go run a lap?”

“If you don’t return under three minutes, you’ll get one more lap. Start.”

“W-Wait.”

Yuriel became flustered and Raphlet took out his watch, as if to show her that he wasn’t joking. Seeing the second hand of the watch begin to move, she hurriedly put her gun down and ran, only to be stopped by Raphlet’s stern voice.

“Why are you leaving your gun behind? You need to get used to its weight, so it should be a given that you should always carry it with you when you’re running.”

Yuriel, who had only taken about five steps, returned with a teary face and grabbed the weapon.

“Does the t-time start now?”

“30 seconds have already passed.”

“That’s unfair, Raphlet!” she shrieked as she ran around the training ground.

As he watched her run off without looking back, he lowered the hand holding the watch.

The corners of his mouth crept up into a smile when he saw her running hard.

After her training, Yuriel was sprawled out on the ground, stretched out without a care for her appearance. After running, she had been forced to do sets of push-ups and sit-ups.

She thought her stamina was relatively good due to her maid lifestyle of waking up early in the morning and going to bed late, but exercising like this was a whole different story.

After using muscles that she normally didn’t exert to this extent, it felt like her body was screaming.

Immediately after push-ups, she had to fire her gun, run at full speed, and then load the gun again.

The training ended only when the sun went down. It had been so intense that she wondered if it was even necessary to go this far. Her thighs and arms were particularly sore.

Lying down and looking at the sky, Yuriel dusted off her clothes before she raised herself to sit upright. Meanwhile, Raphlet was cleaning and reassembling the gun she had been using.

“It’s important to stretch your muscles, so please come to my room after you take a bath and I’ll show you how,” he said.

Yuriel quickly rose to her feet when she saw him rise with his bag. Since he had been helping her train in this place full of dirt and dust, it was obvious he was planning on washing up as well.

If that was the case, then she didn’t have time to be loitering here like this.

One of the duties of a personal maid was to prepare her master’s bath and assist with their bathing.

It was a given that the maid skillfully prepare what was needed before their master even asked. It was also important to identify their master’s individual tendencies because each person had different likes and dislikes.

As for Raphlet, he was not someone who would snack on something while taking a bath, nor was he someone who would request a massage.

Thus, all that was needed was a servant to aid him in washing his body.

Returning to her room, Yuriel changed out of her dirty clothes, washed her hands, and tied her hair up before heading for Raphlet’s bathroom.

It seemed he wasn’t here yet.

Using her finger, Yuriel first checked the temperature of the water she would use to fill the tub. In the Mogris duchy, the maids had to manually fetch and boil water to fill the bath, but here, there was a faucet where purified water poured out from with just a simple touch.

The bathroom attached to her own room was equipped with this luxurious device as well.

In order to maintain the warm temperature of the bath, she adjusted the faucet so that a little bit of hot water trickled out continuously. She then got up and placed a towel next to the tub.

The door opened when Yuriel finished up all the preparations.

Raphlet, who was about to come inside, stiffened when he saw her.

“Come in, Raphlet. I finished preparing the ba–” Yuriel welcomed him warmly, but stiffened herself, though it was due to a different reason.

It was because she saw something odd embedded in his solid chest.

“Leave,” he said stiffly, naked from the waist up.

“Wait, Raphlet. Th-that scar on your chest…”

“I said leave.”

He forced her out by pushing her out of the bathroom.

Yuriel gaped like a fish out of water, eyes blank as she recalled what she had just seen.

It had looked like something was lodged in his chest.

Yuriel turned back around, fists unclenched, but she saw that the bathroom door was closed.

That something in his chest was definitely a core of a monster.

◈❖◈

T/N: dun dun dun.

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Chapter 17 – Book of Prophecies
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

◈❖◈

A monster’s strength was based on the size of its core; the smaller the core, the stronger it was. The concentrated power in a larger core was weaker and thus easier to destroy. On the other hand, a smaller core was more cohesive, making it harder to locate in the monster’s body.

Helio had explained to Yuriel once before that the toughest monster the knights had faced was one that had a core the size of a finger.

The size of core she had seen embedded in Raphlet’s chest yesterday seemed to be around that–

“Miss Yuriel!”

Yuriel was absorbed in thinking about Raphlet when she was suddenly scared out of her wits.

Helio was staring at her with a displeased expression.

Raphlet had disappeared after Yuriel discovered the core, but he didn’t forget to entrust Helio to oversee her training the next day.

“I came to help with your training because Commander Raphlet asked me, but what are you doing? Even if you don’t like that I’m the one teaching you today, please try to focus at least,” Helio said sharply.

He had come to help Yuriel with her shooting drills, as she was eager to train even during their official break.

“If you keep being unable to focus, then I’ll just leave. It doesn’t seem like you want to practice.”

At the sight of Helio coldly saying he would go back, Yuriel quickly grabbed the end of his shirt and explained herself.

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I’m sorry, Sir Helio. There was something bothering me… I’ll stay focused from now on.”

Helio frowned when he saw her looking so lifeless.

It was only a few days ago when she had exclaimed that she was no longer scared even after encountering monsters in her dreams. Helio could still vividly remember her beaming expression that day. Yet, the face she was making today looked rather glum.

She looked troubled.

He placed the gun back in its bag and gave it to her.

“Sir Helio….”

Thinking that he was going to leave, Yuriel gave him a pitiful look.

Helio shook his head. “I’m not leaving, so you don’t have to look so sullen.”

“Then why did you put the gun away? Were you not trying to say that today’s training is over?”

“Well, it’s true. I am stopping training here today, but I’d like to listen to your worries. What’s on your mind?”

Yuriel stared at him, hesitant. Even if he said that he’d listen to her worries, it didn’t mean she could just freely share what she had seen yesterday.

‘A monster’s core is embedded in Raphlet’s chest.’

Yuriel didn’t want to imagine what horrible events might happen if she revealed what she had seen.

What if Raphlet was trying to get rid of it? What if it was a secret from the rest of the knights?

Helio crossed his arms as he stared at Yuriel, who had yet to say anything and only sighed. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her glance up at him for a second, her lips twitching, before she lowered her head back down and let out another long sigh.

‘What’s wrong with her?’

When he had passed by the training grounds the other day, she looked like she was having a hard time, but her expression had been fine. Thus, it didn’t seem like the cause for her current troubled expression was because she found the training hard.

Come to think of it, Helio recalled how Raphlet’s expression had looked somber just like Yuriel’s when he had abruptly come to find him last night.

‘He asked me to oversee her training because he needed to go to the alchemists’ tower.’

Helio didn’t want to grant Raphlet’s request, but he couldn’t ignore the situation when it involved the alchemists’ tower.

There was only one reason why Raphlet would go to the alchemists’ tower in the middle of the night. It meant that there was something wrong with the core in his chest.

Raphlet was the alchemists’ precious test subject.

He was the sole knight who survived without any problems after getting a core implanted into his body. He was someone who fit the descriptions of the ‘Saint’ recorded in the Book of Prophecies.

The alchemists were able to conduct research and experiment on his body, hence they treated him very preciously, while the higher-ups at the temple shielded him because they viewed him as the ‘Saint’ in the prophecy.

The imperial capital itself was the same. Raphlet had thrown away his title as the heir to the Mogris duchy and had come to the capital by himself. A man who was of nobility but held no greed for power. Was there anyone better than him?

Moreover, even if he was the ‘Saint,’ they could get rid of him if he ever became a threat under the pretext of a subjugation dispatch, and he would be hailed as a hero for eternity.

Raphlet had left for the tower, though there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with his body, and Yuriel, who had stuck to him all day long, was acting strange.

Helio racked his brain, trying to make sense of the situation by considering what Raphlet and Yuriel’s relationship was like these days, and came to a conclusion.

‘Did he get caught?’

He was certain that Yuriel must have seen the core in Raphlet’s chest.

And Yuriel was acting like this because she had probably viewed it in a bad light and became full of worry, unable to share what she had seen.

Helio decided to take her somewhere she could freely share what was plaguing her mind

“Miss Yuriel, do you remember me mentioning the Book of Prophecies?”

“Oh, yes, of course. You riled me up, saying that I wouldn’t be able to read it since it’s not something that can be revealed to civilians.”

“I don’t think I was rubbing it in, but I guess I won’t have to explain it again since you remember.”

“What?”

“You’re not a civilian anymore. Follow me, I’ll take you to see the book.”

“Right now? All of a sudden?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Ah, no, I want to see it.”

Yuriel forgot about her worries as she automatically replied to his unexpected offer. Helio took the lead as he gestured for her to follow him by tilting his head.

◈❖◈

The Book of Prophecies was held at a strictly guarded location. They had to pass through four doors, all of which had guards, before they finally arrived at the library.

The book that Helio showed her was one that didn’t seem to be very old. Though it did look rather shabby, it didn’t look like something that was passed down through multiple generations. It looked like it was ten years old at most.

It was all handwritten and didn’t even have a cover. It looked damaged, not from old age, but simply because it hadn’t been cared for.

“A ‘Book of Prophecies hidden from the public’ aside, it just looks like a mess,” Yuriel said to Helio, who had put on a pair of gloves before touching the book. The book’s state was too embarrassing to even call it a collection of prophecies.

“It’s because we didn’t know it was a book full of prophecies at first. Who would view a book filled with unrealistic nonsense to be important? Everyone thought they were just scribbles.”

Next to him, Yuriel calmly stared at the pages as Helio carefully flipped through them, and began to think.

Rather than a book, it seemed more like a collection of scribbles. In fact, weren’t these just scribbles?

It was hard to make out some of the letters because there was dirt smudged on the pages here and there.

And wasn’t that blood? Yuriel scrutinized the book, eyebrows drawn together.

The crooked handwriting looked like it belonged to a child.

Unable to hide her curiosity, Yuriel asked, “When did the contents of this book start being regarded as prophecies?”

“Less than ten years ago. I believe the contents were written about a decade ago as well, but a considerable amount of events written in the book have already occurred. Its value as a book of prophecies has been more than proven.”

“Hmm.” Yuriel nodded her head as she examined the writing. The handwriting seemed familiar for some reason. She knew someone who had terrible handwriting like the one used in this book.

She didn’t think there would be anyone else with such awful handwriting, but the book before her proved otherwise.

Perhaps it was because she had trained herself to read the chicken scratch of her acquaintance in the past, but she found the scribbles in the book to be easy to read.

As Helio turned the pages, Yuriel found the words she was reading to be familiar. Some of the big incidents that Yuriel remembered reading about in the newspaper were mentioned here.

It seemed this really was a book of prophecies.

“Huh? Why are these pages blank?” After Helio stopped at a certain page, the pages following it were blank.

“It looks like there was a page ripped out too.”

There were clear traces that a page had been ripped out. It looked like it had been taken out in a hurry, as there was an uneven section with tear marks.

Though there were some letters left on the ripped section, it wasn’t enough for one to deduce what the contents could be about.

“Yes, and there was a big commotion because of that.”

“You make it sound like you’ve seen it before?”

Helio shrugged his shoulders and laughed, but didn’t answer her question. He lowered his gaze to the book. “The prophecy written on this last page has yet to happen. The prophecies are all written down in the order they occur so–”

“This is the last prophecy?” Yuriel interrupted.

“Well, if you say it like that, it sounds quite serious.”

“By any chance, it’s not talking about a final end, is it?”

Helio let out a chuckle. “If such a scary thing was written down, I wouldn’t have shown it to you, Miss Yuriel. Why don’t you give it a read yourself? They’re words fairly filled with hope.”

Yuriel lowered her gaze, following his finger.

“Hold a monster? What does this mean?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. What do you think?”

Yuriel’s eyebrows knitted together as soon as she read the prophecy.

[Worship the one who holds a monster.] [1]

That was the first line.

Furrowing her brows and re-reading the line over and over again, Yuriel inhaled sharply when she came to a sudden realization.

“Is this…”

Wasn’t this referring to the monster core in Raphlet’s chest? It seemed to fit what the line said about holding a monster.

Prophecies tended to be ambiguous, so it sounded quite plausible.

Yuriel quickly read the rest. There were several lines that said to worship and protect the one who holds a monster, the ‘Saint.’

The words expressed that as long as the ‘Saint’ is worshipped, monsters would never surpass humans.

Yuriel was further convinced that Raphlet was this ‘Saint’ when she read the very last line:

[The ‘Saint’ will come to Albraca on their own, so wait for that time.]

Hadn’t Raphlet entered and joined Albraca of his own volition!?

◈❖◈

T/N: [1] The word for ‘Hold’ was ‘품다’ which can hold several meanings: Embrace, Carry, Hold, Bear, etc. I decided to go with ‘Hold’ because it seems to be the most flexible/ambiguous.

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Chapter 18 – Devotion
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

◈❖◈

Yuriel glanced sideways at Helio after reading the last line.

She thought she knew now why he had decided to show her the Book of Prophecies so suddenly.

“…Do you already know?”

“Know what?”

“Raphlet… On his chest, er…”

Yuriel hesitated as she wasn’t completely sure. But now, Helio was certain what was troubling her.

“It seems you did see it. Yes, Commander Raphlet received a monster core implant.”

“Implant?! I didn’t see it on him when we were younger, so I thought it just suddenly appeared. What do you mean, implant?!” Yuriel exclaimed. “Is it safe to implant a monster core in a human? Did it cause any problems for Raphlet?”

“It’s sticking a core of a monster into a human being, so of course there’d be complications,” Helio calmly replied.

There was no way anyone would be fine after getting the core of an evil monster embedded into their skin. Those who did receive an implant either died, had the specific body part with the core amputated, or lived with their body permanently changed due to the monster’s poison.

Most ordinary civilians died, unable to handle the core, but it was a different story for well-trained knights. Though they could not embrace a core entirely without negative side effects like Raphlet, they were able to survive.

“However, Commander Raphlet is the exception. It didn’t cause any detrimental side effects for him. Rather, it made him stronger. After receiving the monster core implant, Commander Raphlet became more powerful,” Helio said conclusively, rubbing his shoulder.

“I told you before, didn’t I? That Raphlet didn’t become the First Division Commander because of sheer skill alone.”

Slight weariness reflected on his face. Helio turned his head so that Yuriel wouldn’t see his cold gaze as he continued to explain. “They say he’s someone who must be worshipped. Even if he dies in battle one day, I’m sure he’ll still be praised as a hero.”

Yuriel, whose thoughts were full of concern for Raphlet, caught Helio’s strange tone.

His eyes were focused elsewhere, not wanting to reveal his inner feelings to her. Yuriel glimpsed at his side profile and thought he resembled a block of ice at that moment.

Scrutinizing his frigid expression and the way he subconsciously rubbed his right shoulder, Yuriel confidently said, “I see you also received an implant, Sir Helio.”

“…How did you know?”

Helio turned to look at her when he heard the voice full of certainty. She gestured to his shoulder.

“You’ve been touching your shoulder since you first brought up the implants. Your posture is the best out of all the people I’ve seen. You don’t carry out any unnecessary movements, which is why I thought you may have a core implant on that shoulder.”

“I didn’t know you thought of me in that way, thank–”

“Ah, of course, by ‘everyone’ I mean everyone excluding Raphlet.”

Yuriel knew Helio wasn’t one to execute any wasteful movements, yet he had been uncharacteristically rubbing his shoulder since earlier.

He hadn’t received any wounds during the last subjugation, so it was strange for him to touch his shoulder as if he was caressing an injury.

She was going to pretend that she hadn’t noticed, but she couldn’t let it slide when he started to show his distaste when talking about Raphlet.

Helio looked back at Yuriel with heavy eyes for a moment before tilting his head down. He drew back his uniform slightly, revealing his darkened shoulder.

In contrast to Raphlet’s unblemished skin, Helio’s skin had turned black like a monster’s. And what was embedded on the skin looked to be a shard of a monster core.

It was a sharp fragment, different from the whole and intact shape of the one in Raphlet’s chest. Helio’s skin had turned into its current state after having just a small piece of a core implanted.

“After Raphlet’s body experienced a physical upgrade after receiving an implant, I was also forced to undergo an implant experiment. The result… Well, it is as you can see. Though my physical strength did indeed increase, it’s not exactly something I can be happy about.”

“Is that why you hate Raphlet?” Yuriel asked.

“Of course not. It’s not like he’s the one who implanted it in me.”

“Then why do you dislike him so much?”

Helio rubbed the foreign fragment on his shoulder before adjusting his uniform.

“How can I like someone who sacrifices the knights who follow him? You need more than two hands to count the number of knights he has used as bait thus far.”

“That… I’m sure it’s because he was cornered and had no choice but to make a sacrifice–”

“It’s not something you can speak about, Miss Yuriel,” Helio coldly interjected as he finished adjusting his collar.

Though she wanted to defend Raphlet, Yuriel couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Helio was right. It had only been six months since she entered Albraca, and she didn’t have a deep relationship with the knights, either. Helio did, as he had spent a long time with them; hence, he had more of a right to speak for them.

If Yuriel had to choose between a strategy that would result in Raphlet receiving a serious injury versus a plan that would result in several knights losing their life, she would pick the second option without hesitation.

As someone who thought that way, it wasn’t right for her to defend Raphlet in front of Helio right now.

Even when she heard Helio share how Raphlet was sacrificing their knights, the only thing Yuriel felt was relief at the fact Raphlet hadn’t gotten injured.

She didn’t have much of a reason to think deeply about matters that didn’t involve Raphlet.

As soon as she closed her mouth, Helio closed the glass plate that encased the Book of Prophecies. He took off his gloves, and the two began to walk out of the library.

◈❖◈

As the two made their way out, Yuriel reflected on herself.

She didn’t have any memories from before she was eight years old, but she didn’t think much of it since it was a time from before she met Raphlet.

Yuriel had met Raphlet at the age of eight. She had been ambushed by a monster in a forest within the duchy and was ultimately rescued by Raphlet. He hadn’t hesitated to throw himself in between the monster and a girl he had never met before.

The time she spent with Raphlet following that incident were some of the happiest times of her life. But after she had turned fourteen, time seemed to pass awfully slow.

She still shuddered from time to time whenever she recalled the period when she spent her days just waiting for him to return.

Since she was bound to have attacks following her dreams regardless of where she was, it was much better to be with Raphlet than anywhere else.

Moreover, unlike in the past, she now found a way to prevent her breakdowns: All she needed was Raphlet by her side. Then, she was able to feel safe even if she was getting ripped apart by monsters in her dreams.

But there were times when she felt troubled, because she didn’t just feel a sense of security. She also felt a sensation similar to what one would feel during an intimate relationship between a man and a woman. As she calmed down in the safety of Raphlet’s strong arms, her body would flinch, and her chest would itch.

He was the only one in her eyes since long before. She wasn’t able to stop herself from reacting to Raphlet’s body, which had changed into that of a grown man’s. She poured each and every emotion she had into him, so there was no way that feelings of passion or lust wouldn’t be included.

But of course, Yuriel had no thoughts of telling him that. Her desire for him would pass eventually, so she didn’t want to make it difficult for him.

Raphlet had always been, and would always be, someone who was virtuous and perfect.

The only thing Yuriel needed to do was stay by his side and make sure he didn’t sacrifice himself as a hero.

Walking beside her and seeing her absorbed in thought, Helio called out to her. “Miss Yuriel.”

He wore a slightly weary expression.

“Did you know that Raphlet entrusted me to oversee your training for the next week? Thanks to that, my vacation schedule has become a mess.”

“A week?” Yuriel asked with widened eyes. She thought Helio was only teaching her for the day, but it was actually a whole week?!

The price for trying to aid Raphlet in his bath without his permission was awfully cruel.

Helio twisted his lips when he saw her sulking.

“It seems you’re disappointed as well. Since we’re on the same page, what do you say about trying our best to lessen our disappointments during this next week we have together?”

“Huh? How? If you want to lessen my disappointment, Sir Helio, the only way to do that would be to let me see Raphlet,” Yuriel remarked, tilting her head.

Helio gave her an exasperated look, shaking his head.

“All right, I’ll let you see Commander Raphlet.”

“Really?”

“But you need to give me something as well, Miss Yuriel.”

“Hmm, is there anything I could give you? The only thing I could offer is being your maid… Do you perhaps need one? I can serve you wholeheartedly for a week, Commander Helio.”

Yuriel’s demeanor changed immediately after Helio mentioned he would let her see Raphlet.

“Ha-ha, that’s unnecessary.”

Helio let out a light chuckle at the sight of the woman who was grabbing onto his arm with an innocent expression.

Though he didn’t like Raphlet, he found that he didn’t mind Yuriel, liking her more than he thought despite how she practically worshipped Raphlet.

It was just that she followed one person unconditionally.

Even earlier, when Helio told her that Raphlet was sacrificing their knights, she still only thought of Raphlet. Helio had no doubt that if Raphlet told her he harmed someone, she would probably ask him if he was injured anywhere first.

To think she’d have so much affection for someone who wasn’t even her family. To be quite honest, Helio was a bit jealous of Raphlet.

“I’m really good at my job. From the moment you open your eyes to the moment you close them, I’ll assist you flawlessly, Sir Helio!”

“I have many maids. Instead, how about you think of something that only you can do for me, Miss Yuriel?”

“Something only I can do?” Yuriel lowered her head, eyelashes fluttering as she mulled over his words.

Seeing her so seriously absorbed in thought, Helio decided to help.

“Tell me about the times you and Raphlet spent together when you were both younger. Even better if you can tell me about some of his weaknesses.”

As soon as she heard the word ‘weakness,’ Yuriel shook her head in distaste.

“Nevermind, I can wait a week. Compared to the seven years I had to wait before, a week is nothing.”

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T/N: So there was a line from chapter 2: After carrying out successive battles against the monster forces, Raphlet’s body was far beyond the common person’s

The raws actually said successive battles and experiments, but I took out experiments because I thought the author was just emphasizing his victories and not actual experiments… But no, they literally meant experiments, oof. This author leaves a lot of vague/ambiguous hints, with the answers coming wayyy later, so I suggest you guys pay attention to even the littlest details lol. I’m going to try my best to leave things ambiguous where they’re supposed to be ambiguous, and if it’s needed, I’ll make these little clarification edits.

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Chapter 19 – Sugar Daddy
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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The two had eventually been able to come to an agreement.

Helio would guide her to Raphlet, and in exchange, Yuriel would share some stories relating to her time at the Mogris duchy.

“I think I drew the short end of the stick in this deal, no?” Helio commented with a languid smile. But Yuriel didn’t hear him, too busy taking in the sights of the city for the first time.

Numerous buildings that didn’t exist in the duchy, a large fountain, stone paths, and trolleys. There were people casually getting on and off the slowly-moving trolley, and there were even four-wheeled cars going to and fro on the stone path–they weren’t relying on horses!

It felt like a whole new world.

Yuriel knew the capital city was advanced, but she didn’t think it’d be this different from Mogris. The main type of transportation in Mogris was still horse-drawn carriages. The four-wheeled cars and trolleys here were things she was witnessing for the first time.

Due to its short summers and long, harsh winters, Mogris was always full of tension. It was Yuriel’s first time experiencing such a lively place.

On the surface, the capital looked to be quite peaceful. She had heard that there were many terrorist attacks and monster appearances, but the faces of the passersby didn’t show any semblance of fear.

“Miss Yuriel, you should look forward while walking,” Helio said, grabbing her arm when she bumped into someone.

“Do you want to explore a little first? It’s your first time coming out to these streets.”

Yuriel pressed her lips, face flushed. She did want to look around, but she also wanted to find Raphlet.

“Commander Raphlet won’t be going anywhere, so it’ll be fine even if we go a little later. So how about it?”

“Then, can we…look around for just a little bit?” she asked.

“Of course,” Helio said gladly, causing Yuriel’s face to brighten instantly.

Helio scanned their surroundings and began to explain, “The street we’re on now is a street near the temple. Its atmosphere is a bit different from the streets near the palace or the alchemists’ tower… Wait for me, Miss Yuriel.”

“Sir Helio, what is that tower way over there?”

“That’s the alchemists’ tower. It’s where many skilled alchemists are gathered, doing research. That’s also where Commander Raphlet should be right now.”

“Alchemists…” Yuriel mumbled as she stared at the high tower.

“They research and conduct a variety of experiments on the cores we retrieve.”

Yuriel felt uneasy. Just hearing that they had thought of embedding a core of a monster into the body of a human being, alerted Yuriel that those alchemists definitely weren’t sane.

When he saw her slanted lips, Helio spoke in an understanding tone. “I can’t really say they’re good people, but they do occasionally make decent inventions here and there. Like the guns,” he said with a shrug.

“I don’t think you can really say those guns are that great of an invention either,” Yuriel commented.

“Why not?”

“You can’t guarantee that there aren’t other people like you, Sir Helio, who use it to threaten people. But maybe if you’re like me and only use it to face monsters,” Yuriel teased, eyes crinkling.

She smiled as she mimicked the way he had threatened her with a gun on the train to the capital.

Helio laughed and countered, “You should know that humans are more frightening than monsters. When you face a scary opponent, you should use a scary weapon.”

“Ah, I just remembered something when you said ‘scary weapon.’”

“Hm?”

“The torture room,” she said, blinking as if the memories had suddenly come to mind.

Helio lightly corrected her words. “You mean interrogation room, not torture room.”

She ignored him as she continued, “I wasn’t questioned, but tortured, so it was essentially a torture room. What was that glove you wore when you came back in at the end? Was that a torture device as well?”

A troubled look washed over Helio’s features.

“Yes. It’s something that inflicts pain if the palm of the glove makes contact with someone’s skin. It’s made out of the skin of a monster.”

“I see. I now completely understand what you meant when you said humans are scarier than monsters.”

Yuriel shot him a petulant stare, while Helio furtively avoided her gaze and mumbled, “I had no choice back then. It was clear that you had some kind of ability, Miss Yuriel, but you weren’t revealing anything at all.”

It was hard for Helio to deny that he had crossed a line back then. He had pressed her too hard despite knowing that she was just an innocent civilian, not a terrorist.

“But I’m still thankful that you didn’t tell Commander Raphlet about that incident.”

Yuriel shook her head and let out a sigh. She relaxed her scrunched brows before pointing to the store in front of them. It was a boutique with lines of mannequins dressed in feminine attire.

“What kind of store is that?”

“Looks like they sell clothes for women.”

“I see,” Yuriel said, staring at Helio intently.

“…Do you need clothes?” he asked, catching on when he sensed her gaze.

“Well, it’s true that I didn’t bring many clothes with me from Mogris. I left in a hurry, so I only brought a few light summer clothes, which are inappropriate for the current weather,” she commented cryptically.

Helio let out a sigh and nodded. “I understand. All right then, look around as much as you want and if you see anything you’d like, feel free to get it. I’ll pay for everything.”

“As much as I want?”

“Yes. However much it takes to make up for my wrongdoing back then.”

“I think you’d have to buy this whole store for me then,” Yuriel said gravely.

Recalling her experience back then, her body had been fine, but it felt like she almost died. That was how painful it had been. And if she hadn’t responded, wouldn’t she have been tortured in another way?

At her troubled expression, Helio replied, “All right.”

“Huh?” Yuriel tilted her head, arms crossed. Helio smiled before pulling her arm, leading her to the store she had pointed to earlier.

“…Sir Helio, do you have a lot of money?”

“Enough to be able to buy you a couple of stores, Miss Yuriel.”

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“Raphlet was the same… Are commanders paid that well?” Yuriel asked with a dazed look, stepping out of the boutique she had gone into with Helio.

When they had first walked into the store, Helio had called for the owner and casually told them that he wanted to take over the store. Yuriel couldn’t help but say her thoughts out loud.

‘Are you crazy?’

Helio had given up on buying the store when he had to steady Yuriel, who looked like she was on the verge of collapsing then and there. Instead, he arranged it so that she could come and stop by whenever and buy whatever she wanted while she was employed in Albraca.

Finding even that to be excessive, Yuriel wondered if maybe she had provoked Helio a little too far.

“What else? Is there anything else you need?” Helio asked her.

“I’m not sure…”

“You’re quite frugal, Miss Yuriel.”

Yuriel received quite a shock from how Helio spent money in ways she never could have imagined.

The people she had been acquainted with in the past were all those of similar status: all commoners. To them, money was something they saved in order to endure the cruel winters. If they didn’t have money, they couldn’t buy firewood, and without firewood, they would freeze to death.

When Yuriel saw Helio spending all that money–something the commoners in Mogris treated as preciously as life–it felt like she was watching it burn up in flames.

With Yuriel shaking her head in front of him, Helio rubbed his chin with his hand. He let out a sigh as he commented, “I think you’ll need some new shoes and hats, as well as accessories… Miss Yuriel, do you have an interest in rings or necklaces? I think they’d look good on you.”

“Not really, since they would get in the way during work…”

“But you don’t even do maid work. Though you’re right, it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear a ring when using a gun. Then, how about you look around for some necklaces or hats?” Helio said, staring at her lifeless form. His tone wasn’t really asking her, but rather deciding for her.

Helio grabbed her hand, not giving her any time to turn it down. It seemed he was fully intent on making up for his past transgressions with money.

“Do you have any thoughts of piercing your ears? It’s quick and simple.”

Yuriel quickly shook her head, letting herself be dragged away. Create a hole in the body Raphlet had saved? Absolutely not.

Maybe if Raphlet pierced the hole himself.

“No, at least not until I receive Raphlet’s permission.”

“You need permission for that? You may have entered as his personal maid, but that’s something you can decide for yourself.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then again, it’s none of my business. Do as you’d like,” Helio muttered with disinterest.

When a store suddenly caught her eye, she pointed and asked, “What’s in there?”

“Which store–ah, that place…”

Helio furrowed his brows when he identified the store she was pointing to.

Unlike the stores with fancy signs or lights, it was a store with black curtains covering the windows. Though it looked like an empty store at first glance, if one looked closely, they could see the long curtains shifting slightly–as if there was someone inside, moving.

With the curtains fully drawn, it seemed the store was aiming to attract the least bit of attention, when in fact, it seemed to stand out even more for that very reason.

Helio glanced at the store that lacked a single sign, lights, or any kind of decoration with a troubled look before pulling on Yuriel’s arm, leading her past the store.

Yuriel looked back at it several more times, but Helio guided her interest elsewhere. He told her how there was nothing good to come out of showing interest in that place.

She wondered what kind of store it could be.

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T/N: I was told I’d be a coward if I didn’t title this chapter as coughSugarDaddycough

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Chapter 20 – Green-Eyed Monster
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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“I’d like to go to where Raphlet is now.”

“Already? When we haven’t even looked around half the street yet?”

Yuriel nodded her head tiredly and Helio acquiesced.

“All right, well, with this much I think I’ve made up for my past wrongdoing–”

“Yes, yes, you’ve made up plenty,” Yuriel quickly replied. At this rate, she felt like she would end up indebted to him if she continued to let him drag her around.

Dressed in considerably fancier clothes than when she first stepped out, Yuriel let out a sigh.

“Look at all this,” she began, pointing to all the items he bought her. “This is more than enough.”

“In my eyes, something’s still lacking, though…” He trailed off.

Helio had a keen eye for aesthetics. As he had often moved about the palace since he was young, he had a sharp eye for not only men’s attire, but women’s as well.

Though he had dressed up Yuriel from head to toe, he still found areas that could be improved.

“It would be good for you to eat more, Miss Yuriel,” he remarked after giving her a thorough lookover.

Yuriel’s body looked pitifully thin. She probably had no idea how frail her wrist looked when she held a gun.

“I think Raphlet has been worrying about me as well, so I’ve been making an effort to eat more lately,” she replied. Raphlet’s name spilled from her lips ever so casually.

Helio quipped back in a slightly displeased tone, causing the amicable air between them to die down in an instant. But he quickly came to his senses and changed the topic, “The fastest way to the alchemists’ tower is this way.”

“The river?” Yuriel asked.

“We can cut across by riding on a boat,” Helio explained as they made their way towards the dock. There was a crowd gathered in front of the large boat, and quite a few people recognized Helio like he was a famous figure.

Instead of buying a ticket, Helio flashed his Albraca crest, and they were able to board the boat right away.

“There’s no need for any knight of Albraca to buy a ticket. Because we often need to get around the city quickly, we’re allowed to board as long as we present our badges. If it’s a more urgent issue, we can even borrow a smaller boat. Keep this all in mind.”

Though she didn’t think anyone working in the strategy office like herself would have a reason to know about such a thing, Yuriel told him she understood.

Helio took a seat on one of the chairs on the deck and said, “Feel free to rest until we arrive.”

“Can I look around?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“Then, I’ll be back after exploring a little!”

“The wind is pretty strong. Leave your hat with me before you go, Miss Yuriel.”

Yuriel left the hat Helio bought for her with him and turned around. The large boat that was capable of carrying several hundred passengers slowly began to take off.

She leaned against the railing and took in her surroundings. She was able to see the capital in its entirety.

There were two roads that split around the palace, leaving it in the center. One led to the temple and the other to the alchemists’ tower. By taking on the shape of a triangle, the city was linked but also independent at the same time.

It was completely different from the Mogris duchy.

Mogris was located in the center of a thick coniferous forest, with the castle in the center of the territory. Its overall shape made it obvious to anyone that the most important place in the duchy was the castle. But here, in the capital, it was hard to tell which place was the most significant.

At first glance, it would seem the street leading to the palace would be the most important, but if you were to look at the city from another angle, the street leading to the alchemists’ tower seemed important as well.

“Ack.”

Turning around to look at the street leading to the temple, Yuriel closed her eyes tight when a strong gust of wind blew past her.

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After a little while, the boat arrived at the dock on the street leading to the alchemists’ tower. Helio was the first to disembark and he helped Yuriel off before the two headed off in the direction of the tower.

Having a closer view of the tower, Yuriel found that it looked overwhelmingly dignified compared to when she saw it from the street closer to the temple.

“T-This…will it not collapse?”

“It’s still standing like this because it has never collapsed, don’t you think? Now, let’s go inside.” Helio pushed Yuriel’s back and entered the tower.

Yuriel had been wondering how people were able to go up and down this humongous tower, and she found that there was some boarding lift being used.

It was a platform that was able to go up or down multiple floors at once. She clung to Helio’s arm, trembling as she got onto the clanking structure.

Back in Mogris, there were hoists being used for moving goods and foodstuff, but she had never come across one for passengers.

The damage would be great if the cable were to ever snap. Yuriel had even witnessed such a terrible scene in the past. Even though it hadn’t involved any people, it was still a frightening experience.

Despite the small reassurance from seeing Helio look so calm, she couldn’t get herself to be at ease.

It was as scary as seeing a monster right in front of her. As the platform underneath her feet rattled, she felt her heart thump with it.

“T-This is s-safe, right?” Yuriel asked while quivering, but Helio only gave her a wordless smile.

She tightened her grip on his arm and clung to him even closer. The lift continued to take them upwards.

Once they arrived on their destined floor, Helio opened the door of the lift. He turned around and gave her a quizzical look when he noticed that she wasn’t following him.

He thought she would have run out immediately.

Helio let out a low sigh. Yuriel was pressed flat against one of the sides of the lift, while her face looked quite pale. The sight of her legs–trembling like a newborn fawn–was pitiful.

“My l-legs won’t m-move, Sir Helio…” she said, eyes welling up with tears.

“My, my. It wasn’t my intention to give you such a fright. I apologize,” he said in a gentle tone after seeing her unable to get off the platform.

“You can be reassured it’s safe. There hasn’t been a single accident yet.” Helio picked her up in his arms and carried her off the platform, patting her shoulder.

Yuriel kept a deathlike grip on his clothes, to the extent her fingers turned white, and barely managed to let out a breath.

“Have you seen an accident involving a lift before?” he asked her.

Yuriel nodded her head with a slight whimper. It didn’t look like she wanted to talk or even think of it further. Helio now understood her reaction.

“We can take the stairs on our way back, though it’ll take a bit longer.”

If she had witnessed an accident, then her behavior was understandable.

After hearing his considerate suggestion, Yuriel was able to calm down somewhat and regulate her breathing.

But she shook her head. She couldn’t be afraid and avoid it forever.

“It’s all right. I think I can ride it.”

Helio waited until she was able to calm down completely before guiding her to where Raphlet was.

Just like when they had gone to the library to see the Book of Prophecies, they had to pass through multiple security points first.

Having imagined a dark, dismal room with a large cauldron–like those that appeared in the rooms of witches in fairytales–Yuriel slowly blinked as she took in the view before her.

The polished scene before her was the complete opposite of what she had been expecting.

There were large windows, and on the other side were people dressed in white uniforms, busily going around. It seemed these people were the alchemists.

“Sir Raphlet, please lift your arm.”

And at the center was Raphlet.

He was staring straight ahead, face expressionless, and back straight. Even from her distance away, Yuriel was able to hear the voices of the alchemists.

It seemed the room was built so that anyone on her side of the glass could hear whatever was happening on the other side.

Yuriel stared at Raphlet’s body through the glass in a daze. He was currently shirtless and surrounded by multiple alchemists.

Among the crowd of alchemists, who had soft, squishy bodies that reflected their lifestyle of mainly staying indoors, he stood out with his curved shoulders and defined neck.

Sickly white hands were all over Raphlet’s body.

And among those hands poking and prodding his body were ones belonging to female alchemists.

As soon as she saw their hands touching his skin, Yuriel subconsciously clenched her hands into fists, nails digging into her palms.

The touch of those female alchemists obviously did not hold any romantic or lustful feelings, but Yuriel was still overcome with displeasure.

She saw them gesture at Raphlet to do something, and he would move his body accordingly.

After they measured his grip strength, confirmed his physical strength, and a series of other tests, the alchemists finally removed their hands from his body.

Broad shoulders and a solid chest–with the black core of a monster embedded in it.

Yuriel stared at him with her hands still clenched. The moment her eyes landed on the core, it felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over her head.

Helio had told her that Raphlet didn’t receive any detrimental side effects after receiving the implant, but something was strange.

“Sir Helio, is…is Raphlet really okay?”

Why was Raphlet–who supposedly had nothing wrong with him–getting an examination from the alchemists like it was routine?

Raphlet revealed his upper body without a single hint of awkwardness, and the alchemists efficiently observed him. Yuriel stared at these people who went about as if this was something they were used to doing often.

Picking up the shirt he had put off to the side, Raphlet then turned around. When he discovered Yuriel on the other side of the glass, he scrunched his brows, then let out a sigh when he saw Helio next to her.

“What are you doing here instead of training?” he asked as he stepped out.

It was a criticizing tone, but it was directed not towards Yuriel, but to Helio.

“I only asked you to oversee her training, not to bring her here to the alchemists’ tower,” he added.

“Miss Yuriel was utterly unable to focus on her training, so I brought her here to get rid of the cause,” Helio responded.

“…Yuriel, this is nothing,” Raphlet said with a troubled look after hearing Helio’s sarcastic remark.

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T/N: Updates will now be on Sat or Sun, sorry for the wait!

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Chapter 21 – Blitz
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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Yuriel barely managed to suppress her tears. Looking at Raphlet closely like this, it wasn’t just one or two things that she found odd.

Not only did he use formal speech with her, but his tone was cold as well. He had always been kindhearted and spoke warmly when he was a boy.

It was clear that Raphlet had some kind of mental side effect, not a physical one.

Seeing Yuriel bite her lip, unable to respond, Raphlet turned to Helio. He asked sharply, “Did you tell her everything?”

“Everything up to the prophecy. Since Miss Yuriel is now a member of Albraca, don’t you think she needs to know about this?” Helio replied calmly.

Raphlet shot him a scathing glare before placing a hand on Yuriel’s shoulder.

“There’s nothing wrong with me, Yuriel. Rather, my body has gotten stronger and more suitable for monster subjugations–”

When she heard him trying to soothe her, Yuriel couldn’t bring herself to say that she didn’t care about something like monster subjugations.

What in the world was a body that was more ‘suitable’? And just what kind of body was more ‘suitable’ for monster subjugations?

Even if he became incapable of eliminating the evil fiends, Raphlet would still be Raphlet. What Yuriel wanted was for him to live a normal, happy life, not a life of defeating monsters with a stronger body and becoming a hero.

Of course, what Raphlet wanted might differ from what she wanted, but…

“Yuriel,” he called impatiently.

Yuriel could clearly see the monster core embedded in Raphlet’s chest as he hadn’t been able to adjust his collar properly. She lifted her hand and placed it on his chest, absently rubbing the core.

It felt smooth. At first glance, it kind of looked like an ornament. However, shortly after rubbing it, Yuriel felt a shock run up the tip of her finger.

“Ah.”

It wasn’t a subtle feeling. Her finger turned noticeably red.

“…Damn it,” Raphlet cursed when he saw her finger, which swelled as if it had encountered poison.

“People have received considerable harmful effects from cores in the past. Miss Yuriel, it’d be best to get that treated immediately,” Helio commented.

Seeing Yuriel’s stiffened form as she stared at her injured appendage, Raphlet lifted her up in his arms and quickly stepped out of the room. Helio furrowed his brows as he stared at Raphlet’s retreating back–it was clear that Raphlet was displeased.

The sight of Raphlet acting on his emotions was unfamiliar.

Instead of following them to the infirmary, Helio decided to go look at the experiment records. The alchemists who were in the middle of going over the records greeted him when they noticed his entrance.

Yuriel closed her mouth as she stared at her throbbing left index finger, which was now dressed in a bandage. Her finger had turned into its current state after handling the core for only a moment. Then, was Raphlet’s body truly okay when it was embracing the entire core?

She worried that it might actually be causing him pain and that he was just enduring it without a word.

“Raphlet.”

As soon as she said his name, Raphlet immediately turned his head to look at her.

Yuriel’s lips twitched. She wanted to ask him if he was in pain, and if he was, she wanted to tell him he didn’t have to hold back in front of her.

But at that moment, along with the intense pain in her finger, she experienced a strange phenomenon. The view before her changed. It felt like her mind was projecting a different scene than what was in front of her eyes.

Yuriel saw something squirming back in the room where Raphlet had been receiving an exam.

It was the same feeling she felt in her dreams; a spine-chilling sensation whenever a monster appeared before her.

With her eyes wide open, Yuriel watched the illusion play out.

A monster had come in by destroying a part of the tower wall. She saw numerous monster cores piled around the place the monster was currently rampaging in.

The winged monster released a shriek and made to pick up the cores. It picked up a relatively small core with its beak, only for its black head to fly off its body a moment later, cut by Helio’s sword.

‘Commander Raphlet!’

After he took care of the creature, Helio turned his head and shouted in Yuriel’s direction. Raphlet, who was standing next to her, pushed her shoulder and went inside.

‘Go down to the ground floor, Yuriel. Wait for me in a safe place.’

In this critical situation, Yuriel suddenly recalled how Raphlet would always only tell her that it was dangerous. Wait for him in a safe place? Why did he always try to say that being by his side wasn’t safe?

But she couldn’t mull over it for too long.

After he had hurriedly told her to escape, Raphlet had gone into the exam room and faced the monsters alongside Helio. But the number of opponents wasn’t dwindling.

The creatures continued to pour into the room. Among them was a monster that appeared to be carrying something, and then…

All of the cores that filled up the room went off in a series of explosions. Raphlet, Helio, and Yuriel, who had been watching from a distance away–there was no way any of them was safe from the explosion.

The illusion faded away, the burning heat being the last thing Yuriel saw, and her normal vision returned.

Back in the completely intact infirmary, she found Raphlet staring at her.

“…Did you see that just now?” she asked him.

“See what?” he asked, poking her forehead. It seemed he misunderstood and took her momentary absentmindedness to be a sign that she wasn’t feeling well.

Yuriel grabbed his finger and said, “Monsters appeared in the exam room back there. They showed up in the room that was full of cores and there was even an explosion… Ah, terror.”

Was that another act of terror Helio had mentioned to her before? It looked like bombs were attached to the backs of the monsters.

“Did you see something?”

“I saw monsters come in carrying bombs. Maybe it was because there were numerous cores inside the room, but the scale of the explosion was really big… Was I asleep just now?”

Raphlet shook his head. Yuriel’s eyes had been glazed over, as if in a trance, but she hadn’t been asleep.

Yuriel’s face hardened. If it wasn’t a dream, then she couldn’t say it was a prophetic dream.

But the experience had felt too real to conclude that it was just a simple illusion. A large explosion and a surge of heat that was so great it was stifling.

Yuriel stuttered, “It-it…might just be an illusion, but I think we should still evacuate, Raphlet.”

“All right.”

“Raphlet, you need to get out of here too.”

“…I’ll help everyone else evacuate first. If a series of explosions occur because of the monster cores, the entire tower is in danger. Please go down first and wait for me.”

Perhaps it was because it wasn’t an emergency situation, but Raphlet switched back to formal speech and spoke in a coaxing manner, “Please get to a safe place.”

He pushed her onto the passenger lift. Though her body shook in fear, Raphlet was intent on having her evacuate.

“If you find yourself in danger, you’re allowed to use this gun,” he said, handing her a bag that carried the weapon.

Yuriel held the heavy bag in her arms and noticed it was much heavier than what she normally used. Raphlet then closed the outer doors of the lift and pulled the lever, causing the lift to start its descent.

When the lift reached the ground floor, a loud alarm rang throughout the entire tower. At the sound that resonated right when Yuriel arrived at the first floor, the tower erupted in an uproar as if it had been waiting for that moment.

“What’s happening?”

“An alarm?”

“It’s a level one evacuation alert!”

“Let’s get out of here for now!”

At the moment Yuriel was about to get off the lift, the platform then suddenly began to move.

“H-Huh?”

She was about to open the inner doors of the lift, but with its sudden movement, she stiffened. The lift was going up rapidly, much faster than when she had first gone up with Helio, causing her to crouch down in panic.

“W-What’s going on?”

I didn’t get off yet…!

Someone from the upper floor must’ve called for the lift. Though she wanted to make it stop, she didn’t know how. She found buttons and a lever, but she didn’t want to risk pressing things without knowing what they did.

The platform shook tremendously as it continued to ascend. In addition, Yuriel heard a blast that sounded like a break in the tower walls.

It was how she imagined the sound of the monsters destroying the wall in her illusion to be if she heard it from farther away.

Crouched down and pressed flat against one of the sides of the lift, she opened the bag Raphlet had given her earlier.

A gun far bigger than what she had been training with was inside.

Yuriel tried holding it in her hand. It was nearly heavy enough to break her wrist, but now wasn’t the time to nitpick over such things. She loaded the gun the way Raphlet had taught her to and tried to find places where she could store the remaining bullets.

Her normal uniform had plenty of pockets she could comfortably place miscellaneous items in. However, the outfit she was wearing now was the fancy attire Helio had picked out for her earlier.

There were no suitable pockets in sight.

“I’m not going to wear any clothes Sir Helio picks out for me anymore…”

Yuriel mumbled and lifted her skirt, securing the bullets in her garter belt. She only had enough room for three rounds.

Fixing her skirt, she then lifted her head. She saw someone’s feet past the doors of the lift. The legs looked like they belonged to a man.

His feet, calves, thighs, then waist. The rapidly ascending lift revealed the man’s full figure once it completely came to a stop.

A man with wavy black hair stood before her.

He stood in front of the lift in a daze, as if he was intending on getting on, but he tilted his head when he saw her.

“Hi, Yuriel… Is this the Mogris duchy?”

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T/N: Hope y’all will love this new character as much as I do

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Chapter 22 – Encounter
Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

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“Baraha!”

Yuriel jumped off the platform with a look of bewilderment.

“Why are you here? Wait, before that, why are you trying to take the lift during an emergency? You used one to kill a monster before. Doesn’t it scare you?”

Baraha was a researcher who had studied monsters back in Mogris.

A self-proclaimed researcher.

He had appeared every so often to analyze Yuriel’s prophetic dreams. He would ask her a variety of questions, then disappear for months at a time once he collected enough information.

I thought he was a commoner. What’s he doing here in the capital and the alchemists’ tower? Don’t tell me, was he an alchemist this entire time?

Baraha was the reason Yuriel was afraid of lifts. He had cut the head of a monster with a snap by shoving it in a freight lift and slashing the wire. Even though the victim had been an evil fiend, it was a gruesome death.

Yuriel thought anyone who witnessed such a sight would become frightened of lifts…

Baraha responded slowly with a blank look. “I’m not scared, but… If I have to describe how I feel right now, I’d say it’d be scarier if we can’t escape from this tower, Yuriel.”

….But if anyone were to be an exception, it would be Baraha.

Unable to find a semblance of fear in his eyes, Yuriel felt some of the tension inside her subside.

“Ah, I see. Well, let’s get down first.”

Whenever she was next to Baraha–even if it was in the middle of a dangerous situation–she felt her senses grow dull. It might have something to do with that dumb, expressionless face of his. She wondered how Baraha and Raphlet–who both sported black hair and were always expressionless–could give off such different auras.

Yuriel felt her rapidly beating heart return to its regular rhythm.

She would have to wait to ask Baraha, whom she met in Mogris, what he was doing in the capital once they safely evacuated from the tower. She grabbed his wrist, pulling him to get back onto the lift.

“Huh? What, are you not going to get on?”

“Wait.”

He didn’t budge. Instead, he stared vacantly at the roof of the lift. Yuriel followed his gaze and heard a sound like something was cut.

The wire that had been supporting the lift snapped. With a loud noise, the lift went crashing down. The space it had been occupying was now completely empty.

“Yeah, it looked like it was going to fall,” Baraha said, finally answering her earlier question. There wasn’t a hint of emotion on his face.

Yuriel’s hand quivered uncontrollably as she saw the lift plummet right before her eyes. Her heart started to thump wildly in her chest once more.

Baraha hunched down and lowered his larger frame, perhaps noticing her ragged breathing. Meeting her eyes, he gently caressed her neck and asked, “Is it hard to breathe?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Hm, is it because you’re scared? You’re not dead, and it doesn’t look like you’re injured anywhere either. You’re fine. There’s no reason as to why you should have trouble breathing,” he murmured like a person who didn’t understand emotions.

“Oh, you even have a gun. Then you don’t have any reason to be nervous. That’s great, Yuriel,” he added.

“You know about guns?”

“I’m the one who invented them… Hm, did I never tell you?”

Yuriel’s breathing evened when she heard the unexpected response. Probing her neck with his long fingers, Baraha narrowed his eyes slightly before getting up.

“If you’ve calmed down now, let’s go. Looks like we’re going to have to take the stair–”

“How are you so calm? Do you know where the emergency escape route is?”

“No. Since I don’t really care if I live or die…”

Yuriel’s eyes flashed at his overly languid demeanor, but when she heard his ridiculous reply, her face grew red. She shouted, “Then why didn’t you just get on the lift and crash with it!?”

“Because you don’t want to die.”

Yuriel’s eyes widened.

Baraha continued, “Should we have just died together then? I don’t actually care either way.”

When she heard more of his absurd words, Yuriel swung her hand down on his back. Hard.

“You’re the whole reason I’m even back up here in the first place!” she yelled as she repeatedly smacked his back.

If you’re going to die, die by yourself! Don’t drag someone else with you! I’m going to live for a long time while supporting Raphlet!

“It hurts. Stop hitting me…”

“It doesn’t look like you’re in pain at all!”

“Not me–you. Your hand is swollen,” Baraha said slowly while turning around. Yuriel’s hand hung lifelessly in the air. She had paused her ministrations of hitting him when she finally noticed her red, swollen palms.

“What floor are we on?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Seven…?”

“No, Twenty-seven. Let’s go down.”

Just how many floors does this tower have…?

Yuriel held a look of confusion as Baraha dragged her along. Spotting her faltering form, Baraha grumbled and scolded her.

“Do you want to fall off and die? Put strength in your legs and walk properly.”

“Stop talking about dying. It’s scary.”

“Death isn’t what’s scary, Yuriel. It’s being unable to die and having to live while being taken advantage of forever.”

“Oh, I see.”

Agreeing with the odd words Baraha spouted, Yuriel climbed down the stairs. Immediately after she put strength into her legs, his grip on her wrist loosened. He let go of her completely as soon as he confirmed that she was able to walk properly on her own.

They came to a halt when they got to the twentieth floor, seeing the stairs that were destroyed.

“Baraha, isn’t there a room full of monster cores around here?”

“Hm… This is the twentieth floor. Hmm, the room full of monster cores… That room is probably on the sixteenth floor,” he replied in an unconvincing tone.

He had plopped down on the floor as soon as he saw the ruined stairs, looking like he had already given up on his life.

“Why do you ask?”

“I saw the cores in that room explode because a monster came in with bombs on its back.”

“Ah, did you have another prophetic dream? Did you take a nap?”

“No.” Yuriel took a seat next to Baraha and asked, “You said you made this?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve fired one before, right?”

“Yeah,” he repeated flatly, chin resting on his hand as he watched her remove the safety lock on the gun that she’d been carrying this whole time.

“That monster is going to appear here soon, and you’re going to shoot it since I’m not quite experienced with this weapon yet…”

“Why should I?”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t want to shoot,” he said, his tone resembling that of a whining child. He placed the gun down and turned the hand that was supporting his chin. With the back of his hand now pressed against his cheek, he slowly blinked and repeated, “Not gonna shoot.”

Yuriel felt a sense of bewilderment rise up inside her again.

Just what in the world was this man’s problem? Of all people she had to run into here, it just had to be Baraha.

She pulled at her loosened braids, and when Baraha stretched his hand towards her–as if he found her state humorous–she slapped it away. He rubbed his hand as he took it back, but not before grazing the ends of her hair first.

She gave him one more glance before staring at the giant hole in the wall.

Raphlet was most likely still below them. Since she had told him of the monster with the bombs, he probably wouldn’t leave until he took care of it.

Right now, Yuriel was on the twentieth floor. It was a good spot to fire at the monster.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Raphlet. It was because if there was an opportunity to help him in any way, she wanted to take it.

Yuriel released a sigh and took back the gun she had handed to Baraha.

“Do what you want.”

She couldn’t force him to shoot if he didn’t want to.

She confirmed the safety lock once more. It was properly off.

Baraha watched uneasily as she assumed a poor stance. Eventually, he found himself unable to hold back from intervening.

“…If you hold it like that, you’re going to injure your shoulder.”

“Huh?”

“That…your wrist–your wrist is twisted too.”

“Where?”

“Here–and your arm… Why is your posture like this?”

Yuriel was situated two steps below Baraha on the staircase, so the latter lightly tapped her wrist with his foot.

“You said you’re not that good at handling a gun yet.”

“Yeah.”

“Then why are you in such a position? Do you want to hit your face with the recoil?”

After lowering the foot that was tapping her wrist and arm, Baraha raised himself up. He positioned himself so that he was pressed right against her, enveloping her from behind.

Long legs popped out from either side of her. Baraha muttered to himself as he fixed her arms. Once he fixed her upper posture, he got up and grabbed her waist to lift her to her feet.

“Are you going to shoot that thing?” he asked as he stared ahead.

One monster stood out among the approaching horde in the distance. It was the monster that was carrying the bombs.

“Y-Yeah, t-that one,” Yuriel stuttered quickly. Baraha nodded and then pushed her back, causing the body that had been tilting backward to stand straight again.

“Can I shoot now?” she asked once she felt his hand leave her back.

“Yeah.”

Baraha was making an expression that looked relieved, like he had done his duty.

Baffled by the subtle brightness on his face, Yuriel let out a small smile. He had refused to be the one shooting, but he still readily fixed her posture.

As the corner of her lips twitched upwards, Baraha tilted his head slightly.

“If you don’t shoot now, it’ll be too late.”

“Ah.”

Broken out of her reverie thanks to his warning, Yuriel focused her gaze on the monsters that appeared larger and larger as they neared. She took in a deep breath and held it as she pulled the trigger.

A louder than usual sound rang out next to her ear.

“Ah, they changed directions. They’re headed towards us now. Guess we’re going to die.”

With her ear still recovering from the deafening noise, Yuriel picked up Baraha mumbling something, but she wasn’t able to make out the words and rubbed her ear with her shoulder. She fidgeted as she saw the monsters rushing towards them.

“I missed!”

“Yeah.”

“Ba-Baraha!” she shrieked.

Her posture–which she had only just been able to correct–faltered due to panic. Though she managed to regain her senses and reposition herself, her stance still looked uneasy in Baraha’s eyes.

He let out a sigh before taking the gun from her hands. He pushed her to the side with his foot, nudging her to stand behind him with his chin.

“Stand behind me and cover your ears.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Hurry.”

Yuriel nodded. She followed his command and clung to his back. After confirming that Yuriel covered her ears, Baraha exhaled and pulled the trigger.

After the sound of several consecutive shots, an explosion went off. The heat from the bomb that had detonated in midair made it all the way to the stairway the two were in.

Baraha threw the gun away before turning around to grab Yuriel, encircling her in his arms.

Blown away by the blast, the two were sent plunging to the ground.

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T/N: edit: I’ll be taking a temporary hiatus until mid-late January. More details can be found on discord

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Join our discord for the latest updates & chat with fellow readers!

Chapter 23

Note:

Hi~ I decided to continue Stigma Effect since I saw some readers were still waiting for this. I’m also still reading along from the beginning so pardon me if this chapter is still lacking!

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Baraha sat down slowly. He said he would protect Yuriel in his own way, but when he came to his senses, Yuriel had passed out and was drooping.

“As expected, my protection is not reassuring….”

Baraha muttered sullenly. Someone approached Baraha, who pulled at Yuriel’s hair who had fainted.

“… Commander Baraha.”

It was Raphlet and Helio. After finishing with the monsters, they looked at Baraha from above and made an absurd expression on their faces.

“Why were you falling from above, why is Miss Yuriel there? I heard she was sent out first.”

Albraka’s 4th general, Baraha, relaxed his body as if he had nothing to say. Raphlet approached him and reached out to Yuriel. Baraha, who had her braided hair wrapped around his fingers, got up and handed Yuriel to Raphlet.

While Raphlet was examining Yuriel’s body, Helio spoke to Baraha. It was a more comfortable tone than when he was dealing with Raphlet.

“Baraha, when you get back, you must report your return and come to the alchemist tower. You’ll get fired..”

“I don’t care if I get fired.”

“If you get fired, I’ll get bored. If you don’t mind, stick to Albraka.”

“If they don’t fire, I will stick.”

Baraha replied and nodded his head indifferently. After giving a rough greeting to Raphlet and Helio, he turned around first.

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Because of the terrorist attack in the alchemist tower, the vacation of all knights was over. The faces of the returning knights were grim.

Yuriel looked at the knights returning to Albraka, and then looked at Baraha’s face as his eyes closed in silence next to her.

His dark black hair was messy. Yuriel habitually arranged his hair and felt a gaze on her.

Raphlet was watching her silently.

“Do you know each other?”

“I saw him often in the Mogris estate.”

“Since when.”

“I think it was after Lord Raphlet joined. Because I first met him when I was in bad shape….”

In response to Raphlet’s question, Yuriel touched Baraha’s hair with her finger and muttered. His thoughtful face darkened.

Immediately after Raphlet left, Yuriel also wandered a lot.

While wandering through villages and forests without receiving any work from the Grand Ducal couple, she met Baraha.

Perhaps because they met at that time, Yuriel was quite comfortable with Baraha. She could have asserted that the only other person who she could show her rock-bottom state was Baraha.

Perhaps the same goes for Baraha.

Stupid Baraha. Baraha who came to die in the Mogris estate.

The coniferous forest surrounding the Mogris estate was so vast that it could easily bury the death of a single person. Especially in winter, it is so dense and dark that it is difficult to tell the four surroundings.

A smile appeared on Yuriel’s lips as she patted his black hair. How could she have predicted that the boy that was about to die would grow up like this to develop guns and become the general of Albraka.

She thought he was just a stupid commoner.

When Yuriel knocked on his head, Baraha did not wake up. Rather, he seemed to be getting more and more into his sleep.

“I haven’t heard anything about you being in a bad shape.”

Raphlet said in a low voice.

“Are you not feeling well? I haven’t heard anything….”

“I wasn’t feeling well, not physically, but mentally. Lord Raphlet went like that, how could I have been fine?”

Yuriel stared into the air with blurred eyes. Yuriel, pulling Baraha’s hair straight, continued.

“Ah, I don’t blame Lord Raphlet at all. I support everything Lord Raphlet does. Except that you’re trying to keep me apart.”

“I thought it would be dangerous if you were by my side.”

“I’ve said it many times, Lord Raphlet. Lord Raphlet’s side is not dangerous to me at all, and I don’t care if it is dangerous. It’s best for me to be by Lord Raphlet’s side.”

Yuriel’s two eyes shone resolutely. Facing Yuriel’s eyes for the first time after meeting her again, Raphlet said.

“You will not accept me.”

A cold voice echoed through the room. Raphlet’s voice was like the winter forest of Mogris. It is a voice that covers everything coldly, freezes it, and eventually kills life.

The fragile seeds beneath him will freeze before they even bud.

But even so, what is the problem?

Yuriel didn’t care.

“I can accept it.”

“I am not what you think I am, Yuriel.”

Raphlet persistently pushed Yuriel away. He threatened Yuriel without hiding his cold eyes.

“If you knew what I was thinking about you, you would want to leave this room right now. After you leave the room, you will not return to the Mogris estate. You will want to run away from me.”

Yuriel chuckled as she listened to Raphlet.

His words were so absurd that she burst into laughter. She learned that even when she was not in a good mood, she could laugh.

Yuriel said provocatively.

“All right, Lord Raphlet. Then tell me. What do you think of me?”

“… I don’t want to say it.”

“I came to the Imperial Palace to meet Lord Raphlet. Now I’m a worker in Albraka’s strategy room. I never thought that my abilities, which I was so afraid of when I was young, would improve so much. It’s still a little scary, but…. As long as Lord Raphlet touches me, I will be alright.”

“It is the same thing. When you know the truth, you will….”

While continuing the conversation, Yuriel recognized the difference felt in Raphlet’s words.

Raphlet was talking on the premise that Yuriel would leave him.

Yuriel is Raphlet’s maid. She belongs to him. If Raphlet were to discard Yuriel, she would let it go, but for Yuriel to abandon Raphlet first, there was no such premise in the first place.

“I belong to Lord Raphlet.”

Yuriel cut Raphlet’s words and said. Raphlet, who had been speaking hastily, looked puzzled.

“If Lord Raphlet wants to have my head cut off, I’ll give it up as much as I can.”

“… Yuriel.”

“So, whatever Lord Raphlet is worried about, I don’t care. As long as you don’t want to kick me out, that’s fine. I can’t live without Lord Raphlet, so if you want to get rid of me, I’d rather you kill me.”

“Yuriel.”

“If it bothers you, I could die myself. Even now….”

“Yuriel, stop!”

Raphlet got up violently. There was heat on his cold face.

“Yes, Master.”

Yuriel calmly answered. She had an obedient face, willing to obey any orders. There was a sense of madness that could not be hidden from Yuriel’s submissive appearance.

“You can do whatever I say.”

“Yes.”

A strange energy lingered in Raphlet’s eyes as he watched Yuriel. It was the moment when Raphlet stepped closer to Yuriel’s side.

“Yuriel, I thought you said you don’t want to die?”

A voice that broke the atmosphere resounded through the room.

After waking up, Baraha opened his eyes and asked a question. The madness surrounding Yuriel and Raphlet was broken.

A light of reason returned to Raphlet’s eyes. Raphlet covered his mouth and sighed softly.

“Ah….”

He was swept away by his momentary desires and almost showed Yuriel his insidious intentions. Because Yuriel is too obedient…. No, it wasn’t Yuriel’s fault.

His reason was thin and worthless..

But at least, shouldn’t he have enough faith to not hurt Yuriel?

Raphlet turned his body away from the pair of eyes staring at him.

“Lord Raphlet, where are you going!”

He heard Yuriel’s voice calling him, but Raphlet hurriedly left the room.

“You’re a little crazy too.”

Baraha, who got up with a big stretch, said as if passing by

Regardless of his messy hair, he got up and looked into Yuriel’s face.

Baraha was listening to all their conversations. Raphlet tries to push Yuriel out because he can’t accept it, and Yuriel accepts everything he has.

“I think I know what Commander Raphlet is saying.”

“What?”

“About being able to accept him or not.”

Baraha’s gaze scanned Yuriel’s body. He could only hear Raphlet’s voice with his eyes closed, but he could feel the lust brewing in it. That is what Raphlet was hoping for, and Baraha wakes up with the thought of what he’ll do in this room.

In fact, even if it does, it doesn’t really matter what Raphlet wanted to do, but it will have a lot to do with Yuriel.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t think I’m going to tell you anything carelessly…. Hmm, wait until Commander Raphlet tells you himself later. He won’t be able to hold it for long.”

“What?”

“At this rate, it’ll take a month at most

Baraha muttered while tapping Yuriel’s forehead.

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Chapter 24

In the midst of being busy dealing with terrorism, Yuriel’s name appeared in the newspaper.

“What is this… ?”

It was written by the same reporter during the train incident. According to what was written, as evidenced by the alarm that went off before the terrorist attack, there was a person who had predicted the invasion of monsters in advance.

The name mentioned thereafter was Yuriel’s name. There was a scene where she was hanging out of Raphlet’s arms and leaving the tower.

It was a favorable article, but by no means welcomed. Yuriel’s abilities were not well known except for the Albraka’s generals and high-ranking officials. The knights who went on a subjugation with them were vaguely aware of it, but they didn’t know for sure.

This was because Yuriel’s powers were not useful everywhere, but for only monsters that appeared within the reach of her awareness.

There are many lords and nobles who are struggling with the invasion of monsters. If anyone could predict an invasion in advance, it was clear that they would want to get their hands on that person, even if they ended up doing something illegal.

In other words, the possibility of kidnapping is high.

The first article could have been perceived as a coincidence, but not by the second. Now, Yuriel’s ability was confirmed. The fact that a woman unrelated to Albraka suddenly came to work in the strategy room may also have bolstered the article’s speculation.

Yuriel studied the article seriously.

It contained her name, photos, shops she frequented, and so on.

Since she only went out once, a store that Yuriel frequented included a women’s clothing store that Helio said she could visit at any time.

She’s only brought one fall and one summer outfit, but now she can’t go.

Yuriel drooped her shoulders and put down the newspaper.

It was time to do strength training alone. Baraha, who made guns on behalf of the busy Raphlet and Helio, decided to teach only how to handle guns. The physical training had to follow the schedule that Raphlet had written down.

Yuriel, who was changing her clothes and leaving the door, found a piece of paper that was stuck on her feet and bowed down.

“Letter?”

Originally, it would be customary to receive the letter and sign it.

Yuriel tilted her head curiously and leaned her body.

Did someone leave it in a hurry?

Yuriel’s eyes widened as she read the letter carefully.

“The imperial palace, an invitation… ?”

The letter was sent by the Imperial Palace. Yuriel, who was looking around the luxurious envelope, looked at her own room and Raphlet’s room alternately, estimating the distance. It was clear that it got closer to her room because it was hit by Raphlet’s foot as he came out of the door.

Yuriel hurriedly knocked on his door, thinking that a letter to Raphlet should not be thrown away so irresponsibly.

“Lord Raphlet!”

It seems that the letter arrived by mistake. Yuriel had no reason to receive a letter from the Imperial Palace.

Raphlet seemed to have returned to the room for a moment.

Raphlet, who opened the door, raised one eyebrow as he looked at Yuriel.

“What’s going on?”

“I think the letter for Lord Raphlet was sent to me by mistake. This is a letter from the Imperial Palace.”

“… Imperial Palace?”

“Yes, here.”

Raphlet, squinting his eyes, accepted the letter Yuriel had gave him.

He looked carefully at the part where the sender was written, and mercilessly ripped open the envelope without using a paper knife. A luxurious letter envelope made of high-quality paper was torn without mercy.

That envelope alone would have been enough for Yuriel’s clothes. Seeing the paper being torn completely, Yuriel trembled slightly on the back of her hand.

Is it okay to treat a letter from the Imperial Palace like that??

Raphlet was tossing the envelope into the trash can and checking the contents. He quickly checked the contents and said.

“It’s not wrong.”

“Yes?”

“Yuriel, this is a letter to invite you to the royal banquet. An invitation is enclosed with it.”

“Me? Why me and not Lord Raphlet?”

“It says that they want to personally see the abilities shown in the alchemist tower…. It’s bothersome.”

Raphlet said, pulling out the invitation.

“I would rather refuse. If you receive another letter like this, bring it to me. It will be difficult for you to refuse yourself, so I will do it for you.”

“No, I will do it myself. I can say no!”

Yuriel sneaked out the invitation Raphlet was holding.

What if he sends a refusal reply on her behalf and then shows dislike to the imperial family?

“That’s enough. I’ll do it fast.”

Raphlet, who saw the invitation that Yuriel had pulled out, grabbed her wrist and slowly retrieved the invitation.

The letter she was holding with the thumb and index finger of her two hands slid upward and scratched her finger. Yuriel’s spine stiffened as she felt the rough surface slipping away while scratching her fingers.

Her whole body reacted to the slightest sensation.

Yuriel remembered Raphlet’s words he had heard yesterday.

Raphlet’s lips, who muttered that she would not be able to accept him, Yuriel would never know what he was thinking when she looked at his lips.

What would Lord Raplet think of me if he found out that my body floated just from the barely caught wrist?

Yuriel opened her mouth blankly, looking at her wrist held by Raphlet’s fingers.

Raphlet looked down at Yuriel, who was concerned about her wrist, and relaxed his hand.

Looking at Raphlet, Yuriel touched her wrist and bowed her head to him.

“Well then, please. Lord Raphlet!”

To hide her flushed cheeks, Yuriel bowed her head and ran out of Raphlet’s room.

＊＊＊

“It’s here again.”

Yuriel squatted in front of the door and supported her chin with her hands. The envelope that was lying in front of the door was getting more colorful day by day.

She wondered if there was a limit to Raphlet’s refusal. Yuriel looked at the letter quietly, and quickly hid it in her arms before Raphlet saw it.

At the training ground, an appropriate counselor was prepared in its own way.

“Baraha, Sir Helio.”

There were two people today. Helio, who was next to Baraha, greeted Yuriel with a smile.

“Hello, Miss Yuriel. You said you were acquainted with Commander Barraha?”

“Yes.”

Helio asked with a smile. Yuriel roughly answered his question and took out the letter she had put in her pocket.

“Can you take a look at this more than that? I was worried about asking only Baraha, but I’m glad. I would like Sir Helio to take a look at it as well.”

“Letter…? Oh, that. This is a letter from the Imperial Palace.”

As soon as Helio saw the letter, he recognized the sender.

“I think it enclosed an invitation, is there something wrong with that letter?”

Helio, who knew the contents at once, asked in wonder. It was a look of no interest.

“It’s been a while since the invitation came in, but I turned them down every time. And yet they keep coming….”

“How many times have you rejected this?”

“Nine times… ?”

“That’s crazy.”

The outrageous accusation was directed at Yuriel.

Yuriel blinked her eyes when she heard that she was suddenly crazy.

Helio continued speaking in a soft voice. An explanatory face like the face he had while dealing with a country bumpkin girl when they first met.

A soft voice poured out at Yuriel, as if he was dealing with another person who was far distant.

“To refuse the princess’s invitation nine times for no particular reason. If someone of Miss Yuriel’s status did something like that, it’s like singing a song saying you want to die. Why did you refuse?”

“Oh, I didn’t say no…. Lord Raphlet said I don’t have to do anything, so he refused instead.”

“General Raphlet refused.”

“Yes.”

Helio’s voice became softer.

Yuriel, who had been watching his elegant expression, asked with a trembling voice.

“I, I wonder if there will be any disadvantages to Sir Raphlet? Unlike me, Sir Raphley is a nobleman and a leader….”

“I don’t know. I don’t think the princess will stand still. If Miss Yuriel had refused directly, someone from the Imperial Palace would have already come. You would have been dragged and forced to attend the banquet.”

Helio said terrifyingly. Yuriel’s face turned pale as she heard his words.

“Will Lord Raphlet be taken away?”

“That princess can’t even take that person. Instead, she’ll bully him.”

“No, no… .”

“It’s okay. She won’t bully you because it’s no fun to bully you.”

Helio spoke as if he knew the princess well. Helio said, taking the letter from Yuriel’s hand.

“Send a reply as soon as possible. Say you’ll attend. In this case, I will be much more helpful than General Raphlet.”

Banquets and leisureliness. Gorgeous attire and speech were not areas that Raphlet was well acquainted with. What he was accustomed to was destructive things such as training, combat, and the way he dealt with monsters.

Helio smiled as he pulled out the invitation from the letter.

“I wouldn’t mind if it was someone else’s business, but Miss Yuriel is special, so I’ll help you.”

“Spe,cial?”

That can’t be true. Yuriel stuttered in a small voice.

“There have been no deaths since Miss Yuriel worked in the strategy room. That alone makes you special enough to me. You have a relationship with Commander Baraha too, so I have every reason to help.”

Chapter 25

Biggest thanks to Skye, SE’s previous translator who proofread this chapter! <3

—

Yuriel wrote down a reply letter as Helio advised.

She politely and solemnly wrote that she would attend the banquet, and sent the letter in a luxurious envelope. The reply from the Imperial Palace was quick. The reply arrived as if it had been waiting for Yuriel’s letter.

Helio, who was reading the reply she received, said with a bitter smile.

“It seems that the Princess is very angry.”

It was a polite letter to thank Yuriel for replying. There weren’t any words in particular to indicate the Princess was angry.

There were words saying that they were building a beautiful banquet to repay Yuriel who answered the invitation, and that they would serve the guest satisfactorily.

Helio kept a slanted smile and pointed to the words.

“You can look forward to the guests invited by the Princess. I’m sure Miss Yuriel wouldn’t even imagine it.”

＊＊＊

“Princess, the reply has arrived.”

“Did the rude one reply in her stead again? Then, this time, I will have to go and read the letter in front of her.”

Princess Ithaca Armand said with her golden eyes twinkling. Short reddish blonde hair was scattered around her ear.

Hearing the news of a woman named Yuriel, she sent invitations ten times already.

The Princess’s thin patience was about to run out. Raphlet Mogris, the first commander of Albraka and the protagonist of prophecy. His reply was beyond rude.

Cannot attend, cannot attend. Cannot attend!

Every time she received the reply that started with the words ‘cannot attend’ to the invitation, the Princess didn’t think that even tearing or burning those letters would help subside her anger. She thought she would need to grab the finger of the man who wrote the reply and drown him.

The Princess mumbled in a room lined with magical tools made by extracting the core of a monster. In fact, even the core Raphlet had in his chest was one that was supposed to go towards making a tool for herself!

She didn’t like it from the moment he put it on his chest. Had he not been able to withstand the energy of the core, he would’ve died and the core would have returned to her possession but the man survived tirelessly and began to be worshipped as the saint, the protagonist of the prophecy.

The servant, trembling at the sound of her voice full of displeasure, posted a letter in front of her. The envelope placed on the tray was luxurious unlike any Raphlet Mogris had ever sent.

“This time, Yuriel sent a reply directly.”

“Really?”

The Princess’s voice subsided a little. She took a deep breath and lifted her finger.

After cutting the seal with a paper knife, the servant took the letter out of the envelope and placed it in her hand.

“Well.”

The Princess shed a satisfied sigh as she read her letter.

“It’s better than I thought. I like it. Did you say she was originally a maid?”

“Yes. It is said that she is still working as an exclusive maid for Raphlet Mogris and in the Albraka strategy room.”

“She seems like a hardworking kid.”

She liked the neat handwriting, and also the words that were clearly chosen with care. Best of all, it didn’t smell of that rude Raphlet Mogris.

The Princess who put the letter to the tip of her nose and smelled the scent raised the corners of her lips with satisfaction.

When Yuriel wrote this letter, it was clear that she had not received any help from Raphlet Mogris at all.

However, that did not completely subdue the anger of the Princess who had been rejected nine times.

The Princess dropped the letter on the floor, and said.

“I want this banquet to be a little special. I’ve been rejected nine times, so the next chance might be nine more times later. So now, I have to faithfully make preparations for this banquet.”

“Please give your orders.”

“Make a maze in the garden. We should also invite guests for Yuriel. When you make a maze, unleash a monster there. Remember, it’s a maze, not a labyrinth. I think she’ll like it.”

“Yes.”

“If I like her, I’ll have to take her under me.”

The Princess muttered quietly.

“I hope this child is useful.”

Hanging her arms around the armrests and waving her fingers, the Princess added, as if thinking of something funny.

“As for the monster, use the one who breathes aphrodisiacs. Prepare a lot of servants. If we satisfy her, I’m sure she’ll come crawling to me on her own.

A voice wet with joy continued.

“No, I think knights will be better than servants. If it were Raphlet Mogris’s maid, average people wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her. Do you think a lowly servant’s thing would satisfy someone whose partner is the Knights Commander?”

A vulgar joke leaked out of the Princess’s mouth. In the room where no one answered, she laughed high and sharp.

“Yes, nine. Prepare nine.”

＊＊＊

After hearing that she had accepted the invitation of the Princess, Raphlet visited Yuriel. Raphlet, who found Yuriel in the distance, came straight to her.

“Yuriel. I heard that you replied to the Princess’s invitation. Is it true?”

“Ah, that…. Yes.”

“Did Commander Helio ask you to reply?”

Raphlet accurately predicted the course of events and asked. Knowing that Helio was the only one who could help Yuriel like that, his name came out as if it was natural.

Yuriel murmured and nodded her head.

Raphlet let out a long sigh as he ruffled his neatly arranged hair with one hand. Helio, he didn’t know what he wanted by encouraging Yuriel.

It’s not enough to bring Yuriel to the alchemy tower, so now he’s urging her to answer the Princess’ invitation?

Raphlet’s teeth were clenched. He didn’t mind if he hated Raphlet. But why even Yuriel…!

His lips were dry as he imagined Yuriel participating in the Princess’s banquet.

It was difficult to judge precisely because he had never attended the Princess’s banquet, but he thought that the Princess did not invite Yuriel with good intentions.

In the first place, it was a fact known to any nobles who stayed in the Imperial Palace that the Princess was not a person who moved with ‘good intentions’.

The Princess was only kind to those who benefited her. She didn’t hesitate to get rid of people if she judged it as threatening.

Raphlet knew that there was a newspaper article about Yuriel. He took the article down, but he couldn’t stop the story that had already spread.

Since then, invitations have been received from the Princess. There was no way that a Princess interested in monsters would miss the rumor.

“Let’s meet with Commander Helio and talk. It will be difficult, but it would be better to have a discussion to refuse the invitation again.”

“No, Lord Raphlet. The Princess has already sent a reply. Sir Helio said that if I refuse in this state, I don’t know how the Princess will come out, so I think I have to go ….”

Raphlet, who was going to visit Helio, turned to Yuriel and said,

“Yuriel, it’s not too late to reconsider returning to the Mogris estate now. Please, please wait in a safe place….”

He pleaded with an unresponsive, soft tone.

“I’m sorry, Lord Raphlet. I don’t want that.”

This is a matter that cannot be compromised, so Yuriel firmly shook her head.

She doesn’t know if anything dangerous would happen to Raphlet because of her confidence. Rather, she had no intention of returning to the Mogris estate if it was simply a risk to herself.

＊＊＊

A meeting was held to protect Yuriel from the Princess’s scheme. It was led by Raphlet, attended by Helio and Baraha. Yuriel was also sitting there.

The only enthusiastic participant was Raphlet. Yuriel herself kept her mouth shut, and the others were expressing their opinions in moderation as if it was okay for Yuriel to do anything.

Helio said calmly first.

“The Princess loves Commander Baraha, so it would be better to send him along. If Commander Baraha goes with her, the Princess’ interest in Miss Yuriel will diminish a little bit. And he just needs to take care of Miss Yuriel at the same time.”

The plan was to hand everything over to Baraha. He said he would help Yuriel, but he didn’t want to have a relationship with the Princess.

Baraha, who was sagging, answered.

“I am not confident in my protection. I’d rather you tell me to kill the Princess.”

“You mean to kill the Princess for one of the staff in the strategy room? What a joke.”

“I’m not joking….”

“Stop joking, both of you. I didn’t come here to waste time needlessly.”

Raphlet interrupted their conversation. It was clear that the Princess’s purpose was Yuriel’s foresight ability. But he couldn’t predict what the Princess would do.

After attending a banquet held by the Princess, there was a considerable number of people who became the Princess’ underlings.

Raphlet hastily clenched his fist.

He realized from the conversation a few days ago that Yuriel would never leave Raphlet, but he couldn’t help but worry.

“You don’t have to worry too much. Commander Raphlet, although Miss Yuriel is a commoner, she is a member of Albraka. Even the Princess won’t do anything harsh.”

Helio said to Raphlet, who was anxious, as if comforting him.

Yuriel, who was listening quietly, frowned.

“Well, am I not invited to a banquet? Don’t I just have to put on a dress and dance?”

“I hope that is the case Miss Yuriel.”

The banquet that Yuriel knew was a luxurious event where nobles gathered in a large hall, laughed and talked to each other and danced to pass time.

Even if the Princess said she held the banquet herself, she wouldn’t deviate from that frame. Why was everyone feeling so restless?

Yuriel had no idea what the royal banquet was like, so she only tilted her head.

Note:

– [Do you think a lowly servant’s thing would satisfy someone ….?], uh this meant that thing, thing, underneath ._.

Chapter 26

Biggest thanks to Skye, SE’s previous translator who proofread this chapter! <3

—

There was a gorgeous garden with red petals in full bloom. Yuriel, who entered the palace in the four-wheeled vehicle sent by the Princess, exclaimed.

It was the day of the banquet which the leaders of Albraka set and were vigilant for.

“Baraha, look at that. The flowers are blooming a lot. It would be pretty if the garden of the Mogris estate was cultivated like that later. Or even the gardens of Albraka.”

A fascinating scent pierced the tip of her nose. The scent of the garden mixed with the strong smell of grass, the smell of earth, and the scent of flowers was clear. Yuriel shook Baraha’s shoulder, who was lying on her lap.

Yuriel asked, opening the window wide so that Baraha could see the outside of the window more easily.

“What do you think?”

“It’s a rose.”

Baraha, who got up and looked out the window, muttered in a disinterested voice. Baraha, who barely made a fuss about the roses, fell back to Yuriel’s thighs.

Yuriel, who was delighted with the roses, pushed his head away and moved to the seat opposite him. Baraha, who suddenly lost his pillow, frowned.

“Are you really doing this to me even though I agreed to come with you, Yuriel?”

“What’s wrong with the Princess, and why did Lord Raphlet and Sir Helio warn me to be so careful? And I really don’t understand why the Princess likes you.”

Yuriel rested her chin on her hand and looked into Baraha’s face. From an objective point of view, he was a person who did not possess any good corner at all. The indifferent attitude that it doesn’t matter whether we live or die sometimes caused anxiety in those around him.

“I….”

Baraha said as he crumpled his large body into the seat. It was an act that showed his will to sleep even a little more. His words continued slowly as he crumpled his body.

“I invented the gun. So she likes me.”

“Now I’m even more confused on why she likes you. What does the Princess need to use a gun for?”

“It’s a hobby.”

“Shooting a gun… ?”

“Yeah. And I’m sure she invited you with the expectation that you can predict where the monsters will appear. You’ll be able to get to the monsters before anyone else. It will be late when news comes in to Albraka.”

Baraha said, dropping on the seat.

Yuriel, who heard the muttering voice, said, sweeping her chest down.

“Well then, she is a good person. She’s trying to destroy monsters.”

“She is a person who is very interested in what comes out after killing monsters.”

“Ah, you’re talking about the core of a monster.”

“Killing monsters is a last resort thing. When she sees useful monsters, she collects them ….”

Yuriel shook her head and stood up. Yuriel could not understand why people were so obsessed with the monster cores.

“Why is everyone so obsessed with monster cores? I’m scared of them.”

“Scared?”

“That’s right. It is said that for a monster to die completely their core must be destroyed, but you’re saying the cores are kept intact. All over the city too. I’m worried about that. Sometimes it feels like a city of monsters.”

“City of monsters.”

Yuriel said, wrapping her arms around herself. Baraha raised the corners of his lips and repeated Yuriel’s words.

Baraha, who had been drooping, got up as if he was interested. His tired face lit up with vitality.

“Then what do you think of this?”

“Ah, fragments…. Those are even worse.”

Baraha, who was sitting opposite Yuriel, asked, showing the back of his hand. Fragments of the monster core embedded in the back of his hand that had been covered by his gloves were revealed. Yuriel shivered when she saw how the skin had turned black like Helio’s shoulder she saw last time.

Perhaps because Baraha was also the leader of Albraka, he was implanted with a fragment of a monster core. From the moment Yuriel remembered, he had always been wearing gloves, so she couldn’t tell when the transplant was done.

He didn’t seem to want to tell her when he had the transplant either, so she didn’t bother to ask.

Yuriel sighed and said.

“I want to get rid of it right away if I can. Baraha, is there any way to get it out? I want to get rid of what Lord Raphlet has implanted.”

“It is easy to implant, but difficult to remove. Not one or two people have fallen apart and died. I do not know either.”

“Let me know when you figure out how to get rid of it later. In a safe way. You are an alchemist.”

“Are you going to admit it now? You always say ‘self-proclaimed’ each time.”

“I saw you in the alchemist tower, how could I not admit it?”

The vehicle stopped when Yuriel and Baraha were in the midst of talking about the monster’s core, fragments, and things that use core power as energy.

The moment the two of them wondered whether they had arrived or had stopped for a while, the door swung open.

It was none other than the Princess who opened the door directly. Yuriel saw the red blonde hair that Helio had been talking about, so she could recognize her right away.

The Princess was dressed like a fairy. Her short hair, slightly raised eyes, and the playfully raised corners of her mouth created a unique atmosphere about her. The blooming rose garden and the Princess matched very well.

The Princess, Ithaca, suddenly put her hand into Yuriel’s four-wheeled vehicle and pulled Yuriel’s arm and said.

“Welcome, Yuriel. I have been waiting a long time.”

Yuriel smiled without hesitation at the friendly way she spoke. The Princess smiled mischievously and grabbed Yuriel’s arm. As Yuriel was pulled out by her hand and looked around, the Princess looked at the face of the person left in the vehicle and was delighted.

“No, Baraha is with me.”

“Yes. Princess.”

“Today is going to be a good day. That is, if Yuriel lives up to my expectations.”

After finishing her speech with an accent as unique as her atmosphere, the Princess took Yuriel and Baraha directly to the banquet hall. The knights of the Princess tightly covered Yuriel and Baraha’s surroundings.

It was strange that no one seemed to be a servants. A lot of servants are essential for a banquet….

From a distance, she wondered if this would look like she was being dragged into prison instead of being invited to a party.

Yuriel was nervous at the sharper atmosphere than expected. She had been invited to a banquet, but her spine was chilling.

It felt like the eyes of the knights were scanning her, so her heart felt cold. She felt like a prey. Baraha frowned and looked around, sighing and leaning close to Yuriel.

The gaze that seemed to dig into Yuriel subsided a little.

The Princess was holding Yuriel’s arm with a strong hand.

The place where the Princess took Yuriel and Baraha to, was the garden. It was no ordinary garden. The Princess smiled in front of a large maze garden whose end was difficult to predict.

“This is a special banquet hall made just for you. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

Yuriel had prepared a banquet for nobles several times, but this was a fairly unfamiliar scene. No, it was better to say that it was the first time she saw it.

To be more exact, Yuriel had never seen anyone holding a banquet in a place like this.

They finally arrived at the banquet hall, but Yuriel blinked. Not knowing how to react, she looked at Baraha, but he wasn’t much help as he was looking at the maze with a slow gaze.

What was she supposed to enjoy here? Only the Princess’s knights and Baraha were present.

Talking and dancing did not seem to be the purpose of this banquet. The dress she was wearing was embarrassing.

As Yuriel looked around and smoothed her pitiful fingers, the Princess explained, handing over Yuriel’s arm to the knights.

“There are six monsters in the maze. If you come out without any injuries, then I will be able to acknowledge your abilities.”

“What?”

“Whether you kill the monster or avoid it, use that power that was published in the newspaper and try to make it out safely.”

“Come on, wait a minute. Princess? What is this… !”

Yuriel was grabbed in the arm by the Princess’s knight and dragged to the entrance of the maze. As Helio said, she was being dragged and forced to attend the banquet.

Now she could see why they had been so worried.

‘What kind of banquet is this!’

Baraha clings to Yuriel, who is being dragged away, and puts the two guns he had brought in the pocket of his clothes.

“I put a silencer to reduce the blast, so even if you use it inside, the outside won’t be able to hear it well.”

He murmured in a low voice. He gave ten bullets per gun and took it off his body.

And that was it. Baraha then calmly sent Yuriel off.

“See you soon.”

“Wait a minute, no, this, this really is….”

Baraha waved his hand to say good-bye. Then, muttering for her to cheer up, he disappeared saying he wanted to see the side road beside the maze.

“Go.”

The Princess’s voice was heard. Yuriel made long footprints on the floor, avoiding to be dragged somehow.

The Princess frowned at the traces of her feet dragging on the floor.

“My garden is ruined. Lift her and put her in.”

As the Princess resolutely ordered, Yuriel’s body lifted lightly, and Yuriel immediately fell into the maze alone.

A demonic cry was heard from beyond the maze.

“I should listen to Baraha’s story until Yuriel comes out. Baraha?”

Through the blocked entrance, the voice of the Princess looking for Baraha was heard.

As if Baraha had not appeared, the voice giving an order to the knights to bring Baraha along was terrifying.

Yuriel sighed as she looked at the blocked entrance and lowered the gun that Baraha had given her. She tore off the hem of the dress she was wearing on the outside and properly organized the pants she was wearing inside.

“I didn’t actually think I would have to take the dress off….”

This time, it was an active trouser with pockets. Holding the gun that had been on the floor for a while, Yuriel looked around.

Chapter 27

She had a vague sense that her powers were beginning to grow stronger. After seeing the vision in the alchemy tower, Yuriel sometimes felt strange sensations.

When training at the training ground in Albraka, even with her eyes closed, she could vaguely know where the knights were. Raphlet’s presence was felt very clearly.

What was the reason, Yuriel quickly found out.

‘The monster core.’

She was able to detect it. The presence of the knights with core fragments was faint. It was only when several people had to gather together she could realize that there were fragments of a monster over there.

However, thanks to the weak presence, Yuriel’s abilities blossomed quickly. If it was a monster with an intact core, Yuriel could find the location of the monster even with her eyes open.

After grasping the location of the monster in the maze, Yuriel muttered.

“She said six….”

The princess clearly said that there were six monsters. However, there were a total of eight energy felt in the maze. There’s no way two more came in by accident and wandered around the maze, so it’s a trap set by the princess.

Yuriel followed the maze wall with one hand.

Not long after wandering through the maze, she ran into monsters one by one. Before turning the corner, Yuriel checked the monster’s aura that she could feel and hid and dealt with the monster.

Before she knew it, she had dealt with six monsters. Now there were only two left.

However, the energy of the two remaining monsters was strong. Four bullets left.

From now on, it seemed like it would be better to avoid the monster and go outside.

Yuriel proceeded cautiously. She could figure out the location of the monster, but she couldn’t figure out the exit of the maze.

She had to figure it out herself, but the road kept getting twisted and she ended up in a place where the monster was. Yuriel, who flowed into the place with the more powerful one out of the two monsters, held her breath and waited for the monster to pass.

She didn’t have the confidence to face the monster with the remaining bullets.

Yuriel curled up and hid herself among the bushes. The energy of the monster is getting closer and closer.

Why, why is it coming this way?

Even though she was holding her breath, the monster quickly moved closer to where Yuriel was. The monster, who had just turned a corner and entered the alley where Yuriel was, stopped moving.

Yuriel could not open her eyes and bit her lip.

She still has bullets left, so she can deal with it.

With that in mind, Yuriel opened her eyes with the gun on, and widened her eyes when she saw a familiar face.

“Lord Raphlet!”

The huge energy she felt was coming from Raphlet’s core. Yuriel, who put the safety lock back on, approached him.

“How did you get here? You said that the princess really, uh, didn’t like Lord Raphlet. Is it okay for you to come here?”

Yuriel constantly asked questions. Raphlet removed the leaves from Yuriel’s hair as he approached and said,

“I was worried.”

He glanced at the leaves and Yuriel’s eyes for a moment, then brushed off his hands. The leaves, a color darker than Yuriel’s eyes, fell to the floor.

Raphlet spread his palms as if asking for the gun Yuriel was holding. Yuriel naturally handed the gun to him and asked a question.

“Lord Raphlet. You don’t usually use guns, do you?”

“Yes. However, if there are traces of swords left on the monsters, it becomes difficult, so this time I plan to deal with them with a gun. If it’s a gun, even the princess will think you’ve done it. How many bullets are left?”

“I can shoot four times.”

Yuriel said calmly. She had the same four bullets as before, but when the gun was in Raphlet’s hand, she couldn’t be more reassured.

“All right. Can you guide me to where the monster is?”

“Yes! Oh, by the way, Lord Raphlet. There is something wrong with this monster.”

Yuriel frowned and added.

The last remaining monster was indescribable, but it was exuding a very unpleasant energy. It was different from the unpleasantness she felt by most monsters.

It was more gloomy, sticky and unpleasant.

Seeing Yuriel worried with a serious expression on her face, Raphlet hesitated and gently stroked her hair.

“That’s all right.”

Yuriel smiled with a twinkle in her eyes when a hand she hadn’t been able to reach, touched her.

Somehow, after the quarrel at that time, it felt as if Raphlet’s boundaries had diminished a little.

Yuriel smiled brightly and nodded her head.

“Yes, that is right! With Lord Raphlet, I can do anything!”

Yuriel leaned closer to him and murmured.

“If you could speak casually like before, I think I’ll be better….”

“Not yet.”

“Yes….”

The sword-like rejection came.

Yuriel, whose eyes had been lighting up. Shook her head sullenly,

Still, this isn’t so bad. Now, Lord Raphlet isn’t telling her to go back to the Mogris estate!

Just be patient and stay by Lord Raphlet’s side, and soon you’ll be as comfortable as before.

She would like to find out before she waits, but Yuriel couldn’t quite figure out what Raphlet’s worries were.

When she asked Baraha about Raphlet, who seemed to have noticed something, he kept his mouth shut and said nothing. She stopped chasing him because she knew that once he kept his mouth shut, he would not speak even in death.

When she ended training, Baraha would come to Yuriel from time to time and say, ‘Hold on for a month, you’ll find out. No, I think a week will suffice.’ He murmured the same words and then disappeared.

It was as if that stupid Baraha didn’t know that his act aroused people’s curiosity more.

Yuriel, lost in thought for a moment, did not quickly notice that the monster had suddenly approached nearby.

Raphlet noticed the monster’s approach before Yuriel. The monster jumped over the wall of the maze and ran towards Yuriel. Yuriel could not escape from the energy of the monster from above and froze.

The monster’s claws approached Yuriel’s neck. She closed her eyes tightly, but felt no pain. It was thanks to Raphlet, who wrapped his left arm around Yuriel and backed away. Then she heard the gun that had been handed over to Raphlet, getting fired.

The silencer gun did not cause much impact even though it was fired right next from the ear.

Three gunshots were fired in succession, and she could feel the monster collapsing to the floor. Yuriel slowly opened her eyes. A monster fell right in front of her and was flapping its body.

Since the monster’s core has not yet been destroyed, it was intended to regenerate. Raphlet let go of Yuriel who was wrapped around his back and approached the monster.

When the monster’s head was trampled on with his shoe, the head exploded, and the black core inside rolled over the floor of the maze.

Raphlet pulled the trigger towards the rolling core. He used up to the last bullet.

Yuriel approached Raphlet, who protected her the moment the monster approached, and approached him.

“Thank you for saving me…. Lord Raphlet!”

There was a scar on Raphlet’s left arm. It was a wound because he covered Yuriel. It was a small wound, but blood was oozing out.

Raphlet was looking at the wounds on his arm and the dead monster with a cold indifferent face.

While talking with Yuriel, his face, which had been loosened, became colder and colder. He bent over to the monster and looked at the monster’s bodily fluid that was soaking the ground.

“Lord Raphlet, are you okay?”

“Stand back. It is a poisonous monster. Even if it becomes a corpse, the effect of the poison remains the same, so you must not touch it.”

Raphlet pushed Yuriel’s body and explained. Upon hearing his explanation, Yuriel’s face turned pale.

“What, what kind of poison is that…?”

“A powerful aphrodisiac…. no.”

“What is it, Raphlet? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I think I will have to go back and treat myself first. There will be no monsters now, but be careful and get out of the maze.”

Raphlet, who was about to explain the poison of the monster, stood up. The effect of the poison was spinning rapidly.

“You must never come close to a monster. Escape immediately.”

While avoiding Yuriel, Raphlet urged her again. Yuriel nodded her head as she watched him move quickly.

She thought she shouldn’t delay him to receive treatment by asking a silly question. When Yuriel answered yes, Raphlet jumped over the wall of the maze and disappeared.

She would have to check Raphlet’s condition as soon as she gets back.

Yuriel thought so, and moved her feet away from the monster’s corpse. Yuriel, who was running through the large maze, found the exit in less than 5 minutes.

As soon as she jumped into the exit, applause for Yuriel burst out. The princess who was smiling next to Baraha, who was exhausted, cheered as she saw Yuriel coming out of the exit.

She managed to escape, but she wasn’t happy.

Chapter 28

Contains mature scene
The applause continued non-stop. The Princess greeted Yuriel with a wide smile.

The eyes that scan the body to make sure there are no injuries are greedy.

“You’re out, Yuriel!”

The Princess didn’t seem to have any idea what happened inside the maze. The fact that Raphlet appeared in the maze and that he had shielded Yuriel and suffered minor injuries from the monsters.

The Princess was only happy that Yuriel, who seemed to have no fighting ability at all, came out just fine.

“You’ve come out safely using that ability to grasp the movements of monsters, right?”

“I have to go back.”

“What? What do you mean, the banquet has just begun!”

The knights around the Princess surrounded Yuriel as if they had been waiting for Yuriel to come out.

Yuriel said as she embraced the gun Raphlet had used. Perhaps noticing the series of events that were happening inside, Baraha glanced at Yuriel.

Because Baraha turned the Princess’s attention from the outside, Raphlet was not found out.

Yuriel said thank you with a wink of her eyes and soothed the Princess. As the Princess showed interest in Yuriel’s abilities, she intended to divert the Princess’ attention to it.

“My ability is weak, if I overdo it like today, my body will get sick. I’m sorry, Princess, I need to go back today.”

“I’ll give you a place at the Imperial Palace, so don’t you want to take a rest? Much better than going back to the temple. I will prepare a comfortable room for you.”

The Princess said in a friendly tone. As she tidied up Yuriel’s messy hair, she whispered closely to Yuriel.

“I’ll give you a better room, much more than what Raphlet Mogris gave you.”

The golden eyes similar to Raphlet looked at Yuriel. Yuriel could tell by looking into the Princess’ eyes that she had recognized Yuriel’s abilities.

She was immediately convinced that the Princess wouldn’t be offended much, even if she refused a little. Yuriel made a softer rejection to the Princess’ offer.

“No, Princess Ithaca. Today I want to go back to Albraka.”

The Princess made a sound of pain and nodded her head.

“I’ll just let you go because you don’t seem to have any injuries. I’ve been waiting, but it’s a pity.”

She mumbled her voice in a nonsensical way and sent Yuriel away.

＊＊＊

“Lord Raphlet!”

When Yuriel arrived, she immediately ran straight into the room. Raphlet’s room was empty. Yuriel trembled at the empty room and found a trace of him heading to the bathroom.

As soon as she opened the bathroom door, she saw Raphlet immersed in the bathtub. His clothes hung precariously on his body. The lower half of his shirt was soaked in water, reflecting his body. Raphlet, leaning his upper body on the large bathtub, stared blankly into the air.

“Lord, Raph, let…..?”

The steam circling in the bathroom made Yuriel’s collar a little wet. She moved cautiously to the bathtub where only Raphlet’s face was dimly visible.

Squeak, a squeaking sound was heard. It was the sound of something rubbing quickly.

Her body was more tense than when she faced the monster in the maze. Yuriel swallowed a gulp and cautiously approached the bathtub.

A small moan could be heard emanating from Raphlet’s teeth.

“Uhh….”

She could see his hard chest rising and falling wildly and his hands moving rapidly.

Yuriel covered her mouth with both hands as she saw Raphlet’s fully exposed appearance.

Raphlet is pleasuring himself. A thick manhood was rubbed under Raphlet’s palm. His manhood, which could not be grasped completely even with his large hands, was standing firm and was being rubbed.

Each time Raphlet’s hand moved up and down, his manhood appeared and disappeared repeatedly. She could see his perfectly woven abs twitching with pleasure through his loose clothes.

The hard thighs hidden by the pants must be trembling like that too. Yuriel stared blankly at Raphlet’s thighs, which were twice her own.

Yuriel clasped her two legs together and her body shuddered. Just seeing Raphlet’s movements made her whole body heat up. Her stomach was itching and her legs could not move. It felt like Raphlet’s passion mixed with the steam was sticking to Yuriel’s whole body and didn’t fall off.

Drops of water on her cheek ran down Yuriel’s neck. Yuriel straightened her back at the tickling sensation. The single drop of water split into several streams and tickled Yuriel’s neck.

“Yu, Riel….”

“Yes, yes?!”

Yuriel, who had been observing his appearance in awe without realizing it, responded with a terrified surprise. Raphlet called out her name.

“I’m sorry, Lord Raphlet. I’m, I’m leaving soon!”

She should have left the bathroom as if she didn’t see anything. She would only inflict displeasure on Raphlet.

How dare a maid squirm her legs as she watches her master pleasuring himself.

Yuriel hit her cheeks hard with both hands to bring herself to her senses. As the tingling sensation was transmitted to her wet cheeks, her hazy head became a little clearer.

“… Yuriel?”

The sound of wet skin touching seemed too loud. Raphlet’s eyes, sitting in the bathtub, moved slowly.

Raphlet turned to the place where the sound was coming from and looked at Yuriel quietly. His eyes seemed blurry. She was worried about Raphlet, but now was the time for her to leave the bathroom first.

Yuriel hit her cheeks a couple more times and bowed deeply towards Raphlet.

“I’m sorry, Lord Raphlet. If you call me later, I will come to attend.”

After she finished saying her words, she hurriedly turned around. She trotted across the bathroom, taking care not to fall on the slippery floor.

Yuriel put her hand on the doorknob and looked back unknowingly.

This was because she wanted to see Raphlet one more time.

Turning her head back, Yuriel found the man’s chest just behind her and held her breath.

“Lord, Raph, let…..”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m, I’m waiting outside….”

“Why?”

Yuriel stuttered, not realizing that he was comfortably speaking his words like when he was a child.

Raphlet smiled softly as he looked at Yuriel who answered with a blank expression on her face.

“You can’t go. Yuriel. You should cry in front of me.”

Raphlet’s hand ran through Yuriel’s clothes.

＊＊＊

Raphlet, who bit his lips hard until it bled, rescued Yuriel and returned to his room.

After getting grazed by the monster’s claws, an uncontrollable heat rose from his lower body.

“Sh*t….”

It was the worst kind of monster among the monsters the Princess had collected. That monster spews poison and makes the opponent go into heat. The poison did not dissipate until a satisfactory climax was reached.

Those who are engulfed by the effects of the poison, see the illusion they most want to see, and they reach their climax several times in it.

It was obvious why the Princess put that monster into the maze. She must have tried to abuse Yuriel’s body and grasp Yuriel in her own hands!

He felt like he wanted to cut off the Princess’s neck right away. If Raphel hadn’t come to the maze, Yuriel would have been wounded by the monster’s nails, and she would….

A mixture of anger and lust boiled into intense emotions. Raphlet recognized the increasingly blurred vision and headed for the bathroom.

If he stays in his room like this, his bedroom will be miserable the next day.

Raphlet threw himself into the bathtub to regain some consciousness and closed his eyes as he was drowning in the pouring water. The water flowing down his body just added to the stimulation.

His vision became blurred.

“Sh*t….”

Raphlet cursed and opened his eyes. The mansion he had lived in as a child was in front of him.

Fourteen, Raphlet lived in the Grand Duchy of Mogris’ residence until the day he turned fourteen. Until he encountered his own ugly nature, he had no doubts that he would become the heir of the Grand Duchy of Mogris.

“… shit.”

Raphlet looked at his erect manhood and spit out swear words over and over again.

Seeing the girl he wanted to cherish crying, he went into heat. He got an erection for the first time as tears welled up in the bright green eyes. The boy buried his lips and pleasured himself with the hands that rubbed the girl’s calves.

It was his first pleasure and fall.

Since the day Yuriel was beaten on his behalf, there has not been a day where Yuriel has not appeared in his dreams.

Raphlet stiffened his chin as he looked at the manhood that raised its head unknowingly.

In his dreams, Yuriel was always beaten with a skirt, looking at Raphlet with tears in her eyes. There were also days when Raphlet directly slammed his hand on Yuriel’s body directly. Raphlet grabbed Yuriel’s slender waist, who was standing with her back to him, and moved his waist to his heart’s content. He moved his waist harder as he saw his traces remain on the white skin.

Raphlet was able to wake up from the dream only after making Yuriel in some way.

“Yuriel….”

Yuriel was a child who appeared in front of him after being chased by a monster. Raphlet threw himself to save the child. She was the child who he brought into the mansion and gave her a name.

Perhaps because of the intense first meeting, Yuriel followed Raphlet as if worshiping him. Raphlet, too, took care of the girl he had brought. Status didn’t matter to Raphlet.

This was the case until the Grand Duke, who noticed Yuriel’s relationship with Raphlet, brought Yuriel to accompany Raphlet, in order to increase the effectiveness of the education he received.

Until Yuriel was beaten, Raphlet had never been swept away by that fiery lust. Even after seeing Yuriel’s face digging into his arms after a nightmare, he was able to unselfishly sweep her back.

However, everything changed since that day.

It was a strange pleasure. Even though he thought that he would protect Yuriel, He liked the way she was crying as she suffered the wounds. His lust for destruction and sexual desire, made it difficult to know what his own feelings were.

“Ha….”

Raphlet’s hand moved rapidly. In his imagination, he raved at the sight of Yuriel’s crying face, and he continued to move his hand. Every time the slippery wet pillar was rubbed by the rough hands, the straight forehead twisted with pleasure.

“Keuhk…!”

Chapter 29

Contains mature scene
Raphlet stared blankly into the air. Another fantasy was beginning.

Yuriel slapped her own check and curled her body. In the bathroom filled with steamy water, the hallucinations that followed the sound that came from the palms that touched the cheeks continued.

It was a sound so sharp that her back popped.

Raphlet watched as Yuriel hit her cheeks one after another.

It’s mine.

He didn’t want to hurt her, so he left her in the Mogris estate, but Yuriel was his.

Now, if it was a fantasy, the desire to indulge in Yuriel soared to the fullest.

Yuriel bowed deeply and said.

“I’m sorry, Lord Raphlet. If you call me later, I will come to attend.”

Right, doesn’t she tell him that she’ll attend him?

Feel free to ravage her, eat her. Something instigated Raphlet in his ear.

Swallow her so that you can be complete.

He doesn’t know what could be complete. The monster core embedded in his chest shook like crazy, but Raphlet was more concerned about his erect manhood than that.

Since when did the impulse become stronger? Every time he sees Yuriel, he wants to swallow her all.

It all felt acceptable in this fantasy.

Yuriel turned her body in front of him and walked slowly towards the door. Raphlet’s body, finding his prey turning around, moved instinctively.

He silenced his footsteps and clung to the body of his prey. Their distance was so close, he could bite the nape of her neck at any time.

The core in his chest pounded loudly once again.

His prey, who put her hand on the door, swallowed a gulp and turned around. And his prey was perplexed.

“Lord, Raph, let…..”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m, I’m waiting outside… .”

“Why?”

The moment Raphlet looked into the eyes of his prey, he remembered that it was Yuriel. The desire that was close to a desire for destruction became closer to a desire for something sexual.

Raphlet said as he rummaged through Yuriel’s clothes.

“You can’t go. Yuriel. You should cry in front of me.”

Even if she was not his prey, Raphlet will devour Yuriel.

＊＊＊

Yuriel’s clothes were simply stripped off by Raphlet. With Raphlet who was still dressed and Yuriel, completely undressed, she covered her face and groaned.

“Raphlet, Master.”

No matter how many times she called, Raphlet was burying his face in Yuriel’s private place as if possessed by something. Yuriel’s legs, leaning against the wall, were draped over his wide shoulders, and his ascetic face was pressed against her entrance.

Every time the straight bridge of his nose brushed against her bud, Yuriel shivered with guilt and pleasure.

The hot, thick tongue brushed against her bud and licked up her entrance. As the movement penetrated through the folds, Yuriel groaned as she scratched the smooth walls of the bathroom.

“Ah, uhh, no, no….”

She tried to push Raphlet’s shoulder, but it was not enough. He wasn’t pushed back at all. Her fingers trembling with excitement gripped his hair, and then she came to her senses and relaxed her fingers.

She clearly remembered to not dare grab her master’s hair even in the midst of a rush of pleasure.

“Ah, aahh…!”

Instead of grabbing Raphlet’s hair, Yuriel hugged her body and tilted her head. Her body melted with the tongue pressing against her bud.

Her cave through which the love liquid was flowing, trembled, in hopes of another person’s intrusion. Raphlet, watching her excited entrance tremble, slowly licked his tongue on the entrance and opened it with both hands as if he was parting Yuriel’s folds.

The small, excited bud protruded between the folds opened with his thumb. Raphlet opened Yuriel’s folds and moved his tongue.

The bud exposed to the air was crushed with Raplet’s tongue. The more he rubbed the bud that was weak for pleasure, a shrill scream erupted from Yuriel’s mouth.

“N, no, please stop. Uhhh, Master!”

Yuriel let out a scream close to crying. It felt like something was about to pour from below.

Raphlet didn’t care about Yuriel’s situation, but pressed his tongue down harder and rubbed the bud.

“Ah, ahk!”

Yuriel eventually grabbed his hair.

Raphlet raised the corners of his mouth as the fingers grabbed his hair. When the bud, which had been licked and swollen, was placed between his teeth and crushed, a pleasure-soaked liquid burst out of Yuriel’s cave.

“Noo…. Ooh, huh…. Lord Raphlet, I’m, I’m sorry… .”

Raphlet’s ascetic face was all messed up. Yuriel barely stood up with her trembling legs and apologized.

The fingers holding his hair lifted and released, and finally let go. Raphlet liked her slender fingers scrambling his hair, so he gently rubbed his hair in Yuriel’s hand, and tilted his head.

“N,no… ! Plea,se….”

Raphlet began to slowly wipe away the liquid that had flowed. Her legs, which had been trembling, couldn’t stand it anymore and eventually sank to the floor.

Yuriel stretched her hands back to grab the wall, but only Yuriel’s finger marks were left on the gripless wall. As Yuriel leaned on it, a wet mark remained.

Raphlet supported Yuriel’s falling body and waited for her to completely fall to the floor. Raphlet’s tongue didn’t come off Yuriel’s private place until her lower body completely touched the bathroom floor.

Yuriel sat on the floor with her legs wide open. The large body lay prostrated beneath Yuriel.

Seeing Raphlet’s posture, Yuriel felt like crying again.

It was Yuriel, not Raphlet, who had to do that stance.

“I, I’d rather…. do it for you, please. Haahh, Lord Raphlet….”

Raphlet was concentrating on Yuriel’s lower lips, as if he couldn’t feel his manhood twitching.

Her upper body, leaning against the wall, continued to slide down. Yuriel lay in the bathroom and stared blankly at the ceiling. Raphlet’s hand gripping her thigh made her unable to move.

With his two arms tightly wrapped around Yuriel’s thigh, he pressed her bud once more and pulled her lower lips apart.

The liquid he had wiped off was running down between her legs again.

Raphlet wiped his lips with his fingers and raised his body.

Yuriel sighed in relief when she saw Raphlet, who had finally removed his face from her private parts.

He slowly climbed up and examined Yuriel’s body.

Raphlet smiled wildly as he looked at her reddened body with excitement, and placed his hand on her chest, which had not yet turned red, and rubbed it roughly.

The white chest quickly turned red when Raphet touched it a few times.

Seeing that her chest was red, Raphlet leaned his body down on Yuriel’s waist and smiled contentedly.

“It looks good.”

Raphlet leaned over and kissed Yuriel’s lips briefly, whispering as he kissed along her cheek.

“I want you to cry for me now.”

He had a slightly confused voice.

“I don’t want to hurt you. No, I think it should be right.”

Yuriel watched Raphlet muttering annoyedly. Although she had never experienced the union between a man and a woman, she did attend the sex education of nobles on several occasions.

None of them radiated a bizarre longing like Raphlet.

They would all undress the woman and straighten up their member and insert it into the woman’s private place. Then the woman under the man cried in pain.

One of the maids standing next to Yuriel whispered into her ear.

‘The reason she cries like that is because the man is only trying to take care of his greed. Yuriel, you should meet a man who works hard on foreplay.’

The maid, who was more experienced than Yuriel, said so, but during all the sex education visits, Yuriel had never seen a man who worked hard on foreplay.

However, Raphlet had not been satisfied with the foreplay so far, even though he had put so much effort into it.

If he wanted to make it hurt, he should have inserted it at once from the beginning. If that had been the case, Yuriel, experiencing her first experience, would have shed tears and bend her neck in pain as Raphlet wanted.

But Raphlet didn’t do that.

Yuriel stared blankly at Raphlet’s face, trying not to move her waist, which was still twitching.

It was hard to figure out what he wanted to do with her.

Does Raphlet want her to cry?

Pain or pleasure?

Yuriel lowered her gaze and pondered. Suddenly, her gaze rested on the monster core embedded in Raplet’s chest.

She felt like there was a faint golden glow in the all-black core.

“Yuriel.”

As Yuriel stared blankly at his chest, a voice of dissatisfaction fell in her ear.

Raphlet looked down at Yuriel, who took her eyes off, and he smiled rather keenly.

The core embedded in his chest glistened completely black.

“Yes, I’d love for you to cry.”

The faint golden light disappeared as if it was just Yuriel’s illusion.

Chapter 30

Contains mature scene
“Uhhh!”

Yuriel’s thighs were wide open as Raphlet’s member touched her moist opening. The words he said that he wanted to make her cry were sincere.

Yuriel trembled as she was pierced by Raphlet’s member, which had been pushed in at once. She thought he had warmed herself up enough, but the pain was excruciating. The pillar that came in through the narrow opening forcibly pushed its head in in the tight space inside.

Tears poured out from the pain.

“Hu, hurts, huhk….”

“Haa….”

Raphlet, looking at Yuriel’s pain, let out a rapturous sigh.

He tilted his head back with a satisfied, full face like a beast that had finished his hunt. His tendons twitched from his thick neck.

The solid neckline that ran from his shoulder extended with satisfaction.

Raphlet, who had tilted his head back and suppressed his moan, grabbed Yuriel’s pelvis and began to move his waist.

The large member came out of the narrow opening and dragged the tender flesh inside. At first glance, the red flesh shone. Looking at the tight opening, Raphlet, who moistened his lips with his tongue, moved his body and pressed Yuriel’s thighs.

“Ah, ahheuk!”

Yuriel, buried by Raphlet’s body, blinked her wet eyes and moaned. The large member penetrated the opening right to the end and tapped the womb. The inner walls, which still hadn’t opened its way, split and squirmed with Raphlet’s repeated insertion.

Yuriel’s toes curled. The sound of wet skin touching each other was getting closer yet distant.

The sensation of Raphlet pressing down on her sensitive bud with his teeth was still there. Her love fluid splattered from their junction. The viscous love liquid bubbles in the fast-paced insertion, seething white foam.

“Sto, opp… ! Master, please… !”

Yuriel shouted, not knowing that her plea was a bigger stimulus to Raphlet. Raphlet grabbed her thighs and pushed his waist roughly. He forcibly pushed his manhood into the narrow hole and looked at Yuriel’s face carefully.

The already swollen pillar hardens more satisfactorily as tears flow from the emerald-like eyes.

“Hahh!”

The pillar, which was moving quickly, finally penetrated deep and large. Raphlet, who grabbed Yuriel’s thighs to prevent her from moving, climaxed for a long time.

“Unng….”

Yuriel trembled and moaned at the movement of the manhood that slowly exited her body after it’s climax. The seeds he poured inside her flowed down.

Raphlet, who was looking at the liquid pouring out of the opening, grabbed Yuriel’s waist and lifted her up. Holding Yuriel with one arm, he opened the bathroom door and headed for the bedroom.

Buried in the large bed, Yuriel exhaled a deep breath, and her chest went up and down. With each breath her ribs appeared and disappeared.

Raphlet grabbed Yuriel’s waist as he fell on the bed and pressed her head down. As her posture changed, Yuriel felt like a brute with her waist raised.

Raphlet, holding her slack wrists back, swept the seeds flowing out of her opening with his manhood and inserted it right away.

“Ah…!”

Yuriel’s sagging waist bounced upwards. Her hair, which was always in long braids on both sides, only loosened but did not come apart. Raphlet’s firm thighs and Yuriel’s soft thighs were clinging to each other. Red marks grew on her white thighs as he moved from behind.

“Uuhh, uhk, ah….”

Yuriel bit her lip and held back her moan. Raphlet’s body, which pushed into her without giving her a break, was overwhelming.

His manhood was too large and hard to accept at first. When he inserted it from the front, it felt like he was stabbing her stomach, but now when he pushed it from the back, it kept touching the part where she felt a strange sensation.

Every time Raphlet’s member pressed a single point, the power to bite her lips disappeared.

“Ahhheuk!”

Raphlet, realizing that Yuriel’s weakness was there, began to tap the part without any error.

“Uh, uhh…! Kyaa, aahhnn!”

Raphlet, who grabbed Yuriel’s wrists as she was about to fall, pulled back strongly, slammed his waist hard. Liquids spilled from the opening. Raphlet twitched and forced his manhood into her lower mouth.

Even as the climax continued, Yuriel screamed and twisted her waist as the member pushed in relentlessly.

“Haa, stay…still.”

Raphlet let go of her wrist and pressed down on Yuriel’s waist.

Raphlet spreads his thighs wider than Yuriel’s, and digs into her private place from top to bottom.

Yuriel laid flat under Raphlet and grabbed the sheet. Her whole body was crushed and she couldn’t move at all.

Even when she tried to close her legs, a huge pillar was piercing through the narrow gap. Yuriel cried and begged.

“Pl, ah, please, please, st, op….”

She once dreamed of becoming one with Raphlet. But it wasn’t in such beastly and intense intercourse. The friendly and clumsy intercourse with Raphlet, which was created in Yuriel’s imagination, was over at once.

It was the result of Yuriel’s poor imagination. Making eye contact with Raphlet, rubbing each other’s privates, hugging his neck, and laying down on the bed.

That was the end. Yuriel moaned while scratching Raphlet’s bed with her fingers in a relationship that was completely different from what she had imagined.

She thought she was going to die.

The strong body that pushed into her without even giving her a breath, and the smell of obscenity emanating from their connected part made her head dizzy.

Raphlet, who did not stop stabbing through the opening despite Yuriel’s plea, wrapped his thick arms around Yuriel’s waist and neck, and dug into her cave at a faster rate than he had ever done before.

Yuriel’s moans, the sound of the splashing liquids, and the heavy sighs that Raphlet occasionally let out filled the room.

While hugging Yuriel’s body, Raphlet climaxed a second time. The seeds were pushed out little by little through the closed opening, as if there was no place to receive the new seeds inside.

“Ah, haa, uh….”

Raphlet, got up from behind Yuriel, who had collapsed and could not even lift a finger, pulled out his manhood and sprayed his seeds on her body. Red and white on the sensual body.

Raphlet felt his appetite driven again. The subdued manhood rose up again.

Raphlet blinked his eyes blankly. The fantasy is not over yet.

Raphlet, who was looking at Yuriel’s body, was lost in a moment’s thought. It seems that he was not satisfied enough to dissipate the monster’s poison. If so, he can do more.

He grabbed Yuriel’s ankle and lifted her up. The lower opening, which had not yet closed, tingled. As he tried to push his manhood back into it, Yuriel in his vision gasped for breath, and crawled on the bed.

“I, I can’t…. do, do… this any, more.”

“It’s okay, Yuriel. you can do it.”

Yuriel’s frightened face was so cute that his voice became more friendly than usual. He liked the crying and he liked the frightened face too.

Raphlet kissed Yuriel’s ankle and bent his eyes.

Yuriel stared at him as if possessed by his eyes that were curved differently than usual.

While Yuriel was possessed, Raphlet pulled Yuriel’s ankle with a smile.

“Ah…!”

Yuriel, who was dragged under him again, trembled pitifully and looked at him. Raphlet was satisfied.

He had never felt so full of relief. No matter how many times he poured it out, Yuriel did not disappear. He was as happy as if they were facing each other in real life.

Raphlet exhaled slowly and pushed his manhood inside Yuriel. The hot inner walls tightened around him.

“Sto, stop…. I can’t, do it, anymore….”

When the manhood was inserted, Yuriel covered her face with both arms and burst into tears. As he pushed out her slender arms, he could see the shriveled eyes.

He liked the cry, but the pain was ambiguous. Yuriel’s face contorted in pain as his fingers swept around her eyes. Raphlet wiped her eyes with the back of his hand and hugged Yuriel’s upper body.

“Huuh….”

Yuriel, who sat on Raphlet’s leg, took a deep breath. It was because the pillar that stabbed inside had been pierced even deeper. Raphlet said as he swept Yuriel’s back, who was gasping for breath in surprise.

“It’s alright. Yuriel.”

Yuriel was not alright at all. Raphlet was stroking her back with a gentle movement, but the sensation of the soft skin that was rubbed with the rough, calluses-studded hand only stimulated her.

In addition, his member was pulsating even deeper than before. Raphlet, who had comforted Yuriel several times, could not bear the feeling of the hot inner walls twitching and raised his waist. Yuriel’s body bounced up along with it.

“Ah, uhk!”

Yuriel hugged Raphlet’s neck and struggled not to let her body down, but it was in vain. Raphlet grabbed her waist and pulled her down. The stronger the movements were repeated, the more the focus disappeared from Yuriel’s eyes.

“Ha, uuhh!”

She realized that she had to give up her body in line with Raphlet’s violent movement.

Raphlet’s seeds mixed with the monster’s poison was sprayed several times on Yuriel’s body and inside her. Even though her body turned white, Raphlet did not stop moving.

The bitter climax continued constantly.

Raphlet thought he was still fantasizing.

Chapter 31

Yuriel stared blankly at the ceiling. Raphlet was moving his body above her, even though she had fainted and woke up.

Really, this. Really, this is….

She thinks she now understands the meaning of what Raphlet had said. Obviously, this was a little hard to accept. It’s not a mental issue, it’s a physical issue.

If this copulation was what he declared unacceptable, then Yuriel needed to build up her stamina.

But there was something strange. Raphlet continued to refer to her as an illusion throughout their deed.

Once again, Raphlet placed a kiss on Yuriel’s forehead, laid down next to her with a smile. Raphlet, who brushed her hair back as he did when she was a child, closed his eyes with a soft expression. He looked satisfied.

It was the first time she saw such a gentle expression again. Yuriel, who looked curiously at the loosened forehead and loosely curved lips, lowered her gaze and carefully looked at the scar left on Raplet’s arm.

The wound, which was dark at first, gradually turned red as time passed, and then disappeared as if it had evaporated.

Before leaving the maze, Raphlet obviously told her to be careful, saying that the monster is poisonous. And he mumbled the word aphrodisiac. He faltered in that word, but what he was trying to say was probably the word aphrodisiac.

So, this is probably due to the effect of the aphrodisiac.

He lost his energy and his shoulders sagged a little. This was not Raphlet’s true intention.

Yuriel carefully stepped down from Raphlet’s bed. Worried that he might wake up, Yuriel came down lightly and left the room with her clothes spread around the bathroom.

It was fortunate that her room was across from Raphlet’s so she didn’t have to worry about running into people.

Yuriel went to her room and first cleaned her body. If Raphlet came to his senses and he saw her and pushed her away, Yuriel wasn’t confident she could endure it.

It would be a big trouble if she was to be forced to go back to the Mogris Estate again.

“That won’t do….”

Yuriel wiped her aching body and changed clothes, then quietly left the room. She wanted to know the exact facts.

If it wasn’t an aphrodisiac, and Yuriel misunderstood that Raphlet had been under an aphrodisiac, it would mean that Raphlet really wanted to hold Yuriel.

Yuriel left the room and immediately looked for Baraha. Barraha was locked up in his own room, mostly in the south building, unless it was the training ground. Or he would say he was headed to the alchemist tower, but recently, the alchemist tower is under renovation, so he tends to stay in his room the whole time.

When she went to Baraha’s room, she saw him dozing on the window sill. Yuriel knocked on the door to wake up the sleeping Baraha.

Baraha, who had been sleeping, opened his eyes. Baraha blinked slowly and looked around for a moment as if to check where he was.

“I thought I was in the Mogris estate because of you. I thought you were in that forest….”

Baraha murmured reproachfully. He rubbed his eyes and got up to approach Yuriel.

“Why are you here?”

“Well, I need to ask you a question…. By any chance, among the monsters that the princess placed in the maze, was there a monster with an aphrodisiac poison?”

Baraha saw Yuriel’s serious expression and replied. He thought she didn’t know it, but it seemed like she finally figured it out.

“Did you know?”

“Ah, as expected….”

“It was a good thing though. You came out unscathed, and the princess didn’t hand you over to the knights.”

“Huh?”

Yuriel, who was listening to Baraha’s words, blinked with a totally clueless face. Baraha saw that face, frowned as Yuriel continued her words lightly.

“What do you mean, the princess tried to hand me over to the knights…?”

Yuriel staggered against the wall. Seeing Yuriel’s reaction, Baraha clicked his tongue and turned his head.

“Hey, Baraha! What do you mean!”

“I told you that the princess is someone who needs to get what she wants in her hands, for a person, she needs to melt away their intuition. That’s the most commonly used method to get her hands on them. Make them succumb to desires and beg her for more.”

“The, then she was going to do that to me too?”

It was then that Yuriel understood the eyes of the knights. The persistent gaze that scoured all over her body, it was the gaze that was filled with dirty desires.

“You know that, why didn’t you tell me to be careful?”

“I was thinking of taking you back if I thought you were going to lose.”

He muttered with a stupid-looking face. Yuriel, who was feeling goosebumps, looked at his face and lost her nerves.

“Never mind. What do I expect from you?”

“Because I was going to take you out.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel said bluntly. Upon hearing the answer to the question she had asked Baraha, Yuriel pouted her lips and left his room. Baraha followed after Yuriel.

Yuriel walked down the hallway, contemplating how to keep Raphlet from noticing that she was beside him.

They came across Helio, who was on the way back after leaving the southern building, and he asked curiously.

“Miss Yuriel, why is Commander Baraha behind you so flustered?”

“Yes? Where is Baraha, shhh, you scared me! Why are you doing this behind me?”

Yuriel, who looked back, was surprised to see Baraha standing close behind her and dropped her body. She looked down as she remembered that Raphlet was standing so close behind her as she was about to leave the door.

“Really.”

“… what?”

“I was trying to get you out.”

“Ah, yes. Yes. I got it..”

It seemed to be a continuation of that story earlier. Yuriel reiterated that she didn’t care much about it and looked at Baraha, who was looking at her strangely.

“I followed you to say that. I’m going back now.”

“Ah, alright….”

Baraha really turned around and went back to the southern building, not knowing what to say other than that.

It wasn’t just a day or two that Baraha was weird, so she didn’t really care. Even when she was in the Mogris Estate, he sometimes behaved strangely like that, and then disappeared. After a few months, he came back to Mogris again and met Yuriel.

And said hello as usual.

Yuriel, who looked at Baraha’s back for a moment, asked Helio.

“Sir Helio, is the monster subjugation still a long way away?”

“The alchemy tower has been properly organized and we are going to start subjugation soon. We are scheduled to go to Krug in two days.”

“Krug? Is it far away?”

“No, it’s a historic site behind the Imperial Palace…. It’s a place where monsters often appear, and subjugation is carried out periodically.”

“Yikes. The Imperial Palace.”

“The probability of meeting the princess is…. Well, that’s high.”

Hearing Baraha’s words, a sense of repulsion towards the princess has risen. Yuriel frowned and sighed.

As Yuriel trembled with displeasure, Helio comforted her lightly.

“It’s okay. She must already have other interests. Because the princess is very capricious.”

“Please, I hope so.”

Please, I don’t want to meet the princess and her knights.

Yuriel prayed deeply in her heart.

＊＊＊

“Yuriel.”

“Yes, yes?”

“You don’t need the sleeping pills anymore?”

“Oh, no. I still need it. It is much faster to find out in a dream than to detect where a monster is in a large place.”

“Is that so? Still, avoid sleeping pills whenever possible.”

“Yes, Lord Raphlet. Once I get used to my abilities, I don’t think I’ll be using them much in the future.”

Raphlet asked a question as he watched Yuriel packing the bags for subjugation. Yuriel received the sleeping pills from the medical officer and then reported to Raphlet when she was taking the sleeping pills but the frequency has recently decreased.

Raphlet was relieved to see Yuriel’s use of sleeping pills diminished. It was for the sake of the precognition, but it was hard to see her using a drug that made her defenseless for two hours.

It was not good for Yuriel’s body, and the way he touched Yuriel’s body every time she fell asleep was terrible. It didn’t even go as far as insertion, but it was that he felt that it was reaching the limit for him to suppress that desire.

He couldn’t stand it when he heard Yuriel begging him to touch her before she fell asleep.

A thin smile appeared on Raplet’s lips at the news of the reduced use of sleeping pills. Raphlet smiled at Yuriel after a long time and lifted his head.

It was a friendly smile that was only shown to Yuriel.

“… Yuriel?”

But when Yuriel saw Raphlet’s smile, she was terribly surprised and turned her head.

Raphlet turned around to see if there was anything else behind him that might surprise Yuriel. There was nothing.

There were only two people, Yuriel and Raphlet in the room.

“Ah, ah…. Th, then, Lord Raphlet, I’ll go to my room, room first. I have to get up early tomorrow!”

It was an awkward act for Yuriel, who wouldn’t leave the place unless Raphlet left first. She jumped up from her spot when she finished her words, she bit her tongue.

Yuriel tried not to make eye contact with Raphlet, then ran into the opposite room.

Raphlet stared blankly at Yuriel’s back.

No matter how good she tried, she ran away. Raphlet suppressed himself, who almost grabbed Yuriel’s body, as if crushing a fleeing prey, and blinked his eyes.

What he saw before Yuriel turned her body was a terrified expression on that face. It’s a startled face, as if she noticed Raphlet’s desire to swallow Yuriel in one bite.

Raphlet clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

“Why all of a sudden, now….”

The voice that escaped from his lips terrified the room.

Chapter 32

Yuriel’s condition was somewhat strange, but the subjugation proceeded as planned.

Krug was a huge underground city. Yuriel, imagining something like a small stone tomb behind the imperial palace, opened her mouth as soon as she entered the ruins. A look of surprise filled her face, which had been gloomy up to the time she went down the stairs.

The fountain and clock tower, which look more gorgeous than the current Imperial Capital, caught the eye. After that, the panoramic view of the underground city spread out so wide that it was impossible to see at a glance.

A transparent wall had been erected in the place where the water flowed, so she could see into the water.

“This is a historic site… ?”

Yuriel murmured in daze.

“I think someone is still living there.”

“There are monsters. You don’t know how troublesome it is to have to deal with monsters while preserving the ruins.”

Helio smiled and spoke to her. There was a time when Helio, like Yuriel, admired the view of Krug.

But now it was all a thing of the past. It had become too dull for Helio, and there was no more surprise left at this sight. Recently, he was even feeling the urge to destroy the ruins and drive out the monsters easily.

Raphlet stopped Yuriel from walking through the ruins.

“It’s dangerous because you don’t know where the monsters will appear.”

“Ah yes… I’ll be careful, Lord Raphlet.”

Yuriel answered, pushing his arm away. Raphlet’s eyebrows went up first, then Helio looked at them with interest.

It was a bit dull to see this amazing scenery, but it was nice to see Commander Raphlet looking perplexed.

Raphlet had the hand rejected by Yuriel in the air, then he came to his senses and lowered his arm. However, it seemed impossible to stop his gaze that followed Yuriel.

A gaze that seemed to be hunting a prey followed Yuriel’s face. Yuriel didn’t know what to do and was trying to avoid Raphlet’s gaze.

Helio asked as he approached Yuriel’s side.

“What’s going on with you and Commander Raphlet? Did you just avoid him?”

“When, when did I? Why am I avoiding Lord Raphlet?”

Yuriel was visibly agitated.

Yuriel, who had been in denial with a bright red face and blinked her eyes, moved to Baraha’s side, avoiding Helio.

Unit 4, Baraha. He, who manages the auxiliary unit, not the assault unit, was checking the weapons and tilted his head as he saw Yuriel approaching him.

“Do you need bullets?”

“No, ah, hmm.”

Baraha handed the ammunition to Yuriel’s hand anyway as she was unable to answer anything.

“If you have nothing to do, help me check the weapon.”

“Hmm, hmm, that’s good.”

Yuriel nodded her head wildly. Yuriel, who was very close to Baraha, avoiding the pouring gaze from behind, bowed her head and touched the gun.

Yuriel held the cold barrel in her hand and sighed.

When Raphlet smiles, grabs her arm, sighs, walks, and even stands still. All his actions caused a deep ripple in Yuriel’s heart.

When she saw his smile, she remembered the smiling face that looked at her affectionately, and when he grabbed her arm, she remembered him moving his waist while he pressed her arm, and when he sighed, she remembered his moan.

She was about to go crazy. No, she was already crazy.

As proof of that, Yuriel could not get close to Raphlet, but repeatedly sneaked a glance on his face from afar and ran away.

It is unknown whether this was fortunate or unfortunate, but Raphlet was acting as if he had forgotten all the memories of the day when he and Yuriel were entangling their bodies.

Even if it was not reality, it would remain in her memory even in the form of a dream, but Raphlet’s face was not conscious of Yuriel at all.

Looking at his usual attitude, Yuriel clearly realized that Raphlet had no interest in her at all.

She was the only one who was conscious of it.

“Ha….”

“What’s wrong?”

As Yuriel grabbed the gun and kept sighing, Baraha, who couldn’t bear to hear it, asked a question.

“Baraha.”

Yuriel put the gun on her lap and opened her mouth with a determined attitude.

“The aphrodisiac I asked last time.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and nodded his head. At his signal to speak, Yuriel squinted at where Raphlet was and asked a question.

“If you get poisoned, all your memories of that day will be gone, right?”

“No. You remember more clearly.”

“Really?”

“It’s as clear as if you saw it right before your eyes, and your senses are so vivid as if you had experienced it in real life.”

“You speak as if you have been through it. Have you ever been hurt?”

Baraha said while looking into the air with a hazy face as if thinking of something. He looked at the empty space as if he remembered the time he was poisoned, bit his lip and lowered his head.

“No….”

Baraha, who doesn’t usually show his emotions, bowed his head in denial, as if feeling shame.

Yuriel stood up from her spot and patted Baraha’s back, who had suddenly bowed his head.

When Yuriel patted him on the back, Baraha shuddered and curled up.

“Thank you for letting me know. I will go now.”

“Hmm….”

Baraha answered in a dying voice.

With Baraha’s side organizing the weapons, Yuriel, with a sincere heart, cautiously entered Raphlet’s barracks. Even if she looks at his face and then lustful thoughts fill her head, Yuriel still has to spend the night in Raffles’ barracks.

It was because he always stood by her side when foretelling the position of the monster.

If Yuriel suddenly says she doesn’t need Raphlet, the atmosphere will just get weird… ?

Yuriel clasped her hands and quietly looked around the barracks. A bottle of sleeping pills was placed next to the pillow.

Raphlet was nowhere to be seen.

“Did he go to the strategy room with Sir Helio?”

Yuriel, who looked around, thought it was a good thing, and quickly leaned on the bed and swallowed a sleeping pill.

When Raphlet is not present, she must finish the foreseeing as soon as possible.

She couldn’t ask Raphlet to touch her head today.

Yuriel swallowed the sleeping pill and fell asleep quickly.

＊＊＊

It’s a dream.

But it’s different than usual. Yuriel opened her mouth as she looked at the bustling and cluttered Krug ruins.

“What’s that…?”

When Yuriel arrived, the barren square was full of people. The clock tower rang the noon bell, and the fountain spouted water.

“It is definitely a historical site….”

Yuriel blankly opened and closed her lips. Perhaps, her ability has now come to foresee even everyday life that has nothing to do with monsters?

Is she seeing the future now?

Yuriel looked blankly at the people passing by.

“That sister keeps looking at me.”

One of the children who saw Yuriel staring blankly at the children passing by said with a weeping face while clinging to an adult woman,

The eyes of the people gathered in the square turned to Yuriel at once.

Yuriel shook her head with an awkward smile.

“No, I was just sitting there.”

As Yuriel waved her hands in denial, the eyes of those who looked at Yuriel became even colder. One of them looked carefully at Yuriel’s hands and arms and said,

“Miss. Why don’t you have a core in your arm?”

“Yes?”

“Is it on your shoulder? The core is your identification, you have to show it!”

“That, there really isn’t.”

“What, how are you alive when you don’t have a core?”

Yuriel was nervous as she looked at the people around her. Their gaze was extraordinary.

She took out the gun she was wearing on her thigh and looked around, on guard.

“What are you trying to get out of!”

“Come, on, don’t, do this!”

A man sticking out from behind, twisted Yuriel’s wrist and shouted as if he was suspicious of the hand that was holding on to the gun. Following him, another hand groped Yuriel’s thigh and took away the gun.

The kid who took the gun shouted in a hoarse voice.

“This is a gun!”

“Kill!”

“Wa, wait…! You have to tell me why you’re doing this… !”

Then, a voice engulfed in madness turned to Yuriel. Yuriel twisted her body as she watched the child unlock the safety lock on the gun he had stolen. Her arms were grabbed so that it was difficult to move her body.

No, what is this!

She foretold the future, now the same people are trying to kill her!

In precognitive dreams, it seemed that the rule of waking up only when dying was applied. The child who watched Yuriel twisting her body raised the gun with the safety device unlocked.

The child was only half of Yuriel’s height.

Black shards were embedded in the back of the child’s hand.

The moment she saw it, Yuriel felt a powerful shock hitting her head and woke up from the dream.

“Huh, ah?”

Yuriel groaned and groped her head blankly. She was fine, and the gun she was wearing on her thigh was still there.

She was still the same from when she fell asleep. The only thing that changed was the clock, two hours had passed.

While Yuriel was groping her head in daze, Raphlet entered the barracks.

Yuriel was sitting on the bed, with a dazed face, and Raphlet’s expression wrinkled as he saw the reduced amount of sleeping pills.

“Did you take a sleeping pill when I was away?”

Raphlet asked Yuriel a question coldly.

“Why don’t you wait for me?”

Chapter 33

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet’s golden eyes looked at Yuriel sharply. He snapped back at Yuriel with a voice full of thorns.

“Are you trying to tell me that you don’t need me now?”

Raphlet bit his lip and added impatiently as if he had been hurt by what she had said.

“Yuriel.”

He called out Yuriel’s name in a desperate voice, as if asking for a quick denial.

“No, Lord Raphlet. It’s not like that, I….”

Surprised by his reaction, Yuriel shook her head. She recalled the story Baraha had told her, and shrugged her shoulders. When she ran into him, she remembered that she had tangled her body with his and her heart was pounding, but Raphlet showed no signs of that at all.

The voice calling her now felt desperate, but Raphlet’s face was as cool as usual.

He wasn’t desperate. Yuriel thought that she had distorted his voice to fit what she wanted to hear.

She knew she was just a maid in Raphlet’s eyes, but it was hard to contain her feelings of embarrassment.

Looking at his blunt face, Yuriel thought that her feelings might have made it difficult for Raphlet, who had a strong sense of responsibility. He just wants to be by her side to calm her seizures.

When she first came to the Imperial Capital, she thought she needed nothing as long as she was by Raphlet’s side, but she ended up wanting too much.

She wanted Raphlet to blend his body with hers and not with anyone else, and now she presumably hoped that his mind would be agitated as he saw her.

This is not the way to take care of Raphlet, but rather would only ruin his life.

Yuriel took a deep breath and recalled her own role.

I am Lord Raphlet’s maid.

She forgot her responsibilities as she took on the position as an employee of the Albraka Strategic Office. Yuriel barely smiled and raised her head.

I shouldn’t bother Raphlet any more.

“Yes, I am fine now. Now, I don’t need to bother Lord Raphlet anymore, me alone….”

“I have never turned you down for being annoying.”

The words that she barely said with a smile did not continue to the end. Raphlet interrupted Yuriel’s words in a tone that seemed to contain his anger.

“Yuriel, I’m sure you can accept me….”

Raphlet, who was about to say something, sighed and closed his mouth. He lowered his eyes to avoid Yuriel’s eyes, but after slowly and sufficiently controlling his emotions, he met Yuriel’s eyes again.

“You already said you could accept me. So it doesn’t matter now.”

Contrary to his voice that showed no signs of trembling, Raphlet’s eyes seemed to contain more complex emotions than usual.

＊＊＊

Yuriel was not helpful in the subjugation because she had a dream in which a human appeared, not a monster. The knights started tracking the location of the monster just like when Yuriel had not joined.

Melancholy came over her as she sat alone within the crowd of bustling people.

“There are days like this. Krug is a place I’ve been to a lot, so the risk is low. Don’t be too disappointed.”

Helio came and comforted her, but Yuriel was not comforted.

Yuriel found that not working would make her depressed.

“Can’t I go back and clean the barracks?”

“No. When subjugation goes out, you promised me you would not touch the little things. What will the knights think if someone who needs to find out the location of the monster is cleaning? Why don’t you memorize a map of the Krug Ruins while they’re working on something else?”

“What’s the point of memorizing? Do you want me to be an archaeological site guide?”

Yuriel said while clasping her itchy hands. She wanted to do some cleaning, but Helio was watching Yuriel’s actions with his blue eyes wide open.

She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t do chores, when all she had to do was find out the location of the monster. However, Yuriel quietly followed Helio’s instructions.

“You won’t be able to memorize everything until the day the monster subjugation ends. It’s very spacious here.”

Helio really brought a complete map of the Krug Ruins. Yuriel, who had a tired face, quickly became interested and looked carefully at the map of the ruins.

There are 7 squares with fountains. It was a historical site that looked like it had achieved a more splendid development than the current imperial capital.

Yuriel sat down with Helio on the fountain where there was no water and read the map. Helio pointed his finger at a point on the map.

“This is where Krug’s Temple used to be. It’s in a similar location to Albraca right now. If you dig underground in Albraka, you will find the Krug Ruins.”

“It’s amazing that it hasn’t collapsed.”

“Oh, and this building over here is the one right nearby…. They say it is a building that helps you have a mystical experience.”

“Mystical experience? What kind of experience is that?”

“There is one person who has had an experience, but no one knows what kind of experience because they didn’t talk about it. Would you like to go with me?”

Helio said in a soft tone. Yuriel, who pushed Helio away on his shoulder, was worried.

As he said, it would be good to visit the Krug Ruins, since they would come for subjugation on a regular basis. Getting used to the ruins a little more would help her find the monsters.

This time she only had a strange dream, but next time, she will have a dream in which a monster appears.

When Yuriel nodded, Helio gave a twisted smile to Raphlet. Most of the members noticed that he was acting awkwardly towards Yuriel since yesterday.

Many knights were paying attention to Yuriel, who had been following Raphlet, as she sat alone at the fountain, thinking deeply. Raphlet was pretending to not notice Yuriel, but he kept glancing at her.

When Helio spoke to her, he watched with displeasure but still. As usual, by the time he approaches, he calls Yuriel and puts her next to him, even though she has nothing to do.

Yuriel was looking at the map next to Helio, as if she had not yet noticed Raphlet’s displeasure.

It seems that the relationship between Yuriel and Raphlet has changed in the past few days, but the basis of it has not changed. If Yuriel finds out that Raphlet is offended by Helio, she will not try to stay with him.

As Helio was trying to get Yuriel to go to the building, he heard a high-pitched woman’s voice.

“Yuriel!”

As soon as the distinctive accent was heard, Yuriel shrugged her shoulders and turned to the one who had called her . The princess was approaching, calling Yuriel.

Helio saw the arrival of the princess and looked straight at Raphlet. Raphlet was approaching Yuriel with a vicious face.

Yuriel had left him, but since the princess is a dangerous figure, he seems to be approaching Yuriel to warn her.

“I came here after hearing the news that Albraka is subjugating Krug. I thought you would be here.”

“Hello, Princess.”

“Oh dear, you can call me Ithaca just like back then. You deserve it.”

The Princess smiled and touched Yuriel’s chin with her finger. Yuriel trembled as she saw the escort knights following the princess. She couldn’t see the faces of the knights during the banquet, but seeing the knights that appeared with the princess made her tremble.

“We are in the middle of subjugating, Princess. The knights are agitated, so please go back.”

Raphlet said, as he stepped in front of Yuriel. He pushed off the princess’ hand that was stroking Yuriel’s chin with a rather rough touch.

The smiling princess’ face contorted with terrifying displeasure as she looked at the hand that Raphlet pushed off Yuriel’s chin..

“I touched something dirty. I have to wash my hands.”

As she reached her hand out behind her, the knight who was closest to the princess placed a handkerchief on her hand. The princess wiped the back of her hands and threw the handkerchief at Raphlet’s feet.

Raphlet repeated his words with an expressionless face, even while being insulted.

“Princess. Go back.”

“If you command me one more time, whether you are a saint or not, I will rip out what is in your chest.”

Watching Raphlet repeat his words like a machine, the princess revealed her displeasure. Raphlet didn’t respond, but Yuriel was surprised and jumped out from behind Raphlet.

“You can’t do that, Princess.”

When she saw Yuriel’s face, the princess let out a groan as if worried, and relaxed her expression.

“Of course I’m joking, Yuriel. I’m not that vicious.”

The princess gently bent her eyes and said,

“I heard that you are Raphlet Mogris’ exclusive servant. Don’t you want to come with me? I’ll let you do whatever you want. You only have to give me one thing. Then I’ll give you everything. If you like being a knight’s maid, I can give you my knight. I’m sure he’ll be much sweeter and better than that blunt knight.”

The princess said in a gentle tone. There was a languid breath in the voice that followed. Yuriel, who was listening to the princess, quickly shook her head.

“No, I….”

“Oh, you were looking at the map. All right, today I will show you these ruins.”

“What? It’s dangerous because we’re subjugating monsters….”

“Can’t you tell me before the monster comes? Alright, I’ll guide you here first. It’s a fun place.”

The princess stopped Yuriel’s words of refusal, and she smiled and pulled Yuriel’s hand. The princess who marked the place on the map that Helio had indicated Yuriel should visit and started dragging Yuriel to the ruins. Yuriel was forced to follow the princess by her strong force.

Yuriel was suddenly dragged along and muttered.

“Prin, Princess? You can’t go like this.”

“Yuriel…!”

“Commander Raphlet, wait a minute.”

Helio stopped Raphlet from trying to step forward again.

“Even if you come forward, the Princess will not go back. I will follow the Princess and Miss Yuriel, so focus on your subjugation. There must be one person to lead the knights.”

“I will follow Yuriel. Commander Helio, you be incharge of this place….”

“It will be difficult to deal with the Princess. I will take good care of Miss Yuriel, so please take care of this place. Commander Raphlet.”

Helio pushed Raphlet’s chest as he spoke, and ran after the Princess and Yuriel who had disappeared into the ruins.

Chapter 34

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“It was here where I had that experience.”

Helio followed, but the princess did not pay any attention to him. Treating him as someone nonexistent, the princess who held Yuriel’s hand, stopped in front of the ruins. The princess said in a longing voice.

“Really, I saw something great.”

It seems that the person Helio was talking about was the princess. The princess’ eyes closed languidly as if dreaming. The golden eyes shining under the half-closed eyelids looked hazy.

It was a face intoxicated with ecstasy. A princess with a unique atmosphere that was not like an ordinary person looked into the air. She seemed to be staring into a world that was invisible to ordinary people.

Yuriel wondered what the princess had seen. What did she see that gave her such an ecstatic expression?

“What experience did you have?”

Yuriel couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked. The princess curled her lips and smiled softly at Yuriel, who tilted her head questioningly.

“It is a secret. If you tell me you’re coming , I can tell you. Of course, after you pledge to keep your mouth shut.”

“Oh, I think it’s okay if you don’t tell me….”

Yuriel slowly withdrew. The princess, who pulled Yuriel’s wrist as she backed away and blurred her words, entered the ruins.

Entering the huge main entrance, she saw a corridor that surrounded a wide courtyard. As soon as she walked through the entrance, she felt the air around her change. It looked like it wouldn’t hurt to walk barefoot on the flat floor with no corners. Even if she goes down on her knees, she thought it would be fine.

Yuriel admired the neat appearance of the ruins as if time had not passed.

“It must have been a place to pray.”

It was vague to call it a temple, and it seemed like a place made for people to pray.

The princess passed through the solemn courtyard and passed through the door further inside. This time it was a place with a ceiling.

The high ceilings were full of paintings. Most of them were unknown. There was a hole in the center of the ceiling, and it felt like a painting was drawn around it.

Yuriel moved in a daze. The air felt as if it had settled heavily.

Sunlight came in through the hole in the ceiling. It left a circular light mark on the floor according to its shape. On the spot where the light fell, there was a stone that protruded out a little from its surroundings.

Through the light, the dust floating around the ruins looked visible.

Yuriel hesitated and looked at her feet on the stone. Looking around in that state, she could see that the place where this stone was located was the center of the building.

She looked around, then involuntarily raised her head. She frowned at the light pouring from above.

“Ugh.”

Yuriel hurriedly spread out her palms and covered the light. Her eyes turned white for a moment.

“Sir Helio, Princess?”

And when she lowered the hand that covered her eyes, Yuriel faced an empty space where nothing was visible.

＊＊＊

If the mysterious experience was to walk in this empty space blankly, Yuriel changed her mind about wanting to experience the mysterious experience again.

“Sir Helio!”

She was walking in a space where she couldn’t even tell which side was the front. She called for Helio at the top of her throat, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“How long do I have to walk….”

Yuriel sat down and muttered. She didn’t know when this experience would end.

“The princess said she saw something amazing, but why is mine like this?”

Yuriel, who was staring at nothing, hugged her legs and buried her head. After walking for an hour, Yuriel decided to rest for a while.

She couldn’t sleep properly last night. In Raphlet’s barracks, with only one screen in between, Yuriel looked at his bed all night long. She had spent the night with her eyes wide open and it was already dawn when she thought that she should sleep a little.

She had stayed up all night like that.

After walking and sitting comfortably, she felt sleepy. For a moment, she wondered if it would be alright to sleep in this strange place, but the thought disappeared due to drowsiness.

Yuriel nodded and began to fall asleep. A sleep like death fell upon Yuriel.

“Yuriel!”

At the moment, someone suddenly shouted her name in her ear, waking Yuriel from her deep sleep. She started blinking her tired eyes as she looked to see who shouted in her ear.

It was the princess.

“What are you doing here alone? Now, this illusion lasts quite a while. Get up.”

Her vision, which was all black, brightened with the appearance of the princess. The princess took Yuriel’s hand and made her stand up. Yuriel looked at the sudden change in the surroundings and bewilderedly held the princess’s hand.

“I’ll show you something interesting.”

“Is this an illusion?”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve been through once at the ruins. I wanted to see this scenery again, so I visited several times, but nothing happened. Yuriel, you seem to be my luck. I’m seeing this again because I came with you.”

The princess said in a tone full of affection. Yuriel recalled the expression of the princess she had seen before coming here.

A face intoxicated with ecstasy. Is this the place the princess was thinking of with that face? It was a landscape that had not changed at all in Yuriel’s view. They were still inside Krug’s Ruins.

“As expected, I really adore you.”

“It must have been a coincidence….”

“What is a coincidence. Oh, Yuriel. Go ahead, use your powers. Look at how many monsters are here now.”

“Yes?”

“Hurry.”

Yuriel did not like the princess’ favor on her, so Yuriel answered with a dull voice. The princess continued her words, ignoring Yuriel’s lukewarm attitude.

The princess urged her to use her powers as soon as possible. It was a face looking forward to something. Yuriel reluctantly used her powers as the princess looked at her with twinkling childish eyes.

As soon as she used her ability, Yuriel sharply sucked in her breath.

“Pri, Princess. I think it’s dangerous for us. Once we find Sir Helio, we have to think about how to get out of the illusion….”

Using her strength, Yuriel grabbed the princess’ forearm and pulled her towards herself.

The energy of the monsters was all around. There was no energy inside the building where Yuriel was now, but the energy of countless monsters was felt outside.

There seemed to be many monsters circling around the building.

“What do you think?”

“There are a lot of monsters around. If we go out like this, we’re going to be in big trouble, so let’s find the other knights and find a way to break the illusion…. Princess! Where are you going!”

The princess smiled mischievously and grabbed the arm that Yuriel was holding on with her other hand. Yuriel was terrified of the princess holding her own arm and running defenselessly out of the building.

“It’s dangerous to go outside!”

While working as a maid, she often saw unruly nobles, but among them, the princess was the worst of all. The princess did whatever her heart wanted.

Yuriel screamed her heart out at the behavior of the princess who did not go out alone, but dragged Yuriel out of the door too.

You can’t go out! It’s infested with monsters, and if you leave, you will be attacked….

Yuriel, who was dragged out by the princess’ hand, blinked at the unfolding sight.

“The monsters will attack….”

As Yuriel couldn’t hide her surprise and looked around, the princess let go of her hand and smiled.

In reality, the monsters that attacked people were moving quietly like domesticated animals. Perhaps it was mobilized for construction, the monsters carrying stones were heading somewhere. The end of the long line was not visible.

“The monsters here are not dangerous. They were all bred by us.”

The princess looked around and said.

“All the dangerous things that humans do are replaced by monsters.”

“You can’t breed monsters, but this is….”

“No, Yuriel. It can be bred.”

The princess lowered her voice and spoke as if she was telling a secret only to Yuriel.

“As I’ve seen here, you can raise enough monsters.”

The princess spoke in a greedy voice and bent her eyes.

The princess smiled and guided Yuriel. Although it was an illusion she had only seen once, she was accustomed to wandering around here.

Yuriel could see how much she recounted these fantasies by the princess’ natural appearance.

“Monsters are a great resource. Core, skin, strength. If you tame them, they are worth a fortune. Right now, I’m just satisfied with using the monster’s core as power, but…. Look, Yuriel!”

Monsters were moving and repairing Krug’s Ruins in a splendid way. People roamed among the monsters with ease. Occasionally, if there was a monster that revealed its claws, they pulled out its core immediately.

“If you tame them, you will be able to pass on all the war, work, and all sorts of filthy things. A person can live comfortably if we use a monster.”

“Princess. It’s just a fantasy.”

Yuriel frowned and said. For some reason, seeing the monsters working hard made her heart ache.

The princess who could not see Yuriel frowning at her, spoke.

“Yuriel, can’t you see the difference? The difference between the monsters and reality.”

Yuriel looked at the monsters with her eyes narrowed. Soon, she was able to find the difference.

“All the cores are exposed. It was originally hidden in the body.”

The cores of the monsters were all exposed in places that were easy to attack. The monsters were defenseless, and humans could simply destroy their core. That seems to be the way to tame the monster.

The princess whispered softly.

“I believe we will be able to see this in real life.”

Yuriel held her own shoulder and stiffened her body at the voice of the princess whispering.

“This is the future, Yuriel.”

Chapter 35

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The hand of the princess that had touched Yuriel’s shoulder disappeared. As if the illusion was over, the princess’ appearance was scattered, and Yuriel was left alone.

It was hard to tell if what she had just seen was an illusion or the real princess. Yuriel rubbed her shoulder and looked in front of her. Her shoulders tingled where the princess had held her tight. It felt real.

It seems to have been real.

The landscape changed and Yuriel once again saw the black landscape.

There was a hand lightly touching Yuriel’s shoulder, as she took a deep breath, thinking that she would have to walk for a long time like before.

“Miss Yuriel.”

This time it was Helio.

Helio greeted Yuriel with a smile. Yuriel squinted her eyes to determine whether he was an illusion or reality, then she pinched her cheeks, slightly.

“Miss Yuriel?”

Helio looked at Yuriel pinching her cheeks with a puzzled expression. Yuriel rubbed her cheeks that were throbbing in pain and looked at him.

Her black vision brightened after Helio touched her shoulder, just like when the princess appeared. . The place where the illusion started was again inside the building.

“All of a sudden, only the two of us are here…. Miss Yuriel is quite calm, aren’t you?”

She had already seen something strange once, she had no energy left to be surprised.

Rather, she seemed to be a little out of energy. Yuriel staggered as she took a step.

“Are you sick?”

Helio asked, grabbing Yuriel’s staggering body. He grabbed her shoulder and opened his eyes wide.

“Miss Yuriel. You have a bad fever.”

Come to think of it, when she just pinched her cheeks, her face seemed hotter than usual. Yuriel blinked her eyes blankly and thought so.

Helio placed his hand on Yuriel’s face. He said embarrassedly, covering her forehead with his palm.

“It’s pretty bad. We’d better find out what’s going on later and find a medic first. Don’t worry, I’ll come back to find the princess and the knights.”

“Sir Helio, slow down….”

Yuriel, who was being dragged by Helio’s hand, shuddered without strength in her legs.

Yuriel blinked her eyes that were hazy from the heat and said.

“Please go a little slower. It’s hard to walk, so….”

The green eyes glistened with moisture. Helio said, after confirming that Yuriel was unable to move properly due to the fever.

“Is it okay if I carry Miss Yuriel?”

“Ah yes…. I’d appreciate it if you could.”

Yuriel answered slowly. Helio listened to Yuriel’s response, then turned and presented his back. When Yuriel was on his back, he could feel the heat. The chest that touched him was going up and down violently.

“I don’t know what happened all of a sudden. Miss Yuriel, you are on the healthy side.”

“Yes…. I am healthy.”

“I don’t think you’re very healthy right now.”

Helio said worriedly. He was worried because suddenly a perfectly fine person seemed like they were dying.

Although the disappearance of the princess and her knights were bothering him, for now, he thought it would be best to bring Yuriel back to the barracks.

The fever was severe. At this rate, if he delayed anymore, the aftereffects could remain even after the fever subsided.

Helio, who came out of the building carrying Yuriel, looked at the scene unfolding in front of him and muttered blankly.

“I need to go see the medical officer right now… .”

“Here, where is it? Miss Yuriel.”

An awkward question leaked from his lips. Yuriel opened her eyes and checked the situation.

It was the same place as where she came out with the princess, but now it was a different environment. She couldn’t see the monsters who were working, but people were passing through the streets.

“Here is….”

Yuriel drooped as she tried to speak. Helio said while fixing Yuriel’s sagging body.

“I don’t know where it is, but I’m going to find a doctor. Miss Yuriel is going to die like this. Then Commander Raphlet won’t leave me alone.”

“Ah….”

“You must not die, Miss Yuriel. I hate Commander Raphlet, but I like Miss Yuriel.”

“No, I’m not dying.”

Helio spoke nonsense and moved quickly. He seemed to be talking to her to determine if she had fainted or not.

Yuriel barely looked around, hanging on his back.

It has the same structure as the Krug Ruins. It was like this before, and it is now.

Yuriel mustered her strength and said.

“Sir Helio, when looking at the map of the Krug Ruins….”

“Yes.”

“I think there was a treatment center in the building of the Ruins….”

“Ah yes. There was. What about it?”

“If you follow the map, you will find the medical center.”

Only then did Helio realize where they were. Helio let out a low sigh. Looking around, he recognized familiar structures.

This was the Krug Ruins.

Helio, who knew the structure of the ruins better than Yuriel, replied yes, and then turned around.

He didn’t know what was going on, but people were walking around and all the shops were open. If this was the case, the medical center should also be open.

As expected, the medical center was open.

No one was seen entering or leaving the medical center. An old man who appeared to be a doctor was guarding the building. Helio bowed his head to the doctor and went into the nearby treatment room and laid Yuriel on the medical bed.

The doctor followed him at a slow pace.

Helio touched Yuriel’s forehead to check the fever again and frowned. The fever was getting worse.

“She has a bad fever. First, get the fever down….”

“Identification.”

“Yes?”

“We have to confirm your identity before we do anything, don’t you know? Where is this woman from?”

“What do you mean….”

Lying on the bed, Yuriel exhaled heavily as she listened to Helio’s conversation with the doctor. It was getting harder to breathe.

Hearing the words of the doctor who was badgering Helio to confirm his identity, Yuriel recalled the first dream she had when she came to the Krug Ruins.

In that dream, people were using something like a fragment of a monster core as their identification.

There was no sympathy for those who did not have an identification.

As she recalled it, she felt the rising heat cooling down. Of course, it was just a feeling, and the fever continued to rise.

Helio was bewildered, and he held out the Albraka crest he had.

“Can you accept this instead of an identification?”

“Can I? Are you crazy?”

“No….”

“Sir Helio….”

The doctor was handed the crest, looked carefully, and threw it away. Helio blinked blankly as he saw the doctor throwing out an important crest that he received as a Commander.

The moment he was about to say something to the doctor, Yuriel grabbed Helio’s hem. Since he couldn’t hear her murmur, Helio put his ear to Yuriel’s lips.

Yuriel whispered in a small voice.

“Sir Helio, show the monster core on your shoulder…. Don’t say I don’t have it, ask him to replace my identification with that….”

“What? Show him the monster core? It’s not open to the public….”

Helio replied flustered. The monster core transplant was not disclosed to civilians. Even he can’t show that to a doctor.

But Yuriel was holding Helio’s robe’s hem as if to do so.

Helio, who had hesitated, unbuttoned his shirt and showed his shoulder to the doctor. The doctor did not show any signs of avoidance even when he saw the darkened skin.

“Is this okay?”

“Oh my gosh. You were a precious man. Where is her core?”

Rather, the doctor looked at his shoulder and admired it. The doctor who confirmed Helio’s core said in a polite tone.

Helio, who frowned at the difficult situation, pointed to Yuriel.

“Please replace hers with the one you have identified. I can’t show you hers.”

“Oh, yes. You might be. All right. I will bring you a fever-reducing injection.”

The doctor was absent for a while. Helio bent near Yuriel again and asked,

“How did this happen?”

“I don’t know either…. Perhaps, you must have that core to be treated as a citizen. I’ve heard that most of them are on the back of the hand or arm, but if not…. They’ll try to kill you, so you can’t say I don’t have….”

Yuriel answered vaguely. She vividly remembers the moment she was shot by a child in her dream. In the illusion she saw with the princess earlier, it wasn’t like this.

“What the hell is this place….”

Helio mumbled blankly, but she was in no mood to answer.

The doctor returned shortly and injected medicine into Yuriel’s arm. His eyes roamed back and forth on Yuriel as he injected her arm. His eyes were looking for Yuriel’s core.

Helio noticed his gaze and said,

“Will it be a while?”

“Oh, no. It will be over soon.”

Helio didn’t believe everything Yuriel said, but just in case, he didn’t want the doctor to discover Yuriel did not have a core. He urged the doctor to hurry.

“The fever will go down soon.”

“Thank you.”

After completing all the medicine in the syringe, the doctor got up and glanced at Yuriel’s body. Helio secured Yuriel’s collar tightly and said to the doctor,

“I want to rest for a while, so would you please leave?”

It was a request, but the tone was close to a command. The doctor walked out of the treatment room, glancing at Yuriel again and again.

Chapter 36

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The doctor left and Helio grabbed Yuriel and crossed to the window of the treatment room.

Her fever was going to go down soon, so he had to find a way out of this place. Yuriel wrapped her arms around Helio’s neck and groaned.

Contemplating where to go, Helio decided to visit the place he knew best first, so he headed to the site of the temple.

He was about to ride a chariot or four-wheeler but they tried to verify the identities of both of them so he had to borrow a horse.

“Tell me if you feel dizzy.”

Helio asked Yuriel to get on the horse. He grabbed Yuriel’s body and headed straight for the temple.

“When I was with the Princess, my illusion broke earlier. I don’t know why it doesn’t break now.”

Yuriel, who was being held by Helio, sighed and said. She didn’t know what the conditions were for breaking the illusion.

Will it break over time like this?

Heat mixed with sighs. She got an injection, but she was still dizzy. She seemed to get dizzier as she rode on the horse.

Yuriel rested her head on Helio’s chest and drooped.

The two arrived at the place where the temple ruins remained. In the place where only the site remained, there was a training ground similar to that in Albraka.

In the structure, the appearance of the knights training was visible.

“That’s ridiculous….”

She heard a murmur from Helio, who confirmed the appearance of the knights. Yuriel lifted her face that had been buried in his chest.

She looked at the place where his eyes had reached, but she only saw the usual sight.

It’s just a scene where the knights are training, what’s wrong with that? Wouldn’t it be more surprising to verify their identity with a monster core, like earlier?

Not knowing that Yuriel was bewildered, Helio took Yuriel and got off the horse.

“Sir Helio, what’s wrong?”

“The knights who died during the subjugation….”

“Yes?”

“Would it be okay if I approached over there for a moment?”

Helio asked as if possessed. As soon as Yuriel permitted him, he quickly entered the training area.

“Commander Helio?”

“Phil.”

“What did you come to the training ground for? No, who is that lady!”

“Did Captain Helio come with a woman?”

“Bart.”

Helio called the names of the knights approaching him with a puzzled face. Yuriel looked at their faces, but couldn’t tell who they were, so she tilted her head.

These were people she had never seen in Albraka. But Helio was biting his lips as he looked at the faces of people he knew.

Looking closely, they looked familiar, but they were faces she had never seen in Albraka.

“How are you….”

Yuriel looked at Helio’s muttering face and remembered what he had said as he got off his horse.

Did he blur his words while saying that they were knights who died during subjugation?

“Ah, that’s it….”

Helio, who looked at them blankly, murmured as if he had regained consciousness. His voice hardened.

Helio said in a harder voice than usual.

“It looks like an illusion of my wish, Miss Yuriel.”

Looking at the noisy knights with subdued eyes, Helio said with a sigh.

“They are already dead.”

Helio’s face, who spoke in a low voice so as not to be heard by the knights, was bitter.

“So, Sir Helio, why are you here?”

“Are you here to introduce us?”

“Yes?”

The knights roared and surrounded Helio. Yuriel, who suddenly became the object of interest, buried her face in Helio’s chest. She felt uncomfortable with their eyes.

It is more burdensome if the main characters of that gaze are dead people. They were living people just by looking at the bright faces, but she felt strange to hear from Helio that they were dead.

Helio left the training ground without answering the knights.

“Commander Helio! Are you running away because you’re embarrassed?”

“You came this far, so introduce us!”

Helio, ignoring the knights, walked to the place where he had left his horse. Yuriel looked at the knights who were screaming passionately and said bluntly,

“The Princess said that the illusion is the future.”

“Ah, Princess. That’s right. This is not the time, but we need to find the Princess first. I want to go back to the ruins again.”

Helio looked around the training ground for a moment before getting on his horse. The knights were seen waving their hands to Helio.

He put Yuriel on the horse first, and then he got on the horse and grabbed the reins and embraced Yuriel.

Yuriel leaned her head in his arms and muttered helplessly.

“I don’t know what kind of illusion this is, but I hope this is the future rather than the one the Princess said is the future.”

A future where she will meet people she will never see again seems better than a future where monsters are treated like slaves.

The moment Yuriel muttered while looking at the knights, the two’s vision turned black.

＊＊＊

“Oh, it’s the future.”

Yuriel recited along with a sigh in the empty space.

She knew the conditions under which the illusion would break. If she hopes that the vision she’s seeing is the future, the illusion stops.

In the Princess’ illusion, the Princess wished for it, and in Helio’s vision, Yuriel wished for it.

Yuriel, who gave strength to her staggering body, lowered her head as she gazed at the ceiling where the light was coming in. Light slowly spread through the empty space.

It was upon the stone which Yuriel had first stood.

“Is it over?”

“Miss Yuriel!”

She could hear the voice of the Princess who seemed sad and the voice of the surprised Helio. Helio hurriedly approached and supported Yuriel as she stumbled.

She thought that she had the fever only in the illusion, but the fever was still there after the illusion was over.

There was absolutely no strength in her body. The Princess approached Helio, who was supporting Yuriel’s body, which was drooping down like wet cotton.

“Yuriel, what’s wrong with you?”

It was a dry voice, as if asking a broken object.

“I will return to the base. Princess, please return to the base with the knights as well.”

Helio said, pushing the Princess away.

＊＊＊

“Commander Raphlet.”

Helio took Yuriel and went straight to the medical center. After confirming that Yuriel’s condition was slightly stabilized by the medical officer’s treatment, he went to visit Raphlet.

“What’s going on?”

“Miss Yuriel is in the medical barracks. Take a look.”

Helio thought he was going to get caught by the neck when delivering the bad news, but Raphlet didn’t care about Helio. Before Helio could finish his words, Raphlet passed Helio and headed for the medical barracks.

Helio sighed and followed Raphlet. He had to explain why that happened to Yuriel.

But he was embarrassed because he didn’t know anything about it. Helio arrived at the barracks, contemplating what to explain, and found Raphlet standing motionless in front of Yuriel, who was sleeping.

Raphlet had no expression on his face when he saw Yuriel, who had returned.

Whatever happened, her whole body was a ball of fire. Raphlet was motionless, having carefully touched the parched lips and cheek.

Her breathing was weak.

Yuriel looked like she was about to lose her breath at any moment. Raphlet placed his finger on Yuriel’s slender neck and confirmed her life. And she couldn’t move. Raphlet looked at Yuriel quietly, feeling the tender pulse beating under his own fingers.

Helio looked at Raphlet’s fingers, trembling finely, and lowered his eyes.

Now Raphlet looked like a human. The awkwardness of seeing a machine that mimics a human has disappeared a little bit.

The person acting as if they felt nothing was trembling and scared that Yuriel collapsed.

“It’s alright. The medic said she’ll wake up when the fever goes down.”

Helio first informed him of Yuriel’s condition.

Raphlet asked with his hand on Yuriel’s neck. While talking to Helio, his gaze was fixed on Yuriel.

“What happened?”

“After entering the building in the ruins, the Princess, Miss Yuriel, and I had a vision. Miss Yuriel collapsed right after the vision was broken.”

After hearing Helio’s explanation, Raphlet removed his hand that was touching Yuriel’s neck. His fingertips were still trembling.

He asked as he looked at Helio with hideous gleaming golden eyes.

“Is it the Princess’ work?”

The question that came out was harsh. Raphlet asked the question in a sharp tone, as if it was difficult to judge normally.

“No. Right now, Commander Baraha has gone to investigate the ruins in detail. Calm down, the results will come soon.”

If it was the Princess’ work, he would be able to cut off the head of the Princess regardless of the circumstances

Helio had said that he had sent Commander Baraha to investigate the ruins, but Raphlet was still agitated. He seemed to need a place to pour out his anger.

If he went out like this and faced the Princess, it was self-evident that his anger would be directed at her.

Helio let out a long breath.

Captain Raphlet does look like a human now, but he looks like a little kid who doesn’t understand the situation and runs rampant.

The problem was that the little kid was someone who could kill the Princess’ knights and cut off her head with ease.

There was no one who could stop Raphlet. He was strong even before the monster’s core was transplanted, but after the core transplant, it was difficult to deal with him with any weapon.

He needed something like a poisoned weapon or a tool made from the skin of a monster to barely hold his ankle.

Raphlet said in a calm tone,

“Let’s meet the Princess.”

The moment Helio heard that voice, he got goosebumps as if he was covered in cold water. As if he had suddenly found a reason, Helio could feel murderous intent coming from Raphlet.

Helio saw Raphlet turning his body and unwittingly grabbed the handle of his sword.

Raphlet’s gaze as he saw Raphlet gripping the sword was lodged in Helio’s face.

Chapter 37

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“Master….”

The tense air was released in an instant. Raphlet turned away from Helio. His gesture of approaching the bed where Yuriel was lying was sharp.

“Yuriel.”

Raphlet called Yuriel, but there was no answer. It was a simple sleep-talk.

Raphlet sighed and sat down beside Yuriel’s bed.

“I will go and hear the results of the investigation when Commander Baraha returns.”

“The Princess….”

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her later.”

Seeing the calm Raphlet, Helio let go of his sword and nodded.

While Helio was leaving the medical barracks, Raphlet was only looking at Yuriel’s face. When Helio left the barracks, the last thing he saw was the big finger rubbing Yuriel’s forehead.

＊＊＊

Baraha stared blankly at the ceiling. His wavy, black hair was pulled back, revealing all of Baraha’s face. He stared blankly at the light coming through the hole in the ceiling, contemplating.

He had an ecstatic face like someone seeing the light for the first time.

Helio frowned as he saw Baraha, who said that he had entered the building alone to investigate the interior of the building, staring blankly into the air.

He didn’t know why Baraha was so dazed without investigating quickly.

Compared to the other knights, Baraha’s pale face looked bright in the sunlight. All of the wavy hair that normally hangs on his forehead has been pulled back so that his expression can be seen clearly.

Baraha looked like a priest who presided over prayers, not a paladin.

Baraha, who was staring at the ceiling, could feel someone coming in, and tilted his raised head slightly to check for the intruder. Seeing Helio, he bowed his head down.

His hair was dangling again over his fully exposed face.

Baraha asked while looking at the floor,

“Commander Helio. Is this where Yuriel was standing?”

Helio, who had pressed his eyebrows down in tiredness as he looked at Baraha standing dazedly, looked at where Baraha was pointing and nodded his head. The place where Yuriel was standing was where the stone protruded.

The center of the building. This is where Baraha is tapping his feet right now.

“Yes, it was there.”

Baraha heard the answer and sank to the floor. Without hesitation, he sat down on the floor and looked carefully at the protruding stone. He turned himself and looked closely at the sides and corners. Baraha said in a shriveled tone.

Lying down and talking, he looked like an unemployed.

“This is it.”

At first he couldn’t tell what it was. Helio raised his eyebrows, and Baraha sat back up.

“It amplifies the unique energy you have. This whole building was made for that, and if you get up here and meet certain conditions, it works.”

Baraha, who sat on the floor, muttered as if talking to himself even after finishing the explanation.

“Is that it? It didn’t seem like amplification? No, is this the correct character for amplification?”

Helio asked, looking at Baraha who was constantly muttering.

“Is that possible?”

“It’s ancient magic…. In fact, I don’t even know if it’s possible. I’m just saying what I saw in the old books.”

He responded with an irresponsible voice, and got up. He climbed up like Yuriel on the protruding stone and looked at the open ceiling, but when there was no reaction, he tilted his head.

“I can’t….”

Helio, who listened to Baraha’s words, then thought carefully, and said.

“Miss Yuriel has the ability to predict the movement of monsters, so if that’s amplified…. Is the foresight ability amplified? It was an illusion where no monsters appeared, so I think it could be said that the foresight ability was amplified…. That was the future… ?”

“It could be. You must not speak outside. Don’t even tell the Princess, Sir Helio.”

Baraha, who came down from the stone, answered Helio’s self-talk.

“Even if you don’t, the Princess shows interest in Yuriel…. Knowing this would be annoying. Every day she will try to drag Yuriel here.”

“Commander Baraha.”

Helio said while stopping Baraha’s muttering words.

“What I saw was a vision of a dead man alive.”

“So?”

“I’m asking if it makes sense to predict that the dead are alive.”

“Well….”

At Helio’s insistence, Baraha muffled his words. Seeing his unwillingness to give a proper answer, Helio sighed and turned around.

“Even if you don’t tell me, I will eventually find out when the other researchers start investigating.”

“No.”

Baraha was walking along the wall, carefully checking the drawn letters and pictures. He answered in a tone full of confidence.

“No one else can figure this out but me.”

Helio’s gaze moved slowly following Baraha’s movements. He paused at a certain point and murmured, looking intently at the letters.

“Oh, not amplification.”

“Yes?”

“Ah….”

Baraha narrowed his brow and sighed.

“It’s not amplification, it’s extraction and transfer. It’s because of this magic formula that Yuriel was ill….”

Baraha let out a sigh in annoyance as he shook his head and turned around.

“It’s too much because she temporarily pulled out a lot of abilities. If only one more person had come in, she might have died…. How is Yuriel?”

“They said she would be fine as long as the fever went down.”

“… That’s a relief. Then please explain this to Commander Raphlet, Commander Helio.”

“Please do it yourself, Commander Baraha.”

“I was asked to investigate the ruins, not to explain it to Commander Raphlet.”

Baraha answered in a disgusted tone and walked out of the building.

After Baraha left, Helio looked around the building and thought for a moment, looking at the light coming in like Baraha.

If the fantasy he saw together with Yuriel was really the future….

＊＊＊

“It’s too much because she temporarily used a lot of abilities. I heard that the building itself is some sort of ability extractor, but they don’t give details.”

“I see.”

“… Are you okay with this explanation?”

“Yes.”

Helio asked nervously. Raphlet was so docile that he felt strange.

It’s an unavoidable situation, but he didn’t think he’d get such a calm answer from Raphlet.

Helio looked at Raphlet’s face to see if he was really okay, but he eventually couldn’t help but ask out of wonder.

“Are you really okay? Don’t tell me you’ll visit the Princess and ask her something more…”

“I don’t intend to.”

“No, then why are you so quiet….”

“Commander Helio.”

Raphlet, who had been listening to him, cut his words fiercely.

“Yuriel is resting, so get out. Talking like that will disturb her rest.”

Helio was kicked out by Raphlet.

＊＊＊

“Raphlet Mogris! You son of a b***h!”

Helio woke up with a sigh at the loud voice he heard at dawn.

As he went outside, he saw the Princess confronting the knights of Albraka.

For whatever reason, the Princess was very angry. The Princess, who was not easily excited, was red in her face.

Her eyes, which had burst open up to the veins, gleamed like a monster. The Princess pushed out the Albraka knights and headed for Raphlet’s barracks.

“Princess. You must not do this.”

“You dare stop me? I’ll have to cut off your leg so you won’t be able to block my way. Yes, I will cut you as I want.”

The Princess took the sword of her own knight and shouted.

Even Baraha came out and was watching the Princess in action. At the ferocity of the Princess whom no one could think of stopping, Helio pressed his forehead and stepped forward in front of her.

“Princess. You must not do this in the subjugation area.”

“Can’t do this? Pass those words on to the guy next to you!”

“… You’re here, Commander Raphlet?”

Raphlet appeared from the direction of the medical barracks where Yuriel was, not his barracks where the knights were blocking the Princess.

Helio quietly asked Raphlet to figure out the situation. He needs to know the cause of the Princess’ anger to know how to respond.

“What’s going on?”

“I destroyed the building.”

“… Yes?”

“It doesn’t have to exist. Just ignore it.”

Helio, who was trying to get over the situation without conflict, couldn’t believe the answer.

It was an unexpected answer, but he knew what building was destroyed without asking.

“What kind of building is that and how dare you touch it?”

Helio left behind the Princess who ran rampant on his path and went to check out the ruins that Yuriel had gone to.

The outside building was unharmed, but the building that passed through the courtyard was completely destroyed.

The numerous paintings and texts that filled the walls of the building were blackened out, possibly from the aftermath of the explosion, and could not be recognized properly.

The center of the building where Yuriel was standing was literally a mess. The shape of the stone could not be found. Only gray crumbs were scattered in the wind.

The subjugation of the Krug Ruins ended horribly.

Problem solving Raphlet-style: if you don’t like it, destroy it XD

Chapter 38

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet filled the bathtub with warm water. After adjusting the water temperature enough for Yuriel to enter, Raphlet entered the bedroom. Yuriel was asleep in Raphlet’s bedroom.

Raphlet had brought the sleeping Yuriel from the medical room to his bedroom to wash up.

Raphlet touched Yuriel’s forehead and confirmed that the fever had gone down sufficiently.

She was now almost at normal body temperature.

She’ll probably wake up tomorrow.

Raphlet, who was stroking Yuriel’s forehead, sat on the bed and pushed aside the sheet that had been covering her.

After taking off Yuriel’s clothes, Raphlet took off her underwear completely, and hugged her.

Yuriel, who had suffered from a fever for several days, did not feel Raphlet undressing her and hugging her, so she fell asleep quietly.

Raphlet carried Yuriel straight into the bathroom, and placed her on his lap, and slowly immersed her feet into the bathtub. Raphlet took time to soak Yuriel in the bathtub so as not to startle her with any sudden splash of water. He gently wiped Yuriel’s whole body.

If Yuriel had seen it, she would have been so startled that she would apologize. She would have been surprised that she dared to have her master serve her.

Raphlet smiled lightly at that thought as he continued to wipe Yuriel’s body. He felt his manhood standing up as if his lust was brewing on the exposed skin.

When he was under the aphrodisiac, he didn’t get tired of how many times he had coveted Yuriel. But now, Raphlet ignored the erection and concentrated on meticulously cleaning Yuriel’s body.

As soon as Yuriel is healed, he will embrace her.

Raphlet came to this decision when he saw Yuriel avoiding him. However, due to this unexpected incident resulting in Yuriel becoming ill, his plan was slightly delayed, but his determination remained the same.

It would not matter even if Yuriel refused.

Raphlet had already warned Yuriel enough. He pushed her away several times and ordered her to return to Mogris.

It was Yuriel who did not heed the warning, and said that she could accept him.

And it was Yuriel who started avoiding him after saying that she would accept him.

Seeing her smile and then running away in a hurry, the awkward hand pushing off his arm that had been pulling her to be careful of monsters, and her taking sleeping pills without waiting for him.

At that moment, Raphlet experienced a tightening sensation in his heart. It was his arrogance that he thought he could endure until he could show himself to Yuriel.

All of Raphlet’s patience had run out.

Raphlet wrapped Yuriel’s body in a towel and dressed her in new clothes, and then sent Yuriel back to the medical room.

＊＊＊

Yuriel slept for four days even after the subjugation was over and then woke up.

She couldn’t believe she slept for four days even after waking up, so she kept asking the doctor for the date. Eventually, the doctor begged her to stop asking about the date.

“Is it okay if I don’t do anything like this… ?”

After waking up like that, ten days have passed. Yuriel fell on the bed and murmured.

No one was making Yuriel work. Before she fell ill she wasn’t asked to do any work, but now it was even worse. All Yuriel could do was simply exercise for recovery.

They said it was an order from Raphlet before he left. He was said to have gone to a nearby subjugation site. Before his departure, he instructed that when Yuriel woke up, she was not to do anything except for light exercises.

Still, she was glad she did the exercises. Yuriel stretched and got up from the bed.

“I’ll have to do some exercises at the training ground.”

She got permission to exercise from the medical officer and left the medical room.

Yuriel spent more than ten days in Albraka without Raphlet.

“… I miss Lord Raphlet….”

Yuriel, who had been completely cured, muttered like that even while walking around the training ground.

＊＊＊

She heard the news that the Knights were returning from subjugating the monsters. Yuriel jumped in joy and greeted the medical officer who had taken care of her.

“‘I’m going! I’m not coming back anymore!”

As the medical officer was tired of her, he waved his hand to see Yuriel off.

“Yes. Don’t come back.”

It seems that while hospitalized, she was bored and had bothered the medical officer a lot. Seeing him greeting her with a tired face, Yuriel smiled embarrassedly and waved her hand.

She had not been able to clean Raphlet’s room while hospitalized, but she would be able to do it today.

Raphlet had ordered Yuriel to not work while she was hospitalized, but he did not say anything about after she was discharged from the hospital.

Yuriel ran to Raphlet’s room.

It felt like her slender body was about to fly away. It was the result of the past few days of adequate rest, a balanced diet, and moderate exercise.

Yuriel returned with a much healthier face than before she fell ill.

She looked better than before when she saw herself in the mirror. The skinny body that went to the subjugation had gained moderate weight.

Yuriel was humming as she went into Raphlet’s room. She pulled back the curtains and opened the window. As winter was approaching, the air was a little cold, but nothing compared to the winter air in Mogris.

The sun was shining and a gentle breeze blew through, making her feel even more excited.

Raphlet is coming soon!

After not seeing Raphlet for a few days, her presumptuous greed had completely disappeared. If he doesn’t mix his body with hers, if he doesn’t love her, what does that matter?

Yuriel herself should love him that much more. She had to support him without having to feel sad that she wasn’t loved.

“Huh…? This was the drawer that was originally locked every time….”

Yuriel, who was cleaning excitedly, unintentionally opened a drawer and tilted her head while tidying up around the desk.

The drawer at the bottom was wide open.

“What?”

Yuriel took out a large box from the drawer, dusted it off, and muttered. Shaking off the dust that had not yet accumulated, she tried to recall if there was a place Raphlet had told her not to touch.

She pondered it, but she only remembered the words to not work.

“Because he never said not to touch it….”

Yuriel opened the box, thinking that she would organize the contents and then put it back into the drawer.She opened her mouth when she saw the papers inside.

“This is something I can’t touch.”

The papers were already neatly arranged, each sheet divided into sections. She could not tell how the papers were organized, but it seemed like if she touched a page everything would become disorganized. Yuriel gave up trying to clean the contents of the box.

Yuriel was about to close the box, but stopped when she noticed the paper.

Overall it was clean, but the quality of the paper was not very good.

She could not recall seeing Raphlet use this kind of paper. Her fingers stretched out towards the sheets of paper, curious about the kind of paper in the box. .

After checking the sheet on top, Yuriel’s eyes widened.

“The letter I sent….”

It was a letter from Yuriel. She wanted to buy expensive letter paper, but the expensive letter paper was small in size. For the price of one small sheet of letter paper, she would have been able to buy ten sheets of cheap letter paper. Yuriel always chose the cheaper option.

There were so many things she wanted to say to Raphlet that she could fill ten sheets of letter paper.

Even with that many sheets, Yuriel’s handwriting became smaller day by day. She practiced how to write neatly so that even if her writing was small, it was still legible.

Although there was never a reply, Yuriel continued to write letters to Raphlet for seven years. Letters that she thought would never have reached Raphlet, were actually kept in the only private area of his room, in pristine condition.

Yuriel carefully looked at the contents of the other sheets of paper.

Maybe it’s a box for collecting letters. Then her letters are nothing special.

However, all the letters that were in the box were from Yuriel.

In front of each letter was a note summarizing the content of Yuriel’s lengthy letter.

Yuriel’s favorite food, disliked food, favorite weather, and others were organized according to Raphlet’s categorization.

The method for categorizing the letters were the feelings when Yuriel sent the letter. It was organized into Yuriel’s sad days, happy days, and depressed days.

Seeing this, Yuriel was a little embarrassed because she only wrote letters of the happy days.

“Why did you collect them like this?”

She was also curious about why he had collected her letters and why he had categorized them according to the mood.

Maybe Lord Raphlet….

She once again started to have high expectations. Yuriel slapped her cheeks and came to her senses, and returned the letter box back into the drawer.

＊＊＊

Yuriel was waiting for Raphlet but returned to his room gloomy when she heard that his return would be delayed. It would take an extra day or so because there was some problem on the way back.

Yuriel entered Raplet’s room and laid down on his bed.

She’ll have to clean up the room again before Raphlet comes back tomorrow.

Yuriel thought as she closed her eyes while laying in Raphlet’s bed.

After a while, when she opened her eyes, Yuriel confirmed her vision and hardened.

“Ooph… !”

A clunking sound was heard from the raised wrists.

The gag, shackles, and blindfolds were blocking Yuriel’s actions.

Chapter 39

Contains mature scenes
Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel was terrified and twisted her body.

She was waiting in Raphlet’s room for his return from subjugating the monsters. There was no reason to be tied up like this.

For some reason, Yuriel thought that she had experienced something like this before. But it was not the time for her to dwell on such thoughts.

The first thing that came to mind was the face of the princess. The Princess was the one who tried to use an aphrodisiac on her.

Could the princess have kidnapped her… ?!

Yuriel twisted her body in fear thinking that what Baraha had said might actually happen. She was lying on the bed with her arms tied and eyes blinded.

Pushing the soft bedding with her feet, Yuriel tried to get up. She was in the middle of lifting her body up, pushing the bedding with her free feet.

Suddenly, someone’s hand grabbed Yuriel’s ankle, and another hand pressed her wrists that were stretched out.

“Uh, uuphh… !”

Yuriel let out a startled groan and kicked the opponent. They lightly gripped Yuriel’s ankles and climbed onto her waist.

“Ooph… ?”

Yuriel, who had been rebelling fiercely, stopped rebelling at the familiar scent. It was the scent that came from Raphlet. It was a refreshing and cold scent, like a winter forest.

Is it Raphlet?

As Yuriel stilled, their fingers touched the cloth that was covering her eyes. They slowly removed the cloth that had covered her eyes.

“Hoorrrttt Hhaffett!”

Lord Raphlet! She was right, it was Raphlet. Yuriel was so relieved that she happily shouted, even with the gag in her mouth. The situation was strange, but she was glad to see him. It had been a very long time since she last saw his face. For Yuriel, it was the first time since she collapsed, and for Raphlet, it was the first time he had seen her in about a month.

Yuriel welcomed him, but Raphlet had a serious face.

Raphlet pressed down on Yuriel’s arm and said,

“… Do you remember how many times I warned you? I told you to go back before it gets dangerous, that I said I couldn’t stand it yet.”

It was a strange feeling. It seems like she’s been through this kind of situation.

But at the same time, she had a feeling that she had experienced it and not too. Something seems to have changed a bit.

Yuriel blinked her eyes and then nodded her head.

That warning remains in her memory. It was the warning Raplet gave when she was with Baraha. She couldn’t understand it, so it was engraved in her mind.

As Yuriel mumbled and nodded her head, Raphlet spoke in a sarcastic tone.

“You replied that you could accept me.”

That’s right. She remembered that too. Yuriel pursed her lips to ask why he was asking such a thing. However, the sentence was not properly formed due to the gag. Raphlet looked down at Yuriel who was murmuring, and said while stroking her cheeks.

“Why did you avoid me?”

Once the gag is removed from her mouth, she would be able to answer Raphlet properly. Yuriel also had a lot to say.

First of all, she had to greet him, and then she had to ask Raphlet what the current situation was, and last, she wanted to tell him that she didn’t avoid him.

Yuriel eagerly signaled for Raphlet to remove the gag, but he patted Yuriel’s cheeks and laughed.

“I want to take the gag, but…. Yuriel, if you say something against me, I don’t know what I will look like. It would be better to keep this as it is.”

It was a sensitive laugh.

Yuriel simply couldn’t quite understand the situation.

If he says she’s rejecting Raphlet, there’s no way that’s the case.

But Raphlet gagged Yuriel so she couldn’t speak, and he started to move his hand.

“I heard that you exercised hard. You’re eating well, and your physical condition is actually better than before.”

Raphlet’s hand began to slowly remove her work clothes. Yuriel opened her eyes and looked at Raphlet’s face.

“Uhh, uuph!”

“You were the one who didn’t listen to me when I told you to go back to Mogris. I have no intention of putting up with it anymore.”

“Ooph!”

The situation was as if Raphlet was trying to covet her. Yuriel inspected Raphlet’s entire body to see if he was under an aphrodisiac.

Raphlet, sitting kneeling on her waist, was dressed in a neat, undisturbed outfit. He, fortunately, did not appear to have been injured.

Then why… ?

Yuriel looked at him blankly. Raphlet, the figure of a mature man, was showing passion and lust.

While Yuriel blinked, Raphlet took off all of Yuriel’s clothes. Yuriel curled up, trying to pull her bound wrists.

She wanted to cover her body because she was embarrassed, but Raphlet pressed one hand on Yuriel’s waist as she bent over to her side, and he held her in place to prevent Yuriel from moving.

Raphlet’s gaze moved slowly along Yuriel’s body. Looking at the slender neckline, ample and plump chest, and the gentle curve of her waist, he slowly raised the hand that was holding her waist.

Raphlet, who took a deep breath in tension and smoothed her exposed ribs, grabbed her soft flesh lightly.

“Uhh… !”

Yuriel stopped breathing as a rough hand gripped her chest.

Raphlet was completely sane. Although his eyes were burning with passion, he was touching Yuriel’s body of his free will.

Rubbing her chest with his one hand, he saw Yuriel turning her head, and he grabbed her chin. When their eyes met, Raphlet smiled coldly.

It wasn’t the friendly smile he had when he was poisoned. It was a sharp smile stained with resignation and lust.

He made eye contact and touched her chest.

“Do you know how much I wanted to know how you would react if I grabbed your chest and pulled it when you opened your eyes?”

“Uhh, uhngg….”

Raphlet asked in a harsh tone. He squeezed the peaks of her chest painfully, grabbed them with his thumb and index finger and stretched them upwards, causing pain. It was not a caress, but a gesture because he wanted to elicit a stronger reaction from Yuriel.

With a rough gesture, Yuriel moved her legs that had been laid by Raphlet back and forth.

The hem of Raphlet’s robe rubbed between her legs, causing her body to heat up.

Tears welled up in Yuriel’s eyes as she felt the place between her legs get wet.

Embarrassingly, just by touching her breasts, her bottom was wet. Raphlet looked down at Yuriel with a cool face and only moved his hand.

As tears began to form in Yuriel’s eyes, Raphlet smiled.

“Don’t cry. That makes me even more excited.”

When Yuriel didn’t understand the meaning and blinked the tears in her eyes, Raphlet said, lowering her chin to show her his lower body.

“Look.”

Suddenly, his manhood was erect, and his pants were inflated tight.

His erect manhood and his cool expression had a disparity. Raphlet began to caress Yuriel’s body slowly, making sure that his erection was a separate matter.

She could see him holding her soft breasts in his mouth and looking up at Yuriel’s face. Yuriel seemed to faint at the sight of Raphlet biting her chest and making eye contact.

It was clear that Raphlet did not know how neat and stoic his face was. No one would have imagined that he was sucking a woman’s breasts with his manhood erect, but Yuriel was seeing the unthinkable sight right before her eyes.

Yuriel contorted her eyes as she looked at her own chest that had entered Raphlet’s mouth. The sense of satisfaction in the eyes she was looking at was greater than the sensation felt in her chest.

She did not know why Raphlet tied her up. Yuriel wanted to release these restraints immediately and hug him to her heart’s content.

As Yuriel cried, waving her hand to and fro, Raphlet misunderstood and pulled her chest tighter. The sound of him sucking on her chest was leaking from between Raphlet’s lips.

Yuriel twisted her body as she looked at Raphlet’s lips, the large hand gripping her other chest, as he gnawed at her peak. The place between her legs tickled like crazy.

Not the chest, lower down. She wants Raphlet to push his manhood back to where he’s been deep before and move his waist.

Yuriel begged as she pulled the chain that restrained her wrists.

Please, please, take off the gag and release this chain!

“Uhhhnn…!”

Only a muffled moan continued from the gagged mouth. The moans begging for release were heard by Raphlet as a moan of wanting to run away.

Raphlet looked at Yuriel’s tear-soaked cheeks and pulled her chest tight enough to make her cheeks clenched.

“Uhk!”

Yuriel shed tears again and moaned.

Chapter 40

Contains mature scenes
Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet, who had sucked so much on her chest that it was swollen, raised his leaning body and lowered his hand.

Raphlet patted Yuriel’s cheek and then put his finger into her lower slit. He was surprised that Yuriel was already wet enough to be inserted immediately.

“Did you get this wet while being attacked?”

It wasn’t a mockery, it was a pure question. Raphlet was asking if Yuriel had this inclination.

Even if Yuriel had rejected him, he had planned to push himself in, but if she likes it….

Raphlet, who had been waiting for a while, looked at Yuriel crying, and sneered.

That can’t be true.

It would just be a natural reaction of the body. Didn’t she react like this when she took sleeping pills?

Raphlet did not listen to Yuriel’s answer, and found her sensitive nub by fumbling through her folds. When he rubbed the small protruding nub, Yuriel bounced back.

Seeing Yuriel twisting her waist, Raphlet calmly pressed Yuriel’s waist.

The already wet entrance was ready to receive Raphlet. Raphlet shoved his long fingers into Yuriel’s entrance.

When two fingers were pushed in at once, Yuriel’s lower lips chewed his fingers tightly. Thick and long fingers filled Yuriel’s private place and moved deeply.

A high moan came from the gap in the gag. Raphlet violently moved his hands. He was excited by the sensation of liquid dripping and wetting his hands. Raphlet looked down, staring at the bouncing cheeks every time he moved his hand.

Through the spread legs, he can see the hole that swallowed his fingers. When he pressed the nub protruding above it with his thumb once, Yuriel trembled and climaxed.

The liquid oozed out through the filled hole. Feeling the inner walls twitch, Raphlet rubbed the inner walls with his fingers more.

“Uunngg!”

He heard Yuriel moan pleasantly. Raphlet, who had been putting his fingers in her inner walls until the trembling stopped, pulled out his fingers after Yuriel’s body slid back onto the bed.

Yuriel, who had lost her strength, did not respond even though he was looking at her fluttering lower lips.

Raphlet looked at Yuriel who was panting and loosened his buckle. The manhood, which had been trapped the whole time, popped out in a haste.

The place the manhood wanted was right in front. Raphlet spread Yuriel’s legs wide.

“Uh, uhpp… !”

Yuriel opened her eyes wide at Raphlet’s action coming through her gaping legs and shouted out. Raphlet looked at Yuriel’s tearful eyes and pushed his manhood in at once.

There was no more waiting. Raphlet has waited long enough.

“Uhk!”

Yuriel, who was making eye contact, tilted her head back and grabbed the chain. Perhaps it was because he entered suddenly, the inner walls were shaking and catching him.

Raphlet moved his back, not waiting for Yuriel to calm down. The member that came out was still standing at an angle. Raphlet raised his waist and pushed himself back in. The closed inner walls were stretched by his member, making a wide path. But it was still a narrow path for Raphlet.

Raphlet bit his lip, preoccupied with digging inside Yuriel. After moving back and forth more times, Yuriel’s inner walls trembled hotly.

The friction between the two made their private places hot. Raphlet moved his waist along with Yuriel’s body, which was gradually rising upward.

“Uhk, hngg…!”

Yuriel was leaning against the head of the bed before she knew it. Raphlet met her eyes and moved his waist. Their foreheads touched.

The breaths were mixed violently.

“Uuhngg….”

Yuriel muttered to Raphlet. Raphlet looked at Yuriel breathing heavily and let out a sigh and pulled the gag that was covering her mouth.

Her breathing was so rough that she would faint if he continued to cover her mouth.

“Haa, uh….”

Yuriel exhaled loudly through the mouth that had been freed from the gag. After barely breathing, her chest rose and fell rapidly. After breathing several times, Yuriel turned her gaze to Raphlet.

Raphlet awaited the accusations to follow.

He was afraid of how painfully Yuriel’s accusations would stab him, but he had no intention of stopping.

“Ra, Raph….”

The nickname that she used to call him when they were young came out of Yuriel’s lips. Raphlet stared blankly at Yuriel’s lips. The red lips were trembling with excitement.

It was hard to wait for the next words, so when he turned his back lightly, Yuriel whispered with a moan.

“Uh, ca, can you ki, kiss me….?”

Raphlet rushed to Yuriel’s lips at the words that leaked out. Compared to that, the extremely small lips caught Raphlet’s mouth.

Raphlet’s tongue rubbed the roof of Yuriel’s mouth and intertwined his tongue.

Yuriel let out a moan filled with joy as the bite continued.

She wanted a kiss. She wanted to bond with him more completely.

Yuriel shook her back as she received Raphlet’s movement. Raphlet grabbed Yuriel’s chin and pressed it to the bed. He swallowed Yuriel’s lips and pulled his waist up.

An intense sense of pleasure came over her. Yuriel clenched the chains and groaned in a sense of pleasure so strong that she wanted to burst out crying, then wrapped her shackled wrists around Raphlet’s neck.

Raphlet lifted his eyes slightly and confirmed that Yuriel was hugging him.

Raphlet sat Yuriel on his thigh and moved his waist.

“Ah, heuk!”

A sharp moan erupted between her lips for a moment, and Raphlet pressed his lips onto Yuriel’s mouth again and sucked her tongue.

Yuriel’s body bounced upward on Raphlet’s waist, and her lips kept moving away from him. Raphlet bit his lip and grabbed Yuriel’s waist, moving her quickly.

“Ah, go, good, Raph… !”

Yuriel moaned while holding Raphlet’s hair. He liked his name mingled with the wailing.

Raphlet hit his waist without mercy. The thick manhood was swallowed by Yuriel’s lower lips and disappeared, but reappeared whenever he raised her waist. Thick veins stood on the member wet with liquid.

Every time Raphlet moved his waist, Yuriel shook her body at the feeling of the rough cloth being swept over the upright buds of her chest. Raphlet’s clothes were rubbing her chest and turning it red.

It was good, but it was hard. Yuriel gave strength to her waist to move even a little slower, but she was dragged by Raphlet’s hand and was stabbed to the end at once.

The member, heated by friction and excitement, quickly moved in and out. Raphlet bit her exposed neck as she groaned.

“Ah… !”

Raphlet licked the area where the red marks were left after biting hard on the neck like a beast marking its territory.

“Damn, Yuriel…. haa… .”

Raphlet couldn’t contain his excitement and swore. A gesture that seemed to have gone out of reason continued. Even when Yuriel was trembling in the climax, he repeatedly grabbed Yuriel’s waist and pushed himself in.

Panting, Yuriel finally felt Raphlet stop moving.

Her twitching inner walls completely swallowed Raphlet. Raphlet hugged Yuriel’s waist as he dug deeper into Yuriel until he had reached his root. Their private places closely clashed together.

Yuriel gave strength to her weak arms and hugged his neck.

As she hung over his body and leaned her forehead against his neck, something hot poured into her inner walls.

“Haaa….”

“Aah….”

Moans escaped from Raphlet and Yuriel’s mouths at the same time. While still inside, Raphlet, climaxed, grabbed Yuriel, who was resting her face on his neck, and stood up.

Raphlet, who looked at her as if possessed by the hazy, loose green eyes, placed his mouth on the corner of the shriveled eyes and swallowed the chapped lips again.

Yuriel barely opened her closed eyes and looked into Raphlet’s eyes. Raphlet’s golden eyes, visible from a distance, were ecstatic.

She felt like she was being swallowed by the sun.

Yuriel’s sun and Yuriel’s god was always Raphlet. Yuriel looked at him with eyes filled with joy and opened her mouth. Raphlet dug inside and swallowed Yuriel completely.

Yuriel’s eyelashes touched Raphlet’s eyes as she turned her head and kissed him, tickling him.

The corners of his lips rose with satisfaction.

Raphlet sucked Yuriel’s tongue, pulled her lips apart, and rubbed the disheveled lips with his rough fingers.

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel asked, wheezing with a weeping face.

“Raph, you…, lo, love me?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Hmm.”

There was no hesitation in the answer to the question. Tears welled up in Yuriel’s eyes again.

Raphlet said, putting his hand around Yuriel’s eyes.

“I love you.”

After uttering those words, Raphlet finally felt a sense of fullness.

Chapter 41

Contains mature scenes
Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel woke up to the tickling sensation she felt on her wrist. Someone was holding her hand and rubbing her wrist. The slippery feeling wasn’t bad, but her excited body reacted sensitively.

She barely lifted her heavy eyelids and looked around.

“… Lord Raphlet!”

As soon as she opened her eyes, a voice filled with joy burst out at the sight of Raphlet’s face. A smile filled her face. Yuriel jumped up to her feet and called to him. Raphlet, who was applying ointment to Yuriel’s wrist, said anxiously.

“I haven’t applied all the ointment yet, so stay still.”

“Lord Raphlet, aren’t you tired? I will attend your bath!”

“Yuriel.”

“Oh, it’s already morning. Would you like to eat first? Then, I’ll prepare it right away so you can wash and eat… !”

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel tilted her head as Raphlet grabbed her wrist. Raphlet smiled faintly and stroked Yuriel’s forehead and said,

“First, you.”

“… me first? That’s good too…. Let’s eat first, though.”

“… That’s not it. You have to apply the ointment first.”

“Ah.”

As soon as she heard Raphlet’s words, Yuriel took off the sheet covering her body and threw it away. Raphlet had bit and sucked on her, resulting in her reddened body. In particular, her chest was very swollen. Yuriel, who went up on his thigh without shame, and placed her hand on his broad shoulder, wrinkled the back of her nose, and smiled at the next words. Yuriel, with a modest smile, looked down, and muttered.

“But, Master. It’s standing here….”

“… Do not worry about it.”

The moment she pressed her knee to his thigh, his member stood upright. Yuriel, who looked at his manhood that had immediately risen, looked down at Raphlet and lowered her hand. When Yuriel’s slender fingers touched it, Raphlet muttered with a stern face.

“What are you doing, Yuriel?”

“Can’t I touch it… ? I’ve been wanting to touch it ever since.”

“Ever since, what do you mean?”

Raphlet asked the question somewhat sharply. It was hard to tell what Yuriel meant when she only said “ever since”.

His sharp voice came out, wondering if she was talking about when she saw someone else’s manhood.

Yuriel did not notice Raphlet’s sensitive expression and answered slowly.

“The last time you were under an aphrodisiac.”

“… what… ?”

Raphlet, who was about to push Yuriel’s hand away, asked with a trembling voice.

“If it’s when I was under an aphrodisiac, you mean right after the Princess’ banquet?”

“Yes. You remembered.”

“How do you know I was under an aphrodisiac?”

Raphlet asked with an ominous feeling. He never told Yuriel that he had been under an aphrodisiac.

“Yes, because I was there.”

“At that time, Yuriel, you were just appearing in my fantasy, but what does that mean…. Don’t tell me, it was not a fantasy….”

“It’s not a fantasy, you did it with me!”

Yuriel’s eyes twinkled and she shouted, Raphlet’s mind went numb. Barely grasping his mind, he murmured, uncomfortably nervous.

“Then, was that the reason you avoided me when you went on an expedition to the Krug Ruins?”

Yuriel nodded her head as if there was no other reason than that.

“Yes. Even if it was a fantasy, you held me, but there was no reaction…. I thought I couldn’t bother Lord Raphlet any more.”

“No, Yuriel. The reason I didn’t respond is because….”

Raphlet did not speak, but bit his mouth. He was under an aphrodisiac poison, and even before seeing his visions, he always made Yuriel cry in his dreams and hugged her to his heart’s content. It happened every day. It was a day like no other for Raphlet.

Unable to explain it, Raphlet bit his lip. Yuriel looked at him, biting his lip. She gently kissed the corner of his lips,smiled quietly and lightly, and said calmly.

“It does not matter. You said you love me. If Lord Raphlet doesn’t regret that you held me, that’s enough.”

Unconditional love poured out into Raphlet. It was the perfect love that he never received from the Grand Ducal couple.

After leaving the Mogris Estate, Raphlet was not welcomed in Albraka.

Albraka’s trainees, priests, and nobles of the Imperial Capital were visibly reluctant to accept Raphlet until they realized his usefulness. They were fed up as they could not stand Raphlet’s strong energy, and there were many people who turned away from him.

His status, appearance, and abilities were superior to anyone else, but people considered Raphlet to be strangely uncomfortable. In particular, Helio keeping him in check was severe.

However, when it was revealed that he was the “Saint” from the prophecy, they began to embrace Raphlet’s unique aura .

Raphlet’s unusual aura is because he is a saint. From that point on, Raphlet became such a being.

Raphlet, who looked at Yuriel’s face intently, raised his hand, and embraced her body.

It wasn’t about the soft texture of her palms, her slender body, or her good looks. Those are just secondary elements. Yuriel’s affection for Raphlet was what was important.

Raphlet could do anything if he could own her for the rest of his life.

Raphlet suppressed the overwhelming emotions and gently embraced Yuriel’s body, and Yuriel in his arms moved her waist as if uncomfortable. It was because the erect manhood that touched her bottom occasionally brushed past her lower lips.

It was a position where he could insert himself by just lowering her upright knee.

Yuriel leaned her head in Raphlet’s arms, who was still holding her. She wanted to hug him to match the mood of his serious embrace, but there was a tickling in her abdomen , and an unbearable lust was heating up her body.

Eventually, Yuriel could not bear it and called him.

“Lord Raphlet.”

Raphlet, who heard a determined voice as if she had decided something, turned his head slightly and looked at Yuriel’s face.

Yuriel said with a serious expression.

“I’m sorry while you’re holding me, but can I touch it?”

“… No.”

“Why!”

Raphlet sighed, holding Yuriel’s fingers that were pointing down again, and Yuriel raised her voice as if it was unfair.

“Lord Raphlet even touched mine with your tongue… ! I know how to do it, I mean I got sex education!”

“You’ve done it… ?”

“No, I was just observing. But I’m sure I’ll do well. The other sisters told me to lick the pillar with my tongue like this, and put my lips on the top….”

Raphlet held her waist tightly at the sound of a voice that was shaking her waist and shouted unfairly. Yuriel kept her mouth open, showing Raphlet how to move her tongue.

Her bright red tongue moved seductively. Raphlet said, resisting the urge to press her lips against his manhood.

“You should rest today. I can’t stand it when you touch it.”

“Why are you holding it in? I want to do more… . Oh, are you having a hard time?”

Raphlet fastened his waist, and Yuriel, who couldn’t move, grabbed his shoulders and asked with a voice full of worry, and eyes turned to Raphlet.

“That’s right…. Lord Raphlet just returned from a subjugation. Of course it must be difficult, but I only think of myself….”

The voice was sympathizing with Raphlet.

“Yes. Lord Raphlet. I’ll wait until you can! I’m happy whenever Lord Raphlet comes!”

Despite what happened last night, Yuriel was worried about Raphlet’s stamina. Raphlet, who stopped her hand thinking about Yuriel’s body, felt a little vague.

“I forgot that men said two or three times was the limit. They said that if the men did too much, his stamina would weaken and he might collapse…. Wait, what we did last night is more than three times!”

Yuriel, who had put her fingers in front of Raphlet, was speechless, suddenly grabbed his cheeks with a pale, tired face.

Yuriel, who turned his face here and there as if examining Raphlet’s complexion, asked with a weeping face.

“Are you okay, Lord Raphlet?! Do you think you will collapse? If you are feeling dizzy right now….”

“… Yuriel. I was worried about you so I tried not to do it. Look, it’s still swollen.”

“Uhk….”

Raphlet sighed and lightly traced Yuriel’s lower lips. A sound that resembled a moan came out of Yuriel’s lips as if it was painful even with a light touch.

“Wa, uhh, heuk…. Lord Raphlet, wait…. Ah… !”

“If you can’t stand this, what are you going to do?”

“Ahh… !”

Raphlet pressed the sensitive nub through her swollen folds and pushed one of his fingers in. The swollen inner walls tightly wrapped around Raphlet’s finger.

Yuriel, startled by the sudden intrusion, hugged Raphlet’s head and moaned. She felt her inner walls burning as his finger pushed in. As he bent his finger inside, she felt an unbearable pain.

Yuriel cried and said.

“Uhh, it hurts… .”

“Yes, I know.”

“I was wrong…. Please bear with me today, Lord Raphlet.”

“Yes.”

Raphlet rubbed the hot inner walls with his finger, then pulled his finger out of her.

Yuriel exhaled a breath and collapsed onto Raphlet’s shoulders.

Yuriel, who had been holding her breath for a while, pleaded with a weeping voice.

“Well, then, can we just kiss, Lord Raphlet?”

It was a voice full of desire. Raphlet sighed and laid Yuriel’s body down on the bed.

He kissed Yuriel’s lips deeply, taking care not to touch her lower body, and a satisfied breath escaped from between their lips.

Chapter 42

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel and Raphlet confirmed their hearts, but their relationship didn’t change much. Only when they were alone in Raphlet’s room would he start speaking to Yuriel in a friendly tone, just like when he was a child.

As winter came, the two of them spent more time together, and the time they spent in the bedroom increased.

＊＊＊

Winter was not a good season for subjugation. Instead of going out on a distant expedition, the Knights stayed in the capital and concentrated on training.

It also started snowing in the capital. Due to snow on the training ground, Yuriel was excluded from the daily training schedule.

“I’ll clean the snow too!”

“Go in and check your gun with Commander Baraha, Yuriel.”

“No, the snow….”

“The gun inspection is more urgent.”

“Uhh… . Yes.”

Raphlet said firmly when he saw Yuriel coming with a large shovel and preparing to clear the snow. Seeing the tips of Yuriel’s fingers that were red from the cold, he pushed her back. It was clear that she would not listen if he told her to rest, so when he gave the order to inspect the gun, she couldn’t refuse and went inside.

“After the inspection, you should write a report and bring it to me.”

“All right….”

Raphlet said to Yuriel, who had a history of doing a rough inspection. He gave a stern expression to Yuriel, who looked back at him slightly and drooped her shoulders more as she entered the building.

After being kicked out, Yuriel headed to the South building in search of Baraha. While walking in the falling snow, she pulled up the hood that was attached to her coat.

Snowflakes smaller than the snow falling at Mogris mixed with her white breath. It wasn’t long before Yuriel arrived at Baraha’s office. The window was wide open. All the windows and doors were open, so there was almost no temperature difference between the outside and inside.

Baraha, the owner of the office, was not even cold while his Albraka’s uniform was hanging over the window. Albraka’s uniform fluttered in the wind.

A little bit of snow had piled up on his uniform from how long the window had been open.

Baraha, who had been staring blankly at the snow falling in front of the window, turned to Yuriel. Albraka’s uniform, which had been hanging over on the window sill, was blown away by the wind and landed at Yuriel’s feet.

Baraha saw his uniform tossed around, but he didn’t pay any attention to it. His gaze was indifferent as if he had seen garbage fly away.

Yuriel looked at him quietly as the wind passed through his office. Her hood was tossed back by the wind.

Eyes that showed no emotions were looking at Yuriel. On a snowy day, Baraha made that kind of expression. There were no feelings and it looked more dangerous.

She remembered another snowy day where his face showed no emotions. He was wandering in the forest of the Mogris Estate.

Yuriel was not interested in people other than Raphlet, but Baraha was special. He was someone she could comfort whenever she saw his gloomy figure.

Yuriel didn’t say a word to him, but first closed the door where the wind came in. The wind that was coming through the windows and doors had calmed down a bit. Yuriel went straight to the fireplace. As soon as the firewood was placed in and the fire was ignited, there was a buzzing sound from the burning firewood in the fireplace.

There was a bit of smoke in the office from the burning firewood. Yuriel clasped her hands and warmed her frozen fingers over the fireplace. Shetook off her robe and approached Baraha. She closed the open window and placed her coat over his cold shoulders, slowly blinking his longing eyes.

Knowing that Baraha wouldn’t divulge his feelings, Yuriel brought up another topic instead of asking him why he was like this.

“Lord Raphlet told me to check the gun with you. Baraha, come here.”

When Baraha appeared lethargic, giving him a job was the best way to comfort him. When he was at Mogris Estate, he was asked to clean or sew.

When they worked together like that, Baraha, who had regained his energy, suddenly disappeared from Mogris Estate.

Baraha, who had been fiddling with the coat that Yuriel had put on him, opened his mouth.

“I finished the gun inspection two days ago.”

“Really? Do you have an inspection report?”

“There isn’t. Did Commander Raphlet tell you to bring it?”

“Ah-huh.”

“The inspection is done, just check the number of ammunition and write a report.”

Baraha, who had returned to his usual mood, said as he got up, leaning against the window.

＊＊＊

Yuriel, who was checking the number of ammunition, glanced at Baraha filling out the paperwork next to her.

His room was now warm enough, but Baraha was still wearing the coat she had put on him. Although her coat was spacious, it was small for Baraha’s body as it was a woman’s suit.

Baraha was completing some paperwork, pulling the collar so that the little coat wouldn’t fall off.

He put down the gun Yuriel had been checking with his eyebrows crumpled

As she approached Baraha’s side, he looked up at Yuriel. Blurred eyes turned to Yuriel.

“Why? Is there anything strange about it?”

“Baraha, do you still write like that? You said that was a document that Lord Raphlet should check later. I wonder why it takes so long for Lord Raphlet to check the documents these days, it was because of you.”

“What did I….”

“Because you write letters like this! Lord Raphlet doesn’t recognize it!”

As if to avoid Yuriel’s gaze, Baraha hid the paper with his body. Yuriel, who leaned against his desk, slammed Baraha’s back, and pushed him away from the documents, and took his place.

Baraha, who had been pushed by Yuriel’s body, got up from his seat, in a stumble.

“I will write. You just sign it.”

“How much time do you have to take? And it’s okay because Commander Raphlet likes to work the most. When you weren’t here, he didn’t have any personal time, he just worked.”

Yuriel, who spoke firmly, pushed Baraha away and took up the pen from the seat she occupied. Baraha muttered in displeasure, but brought another chair and sat down next to Yuriel.

Yuriel said proudly as she watched Baraha take a seat next to her.

“Maybe it used to be, but not now. He likes lying in bed with me the most.”

“… Ah, I see.”

A late answer came back to the unexpected remark. Yuriel spoke her words, not noticing whether Baraha had a shaky expression on his face or not.

“But he never gets into bed until he’s done with work.”

“… I don’t want to know about Commander Raphlet’s private life.”

Baraha put his forehead on the desk and muttered. Turning his head, he asked, pulling Yuriel’s long hair.

“Why do you like Commander Raphlet so much?”

“So much?”

“Ah-huh. When I look at it, I feel like you’re crazy about Commander Raphlet. Commander Raphlet is not the kind of person worthy to be liked so much….”

“If you curse Lord Raphlet, even I won’t let you go, Baraha.”

Yuriel countered, leaning in the direction Baraha was pulling. Yuriel threatened Baraha with a flash in her eyes.

Baraha stopped talking when he saw Yuriel’s sad blue eyes. Yuriel glared at Baraha, who was looking at her with unknown eyes, and then poked his head with a pen.

Baraha gave off a particularly unstable atmosphere today. If he had been someone else, she would have been more angry, but when she looked at his empty eyes, her anger vanished.

Yuriel sighed and turned around.

“Tell me what to write. I have to write this and finish the gun inspection report.”

Yuriel, who continued to speak in a light tone, loosened the sharp atmosphere. Baraha, who confirmed that Yuriel had released her expression, turned to look at the documents and opened his mouth.

“You said that Commander Raphlet saved you.”

“Ah-huh.”

“What do you think would have happened if the person who saved you was Commander Helio? Then you would have liked Commander Helio rather than Commander Raphlet, right?”

“Why do you keep talking nonsense? How can Sir Helio rescue me at the Mogris Estate?”

“Still, if so.”

“Is it because of the snow? Baraha, you know you’re a little weird today, right?”

Yuriel sighed and said. Yuriel, who put down the pen she was holding and turned to Baraha, answered in a serious tone.

“I don’t think I would have liked Sir Helio even if he had saved me. Okay?”

“Then what if I saved you?”

“You don’t even have to think. I would never have liked you.”

Yuriel, who had been seriously considering it during Helio’s story, now said without hesitation.

“I don’t think there was any way you could have saved me. Even if you saved me, I think you would have left me. You’re not like Lord Raphlet who keeps taking care of me.”

“That’s right.”

“Now that you’ve said all the strange things, tell me what to write on the paperwork.”

There was no way that Baraha, who was too bothered to take care of himself, would have taken care of others.

If Baraha had rescued her and taken her back….

Yuriel imagined such a scenario for a moment.

She imagined dreaming of a monster appearing, and then Baraha entering the room where she was trembling in fear, telling her to go to sleep and blowing out the candles.

This was also a good idea.

Baraha, who was gazing at Yuriel as she was shaking her head while imagining that scenario, slowly opened his mouth.

Chapter 43

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“There was a terrorism threat if all the monster core in the Alchemist Tower were not destroyed. Because of that, the Alchemist Tower asked Albraka for support….”

“Terrorism? The Tower’s exterior wall repairs were only completed a few days ago. Did they threaten to destroy it?”

“Huh. So, it seems like they wanted Commander Raphlet to come and protect them. It seems like they want the monster cores to be moved to a safer place than they are now.”

Yuriel heard Baraha’s words and made a groan of pain. While the Tower’s outer walls were being repaired, many knights were recruited in consideration of the threat of other terrorist attacks. Raphlet would occasionally go to the Alchemist Tower.

The alchemists, who nearly lost all of the monster cores due to the monsters’ attack, asked Raphlet to protect the cores, and part of the monster cores stored in the Alchemist Tower was moved to Albraka.

Thanks to this, Yuriel’s ability to detect the monster cores was developing day by day. It was difficult to judge accurately as there has not been any monster subjugation recently, but if subjugation starts again, Yuriel vaguely felt that her abilities would be more helpful than before.

Yuriel, recalling the past, tilted her head and said to Baraha.

“Baraha, can’t you just stick with them? You almost always live in the Alchemist Tower…. You can escort them with the other knights.”

He shook his head slightly.

“I’m not good at protecting, and I will only make them more anxious if I do it.”

“That’s right….”

Yuriel, who was about to hand over the work to Baraha, agreed that Raphlet would be very busy if he accepted the job.

If Baraha volunteers to escort, no one will be relieved.

Wouldn’t he let a gang of terrorists come and he wouldn’t know anything about it?

Seeing Baraha’s hazy appearance, Yuriel let out a short sigh. Yuriel mumbled and showed no signs of moving, but Baraha touched Yuriel’s arm that was still.

“You said you have to write quickly and write an inspection report.”

At the sight of Baraha urging in a slow tone, Yuriel completed the paperwork with tears in her eyes. The face filling out the papers requesting Raphlet’s support was very contorted.

If it was to protect the Alchemist Tower, he would have to spend at least ten days there, but it was clear that Raphlet and her would not be able to share a room during that time.

Since confirming their hearts, the two have been sticking together everyday. Yuriel predicted that Raphlet’s absence would be unbearably difficult to stand alone.

The thought of not being able to touch Raphlet’s body was terrifying.

“I’m depressed….”

Yuriel muttered gloomy and moved her hand. As neat letters began to fill the page, she became even more depressed.

“… Would you like some sweets?”

Baraha, who was looking at Yuriel who had become noticeably pale, asked a question. When Yuriel nodded, Baraha, who had called the employee, ordered to bring a sweet treat.

Unfamiliar with Baraha’s call, the employee listened to him awkwardly, and immediately prepared sweet foods and drinks according to his orders.

“Here.”

For Yuriel, who was holding the paper with her left hand and writing diligently with her right hand, Baraha placed a cookie in her mouth. The sweet taste spread all over her mouth, but Yuriel’s eyebrows didn’t seem to open.

“It tastes awful? Shall I ask them to bring something else?”

“No, it tastes good….”

Baraha, who was watching Yuriel’s expression, asked again.

Yuriel, who took the sweets from Baraha’s hand and filled out the paperwork instead, could not escape her depression until she finished writing the gun inspection report.

＊＊＊

Seeing Raphlet still conducting training at the training ground, Yuriel went back to his room. Before Raphlet returned, she cleaned up the room and placed the gun inspection report and some papers that Baraha had given her on his desk.

Raphlet, who returned when Yuriel had finished cleaning up, looked at Yuriel’s lifeless face and approached her worriedly.

The fingers around her cheek were cold, but Yuriel quietly pressed her face to his hand. Raphlet asked, sweeping Yuriel’s cheek.

“Did anything bad happen?”

“Not yet, but it will happen ….”

A muffled voice came back. Yuriel, holding Raphlet’s hand with both hands, blinked at the papers she had prepared on the desk and said.

“Would you like to check the documents first?”

“If that is the cause of your depression, I should check it first. I’ll check it out soon, so wait a minute.”

“Yes.”

Raphlet kissed Yuriel’s forehead lightly and said. His hand on her cheek fell, but Yuriel grabbed Raphlet’s arm and moved with him as he moved.

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel, who had been hugging Raphlet’s neck from behind, bowed her head at his call. Raphlet tried to avoid touching Yuriel as much as possible during his work, but he couldn’t leave Yuriel depressed today.

“Come here.”

With his arms outstretched, Yuriel smiled broadly and took a seat on Raphlet’s thigh. Raphlet’s mood was relieved a little at the sight of her wriggling while holding his chest tight.

Kissing Yuriel’s head, he turned to the papers to find out what had made her depressed.

Instead of the bad handwriting of Commander Baraha, it was a document full of neat letters belonging to Yuriel.

Yuriel put her ear to his chest and blinked quietly while Raphlet checked the paperwork. The dull heartbeat in her ear was one of Yuriel’s recent favorite things. When she listened quietly like this, she felt as if she had become one with Raphlet.

Her second favorite thing after the heartbeat was Raphlet’s moans during their engagement. Also, she liked the way he comforted her during their engagement.

As Yuriel was thinking about the things she had come to love, Raphlet opened his mouth, checking the documents.

“Are you so down because of this request to dispatch to the Alchemist Tower?”

It was a somewhat despondent question whether he thought it was not a big deal compared to her worries. Not knowing how sad Yuriel was, Raphlet calmly comforted Yuriel.

“It’s not that dangerous, so don’t worry. If I watch the situation for about ten days and move the monster cores to a safe place, I’ll be back soon.”

“How fast is ten days?”

As if shocked by Raphlet’s calmness, Yuriel opened her eyes wide and asked.

“Lord Raphlet, is it okay if you don’t see me for ten days?”

Her trembling lips clearly showed how shocked Yuriel was. Raphlet frowned in awkwardness.

It was the patience that he had cultivated for the past seven years of not meeting Yuriel. It was not difficult for Raphlet to endure for about ten days. It was out of the question to go with Yuriel to the Alchemist Tower, which was obviously more dangerous than being unable to bear being away for a while.

“It’s better than being in a dangerous situation.”

“Are you telling me to patiently wait here?”

“That’s right.”

“I thought you would say that.”

Yuriel shook her head gloomy.

After confirming Raphlet’s heart, she found that Raphlet hated having her be in any dangerous situations so much that he was terrified of her being hurt or suffering.

Yuriel was astonished to learn that as she was laying ill at the Krug Ruins, Raphlet had destroyed the ruins; that was the reason she became ill at the Ruins.

Yuriel, who saw how much the princess loved it, was terrified for a long time for fear that she would harm Raphlet. When the assassin, believed to have been sent by the princess, visited Raphlet’s room several times, she experienced a heartstopping sensation.

Raphlet didn’t seem to care about the assassin, but it seemed that he protested to the princess the next day when he saw Yuriel, who was asleep in his bed, awakened due to the commotion and stopped breathing.

It was fortunate that even the princess could not easily touch Raphlet, the main character of the prophecy.

It was easy to guess that Raphlet would not take her to a dangerous place.

She knew that even if she went, she wouldn’t be of any help if it wasn’t a monster attack, but a terrorist attack by humans.

Instead of insisting on going with him, Yuriel let out a short sigh and said,

“Well then, Lord Raphlet. Please hold me as much as you can to make up for the time you are away.”

Yuriel, who hugged Raphlet’s neck and kissed him, said as if pleading. All the papers on the desk fell to the floor in an instant.

＊＊＊

Yuriel, who was carried into the bathroom in Raphlet’s arms, rested her head on his shoulder. She had to take a bath, but she didn’t even have the strength to lift her fingers.

She was doing enough exercises to increase her stamina, but it seemed that Raphlet’s stamina was incomparable. Yuriel felt desperately that Raphlet had been taking care of her.

She asked him to do everything he would not be able to do while he was away, and he did it until dawn.

The relationship that started before nightfall continued until dawn. Raphlet didn’t back down even when Yuriel said she thought it was enough.

“Then, ten days…. I think I can hold out, Master.”

Yuriel said while lying in Raphlet’s arms, as she melted in the warm water. Raphlet laughed with excitement.

Chapter 44

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet advised Yuriel to not enter his room while he was away. The princess said she wouldn’t hurt Yuriel, but it was to prevent her from doing anything unsavory.

“… Why are you crying?”

Raphlet, who had finished preparing to be dispatched with his knights, looked back at Yuriel for the last time and was bewildered. He left his knights and went to Yuriel.

After he told them to wait a moment, Raphlet took Yuriel out of their sight, and quietly said,

“It won’t take long. I will be back soon.”

“That, though…. I’m afraid you won’t come back again….”

“I didn’t tell you to wait this time. It’s not too far away, so you can come if you want. The dangerous area is the Alchemist Tower. You can meet me around the Alchemist Tower.”

Seeing Raphlet getting ready to leave, she remembered the time he left the Mogris Estate. Unlike then, she knew he was close, but she couldn’t help but be upset.

“I will contact you after moving the monster cores to a safe place. You can come then.”

She could see Raphlet was worried as she was depressed. When they were outside, Raphlet, who always spoke coldly, wiped away her tears.

Yuriel, who barely stopped crying, nodded. Raphlet sighed and said,

“When you come, you must be accompanied by another knight.”

“Yes, I will.”

Raphlet, who had soothed Yuriel, gave that final request.

＊＊＊

When Raphlet left, Yuriel became very bored. She was told not to enter his room, so she had nothing to do.

Yuriel, who was sneaking around Baraha’s room, confirmed that he wasn’t there and left the building. Yuriel was so bored that she even went to the East Building used by Helio, but she soon left after not seeing a familiar face.

Occasionally, the knights she encountered greeted her, but they passed by without talking. The knights seemed a little uncomfortable with Yuriel.

In Mogris, there was a building used by the servants, so it was crowded….

Here, Yuriel was neither a servant nor a knight, but in an ambiguous position, she hardly had a chance to talk with people she encountered.

The servants thought of Yuriel as a member of the knighthood and treated her as a superior, and the knights she frequently encountered seemed to have no idea how to treat her.

The only people who treated her normally were Baraha, whom she had known before, and Helio, the 2nd commander.

After completing physical training and shooting in the training ground alone, Yuriel stared blankly at the sky and thought of a place she had not yet gone.

The place that came to mind was the medical office. West Building. This is the medical office in the medical unit commanded by the 3rd commander who she had not met yet.

There was a person she knew there. He was the person she talked with a lot during her hospitalization.

Yuriel was about to run to that place right away, but after checking her condition, she headed to her room.

Her body was a mess from training. It was clear that if she entered the infirmary in this state, she would be kicked out without being able to speak.

After returning to her room and taking a shower, Yuriel went to the West Building, carefully checking for any dirt.

“No, Miss Yuriel. I told you never to come again, so why did you come? Is your body okay?”

The medical officer who had taken care of her, greeted her with a surprised face.

Yuriel opened the door slightly and looked inside. When she saw the medical office inside, she opened the door wide with a smile. If there were any other medical officers other than him, she would go back.

“Long time no see!”

“What, I was surprised because I thought that you were sick. Why are you here?”

The medical officer who was sitting at his desk writing in a journal, opened his eyes wide in surprise. As he was about to get up from the chair, he saw Yuriel’s smiling face and sat back down in despair.

Yuriel had a bright face with no pain anywhere he looked.

“I came here because I was bored.”

“The infirmary is not a place to come when you are bored.”

“Can I help you with anything?”

As Yuriel approached with a smirk, the medical officer narrowed his eyes and gave a seat next to him.

“You won’t be kicked out because there are no patients, but…. There is nothing good about coming to the infirmary so often.”

“That’s right. But what were you writing?”

“Oh, it’s a duty.”

“May I help you?”

“No. This is a document that cannot be read by non-medical personnel…. Miss Yuriel! Don’t stare at me like that.”

“No, there was a familiar name, so…. sorry.’

Yuriel looked at the documents unknowingly and bowed her head. She had to sit through a long lecture about how medical records could only be read by patients, medical officers, and commanders before she had an opportunity to open her mouth again.

“I didn’t hear that Baraha stopped by the infirmary, when did he come?”

What the medical officer was writing was a paper with Baraha’s name written on top. Whether it was a technical term or an abbreviation, Yuriel could not understand, it was impossible to know what it was about.

When Yuriel asked a question, the medical officer answered with a glare.

“This is something I shouldn’t say.”

“That paper, it’s about a monster core. I know.”

It was not known what it was, but it was possible to guess from the human figure on the medical record. Yuriel, seeing the fragments on the back of Baraha’s hand, saw a record marked in the same place.

At Yuriel’s words, the medical officer closed his eyes and nodded.

“Well, Miss Yuriel was working in the Strategy Room, right? You only chased after Commander Raphlet, so I forgot about it for a while. Of course you know… ”

“Yes, so can you tell me what it is?”

“Of course not.”

The medical officer, who blinked his eyes, firmly answered . Noticing how he sharply cut her off as if with a knife, Yuriel had no choice but to retreat a little.

Yuriel, who had retreated to the point where she could not see the medical journal, asked a question.

“Then, just this. Baraha, is he in a bad mood?”

“Yuriel, are you close with Commander Baraha? You’ve been calling him by name since earlier.”

“We’re very close.”

“Well….”

Yuriel nodded her head quickly, and the medical officer looked at her as if trying to ascertain the authenticity. He looked carefully at Yuriel’s face with stern eyes and opened his mouth.

“You have a close relationship with Commander Raphlet, so I know that you are not someone who will lie about things like this.”

“We’re really close. I don’t need anything else, but can you tell me that Baraha is okay?”

Yuriel asked, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

She was genuinely worried about Baraha, but it was also a question out of concern for Raphlet, who also had a monster core.

If Baraha’s condition is okay, will Lord Raphlet be okay?

The medical officer tapped his desk with a pen and slowly opened his mouth.

“Well, it would be fine if it was just to tell you about the condition… I know that Commander Baraha has implanted a monster core on the back of his hand….”

“Yes, yes.”

“The thing I was just organizing was the experiment log sent to me by the Alchemist Tower. The body’s strength increased to a wider area than the area where the core was implanted. So it means that he was fine and he’s gotten healthier.”

“Really?”

“The information about the increase in physical strength is important, so the Alchemist Tower reported it to us immediately. If they are injured later, there is a problem such as not being able to use injections in the area….”

Yuriel listened intently to him.

“There are cases where injection into the skin is not possible or the medicine does not work properly.”

The medical officer who had been giving an explanation to Yuriel, who nodded, suddenly hardened his body without speaking.

“Well, that’s it, there are cases like that….”

“Medical Officer?”

The explanation that had continued well was suddenly cut short. The medical officer looked blankly at Yuriel and stuttered his words.

Yuriel frowned and looked behind her. There was a large mirror, in which she could see a tall man leaning against the door.

The medical officer saw the man’s face and began to stutter.

Yuriel and the man’s eyes met in the mirror. He was a man with glasses. It was an impressively cool face that didn’t have a smile.

The man turned his gaze away from Yuriel and got up from the door. A voice full of cynicism escaped his mouth.

“Are you going to keep explaining?”

“Oh, no. Commander!”

“Why? Are you about to divulge all the secrets?”

The medical officer jumped up from his chair with a bluish face and answered.

The medical officer answered with his lips trembling enough to look pitiful, and looked at Yuriel. He looked like he was begging for help.

Yuriel caught his gaze and got up quickly.

The medical officer called that man ‘Commander’. There was only the 3rd Commander that Yuriel had not met yet.

Compared to the other commanders, he was a little skinny and could not be immediately recognized as the commander. He was a man with the impression of a scholar rather than the leader of the Knights.

She had heard the name, but it was the first time she had seen his face.

The 3rd Commander who leads the medical unit, Shudmuel.

He was a man with gray eyes and silver hair as cold as a blade. A cool glance flashed in the gray eyes that were seen through his glasses.

He was looking at Yuriel silently.

Chapter 45

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel folded her eyes and smiled at the man who was examining her. He entered the infirmary, looking at Yuriel with an expressionless face.

“Hello, 3rd Commander. Nice to meet you. I’m….”

“I know who you are, so you don’t need to explain unnecessarily.”

The man coolly cut off her words. Yuriel kept a calm smile even after receiving harsh treatment after a long time.

The subordinates of nobles were accustomed to it. It was rather unusual for Helio and the other knights to be polite.

Such an arrogant tone of voice was familiar to Yuriel.

“Yes.”

Yuriel immediately shut her mouth, and Shudmuel’s face softened a little. Looking down at Yuriel with her head bowed, he took the journal containing information about Baraha that the medical officer had been writing and said.

“Are you acquainted with Commander Baraha?”

“Yes.”

“How.”

It was a one-sided question. Yuriel thought about what the relationship between Baraha and Shudmuel would be like and opened her mouth.

“I don’t think there is any reason to tell Commander Shudmuel about my relationship with Commander Baraha. It would be better to hear directly from Commander Baraha.”

The man she saw for the first time today and Baraha.

It’s okay to tell Baraha what she’d heard from Shudmuel, but it’s not the other way around.

Even Helio, who was friendly with Baraha, was unaware of the fact that Baraha often visited the Mogris Estate. She herself cannot say what Baraha has no intention of disclosing.

If Schudmuel finds out that Yuriel, who is from Mogris, is close with Baraha, he will know that Baraha often visits Mogris, but that wasn’t Yuriel’s concern.

“It’s a command. Say it.”

“My direct supervisor is Lord Raphlet.”

Yuriel answered without raising her head. The medical officer, who was sandwiched between Yuriel and Shudmuel, seemed to be restless. The shadow of the medical officer was caught in Yuriel’s eyes, who was bowing her head.

A cold silence followed for a long time.

Shudmuel was the first to speak. He said in a relaxed voice.

“… A heavy mouth is better than my subordinates. Raise your head.”

“Yes. Commander Shudmuel.”

“You write an apology about today’s work. Today’s mistake will be forgotten.”

“Thank you. Commander!”

The medical officer sighed and said. He must have felt relieved from how he was stroking his chest. Yuriel also let out a short sigh.

Shudmuel, who watched Yuriel sighing as she looked at the medical officer, said.

“You follow me.”

“Yes?”

“Should I say it twice?”

Yuriel quickly shook her head.

Because there were definitely people like this, itt would be better to not ask one more time if she was going to get scolded.

Shudmuel turned around without giving Yuriel time to say goodbye to the medical officer. Yuriel barely shook her head at the medical officer and hurriedly followed Shudmuel out of the infirmary.

Shudmuel went to the commander’s office, which was present in each building. All four of Albraka’s buildings had the same structure, so even a first-time visitor could easily identify the location.

However, even with the same structure, the atmosphere of the office was distinctly different for each Commander. Raphlet’s office was a simple space with minimal furniture, Helio had a more relaxed atmosphere, and Baraha’s was a mess.

Shudmuel’s office had a morbidly clean atmosphere. She was reluctant to even venture into it.

As soon as she stepped into his morbidly clean office, Shudmuel seemed to stare at her with cold eyes.

“What are you doing not coming in?”

Yuriel checked her shoes for dirt, and dust on her clothes. In the meantime, Shudmuel, who had already entered the office, sat on a chair, and spoke to her.

Yuriel shook off her clothes and went into the office. When the door was closed, it felt like a space cut off from the outside. Shudmuel, who sat down, pointed to the chair in front of the desk and said.

“Sit down.”

Yuriel approached him awkwardly. She remembered that when she was in Mogris, she was called and scolded by the chief maid. Whenever Yuriel did something wrong, the chief maid would call Yuriel to the room like this.

Sensing a similar atmosphere, Yuriel reluctantly approached him and sat on the chair.

While Yuriel sat down, Shudmuel took a candle from the drawer, lit a match, and lit the candle. The strange scent pierced the tip of her nose. It was incense.

It was strange to see a man who did not seem to be the type to use incense candles placing one on the desk. Yuriel watched him light the candle. Shudmuel shook the match to extinguish it. Shortly thereafter, he took in his hand the medical journal with Baraha’s information.

He asked her to follow him, but she couldn’t figure out why Shudmuel, the head of the medical unit, was chasing her alone.

Shudmuel had brought the journal that the medical officer had been writing in, and was slowly flipping through the book, looking at the contents.

Yuriel looked at him calmly as he checked the journal. Candles that could be seen by the side were flickering occasionally. For some reason, she suddenly felt a bit tired.

Yuriel shook her head to wake herself and looked at Shudmuel’s face.

It reminded her of the chief maid, so she felt familiar.

Having reviewed the entire journal, Shudmuel took off his glasses and set them down on his desk, looking at Yuriel. Gray eyes that looked like melted silver coins looked at Yuriel.

When he took off his glasses and looked at her, his eyes looked more like metal. He looked into Yuriel’s eyes for a moment and then turned his head.

“Write it.”

He said, holding out Baraha’s journal.

“This is a medical report. Isn’t that a document I shouldn’t read?”

Yuriel, who was holding the pen with a frozen face, tilted her head and asked.

Shudmuel tapped his armrest with a long finger and shook his head.

“Write.”

All of Albraka’s leaders, except for Raphlet, had something strange about them. When she first met Helio, he had banged his head against the wall, and aimed a gun at her. She met Baraha when she found him wandering blankly in the forest of Mogris, and this Shudmuel, whom she met today.

Why is everyone so unique?

While holding the pen, Yuriel pondered for a moment whether a unique personality might also be included in the conditions for selecting Albraka’s commanders.

A rather quick and sensitive sound followed while the contents from Baraha’s journal were transcribed onto another piece of paper. It was the sound of Shudmuel tapping his armrest with his finger.

Yuriel frowned slightly at the strange, annoying sound.

It was so annoying that she wanted him to stop.

After holding the pen and looking at Shudmuel’s fingers for a moment, Yuriel shook her head from side to side and started writing.

It was an abbreviation and a technical term. Yuriel frowned as she transcribed the incomprehensible characters.

The sound of Shudmuel’s fingers piercing her ears began to fade away little by little. She couldn’t hear well because she was so focused on writing.

Shudmuel spoke in a monotonous tone to Yuriel, who was writing with a frown.

“I heard that you have a close relationship with Commander Raphlet. How did it come to be?”

“I came up from the Mogris Estate. Lord Raphlet is originally from Mogris.”

Yuriel replied blankly.

“Lord Raphlet saved me and gave me a job.”

“Saved you?”

“Yes, I almost got attacked by a monster….”

“… Please explain more.”

Shudmuel said, leaning over to the desk. The finger that had been tapping the armrest of the chair was now moving on the paper on which Yuriel was writing.

The sound, which had been interrupted for a while, continued again.

“You said that Commander Raphlet saved you from being attacked by a monster? What was Commander Raphlet like at that time? Was he seriously injured?”

“Yes, a big cut on his back… .”

Yuriel, who was explaining blankly, blinked. It was the moment when she had finished writing all the information on the previous page and stopped writing.

“I wrote it all down.”

As she was about to turn the paper, she felt strange.

Why was she even talking like this?

Yuriel lowered the pen and fumbled her lips. Shudmuel leaned back, watching Yuriel feel strange and fumbling her lips.

He slowly checked what Yuriel had written and opened his mouth.

“Can I leave you with this job while Commander Raphlet is away?”

“Yes? What’s going on?”

“It’s about keeping a journal. All you have to do is come to my office at the appointed time and write for me.”

“But I am not a member of the medical unit….”

Yuriel replied blankly. She remembered that the medical office had to write an apology because the medical officer gave her some information earlier.

When Yuriel hesitated, Shudmuel leaned towards Yuriel and said in a monotonous tone with no sense of high or lowness.

“Come to my office while Commander Raphlet is away, Yuriel.”

“Ah…. Yes. Okay.”

“Good. Then go.”

When Yuriel nodded, Shudmuel extinguished the incense candle that had been lit the whole time.

Yuriel, who was about to leave the room as Shudmuel had commanded, unintentionally looked at his bookshelf.

Most of the books on the shelves were about hypnosis.

I don’t know if I’m angrier at how vulnerable & clueless Yuriel is or that Shudmuel is using her *sigh*

Chapter 46

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“Sir Shudmuel, I’m here!”

After meeting Shudmuel, Yuriel’s work revolved around him. He was the only one who needed Yuriel, whom no one was looking for, so the time visiting him was the most enjoyable for Yuriel.

It was the first time since Raphlet that she had followed a person like this.

Contrary to his cold first impression, Shudmuel prepared simple food with scented candles when Yuriel came. When the strange scent emanating from his incense candle reached the tip of her nose, Yuriel felt a deep sense of comfort.

In that state, Shudmuel wrote a note asking her to transcribe along with the hot tea he prepared himself. While she was blankly writing the characters she couldn’t understand, he would ask Yuriel several questions.

When Shudmuel saw Yuriel suddenly open the door and appeared, he checked the time and said,

“You came earlier than you were supposed to.”

Even when he saw Yuriel who suddenly appeared, there was no change in his expression. Yuriel, who was thinking whether she could see Shudmuel’s surprised face, felt regretful and went inside. Meanwhile, Shudmuel calmly prepared tea.

“I decided to go see Lord Raphlet this afternoon. I’m going to help Sir Shudmuel and go out right away.”

Yuriel took off her coat and answered. Shudmuel nodded his head as he watched Yuriel with her overcoat on her way across the office.

Shudmuel asked in a monotonous tone.

“Did Commander Raphlet send you a letter?”

“Yes. I got a call this morning.”

He pushed a cup of tea in front of Yuriel.

“Alright, sit down first.”

“Thank you.”

Yuriel greeted him and sat on the chair. As she sat down and drank the tea, warmth spread through her frozen body. Shudmuel also sat on the opposite chair. He waited without saying a word until Yuriel had finished her tea.

Shudmuel said, refilling the empty cup.

“Where did you decide to meet?”

“At the restaurant near the Alchemist Tower.”

“What about your companion?”

“I want to go with the knight who Lord Raphlet told me in the letter. He said he had talked to him beforehand, so after I help Sir Shudmuel, I think I should go find him.”

Yuriel answered meekly. Many of Shudmuel’s questions were related to Raphlet. At first she was hesitant to answer questions about Raphlet, but now it’s okay.

It’s not a difficult question to answer, because it’s Sir Shudmuel.

Yuriel smiled softly as she looked at his face, who always took off his glasses when he met her. The gray eyes, which seemed cold at first glance, gave a more comfortable feeling than she expected.

Shudmuel, who looked at Yuriel’s expression that was full of trust, opened his mouth.

“Don’t you think it would be better for me to accompany you, Yuriel?”

“Yes, of course. But Sir Shudmuel is busy…. If I take your time….”

“You came early and the afternoon schedule is empty. If you want, I can accompany you.”

He said, suggesting the option to Yuriel. Yuriel slowly blinked her eyes and answered happily.

“Yes, Sir Shudmuel. Please accompany me!”

After finishing the conversation, Yuriel, who was copying the medical journal, discovered that Shudmuel was writing like her. It was like a short letter.

Looking at him with curiosity, Shudmuel said in a strict tone.

“Yuriel. I have a lot of paperwork to deal with today, so focus.”

Compared to other days, there wasn’t a lot of paperwork to be processed, but the moment he tapped the desk with his finger, Yuriel immediately accepted and concentrated on the paperwork.

＊＊＊

“Lord Raphlet!”

Yuriel noticed Raphlet’s appearance and waved a big hand. Raphlet, standing on the street in Albraka’s uniform, was attracting the attention of passersby, probably because there were many photos of him in the newspapers. People were looking at Raphlet as they passed by and pointing their fingers in wonder.

Despite receiving the attention of many people, Raphlet had a blunt face. He was waiting for Yuriel on the street without a single move.

Raphlet’s face softened slightly when he saw Yuriel calling him and waving her hand. After catching Yuriel who jumped at him, Raphlet looked around.

Seeing that she had arrived safely, he intended to send back the knight who was ordered to protect Yuriel.

Yuriel ran as soon as she saw Raphlet, so he couldn’t see the knight right away. As he moved his gaze to a farther place, he saw the figure of the person standing next to Yuriel.

Raphlet’s face hardened when he saw the knight’s appearance. Instead of the knight he ordered to accompany her, Shudmuel, the 3rd division commander of Albraka, appeared with Yuriel.

Raphlet looked at Shudmuel and asked Yuriel.

“Yuriel, what about the knight I sent?”

At the sound of Raphlet’s voice in her ear, Yuriel groaned unknowingly. She liked hearing Raphlet’s voice that she had not heard in a long time, so her lips kept loosening up.

Yuriel, who was hanging from Raphlet’s waist, struggled to get out of his arms, remembering that they were still on the street. The eyes of passersby were still on Raphlet.

She was worried that if he kept holding a woman on the streets where people passed by, the reputation of the Paladin Raphlet would deteriorate. The Knights of Albraka are those who have decided to abandon everything and follow God. It was not that there were no knights meeting women, but there were no publicly known cases.

There were newspapers in the Imperial Capital that mainly dealt with the stories of the Knights of Albraka, and there were several reporters who followed them.

Like the article that prompted Yuriel to come to the Imperial Capital, most of the content was exaggerated or untrue, but people did not know that.

Didn’t Yuriel herself completely believe the article and come to the Imperial Capital? It would be a big deal to have a photo of herself and Raphlet appear together in such a place.

Yuriel got out of Raphlet’s arms and grabbed his sleeve with her fingers and spoke.

“Sir Shudmuel said he would accompany me.”

Raphlet frowned at Yuriel’s attitude. It was strange that she had become so close with Shudmuel when he had been away for only a few days.

‘Shudmuel isn’t a person who trains at the training ground, so she wouldn’t have had a chance to meet him, so how?’

Raphlet hardened his expression and thought.

“Lord Raphlet, have you eaten yet? Hurry and go in. You said you couldn’t stay long.”

Yuriel pulled Raphlet’s arm, who was looking at Shudemuel with a frown. The time she could spend with Raphlet was only about 4 hours.

It must have been that he had agreed to meet Yuriel by taking time for a personal break. So, unfortunately, she was planning to send him back to the Alchemist Tower after having dinner together.

“You can just eat and go back. Lord Raphlet, you need to rest a little longer.”

Yuriel said in a worried tone. Raphlet looked down at Yuriel’s worried face and replied that he would do so. Of course, he had no intention of going back before the break was over.

“Sir Shudmuel, quickly come too!”

“… It’s okay to tell Commander Shudmuel to go back, Yuriel. I will post another knight on the way back.”

Raphlet, who was led into the restaurant by Yuriel, stiffened. He grabbed Yuriel’s arm, stopped and spoke, and Yuriel answered as if she didn’t know why.

“I think it would be good for Sir Shudmuel to have a meal with us. We’ve been together since morning, but we haven’t eaten yet.”

“Been together… ?”

“Yes. I stayed with Sir Shudmuel while Lord Raphlet was away, helping him with work.”

“Didn’t I say you don’t have to work? If Commander Shudmuel has forced you to do something, you do not have to follow it.”

“No, no! I said I would do it. I’m bored because Lord Raphlet isn’t here….”

Yuriel hurriedly denied it and continued talking while looking at Raphlet.

“Can I keep working until you come back?”

“… If you want, do it.”

“Thank you!”

Raphlet, who knows how much Yuriel likes to be active, finds it hard to stop her. He tried to tighten the training schedule further so that she could lose strength, but it seemed she was already used to the reinforced schedule.

As they stood at the entrance of the restaurant and talked, people passed by uncomfortably.

“I think we were blocking the entrance. Come on in, Lord Raphlet.”

Yuriel led Raphlet and Shudmuel inside. It was a very luxurious restaurant. It was darker than outside because the lights hanging from the high ceiling were shining in scarlet.

While Yuriel looked inside and admired the interior, the approaching employees started to guide her. Whether it was because they recognized Raphlet and Shudmuel, or whether it was the original hospitality, the employees were very friendly.

“It is an honor for you to visit. We will guide you to the best table.”

They seemed kind because they recognized the two Albraka Knights. As the three of them sat down, the chef came out and explained the recommended dishes.

“Please give me the food you just recommended! Ah, Lord Raphlet doesn’t drink alcohol, so you don’t have to prepare a pre-dinner drink.”

“Yes, how should I prepare for the other meals?”

“What would you like, Shudmuel?”

“As it is.”

“Yes, then, all three of us, please prepare it like that.”

“Okay, Miss.”

Yuriel, who was carefully listening to the explanation on behalf of Raphlet and Shudmuel, who were not interested in the chef’s explanation, chose a meal and smiled brightly.

When the chef left, Yuriel was talking to Raphlet in the room with only three people left.

Shudmuel leaned back on his chair, looking at Yuriel, who didn’t care for him.

Chapter 47

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel, who was talking to Raphlet while the food was being prepared, noticed Shudmuel looking at her from the other side and licked her lips.

Why did she ask Shudmuel to have dinner together?

She couldn’t even figure out why she brought Shudmuel when she was alone with Raphlet. They got to know each other while she helped him out for a few days….

Even if Baraha, whom she had known for a long time, was by her side, Yuriel would not have invited him to eat. To have other people while spending time with Raphlet.

She felt that her behavior was different from usual.

Shudmuel, seen from the outside, was more sensitive than Yuriel, so it felt more awkward. The silver-gray eyes seen through the glasses were looking sharply at Raphlet and Yuriel.

“Yuriel, you suddenly have a bad expression…. Are you feeling ill?”

Raphlet asked worriedly when he saw Yuriel, who had a bad expression while looking at Shudmuel.

Hearing Raphlet’s formal tone, the regret for inviting Shudmuel to a meal flooded over her even more.

If it wasn’t for Shudmuel, Raphlet would have talked as friendly as usual!

As if realizing that Yuriel was regretting, Shudmuel furrowed his eyebrows.

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

“I was thinking that I was wasting Sir Shudmuel’s time. If you have an urgent need, you can leave first!”

It was a story similar to what Shudmuel said in his office, but Yuriel’s feelings inside were completely different.

Shudmuel looked away as if there was no need to answer and started eating. Yuriel watched him eat and made eye contact with Raphlet.

Raphlet raised the corners of his lips softly as if he was thinking the same thing as Yuriel.

＊＊＊

It was near the end of the meal as Yuriel was picking at her dessert with a fork, regretting that she had to send Raphlet off, when there was a roar as if something was collapsing. A loud vibration reached the inside of the restaurant, and the sound of something breaking was followed by a loud noise.

“Ahh… !”

Yuriel closed her eyes tightly at the loud noise, and before she could even open her eyes again, she was wrapped in someone’s arms. Raphlet had grabbed Yuriel by the waist and covered her with his body, holding her head with his large hand, as soon as the sound had rang out,

To reduce the impact even a little, the table that had only a moment ago held their meal was flipped over and erected like a shield. Yuriel’s body was completely covered by Raphlet’s body and the table.

Yuriel, within Raphlet’s arms, blinked, unable to immediately grasp the situation. When Yuriel came to her senses she pushed Raphlet down and moved her hand.

She tried to lift her head out of Raphlet’s arms, but he only pressed Yuriel’s head tighter and didn’t move. She felt a loud thumping sound on her forehead, which was resting against Raphlet’s chest. Raphlet’s heart was beating loudly.

“Master, please release me… !”

Yuriel exclaimed as she heard Raphlet’s rapidly beating heart. Even when Yuriel was surprised, she still thought of her master first.

Yuriel thought his heart was beating faster than usual. She was worried that Raphlet was injured while covering her.

Yuriel pushed him hard, but Raphlet continued to wrap his arms around Yuriel. He eventually removed his hand that was holding the back of her head, but he kept holding her waist.

Raphlet slowly stood up and checked Yuriel’s condition first.

A sigh escaped both of them at the same time.

Fortunately, no injuries were seen. Only after confirming that each other’s bodies had no injuries did their gazes turn around.

Dishes that had fallen from the table were rolling on the floor. Shudmuel, who was sitting opposite them, seemed to have been hit not by the explosion, but by the table when Raphlet had flipped the table over.

Shudmuel said in a displeased voice as he took off Albraka’s uniform, which had been soiled by the food that had spilled from the table.

“I understand that protecting the weak is a top priority, but don’t you think it’s rude? Commander Raphlet.”

“I didn’t have time to tell you to avoid it.”

Raphlet, who responded bluntly, looked outside while holding Yuriel. Shudmuel threw the dirty uniform on the floor and checked outside as if he had no intention of continuing the accusation.

The view through the window had changed. No, the view was already different just by looking from the window without going far.

Gray smoke was coming through the broken windows.

The whole street, once neatly organized, was now a complete mess. The epicenter of the explosion was visible over the gray smoky landscape.

The place where the ship was preparing to depart from the marina near the restaurant was engulfed in flames.

Raphlet confirmed the ship and said to Shudmuel.

“That is the ship that carried some of the monster cores from the Alchemy Tower.”

“It’s terrorism. How many cores were on the ship?”

“It was a small, low-importance core type. At best, there will be no protests at the Alchemy Tower, since they were the cores used to make lanterns.”

“… Is that so.”

Shudmuel answered slowly, followed by a question.

“Commander Raphlet, isn’t it something you should go to?”

“Yes.”

After Raphlet finished his words, he released Yuriel. As long as the ship was completely destroyed, the possibility of a chain explosion was low.

The terrorists only hit places where monster cores were located.They did not threaten places where ordinary citizens congregate.

Raphlet, who was looking at Yuriel quietly, rummaged through his arms and handed the gun he was holding to Yuriel.

“Use this when you’re threatened. If someone who appears to be a terrorist approaches, it’s okay to fire.”

“You said I shouldn’t aim at people.”

“In special circumstances like now, that’s fine. If you feel threatened, do not hesitate to use it.”

“But if you shoot this at a person….”

“Yuriel.”

Knowing the power of the gun, Yuriel had no choice but to hesitate. A weapon powerful enough to pierce through the hard skin of a monster. If she shoots it at a person, no matter what part it hits, it would be a significant blow.

Raphlet grabbed a reluctant Yuriel’s shoulders, lowered his voice and said firmly.

“Answer me that you’ll use it.”

“… Yes.”

“Even if there is a problem, I will take care of it, so don’t worry.”

Yuriel looked into Raphlet’s eyes and nodded her head.

Raphlet, who asserted in a small voice that would not be heard by Shudmuel, straightened his body only after hearing Yuriel’s response.

Yuriel looked at Raphlet getting ready to leave and grabbed his collar. She wanted to stop him from going to a dangerous place.

“Lord Raphlet, do you have to go… ?”

Seeing her body trembling anxiously, Raphlet comforted Yuriel.

“No one has died from the terrorist attack. No need to worry.”

However, rather than reassuring Yuriel, it only made Yuriel’s face become paler with worry. Yuriel grumbled with a face that had lost all the blood.

“That means everyone will be injured. You can just say that you were protecting civilians here. Yes?”

“It would have been possible if Commander Shudmuel was not here, but….”

Raphlet looked at Shudmuel’s face and muttered. If Shudmuel was here, there was no reason for Raphlet to remain.

“Yuriel, taking time like this makes it more difficult to deal with. I will be back soon, so please evacuate to the place where Commander Shudmuel will guide you.”

Yuriel bit her lip and nodded her head. If she made Raphlet get in trouble because of her, she couldn’t stop it.

Raphlet clenched the gun in Yuriel’s hand, leaving her no choice but to nod, and said to Shudmuel.

“Commander Shudmuel. I ask that you protect and evacuate the civilians.”

“I will.”

After hearing Shudmuel’s answer, Raphlet looked back at Yuriel and headed towards the place where the explosion occurred.

Yuriel, who had been staring blankly at Raphlet’s back, came to her senses and approached Shudmuel. Shudmuel was informing the restaurant staff where to evacuate.

“Sir Shudmuel, I’ll help too.”

Yuriel suppressed her desire to follow Raphlet, and helped Shudmuel to evacuate the people.

She moved hard because she wanted to help Raphlet in any way, so he doesn’t have to care about anything other than the terrorist attack.

Yuriel felt a cool sensation when the place where the explosion took place became less crowded and the surroundings began to clear up.

She felt the sensations all over her body rising sensitively.

“… Sir Shudmuel!”

Yuriel called Shudmuel in a high voice as if screaming.

It was a feeling she had never felt before. It was an eerie sensation that can only be felt when a living monster approaches.

Even though the cold winter wind was blowing, cold sweat flowed.

Yuriel hurried to Shudmuel’s side, who was looking at her.

“A monster is approaching.”

“… Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Whispering quickly in a low voice so as not to be heard by those who were evacuating, Yuriel nodded her head, clutching the gun Raphlet had given her.

Many signs that were difficult to comprehend were approaching where Yuriel was.

Chapter 48

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“I heard that your ability is to detect monsters in dreams.”

“It was at first.”

“Have your abilities changed?”

“Rather than change…. I think they got stronger.”

She said to Shudmuel who had a calm face. He had such a calm expression that she doubted whether he had properly heard her warning that monsters were approaching.

Yuriel contorted her eyes while examining his emotionless face. She never went on a monster subjugation with Shudmuel. He’s one of Albraka’s commanders, so it’s possible that she’d been briefed on his abilities, but she didn’t have the trust.

Yuriel pulled Shudmuel’s arm as he looked around peacefully and said while wrinkling her forehead.

“We need to evacuate people faster. Before the monster arrives, we need to contact the Knights as well.”

“I will.”

Shudmuel replied calmly. Watching Yuriel’s desperation, his face was calm.

“Sir Shudmuel! It’s not the time to take it easy, it’s because we need to call them right away!”

Her frustration intensified. As Yuriel stormed with a barrage of anger, the eyes of passersby turned their way. Yuriel twisted her lips and shut her mouth.

People, curious about the explosion, were roaming the streets. Many people evacuated according to Shudmuel’s instructions, but there were also those who ignored him.

If they announced that monsters were approaching, the streets would definitely become chaos.

People may get injured from trying to run away .

If the streets become chaotic, it would be difficult to fight even if the knights arrive on time…. If they fight while protecting citizens, Raphlet is more likely to be injured.

As Yuriel bit her lips nervously, Shudmuel seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation.

“Let’s move quickly.”

His tone was still calm, but his actions quickened. Shudmuel instructs Yuriel to continue the evacuation and then enters the restaurant through a broken window.

Shudmuel, who disappeared before she could catch him, came out with his dirty uniform. Fumbling through his top, he pulled out a gun that was smaller than the one Yuriel was holding.

It was a different type of gun from the one Yuriel had used. Shudmuel raised his gun to the sky and pulled the trigger. It wasn’t a bullet that came out of the muzzle. As it was aimed at the air, yellow light exploded.

Yuriel, who watched his actions, murmured.

“You had a flare….”

It was a yellow flare. Yuriel traced the meaning of the yellow flare.

Red flares to start charging, green flares to evacuate…. Yellow flares meant asking for help. There seem to be several other flares besides that, but Yuriel has not yet seen them.

What she remembered now wasn’t something someone taught her, but things she learned from what she saw and experienced at the monster subjugation sites.

After confirming that Shudmuel had requested support, Yuriel sighed.

Soon the knights will come here.

Yuriel sighed while looking up at the sky, and saw black objects that were visible in the distance. The black figures looked like little birds moving in groups.

The monsters did not change direction and were heading straight towards Yuriel.

It appeared that the monsters were attracted by the signal flare as they were heading straight towards where Shudmuel had shot the flare. There were a lot of people on the street, along with Yuriel and Shudmuel.

“Get inside the nearest building!”

Yuriel shouted loudly.

People’s eyes were still focused on where the explosion occurred, but soon there would be people who would notice the monsters approaching.

“The explosion has stopped, so why do you keep telling us to go inside?”

“It’s not dangerous, but it’s a mess, really.”

Even when they saw Yuriel shouting with a split voice, the people did not think about evacuating.

“It’s dangerous! You have to go inside… !”

“Get out of my way. Can’t you see I’m using magic tools right now? You know how much money it costs to take a picture and now you’re blocking it!”

One of the people pushed Yuriel. It was a man holding a new, not readily available camera. The man who was diligently filming the noisy street got angry by pushing Yuriel passing by in front of his camera.

Yuriel lost her balance and stumbled.

“Yuriel.”

“Sir Shudmuel….”

Shudmuel grabbed Yuriel, who had been pushed by the man. Shudmuel, who supported Yuriel, had an expression of extreme displeasure.

His cold face was full of hate. Seeing his face, Yuriel shrugged her shoulders. She also remembered seeing that expression on Helio’s face.

The day she first met Helio on the train, he also had that expression on his face when people tried to follow him. A face that reflected their disillusionment with people and of their clenched teeth reaction.

The fact that he had a more disgusted face than when he saw a monster remained vivid in Yuriel’s memory.

Helio sometimes made that expression while looking at Raphlet, but recently, even when he met Raphlet, the frequency of making that expression has decreased considerably.

The same expression Helio had made now hung on Shudmuel’s face.

Conversely, when Shudmuel appeared, the man’s face brightened. The camera, which was pointed at the location of the explosion, was moved to Shudmuel.

“Aren’t you the 3rd Commander of Albraka! I’ve heard you’ve been away for quite some time, please say a word about this attack….”

He seemed to be a journalist who published articles in newspapers. Yuriel immediately understood his new camera.

If it wasn’t for journalists, they wouldn’t have been using all those expensive cameras to take pictures of these ruins.

“Yuriel, everything is fine here, so you evacuate the others.”

Shudmuel sent Yuriel to another place as he covered the lens of the camera. . Seeing that the man with the camera had no intentions of evacuating, Yuriel nodded her head and walked towards the more crowded place.

Among the people Helio had evacuated, there was also a reporter. Yuriel clearly remembered that he escaped and took a picture of her and Helio.

She couldn’t waste time trying to convince him in the midst of a rush. She needs to evacuate as many people as possible.

Yuriel, who answered yes, turned towards the others and glanced back. Shudmuel was seen talking to the man, but he couldn’t hear what he was talking about.

“Miss Yuriel!”

Yuriel, who looked back at them, turned to follow the voice that called her. Among the knights who had seen the flare, a familiar knight recognized Yuriel and approached her.

“I came to check the signal flare. Are you having trouble evacuating?”

The knight at the forefront asked. Yuriel shook her head and explained.

“Monsters are approaching. It is a flying monster.”

“Monsters?”

“Before the monsters arrive, we need to get people into the building and prepare for it…. They won’t go in. Can you help me?”

“Yes. Naturally. It would be good for Miss Yuriel to evacuate with the people as well.”

The knight answered with a hardened face. The knight who instructed Yuriel to evacuate also explained the situation to the knights who came with him. The knights, who heard the situation, ran around among the onlookers and shouted urgently.

“Evacuate into the nearest building!”

“Huh?”

“That’s an Albraka uniform. You think they’re Knights?”

“I think it’s still dangerous.”

“There is a possibility of a secondary explosion. Evacuate everyone into the nearest building!”

In contrast to when Yuriel shouted, the people were buzzing. Some people rushed into the buildings. As a few began to move, others began to follow them into the buildings.

Soon the streets began to clear.

However, due to the late evacuation, the monsters started to land on the street one by one before everyone entered the building.

“It’s, it’s a monster!”

“Go inside, hurry!”

People who saw the monsters screamed and entered the building.

Yuriel, who was helping people in front of the building, heard the scream and looked out into the street. As Yuriel expected, the street was becoming chaotic.

“Go calmly!”

The knights were protecting the civilians and dealing with the monsters , but those who witnessed the monsters in front of them felt extreme fear and went into a panic.

Seeing the people running away screaming, Yuriel took out the gun she had.

A monster was approaching the building. Yuriel aimed her gun at the approaching monster. .

Aiming at a fast-moving target was still difficult for Yuriel, but she had a feeling that she would be able to hit a monster.

Yuriel was enveloped in a strange sense of elevation and released the gun’s safety device.

“Miss Yuriel, do not try to fight it, avoid it!”

The knight who was dealing with a monster saw Yuriel holding a gun and shouted. In the monster subjugations, Yuriel was always a protected person. Even if she was holding a gun, that fact didn’t change.

The knight shouted sharply, but Yuriel put her finger on the trigger while watching the monster approach her.

“It’s not that way!”

“Why are you aiming at that side?”

People hiding behind Yuriel holding a gun saw the direction the gun was facing and screamed. Yuriel was aiming at an empty space, not where there were monsters.

Even a person who could not handle a gun could easily recognize that she was aiming at the wrong place. However, Yuriel did not pay attention to their screams and held her breath while aiming at the air.

The moment Yuriel stopped breathing and pulled the trigger, people opened their mouths in amazement at what they saw.

A monster flew into the air at where Yuriel was aiming. It was as if a monster had jumped in to be shot.

Seeing the monster with its head blown away regenerating, Yuriel fired one more shot at the exposed core.

The movement of the monster completely stopped, and the surroundings became silent as if dead.

Chapter 49

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel knew in advance which direction the monster was moving. No matter how fast the monster moved, Yuriel didn’t need to pay attention to it.

If she aims the gun at the place where the monster would appear and pull the trigger, the monster would fall.

“The monsters keep jumping in front of her gun.”

“Are you in control?”

“Are you controlling monsters?”

Yuriel fell into a trance, not hearing what the people she was protecting were saying behind the scenes. Defeating monsters felt like her mission.

Yuriel felt something captivating her with a sense as if Yuriel was watching Raphlet, or even more than that. It was surprising that there was something so captivating to her.

Pulling the trigger continuously, Yuriel started to reflect on everything that had happened to her..

After Raphlet left her and joined the Knights, there were things that supported Yuriel.

Baraha, who wandered through the forest more anxiously than herself, who had lost Raphlet, and the servants of Grand Duchy Mogris who were dying under the attack of monsters. Without Yuriel’s help, they would’ve died immediately.

Although she missed Raphlet who was far away, she spent time helping them. She was able to forget for a moment the gloom that seemed to engulf her by staying busy with helping the servants of the Grand Duchy Mogris.

The feelings she felt then seemed to be awakening even more now.

All the loaded bullets ran out. Yuriel reloaded faster than usual and destroyed the core in the middle of the regenerating monster’s body.

Yuriel pulled the trigger toward the core and raised her head to find Shudmuel, who was staring blankly at her. The reporter’s camera, which Shudmuel was blocking, was now pointed at her, and he was taking pictures with an excited face, and meticulously taking notes of the current situation.

She was displeased with the man writing feverishly as he looked at her, but there was no time to stop him. Yuriel aimed at the point where the monster would appear and fired her gun.

＊＊＊

Shudmuel couldn’t stop the reporter from taking pictures of Yuriel. All he could do was watch Yuriel destroy the monster’s core from afar.

Yuriel’s abilities greatly exceeded his expectations.

Finding the movement of the monster was something that Shudmuel could easily do. Even if he didn’t have foresight, if he only knew the ecology of monsters, it would have been simple. However, that is not simply the ability to find the movement of monsters.

Yuriel was moving in anticipation of the monster’s behavior.

In the eyes of those who were watching, it was precisely enough that she seemed to be controlling a monster.

Unlike Yuriel, who quickly dealt with monsters, the knights were struggling. Because of the agreement between the Alchemy Tower and the Temple, the Knights were trying to subdue the monsters without destroying the monsters’ cores.

Since the core of a flying monster was especially rare, the knights were struggling even more. It seemed that they seldom thought of destroying it, knowing how much of a loss it would be to destroy it.

Perhaps she did not know the value of nuclear weapons yet, but only Yuriel was destroying the exposed core without hesitation. The image of Yuriel neutralizing monsters was clearly etched in Shudmuel’s eyes.

To Shudmuel, all the people involved in Albraka and the Alchemy Tower were deceptive beings protecting the monsters in the name of using the monster cores to make rapid progress.

Raphlet, who was called a saint, was no different. Was the person who puts the core of a monster into his body and has the same powers as a monster truly a saint?

In Shudmuel’s eyes, Albraka was just a hotbed of monsters. They take the person who has the core of a monster as the head and assists him in gathering more monster cores. It’s strange to see the knights dispatched to protect the monster cores and feel nothing.

He couldn’t even count how many people were sacrificed to protect the cores. Despite the many sacrifices, no one said that they had to destroy the monster cores.

The most powerful power source in existence.

If the core that drives everything in the Imperial Capital was destroyed, they would have to give up everything they enjoyed now.

Carriages led by horses and coaches would reappear instead of automatically running chariots, and the speed of ships across the river would be significantly lower than they are today. They would have to light a candle instead of the convenient magic stone lamp.

It was impossible for anyone to want to return to such an uncomfortable life.

Except for a gang of terrorists who had lost something precious due to the monster cores.

The goal of those involved in terrorism was to inform people about how dangerous it was to use monster cores, and ultimately destroy all objects that used monster cores.

The monster cores attract monsters. Few people knew about it.

Shudmuel, who was in deep thought, looked at Yuriel, who was destroying the monster’s core, with subdued eyes.

In his eyes, Yuriel looked more like a saint than Raphlet.

‘If I further strengthen the brainwashing that I had done on Yuriel, I may be able to attract her.’

Rumors about the maid, whom Raphlet cherished, had already spread throughout Albraka. Shudmuel was only trying to use Yuriel to hold Raphlet’s feet.

However, after confirming Yuriel’s ability, he changed his mind.

He had an intuition that Yuriel would be a great help to the terror he was causing in the Imperial Capital.

The eyes of Shudmuel, the traitor of Albraka, stared at Yuriel greedily.

＊＊＊

The knights were collecting the cores extracted from the monsters’ bodies in one place. Yuriel had dealt with most of the monsters, so there were only a few intact cores. The expression of the knight who was checking the quantity of cores was not good.

“If Miss Yuriel hadn’t come forward, we would have been able to collect more cores….”

She heard someone mumble in dissatisfaction. It was a mumble of criticism. She felt like she should have said she was sorry, but she couldn’t. Yuriel leaned against the wall with her exhausted body.

Her head was pounding.

Yuriel, who was unable to move a single finger, rolled her eyes and looked around. The first thing that caught her eye was the knights telling people that the monsters had been dealt with and that it was okay to move.

People outside the building Yuriel was blocking were crawling around. As the people who had been evading looked at the repaired street, Yuriel felt that the building she had her back on was too quiet.

Apparently, many people entered the building, but no one came out.

Why is no one coming out?

Yuriel barely turned her head, which was hard to move, and looked around the building.

The people inside were wary of Yuriel hanging right next to the door.

Yuriel saw the gaze filled with fear and cleared her throat. Yuriel, who stood up holding on to the wall, spoke as loudly as possible.

“Now, you are safe. There are no more monsters nearby.”

Her voice cracked as she shouted during evacuation. Even though she coughed and cleared her throat. They could have heard it, but no one would come out.

Yuriel tilted her head and spoke again.

“There are no monsters nearby, so you can go back safely.”

When she shouted loudly, people hesitated and came out. Yuriel blinked in embarrassment as she saw the people turning as if trying to avoid her.

Why do they look like they were afraid of her? Is it because she has a gun?

Yuriel hid the gun that was sticking out through her cloak with her clothes and stepped aside. As she got out of the door, the people came out faster.

As expected, they’re also afraid of the gun. Well, it could be because they saw her killing monsters earlier.

Yuriel thought so and looked at the people who were avoiding her.

Yuriel, who was trying to protect them, licked her lips, feeling a little disappointed. She protected them by using all her energy to the point where it was hard to move, but what came back was a gaze filled with fear.

I miss Lord Raphlet….

In a moment of gloomy thought, Yuriel found Raphlet holding out his hand in front of her.

“Lord Raphlet!”

Yuriel’s voice, who shouted cheerfully with strength, broke through the air. No answer came back. The wind blew through his outstretched hand.

Looking down at her empty hands, Yuriel blinked and raised her head.

“… uh? Obviously, I saw you in front of me… .”

Yuriel, who had clearly seen Raphlet in front of her, muttered hazily. Raphlet was coming into sight, but he was still far away.

Raphlet found Yuriel leaning against the wall, went to her side, and held out his hand.

It was like a fantasy she had just seen.

＊＊＊

Upon returning to Albraka, Yuriel fell into a deep sleep as soon as she laid down on the bed. She slept without waking up until morning, and when she woke, her body was aching.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of blocking the attack of the monster, she felt her body sinking heavily. It looks like she has a fever.

She felt her forehead before getting out of bed, but it was difficult to determine whether she had a fever with her own hands.

“Should I take a day off…?”

Yuriel, who was staring at the ceiling with a blanket wrapped around her body, remembered the promise with Shudmuel and raised her heavy body. After returning to Albraka yesterday, Shudmuel left a message asking her to come to his office.

She looked at her watch and saw that the time they were supposed to meet was near.

Yuriel struggled to get up and went into the bathroom.

Yuriel, who arrived at Shudmuel’s office on time, was greeted by an unwelcomed newspaper article.

Chapter 50

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel immersed herself in the newspaper. It was hard to take her eyes off the article that was about her.

“I control demons… ? I don’t have that ability… .”

After checking the contents, Yuriel muttered without realizing it. Just looking at what was written in the newspaper, it was as if she had demonstrated a strange ability when she was dealing with monsters.

[The fact that she helped evacuate the citizens of the imperial capital even before the monsters were visually confirmed is a suspicious situation. It is possible that the involvement of monsters in the recent terrorist incidents that have been rampant in the imperial capital is not a coincidence… .]

She was about to lose her mind at the following words.

Writing articles like this makes her look like she was part of the terrorist group!

The article of the incident on the train that Yuriel was involved in was also rewritten in a negative way.

The incidents on the train, in Alchemy Tower, and what happened on the streets yesterday.

Looking at the three events together, even she thought she was quite suspicious..

There was even an interview from someone who had heard the warning Raphlet had given at the Alchemy Tower. The interviewee was said that they heard warnings of danger to the Commander of the Albraka medical office.

All of these incidents did not cause any major damage thanks to Yuriel. But in this article, it sounded like Yuriel herself had caused the occurrences.

“It would be better not to go out for a while. There are rumors circulating that you are controlling monsters.”

Shudmuel said as he handed the newspaper to Yuriel as soon as she entered the room. He looked at the newspaper next to Yuriel and sighed as he saw Yuriel contorted her lips and wept.

In a state of mental instability, it becomes difficult to maintain the brainwashing.

Shudmuel sat Yuriel on a chair and spoke calmly.

“If you don’t show the same image as yesterday, it will fade away quickly. No outsiders are allowed in Albraka, so there will be nothing dangerous.”

Shudmuel said as he handed her tea, Yuriel wept and nodded. Big green eyes filled with water. While sipping tea with an expression full of resentment and seeking calmness, a bewildered guest came to Shudmuel’s office.

“I have heard that Miss Yuriel is here.”

It was one of the knights who worked for the princess.

It’s an outsider she saw right after she was told that outsiders couldn’t come in. Yuriel was very upset. Seeing the princess’ knight, she got up. A good-looking knight was looking at Yuriel.

“Hello, Miss Yuriel. I have brought a present from the princess.”

The knight bowed his head politely to Yuriel and began to move as if he was about to approach her.

Yuriel got up from her chair and approached Shudmuel, who was opposite her, and checked the knight.

“Wait a minute, don’t come and talk here.”

She didn’t know what was sent, but it was unpleasant to be close to the princess’ knight. When Yuriel looked at him and expressed her displeasure, Shudmuel helped Yuriel.

When he coolly ordered the knight to not enter his office without permission, the knight frowned and stopped moving.

“… Then I will leave the present from the princess here.”

“Why is the princess sending me a present?”

Yuriel, who was hiding behind Shudmuel, asked with a voice full of vigilance.

If it’s an invitation to a banquet like last time, it’s a big deal, but should she ask Baraha to come with her again….

“She was delighted to hear that Miss Yuriel had dealt with the monsters yesterday. She said it was a gift to thank you for protecting the people.”

“Ah….”

At the reply, Yuriel let out a startled exclamation.

She thought the princess was arrogant and didn’t care about the commoners of the Imperial Capital. She didn’t expect the princess to be a person who did her duties as the Imperial Family more than she thought, enough to send a gift like this as a gratitude for the people.

Moreover, it was right after the false article about her was published. She must have read the articles about controlling monsters, yet she sent Yuriel a gift.

In fact, isn’t the princess intelligent enough to filter out false rumors at once?

“The Princess….”

Yuriel muttered in an unclear voice. It seemed that her evaluation of the princess would be slightly different.

“This is a letter I was commanded to deliver to Miss Yuriel.”

Yuriel hesitated and came out from behind Shudmuel to accept the letter from knight sent by the princess

When she opened the envelope sealed with the princess’ seal, a refreshing handwriting caught her eye. It was a letter written by the princess herself.

Yuriel’s face gradually grew pale as she slowly read the princess’ letter.

Yuriel, who approached the knight, took the letter and hurriedly returned to Shudmuel’s side after reading the letter.

“… What is it?”

When Yuriel returned with a white face, Shudmuel asked a curious question. Yuriel summarized the contents of the letter in a low voice so that the knights could not hear it.

“She said that she admired my ability to control monsters, and she told me to come under her. She’s asking me to accept the gift…. The gift, the gift… .”

Shudmuel, who was waiting for Yuriel’s reply, who was unable to continue speaking and stuttered, narrowed his brow and took the letter from Yuriel’s hand.

“… That knight is the gift.”

“Yes, what should I… ?”

Shudmuel quickly checked the letter and touched his lips. He also seemed a bit perplexed. The contents of the princess’ letter were that unconventional.

The letter stated that Yuriel was free to use her gift, the knight, as she pleased. It was like sending a thing, not a person.

Either he knows the content or he doesn’t. The knight in front of the office showed no agitation.

There must have been something wrong. There must have been some kind of mistake in the letter, that the Princess sent such a gift… ?

Yuriel looked at the letter Shudmuel was holding and spoke up with courage.

“Ex, excuse me. Sir Knight.”

“Yes.”

“Maybe there is something wrong with the contents of this letter… ?”

“The princess cannot make a mistake. If there is something you do not understand, I will explain it on behalf of the Princess. Please tell me.”

“The gift is a little…. strange.”

“If I am not to your liking, I’ll inform the Princess. Another knight will be sent.”

Yuriel was startled and grabbed Shudmuel’s arm.

“I think it must have been real… !”

Shudmuel handed the letter to Yuriel and told the knight.

“No outsider can stay in Albraka. Go back to the Princess and tell her.”

“It is under the name of the Princess.”

“Albraka is an inviolable realm that no one can tamper with. Even if it’s under the Princess’ name, you know there are no exceptions.”

“… Miss Yuriel’s recovery is the most important. If she accepts, I will serve as Miss Yuriel’s servant. Even in Albraka, the knights don’t have personal servants.”

The gazes of those who were exchanging words coldly turned to Yuriel at the same time. Yuriel, who was holding Shudmuel’s arm, blinked at the pair of eyes that looked at her and then came to her senses.

“My recovery? I don’t need a servant! I am Lord Raphlet’s dedicated servant, so why do I need a servant?”

“… I’m ready to do anything. Miss Yuriel. I will do whatever you want.”

She seemed to understand the meaning of that handsome-looking knight’s words. The princess may have chosen a man as a means to entice her.

The knight’s “everything” sounded like it had a sexual connotation.

No. Still, it’s a knight sent by the princess…. It doesn’t mean that… ?

Yuriel shook her head from side to side, clearing out any useless thoughts. Just when Yuriel was about to raise her doubts, the knight spoke like a wedge.

“I have received an order from the Princess to serve Miss Yuriel as best I can. You will definitely be satisfied. I am ready to put Miss Yuriel’s satisfaction before mine.”

Yuriel opened her mouth and looked at the knight’s face.

There was no question about it, it was real. Yuriel gasped in surprise.

The fact that she was working in Albraka’s strategy room while working as a full-time maid for Raphlet made her certain that the princess had misunderstood something about her.

The princess’ obsession to keep putting knights in front of her was terrifying, because she thinks Yuriel likes knights so much that she was even working as a maid for Raphlet.

If she really thinks this was a favor, then the princess was certainly unconventional.

She likes Lord Raphlet but she doesn’t like knights!

Yuriel stood stunned and shook her head and said.

“No, I don’t need it. Please tell the Princess that I will only accept her heart.”

Truthfully, she didn’t even want to accept that either.

“And about the article that said I control monsters, please tell her it is a lie . I have no such abilities!”

The reason the princess sent a gift as soon as she saw the article was because of Yuriel’s supposed abilities. The princess didn’t know that what the article wrote was false.

She salivates at the thought of Yuriel’s power and runs towards her. Controlling monsters was an ability that the princess covets even more.

The princess was arrogant and did not care about the commoners of the Imperial Capital.

Yuriel readjusted her evaluation of the princess and returned the knight.

She was completely exhausted when she barely returned the knight of the princess who insisted that he would be by her side even for a day.

Chapter 51

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The Princess did not give up. Yuriel was worried that she would get the wrath of the Princess as she sent back the knights who came to her two or three times a day. The Princess was the one who forced her to go and join the banquet when Yuriel refused the invitation to the banquet.

She was afraid of what would happen if she continued to refuse.

Yuriel escaped them and hid in Baraha’s office.

The knights who came under the orders of the Princess returned again after exhausting their guest stay periof, and quickly went in search of Yuriel.

There was not enough time to be depressed as she pondered the article that wrote she controlled monsters.

When she woke up in the morning, she went to Shudmuel’s office to help him with his work, and was protected by Shudmuel for a while.

It would be nice to stay with Shudmuel, but he was a busy man. Yuriel had to find another place to hide from the Princess’ knights’ eyes.

Baraha’s office was a good place to hide. He didn’t go into the office, so few servants wandered around, and no one knew that Yuriel had entered Baraha’s office, as there was no eye to watch.

Yuriel sat down under the window, avoiding the eyes of the knights looking for her. Baraha’s room, seen from the office, caught her eye for a moment. She seemed to see a shadow from the window of the room, but it was too far away so she couldn’t see very well.

It had been a while since the owner, Baraha, had not visited the office, the room was unusually colder than elsewhere.

Yuriel crouched on the floor and hid because if she sat on the chair, she was sure to be caught by the knights roaming outside. It was cold even though she was wearing a thick coat. Cold came up from the floor.

Yuriel repeatedly hid under the window, checking if there was a knight sent by the Princess. If anyone had seen Yuriel headed towards the South Building, the knight would not think of leaving the South Building.

As the Princess’ Knights roamed the South Building, the knights of Albraka, who had been watching, decided to help them find Yuriel. The knights of Albraka decided to help so the Princess’ knights could quickly complete their mission and leave sooner rather than continuing to wander around the area.

“I’ll leave after staying a little longer….”

Yuriel, who was muttering and rubbing her frozen hand, saw the door suddenly open and took a deep breath.

The door opened without her having a chance to hide. Yuriel got up awkwardly, and then her eyes met the person who opened the door.

After seeing the man’s face, Yuriel was relieved and sat down on the floor again. It was Baraha, the owner of the office. His black hair that covered his eyebrows was messy. With his wavy hair ruffled, he looked like a sloppy man.

It looked like her tension was going away automatically.

Who would know that such a person is one of Albraka’s commanders.

Yuriel thought as she sat back.

Baraha looked disorganized as if he had run in a hurry, but his tone was slow as usual, as he made eye contact with Yuriel, sighed and asked, .

“Yuriel…. What are you doing here?”

“Why are you here, Baraha?”

“I’m here because this is my office… .”

“If you don’t have a job, you don’t come.”

“… sometimes I come. So, why are you doing this? What’s going on?”

Baraha asked as he approached Yuriel’s side.

After all, this is Baraha’s office. It is his heart whenever he wants to come.

Yuriel said, pulling up the cloak to escape the cold.

“The Princess keeps sending gifts. I didn’t want to accept them, but it was hard to refuse, so I was hiding.”

“Ah.”

“Can you see if the knights sent by the Princess are still roaming outside?”

Baraha immediately understood Yuriel’s question and nodded his head. The Princess’s tenacity was something he knew well.

Baraha approached the window where Yuriel was sitting beneath, looked outside, handed her his coat, and answered.

“There is.”

“Uhh…. It’s cold…. When are you going back?”

Yuriel put on the robe that Baraha had given her and let out a sigh.

As she continued to sit in the cold, her body shuddered. She wanted to ask Baraha to light a fire in the fireplace, but she had to endure it. Once he leaves the office, the servant will come and put out the fire in the fireplace in the empty office.

They would then see her hiding in the office, and then they would send the Princess’ knights, who came here, directly to Baraha’s office.

She worries about when the Princess’ patience will run out.

Yuriel shook and lowered her head, and Baraha went up to the fireplace and put firewood in it. Yuriel raised her head at the sound of the firewood catching fire, and said quickly.

“Baraha, aren’t you going back? If you light the fireplace… .”

“I have work to do, I won’t go back.”

“Really?”

“Hmm.”

Hearing the sound of dry firewood burning, Yuriel could already feel her body warming up. Baraha, who had been throwing the firewood, also tossed the paper in his hand into the fireplace.

“It’s the newspaper. Why don’t you read it?”

“I have read it all.”

Yuriel, who was watching Baraha’s actions, tilted her head and asked. Come to think of it, he had been holding it in his hand since he came in. It was in a wrinkled state, but the newspaper could be seen from a distance.

Newspapers engulfed in flames were curled up from the edges and burned. Baraha, who was watching the newspaper engulfed in flames and scorched to ashes, turned his back.

“It was filled with ridiculous stories.”

Baraha said in a blunt tone. Yuriel hugged her knees and smiled a little. It seems that Baraha also read the article that criticized her.

“Right.”

Even though he acted insensitively as if he had no interest in life or death, when something like this happened, he seemed to come out to comfort Yuriel.

He didn’t seem like a comforter, so it was difficult to pinpoint his intentions, but Yuriel burst into laughter at Baraha’s blunt appearance.

“I’m going to tell no one to enter the office, so take a break. If it’s cold, tell me.”

“Thank you, Baraha.”

Baraha said as he sat down at a desk without a single sheet of paper. Seeing Baraha, who sat idly, rummaging through the drawers and drooping over the desk, Yuriel leaned her forehead on her lap and curled her lips.

To say he has work to be done was a lie. It was clear that Baraha had stayed with Yuriel in the office so she would not get sick because she was shivering in the cold.

＊＊＊

Yuriel, who had fallen asleep while sitting on the floor, woke up to the sound of rattling.

Baraha was talking to someone in a low voice.

“Is Miss Yuriel okay?”

“I do not know.”

“She looks uncomfortable. Baraha, put a sofa in the office. She’s like this because there’s nothing. I don’t know why you or Commander Raphlet don’t put anything in your offices.”

It was Helio’s voice. It was a conversation that sounded like Baraha was being scolded by Helio.

Helio, who lightly nagged Baraha, was followed by the sound of walking through the office. Helio, who was walking around as if looking for something, continued.

“There is no place to lay down comfortably. I think the Princess will send a knight for a few more days, but it would be inconvenient for Miss Yuriel to keep hiding like that. Shall we order the sofa today? If you buy one with a high back, she won’t be able to be seen from the outside.”

“… Yes.”

“Good. I’m going to order it right away and have it in my office by tonight.”

Behind Helio’s succession of suggestions, Baraha’s answers followed slowly.

Yuriel turned her stiff neck to face Helio.

“Long time no see, Sir Helio.”

“You woke up. I’m sorry if I woke you up because of my conversation with Commander Baraha.”

Helio apologized in a calm voice.

“It’s okay. Rather than that, did you not come here to arrest me after reading the newspaper? I had nothing to do with the terrorism.”

Yuriel hardened her expression and said in a serious tone. When she just heard the conversation, it was unlikely that Helio had come to detain her , but he already had a history.

Helio shook his head in embarrassment as he saw Yuriel looking at him with suspicious eyes.

“No, I know it isn’t. There is no way that Miss Yuriel would join in the terrorism over Lord Raphlet.”

“… Really? Then, when I was suddenly dragged to the torture room and you tried to torture me… .”

“It wasn’t a torture room. I didn’t really mean to do that, so don’t look at me like that.”

“Hmm… .”

“I swear I don’t want to do that. Miss Yuriel.”

Helio spoke with a nervous expression on his face, then saw Yuriel’s expression and shrugged his shoulders in frustration.

“… You are joking.”

“About half.”

Yuriel raised the corners of her lips loosely as she looked at Helio, who was struggling. Seeing the playful expression on her face as she rested one hand on her chin and looked at him, Helio asked in a hoarse voice.

“I can’t be angry because I know it was my fault. Please stop teasing me. If you need anything other than clothes, just let me know.”

Yuriel smiled and replied.

“I will.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, why did Sir Helio come here? You’ve never been to Baraha’s office.”

“I thought Miss Yuriel would be here, so I stopped by for a while. I was worried after reading the newspaper article, but I even heard that the Princess was sending someone to Miss Yuriel….”

Yuriel, who looked at Baraha, who was standing still behind Helio, and Helio, who spoke for a long time alternately, she widened her eyes and smiled.

Not as much as Raphlet, but she had two people who cared about her.

She doesn’t hang out with as many people as she did at the Mogris Estate. But still, life here was much better than there.

Chapter 52

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet arrived just as the sun was setting after the Princess knights had left the premises. Yuriel, hiding in Baraha’s office, was the first to notice that Raphlet had entered Albraka.

Raphlet’s presence was stronger than anyone else. He entered Albraka and came within Yuriel’s awareness.

Yuriel, who was talking to Helio, jumped up and shouted.

“I think Lord Raphlet is back!”

Yuriel, who had been waiting for him the whole time, bowed her head toward Baraha and Helio. That was an urgent greeting that they did not know who was being addressed.

“I will go first. Thank you for staying with me. Baraha, Sir Helio.”

Yuriel bowed her head and said farewell to Helio and Baraha. Yuriel quickly left the office without giving them a chance to reply.

Helio, who was looking at Yuriel’s empty seat, who disappeared without saying anything, whispered in vain.

“I didn’t even say goodbye. Does she like Commander Raphlet that much?”

“I’m going back too.”

While he was muttering in despair, Baraha too got up and left the office. Helio was left alone in the office that had emptied instantly, became even more vain and only blinked blankly.

A smirk leaked out as he saw himself sitting quietly in someone else’s office.

＊＊＊

Yuriel knew exactly which direction Raphlet was moving. Raphlet entered the building and started heading straight to the North Building.

He looked like he was about to go back to his room. He may have been heading into the room to find her . Yuriel, who knew where he was headed, ran right there.

Finally, in the hallway where Raphlet and her room were, she met him. After confirming that no one was around, Yuriel hugged him. Yuriel, who was smiling while hugging Raphlet’s hard body to her heart’s content, realized that Raphlet wasn’t hugging her.

“… Lord Raphlet?”

Raphlet, who always wrapped around her shoulders when he hugged her like this, remained the same. Yuriel looked up at his face while calling for Raphlet.

Raphlet’s eyebrows had narrowed considerably. He was looking at Yuriel with a serious face.

“Yuriel.”

The voice calling out to her was too serious.

Raphlet hesitated, and raised his hand to caress Yuriel’s forehead. It was a gentle touch, the tip of his finger barely touching her. If she weren’t watching his actions, she wouldn’t even know that his fingers were touching her.

“If I hadn’t called you out to the Alchemy Tower…. You wouldn’t have had to use such a stigma.”

“Stigma? Oh, you mean controlling monsters?”

The voice calling out to her in a serious voice was something Yuriel was already not paying attention to.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re okay.”

Raphlet frowned and said. He had a sad expression on his face as he thought that Yuriel was trying to look positive.

“I’m not pretending to be okay, I’m really okay. Everyone will soon find out that it’s nonsense. Controlling monsters, is that a reasonable thing to say? If I don’t leave Albraka until the next subjugation, the rumors will soon disappear….”

Yuriel diligently explained, but Raphlet’s sad expression did not resolve.

He was carefully examining Yuriel with calm eyes, as if he was making up his mind to do something. Finally, it seemed that he was trying to capture Yuriel in his eyes.

Yuriel quickly noticed what he was thinking.

He must have wanted to return her to Mogris Estate. The thought crossed her mind that if she stayed like this, Raphlet could try to send her back like before, or even avoid her.

“Yuriel, go back to Mogris….”

The words that did not deviate from Yuriel’s expectations continued. Yuriel grabbed Raplet’s face with both hands before he could finish speaking. When Yuriel’s hand touched him, Raphlet habitually bowed.

Yuriel leaned closer to Raphlet’s face with his head lowered. Yuriel kissed Raphlet.

His golden eyes, which had been subdued by worry for Yuriel, flashed fiercely.

＊＊＊

Yuriel’s figure is clearly engraved on the paper printed in black and white. In reality, she had soft, creamy hair, and friendly green eyes that were covered in gray.

Yuriel’s appearance in the newspaper looked quite cool. Concentrating on dealing with monsters, the face was terribly expressionless. The corners of her lips, which were always raised, were hardened with tension, and her eyes looked sharp.

Raphlet looked down silently at the newspaper with articles criticizing Yuriel. There were not a few people who believed that controlling monsters was true.

He had confirmed that Yuriel had returned safely to Albraka, but Raphlet could not control his anxiety.

Raphlet was the one who should take care of Yuriel, who had lost strength to deal with the monsters. He remembered Yuriel, who proudly said that she had dealt with many monsters and protected the people.

Even if no one threatened Yuriel, if Yuriel had read this article, she would have been quite shocked.

‘It might be better to return her to the Mogris Estate even now.’

How Yuriel was doing was regularly communicated. In the Mogris Estate, Yuriel is a person who was loved by everyone because of her unwavering personality.

There was no reason for such accusations in the Imperial Capital.

Raphlet began to think of words to persuade Yuriel to return to the Morgris Estate.

‘If I tell her to go back first…. She won’t even listen.’

Raphlet knew how terrified Yuriel gets when separated from him. She hated to be apart from him.

If it’s not within the same Imperial Capital, and if he tells her to go back to Mogris Estate, she’ll shed tears.

Raphlet released a bewildered sigh at the thought of a crying Yuriel.

The more he slept with Yuriel, the more difficult it became to control himself. His sadistic feelings toward Yuriel were growing stronger.

If he sees Yuriel crying, instead of sending her back to Mogris Estate, he would lock her up in his room.

An uncontrollable desire was driving Raphlet.

Although he confirmed that Yuriel and his own heart were the same, Raphlet was still uneasy about keeping Yuriel by his side.

Looking at the picture of Yuriel in front of his eyes, Raphlet clenched his fists and thought.

He must use this incident as an opportunity to persuade Yuriel to return to Grand Duke Mogris’ residence.

＊＊＊

Raphlet’s determination was completely shattered the moment Yuriel’s lips touched his.

Raphlet entered the room holding Yuriel’s waist, locking Yuriel in his arms, and let out a long breath.

Although facing the wildly rising and falling chest and terrifying eyes, Yuriel was not afraid at all. She laughed again and triggered Raphlet even more.

Yuriel, who leaned against the wall and looked at Raphlet, raised her hand. She grabbed his arm that was stretched out by the side of her face, tilted her head and gently leaned her cheek against his arm, and said with a smile.

“This is the safest place for me.”

Yuriel declared as she was wrapped in Raphlet’s arms. Yuriel truly believed that Raphlet’s arms were the safest place in the world.

She didn’t know what kind of impulse Raphlet gets every time he sees her. The sadistic feelings toward Yuriel, who was relieved, seemed to burst at any moment.

It wasn’t just sexual desire.

Raphlet was feeling the desire to completely destroy Yuriel. It was a strange feeling that even he couldn’t understand.

Even though he was taking care of Yuriel more than his own body, he was caught up in a convulsive feeling.

The feeling subsides when he is intervourse with Yuriel, but the feelings immediately return afterwards, never going away completely. Raphlet was always suppressing the urge for Yuriel.

Even though she was standing in the most dangerous place, Yuriel was smiling, not sensing the danger she was facing.

“If the Princess finds out that I have left Albraka, won’t the Princess try to take me right away? She sent a knight today…. Oh, do you know what present the Princess was going to send me, Lord Raphlet?”

In front of Raphlet, who didn’t say anything, Yuriel fluttered her lips in a lively way. Raphlet caught his breath and listened to Yuriel’s voice.

As Yuriel’s voice continued, he could feel the rationality returning little by little.

His heart, which had been pounding enough to ring in his ears, gradually calmed down.

The moment Raphlet was stable enough to put on a faint smile, Yuriel’s story broke his composure.

“The knight who brought the letter said he was the gift. I think the Princess was misunderstanding something. Watching me serve Lord Raphlet, it seems that she thinks that I like knights.”

Raphlet immediately guessed the intention of the Princess who sent the knight as a gift. The banquet that attracted demons, the incident at the Krug Ruins, and even the present she sent this time.

The Princess tried to touch Yuriel again.

“It’s not like that, but I like Lord Raphlet.”

Raphlet’s gaze, who had been dispelling his anger towards the Princess, turned to Yuriel.

Chapter 53

Contains mature scenes
Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel smiled looking at Raphlet’s face, which looked a little angry.

After reuniting with Raphlet, Yuriel has learned a few things about him. She always followed him, and it was natural for her to know him.

But there were things she wasn’t aware of until she found out that he had feelings for her.

Raphlet tends to get a little excited when he thinks she’s threatened. The excitement was mostly expressed as sexual desire. Yuriel discovered that he was suppressing an even stronger desire for destruction that outweighed his sexual desires in his sometimes painful behavior during their nightly affairs.

At the same time, he still wanted to protect her.

During their engagements, Raphlet would hold her body tight or push her until she burst into tears, then tilt her neck to suppress her moans. When he does that, Raphlet is trying to suppress his own desires.

The moment he embraced her was probably the only time he showed his true form to his heart’s content. The face that watched Yuriel cry with ecstasy, as he mercilessly ravish her.

Raphlet shows the most beautiful expression Yuriel has ever seen at the moment he climaxes.

Yuriel knew he wanted to hurt her, but she wasn’t afraid. She could accept whatever he did to her.

If only Raphlet was by her side.

A feeling similar to the sharpness before battle continued until he calmed down.

In other words, if he did not calm down, Raphlet was in a state of excitement a little differently than usual.

Yuriel was imprisoned between the wall and his body. She stared at his coat and placed her hand on it, and said,

“Lord Raphlet, did you know that yesterday was ten days?”

The Albraka’s uniform, which covered the neck, made Raphlet’s ascetic impression more impeccable.

The gold epaulettes on the black uniform and the gold buttons all seemed to be made for Raphlet. Just as Albraka branded Raphlet him as the leader and saint.

He looked more noble than anyone when he wore the Albraka uniform. The act of unraveling such clothes with one’s own hands gave Yuriel a deep sense of satisfaction.

Raphlet, in the eyes of men should always be noble, but in front of her….

Yuriel’s heart was beating fast. She was trying to distract him to stop him from saying that he would send her back to Mogris, but as she began to undress Raphlet, her body felt hot.

Even though she dropped the epaulette coat to the floor, Raphlet did not reproach Yuriel. He just stood there watching Yuriel move.

She unbuttoned all the buttons on his clothes, revealing his firm chest. The thick and slender pectoral muscles and flat abs seen from below caught Yuriel’s attention.

It was common for knights to take off their tops during training, but Yuriel had no memory of seeing a knight with a more beautiful body than Raphlet.

In fact, it was an accurate expression that the body of the other knights did not matter. It was more of Yuriel’s taste to see Raphlet’s face rather than to see the other knight’s bodies.

Yuriel’s fingers touched Raphlet’s stomach. His body, which was originally hard, became even stronger with Yuriel’s touch. A sharp atmosphere filled the room.

Raphlet put up with the desire to rush in right away and said to Yuriel.

“Didn’t you say that you could last ten days?”

Yuriel’s fingers touching the exposed flesh moved, Raphlet exhaled harshly and barely continued.

Yuriel answered in an unhappy tone.

“I survived those ten days. Because yesterday was the tenth day.”

“… Not now, Yuriel.”

Raphlet spoke in a heavy tone. The condition was not very good. If he held Yuriel now, it seemed that he would reveal a more ruthless nature than usual.

“Lord Raphlet.”

Yuriel looked at Raphlet’s face and his lower body alternately, calling him out. His member was rising under his buckled trousers.

Contrary to saying no, it looked like it was possible enough.

“No. Now, my condition is….”

Raphlet said while bending his arms that were trappingYuriel. Yuriel was suddenly sandwiched between the wall and Raphlet, with her face on his bare chest. His hot body was pulsating as if he wanted to move right away.

A sharp sigh was heard above Yuriel’s head. She felt a tension similar to before a sexual encounter or just before a battle.

The sound of Raphlet exhaling softly was heard, followed by a long silence. After a while, Raphlet spoke in a calm voice.

“… I should go out. I won’t be coming into this room today, Yuriel, so go back to your room… .”

Raphlet straightened his body as if he was really going out. Seeing him adjusting his clothes, Yuriel quickly stretched out her hand.

“Yuriel!”

Yuriel’s hand reached out to Raphlet’s trousers. Raphlet saw a hand that unbuckled the buckle at once and shouted sharply.

“Lord Raphlet. If you are not feeling well, you should rest in your room. Where are you going? I will help you recover.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about!”

“I don’t know. Master.”

Yuriel shook her head and blinked her eyes. Yuriel couldn’t really understand Raphlet’s words.

When he has an erection like this, what is wrong? And what was he going to do if he left the room in this state?

“If you don’t want to be with me today, I’ll just help you finish this and go out.”

It was the first time she had ever touched Raplet’s member with her mouth and hands, but she was sure it would work out. Even though she was Raphlet’s first partner, didn’t he skillfully caress her, too?

Wait, she must be the first for Raphlet, too, right… ?

Yuriel frowned slightly at the sudden question. Still, she was quick to work her hands.

Yuriel unbuckled the buckle in the blink of an eye and took Raphlet’s erect pillar out. Raphlet grabbed Yuriel’s wrist in embarrassment.

“Right now, take your hands off my pants and back off…!”

“It, it hurts. Master….”

“… Damn it!”

Unable to control his strength, his hand gripped Yuriel’s wrist tightly. Yuriel’s wrists, which were very thin compared to Raphlet’s wrists, swollen red with a single gesture of his.

Yuriel let out a pitiful groan, and Raphlet took off his hand with an exasperated face and spit out swear words. The low voice grew loud enough to fill the room.

Surprised by her swollen wrist, Yuriel pushed away Raphlet, as she staggered and leaned against the wall. Raphlet was afraid that Yuriel’s hands pushing him would put a strain on her wrist, so he couldn’t even think of giving his body strength to hold on.

Using the swollen wrist as a weapon to intimidate him, a laugh seemed to come out of her mouth, but Yuriel barely suppressed her laughter as she crouched down.

“Yuriel!”

He called out Yuriel’s name again wildly. Yuriel grabbed the gigantic member in front of her nose and put her lips at the head.

As the hot, slippery tip touched her lips, her whole body pounded. Her lips touched the head and it pulsated greatly.

Yuriel wet her dry lips with her tongue and began to swallow the head slowly. It was too big to put in her mouth, so she had to be satisfied with just biting the tip.

Yuriel, who barely had the tip in her mouth, blinked sadly.

When she saw it in the training class, it was possible to put it in at once…. Well, they weren’t as big as Raphlet’s.

Fumbling at the memory that she couldn’t remember well, Yuriel moved her hands and lips eagerly. She was worried that the pillar she put in her mouth might hurt, so she clumsily licked it with her tongue, and then another swear word came from above.

Yuriel, who only rolled her eyes and looked up slightly, made eye contact with Raphlet, who was hitting the wall while spitting out profane swear words.

Raphlet’s eyes were red.

He was holding Yuriel’s head and hitting the wall to endure his desire to move.

Her lips were barely biting on the head, and her movements were clumsy. He didn’t feel any real stimulation. Only when the tip of Yuriel’s tongue brushed against his tip, for a brief moment, a strong sensation was felt, but it was only for a short time.

Raphlet looked down at Yuriel’s face and bit his lips.

Why was the mouth so small, it looked like it had opened up to the limit just by holding the tip.

“Stop, don’t do it.”

Raphlet gave one final warning. It was a warning that was brought out to regain even a little bit of his reason.

He didn’t want to lose Yuriel’s trust, even though he thought it was too much for him to receive. Even if it was never a safe place, he wanted her to believe that his arms were the only safe place.

He didn’t want to lose Yuriel’s trust because of the sexual desire and a lust for destruction that he didn’t even understand.

“Ugh….”

However, the moment Yuriel met his eyes and sucked more of his member into her mouth, his shallow patience was cut off.

Chapter 54

Contains mature scenes
Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet pushed Yuriel’s forehead with his palm. The lips holding his member were simply ripped off by his gestures.

She tried to move forward, ignoring his palm on her forehead, but Raphlet’s hand didn’t move.

Raphlet, who watched Yuriel grunt out to come closer to her, said in an angry tone.

“Is it a problem that I never gave you a proper order?”

The voice that flowed out while chewing on anger penetrated Yuriel’s ear. Yuriel, who had been caressing him hard in her own way, was discouraged for the first time.

He must have really, really hated what she just did…. Even when she thinks about it, it seems a bit immature….

Raphlet was genuinely angry with Yuriel. Yuriel, who was excitedly pushing him, looked at him and knelt down.

As she knelt down on her knees, she caught sight of Raphlet looking coldly into her face.

“I didn’t know you would hate it…. I’m sorry, Master.”

“Haa….”

As she looked down to show that she was reflecting, she saw Raphlet’s manhood twitching. Yuriel, who was about to reach out her hand to put it back in its original place, stopped, and calmly placed her hand on her lap under Raphlet’s bitter gaze.

Yuriel stuttered and said.

“I’m even more sorry if I was very inexperienced. Next time, I will practice so that you can be satisfied.”

Raphlet clenched his fists at Yuriel who was unable to figure out why he was angry. It felt like something was rising from the top of his head.

He wanted to open Yuriel’s mouth right away and shove his swollen member down her throat, but he had to know what Yuriel meant. Closing her mouth was the next thing.

He asked in a soft tone.

“Practicing? Where and in what way?”

His voice was filled with anger and obsession. The low-pitched voice trying to hide the dark emotions felt rather soft. Yuriel, who had her head bowed, murmured in response.

“Uh, that’s…. Well….”

There was a way to practice alone, but Yuriel couldn’t remember how to do it. Yuriel, who had been muttering her words, continued with only one thought that she did not want to disappoint Raphlet.

“I will try to practice alone, but in fact, it seems difficult to check whether you practiced properly just by doing it alone…. Would it be okay if I go to Lord Raphlet for advice from time to time?”

She had no intention of putting other men’s members in her mouth. If it was not Raphlet’s, she would feel nauseated even while practicing.

After speaking, Yuriel lifted her head slightly and looked into Raphlet’s eyes.

The corners of Raphlet’s lips, which had been tightly closed in a straight line, were drawing faint arcs. Seeing his slightly raised lips, Yuriel smiled broadly.

It seems that Raphlet has been relieved.

A cold command was given to Yuriel, who looked up at him and smiled bitterly.

“To the bed.”

Even if he wanted to cherish her, the person concerned did not listen at all. Yuriel seemed to be satisfied when he suddenly cut off his reason, and he broke his reason brilliantly today.

＊＊＊

“Hahhk, uhhk….”

“Spread your legs properly.”

“It, it hurts…, uhk! For, forg….ive me.”

Yuriel spread her legs in tears. After giving the order to go to bed, it has been a series of orders.

At his command, she took off her clothes, laid herself on the bed, and opened her entrance on her own to receive him. If there was any hesitation, even a little, severe corporal punishment continued.

The chest and buttocks that had been beaten by Raphlet’s palm were burning bright red. Yuriel, who had been accustomed to enduring pain, could hardly come to her senses at the pleasure that came along with the pain.

Raphlet, who was pushing his pillar in front of Yuriel with her legs spread apart, grabbed her red chest and said,

“Yuriel, legs.”

“Yes, uhk….”

His hand tightly gripped her breasts, causing great pain.

Yuriel muttered she was sorry as she endured a painful moan at the sensation of her swollen breasts being caught.

Yuriel followed his orders and placed her hand under her thighs and spread them wide. But every time he thrusted in, her weakened hands kept slipping.

Her stamina was at the limit now. Despite her hard training, she could not keep up with Raphlet’s movements and her stamina ran out.

“Heuk… !”

Yuriel’s hands, which were barely holding on, suddenly lost strength. One of her hands slipped completely and her leg slipped around Raphlet’s waist.

Raphlet, who continued to thrust into Yuriel, stopped moving. He looked down at Yuriel’s face with eyes full of desire. An unquenchable longing ran through him.

Yuriel, seeing a look of displeasure in his eyes, shook her chest and waved her hand to grab her legs again.

But before she could grab her legs again, one leg was slung over Raphlet’s shoulder.

The genitals that had come out halfway was pushed in all the way. He moved his waist until they touched each other completely with no gap, and he grabbed Yuriel’s thighs, which touched his chest, and said.

“You said you could obey any order, but you’re not doing it properly to keep your legs apart.”

Hearing his scolding, Yuriel frowned sadly even in the midst of her climax. She felt sorry for herself for not being able to perfectly carry out Raphlet’s orders.

“I’m sorry, Lord Raphlet …..”

Yuriel muttered as she buried her face in the disheveled sheet.

The corners of her eyes rubbed against the soft sheet and burned. Because she cried so much, even a small stimulus gave her a big sensation. The situation below was the same.

Raphlet was still buried inside of her, but Yuriel couldn’t stay still because her inner walls were so hot.

She was extremely satisfied with him, but he probably wasn’t with her. Yuriel wanted to create a relationship where she satisfied Raphlet.

“I’ll do it right again later, heuk, later… Please stop today.”

As she pulled her back and begged, a friendly hand touched her forehead. Even though the inserted pillar was halfway out, he didn’t stop Yuriel’s movement.

Rather, he let go of the hand that was holding her leg, and even wiped away the fine hair that was clinging to her forehead. Yuriel, who had been tormented by him for a long time, blinked blankly.

If he had stopped her, it would have been impossible for her to get her waist out. When she looked down at their joined place, she saw a thick pillar soaked in liquid and glistening.

He was still erect, but he didn’t stop her from running away, so he might be thinking of ending the engagement like this today.

Yuriel swallowed dry saliva and raised her head. The look of anticipation reached Raphlet’s face. Yuriel’s face was filled with hope.

Raphlet looked at her and smiled faintly.

“You, you’re going to, to stop, right?”

Raphlet did not answer the stuttering question.

But he seemed to be quite pleased with her plea a moment ago, and after brushing her hair, he bent over and kissed her.

Yuriel was captivated by his contented smile, and unintentionally gave strength to her lower body.

Raphlet’s face, which had been loosened with a friendly smile, hardened as strength entered the inner walls that had melted down. He narrowed his brow and let out a soft moan through his teeth.

The genitals that had been parting the inner wall hardened like his expression. Raphlet let out a short breath and straightened his back.

He bent down on his knees and sat on the bed, holding Yuriel’s body, which had gone up, close to him. The pillar that had been pulled out was completely inserted again.

“Heup… !”

Without giving Yuriel time to calm down, as she was barely breathing, Raphlet moved his waist roughly.

Yuriel shook her head as she took a deep breath while Raphlet’s member kept digging through her walls. She was out of breath and couldn’t even make a moan.

She had no choice but to open her mouth and exhale eagerly, waiting for Raphlet to finish.

His act of cutting through the cramped inner wall and striking her womb was violent. The stiff pillar pounded the womb hard without giving it a break.

A pathetic breath escaped from Yuriel’s mouth, who endured repeated shocks.

“Ma, mast, er….”

Even if she twists her waist, she couldn’t get away from him in the slightest because of the thighs that Raphlet grabbed. As she twisted her waist with a slight movement, the inner wall twitched and grabbed his pillar.

“Uhh, hngg… !”

Her thighs trembled violently. In an instant, her eyes turned white and she couldn’t see anything. Love liquid poured out between them.

“Then, uhhaahk, no, st, stop…!”

Raphlet, pressing her thigh down on the bed, which had been draped over his shoulder, found Yuriel’s trembling sensitive nub and rubbed it with his fingers.

Yuriel let out a cry and grabbed his wrist. It was an instinctive move to avoid excessive pleasure. Unknowingly, she scratched his wrist with her fingernail, but it didn’t leave a mark on Raphlet’s body.

Raphlet looked at the unmarked wrist again with regretful eyes. Yuriel’s body was a mess with the traces left by Raphlet.

He left a mark on Yuriel in this way, but Yuriel was so weak that she could not even leave a trace on Raplet.

Raphlet suddenly thought that it was a pity, but he did not stop tormenting Yuriel.

A high-pitched moan, similar to a scream, continued incessantly.

Chapter 55

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

It was still early in the morning. The candle next to the bed was glowing. The candle flickered occasionally, distorting the light. Yuriel slowly opened her eyes at the shaking felt over her eyelids.

She had been tormented by Raphlet all night and had just fallen asleep, but she had habitually woken up at the same time she would wake up every day.

Yuriel blinked tiredly, looking at Raphlet’s chest in front of her, and fumbled.

Raphlet was asleep, holding her in his arms. Her own head rested on Raphlet’s arm instead of the pillow. Although worried that his arm would be numb, Yuriel smiled silently and was satisfied.

Yuriel, who was holding her breath, checked the sheets curled around her body and gathered her brows together. Unlike herself, who was wrapped in a warm blanket, Raphlet was not wearing anything on his body. She had taken all of Raphlet’s blanket and wrapped it around her body.

Because of this, his hard chest, arms, and thighs were exposed. The contours of his trained copper-colored body fluttered under the candlelight. His thick shoulders and arms, the slender muscles in his stomach, and the thing below… Yuriel, who had opened her lips and stared at his body, woke up to the sound of the wind hitting the window.

The room wasn’t very cold, but it’s winter now.

It’s a big deal if he catches a cold.

Yuriel unwrapped the blanket that was wrapped around her body, covered Raphlet’s body, and let her mind wander again. She liked that it was natural to sleep in the same bed with him.

Now it was not only one bed, but also one blanket. Putting their bare bodies next to each other, as if they were completely one.

Not long ago, Yuriel was not worthy of this position.

It was Yuriel’s job to help the one who would one day appear and take Raphlet’s arms, and to help the woman carrying Raphlet’s child heal herself.

Yuriel was sure she could do it with a smile.

Even if that conviction stems from the belief that Raphlet will never marry.

She knew he couldn’t get married as long as he was the head of Albraka.

So the conviction was just self-deception. Knowing that Raphlet would never get married, she went on to say that she would adore and serve the woman and children he would one day have.

He would be disappointed to find out that she was so jealous, so she would never tell her master.

Yuriel thought while rubbing her head, which was resting on Raphlet’s arm.

Yuriel’s eyes, who had been smiling for a while, stayed on the core embedded in Raphlet’s chest. Her mood subsided as she saw the core resting foreignly in his firm chest.

The monster core was all black. Black as Raphlet’s black hair.

Yuriel looked carefully at the monster core and frowned. The core that Raphlet had transplanted was mixed with a slightly mysterious color. Perhaps because of the scarlet candle, Yuriel let out a small sigh as she looked at the pale golden core.

Every time she saw that, her anxiety soared.

It was said that Raphlet was being promoted as a saint because of that core, and his physical abilities were being strengthened further…. Was there really nothing wrong with it?

She hopes Baraha can quickly find a way to safely get rid of them…

“Why are you awake already … ? It’s still morning. Rest more.”

Unknowingly, she was rubbing his chest with her fingers. Raphlet, who woke up because of that, swept Yuriel’s back.

A voice drenched in fatigue perhaps because he had a hard time after the terrorist attack continued.

“It’s okay to wake up after the sun comes up. Yuriel.”

Yuriel followed his advice and closed her eyes.

The winter dawn was long and quiet, so Yuriel had enough time to rest and wake up completely relieved of her exhaustion.

＊＊＊

After their reunion night of passion , Raphlet once again tried to persuade Yuriel to return to Mogris Estate. He spoke as he did last time, holding Yuriel’s mouth and chin, keeping her from kissing him.

The first persuasion failed as Yuriel’s hand came to touch his chest.

He grabbed her arm so she couldn’t touch his chest, and as he began to speak, her creeping leg curled around his thigh. Raphlet gave up as he was no match for Yuriel’s creative ways of cutting off his words.

One day, two days, a week, a month. Raphlet was exhausted trying to convince Yuriel until the end of winter.

He begged her to wait a little longer in Mogris Estate, but the results were always the same.

Yuriel didn’t listen to him and always pushed him to the limits. By the time he comes to his senses, he would be carrying Yuriel onto the bed. Until just before she was laid on his body, Yuriel smiled with a face that did not understand the situation.

At first, Raphlet thought that Yuriel had not yet grasped his desires and was clearly smiling, but seeing Yuriel, who had no sense of crisis, began to completely put herself down from a certain moment.

As for when on the bed, Raphlet had the upper hand.

However, even after being roughly tossed and turned until tears came out of her eyes and she passed out, she still wakes up afterwards, looking at Raphlet with a face full of blind trust.

It was not the first time that she was caught kissing the corner of his sleeping eyes, whether she found something so good in that face without a smile contrary to her lively face.

Raphlet looked at Yuriel, who had no intentions of returning to Mogris Estates, and smiled in disappointment.

Even if he showed all his lustful desires, Yuriel did not change at all. Rather, she was anxious because he had a heavy face and she couldn’t go comfort him with a kiss.

It wasn’t until the end of winter that Raphlet realized that Yuriel was grasping his desires.

Even the intense desire for destruction that he did not want to show Yuriel.

Even knowing this, Yuriel leaped into his arms with joy, and no fear.

Raphlet smiled sadly and looked down at Yuriel’s small body. Yuriel, who had a reddish body, received his gaze and smiled without hesitation.

The moment he saw her eyes full of favor, he admitted that he had completely lost to Yuriel.

He succumbed to Yuriel.

Raphlet said in a languid tone as if sighing.

“I lost, Yuriel.”

Raphlet finally gave in to her will.

“I won’t tell you to go back anymore.”

“Even if you tell me to go back, I won’t go back… .”

Yuriel, who had lost her strength and was lying on the bed, replied as if she had heard something very strange. The strength drained from his tense shoulders as he heard the feminine voice.

“Yes, alright.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Raphlet answered in a light tone and carefully grabbed Yuriel’s hand as if he was dealing with something extremely precious. There was a sense of urgency in his hand and voice. Yuriel, who was listening, blinked hazily.

Her face was as confused as when she heard Raphlet confess that he loved her.

“Stay by my side as you wish.”

Raphlet said, kissing the back of Yuriel’s hand deeply.

Even if he didn’t deserve Yuriel’s blind trust, he had no intentions of giving it up.

Yuriel must stay by his side forever.

Even if she knows that his side is not a safe place.

＊＊＊

Yuriel attended Raphlet’s bath with a happy face. Going into the bathroom after early morning training with Raphlet was one of her favorite routines.

They did not have the same training schedule, but she was still happy just watching his face and training on the same training ground.

After training, she could attend to Raphlet’s bath to her heart’s content. This, Albraka, is paradise.

“What do you like so much all the time?”

Yuriel, who was smiling while rubbing a foam-filled sponge on Raphlet’s body, heard the laughter and raised her head.

She seemed to be smiling when she said that her heart was pounding.

When she raised her gaze, Raphlet, who had been giving himself to her, raised the corners of his lips and smiled.

He pulled Yuriel’s long hair, which had become wet from water, to one side and turned it over as he asked her.

“Isn’t it frustrating not being able to go out?”

“Hmm.”

Worried eyes turned to Yuriel.

Yuriel nodded her head calmly. Raphlet decided to prohibit her from going out and focus on training until the rumors about her died down. Even though he hastily issued a statement saying the news article that claimed Yuriel controlled monsters that was posted was false, people could not forget the fact that they had already seen it.

Rumors were spreading in the shadows, but fortunately or unfortunately, the news did not reach Yuriel’s ears and eyes.

“After morning training, it’s lunch right away, and in the afternoon, time goes by fast because I’m doing what Sir Shudmuel asked me to do.”

“… I see.”

In addition to physical fitness and shooting training, she continued to help Shudmuel’s work.

Yuriel said while looking at Raphlet’s worried gaze.

“I like it anywhere as long as Lord Raphlet is there.”

In her memories of her first winter spent in the Imperial Capital, only Raphlet and Albraka remained.

Of course, Yuriel liked that memory very much.

Chapter 56

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Unlike Yuriel, who was satisfied, Raphlet did not have a good expression. It was a worried face.

Raphlet took the sponge from Yuriel’s hand. He said as he gently rubbed Yuriel’s back with a newly foamed sponge.

“There is a festival held in the spring in the Imperial Capital. It’s a festival that lasts about ten days.”

“Wow, it’s a spring festival. That would be fun….”

Yuriel, who turned to Raphlet’s touch, responded lightly.

If she could go with Raphlet, she thought it would be fun. She can’t go out, so she was just imagining it.

If it’s a spring festival, is it a flower festival?

The appearance of Raphlet standing in front of the flowers in full bloom would look like a work of art in itself.

She didn’t have much money, but she would be able to afford a bouquet of flowers for Raphlet. She wished she could give him a bouquet that she purchased for him.

After imagining holding a bouquet in her arms, Yuriel turned her head and smiled.

How wonderful it would be if she could become a person who could give Raphlet the most precious things in the world.

It was a pity that the only thing she could give him now was her loyalty.

Yuriel opened her mouth, rubbing the soap bubbles on both hands with her fingers.

She could not go out, so she guessed he would not say that they should go to the festival together.

In order not to show disappointment, Yuriel started speaking in a lively tone.

“Lord Raphlet goes well with spring. Your warm and kind personality is like spring.”

“No way.”

“Really. There is no need to go to the festival if I am with Lord Raphlet.”

“… you like whatever I do. It must be frustrating, but thank you for saying that.”

“I feel less frustrated than when I was in Mogris Estate and not seeing Lord Raphlet. I’m really not frustrated at all.”

In front of Raphlet, Yuriel responded naturally. Raphlet smiled faintly and kissed Yuriel on her head.

As he hugged Yuriel from behind, he continued rubbing a foam-filled sponge across her chest and stomach. Yuriel bit her lip as he rubbed her flat stomach and gently stroked her chest, holding back her moan.

After bathing, it was time for breakfast.

A moan would make Raphlet try to embrace her, but she didn’t intend to have a tumble in bed. That would take away his meal time.

Recalling Raphlet, who had to skip meals because he was wasting time in the bathroom, Yuriel managed to suppress her moan and asked.

“But why the festival?”

Raphlet continued speaking in a calm tone, not sure if he knew Yuriel was desperately holding back her moaning. His erect member was touching her back, but his voice was calm.

“During the festival, more people come and go to the Temple. Even if you can’t get inside the Knights Order, it’ll be more cluttered than it is now. A lot of nobles also visit.”

Raphlet, who had been wiping her body while kissing Yuriel’s head, concluded with a worried voice.

“People will come from the Imperial Palace, so be careful.”

＊＊＊

People will come from the Imperial Palace….

Yuriel stared blankly into the air and pondered Raphlet’s words. Maybe he didn’t want to make her uneasy, so Raphlet concluded it that way.

The princess was the only one Yuriel knew from among the people coming from the Imperial Palace, so she could quickly recall why he told her to be careful.

He must have been warning her that the princess was also coming to the temple.

She’ll have to work harder to refrain from going out while the festival continues. In case of anything, she’ll have to stay in her room as much as possible.

Yuriel made a serious commitment.

Even after she promised to stay in the room, her thoughts continued.

Will Lord Raphlet be with me? I want to be with him. At least it was nice to sleep together. No, sleeping will not be enough. If he’s not tired, it’s okay if I ask him to do it… ?

Oh, I miss Lord Raphlet.

Yuriel’s thoughts always led to the fact that she wanted to see Raphlet. Even though it had only been three or four hours since she separated from Raphlet, she missed him.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize she was tapping the desk with the pen she was holding. Shudmuel, who was looking at documents from the other side, asked in an irritated tone.

“Yuriel. What are you thinking?”

“Lord Raphlet told me to be careful during the festival, so I was thinking about that….”

The answer came naturally. Without hesitation, Yuriel shared everything she was thinking about.

“I was thinking that I would like to see Lord Raphlet right away. And….”

“… Stop it, that’s enough.”

“Yes.”

Shudmuel pressed his forehead. Checking the glasses he had taken off at the desk, he looked at Yuriel’s fresh face and sighed.

If they talk without the glasses, Yuriel follows him unconditionally.

Yuriel was the type that was susceptible to brainwashing.

Shudmuel furrowed his brow in annoyance as he looked into Yuriel’s eyes, who seemed to completely trust him.

He made a good catch. Even wearing glasses, the brainwashing effects remained.

But that was only when Raphlet wasn’t around. As soon as Raphlet appeared, Yuriel escaped Shudmuel’s brainwashing.

She wasn’t even trying to get out of the brainwashing. Just recognizing Raphlet’s existence, it seemed like a natural phenomenon that all of her nerves were concentrated on him.

The success or failure of brainwashing was determined by how much control the subject had.

When he took off his glasses and talked to get Yuriel’s attention, Shudmuel was able to continue his brainwashing again. Of course, that was only for a while.

There were cases where the brainwashing did not go into effect, but this was the first time that the brainwashing was released whenever one saw a specific person.

It was a headache that the brainwashing was constantly removed, so he tried to increase his control by changing Yuriel’s perception of Raphlet from positive to negative, but it was all in vain.

While trying to increase his control, all his efforts to brainwash Yuriel were almost in vain.

‘Are you listening to me?’

‘Yes, Sir Shudmuel….’

‘Great. From now on, answer my questions only in the affirmative.’

‘Yes….’

‘Commander Raphlet is not a good person, Yuriel. Do you agree with me?’

‘Wait a minute, are you insulting my master in front of me now?’

Even if she nodded her head with hazy eyes, when he started to speak badly of Raphlet, her eyes flashed blue.

For the first time since beginning his brainwashing, Shudmuel was in awe of the subject. He has never heard of such a case.

How frightening it was to see her immediately come to her senses when he brought out a negation about Raphlet.

In order to maintain his brainwashing, the subject must not have negative feelings toward him.

‘No. I asked the question wrong. Commander Raphlet is a good person.’

‘That’s right.’

Shudmuel had to spit out unfamiliar sounds several times in order to have a smooth emotional exchange with Yuriel. It was like it wasn’t Yuriel but him who was about to be brainwashed.

After saying that, Yuriel stopped staring at Shudmuel and smiled innocently as usual.

In this bizarre phenomenon, Shudmuel wondered if Yuriel might be pretending to have been caught in his brainwashing, so he decided to test Yuriel. He asked her to do an inhumane act that her sober mind would normally not easily follow.

Yuriel did what Shudmuel had asked her to do without any embarrassment.

Looking at it, there was no doubt that she had been brainwashed.

Yuriel was still naturally pouring out answers to his questions.

“Yuriel.”

“Yes, Sir Shudmuel.”

Yuriel, who was tapping the pen on the desk again, tilted her head and looked at him. It was inadvertently imitating Shudmuel’s daily knocking on the desk.

It was judged that the brainwashing of the subject was complete when the subject starts to imitate his actions.

Yuriel was the only exception.

Shudmuel saw Yuriel mimicking his actions and tried to start a negative indoctrination against Raphlet.

Recalling the memory of his efforts in vain, Shudmuel lowered the hand that was pressing on his forehead and said.

“Did you say you knew it was going to be a festival soon?”

“Yes. Lord Raphlet told me.”

“There is something I would like your help with during the festival.”

“If it’s SIr Shudmuel’s request, I’d like to help, but…. Lord Raphlet told me to be careful about moving within the Order during the festival.”

… Raphlet again!

Shudmuel bit his lips sharply at the name Raphlet, who broke his composure.

He did not know how Raphlet was able to make Yuriel become so blindly loyal to him.

Rather than Shudmuel’s actions of manipulating people with brainwashing, it was more frightening that Raphlet had put Yuriel in this state.

Seeing Shudmuel grinding his teeth, Yuriel asked worriedly.

“Sir Shudmuel, is everything okay?”

He took a deep breath and finally regained his composure.

This situation was annoying, but it wasn’t that there was no way to move Yuriel.

“It’s helpful for Commander Raphlet.”

As long as it was for Raphlet, it was simply solved.

“Then, of course, I should help!”

“… Thank you.”

Shudmuel sighed and said.

He hoped that there would be no issues during the festival with the terrorist attack that Yuriel would cause.

Chapter 57

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The dirt floor of the training ground, which had been frozen all winter, was softened by the arrival of spring. The sun rose early, so it was possible to train without turning on the lights in the training ground.

Even when running at the training ground at dawn, there was less chance of getting caught in the frozen ground. After the winter rain or snow, the ground was soft, it was also a time when it was hard to run on the slippery and bumpy ground.

Every time she ran, the moment when dust gently rose, she realized that spring had arrived.

Yuriel continued training in a lighter outfit. The lighter the clothes, the lighter the body.

After completing all the training in the corner of the training ground, Yuriel wiped the sweat from her forehead and breathed in the fresh morning air. It was refreshing to feel the cold air filling her lungs.

The eyes of the knights were on Yuriel, who was warming up. Yuriel’s physical strength improved day by day, so the knights were secretly watching Yuriel’s training.

Even though she only worked out for an hour or two in the morning, her physical strength was improving as if she was exercising six hours a day. As much as the knights devoted themselves to training, they were wondering how she would develop further if she trained.

Yuriel now runs at a high speed and does not fall to the floor even if she shoots in succession.

The slender body seen under the light clothes was firm. When Yuriel reached out her hand over her head and did gymnastics, a flat belly with no fat was revealed through the lifted shirt.

The knights who were watching Yuriel quickly turned their eyes.

Yuriel, who made eye contact with some of the knights while doing gymnastics, smiled lightly as she greeted them.

There was no one who rushed to avert their eyes.

Yuriel, who was smiling at the knights, naturally turned to Raphlet.

Raphlet looked a little dissatisfied as their eyes met, probably because he had been watching Yuriel smiling the whole time. He shut his mouth and scanned Yuriel’s whole body.

The gaze that scanned Yuriel’s body was vivid.

He sighed as he looked at her lively cheeks and her exposed neck with eyes full of desire.

Suppressed and repressed, a dull voice turned towards Yuriel.

“When you’re done training, put on your coat before your body cools down. The morning air is cold.”

“Yes, Lord Raphlet.”

Raphlet seemed to want to say something more, but he did not speak and turned his gaze to his knights. He resumed training while looking at the knights with a cold attitude.

The knights devoted themselves to training without even having time to look at Yuriel. Some knights, who could not keep up with the sudden increase in training intensity, ran into a corner and vomited.

Yuriel thought as she put on the coat she had taken off in the corner of the training room.

Perhaps because of the thin clothes, some knights seemed to be uncomfortable. It looked like she was trying not to show off, but Raphlet seemed to be on his nerves.

The corners of Yuriel’s lips slowly moved upwards when she saw Raphlet, who took special care of the knights she had made eye contact with.

His jealousy was terrific, but she couldn’t make Raphlet and his knights feel uncomfortable when using the training ground, so from tomorrow onwards, it seemed that she would have to wear something with more coverage.

As Raphlet said, after putting on her coat and checking the gun, Yuriel put the gun in her bag and got up.

Morning training was over, it wass time to go inside and practice disassembling and assembling the gun. Baraha was teaching Yuriel more on how to handle a gun.

The other knights did not know how to do it, so he had asked her not to disassemble the gun in the public eye. It was said that it was possible to secretly possess a gun if disassembled, and he only informed Yuriel.

He murmured that it was important to hide and carry weapons.

She wasn’t an assassin who infiltrated by hiding, but why would a paladin want to hide his weapon?

Yuriel smirked as she recalled Baraha’s words.

She wondered if it would be necessary to hide the gun secretly to deal with the monsters, but Yuriel practiced disassembling and assembling by herself as Baraha instructed.

Of course, Raphlet knew this.

It didn’t matter since Baraha too would not have expected to hide the practice from Raphlet.

“I will go back first and prepare the schedule. Lord Raphlet.”

“Do it.”

When she greeted Raphlet, he responded bluntly.

The moment they left the training ground, an unfamiliar bell began to ring at six in the morning.

Yuriel heard the bell and moved quickly. Not long after the news that the repair work on the Clock Tower that had halted due to the terrorist attack had resumed and completed, the Clock Tower began to move. It was an unfamiliar sound to Yuriel.

The wide-ranging sound of the bells in the Temple gave an eerie feeling like the cry of a ghost at dawn.

It was said that the power that moved the Clock Tower was also the core of the monster.

Yuriel hurried into the building, rubbing her arms with goosebumps as if she felt danger.

＊＊＊

With less than a week left before the festival, the temple began to become noticeably busier. Yuriel, too, was excited at the elevated atmosphere.

Yuriel, who followed Shudmuel from the knight building in Albraka to the new building where the priests live, looked around with a curious face and said,

“I see a lot of faces for the first time. I see a lot of unfamiliar faces in the Order these days, but I guess they all came to help with the festival preparations.”

“Right. We couldn’t hire servants of the knights to prepare for the festival, so we brought in workers from outside.”

“I think it would be fun to prepare for the festival, but it’s a bit disappointing.”

She wondered what the festival of the Imperial Capital was going to be like.

The meaning of the festival, what food the people prepared for the festival, who visits the Temple, how the streets outside the Temple would be decorated, Yuriel, who came up from the Mogris Estate, was full of questions.

“We’re not going down that hallway, it’s this way, Yuriel.”

It was the first time that she had entered the building where the priests lived, so Yuriel, who was looking around eagerly, turned her head in all directions. Shudmuel, who was ahead, raised his hand to Yuriel.

She was far away from Shudmuel while she opened her eyes. Shudmuel stopped and waited for Yuriel before she turned the corner.

Yuriel hurriedly ran and stuck to his side.

Embarrassed that she had her eyes somewhere else, she humbly smiled. Shudmuel moved on to make sure Yuriel was following him.

His steps were slow. Yuriel quickly noticed that Shudmuel had slowed down as she looked around.

He never showed a smile and had a cold tone of voice, but he was a kind person.

At the time of his first meeting, the appearance of the medical officer who was afraid to see Shudmuel had long since disappeared from Yuriel’s memory.

It was thanks to Shudmuel’s brainwashing that it worked, but Yuriel was unaware of that fact.

She just felt that he was a trustworthy person and that he had a human likeness.

It couldn’t compare to being with Raphlet, but she also felt very comfortable with Shudmuel.

Yuriel spoke to him, revealing her fondness for him.

“Why are we here? This is the building where the priests live.”

“I have something I need to keep before the festival. I’m on my way to get it from the high priest.”

Yuriel, who had asked a minor question, blinked in bewilderment at the answer.

She did not know why she was accompanying him, who was on his way to see the High Priest.

Several questions ran through her head. Yuriel, who was contemplating which question to ask first, asked the most curious question first.

“What do you have to keep before the festival?”

“The core of the monster.”

“Ugh. Why… .”

Yuriel frowned unknowingly. The negative perception she has towards the monster core was almost exposed.

Paladins, alchemists, and the people of the imperial palace to the princess. They all viewed monster cores positively.

The knights were proud that the entire city was moving with the monster cores obtained from subjugations.

Yuriel could not erase the idea that the Imperial Capital was like a city of monsters, but she did not make the mistake of divulging such thoughts to anyone except Baraha.

Thinking that Commander Shudmuel also didn’t have bad feelings for monster cores, Yuriel restrained her disgusted expression. She thought they got pretty close over the winter, but it wasn’t enough to openly confide this.

There was only one group in this city that hated the monster cores.

A gang that commits terrorism that targets monster cores.

She hates being treated like a terrorist.

Yuriel looked at Shudmuel’s face and thought. The gray eyes under the glasses were staring coldly.

She was worried he had seen the disgusted expression she had put on, but fortunately he was looking into the hallway, not her.

Shudmuel explained in an indifferent tone.

“During the festival, there is an order in which a monster core is awarded to a selected person. It’s an event that the Albraka’s leaders take turns doing every year, and this year it’s my turn. It’s a core that has enough power to move the drawbridge. Everyone will roll their eyes and run to get it.”

The explanation that followed indifferently ended in a bittersweet way.

Yuriel looked at his face, which showed an expression of disgust.

From what he just said, Shudmuel seems to have a negative view of monster cores… ?

As Yuriel frowned as she pondered how best to answer, he added more poignantly.

“It’s like they don’t even know how dangerous the monster core is…. It is no different from a fire moth flying into a fire.”

Yuriel had to put up with the desire to nod her head vigorously.

His voice was so loud that the priests walking around were glaring at Shudmuel.

Chapter 58

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Shudmuel did not particularly care about nor like Yuriel. But for Yuriel, after spending time with Shudmuel, she became fond of him, and tried unsuccessfully to find out what he liked.

There was nothing in particular Shudmuel liked in Albraka. On the contrary, he hated many things.

He delegated any work that didn’t require his personal attention to other medical officers , and had Yuriel transcribe the medical journals, and when he spent time with her, it wasn’t because he liked Yuriel.

He seemed to think of Yuriel as a wall that listened to him. He sometimes confided in her, but he had no faith in Yuriel.

It seemed as if he was forced to take an essential step for building trust, as they spent time together.

Still, seeing him open up to her, Yuriel felt a little closer to Shudmuel.

Regardless of what Shudmuel thought of her, Yuriel got close to him in a rather strange way, bizarrely and quickly.

“Dull and stupid…..”

Yuriel covered Shudmuel’s mouth as he was about to pour out thorn-like words while looking at the priests.

A short while ago, Shudmuel revealed his inner thoughts when it was only Yuriel and him. Yuriel hastily stopped the disturbing words she would have heard if they had been his office.

All the eyes of the priests passing through the hallway were on Shudmuel.

“Why are you suddenly like this, Sir Shudmuel… !”

Yuriel stopped talking in a hurry and dragged him out of the room. She could hear some old priests clicking their tongues.

Seeing how Raphlet and Helio get along very well with the priests, Shudmuel’s hostility didn’t make any sense even more.

How could a knight, or even the commander of the medical team, have a bad relationship with the priests?

Priests are the people who help the medical officers a lot. If they have a good relationship, it’s a good thing, there’s nothing bad about it.

After Yuriel passed the bustling corridor and arrived at a deserted place, she looked around and lowered her hand covering Shudmuel’s mouth.

Yuriel shook her hand, indignantly.

“Did you bring me here for this? To ask me to stop saying strange things?”

“They will have nothing to say even if you curse.”

“Those priests?”

“Everyone in this temple.”

“While Sir Shudmuel is in the temple…. Hurry and meet the High Priest and let’s go back.”

The intense gazes the priests sent, and the sound of their tongues clicking. Even she, who was with him, would want to get out of the way.

She totally agrees with him that monster cores are dangerous!

Yuriel never intended to get outside the eyes of the priests. It was a fact that everyone in the temple knew that Yuriel was Raphlet’s exclusive servant.

Raphlet must be struggling with the rumors surrounding himself, so she couldn’t cause more rumors.

If she was pushed into a gang of terrorists, she would lose her job as Raphlet’s exclusive maid, and it would be only a matter of time before she would be unable to work in the Strategy Room.

While Yuriel looked around anxiously, Shudmuel took off his glasses with one hand and held down his forehead.

Yuriel stared blankly at his unobscured eyes and expressed her candid feelings.

“Of course, I agree with Sir Shudmuel that monster cores are dangerous, but…. Rumors are bad, so if you want to talk like that in a place like this, at least do it while I’m not around. I really don’t want to be called a terrorist….”

Yuriel desperately requested.

“Please refrain from acting rudely in front of the High Priest.”

The desperate request did not seem to impress Shudmuel. He did not lose his rude attitude in the face of the High Priest.

“Oh you’re here. Shudmuel. I was waiting….”

“I’m here to pick up the core, High Priest.”

She would’ve been happy if he could’ve stated it more delicately.

“Let the maid go and let’s talk for a while….”

“Yuriel, get the core from the High Priest.”

“Shudmuel!”

Shudmuel cut off the High Priest’s words who wanted to talk, and pushed Yuriel’s back.

“Me, me?”

“Hurry.”

In this mood? You want me to get the core from the High Priest?

Yuriel widened her eyes and looked back at Shudmuel. He nodded his head resolutely.

Instead of Shudmuel, who did not even think about receiving the core, Yuriel approached the High Priest.

Yuriel reached towards the High Priest to accept the core. Seeing this, the High Priest sighed deeply. At that sound, Yuriel bowed her head and turned away.

After Yuriel received the monster core, Shudmuel was about to grab Yuriel and leave when the High Priest called out to him.

“Shudmuel.”

Shudmuel stopped while holding the doorknob at the casual call. He turned his head and looked at the High Priest.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

The High Priest, whose forehead and hands were wrinkled, let out a long sigh at Shudmuel’s cold reply.

“How many times have I told you that it was not the priests who first came up with the idea of using the monster cores as a power source? But how long have you been doing this….”

Yuriel hesitated when she noticed the High Priest looked as if he was about to say something important.

She tried to leave quietly, but Shudmuel was blocking the door so she couldn’t get out. Seeing her flounder holding a box containing the core, Shudmuel coldly replied.

“You don’t think it’s appropriate to talk in front of a servant? High Priest.”

The High Priest’s gaze turned to Yuriel. Gray eyes similar to Shudmuel’s could be seen at first glance under the white hair. His eyelids drooped down, so it was difficult to determine the exact color.

When Yuriel, who was caught in the middle, rolled her eyes, the High Priest exhaled a tired breath and nodded his head.

“Yes, I understand. This story will still appear later when you come to me…. No, I’ll take the time to find you. Just go back for today.”

Shudmuel left the door without answering. Yuriel followed Shudmuel and bowed her head to the High Priest.

As she closed the door, she thought that the High Priest’s old face resembled Shudmuel.

If it were just a resemblance, she wouldn’t have any thoughts, but the High Priest’s casual tone struck her.

She recalled she had heard stories about raising the children of priests and knights in the orphanage run by the temple….

Could it be that Shudmuel grew up in such a place?

If the reason for bringing her to the temple was an excuse to stop the High Priest, it was understandable, although slightly.

Shudmuel was a person who always treated her like a wall that listened to his stories.

Yuriel thought, recalling the High Priest and Shudmuel’s faces.

Shudmuel’s face didn’t look good. She was not so ignorant as to ask what kind of relationship he has with the High Priest and why he speaks in such a tone.

What if Shudmuel was the High Priest’s illegitimate son as Yuriel suspected… ? It was better to not ask.

In order to have a smooth life as a servant in a nobleman’s mansion, sense was an essential skill, and Yuriel realized the truth after sharpening her senses after a long life of service.

Secrets were secrets for a reason.

Yuriel wondered how best to change the mood, then lifted the box and said.

“Sir Shudmuel, can I open this?”

The lively voice would make him feel like she didn’t understand the situation. Yuriel asked the question calmly, as if she was unaware everything.

Shudmuel, who had taken off his glasses before entering the High Priest’s room, answered yes. While he was contemplating whether or not to wear the glasses in his pocket, Yuriel opened the box.

The question that was meant to distract him led him to wonder.

“This little thing is enough to move a drawbridge….”

A black core rested on a soft cloth.

The core contained in the small storage box was quite small in size. It was larger than the one implanted in Raphlet’s chest, but other than that, it was the smallest core Yuriel had ever seen.

Yuriel hesitated a little and then raised her finger. The first time she touched the core on Raplet’s chest, her fingers swelled red as if she had been burned.

Unlike then, she thought she would be fine now. Yuriel swallowed the tension and gently wiped the surface of the core with her finger.

All she felt was a little numbness. Her fingers did not swell like before.

Come to think of it, from then on, even if her body touched the core in Raphlet’s chest, she was fine. Even in the case where their bodies were chaotically touching during intercourse, her whole body was numb and no wounds were left.

Still, the feeling of goosebumps was still there.

When she thought that there was a core on her palm that was strong enough to move the drawbridge, she got goosebumps all over her body.

Like this morning, when she heard the bells of the clock tower.

Yuriel stopped touching the core that was emanating an unpleasant aura, and closed the lid of the box. And, as if handing over a bomb just before it exploded, she held out the box to Shudmuel.

“Why don’t you…?”

Shudmuel crossed his arms and just looked at Yuriel. He didn’t want to take it at all.

Yuriel returned to the room with a core that felt like a bomb.

She tried to hand it over to Shudmuel, but at a certain moment, her memory blacked out. When she came to her senses, she was standing in front of the door with the core.

‘It is a very important core. You must never lose it.’

Only what Shudmuel had asked her to do was popping up in her head.

Why was he asking her to do something so important? Why did she get this?

Yuriel, who entered her room, thought as she put the box down on the side table next to the bed, which she did not use often.

She felt like she had been possessed by a ghost.

＊＊＊

The daily life as if possessed continued, and the festival began.

As the festival began, an unexpected guest came to Yuriel’s room.

Chapter 59

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

When the festival starts, you can determine people’s preferences.

People who do not like crowded places and do not want to go near festivals, and people who want to look around and attend all the events.

Yuriel was obviously the latter.

“I want to go see the festival….”

Locked up in a room and cleaning up guns was not in her spirit. Since the festival started, she had been repeatedly disassembling and reassembling guns for three days.

Now, she was able to reassemble a gun even with her eyes closed, but she was not satisfied.

Yuriel looked out the window blankly and muttered.

“The sky is very blue. The weather is very nice….”

Though she was lost in thoughts, her hands were steadily assembling the gun.

In less than a minute, the gun returned to its original shape.

Yuriel has good dexterity and could do anything quickly, and was also good at handling guns. She was good at anything, but she wasn’t the type to be proud of it.

After putting the gun down on the desk, Yuriel took a deep breath and looked gloomily out the window. She was filled with the desire to run to the street with Raphlet right away and enjoy the festival of the Imperial Capital.

She’d never been to a festival with Raphlet before.

It was a pity that the good opportunity to come to the Imperial Capital and see the festival was blown away.

If she wanted to go out with Raphlet, she would have had to wait for the time when the rumors about her to subside and she could once again roam freely. Once the festival is over, the monster subjugation would begin again, so even if there was a festival in summer, she wouldn’t have time.

She was very nervous because she had to make an appointment for next year’s spring festival.

A futile worry ran through Yuriel’s head that next spring might never come.

It can’t be.

Time with Raphlet went by quickly, so unlike waiting for him at Mogris Estate, next spring would come sooner rather than later.

At this time next year, she must go out with Raphlet.

Yuriel’s mouth, which had been imagining holding his hand secretly, avoiding the eyes of others in a sparsely populated place, loosened.

When she goes out, she would have to learn the streets of the Imperial Capital in detail. Especially the places where there would be fewer people.

There was little heat on the gloomy face.

Someone raised the corners of his mouth and spoke to Yuriel, who was imagining something insidious, in an anxious tone.

“Are you going out?”

It was Baraha with an apparent tendency for the former and did not even go near the festival site. He asked Yuriel, who was grinning as she looked out the window.

Seeing Yuriel muttering that she wanted to go to the festival, he looked uncomfortably nervous.

He looked like he wanted to prevent Yuriel from leaving. Yuriel shook her head and replied to him, who was nervous.

“I can’t go out, Lord Raphlet is worried. Why don’t you go out…. No, you’ve never been here before, so why are you coming into my room like this these days?”

The place where Baraha went was not anywhere else, but Yuriel’s room.

Yuriel welcomed Baraha, who suddenly came to her room on the morning of the first day of the festival.

Since then, Baraha had been staying in Yuriel’s room, making excuses.

He also told Yuriel, who was bored because she couldn’t go out, about practicing gun assembly, and that he would watch her reassemble it.

“All the other commanders are busy, don’t you have anything to do?”

When she asked questions one after another, Baraha looked away and muttered.

“Now you are doing well. It’s fast and accurate with nothing missing.”

Yuriel narrowed her eyes at Baraha, who was talking for nothing.

He lowered his gaze to the gun and was clumsily avoiding Yuriel’s gaze.

It wasn’t his usual bored expression, but a complicated face. Baraha fidgeted with his gun and murmured as if speaking to himself.

“I… I can’t protect anyone. That’s what Commander Raphlet and Helio do.”

It was a crawling voice.

It was also a very random statement.

She wondered if the topic of protection would come up because of the assembly of guns, festivals, and Baraha’s sudden visit to her room, but she couldn’t think of any connection.

Yuriel tilted her head as she saw him muttering as he touched his gun.

He suddenly came and watched the guns being assembled for three days, and now he confesses his feelings out of nowhere.

If she hadn’t been bored, she would have just ignored it, but she was extremely bored because she hadn’t been able to leave the room for a few days. Yuriel asked, thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea to listen to him seriously.

“Did you want to protect anyone?”

“… Maybe.”

A mysterious answer came back. Baraha said while disassembling the gun that Yuriel had worked hard to reassemble.

“Maybe, I did.”

Once more. A brief murmur followed. He stared blankly at the parts of the gun that had been disassembled in an instant.

The black parts in the place where Baraha’s gaze touched felt desperate.

His curved shoulders and dark hair that covered his forehead were as unpretentious as his voice.

“Yes, maybe. Even if it was me, I might have done it as well as Commander Raphlet. I didn’t intend to make and deliver a gun like this, but I guess I could have protected them from having to pick up a gun right next to me….”

There was a gloomy feeling in his low voice. It was a tone dripping with envy that did not suit Baraha.

Yuriel, who was listening to Baraha with a light mood, straightened her body.

‘Maybe I did.’

‘I didn’t intend to make and deliver a gun ….’

It was a story from the past.

He was confiding his feelings to Yuriel for the first time. He had never shared his thoughts with Yuriel even though they had spent time together at Mogris Estate.

He even showed jealousy but she didn’t even know who it was towards.

She always thought guns were an ineffective weapon for the knights since they used swords to deal with monsters, but she didn’t know that the gun was originally not meant for the knights.

It occurred to Yuriel that maybe the reason Baraha developed the gun was so that the person he could not protect would have had something for self protection.

A gun not for a trained knight, but a weapon made for ordinary people to easily deal with enemies.

Did the person he wanted to protect die helplessly?

Yuriel looked at his face with concern. The gloomy eyes suddenly turned towards her.

Yuriel looked at her old friend and said in a calm voice. She wanted to appease him, who looked depressed.

“Baraha, it’s good to want to protect other people, and I think you would have done well if you were protecting someone. But I think you are missing an important point. ”

“An important point?”

Before thinking that he wanted to protect another person, he had to change his mentality regarding his life. He needed to value his life rather than think it didn’t matter if he died or not.

“You always say it doesn’t matter if you die or not. If you want to protect someone, you have to change that attitude first.”

“That….”

“I don’t know what you are thinking, but from now on, take care of yourself. If you take care of yourself, you will naturally learn how to protect others.”

So did Yuriel. After Raphlet left Mogris Estate, she continued to struggle to take care of herself. When she met Raphlet again, she had to be in good health to be able to assist him.

As she took care of herself, she naturally learned how to serve others.

Baraha fiddled with the disassembled gun without answering, and handed it to Yuriel as if he wanted to speak again.

“Whether it’s in your pocket, between your underwear, or your shoes. Anywhere is good, so hide it all.”

Yuriel, who was about to have a serious conversation with him, raised her eyebrows in disapproval. She thought he wanted to confide in her, but he spoke casually as usual.

The confession that started abruptly ended just as abruptly. It seemed that Baraha was not yet ready to share with Yuriel what was in his heart after all.

Yuriel sighed and answered his words.

“Now?”

“Now. Don’t forget to remember the order so that you can take it out and assemble it.”

“Ummm…. I think it will be difficult.”

Yuriel could now reassemble a gun even with her eyes closed, but that was only if done on the desk. Reassembling a gun when they were hidden here and there was an entirely different matter.

Yuriel traced the uniform she wore all the time except during training.

While Yuriel was hiding the parts all over her clothes, he was looking at her with a strange expression.

“Baraha. Turn your head.”

He didn’t look away even as she lifted her skirt. When Yuriel noticed him and rolled her eyes , he turned his gaze away.

Yuriel tucked the last part into the garter belt holding the stockings up by raising the skirt while Baraha half turned his head.

As Yuriel organized her clothes, Baraha looked at Yuriel. Baraha, who slowly looked at Yuriel’s body, nodded as if that was enough.

Yuriel moved her body in place to make sure that the fixed parts did not come off. It didn’t come off even when she moved violently.

Baraha watched Yuriel moving with subdued eyes.

Chapter 60

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

She did what Baraha wanted. And as she had done what he told her to do, so this time it was Baraha’s turn to give her the answer.

Yuriel approached Baraha and asked a question.

“Is there a reason I have to hide my gun, Baraha?”

Baraha stroked his wavy hair and looked down, pretending not to hear Yuriel’s question.

“What’s going on? You have to tell me so I can prepare myself.”

His half-closed eyelids made his expression helpless and languid.

He was thoughtless, helpless, and sometimes negligent enough to appear to have given up on life, but he wasn’t really that stupid.

The reason he taught her how to assemble the gun and even asked to hide it was probably because there was something to do with it.

That has always been what he had done.

For him, it doesn’t matter if he lives or dies, and in the end, he helps her. Just like he did when she left Mogris Estate and was reunited in the Alchemy Tower. When Yuriel was in a really dangerous situation, he stepped forward as if he had no choice.

She couldn’t seem to figure out what he was thinking beyond that stupid looking expression.

Yuriel evaluated Baraha in her heart. It was a rather harsh evaluation.

While Yuriel was thinking about him, Baraha mumbled with his eyes closed.

“… I, can’t… .”

“Huh?”

A muffled voice came back as an answer. Yuriel, who didn’t hear properly, tilted her head, and he responded by drooping over the desk.

She poked Baraha in the back, who had fallen on the desk, but there was no response.

“Baraha, wake up. Get up.”

Yuriel tormented Baraha until he responded. The response came when there was a knock on Yuriel’s door.

Baraha jumped to his feet when he heard a knock on the door.

“Go away, Yuriel. I will open it.”

He said sharply as he grabbed Yuriel’s shoulder and headed straight for the door.

It was a sensitive tone, as if he had seen an explosive. In fact, even when he was in the middle of a pile of explosives, he still had the attitude of a laid-back person.

Yuriel, seeing his sensitive attitude for the first time, retreated nervously.

Who is the knocking person that made Baraha react like that?

Yuriel hid behind Baraha’s back and grabbed the hem of his robe. The back of Baraha’s hand as he opened the door flinched for a moment.

“Baraha, won’t you open it?”

“… I’ll open it.”

She gripped the hem of his robe tightly, and asked. Baraha slowly turned the doorknob. In the sunny atmosphere, she could hear a loud noise that she would normally not care about.

The sound of turning the doorknob and the sound of the door opening slowly followed.

The door opened, and Yuriel, who saw the knocking person, let out a small scream and grabbed Baraha’s hem more strongly.

“Hello, Miss Yuriel.”

The knight bowed his head and greeted in a hard tone. He didn’t seem to have confirmed that it was not Yuriel who opened the door with his head bowed.

The knight slowly raised his head, confirmed that the person in front of him was Baraha, not Yuriel, and blinked his eyes.

“Obviously, I heard that this is Miss Yuriel’s room, but why is Sir Baraha together… . Ah.”

The Princess’ knight looked at Baraha’s face and spoke curiously. Looking at Baraha with puzzled eyes, the knight then looked meticulously at Yuriel who was hiding behind Baraha.

The knight’s eyes quickly scanned Yuriel’s room.

The desk, which was in a dizzying state from assembling and disassembling her gun, and the knight who checked Yuriel’s attire, which was a bit disheveled by hiding the disassembled gun, shook his head slightly as if understanding.

He said calmly, as if he would pretend he didn’t see anything even though he knew.

“According to the Princess’ order, I have come to bring Miss Yuriel to the Princess. If you need time to prepare, I will wait in the hallway.”

The Princess’ loyal knight said so and naturally closed the door.

He closed the door without even giving Yuriel time to answer. As the knight’s figure disappeared, Yuriel shook Baraha’s body with a pale face and said,

“Why is the Princess calling for me? Is she calling me to the Imperial Palace? What should I do, should I follow him?”

“Wait, calm down. It’s a little….”

Baraha’s body shook at the strong hand. The tone that had stood stiff suddenly returned to a tone that was slow and unreliable. Facing his dry attitude, Yuriel said, thinking she would never let Baraha go.

Being alone with a princess who seems insane. She would rather be tortured by Helio.

Yuriel grabbed Baraha’s arm and said desperately.

“I can never go alone. Come with me, Baraha.”

Baraha simply twisted Yuriel’s wrist. Yuriel’s hand gently slid away from him as his long fingers twisted her wrist.

Baraha removed Yuriel’s hand and opened the door.

The knight stood stiffly, a little away from the door. However, upon closer inspection, he was not alone. The Princess’ knights whom Yuriel had been avoiding were lined up all over the hallway.

She felt that they did say they were going to take her, but if she refused, they looked willing to take her by force.

Seeing the knights of strong physique lined up in the hallway, fear flooded her.

Lord Raphlet is busy with the festival right now, so she can’t contact him right away….

Even if she left a letter to Raphlet, he would only be able to check it late at night. When he hears that the Princess has taken Yuriel, he would come right away, but meanwhile she has no idea what the Princess would do.

And now she had the core Shudmuel asked her to keep….

Yuriel wept as she looked at Baraha, who didn’t say anything.

“Baraha, are you going to leave me?”

Seeing that the door opened without any answer to her plea to accompany her, it was clear that Baraha did not want to be involved in the troublesome work.

She could see him handing her over to the Princess’ knights and walking down the hallway with a timid gait.

“… I won’t leave you, so please calm down.”

“Really?”

Yuriel, who had her arms down and crying, smiled happily at the answer he gave.

“Are you going with me?”

“Yes.”

When asked by holding Baraha’s arm again, he answered quietly, this time without letting go of her arm.

Baraha, who slowly raised his head, asked the Princess’ knight.

“What is the Princess calling Yuriel for?”

“She said Miss Yuriel will know when she meets her. It’s been a long time since she’s seen Miss Yuriel’s face, and she just wants to meet her.”

It was a tone that seemed to imply an old friend who wanted to see her.

The knight maintained his respectful attitude and said,

“If Miss Yuriel goes with Sir Baraha, she will be very happy.”

At the words of the knight inviting Baraha together, Yuriel sighed in relief.

Immediately after dealing with Raphlet, who had been poisoned by the monster at the Princess’ banquet, she was relieved to remember what Baraha had said.

He said he was thinking of taking her out if it seemed dangerous.

Although she bluntly replied that she didn’t believe it, she knew that Baraha kept his promises. Baraha will help her when a dangerous moment arises.

Yuriel, who nodded in relief, remembered the monster core she had left on the bedside and shouted.

“Oh, then wait a minute! Wait for me!”

Shudmuel told her to carry it with her when she left the room….

Yuriel ran into the room and shoved the box containing the monster core into the pocket of her uniform. Baraha asked, squinting his eyes.

“What is that?”

“Ah, this is a monster…. No, I’ll tell you later.”

Yuriel, who was about to tell Baraha about the core, looked at the knight in front of her and bit her mouth.

She’ll just have to tell Baraha a little later.

“I’ll guide you when you’re ready.”

After confirming the preparations, the knight guided the two to the Princess.

***

“Yuriel! Don’t you think it’s too much for me that you haven’t shown your face once in a while?”

“Pri, Princess?”

“I didn’t even get presents. I’m sad.”

Yuriel, who was called in front of the Princess, froze as she was embraced by the Princess, who rushed to her. The Princess, who was taller than Yuriel, was wearing shoes with heels today.

The Princess with a slim body that looked just like the knights around them hugged Yuriel’s body and greeted her fiercely.

“Princess, your hand….”

A slender arm tightened Yuriel’s waist.

“And you can call me Ithaca.”

“Miss It….”

“Don’t be like that. You have to show yourself confidently according to your abilities. Say it again.”

“Miss Ithaca.”

The Princess who tightened her arms with force, as if she was dissatisfied with Yuriel calling her a princess, said sternly. Yuriel answered with a crawling voice despite the Princess’ determined attitude.

Hearing her droopy voice, the Princess spoke in a stricter tone.

When Yuriel spoke in a correct voice, she smiled like a fairy, as if she was satisfied only then. She had a face that looked like she saw a toy working properly.

“Yes, that’s much better. Call me like that from now on. But why didn’t you receive my gift? Don’t you like my knights? I pride myself on them being good.”

The Princess who released Yuriel said with a dismayed face.

Chapter 61

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

As expected of anything considered the pride of the Princess, the knights were amazing. They had decent appearances, but their atmosphere was unique. Their expressions of intense emotions seemed to prove that they existed only for the Princess.

In fact, she was told that they would do anything the Princess ordered.

Although they were sent as a gift to Yuriel, who worked as a maid, the expressions on their faces were without any complaints which clearly revealed loyalty.

They were people who prioritized the Princess’ orders over the pride of knights.

While Yuriel looked back at the knights and pondered over it, a knight approached the Princess.

“Princess. I have something to tell you.”

“Huh? What is it?”

The Princess who was showing displeasure at Yuriel, listened to the knight. It was the knight who came to pick up Yuriel.

He was also the knight who paid close attention to Baraha being in Yuriel’s room.

He approached the Princess in a cautious manner, and in a low voice he reported what he had seen.

“It seems that Miss Yuriel has a relationship with Sir Raphlet as well as Sir Baraha.Considering the matter, I think it would be better to take a different approach in recruiting Miss Yuriel.”

“Baraha?”

“Yes.”

Yuriel fled to Baraha, nervous as she saw the Princess and the knight whispering about her. The Princess and the knight’s discussion did not reach Yuriel.

Perhaps the Princess misunderstood Yuriel’s desperate grip on Baraha’s arm, the Princess smiled satisfactorily at them.

“It’s good if you wish so. The two of them are together, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

She gazed at Yuriel and Baraha as if she was looking at a breeding stallion. Looking forward to a good quality product, she turned to Yuriel.

“I wish Yuriel and Baraha would have children if possible.”

The Princess twisted her lips as she looked at the two of them with glaring eyes.

She also had a history of sending presents to Baraha similar to those she sent to Yuriel several times. Because of Yuriel, Baraha had never received presents from the Princess again.

She was heartbroken when both of them refused her presents. Then the good news came.

“I’ll have to send you some food to help you get pregnant.”

The Princess was very excited to see what the results would be when Baraha and Yuriel’s abilities were combined. If two people were recruited under her, their children would also belong to her.

It would take a long time for the child to grow up and do their part, but the Princess was confident enough to wait.

Waiting for and nurturing talented people was a virtue.

The Princess looked back on the results of her own virtues and spoke softly. The knights raised by the Princess from an early age were all devoted and perfect to the Princess, making it worth her time.

“Anyone can be Yuriel’s mate, except for that damn bastard, Raphlet Mogris.”

The Princess recited in a small voice when the knight looked at Yuriel with a gentle face. Yuriel managed to take her courage and opened her mouth to look at the Princess with a frightened face.

“Miss Ithaca. May I know why you called me? I can’t be away for a long time, so I have to go back….”

“Do you have to go back? Commander Shudmuel told me that you have free time today. You mean he gave me the wrong information?”

“Yes?”

“I heard that you couldn’t even watch the festival because you were helping Commander Shudmuel and Raphlet Mogris. This is the first festival you experience after coming to the Imperial Capital. I said I wanted to take you with me, so his answer came back.”

“Did Sir Shudmuel say that?”

“Yes.”

Yuriel blinked her eyes in surprise.

Why did Shudmuel do that? He told her to protect the core… . Did the Princess get some wrong information?

Yuriel, who was holding Baraha’s wrist, tilted her head and opened her lips.

“I can’t. I promised not to go out today….”

“If the information is wrong, I will cut off the tongues of those who dared to give me false information.”

Before Yuriel could finish her words, the Princess smiled and uttered nasty words.

“If Commander Shudmuel gave false information, I will have to make him pay the price. Oh, Yuriel. You have nothing to worry about. You didn’t do anything wrong. You can go back to your room.”

No one can deny that if Princess Ithaca becomes the next emperor, she will become a tyrant whose name will be etched in the history books.

The Princess approached Yuriel, lightly wiping Yuriel’s cheek, and smiling.

“If you don’t have time, you can go back. I have no intention of interrupting your time.”

Yuriel was stunned at the finger that touched her cheek. It sounded like she was going to let her go, but her lips did not open.

Did the Princess just said that she will cut off someone’s tongue… ?

As Yuriel stood blankly, Baraha spoke to Yuriel as if to awaken her mind.

“They’re letting us go. Shall we go?”

“No, wait…. What, Princess, Miss Ithaka just said, is it true?”

“I mean it. Why?”

“You said you would cut off their tongue, and you said that Sir Shudmuel would pay the price too! You heard it right, Baraha?”

It was a grim expression that looked different from Yuriel, who was bewildered.

The Princess said to her knights.

“Bring all the servants who relayed the information to me. After watching me deal with them with my own eyes, even Commander Shudmuel….”

“Miss Ithaca!”

“What’s wrong, Yuriel?”

“I, I…. I think I can go out… !”

Yuriel hurriedly shouted in order to protect the tongues of the servants and Shudmuel’s.

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Isn’t it better to just go back when they let you go?”

Baraha spoke without noticing. Yuriel gave strength to the hand that was holding his wrist and shook her head.

What if the Princess really would punish the people? The Princess seemed to be someone who would do as she says.

Baraha looked like this had nothing to do with what him. His eyes were like a person who looked down on life, even his own life.

Indeed, he didn’t care whether his own life was involved or not, so cutting off someone else’s tongue was nothing to worry about.

She wanted to express her admiration for his consistent attitude, but the priority was distinct from the Princess’.

Yuriel stuttered and said to the Princess who was looking at her.

“Well, it’s okay if it’s just for a moment. For today… .”

“Then we must hurry and go out. If I knew we were going to visit the street in one day, I would have called you earlier.”

The Princess answered with a smile.

＊＊＊

Baraha and the Princess, her attendants and Yuriel.

An incompatible combination came out on the streets. Without a change of clothes, Yuriel, led by the Princess’ hand, came out on the street, wearing the Albraka uniform.

Yuriel’s dark work clothes stood out from the colorfully decorated festival crowd. There were many glances towards Yuriel, who had been known as a knight.

Yuriel, feeling the unfavorable gazes, bowed her head awkwardly.

It was the first time her eyes felt stinging.

Just like Yuriel, Baraha, who was brought out in the same way from his indoor life, could hear his voice talking to the Princess’ knight.

“Give me that, please.”

“Yes?”

“Lend me the robe.”

“Yes. Sir Baraha.”

A thin robe was draped over Yuriel’s shoulder, who was fiddling with the box containing the core she had put in her pocket. Baraha, who had stolen the robe from the knight, put the robe on Yuriel and said,

“Even if it’s annoying, it’s better to wear a robe. I have bad eyesight.”

“Huh….”

“I told you to go back when they let you go like that.”

“How can you do that? Uh, what’s this.”

Baraha said, tying the strings of the robe with his clumsy hands. A touch he had never given in his life reached out to Yuriel. A person who didn’t even take care of his own clothes couldn’t arrange his clothes properly.

The string he touched was knotted in a crude shape.

Handling weapons that hurt others, such as the guns, made him not adept at doing everyday things.

The string that Baraha had tied pierced into Yuriel’s neck as if it were squeezing her. Yuriel, tucked her hair inside while she put on the robe and pulled up the hood carefully, raised her head and made a choking sound.

When she lifted her head, the gap left between the string and the neck disappeared, and Yuriel’s neck was choked.

Yuriel slapped Baraha on the back with her hand and untied the string he had tied.

“My neck hurts.”

“I didn’t even tie it tight.”

“Did you not tie it too tight?”

“Come here, I’ll try again.”

“Fine, I’m faster.”

Without even the slightest hesitation, Baraha’s traces disappeared.

Seeing his traces disappearing, Baraha frowned unknowingly.

Yuriel neatly organized her clothes. As Baraha’s traces disappeared, Yuriel’s outfit finally became neat.

The Princess was watching with delighted eyes as the two were fighting and putting on the robe.

Yuriel, who had cleaned up her robe and turned her head, saw the Princess’ kind expression and was fed up.

Ordinary people would think that it was simply a pleasant expression, but the person was the Princess.

She was the one who uses an aphrodisiac monster to lure people in, and orders her knight to serve with their body.

Yuriel did not know what the Princess was thinking with that kind face.

Maybe she’s thinking terrifying thoughts that ordinary people can’t come up with… !

Yuriel covered her nervous face with the robe and approached the Princess with Baraha.

She had a feeling that today would be a very long day.

Chapter 62

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

It was just past noon. The sun was rising above the horizon, and a warm breeze blew. The wide streets were crowded with stalls and crowds lined up in time for the festival.

There were many people passing by, but the Princess’ knights surrounded the Princess and Yuriel, so they were able to look around the street without colliding with other festival goers.

It looked like a small shield had been erected around the Princess.

Yuriel asked Baraha about everything she saw.

“Baraha, what are they selling over there?”

“I do not know.”

“What about that?”

“I do not know.”

“Do you know anything about this festival… ?”

“… nothing. Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve been out on the streets during a festival.”

Yuriel’s fingers pointed to different parts of the street, but the answer he gave was consistent.

I don’t know, and a withered expression that looked like a dead tree.

Baraha’s answer was enough to disappoint Yuriel, who was expecting an explanation. The Princess approached Yuriel, who lowered her head with a sigh of disappointment.

“You can ask me if you have any questions.”

The Princess smiled and said. As if to answer anything, a generous tone turned towards Yuriel.

“What were you curious about? Is it there?”

“No, not there….”

The Princess deliberately pointed to another place and asked a question softly. Yuriel hesitated and shook her head.

“Then where?”

The Princess asked softly.

“It’s over there….”

Yuriel, who was hesitating, raised a finger and pointed to the stall. She was afraid to ask the Princess, but she was more curious.

“I wonder how these things are sold in places like this. It looks expensive….”

What Yuriel pointed to was a small model. At first glance it looked ordinary, but if looked at closely, the models hanging on the stalls were not ordinary.

In the fountain model, water spouted like a real fountain, the clock tower model had a moving clock and ringing small bells.

They looked expensive to sell on the street. Things like that were strewn all over the street as if it was natural.

The Princess explained in a relaxed tone.

“It’s a thing made out of core fragments. Not the important ones. After a few days, the power is gone and the object will not move. These are things that will only be sold to ignorant children during festivals.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And what else do you want to know?”

“Ah, I wonder what kind of festival it is.”

Yuriel relaxed at the Princess’ casual explanation and asked another question .

There were many people passing by. She was relieved to think that even the Princess would not be able to easily do harmful actions such as using an aphrodisiac on a street like this.

“I was thinking that it was a flower festival because it was spring. But seeing how the streets are decorated, it doesn’t seem like a flower festival…. What festival is it?”

When Yuriel asked with her eyes shining, the Princess rolled her eyes and grabbed Yuriel’s arm.

The Princess walked towards the stall and held a model of the clock tower in her hand.

“Hey, you shouldn’t take it like that. You have to pay before you take it.”

The stall owner said, surprised. As soon as the Princess moved, the knights who followed her surrounded him, who showed signs of nervousness.

Even so, the stall owner stammered and insisted that his desire to receive money came first.

The Princess lifted her finger and one of the knights paid the stall owner.

The Princess, who had not paid attention to the actions of the stall owner and the knight, approached Yuriel with a small clock tower.

“It’s a festival that announces the usefulness of the monster cores. Wouldn’t it be like magic to be able to move it with such small fragments? It is a festival held to look back on how much we benefited from the monster cores.

The Princess broke the clock tower and showed the inside as she explained. As she said, black shards were inside the clock tower. The clock tower stopped moving when the small fragments the size of a fingernail fell to the floor.

The Princess looked down at the tower that had stopped moving and began to wander the festival streets in earnest.

“Come on, come this way. Yuriel. There are so many interesting things you can do with the monster core. There will be a lot to see. The things developed at this festival are also useful in real life, so it’s a lot of fun to watch them.”

People who were pushed by the body of the knights in the middle due to the Princess who wandered through the streets had an unpleasant face, but when they saw the target the knights were escorting, they tended to step back.

Yuriel wondered if they withdrew after knowing the Princess’ face, or if they withdrew in order not to offend what they saw as a lady of a noble family, but she did not have time to ask any questions.

The Princess didn’t pay any attention either, as if it was natural for them to avoid her, and she was not hesitant to drag Yuriel through the streets. The Princess’ attention was focused on Yuriel, Baraha, and the festival.

As the Princess said, there were strange things all over the street. They were all moving because of the monster cores.

There were many items with outstanding creativity, but some of them could be convenient to use in daily life.

The Princess who was looking around the city said in a refreshing voice.

“Compared to the streets, the festivals in the temple are quite boring. Without the ritual to hand over the monster core, the visit would not have been worthwhile.”

“Princess…. Miss Ithaca came to the temple to participate in the ceremony?”

“Yes. The core will be handed over to the lucky person…. Wouldn’t it be fun to rob someone’s luck?”

“Yes?”

Someone else’s luck…. what?

The Princess was arrogantly saying that she was going to take someone else’s things. Originally, she had an imposing attitude as if she was going to find her own thing.

Facing the Princess’ attitude, who lacked common sense, Yuriel decided to pull herself on guard.

The friendly gestures and the festive atmosphere relieved the tension.

“By the way, Yuriel, is there anything you want? If you don’t want the monster core, I’ll bring you anything.”

Yuriel was able to come to her senses even more at the Princess’ voice who constantly asked if there was anything she wanted.

The core she had kept in her pocket came to mind and her spine became stiff.

She was afraid of how the Princess would react if she knew that Yuriel’s pocket contained that very core.

“If you want something, just tell me….”

That was then. A child pushed through the knights and rushed towards Yuriel’s. The knights couldn’t stop the little child from coming through.

The little boy, whose head barely reached Yuriel’s waist, moved his hand so quickly that she could not see it, and removed his body.

“Miss Ithaca!”

In the sudden situation, the knights approached, calling the Princess. The child who had rushed into Yuriel’s body had suddenly dug into the crowd and was running away eagerly.

It was a child with quick feet, as if he had been trained. Yuriel looked at the child’s back with a bewildered look.

The approaching knight bent their knees and asked the Princess.

“Are you okay, Miss Itchaca?”

“Can’t you stop a child?”

“Sorry.”

The Princess was holding Yuriel’s arm as she staggered after getting bumped by the child’s body. It looked like she was trying to condemn the knight, but the Princess turned her head to Yuriel first.

“Are you okay, Yuriel?”

“Yes. I was a little surprised….”

“I’m worried that there are missing items. The kid must’ve jumped in to pickpocket us. He must have come to see who the knights were escorting and wanted to make money.”

“Pickpocket…. Ack!”

Yuriel’s face became white as she followed the Princess’ words and felt her pockets. Even when she fumbled through her front pocket, she couldn’t find the box containing the monster core.

As Yuriel hardened with her hands in her pockets, Baraha tilted his head and asked.

“Did the things you brought with you when you left the room disappeared?”

Yuriel fumbled through her pockets and nodded.

Seeing Yuriel nodding her head with a pale tired face, Baraha said in a calm tone.

“If it’s not important, you better just forget about it. It’s not easy to catch pickpockets….”

“It’s a very important thing. I’m going to go find it.”

No matter how, she couldn’t figure out how he just took the box.

He didn’t seem to have touched any of the other items that were in the same pocket.

Yuriel looked back at the Princess and said.

“Miss Ithaca, I think I should just find that kid.”

“What is the missing item? If you tell me, I will prepare the same thing by tomorrow.”

It was impossible to tell the Princess that the missing thing was a monster core, so Yuriel kept her mouth shut and shook her head.

Baraha came over and asked Yuriel.

“What was it?”

“… The festival ceremonial core that Sir Shudmuel entrusted to me….”

Yuriel whispered softly into Baraha’s ear. Hearing the contents, Baraha frowned as if wondering why she had such a thing.

Baraha tugged at Yuriel’s long hair that was visible through the disheveled robes and muttered in a dissatisfied tone.

“Why did you bring something like that, huh? What was Commander Shudmuel thinking when he entrusted it to you?”

Unable to stop him from pulling her hair, Yuriel bit her lip.

Seeing Yuriel biting her lip without answering, Baraha said, looking back at the Princess while pulling Yuriel’s hair.

“I will have to go find it. I’m going with Yuriel, so please wait for a while….”

“Take my knights too. We didn’t protect you properly, so we should help catch the pickpockets.”

The Princess readily allowed it.

Chapter 63

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“I don’t know what you lost, but if you want to find it, you better move quickly. They jumped in even after seeing my knights, so he’s not working alone, he must have an owner. Go quickly before the stolen items are passed on to someone else.”

The Princess said while assigning her knights. Two people came up and approached Yuriel.

While explaining the situation, the child disappeared somewhere. If they didn’t hurry, they would have a hard time finding the child.

With Yuriel’s ability, it was possible to find where the monster core that the child stole is, but it is difficult. Monster cores are used in most buildings and objects in the Imperial Capital, and to find one among them…?

It was better to hurry up and run at the child than to do such a difficult job.

Yuriel said, turning her eyes in the direction the child disappeared.

“Yes, thank you for your help. Miss Ithaca.”

After Yuriel said goodbye, she and Baraha headed to the place where the child disappeared.

The Princess, who looked at Yuriel running away without looking back, said with a bored expression.

“Without Yuriel and Baraha, I don’t feel like going to the festival. You go around looking for something useful, and if you find a craftsman who makes good things, report it right away. And, you follow me.”

The Princess smiled arrogantly as she laid her hand on the body of the knight near her.

“You should try not to make me bored until Yuriel returns.”

The knight who received the Princess’s hand nodded his head as if it was natural.

＊＊＊

It wasn’t as difficult as she thought to follow the kid who had pickpocketed her and ran away. Even if she didn’t detect the monster core, she was able to follow it.

The child made a commotion by bumping into the bodies of passersby as if leaving a trace on purpose.

Complaints erupted wherever the child passed.

“That way!”

“Is something not strange about this… ?”

Baraha, who was running after Yuriel, said in a suspicious tone. It was because he thought it was strange that the kid, who was quick enough to break through the knights, couldn’t get out of the crowd and made a fuss.

“Strange what, there is no time to think! Even if it’s strange we can’t help but pursue it.”

“That is true….”

Baraha said, squinting his eyes. As he was thinking, his pace that was running after Yuriel slowed down.

“It is said that beginners run away leaving traces like this. He seemed skillful to dig in and disappear at once. When he ran away, he wouldn’t leave a trace.”

“Baraha, don’t mumble alone, follow me!”

Yuriel ran out with the knights and shouted. Baraha, who saw Yuriel quickly moved away, moved his body quickly.

Before he could catch up with Yuriel, Yuriel spoke out loud as if she had found the child.

“Huh? There he is!”

“Miss Yuriel, you must not move alone!”

Unlike the knight who was wearing light armor, Yuriel’s outfit was light. Yuriel, with a slender body, moved freely even in the crowded streets.

Yuriel, who was not tired even after running for a long time, went ahead and said.

“Oh, he ran away again. I’ll go first, so follow me, knights!”

“Miss Yuriel, it’s dangerous to pursue him alone… !”

It was a voice that could be heard in Baraha’s ears. It seemed that the child Yuriel was pursuing had also heard the voice and started running away again.

Yuriel looked at the knights who could not pursue her, and passed by the people. Yuriel’s body, draped in robes, disappeared among the passersby.

The knights who missed Yuriel were bewildered. They tried to follow where Yuriel had easily passed, but their bodies were blocked by passersby.

“Get out of the way!”

The knights following Yuriel shouted sharply. It felt as if the passersby were deliberately blocking them.

As they barely passed the passersby, tall men greeted the knights with their eyes wide open.

“What? Are you yelling at us to get out of here now?”

“Why are you ordering me to move away when you could just wait and walk by!”

Men with harsh impressions surrounded them. Seeing those who were arguing awkwardly with a theatrical tone, Baraha narrowed his eyes and looked at them.

Were they with the kid who ran away?

When watched from a distance, he could clearly see that the men were deliberately coming out and blocking the road. Their awkward appearance, as if they were trying to blackmail for the first time, also reinforced Baraha’s suspicion that they were one with the kid.

“Stand back.”

“Go ahead and walk by yourself!”

Because he was away from the knights, Baraha did not receive any interference. As spectators gathered around and surrounded them, the knights were unable to move from the center.

Instead of helping the knights in trouble, Baraha left them without any regrets and followed Yuriel.

When he thought that the pickpocket kid was clumsy, that seems to be the purpose.

‘Were they trying to get Yuriel to go alone?’

Frowning his forehead, he looked for Yuriel.

＊＊＊

Following the child into a dark alleyway, Yuriel looked around, seeing the child no longer running away.

Baraha and the knights were nowhere to be seen.

In the alley that looked dangerous, Yuriel confronted the child nervously. The child was glaring at Yuriel with the core in his hand.

Unlike the main road, it was a dark and filthy street. Yuriel opened her brow, which was frowning due to the stench that stung her nose, and spoke.

“I won’t punish you, so give me what you took.”

“… No.”

“If you return it before the knights arrive, I will let you go. If someone else comes, won’t you go to jail?”

The child murmured as he looked to be a very nervous and withdrawn child.

“No….Not yet, the appointment time…..”

Appointment? As the Princess said, was it a child with a master?

She thought he was so frightened that he would be punished if he didn’t pay the dues. At Yuriel’s thought that the boy was forced to work as a pickpocket, the boy looked pitiful.

Yuriel bent over and spoke to the child in a calm tone.

“I’ll give you the money you owe today, so give it back. You really don’t want to go to jail, do you?”

“Uh, who… ?”

She heard footsteps behind her. Yuriel, who had bent her knees, saw the child’s surprised expression and stiffened his body. The child gasped as he looked at the owner of the footsteps.

The child clearly looked perplexed by the approaching person.

“Who are you, isn’t that what we should ask?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen that face, has there ever been a person like that in our district?”

“Hey, who do you belong to?”

The sound of footsteps dragging the shoes was heard, followed by a voice that Yuriel had never heard before. They were talking to the child.

They approached with a grunt and threatened the child.

Before Yuriel could look back, she was hit in the head and fell to the ground.

The sound of men talking was faintly heard.

“… I don’t know, but let’s… .”

“What about that kid?”

“Take him and find out who he belongs to… .”

＊＊＊

Yuriel disappeared.

Seeing the bloodstains left in the alley, Baraha groped his clothes wildly.

A piece of paper caught in his hand as he grumbled abusively and fumbled for his clothes. After grabbing the crumpled paper and swearing a couple more times, Baraha unfolded the paper.

It was a piece of paper that he was going to throw away, but in the end he couldn’t.

As he unfolded the paper, the knights who had barely escaped from the crowd approached him.

“Sir Baraha?”

“I kept worrying about it, and it was because they were involved…. Those punks….”

“… Yes?”

“It’s noisy, so shut up.”

“… Are you talking to us?”

“F*ck…. If you want to give a revelation, give it accurately. Every time, making a buzzing noise…!”

A voice so harsh that they thought it might be from someone else, came out of Baraha’s mouth. The Knights frowned upon hearing the insulting remarks.

Baraha exclaimed in annoyance, and the Knights couldn’t even complain about the insult. The Knights turned to each other and shut their mouths.

Baraha was seriously agitated.

There was nothing good about going against Baraha, whom the Princess cherishes. For now, the priority was to help him find Yuriel.

Looking at the traces left on the street, it was clear that Yuriel had suffered something unpleasant. If they didn’t find Yuriel before something bad happens, the Princess would be very angry.

Baraha was gasping for breath and examining the paper. The Knights squinted to read the writing on the paper, but it was difficult to see what was written because of the excessively bad handwriting.

On the paper Baraha looked at, there were cluttered letters that he couldn’t even recognize.

Baraha carefully read the text. Even though he wrote it himself, he didn’t quite understand the content.

It was evident that it was not written by Baraha’s own will.

Without realizing it, he wrote it unknowingly as if he had received a revelation. When he lived a vagrant life and wandered the streets he often had such experiences.

He would feel engulfed by another power that controlled him and he unwittingly left a bunch of strange writings on pieces of paper.

At that time, the writings that Baraha had written were now kept in the temple as a prophecy.

It was funny to see them worshiping a completely different person as a saint, but he didn’t want to tell anyone that what he wanted was wrong.

There could be nothing more pleasing to him than to watch the collapse of Albraka, the Temple and this city from the closest distance.

A strange feeling he would never want to experience again, it stopped when Baraha headed to the Mogris Estate, as described in the last chapter of the prophecy.

Whether the world was destroyed or not, he went to the Mogris Estate to kill the prophecy’s protagonists.

The harsh swear words he had not used for a while constantly leaked out of Baraha’s mouth. It was because of the memories of his childhood.

“F*ck….”

It was the same back then as now. He took a piece of paper with the prophecy written on it in his hand and set out to find Yuriel.

It happened long ago, in winter.

Chapter 64

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The one who is at the lowest will rise to the highest.

Baraha lay on the dirty floor, staring at the writing on the wall. It was the writing he had written on the wall while losing his mind for a moment. Perhaps because he didn’t have a suitable writing instrument, Baraha, who had lost his mind, bit his finger and wrote everything on the wall.

The finger he bit was throbbing. If the wound was not treated promptly, it might become infected and require amputation of the finger.

He knows what he had written was a prophecy, but it was all useless anyway. The prophecy did not help Baraha.

He was always alone and suffered.

Baraha put the swear words he heard every day into his mouth.

“Shit, f*** you. What bullshit….”

Baraha’s place was a prison where they stayed for a while before being sold into slavery. It was a small room where even a small child could barely stretch out and lie down.

When he woke up, he could hear the cries of the children through the thin wall. Rumbling chains, screams, begging for release.

That, it was no use. This was a slave shop run by people worse than monsters. It would be better to pray for life in front of a monster.

There was no way these people would let them go just because they cried and begged.

“Oh, you who keep doing that bullshit. When are you going to give up?”

A man passing by Baraha’s place stopped when he heard his voice.

“If you’re sold, keep quiet. Why do you escape every time? Huh? I sent you to a good place.”

Baraha, who saw the man stop, raised his throbbing body to cover the words he had written.

The man said in a tone full of annoyance wasn’t interested in whether Baraha raised his body or not.

“Don’t escape this time. If you want to escape, don’t get caught again. If you wander around in the Imperial Capital, everything will come into our ears, you idiot.”

The man, who Baraha can only remember the face of,muttered, but he couldn’t hear it properly. When Baraha was unable to answer, the man clicked his tongue and withdrew.

The place where they decided to sell Baraha this time was the Temple and the Alchemy Tower. It was a place where no children ever have survived, so even if Baraha wanted to, it would be impossible to escape.

The man believed that his choice would be right this time.

The gang of slave traders were continuing their bets over Baraha’s escape. The man kept betting that Baraha couldn’t escape.

He lost money several times.

The man was hoping that Baraha would please die in the Temple this time.

After the man disappeared, Baraha rubbed the wall with the hem of his worn-out clothes. As he rubbed it until his arms were scratched, the words Baraha had written were smeared.

No one would care about the blood stains on the dirty walls.

He spit out swear words and fell to the floor again.

“Damn it, if they f***ed me, there’s no point.”

A harsh tone that was not suitable for a child continued.

It was Baraha’s lifelong wish.

＊＊＊

Children over ten were seated close to each other in a narrow carriage. The children sitting in the small carriage shuddered at the smell of each other’s bodies and the sensation of their skin sticky with sweat and dirt.

Baraha, who had gone through the same situation several times and had become numb, was drooping on the wall of the carriage.

In order to save even the slightest amount of power, useless emotional consumption and movement had to be restrained.

Baraha barely drank water when he was loaded onto the carriage. This was done because they knew Baraha would try to escape if he had the strength.

Baraha, who was leaning against the carriage with a small breath, listened to the voices of the men outside.

“… Go, Temple… .”

“Going to Albraka….”

Temple?

Baraha gave strength to his sagging body.

“I’m going to the Temple… ?”

Did they just say it was the Temple?

“Temple?”

“Is this carriage going to the Temple?”

“Shut up your mouth. They can’t hear you.”

The other children, who were weeping, whimpered and asked when they had heard his murmurs, looked at Balaha. Baraha narrowed his brow angrily and ordered the children to keep their mouths shut.

The children quietly shut their mouths at the harsh tone.

“The number that the priests said they needed…..”

“We’ll pick a few from there, and the rest of the children will go to the Alchemy Tower….”

As he put his ear close to the wall of the carriage and focused his attention, he could hear them more clearly.

Baraha felt hope for the first time and his eyes lit up.

Children who are needed by the Temple would be selected, and the children who were not selected were sent to the Alchemy Tower.

The Temple and the Albraka Knights order. Baraha had also heard a lot about that righteous group.

A place built to worship god and protect people.

The carriage was going to such a place. He didn’t know why they were buying children from slave traders, but there was no way they were going to do dirty work in the Temple.

The Temple that Baraha knew was such a place.

It was a place to gather those who were in low places. If sold to the Temple, there would be no more whipping, insults, and stepping on.

“They said they want about ten people in the temple….”

“Then we’re sending the rest to the Alchemy Tower, right?”

Baraha listened to their words and counted the number of children in the carriage. Sixteen. There were ten children wanted in the temple, so six would be sent to the Alchemy Tower.

Do they need an attendant to serve the priests? If so, he should look clean even a little bit, so that he would catch their eye.

Baraha pulled on his loose collar and tried to cover his unsightly body. There were many wounds in the exposed places, so he was more shabby than the other children.

As he looked at himself, another swear word came out through his teeth.

“Th, this, are, are we really, go, going to the Temple?”

One of the children on the other side asked in a terrified tone. The eyes of the child who fumbled and asked questions were filled with hope. He was a much neater kid than Baraha.

It appears that he was brought here shortly after being captured by a slave trader.

Unlike Baraha, the child, who had not yet become filthy, had a dull expression on his face. Baraha felt a sense of displeasure that the first place that child headed to was the Temple.

He knows it was not the child’s fault, but everything looks unpleasant once rolled in mud. While Baraha was too busy taking care of himself, he had no reason to answer the question of the child he had never seen before.

He had never had anyone help him, so he took it for granted.

He stretched out his feet instead of responding to the boy who had been staring at the hem of his clothes, which was cleaner than Baraha. Dirt on his shoes soiled the boy’s pants.

The boy cried and rubbed his pants. The place where the shoes, which had been covered with all sorts of dirt, passed, did not become clean. The more the child rubbed, the more the dirt spread like multiplying.

Eventually, one side of the child’s pants was all dirty. The child, who raised his head to protest, looked at Baraha’s sullen eyes and stopped.

There was a chilling spirit in Baraha’s eyes that flashed from the dark carriage. He looked more terrifying than those who had captured him.

When the child, who did not dare to fight back, curled up, the children who were close to Baraha moved aside to avoid him upon seeing Baraha’s annoyance from the side.

Baraha sat comfortably in the wide seat and organized his clothes.

The carriage began to move slowly. As the carriage moved, the children crouched down with a small scream.

“All down, all!”

“Won’t you get down quickly?”

The slave traders’ base was amongst the buildings on the street where the Temple was located. The base was not far from the Temple as the slave traders were located in the basement of a shop that was built between other shops.

They were able to get off the carriage not long after they got into it.

Thanks to this, he was able to avoid seeing children with motion sickness spitting vomit on the carriage today.

Baraha was the first to get out.

Baraha came out of the carriage and let out a small sigh. It was truly a temple. A white stone floor and a clean building caught his eye.

He looked around and saw a priest with almost white hair. White and black clothes. Those in white were slender, and those in black were stout.

Baraha watched them intently through his long, drooping hair. It was clear that those in black were knights of Albraka, and those in white were priests.

They were talking to the slave traders.

“You just have to choose whichever you want. You said ten this time?”

“That’s right.”

“You wanted them to be healthy, so I picked the most active ones.”

“He doesn’t look too good. Is he healthy?”

“Oh, that guy? He’ll be the healthiest guy. Even if it’s like that, he’s energetic….”

“Enough, send him to the Alchemy Tower.”

“What? really healthy… .”

Baraha felt the hope was extinguished.

When the front-most priest pointed to Baraha, the gang pushed him back into the carriage.

After the priests had chosen ten, the remaining children climbed back into the carriage. The space became more relaxed than at the beginning, but the cries became louder.

The road to the Alchemy Tower was long. A sour smell wafted from the carriage of crying children.

Baraha stretched his body in despair.

Children who were not chosen by the priests descended at the Alchemy Tower. Dark-faced alchemists dragged them into the Alchemy Tower.

It was a place full of strange equipment.

Chapter 65

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

It’s not a privately owned mansion, it’s the Alchemy Tower, so at best they’ll be slaves.

Baraha, who was thinking that way, saw the equipment in the room they were facing and felt his whole body cool down.

Sharp equipment, large needles, and white beds filled the room.

The number of beds was six, the same number as the number of children who had just arrived.

The children with restraints on their wrists looked around the room with the beds and closed their eyes. There was even a child looking at the bed and smiling. He didn’t seem to have found the ugly things in the corner of the room yet.

The alchemists who brought the children into the room spoke in small voices.

“We have to keep it in top condition, right?”

“For the time being, I think they need to eat well and get some exercise. These are the ones we barely got, so we have to use them for as long as possible.”

“That’s right. Even if they are in good shape, they can’t hold on for long once the experiment starts…. In that state, they will die in a few hours.”

“Especially that kid. It doesn’t make sense. If the experiment was conducted in that state, it would be difficult to tell whether he was going to die of the experiment or if it was his original condition.”

“And we have to wash all of them first. It smells so bad.”

The alchemists stopped murmuring and turned to the children. There was a foul smell in the room with no windows and no ventilation.

He pretended he didn’t hear what they said, and looked into the room with the bed like other children.

Hearing what the alchemists were saying made his mind wander, but in order to escape, he had to hold on to his mind. Once the restraints that bound both wrists are released, he must run away from this Alchemy Tower immediately.

He had a gut feeling that something worse awaited him than he had experienced when he became a privately owned slave.

Unfortunately, for the current situation, Baraha’s intuition has never been as sensitive and precise as wild animals.

It wasn’t the first time he sensed danger. However, the problem was that Baraha did not have the power to avoid it even if he sensed danger.

Even though he knew that danger was coming to him, he could not avoid it.

While Baraha was distracted by his thoughts, the alchemists called their servants and instructed them to take the children.

“Wash all of them clean.”

“The injured child, please heal the wound after washing it.”

The alchemist, who blocked his nose, said in a stern voice. After the alchemists finished their orders, the children were dragged out of the room.

“We, we, are staying here, are, aren’t we?”

One of the children leaving the room asked a question. He turned to the alchemist and asked when he was afraid of being dragged away by the servant’s hand.

“Hurry up and take them.”

“They should have been washed before being brought into the room.”

“Did you know it could smell like this?”

“It is clear that they took the clean children to the Temple.”

The alchemist said with a frown in his eyes. There was no sign of answering the child’s words.

The alchemists looked at the children and talked.

When the child who asked the question started crying because he didn’t receive an answer, the children who had been quietly looking around the room became noisy. It was troublesome to see him crying and holding out so as not to be dragged out by the servants.

Seeing the children being dragged by the servants’ arms, he quietly followed the servant. A struggling child was seen being hit in the head by a servant.

The servant who was in charge of Baraha was not overly harsh with Baraha, who quietly followed him.

As he left the room, he looked intently into the hallway that was visible through his piercing eyes. Unlike a room without a single window, there was a window large enough for a person to enter and exit in the hallway.

Adults wouldn’t fit, but if it was a small person, it was big enough to pass through. He looked through the window and remembered that he had entered the tower and followed the alchemists up the stairs.

At most, it was about three stories high. If he made a line with the blankets in the room and ran away, he would be able to escape without injury.

Baraha’s eyes, which were covered with his hair, moved busily.

The next important thing to look at was the presence or absence of guards.

There seemed to be no guards now, but they might stand guard later.

The servants arrived at the bathroom while Baraha was thinking of a way to escape. It was a clean and spacious bathroom.

The servants grabbed the children they were in charge of and washed their bodies clean. The servant in charge of Baraha murmured over and over, offended to get the dirtiest child, and poured water on Baraha’s body.

The hand rubbing the wounded body was relentless.

His whole body was throbbing, but it was much better than a festering wound because he was dirty, so he bit his lip and endured the pain.

After washing their bodies, the children all changed into clean clothes. It was a shirt with a number written on the chest.

When he returned to the room, he saw that the bed had a number on it as well. Children who were assigned a bed with their number on them had their wrists tied to the shackles attached to the bed.

＊＊＊

This week’s time since arriving at the Alchemy Tower was the most peaceful moment in Baraha’s life.

No one kicked him in anger because they were offended, no one giggled and urinated and told him to drink, and he didn’t write strange words in a crazy state.

Everything was perfect.

A balanced diet and snacks that came out at mealtime, and the warm room even though they were entering winter reassured Baraha, who was thinking of escaping.

Yes, everything was perfect. If it wasn’t for the wrists tied to the bed.

Baraha looked at the heavy chains binding his wrists. Without these, he might have thought of staying here longer.

But looking at the shackles reminded him of a conversation the alchemists had.

The reason for providing food and treating wounds was to proceed with the experiment.

For an experiment where they won’t last long even if the body is good.

The strange instruments and syringes they saw on the first day were not seen in the room, but when they were all asleep, he noticed that people came in, rolled up the children’s sleeves and drew blood.

And…. For number one, no blood was drawn. Baraha watched the child with sunken eyes.

Baraha’s eyes turned to the child sitting on the bed closest to the door. Unlike the children who had gained weight in the meantime, this child’s face was pale and tired.

The child, who could not even eat all the food and snacks from the meal, was leaning on the bed and breathing heavily.

He clearly saw with both eyes that they were not drawing blood, but injecting something to the child who sat on the first bed.

It was only the second day today that an unknown liquid was injected. But the child who was fine has already become like that.

Even if the child collapsed right away, it would not be surprising.

“It’s exercise time.”

Baraha, who was observing the child’s condition, nodded his head as he heard the servant loosening the shackles. As he went down the bed, the end of the shackles was held in the servant’s hand.

The situation with other children was similar. The servants in charge were loosening the children’s shackles and encouraging them to exercise.

“Oh, I don’t want to exercise….”

“Can’t I sleep more?”

“I don’t want to go out because it’s cold!”

“I want more snacks.”

Baraha was relieved that he knew everything, so unlike other children, he had nothing to say. The children began to whimper in front of the servants who wanted them to exercise.

A thin moan could be heard in the midst of the loud whining.

“I’m dizzy….”

It was the voice of the child sitting on the first bed. All the other children were talking so loudly that they did not notice the child’s abnormality.

“Can’t you get up?”

“Yes…. I’m so dizzy….”

“This won’t do. I should report to the researcher. Get out first.”

The child’s servant frowned and said. The annoyed look was evident.

As if the other servants found it troubling, they tapped the servant on the shoulder and left through the door. The kids going out to exercise were still whining.

Baraha followed the servant and left the door one last time, looking back for a moment.

The child who had been with him this week but he had never called his name once shook his lips and waved his hand slightly and told Baraha to see him later. (not literally come see me later, but when you part and say see you later!)

When he returned from exercise, the first bed had been cleaned up as if there had been nothing.

“There is more space.”

“Uh, where did the kid here go?”

“Did he go somewhere else?”

“He must have gone somewhere else.”

The faces of the servants, who were full of annoyance, were in contrast to the children who liked that the space was wider as before they had trouble clearing the beds.

No one cared about the missing child. Unlike Baraha, even the four children who were close with the child.

On that day, Baraha decided to make an immediate escape. At night, he will run away immediately after the alchemists have finished drawing their blood.

Baraha, who stole the key to the shackles from the servant’s arms, put the key under the pillow and waited for the time.

All preparations were perfect, but there was a peculiarity that Baraha didn’t even expect.

“Wh, what?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Tie it up… No, don’t tie it up for a second and wait. He is trying to write something.”

After taking the syringe from the alchemist who came in the middle of the night and stabbing the alchemist in the arm, Baraha lost his mind and started writing on his bed.

It was the goddamn prophecy that had never been helpful.

Chapter 66

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The five children who came together to the Alchemy Tower all died.

Watching the children die one after the other, Baraha prayed that it would be his turn next.

His turn did not come.

Baraha twisted his body and glared at those around him.

“Isn’t that some kind of sleep attack?”

“It happens even when he’s not sleeping.”

“I don’t think it was written of his own will.”

“Actually it is. I had him write it down, but he just shouted that it was something he didn’t know.”

“Whenever he opens his mouth, it’s just curses.”

“Oh, I guess he still wants to curse.”

“Why is he so filthy?”

The alchemists looked at Baraha’s face and spoke.

His hands could barely move enough to write, and his mouth was gagged. Baraha wondered if they wouldn’t curse if they were in the same situation as him.

It was the first time in his life that he thought it would be better to die.

He never thought that he wanted to die, no matter how worthless his life was.

These alchemists instilled in Baraha the perception that death was better.

All the children who came with him died. The slave traders would bring other children and refill the room, and Baraha would watch them die again.

“Two of the things he wrote have come true. Even if it does not reach a realization range, he can predict it, and even accidents that we have decided to make artificially can be detected.”

“The prediction that came out yesterday was supposed to be an accident, right”

“Yes.”

What Baraha foresaw was a lot of incidents that caused a lot of casualties.

The alchemists did not hesitate to create accidents to judge Baraha’s abilities.

“Setting the blast time to be non-fixable makes it unpredictable.”

“I guess he can only detect events that are sure to happen.”

“When the prophecy came out, he didn’t notice everything that was supposed to stop in the middle?”

“Yes. But to be sure, I’d like to make one more case.”

“Adjust it so that more than forty people could die. In the downtown area…”

Baraha felt disillusioned and looked at them. He wanted to curse , but it was lamentable that his mouth was blocked and he could only mumble.

“Well, it’s already dinner time. Let’s go.”

What was written on a piece of paper yesterday, Baraha also remembered. Among the many prophecies, it was particularly serious. Among the vaguely narrated prophecies, the death of a large number of people was attached with an ominous word.

Unprecedentedly terrible.

He didn’t know the meaning of the phrase ‘unprecedentedly’, but he knew what terrible meant. He often heard the word terrible.

It was a word often used by those who saw his appearance for the first time, or who abused him, pretending to be noble.

‘Look at that terrible thing.’

‘It smells terrible.’

Terrible was the word that meant Baraha’s condition.

It was a situation that really suited the word. To create an accident to prove a prophecy. It was as terrible as it could be.

Even so, there was no sign of guilt on the alchemists’ faces.

When it was the meal time, as usual, they chatted calmly and left the room.

“I’m glad there’s something about the Temple accident. If we make a deal with this information, the Temple will focus more on the Alchemy Tower.”

“The power of prophecy was originally held in the Temple, but how did it come to this?”

“Isn’t that an illegitimate child born in the Temple?”

Those who finished Baraha’s experiment were talking in a light tone.

There was no pity or compassion for Baraha in their voices.

The alchemists giggled and talked.

“Anyway, it’s to our benefit.”

“If the Temple finds out that they sent him to us, they will hit the ground and regret it.”

“There are many reasons to take him back, so we have to keep him a secret until the Temple finds out about the prophetic powers.”

“That’s right. Researchers with a light mouth are not allowed to even set foot in this way….”

“Anyway, the Temple guys are the problem. In front, pretending to be so elegant, but behind, giving illegitimate children….”

“Did you hear about the orphanage sponsored by the Temple? There is a child that the high priest brought. But, he brought the same child to the same orphanage a while ago….”

“Oh my God, there is no other devil… !”

“Right? I really don’t understand how they do that.”

“For such a young child, the punishment is… .”

“It seems that the high priest pressured not to punish him. Really terrible… .”

The voices of the alchemists who went out into the hallway continued faintly. He listened to the inaudible voices and barely heard their conversation. The voices through the door were not clear.

Several people were speaking at the same time, so their voices were more scattered. During their conversation, Baraha could only hear correctly that it was an orphanage sponsored by the Temple.

The word devil was mixed in the whispers. He didn’t know who the devil was, but there weren’t any more devils than those he had seen here.

The Alchemist Tower was a gathering place for devils worse than slave traders. Baraha bit his lips as he looked at the needle marks left on his arm and the traces of torture they had given him to write a prophecy.

In the slave shop, they abused Baraha, regardless of whether he would die or not. And the alchemists managed to treat Baraha so that he would not die and continue to write prophecies.

It wasn’t the first time he felt the pain where he wished he had died.

Knowing that the prophecy was not manifested by Baraha’s will, the number of tortures decreased, but they did not stop feeding him to make better use of him.

‘Who is the devil?’

Baraha bit his lips and pondered the conversation he had just heard.

‘There is an orphanage in the Temple… ?’

Baraha pondered, looking intently at the pen that was forcibly fixed in his hand.

Temple….

He thought that he would also have to escape and go to the Temple. He intuitively felt that if he went to the Temple, he would be able to meet something he wanted.

Baraha had expectations that had never gone astray.

‘Is it possible that I will be able to meet my parents? Even if it’s not my parents, I might find someone to protect me. It’s the Temple. The children who went to the Temple wouldn’t have to suffer like I did.’

Come to think of it, Baraha never knew about his birth. His circumstances made him unable to. Who would run around looking for their parents when they were in a hurry to run away to avoid abuse?

Baraha’s first memories began inside the cages of the slave traders. Since then, it has been a series of hardships for him.

He had no memories of the time before. He thought it was clear that his parents, who he could not even remember their faces, had sold him to slavery. However, that may not be the case.

Baraha, who was groping for a memory he didn’t want to think about too much, lifted his wrist and stared at the blank paper.

The alchemists firmly believed that everything Baraha wrote on paper was a prophecy.

Baraha never thought of writing anything other than prophecies. There was no reason for that, and it was difficult for him to come up with a crazy nonsense characteristic of his prophecies.

‘What should I write so that the alchemists will set me free?’

Disguised as a prophecy, he ambitiously held the pen on the paper to write to set him free.

“Fuck… ?”

The moment he was about to move his pen, Baraha noticed that the vocabulary he was using was quite limited.

He tried to write, but all he could think of was curses.

If the prophecy started with a shit, fuck, it was obvious that the alchemists would notice Baraha’s trick at once.

Baraha thought while constantly swearing.

For a while, he should expand his vocabulary by watching the prophecies he wrote and listening to the alchemists talk.

＊＊＊

Barhaha practiced his words by reflecting on the prophecies he wrote and the words of the alchemists. The tone of the alchemists was different from the tones of the slave traders Baraha always heard.

The alchemists spoke formally to each other, and their tones and accents were awkward. As he listened carefully to their voices, Baraha sometimes spoke without even realizing it, following their distinct tones.

Then he was horrified by the soft voice he spoke, shaking his body and shutting his mouth.

He didn’t have anyone he could have a proper conversation with, so the frequency of him speaking naturally decreased. He also found that spending time silently and idly was pretty good.

He was raised like an animal in a room without a window, and days of prophesying and writings followed.

It was around the time that Baraha had mastered the words frequently used in prophecies and the words of the alchemists. The alchemists occasionally spit out abusive language, but unlike the first time, they were relieved by Baraha’s calm behavior.

Baraha did not miss the gap in which their vigilance was loosened.

“Look at this.”

“This room is going to explode….”

“It is difficult to determine the exact date.”

“We have to move the room because the subject cannot get hurt.”

“There are no empty labs because the experiment is in progress, right?”

“No one knows about the prophecy except us, so we can’t tell them to empty the lab.”

“Then first, shall we move him to an empty room? He’s never been in trouble and he’s quiet.”

As he jotted down a prophecy that there would be an explosion in his room, he saw the alchemists making a fuss.

Baraha calmly drooped his body as if he had no intention of rebelling.

The alchemists seemed to have made a decision after seeing Baraha’s appearance.

“Let’s move him to an empty room.”

Chapter 67

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Even if he knew the way out in advance, he wouldn’t be able to get out without being noticed. As they moved Baraha for his experiment, he ran out of the Alchemy Tower with a book full of prophecies he had written down and encountered an alchemist.

It wasn’t difficult for Baraha to stab the alchemist, as the alchemist was bewildered when he saw Baraha.

He took the alchemist’s robes and put them on to hide his identity. It was unpleasant as the blood splattered on his clothes wet his body. The hand holding the book trembled intermittently.

It wasn’t difficult for him to stab people, and the sensations were far worse than he thought.

Baraha, clad in black robes, reached the temple street, avoiding the guards and slave traders. There were many slave trades on the temple street. It took a long time to get to the Temple to avoid them.

He barely reached the Temple, but he still couldn’t relax. People related to slave trading were wandering around the main gate. The situation in the other passages was similar.

‘Should I have come on another day?’

He clicked his tongue and found a place to hide.

Perhaps he had the wrong day, and there was a carriage going into the Temple that looked like it had come from a slave shop.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary carriage, but if looked closely, it was unusual. The carriage was covered with thick wooden boards so that the inside could not be seen. Opening the door was only possible by opening the lock from the outside.

It was common for carriages going far away to have that kind of security, but it was rare for a carriage moving within the Imperial Capital to have that kind of security.

‘It must have come to sell the children to be used as servants again.’

He frowned, thinking of the children who were lucky enough to have been sold to the Temple.

Baraha, who was grumbling, crossed the fence in search of a place where there were no guards. After he lightly climbed over the fence and entered the backyard of the Temple, he checked to see if the book he had brought was in place.

Killing the alchemist was unexpected. If it was found that the alchemist had been harmed, they would send him to the Guards immediately.

‘If I say that I can prophesy, the Temple will try to protect me.’

He was able to catch his breath only after confirming that the book was intact. Although blood was splattered all over the book, there was no difficulty in viewing the contents.

Baraha, who was walking around the back of the building looking for a priest who would listen to him, saw the children getting off the carriage and hid.

The slave trader who came out and the priest were talking. The slave trader said to the priest in a perplexed tone.

“This is the last. I have no more children to send. It’s not enough even though I bring all the kids we have collected for months here.”

Baraha, who was hiding, listened to their conversations.

“Aren’t we also helping with the handling?”

“Sending them to the Alchemist Tower? Do you have any children that you sent there?”

“Yes. But even to the Alchemist Tower is not enough….”

The conversation that followed made him laugh. Baraha let out a laugh and relaxed the hand that was holding the book.

When the fog that had been covering his eyes lifted, he was able to see reality with astonishing clarity.

Here and there. It was all in one group.

A feeling that he can meet something that he wanted? There was no such thing in the Temple.

For the first time, Baraha’s foresight went wrong.

That was also very big.

He had a cynical smile on his face.

“When the next group of children come in, I will send them to the Temple immediately.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you for your understanding. Priest.”

The slave traders backed away and disappeared over to where the children who got off the carriage was huddled.

Baraha sat down and flipped through the book.

There were prophecies about the future attack of monsters and the Saint who would save the Imperial Capital. The last chapter about the Saint was written just before escaping the Alchemy Tower.

‘As long as there is the Saint, the Imperial Capital can be safe from monster attacks.’

Even the alchemists hadn’t written it down yet.

Baraha crumpled the paper and looked at the letters. As he was staring blankly, he thought of that.

‘Do people living in the Imperial Capital need to know this?’

The sensation of stabbing someone was worse than Baraha had thought.

It was because he felt those feelings of intense liberation and freedom, at the collapsed alchemist. He felt relieved even though he thought he was a monster for feeling that.

He wanted to feel that relief again.

If people living in the Imperial Capital can’t find the Saint and die due to a monster attack, maybe he’ll feel that way again.

‘At that time, I think the relief will be greater than the horror.’

He leaned his head against the wall he was looking at and blinked blankly.

＊＊＊

“What are you? Oh, you can’t do that. Who are you?”

Even after the slave traders and priests had left, Baraha, who was sitting in the backyard idly, stiffened up at the sound next to him.

The sound that Baraha heard was that of a boy who had not gone through a period of puberty. He grabbed the dagger he had hidden, but he was discouraged by the young voice.

If he stabs an innocent child, there will be only disillusionment towards himself, not relief.

And this was the Temple. If the child screams when he sees Baraha holding the dagger, the knights guarding the Temple will come running to him.

As Baraha sighed and shook his head, the boy who called him spoke in a bewildered tone.

“Who are you? Ah…. I said it wrong…. I’m not used to it.”

There was a slapping sound as the boy was beating himself. Baraha covered his face with a robe and looked at the boy.

The blond boy looked at Baraha and flapped his lips. He had a paper and a pen in his hand. It caught his eye that on the paper in front of him had the words “Reflection” written at the top.

Is he an apprentice priest trying to become a priest?

“Did you sneak in?”

The boy tilted his head and asked. The boy who was touching his forehead with his hand holding the pen approached Baraha.

“Orphan?”

Baraha turned around, avoiding him.

“The orphanage is not here. This is where the apprentices of the Knights of Albraka live.”

“… Albraka?”

He remembered Albraka in the last prophecy and followed the boy’s words, and he smiled and nodded his head.

“Do you want me to guide you to the orphanage?”

“… pen.”

“Huh?”

“Give me the pen.”

As he was thinking about Albraka, he snatched the pen from the boy’s hand and opened the book when the boy asked a question.

“What the hell are you doing, no…. What are you doing?”

The boy who had lost his pen asked in bewilderment. Baraha, who was writing prophecies frantically, could not afford to answer his questions.

“What? What did you write so crazily?”

When Baraha stopped writing, the boy looked into the book with a curious face and frowned at the terrible handwriting.

“It’s a scribble. You’re making a weird scribble.”

“… Noisy.”

“I beg your pardon? Am I noisy?”

It was a letter that was hard for him to recognize. Baraha, who was reading the prophecy, struck the boy who was bothering him a little. The boy who complained louder made it difficult for him to concentrate.

After reading the text slowly, Baraha tore the page with the prophecy he had just written down. Then he threw the book and pen he was holding at the blond boy who looked at him and said,

“… you take it.”

“Why would I take this?”

The boy, who had an arrogant tone, spoke without hiding his sullen expression.

As he stood up, the robe covering the blood-splattered clothes fluttered. The boy shut his mouth when he saw the clothes he was wearing inside.

“… Have you been abused?”

“What?”

“If you come from bad circumstances, I can let you stay in Albraka for a few days.”

Seeing the bloodstains on Baraha’s clothes, the boy frowned and said. Seeing him extend his hand, Baraha hurriedly climbed up the temple wall.

“… I don’t need it.”

“You can stay here and go to the orphanage if there is a place….”

“Don’t need it.”

The boy sighed as he saw Baraha climb up the wall as swiftly as a cat.

The boy let out a short sigh and took off his coat and laid it on the floor.

“Okay, I won’t force you any more, so come down first. If you walk around like that, you’ll be caught by the guards and taken back? If you don’t want to go back, change into this.”

“… What kind of trick is this?”

“It’s not a trick.”

“Helio, where are you?”

“I have to go now, so do whatever you want. There is some money in my pocket, which should be enough for a few meals. Use it if you want. You don’t have to give it back.”

He heard someone raising their voice and looking for someone. The boy, who spoke awkwardly, heard the sound and ran out of the backyard of the Temple. Baraha looked around the quiet surroundings and then went back down.

As the boy said, the coat he left behind had money in it.

“A few meals… ?”

There were several gold coins he had never held in his hand. It was enough money to live three months alone, not just a few meals.

He seemed awkward at speaking respectfully, like he was the son of a noble family and was preparing to join Albraka.

Baraha changed into the clothes the boy had left behind and left the Temple.

He had just prophesied a destination, and he must be prepared to head there.

＊＊＊

A few days later, Baraha sneaked into a large carriage preparing for departure.

It was a carriage with the seal of a horse with its feet raised.

“Are you sure you have loaded all the items to be sent to the Mogris Estate?”

“Yes. I have loaded everything. You can leave right away.”

“Did you see it? The bodies of the children between the luggage….”

“Shh, watch your mouth… !”

“I’m so reluctant….”

“All we have to do is move the luggage according to the orders. It’s good to not care about the contents.”

The carriage loaded with all the items began to move. Baraha held the dagger and recalled the prophecy.

Chapter 68

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The carriage traveled an incomparably longer distance than when traveling within the Imperial Capital.

The trip would not have been possible if not for the money thrown by the boy he met at the temple. The food, water, and thick clothes he bought with the money made it worthwhile for Baraha to spend in the luggage compartment.

There he looked at the paper he had torn and thought about the prophecy.

An unwanted prophecy was written on a piece of paper. It was about the saint who would save the Imperial Capital, and some of the content was clearly describing Baraha himself.

And below that, the content that made him laugh continued.

“Why would I try to save someone I don’t even know their face?”

He bit his lips and muttered.

It states that the child represented by himself saves another child.

As far as Baraha knows, prophecies were unconditionally fulfilled. He didn’t know how to stop it. He could not find out on his own what the alchemists could not.

So to stop the prophecy, Baraha had only one option.

An ignorant but sure way. To kill the protagonist of the prophecy.

“If I don’t save…. Are they going to die?”

The paper he was holding was crumpled. Seeing them die, he thought he would die too. Baraha touched the dagger he had brought with him in his other hand and closed his eyes.

‘I wonder what they would look like. Judging from what was written, this kid must have suffered quite a bit….’

What they were going through and what they were thinking, he was a little curious.

How would they react if he told them about the prophecy, maybe they have a strange ability like him?

According to the prophecy, they can understand each other better than anyone else….

Baraha was exhausted. The sound of the carriage wheels rolling and irregularly rattling in addition to the low temperature, even in what was usually a difficult environment to fall asleep in, Baraha soon fell asleep….

He fell asleep in an uncomfortable position in the carriage that rattled.

＊＊＊

“It’s snowing too much.”

“It’s nice to be here. If it had snowed like this in the capital, everyone would have frozen to death.”

“What is that? When do you think a road will be built? If you have a road, you can go to the Imperial Capital in one day.”

“How do I know that?”

He could hear the porters talking. Baraha, who had fallen into a deep sleep, woke up with a frightening surprise.

Baraha was always vigilant so he was a light sleeper who woke even at the slightest noise. He was surprised at how deeply he slept last night.

He sensed nothing and slept soundly.

He looked at his hands and feet first, wondering if he might have been caught hiding in the luggage compartment. After confirming that he was not tied up, he exhaled in peace.

He traced his body and confirmed that the money, dagger, and paper with the prophecy were still intact. Baraha had been squatting down in one position and raised his aching body.

“Let’s check our luggage and enter the castle.”

“Tell the others to check it out, why don’t we go and have a drink? Isn’t the alcohol in Mogris a delicacy?”

“There is something important…. Hey, be good. Let’s go check it out.”

“I checked everything when we left, of course it’s okay! Let’s just check the number of carts and leave the rest.”

The porters giggled and passed the carriage, tapping their palms. Baraha, who was nervous about the door opening, shook his head.

He sprinted through the people who were busy checking the carriages and luggage. As he came out of the station where the carriages were stored, he saw a landscape of thick snow pouring down like what he had heard from inside.

It felt different from what he saw in the Imperial Capital.

It felt cooler and quieter. People in thick hats and clothes roamed the snow-covered streets.

Because it was winter, many people came to the store that sells firewood.

When he lived in the Imperial Capital, the clothes that felt quite thick looked like thin indoor clothes compared to the clothes of the people here. Baraha tried to avoid the eyes of those who glanced at his outfit, but since it was the first street he had come to, he had no idea where to hide.

“Yuriel, hey! Where are you going in that outfit?”

“Ack, hello! I’m going to pick up some branches before the snow piles up. I have no money to buy firewood!”

Baraha, who crouched his body away from people, stopped when he saw a child passing by him. She had light brown hair and green eyes.

A lively voice, as if it had never suffered before, echoed through the quiet street. Except for one thick glove, she was dressed similar to Baraha.

While she said she had no money, she showed no signs of shame. Baraha’s expression, who seemed to have no thoughts, contained pity as he looked at the child.

“It is dangerous to enter the forest when it is snowing. The sun will set soon.”

“It’s okay! I’ll be right back.”

“Yuriel! Even your clothes… ! Oh my, she’s already gone.”

Baraha moved his body before he could even recognize it in his head.

‘Yuriel.’

The person who called the child didn’t seem like a family member. He happened to be out on the street and saw a child passing by and talked to her.

‘That kid.’

Before Baraha even looked around the streets, he followed Yuriel whom he had found. The moment he saw Yuriel smiling as she answered, he was convinced that it was that child written in the prophecy.

For a moment, Baraha’s eyes saw only that girl. Among the snowflakes fluttering in the wind, Yuriel’s smiling face and green eyes that he met for a moment as she turned her face were clear.

He was a bit embarrassed as she appeared more cheerful than he had expected.

Unlike him, who was gloomy and depressed, Yuriel’s face was full of smiles.

‘Your name is Yuriel.’

He followed Yuriel as she ran down the snow-covered street.

Snow piled up on the light-colored hair that looked like it had been colored with cream and quickly melted away. Baraha frowned as he looked at Yuriel’s wet hair.

‘Everyone else is wearing a hat, so why are you not wearing anything? What would you do if you caught a cold… ?’

The sight of Yuriel running around with the snow on her gave him a bit of annoyance.

‘No one cares, so that’s why she’s going around like that.’

He came to a conclusion while recalling his own experiences. If he was correct about the protagonist of the prophecy, that child would have suffered a lot.

‘… It makes me a little confused as I keep looking at her.’

No matter how he looked at her, she did not look like a person who had suffered, it was vague. Baraha decided to watch the child for a few more days.

＊＊＊

‘Why do you leave that alone?’

Baraha clenched his fists as he watched the children giggle and threw snow behind Yuriel.

It has been more than ten days since he bought clothes and a hat to match the weather in Mogris and followed Yuriel. Winter was getting deeper, and Yuriel looked more pitiful than when he first saw her.

At first sight, Yuriel was so bright that Baraha’s eyes didn’t even notice it.

Her clothes were tattered perhaps by the amount of times they had been worn, and she goes looking for work without even having a proper meal every day. He followed her to her house to see what her living conditions were like, and even there he was speechless.

She spoke to the people around her in a friendly manner, but no one was there to help. Everyone was busy taking care of their own mouth.

Poor kid was beaten. It was better off dying than living.

It was pitiful to go looking for work, but it was made worse by the pranks played by children of the same age.

When he saw Yuriel shaking her body and shaking the snow as if she had gotten snow through her clothes, he got angry. Prominent bones were visible over her dry nape.

“Those fucking things… Why are you tormenting poor people anyway?”

Baraha, who spit out abusive language, bent his legs and crumpled his eyes.

Baraha had not seen Yuriel get angry or annoyed even now. She was consistently cheerful enough that someone would think she had no negative emotions.

She smiled and scratched her cheek even when she should be angry if she was a normal person. After that, the children would stop playing and go back as their interest waned.

It was the same this time. The child who threw snow said it was no fun and left to find other games. Baraha threw a snowball filled with a stone at the back of the child who threw snow at Yuriel.

“Ack!”

“You’re wearing a hat, don’t exaggerate.”

Ignoring the scream from behind, Baraha followed Yuriel.

Yuriel was on her way to the forest today. Hearing from a person who said that he would give food if she brought herbs, she went to look for the herbs.

Baraha took off the hat he was wearing and looked at Yuriel’s head.

‘Shall I give it? No, I’m here to watch you die, so what am I doing with the hat?’

Baraha nervously grabbed the hat and put the hat deep on his head again.

He has been very sensitive today.

＊＊＊

Baraha found out why he was sensitive all the time.

A terrible monster appeared in front of Yuriel, who headed for the forest behind the castle.

Dark skin, sharp claws, and a low growling sound made Yuriel freeze as if frightened. Because Yuriel did not have a proper basket, she had spread the hem of her clothes with her hands to hold the herbs. Due to the unexpected appearance of the monster, her hands lost strength.

The herbs she had gathered along with the drooping hem of her clothes all fell to the ground.

Baraha watched quietly.

He sensed that this was the moment he had been waiting for.

Chapter 69

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Fear was visible on her face that did not stop smiling no matter what she went through.

“Ah….”

A terrified voice came out. Baraha held a dagger that was too small to kill the monster in front of him and looked at Yuriel.

He came to see her die.

He has been watching Yuriel suffer for the past few days. Because she suffered so much, he thought that Yuriel would also want to die.

Even if Baraha kills the monster now and saves Yuriel, there would be nothing but suffering waiting for her.

If Baraha fights that monster with a small dagger, he would get a lot of wounds, and he would need a lot of money to treat the wounds. Getting food to eat while recovering, clean water and clothes to keep wounds from getting infected; all would need money.

Neither Baraha nor Yuriel had such money.

Yuriel, who he had been watching until now, has not been able to turn away from the wounded just to protect herself. If Baraha stepped in and got hurt, she was the kind of person who would somehow make money to pay for his treatment.

Baraha tightly closed his eyes when he looked at Yuriel’s skinny body revealed through the hem of her tattered clothes.

‘You’d better die here.’

The terrified voice, the sound of Yuriel running away from the monster, and the terrifying sound of stepping on the snow filled Baraha’s ears.

The sound of footsteps in the snow made his spine shiver. If death had footsteps, he thought that it must sound like that.

Baraha bit his lip at the terrible sound, but didn’t cover his ears. He came to watch the moment Yuriel died. If Yuriel dies, he would die right after her.

Baraha grabbed a dagger that didn’t even stand properly as a knife and aimed it at his neck.

Yuriel’s screams were getting louder and louder. Whether she knew there was no one around, or whether she thought there was no one to help her even if she asked for help, Yuriel’s scream was not directed at anyone.

Please help me or save me. Baraha did not hear the pleas he often heard when he was held captive by a slave trader.

That made him even more heartbroken.

Yuriel will die like that without ever asking for help because Baraha turned a blind eye.

He opened his closed eyes and let out a swear word.

‘I can’t let you die like that.’

At least, he wanted to see that stupid, irritable kid yelling at the kids who had bullied her.

In the end, as predicted, while preparing to run to rescue Yuriel, Baraha saw a boy running in front of Yuriel ahead of himself.

He was a boy with black hair like Baraha.

And he was a boy in neat and noble attire, unlike Baraha. His complexion was not very good, as it did not go with his outfit. He had a pale face, as if he had eaten poison.

Baraha watched the agile boy from less than ten steps away.

The boy with a pale face held Yuriel, who had fallen in front of the monster, in his arms and rolled on the snow-covered ground. Blood poured from the boy’s back, which had been cut by the monster’s claws.

Still, it was a face without a single expression. Yuriel was looking at the boy’s face as if possessed by something.

Baraha’s heart pounded uncomfortably as he watched it.

The boy got up after Yuriel and took care of the monster. Like a skilled hunter, he slaughtered the monster in one breath, then slashed the monster’s body with his sword and pulled something out of it.

The boy pulled out something black and round and put his sword right into it. Confirming that the monster was drooping, the boy turned his body.

Everything was as natural as flowing water. It was as if he had encountered such a monster many times before.

The boy turned to Yuriel and frowned, tightened his sword-holding hand and pulled himself forward, then tilted his head and stretched his hand.

He seemed to be judging whether the one in front of him was an enemy or not.

It was not something to do in front of a child who seemed to have no power. The person exhibiting such behavior was also a child, but he was holding a sword.

“In, injured.”

“… injured?”

“Yes, injured…. Ack!”

“If you are attacked by a monster, you have to do a test. I don’t know what the reaction will be.”

“What? No, I wasn’t injured…. Wa, wait a moment?”

Blood was still dripping from the boy’s back who stabbed the sword. Yuriel, who first came to her senses, stuttered, and the boy looked at Yuriel with gleaming golden eyes.

His eyes that didn’t seem to show any emotions turned towards Yuriel, and he threw his sword to the ground. Then he put Yuriel on his shoulder as if carrying her, and started walking through the forest, stepping on the snow.

Yuriel tried to push him away with a bewildered look on her face, but found a long ripped garment and a visible wound, and raised her hand in helplessness.

Her face flushed red from the strain on her body as she tried to keep herself from touching his wound as she slid over his shoulders.

Yuriel said in a suffocating voice.

“Th, thank you for saving me. Well, if you tell me your name, I’ll be sure to repay you.”

“Raphlet.”

The green eyes that had originally shone brightened even more. Watching them disappear, Baraha unknowingly stepped forward.

The sound of snow being stepped on was heard, followed by the sound of Yuriel talking to the boy.

“Sir Raphlet, this is the direction to the castle! If the knights see you, they will chase you away, so you have to go somewhere other than this place… ! If you drop me off, I’ll guide you. So that you can be treated for your wounds, money….”

They just met, and even though she only knew his name, she was talking to him in a voice full of familiarity.

Standing where only the corpse of the monster was left behind, Baraha watched them disappear from a distance.

For some reason, it was hard to erase the feeling that Baraha had lost what he had. He had only been following and watching Yuriel for a few days.

Baraha, who had stopped there for a while, followed the footprints left on the snow.

The prophecy was wrong. However, there was no case where the prophecy ever went wrong, so there is a possibility that now may not be the time of the prophecy.

He remembered seeing the prophecy to save Yuriel from a monster’s attack, but Baraha seemed to have forgotten it.

‘Perhaps Yuriel, who was dragged away by that child, might be in danger of dying.’

Baraha started following the footsteps, and gradually went faster. He was quickly running down the downhill road.

Baraha was soon out of breath and fell twice while running downhill. The hat that came down obscured his view, and the second time he fell, he threw it away.

“Wait, where!”

“It’s a place you shouldn’t go into!”

As they entered the maintained streets, the footprints faded. Baraha, who was following the traces left on the thin snow, looked up at the spear blocking his body and raised his head.

The boy had headed to the castle in the Mogris Estate.

Baraha remembered his neat attire and his skillful movements as if he had been trained.

Raphlet. It was soon discovered that the name was the name of the successor of Grand Duke Mogris.

＊＊＊

“Lord Raphlet, it doesn’t hurt? Really? The doctor told me to be careful because the wounds haven’t healed yet…..”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s really okay if I go alone. You can go and rest now. I will return with my things soon!”

“I want to go with you. Can’t I?”

“No! Don’t say nonsense!”

“Then let’s go together.”

“Ah, yes.”

Yuriel, who had been taken by Raphlet and entered the castle, came out on the street a few days later. Baraha, who had been walking around the castle, saw them come out together and followed behind them.

She came out with a much better face than when she entered. Yuriel was wearing a thick robe and was holding Raphlet’s hand.

How she had become very fond of him over the past few days, Yuriel looked at Raphlet’s condition, as she grumbled with each step he took.

On the street, Yuriel, who always looked around and exchanged greetings with people she saw, was paying all her attention to Raphlet without noticing people who were looking at her and saying hello to her.

While they were walking, the children who always bullied Yuriel, found her and started throwing snowballs at her. Raphlet pulled Yuriel’s hand towards him. The snowballs thrown naturally hit Raphlet’s head.

Raphlet shook his hair indifferently.

Yuriel, trembling as she watched Raphlet shaking his head, released Raphlet’s hand, looked at the children and picked up a large stone.

The knights who came out with Raphlet stopped Yuriel, who was screaming and throwing stones.

Yuriel did not hesitate at all, even as she watched the blood flow on the head of the children who had been stoned. The knights who tried to scold the children for their ferocious behavior were to the point of bewilderment.

“Yuriel. It’s okay, so calm down.”

“Lord Raphleett…. Your hair got wet from the snow…. You’re hurt and not feeling well, so what if you catch a cold?”

Yuriel cried and said to Raphlet as she was restrained in the knight’s arms. Raphlet’s expressionless face softened when he saw Yuriel grieving with tears falling down.

Raphlet took off his gloves and wiped the tears from Yuriel’s cheeks, and said in a relaxed voice.

“Let’s hurry and go back and have a cup of hot tea together. It’ll be okay right?”

“Yes….”

“Now that she is calm, release her.”

“Yes.”

As the knight loosened his hands, Yuriel quickly clinged to Raphlet’s arm and sniffled. She glanced around with eyes full of vigilance, even though she was sniffling.

The look on her face was wary that someone might throw snow again.

Baraha watched everything. Yuriel, who didn’t seem to have any negative emotions, was actually angry, worried, and even cried when Raphlet got struck with the snow.

The boy’s face, which had no expression on it when he saved Yuriel, had softened.

An unknown displeasure crept across Baraha’s face.

Baraha couldn’t shake the thought that he had lost his place.

Chapter 70

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

When he came to his senses, Baraha was still alone. Since Yuriel was not dead, the possibility of the prophecy being fulfilled remains the same.

Everything was the same, but one thing had changed.

The person next to Yuriel wasn’t him, but a child named Raphlet Mogris who suddenly appeared. Born as the heir of Grand Duke Mogris, Raphlet was fed well and lived well, he was the one who took away the only person who would be by his side.

Baraha pressed the palm of his hand against his uncomfortably rumbling chest.

It was still snowing at the Mogris Estate. He had to endure a long and harsh winter to watch Yuriel.

Baraha stayed in the estate, working for a low wage in a shop selling firewood. It was fortunate that there were no bad slave traders here.

While living in the castle, Yuriel’s face, who occasionally appeared on the street, was getting brighter every time he saw it. The unpleasant feelings subsided a little.

When he looked at Raphlet’s face next to her as if it was natural, his lips were sticking out.

Her skinny body gained weight, and her cheeks became plump. Yuriel, who looked lively even when skinny, looked more youthful.

Baraha thought that was a good thing.

He wondered why he was so concerned about Yuriel, who he only peeped from behind and never spoke to.

“Excuse me, I’m here to buy firewood.”

Baraha stared blankly at Yuriel’s face in front of him and pondered. It seemed that she went out alone without Raphlet today. Yuriel, who was always clinging to Raphlet’s arm, was fiddling with her gloves.

The gloves Yuriel was wearing were light brown. The gloves he was holding with his bare hands now were black. Instead of his, she had received Raphlet’s gloves.

He held the gloves preciously and did not put them on, so he could see his fingers bent in the cold.

He lowered his gaze and his lips twitched grimly.

Yuriel, who was facing Baraha with his hat pressed down and his hair growing messy, she could not see him well except for his lips who spoke as if it was strange.

Yuriel waved a hand in front of Baraha. She seemed to make sure he was looking at her.

He asked, squinting his eyes.

“… firewood? Did you come alone to buy? How are you going to take it… ?”

“I won’t take it, I’ll order it by the family name! And I’m not alone, the knight is watching over there.”

As she said, an armed knight was sharply wary of Baraha. He raised his eyes as if to warn him to refrain from useless conversations.

Baraha replied sarcastically.

“Ah. You’re right.”

“But who are you? It’s my first time seeing you. Since when did you work here? Your face is invisible because of the hair. Isn’t it convenient to cut a little bit?”

“No, I… .”

Yuriel’s eyes lit up and stuck to Baraha. He shrugged his shoulders as he looked at her friendly eyes and stepped back.

Yuriel didn’t seem to know what kind of expression she was making when she looked at Baraha. It was like meeting an old friend. She used to be friendly when she met people, but not to the extent that she was now.

Baraha was bewildered by Yuriel’s innocent attitude.

She didn’t wish for anything, her gaze was only out of goodwill. Yuriel, who was holding Raphlet’s gloves, put the gloves into her pocket and reached out to Baraha’s hair.

“If you like to have your hair down, it should be fine if you cut it up to this point. You can’t even see well now.”

Yuriel said in a playful tone.

“You’re uncomfortable too, right?”

A hand touched his wavy hair. Baraha stiffened at the touch of the fingertips near his eyebrows. Since she wasn’t wearing her gloves, Yuriel’s finger touched his forehead. Heat rose to his cheeks as her fingers combed through his hair that rubbed near his eyebrows. Even the ears that were covered with the hat felt hot.

Perhaps because he was outside all day, Yuriel’s fingers gave a particularly refreshing feeling. Surprised by the sudden touch, his chest fluttered and jumped.

“Your name is… .”

As Baraha flapped his lips and quietly received Yuriel’s hand, the knight waiting behind her approached and grabbed Yuriel’s wrist.

He was quietly watching Yuriel from the side but stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

“Remember that Lord Raphlet told you not to talk to strangers? Did he say that if you don’t come back soon, he won’t let you go out on errands alone from now on?”

“Of course I remember. That’s what Lord Raphlet said!”

“Then we should place the order and go back.”

“Yes, I’ll go back soon.”

When the knight spoke of Raphlet, Yuriel immediately withdrew her attention from Baraha. Yuriel took out the glove she had put in her pocket and started looking at the type of firewood with a hum.

The fact that Yuriel lived in the castle as the exclusive maid of the heir to the Grand Duke was now known by all the villagers.

The shop owner came out and recommended a tree that smelled good and was expensive to Yuriel. Yuriel asked about it with a serious face and ordered the firewood he recommended as if satisfied.

“It’s done, Sir knight.”

“Alright, let’s go back.”

“It is a fragrant tree. It would be nice if Lord Raphlet likes it.”

“It was your choice, so he’ll like it.”

Yuriel left the shop without saying goodbye to Baraha. There was a lot of anticipation in the voice talking to the knight.

Seeing Yuriel’s appearance, who didn’t care about him, Baraha felt even more desperate about the value of the position he had lost.

If he had saved Yuriel without hesitation. The person to whom that unconditional love would be directed….

Baraha closed his eyes burning with jealousy and stopped thinking.

＊＊＊

As the seasons passed and the relationship between Yuriel and Raphlet deepened, Baraha came to a point where he was disinterested in everything.

He had to stop the prophecy, so he thought about killing Yuriel, but seeing them live happily like that, his hands didn’t move.

After repeating this several times, he hoped in his heart that Yuriel stayed safe.

Since the day Yuriel came to buy firewood with the knight, Baraha hadn’t talked to her. It was because the knights had strangely checked Baraha.

If there was any child with whom Yuriel continued a conversation, they were all targets of the knights’ checks. Baraha guessed that Raphlet Mogris had a tenacious attachment to Yuriel than expected.

“There must be two of us, so even if I die alone, it won’t be as prophesied.”

Baraha decided to end his life wandering the estate like a vagrant.

When he decided to die, everything became insignificant. Baraha looked around the familiar streets of Mogris and turned his back without any regrets.

‘Let’s go back to the Imperial Capital.’

If Yuriel was happy, he wanted to be alive, but there were so many people in the Imperial Capital that he would kill even though he felt happy.

Baraha, who returned to the Imperial Capital, also cut his hair neatly in his own way. He glanced down the street, pulling his short hair back.

As he always walked through the frozen streets of Mogris, he slowly walked along the Imperial Capital with a slow gait. No one recognized the changed physique and gait, and the clean appearance compared to the past.

After passing through the streets around the Alchemy Tower, he came to Temple Street.

“There was a carriage that came from Mogris. I want to see if there are any useful items, but they were all loaded into the Temple.”

“The carriages from there go to the Temple every time.”

“I know. Why do the Temple always pick the good things first? I’m angry…..”

A man who Baraha knew the face of passed by his side, hit his chest and turned his head. He was the man who he had seen his face in the slave trade. He said while pointing a finger at Baraha’s back.

“Doesn’t that look like someone?”

“Who?”

“There is a guy who escaped well in the past. He was sold to the Alchemy Tower and died.”

“It looks like him. Just seeing him move gives me goosebumps. Like a mouse, he only walked around in the dark. I don’t know if that stands out more.”

“Well, if you look closely, except for the color of the hair, that is a completely different person.”

Baraha was bothered that they didn’t even recognize him.

They continued their conversation as they passed Baraha.

“I still regret that I didn’t go to Albraca when I was young. I should have known that paladins like women, and all good things.”

“It’s scary to see people let it go even if they kill people.”

“There is no identity restriction, but I don’t know why there is an age limit. I am more confident in trying than the younger ones.”

“Are you talking about using your strength? I saw you with a girl yesterday….”

“Why are you talking about yesterday? Yesterday was because I was drunk! If I had been fine, I wouldn’t have come out until morning!”

“Hey. Do you know why those girls like you? You’re done so quickly….”

“Noisy, won’t you shut up?”

One of the people lowered their voices and said sarcastically. The gossip went on and on. Baraha, who had been listening to the small voice, touched his ear, which was displeased by hearing the terrible story.

‘I’ve heard something worthwhile though.’

Information about Albraka was what Baraha wanted the most right now. He didn’t need them all, but there were a lot of people he wanted to kill.

Baraha, who joined Albraka for a more effective revenge, met a familiar face after some time. It was a man he thought he would never see in the Imperial Capital.

“My name is Raphlet.”

Raphlet Mogris came to the Imperial Capital without Yuriel.

＊＊＊

“I killed them all, but where is the bastard?”

It had been a long time since he had killed the slave traders on the Temple Street, but the fact that their nest were not removed was a disappointment.

Baraha searched for a place where Yuriel would be, following the prophecy he had written a few days ago.

“If I find them this time, I will have to dry out all the seeds.”

The knights of the Princess frowned and followed Baraha, who was constantly spitting out swear words.

Chapter 71

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Baraha followed Yuriel’s trail and went out into the street. Prophecies were always vague, and it was up to those who see the prophecies to interpret them.

It used to be easy to interpret, but it took him a while to figure out because he hadn’t read the prophecy for a long time. According to the prophecy, Yuriel was a saint. Had it not been for the fact that the saint was in danger, these prophecies would have been burned as soon as they were written.

In fact, Baraha had a history of burning them without reading the prophecies he wrote before going to the Krug Ruins.

The first prophecy he read in detail after having not read them in a long time was very different from the past.

‘In particular, the content about the saint has changed a lot.’

In the prophecies written before, the saint was a being that was created to oppose demons.

Baraha thought as he looked at the paper that mentioned the saint.

It was written that the saint would be threatened by people, not monsters. Up to that point, he could have taken it as a warning of Yuriel’s danger.

What followed was a problem. He couldn’t understand the meaning of a saint getting closer to a monster.

Baraha’s brow furrowed as he recalled the moment when he had lost his place a long time ago.

At the moment when Yuriel was saved by Raphlet, something seemed to have gone terribly wrong.

The saint saves those in the Imperial Capital? That’s nonsense.

Baraha hated the people in the Imperial Capital. He did not understand the fact that he would kill monsters for them in the prophecy he had.

But maybe, he would sometimes imagine what it would be like if Yuriel and him had met at the Mogris Estate and lived together until now as planned. He wondered if he might have changed his mind.

As he looked around the noisy streets, the knights in Albraka’s uniform approached him.

The paladins who recognized Baraha approached him. Baraha greeted them and crumpled the paper in his pocket.

One of the knights stepped forward and said. An annoying look was evident.

“I have received a message from the Princess.”

“During the festival, pickpockets are extremely common, so you have been told to strengthen your vigilance. We will take care of the street security, so you can go back to the Princess. Commander Baraha.”

“Pickpocketing is not a problem.”

“What?”

Even though they looked annoyed at being dragged out during the festival, they spoke well. Baraha suppressed his irritated mind and took time to explain to the knights.

“Yuriel has been kidnapped. I have found traces of her being dragged by slave traders and is pursuing them.”

“Are you saying that Miss Yuriel was kidnapped?”

“Shi…. I said so.”

Seeing the knight muttering what he had said with round eyes, Baraha tried to spit out a curse and turned away. The paladins raised in the temple are only old-fashioned people who thought they were being challenged to a duel when they heard abusive language.

They have to go rescue Yuriel, so he mustn’t make things more troublesome.

The knights murmured in surprise. One of them said quickly.

“I will report to Commander Raphlet, who is the direct supervisor of Miss Yuriel!”

The knight ran towards the Temple before Baraha could even stop him.

Baraha pondered for a moment while looking back at the Princess’ knights and the knights belonging to the Temple. He was going to go to the place where the slave traders are now and kill all the people there.

He was guessing which one would be more helpful in the process.

The Princess’ knights have a heavy mouth. If Baraha asks them to keep quiet about this, they would bury the slave trader for what Baraha took the lead in dealing with.

However, using that as an excuse, there was a possibility that the Princess would try to summon him.

The Paladins would help deal with the slave traders if Baraha ordered them, but they would report directly to the upper management, and there was a possibility that the Temple that had traded with slave traders in the past could impose sanctions on Baraha.

After thinking for a while, Baraha looked back at the knights of Albraka and said.

“You strengthen the street boundaries so that no other damage occurs.”

Even if it bothered him a little, he thought it would be better to get help from the princess.

＊＊＊

As soon as she regained consciousness, her head throbbed. Yuriel curled up, rubbing the back of her sore head, but when her fingers touched it, the throbbing pain got even worse, so she removed the hand that touched her head.

There was blood on her fingers. She didn’t know how long it had been, but the blood was still oozing out.

Yuriel didn’t get up and remembered the words she had heard from the medical officer. It was what he said while Yuriel watched a knight who passed out due to a head injury during training.

There was a time when Yuriel, who was bored while staying in the infirmary, helped the medical officer treat him.

The medical officer, whom she hasn’t seen often since being disciplined by Shudmuel, was a talkative and easygoing person, so he was happy that Yuriel helped and showed off his medical knowledge.

‘Sometimes people come in with head trauma during training.’

‘He passed out, and he was bleeding…. Isn’t that serious? They need to get treatment right away. Why are you talking, medical officer?’

‘If it bleeds out like this, it’s fine. Internal bleeding is more serious. You’ll have to keep watching him, but he’ll be fine. The knights treated him well and came to the infirmary afterwards. He fell and didn’t move his head much, didn’t he?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s a relief.’

Having said that, the medical officer lifted his eyelids to examine the reflexes of his pupils, and checked his pulse. Concerned that the medical officer was just fluttering his mouth in front of a fainted person, she looked at the medical officer with a bandage, and she checked the condition of the patient with an awkward face.

Yuriel groped her eyes as she recalled what the medical officer had done, realizing she couldn’t check her reflexes, so she put her hands together and lay in an upright position.

Well, first, to not move her head. She must have moved a lot when she was brought here….

While lying down, Yuriel remembered what had happened to her.

She remembered that someone had come into the alley and hit her head.

Those who hit her head said that they would also take the child Yuriel was persuading. Yuriel lay down and looked around with only her eyes open.

When she looked away from the low wall, she saw an iron fence. It was a small prison that could barely hold one person. Unlike Yuriel, who was lying quietly, the surroundings were quite noisy.

It sounds kind of familiar….

Raphlet was always by her side, so she wasn’t afraid, but when she was alone, it was the sound that Yuriel feared the most.

It was the sound of a monster that could be heard from a group of monsters. Yuriel forgot that she had to calm down first and got up.

She didn’t know if it was because she got up in a hurry or because she had been hit in the head, but she felt a bit nauseous.

Yuriel looked around and was terribly surprised.

Most of the things imprisoned in the surrounding prisons were monsters. The child brought with her was nowhere to be seen.

The place where Yuriel was imprisoned was a prison infested with monsters.

Among it, there were also monsters that looked quite strong.

“Is, is it a dream… ?”

Yuriel sighed as she blinked her eyes hard and recited them.

She wished this was a dream, but she didn’t feel the sense of a dream.

In reality, she felt like she was going to burst into tears in fear as she thought she was lying among the monsters.

There were still many things I haven’t been able to do with Raphlet.

Being alone among the monsters, she immediately thought of death. Yuriel, who was brimming with tears, crouched to avoid hearing the cry of the monsters, felt the sensation of an object caught next to her leg, and found hope.

“Baraha!”

There were times when Baraha was helpful!

It was unknown where the robe that was covering her face had gone, but the disassembled gun she had hidden all over her body, as Baraha said, remained on her body.

It was a problem that the box containing the monster core was stolen, whether it looked important or not, but compared to her life, a stolen monster core was not important?

Yuriel took out the barrel attached to the garter belt and was thrilled.

Baraha, thank you so much. Do you have any foresight?

If he was in front of her, she would have said so to Baraha.

She’ll have to ask Baraha if there’s anything she can do for him after she got out.

Yuriel skillfully assembled the gun. The gun found its form in an instant. She became proficient enough to assemble even with her eyes closed, so she was able to assemble a gun quickly even in the dark.

In her heartfelt thanks to Baraha, Yuriel rose from the spot.

From the lack of light, this place seemed to be underground. Yuriel took a deep breath and checked to see if there was anyone around.

The cries of the monsters were so loud that it was difficult to grasp. The good news was that there was a possibility that the sound of a gun would be buried by the cries of the monsters.

The monsters were making such a loud noise, what must have been done to prevent it from being heard outside?

Yuriel pressed her chest, which was pounding with tension, and put her finger on the trigger. There were no restraints, as if the kidnappers thought she would not be able to escape.

She pointed her gun at the locked doorknob and pulled the trigger, and a loud noise echoed through the basement. After hearing the sound, the monsters became quiet for a moment, and then started to cry louder.

Yuriel pushed the open door and pushed the iron bar away.

Every time she passed through the iron bars, the eyes of the monsters were fixed on Yuriel. She carefully turned her gaze away from the monsters who were trying to approach her that slammed their bodies against the iron bars.

As she kept going forward she saw a staircase going up.

Yuriel went up the stairs slowly, looking back at the monsters trapped. Even while climbing, she was worried about the strangely trapped monsters and kept looking back.

Seeing them locked up reminded her of the monster she had seen at the Krug Ruins. Monsters who were working.

The monsters she had always feared looked sad for the first time. It was a very small amount, but she still felt the same emotions as back then.

She would rather they be killed and the cores extracted, what are they going to do with the monsters locked up like that?

Yuriel thought while raising her eyebrows because of her throbbing head whenever her heart was beating greatly.

Did you know that SE’s manhwa has been released?
What do you think of it? :p
I have shared some snippets on the group discord, do come by and chat~!

Chapter 72

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

As she climbed all the stairs, a heavy-looking door appeared. She put her ear to it, but there was no sound from the other side.

Yuriel pointed the gun forward and opened the door.

She could see a dark hallway just like the basement. In the middle of a short hallway, there were rooms with closed doors.

There were two places where the light leaked under the door.

Yuriel was about to walk forward, but as soon as her feet touched the floor, she was surprised by the loud sound of her shoes and turned back.

She was startled by the sound of her footsteps….

She thought someone was walking.

Hesitating, Yuriel took off her low-heeled shoes and placed them inside the door leading to the basement.

She can protect herself for a while because she has a gun, but she doesn’t know how many people are here, so she has to get out of there as undetected as possible.

The luminous rooms were located side by side at the end of the hallway.

Yuriel moved more carefully than when climbing the stairs. Her mouth was dry.

She walked through the hallway, feeling the creepy, tickling sensation of blood flowing from her wounded head down the back of her neck.

In the room where no light was leaking under the door, the sound of something rattling was leaking out little by little. In one room she heard the sound of a monster, and in another room she heard the suppressed voice of a human.

After walking through a long hallway and arriving in front of the door that was leaking light, she began to hear people arguing inside.

Yuriel stopped at the sound from the door on the right. They were shouting so loudly that even Yuriel beyond the door could accurately hear the conversation.

No sound could be heard from the opposite room on the left.

Ignoring their conversation and going out of the hallway, Yuriel looked at the door and sighed.

It didn’t open. The door here was locked.

It was dark and she couldn’t see well, so she fumbled with the doorknob and touched a hole in the middle for the key. Yuriel bit her lip and touched the door.

Maybe they’ll hang the key next to it.

She carefully touched the side of the door, but nothing came out.

If she shoots from here, the screaming people in the room on the right will run out and subdue Yuriel.

Yuriel tried to calm her dizzy head and listened to the sound from the room on the right.

“She’s a Temple person!”

“Did you bring a woman whose face was on the newspaper here? What were you thinking, you ignorant bastards!”

“She was wearing a robe, so we did not know that.”

“How are you going to deal with it, huh? It is said that the monster core that the child had was also stolen from that woman, and if you keep it, it means that you are a lucky person in the Temple.”

“We can’t even sell the monster core. If we sell it, we will be caught right away.”

“Think about what you’re going to do with that woman before someone comes from the Temple!”

“It’s difficult if there’s a body left. What about throwing it to monsters as food and burning all of her clothes and belongings?”

“It’s not worth it. How much money would we have if we sold her?”

“Money is not the problem, you idiot!”

“We are going to die right now, is money a problem?”

Vicious conspiracies came and went.

After listening to their conversation, Yuriel tried to calm herself down while trying to catch her breath. If she had waited for the Temple to come to rescue her, she would have almost died.

One person proposed to sell Yuriel as a slave, but he got a lot of pushback. While listening to the loud conversation for a while, Yuriel checked the doors in the hallway one by one.

Most were locked. The only unlocked door was the room opposite the arguers.

After completing the check, Yuriel, who was about to return to the basement inside the hallway, noticed that the noise from inside had stopped.

She could hear people walking down the hallway as if they were about to come out of the hallway, who had stopped the meaningless argument.

“For now, kill the woman immediately and feed her to the monsters.”

“Go down to the basement and deal with it….”

The hallway was too long to return to the basement. Hearing the sound of footsteps getting closer, Yuriel had no choice but to open the only other unlocked door.

Yuriel went into the room without even checking the inside, and soon heard people rumbling from the opposite room.

“Deal with it without leaving a trace.”

The sound of opening the locked door and the sound of going into the basement were divided.

Yuriel put her ear close to the door and heard the sound.

Please, leave the door open. Please.

The sound of the door opening at the end of the hallway was heard, footsteps of several people leaving, and the sound of closing the door. Unfortunately, there was the sound of people locking the door after them.

Yuriel closed her eyes tightly.

They locked it and left.

Yuriel let out a long sigh and looked around. If they soon confirm that Yuriel was not in the basement, the people will be running around looking for Yuriel.

Before that, anything that might be of some help….

“Gasp….!”

As soon as she looked around, she screamed. Yuriel covered her mouth and opened her eyes wide.

That monster…. right?

The monster with a leash was staring at Yuriel silently. Yuriel, seeing the brightly shining eyes of a monster, frowned at the strange feeling.

The wolf-like monster had a leash tied around its neck and a muzzle over its mouth.

Unlike the monsters in the basement that bumped into each other to get out, this monster sat calmly and watched the situation.

If it weren’t for the muzzle, restraints, and that large size, it would have looked like it could be mistaken for a hunting dog.

Yuriel pondered for a while whether that was a real monster, and soon came to a conclusion.

It exudes an energy that can only be felt by monsters with a core. It was definitely a monster.

Unlike other monsters, it had a fairly elegant appearance. Yuriel hesitated and moved with her back against the wall. The monster’s eyes followed Yuriel.

There was another door behind the monster that turned its head as it moved.

The door was half broken and rattling as if that monster had hit itself there.

On the other side of the door, there were stairs leading up. As she slowly approached the door, she checked whether the monster was still sitting quietly. The monster was slowly getting up. The monster set its large teeth between its muzzle and began to growl.

It was wearing a muzzle, but she couldn’t be relieved. The claws were large. It looked like she would be fatally wounded just by touching it.

Yuriel pulled out her gun and stepped back again.

If there was a door like that in this room, there was a possibility that there would be a similar door in the other room as well.

Yuriel, who came out as if running away from the room where the monster was, went out and entered the empty room opposite.

There was a familiar box on the desk in the empty room. There was a box containing the robe that was stolen, some belongings, and the core of the monster.

Yuriel ran there and opened the box. The monster core was still in the box.

It seems that the debate was settled without being able to figure out how to deal with the monster core.

After taking the monster core out of the box, Yuriel put it in her pocket and looked around.

“No.”

There was no door on this side leading to another place.

So there was only one place that could go to another place. Yuriel went back to the room across the hallway and tried to think positively.

“Yes, who would think I went through the door behind the monster? So dangerous…. Wah.”

When Yuriel entered again, this time the monster roared straight away. It was in a sensitive state as if it had detected something powerful.

“Ah, maybe because of this monster core….”

Monsters had a habit of making nests with powerful monsters as their leaders. The measure for judging a monster with strong power was definitely the core.

And the monster core that Yuriel was holding now was the smallest one except for the one that was embedded in Raphlet’s chest.

Considering that the smaller the size, the greater the power, and the reaction of the monster was understandable.

Yuriel leaned her back against the wall, raised her gun, and approached the monster. As she got closer, the monster lowered its body as if it would jump at Yuriel at any moment.

She had to approach it, but she didn’t have the courage to approach it.

If she shoots the gun, people who hear the sound will gather here, so she has to refrain from shooting, yet she has to shoot the monster to go through the door….

Yuriel pondered over a difficult situation to choose from.

As she sighed and pondered, the monster suddenly wrinkled its nose and slowly started to get up.

The monster that was wary of Yuriel drew closer to Yuriel to the extent that the leash was pulled tight. The monster’s nose pointed towards Yuriel’s thigh.

Yuriel, who had stepped back so that its claws could not touch her, saw the gentle movement of the monster sniffing her scent, as if it liked her smell, and blinked its eyes.

“Why, why?”

The monster suddenly thrust its head towards her thigh and groin, the tongue fluttered in the muzzle of the mouth, as if the monster was trying to lick its young.

It seemed to think of Yuriel as a monster just like itself.

Is it because she has a core? It wasn’t like this in front of the nuclear-transferred knights or Raphlet….

She had seen the monsters guarding the nest behave like the monster in front of her a few times. Yuriel looked at the monster that had no intention of attacking her and pushed the half-broken and rattling door.

When Yuriel went inside, the monster slowly tried to follow her, but stopped because the leash became taut.

Seeing that the monster could no longer follow, Yuriel was relieved and let out a long sigh.

“Oh, that’s good. It can’t follow this far… Kyaak!”

The monster, who had been quietly bound by chains, moved its body greatly. The chain that had been fixed to the wall broke off. The movement caused a huge wound to the neck, but the monster only touched its own neck with its feet and shook its head to shed the blood. Then it followed Yuriel to the inside of the door.

The long chain dragged on the floor, making an eerie sound. Yuriel’s body, which screamed in surprise because of the monster, was gently wrapped around its tail and moved forward.

It was a gentle movement, as if to show that it did not intend to threaten.

The monster found its way in front of Yuriel.

It looked like it was trying to hide its young in case of a threat that appeared in front of her.

Yuriel pointed her gun in front of the large monster with a size that exceeded her waist. She couldn’t relax because she didn’t know when it might change its mind and attack her.

Chapter 73

All the way up the stairs, she couldn’t hear any other sounds because of the chain’s dragging sound. Every time she climbed a stairway, the chains that were stretched rattled loudly.

After wrapping the tail around her body, Yuriel watched the gentle monster from behind, who did not threaten her and carefully lifted the chain that hung down.

As the heavy chains were lifted, the monster growled low. The monster turned around, revealing its teeth inside its muzzle. The monster was keeping its distance. The monster turned around on the stairs several spaces higher than Yuriel. Their eyes met and the monster’s eyes that scanned the surroundings then turned to Yuriel’s hand.

When the vigilant monster saw Yuriel holding the chain, it calmed down when it had been vigilant before.

A strange sense of security came from the monster’s actions that seemed to protect her. When she heard the footsteps of people passing by in front of the door, she trembled with anxiety, but now standing behind the monster, she was not afraid at all.

In line with Yuriel’s slow gait, which was not in good condition, the monster occasionally looked back and slowed its movements.

Why didn’t it attack her? Could it be that each monster has different habits? It could be a monster that follows people… ?

She couldn’t even think of it herself, so a sharp sigh escaped. It couldn’t be.

She pondered for a long time about the incomprehensible behavior, but she couldn’t come to a conclusion. It was not a situation where she could continue to worry. It was time to find out how to get out of this place while exploring the benevolent monster.

She has to get out of here quickly.

As time passed, she felt a chill and her body trembled. No matter how many times she rubbed her eyes, her vision was blurred. When she opened her eyes and came out of the basement, when she heard that they were going to kill her, and when she met a monster, her nerves were awake and pain that she couldn’t feel came rushing in.

The hand holding the gun was trembling.

She was confident she could aim the gun without inflicting fatal wounds, but if she shoots in this state, the result may be different from what she thought.

To make matters worse, there was also a shortage of bullets.

Yuriel, who was holding the gun in the other hand holding the chain and stretching it repeatedly, suddenly felt the chain loosen and lifted her head.

The monster that was going up the stairs turned around and came down to where Yuriel was. Yuriel hurriedly threw the chain and aimed the gun at the monster.

The monster she thought would attack at any moment pushed Yuriel’s body into its own. Yuriel was pushed by the body of the monster and sat down without realizing it. Covering Yuriel’s body, the monster bowed towards the bottom of the stairs.

The monster’s ears were sticking out. Yuriel blinked at the monster that was within her reach now. A ring to loosen the monster’s muzzle appeared right in front of her.

Yuriel, who was sitting and looking at it, began to hear a small sound in her ear. It was a voice she had heard before.

“Where did the monster disappear to?”

“Where is the woman? F*ck, what’s wrong with today? Nothing is going well!”

“The other rooms are all locked and she needs a key to get out, so she probably wouldn’t have gotten out of here.”

“She will be here.”

“The monster must have killed her. When we find the woman’s corpse, it must be disposed of immediately, and the monster must be captured without injuries as much as possible. It’s wearing a muzzle so it won’t try to overpower you, do you all understand?”

“If you have also pulled out its claws.”

There were at least six people listening to the conversation now. There were only seven bullets in Yuriel’s gun. There was no extra ammunition.

Yuriel lowered the gun that was aimed at the monster and put her hand on the neck of the monster. The monster, who was very nervous, growled as if for her to let go of her hand.

Fear rose from the sharp threat, but the monster still didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking her. Yuriel thought so as she saw that the monster didn’t attack her even though she reached out her hand from behind.

Yuriel, who placed her finger on the muzzle that covered the monster’s mouth, calmly loosened it. She took off the muzzle, trying not to see the monster’s hideous teeth.

It looks like a dog, but the teeth are much more ugly. The monster had sharp teeth like that of a predator.

When the muzzle was removed, the monster growled and licked the back of Yuriel’s hand. The monster that licked the back of her blood-dried hands raised its neck as if begging to release the chains on its neck.

“Uh, you want me to release this too… ?”

Yuriel caressed the monster’s neck. Softer and more luscious fur than she expected brushed her fingers. As she fumbled through the fluffy fur, she realized that the chain around the neck could only be unlocked with a key.

Unable to loosen the chain and let go of it, the monster scratched its neck with its foot as if uncomfortable, and looked at the side where the sound was heard.

People who were going up the narrow stairs that two people could barely pass through, found the monster and shouted.

“Here it is! The monster!”

“The woman is still alive!”

The two men in front shouted to their back. They were holding something like a long pole for a capture.

“Alright, wait a minute. No muzzle… !”

The monster ran forward before the man who saw the appearance of the monster told the men behind him what he had seen. The swift-moving monster bit the neck of the man in front.

“Ack!”

The man screamed and waved his hand. Blood dripped from the faces of those who leaned against the wall to avoid the falling man.

The monster that landed on the man’s chest lightly bit the man’s neck once more. The painful moans echoing on the silent stairs ceased.

“Go up! Hurry and get some help… !”

“Move!”

“You have to stop the monster from coming!”

“F*ck, you do it!”

The men screamed and ran up the stairs. They thought the monster was wearing a muzzle and didn’t bring any weapons. There were only two weak poles as weapons against the monsters.

Even that was thrown away from running in a hurry.

Yuriel watched the men who were sitting on the stairs kicking themselves and running away. One of them stepped on the back of Yuriel’s hand that was on the stairs and passed.

The back of her hand, which had been cleansed by the monster licking the blood, swelled up. Yuriel, who felt great pain, grabbed her hand and moaned.

“It hurts….”

They ran away in a horrified confusion, leaving each other with the dangerous task. No one thought of holding the pole.

As Yuriel wrapped her hand and looked at the backs of those selfish men, the monster came closer.

Seeing the swollen back of her hand, the monster made a whimper, licked the back of her hand for a moment and ran upstairs following the men.

The screams continued again.

＊＊＊

The building where Yuriel was located was in the middle of the Temple street. It was a shop that covered the inside with a black cloth among the colorful shops.

It was embarrassing to be blatantly seated in the middle of the street when it was doing something illegal.

When Baraha was captured by the slave trader, they weren’t as brazen as this. The ground floor, visible to the public, was decorated and disguised as an ordinary business.

The fact that there was nothing to stop them as they delivered supplies to the Temple, the Imperial Palace, and the Alchemy Tower, made him gloomy.

“Sir Baraha, this is a place where items that are about to be sold are stored. Miss Yuriel must have been moved to another place.”

The knight who had been following Baraha said as if to warn him. He also seemed to know that this place was a slave trading. The other knights nodded as if they were of the same opinion.

Baraha ignored their words and pushed the door. When the door didn’t open, the doorknob broke with a clattering sound when he applied force from the hand that had the monster core shards in it.

As he forced himself inside, he could see decadent decorations and objects. Baraha made eye contact with the shopkeeper who was examining the ledger. He frowned as he flipped through the papers and checked the books.

“Who…. Are you from the Temple? What are you here for today? Ah, this is not the time… I’ll bring you some tea, so feel free to tell me….”

After checking Baraha’s face, he immediately released his expression. He got up and called the servant. Seeing him tell the servant to bring the tea, Baraha said to the knights.

“Look for the key, Yuriel will be in the basement.”

“What? If you come all of a sudden…. Oh my, Sir Knight. Why are you here?”

As the knights searched the body and held the shopkeeper’s arm, he said perplexedly.

“If there is something you are looking for, I will go down and check it. If you come from the Temple, I will deliver the items right away, so what are you looking for, why are you in such a hurry?”

The man who looked like a slave trader didn’t seem to know that Yuriel was still here.

“I am looking for the woman your men brought today.”

“Today? We only collect items just before delivery…. Oh, come to think of it, they did come with something…. Did, did they touch someone important?”

“I found it. Sir Baraha.”

“Oh, I don’t know….”

As the man was making excuses by shaking his head, he heard the door open. The eyes of the gathered people turned to the place at the same time.

Baraha discovered that Yuriel was dragged out with a bite on the nape of the neck by a monster covered in blood.

“Yuriel!”

Chapter 74

Baraha, who was trying to cut the monster’s head, frowned at the monster’s strange behavior.

The monster put Yuriel down, and stepped out in front of her as if to protect her.

Upon closer inspection, Yuriel’s body did not show any wounds from the monster’s claws or teeth. The blood buried in the monster wasn’t the blood that Yuriel shed.

As he lowered his sword and approached, the monster faltered and retreated behind.

Even in the prophecy, there was no mention of Yuriel being attacked by monsters. This incident was all caused by man. Baraha hardened his expression and thought calmly.

He remembered that there was an unknown phrase that the saint was getting closer to the monster.

As Baraha lowered his sword and approached, the monster stepped back and watched Baraha’s actions carefully.

As if it was judging whether he was doing any harm to Yuriel.

“Is that a monster?”

“That, that….”

He heard a voice of one of the Princess’s knights to the shopkeeper. Although it looked close to a wolf and didn’t show its teeth, the vicious energy it gave off was no different from that of a monster.

However, the behavior of the monster was surely strange. Monsters were hostile to people. Even the monsters that the Princess had gathered and nurtured did not follow human instructions without a leash and tools to inflict pain.

The monsters communicate with each other and give and receive help even if they take the form of a different species. It was a phenomenon that only appeared when it was of the same monster.

A monster helps only when the other side wass a monster.

The knight who witnessed the scene raised his voice to the shopkeeper.

“Didn’t I ask if it’s a monster!”

“Th, that’s right. It is a monster.”

Trading the monsters’ core was legal, but selling live monsters was illegal. In the Princess’ case, she evaded responsibility with the excuse of finding a way to weaken the monsters, but it was impossible to make such an excuse in slavery.

The shopkeeper, who found the Princess’s crest on the knight’s clothes without the robe, bowed his head and added words.

In a low voice, he spoke desperately into the ear of the Princess’ knight.

“It, it was a monster that would be an offering to the Princess. Other than that, there are really no other monsters.”

It was a fact that most people who had delivered goods to the Imperial Palace knew that the Princess liked unique things, especially unique monsters.

The shopkeeper shook off his thoughts about the monsters in the basement. The knights who heard his claim, exchanged glances.

Meanwhile, Baraha, who had taken Yuriel, was raising his body. Even though he was full of desire to wipe out all the people who made Yuriel to this extent, it was surprising to him that he felt that he had to take care of Yuriel first.

‘Once I confirm that Yuriel is receiving treatment, we should return immediately. For now, let’s go back and receive treatment.’

“I need urgent treatment. The others don’t have to follow me and lock the door so no one can get out of here…”

Baraha, who opened the door to head to the Temple, saw the crowds outside the door and closed the door.

And he looked at the monster who was following him closely. The monster that was moving following Yuriel held by Baraha was waving its tail in dissatisfaction.

Even if a wolf appeared in that noisy place, it would be a mess, but it wasn’t a wolf, it was a monster.

After checking the crowd, Baraha ordered the shopkeeper.

“Bring the car to the front of the store. There is something in the luggage compartment so you can’t see the inside.”

It seems that the monster will keep following them. When Yuriel wakes up, she might look for the monster, so he was planning to take this one to the Temple as well.

Even thinking about Yuriel aside, taking this monster to the Temple was the priority. A monster that showed new habits.

It was well worth observing.

“You, you are not planning on taking the monster with you too, knight?”

“The sale of monsters is illegal. Do you have any complaints about the Temple confiscating illegal sales?”

Baraha murmured as he turned his shadowed eyes to the shopkeeper. The eyes, which were as if they were not normal, gave off a more gloomy atmosphere than usual.

The shopkeeper, who had built up senses for people who had a lot of money, people who had a lot of time, and people who lacked character, quickly shook his head.

His eyes were released as if he had taken some medicine. If he deals with such a person the wrong way, big troubles would arise. There have been many instances where a person who was ignorant of a person like that had his head blown away in the blink of an eye.

The shopkeeper thought that his life was too precious to be blown away by just one monster, and ran outside. He kept the four-wheeler close to the door and installed a screen so that passers-by couldn’t see who was riding.

It took him a while to do the work that the subordinates were in charge of. After finishing the preparations, the shopkeeper returned to the store and sighed at the unfolding scenery.

All the emergency exits from the store were blocked, and subordinates who seemed to have been pulled out from hiding were sitting in chains.

It was fortunate to have a manually operated car waiting instead of an automatic car. They needed someone to drive, so he had good reason to leave the store.

The shopkeeper turned away from his subordinates and spoke to Baraha.

“Knight, I have prepared the car. I will take you to the Temple.”

The resentful gazes of those who knelt and gagged on their knees turned to the shopkeeper. But he didn’t care at all.

They had such a relationship. Even if the caretaker was the one sitting there, no one will try to rescue him. Without any remorse, he ignored their pathetic gaze.

Of all things, they touched the Temple people, so this was the end.

The shopkeeper held the door in front of Baraha and weighed the value of several items in the car. After dropping Baraha to the Temple, it was enough to finance his escape.

After the commotion had subsided, he would go to the bank and leave the Imperial Capital in search of the money he has been secretly stealing, and he would be safe.

“Come on, get on.”

The shopkeeper rolled his head and urged Baraha. While the shopkeeper was away, Baraha got into the car after watching the monster with the muzzle and leash climbed into the luggage compartment by itself.

As he sat holding her in his arms, he removed the screen and spoke to the shopkeeper sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Let’s go.”

It was a slow and weak voice, unlike when the shopkeeper first heard it. It looked like Baraha was busy looking at the woman.

After the shopkeeper dropped them off at the Temple, he was sure he would get out of here safely.

It was a brief conviction that ended before even leaving the Temple.

＊＊＊

Yuriel woke up to the sensation of someone touching her forehead. It was a familiar touch and energy.

Even before she opened her eyes, she knew that Raphlet was touching her, but it was difficult to open them as she intended.

Yuriel struggled hard and finally succeeded in opening her eyes.

Raphlet can be seen through her hazy vision.

A foolish smile leaked out when she realized that she was in a safe place, next to Raphlet.

The fear that she might never see Raphlet’s face again felt like a lie.

After fainting, it was not in Yuriel’s interest how she got out of it. The last thing she saw was the one-sided hunting scene of the monster, so she wondered if someone saved her after that.

“Lord, hmmm, Lord Raphlet.”

A hoarse voice came out. Yuriel cleared her throat and placed her cheek in Raphlet’s hand, who was on her side and touching her face.

Raphlet, looked up from below, looked angry. The hand that touched her face was tender, but there was no warmth in his face.

However, it was a simple task for Yuriel to read emotions from a face that others would think there was no expression on.

Looking at Raphlet’s face mixed with anger, worry and confusion, Yuriel pondered whether she should be the first to say she’s okay or if she should ask Raphlet if he’s okay.

While Yuriel was contemplating, Raphlet spoke first.

“How are you?”

“My head hurts and my body throbs…. It doesn’t hurt too much.”

As if to prove those words, Yuriel got up.

Yuriel got up and looked around. When she said it was familiar, it was Raphlet’s room, not the infirmary. Instead of work papers, his desk was littered with bandages, medicine, and treatment tools.

Yuriel, who looked around the room, looked at Raphlet and asked.

“Are you okay, Master?”

“… What’s wrong with me?”

“When I heard that the Master was hurt, I almost passed out. Master is suffering too, right?”

Raphlet’s eyes twitched slightly.

“I am fine. It hurts a little, but I’m healthy and I’ll get better soon.”

Yuriel said, reaching out to Raphlet’s head, who was sitting next to him.

“You look tired, did you sleep well? Meal? How long have I been sleeping? Did you just keep nursing me until I got up?”

Touching Raphlet’s messy hair, Yuriel poured out questions one after another.

Raphlet, who had hardened his expression, let out a long sigh.

Yuriel, brought to the infirmary, was exposed to the public eye. The alchemists who ran from the Alchemy Tower and the high priests who rarely showed up came to see Yuriel.

Even after all the people who were in slavery were dealt with, the news that the monster had saved Yuriel was spreading all over the place.

He had to tell her that….

“Your face is half sunken, Lord Raphlet.”

Yuriel, who grabbed Raphlet’s cheek, pushed him without giving him a chance to speak out.

Chapter 75

Raphlet looked at Yuriel silently. Yuriel, who looked at his dark eyes as if she wanted to say something, shut her mouth.

When Yuriel calmed down, Raphlet grabbed her hand as she was stroking his face.

There was a lot to explain, and he had to be angry about her leaving the temple at a dangerous time, but there was something he wanted to ask first.

“Why did you have that?”

“That?”

“The monster’s core. I am asking why you have something that Commander Shudmuel should have.”

“Ah….”

The reason Yuriel took the risk and went out to find the pickpocket was because of the monster’s core. If she simply lost her money, there was no reason to follow the pickpocket.

Baraha, who returned to the temple with Yuriel, who had fainted, was nervous about why such an important item was entrusted to Yuriel. The expression on Baraha’s face, which was extremely irritated with Shudmuel, remained in Raphlet’s memory.

It was easy to guess why Yuriel took the risk.

‘It’s an important item, so she must have thought of getting it back.’

But the other thing was strange. Raphlet didn’t think Yuriel had enough trust with Shudmuel to be entrusted with such an important thing.

If she had become so close with Commander Shudmuel, Raphlet could not have not known.

In the first place, there was no way he could stand still and watch them become close friends. If Yuriel had shown interest in Shudmuel, he would have separated Shudmuel from Yuriel without hesitation.

It was not a relationship of trust. It was just a relationship where Yuriel helped him with work to pass her free time.

Upon hearing the question, Yuriel made a bewildered expression and flapped her lips.

“That, I mean. I thought I should have it….”

“Why?”

“Because Sir Shudmuel asked me to keep it.”

“Why didn’t you say anything to me when you kept it?”

“… Because you didn’t ask?”

Yuriel frowned and answered.

Before going to sleep, Yuriel talked about everything that happened that day to the point where she was worried that Raphlet’s ears might sting. She thought it was odd as she didn’t say anything important, even the trivial things.

It felt a bit awkward to talk about Shudmuel in front of Raphlet with the thought that it was strange. Yuriel gently pulled out the hand that was being held by Raphlet and leaned back on the bed.

Something felt very offensive, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

Unable to come to a conclusion, Yuriel avoided answering in front of Raphlet for the first time. It was obvious that she was changing the subject awkwardly.

“Well, more than that, Lord Raphlet. How’s the monster? There was a monster that was with me. I wonder what happened, but I’m sure it wasn’t dead, right?”

Questions that began in an awkward tone quickly followed. Yuriel asked Raphlet in a rather impatient tone. Raphlet looked at Yuriel who asked another question with an unnatural attitude.

Yuriel looked very anxious, and her expression was not good either. She had a haggard face as if she would collapse again if she was questioned now.

Raphlet, who was about to investigate further about the relationship between the monster core and Shudmuel, saw Yuriel’s condition and hardened his face.

Now was not a good time. Restoring Yuriel’s health was the priority.

After thinking about it, Raphlet answered.

“The monster is being investigated in detail by the researchers. This is the first case of a monster protecting a person, so the investigation is getting longer.”

Yuriel, who had turned the subject, heard his answer and swept her chest.

“Even though the Princess was making a fuss asking for the monster.”

Yuriel quickly shook her head at Raphlet’s voice that came out without giving her a chance to be relieved.

“That can never happen! If the Princess takes the monster, it will definitely not be safe.”

“Even if you hadn’t worry too much, the Princess can’t take the monster. Rather, Yuriel, you are the problem.”

“Me? Why me?”

Yuriel jumped up and shouted. It was the monster who saved her. Even if it was a monster, she didn’t want it to suffer.

If the Princess takes it, it won’t die, but it’ll suffer from experiments!

Considering the Princess’ character, it was a plausible idea.

Yuriel was startled and was about to jump down the bed, but Raphlet’s hand grabbed her shoulder. Her legs, which had been fumbling in search of shoes, were pushed back into the blanket.

Raphlet, who pushed Yuriel into the bed, said with a face full of worry.

“The alchemists and priests who came out of the Alchemy Tower are scolding me to find out why the monster saved you.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, then there’s something I guess.”

Raphlet let out a short sigh and looked at Yuriel and shook his head. It was a gesture for Yuriel to explain.

Yuriel began to speak while recollecting the memories before fainting.

“I think it was trying to attack me when I didn’t have the monster core. It has been trying to protect me from the moment I returned with the monster’s core in the other room. Could it be that I have a core and it mistook me for a monster?”

“That is unlikely. According to that, the monsters we saw in the subjugation should not have been hostile to the knights with core fragments.”

“Ummm…. Lord Raphlet is right. Something is strange. Then wouldn’t that be the only monster that doesn’t harm people?”

“No. Except for you and Commander Baraha, everyone who approached the monster was attacked. Right now, they’re satisfied with having Commander Baraha next to the monster and investigating… The researchers will come to look at you soon.”

Yuriel nodded, remembering the alchemists she had seen in the Alchemist Tower. She’d heard that knights who have received core implants often go to the Alchemist Tower and cooperate with experiments.

She remembered Raphlet taking off his coat and standing in front of the researchers. Even if she cooperated with such an experiment, nothing serious would happen.

Unlike Yuriel, who nodded indifferently, Raphlet was watching Yuriel with confused eyes.

He seemed uneasy about Yuriel being swept up in a series of disturbances after she came to the Imperial Capital.

Yuriel herself felt it. Since she came to the Imperial Capital, there has been no calm day. But it wasn’t her who caused the conflict. She was always being swept away by what was happening around her.

Yuriel glanced at Raphlet, wondering if Raphlet would tell her to return to the Grand Duke’s residence again. As she looked at Raphlet anxiously, the emaciated cheeks bothered her eyes.

Yuriel, who looked at Raphlet dissatisfied, broke the silence and opened her mouth first.

“I’m hungry, Lord Raphlet. Lying down is frustrating, so I want to move…. Can I go to dinner with you?”

Raphlet, who had just pushed Yuriel into the bed, got her up.

Moving Raphlet was not difficult for Yuriel. After confirming his affection, making him move was so simple that it was embarrassing.

All she had to do was express her discomfort in front of him.

It’s not the first time she’s woken up choked by the thick blanket wrapped around her body the next morning, even if she whispers that she’s cold in her sleep.

Watching Raphlet, who carefully looked after her, she wondered if the servant role might have been deprived of her.

“Can you walk?”

Raphlet, who got up and looked into Yuriel’s face and asked worriedly.

“Yes, of course….”

Yuriel, who was getting out of bed, felt an unexpected dizzy feeling and stumbled. The voice that answered curiously was cut off. She barely gave strength to her legs and held out, but there was no way Raphlet, who was watching Yuriel, couldn’t not notice it.

“Sit down.”

“it’s okay. I lost power for a while….”

“I’ll bring the meal over here, so sit down.”

He ordered firmly.

Yuriel sat down on the bed, looking at Raphlet blocking the way as if he had no intention of making any leeway.

It became difficult to go out and eat together.

Yuriel’s pale, tired complexion made him anxious, so Raphlet did not allow Yuriel to hold the spoon herself. Yuriel had no choice but to open her mouth as he pointed out the spoon.

As she was about to finish eating her food, she heard footsteps outside the door.

As if to announce its existence, a person who approached with loud footsteps deliberately knocked on the door and called for Raphlet.

“Commander Raphlet, are you inside?”

It was Helio’s voice.

After hearing Helio’s voice, Raphlet did not respond for a while. After feeding Yuriel until all the food was empty, he turned his gaze to the door.

“You may come in.”

After a long wait, Helio opened the door. Helio, who Raphlet had made him wait for a long time, had a displeased look, but when he saw Yuriel sitting on the bed, his expression softened.

“It seems that Miss Yuriel is in good shape. I heard you were seriously injured, but I’m glad you look okay.”

Helio sighed. Raphlet, who put down the empty bowl, asked in a low voice.

“What brought you here?”

“The monster is out of control. Now, even when Commander Baraha approached, it attacked him. Researchers are yelling to bring Miss Yuriel.”

He explained with a troubled expression on his face.

“Right now, Commander Barraha is blocking it…. They will come to find Miss Yuriel soon. You know that alchemists are persistent.”

It wasn’t very good news that Helio had come to deliver.

Raphlet, who had been quietly listening to the news he delivered, opened his mouth.

“Commander Shudmuel…. Is he preparing for the festival with the priests?”

“Yes. All the nobles are gathered in the Temple, and the festival cannot be stopped. Thanks to this, the Princess is a little more calm. If she wants to have the monster core, she couldn’t make a fuss during the festival.”

Helio looked at Yuriel’s face, who blinked innocently without understanding the situation, and said as if giving advice to Raphlet.

“You would be better off leaving before the alchemists arrive.”

Chapter 76

After the warning, Helio did not leave the place. While Raphlet turned to get Yuriel’s clothes, Helio quickly approached Yuriel.

After confirming that Raphlet had moved away from her, he bowed his head.

Yuriel frowned as she looked at Helio who was approaching her side. Yuriel narrowed her brow at a distance where his lips touched her ear and tried to pull her head out, but Helio grabbed Yuriel’s shoulder and opened his mouth.

He had a somewhat embarrassed face.

Yuriel, who was about to let go of his hand holding her shoulder, looked at his expression and listened quietly. It’s a face that looked like he had something serious to say.

“And, Miss Yuriel…. You’d better go to the infirmary one more time….”

Helio trailed off his words. He looked embarrassed, as if it was difficult to explain. After speaking quickly, he released her shoulder and walked away.

“Don’t go with Commander Raphlet, go alone.”

“Don’t go with Lord Raphlet, why?”

“That would be the best. For Miss Yuriel and Commander Raphlet both. It would be better for Miss Yuriel to take care of it by yourself before Commander Raphlet finds out.”

Yuriel faced Helio, who was looking at her. He looked down without meeting Yuriel’s eyes. His gaze stayed on Yuriel’s stomach for a particularly long time.

“Wait a moment, no way….”

Yuriel lowered her gaze following where Helio was looking and stuttered with a surprised voice.

Yuriel’s senses, who were on the quick side, knew clearly what Helio’s gaze meant.

From Helio’s careful tone and actions, as well as his gaze on her stomach, she instantly understood what he wanted to say.

“From what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think Commander Raphlet did anything bad to Miss Yuriel…. Because he doesn’t know what’s going on with people. He is also a cruel person by nature…. Go alone and listen to the detailed story from Commander Shudmuel. He will surely help you, even in the worst case scenario.”

Yuriel opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth with both hands.

Helio was bewildered when he saw the joy that filled Yuriel’s eyes. He thought she was going to cry, not knowing what to do, and she was full of joy.

Yuriel, whose eyes were shining with joy, removed the hand covering her mouth, and suddenly turned her head as if to call for Raphlet.

“Lord Ra…. Uhhp…!”

And all at once, her mouth was blocked. Helio was startled by Yuriel’s unreasonable behavior and covered her mouth.

“Think carefully, Miss Yuriel! What would happen if it was known that you have a child of not just a knight but the Commander of Albraka’s 1st Division? It’s not yet accurate, so first, go to Commander Shudmuel and get an accurate diagnosis.”

“Uhhpp.”

“No one welcomes an illegitimate child. This innocent girl.”

Yuriel rubbed her lips as she looked at Helio who was looking at her as if she was a very foolish person.

‘Why not? Here it is.’

She wanted to shoot like that. Having Raphlet’s child was something to be proud of.

Lord Raphlet’s child, of course, was a child who deserved to be loved!

But Helio had a point.

“No one in Albraka doesn’t know that Miss Yuriel followed Commander Raphlet. Really, that…, if you are pregnant, the scandal will follow not only you but that person as well.”

Helio knew at once that Yuriel was pregnant with Raphlet’s child, so the other knights would probably think the same.

Yuriel had to act cautiously. Not for herself, but for Raphlet.

Yuriel removed Helio’s hand that covered her mouth and nodded her head. Her eyes, which had been sparkling with joy, calmed down. Helio, who checked with a cautious gaze, raised Yuriel’s body, which was sitting on the bed.

Yuriel got up from the bed and unknowingly groped her stomach, which had no sensation.

Since they were mixing their bodies like that, it was rather surprising that it had just happened now.

What if she was really pregnant? She got hit in the head and bled a lot, so maybe something bad was going to happen. She was glad the stomach didn’t get kicked though.

Yuriel touched her stomach, remembering what had happened before she fainted.

Helio added in a low voice, seeing Yuriel grope for her stomach with a blank face.

“It’s not certain, so don’t be nervous. If you go to Commander Shudmuel, you will be able to receive treatment without leaving a record.”

“No one knows, right? I don’t think Lord Raphlet knows either…. How did Sir Helio know?”

“When Commander Baraha came back with Miss Yuriel, Commander Shudmuel examined you. Then that person’s expression….”

“Commander Helio, why are you so close to Yuriel?”

“Miss Yuriel stumbled, so I supported her.”

Helio, who was about to explain, heard a sharp voice and leaned back. It was not a lie that he was supporting her, and when Helio released his hand, Yuriel lost her strength and stumbled.

Raphlet hurriedly approached and wrapped his arms around Yuriel’s waist.

His hand that wrapped around her waist touched her stomach. Yuriel looked at Raphlet’s fingers that touched her body, then mumbled with her lips and rested her forehead against his body.

“… Yuriel?”

Yuriel, who put her forehead on his chest as if playing around, did not stop there, but even hugged Raphlet’s waist.

She wanted to say it….

Even if it wasn’t clear yet, she wanted to say it to Raphlet and tell him. If she did that, she knew that Raphlet would take care of her.

If it’s Raphlet, he’ll tell her to be careful in the early stages of pregnancy and he’ll take care of her more than anyone else. He wouldn’t even try to hold her, worrying that it would put a strain on her body.

Just like back then….huh?

Yuriel, who thought while hugging Raphlet’s waist, blinked blankly.

What. When did she think Raphlet ever said that? Come to think of it, she thought she had a dream some time ago….

“Are you dizzy?”

Raphlet asked, supporting Yuriel’s body. Contrary to usual, he lowered his body to meet her gaze, swiping down her weak arm.

Yuriel looked at him supporting her and shook her head blankly.

“Commander Raphlet, the alchemists are coming this way. Talk later, leave the room.”

Helio, who looked out the window, urged the two of them, who were only looking at each other.

Raphlet, who looked at her slightly roughened face with concern, put a robe on Yuriel’s shoulder and hugged her. Holding Yuriel in one arm, he waited for Yuriel to wrap around his neck before moving on.

Helio left the room first and held the door until Raphlet came out. Raphlet, who was leaving the room, looked back at Helio with a vivid look on his face.

Helio and Raphlet have known each other since they were trainees. They had never exchanged help.

After Raphlet became the 1st Division Commander, he was a person who unilaterally expressed his hatred for Raphlet from the time when Raphlet led the subjugation to victory with a tactic that did not care for the knights that were subjugating the monsters.

Raphlet pondered for a moment and said to Helio.

“… Thank you, Commander Helio.”

“I came to inform you that Miss Yuriel does not appear to be in a condition to cooperate with the experiment. I’m here to help Miss Yuriel, so there’s no need for Commander Raphlet to say thank you to me.”

Helio replied bluntly. Raphlet nodded his head, giving strength to the arms that supported Yuriel’s body in response to the sarcastic retort.

It didn’t appear that Helio had a sexual desire for Yuriel, but strength entered his body tensely.

Every time he saw someone approaching Yuriel, it was the jealousy that followed. Yuriel was liked by everyone, and Raphlet was the opposite. Every time he saw her smiling and telling her story with another person, he feared that she would follow others than him.

At that time, the only thing that Raphlet could offer was his status. And in spite of his noble status, Raphlet was a reluctant child. He knew instinctively that no one would have been kind to him had he not been a son of the Grand Duke.

Yuriel was the only one who did not show a reluctance when she looked at him. Yuriel showed her favor from the moment she first saw him.

It was all thanks to Yuriel that he was able to show positive emotions now. Before meeting Yuriel, he did not know what pleasure or affection was. At that time, Raphlet was always exposed to negative emotions, and it was taken for granted.

He knew what love was through Yuriel, but the feeling that had been wetting his chest did not go away.

It was the same even now when he mixed his body and checked her mind.

He was always worried that the reason Yuriel was following him was because he saved her when she was young.

If at that time, if someone had saved Yuriel, Yuriel would have loved him, not himself.

The moment the unpleasant thoughts were about to continue, Yuriel hugged Raphlet’s neck. It was a weak movement, as if it was not strong enough, but it was a gesture enough to clear Raphlet’s head.

Raphlet stopped the pessimistic thought. He was the one who saved Yuriel, and he was the one to whom she poured her affection to.

Yuriel will never leave Raphlet. What he was concerned about wasn’t Yuriel’s affection, but his strange desire for Yuriel’s destruction.

dundundundun

Chapter 77

Yuriel pondered the story Helio had told her.

She remembered the High Priest’s face who she went to meet with Shudmuel before the festival. Helio didn’t say exactly, but it seems certain that Shudmuel was the illegitimate son of the High Priest.

It was comforting to remember that the illegitimate son was now one of Albraka’s commanders. He didn’t seem to get along well with the High Priest, but apart from that, Shudmuel was one of Albraka’s commanders. He was not discriminated against just because he was an illegitimate child.

Even if it’s not a blessed birth, it’s enough for the child to be able to live as it pleases later.

It was enough, though…. If her own pregnancy puts Raphlet at a disadvantage, it’s another story.

It would be a big deal if Raphlet got his post removed because of this.

Her head was complicated. She wanted to be happy, but she couldn’t.

Yuriel became anxious and grabbed Raphlet’s neck and took a breath. Perhaps because of her poor physical condition, she was short of breath and dizzy even with a little stress.

Raphlet frowned when Yuriel did not release the strength in her hand, holding him by the neck even after he had moved. She seldom showed her face, and her breathing was stifled.

She has been in this state since meeting Helio.

Raphlet dropped Yuriel’s body, who was resting her forehead on his neck. Yuriel contorts her eyebrows as she was forced to go down

Pressing his finger on Yuriel’s forehead, who looked uneasy, he spoke in the sweetest tone he could come up with.

“You need to take some medicine.”

He thought it was a gentle enough tone, but when she heard that, Yuriel’s eyes became even more distorted.

“I won’t take it. I don’t want to take it.”

Yuriel with a frown on her face answered. Seeing Yuriel grumbling like a child, Raphlet looked around his arms without saying a word.

When she saw the round pill, Yuriel stubbornly shut her mouth.

She really didn’t want to eat it.

“Open your mouth.”

“… Can’t I not eat it? I think it’s okay if I don’t take the medicine.”

Yuriel muttered in a small voice.

It was because she remembered that she had been told not to take medicine carelessly while pregnant. She wanted to be careful even if it wasn’t confirmed.

However, Raphlet was not the type of person who would sit still and watch Yuriel not taking her medicine.

Raphlet, holding her cheeks lightly with one hand, pressed Yuriel’s cheeks, who was trying not to open her mouth, and pushed the pill between her slightly gaping lips.

As the medicine entered her mouth, Yuriel reluctantly swallowed it.

As she swallowed the bitter medicine, Raphlet kissed her lightly, as if she did a good job. He gently pressed her lips together even as she frowned.

Yuriel’s face softened, unable to resist the friendly touch.

“I really didn’t want to eat it.”

Still, she did not stop expressing her own dissatisfaction.

As Yuriel complained with a relaxed face, Raphlet stared at her and smiled.

Yuriel’s blunt murmur continued evenly.

＊＊＊

Shudmuel’s gaze was cold. It was after several tests.

During the examination, Shudmuel did not make any records. It was very different from the usual Shudmuel who had the medical officers meticulously fill out the records, and he would be very angry if they did not write the records properly.

He looked at the woman sitting opposite him, assembling the test results from Yuriel that he remembered without making a single record.

She seemed a little nervous, putting her hands together and blinking her eyes. Annoyance swelled up at the innocent expression on her face.

He had been suspicious of Yuriel since she was brought back in the arms of Commander Baraha. This examination made it clear that Commander Raphlet was looking at Yuriel with his eyes lit up, so he couldn’t check it properly.

The pregnancy was real.

The only man Yuriel followed was Commander Raphlet, so it must have been his child. Shudmuel couldn’t even think of another man’s name.

He was disgusted to see her waiting for the result with an innocent face. The old feelings that he had been holding down began to poke out of his head because of Yuriel.

Shudmuel was weak against a pregnant woman’s face like that.

Expectations that could not be hidden even with tension flashed in Yuriel’s eyes.

“Sir Shudmuel…. What is the result?”

When Shudemuel shot a cold gaze without explaining, Yuriel, who was tired of waiting, opened her mouth first.

Shudmuel said, enduring the growing disgust.

“You are pregnant.”

“Ah.”

As soon as he took out only one sentence, Yuriel’s expression brightened. She covered her mouth with her hand as if trying to hide the joy she couldn’t bear, and let out a small exclamation.

He had seen such an expression. He watched that expression full of affection and joy dry out day by day.

Shudmuel continued speaking in a cold tone.

“I will not prescribe medication. It’s not good for your body, but you’re still in the early stages and you’re in good health, so you’ll be able to recover quickly. Take a week off and come back to prepare yourself.”

“What?”

“I will not leave a record. From now on, come to me before you get to this point. The contraceptive pill….”

“Are you telling me to erase the child?”

“Otherwise, what do you think I mean?”

“I will give birth.”

Yuriel responded naturally.

With a face that could not understand the situation and spoke confidently. Shudmuel said with an annoyance that reached his neck.

“What do you mean you’re giving birth? Erase it right away.”

“It’s not something Sir Shudmuel could meddle with. It is my child.”

“The problem is that it is the illegitimate child of Commander Raphlet. I can’t sit still and watch you undermine Albraka’s discipline, so I have the right to meddle.”

“It, it’s not. What, what do you mean it, it’s Lord Raphlet’s child? Re, really not.”

“Are you saying no?”

Shudmuel, who was blocking the hypnotic reaction by wearing glasses to see how Yuriel would react, nervously took off his glasses.

“What are you going to do after giving birth to an illegitimate child in the temple? I don’t recommend sending them to the temple orphanage.”

“Of course I will raise it. Why would I send my child to an orphanage when I’m there?”

The gesture of covering her stomach and saying no was stupid. Seeing the maternal love when it hasn’t been long since she found out that she had a child made him disgusted again.

He would not have felt this unpleasant feeling if she had rather been contemplating for the child to be erased. Yuriel was acting very similar to the woman Shudmuel remembered.

The younger Shudmuel couldn’t convince the woman who looked like Yuriel, but he now has the power to change a person’s mind.

He had to correct this stupid maid’s thinking.

Shudmuel, who put down his glasses, looked straight into Yuriel’s eyes. Yuriel looked at him with a frightened face.

It was the first time she had seen this expression since he met Yuriel.

She stuttered and opened her mouth.

“Are, are you not going to help?”

“I’m going to help you erase the child.”

“Not that…. give birth. The only person I can trust in the temple is Sir Shudmuel. Because I can’t find another medical officer….”

“I say I will help. To erase it. It’s not difficult. There will be no records left.”

The same topic continued. Yuriel wept and shook her head.

“No, I don’t want it. If Sir Shudmuel keeps telling me to erase it, I will go outside and meet another doctor.”

“Don’t think nonsense. You know how well your face is known in the Imperial Capital? Even if you go to a doctor secretly, after receiving treatment, the news that you are pregnant will spread throughout Albraka.”

Shudmuel did not hide his nervous tone and fired a sharp shot. Yuriel’s shoulders’ trembled as she thought of the rumors surrounding her .

Seeing Yuriel trembling her shoulders in despair, Shudmuel let out a shallow sigh.

Even so, the plan to use Yuriel was disrupted by the unexpected kidnapping. The plan to use the monster core that Yuriel took away to inform the dangers of the monster failed.

It was unexpected that Commander Baraha exterminated the slave traders in the process. It was an unexpected profit to eradicate the monster core and the place where monsters were traded, but the goal Shudmuel wanted was to get rid of all the monster cores in the Imperial Capital.

Although this plan failed, Yuriel’s value still remained. However, if it was known that Yuriel was pregnant, there was a possibility that his plans would be disrupted.

He said looking into Yuriel’s eyes.

“Erasing it will also help Commander Raphlet.”

It was not difficult to convince Yuriel. If he whispered that it’s helpful to Raphlet, Yuriel would quickly be hypnotized and said she would erase the child.

Shudmuel looked at the clear green eyes and spoke. The watery eyes gleamed with vitality.

It wasn’t the blurry eyes he saw when she was hypnotized.

Seeing those clear eyes, Shudmuel felt a deep sense of disappointment.

Again.

Again, she was not hypnotized. Yuriel didn’t pay attention to Shudmuel’s voice, as when Raphlet appeared.

Her attention was focused on protecting her own child.

Chapter 78

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Shudmuel could not change Yuriel’s thoughts.

“So you are saying that you are going to have a child. Whatever happens?”

“Whatever happens…?”

“You’re telling Raphlet that you’ll have a child no matter what happens, right?”

Shudmuel, who was in front of Yuriel, who was not hypnotized, said nervously. Yuriel was silent with his cold eyes and tone of voice.

The brightly shining eyes dimmed a little.

Shudmuel immediately recognized her ideal. Yuriel was falling into hypnosis to some extent.

Again, Yuriel’s weakness was Raphlet. As soon as he said that there was a problem with Raphlet, her hard eyes faded.

He dug in without missing a small gap.

If she doesn’t accept erasing the child…. He should plan to use it in another way.

“You don’t want Commander Raphlet to be in trouble. Yes?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, if you are going to have a child, I will help you. Instead….”

Shudmuel leaned close to his desk. He said, focusing Yuriel’s gaze on himself.

“Never tell Commander Raphlet that you are pregnant.”

Yuriel, who had kept her mouth shut for a moment, answered with hazy eyes.

“Yes I will.”

＊＊＊

The alchemists could not be avoided forever. Yuriel entered the laboratory after the medical officer confirmed that there was no problem with the behavior.

The festival was already over.

Before the event to award the monster core, Yuriel recounted the situation with the monster core before fainting.

One of the reasons the alchemists thought that the monster was trying to protect Yuriel was the existence of the monster core.

Yuriel approached the monster with the core as they instructed, and the monster showed a favor to Yuriel as if it was natural.

It was the same with changing the core.

If it was a core with adequate power, the monster seemed to recognize Yuriel as something to be protected.

After the test, the core was used at the festival as scheduled. They heard that a woman of nobility who had visited the temple was given the core.

Of course, that wasn’t the end. There was also news that the nucleus had been taken away by the Princess.

“Today’s experiment is going to be a bit risky. Don’t get too close to the monster. So far, there has been no response, but there is a possibility that it will suddenly change.”

Baraha approached Yuriel, who was sitting in front of the lab where the monster was crouching, and spoke to her.

Baraha, who appeared with dark circles under his eyes, spoke with a sigh. Perhaps he had not slept, and he looked quite tired.

“Are you tired?”

“A little….”

When Yuriel looked into his face and asked the question, he answered while pressing the corner of his eyes. He closed his eyes tightly because his head was pounding, and then opened them again.

Because the laboratory was the alchemist’s area, the knight was not able to observe the experiment.

Baraha was the one to speak to Yuriel, who was left uneasy among strangers.

She thought Baraha would leave after participating for a few days, but he showed up in all of Yuriel’s experiments with a tired face.

Even though he looked like he was about to go back to his room and collapse right away, he did not vacate the laboratory.

Yuriel thought he was interested in the behavior of the monster, but that thought faded as time passed.

Baraha had no interest in the monster’s movement. During the experiment, Baraha’s gaze did not stray from Yuriel.

It was more suited to say that he was observing Yuriel rather than the monster.

Yuriel looked at Baraha’s face in a fresh way.

He hated annoying things and hated moving regularly, but he seemed to be loyal.

After hearing her muttering that she was afraid because she doesn’t know anyone in the laboratory, he had been watching Yuriel the whole time.

Now that she was used to it, she was not afraid even if she was left alone.

Even the monster was gentle, and the alchemists didn’t harm her either. At first, she was afraid that they might try to implant a monster core on her, just like they did to the other knights.

Come to think of it, she was told that when she was kidnapped, Baraha had found where she had been kidnapped right away. She was a little moved to hear that he had come to find her without returning to the Temple.

Still, he was worried about her as a friend. Then she has to give back as much as she received.

After finishing her thoughts by nodding her head, Yuriel grabbed the hem of Baraha’s robe and said,

“Baraha, if you are tired, go and rest. I’m okay with being alone now. Just go out and tell Lord Raphlet that I’ll be back as soon as the experiment is over.”

“It’s okay, it won’t take long.”

Baraha refused with a single blow.

“Commander Baraha.”

Baraha, who responded bluntly, with the hem of his robe caught, heard a voice calling him and raised his head. Standing next to Yuriel’s chair with his back against the wall, he moved slowly.

As soon as she let go of the hem of his robe, Baraha looked at Yuriel’s hand for a moment. Then he approached the alchemist with a blank expression on his face.

Baraha, who entered among the alchemists, asked in a relaxed tone. With a dull voice

“Why are you calling me?”

“Today’s experiment. Why don’t we proceed without the core altogether?”

It was natural for him to talk down to them while speaking with the alchemists. Baraha, who didn’t seem like that type of person when standing next to Yuriel, frowned.

He raised his voice to the alchemist.

“Does that make sense? The monster is alert to Yuriel whenever the energy contained in the core weakens. Don’t you think it might attack without core weapons?”

“I’m saying that even if she gets attacked, we can adequately block it. There are enough safety devices, so why are you so angry?”

It seemed that it was not in vain to spend a lot more time in the Alchemist Tower than in Albraka.

He was very annoyed, but he was more energetic than usual. Yuriel watched with interest as Baraha argued with the alchemists.

“And that variable has already been checked. When I approached without the monster core, the monster tried to attack me again. That’s enough….”

“Commander Baraha received a core implant. Could it be called an accurate record?”

“I think so too.”

When the alchemists objected, Baraha clenched his teeth.

He wildly ruffled his hair as if the drooping hair on his forehead was bothersome, and he stared at the alchemists.

They exchanged opinions more and more.

“Mriss Yuriel. Go inside.”

“Take this.”

It wasn’t long before consensus was reached. It was decided to put a muzzle on the monster and Yuriel has a gun so she can respond immediately in case of emergency.

As she went into the laboratory with her gun and core, the monster tied to the chain wrinkled the back of its nose.

“Hello, we meet again.”

Although she received the gun, Yuriel was not afraid of the monster. Rather, the alchemists lined up outside were more frightening.

The monster that came close to Yuriel rubbed its head near her waist. The alchemists who were watching from outside showed signs to get closer.

Without hesitation, Yuriel sat down in front of the monster. The monster quickly put its head on her thigh and stretched out.

There was no sign of attacking Yuriel, except for a small growling while gently sweeping the nape of its neck.

It continued to growl from time to time towards the alchemists that were watching them.

[Yuriel, one person will come in and try to attack.]

Yuriel, who was quietly stroking the monster, nodded when she saw the text an alchemist showed her.

It was to check the reaction of the monster, not really to attack. When Yuriel answered, a man came in.

As the man with the sword entered the room, the monster jumped up. The monster pushed Yuriel back and raised its claws.

The man who confirmed the reaction of the monster stopped checking and went inside.

The man who just came in also had a monster core. It was a core with greater power than Yuriel had.

“It doesn’t seem like it only responds to the power of the core?”

“I think it only protects Miss Yuriel. And for a moment, it is kind to people who want to help Yuriel like Commander Baraha.”

“Miss Yuriel is really controlling monsters? Well, there are rumors.”

“If the rumors are true, shouldn’t we dissect Miss Yuriel, not the monster?”

The alchemists, who were passionately conversing about the monster’s magical reaction, shut their mouths at the cool sensation felt on the back of their necks.

Commander Barraha was holding a gun behind them.

The sound of an unloaded gun clicking was heard. They felt a strange intimidation even though he was just touching the gun without saying a word.

The weak alchemists closed their mouths as they looked at the air.

Even though Commander Baraha stayed in the Alchemy Tower, he was not a person who had many interactions with alchemists.

He wandered the Alchemy Tower blankly, occasionally watching from behind the alchemists who were experimenting, and when he did, the alchemists would sweep their hands in goosebumps.

Their conversation must have offended Baraha’s nerves.

The alchemists spoke quickly.

“Now, now we have to change the core and test it. Miss Yuriel, please come out quickly.”

“Miss Yuriel! Come out! Oh, she can’t hear from inside.”

The quick-witted alchemists waved the paper on which they wrote to Yuriel to come back in.

They quickly realized that the person who could stop Baraha was Yuriel.

Chapter 79

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“Today’s schedule is over. Miss Yuriel, will you come over here for a moment before we leave?”

The experiment was over. Yuriel lightly scratched the monster’s jaw and left the laboratory. The monster followed Yuriel until the chain was pulled taut, and when it could no longer come forward, it whined pitifully.

She was worried about the small cry. After all, it was trying to save her and ended up being trapped in a place like this.

After standing still for a while with the door open, an alchemist touched Yuriel’s shoulder.

“Is something wrong with it?”

As the alchemist pushed his head inside, the whining monster exposed its teeth.

“Ugh, I really don’t want to see that. When the experiment is over, all teeth must be pulled out.”

“Are you pulling out the teeth?”

“Ah, if Miss Yuriel wants to be safe, of course, we have to pull it out, but then there will be variables. For now, we have to leave it in its original form.”

As Yuriel frowned faintly, the alchemist explained. He looked genuinely sorry for not being able to neutralize the monster right away.

When Yuriel did not straighten her face, he looked at her and asked.

“Should I pull the claws if you’re too nervous?”

“No. Don’t do that.”

It was kind to her, but it was a monster. She knows it’s hard to just let it go.

After the experiment was over, of course, they had to kill it, so it was the right thing to do so that it could die as comfortably as possible. However, the alchemists did not seem to want to kill it comfortably even after the experiment was over.

Yuriel shook her head briefly, and the alchemist only shrugged his shoulders. As if he didn’t mind the hard expression on her face, he said as he pointed a large syringe in front of Yuriel.

“This is what we have to do. I need Miss Yuriel’s blood for the experiment, so I’ll draw a little.”

He grabbed Yuriel’s wrist without even having time to say anything to Yuriel. Lifting her clothes up to her forearm, he skillfully poked the needle.

She could see the large syringe oozing with blood. Yuriel stared at him with her mouth wide open.

He was so skillful that when a thick needle pierced her forearm, it didn’t hurt. Contrary to the saying that he would draw a little, he drew a fairly large amount of blood.

Not sure if that was enough, he took out the other syringe he was holding on his waist and held out his hand again.

“I’ll just fill this out. I pulled it from this one, so can you show me the other arm….”

“What are you doing now?”

It was the moment when Yuriel inadvertently stretched out her arm at that natural gesture. Yuriel’s was dragged back with her shoulders wrapped around protruding arms.

“Fuc…. Why are you giving her that?”

“Yes? I need it for an experiment….”

A voice filled with intense emotions was heard. The swear word filled with anger continued in Yuriel’s ears.

It sounds like Baraha…?

The voice was familiar. However, the non-stop swearing was unusual.

He wasn’t the kind of person who swears in this way. Yuriel had never seen Baraha angry. So were the swear words.

Someone other than Baraha then?

Yuriel thought blankly as she heard the swear words pouring out above her head. The swear words were so harsh that she didn’t even think to shake the arm that was pulling her.

When she glanced at his face, she was even more stunned that the person who was swearing was Baraha.

Baraha’s swear words gradually increased. Even the alchemist who heard the pouring insults had a crazy face.

“Who are you doing that to? Do you want to die?”

Of the profanity, only sentences for communication were made.

“Come on, wait a minute. Why is the gun… ! Commander Baraha!”

“Baraha, what’s wrong with you!”

“These fucking bastards better just die.”

Yuriel, who was in Baraha’s arms, caught her breath as he wrapped himself around her and saw his gun being loaded.

As Baraha loaded his gun, the man in front threw the syringe and screamed. The syringe containing Yuriel’s blood also fell to the floor.

Baraha wheezed as the syringe rolled to his feet. He moved his feet, stepping on the syringe. The syringe shattered and blood pooled under his feet.

Seeing all her blood that had been drawn gone to waste, Yuriel grabbed Baraha’s arm and said:

“Baraha, really, why? Is there a problem?”

Baraha’s arm, which her finger touched, was tight. The way the agitated Baraha continued to step on the syringe was not at all in harmony with his usual appearance.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but let’s lower the gun, okay?”

Yuriel said in a cautious tone, stopping Baraha from aiming the gun at the man who was leaving the room as if he was running away.

Baraha, who was about to shoot the departing alchemist’s leg, was led by Yuriel’s hand and lowered his arm.

When the man whom Baraha was pouring out his anger on left, his anger turned toward Yuriel.

“Do you know what he did and you made me put down my gun?”

“What are you doing? All he said was that the experiment needed blood.”

“So you know what that means.”

“It means they need my blood, but is there another meaning…? I thought the experiment might need blood….”

She thought it was rude to draw blood all of a sudden, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t understand.

Yuriel was even more embarrassed to see Baraha’s maddening anger.

A person who did not lose his composure even when death was imminent was so angry from barely drawing blood?

Yuriel thought that he could not overcome his fatigue and was venting his anger on the person who was visible.

“I think it’s because you’re tired. That’s why I told you to stop and rest today.”

“Do you think I am doing this because I am tired? You don’t even know how many people died from blood drawn like that…!”

Baraha was pouring words out passionately, so Yuriel couldn’t understand half of what he was saying.

She could barely hear the cry of whether he was doing this because he was tired, but the voice afterwards was unclear.

Baraha, who spoke more vigorously, released his strength from the arm that wrapped around Yuriel’s shoulder.

Baraha looked down at Yuriel’s arm. Blood was flowing from the spot where the syringe drew blood.

“… you don’t know anything.”

“What do I not know?”

“If they ask you to draw blood next time, tell them I said no. It’s no good to hand over blood to the alchemists. If they try to give you an injection, just kill them.”

Baraha murmured while holding Yuriel’s arm with the hem of his robe. He seemed to have returned to his sanity quickly, perhaps thanks to his exhaustion from his angry tirade.

The alchemist who had run away while Baraha stopped the bleeding on Yuriel’s arm, led the others inside.

While receiving the frightened man’s gaze, Baraha lifted the hem of his robe and checked Yuriel’s arm. When he saw that the bleeding had stopped, he turned around.

As Baraha approached the alchemists, they shouted in confusion.

“Wait. Leave, leave your gun behind!”

“Yes, give it to me. You’re a little weird right now. Your eyes are open. You didn’t come here on drugs to wake up, did you?”

“I don’t do that….”

He had calmed down, but his face was still hot. Yuriel leaned towards Baraha as she handed him the gun and spread her palms out.

“… But even without this, it is not hard to kill such weaklings.”

She looked at his face, who had muttered in her ear before raising his upper body, strangely.

Fortunately, the alchemists gathered behind them did not seem to have heard Baraha’s voice.

If they had heard it, if it was referred to the military court martial, there would be nothing to refute. This is not what a knight who should protect the weak would say.

“I won’t let you go for threatening me!”

The man threatened by Baraha trembled like a trampled earthworm. When Baraha looked at him with sharp eyes, he shut his mouth, but had an unreconciled expression on his face.

It was unfair that he suddenly pulled his gun and was cursed for the rest of his life’s share. Even Yuriel thought that Baraha’s reaction was very strange.

Baraha, who had no idea how he became a paladin, left the room with the alchemists. Standing in the center and watching his back as if being dragged out, Yuriel also left the laboratory.

No one paid any attention to the blood gushing out of the broken syringe as they stared at Baraha, who seemed insane.

A monster tied to a chain with a door in between started sniffing its nose.

＊＊＊

That night, Raphlet returned to the room and delivered bad news.

“Commander Baraha was going to be referred to a military court martial. He threatened the alchemist in the lab today, what happened?”

Yuriel, who had brought Raphlet something to change into, sighed deeply and spoke.

“Today Baraha pointed a gun at the alchemist. But I also don’t understand why….”

“They said it was because he saw your blood drawn.”

Yuriel, putting down the clothes to change into, said as she unbuttoned Raphlet’s coat. Raphlet seemed to have heard everything, but he didn’t seem to understand either.

A sharp gaze scanned Yuriel as if trying to figure out if there were any hidden stories in the middle. He scoured Yuriel’s body, who was preoccupied with taking off his clothes, but as he had already been told, there were no wounds on Yuriel.

All that was visible was the needle marks under the short-sleeved pajamas.

Raphlet grabbed the forearm that was left with red marks.

The small marks left on Yuriel’s body were annoying.

“It seems that Commander Baraha cares a lot about you.”

Chapter 80

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel, who was taking off Raphlet’s robe, stopped moving.

It was difficult to guess what Baraha was thinking. Yuriel thinks he was a living corpse. It was only natural that he didn’t want anything, and he said he didn’t like it when asked to do this and that.

Such a person was so angry today that he poured out swear words. She doesn’t understand why he was so agitated about having her blood drawn, but Baraha obviously stepped forward to protect Yuriel.

Even if she agrees with Raphlet’s question, it seems that their relationship was good enough.

She wasn’t as happy as when Raphlet saved her a long time ago, but it was good that she still has someone who cares about her.

Yuriel smiled softly as she put on Raphlet’s robe.

“Is that so? Still, I think he cares about me as a friend. Even when he was at Mogris, he sometimes helped with work and then disappeared, so maybe that was his own way of expressing his closeness ….”

As she recalled the events from a long time ago, her emotion-soaked face was relaxed. Raphlet thought as he heard Yuriel’s voice smiling as she talked about moments he didn’t know.

‘If I had been monitoring her so that she wouldn’t meet other people while I was away….’

An indescribable desire swelled in his stomach.

It was a low desire to keep people from meeting her and watch her wait for him.

When dealing with Yuriel, it was a problem because he always had such immoral feelings. Even if he did, Raphlet knew he would not be satisfied with the situation.

His desire knew no end. If Yuriel was imprisoned, he would inevitably want more intense stimulation.

Taking a short deep breath, Raphlet calmly hid his desires, as always.

But his desire, which he thought had been completely hidden, leaked out a little bit. Raphlet’s hand, which grabbed Yuriel’s wrist, gained strength.

He had no intention of imprisoning Yuriel, who was active and liked people. Raphlet has now learned how to suppress that desire.

After mixing their bodies enough, this tedious possessiveness should subside a bit.

In their relationships, Yuriel has always been cooperative. Ever since they started sleeping together, he has never been afraid of being rejected.

Raphlet comfortably revealed his lust.

“… Lord Raphlet?”

Yuriel, who felt the power tightening on her wrists, looked carefully at his face.

Raphlet was holding Yuriel’s wrist with an expressionless expression that made it difficult for her to understand his thoughts. Her clenched hand was slightly hurting.

Raphlet relaxed his hand and gently rubbed the tender flesh on the inside of her wrist.

Yuriel, who was staring blankly at the fingers rubbing her soft flesh, suddenly came to her senses. The fingers that pressed her arm tight glided toward her elbow and then her back.

Her back twitched at the tickling stimulation.

Raphlet wanted her.

As soon as she realized this, Yuriel immediately put her arms around his neck. Raphlet’s robe fell to the floor, but no one could scold Yuriel’s careless act.

Raphlet would not be angry even if Yuriel trampled his robe with her dirt-dusted feet.

Tossing his clothes aside, Yuriel playfully bit Raphlet’s lips as she bowed her head toward him. It was good to bite Raphlet’s lips, but she prefered to swallow his lips herself.

It was impossible to move freely once their act began in earnest, so even during foreplay she wanted to touch Raphlet according to her thoughts.

Their frequent kisses made her movements skillful, stimulating Raphlet’s lips. Yuriel was a good student who learned anything quickly and developed her own methods on her own.

Yuriel looked straight at Raphlet’s face without closing her eyes. Raphlet would slightly narrow his forehead and blink his eyes slowly when he feels pleasure.

It was a face seldom seen during kissing, but Raphlet showed such a face every now and then when she moved herself well.

“Ummm….”

That was the expression Yuriel was trying to bring out now. The face where Raphlet felt it was always something she was happy to see, and if the person who created the expression was her, the joy was indescribable. Looking into his face, she pushed her tongue in, and Raphlet didn’t hesitate to open his lips.

There was little joy in her gaze looking down as if he wanted to do what she wanted.

Yuriel twisted her head and let out a shallow breath. Their hot breaths mixed in. Even as their straight noses met and moved away from each other, Raphlet did not take his eyes off Yuriel’s eyes.

It was the same with Yuriel. She moved with satisfaction as she looked at the eyes that glowed like golden flashes.

She intertwined and untangled her tongue and gently rubbed the sensitive inner flesh. Raphlet’s body, who was bending over and matching Yuriel’s height, trembled.

Yuriel, who was covering the nape of his neck with both hands, blinked her eyes without missing a glimpse of his slight twitch. Raphlet stopped his breath and narrowed his brow as she dug into his inner thigh, rubbing the area he felt irritated.

Continuing the kiss, Yuriel raised her leg. Raphlet completely wrinkled his brow as she dug between his legs and pressed on his center.

The manhood under the pants slowly erected. Unable to come out, it was voluminous enough to assert itself taut under his pants. Yuriel smiled as she pressed Raphlet’s left thigh with her leg.

Raphlet groaned low with a wrinkled brow as she gently bent her eyes while pressing the part that revealed his bulkiness. After groaning for a moment, he grabbed Yuriel’s waist with both hands.

Raphlet’s eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. Eyes gleaming like a wild beast searched the room. Raphlet’s gaze stopped at the desk, as he was alternately looking at the far-off bed and the nearby desk.

He took Yuriel and went to the desk a few steps away. As Raphlet was walking, Yuriel was promiscuously intertwining her tongue.

Raphlet arrived at the desk and put Yuriel down on the desk. There was still a difference because of the height difference, but the view was somewhat good.

Even if he didn’t bend his body, when their gaze met, Yuriel loosened her hand that was wrapped around his neck. The palm of the hand that brushed the hard neck full of heat passed through Raflet’s chin and touched his cheek.

Yuriel clutched his cheeks, intertwined his tongue for a moment more, then parted his lips.

Raphlet’s cheeks were nicely blushed. It was the same with Yuriel.

Yuriel smiled softly, touching her lips lightly to the bridge of his nose and around his eyes. The moment when the green eyes, which were always wet with water, disappeared and reappeared, it was vividly etched into Raplet’s eyes.

Seeing Yuriel smiling silently, Raphlet’s hand moved hastily.

Raphlet, who pulled her thin pajamas aside at once, came close to her body. Yuriel, who had her chest pushed on his shoulder as he leaned forward, lost her balance and fell backwards.

“Ack.”

Just before going over completely, Yuriel reached back and managed to balance.

Her pounding heart pounded harder with a deep kiss. Raphlet moved his hand before Yuriel, who blinked blankly in shock as she lost her balance, and could not stand up properly.

With one arm wrapped around her waist, he lifted Yuriel’s body slightly upward, and put his hand down. Her hips lifted slightly, and the underwear under her pajamas was pulled down to her thighs with a single gesture of his.

“Ah… !”

“Yuriel, relax your legs.”

“Yes, I am sorry. I’m a little surprised….”

“It’s okay.”

Yuriel, who had instinctively gathered her legs, released the strength right away at Raphlet’s command. As he lifted one of her legs to make it easier to take off her underwear, Raphlet whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead as if she had done well.

His fingers, moving past her thighs, moving closer to the exposed entrance, suddenly stopped moving.

Raphlet raised his hand and stroked Yuriel’s head.

Yuriel, who was anticipating the pleasure to come, muttered blankly.

“Lord Raphlet, why are you stopping?”

The place where the fingers digging into her hair stopped was where Yuriel had been beaten. Raphlet, who touched the wound still with a gauze, asked with a heavy sigh.

“It still hurts doesn’t it?”

“Ah, this. It doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

“Even if it doesn’t hurt…. It would be bad if you move a lot.”

“Um, I don’t move much, so wouldn’t it be okay? The person who moves a lot is Lord Raphlet.”

Yuriel waved her legs and answered.

Raphlet was more excited, but Yuriel, too, was scorching hot from the heat rising from below.

She even took off her underwear, but it was obvious that if they stopped here, she would not be able to sleep properly all night and toss and turn to cool off her body full of heat.

Yuriel, who had been fiddling with the ends of her pajamas rolled up over her thighs, stopped worrying. The moment Raphlet grabbed her calf as if to put her underwear back on, she lost her reason for a moment.

Yuriel pulled up her pajamas even higher and said.

“I’ll stay still, okay?”

Seeing Yuriel whispering with her legs wide open, Raphlet bit his lip hard.

The underwear hanging from her slender calf fell down.

Chapter 81

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

It was at the moment when a small piece of cloth fell silently to the floor and she placed her hand around Raphlet’s neck again. Yuriel suddenly remembered the voice that crossed her mind.

‘You should not have s** in the early stages of pregnancy. Most of it is possible except for insertion, but don’t do it.’

‘How far can I go?’

‘… don’t. Even if you try to stop in the middle, if you even insert it because of the atmosphere, the child is at risk, not you.’

It felt like Shudmuel’s voice made her head pound like thunder. So when Raphlet sighed and bit her neck, it was definitely not Yuriel’s intention to push his chest hard .

“Now….”

“Huh….”

Yuriel, startled by his actions, and Raphlet, who was pushed by Yuriel, trembled their lips at the same time.

“That, so…. Oh, I suddenly got a headache.”

Yuriel, who had never even imagined lying in front of Raphlet, stammered. Yuriel, who spoke awkwardly while touching the gauze part, slowly moved her body.

Raphlet was watching Yuriel while she got down from his desk, picked up the underwear that had fallen, and cleaned up the rolled up pajamas.

Pretending to be ignorant of his cold eyes, Yuriel chewed her stupid behavior and bit her lip.

When Raphlet stopped, she should have stayed still! Why did she decide to do more there?

Habit was a scary thing. It became a habit to always push against him, so she leaned against him without even paying attention.

After tidying up her clothes, Yuriel started talking to change the awkward atmosphere.

“I think that’s why Sir Shudmuel told me to be careful for the time being. I had a big shock to my head, so I had to rest….”

“Alright.”

After listening to Yuriel’s excuse, Raphlet calmly cut her trailing words.

Watching Yuriel, he took off the clothes he hadn’t changed yet and walked to the bathroom.

“I’m going to wash up, so you can sleep first.”

Yuriel flinched at the cold voice and followed him. Reaching out her hand, she handed over his shirt, but that was it.

“You don’t have to attend my bath, so go to bed first.”

“Lord Raphlet.”

“You need to rest well to recover quickly. I’m fine, go to bed.”

Raphlet said, kissing Yuriel’s forehead. It was a friendly gesture, but his eyes were far from friendly.

Yuriel shut her mouth and only nodded her head.

She wanted to go in with him…. It seemed that she had offended Raphlet by saying useless words.

Yuriel, who watched him go into the bathroom, was left alone in the room and let out a long sigh.

Had it not been for Shudmuel telling her to keep it a secret, she was thinking of telling him about her pregnancy that day.

“I’m sure you’ll like it….”

Yuriel was well aware that some nobles often forced an abortion if their servants got pregnant while playing around.

She also knew that Raphlet, unlike most of the nobles, was not a person who would force her to erase the child.

Being abandoned by Raphlet or being offered an abortion was not something Yuriel was worried about. Yuriel was worried that the story Shudmuel kept pouring into her would happen to Raphlet.

‘How do you think the Temple will react if they discover you’re pregnant?’

‘No one will know that it is Lord Raphlet’s child.’

Shudmuel told Yuriel to assume the worst case every time she received treatment.

Raphlet would be given a disgraceful stigma because of Yuriel, and the child would be forced to be erased by the Temple.

‘Commander Raphlet is the most important person in the Temple. He is the protagonist of the prophecy, so they will not dismiss him. So what do you think they will do? The Temple will think it’s easier to deal with you. Do you want to be like that?’

‘… No.’

As Yuriel shook her head while weeping, Shudmuel touched his tired face and said,

‘I thought so.’

‘Then I really shouldn’t talk about the child. But in a few months, everyone will know….’

Seeing Yuriel crying as she wrapped her stomach, he looked more puzzled than ever. Even when he met the high priest, he had a frown on his face.

He seemed annoyed, but she couldn’t figure out why in this situation he was showing his emotions. There was no reason for Shudmuel to be in trouble for Yuriel, who had simply visited for a treatment.

When Yuriel looked into his face, he straightened his frown and said,

‘That’s right. I’m worried about the next few months. It’s going to be even more difficult if Raphlet realizes you’re fully pregnant and doesn’t want to have an illegitimate child.’

‘I really don’t know what to do….’

‘You wouldn’t want to see him collapse, would you?’

‘Yes, of course, but…. I don’t want to leave Lord Raphlet….’

That said, Yuriel already knew the answer.

Better to die than to leave his side. Because there was a time when she thought so. Of course, it was still the case today.

But now that she has Raphlet’s child, she can’t die. There was only one option Yuriel could choose.

Leaving the Imperial Capital and giving birth to Raphlet’s child. She hadn’t thought about what would happen after that.

Putting down Raphlet’s shirt, Yuriel dug into the bed and closed her eyes.

Even with her eyes closed, Raphlet’s figure was clearly drawn. Cool gaze, bright gold eyes, and a solid build like a knight. Everything that made him was beautiful.

She can’t believe she can’t see her master.

Yuriel sniffed and buried her face in the pillow.

Shudmuel spoke with a firm voice to Yuriel, who answered with hesitation.

‘If you want to have the child, you have to leave the Imperial Capital. Within three months at the latest.’

‘Three months… ? They’ll start subjugating monsters again soon, but without me, the damage will be more….’

The damage caused by the monster would increase even more. When Yuriel spoke to extend her stay even a little longer, Shudmuel said sarcastically.

‘If you want to test whether there is a higher chance that Commander Raphlet will get hurt by the monster subjugation, or if the news of your pregnancy will cause trouble for him, you can stay longer.’

Yuriel dropped her shoulders at the voice that spoke like a threat and had no choice but to agree to his opinion.

‘Is it okay if I come back after having the child? I can say that it’s not Lord Raphlet’s child.’

‘… You would be better not to return to the Imperial Capital.’

As soon as she had the child, she decided to come back, and when she asked that question, Shudmuel answered after a strangely long silence.

When Yuriel made a strange expression, Shudmuel returned with a cool face as if he hadn’t lost his composure earlier and nodded his head.

There was something strange about him, but she was distracted by thoughts about Raphlet, and Shudmuel’s bizarre expression was quickly forgotten.

Yuriel hugged Raphlet’s pillow and sniffled her nose.

She was already heartbroken at the thought of being away from Raphlet.

One rejection of their relationship ended up like this. Yuriel struggled with how to reject future intimate relationships with Raphlet for the remaining three months of her stay in the Imperial Capital.

She was worried about what kind of misunderstanding Raphlet might have if she suddenly refused having any entanglements with him.

Her head was pounding, perhaps because she cried over a problem she could hardly solve.

She couldnt take medicine anymore, so she shouldn’t get sick….

She thought about it as she closed her eyes, but the buildup of heat in her body wasn’t something she could control.

＊＊＊

Raphlet came out of his bathroom after a long time. It took him quite some time to simply wash himself and come out.

Raphlet came out, brushing off his wet hair, and looked at Yuriel, who was asleep while hugging his pillow, raised his eyebrows. He approached Yuriel, who had her eyes closed, unaware that he had come, and he called Yuriel with his brows narrowed.

“Yuriel?”

Her cheeks were burning red.

He had never been rejected by Yuriel, so he was shocked and ran to the bathroom. When Yuriel pushed him, groping on her wound and trailing off her words, he almost threw Yuriel onto the bed.

Raphlet, who had been isolating himself in the bathroom for a long time, because it would be impossible to leave Yuriel in the same place, reached out to Yuriel who was groaning and hugged his pillow.

Raphlet’s expression turned harsh as he placed his hand on Yuriel’s forehead.

“… Yuriel, wake up for a second.”

“… Yes?”

“You have a fever.”

Her body temperature was quite high, even taking into account the coldness of his hands.

Was it true that her head hurts? The reaction was strange for something like that.

Raphlet got up as he took his hand from Yuriel, who had been lying down while he was in the bathroom.

“Let’s change clothes and go to the infirmary. Can you change clothes?”

“Tomorrow, I decided to receive treatment for my wounds from Sir Shudmuel. I saw him just this morning, it’s okay if I don’t go now…. Lord Raphlet?”

Yuriel muttered quietly. She didn’t have to go to the infirmary, but Raphlet didn’t listen to her. After leaving the room for a while, he returned from the opposite side of Yuriel’s room with her everyday clothes.

After taking off her thin pajamas that revealed the lines of her body, Raphlet noticed that her body was also heated up and put on her clothes.

Raphlet, holding Yuriel, who had begun to boil, hurriedly rushed to the infirmary.

Chapter 82

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

After arriving at the infirmary, Raphlet had a long wait as Shudmuel had Yuriel’s medical journal.

As Raphlet watched over a sick Yuriel, he looked at the medical officer with a nervous expression on his face.

He had an expression of dissatisfaction that the medical officer said to leave sick people like this.

The medical officer knew Raphlet as a person who was indifferent to his own wounds and would tell medical officers to tend to the knights who were more severely injured by monsters during the subjugations. He said,

“In my opinion, it’s just a cold, so you don’t have to worry too much. Commander Raphlet.”

“Quiet.”

The voice that had the courage to change the mood softly before Shudmuel arrived, was quickly drowned out by Raphlet’s voice.

It was because Yuriel, who had fallen into a light sleep, heard the medical officer’s voice and wrinkled her eyebrows. Raphlet erected a partition next to her bed while the medical officer, who lost his courage, shrugged his shoulders.

The medical officer, who cared for Raphlet, thought he was better off hiding, and he concentrated on what he was going to do. Even during times when monster subjugation was not taking place, the medical officers were always busy.

Since the subjugation would start soon, it was time to check the medical tools in advance as well as replenish the necessary medications.

The medical officer made a loud rattling noise from beyond the partition. Raphlet contemplated whether or not to give attention, and recalled that this was the medical division.

It was not his jurisdiction.

When he was gently stroking Yuriel’s head, who was startled by the rattling sound the medical officer made, Shudmuel arrived.

Even though he was suddenly called at night, he had a neat appearance.

“What about Yuriel?”

“She is in bed 5. Commander Raphlet accompanied her.”

“Is Commander Raphlet still with her?”

“Yes, he is right next to the bed.”

“Here it is, Commander Shudmuel.”

As soon as he entered, in response to his question of looking for Yuriel, the medical officer guided him to the bed. Turning his head, Shudmuel looked at the partition that was rarely used and asked questions one after another.

Hearing Shudmuel’s question, the medical officer answered yes, and at the same time, Raphlet pushed back the partition.

Raphlet, looking from the back of the partition, scanned Shudmuel’s body.

“Where is the medical journal?”

He waited for a long time because the medical officer said he couldn’t prescribe medicine because he didn’t have Yuriel’s medical journal. However, Shudmuel’s hands were empty.

When Raphlet asked the question softly, Shudmuel approached the bed and said,

“I know all the drugs Yuriel is taking now, I can prescribe it right away. Don’t worry, Commander Raphlet.”

Shudmuel, who had no intention of prescribing medicine to Yuriel, answered so. When he saw Yuriel’s face lying on the bed, he clicked his tongue.

Not long after she had been told that she could not take medicine, she developed a fever and was taken to the infirmary. After Raphlet passed the thermometer to him, he stepped in and checked Yuriel’s body temperature.

Even from a quick glance he could tell Yuriel had a very high fever.

If the fever rose even a little more than now, it would be dangerous, so Shudmuel thought about it for a while.

It would be to his advantage for Yuriel to lose her child.

The reason he decided to help her give birth was because he wanted to correct the mistakes of the past, even now. But Shudmuel understood that Yuriel wasn’t the one he couldn’t save in the past.

It was an old feeling of debt. It was also not towards Yuriel, but a sense of debt towards his mother.

Reaching out to her flushed cheeks, Shudmuel recalled his old memories.

＊＊＊

His memories of being born as an illegitimate son of a high priest and spending time in the Temple orphanage were not pleasant to recall. It was said that Shudmuel’s mother, who was a follower of the High Priest, was thrown out of her family after giving birth to him and stayed in a temple orphanage.

Born into a noble family, it was not a suitable place for her to live as she had spent her whole life being served. Because of his mother, Shudmuel learned a lot unlike other children.

She was always concerned about Shudmuel, and she was devoted to imparting knowledge so that he could live on his own, even if he had to leave the Temple orphanage when he grew up.

Of all his mother’s teachings, it was medicine and psychiatry that intrigued Shudmuel. His mother was overjoyed when she learned that Shudmuel was interested in medicine.

‘With this, you’ll be welcomed wherever you go.’

My son.

She hugged Shudmuel and kissed him on both cheeks. As a young boy, Shudmuel pushed his mother away, who showed him generous affection.

The eyes of the other children in the orphanage were full of jealousy towards him for having a mother.

It was not pleasant to receive the jealous gazes of children of the same age. It wasn’t that he hated his mother’s expression of affection, though.

Shudmuel pretended to be flipping a book and looked at his mother’s expression. She smiled as if she knew everything, and she just brushed his hair.

And it was the following spring.

‘You’re going to have a younger sibling, Shudmuel.’

His mother was pregnant with the high priest’s child again.

‘A younger sibling? There are a lot of other siblings here, but I will have more?’

‘It’s a little different from the younger siblings in the nursery. It’s a real younger sibling.’

‘I don’t need it.’

He seemed to be a little jealous at the thought that her affection would be split. His mother smiled as if she knew everything.

He learned that the High Priest was his father thanks to his mother’s pregnancy.

Even before his mother was pregnant, he would occasionally sneak into the orphanage and chat with her, but when people noticed that the high priest was sneaking into the orphanage, people giggled as they told dirty stories behind him.

It was at that time that his mother’s face began to darken. She tossed her body to and fro from time to time, as if in a nightmare, and even when she was sleeping, she jumped up, hugged her belly, and watched her surroundings.

‘It’s okay, nothing will happen. He couldn’t have ordered such a thing.’

He didn’t know what the words muttered with her terrified face meant.

‘It’s our child, there’s no way someone who cares about Shudmuel would do that….’

Shudmuel looked at her panicking and simply thought she didn’t want the child. He rummaged through the medical books all night long, which his mother had saved, and found that his brother could be erased.

As he wandered the garden of the orphanage, contemplating what to do to obtain the medicine from the book, Shudmuel saw his mother being dragged in the arms of people he had never seen before.

In front of him was the high priest.

‘Mother?’

Shudmuel dropped the book and ran. Captured by the men, she twisted her body, pulled her arms out, and hurried to him.

Embracing Shudmuel’s body, she looked at the high priest and scoffed at him. Curse words were mixed in.

Even as she wielded the curse words, the high priest’s eyes were on Shudmuel. He spoke as if making excuses to Shudmuel.

‘I’m trying to move you to a better place than here.’

‘Do you think I’m still an idiot who believes in you? No way. Don’t touch my children!’

It was a scream he never thought would come out of her mouth. A ray of light leaked out of the nursery, which had been turned off, as someone heard the loud voice.

The high priest left the place with his men with a dismayed face.

His mother was swearing and cursing towards the place where the high priest disappeared. The sight of her screaming into the air was as crazy as anyone could say.

People running out of the orphanage ripped Shudmuel off and shouted at her, calling her to come to her senses.

‘Why are you doing this? Shudmuel was scared!’

‘Calm down!’

‘Why are you doing this in the middle of the night, are you crazy?’

The high priest left as it was, but seeing his only guardian collapse left a deep scar on the young Shudmuel.

From that day on, his mother became strange. She struggled with anxiety as she tried to hide her increasingly swelling belly.

No one believed that the high priest had tried to take her away. Out of her mind, they believed she made up things as she suffered from anxiety.

‘She must be really crazy. After the baby is born, I have to send her to the hospital right away.’

‘Does she not know how much the high priest looks after her?’

‘Shudmuel, what did you see that day?’

‘… no.’

‘He didn’t see anything either.’

‘Look at that, she’s crazy.’

He feared that he and his mother might be kicked out of the orphanage if he said that he had seen the high priest that day. As he lied and turned around, his mother was staring at him with dazed eyes.

Her emotionless eyes gave a creepy feeling. The people left, leaving Shudmuel and her alone.

With only the two of them left, she calmly opened her mouth.

‘Did you really see nothing?’

‘I…. I didn’t see anything.’

‘Yes, that’s a relief.’

At that time, he shouldn’t have answered his mother like that.

The young Shudmuel didn’t know how terrible his mother’s trauma was; of being kicked out of her family when she was barely an adult, betrayed by someone she trusted and denied by the only child she loved.

Or how precarious she was.

From that night on, she had completely lost her mind.

Chapter 83

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Shudmuel looked at his mother, who frantically kept records.

She recorded the words of those she spoke to, the food and drink eaten, the number of people who entered the orphanage, and even hid and recorded the shape of the carriage entering the Temple, looking at the Temple entrance, and recording the length of time the carriage stayed in the Temple.

As if she believed something would harm her and her child, she documented everything every day in her journal.

Shudmuel didn’t even have to look at the studies. Just reading an introductory psychiatry book was enough for Shudmuel to determine that his mother was exhibiting paranoia.

Since she had a symptom listed in medical books, he was hopeful that there would be a treatment method. Shudmuel read medical books in anticipation.

Was there any way to cure her?

As he flipped through medical books, what caught his eye was hypnosis. It was a treatment that could be done without medicine.

[If attempted by unskilled people, side effects may occur.]

Below a brief note of caution was written how to attempt hypnosis.

He couldn’t make his mother’s condition worse….

Shudmuel, who was about to give up, looked at the children in the orphanage and his eyes lit up.

He would just practice on the children in the orphanage until he was proficient.

The orphanage’s inability to pay attention to each child has been acutely felt since the day his mother lost her mind.

Shudmuel took a child with wavy dark hair and practiced hypnosis several times. After a few days, the child began to get hypnotized.

The hypnotized child began writing graffiti-like texts and occasionally making strange noises.

This was a side effect.

Shudmuel thought as he looked at the child’s scribbles. It was strange to see a child who did not know how to write suddenly read and write.

The child suddenly seemed to have acquired a strange ability. The only recognizable character in the child’s writing was the word ‘monster’.

The child had terrible handwriting.

Having achieved the desired result, Shudmuel was no longer interested in the child. A few days later, he heard that a child who had lost his memory and turned violent had been expelled from the orphanage, but it was not his concern.

Not just one or two children were expelled from orphanages.

After the child disappeared, Shudmuel made several more attempts, but with no appreciable success. He had no results, but also no side effects.

He wanted to practice more, but he didn’t have time now.

The last month of pregnancy was fast approaching. If his mother did not regain her mind after giving birth, his mother would surely be kicked out of the orphanage.

He approached his mother and tried to hypnotize her with his inexperienced workmanship.

It was after that night that her symptoms of paranoia began to appear. The day she met the high priest. She started waking up with an anxious face after that.

The time she smiled happily and looked after Shudmuel was shortly after her pregnancy.

Perhaps it was because her mind was precarious that she was vainly caught up in Shudmuel’s hypnosis.

‘When you open your eyes, you will forget the memories of that day.’

Erase all the bad memories and put it back to the way it was.

Shudmuel got what he wanted.

Leaving only memories of her early pregnancy, she looked after Shudmuel with a gentle face as before. Although flustered by the loss of her memory a little, it wasn’t as strange as before.

The news that she had returned to her original state soon became known to everyone. And on the day of the childbirth, she smiled and said to Shudmuel that it will be fine, and she left the orphanage to give birth to the child.

‘I’ll come back with your younger sibling, Shudmuel.’

She didn’t come back

‘Shudmuel. I have something to tell you, so please come into my room.’

Those who returned with a dark expression called Shudmuel and told him about the terrible childbirth. The child did not come out, and neither did his mother ….

Shudmuel couldn’t comprehend what he was hearing. At one point, he came to his senses and only vaguely remembered that he was crying while holding his mother’s things.

His mother’s journal protruding from the luggage caught Shudmuel’s attention.

Shudmuel flipped through her records as if possessed.

Her biggest concern was that the high priest would take her out of the orphanage on the day of the childbirth. What the high priest wanted was a newborn child.

A child, a monster, and an experiment.

There was something written that Shudmuel did not fully understand. But one thing was clear to him.

His mother had no intention of leaving the orphanage to give birth. She knew she would be in danger if she left the orphanage.

It was Shudmuel’s fault that she left the orphanage.

Because she was hypnotized and her memories erased….

Shudmuel stared into the air while holding the records.

＊＊＊

“… Have you checked yet?”

Lost in thought, Shudmuel heard a voice full of hostility and moved his stiff body. The back of his hand, which was touching Yuriel’s cheek, was burning.

Yuriel’s heat seemed to have been transferred to the back of his hand.

How long had he been standing here like this, there was displeasure in Raphlet’s eyes.

As he removed the back of his hand, Raphlet brushed away the messy hair on Yuriel’s cheek and brushed her cheek.

Yuriel opened her eyes at the touch on her cheek. The out of focus eyes slowly rolled from side to side. Her eyes, which had been moving slowly as if to confirm where she was, stopped at Raphlet.

“Even if I don’t take medicine, I will get well soon, Lord Raphlet.”

Yuriel, who saw him, smiled innocently as if she had come to her senses, and muttered. Yuriel, who repeatedly recited that she did not need to take medicine, lost consciousness again.

Shudmuel didn’t pay any attention to her, but he just fully understood Yuriel’s intentions by her actions.

She wouldn’t take the medicine because of her unborn child. Commander Raphlet doesn’t listen to Yuriel at all, so he would have to give her a nutritional supplement instead of a fever reducer.

Shudmuel said while thinking about the nutrients needed in the early stages of pregnancy.

“She just needs to take a fever reducer. She is not feeling well, so I’ll go to Yuriel’s room for the next treatment. When she wakes up, give it to her….”

“During treatment, I will bring Yuriel to the infirmary. There is no need for Commander Shudmuel to come to the room.”

“It doesn’t matter, but I am not waiting in the infirmary. Please come to my office.”

Shudmuel answered in an uninterested voice.

As he nodded to Raphlet and stepped out around the partition, the medic, who had been glancing at where they were, quickly turned his head and pretended to be preoccupied with his work.

Shudmuel looked at the medical officer’s back and moved forward. The medical office was adjacent to the infirmary. When he opened the door to the completely locked medicine room, there were drugs filling the large room.

He approached a shelf with fever-reducer medicine, pulled them out, and recorded on a log that he took some.

All medicines in the medicine room were meticulously managed under his supervision. Since he took over this place, all the medicines going in and out of the medicine room were recorded.

Even with such thorough management, it was not uncommon for medicine to disappear from time to time. He knew there were people stealing medicines from the Temple.

It didn’t matter because he was deliberately neglecting drug management. A smirk popped out when he remembered that the high priest’s pupils, whom he occasionally encountered, had been greatly dilated under the influence of drugs.

This, too, will one day return to the high priest’s karma.

Shudmuel ignored the medicine boxes that did not match the quantity. Now was not the time to worry about this.

He put the fever reducer pills in his pocket and picked the ones that wouldn’t affect the fetus.

It’s a simple nutritional supplement, but it’s better than not eating it.

He checked the inventory of nutrients not long ago, so there was a lot of time left before the next check. If he fills in the empty pills before the check, no one would find anything out of the ordinary.

“Take one tablet now, and one in the morning tomorrow. I will prescribe the next drug after reviewing her condition.”

Shudmuel, who had wrapped the medicine so that the medical officer in the same location could not see it, handed the two small envelopes to Raphlet and said:

It’s not a fever reducer, so the fever won’t go away anytime soon.

Shudmuel frowned as he looked at Yuriel who was breathing heavily.

He could not comprehend her desire to protect her child so that she would endure this pain. What was with a child who she has not even seen the face of, why was it that she was trying to give birth to the child?

Raphlet, who received the medicine, got up holding Yuriel as if there was nothing to do anymore. Yuriel pressed her forehead to his neck as if she recognized her master even while she was asleep.

“Does the fever go away right away when she takes the medicine?”

Raphlet asked with a frown when he felt the heat on Yuriel’s forehead touching his neck. Raphlet had never been ill with a cold since coming to Albraca.

Judging from that reaction, it seems that it was the same when he was living in the Mogris Estate.

He, who had never been ill, wrinkled his brow and asked a question with concern.

“It depends on the condition, but not immediately. If the fever does not subside, cool herself moderately with a cold towel. If you can’t do it yourself, you can call a medical officer or a maid.”

“I understand.”

Rejecting Shudmuel’s request to send the medic, Raphlet said his farewells and turned away.

effe’s commentary (XD) : 
okay so was the child that was Shudmuel’s first test subject Baraha?! some of the conditions checks out; losing memories, not being able to write and suddenly can, writing about monsters? 

so then does that mean it wasn’t real prophetic ability? or was it that the hypnosis ‘woke’ his prophetic ability? 

so if it was really Baraha then all the commanders actually meet Baraha in their childhood somehow, and now they were all commanders together. is this too much of a coincidence?

Chapter 84

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The day Yuriel lay ill, there was a great commotion among the alchemists.

Before receiving the report on Yuriel’s condition, the alchemist, who was about to enter the laboratory and prepare for the experiment, saw the empty laboratory and shouted.

The door to the laboratory where the monsters were locked in was broken, and bloodstains remained on the floor. After leaving the laboratory, the monster did not leave a trace.

After hearing the news, the alchemists appeared in the laboratory from dawn with confusion.

“Did the monster disappear?”

“The wall is broken, I think he went out here.”

“It didn’t have such power. What the hell happened… ?”

The bloodstains left on the floor were left by the researcher who drew Yuriel’s blood the day before when dropping the syringe. Compared to the significant amount that was dropped, there were not many marks left.

While the alchemists concentrated on the power of the monster that had risen dramatically, Baraha paid attention to the bloodstains left behind by the monster.

The monster, who had been imprisoned for so long, escaped on the day Yuriel’s blood fell. There were traces of the tongue of a monster passing over the bloodstains.

The amount was much reduced than he remembered. Baraha wrinkled his brow as he looked at the traces.

… Did it eat it?

Monsters do not eat human blood. Although they attacked humans, they were not interested in human corpses.

They only attacked humans to protect their territory, and humans were rarely recognized as prey.

He thought the same was true of the monster that protected Yuriel. It did not lose its strength even if it was not fed separately.

The source of the monster’s power is the core. In theory, they could live forever if the core power was not depleted.

But why did it drink Yuriel’s blood?

He was also concerned about whether the monster had the strength to destroy the wall after eating the blood.

Just looking at these traces, it seemed as if the monster’s power increased considerably after eating Yuriel’s blood.

He didn’t have a good feeling.

Baraha looked around carefully, making sure the alchemists weren’t looking at him.

The alchemists were frantic as they gathered around the open wall and talked about their thoughts. While they were concentrating on it, Baraha cleared the floor off any traces the monster had left.

As the traces of the monster’s tongue disappeared, it looked like a trace of blood dripping.

When the place was properly cleared, the alchemists asked Baraha.

“Commander Baraha, what do you think?”

“Did the monster get stronger in one day?”

“Until yesterday, it couldn’t even break the chain.”

“Maybe it was smart enough to pretend it couldn’t break the chain.”

“If the strength increases dramatically within a few hours, what is the variable? I’ll have to check the experiment log from yesterday.”

The alchemists who were checking the strength of the wall that the monster had broken and went through, were noisy. They were anxious to determine the cause of this situation.

Baraha, who escaped from among the alchemists, who was excited to learn something new and was voicing bright voices that did not fit the situation, set out to find the place the monster was headed.

He was convinced that the monsters would still remain in Albraka.

＊＊＊

The sudden high fever tormented Yuriel. Although weak in appearance, Yuriel, who was born healthy, couldn’t come to terms with the heat that was tormenting her.

It was the first time she had such a fever.

A vicious pain that seemed to change the entire structure of her body pounded her entire body.

As she groaned while holding onto the pillow in pain as if all the blood vessels in her body were pounding, Raphlet came and wiped her body with a damp cloth.

When his hand rubbed her, she calmed down a little, so Yuriel clung to Raphlet’s arms when he stopped wiping her and was about to cover her with the blanket.

He hugged Yuriel’s body as she clung to his chest and pulled her up onto his lap, rubbing her forehead full of cold sweat.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“When you do this, it’s much easier to breathe…. Lord Raphlet, are you uncomfortable?”

“No.”

“Then let’s stay like this for a little bit….”

Yuriel answered in a hazy tone and closed her eyes.

＊＊＊

It hasn’t been long since she closed her eyes. Yuriel frowned at the roaring sound of the wind brushing her ears.

A cold chill was beating her body hard.

Her eyes widened at the sensation of a large snowflake hitting her cheek and passing by.

Raphlet, who was holding her, was nowhere to be seen.

Yuriel was standing idly in the endless winter forest.

She didn’t seem to have a fever, but her body was heavier than usual. Looking down, she saw a slightly bulging stomach.

“Isn’t the last month of pregnancy in winter?”

She got pregnant in the spring, so in the winter her belly should be big. However, Yuriel’s body showed little change from her early pregnancy.

Except for the fact that she was not in good physical condition, she could only be considered a little overweight on her stomach. The other parts were pitiful and skinny. No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t look like a woman who was about to give birth.

Yuriel, who was groping her stomach, wondering if this might be after the baby was born, was startled by the movement she felt at her fingertips.

“Kyaak… !”

As soon as she touched her stomach, it moved intensely, as if trying to inform Yuriel of its existence. Yuriel stared blankly at her numb fingers and thought.

Fetal, fetal movement, were they supposed to be like this?

Having removed her hand, Yuriel put her finger on her stomach again. A strange movement was felt along with a tingling sensation.

Yuriel, who felt the fetal movement by putting her hand on her stomach, shivered in the cold.

This seems to be a prophetic dream she usually has. Then it was the monster’s turn to appear and threaten her.

Yuriel cried when she saw that her feet, which had not been able to wear shoes, had turned red as if they were frostbitten.

She was dressed in a thin maid outfit and no shoes. Without shoes, it was impossible to have a weapon to deal with the monster.

She fumbled through her clothes, just in case, but nothing like a gun or explosives came out.

Still, she wasn’t as scared as she used to be thanks to her experiences dealing with monsters during subjugation.

Yuriel moved her tingling feet in haste, trying to find traces of the monster.

She couldn’t find the traces she wanted, but she was able to figure out where she was.

Dense coniferous forest, snow-covered branches, dark forest with no light.

It was a very familiar place.

“It’s a forest in the Mogris Estate.”

It was a forest in the Grand Duchy Mogris. Seeing that it was unfamiliar to her eyes, it seemed that she had entered a deeper place than she had ever gone when she was a child who came to pick up branches.

“How did I get here? Even barefoot…. Ugh, my feet are cold.”

Being alone in a place like this was like asking the monster to attack her.

“I don’t even have a coat….”

She wasn’t even wearing a coat. As if suddenly attacked by someone and ran away.

Yuriel stayed for a while in the winter forest.

The dream would only end when she died after being attacked by a monster, but the monster was nowhere to be seen.

Yuriel’s lips trembled as she went out to find the monster herself.

“I’d rather die and wake up sooner rather than later.”

Yuriel, who was moving through the high snow, found the shapely golden eyes that were watching her.

“… Lord Raphlet?”

It was Raphlet’s face. But….

Yuriel, who was about to run to him, saw his cold eyes and unknowingly hesitated and backed away.

Raphlet’s gaze, which had been embedded in Yuriel’s face, gradually went down. His gaze slowly descended and stopped on Yuriel’s stomach.

Seeing Yuriel’s stomach drawing a strange curve, Raphlet raised his gaze again.

Unknowingly, Yuriel embraced her stomach and turned around.

The gaze staring at her as if it were tearing her stomach was terrifying. It looked like he wanted to cut her stomach right away.

The moment she turned around, Yuriel recognized a solid body that was approaching behind her. Raphlet, who approached her in an instant, immediately covered Yuriel’s mouth.

The quiet forest shook loudly.

She struggled to lower Raphlet’s hand, which covered her mouth, but he wouldn’t let go of his hand grabbing Yuriel’s face.

“… Lord, Raphlet, Master.”

Her body was shaking as she called him, but he only shut her mouth more and more, as if he was trying to stop Yuriel’s voice.

There was no explanation.

Yuriel, unable to breathe, quickly lost consciousness.

It was around the time when the voices of several people began to be heard in the forest that had been engulfed in silence.

＊＊＊

She thought that a considerable amount of time had passed.

In her dream, not reality, it felt strange, as if waking up after sleeping for a very long time.

When Yuriel opened her eyes, she remembered her dream.

She met Raphlet in the forest of Mogris estate and passed out. It didn’t feel like waking up immediately after fainting, but rather like waking up after a long sleep.

She was dizzy, as if she was still dreaming. Yuriel shook her head as she recalled Raphlet’s ferocious gaze as he looked at her.

If it was a prophetic dream, she would have woken up screaming at the same time she was killed by a monster.

So that was not a premonition.

Yuriel looked at the dark room and erased the dream from her memory.

She was just overheated by the fever and had a nightmare.

Chapter 85

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel’s fever hardly fell. Shudmuel came once in the morning and once in the afternoon, but he did not think that her condition would get any better.

It was expected because she didn’t take antipyretics.

Raphlet checked Yuriel’s condition while doing his business in the room. Even if he put a cold towel on her forehead, the towel quickly became hot from Yuriel’s heat.

The longer the fever didn’t go down, the more anxious Raphlet became.

Irrespective of Yuriel’s illness, the alchemists clamored every day to find out where the monster went.

The alchemists came to Yuriel on the day the monster escaped. Because the monster was trying to protect Yuriel, the main opinion was that it would try to take Yuriel even after it escaped.

It wasn’t long after she had a fever. Yuriel, whose complexion was pale as if waking up from an unpleasant dream, was called to the parlor and listened to the alchemists’ stories.

Raphlet watched Yuriel from behind and focused on the alchemists’ stories. She collaborated with the alchemists, but receiving their experimental records was separate.

Alchemists were not cooperative in passing on their knowledge to other groups. It was also known that there was a lot of information among them that they did not want to share because of their desire to achieve results.

Only Commander Baraha, who belonged to both the Knights Order and the Alchemist group, was an exception and able to receive all information immediately.

It was for this reason that the interview with the alchemists was permitted.

Raphlet needed information about what kind of experiments they were doing on Yuriel. As soon as they entered the parlor, the alchemists who hesitated while glancing at Raphlet began to ask questions regardless of whether they knew Raphlet had any intentions of leaving.

It was information that would be passed on anyway, as they had to organize the experimental records and hand them over to the Albraka leaders soon.

“Did you hear that the monster escaped?”

“The power of the monster in one day….”

“As Miss Yuriel knows, the only variable is contact with Miss Yuriel.”

“So this is….”

Their excited voices were difficult to understand. Yuriel reached out for a cup to moisten her parched throat and noticed the gaze of the person looking at her.

He was a man threatened by Baraha for having drawn her blood. His eyes, looking at Yuriel’s pale complexion, gave off a creepy light.

It was similar to the princess’ eyes when she saw what she coveted.

His eyes gleaming with greed fixed on Yuriel from behind the senior alchemists who sat down and poured out their stories.

While examining Yuriel’s face, he spoke into the ear of the alchemist in front of him.

“What if we take another blood sample from Miss Yuriel?”

“Blood? Oh, come to think of it, the syringe was broken because of Commander Baraha at that time. I wasn’t paying attention because of the monster. We need a syringe… ”

“I brought it.”

“Really?”

“Can I draw it now?”

“We need to draw blood before Commander Baraha interferes. If we have it and finish the experiment before it, what can he do?”

“Miss Yuriel, please reach out your arm.”

“… Yes?”

Yuriel, who had been listening to the muffled sound as if it submerged in water, frowned as she saw people waving their hands at her. The man was holding the large syringe she had seen last time.

Yuriel sighed and took off her coat. Baraha had told her not to let them take her blood, but Yuriel now had no strength to argue with the alchemists.

As she held out her weak arm, the man smiled and pushed in the syringe.

The man stretched out his arm, ready to take the blood from Yuriel’s body, but it was not the alchemist’s hand that touched Yuriel’s arm.

From the moment the alchemists began to talk about the experiment in an excited tone, Raphlet, who had been silently listening to their conversation, was holding Yuriel’s arm.

Raphlet, who draped the robe that had flowed down over her shoulder, said in a low tone.

“Didn’t I say that only a light interview is possible? Please go back.”

Raphlet, who had issued a dismissal order, supported Yuriel before the alchemists got up.

“Commander Raphlet, wait a minute.”

“There are still many things I want to ask Miss Yuriel!”

“Can’t you see that she can’t even stand properly? If you have any further questions, please write them to me. I will deliver it when Yuriel’s condition is improved.”

Concerned about Yuriel’s reputation, Raphlet, who would not try to touch Yuriel in crowded places, reached out his hand first.

Raphlet raised Yuriel’s body, which had no strength. Yuriel’s head fell on his chest.

His heart sank as she stretched out like a corpse.

There was no point in caring about the opinions of the revolting alchemists.

He was able to understand what kind of experiment Yuriel was cooperating with, and how the alchemists treated Yuriel just through their conversation.

All alchemists are like this.

Raphlet left the parlor immediately.

“It looks like she was not feeling well.”

“I can’t help it today.”

“Let’s go back and not waste time.”

When Raphlet disappeared supporting Yuriel, the alchemists vomited their dissatisfaction and stood up one by one.

The man holding the empty syringe glared at the seat where Yuriel had been sitting, and finally left.

＊＊＊

After the alchemists returned, Yuriel fainted once.

When Shudmuel forced her to take medicine, she opened her eyes for a moment, looked at him with resentful eyes, and then closed her eyes again.

The heat, which was enough to affect a life, fell, but the heat that did not drop below a certain temperature bothered Yuriel.

The constant fever caused headaches and dizziness. Shudmuel said it was a natural symptom in the early stages of pregnancy, but Yuriel, who was nervous with the headache, couldn’t stand the anxiety.

What Shudmuel said was a mild fever, but what Yuriel was suffering from was a high fever. It wasn’t morning sickness, but the heat that made her stomach churn and she couldn’t eat properly, so her body started to get weaker and weaker.

It was fortunate that she had been training with Raphlet before.

Even if she was weakened a little, she was at a normal level, but if this state continues, she never knows when it will become dangerous.

Had she known that pregnancy was so difficult, she would have worked out harder.

When she was in Raphlet’s arms, it was a little bearable, but when she was away from him, her fever rose.

She was terrified that this might lead to a miscarriage.

The news of the monster that escaped on the day she collapsed also contributed to Yuriel’s deepening anxiety.

The monster that escaped, the nightmare where Raphlet came, her condition that did not improve, and the rumors of her controlling a monster that did not go away.

Since she came to the Imperial Capital, there has not been a case where the shadow of a monster did not catch up with her. There was always a monster behind Yuriel.

Immediately after hearing the news of the pregnancy, Yuriel was disturbed by worries that she had not felt when walking around in good health. Even when she returned to Grand Duke Mogris’ residence, it would be quite troublesome if monsters followed her like now.

The people in Mogris were kind to Yuriel, but that was kindness only when Yuriel was helpful to them.

It was a kind of kindness so they wouldn’t suffer from the monster’s hand, rather than to save her if monsters flocked to Yuriel’s surroundings.

She had known since childhood. She never dreamed of having someone risking their life for her, and she didn’t presume to want it.

A person who risked his life appeared.

Yuriel has worked tirelessly to help him not regret that he saved her.

But now, far from helping….

“Master….”

“Do you need anything? Would you like some water?”

Yuriel groaned as he placed his hand on her forehead and asked so. When a weak voice leaked out, Raphlet answered quickly.

As she sniffled, the hand that brought the cup of lukewarm water to her lips was gentle.

There were many times when she drank water while she was sick, so while Yuriel was drinking, Raphlet wiped her back.

Tears welled up at the compassionate care.

The fact that she had not been of any help to Raphlet after the subjugation stopped was more terrifying than the pain she was experiencing now.

Raphlet took the cup away as Yuriel, who gulped down the water, started to cry.

“Did you drink too much…. Are you okay?”

“This is what I have to do for the Master….”

“… If you’re okay, drink a little more.”

The hand that was about to pat Yuriel on the back stopped in mid-air.

Raphlet took back the cup he had put down. Having regained strength enough to hold the cup herself, Yuriel emptied the cup, frowned, and dug into Raphlet’s arms.

“Once I get healthy, I will serve the Master…”

“Yes. I’ll let you do whatever you want, so be healthy and tell me.”

Raphlet sighed, pulling back Yuriel who was digging into his arms.

The servitude Yuriel wanted to do was not what Raphlet wanted, but it was better for her to demand vigorously than lying down.

It was not like he couldn’t accept Yuriel’s demands.

Raphlet thought while holding Yuriel, who had regained some energy.

It was surprising to see how he did not bring up the words to return to Mogris’ Estate while watching Yuriel sick.

If it was in the past, when she came back from being kidnapped, he would have tried to send her to a safe place right away.

But not now. Yuriel had to be by his side.

Raphlet wrapped Yuriel’s hair around his fingers and leaned his back against the bed.

It was fortunate that Yuriel didn’t say that she wanted to go back.

Even if she wanted to go back, he had no intention of letting her go.

Chapter 86

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel, who was moving in the room, heard a knock and opened the door.

“Sir Shudmuel, you came early today!”

“You seem to be a lot better now. Any uncomfortable places?”

“My stomach hurts a little, but everything is fine. My fever has gone down a lot, so I’m exercising.”

Shudmuel, who was closing the door, flinched. Closing the door, he said, pointing his finger at the bed.

“I don’t think it’s okay to have a hurting stomach. Sit down.”

“It doesn’t hurt very much. It throbs sometimes…. Is it serious?”

“I have to test it to know. I’m going to have some blood drawn, are you sure you’re eating well?”

Her cheeks, which had been flushed with heat, were paler than before. Shudmuel, who was examining Yuriel’s face, opened the bag he was carrying and took out a syringe for blood collection. It was a syringe with a needle that was comparatively thinner than the syringe the alchemist used.

“I am trying to eat well. Oh, come to think of it, the alchemists tried to draw blood before, but Lord Raphlet kicked them out… .”

Watching Shudmuel push the needle into her arm, Yuriel said again.

Even after being evicted, they repeatedly asked for blood collection. The request was cut off by Raphlet, and the only document Yuriel received was a document containing a request to detect the location of the monster once her health was restored.

That was a request that could be granted, so Yuriel had tried to detect a monster even while she was ill.

Attempts to detect monsters unfortunately ended in failure. Among the knights in Albraka, she could not feel any reaction except for Raphlet’s energy, who had received an intact core.

Now, Yuriel could only feel the energy of the core that was implanted in Raphlet. It was as if the energy of the other core had been consumed by his energy.

Instead of being able to extract other energy, Yuriel was able to pick out Raphlet’s movements more clearly than before. She could feel Raphlet’s heading towards the Temple.

Shudmuel spoke to Yuriel, who was closing her eyes, feeling Raphlet getting farther away from her.

“Do alchemists draw blood?”

As the blood needed for the examination had been drawn, Shudmuel was putting a cloth soaked in disinfectant on her arm.

He asked in a shaky tone.

“What kind of experiment did they say that needed your blood there? That’s not good….”

“No. They’ve never done an experiment. There was one time where they drew blood, but Baraha broke the syringe. After that, Lord Raphlet stopped them.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know what tests they’ll do there, but a blood test can tell you’re pregnant. It would be better not to cooperate with blood collection in the future.”

It was only after hearing Shudmuel’s words that she realized how foolish she had been. She hadn’t thought that having blood drawn would reveal that she was pregnant.

After giving the warning, Shudmuel did a few interviews and got up.

“Get well soon and you can come up to my office. You can move now.”

He looked uncomfortable entering Raphlet’s area.

Shudmuel secured the bottle containing Yuriel’s blood to his bag and packed his belongings.

＊＊＊

After Yuriel’s treatment, Shudmuel got a blood test as soon as he arrived at the office.

The result was clean. Naturally, she was a woman with better physical strength and better health than normal people.

“Then what is the cause of the stomach pain?”

Shudmuel murmured while touching the surface of the wide glass plate on which a few drops of Yuriel’s blood had been dripped onto.

It was a coincidence that a piece of monster skin came into his eyes, who had been casually tapping the glass plate.

It was an item brought by one of the alchemists participating in Yuriel’s experiment.

The alchemist asked him to test what kind of reaction it would cause when human blood and monster skin came in contact.

He grudgingly grabbed a piece of skin with the tongs.

What kind of reaction do they expect to happen?

The problem with alchemists is that they were always curious about useless things….

Dropping a piece of skin meaninglessly, he saw a noticeable reaction and widened his eyes.

The piece of monster skin that fell on the plate filled with Yuriel’s blood melted as soon as it touched the blood, as if it had touched hydrochloric acid.

“… what.”

What just happened in the blink of an eye? Shudmuel, unable to grasp the situation, muttered.

The skin tissue of a monster was quite different from that of a human. When the monster was alive, the skin was not only quick to recover, but it was also so hard that it could not be cut well with a sword.

The extracted skin pieces were different from the living ones, but he had never seen them melt as easily as they did now.

Shudmuel dragged a piece of monster skin from another dish in front of him.

He lifted a piece of skin with the tongs and carefully moved his hand. The piece of skin melted away as soon as it touched Yuriel’s blood this time too.

Yuriel’s blood melted it as quickly as poison.

Shudmuel placed his hand on a new glass plate and lightly cut his finger with a knife.

He put a similar amount of blood in a glass plate, stopped the bleeding on his finger, and placed a piece of monster skin on his own blood.

“No response. Yes, this is a normal reaction.”

The blood stayed the same, whether or not the piece of monster skin touched it.

Dissolving the skin fragments was possible only with a liquid with a strong acidity, such as hydrochloric acid. If it was human blood, it was natural that there would be no reaction.

He groaned lowly as he put a piece of monster skin on Yuriel’s blood a few more times. Yuriel’s blood, which had melted in contact with the skin of the monster, seemed to glow vividly. He thought it was his feeling.

Every time the skin fragments of a dead monster melted, drops of blood glistened strangely. Monster blood was darker than that of a human.

Shudmuel placed a glass dish of his own blood next to it, comparing the colors. The darkening was not due to his feelings.

Yuriel’s blood was gradually changing to the same color as the monster’s blood whenever a piece of the monster’s skin touched it.

“Did it change because a piece of the monster’s skin touched it?”

He gathered his eyebrows while examining the blood that was close to black.

If a piece of the monster’s skin touched it and it turned into a color similar to that of the monster’s blood, would the opposite be possible?

“What happens to human skin tissue?”

Shudmuel, who was tapping on the desk with his index finger and worried, could not contain his curiosity and rolled up his clothes up to his forearm.

There was no separate experimental piece of human skin, but it was something that could be prepared immediately.

He cut off some of the skin on the inside of his forearm and dropped it on a glass plate. He moderately disinfected his arm, from which the blood dripped, and continued the experiments to answer his doubts.

Putting a piece of his skin on top of the blackened blood, he let out a regretful groan.

“… It doesn’t change.”

Unlike the monster skin, it did not melt and did not change color.

“It only reacts to the monsters’ skin….”

Shudmuel’s fingers quickly tapped the desk. A sound of impatience resounded through the room.

“If I use this well, it will be helpful for terrorism.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off the plate filled with Yuriel’s blood for a long time, then he clicked his tongue and muttered angrily.

“If she hadn’t been pregnant, I would have used it right away….”

The problem was, after all, that she was pregnant and it aroused his guilt.

Shudmuel meticulously treated his arm, which had only been roughly disinfected while continuing the experiment, and muttered in an annoyed voice over and over again, as if realizing something.

“Ah.”

Maybe this was the cause of Yuriel’s stomach pains.

Commander Raphlet was the only person who had the core of a monster transplanted as it is. Considering that knights have monster core fragments transplanted, gain superhuman power, Commander Raphlet, who had a complete core transplanted, may have an aura close to that of a monster.

In fact, after the core transplantation, he had strong skin and skeleton like a monster, and the stamina that did not get tired even after staying up for several nights.

He was great even before the core transplantation, but he didn’t have the monstrous body he has now.

So, it would be better to think of Raphlet’s body as closer to a monster than a human being.

Shudmuel rested his chin and thought deeply.

Raphlet’s physical records could be obtained by requesting it from the alchemists, and Yuriel’s record was sufficient to investigate on his own.

She was unique enough to have prophetic dreams about monsters, and even her constitution was strange. If the alchemists find out, their eyes will light up and run at Yuriel.

Of course, the Temple wouldn’t let her go, and in the Imperial Palace, the princess was aiming for Yuriel.

“… Not a single place is good.”

The contradiction was that there were many places that wanted Yuriel, but nowhere could she be safe.

It was also quite tragic for Yuriel.

Shudmuel stopped the thoughts leading to Yuriel’s sympathy and got up. The blood on the plate was wiped clean so that no traces were left and he went to Yuriel’s room.

To be precise, it was Commander Raphlet’s room.

“Sir Shudmuel, why did you come back? Do you have anything left behind?”

Yuriel, who came out with a messy look, as if she was lying alone on the Commander’s bed, asked him.

Shudmuel looked pitifully at Yuriel, who was idly rolling around in bed without knowing her own constitution, and informed her what was going on.

Chapter 87

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“Every time you feel pain in the future, make a note of what’s going on around you.”

Shudmuel, who came into the room, spoke without explanation, and Yuriel only touched her head with a bewildered look on her face.

Shudmuel, who saw her tilting her head, tidying up her disheveled hair, added the reason for his made up excuse.

“You said you had a stomach pain. Your body is fine, so the cause is probably because of your mental state. Because there are cases where pain is often caused by psychological pressure…. I’m trying to figure out what kind of pressure you’re under, so write it down and bring it back.”

“Oh, so you’re saying there’s nothing wrong with my body?”

“For now.”

“Thank God…. I was worried because I thought there was something wrong with my body.”

It was a carefree expression for a person who was worried, but Shudmuel did not point it out.

Yuriel patted her chest and nodded her head.

＊＊＊

The slight fever was now natural. Yuriel decided to move, ignoring the slight fever that didn’t want to go away.

If she stayed in the room all the time, it would seem that the illness would not get better, and it was also because it was boring not having anyone to talk to except for Raphlet and Shudmuel.

She was good at putting up with pain, so Yuriel was able to move with a light gait as if she had no pain.

She went out after a long time.

She hadn’t been able to come out for a few days, but the atmosphere in Albraca was quite sharp compared to early spring. It was because this year’s subjugation would soon begin.

Even while Yuriel was ill, the seasons passed quickly, and now the spring flowers had set and the green leaves were starting to shake.

The training intensity of the knights increased ahead of the actual battle. Yuriel watched their training as she walked around the training ground, where the occasional harsh sound came and went.

She could see people crossing the training ground. Usually people would cross the training ground if they were in a hurry, but not now.

It looked like they would get hit by the swords of the knights in training if they took a wrong step.

In the winter, when physical training was mainly performed, training that was conducted in a loose atmosphere has now become dangerous enough to lead to injuries if one looks away a little.

The voices of the knights leading the training were loud and intense.

The knights who moved in accordance with their voices quickly created a camp to effectively subdue the monsters. The movement of the knights was agile.

It was noticeable that some of the knights’ movements were somewhat insufficient. They seemed to be able to return to their spots only after being called out immediately, going around the training ground, and shouting out what they had made a mistake in front of a senior knight.

The movement of the knights who had undergone subjugation several times aroused admiration from the viewers.

The process of hitting the monster model and extracting the monster’s core continued without stopping. She was amazed at the unobstructed movement like water.

Part of the core in the monster model was real.

It seemed to give the experience of destroying cores to knights who had no experience in subjugation.

The monster cores were torn apart, and the energy contained in the fragmented cores were scattered as it flowed into the ground. The fragments that were shredded without leaving any energy disappeared like smoke.

It seeped into the ground or got blown away by the wind.

Watching them seep into the ground of the training ground and disappear, Yuriel felt a vague sense of fear.

Yuriel, who was observing the scene while rubbing her stomach unknowingly, left in a hurry so as not to interfere with the training of the knights.

She felt pain in her stomach again.

Every time she heard the sound of the monster cores breaking, she felt a stabbing pain.

It was a strong pain that pierced her back. Cold sweat formed on her forehead as if she was stabbed in the stomach with an awl.

“Uhh….”

Yuriel, who had bent over in pain, moved toward a place where no sound could be heard.

As the monster cores were destroyed, she must have become more sensitive to the sharp pounding sound.

Yuriel, who was walking while holding onto the wall, took a deep breath only after moving away from the training ground.

The pain subsided as there was no sound. The unpleasant stinging sensation was still there, but it was not so much which allowed her to walk with her back straight.

Shudmuel told her to record the circumstances around her when she was in pain….

It was funny to sort things while on the road. Yuriel checked the time on her pocket watch and started walking again.

As soon as she arrived at Shudmuel’s office, she was thinking of adding the contents to the record sheet.

– Feeling pain near the training ground, immediately after hearing the sound of the monster cores breaking.

Hurts every time the monster cores breaks…..she could write this much, right?

Thinking about the sensation she had just felt, Yuriel walked slowly. As she was about to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, an unfamiliar voice called out to her.

“Miss Yuriel.”

“Who…. Oh, you are an alchemist.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you since the parlor. I heard that your condition has improved a lot, but your complexion is still bad?”

He was an alchemist who was in charge of drawing blood. He smiled as if he was happy and stuck to Yuriel’s side.

With his shoulders pressed close enough, he spoke in a quick, hard tone, as if interrogating. The smile on his face while looking at Yuriel, was quite awkward.

He said, looking at Yuriel with an unfavorable gaze.

“It’s not even hot weather, but the sweat on your forehead…. There must be somewhere uncomfortable. After the monster escaped, things seem to have gotten weirder, does Miss Yuriel have something to do with the monster?”

“… What do you want to say?”

Yuriel, who was trying to be polite, heard a tone close to criticism and unwittingly responded with a sharp tone.

She felt sick and tired of people who linked her to the monster.

Although it was done to stay by Raphlet’s side, Yuriel continued to join the monster subjugation after arriving at the Imperial Capital.

Even in the sudden terrorist incident, she worked hard to evacuate people to a safe place.

It was not about controlling monsters, it was about predicting their movements and helping to keep people safe.

She didn’t want to receive meaningless praise or thanks, but neither did she have any reason to be criticized or questioned.

She did a good job, so why should she be blamed?

Because of the content in the newspaper article, Yuriel was regarded as a witch who controls monsters, or an evil person who summons monsters to the Imperial Capital to harm people.

Yuriel was fed up with malicious rumors that have plagued her since last year.

The alchemist, who did not even give his full name, spoke as if pouring out to Yuriel who was fed up.

“There are rumors that Miss Yuriel controls monsters. I didn’t mean to believe it because it was so absurd, but this case was so interesting…. Can you really control monsters?”

“How can I control a monster? It wasn’t that I was controlling it, I was predicting the direction the monster would move. That seems a little bit distorted.”

“I don’t think it’s wrong to say that you are being protected by the monster.”

He said sarcastically. Yuriel, who was about to refute, felt as if the energy surrounding her body was being sucked down under her feet and shut her mouth.

No matter what she said to this man, her voice seemed to be sucked under his feet, as she felt it now.

The good feeling from the long awaited outing subsided. Her emotional ups and downs were so great that she was embarrassed of herself.

Yuriel thought as she groped her stomach.

Is it because of pregnancy that the ups and downs of emotions are so large?

When Yuriel didn’t answer, the alchemist sneaked up to her and said in a soft tone.

“You can help us get rid of that rumor.”

He revealed his purpose for secretly approaching Yuriel. He was hiding a syringe between the hem of his ruffled robe which was not suited for the weather. He was looking for an opportunity to draw her blood that had failed several times.

Yuriel had no intention of cooperating with the alchemist, but when she hesitated, he opened his mouth with greedy eyes.

“Cooperate with the experiment….”

“Miss Yuriel?”

Unclean breath flowed from the alchemist’s mouth as he grabbed her arm.

This was the first time that a person’s breath smelled so terrible. Yuriel wrinkled her brow, feeling like she wanted to cover her nose.

As Yuriel felt nauseous from the foul smell pouring out of the alchemist’s mouth reaching the tip of her nose, she heard a fresh voice different from the alchemist’s.

Helio grabbed Yuriel’s shoulders, who was covering her mouth due to a wave of nausea that had risen up her throat, looked at her complexion and patted her on the back in surprise.

“No, Miss Yuriel. Why is your face like this?”

Each time his hand touched her back, her body calmed down a little.

“… Could it be because of that? Would you like to go to the shade and rest?”

Helio asked with a worried expression. It wasn’t as unpleasant as when the alchemist approached her.

“It’s okay…. It’s fine, but if you have time, can you go to Sir Shudmuel’s office with me?”

Yuriel grabbed the hem of Helio’s clothes and asked. Helio replied in affirmation with a slightly perplexed expression as he touched his shoulder that had been implanted with a fragment of the monster’s core.

Knowing Helio’s habit of occasionally touching the implanted shoulder, Yuriel bowed her head roughly to the alchemist and walked close to Helio’s arm.

She felt comfortable when she was held in Raphlet’s arms, and now, when Helio’s hand touched her, her body calmed down.

Yuriel kept her mouth shut and thought.

… I think I know when and why things get better.

Chapter 88

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Thinking carefully about it, Yuriel was storing the monster core before the fever went up. It didn’t hurt when she kept it, and it became comfortable when she was in contact with Raphlet.

And today was the same. When Helio touched her with the core-implanted arm, the intense feeling of nausea subsided.

As she walked with Helio, her body became more comfortable, but Yuriel’s complexion became pale.

When the monster core was near, the condition of her body improved… ? If that was the case, it seems that monsters and her have a relationship!

She was worried whether she really had any deep connections with monsters.

“Are you going to visit Commander Shudmuel?”

Yuriel, who was walking while looking at the ground, heard a voice from the side and raised her head. Helio was asking with soft eyes.

“If you had been tested by a medical officer, it would have been difficult to stop the rumors from circulating. Even though Commander Shudmuel is cold-hearted, there’s no way he can’t help in that way…. What was the result?”

It wasn’t just curiosity, it was a tone of concern. When there was no one around, he asked in a low voice, and seeing Yuriel’s pale face, he placed her hand on his arm.

When Yuriel could hardly open her mouth, he smiled softly and said.

“If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to tell me. I was just asking if there was anything I could do to help. Because there was a time when Miss Yuriel helped me….”

“Did I ever help? Rather, I think I received a lot of help from Sir Helio!”

Yuriel answered with a surprised face.

When the train was stopped, the train stopped thanks to Helio, although the situation after that was far from favorable. It was thanks to him that she was able to stay alive on the day she arrived at the imperial capital, and that she was able to enter Albraka.

It was Helio who told her about the prophecies, worried about her going to the princess’ banquet, and took care of her in the vision she saw at the Krug Ruins.

Yuriel thought about these things one by one and told him.

“The princess sent her knights to Albraka to find me, and you hid me with Baraha!”

“The first time we met, I did some terrible things.”

“That is a thing of the past. I have received enough apologies, so you can forget about it.”

Yuriel spoke in a light tone. Helio looked at her face. It was as if she had really forgotten everything.

It looked as if he was getting an apology for just hitting her on the shoulder.

Helio smiled faintly and nodded his head. As long as it doesn’t harm Raphlet, Yuriel shows great generosity.

She lightly forgave the person who tortured her, like Helio, and had no hesitation in facing him. It was the same with the princess. Even if there was a high level of status, she could hate her, but she was reluctant and didn’t hate the princess.

It was rare for people to not hate Ithaca. She was the type with many enemies due to her character, who did not even look at anything without an ability. At the same time, there were many who followed, even at the cost of their lives.

Either they hate her enough to try to kill her, or they follow her enough to risk their life. She was a person who caused very extreme relationships.

Helio was very fond of Yuriel, who was swayed by the princess, but did not hate her.

He was a member of the imperial family before becoming a knight of Albraka.

No matter how hard the princess was, she was still closer to Helio than anyone else.

Even if he abandoned the castle and became a paladin, the fact that the princess, Ithaca Armand, was his sibling did not change.

Ithaca seems to think of him as a traitor who betrayed her and left the imperial family regardless of whether he was her sibling or not…. There were no complaints even if she hated him.

Ithaca was someone who could feed on anger.

If Helio Armand had not entered Albraka, Ithaca would have been assassinated at the hands of Helio’s followers. He didn’t want Ithaca to die.

Since Ithaca, the only heir to the imperial family, was spared from death, he did not regret becoming a knight of Albraka for that alone.

After Helio left the Imperial Palace, he lost most of what he had, but he, who had neither greed nor thoughts on the throne, preferred the current daily life.

There were people he met because of coming here. There were few who got on Helio’s nerves like Raphlet, but for the most part, it was a good relationship.

Colleagues and Yuriel who have been training together for a long time.

Among the people around him, who was difficult to say was ordinary, Yuriel was remarkably unique.

She seemed to have been created not to hate people. If there was a saint, they would think and act like Yuriel.

So Helio was concerned about Yuriel’s expression he had just seen.

The expression on her face when she saw the alchemist who was standing next to her was unusual. She frowned and looked at him with eyes full of disgust.

To see Yuriel react like that, he thought he would have to slap Commander Raphlet’s cheeks. There’s no way an alchemist could slap Commander Raphlet on the cheek, so it shouldn’t be.

Did the alchemist curse Raphlet in front of Yuriel?

Helio tilted his head in curiosity and looked down at Yuriel. She was still chattering, recounting the instances where he had helped her.

Yuriel’s words slowed down a little, perhaps noticing his staring gaze, but then came to a complete halt.

As if Yuriel had decided on something, she bit her lip and opened her mouth.

“Thank you for telling me to go see Sir Shudmuel….”

Before long, they had arrived in front of the building where Shudmuel’s office was located.

With Yuriel’s reply, Helio knew that she was indeed pregnant with Raphlet’s child.

Helio looked at Yuriel who didn’t seem to have any intention of erasing the child, and said politely.

“I see. If there’s anything you need help with, let me know. If it is Miss Yuriel, I will help you.”

“Thank you. Sir Helio.”

Yuriel smiled as if her face was slightly distorted, said goodbye and entered the building.

Helio, who looked at her back for a moment, also left.

＊＊＊

Shudmuel focused on the record sheet Yuriel brought. He asked her to record every time she experienced pain as much as she could remember, so she wrote more records than he expected.

While he was examining the records, Yuriel was shaking her body as she watched him seriously examining the record.

A non-stop fluttering movement outside of the central field of vision kept coming into Shudmuel’s eyes.

Even though he was looking at the record, she was so nervous that he couldn’t concentrate at all.

“If there is something you want to say, say it. Don’t just shake your body.”

Shudmuel said as he put down the record sheet.

Yuriel, who was the first to confide when something happened, rarely hesitated.

Shudmuel waited for Yuriel for a while, not making eye contact with him and pulling only her own hair. Long, loosely braided hair was pulled taut by Yuriel’s hand and then dropped repeatedly.

She was an unusual woman.

Shudmuel recalled Yuriel’s blood reaction and watched her act.

After seeing the reaction that melted the monster’s skin, Shudmuel wondered if the pregnant woman’s blood was causing the reaction, so he went out of Albraka to get the blood of another pregnant woman.

Other people’s blood did not show the same reaction as Yuriel.

Shudmuel, who was thinking while watching Yuriel’s face, habitually tapped on the desk.

Like Yuriel pulling her hair out when she was troubled, he would tap on his desk when he was deep in thought.

Tapping on the desk was simply his habit, but it was also an act that reinforced the hypnosis he had given Yuriel.

She was able to open up her heart openly in front of him and move according to his will.

Shudmuel paused his fingers for a moment as he looked at Yuriel looking at him with blank eyes.

He had no intention of intensifying her brainwashing yet…. Yuriel was a really easily-hypnotizable person.

Shudmuel leaned towards Yuriel and clasped his chin.

Since she was already caught, it would be better to make her tell him what she was worried about.

“What did you want to say? Tell me everything you’re thinking about.”

Yuriel was troubled when not speaking about what she was worried about, so he just threw out a brief command.

As soon as Shudmuel finished speaking, Yuriel began to shed tears as if saddened.

“I, I, I think, as published in poetry and newspapers, I have something to do with monsters…. Huhu…. !”

“… What are you saying now?”

Seeing Yuriel burst out crying, he was momentarily speechless and lost for words. It was to the point he didn’t even know what she was talking about.

“Stop crying.”

Shudmuel was disgusted and scolded her. But Yuriel didn’t seem to be able to hear him properly.

As if already immersed in intensified brainwashing, she was confiding in front of him everything she was thinking, as Shudmuel had previously ordered.

“As, as monster cores get closer, I become more comfortable ….”

“Is there a problem with telling me?”

Shudmuel grabbed his forehead with both hands and muttered.

Once he gives an order, he can’t stop it in the middle, so he has to listen quietly until Yuriel finishes the story.

Chapter 89

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Shudmuel threw a handkerchief at Yuriel, who had finally stopped crying, and said,

“It seems to have something to do with monsters, so you are anxious for a long time.”

“You are not surprised….”

Yuriel picked up the handkerchief that had fallen in front of her and caught her breath. Shudmuel did not show any signs of surprise at her shocking declaration.

He was still clenching his chin sullenly. Shudmuel, who had reduced Yuriel’s hour-long story to one sentence, opened his mouth.

“There were plenty of signs that you might have something to do with monsters, so it’s no surprise. It wasn’t normal to have precognitive dreams.”

“You are saying that I am not wrong.”

“Yes.”

“… It would have been nice if you would have rebuked me for thinking useless thoughts.”

Yuriel lowered her hand and said in a weak voice. It would have been better if Shudmuel had dismissed it as nonsense and told her to see a doctor.

If that had been the case, Yuriel would have felt ashamed of her terrible imagination, blushed once, and would never have thought that she was related to monsters ever again.

Shudmuel’s reaction was what Yuriel didn’t want the most.

Shudmuel looked up at a calmed down Yuriel, and sighed and stood up. When he lifted his hand from his chin and straightened his back, she could see that he was looking at her with cool eyes.

Yuriel silently watched as the dark light gradually entered the eyes as he looked at her. Shudmuel’s cold eyes filled with pain at a glance.

He looked like he was thinking of someone. Yuriel looked at him, pressing the corners of her wet eyes with the handkerchief.

Yuriel knew that Shudmuel’s attitude had changed slightly after she became pregnant. He looked at Yuriel with confused eyes and opened his mouth as if he had sorted out his emotions.

“If you want to have a child safely, you will have to leave the capital as soon as possible.”

He said coldly. Shudmuel, who looked at Yuriel with his expressionless eyes, warned in a tone close to a threat.

Yuriel shrugged at his terrifying voice. Hearing Shudmuel’s words, the thought that she should leave the capital at any moment ran through her head.

Still, in the corner of Yuriel’s head, Raphlet’s face came to mind. Yuriel hadn’t seen Raphlet in a very long time. She spent more time with Shudmuel than Raphlet.

The memories of 7 years of not being by Raphlet’s side tormented Yuriel. It would take more than a year to have a child, disguise the child’s origin, and return to Raphlet’s side.

Yuriel didn’t have the confidence to survive that long without Raphlet. She wanted to stay in Albraka for as long as possible.

“I’m going to leave before I start showing.”

Yuriel, who was exhausted, answered with a hoarse voice.

“If the alchemists keep experimenting, you will be found even if you are not showing. You should have thought that you were lucky that the monster had disappeared, and that you should leave right now. What kind of guts do you have to stay in Albraka even though you think your pregnancy has something to do with monsters?”

Shudmuel said as if reproaching Yuriel for giving a foolish answer.

It was an irrefutable opinion. Yuriel responded to his scolding by only fiddling with her long hair.

“The monster ran away, so we can’t do the experiment anymore…. As long as I don’t do the experiment, I won’t be found out.”

“Do you think the experiment will stop if the monster ran away?”

Shudmuel said as if he was stunned. When he finished his words, he bent his lips. It wasn’t a smile of kindness, it was a sneer.

He asked a question, sneering at Yuriel’s carefreeness.

“Do you know about the prophecy?”

“The prophecy…. If it’s a prophecy about a saint, I know it. Why?”

“You know that Commander Raphlet is the saint, right?”

“Yes.”

Yuriel tilted her head and waited for the explanation.

“Alchemists want to find out how Commander Raphlet is still intact even after receiving the monster core. Anyone who can receive a core transplant and gain power like Commander Raphlet will be welcomed.”

After confirming that Yuriel was listening to the explanation, Shudmuel continued to speak.

“Commander Raphlet is valuable, but he is incomparable to figuring out how to transplant cores. If he wasn’t the saint, he would have been cooperating with the experiment in the Alchemy Tower instead of being the Commander.”

“Are you saying that the alchemists were experimenting with Lord Raphlet’s body?”

“It would have been if there had been no prophecy that the saint should be worshiped.”

Upon hearing Shudmuel’s story, Yuriel’s face hardened. Yuriel was thinking that Raphlet was being sacrificed because he was the saint.

“Assuming that the prophecy is correct, if Raphlet is not worshiped, the monsters cannot be suppressed. He deserves to be the Commander he is now.”

It was the opposite of Yuriel’s thoughts. Raphlet was a saint, therefore he could not be sacrificed.

“But you?”

“What?”

This also meant, anyone could be sacrificed, as long as they were not the saint.

Yuriel, who was organizing her thoughts while listening to Shudmuel’s explanation, blinked in surprise. Shudmuel stopped his explanation and asked Yuriel a question.

He erased the sneer and spoke coldly.

“I’m asking what would happen if they found out that you, who is not a saint, were related to a monster.”

“That….”

“You have the ability to detect the movements of monsters, so you are of course useful. But, do you think that the power of the monster is worth more than finding out how to be protected by the monster?”

“… no.”

Yuriel shook her head slowly.

“When the alchemists find out that monsters started to protect you once you became pregnant, they will try to find out why. You’re not a saint like Commander Raphlet, so there’s no way you can escape the experiment….”

Shudmuel, who paused for a moment, lowered his gaze and added lightly. There was not even a slight warmth reflected in the gaze looking at the still flat stomach.

“I am curious as to why. I don’t want to dissect you or your child to find out, but that’s what alchemists think.”

The more Shudmuel continued, the more Yuriel’s face turned white. Yuriel accepted Shudmuel’s words without any doubt. She was still deeply engulfed in brainwashing, so she did not recognize Shudmuel as an enemy, but the alchemists he spoke of began to feel like a great threat to Yuriel.

Yuriel’s hand, which was touching her hair, fell down.

Shudmuel watched closely as Yuriel’s hand wrapped around her stomach trembled.

No one would know with the naked eye that she was pregnant. Using Yuriel’s ability, there would be no problems in convincing everyone about the dangers of using monster cores as a power source for the city.

The terrorist attack that was intended to be triggered during the festival failed, but there was still a chance to use Yuriel.

Shudmuel thought, unable to face the green, watery eyes. He considered taking advantage of her, but while staring at the back of her white hands that wrapped around her stomach, he was suddenly reminded of someone who has already died.

The image of his mother, who did not return after childbirth, was overlaid on Yuriel’s face. It was only after a very long time that Shudmuel found out what had happened to the child, who would have been his younger sibling.

Shudmuel closed his eyes to erase the fragile face that floated over Yuriel’s face. With his eyes closed, he recalled his purpose.

All monster cores must be destroyed. Destroy all the conveniences enjoyed in the imperial capital, even at the expense of someone.

He felt guilty for taking advantage of the weak, but he skillfully dispelled the guilt. After using Yuriel, he was going to watch over her so that she could safely leave the imperial capital.

It wouldn’t be a bad thing for her either. Compared to being tested by alchemists, it was not dangerous to receive some criticism from the people of the imperial capital.

The reason that he told her not to announce the pregnancy to Raphlet was to avoid any other variables, but Shudmuel believed that it would not harm Yuriel either.

It seems that Raphlet cares about Yuriel, but he was from a noble family. Even knights from commoners would clench their teeth if there was an illegitimate child, but if they were from nobles, it was hard to guess what it would be like.

Therefore, this path could be said to be beneficial not only to himself but also to Yuriel.

Shudmuel, who shook his thoughts, raised his eyes. He had to make eye contact so he could infuse his thoughts into Yuriel.

To Yuriel, who looked at him with terrified eyes, Shudmuel spoke in a calm tone, as if releasing her breath.

“Don’t worry, I can help you.”

“I don’t know what would have happened without Sir Shudmuel.”

Yuriel said in a calm voice. Without him, the pregnancy would have been discovered and Raphlet’s reputation would have been tarnished.

However, the problem was that Shudmuel’s negative expectations did not match the relationship between Yuriel and Raphlet. The ideal situation had long gone wrong after Shudmuel intervened.

Yuriel couldn’t remember the details of the dream she had a long time ago when Raphlet informed her that she was pregnant.

Chapter 90

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Two months have passed since Yuriel found out she was pregnant. What Yuriel did for two months was simple. She went to Shudmuel’s office to talk, and was visited by alchemists.

The purpose of the alchemists’ visits was to check whether Yuriel had undergone a major change.

The purpose of the first visit was to determine the location of the escaped monster. They needed her help since she was the only one who had the ability to locate the monsters.

The traces of the monster that escaped from the laboratory were nowhere to be found. There were traces of the monster staying around the Knights Order, but its ability to hide its existence was considerable.

The knights who were good at chasing after monsters were unable to find the monster that was just hovering around Albraka. As if someone was hiding the monster, the knights’ got heated up at the trail that was always cut off in an ambiguous place.

The alchemists consulted Yuriel to find the monster, but an unwelcome answer came back.

‘Are your abilities disappearing?’

To be precise, it wasn’t completely gone, but Yuriel’s ability was weakened enough to say that it had disappeared. The range of the ability to determine the location of monsters was reduced, so Yuriel could only grasp the energy of the core that was implanted on Raphlet.

It seemed that the small energies were eaten by the big energy and could not be sensed.

It was the same with the ability to predict the location of monsters in dreams. Yuriel’s occasional dreams were all about Raphlet and the winter forest.

The monsters were no longer seen in the dream.

‘Because Miss Yuriel’s ability was to detect threats from monsters…. Could it be that we are no longer threatened by monsters?’

‘It is very likely.’

‘The monster was trying to protect Miss Yuriel, so there’s a good chance.’

They talked in a loud voice. Their eyes full of enthusiasm scanned Yuriel.

It was literally like Shudmuel said.

They did not treat Yuriel as a human being. Just like what they had done with the monsters they had experimented with so far, they were excited about what kind of experiment they could do with Yuriel.

Yuriel couldn’t stand the feeling of nausea that grew as she looked at their faces. The feeling of nausea that started from looking at the alchemists’ faces grew bigger and bigger, and now, two months later, even looking at the faces of passers-by, her body trembles to the point of repulsion.

‘It would have been better if we had done the experiment before the ability disappeared….’

‘Tsk, the people of the Temple do not know how to see important things.’

‘They thought it would be everything once they made the Knights Order, that’s all. It’s because they’re ignorant.’

‘It’s the same with the monster core. If it was used as a power source right away and transplanted to the general public, the results would be better now.’

It was all the more so because the grumbling voice contained nothing but complaints.

Yuriel, who once saw these alchemists favroably, felt strange about her past self.

Yuriel never hated people. That was until she got pregnant.

She didn’t feel like she hated anyone who was tormenting her or harassed her. All the people Yuriel saw had nothing for her to hate. She didn’t hate them, so it wasn’t difficult to be kind to everyone.

Yuriel just wanted to give favors to the people around her.

As she went on like that, the people who hated Yuriel for no reason were likely to come to her.

Yuriel felt uncomfortable with people to the extent that it was surprising that she had such a personality before.

She didn’t like the language that seemed to exude poison or the breathing that was monster-like. After Yuriel became pregnant, she thought that it would be better to be by the monster’s side.

Rumors still circulating about her outside of the Temple also played a part. Yuriel was being treated like a plague. It was difficult for Yuriel to bear the public pointing fingers at her.

‘Aren’t you worried about that too?’

‘Ah, are you talking about the rumors that have spread about Miss Yuriel?’

‘Yeah. They said that if there is a monster core, monsters will gather. Rumors that Miss Yuriel can control monsters have circulated, so….’

‘I’m really worried. That’s why people don’t want to use monster cores these days.’

‘If people don’t use monster cores, our position will be….’

When she was pointed at like that, she felt a sense of injustice and had such thoughts,

‘If I were that kind of person, I wouldn’t be upset!’

If she could really control monsters, she wouldn’t feel how unfair this was. Yuriel spent more time contemplating what it would have been like if she could control monsters like the stigma people put on her.

‘Yuriel.’

‘Baraha!’

Fortunately, there were still people who she couldn’t hate. She feels no abhorrence to Baraha, Helio, and the knights of Albraka.

It has become a daily routine to save her from the alchemists. The alchemists who rebelled against the Commanders did not show any hostility towards Baraha.

Whenever Yuriel reached an unbearable point, Baraha would appear and rescue Yuriel. Yuriel followed him and asked carefully.

‘… Baraha, what about the monster?’

‘They didn’t catch it.’

‘Is it gone?’

‘No.’

Her abilities disappeared, but Yuriel knew where the monster was. Or rather it was more accurate to say that the monster knew where Yuriel was.

Whenever Yuriel was left alone, the monster came out easily. Once, while looking at the monster in bewilderment, the monster bit the nape of her neck and she almost was dragged away.

If she resisted, it would release her immediately and whine, but the monster seemed to want to get Yuriel out of this place.

It had no intention of harming her, but rather, as if it was trying to protect her, Yuriel was slightly inclined to the monster. The affection she should have towards humans moved to the monster, and Yuriel erased the traces of the monster several times.

While secretly meeting the monster, Baraha caught her.

‘Why don’t you erase your footprints every time?’

Seeing Yuriel hiding the monster behind her back, Baraha said indifferently.

Rather than grabbing the tail of the traitor who hides the monster, he had a bored face, as if he wanted to avoid troublesome work.

Baraha shook his head and added.

‘If you want to hide it, hide it properly.’

His responsibility as a commander was nowhere in sight. Baraha’s helpless attitude had never been more pleasing than at this moment.

Yuriel answered with sincerity.

‘Uh…,thank you for the advice.’

When Yuriel responded, the monster sniffed its nose and walked out next to Yuriel. This time, she was worried that the monster would attack Baraha, but when Baraha showed the back of his hand and showed that he had no intention of attacking, the monster became strangely calm.

If Baraha heard it, it would be ridiculous, but Yuriel looked at it and thought that Baraha was even communicating with the monsters.

She didn’t even say that she thought it wasn’t too bad to be next to a monster without a weapon.

It has been two months since she hid the traces of the monster who did not intend to leave the Temple with Baraha, and concealed her pregnancy from Raphlet.

Preparations for the subjugation had been completed, and the date of departure set.

Yuriel counted the few remaining days before the subjugation and dug into Raphlet’s arms.

“I really can’t go with you?”

“If you can’t detect the monster, there’s no reason to participate in the subjugation.”

While most people regretted the loss of Yuriel’s ability, only Raphlet was happy.

He was satisfied that Yuriel did not have to go to the subjugation with him.

After the kidnapping, wherever he went, it was a very different move from that of accompanying Yuriel. It was because he was concerned about Yuriel’s weakened body.

“I was worried because I wasn’t feeling well these days…. That’s a relief.”

“I’m sorry. You can’t sleep well at night because of me. I think you better go back to that room now.”

“I can’t sleep at all because I’m worried if you’re not by my side. Stay in this room.”

It has been a month since she couldn’t swallow water properly due to morning sickness. Not only could she not eat, but even while eating, she covered her mouth and ran to the bathroom.

Every time that happened, Raphlet rushed to the infirmary holding Yuriel, and even Shudmuel was exhausted.

Even making excuses that it was because of the stress of the kidnapping didn’t work. He said he could not believe the diagnosis of the medical chief Shudmuel, and Raphlet even summoned a member of the imperial doctor.

The imperial doctor kept his mouth shut under Helio’s pressure, who had been asked by Yuriel.

With the help of several people, it was confirmed that Yuriel’s illness was trauma from the kidnapping.

Raphlet murmured softly as he traced Yuriel’s forehead in his arms with his finger.

“Even with such training, you are too weak.”

Thanks to this, Yuriel was taking Raphlet’s concern. Raphlet, who kissed her pale face with a sigh, spoke as if it was natural.

“After this subjugation is over, let’s go back to Mogris together.”

It was something that Yuriel had never even thought of.

Chapter 91

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel was so bewildered that she was unable to express anything. Raphlet never talks in vain, so what he just said must be sincere.

Yuriel, who had hesitated without answering immediately, barely spoke.

“Uh….”

A moan that sounded like a choked throat.

She didn’t think it was some random words, but he was talking about going on vacation for a while, right? There’s no way that Raphlet would quit as a Commander, and her….

Confused by a remark she had never imagined, Yuriel concluded that he was not trying to leave Albraka completely.

In the first place, Albraka was a place where one left everything behind. It was not an easy thing to get out of.

This was the place where one became a priest if it became impossible to become a knight due to an injury during subjugation. They cannot choose to leave.

Yuriel, who licked her lips, looked at Raphlet and said.

“Are you saying you want to take a vacation? If the subjugation is over, it will be winter this year.”

At that time, she would have given birth to the child. Yuriel happily nodded her head.

Shudmuel told her to go somewhere else, but Yuriel was planning to go back to Mogris once she left the imperial capital. She knew everything about the Mogris Estate.

In that case, it was not difficult to find a place to stay away from people even by herself, and it was possible to find a midwife with a heavy mouth.

She had no intention of getting help from Shudmuel forever. She made up her mind to seek help from him only while here, in Albraka.

After her abilities disappeared, she was being paid monthly to work as Raphlet’s maid, even though she didn’t get a pay similar to that of the knights.

Here, she was able to survive for several years with just the money she had accumulated for one year.

After she had the child, when Raphlet returned to his hometown, she wanted to show him the child first.

The child in Raphlet’s arms would be the most adorable.

Would he hold it awkwardly? He’s good at everything, so he might be able to hold and raise the child skillfully.

Raphlet’s cool face tinged with affection came to mind as if painted on.

Yuriel nodded her head and answered.

“Okay, Lord Raphlet.”

Raphlet kissed Yuriel who smiled brightly after finishing her imagination. Yuriel laughed as she received the kiss that fell covering her eyes, cheeks, and forehead.

It was at that moment that Raphlet, who had leaned his body back and kissed Yuriel so that she would not fall backwards, spoke his words.

“I’m glad you like it. But there seems to be some misunderstanding. I’m not talking about taking a vacation.”

“… It’s not a vacation?”

“I’m going to quit.”

“Wait. Lord Raphlet.”

Her smiling face turned pale in an instant. Yuriel removed herself from Raphlet’s arms and looked at him.

Raphlet had a face that showed no hesitation. He only calmly held Yuriel’s arm as she stood up with his usual neat face.

Yuriel wondered if he knew that she was pregnant thus said something like this.

She looked at his face with a piercing eye to try to guess Raphlet’s heart, but all she got was his face was very beautiful even if looked closely.

Yuriel blushed as she looked at his mysterious face and stuttered a question.

“Wh, why?”

Raphlet answered, wrapping Yuriel’s cold fingers.

“I think the imperial capital doesn’t quite fit with you.”

“Yes?”

“After coming here, things keep happening. Monsters and humans, all of them only have a negative effect on you, so there’s no reason for me to stay here. I came here to keep you safe….”

Raphlet said, covering the cold fingers with his own.

Yuriel didn’t care whether he clenched her fingers or not.

It’s nonsense to say he would quit Albraka.

Giving up was not of his will. This was a place where only death was the honorable end.

Neither the wounded nor those who can no longer wield a sword due to their old age had any intention of leaving this place.

Partly because they could be a priest, but partly because life outside Albraka was terrible.

People admired the hero and at the same time had strict standards for them. Albraka’s paladins were heroes. They had to be more faithful than anyone else, so they decided to dedicate their lives to protecting people.

That was why they were worshiped.

If he left Albraka after breaking his pledge to protect those who stood behind him, he could not lead a peaceful life.

In the case of commoners, it was said that they were often killed for betraying the Temple. In the case of nobles, it was less violent, but it was correct to say that they could not lead a normal life.

It was impossible to take over the family, and in the worst case, the family did not accept them again.

Raphlet’s parents that Yuriel knew would have beaten him if Raphlet returned and said he had done something disgraceful.

“You, you can’t do that.”

Yuriel shook her head, grabbing Raphlet’s hand, which was holding her cold fingers.

Raphlet was the noblest of all.

Even before she knew about the prophecy, she thought so. To Yuriel, he was a being who should be in a higher place than anyone else. In order to protect his integrity, Yuriel even thought that it was okay to die in his place.

It was terrifying to even imagine that Raphlet would quit the Knights Order and be pointed at by people.

Yuriel, shaking her body and holding his hand, collapsed from the chair to his feet. She had lost strength in her body from the terrifying imaginations.

Seeing Yuriel collapse from weakness, Raphlet quickly got up. The chair was pushed back and tossed aside. No one paid any attention to the chair that had flipped with a loud noise.

“Yuriel, are you okay? Your body is not….”

“No, Master. You cannot leave Albraka.”

Raphlet moved his hand to pull Yuriel up from the floor, but Yuriel said without releasing her clenched hand. Hearing the hastily continued voice, Raphlet looked intently into her face.

He frowned, but did not stop Yuriel from speaking.

As he calmly listened to the confused-looking Yuriel, he followed her and lowered his body. When he knelt to make eye contact with Yuriel, who was sitting on the floor, Yuriel looked at him and was terribly surprised.

“You can’t sit on the floor!”

“But you can?”

“Yes, I am a servant!”

Yuriel shouted as if it was natural.

Raphlet let out a heavy sigh and sat down in front of Yuriel, bending one knee.

Seeing him with his knee on the floor, Yuriel got up. She couldn’t believe he had his knees bent in front of her. Raphlet was a man who should not have gotten to his knees.

Yuriel jumped up and struggled to get Raphlet up, but there was no way she could handle his strength as he sat down determinedly.

In the end, Yuriel, who gave up raising Raphlet, slumped down in front of him and anguished.

“Lord Raphlet, you can’t sit down like this.”

“Why?”

“Ma, Master is a precious person….”

Yuriel rubbed her lips in response. It felt like she wanted to smash the floor that touched Raphlet’s knee.

Raphlet did not move, whether he knew Yuriel’s radical thoughts or not. Watching him quietly looking at her face, Yuriel opened her mouth.

“You can’t leave Albraka. Even Master knows what happens when you leave…. Even if not, Master is the only one who even received a prophecy, so even moreso….”

“I see…. You knew of the prophecy.”

“Yes, because Sir Helio showed me the prophecy before.”

Raphlet, who had been quietly listening to the story, wrinkled his eyebrows.

He had no intention of telling Yuriel about the prophecy.

‘I should have prevented Commander Helio from showing Yuriel the prophecy.’

Raphlet felt displeased after a long time, and frowned his brow. He was still angry when he remembered Yuriel’s anxiety when he found out that the monster core had been implanted in him.

When Raphlet’s expression wrinkled, Yuriel shrunk her body, wondering what he had misunderstood.

She seemed to think he was angry with her .

With her body curled up, Yuriel spoke her words.

“I think the opposite. Lord Raphlet. Please reconsider.”

Even though she was very frightened, she let out a sigh as she spoke directly.

“I hated it when the Master said you would join Albraka, but now I know. The Master suits Albraka better than anyone. You are a noble saint.”

Raphlet sometimes thought that Yuriel’s feelings for him were excessive.

She was always like this, so he arbitrarily assumed that the feelings she had for him were not a love between the opposite sex.

Raphlet thought with a deep sigh as he looked at Yuriel who looked closer to worshiping a god.

He was not as virtuous as Yuriel thought he was.

Chapter 92

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet’s golden eyes, looking at Yuriel, clouded. His memory moved little by little and flowed back to the past when he first met Yuriel.

Raphlet met Yuriel, who was standing in the middle of the forest along the road from Mogris Castle.

Although he was young, he never received the affection a child deserved. Both Raphlet’s parents were deeply engrossed in alchemy, and they did everything to satisfy their alchemy knowledge.

Raphlet was a creature born from a mixture of human essence and monster core.

It was said that his mother conceived him through a fertilization method that was not common sense. Since he was born that way, there was no way he could have been loved like a normal child.

For the grand duke and his wife, Raphlet was nothing more than a means to satisfy intellectual vanity and lust for power. Still, Raphlet never suspected that he wasn’t human.

This was because the monster he saw was filthy, covered in dark skin and spewed venom. He was stronger than the average kid, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t human.

Although he was young, he did not need anyone’s protection.

The strange atmosphere of a child who was less than ten years old conveyed a strange displeasure to those around him. His parents, servants of Mogris Castle, and anyone who saw him, without exception, felt that way.

‘Are you in charge of Lord Raphlet? I, I’m not ready to serve Lord Raphlet yet… .’

The position of the exclusive servant of the heir of the grand duke, whom any servant would covet, was vacant whenever there was a chance. Even though Raphlet wasn’t doing anything wrong, the servants could not stand it and asked to change their jobs.

Raphlet was naturally estranged from affection, and he grew up unaware of positive emotions.

It was to Raphlet’s advantage, never to a detriment. Only those who knew the value of affection, seeked it. Raphlet, who did not know the value, did not feel lacking.

Raphlet was like that before he met Yuriel.

On the day he met Yuriel, Raphlet only followed the monster to clean up what the grand duke and his wife had done. It was always his job to deal with the mutated monsters from their experiments inside and outside the Grand Duchy.

No matter how the grand duke and his wife treated Raphlet, this was the place where he would live his whole life.

‘If it goes into the forest, it will not be able to stand it and it will die. There’s enough cores, so there’s no need to pursue it. A core from such a weak monster is useless.’

‘Because it is weak, it will die soon.’

They were not wrong. Winter in Mogris was harsh. It was a harsh place for a monster that had undergone various experiments to survive.

However, Raphlet could not stand still and treat the forest of the Mogris Territory like a dumping ground for monsters.

Especially if it was a monster that had a toxic mutation like today.

He was concerned about how it would affect the forest of Mogris.

At the place where he went to deal with the monster, Raphlet found Yuriel.

A terrified voice pierced his ears. It was a child’s voice.

The monster that the grand duke and his wife were experimenting with did not know the language. Raphlet was more sensitive to the screams that could not make sense to others, perhaps because he grew up listening to the sounds of the monsters without meaning.

Pressing down on his sensitive senses, he ran quickly to the place where he saw a child who was lying in front of a monster.

The moment when the fearful eyes looked straight at him came clearly into Raphlet’s eyes. It was quite an impulsive act for him to jump right away when seeing a monster rushing at a child.

The child under Raphlet opened her eyes wide and stared at him. Embarrassed by the eyes of a child looking at him as if possessed, he jumped away and dealt with the monster.

Raphlet, who had cleaned even the monster’s core, turned around to check the child. And he unwittingly raised his sword.

‘Should I kill her?’

He felt an unfamiliar feeling. It was a feeling of nausea and goosebumps.

He felt so reluctant to think that the servants in the mansion may be avoiding him because they felt this sense when seeing him. It was an instinctive premonition telling him that he would be in danger if the child was alive.

Feeling the chill on his back, Raphlet frowned. No matter how he looked, the child didn’t seem like someone who could harm him.

The child stammered, completely unaware that he was feeling uncomfortable.

‘It’s, it’s hurt.’

Hurt, where?

‘If you are attacked by a monster, you have to do a test. This is a poisonous monster.’

‘No, I wasn’t hurt… !’

He lowered his sword and looked at the child. The child hesitated and stretched out her hand towards him. It looked like she was going to point her finger at him, but Raphlet was a little quicker.

He carried the child on his back, unaware that there was blood on his back. As the child touched his body, his senses rose more sharply.

He might have tossed the child out of displeasure if he hadn’t heard her speak haphazardly to him.

‘Thank, thank you for saving me. Hey, if you tell me your name, I’ll be sure to repay you.’

A voice full of goodwill was awkward for him. Raphlet spoke his name bluntly, and the child rolled his name into her mouth a few times and said her own.

Yuriel.

It was the name of a saint in mythology. Whoever named her, it was an undeserved name for a child who wore worn-out clothes.

Raphlet grabbed Yuriel’s waist, who was struggling while talking loudly, and went straight back to the castle.

‘Lord Raphlet, this is the direction to the castle!’

The corners of his lips went up a little because her confused voice was funny.

It was still clear how she had her mouth wide open when she saw the servants and knights who entered the castle and surrounded him.

When she learned that Raphlet was the heir to the Mogris estate, she couldn’t come closer and groaned.

The other servants, like Yuriel, hesitated in front of him, but the underlying emotions were different.

Yuriel could hardly approach Raphlet because of her longing for him.

‘Lord Raphlet.’

The voice calling his name was always excited. Raphlet thought that whenever his own name came from Yuriel, that short word could be a spell that made him smile.

When she called out his name, Yuriel’s face filled with laughter.

Raphlet forgot the reluctance he felt when he first met Yuriel and fell for her.

It was a time when his personality, which was quiet about everything, changed. It was a very small change for Yuriel, but he definitely changed.

The grand duke and his wife were interested in Raphlet’s change. Raphlet, who was not swayed by lust for material, appetite, or affection, showed interest in the person opposite him.

Raphlet, who caused people discomfort, and Yuriel, who attracted affection even though she was a commoner with no origin. Just by observing them, the grand duke and his wife could recognize the change in Raphlet.

In Raphlet’s world, which looked achromatic like the skin of a monster, only Yuriel brought a different color into his world.

Yuriel poured her affection on Raphlet and just a word from him seemed to give her the strength to pour out her affection again.

It was a very beneficial relationship for Raphlet too.

All he gave away was the little things: a cozy bed and a thick winter coat. Yuriel laughed as if she had received the world even if he gave her something that was meaningless.

‘Thank you, Lord Raphlet.’

‘Tell me if you need more.’

Raising the collar of her soft cloak, she buried her face, smiled shyly, and thanked him. When he asked if she needed anything, she shook her head and gave a sad look.

‘Do you need more clothes? Oh, you’ll need gloves. I’ll prepare some for you.’

‘Oh, no…. That’s not it….’

When he saw her fingers wiggle she was mumbling passively, it was unlike Yuriel. Then, as if she had made a very big decision, she raised her head and muttered inaudibly.

‘Can you hold my hand…?’

Raphley learned that Yuriel loved his touch more than anything else.

While receiving the clothes, she smiled as if she had received the world, and when he held out his hand, she held it tightly and stopped breathing.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that he could do anything to save Yuriel and even kill.

Affection, trust and awe. All good feelings he learned from Yuriel.

‘Lord Raphlet is kind.’

When Yuriel said that, Raphlet worked to become such a person. Be kind and affectionately, so as not to deviate from Yuriel’s expectations.

Yuriel genuinely believed he was a kind and affectionate person, and Raphlet didn’t think his transformed self was bad.

He was satisfied with the situation until Yuriel confessed her feelings for him after their relationship became more comfortable.

‘When you saw me for the first time, you stopped monsters. Do you know what I was thinking when I saw Lord Raphlet?’

Raphlet, who was lying on the same bed to comfort Yuriel from her nightmare, turned his body and laid down. Yuriel carefully stretched out her hand to Raphlet’s hair, as black as a monster’s skin, and spoke hazyly.

‘I thought a monster came to eat me.’

‘What?’

Raphlet, who had been thinking in advance of all the compliments Yuriel usually said to him, frowned.

Raphlet touched his hair and thought about pulling Yuriel’s hand away, but he didn’t move and looked at Yuriel.

Her eyes looking at him were clouded as if she was looking at someone else.

Chapter 93

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Sometimes Raphlet couldn’t shake the thought that he was taking someone else’s place.

Hearing Yuriel’s story, his chest tightened unpleasantly.

‘Until Lord Raphlet pointed the sword at me, I thought so. I felt like someone else was coming to my rescue. Isn’t that strange?’

Raphlet looked at Yuriel with cold eyes, who spoke as if she was regretful about the past.

He didn’t like that Yuriel felt the same way. The thought of someone else saving Yuriel on his behalf made him clench his teeth.

As Raphlet grinded his teeth, the hand that was touching his hair became more relaxed.

‘It was scary and my heart was racing…. After Lord Raphlet lowered the sword, I wasn’t afraid at all.’

He did not answer, and was listening to Yuriel. Yuriel seems to be unaware of it, and he was glad she didn’t, but back then, Raphlet, was thinking of killing her right after he looked back at her.

Did she notice that?

While Raphlet was confused, Yuriel continued.

‘I must have known that Lord Raphlet wouldn’t hurt me.’

Raphlet’s eyes subsided as he looked at Yuriel smiling innocently. Yuriel looked at him and yawned slightly as if tired.

‘I’m glad I met Lord Raphlet at that time…. It’s not that I’m glad you saved me, I’m just glad I met you….’

The muttering voice had subsided. The hand that had been touching Raphlet’s hair fell to his neck.

She fell asleep in an instant, as if she had been given a drug. Raphlet turned Yuriel’s body, who was lying on her side uncomfortably, to lay her down comfortably, and Raphlet also closed his eyes tightly.

＊＊＊

Raphlet’s expressions increased. There was a moment when the relaxed expression that was only applicable to Yuriel sometimes turned to the servants as well.

He seemed to be finding his place little by little. He was clumsy and inexperienced, as if it was difficult for a human being to find a place that everyone should have taken for granted from the moment he was born.

However, his humane changes were not so welcomed by the Grand Duke and his wife. Yuriel drew out Raphlet’s emotions, such as a gentle smile, friendly consolation, and gestures.

It was all warm and positive, and it was a bit far from what they wanted.

What they wanted from Raphlet was strength and regenerative power comparable to that of a monster, and a bold disposition to attack without taking care of his own body.

He was a child born for the purpose of studying how to infuse the power of monsters into humans. There were many things that they were promised to receive for the research results.

The Temple and the alchemy tower did not spare their support to receive their research records. Of course, they were silent about Raphlet’s bizarre birth.

The content of Raphlet’s birth was their greatest asset. It was not difficult to occupy the most powerful seat of power after holding the method of fusing the monster core and the essence of a human being.

Their ultimate goal was to see a human-like child from a monster. Raphlet was the holy cornerstone for it.

Most importantly, they put their heads together and struggled because they could not waste the experimental record of the individual.

‘Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use that child, Yuriel?’

‘The attachment formation is unique to Yuriel, so if we use it incorrectly, Raphlet can be ruined. It’s not a good idea if you’re thinking of separating them apart.’

The Grand Duke spoke first, and his wife listened.

It was her side to delicately grasp Raphlet’s condition and suggest the alternatives to make experimental proposals for the Grand Duke.

One day, the Grand Duke asked, how about making a human out of a monster’s core? She was the only one who brought the absurd plan to a viable level. He looked at his troubled wife with a serious face.

‘It would be worthwhile to use Yuriel in itself.’

She rubbed her chin and fell into thought. She pondered the issue deeply, and she thought of a simple solution.

‘Make sure to include Yuriel in Raphlet’s training.’

‘That child? She wouldn’t be able to follow. Her strength wouldn’t be able to bear the experiment in the slightest bit.’

Hearing the obvious words, she smirked and said.

‘It’s about punishing Yuriel if Raphlet doesn’t produce results. I can’t wait to see what kind of reaction it will be if the child sees her being beaten instead of him, whom he cherished so much.”

The Grand Duke finally understood what she meant and nodded his head.

The moment they made their decision, Raphlet, who had passed a rough childhood and was facing a peaceful adolescence, was struck by lightning. On his first day of training and seeing Yuriel beaten instead, for the first time in his short life, he rebelled against the Grand Duke and his wife.

There was no use in expressing anger. The more Raphlet protested, the more intense the corporal punishment poured on Yuriel.

To protect Yuriel, he had no choice but to perfect his training. However, it was difficult for him to reach the desired level.

Naturally, Yuriel’s wounds increased. It was not easy to get used to seeing her slender calves swell blue.

‘It’s okay, it hurts less than it looks.’

Looking at him sadly, Yuriel smiled shyly and said. It was around that time that a strange feeling of satiety began to be felt in the midst of sadness.

Seeing Yuriel grimacing in pain with her white calves exposed, his stomach tightened violently. The feeling of hunger filled up with satisfaction when Yuriel dropped her tears.

He didn’t just stop to watch, but he had a bad imagination. It was a vulgar imagination to hurt Yuriel and make her cry. Seeing Yuriel crying, his lips were dry from impatience.

Raphlet judged the sensation as a twisted sexual desire. If it’s sexual desire, he can solve it in his own. He needed a way to solve it.

After tinkering with self-pleasuring, he did it as a habit. After releasing it, the sensation of being unable to tell whether it was sexual desire, appetite, or desire for destruction subsided a little.

Feeling the limit in resolving his own desires started with a very small word from Yuriel. Yuriel said to him as he sat behind Yuriel, who was lying there as usual, and rubbed the ointment on her wound.

Raphlet’s expression looked so gloomy, and her tone was lively, trying to cheer him up.

‘Lord Raphlet, I studied today. I learned good words!’

Yuriel, who was looking for materials to help Raphlet later, often babbled about what she had learned.

Raphlet raised his lips slightly, thinking of seeing Yuriel through the window, when she was trailing behind the butler.

As he heard the lively continuous voice, his lips softened.

‘The butler said that Lord Raphlet is a high-profile and valuable person, so I shouldn’t bother him. He says you are noble, unlike commoners like us.’

‘There’s nothing different from you, and I’m not bothered.’

As he raised his eyebrows displeased with those words, Yuriel put her cheek to the pillow and laughed softly.

Yuriel, who mumbled thank you for saying she wasn’t bothering him, changed her words as if that wasn’t the problem.

‘By the way, I don’t even know what it means to be noble.’

Raphlet nodded his head lightly. It could have been. Yuriel did not grow up in an environment where such words would be heard.

Her soft cheeks flushed, perhaps embarrassed to say that she didn’t know the words. Around that time, Raphlet had applied all the ointment to Yuriel’s wounds. He reached out for the water bowl he had prepared in advance to wipe the ointment from his sticky fingers.

Yuriel lowered her skirt and sat down and approached him coldly.

While Raphlet was wiping his hands, she grabbed the cotton cloth next to him and smirked, then stretched out her hand to wipe his hands dry and, as if it was natural, wrapped his hand in the cotton cloth.

Yuriel said, rubbing his fingers carefully one by one, wiping them dry.

‘I asked the butler, and he said if I didn’t know, I could just think of Lord Raphlet.’

‘… I’ll give you a dictionary. Stop following the butler and read it.’

Although Raphlet was reluctant to do so, the butler’s words and deeds who responded were astonishing.

‘Books are expensive. It’s too much for me. It should be used by a noble person like Lord Raphlet.’

‘You seem to like that word?’

‘Yes.’

The more Yuriel poured out good words, the darker Raphlet’s heart sank.

Along with the thought that he would not be able to live up to her thoughts, the fear that she would be dissatisfied with his self-pleasuring and hurt Yuriel at this rate ate him up.

His patience grew shorter day by day, and he felt he couldn’t handle his urge to bite Yuriel’s throat.

Like a monster’s hostility toward humans, he devised a plan to get out of the situation before he harmed Yuriel with the irresistible desire.

‘I decided to join Albraka.’

The path Raphlet had chosen was to leave Yuriel’s side.

He thought that he would be able to protect her by suppressing his own desires until the day he became an adult, with the nobleness as Yuriel wanted, if he joined that knight’s order, known to be more noble than any orders.

Raphlet pulled out of his old memories and looked at Yuriel’s face.

“Master, you will remain here forever. Right?”

It was harder than he thought to suppress his nature and live up to Yuriel’s expectations.

Chapter 94

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet looked back at Yuriel and himself, who were sitting on the floor, and smiled in dismay. Yuriel, who repeatedly pleaded that he should never leave Albraka, blinked when she heard his sigh.

The face of the ardent worshiper was a little pale when hearing his announcement to leave Albraka. Raphlet looked at Yuriel’s face and raised only one corner of his mouth at an angle.

This is because he was worried about whether he should rejoice at Yuriel’s perfect submission, or whether he should be angry at her invisible attitude towards her lover.

In the end, he decided to be content with the fact that Yuriel, who showed such an attitude, would never leave his side, and opened his mouth.

It was still hard to know what Yuriel felt when she looked at him, but this was affection. The kind of affection that would never leave him forever.

“Get up first. You’re not going to keep me sitting on the floor until you get up are you?”

Yuriel couldn’t help but notice that Raphlet’s voice had a playful tone.

Yuriel raised her voice saying that there was no way and stood up. Raphlet’s body, which earlier had not moved like a stone, rose after Yuriel.

Raphlet got up holding Yuriel’s hand, set up the chair that had fallen, and sat down again. Pulling her slender wrist, Yuriel entered his arms without resistance.

The two barely returned to their original form. It was the same as usual, except that Yuriel, who was relaxed when she was hugged by Raphlet, was restless.

Raphlet hadn’t answered yet.

Yuriel, who did not hear an answer, shook her back and body, then looked at Raphlet.

The expression on her face, blinking anxiously, was fragile. When not smiling, Yuriel had a fairly weak impression. She had a face that seemed to say she covered her ears in surprise at something like thunder.

Raphlet looked at Yuriel’s face and thought so.

Seeing her quivering eyelashes as if terrified, he felt like he needed to console her. His gaze rested on the long, thin, trembling eyelashes.

He even wanted to see the tears.

As if to prove that it was a wise decision to go to Albraka, the desire for destruction towards Yuriel had diminished considerably. Now, even when he sees her, it was rare for him to have a nasty urge to strangle her.

Yuriel, who was watching him, said while glancing at him.

“You’re not going back, right?”

“… If you want it.”

He was compelled to answer. He knew that Yuriel had a special fondness for him as Albraka’s commander.

When he answered, her anxiously trembling eyes found their place. Yuriel sighed with a relieved face and smiled faintly.

It turned out to be a relief.

He wanted to keep himself as what Yuriel wanted. In order to direct Yuriel’s affection towards him, Raphlet could protect someone and harm monsters, even for the rest of his life.

It was just a pity that it wasn’t in line with his nature. Perhaps it was because of the aura of a monster that was mixed with him when he was born, but unlike his appearance, he had a belligerent personality.

It felt better to wield his sword against a person than to face a monster that died without even fighting properly.

When he was fighting, when he put a sword to the neck of a fallen knight at his feet, he had a strong sense of satisfaction. Unfortunately, that was a thing of the past.

After transplanting the monster core, he became too strong and no one could match him.

Now, there was no act to please him other than sleeping with Yuriel.

It would be better if he could get affection by doing things that fit his nature, but it didn’t matter. The process was not important.

It was the results that mattered.

If he had lived according to his nature, he might have been a fighting dog in the arena, rather than a paladin of Albraka.

Raphlet grabbed Yuriel’s slender wrist and stopped thinking.

Whatever his nature, he became the commander of Albraka, and Yuriel was by his side.

Raphlet was very satisfied with that fact.

＊＊＊

In the summer, choosing the first subjugation site was heavily influenced by the Temple. The main goal was to eradicate the monsters that have settled in the resorts of the nobles.

The knights could not hide their displeasure when they heard the place chosen as their first expedition site.

They were not private soldiers of the nobles, but those who carried swords to protect the emperor. The first expedition of the year has many meanings. It was an important outing.

Raphlet and Helio headed to the Temple to protest the selected subjugation site, which did not have an urgent need for monster eradication.

Yuriel saw Raphlet off and set out in search of the escaped monster.

She would soon be three months pregnant. As the deadline that Shudmuel gave her for her departure was approaching, Yuriel was growing worried.

It was not difficult to keep one’s body healthy, but she was worried about the monster hovering around.

“What if it tries to stay here after I leave….”

Right now, Yuriel was watching out for the monster so that it doesn’t get caught, but if she leaves the place, the monster would soon be caught by the trails it left behind.

Her heart tightened at the thought of the monster that was going to be subjected to vicious experiments. It would be imprisoned for the rest of its life like the monster in the basement she saw when she was kidnapped.

It hasn’t been long since she had been looking for the monster. Again, the monster found Yuriel first.

It greeted Yuriel who had entered the uninhabited place and tried to run in an instant. The fierce welcome of the monster that approached Yuriel as if it was about to attack her failed. It was because the man who followed the monster stopped the monster, which was rushing towards Yuriel with his arm.

The man was good at grabbing the neck with one arm and grabbing the growling snout with the other.

Baraha, who had stopped the monster, looked at Yuriel and shook his head. Receiving a light greeting, Yuriel also waved her hand.

“Baraha, did you come first?”

“I didn’t come first…. It has been around since night, so I caught him… .”

“Really? So you were taking care of it all night?”

“Yes.”

He answered with a tired face. Surprised by his answer, Yuriel looked carefully at his face. Looking at Baraha’s face, a dark shade was cast under his eyes.

Perhaps he couldn’t sleep all night, so he always looked somewhat a little bit irritable with his dull face.

Yuriel grabbed the monster and lowered her body following Baraha, who was slumped in the spot.

“Why did you do that when it originally moved well inconspicuously?”

When she asked a question while swiping the growling monster’s head, the monster hid its teeth and became quiet. When Baraha relaxed his hand, the monster opened its free mouth and licked the back of Yuriel’s hand for a long time.

It was still caught by Baraha, but there was no sign of rebellion. Maybe it was because it had been with Baraha for a long time, so even when it saw him, the monster did not show any hostility.

Seeing the calmness like a well-trained dog made Yuriel’s heart even more stuffy.

“What is it going to do… If it doesn’t leave soon, it will be in trouble.”

It doesn’t listen to warnings, so what’s the point?

Yuriel, who was stroking its head, lowered her hand and scratched the monster’s jaw.

“You must go now. Alright?”

The eyes and sharp teeth that looked so frightening when she first saw them were no longer threatening at all, so she was worried.

Was there anything more worrisome than wild animals that had lost their wildness?

If it was an ordinary animal, even if it was difficult, she could take responsibility for it, but the monster would be difficult for Yuriel to handle.

“There are limits to how much I can take care of you.”

As Yuriel spoke anxiously, Baraha, who had blinked his eyes slowly, frowned.

Noticing his staring gaze, Yuriel raised her head and met Baraha’s eyes.

“Baraha, are you very tired?”

Yuriel asked, thinking that was the reason he was looking at her. She expected that Baraha, who took care of the monster all night, would leave the monster to her and return to his room at any moment.

Without Baraha, it would be harder than usual to erase the traces of the monster, but his face looked so tired that she didn’t want to stop him.

Yuriel opened her mouth as she wanted to thank him for taking care of the monster all night, and at the same time Baraha spoke out.

“I will clean up the traces, so you go back first….”

“Are there any limitations? Why?”

“Huh?”

“It’s not difficult to take care of it, so why are there limitations?”

It seems that the reason Baraha’s eyes were wrinkled was because of something else. Yuriel frowned upon hearing Baraha’s question.

She didn’t know that she would feel a sense of wonder at the words he spit out unintentionally.

Fortunately, she was fortunate to express this in front of Baraha rather than Raphlet. Yuriel bit her mouth, thinking that she should pay attention to even the smallest expressions in the future.

Shudmuel told her not to tell anyone that Yuriel was going to leave Albraka. Although they were old friends, Baraha was no exception.

Yuriel, who had shut her mouth and stopped her words, spoke as if making excuses at Baraha’s gaze who was following her tenaciously.

“… It’s subjugation soon. You’ll be away too, and I’ll go out with you, so it’s going to be difficult to take care of it.”

It seemed plausible for a hasty excuse. The tone of voice that started out timidly became more confident as she spoke.

As if Yuriel’s excuse had worked, Baraha frowned and tilted his head. His face had an expression that looked like he was saying he had thought so.

Yuriel asked without giving Baraha time to ponder for a long time.

“Aren’t we supposed to find a way to get the monster out of here before subjugation?”

Chapter 95

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Baraha readily agreed.

“Yes, I think it would be better to send it before subjugation. It would be more convenient for me to do that too….”

After saying that, he leaned back, not paying attention to the dusty ground. The monster that was holding its snout in Yuriel’s hand turned and looked at the fallen Baraha.

Baraha, lying among the sparsely sprouting flowers, showed a tired look. He continued to mumble and added,

“Actually, it bothered me a lot just looking at it, so I think it would be easier to send it out of sight…. Ah, the sunlight sucks….”

It was natural for the sun to pierce his eyes as he laid down. He stopped talking and covered his eyes with his arms. The monster and Yuriel watched his actions and moved together.

The monster leaned towards Baraha first. It let out a low sound as if thanking him for hiding it last night, then slid its chin on Baraha’s stomach.

“Why are you so heavy?”

He slowly raised his arm and confirmed that it was the monster with its face on his stomach. Pushing away the monster seemed like a nuisance, and Baraha covered his eyes with his arm again.

He didn’t seem to like the monster’s favor, but he didn’t look like he hated it either.

“You can go in and rest.”

“I’m tired of going back. I just want to sleep here… .”

“Then you’ll catch a cold.”

“I won’t. Have you ever seen me catch a cold in Mogris?”

Yuriel, who was about to get Baraha up, who was clinging to the floor like a sloth, let out a small sigh.

Well, she doesn’t remember seeing him catch a cold. A child who was fine even in the middle of winter wouldn’t get sick on such a warm day.

Instead of raising him, Yuriel slumped down beside him like the monster. Baraha gently raised his arms again this time to see it was Yuriel.

Seeing Yuriel sitting on the ground, he squinted his eyes.

“… The ground is cold.”

Baraha, who covered his face, said in a casual tone. It was an euphemism to get her up, but Yuriel replied as if it was nothing.

“Not very cold. You’re lying down too.”

“I usually sleep on the floor.”

“Well, I suppose so”

Baraha was the kind of person who could take a break wherever he could rest his head.

Yuriel rested by his side for a long time without thinking about anything.

The worries led by the unexpected pregnancy, the criticism towards herself, and the pressure to leave have stopped. Seeing Baraha sleeping casually, she became more comfortable without thinking of anything.

There were a lot of things to worry about, but that was a matter Yuriel had to decide anyway.

Yuriel closed her eyes, enjoying a brief moment of comfort. She could understand a little bit of Baraha’s feelings as she frowned at the sunlight.

The warm light poured down on her delicate eyelids without diminishing its momentum.

Yuriel, who was dozing off in the sun next to Baraha, woke up from her shallow sleep when she felt a touch on her shoulder. She saw the monster lightly nudging her shoulders. Baraha got up, brushing his body, and was looking at the monster.

He began to speak in a tone of disgust.

“Yuriel, don’t sleep in front of the monster when you are alone.”

“… Will it try to take me again?”

Yuriel asked while stroking the monster’s head. The monster that tried to drag her out of Albraka whenever it had time seemed to have acted like that this time as well.

Baraha reached out near the nape of Yuriel’s neck and nodded his head. Traces of when the monster tried to drag her away were still there.

Seeing Baraha tidying up her disheveled collar, the monster cried briefly as if it was a pity.

Yuriel lightly rubbed the monster’s snout with her finger and narrowed her brow severely.

“Where the hell does it want to take me?”

Naturally, the monster did not answer Yuriel’s question. The monster simply put its head on Yuriel’s stomach and purred obediently.

After hiding the monster and erasing the traces, it was time to head to Shudmuel’s office. As expected, Baraha’s gaze was filled with wonder when he asked if she was going to Shudmuel’s office.

Baraha was curious about Yuriel looking for Shudmuel once a day.

“Is there a reason to go to the medical commander? Are you sick or…. Something like that.”

Yuriel was surprised to hear his question. It was a tone of concern, but it was especially surprising to see that Baraha had an insight that was rarely seen in him.

He didn’t spend a little bit of his mental energy on things he didn’t want to be interested in. It was comfortable to assume that his interest was reached just by asking a question.

Even when she was kidnapped, Baraha spared no effort to save her and even worried that she might be ill now that her eyes trembled.

“Yuriel?”

“Hmm, no. It’s not like that.”

Yuriel shook her head to a friend who was concerned about her. Baraha hunched down and observed her complexion.

Yuriel licked her lips as she received the gaze of her only friend in the imperial capital with whom she could confide.

She wanted to announce the news of her pregnancy right away and receive congratulations.

Helio and Shudmuel never congratulated her on her pregnancy. They saw her pregnancy as a huge shackle holding her back.

It was clear that Helio, who clearly had been a noble before he joined Albraka, and Shudmuel, responsible for the changes within the Order as the medical commander, did not welcome the news.

They were only concerned with the chaos that Yuriel’s pregnancy would bring.

Their concerns over Yuriel’s pregnancy were proof of their responsibility. As much as they were concerned about Albraka’s prestige, they were not pleased with Yuriel’s pregnancy.

Unlike them, Baraha could not feel affection for Albraka.

Yuriel didn’t know that he belonged to Albraka until the moment she met him when she arrived at the imperial capital.

If Baraha had even thought of Albraka, there would not have been such a reaction. He was deliberately excluding Albraka from his consciousness.

It makes her wonder how he can still be the commander.

Although Baraha and Raphlet were both commanders, Baraha was usually dissatisfied with an increase to his workload because he did not do his work properly unlike Raphlet. But if he wanted to, he could properly complete his work, like when he heard about Yuriel’s kidnapping.

She just thought that she should be careful with even the smallest expressions and gestures, yet Yuriel unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach again.

Baraha’s gaze deepened as he watched Yuriel lay her hands on her stomach while immersed in thought. Yuriel, who was worried, did not notice his gaze.

Yuriel was thinking of Baraha, who she had spent time with at the Mogris Estate.

He liked children more than she thought. When he saw a child begging on the street, he would turn around and toss a coin.

He was kind to children under the age of ten. He paid special attention to children living on the streets.

It was not that he hates children, so if he wanted to, he would show the reaction Yuriel wants.

Yuriel barely suppressed the urge to confide in Baraha and said,

“I’m helping Sir Shudmuel with his business.”

“Does Commander Shudmuel need your help? There are subordinates all around.”

“You have subordinates all around you, but I’ve written a report for you in the past.”

“… It is.”

Fortunately, he nodded his head as if he was convinced when she talked about what had happened the other day when she helped Baraha with his work. Apart from his movements, his gaze briefly turned to the back of Yuriel’s hand.

Gazing at her hand, which was slowly rubbing her stomach, he noticed that Yuriel’s tone, unaccustomed to lying, trembled awkwardly.

Her itchy mouth was also very visible as if she wanted to say something.

He thought she would soon reveal herself if he asked a few questions, but Baraha stopped thinking about digging up what Yuriel was hiding.

He felt his stomach churn with displeasure as he looked at Yuriel’s hand rubbing her stomach as if she had hidden something precious in her arms. What Yuriel was trying to hide would probably have to do with Commander Raphlet, and when he hears it, the displeasure he felt right now would probably increase in size and swallow his whole body.

Baraha, who came closer as if to find out what Yuriel was hiding, forcibly cut off his thoughts.

‘I don’t want to know what you’re hiding.’

Baraha said, in an uninteresting tone.

“I’ll go.”

“Uh? Yes. You must be tired, so rest well.”

Unconsciously, his thoughts stopped for his own defense. Baraha, who felt uncomfortable, turned around, and ruffled his shaggy hair with one hand.

Yuriel was tilting her head and waving her hand at his suddenly rough look.

Yuriel’s face while moving her hands carefreely, was clearly visible through his messy hair.

Aside from the unpleasant sensations, it was also true that Yuriel, who was not feeling well these days, was concerned about him.

Baraha turned away from Yuriel, who was moving her hand, and said in a low voice. Her hand through his hair fell helplessly down.

“… If there’s something you can’t handle on your own, just tell me.”

The absurd moment he secretly watched as she hid the traces of the monster alone still remained inside him.

Yuriel was trying to do things by herself, but if he looked at it closely, the results were very clumsy.

The biggest problem for Yuriel was that she did not notice the clumsiness and was in high spirits.

Baraha, who was unable to ignore Yuriel’s mistake and looked after her, sighed in excruciating fatigue.

This time, he could not turn away from Yuriel.

After all, nothing has changed from the moment he decided to run to save Yuriel when he was young.

Chapter 96

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel saw Baraha off and turned her gaze to the place where the monster had disappeared. Her steps leaving the place were heavy.

She knew time went by fast. Less than a month left would pass by without realizing it.

There was not enough time left, but there was a lot of work to be done.

She would have to hear from Raphlet about the changed subjugation site today and have the monster stay away from there. She was worried that it might become prey for the knights.

Yuriel found Shudmuel’s office with a heavy footstep, as if she was hung on a rope. Upon knocking on the door, permission to enter was granted.

Yuriel opened the door and spoke in a surprised tone at Shudmuel’s unusual appearance.

“Oh, you are getting ready to go out. I must have mistaken the time today.”

Shudmuel’s desk, which had been prepared so that he could perform the test immediately if she arrived on time, was empty. No medical tools were visible. As if he was getting ready to go out, he wore a coat he didn’t wear in the office, he nodded his head as if to ask Yuriel to come in.

“No, you came at the promised time.”

He said bluntly to Yuriel, who was worried that she might have missed the appointment. Buttoning his coat, he spoke.

“I have urgent business to go to. Is the time alright?”

She didn’t train and Raphlet was also absent from the meeting, so Yuriel, his exclusive maid, had nothing to do externally.

Yuriel nodded her head and said.

“Yes.”

“You get ready to go too.”

“Yes? Where… ?

Yuriel, who had no good memories of leaving the Knights Order, frowned.

“The Alchemy Tower.”

He answered calmly and handed Yuriel a robe to cover her face. Yuriel answered with an anxious voice to his gaze as if asking what she was doing without putting it on quickly.

“If you’re going to the Alchemy Tower, I don’t think I need to accompany you, Sir Shudmuel. If you need a servant on the go, get someone else….”

“Yuriel. Do you think you have the right to say no?”

“Ah….”

A cold gaze reached Yuriel. It was a look that had no thought of rejection. Shudmuel spoke cynically and dropped the robe on Yuriel’s arm.

Yuriel couldn’t deny his words. She wanted to say no, but when she looked into Shudmuel’s eyes, her lips did not open as if glue had been applied there.

Yuriel’s face darkened as she wore the robe as he commanded. After meticulously tying the robe that she wore on her body, trembling for fear of going out, she saw Shudemuel leaving through the door.

Yuriel hurriedly followed Shudmuel, who was leading the way, without explanation.

She looked like she was in serious trouble.

Yuriel, who was on her fastest steps heading to the Alchemy Tower, opened her mouth that was rarely opened.

“Sir Shudmuel. Why are you going to the Alchemy Tower?”

He answered as he watched the waterway leading to the Alchemy Tower in the humid wind.

“Do you remember the slave trader who dragged you away?”

I can’t forget it. When Yuriel replied that it was a matter of course, Shudmuel said, still with a firm face.

“I heard that all the monsters kept in the basement were moved to the Alchemy Tower. Until now, the princess had been claiming ownership, but it seems she lost to the alchemists. They say the alchemists have been working on core extraction for three days.”

“Is that a reason for Sir Shudmuel to go to the Alchemy Tower?”

There were no casualties. If it was to extract the monster cores, his strength wouldn’t be necessary.

Yuriel tilted her head and remembered that the Alchemy Tower had never sent a dispatch request to Albraka. Requests for dispatch always went through Raphlet, but no requests were sent to the Commanders within a few days.

Baraha was also taking it easy, but then why was Shudmuel?

“You didn’t even get a dispatch request.”

“… We have to deal with the monster core before they use it for anything else, so we need to go quickly. Like last time, if I ask Commander Raphlet to protect it, it will be difficult to handle.”

Shudmuel said in an inaudible voice. The words continued in a voice so small that it could not be heard even in a quiet place, and faintly vanished by the sound of a whistle that just rang.

“I’m sorry, Sir Shudmuel. I didn’t hear it well….”

“It’s all right. When you arrive, get ready to get off.”

It was said with the intention of her not being able to hear it. Yuriel clings to Shudmuel to tell him the story again, but he never explains it again.

“… After you get to the Alchemy Tower, don’t go far away from me. It will be good for you to remain close.”

It was the last thing he said as if to warn her as they got off the boat that arrived at the pier.

The Alchemy Tower she visited for a long time was busy.

“Send everything you don’t need because we need to make room.”

“We will need a few more wagons.”

As they entered, she saw a long line of wagons. The large number caught her eyes first, and then she saw a scene of strong young men loading something onto the wagon.

‘Are those the monster cores?’

Yuriel, who narrowed her eyes and looked at it, grasped the contents.

Everything loaded in the wagon were monster cores. Last time, they thought that calling in the knights of Albraka was the cause of the terrorist attack, so this time, they ended with light security, as if moving a worthless object.

They said that they were working on extracting monster cores and it looked like they were working on sorting out the useless cores.

Yuriel’s thoughts were right without error.

Due to the considerable value of the monsters they had gathered from the slave traders, the alchemists were in a state of frenzied excitement, as if they had discovered a philosopher’s stone from an old book.

There were quite a lot of monsters, and the core extraction had barely finished 30% of the total. The worthless cores were being moved out of the Alchemy Tower through a private mercenary company.

Yuriel tightened her robes lest the alchemists would notice her, and saw some of the mercenaries carrying the cores turned towards Shudmuel. Shudmuel, who met their eyes, blinked something.

It was a secret glance, as if worried about being caught by someone.

The blink passed in an instant without anyone noticing except for Yuriel, and Shudmuel calmly entered the busy Alchemy Tower as if nothing had happened.

“Commander Shudmuel?”

“What did you come here for?”

“I came here because I urgently needed a research core. Can I get a supply?”

“Ah, if that’s the case, I’ll talk to the Elder….”

The alchemists and the mercenaries greeted Shudmuel, who came without a word, and exchanged suspicious glances with Shudmuel.

Watching the wagons loaded with monster cores pass through the Alchemy Tower one by one, Yuriel felt the premonition she had when she dreamed of a monster.

＊＊＊

The ominous premonitions related to monsters never went wrong. The problem, however, was that this time, an ominous situation different from the expected direction occurred.

Some of the many wagons were given to Shudmuel. Hearing that he needed experimental cores, the Elder gladly gave away wagons filled with cores.

As the private mercenaries were driving the wagons to the pier, a small explosion occurred in the Alchemy Tower.

The tall tower caught the eye from anywhere on the street.

The exterior wall, which had been repaired, collapsed, and the black objects inside it could be seen moving slowly.

“What is that… ?”

“I think it exploded. Did an alchemy experiment go wrong?”

No one could accurately see objects in the distance. Passers-by, who had been watching the explosion on the street, put their hands around their eyes and looked at the Alchemy Tower.

They frowned and stared intently at the tower, as if trying to see even a little more clearly.

“But doesn’t it look like it’s moving?”

“Uh, what is it? For real.”

“It’s moving.”

“Is it a person?”

The sudden explosion also stopped the wagons on the street. Most of the mercenaries were also talking while staring at the place.

Yuriel, who was staring at the Alchemy Tower, quickly grasped the identity of the wriggling object in it. She was well aware of a monster’s movements.

It was a monster, not a human, that moved in that form. Seeing the monster crawling out of the open wall, Yuriel looked for Shudmuel.

“Sir Shudmuel… !”

Yuriel turned to look for him and found Shudmuel, who was also making eye contact with the mercenaries. The mercenaries who exchanged glances with Shudmuel who did not seem to have any interest in the Alchemy Tower, unlike those who fixed their gaze on the Alchemy Tower and showed curiosity.

“Hey, it looks like a human. It must be clinging to life.”

“Oh… ! It’s falling over there!”

“Wait, why is it coming out?”

“They would have died if they fell from that height.”

Passers-by, who mistook the falling object for a human, screamed in surprise.

While the eyes of passersby were directed at the Alchemy Tower, the mercenaries were busy moving.

Yuriel was startled to see what they were taking out of the wagon. It was an egg of a monster that she saw only once during subjugation.

It was used when it was necessary to completely pull out hidden monsters and uproot them. Monsters have the characteristic of gathering at the place where the eggs and young are.

The form didn’t matter. Any kind of monster with a core will gather to protect the eggs.

It was extremely rare, and Yuriel had only seen it once.

The mercenaries who made eye contact with Shudmuel; the explosion that occurred the day she went to meet Raphlet with him.

Yuriel’s head turned quickly. Shudmuel’s calm gaze with the mercenaries and the monster eggs they took out as if waiting meant one thing.

Shudmuel has links to terrorism.

Realizing this, Yuriel’s face turned white.

Chapter 97

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Yuriel stopped breathing while looking at the long line of wagons and Shudmuel in turn. The purpose of the terrorists has always been the cores.

So far, there have been no casualties, but she did not know what would happen today.

It was not clear why the monsters were gathered here. If they want to gather monsters around the wagon and cause an explosion together with the cores…. Yuriel herself, who was around it, would not be able to survive.

The moment Yuriel sensed danger and stepped backwards to get out of the vicinity of the wagons, the wind gently ripped Yuriel’s robe off.

The robe that Shudmuel gave her was constantly being fixed with her hand because the collar did not close properly. The problem was that she was shocked to learn that Shudmuel had ties to a terrorist group, and her hands loosened and let go of the collar.

There was no time to close the collar. It was because passersby began to recognize that the appearance of the fallen object off the outer wall and crawling down was different from that of a human being.

The monsters did not die even if they fell from a high place. Their bodies, which hit the floor, were crushed like porridge, but as long as their core was not broken, they were revived intact.

Perhaps they saw the first fallen monster come back to life, so the monsters that were crawling down the high outer wall began to fall down.

It was a strange sight like a black waterfall pouring down.

“Hey, it’s not human. That.”

“Isn’t that a monster?”

“No, why are living monsters in the Alchemy Tower?”

“Wait, more than that…. Don’t you think they’re coming this way?”

Even those who had stopped, belatedly recognized the danger.

“Aren’t we supposed to run away?”

“What’s happening… ?”

“Uh, over there.”

“The person over there by the carriage. She is the woman who controls monsters!”

The eyes of the people who wandered here and there, unable to decide whether to run away from the street or to continue watching the situation, reached Yuriel.

Yuriel, who was about to put the robe that was ripped off by the wind back on, was pointed at. Passers-by fiercely pointed their fingers at Yuriel and began to judge the situation.

“Maybe that woman is calling the monster this way!”

Someone shouted in a loud voice. Criticism poured in from here and there, following the voice that came out of nowhere.

“Get out of here now! Don’t call monsters here, you witch!”

“The things in the carriage are monster cores, and it’s clear that she’s calling the monsters to steal it!”

A young voice intervened. People who did not know that the wagon contained cores, roared.

Yuriel felt that the child’s voice was somehow familiar. As she turned her head toward where she had heard the voice, she saw the child who had stolen her belongings at the festival, clasping his hands around his mouth and screaming loudly.

It looked like he was spreading rumors quickly as if he had been instructed by someone.

Besides the boy, several other people caused a riot in the crowd.

Their target was Yuriel. Yuriel felt as if she was about to suffocate from the incomprehensible madness towards her.

“Stop that woman!”

“You have to get her off the wagon so they don’t steal the cores!”

“Witches can control monsters with cores.”

“Hurry up before the monsters come!”

People went mad as if igniting gunpowder.

“It’s a monster, run away!”

“That woman really summoned the monsters!”

Passers-by who rushed to Yuriel reached out to grab her arm. Yuriel, who had been trained by Raphlet, easily avoided the touch of the blindly rushing man.

As she quickly avoided the ferocious hand, he rushed at her even harder, as if he had been on drugs.

“Where are you going to run away?”

It was not difficult to avoid the ignorant attack, but there were too many. Yuriel saw several people rushing towards her at the same time, and wrapped herself around and sat down.

She thought she’d feel a strong hand grabbing her by the neck, but no one touched Yuriel.

“Get up.”

“… Sir Shudmuel.”

“It is dangerous near the wagon. Step back.”

Mercenaries were protecting Yuriel. Perhaps it was Shudmuel’s orders, they surrounded her so that people’s hands could not touch Yuriel.

Shudmuel held out his hand, but Yuriel stood up without taking his hand. He stared strangely at Yuriel, who retreated to avoid him.

He stared at Yuriel through his glasses, placed his hand around his eyes and muttered lowly. It was then that he realized that he was wearing glasses.

“Oh, I didn’t take this off.”

He took off his glasses and looked into Yuriel’s eyes and said,

“Step back, Yuriel.”

“Ah…. Yes.”

Even though she suspected Shudmuel was a member of the terrorist group, Yuriel followed his instructions and moved backwards. A little further away from the wagons, and while fighting with the passersby, the monsters who had left the Alchemy Tower were getting closer to the street.

“Sir Shudmuel. It’s ready.”

“Put it in the wagon.”

A man dressed as a mercenary spoke into Shudmuel’s ear and talked about the situation. He was the man who had the monster eggs. Shudmuel calmly ordered.

Yuriel bit her lip while watching Shudmuel talking to the mercenary naturally.

Recognizing that Shudmuel was a dangerous person, she couldn’t get away from him. She wanted to shout that these people were terrorists to those who were still pointing fingers at her, but her lips wouldn’t open.

Shudmuel, who was protecting Yuriel from the people, sent the mercenaries carrying the monster eggs to the wagon and approached her.

“I have something for you to do, Yuriel.”

He grabbed her shoulders tightly and the voice that poured into her ear was hoarse. As Yuriel twisted her body to get out of his grasp, she felt her body not moving according to her will, and she burst into tears. Yuriel listened to the commands he whispered in her ear with a stiff body.

“You just have to pretend to control monsters using that core. It won’t be difficult. Now, hold on to this.”

“I, I don’t want to. Sir Shudmuel.”

“Put your hands out.”

He handed over a core the size of Yuriel’s fists combined. Yuriel did not open her hand and shook her head, but as soon as she met his eyes and he commanded her to open her hand, she did.

The monster core fell into Yuriel’s hand. It happened while people couldn’t see it.

“The monsters won’t attack you, so there won’t be anything dangerous. When this is over, I will take responsibility for the safety of you and your child.”

Shudmuel said with a guilty expression on his face.

“… I’m sorry I decided to use you. But you are qualified for it. After today, people will realize just how dangerous monster cores are.”

Yuriel looked up at him with a pale face. It was evident in Shudmuel’s eyes that the trust he had built up was completely destroyed.

Even so, it was impossible for Yuriel to deviate from his orders. Unless Commander Raphlet was by her side, the brainwashing effect was still there.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Shudmuel pushed Yuriel’s back and said. The mercenaries who received his signal disrupted the formation protecting Yuriel.

Yuriel showed off the core and stepped out among the mercenaries.

As if proving that what people shouted so much about was true, it looked like she was controlling the monsters.

The monsters rushed towards the wagon closest to Yuriel. The figures approaching the wagon loaded with the eggs looked like they were running towards Yuriel.

“It’s too late. Avoid it!”

“Run away!”

“That woman is going to gather monsters and kill us!”

People without weapons fled with their tails between their legs. Perhaps the terrorists had no intention of hurting people, and they were dealing with monsters that sometimes try to attack people.

People on the street fled far away. The monsters clinged to the carriage like barnacles on rocks and moved their bodies as if trying to find the eggs.

The wooden luggage compartment was easily broken by the monsters’ attacks. Looking at the luggage compartment full of core, the movement of jumping down after confirming that there were no eggs was disturbing.

When a significant number of monsters approached the wagon full of eggs, the mercenaries began to take out explosives as if they were waiting.

“Did you have a bomb?”

A group of mercenaries, but not terrorists, made a startled voice. Since it was an urgent situation, no one answered.

They lit a short wick and started throwing explosives at the carriage where the monsters were attached. Some people were aiming and threw it at a wagon filled with cores in a row behind them.

Shudmuel, who was protecting the passers-by from a little distance from Yuriel, looked at Yuriel when he saw them taking out explosives.

“Yuriel, come this way!”

Shudmuel wrinkled his face and cried. While she was controlling the monsters, Yuriel was closer to the carriage than expected.

If she was in that location, there was a high chance that she would be swept away by the explosion.

If there are any fragments….

He shouted at Yuriel, but she covered her ears and turned her head away as if she didn’t want to hear Shudmuel’s voice. She was expressing that she no longer wanted to follow his orders.

“Yuriel!”

He cried once more hastily. He has no intention of hurting Yuriel.

Shudmuel hastily moved his feet. The explosives have already been thrown. It was unclear whether Yuriel could be safely protected even if he ran now.

Shudmuel’s face was horribly contorted when he was faced with an unexpected situation.

Chapter 98

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Shudmuel could not reach Yuriel. There was something that attacked Yuriel faster than him, who moved its body to protect Yuriel.

Some of the monsters sensed danger and ran towards Yuriel. Shudmuel let out a sharp noise, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of explosives.

After being pushed away by the craze caused by the explosion, Shudmuel got up in a hurry.

Seeing the place where Yuriel was, he stopped breathing. Yuriel was standing in her original position without being pushed back at all from the place she had been before the explosion.

The monsters protected Yuriel.

＊＊＊

Yuriel faced a horribly changed street.

The corpses of dead monsters were scattered around her in a huge explosion that caused the surrounding buildings to collapse. The stench of the beast wafted from the charred skin. The monster’s blood that dripped like sticky oil polluted Yuriel’s body.

It was a death that left no cores. The monsters that protected Yuriel did not resurrect. Her stomach throbbed.

Streets destroyed in the aftermath of the explosion, buildings with collapsed exterior walls, and people who were wounded by debris while running away were seen groaning.

Yuriel recognized the fact that she, who was closest to the center of the explosion, was not injured at all.

The hand that was holding her throbbing stomach tightened.

It was unbelievable that there were no wounds in such a close position.

When the explosion stopped, people ran away and others tried to take care of the wounded. Because the mercenaries protected them, there were no serious injuries, but the black blood shed by the monsters close to the cores was abundant.

The monster’s damage was enormous.

“Miss Yuriel!”

Someone called Yuriel and ran. It was the first knight Yuriel had never seen before. He was wearing Albraka’s uniform, but it was an unfamiliar face.

Yuriel, who was watching the slow extinguishing fire on the monster’s skin, gave strength to her shaking legs as she saw the knight approaching her.

After seeing Yuriel covered in the blood of a sticky monster, Shudmuel was seen behind him.

Is he a member of the medical unit? Or is that person part of the terrorist group like Shudmuel?

Yuriel thought with a blank mind. The knight who approached her reached out to check her condition.

“Where are you hurt? Miss Yuriel shouldn’t have been around here…. How surprised we were when we saw the monsters rushing at you before the explosion….”

The man said quickly. He looked at Yuriel with a face full of worry and guilt.

From his words, Yuriel could tell that the man was a terrorist disguised as a knight of Albraka. The tone was that he knew the explosion ahead of time.

Yuriel, who had been quietly leaving her body for the man to examine, saw the man’s face gradually getting paler the more he checked her condition, and pulled out the arm that he was holding.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I can walk, so I’ll go back and get treatment. Please look at other people first.”

It crossed her mind that she shouldn’t be found out that she had no wounds even in her dazed mind.

Rumors about Yuriel were not good. The knights of Albraka, who she lived with, did not believe such rumors and treated her kindly, but if the person disguised as a knight sees her being fine with no injuries in this situation….

She hurriedly leaned back, but the man had already confirmed that Yuriel was not injured at all. He said with a stiff face.

“Why are there no injuries at all? The monster ran like that…. Not a single scratch is visible.”

Worry vanished from his face, revealing a deep sense of fear. A man with a face that felt both disgust and contempt opened his mouth.

“It wasn’t that the monsters were attacking you…. Were they protecting you?”

Yuriel looked back at the man’s face showing his hatred towards her and backed away. The eyes of those who heard his voice turned to Yuriel.

It was a malevolent gaze that was no different from looking at a monster.

＊＊＊

Yuriel fell in thought in a room without a window.

She couldn’t go back to Raphlet’s room. After hearing about the terrorist attack and monsters actions, the priests decided to investigate Yuriel. When the high priest’s order was issued, the knights came to pick up Yuriel.

Even though they weren’t close with Yuriel, they treated Yuriel with respect, who had subjugated the monsters with her help.

“Miss Yuriel. You will be able to come out soon.”

“… When Commander Raphlet leaves the conference room, I will tell him where Miss Yuriel is.”

“Don’t worry too much.”

The knights with familiar faces said so. They had a pitiful look seeing her pale, weary face, covered in monster blood. Yuriel was only tinkering with the handkerchief they had given her, saying it would be good to wipe the blood even a little.

The comfort from the knights was not helpful because her mood had sunk. The knights who had added something in their own way stopped their crude consolation and went outside.

They seemed to have decided that meeting Raphlet was more important than comforting Yuriel.

The two watched the room where Yuriel was locked, and one hurriedly ran outside. Yuriel watched as they moved chaotically through the closing door.

Raphlet, who came out of the conference room, was worried about her, but the biggest problem was that Shudmuel was a terrorist.

Even more terrifying was that she couldn’t tell him anything about Shudmuel, and she was also concerned that she can’t believe anything Shudmuel had ever said.

Why did Shudmuel use her? Because she was being criticized by people? Maybe Sir Shudmuel was the one who started spreading the rumors that she was controlling monsters.

Yuriel covered her face with an anguished expression. It was a big shock to learn that he, who she had given her trust, had built a relationship with her solely to use her.

There was no end to the doubts that had begun, but she had to force herself to break free from the unacceptable facts. Yuriel thought about what had happened to her.

She lost the ability to detect monsters and was protected by the monsters. Rather than being protected by a specific monster, some of the surrounding monsters moved to protect Yuriel. It was a strange phenomenon even when she thought about it.

She was also pregnant with the child of the Commander, Raphlet. If alchemists were to experiment with her body, they would immediately discover her condition.

The saint who was indispensable to stop the monsters and a strange commoner woman who was protected by monsters.

Yuriel knew she couldn’t be a part of Albraka anymore. Even if Raphlet tried to get Yuriel out, it would be impossible.

If she could predict the monsters’ movements,she would have been able to prove her usefulness. But now, the only ability Yuriel had left was the monsters’ protection regardless of her will.

It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t cooperate.

Since they don’t need her cooperation, it would be better to hand her over to the Alchemy Tower and order experiments than to leave Yuriel as part of the knight order.

What should she do? How can she get out of this situation without getting found out that she was pregnant?

It was a question that never had an answer. Yuriel fell on the desk, clutching the handkerchief, which the knights had given her.

“What to do….”

When she came up to the imperial capital with only one bag, she never imagined that she would be in such a complicated situation. Yuriel was accustomed to kindness and was naive.

She was full of confidence that she could overcome anything on her own in the imperial capital. This was the first time she had encountered people who tried to abuse and exploit her. In this situation, naivety didn’t help.

Her youthful and cheerful eyes turned dark. Yuriel lamented the consequences she had brought.

“You must not go in. Commander Shudmuel.”

There was a commotion outside. The door was half-opened loudly. It could not be fully opened and stopped halfway as if blocked by someone. Yuriel looked at a tall man at a glance through the half-open door, and raised her droopy body.

“I have obtained permission from the minister. Back off.”

“The permission….”

“Check it and open the door.”

Her heart, which was full of tension and worry, calmed down when she saw Shudmuel’s face.

He came in after forcibly dismissing the knights guarding the door, but when he saw Yuriel’s eyes, he paused for a moment. He closed the door, avoiding Yuriel’s eyes.

Shudmuel closed the door and touched his glasses with one hand. He looked like he was contemplating whether to take it off or not. Yuriel stared at him without taking a single breath.

“… Is it hypnosis?”

When she first met him and went to his office, she remembered the books she had seen in his library. In addition to books related to hypnosis, it was a bookshelf full of medical books.

If it was the first time, she wouldn’t be able to relate her condition to a book on hypnosis, but now it was different. Yuriel had realized that her relationship with Shudmuel was wrong from the start.

The closeness she felt from the moment they met was forcibly created by Shudmuel.

He turned around and nodded his head.

“As promised, I will take responsibility for the safety of you and your child.”

Yuriel smiled sharply at the shameless promise.

“I think I would have been safe without Sir Shudmuel.”

Looking at him who couldn’t deny it, Yuriel pointed to the seat opposite her.

Because of the hypnosis, it was impossible to reveal Shudmuel’s identity, and if she waits patiently for a disposition, the fact that she was pregnant would be revealed.

“Sit down for now. I think you have a lot to tell me.”

The only person Yuriel can obtain information from now is Shudmuel.

Chapter 99

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“I have a question for you, Sir Shudmuel. Is it true that I am pregnant?”

Yuriel, ignoring Shudmuel’s face, lowered her eyes and said. She didn’t want to see his face.

Raphlet had once called the imperial doctor to give her treatment, but it was possible that Shudmuel may have played a trick on the doctor as well.

It was a natural question for Yuriel, but Shudmuel seemed ashamed to have been misunderstood. Shudmuel, who was only fiddling with his glasses and avoiding her eyes, raised his head with a stiff face.

“I never lied while you were getting treatment,” he said. All I did was hypnotize you to make you feel comfortable.”

“It is not comfortable. What Sir Shudmuel did to me… !”

Seeing him reacting naturally, she burst into anger. Was he acting as a spy for terrorists because he was proud of his job as a medical officer?

Yuriel let out a long sigh as she was about to shout that the act of hypnosis itself was wrong. There was not enough time to get angry with Shudmuel. She also didn’t want to have a pointless argument with him.

Yuriel calmed her mind.

A lot has happened in the imperial capital in just one year. After reading the prophecy, she found out that Baraha was a Commander in Albraka, and was invited to the princess’ banquet, and slept with the poisoned Raphlet.

At the Krug Ruins, with the Princess and Helio, she experienced strange things.

Not only that, but terrorism, kidnapping, and now even hypnosis.

There was nothing to consider as good events other than she had confirmed Raphlet’s heart. On her first day of arriving in the imperial capital, Raphlet had tried to send her back.

Yuriel was now fed up with the imperial capital. There were so many shops that she can bump her shoulders if she was careless while walking around the streets. When she thought of the building containing the monster core, her heart became stuffy.

When she first arrived, she was amazed at everything that caught her eye.

It was fun to ride a train for the first time and to see the streets lined with lanterns made of monster cores that glowed at night.

In the Mogris Estate, it was only placed in the Grand Ducal couple’s room and Raphlet’s room.

Yuriel looked around the room without a window. She felt more comfortable in this room without a window than seeing such scenery. Yuriel, who liked to bask in the sun and always took time out for a walk even in the windy winter, was uncomfortable with this change.

It was awkward, but not uncomfortable.

Yuriel felt refreshed as if she had escaped the morning sickness and low fever that had been bothering her. The pain that kept stabbing her stomach disappeared as if it had washed away.

The moment the pain subsided, Yuriel had a vain imagination that the child growing in her belly had accepted her.

When Yuriel looked at the wall and refused to open her closed mouth, Shudmuel said.

“I have prepared for you to leave this place before they ask the Alchemy Tower to experiment. You can leave right now. Of course, I have prepared a place for you to stay, so you can go there.”

Rather than having a conversation with Yuriel, it was an attitude that was closer to delivering information. Shudmuel was trying to cover up his mistake in this way.

Yuriel let out a moan with a sigh. Originally, she had no intention of continuing to receive help from Shudmuel. She thought so when she believed in him, but now it went without saying.

Shudmuel continued speaking as if nervous.

“If you don’t go now, you will be experimented on in the Alchemy Tower.”

“Even if I go, I will meet Lord Raphlet.”

“When the priests come, it’s hard to get out. It would be nice if you were alone. The princess is also interested. If she finds out that you have been expelled from Albraka, the princess will also try to take you away.”

Yuriel weighed the princess who tried to use the monster’s poison on her and the priests who wanted to experiment on her. It was difficult to judge which one was more dangerous. It was only natural that neither of them was of good interest to Yuriel.

Fortunately, it seemed that the princess had not yet heard of her. Before she knew it, Yuriel was also in favor of leaving the imperial capital as soon as possible.

If she thought about whether this was the result of Shudmuel brainwashing her, she was rather vague.

She wondered why in the first place she hid the fact that she was pregnant from Raphlet and wanted to leave the imperial capital?

It was Shudmuel who ordered to hide the pregnancy. She agreed with him and hid the facts, but she couldn’t believe it was her will. As soon as Yuriel found out, she tried to call Raphlet.

Yuriel thought deeply and came to a conclusion.

She would inform Raphlet that she was pregnant and would go down to Mogris Estate and wait for Raphlet to go on vacation in winter.

If she leaves this time, she won’t be able to come back to the imperial capital again and she would have to live in hiding, but it was okay. This was different from if she had to leave the imperial capital alone.

She knows that Raphlet would come back to see her, unlike when she waited for Raphlet, when she never knew when he would return.

Yuriel had Raphlet’s child. It would be fun to raise the child and wait for Raphlet to return to Mogris every winter.

Although she couldn’t tell him about Shudmuel’s hypnosis, she could tell him that she was pregnant.

When Yuriel decided to wait for Raphlet in Mogris, Shudmuel tried to make eye contact with Yuriel and said,

“… Commander Raphlet is being criticized for you. It would not be strange if a riot broke out at any time.”

“What do you mean, Lord Raphlet?”

“Don’t you think it’s natural when he has someone who controls monsters as his exclusive servant? You don’t know because you’re quarantined right here, but after the explosion, a lot of people gathered in front of the Temple. Everyone is calling for you to be executed.”

“Executed… ?”

The composure disappeared from Yuriel’s face, who had been thinking calmly. Yuriel became contemplative when she heard the word.

“Commander Raphlet, who has you as his subordinate, was also called for investigation. Do you know what will happen if he refuses to let you go in a situation like this?”

The word “execution” that had taken over her head quickly lost its place. Yuriel was even more afraid that Raphlet’s reputation would be undermined.

What she feared more than her own death was to insult Raphlet. If she had been alone in this situation, she wouldn’t be afraid to be executed, but now she was pregnant with his child. She couldn’t die easily.

Yuriel, who had been standing upright without being disturbed, hurriedly leaned toward Shudmuel. The back of Yuriel’s hand was as white as the handkerchief she was holding in her hand.

“But, but Lord Raphlet is the saint. No matter what people say, there’s nothing wrong with Lord Raphlet’s honor. Right?”

Shudmuel slowly shook his head as he saw Yuriel speaking nervously.

“If the priests decide that you have taken part in the terrorism, Commander Raphlet will also be punished. At the very least, he should have given up his position as Commander.”

“This is ridiculous! I didn’t take part in terrorism, if I did… !”

Yuriel, who was indignant as she smashed the desk, could not continue her words and bit her lip. She wanted to point at Shudmuel, isn’t it you, but her lips wouldn’t open.

Shudmuel said in a whisper in a low voice. Although no one was in the room, he seemed to be careful not to let anyone else hear his voice.

Yuriel glared at Shudmuel and touched her lips with her finger. Even when she tried to force it open, it was closed like a clam and did not move. Shudmuel sighed as he watched Yuriel pressing her lip with her fingernails and stretched out his hand.

“It’s a taboo word. If I don’t brainwash you, you’ll never tell me what you learned today. It is impossible to overwrite.”

Holding her wrist, he pulled out the handkerchief Yuriel was holding and brought it to her blood-stained lips. Yuriel slapped his hand violently.

“Are you going to paint me as a terrorist?”

“Yes.”

“It won’t last long. People will soon find out that I am not a terrorist.”

His hand holding the handkerchief twitched slightly. Shudmuel didn’t seem to have any intention of breaking his intention to use Yuriel.

He said in a subdued voice.

“I don’t care. Yuriel.”

“… what?”

“I thought you noticed that I was the illegitimate son of the high priest. Wasn’t it?”

He said with a sigh. Yuriel’s heart raced as he saw him speaking calmly. Anxiety crept over Shudmuel’s unwavering attitude.

If she claimed her innocence…. As Helio did when he backed out of doubting her, she thought she might be able to prove she wasn’t a terrorist.

As if to ridicule Yuriel’s thoughts, Shudmuel spoke in a cynical tone.

“The high priest will make you a criminal if it is to protect me. I guarantee you. I am the only person the high priest cares about.”

Before the festival, she remembered the high priest’s face who was talking to Shudmuel, who went to receive the core.

Yuriel completely lost her composure. Shudmuel did not miss the gap and dug into it.

“Get out of Albraka now. Leave behind a confession that you are a terrorist.”

He said, avoiding Yuriel’s eyes, which were biting hard on their parted lips.

“… You would not be able to resist just because you won’t do it, so do it while your will remains.”

Shudmuel met Yuriel’s eyes with a stiff face. He was threatening Yuriel to brainwash her if she rejected his offer.

Chapter 100

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The meeting to discuss changing the subjugation site continued until late.

“We have been discussing the obvious for a long time. Don’t you think it’s strange that God’s will extends to the nobles first, Commander Raphlet?”

“Yes.”

Helio, who had been in agreement with Raphlet for a long time and objected to the priests, said with a displeased face. The priests, unable to go against Raphlet and Helio’s will, decided to change the subjugation site, but their expressions were not good.

The moment the first subjugation site was confirmed, the silence that filled the conference room came to mind, and Helio pressed his wrinkled forehead.

“You have a lot of things, but what else do you want to have so badly?”

It was a struggle for him to say such a statement in front of Raphlet, who had abandoned everything and entered Albraka. Raphlet was not greedy for power or fame like other priests.

After putting Yuriel next to him, his atmosphere was relaxed like a human being, and he was now comfortable to deal with. Raphlet glanced at Helio, who was always sharpening his blade when he saw him, and responded with a glance.

“Once you have it, it’s hard to let go.”

“That’s right, but. Commander Raphlet and I left everything behind.”

“I have one. I have never let it go for a moment, and I have no intention of throwing it away in the future, so I cannot agree with what Commander Helio is saying.”

Raphlet answered with an undistorted look. He had a strong face that showed no sign of tiredness even after a long meeting.

Raphlet was showing unusual kindness to Helio. He heard a lot about Helio from Yuriel. When Raphlet couldn’t help Yuriel, Yuriel said that Helio had helped her in many ways.

If he had helped Yuriel, Raphlet had to show some courtesy to him too.

“… You are talking about Miss Yuriel.”

“That’s right.”

For some reason, Helio looked into Raphlet’s face, who was obediently answering.

“Commander Raphlet, how old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“You’re young.”

When the hostility was lifted, it became clear that immaturity remained. Raphlet, who had no expression on his face, raised his eyebrows as if to ask what it meant.

“It means you are younger than I think.”

Helio said, raising the corners of his lips. He looked like an immature hound, with his eyes gleaming sharply with the word young.

Helio thought of all the judgments Raplet had made. In a dangerous moment, sacrificing his colleagues, securing safety, and driving the knights to the limit for subjugation.

All of them were according to the contents of the tactics textbook taught to the apprentice knights of Albraka. If he followed the usual order to rise to the rank of Commander or, like Helio, had learned imperial studies, he would study more balanced tactics that extended from basic tactics, but Raphlet would not have had the time.

He expected that he would have learned such things as the son of the Grand Duke, but there were many differences between Helio’s thoughts and Raphlet’s real appearance.

The fact that he was living with his maid in his arms was far from the bloodless, tearless, vicious Commander Raphlet that he had always thought of.

“Did you learn tactics before joining?”

“Yes.”

“You’re the Grand Duke’s heir, so I thought you must have learned it….”

“I learned about swordsmanship and monsters. Do you have any problems?”

“No. No problem.”

Helio sighed lowly. Most of the sacrifices occurred shortly after Raphlet took over as Commander.

Was Raphlet just immature?

‘I chose the least damaging tactic. Commander Helio.’

As soon as he took over as the first team Commander and took the strategic right, a lot of damage occurred. He spoke to Helio, who criticized his strategy, without the slightest guilt. Just thinking about it back then made him clench his teeth.

He considered it a flaw to subdue monsters in an aggressive way. Helio was thinking that what Albraka needed was not the brute force that Raphlet showed, but to protect the knights and subdue monsters. He was confident he would lead Albraka in that direction if he had become the first team Commander.

When such dissatisfaction was added to Raphlet’s characteristic reluctant atmosphere, there was no hesitation in hating him.

Contrary to Helio, the priests supported Raphlet’s tactics. After he became the Commander, the supply of monster cores became easier, and the nobles were less likely to be harmed by monsters, so it was natural.

Raphlet bolstered his power or jumped into subjugation without a break. The priests were delighted with the successive victories Raphlet brought.

It was Helio’s job to commemorate the dead knights, and he felt deep anger when he saw the deaths of the knights who had cared for him since he came to Albraka.

Why did they have to die?

Because of that man. Twenty two. Helio of that time, who was the same age as Raphlet today, was so inexperienced that he pushed all the responsibility to Raphlet.

He was a man with a face that showed no emotions. It was easy to pass his wrath onto him, so Helio only reproached him and didn’t intend to look deeply.

Helio sighed, pressing his forehead. It occurred to him that the man who had received hostility for no reason and never showed a single expression of anger deserves to be called a saint.

While he was examining Raphlet with a new look, a knight who had been standing outside the conference room came running with a white face.

“Commander Raphlet!”

He called to Raphlet like a scream. Helio and Raphlet looked at the knight at the same time, hearing a voice that clearly indicated something had happened.

“Miss Yuriel is gone! She left a note saying she was a terrorist!”

“… I beg your pardon?”

“She escaped from the detention room while she was talking with Commander Shudmuel. Commander Shudmuel was injured.”

“Commander Shudmuel was injured…. Rather than that, was there any mention that Yuriel was injured?”

“No. Commander Shudmuel said that Miss Yuriel escaped without injury… .”

“What are you talking about? Why is Miss Yuriel escaping, what’s the story of terrorism? Explain it from the beginning.”

Helio said with a frown. Raphlet had no reaction to the story the knight had told him.

After hearing that Yuriel was not injured, he did not move at all and listened to the knight’s story.

“I will guide you to where Miss Yuriel was. I will explain the details as we walk.”

The knight seemed to be taken aback at the unexpectedly calm response.

“While the Commander was in the conference room….”

Helio, who was listening to the knight’s story, breathed in despair in the middle.

There were many flaws in his story. Anyone who knew Yuriel would have noticed the flimsiness.

When he heard that she was manipulating monsters to terrorize, Helio laughed out loud enough that the knights noticed.

By the end of the knight’s story, Helio had calmed down like Raphlet. It seemed that Yuriel, who was framed for something, hid herself for a while.

She was probably trying to hide until Commander Raphlet leaves the conference room. Did Shudmuel, knowing that she was pregnant, even cooperated with her so that she wouldn’t fall to the alchemists’ hand?

The news of Shudmuel’s injury was not at all credible. If the knights of Albraka were to the point of being beaten by Yuriel, there was nothing to say even if they immediately had their knighthood removed.

It was even more absurd if the Commander was attacked by the general public.

“It is here. After the first explosion, a monster who escaped from the laboratory appeared and took Yuriel….”

Raphlet, who arrived at the place guided by the knights, stopped walking. There were trails left behind.

“This…. Is it the blood of Commander Shudmuel?”

“Yes, it is said that the monster that appeared immediately after the explosion attacked.”

Blood was splattered around the building and the desk where one wall had completely collapsed.

After confirming that it was not Yuriel’s blood, Raphlet moved his body, which had stopped. The wall that was completely destroyed was not an attack from a monster, but a bomb from the inside.

Raphlet, who checked the debris scattered outside the building, stepped on the pile of stones and swiftly passed. The footprints of the monster soaked in blood continued, but were cut off in the middle.

Next to the monster’s footprints, there were shoe marks that seemed to belong to Yuriel. When he opened his hand to check it, it was the same size as Yuriel’s foot.

As if riding on the back of a monster and then descending to the floor for a while, Yuriel’s traces were very short. It must have been that she had come down to wipe the blood on the monster’s feet, and the blood-stained handkerchief was entangled in a nearby vine.

Raphlet, who hid the handkerchief hanging from the vine, continued to search for the traces.

After that trace, the monster’s footprints continued sporadically, but when they reached the stone-paved street, they were completely cut off.

The alley leading to Albraka’s back was a rare place to pass by. No one will ever see Yuriel.

Raphlet stopped chasing the trail and stood up.

The monster took Yuriel. He didn’t think she would be in danger. Yuriel voluntarily wiped the monster’s feet and rode on its back.

He didn’t mind the fact that she ran away either.

Raphlet was sure Yuriel would never leave his side. Everything about Yuriel was in his hands. She handed it over to Raphlet herself.

Despite pushing and refusing, Yuriel did not leave Raphlet. It seems that she made the worst choice because her judgment was clouded by the unavoidable circumstances.

She left Albraka with the help of a monster. He was worried that there would be a knight that saw it.

Raphlet looked over the alley leading to the entrance to the Imperial Palace and turned around.

He needs to meet Commander Shudmuel and hear the detailed story.

Raphlet was sure that it wouldn’t be long before Yuriel would come to him and ask for help. All he had to do was clear up the misunderstanding about her before Yuriel returned.

“… Starting today, we must reduce the cost of the security expenses.”

He had to reduce the security so that Yuriel, who had run away from the Albraka knights, could easily come to meet him.

Chapter 101

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Raphlet had to accept that Yuriel had left him. The long summer was over and autumn was coming to an end, but there was still no trace of Yuriel.

If Yuriel wanted to meet Raphlet, there were plenty of opportunities. Raphlet wandered around Albraka alone late at night, and his residence had no guards to identify intruders.

He had no memory of how the summer subjugation had passed, what he had ordered and what achievements he had achieved during that time.

The only thing that Raphlet remembers was that the number of monsters in the imperial capital had decreased considerably since Yuriel left Albraka.

The news that some of the unique monsters that the princess had personally used also escaped from the day Yuriel escaped were also a hot topic. The princess who had the monsters must have seen Yuriel that day, but she did not give any information.

The atmosphere that had loosened up while he was with Yuriel disappeared. Raphlet has become more sensitive and sharper than before over the course of a few months. It was common to wake up to the sound of the wind rustling the trees and open the window.

Trains and carriages, everything going out of the imperial capital was investigated. Even though he searched through the luggage compartments where no one could ride, he couldn’t find Yuriel’s single hair.

He searched all legal and illegal methods, but nothing came up.

Had she not taken the train, she would have had to cross the mountain that surrounded the imperial capital, but it was difficult to expect that Yuriel would have crossed the mountain alone.

The priests were intent on tracking Yuriel. Albraka’s top priority was no longer to subdue monsters.

‘They will capture the disappeared Yuriel who leads the monsters.’

If she resisted or manipulated the monsters to oppose, an order was issued that allowed to kill her. There was nothing to gain by killing, and they had to figure out how Yuriel was controlling the monsters, so the kill order was quickly withdrawn, but injuries were an exception.

The final order from the priests was to bring Yuriel with only her breath, whether cutting off her arms or legs.

“Raphlet!”

Raphlet, who was walking without a smile on his face, stopped. Commander Helio blocked him with his body.

Helio’s expression looking at Raphlet’s uninspired face was very different from before. Helio let out a sigh as he looked at Raphlet, who was looking at him with dry eyes.

About a month after Yuriel disappeared, Raphlet’s expression changed. Helio became the closest observer of the man’s madness-eroded face.

Several times he tried to tell Raphlet that Yuriel was pregnant, but saw his face and gave up. In this state, if he found out that Yuriel had left Albraka while pregnant, it seemed obvious that Raphlet would subdue Albraka and throw them all away.

There was only one reason for Raphlet to remain in Albraka.

Because it’s a place to find Yuriel. This was where he would most likely find her, and that was what remains.

Yuriel was the only one that thought she was Raphlet’s property. He was afraid to guess what he was thinking after losing it.

Helio thought of the things he had abandoned of his own will. The princess’ envy and respect for him, the comfortable bedding, the fine art that never offended his aesthetics, the elegant parties and the gentle words of the nobles.

There were things that came to mind even though he had thrown them away of his free will. How angry would he have felt if they had been taken away by force rather than by his own will?

That must have been what Raphlet was feeling.

Aside from Raphlet’s wrath, he doesn’t think Yuriel had left him, but Raphlet’s heart seemed different.

Raphlet seemed to have something on his mind about this situation.

The reason Yuriel left his side.

“The last subjugation is tomorrow. Where are you going at this hour?”

Helio asked, blocking Raphlet’s front. The night was so dark that it was hard to find the way back.

Raphlet’s golden eyes gleamed like that of a predator in the light from the magic lamp beside them. Helio, who saw the hard-to-believable human eyes, hardened his shoulders.

However, perhaps because he was able to understand him at least a little, Helio did not feel the sultry sense he felt when he first met Raphlet.

On the contrary, Helio was feeling the desire to comfort Raphlet, who had lost Yuriel. He wanted to tell him that she would be back soon, she would have a baby and she would contact you when she was safe.

There was no way of knowing where her reverence for Raphlet came from. Even a few months ago, it was impossible to understand why she had such an attachment to a person who was considered to be as terrible as a monster.

Rather, it was the priests, not Raphlet, who were offending Helio these days. His body relaxed when he saw the knights who had been implanted with the monster cores, but whenever the priests came to ask for news of Yuriel, he became tense.

The subjugation was just as bad as it could be. After decapitating the head of the monster and digging through the dead body to find the core, nausea came over. It seemed that it wasn’t just Helio’s feeling.

Helio encountered several times in which the knights who had finished subjugation groaned and shed tears. They hid out of the sight of their comrades and let out a desperate cry as if they had killed their own people.

It did not make sense that those who were accustomed to subjugation felt the opposite of killing now. The knights were proud of killing monsters. They were the ones who raised the head of a monster and smiled brightly at the many people they had to protect.

The knights’ change was a plague that was secretly spreading beneath the surface of Albraka. It was a disease that only those who have transplanted a monster’s nucleus will suffer.

If a person with pity for monsters was discovered, those with plagues will be treated like the way history has dealt with them.

They will be expelled from Albraka like those who had been quarantined and burned without leaving a corpse, and will be stoned by those who risked their lives to protect them.

Just like the people did to Yuriel.

Helio pretended to be ignorant of this strange plague that the knights began to suffer from. He, too, could not escape from the emotions that began to spread quickly.

A strange belief held over his head that if Yuriel returned to Raphlet, everything would be resolved.

“I am in charge of tracking Miss Yuriel. Raphlet. When the pursuit team returns, they will report to their Commander first, so calm down.”

Helio looked like a loyal subordinate.

“Did the pursuit team find any traces of Yuriel?”

“… Traces of the monster eating food were found. As you know, monsters don’t need food, Raphlet.”

“… That means.”

“I think it is a trace that the monster moved to protect Miss Yuriel. If you pursue it, you will find her quickly.”

Helio said in a confident tone.

With that alone, it was not difficult to guess where Yuriel was going.

It was not a paved road and it was a disturbing movement without knowing where it was headed, but there was one goal at the end.

The place where Raphlet and Yuriel lived together, Yuriel was going to Mogris.

Helio, who saw Raphlet’s fiercely shiny eyes, added a meaningful statement.

“By the way, I remember hearing that the forest in the estate of Mogris is very vast.”

The light made from the monster core began to flicker as if it had exhausted all its power. The lights that had been repeatedly turned off and on quickly lost their light.

In the darkness where it was hard to see each other’s faces right in front of them, Helio looked at the lamp that turned off. He felt his chest tighten and he opened his mouth.

“It is said that even if there are monsters or people hiding, no one will be able to find them. Is that correct, Raphlet?”

Helio waited for Raphlet’s reply. After a while, when the darkness became so familiar that Helio could discern Raphlet’s face, Raphlet finally opened his mouth.

“For tomorrow’s subjugation, Commander Helio, please take the overall command. I will take on the rear support.”

“How many troops do you need?”

He muttered with a noble face that Yuriel liked and wanted to protect the most.

“Alone is enough.”

＊＊＊

“Oh, cold. It’s cold!”

Yuriel hugged her trembling body and jumped out of the lake splashing water. While she was washing her body in the cold lake, the monster lying on the shore of the lake raised itself.

The monster put a cloth in its mouth, which had been draped across the low twigs, and approached her. Yuriel muttered as she received the cloth brought by the monster.

“It was fine in the summer, but it gets a little cold in the autumn.”

The monster growled briefly as if giving an answer. When Yuriel wiped away all the water on her body, she was used to the way it put its body tightly together as if to convey warmth.

Yuriel put on her clothes, wrapped around her slightly convex stomach, and buried herself in the fur of the monster. It was easy to move because she wasn’t full yet, but she was worried that something was wrong.

Even if she wanted to find a doctor, it was difficult to find food and clothes because of Yuriel’s information in each village. The first time she visited a clinic was a few days after leaving Albraka.

She went to the house of a doctor who lost his sight where he lived alone and received treatment.

‘It must have been about three months.’

She couldn’t tell that she was going to be over eight months pregnant.

‘Yes. Just stay as healthy as you are now.’

After leaving Raphlet’s side, it seemed as if the child’s time had stopped. Yuriel received some medicine from the doctor who said she was okay and left.

The animals hunted by monsters were used to pay for the medical expenses.

The blind man mistaken it for a large hunting dog that Yuriel was carrying.

Yuriel put her cold feet together and rested her face on her lap.

It took a very long time to return to the Mogris Estate, unlike when she went to the Imperial capital, but she was soon arriving in Mogris.

A dense forest began to appear.

Chapter 102

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

This was the first time she had approached the border of Mogris Estate on a non-paved road or railroad.

Yuriel, who thought that the part bordering the Mogris Estate was the beginning of the forest, found out that her thinking was wrong.

This was where the forest began. Yuriel touched the back of the monster that was following her closely. It was all thanks to the monsters that she was able to come here safely.

It was also thanks to the monsters that she was able to reject Shudmuel’s offer of a place to escape. On the day Yuriel escaped from Albraka, as soon as Shudmuel broke down the wall, a monster that did not leave Yuriel’s surroundings ran towards her.

Shudemuel, who can handle at least one monster, did not resist, with his arms stretched in front of the monster protecting Yuriel. She couldn’t watch it to the end, but she could tell that Shudmuel was seriously injured.

‘Commander Shudmuel!’

‘The Commander comes first, call the medical team!’

They gave up chasing after Yuriel as she ran away with the monster and heard a voice calling the medical team first.

Even when she wiped the blood from the monster’s feet and hid in the alley, everything was bleak. Not knowing where to go, no money, food, clothes.

Yuriel, who was moving along the alley avoiding the gaze of people, entered the Imperial Palace area as if flowing into it. It was a mistake that occurred because she was not used to the geography of the Imperial Capital. The moment she saw more guards, she thought it was all over.

‘Yuriel?’

‘Princess.’

‘Why are you like that?’

When she met the princess, she thought it was all over. Contrary to Yuriel’s expectations, the princess let her go.

‘I have no intention of forcibly arresting anyone who doesn’t want it, Yuriel. Of course I know you don’t hate me, but…. Well, actually, you don’t even like me.’

The princess, who smiled kindly, said to Yuriel.

‘It’s good to take this opportunity to make you like me. Now, I’ll give you what you need, so run away safely. If you want to come under me, feel free to contact me.’

After confirming that Yuriel was protected by monsters, she released even the monsters she had collected so that they could protect Yuriel. Knowing that Yuriel had to flee, she would have heard rumors that Yuriel was involved in terrorism, but the princess didn’t mind.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking… ”

She was selfish but she was a strangely difficult woman to hate. The bizarre loyalty of the knights around her sometimes made sense.

A beautiful appearance, and the attitude of giving everything to her own people, made her heart flutter. Among the people outside of Albraka, the princess was the only one who was so fond of Yuriel.

She could not give her heart to her princess because of her experience of being betrayed by Shudmuel, but when she saw the monster that protected her, she sometimes thought of her princess.

Yuriel slowly entered the forest. She realized that the long winter was about to begin, and the ground was frozen in between.

“I need to find a place to stay before it gets cold. Get food and firewood before it’s completely winter….”

If she finds a cave to shelter from the wind, that’s enough. If she crouched among the monsters, it would be quite warm, so she doesn’t have to worry about freezing to death.

Yuriel was well aware of how persistently the knights of Albraka pursued monsters. It was necessary to take risks to avoid the order to capture her .

The winter forest of Mogris was the most dangerous place Yuriel knew.

Yuriel wrapped her arms around her belly that was still the same as in her early pregnancy and she entered the forest and muttered.

“It won’t be easy to find me here.”

＊＊＊

Raphlet greeted Helio as he nodded his head towards him. Baraha stared at Raphlet’s face, who volunteered for rear support.

As if trying to comprehend Raphlet’s intentions, his narrow eyes scanned him.

“You say that Commander Raphlet will support you from the rear?”

Baraha approached Helio and asked in a slightly sensitive tone. Helio was a little shaken by the sudden question.

Baraha was blunt when it was good, and was helpless when it was bad. He preferred to follow rather than command, so he was not a person worthy of being a leader. He was not lazy, but he looked lazy.

Such a man rushed to him like thunder and asked a question. Helio, who placed Raphlet in the rear so that Raphlet could find Yuriel before the chase team, looked at Baraha with a puzzled expression.

Baraha seemed to have doubts that Raphlet would not take the lead. Baraha opened his mouth stubbornly.

“I’m going to the rear too.”

Raphlet, who was repairing his equipment, raised his head. He made eye contact with Baraha. Helio, noticing the sharp bouncing atmosphere, intervened between them.

“In the rear, Commander Raphlet alone is enough. It’s departure time. Hurry up and get the line in order.”

When the subjugation begins, Raphlet will leave the ranks.

It was difficult to tell the truth because Baraha was close with Yuriel, yet there were many ears to hear. The fact that Raphlet, who was always at the forefront, fell to the rear, other knights were also expressing their doubts.

Helio cleared the place before the doubts deepened.

Among the knights leaving for subjugation, Raphlet was nowhere to be seen.

＊＊＊

The sound of dry branches breaking was heard. Even before Yuriel woke up, the monsters who opened their eyes were gleaming brightly.

She put out the burning bonfire.

Yuriel hurriedly packed up her belongings and retreated behind the monsters. It was a narrow cave. There was nowhere to escape.

Fortunately, there was only one pair of footsteps. Occasionally, from the sound of stepping on dry branches, it seemed to be a timid man who was not very careful.

To walk around with such a loud noise in the forest at night. Even if he got caught by a beast and got his neck ripped off, there would be nothing to say.

As a single person, he would not be a pursuer from Albraka.

Yuriel sprinkled the soil she had gathered in front of her over the fire. The small embers quickly disappeared. Turning off the lights, she focused on the sound of the footsteps.

Only the shapely eyes of the demons flashed in the darkness.

Her heart was beating loudly because of the tension.

The shadow of a person began to shake at the entrance of the cave where the moonlight leaked in. A strong physique and short hair, evidently a man, were reflected in the shadows.

Yuriel, seeing the familiar shadow, tilted her head. He was a person with a shadow very similar to Raphlet.

But the sound of his steps was different from Raphlet’s. Raphlet didn’t move as wildly as the person heading towards Yuriel now.

“… Lord Raphlet?”

Then, after confirming the man with his appearance, Yuriel said, stunned. She began to see the face of the man who appeared with his back to the dim light.

He was still not yet completely visible, so she recognized him only by his size and shape. Yuriel stood blankly with her mouth open, and he quickly approached Yuriel. The monsters around Yuriel showed an indifferent attitude.

If anyone approached Yuriel, the monsters who would even try to bite her by climbing the mountain, were strangely calm.

“Is it really master?”

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was convinced. Yuriel, ready to run at any moment, threw away the luggage she hugged and walked up to Raphlet.

The man didn’t answer anything. The man who stopped right in front of Yuriel created a dark shadow on her body.

Yuriel called out to him in a very excited tone and got up on her feet.

“Really? How did you get here?”

Yuriel, speaking in a voice filled with joy, noticed that Raphlet was particularly silent. Raphlet would nod his head affectionately or give a brief reply when she spoke to him, even if he had nothing to say in return.

If she had spoken to him like this, he would have put Yuriel’s name in his mouth.

“Lord Raphlet?”

Yuriel called him anxiously. Come to think of it, the subjugation was still in progress.

As the Commander, there was no way he could appear in a place like this alone.

Yuriel, who had been clinging to him by pulling the hem of his clothes, felt strange and took a step back.

It was not the atmosphere she usually feels from Raphlet.

The dangerously sinking momentum was heavy. As Yuriel stepped back, his momentum grew stronger. Among the monsters whose eyes were shining, his golden eyes also shone like that of a beast.

Even though Raphlet’s golden eyes were clear, Yuriel couldn’t believe he was Raphlet.

“Is it Lord Raphlet… ?”

It was like seeing a terrible fantasy. The problem was that it was not just Yuriel’s own fantasy when she saw the monsters being vigilant.

While retreating, the narrow cave wall touched Yuriel’s back. She had nowhere to escape.

Yuriel groaned as she watched the monsters protecting her calmly surrounded the man. The atmosphere of the quiet nest had changed. It looked like she had become a prey caught in a sticky web.

Yuriel stepped back, gazed anxiously at the monsters who were watching the man approach, and raised her gaze. The man who had Raphlet’s face and acted unlike Raphlet closed the distance with Yuriel again, who had stepped back.

He grabbed Yuriel’s waist and finally opened his mouth. A low-pitched voice came out.

“Why didn’t you come back to me?”

Yuriel flinched as it was not different from Raphlet’s voice that she remembered.

Chapter 103

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The intruder was Raphlet. He was so close that she was sure and didn’t feel any hesitation.

“Yuriel. Why didn’t you come back to me?”

She couldn’t ask how he found her, who had wandered around without a trace, or how he got here when he should have been part of the subjugation efforts.

Raphlet asked Yuriel with a cracked voice. His voice trembled with a sense of betrayal, as if he had been slapped in the face by his own hand. Yuriel didn’t answer right away, but placed her hand on his arm that wrapped around his waist.

The hem of his robe, which had cooled from passing through the night forest, clinged wetly to the palm of her hand. His body behind the clothes was also cold, so she didn’t feel any warmth.

“Lord Raphlet, please come this way first. You’re so cold, I’ll light the fire again, so warm up….”

Yuriel said in a trembling voice. Perhaps he misunderstood the trembling tone because she was worried about Raphlet’s condition, and his face hardened even more.

The firm cheeks and cool eyes showed an aggressive light.

“… you’re shaking. Is it because of me?”

Raphlet raised his hand and murmured. The finger that touched Yuriel’s cheek was like a branch covered with ice. The moment his cold fingers touched her cheek, Yuriel shrugged her shoulders.

“Lord Raphlet.”

“You always told me I should stay in Albraka.”

Raphlet mumbled as if talking to himself. The finger on her cheek moved slowly. The finger moved backwards, stroking the little earlobe.

Raphlet’s calloused fingers pressed against her flesh. A small moan escaped Yuriel’s lips. Raphlet was holding Yuriel and his body close together without any gaps.

A familiar sensation came from near her thigh. The hardened pillar was pressed against Yuriel’s legs that were sticking to his body. Little by little, Raphlet’s body began to feel human heat.

Yuriel forgot that she had pushed him and exhaled in relief.

This was not a bad way either to convey warmth to him.

Yuriel leaned her head against his hand touching her ear instead of getting away from it.

The strength was released from Raphlet’s hand that was stroking her earlobe. It seemed that he was satisfied with the way Yuriel leaned on his hand. For a moment, his eyes flashed terrifyingly.

“This puts me at ease in this way. It’s like I don’t need anything else.”

Indeed it was. Yuriel watched as he recited the obvious facts and was swept away in anger. Raphlet was angry.

This was the first time she had seen him angry, so she was surprised.

In front of Raphlet, who was angry with a face she had never seen for the first time, Yuriel answered with a youthful voice just like before she left.

“That’s right. I don’t need anything other than Lord Raphlet.”

Raphlet’s cheeks twitched when he heard the cheerful answer that didn’t suit the heavy atmosphere. He said sarcastically with a sullen smile with only one corner of his mouth raised.

“You seem to be doing fine without me. Do you know how many months you haven’t contacted me?”

It was an unusually sarcastic voice.

He made a sarcastic tone in an overbearing voice and lowered his hand to Yuriel’s neck. His large palms wrapped around the nape of her neck and his fingers slipped through her hair.

It was the place he often touched when kissing her. Due to the firm erect pillar and the familiar posture, heat naturally rose in her body.

She didn’t know how many times she had thought of Raphlet. While sleeping among the monsters, she remembered his face.

It was as long as 8 months when Yuriel learned that she was pregnant and had abstained.

Raphlet was angry, but his hand kept going down. Yuriel was terribly surprised when she noticed his hand holding her waist.

Raphlet’s face hardened. Except for a cynical sneer, his face never moved. The pillar touching her body seemed to let her know that he wanted to have s*x with her, but Raphlet’s face was so stiff that it was hard to be sure.

Yuriel found the strength loosened from the hand that was holding her waist in despair.

What did Lord Raphlet just say? She couldn’t hear properly because she was paying attention to something else.

Did he ask her how many months she hasn’t contacted him?

Yuriel murmured and opened her mouth.

“About five months… ?”

Raphlet was watching Yuriel’s actions, without missing a single moment.

The way he inadvertently grabbed her waist and pulled his hand away as if he had touched something he shouldn’t have touched, her face slowly answering his question with a depressed look.

Raphlet suppressed the desire to shout at Yuriel. When he asked why she hadn’t come to see him, she still didn’t answer.

He remembered the day he told Yuriel he was going to quit Albraka. Yuriel sat down at his feet and said he should never do that. Raphlet pondered over and over what kind of existence he was to Yuriel.

Yuriel, who he was reunited with, looked more like a worshiper than a lover.

She folded her fingers when asked how many months it had been, and her mumbling soared with enthusiasm. Yuriel was acting casually, even though she knew that Raphlet, who was so close to her body, was agitated.

From the moment he saw her, the only one who was swept away by the intense sexual desire was Raphlet. Yuriel was still treating him as a sacred object placed in the sanctuary.

Raphlet asked again, suppressing his anger.

“I asked why you didn’t come to me right away.”

“… I thought it would be difficult to find you.”

“Who?”

“Lord Raphlet…. Rumors spread that I control monsters, and I’m afraid that Lord Raphlet will be criticized for having me as a dedicated servant….”

Yuriel said in a voice full of guilt.

“It’s okay to spread rumors that I’m controlling monsters, but not Lord Raphlet.”

“You left because you thought I wasn’t going to be okay?”

Yuriel could not make eye contact with Raphlet. His eyes were cold. There was no warmth in the eyes that looked down at her like a stern judge.

He has an extremely stoic face with no smile on his face.

That face used to soften in front of Yuriel, and there was a little heat on his cheeks. When she remembered the moment when he looked at her and relaxed, she felt sad.

“It’s not like I wanted to leave Lord Raphlet…. I mean, I really couldn’t help it.”

Yuriel wrinkled her nose and said so.

“I never ordered you to leave. Yuriel.”

Avoiding Raphlet’s gaze, she lowered her head and snickered, and he grabbed Yuriel’s chin at once. Her cheeks were flushed red from suppressing the sadness.

“I ordered you to stay by my side.”

“Bu, but…. If I had visited, Lord Raphlet would have been criticized for hiring me as a servant. I’m, I’m also being called a terrorist….”

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel rolled her eyes and made a nervous excuse. Raphlet called her in a low voice.

“What do you think of me?”

Even though his voice was low, she felt nervous. His eyes filled with criticism and lust turned towards Yuriel.

“Sa, saint….”

Yuriel stammered as she recalled the prophecy book she had seen one day. The prophecy that Helio showed. He is a saint to be worshiped.

It was also the truth that Yuriel took for granted even before she saw the prophecy book.

Raphlet was a boy who, without hesitation, threw himself down, rescued her, took up and even gave a job to an orphaned commoner child he had never seen before.

Who else would it be if not him?

After hearing Yuriel’s slurred answer, Raphlet’s face finally had an expression on it.

The furrowed eyebrows and contorted cheeks filled Yuriel’s eyes. Raphlet, whose expressionlessness had disappeared, had a face that did not suit a saint at all.

“Am I a saint? Have I always been like that to you?”

“Lord Raphlet. I think you were too excited.”

“If I was in heat when I saw you crying, would you still call me noble?”

“Calm down a little, … Okay?”

Raphlet said in a bitter voice.

The cool and noble face was distorted by a vulgar lust. Yuriel faced his secretly hidden desire.

She had no idea what to answer. Raphlet was overly excited. He lifted her up, giving strength to the arm that was holding Yuriel’s waist.

His strong arms tightly gripped Yuriel.

“Hold, hold on.”

Raphlet violently threw off his cloak next to the bonfire that Yuriel had sprinkled with dirt. Yuriel, who was dragged by his arms, was pushed by Raphlet’s hand and fell on his cloak.

Raphlet threw something into the bonfire, and the extinguished embers began to burn. It was like throwing something like a flint made of alchemy.

As the fire ignited and smoke began to circulate in the cave, the monsters protecting Yuriel slowly escaped out of the cave.

Yuriel quickly waved her hand when she saw the monsters leaving the cave behind.

“Lord Raphlet, look over there! The monsters are going out. They can go to houses, so we have to stop them from going… .”

Yuriel, who was about to get up, grabbed Raphlet’s hand and shoulder. Yuriel’s face flushed red when she saw his eyes reflected in the fire.

Raphlet was not at all interested in the monsters’ movement or human safety.

Yuriel felt that she was all he wanted.

Chapter 104

Contains mature scenes
Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

A burning gaze ran over Yuriel’s face. It was a face that couldn’t be called gentle even with empty words. The pupils were greatly dilated, like a person who drank strong alcohol one after another. The bright, golden eyes thinner than usual seemed very mysterious, unsuitable for the situation.

Perhaps, he didn’t even know that it was seen by Yuriel’s eyes.

She could see the dark and gloomy energy that could be felt in the eyes of a person who had lost his reason. It was a beast that did not speak words, yet it did not even have reins.

It was not scary even though she could see greatly dilated pupils. Yuriel was able to give up her neck, if Raphlet wanted to bite it.

Raphlet’s rationality seemed to have disappeared with the monsters who had emptied the cave the moment Yuriel muttered that Raphlet was a saint.

Calm down, or I thought you were a saint. She felt like he would close her mouth if she only added one word.

Yuriel avoided his eyes and glued her hot cheeks to his robe. Her thoughts were organized as the cold hem of the robe touched her cheek.

… will it come back?

He wasn’t a monster, but she was worried when Raphlet’s reason would return.

Given her experience, Raphlet tended to be very affectionate after making love. She remembered him taking care of her contentedly after forcibly taking her like a hunting beast.

So now the answer was to mix her body as much as Raphlet wanted.

Although she thought so, Yuriel thought about whether it would be okay to face him in such a shabby place where there was no proper bed.

Raphlet had thrown something into the bonfire and filled the cave with smoke. Where her own excuses full of desire to melt his cold body would not work in this situation.

Yuriel now had to consider dignity, not physical condition.

A cave at night, a place where monsters wander around. There was no way to erase the feeling that it was like a nest of animals rather than a bedroom.

If they slept together in a place like this, it would look like the mating of animals, not humans. They were mixing their bodies to satisfy their desires, not to survive.

Seeing Yuriel’s eyes darken as she looked around the dark cave, Raphlet pressed his body over Yuriel. It was different from the past, when he was considerate of Yuriel and held her on top of him or hugged her. He pressed his thighs to prevent Yuriel from escaping with his weight.

Yuriel, who felt as if her neck was caught in a noose, involuntarily twisted her back. The body trapped under him did not move at all.

“Let’s see how far that idea goes.”

Raphlet bowed to Yuriel and said so. He murmured from the distance his breath could reach, and then immediately pressed their lips together. As he bit her lip as if threateningly, she opened her mouth and he poked his tongue in.

As he dug into her mouth, his hand violently ripped out the hem of Yuriel’s robe. One button leapt into the bonfire.

“If you call me a saint even after going through all this, wouldn’t you be more like a saint?”

He said cynically while licking Yuriel’s lower lip.

When he tenaciously mentioned saint, Yuriel finally realized what had offended him.

Thinking about it, even when she told him to remain in Albraka as the saint in the past, Raphlet showed signs of displeasure.

Was the word ‘saint’ very offensive?

It didn’t make sense because there was no reason to be offended, but Yuriel thought that she should refrain from saying ‘saint’ in front of him in the future.

She figured out what was bothering him, but she still couldn’t figure out why he was angry.

Yuriel struggled, trying to figure out why he was angry. Because she left without a word? There was nothing she could do about the situation.

He was sarcastic about not being contacted, but it doesn’t seem like Raphlet would have been one to get offended by that. It was Yuriel who was pushed away by the situation and ran away.

He was worried about her and cared for her, and wasn’t the one to get mad at her unreasonably. Yuriel thought so, in front of Raphlet, who was unreasonably angry.

Suddenly, the palm that went down touched Yuriel’s chest. Yuriel shuddered at the sensation of his cold fingers brushing against her peaks. When her body shivered, only then she noticed that her top had completely come off.

His hand, which she thought would stop at her chest, kept going down. His fingers stopped on the slightly protruding stomach.

Raphlet, who was kissing her, stiffened his face and stood up.

“… you.”

There was a trembling in his voice that was incomparable to anything before. The protruding belly was the most foreign part of Yuriel’s body.

She had a lot of trouble running away, so she wouldn’t gain any weight anywhere else. Rather, she was thin enough to look sick because she had lost muscle and fat.

The body meant only one thing, if not pregnant, then because of an illness.

Pregnant, it has been 5 months since Yuriel left Raphlet. The last time they had slept together was three months before she left, so her stomach would be fuller if she had been pregnant with his child.

Raphlet was angry at Yuriel for leaving him, but didn’t think she would have slept with another man than him.

So, Yuriel’s body now was not pregnant.

The fingers groping the convex belly trembled. Raphlet, who had been stroking her stomach with his hand, lowered his gaze.

Seeing the stomach protruding enough to be seen with the naked eye, he trembled as if struck by lightning.

Raphlet said in a poorly split voice.

“Yuriel, what is this….”

Raphlet quickly got up and panicked. The anger because Yuriel had left him disappeared in an instant.

“Are you ill? Treatment, did you meet a doctor?”

Raphlet said as he opened the hem of Yuriel’s robe that he had ripped off. All the buttons were torn, and the hem of the dress was torn down. Her clothes fell, exposing her bony shoulders.

When he came to his senses, Yuriel’s pitiful, skinny body caught his eye. He spit out a swear word.

Raphlet took off his clothes and wrapped his arms around Yuriel’s body.

Yuriel, who had been quietly giving herself up, was bewildered and was embraced in his arms. Her body, which had been burning after imagining the pleasure that would follow, was trapped in Raplet’s clothes, and lost its way to relieve it.

Yuriel, who had thought for a moment about whether or not to continue the affair while sitting, noticed Raphlet’s condition and blinked in bewilderment. Raphlet’s hard body was trembling softly.

“Sorry for being late, Yuriel…. I didn’t even know you were in this situation….”

As if he had forgotten that he was angry, he hugged Yuriel with a trembling body and murmured so.

“You couldn’t see a doctor because you were running away. It’s okay. I’m here. If we go straight to the estate and receive treatment, you will be fine.”

“… Lord Raphlet?”

Yuriel, who had a hard time keeping up with Raphlet’s sudden change of attitude, called him blankly. He sat up and hugged her , so she couldn’t see his face.

His voice grew more serious as she was about to put her hand on Raphlet’s back, with his forehead against her neck and his back bent.

“It’s okay. Nothing will happen. No one can hurt you.”

Raphlet, who had buried his face in her neck and muttered, draped over Yuriel’s robe, which he had laid under him. Contrary to Yuriel, who was rolled up in a thick coat, Raphlet only had one thin shirt.

He stood up as if he was about to leave the cave.

His arms were still shaking as he stood up supporting Yuriel.

Raphlet stood up and lowered his face, allowing him to check her expression. His eyes fluttered anxiously.

She had never seen Raphlet cry, but if he did, she wondered if he would have a soft expression like this.

Anxiety was evident from the hardened cheeks and chin that was clenching his teeth. The sensitivity that pushed Yuriel disappeared.

The hand holding Yuriel while telling her not to call him a saint was so sweet.

Yuriel stretched out her hand as he was holding her tightly in his trembling arms, trying not to let go of her.

“What’s wrong, Lord Raphlet?”

“Why are you saying that now?”

He spoke as she placed her hand on his hard chin, his eyes contorted in bitterness. Unbelievably, Raphlet really looked like he was on the verge of crying.

As he was surprised, Yuriel became sad at the same time.

Yuriel wrinkled her nose and said.

“Why do you look so upset? Better to be angry….”

Better to be angry than to see you cry. As Yuriel spoke in a tearful voice, Raphlet hugged her even tighter and said,

“How can I be angry? If you’re sick, you have to tell me you’re sick, but what if you try to accept me?”

He was shooting back fiercely, but it was a tone of regret rather than criticism. Yuriel listened to him and tilted her head.

“I’m not sick at all.”

He seemed to have misunderstood something. When Yuriel tilted her head, Raphlet said with a smile.

“I can see with my eyes that your stomach is full, but there is no pain…. No, there should be. If you’re not sick yet, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, we’ll cure it right away.”

Yuriel understood what he had seen and misunderstood and let out a small sigh. Yuriel exhaled a sigh of relief, closing her eyes and smiling.

Raphlet stopped moving as if his gaze was taken by Yuriel’s smile. Yuriel said with a small laugh.

“It’s not sickness. I’m pregnant, Lord Raphlet.”

Immediately after talking with a smile, a terribly heavy stillness came between Yuriel and Raphlet.

Yuriel licked her lips as she looked at Raphlet’s hardened face, which had a different feeling than before.

“Lord, Lord Raphlet. I’m not sick, it’s that I’m pregnant, okay? You don’t have to worry so much…”

Strength entered the arm that was holding Yuriel. It was so strong that she thought her body might be crushed.

Home  Stigma Effect  Chapter 105

 

 

Chapter 105

Contains mature scenes
Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

An incredulous look crossed Raphlet’s face as if he couldn’t believe what he just had heard.

“I have been pregnant for about eight months … it doesn’t look like that, right? I met a doctor a while ago and he said it looked like three months. Oh, he said there was nothing wrong.”

Yuriel raised her voice as if she wasn’t surprised, then continued speaking seriously.

“Lord Raphlet is special, so I think the child will be born special. You don’t have to worry though. It’s not normal, but I’ll give birth to a healthy baby.”

She was trying to speak as if the child has a worry-free future, but the sense of responsibility and affection for the child was revealed in her anxiously trembling voice.

Raphlet was trying relentlessly to understand Yuriel’s diligent explanation.

She was pregnant for eight months, but her condition looks to be three months?

Even a man with little knowledge would be able to discern that it was nonsense. No idiot could fall for this excuse.

Raphlet, who had been intelligent all his life, was frozen without a word for a very long time. Having managed to come to his senses, he asked in a monotonous voice.

“Is it my child?”

“Yes.”

“Right.”

Yuriel was relieved to hear his monotonous voice.

After hearing that she was pregnant, he fell into a silence and was starting to worry.

The heavy silence was finally broken. Raphlet lowered Yuriel to the ground and took off his clothes that he had wrapped around Yuriel.

Yuriel was taken aback by his action of taking the clothes off again, which he had put on her.

“Lord Raphlet, why are you ….”

At first glance, Raphlet’s mind was a mess.

He did not believe that Yuriel would have voluntarily slept with another man over him.

‘There’s no way Yuriel would have done that.’

That was why he was in an unprecedented state of anger. She even laid out an explanation of this nonsense to him.

It was a face that seemed to truly believe in it.

His sharp thoughts cut him to pieces.

Yuriel fled alone from Albraka to Mogris. Without using the train, she would not have been able to move on a safely paved road, so of course she would have been exposed to more risks than a normal trip.

Seeing her innocent face blinking in embarrassment at Raphlet who took off his clothes, Raphlet bit his lip.

‘… Yuriel.’

A thought he didn’t want to think about was messing around in his head. It seems that his brain was shattered.

He should have come to find her earlier. Before this happened.

He said with a casual expression.

“Is there anything else I should know about?”

“Uh…. If you make love in the early stages of pregnancy, it is more likely to have a miscarriage. It’s vague to call it an early stage, but I think it’s better to be careful.”

Raphlet was seemingly so rational on the surface that Yuriel could not even imagine in her dreams that he was exercising superhuman patience.

His efforts not to surprise Yuriel paid off. She replied without a sign of surprise.

“Miscarriage….”

Raphlet organized his thoughts. Yuriel must have had an affair with someone while she was on the run. Considering Yuriel’s disposition to be devoted to Raphlet, it was likely she couldn’t have accepted that she was pregnant with someone else’s child.

Even during the monster’s subjugation, there were many cases of psychosis like Yuriel. When a colleague who had participated in the battle died, there were many who could not protect him and almost let go of the sword because of the guilt of surviving alone.

In severe cases, they could not believe that their colleague was dead and acted as if they were alive.

Such people slowly recovered through Shudmuel’s treatment and returned to their original position.

Raphlet judged Yuriel’s current condition as such.

‘You mustn’t force them to see reality. Never provoke them until I am done with treatment.’

Seeing the knights collapsing, Shudmuel spoke harshly to the Commanders. Those who recognized the reality before Shudmuel’s treatment was finished did not end well.

He cannot put Yuriel into such a situation.

Recalling the memories of his past, Raphlet calmly vowed.

He must not push Yuriel.

He would give her time to accept, and discussing the child was the best option he had.

Raphlet patted Yuriel’s soft skin and lowered his head.

He brushed away her messy hair and kissed her along the neckline, placing one arm on Yuriel’s back and bending his knees. Pushed by the heavy body, Yuriel lost her balance.

Raphlet looked at her anxious lips and kissed her tenderly.

＊＊＊

“Lord, uhhk, Lord Raphleett….”

Yuriel moaned as she grabbed Raplet’s hair as he kissed her overheated body. She thought that the intensity of his caress had increased.

He sat between her legs and rubbed the delicate flesh, licking it over the raised apex. It was a friendly gesture unlike the previous relationship, which for some reason felt sadistic.

Every time his breath touched her skin, her waist bounced. His hand touched the thin film of her secret breath, and he swallowed a breath.

Yuriel looked at him as he moved carefully, as if to prove that he would not injure her in the slightest. Only Raphlet’s black hair, kissing her chest, caught her eye.

His well-groomed hair was very disheveled because she held it tightly under his caress.

Caressing her chest earnestly, he got up as he made eye contact with Yuriel. After meeting her eyes for a while, Raphlet slowly lowered his gaze.

His gaze passed over her chest and her swollen stomach and touched Yuriel’s secret place. The love liquid that had poured from the long caress was moistening the inside of Yuriel’s thigh.

With his hand on the most sensitive skin, he opened the cracked mound. The petals, which had been tightly clenched, slipped open with a gesture of his hand.

Raphlet, seeing that Yuriel’s path had been completely loosened, ruffled his messy hair. The hair that wasn’t properly groomed came down to his forehead.

Yuriel watched his actions with anticipation.

It felt like fire was spreading wherever his eyes touched. All the thoughts of a dangerous time from Yuriel’s head had long since flown away.

Yuriel lifted her leg and wrapped it around Raplet’s thigh. She tightened her calves, and Raphlet’s body was pressed against Yuriel. His body was easily drawn to Yuriel’s will.

Raphlet looked down at Yuriel, who was moving hastily, and smiled vaguely. It was a smile that seemed to suppress his sensitivity.

He let out a short, sharp sigh, and unbuckled his trousers, moved his waist back as he unwrapped the legs around him. The manhood, which had been trapped throughout the caressing, came out. Raphlet gripped his erect pillar as if it would cling to his firm stomach and pressed the glans to the opening.

“Ha-uht….”

Yuriel tilted her head back and moaned. It was difficult to accept Raphlet because it was a relationship they had not done for a long time. Yuriel shook her legs and said urgently.

“Take, take it slow, take it slowly.”

“More than this?”

Raphlet asked in a tone as slow as the movement. The speed of his insertion was already slow, and he couldn’t slow it down any further.

Upon recognizing this, Yuriel’s face was distorted.

Was it always this painful?

It felt similar to when he first inserted it. Yuriel took a deep breath and relaxed her body.

The glans that had been placed on the opening went inside the moment Yuriel released the strength from his body. The softly loosened inner wall clung to Raphlet’s pillar.

“Ugh… !”

“Relax like you just did. Breathe.”

Raphlet said, putting his finger on Yuriel’s frown. He lightly pressed his thumb to her forehead and lowered his hand.

His rough fingers touched the cl**oris. As he pressed the bud, Yuriel moaned as if crying.

Love liquid flowed from the opening that had been strongly stimulated, but it did not help Raphlet’s insertion because the narrow path was tightly closed due to pleasure.

“Ah, huuhk, there, press there….”

Yuriel said, sobbing.

“Ah, ahht!”

Raphlet stopped inserting and stimulated the sensitive bud. It seemed that it would be easier to enter if the inner wall was loosened a little more.

“Lord, Rap, let…. Uhhngg!”

When he waved his finger, pressing on the nub, Yuriel lost her words. The strength of the legs that were wrapping Raphlet’s thighs tightened.

“Ah, ah…!”

Raphlet’s body leaned forward as if it was natural to Yuriel’s actions. The half-inserted manhood was pushed in completely.

Yuriel opened her eyes wide and looked at Raphlet.

There was no way he could have been dragged because he could not overcome her strength, so it was an act close to intentional.

“I, I asked you to take it slow….”

Yuriel wrinkled her nose and said.

The path, which opened to the limit, fortunately captured Raphlet’s genitals. The glans pushed in heavily pushed up the cervix.

Raphlet answered in a calm tone.

“I couldn’t help it because you pulled it. Does it hurt?”

Yuriel would believe Raphlet’s words even if it was like monsters spoke human words, but this time, there was no way to hide her resentment.

“I can, uht, endure … !”

It was difficult to properly hold her reason in the pleasure that melted her body. Yuriel looked at Raphlet with eyes clouded with tears.

With a blurred vision, Raphlet’s lips could be seen drawing soft curves. As she spoke her words with trembling lips, Yuriel blinked her eyes tightly to see his smile properly.

As the tears fell, his face became clear.

A cool smile was reflected in Yuriel’s eyes, who had expected a friendly face.

It was only for a moment that she was surprised to see the delicate smile. He moved his still body.

Chapter 106

Contains mature scenes
Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

It was a small cave where she lit a small fire and slept with monsters. The entrance was smaller than the inside of the cave, so it quickly became warm when the fire was made.

Even a small fire was enough, but the heat of the two people was added. Unlike the outside of the cave where the bitter cold blew, the inside was as hot as midsummer.

“Ha-uht, ah… !”

A harsh breath echoed loudly through the hot cave. The air was sultry.

Raphlet, who was holding Yuriel’s body, was moving his waist greatly. Unlike the gentle caress, it was a crude and rough movement. The genitals that entered the narrow inner wall several times tapped the cervix.

“Sl, slow down, haahk, Lord Raphlet… !”

Yuriel moaned as if screaming. His act of digging into her without mercy was too excessive. He moved wildly, as if ignoring Yuriel’s concerns.

“It’s, ahht, it’s a dangerous time, uhng…!”

“Haa…. it’s okay.”

It’s hard to remember how many times he said it’s okay. Immediately after the insertion, from the moment he started moving his body, Yuriel continued to hear that it was okay.

In the beginning as Raphlet said in a sharp voice, he roughly removed her hand trying to cover her stomach and fixed it to the floor. As he inserted his manhood with the momentum to insert even his whole t**ticles, he murmured that it was okay.

“Uht, st, oop….”

The hand holding the body that was bouncing upward was also too strong. Large palms wrapped around her waist and held her as if it was covering her stomach.

When he released his hand, it seemed as if a red mark would be left in the shape of his finger holding her. Even though Yuriel unconsciously scratched the back of his hand, he didn’t let it go.

Yuriel couldn’t even let out a moan anymore, and all she could do was breathe.

The strength in the legs that had been tightly wrapped around Raphlet’s waist was released. Her legs stretched behind his thighs, swaying and touching his body. Her legs dangle pathetically every time Raphlet pulled so far back that his glans fell off, piercing her opening again.

“Uh….”

When she was in good health during the training Raphlet had set for her, she would keep up with him until he was satisfied. It was only natural that Yuriel, who had been weakened by the weakened physical strength and unbalanced nutrition caused by the long escape, could not accept his movements.

After Raphlet moved, she reached her climax several times. His movements were not slowed in the slightest, forcing himself to push through the contracted hot walls for his pleasure.

Yuriel tried to regain her consciousness that was about to pass out.

She had a harder time having s** with him than it was when she had spent several restless nights running away.

Raphlet’s hand gripping her waist was strengthened again, and his movements became shallow and quick. The pillar, fully inserted into the inner wall, gently pushed the cervix.

“Ahht, uht… !”

Unable to withstand the force that stabbed inward, the sound of her breathing trembled wildly as her body moved up and down. The chest, exposed without support, could not keep pace with the movement of the body and moved painfully.

Yuriel, who was scratching the back of Raphlet’s hand, wrapped her arms around her shaking chest. After the shaking body calmed down a bit, she was able to catch her breath.

“Aahht… !”

The hand that Yuriel was holding as if wrapped around her body was dragged down in vain. It was because Raphlet loosened his hand holding Yuriel’s waist and pulled her arm up to her stomach.

He clasped her two wrists in one of his hands and moved his hips quickly. The sound of flesh wet with love liquid reverberated in a chaotic manner.

“Ugh….”

The continuous sound stopped with Raphlet’s low moan. It was right after Yuriel lost her consciousness due to the harsh movement.

Raphlet loosened his hand holding Yuriel’s arm, put her knees up, and raised her body a little half way. Yuriel’s arms, who had lost her consciousness, fell to the floor.

Likewise, the weak legs and waist were loosening and falling down.

He grabbed Yuriel’s waist and held her firmly so that she wouldn’t fall down. Yuriel’s fainted body was lifted halfway through the air.

After stopping his movement in an uncomfortable position, strength entered Raphlet’s lower body again. Thick semen was gently pushed down between the opening, which was wide open as it was inserted by his manhood.

“Ha….”

After finishing his climax, Raphlet exhaled heavily and maintained that uncomfortable position for a long time.

Raphlet, who had been inserting his pillar for a long time, looked at Yuriel’s fainted face and slowly pulled himself out. As a cloudy liquid spurted out of the wide open hole, it felt as if his heart, which had been racing wildly, had calmed down a little.

But that was also for a while.

Seeing Yuriel’s stomach, which seemed to have swelled more just now, made his chest feel cold.

Raphlet cleaned out Yuriel’s disheveled outfit and carefully organized the hem of her clothes. Her skinny body drooped down as he hugged the fainted Yuriel.

Raphlet furrowed his brow and hugged Yuriel’s body again, not feeling so good.

All of Yuriel’s small belongings were thrown into the fire. There would be no important things, and he had no desire to take things that contained the hardships of the escape.

Yuriel showed no sign of waking up even while he was packing up all the belongings and cleaning up the traces left in the cave.

After finishing the cleanup, Raphlet came out of the cave.

Despite Yuriel’s concerns about what to do if the monsters would harm people, the monsters were quietly guarding the front of the cave.

It was then that the monsters entered Raphlet’s gaze. Raphlet looked at the monsters that seemed unwilling to attack him.

“… There doesn’t seem to be any difference from normal monsters.”

Rather than attacking, he couldn’t believe it when he saw how they were protecting Yuriel like their own baby.

Raphlet, who has been trained to kill monsters since joining Albraka, and spent most of the time doing that afterwards, lost his fighting spirit when he saw the gentle monsters.

As long as it didn’t harm Yuriel, he didn’t care whether it was alive or not.

Raphlet carelessly passed through the monsters. The remaining monsters started following him at a distance that did not disturb Raphlet’s nerves.

＊＊＊

As soon as Yuriel woke up, she looked around where she was and was shocked.

It was Raphlet’s room in Mogris Castle. It was a more familiar place than her own room to Yuriel, who cleaned his bedroom even after he left for Albraka.

She jumped and tried to get up, but recognized her throbbing body and collapsed onto the bed.

“Oh, I’m bruised….”

Yuriel lifted the hem of the soft robe and looked at her waist, and murmured gloomily. There was a blue bruise where Raphlet had grabbed her.

She didn’t feel any pain other than bruising and throbbing like muscle aches. The head felt rather refreshed.

Yuriel got up from the familiar bed and walked through the room.

“… It’s really Mogris castle. What to do… .”

She opened the door slightly and looked into the hallway with her eyes. There was no way that only Raphlet’s room could have fallen into a mysterious space, so this was, of course, Mogris Castle.

The fact that there weren’t many servants passing around Raphlet’s room was a factor that allowed Yuriel to relax.

In this building, where Raphlet’s room and the Grand Ducal couple’s room were located, the servants’ access was strictly controlled.

It was because this was the place where the office of the Grand Duke and his wife was located. Because the servants didn’t come and go, it was possible for Yuriel to sneak into Raphlet’s room when she was young.

Among the many servants and knights of the Grand Duchy, only Yuriel received special treatment. Having received permission to enter and leave Raphlet’s room even after he left, it is possible to guess how much Raphlet loved Yuriel.

Looking around the quiet hallway, Yuriel carefully closed the door and sighed.

She was worried because it seemed that Raphlet had brought her here. It would be a disaster if it ever became known that he had brought her here.

Yuriel leaned against the wall and sat down, covering her face.

“I haven’t cleared myself yet.”

After giving birth safely, she was thinking of getting help from Helio and Baraha. Helio would know why Yuriel had left, and since she was Baraha’s old friend, of course he wouldn’t believe the rumors that she was a terrorist.

She was also strangely friendly with the princess, so she would have been able to get her help.

Of course, she wants to avoid the princess’s help as much as possible.

Yuriel thought, raising her face buried in her palm.

Yuriel, who put her head against the wall and stared blankly at the ceiling of Raphlet’s room, heard footsteps from the hallway and stiffened.

There’s nothing but Raphlet’s room here. There was no reason to go through the hallway except to come to Raplet’s room.

She thought it was a Raphlet, but the sound of the steps was light. The sound of the clicking was definitely the sound of a woman’s shoes.

While Yuriel was running around trying to hide herself, a person approaching quickly opened the door without hesitation.

Chapter 107

“It’s been a while, Yuriel.”

“Madam… ?”

It was the Grand Duke’s wife, Raphlet’s mother, who opened the door. It was unbelievable that the one in modest outfit, who looked at Yuriel, and spoke with delight was the Mistress of this Grand Duchy.

The cheeks, the backs of the hands, and the shoes were all covered in soot.

She carelessly brushed off the hem of her clothes and motioned towards Yuriel, who was standing in the center of the room.

“I heard the story from Raphlet. Don’t worry too much. I know very well that you are not a child who will cause terrorism.”

“Madam.”

“It’s okay to stay here until the accusation is cleared. There are so many places to hide in Mogris.”

The Grand Duchess spoke in a light tone, as if trying to relieve Yuriel’s tension. Yuriel trembled at her gentle suggestion. Facing her favorable behavior, it became a realization that Yuriel had finally returned to her hometown.

The Grand Duchess approached with a warm smile as if she was Yuriel’s mother. The Grand Duchess grabbed the back of Yuriel’s hand, which was frozen.

The Grand Duchess’s fingers, who was immersed in alchemy, were rough from all the drugs she had touched. As she touched the back of Yuriel’s hand with her rough fingers, a strange smile appeared in her eyes.

“More than that… are you pregnant? It must be Raphlet’s child, right?”

As if longing for something, the blazing eyes turned to Yuriel. Seeing the terrifyingly twinkling eyes, Yuriel took a step back and tensed her hands.

Yuriel looked at the Grand Duchess’ face as her eyes lit up and she grabbed Yuriel’s hand. Yuriel’s anxious expression as she looked at the Grand Duchess was clearly conveyed to the other party.

Yuriel’s keen sense was such a famous story that after she departed for the imperial capital, it was still spoken of by the servants.

‘On days when Yuriel is anxious, a monster always appears.’

‘If you just looked closely at Yuriel’s expression, you could avoid the monster.’

The servants who were still staying in the Grand Duke’s residence where the monsters came out were talking as if reminiscing about the unfortunate past.

Seeing Yuriel unable to hide her anxious expression, the Grand Duchess spoke in a soothing tone.

“Why do you look so anxious? There’s no way monsters can come up here, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

The Grand Duchess said that because she knew Yuriel was always anxious before monsters appeared, but Yuriel knew that now even if she was engulfed in anxiety, monsters wouldn’t appear.

It was not the monsters where the anxiety comes from….

“Don’t worry about it, just tell me about your pregnancy.”

It was the Grand Duchess’ kind tone and attitude. It was slightly different from the supposed attitude of a noble, who noticed that her maid was pregnant with her son’s child.

She was waiting for Yuriel’s answer with an excited face.

“How many months is it?”

“About, about eight months….”

“Eight months! You’re not that full for that. At eight months, it should be almost right before childbirth, but what is this…. Is it okay if I touch you?”

As she murmured, she asked, reaching out her hand to Yuriel’s stomach. She had already touched Yuriel anyway so Yuriel’s answer was useless.

“I also had a hard time giving birth to Raphlet. I’m sure you do too. That child…. He’s a special child.”

The Grand Duchess said with a faint smile. Yuriel caught her gaze on the lips with a strange smile.

As absurd as it may sound, in Yuriel’s eyes, the Grand DUchess did not seem very different from the alchemists who were plagued by a frenzied lust for experiments.

She led Yuriel as she smiled faintly with a blunt face similar to that of Raphlet’s.

“Come with me.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll tell you why you are in this state.”

Yuriel was led outside and left the room. Going down the floor Raphlet was using, she passed the floors with the other rooms, and the places with the spacious halls.

“Here is… ”

The place the Grand Duchess was going to enter was a cellar where no one was allowed to enter except the Grand Ducal couple and Raphlet.

As she went down the stairs that gave off a quiet atmosphere, a firmly closed door appeared. In the basement, where no light enters at all, a lamp made of magic stone was illuminating the way.

It was a hallway that felt like a way into the stomach of a monster.

A gloomy hallway that was difficult to see even an inch ahead unless the only entrance and exit, where the magic stones were lit. It looked like a very awkward place, but it had a strange coziness.

Yuriel, following the Grand Duchess, slowly descended the stairs and looked at the place with curious eyes.

“Yuriel, come in.”

The Grand Duchess urged Yuriel, who had been preoccupied with the cold marble sculpture engraved with words. Chill and bright light streamed from the half-open door.

The inside was not visible.

Yuriel hesitated and approached the Grand Duchess’s side. As she entered the half-open door, a bright light irritated her eyes. The Grand Duchess said while waiting for Yuriel with her eyes tightly closed.

“You can’t even imagine how happy I am to have you with Raphlet’s child. It’s a good thing you are not a noble woman.”

“Madam.”

“There must be a reason why the fetus didn’t grow. Come on, this way.”

“… That’s a monster.”

Yuriel, who slowly opened her eyes, looked at the reagent bottles that filled the room, the tools she didn’t know, and the small-sized monsters in the bottles filled with liquid and took a deep breath.

1 month, 2 months, 3 months…. Under the bottle were the Grand Ducal couple’s writings and an uncorrupted monster was encased in a small bottle.

Goosebumps rose by its resemblance to a human fetus.

The Grand Duchess, seeing Yuriel hesitated, let out a long sigh.

“Yuriel.”

A sharp voice came out as if rebuking Yuriel for hesitating.

“I’ll explain that slowly from now on, so come on over.”

At the sound of her annoyed voice, Yuriel shrunk her shoulders and approached her, asking the question carefully.

“By the way, where is Lord Raphlet? I woke up and couldn’t see him….”

“He is talking to my husband. Raphlet is trying to convince him that he should not let you stay here.”

“Ah….’

“Sit down.”

The Grand Duchess ordered. Sitting in the chair that she was pointing at, Yuriel noticed that it was from this place where the dark shards and liquids smeared at the Grand Duchess’ hem.

The Grand Duchess, who took Yuriel’s face with one of her hands and turned her neck to check her face, said with a frown.

“Your face color isn’t bad, so why didn’t the fetus grow up?”

“Does it have anything to do with the color of my face?”

“When was the last time you had a relationship with Raphlet?”

“… I think I heard the question wrong. What did you just say… ”

Yuriel stuttered with a stiff smile. When the Grand Duchess asked the question in an awkward tone, she turned around as if she didn’t need an answer.

“No, this is fine. I have to tell you something more important than that.”

“Ah yes.”

Yuriel sighed in relief at her firm answer.

The Grand Duchess picked up a small orb that had been laying around like litter from her desk and shoved it into what appeared to be an experimental device.

“That….”

“It’s the monster core. You’ve seen it before, right? Put this here….”

As the Grand Duchess manipulated her tools, a terrifyingly sharp piercing sound leaked from between the device.

It was so sharp that it sounded like a scream. As Yuriel furrowed her brow, the Grand Duchess who saw it, smiled as if seeing something funny.

“You do too. I hated hearing this when I was pregnant with Raphlet too.”

Looking at the terrified Yuriel, she opened the device. It seems that it was a device to destroy the core. A shattered core was revealed.

“I’ve heard it’s very difficult to break that size. And it was worth a lot of money….”

Seeing the little marbles rolling on the desk, Yuriel’s words trailed off into the air. Things that were considered precious in the Imperial Capital were just rolling around like rubbish here.

The Grand Duchess didn’t seem interested in Yuriel’s words. Ignoring Yuriel’s murmur, she slowly retrieved the fragmented core.

The Grand Duchess, who had picked out the fragmented pieces, spoke in a low tone.

“Have you ever wondered what is the reason for you being in that state for eight months?”

Without waiting for Yuriel’s reply, she spoke without a break.

“It’s because Raphlet isn’t a normal human being. That child is a special monster.”

“What….”

“If it’s the same as when I had Raphlet, then your child needs monster cores to grow up.”

The Grand Duchess held out one of the fragments to Yuriel.

“Here, if you really have Raphlet’s child, nothing would happen if you eat it.”

The blood drained from Yuriel’s face. Yuriel saw what happened to the knight’s body part that had been implanted with the fragments of the monster core.

Surprised, Yuriel tilted her body from the chair and looked up. She could see a face with a gloomy desire for experimentation.

She couldn’t believe the words that flowed out of the Grand Duchess’ mouth and the hand holding out the fragment of the monster core.

Instead of accepting the fragment the Grand Duchess handed over, Yuriel flapped her lips, drained of blood.

“Lord Raphlet is not a normal human… a monster, what do you mean? No, no matter how, Madam can’t insult Lord Raphlet like that… !”

Yuriel shouted with courage, but the laughter that came back was bizarre. The Grand Duchess said with a cool smile.

“What do you mean by an insult. That child is my masterpiece. How can I insult the most perfect child I have ever created?”

Seeing the unreasonable expression, Yuriel felt that she had to leave this place immediately. The moment she got up from her chair in a hurry, the Grand Duchess’s hand wrapped around Yuriel’s arm.

Chapter 108

Yuriel forcibly swallowed the fragment. Her expectation that it would be horrifying like the core-implanted knights had been erroneous.

Tragically, it was just as the Grand Duchess said.

Nothing happened after swallowing the core fragment. After swallowing the fragment, the Grand Duchess gently pressed Yuriel’s cheek, which had a rather beautiful complexion, and smiled with satisfaction.

“Looks like it’s Raphlet’s child.”

The strength in Yuriel’s body, which had been fiercely resisting, was lost. With Yuriel sitting on the chair, the Grand Duchess held a notebook that looked like a research journal in her hand.

“Did Madam know about this earlier?”

“What question is that? Would someone who doesn’t know anything try to feed you a monster core?”

“The reason the monsters appeared in the mansion has nothing to do with the reason you just mentioned, right?”

Yuriel asked in a tone of disbelief.

“You know how many servants died because the monsters appeared in the mansion.”

Until now, Yuriel believed that monsters came down from the forest in search of people.

There were places where the security was insufficient, so monsters could break into the mansion. It was not the fault of the knights or the Grand Ducal couple who neglected the security. It was the fault of the monster that attacked people indiscriminately.

The Grand Duchess replied with a sigh.

“Should you know that?”

“… Madam.”

“Yuriel, you have Raphlet’s child, does that matter? It’s 8 months old and it’s difficult if it has only grown that much. If it is difficult to grow in the womb, there is a way to induce childbirth immediately, but it is not a very good method.”

The Grand Duchess looked at Yuriel pitifully.

“Did the monsters escape from here?”

“Yes, a few.”

“How many… ?”

“Come to think of it, the day you came with Raphlet, a monster escaped. Even though I said there was no need to chase it because it was all dying, he went out and got only unnecessary wounds….”

Servants killed by monsters, crops destroyed by monster invasions, and commoners who died seemed to mean nothing to the Grand Duchess.

The Grand Duchess took out a new journal, and she wrote down Yuriel’s physical condition and answered in a low voice.

Yuriel understood her words.

The cause of Yuriel’s death began at the hands of this mansion and the Grand Ducal couple.

“Please explain in detail that Lord Raphlet is a monster.”

Looking at the Grand Duchess’ indifferent face, Yuriel said in a subdued tone.

Even though she knew that it would be a shock, the shock was not as great as she thought.

“I think I did well in Albraka….”

Yuriel muttered as she recalled what she had learned. If she hadn’t been to the Imperial Capital, she thought that if she hadn’t seen and experienced anything there, she might have focused more on the fact that Raphlet was a monster.

Maybe she would feel betrayed by him.

The Grand Duchess raised her eyebrows, unable to properly hear Yuriel murmur in a small voice.

“What?”

“I asked you to tell me more about Lord Raphlet. If you want to have a healthy baby, I need to have an explanation so I can cooperate.”

“… The child you will give birth to is a monster, isn’t it scary? I thought you would be a little more rebellious.”

“It’s Lord Raphlet’s child. It does not matter.”

“You’re really….”

The Grand Duchess shrugged her shoulders as if in disappointment and laughed.

“I was planning to imprison you if you resisted. I don’t know if I should call you smart or stupidly blind.”

“If you lock me up in a place like this, will Lord Raphlet not stand still?”

“That’s true.”

Yuriel and the Grand Duchess had a normal conversation. Occasionally, they talked and chatted about the past.

At first, the Grand Duchess, who had only talked about the rules Yuriel had to follow during her pregnancy, gave her a lot of information.

“This is a story that only a few high-ranking officials know.”

“What?”

“Raphlet was born safely and we handed over some information to the temple.”

“Are you saying that the High Priest knows that Lord Raphlet is close to a monster?”

Yuriel’s calm face turned pale. The Grand Duchess shook her head.

“No, it can’t be. The fact that Raphlet is a monster is the most valuable piece of information we have, and I would not hand it over.”

The Grand Duchess stopped the pen, which was writing Yuriel’s information, and turned her body. As if she had written everything in her journal, she continued her words as she closed the journal.

“They know that a child born with the power of a monster was in the Mogris Estate. We reported that it died a few months after it was born, but these days they seem to care about that information again.”

“They didn’t find out that Lord Raphlet was a monster, did they?”

It was not good for the Grand Duchess that the fact that Raphlet was a monster was found out. She pressed her forehead as if she had a headache.

“They don’t know yet. Until now, Raphlet benefited from the prophecy handed to the temple. Perhaps the reason they started paying attention again now is because of you. They seemed to think you might be that child.”

“Ah, the prophecy…. Madam knows.”

“I don’t know who the real saint is, but it would be very unfair. Thanks to that prophecy, no one doubted that Raphlet was fine after receiving the core transplant.”

The Grand Duchess, who was pressing her forehead, twisted her lips and smiled. Watching a person who was close to a monster being worshiped as the saint by the temples, the priests, and the knights of Albraka all made her laugh.

She giggled.

“Serving a monster as a saint! I don’t know where the real saint is or what they’re doing.”

Yuriel also swept her heart with sincerity this time. She couldn’t help but nod her head following the Grand Duchess’ words.

“It’s dizzying to think about how Raphlet could have been fine if the real thing came out. I had to go through so much trouble to give birth to him, and I almost gave all of that important information to the alchemists.”

Because the saint did not appear, Raphlet was able to act as the saint.

If the real thing had come out, Raphlet would not have been revered by the people as he was now.

Perhaps, like Yuriel herself, he would be pointed at and expelled from the Knights Order. If he wasn’t lucky, he might have been the subject of the alchemists’ experiment, as the Grand Duchess said.

Yuriel could never allow such a thing to happen to Raphlet.

Yuriel, who was nodding her head at the words, put the thoughts that came to her mouth.

“What would happen if the real saint appeared?”

“The temple. When the saint appears, they will try to protect the saint, but I will kill the saint when they appear.”

“They said that if you kill the saint, the monsters will become stronger.”

“It would be nice if the monsters became stronger. The core power will also be stronger, so the test results will be better, won’t it?”

The Grand Duchess said, revealing her selfish desire. As Yuriel doesn’t seem to agree with her own words, she added, threatening Yuriel.

“When the real thing comes out, it’s only a matter of time before they find out that Raphlet isn’t a normal person. How can a person be completely healthy with a core implant? Only a monster.”

Yuriel kept her mouth shut. It was very offensive to refer to Raphlet as a monster, but she could not refute it.

“If Raphlet was found to be not the saint, do you think he would be able to escape? The alchemists are the ones who will use all of Raphlet’s very being for experiments without leaving a single piece of skin or a drop of blood. I know that very well. So Yuriel, you must never let them know that he is a monster.”

“… I have no intention of letting them know that Lord Raphlet is a monster.”

“I know, you’d rather commit suicide than harm Raphlet.”

The Grand Duchess, who was threatening Yuriel, smiled and lifted the atmosphere.

“When the knights got core implants and with Raphlet serving as the Commander in Albraka, I wonder if Albraka is turning into a den of monsters. Do you think that would be pretty fun?”

The Grand Duchess said in a mockery of Albraka. She exchanged contrived jokes and made a laugh at the unusual facts.

After she stopped joking around, the Grand Duchess redirected the conversation back to pregnancy.

“To make the child grow, you have to eat the monster’s core every day. Even if you could accept the core because you’re pregnant, it’s going to be hard on your body more than three times. One time was enough for me, but yours grew up very late. You’ll have to eat it twice a day, okay?”

“Yes. And I want to keep it a secret because Lord Raphlet will be concerned if he finds out that I eat cores.”

The Grand Duchess narrowed her eyes as if reading Yuriel who answered her calmly. When she entered the laboratory, Yuriel, who seemed anxious just by entering it, now only seemed foreign and calm.

“Please.”

“It is not difficult because Raplet will return to Albraka soon….”

She looked carefully to see if Yuriel was up to something, but the Grand Duchess wasn’t the one who looked after Yuriel enough that she could understand Yuriel’s heart.

The only thing she could be sure of about Yuriel was the belief that she would never deceive him if it had anything to do with Raphlet.

Chapter 109

The Grand Duchess gave Yuriel the key so she could enter the cellar at any time.

“If you need a core when I’m away, you can take it out of this drawer and use it.”

It was a light attitude as if to bring out some refreshments. Yuriel nodded her head as she looked at the Grand Duchess’ face, who looked as excited as Yuriel when she thought about the day she would have a child.

“The important explanation is over, so you can go up. I have more to organize, so you can go back first.”

“Will I run into someone else?”

“There is a set time for the servants to come here. It’s fine now, so you can go up.”

After finishing her words, the Grand Duchess waved her hand towards Yuriel as if to go quickly. Yuriel’s head was busy as she climbed the stairs, leaving the Grand Duchess in a frenzied lust for exploration.

It was fortunate to find out the cause of the fetus not growing.

The only problem was that it was the Grand Duchess who provided the information, and that she and the Grand Duke were so engrossed in knowledge of alchemy that they gave birth to Raphlet using the monster’s core.

It was a fact Yuriel had known for a long time that the Grand Duke and his wife had not shown Raphlet the affection that parents should have shown to their children. The thought of educating and observing Raphlet was an overshadowed affection of the Grand Duke and his wife.

They were really just observing Raphlet.

There was no way for such people to let Yuriel’s child grow up freely.

The Grand Duchess’s satisfied voice, who said that she did not know how fortunate it was for Yuriel to be a commoner and not a woman of a noble family, crossed Yuriel’s mind.

Her satisfaction must have meant that Yuriel would be comfortable having her child observed at will.

Yuriel, who was terrified, thought as she rubbed her cold body.

There was not just one thing to worry about.

It was very disturbing to hear that the high priests knew.

They knew that someone was born with the power of a monster in Mogris Estate.

Although they reported that it did not live long and died, the priests would surely focus on Raphlet’s birth if they were to find out that Raphlet was not the saint.

Raphlet was safe because they accepted him having a core implant while actually harboring a monster, but when they found out that the healthy person was not the saint after the core transplants….

By the way, if Lord Raphlet was not the saint, what does it mean to be a monster?

Yuriel, who continued to think while swiping her arm, let out a low sigh. An intense shiver ran through her body at the realization that cut through her thoughts like a thunderbolt.

“Ah….”

A passage from the prophetic book she had seen a long time ago popped into her head like a passage she had just read.

The saint will come to Albraka himself….

Yuriel went to Albraka herself in search of Raphlet.

“No.”

The one who possesses the monster.

There, she became pregnant, and the child she had was the child of Raphlet, whom the Grand Duchess called a monster.

“That can’t be true.”

Her head tingled as if she had been hit with a blunt weapon. Yuriel staggered and leaned against the wall. Before long, she had arrived in front of Raphlet’s room.

Yuriel was unaware that she had stopped while looking at Raphlet’s room, and then she came to her senses.

She could see the bedroom Raphlet had been using, but couldn’t get into it.

Power drained from her body that was leaning against the wall. Unlike her weak legs, her heart was beating fast. Her head felt dizzy because of her heart beating so loud that it was painful.

Yuriel sat down on the floor and her breath was choking.

I can’t be the saint. The saint is a special person like Lord Raphlet….

She tried to calm down, but she hardly could ever calmed down.

… She could predict the monster’s appearance. There were times when she even predicted movement.

When she tried to forcefully push the facts that she had recognized once, the thought that she might be the saint grew like a snowball.

Before the monsters appeared, she remembered having nightmares. It was immediately after she became pregnant with Raplet’s child that her abilities completely disappeared.

She could only think that it had something to do with the monster.

If Lord Raphlet isn’t the saint, and I really am the saint. Was there any chance of getting caught?

No. Only Helio and Shudmuel know that she was pregnant. They don’t know that Raphlet has anything to do with monsters.

It’s ok, no need to worry. She wasn’t even sure that she was the saint in the first place.

Yuriel sighed and thought so.

She took a deep breath while pressing her palms against her chest, which was beating so fast that the blood vessels passing through her neck, temples, and thin skin were pounding, and then she got up.

Since there was no way the High Priest could tell the story she heard from the Madam to Helio or Shudmuel, it would be fine…. Wait, Shudmuel… !

Just when she stood up with her shoulders against the wall, she saw Raphlet’s door open. Raphlet’s face hardened as he left the door.

He harshly opened the door and came out to find Yuriel leaning against the wall.

His hardened face softened for a moment, then cooled again. Raphlet saw Yuriel holding her body and opened his mouth.

“I was worried because I couldn’t find you in the room. Where have you been?”

“… The Madam called. I just went to talk for a while.”

Raphlet approached, grabbed Yuriel’s arm and raised his eyebrows.

Yuriel felt the need to tell Raphlet what the Grand Duchess had told him, but she could hardly speak. A brief answer to his question was all Yuriel could do now.

The moment she woke up, the thoughts that passed through her burned Yuriel’s insides.

Shudmuel knows it. Shudmuel is the illegitimate son of the High Priest… !

The person closest to the High Priest was Shudmuel.

Shudmuel seemed to have contempt for the High Priest, but the High Priest did not. Even if they had only met once, Yuriel noticed that the High Priest had affection for Shudmuel.

If it were the High Priest, he seemed to have given Shudmuel the information he knew.

It would be, if not immediately.

The Grand Duchess said that she did not believe in God, and she showed no deep interest in prophecy. She ridiculed those who believed in prophecies and was superstitious about the existence of the saint.

Even if she knew all the information, to the Grand Duchess, things about saints and prophecies were not worth considering.

It doesn’t matter if the Madam finds out about it. When she finds out Yuriel was the saint, she’ll try to kill her…. However, Shudmuel….

If it was Shudmuel, he would try to use Raphlet the same way he used Yuriel. He was a terrorist hiding in Albraka.

Knowing that Raphlet wasn’t the saint, he would be the one who would try to destroy the core that Raphlet had also implanted in.

“Yuriel, can’t you walk? Let me know if you have any discomfort. Did Mother ever ask you a strange question or things?”

Raphlet asked while holding Yuriel’s arm. It seemed that he was worried about Yuriel’s condition, who could not take a single step.

Yuriel tried not to show her anxiety and forcibly adjusted her expression. After biting hard on the inside of her cheek, she was able to answer in a plausible voice.

She needs to make up her mind and find a way to keep Raphlet from being found out that he’s not the saint.

“No, what Madam said was that I should be comfortable here.”

Raphlet looked carefully at Yuriel’s body, as if he did not believe her. It was evident that he also did not have much faith in the Grand Duchess.

His gaze was keen to see if the Grand Duchess had done any harm to Yuriel.

“Mother is very interested in your pregnancy. If she asks for something strange….”

“It’s not really like that, but my back hurts. Lord Raphlet, I have a bruise here.”

Yuriel raised her jacket and said so. Raphlet stopped talking when he saw the bruised waist on. Raphlet let out a low sigh as he saw the traces of him gripping her tightly with his fingers still remain.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“I said it could be dangerous, but you did too much.”

Yuriel pouted her lips.

Looking back on their affair that time, there were many dangerous moments. Forcibly grabbing her waist and forcefully inserting himself.

“Never do that again, okay?”

“… I’m sorry.”

Raphlet blurted his words vaguely. Not giving a clear answer made her think that he would demand a stronger affair again.

＊＊＊

As Yuriel thought, Raphlet had a rough s*x with her that night.

When having s*x with him, there was no room to delve into thoughts about prophecy, Shudmuel and the Grand Duchess, and monsters.

Although she wanted to have a conversation with him about monsters, it was difficult for her to get a chance to talk with Raphlet. He seemed reluctant to talk to Yuriel.

A few days passed and the news that this year’s subjugation was over, but Raphlet did not return to Albraka.

“Lord Raphlet, I think it would be better for you to go back to Albraka.”

Yuriel’s uneasy comments were not accepted. The Grand Ducal couple revealed their greed for Yuriel’s pregnancy, and Raphlet acted as if he had no regrets for Albraka.

Yuriel, who was watching him, dried up inside.

The sensitive daily life, as if walking on thin ice, continued.

When she realized that the child’s time seemed to have moved again, Yuriel heard the news that Albraka’s pursuit team had arrived at the Mogris estate.

Chapter 110

Why were the Knights of Albraka in Mogris estate?

Upon hearing the news, Yuriel felt a surge of anxiety. During the long seven years of Raphlet’s absence from the estate, they never officially visited this place.

It was not a period of subjugation, nor was there a clear purpose for their visit. The fact that they came here meant that they found Yuriel’s traces.

“Since we decided to give the annex to the knights, we have to be more careful than we are now.”

Whether Yuriel’s prediction was correct, the Grand Duchess warned her by pointing out where the knights would stay.

“Don’t worry, they won’t come in here.”

“Were they looking for me?”

Yuriel asked with a trembling voice.

“They said that they found traces of you in the forest around the estate. They couldn’t find any signs of you entering the castle, so they’re going to search the forest.”

Thanks to Raphlet’s meticulous erasure of traces, they were only able to reach the entrance to the cave where Yuriel last stayed.

“Even if the High Priest came directly …. He wouldn’t dare go against my will.”

The Grand Duchess said in an arrogant tone. Even after hearing that answer, Yuriel could hardly contain her anxiety.

＊＊＊

Baraha was nervous on the train entering the Mogris estate. He often visited Mogris estate, but rarely came here by train.

It was because he had no contact with Raphlet, and that people who frequented the Mogris estate would have a pursuer.

The Mogris estate did not welcome foreigners’ arrival. Items coming from outside were also accepted through meticulous customs procedures.

Mogris was keenly observing the people who came in here. The place was like a huge kennel to lock in and hide something.

‘They don’t even have a desire to exchange, but the reason the railroad has been laid all the way here is probably for that purpose.’

After the train was created, it would have been easier to figure out the number of people entering Mogris.

The regular, dull noise of the train touched Baraha’s nerves. He was staring through the frosted and foggy window glass. His mind was cluttered as if he had become the child in that wagon.

The papers he was holding in his hand were crumpled.

The priest who was watching Baraha crumple the papers spoke to him.

“Commander Baraha. Did you check all the information sent by the tracking team?”

It was a document containing Yuriel’s information. The pursuit team found that Yuriel’s trail had been cut off in the forest of Mogris.

The information said that it was impossible to find her traces after the traces stopped in the cave.

“… I have confirmed it.”

Baraha answered, loosening the strength in his hand that was holding the crumpled papers. Anyone who knew the relationship between Yuriel and Raphlet could understand why the traces were cut from the short fragment contained in this document.

Commander Raphlet has turned away.

Since the last subjugation, he has not returned to Albraka, so he would erase Yuriel’s traces and protect her.

In order to be convinced of his betrayal, the High Priest boarded the train to Mogris.

“I didn’t know that the saint would be so blinded by a woman. Trying to beat Albraka just to get a maid….”

The High Priest clicked his tongue and said.

“If he wasn’t the saint, he wouldn’t have made things so complicated.”

Baraha turned his gaze away from the window and asked the High Priest. The High Priest, who saw Baraha asking a sharp question, contrary to his slack figure, narrowed his eyes and answered.

“Are you saying because Commander Raphlet is a saint, he cannot be killed?”

“… like that.”

Hearing the High Priest’s answer, Baraha ran his fingers through his hair, which was not properly groomed. After Yuriel disappeared, his hair was long enough to pierce his eyes, probably because he hadn’t trimmed it up any further.

Baraha asked, stroking his hair that had come down so much that it bothered anyone who saw it.

“What are you going to do with Yuriel? We have the order to capture her at Raphlet’s request?”

After Yuriel escaped, the first order issued was to kill her. They ordered that her body be recovered while her survival was unimportant.

It was then Raphlet used his strength and his orders to capture Yuriel without hurting her came into effect. Now that the High Priest had come, Baraha did not know whether the order would be valid.

The High Priest said with a straight face.

“I have no intention of killing her, since the alchemists begged me not to kill her. Baraha, you don’t even know they loved the maid….”

Hearing the High Priest’s words, Baraha ruffled his hair in an annoyed manner.

“You mean taking Yuriel and doing experiments on her. … No matter what happens, it doesn’t change over time.”

Baraha mumbled some cursing a little. The alchemist, nothing had changed.

It was deplorable that those who survived the imperial capital that the knights have shed blood on, still have such a personality.

They are not worth protecting.

“We can’t do anything to get rid of Raphlet because of one common woman.”

The High Priest, who did not hear Baraha’s muttering, was voicing his opinion.

Raphlet and Yuriel.

The High Priest, of course, put Raphlet first, but Baraha had a different opinion. If he had to choose between the two, it would be Yuriel without a second thought.

He couldn’t let Yuriel go through the terrible experiment he had been subjected to by the alchemists.

‘Unless he kills all the priests and knights, Commander Raphlet can no longer protect Yuriel.’

Once Commander Raphlet has renounced, no one will follow his order.

The High Priest saw Baraha not paying attention to his words, frowned and bit his mouth. The High Priest’s face, who had his mouth shut, had a hateful wrinkle on his face.

Long ago, from his face as he looked up, he recalled the memories of the moment when he was sent to the Alchemist Tower.

He would never reveal to them who the saint was. He thought of laughing as he watched them fall without being able to find the saint.

Although he had no intention of revealing that Yuriel was the saint, he could not deny that the effect of the prophecy he had hoped for remained.

‘In the end, the prophecy will be kept.’

It felt quite satisfying to be able to protect Yuriel, who was helplessly swept away by the prophecy.

He briefly glanced over the window where he could see the Mogris estate where Yuriel would be, and then met the High Priest’s eyes.

“The saint is not Commander Raphlet. High Priest.”

At the sudden words, the High Priest frowned even more. With his face crumpled as much as the crumpled papers in Baraha’s hands, he opened his mouth.

“The only person who has succeeded in a complete nuclear implantation is Commander Raphlet. He is the only one who possesses a monster, but if he is not a saint, who….”

“Yuriel.”

“Huh.”

Baraha cut off the High Priest’s words and said firmly.

The High Priest, who had been concentrating on Baraha’s words, let out a smirk and leaned back on the backrest.

“Are you kidding me? It’s the first time I’ve heard of Commander Baraha joking.”

“Have you ever wanted to know what was written in the torn prophecies? I know.”

“… It’s too much of a joke.”

The High Priest responded slowly. As if he was quite shocked by Baraha’s sudden words, his loose cheeks were convulsing.

It was the reaction knowing that Baraha, let alone joking, would never speak at length unless it was important to him.

Frowning his eyes in disbelief, the High Priest listened to Baraha’s voice.

Baraha said, recalling the last chapter of the prophecy book that had already been torn.

“I was the one who wrote the prophecy. I wrote it when I was young, so the handwriting is a little different, but I can still write with that handwriting.”

“The, the handwriting is something anyone can imitate.”

“What about telling you by whom the prophecy book entered the temple?”

“… tell me.”

“Commander Helio.”

The High Priest sighed in disbelief. As Baraha said, it was Helio who delivered the prophecy book to the temple. It was a fact known only to a minimal number of people in order to maintain the mystery of the prophecy.

The High Priest asked, leaning his body from the chair to Baraha’s side.

“… What was written on the last page?”

The High Priest’s face brightened with excitement. He was excited to be the first to learn something he thought would remain unknown forever.

Baraha only wanted Yuriel not to be the subject of experiments. He did not intend to convey the full content.

“The saint is a woman.”

“… woman, is a woman! However, even if it becomes a reason that Commander Raphlet is not the saint, it does not prove that the maid is the saint. She definitely came to Albraka on her own feet, but it has nothing to do with the saying that she possessed a monster….”

The High Priest said worriedly.

The High Priest, who rubbed his chin and muttered, flashed his eyes and said.

“If Commander Raphlet is not the saint…. How did he survive even after receiving the monster core?”

The high-pitched voice of the High Priest was mixed with the noise of the rattling train.

“Right, the Grand Duke was still experimenting. If the child who was born and died is Commander Raphlet, the reason he was still fine even after receiving the monster core… !”

His eyes glistened with anger and joy.

Chapter 111

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

A different scene unfolded in the Mogris Estate.

The road, which had been covered with white snow, became muddy. It was because the knights in military boots roamed the streets.

“Yuriel? Are the knights looking for Yuriel now?”

“Why are they looking for her?”

“She disappeared overnight. Did she do something and run away?”

“That kid?”

“Originally, you don’t know people just by looking at their faces. How do you know whether she was thinking harshly with an innocent face?”

“Well…. It was strange that she went into the castle when she was young.”

“Since she was young, she was smart enough to enter the castle… .”

The knights who visited the inn for outsiders marched towards Mogris Castle. The tour of the inn and the estate seemed like an insignificant ceremonial procedure.

In order to not go against the intentions of the Mogris family, it was a move to make excuses for wanting to investigate the castle because Yuriel could not be found even after exploring the surrounding areas.

In the center of the knights, the High Priest, who was moving in a carriage, could not sit still with his buttocks on the chair. With his body fussing, he opened the window on the carriage and was scolding the knights.

“The inquiry is enough, now let’s go to the castle!”

The wheels of the carriage rolled over the muddy ground. The white ground became dark all over, and the knights’ boots and the hem of their pants were all messed up.

“They’re going to the castle to catch Yuriel!”

“Is that kid hiding in the castle?”

The onlookers’ clothes were also messed up, but no one cared about their clothes.

They were frantic to see the cause of the noise of the quiet estate.

Only the young children could not adapt to the noisy street atmosphere, hiding behind their parents and rolling their innocent eyes.

Yuriel climbed up to the high floor of the building and watched anxiously at the noisy castle.

The knights guarding Mogris Castle were rushing to the front door. The soldiers who climbed the wall to hold out the outside of the castle were holding firearms that were rarely used.

It felt like the sharp atmosphere before a battle.

The grand duchess, who had answered Yuriel arrogantly, also showed signs of insecurity and headed for the castle gate quickly. The Grand Duke was seen riding his horse towards the main gate.

Yuriel saw them moving from inside the building.

“Yuriel.”

Among the knights heading towards the main gate, Yuriel, who was looking for Raphlet’s appearance, was called. Raphlet was wearing the uniform of Albraka, which he had not worn since coming to the Mogris estate.

With the exception of the epaulets adorned with gold, the all-black uniform looked like it was made for Raphlet.

Whether he was a monster or a saint, for Yuriel, he was always her center.

Looking at his clothes neatly wrapped around his large build, Yuriel held her breath.

“The knights were sent from Albraka. It is dangerous to be here.”

Raphlet approached Yuriel and said. As he thought of the armed knights approaching the mansion, he had a numb expression.

Come to think of it, Raphlet has always been like that. He was always calm when it wasn’t about Yuriel, and he was more reliable than anyone else.

Yuriel received a lot from such a Raphlet from an early age, and she wanted to give back what she had received from him.

Thinking of what he had given her, Yuriel touched the stomach with the child that had begun to grow little by little. She hoped that there would be more days where joy would shine on his indifferent face when they had a child, and lived together.

Raphlet would not be able to bear it without loving his child. He will be a more reliable father to a child than anyone Yuriel knows….

Raphlet’s expression was slightly distorted as he looked at Yuriel’s hand that touched her stomach.

A look of displeasure and anger was reflected in his brief glance.

Yuriel, who was absorbed in Raphlet’s face, understood his feelings.

Unbelievably, Raphlet wasn’t happy with her pregnancy.

Raphlet said quickly, unaware that Yuriel was shocked.

“It will be easy to say that the High Priest has come. Stay in your room because I can’t send him back right away. Don’t look out the window as much as possible. They can see inside from outside….”

It looked like the purpose of him wearing the uniform was to have a conversation with the High Priest.

Yuriel took his outstretched hand, listening to his careful voice.

She has something to ask him.

It was an ominous question that she never had after listening to Helio and Shudmuel.

“Master.”

Raphlet, who was pulling Yuriel, stiffened. Knowing Raplet’s dislike of the word ‘master’, Yuriel tended to refrain from using the word ‘master’ to him.

It was rare to refer to him as the Master unless it was an unconscious exclamation or call.

Calling him with a serious face like now meant that she had something serious to say to Raphlet.

Just like when she answered with an obedient face in front of Raphlet, who had previously urged her to leave Albraka.

It was also a way of expressing obedience and respect.

Raphlet had a foreboding that she would yield to his own orders no matter what she said or asked any questions.

Yuriel looked up at Raphlet’s face, who was frozen. Yuriel, who looked carefully at his face, asked him.

“You don’t want to have children?”

“… Yuriel.”

Yuriel’s long eyelashes trembled thinly. He seemed to have suppressed his emotions, but his weakly trembling eyelashes and fingers were sad.

After spitting out the question, Yuriel, who looked down as if afraid to see Raphlet’s expression, raised her gaze.

Green eyes filled with water. The tears that welled up were not even falling.

Yuriel, who saw Raphlet’s troubled face, spoke with a trembling voice.

“So, when I said it was dangerous, you did it …. like that….”

Ever since he found out about her pregnancy, Raphlet’s movements during s*x had always been fierce. Like a movement to express anger, not just a movement to pursue pleasure.

Raphlet didn’t answer, keeping his mouth shut. He looked like that when he did not want to lie to Yuriel.

He had never lied to her, and his demeanor had never been as sad as now.

His silence was proof that Yuriel’s question was true.

Yuriel looked at Raphlet’s face, who was looking at her clearly. He affirmed without answering.

“I see….”

Yuriel murmured as if sighing.

The reason she decided to leave Raphlet was something he didn’t want in the first place.

As Shudmuel said, if she had erased the child, she would have no reason to return to Mogris, fearing that she would become the alchemist’s subject.

Yuriel wiped away the tears, blaming her stupidity for not asking Raphlet’s opinion. Tears were dripping down the back of her hand.

Raphlet, still silent, grabbed Yuriel’s back tightly. He led Yuriel, wiping the wet back of her hand with a clumsy and friendly gesture.

“… Go to your room.”

“Yes.”

Yuriel did not resist and accepted his orders.

As soon as she stepped down the stairs to the room, Raphlet caught Yuriel’s staggering body as she stumbled on her foot.

“Look out.”

“Yes.”

Yuriel, who answered without a sign of surprise, nodded in his arms.

After Raphlet didn’t answer, Yuriel seemed to have lost something.

It seemed to be an emotion, something important that had supported Yuriel.

Something positive related to vibrancy and vitality.

Unlike Raphlet, Yuriel’s face, which was full of human vitality, darkened.

The way back to the room was short. They reached their destination before Raphlet could even speak a word of concern to Yuriel.

To be precise, it was Raphlet’s destination.

Raphlet said to Yuriel’s back as he obediently entered the room.

“… I’ll be back soon. Let’s talk again when we come back.”

Yuriel’s feet stopped walking towards the center of the room. At the moment when her slender shoulders were slightly lifted, Yuriel turned her head.

Yuriel looked at Raphlet and licked her lips. Just as her lips were about to open, a loud noise of gunfire rang out from outside the building.

Yuriel’s expression became puzzled as if she had faced the fireworks exploding right in front of her eyes. Seeing the surprised face, Raphlet wrinkled his brow and said.

“Never go out.”

Raphlet closed the door without waiting for Yuriel’s reply.

Since Yuriel, who has always responded with a short answer, didn’t answer, it bothered him.

He’ll have to send the knights back and talk to Yuriel.

Raphlet made that decision. It was difficult for him to accept, too, but not as much as Yuriel.

It was his role to support her since the child Yuriel was pregnant with was his.

＊＊＊

Yuriel couldn’t remember how she got to the room. There was only a slight warmth in the hand that Raphlet had touched.

Yuriel stopped in the center of the large room and bowed her head.

The sound of shells exploding intermittently continued, as if submerged in water.

It was difficult to keep the center of her body as if the immovable floor was shaking.

Yuriel’s body, which had stood still in the middle of the room for a while, staggered.

Someone caught Yuriel’s body as she fell to the floor without even feeling herself falling. The man’s voice turned towards Yuriel.

“… Are you sick?”

It was Baraha.

Chapter 112

Proofreader: kuroneko-chan

Yuriel was startled and pushed Baraha’s chest hard. With Yuriel’s fierce refusal, Baraha stepped back with a slightly shocked expression.

“Baraha, how did you get here?”

Yuriel was wary of him and retreated when she saw Baraha wearing an Albraka uniform similar to that worn by Raphlet. It was a uniform similar to Raphlet’s, with only the epaulet decoration different.

Baraha, who was usually bothered by uniforms, was now wearing even his robe meticulously and was staring at Yuriel. His hair was drooping as usual, but the atmosphere was unfamiliar.

Seeing Yuriel stumbling backwards, Baraha said, raising his arms as if he had no intention of harming her.

“I don’t mean to harm you. I didn’t come here with the intention of taking you by force.”

“Then… ?”

“I’m here to show you that you don’t have to run away.”

Yuriel, who was nervous as if she was about to run out of the room at any moment, released the strength from her shoulders.

Baraha’s eyes vividly saw the tension draining from her body, as if she had heard an indescribably stupid word.

“Is that what you are going to say? Baraha, I think they sent you because I was close to you in Albraka…. I’m not stupid enough to follow those words.”

Yuriel sighed and said.

“I didn’t know you were going to deceive me….”

Yuriel, who had paused her words, added slowly. Hearing a very slow and heavy voice, Baraha stiffened his lips and shook his head.

“I am not lying.”

“I ran away after controlling the monster, but now I don’t need to run away?”

Yuriel said in a weak voice. The eyes, which were swollen and red as if she had been crying, entered Baraha’s eyes.

While Baraha’s gaze stayed at the reddened corners of her eyes, Yuriel spoke in a weak voice.

“Are you trying to kill me here? After all, you said you would die with me if I wanted to. I thought it was a joke, but it was the truth.”

From the moment she met him, there was something persistent about him. Every time she loses her energy and droops because she misses Raphlet, Baraha whispers that she might never see him again, so it might be better to just die.

‘It’s not bad to die.’

‘Don’t just talk like that everyday whenever the sun is shining! Stop being melancholic and if you have nothing else to do, help me with my work.’

She responded by hitting him on the back of his palm, but Barhaha did not stop his persistent suggestion.

He lingered around Yuriel, insisting on death like a devil.

Yuriel turned her back on Baraha and staggered away. As the sun was setting, Baraha’s lengthened shadow shone beside Yuriel. Baraha’s shadow moved under the light coming through the large window.

As if to catch Yuriel, he stretched out his arms and let them hang helplessly. Yuriel watched Baraha’s movements, then saw him dropping his arms.

He’s not in the mood to force her, so maybe they could chat for a while and buy time for Raphlet to return.

If Baraha tried to use force, it was Yuriel who would be in trouble. Even if Baraha looked helpless, he was also one of Albraka’s commanders.

Yuriel covered the gun so that Baraha could not see it in her hand. After Baraha heard Yuriel’s question, his face was lost as if he was unaware of what he was doing.

“I was thinking about dying together, but it was only for a moment. I wanted to save you, I tried to save you…. Really….”

The moment Yuriel put the gun in her hand, Baraha opened his mouth. It was a slow tone, as usual.

His slow voice trembled as if he was suppressing intense emotions.

Hearing the faint trembling in his familiar voice, Yuriel unknowingly released the strength from her hand. She felt sorry after hearing Baraha’s voice, who doesn’t seem willing to fight.

He was Yuriel’s friend no matter what. Her oldest friend. In Raphlet’s absence, he was the one who supported Yuriel.

As she swore to Raphlet, she couldn’t give up her life, but faith was something she could give up.

Yuriel hesitated, then put the gun back and turned around.

“Baraha, what happened?”

It was something she had guessed while in Albraka that Baraha wanted to save someone. She doesn’t know if Baraha was projecting someone onto her, but he seemed to have been distracted by guilt and sadness.

Yuriel approached him slowly.

Baraha stood nailed to his spot, looking at Yuriel, and opened his mouth. His face, mixed with melancholic emotions, turned to Yuriel.

“I wanted to save you. Yuriel, I’ll help you this time. Okay? Not Commander Raphlet… But I….”

She didn’t know what he was trying to say.

Yuriel walked over to Baraha’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder awkwardly. She had never had this kind of contact with Baraha, except for hitting him on the back to scold him for being stupid.

His shoulder, stronger than she thought, touched her hand. Yuriel gently rubbed his shoulder, and Baraha collapsed on the floor.

Yuriel nodded and sat down with him.

“I went out and someone scolded you? Who is it, Sir Helio?”

As Yuriel tapped him on the shoulder and spoke to him, Baraha reached out to Yuriel. His arms, which had fallen helplessly, this time tightly wrapped around Yuriel’s shoulders.

A heavy body pressed Yuriel strongly. Yuriel was dragged into Baraha’s arms, she panicked and pushed his shoulder. His heavy body did not budge in the slightest.

“Baraha?”

Confused, Yuriel called him. Baraha hugged Yuriel’s shoulder and didn’t say anything.

Yuriel sighed and muttered.

“I am not in a position to comfort anyone today….”

She said pitifully that she was comforting Baraha.

If there was anyone who needed comfort, it was Yuriel herself. It was the day she found out that the man who was going to be the child’s father didn’t want the child.

Yuriel gave up pushing Baraha and patted him on the back slowly. As she rubbed his back, Baraha’s breath had calmed down.

“… sorry.”

After a while, Baraha turned his head and released his hand. She could see his ears burning bright red, realizing that he had acted close to foolishness.

He was unable to make eye contact with Yuriel and muttered.

“But I really didn’t come to catch you.”

Baraha, pulling his own hair, lowered his head and said.

“I’m here to let you know that you are the real saint. Now there’s no reason to run away. Even the High Priest who came with me to Mogris Estate now knows this. It may be hard to believe when you suddenly hear this, but there is evidence….”

Baraha, who was talking while looking down at the floor, tilted his head. Because there was no answer, Yuriel’s face looked terrified with a strange thought.

“I am the saint… ?”

Yuriel’s lips trembled. Her face looked like she was in extreme confusion.

“Lord Raphlet. If the High Priest knew that Lord Raphlet, who went out now, was not the saint…”

What Yuriel was muttering was strange. Yuriel spoke as if she already knew she was the saint.

Baraha looked at Yuriel worriedly as she staggered. A strange curve was caught in his gaze.

The dress drew a small curve on Yuriel’s belly.

“Wait, Yuriel. You…. Are you pregnant?”

Baraha asked with a surprised face. Baraha, who was looking at Yuriel stunned, could understand the meaning of the words the High Priest muttered on the train.

‘The Grand Duke was continuing his experiments. If the child who was born and died is Commander Raphlet, the reason he is still intact even after receiving the monster core… !’

He now knew the meaning of the prophecy, which even the writer of the prophecy could not explain properly.

The saint embraces the monster.

Yuriel cannot have a relationship with anyone other than Raphlet, so that would be Raphlet’s child.

Baraha spoke in an enlightened voice.

“Commander Raphlet is a monster.”

It was a strangely clear realization that he had not been able to reach until now.

Seeing Baraha’s bright eyes, Yuriel rushed to the desk. Yuriel reached the desk, grabbed the gun and said,

“No, I controlled the monster. I am not the saint, Lord Raphlet is not a monster!”

The sound of the safety lock being released penetrated Baraha’s ears.

Unfortunately for Yuriel, it didn’t matter whether Baraha was threatened or not. He has a history of trying to die with Yuriel anyway.

It was unexpected and even though he was still alive, he had no regrets even if he died at any time.

The fact that Yuriel had a gun gave him a strange sense of liberation.

He couldn’t kill Yuriel, but if Yuriel kills him, eventually, according to Baraha’s wish, the Imperial Capital will lose one of the two necessary saints and fall.

Baraha imagined the muzzle moving towards him. There was no fear. Baraha, who had been watching Yuriel’s actions in a relaxed manner, had to throw away his leisurely slack.

The gun on Yuriel was pointed at her head.

Baraha had overlooked Yuriel’s heart. Yuriel is a person who worships Raphlet like a god.

When Yuriel knew that she was the saint, he had to anticipate what she would do when she threatened Raphlet’s place.

“… Yuriel, just because you die now doesn’t mean that Raphlet will become the saint. Calm down and put the gun down. You are pregnant. If you get hurt, even the child won’t be safe.”

Baraha persuaded him rationally. For Baraha, who was not good at persuading anyone, it was a very carefully uttered statement.

But those words seemed to be a fuse for Yuriel.

Yuriel’s face contorted sadly.

“… He doesn’t want it.”

Yuriel whispered in a voice so low that it could not reach Baraha.

“Lord Raphlet doesn’t want the child. Baraha.”

final 5 chapters!

Chapter 113

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

It was a very low voice. Baraha pondered whether he had properly listened to Yuriel.

Even if he discovered that the world had collapsed, he will not look more miserable than Yuriel who is in front of him now.

Untied, wavy, light-colored hair stuck to Yuriel’s cheeks. Baraha opened his mouth seeing Yuriel giving strength to her hand holding the gun with a miserable face.

His mind was clearer than ever.

“I’ll help you.”

Who can take Yuriel’s heart more purely than himself?

Baraha was convinced that he had stayed by Yuriel’s side for this moment’s sake.

“I can help with anything.”

Baraha spoke in a calm tone that was not like him. It was a sincere voice that even sounded sweet.

He said he could help with anything, but Baraha already knew what Yuriel wanted.

Yuriel wants to die on her own.

But if both of them died, it had to be Baraha who took the lead. Baraha did not have the courage to watch Yuriel’s death, and wait for his death.

From a very long time ago. Baraha had been waiting for this long-awaited moment even before he first faced the prophecy and found Yuriel.

Yuriel looked at Baraha in disbelief.

There was always a friendly smile on his helpless face. Baraha smiled and asked Yuriel.

“What can I do for you?”

It was similar to the expression on the day Raphlet opened his heart to Yuriel and smiled for the first time.

＊＊＊

“When did you plan to reveal that Raphlet Mogris is a monster?”

The High Priest asked sarcastically.

The High Priest, who had a skinny body from living in a temple for a long time, looked at the Grand Duke with squinted eyes. There was no muscle attached to his old body. A strange glare gleamed in his eyes, which were older than his age.

“If putting the energy of a monster in a weak fetus is possible, it would be possible for the elderly too.”

If they acquire the energy of a monster, they can have a body stronger than a human body. What the high priest wanted was the one right in front of him.

“Are you monopolizing such important information? If other priests find out, they will not stand still.”

The high priest spoke as if he had already understood everything. The Grand Duchess, who had been listening to the High Priest from next to the Grand Duke, turned while the High Priest was absorbed in the Grand Duke.

Except for the High Priest who is here now, no one knows about Raphlet. She doesn’t know how, but the High Priest discovered that Raphlet was a monster while coming here.

The Grand Duchess gave the knights a signal. The Commanders approached at her signal.

“Kill them all.”

“… Yes?”

“Close the estate and the knight, the priest, who came in today, kill everyone involved in Albraka.”

“Madam.”

“The estate’s survival is at stake. Those who do not follow will be governed by the estate’s law.”

She didn’t know who was holding the important information, so the answer was to process everything.

The Commanders who heard the Grand Duchess’s orders bowed their heads and obeyed. When she said that the estate’s survival was at stake, they had no choice but to comply.

“Is it okay to bring the knights of Albraka into the castle?”

“We have to deal with it without the civilians knowing, so it would be better to do that…. Use the weapon, not the sword.”

“Are you talking about weapons made from monster teeth?”

“Yes. All traces left on the body of the Paladins will look like traces of monsters. If necessary, you can use the monster poison.”

The Commanders asked questions before they left. A weapon made with the teeth and claws of the monster was a powerful and cruel weapon.

The wounds it inflicts leave a trace of being bitten by a monster. It was a cruel weapon to be used against humans.

The Grand Duchess finished her order and turned her back. One of the Commanders followed the Grand Duchess and said,

“I will escort you.”

“There is no need for an escort. Join the knights.”

“When the battle begins, it will be dangerous… ”

The Grand Duchess rebuked the Commander as he approached her.

“Did I order an escort?”

“… no.”

“Protect my husband as he is close to the battlefield.”

“Yes.”

The Commander saw the Grand Duchess walking alone. His eyes kept moving towards the black thing on the Grand Duchess’ clothes.

It was strange to see her rushing to somewhere in this urgent situation after ordering a battle.

As the Commander watched as she rode her horse, he saw the signal announcing the start of the battle.

It was winter with short days. The night was coming soon, so they had to hurry.

If the battle continues after the sun completely sets, the locals will notice the commotion.

The Grand Duchess and the commander headed in different directions. Seeing the Commander heading towards the gates, the Grand Duchess got on her horse and kicked the waist.

She headed towards the building and looked at the window of the room where Raphlet and Yuriel were staying. She looked at the dark window and frowned.

Thanks to the horse, she reached her destination in no time. The Grand Duchess’ steps became hasty when she saw the signal that meant the battle had begun.

After a few slips from her hand putting the key in, she unlocked the door to the lab. The laboratory she showed Yuriel was only a small part of the basement.

After she crossed the laboratory, the Grand Duchess arrived at the cage where the monsters were kept. The monsters that had undergone transformation and had acquired powerful strength growled inside the cage.

Their eyes were full of murderous energy, whether they recognized the one who caused their pain was the Grand Duchess. With the slimy saliva dripping down, the monster with its teeth exposed pushed its snout through the grate.

The Grand Duchess, who had been watching it, sneered at the ignorant beast, and said.

“You can’t learn. That’s why you’re a beast.”

The claws of the monster that could not reach outside were caught in the grate and black blood flowed out. The Grand Duchess laughed at them and opened the cage that had been closed.

The wall opposite the place where the Grand Duchess was, was opened. At the end of the dark hallway was an elevator leading to the ground.

It was used to send monsters outside. The monsters sent out using the elevator tended to perceive it as safe.

Stupidly, there was also a monster whose head was cut off after entering the elevator used in another building.

“It’s a pity that I studied them for a long time…. There is nothing we can do to claim that the cause of the Paladins’ death was monsters.”

The monsters growled as they looked at the Grand Duchess, and then moved along the only path that appeared. The underground laboratory full of monsters was empty.

After all the monsters were sent out, the Grand Duchess left the basement.

＊＊＊

Yuriel took off the clothes provided by the Grand Duchess and put on the familiar maid’s clothes.

The buttons were meticulously fastened, and a black cloth was wound into a ribbon. Her hair was also braided as usual and she looked in the mirror. The black maid’s suit looked no different from a funeral suit.

In the mirror was her own face with a sad and weary expression.

Yuriel, who had been stroking the corner of her lowered lips with her finger, gave up on changing her hard expression and looked away from the mirror.

She has to focus on just getting the job done right.

It was a waste of energy to spend on such a melancholy expression at a moment like this.

While Yuriel was changing clothes, Baraha looked out the cluttered window and didn’t move. Yuriel spoke to his back.

“I’m ready, Baraha.”

“Is it really okay to do that?”

“Yes. You? You are really….”

“I don’t care.”

Baraha answered in a reassuring tone and put out the candle that had been lit.

What Yuriel had asked him was difficult to listen to, considering Baraha’s position.

No, even if he was not a knight belonging to Albraka like Baraha, there would be no one who would listen to Yuriel’s request.

‘Who knows that Lord Raphlet is not the saint?’

‘The High Priest.’

‘Only the high priest?

‘Yes, me and the High Priest.’

‘… Baraha, I will kill anyone who knows about the prophecy.’

In order for Raphlet to continue to be regarded as a saint, there must be no real saint.

The fact that there were more people who had to disappear made Yuriel hesitant.

It was because she was prepared to die for Raphlet, but she was not prepared to kill others.

‘I’ll take care of the High Priest. That person, I hated him from a long time ago.’

Instead of the hesitant Yuriel, Baraha took the initiative. He became the most active and cheerful person since she met him.

He said cheerfully, as if he wanted to take on the funnest role.

No matter how aggressive he is, it will get his hands dirty. It’s different from killing monsters. Yuriel frowned and said.

‘Why you?’

‘The person who told the High Priest about the prophecy should fix it. I told him.’

‘Baraha. I…. I don’t know why you’re trying to help me.’

The biggest reason that made Yuriel hesitate was Baraha.

The High Priest was not the only one who knew about the prophecy and the identity of the saint.

Yuriel muttered in a low voice.

‘… I said I was going to kill everyone who knew about the prophecy.’

‘Yes, do whatever you want.’

Baraha replied with a relaxed face as if he could not understand the meaning of Yuriel’s words. Yuriel bit her lip with her teeth at his relaxed demeanor.

She was confused as to whether he was pretending to be stupid to distract her, or if he really didn’t understand the meaning of her words.

Seeing Yuriel biting her lips nervously, Baraha shrugged his shoulders and said.

‘You’re saying you’re going to kill me too.’

Before Baraha could finish his words, Yuriel distanced herself from him. Baraha, who saw Yuriel stepping back and aiming her gun at him, backed away as if not wanting to provoke Yuriel.

After reaching enough distance for Yuriel to be relieved, Baraha opened his mouth.

‘Good, Yuriel.’

He spoke in a sweet, gentle tone.

‘Do that.’

Chapter 114

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

“All I have to do is find the monster, right?”

Baraha looked at Yuriel and asked.

“Yes, that’s okay…. It’s better if I go with you.”

“Moving alone is faster.”

“If you go alone, the monsters will attack you.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be back soon, so wait here.”

It was right after she explained the plan to Baraha to show him how to handle monsters. Yuriel noticed that the monsters that were with her at the time she met Raphlet were still roaming the castle.

At night, the monsters’ cries were heard in the dark forest. It was the sound Yuriel was afraid of when she was a servant.

Now it’s the opposite.

Even though she was suffering from anxiety, she was able to sleep with peace of mind when she heard the monsters’ sound nearby.

“… Try not to hurt it if possible.”

Watching Baraha go out through the window, Yuriel asked him in a low voice.

It was hard to remember when she started to fall in love with monsters.

Yuriel asked carefully and bowed her head. She hated herself for not wanting the monsters to get hurt while she was trying to kill the High Priest.

Yuriel was worried that Baraha would criticize her for that, but he answered in a calm tone.

“Alright.”

Baraha also seemed to have the same thoughts as Yuriel.

Looking at Baraha, Yuriel noticed that Baraha too had something in him that was greatly twisted.

However, she couldn’t guess what and when it started to go wrong.

Suddenly, a question that Baraha had asked before flashed through her mind.

‘Then what if I saved you?’

If Commander Helio had saved you, if only I had saved you. Could she have come to fall in love with someone other than Raphlet?

At that time, did Baraha do something?

Yuriel pondered the old memories. She thought it was absurd, but in fact, that wasn’t wrong.

If she hadn’t met Raphlet like that, she wouldn’t have come to worship him so much.

Memories of Baraha, less than a year ago, faded, but the moment she met Raphlet was still vivid.

Yuriel recalled the day as vividly as if it had just happened yesterday. The monsters rushed towards her, and Raphlet appeared.

Just before he appeared, the sound of tree branches being trampled on seemed to be audible.

The place where Yuriel first met Baraha was at the place where Raphlet had rescued her before.

After Raphlet joined Albraka, Yuriel met Baraha while wandering in search of places with memories of Raphlet.

Baraha was standing in the spot where Yuriel had fallen while avoiding the monster, staring blankly at the tree. There were a lot of people who came to the forest of Mogris to die alone, and Yuriel occasionally saw such people.

Seeing Baraha’s helpless expression, she thought that he might have entered the forest to die, and stopped him.

It was just that she didn’t want a corpse to appear in the place where she had memories with Raphlet.

‘You must not die here.’

Baraha, who looked at Yuriel with loose eyes, disappeared without an answer. Yuriel was worried that he might come to die again, so she visited there often.

Just like she had lost Raphlet to Albraka, she thought that Baraha had lost something.

Maybe something was taken from him somewhere close to Mogris castle ….

Yuriel looked at Baraha’s back and thought so.

Maybe when Raphlet saved her, Baraha was there.

“Baraha.”

Baraha opened the window and looked back at Yuriel. A cold wind blew hard into the room. Even though her breath came out white, Yuriel couldn’t feel the cold.

Baraha tilted his head asking if she had more to say.

“… When we first met, how did you know that place? It’s a remote place, so it’s hard to find unless you’re from Mogris Territory.”

Baraha tilted his head with a loose face and pursed his lips. A shallow sigh escaped between his open lips.

Baraha could hardly answer, and Yuriel found it enough.

“It was so long ago, you can’t even remember. I asked you something weird, right?”

Yuriel spoke in a light tone to Baraha who looked firm.

“… Yuriel.”

“Go on, I will wait here.”

Seeing Yuriel talking with a smile on her face, Baraha opened his mouth as if trying to get his courage. Yuriel cut Baraha’s words who called out to her with a sad voice.

The answer was enough.

Even if Baraha was there, nothing would change.

The High Priest, Baraha, and Yuriel herself will die here today.

However, Yuriel thought that she had gotten the answer to the question.

When did something go wrong? Why did this happen?

The twist must have started from the moment Raphlet rescued Yuriel.

And even before that, from the moment the Grand Duchess conceived the existence she had obtained through the power of a monster.

“Go, Baraha.”

Yuriel said firmly.

Even if the question was answered, nothing would change.

After Baraha left, Yuriel sighed as she sat down on the chair.

The person he wanted to protect was her.

Yuriel looked at the gun that she had aimed at him and let out a sigh. Pointing the gun in front of Baraha, she could hardly breathe.

‘I didn’t intend to make and deliver the gun like this, but I might have been able to protect them from having to pick up a gun right next to me….’

The gun made to protect Yuriel almost took her life.

If the trigger had been pulled, Baraha would not have been intact either.

“Stupid.”

Yuriel sighed and muttered.

“At that time, I was still young. If it wasn’t for someone as strong as Lord Raphlet, I wouldn’t have been able to save him, but he regretted it… ?”

She murmured while fiddling with the gun barrel.

Baraha also had an upright side like a fool. He was too honest. Yuriel could see that he was trying to help her because he felt guilty about the memories of not being able to save her.

Yuriel shook her head, trying to get Baraha’s bitter expression out of her head.

While erasing her expression, the monster’s cry began to be heard from a very close distance.

“Has Baraha come already? It’s not that close….”

Yuriel raised her eyebrows and stood up.

The sound was too close. Yuriel looked out the window and took a deep breath after looking at the state of the monsters.

They weren’t ordinary monsters. The monsters whose bodies were deformed to the point of disgusting were looking for a place to channel their murderous intent, and their eyes were shining.

The numbers were also considerable.

At that level, even the knights of Albraka would have to struggle.

Yuriel covered her mouth as she saw so many monsters that filled the garden.

The monsters were heading towards the noisiest area of the mansion, the front gate.

There were no familiar monsters. Again, it didn’t seem like the monster Baraha had brought.

Yuriel looked around impatiently. She didn’t see what she was looking for.

There weren’t the monsters she came with.

The High Priest said that he knew that Raphlet was a monster. She thought that if the monsters went to the place he was now, it could let other knights know about it.

She couldn’t continue her thoughts any longer. Yuriel left the room.

Even though she entered among the monsters exuding vicious momentum, she was not worried about their attacks.

“The monster protected the egg.”

As she went through subjugation with the Knights, she watched how much the monsters value their young. The monster protects the monster with eggs and young even by sacrificing its own body.

Yuriel, who embraced the child of a monster, was the target of their protection, not the enemy.

Yuriel noticed that some of the monsters full of murderous intent looked at her and growled. As soon as they left the building, the monster ran as if to kill Yuriel on sight.

They groaned wildly, but when they came near Yuriel, they gathered their teeth and gently thrust their heads in.

They realized that Yuriel was the target to protect.

Yuriel was buried among the huge monsters that exceeded her height.

A monster opened its mouth as if wanting to hold Yuriel’s neck and move her. It was a move without intention of attack, but Yuriel, seeing the ugly teeth, turned back scared.

Even if the monster bit the nape of her neck, it was clear that Yuriel would receive a fatal wound.

When Yuriel showed a sign of dislike, the monster retreated.

If there was a monster with eggs or young, a nest would be created there.

Yuriel watched the gathered monsters with her at the center. They seemed to have interpreted differently when she retreated from the monsters’ presence.

They decided to use this place where Yuriel was as their nest.

＊＊＊

“… Miss Yuriel… ?”

Yuriel led the monsters that followed her and headed for the front gate. The knights of Albraka’s eyes, who were simultaneously dealing with the monsters and the knights of Mogris, reached Yuriel.

“Did you really control monsters?”

Someone asked a question as if criticizing her. It was a knight she knew before.

Even though they were not close, he was someone who exchanged words with Yuriel and greeted each other.

Upon hearing his question, Yuriel was relieved and wiped her chest.

It seemed that no one had heard the news that Raphlet was a monster yet. Also that she is the saint.

Yuriel’s expression of relief as she looked at the knights who had fallen under attack seemed to have felt quite disgusting to them.

“How dare you….Until now… !”

The knights of Albraka showed their intention to kill Yuriel. The worship that should be directed to the saint was nowhere to be found.

The prophecy was no longer valid.

Chapter 115

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The winter night came early. In winter, there was always snow, which tormented the people of Mogris estate.

Raphlet, who asked the High Priest for a private meeting, saw the knights that were starting to get lit under the magic lamp one by one.

The knights of Albraka and Mogris were mixed together. The ground had long been muddy and dirty with messy footprints and splattered blood.

The thick snowflakes could not accumulate and instead turned into filth.

“Commander Raphlet.”

Raphlet, who was gazing at the direction of the building where Yuriel was, turned his gaze. He saw an old man approaching death.

A sense of greed and betrayal filled his eyes. The High Priest opened his mouth, grimacing the small wrinkles around his eyes.

“How long have you been trying to hide the fact that you are a monster?”

Hearing his question, Raphlet looked down at his uniform and pressed his fingertips to his forehead.

He was unaware that he had been caught, he was troubled. It was discovered that he was a monster, so he will no longer be able to remain as Albraka’s commander.

The High Priest’s attitude was unexpected.

Perhaps it was a courtesy to Raphlet’s former post; there was no sign of anger even after discovering Raphlet’s identity.

The knights of Albraka that were under attack didn’t seem to be in the High Priest’s interest.

“Of course, that doesn’t matter now. How you were born with the power of a monster….”

“High Priest.”

“Yes, Commander Raphlet.”

“Isn’t it more important to protect the knights than to figure out how to receive the monster’s power?”

Raphlet criticized him in a monotonous voice.

“Since there is the saint, it’s okay to reduce the number of knights. The Imperial Capital is safe as long as she is there.”

“… she?”

“I’m talking about Yuriel. Commander Raphlet, the maid you were with.”

Raphlet’s shoulders stiffened. He had an unfamiliar look as if he understood it for the first time in his life.

The High Priest, noticing Raphlet’s surprise, loosened his tension.

“If you promise to send her to the Imperial Capital and share information about the monsters, today’s incident will be finished as a monster attack.”

Is Yuriel the saint?

It was difficult to concentrate on the High Priest’s words. The High Priest is convinced that Yuriel is the saint.

How and what does he know to be so sure?

He had a short time to recover from the shock, but Raphlet focused on something else.

His head was slowly starting to clear.

“I don’t think it’s possible to have a monster….”

“She was being treated by Shudmuel for several months before she disappeared. I found it strange that Shudmuel was looking for medicines to help a pregnant woman, so I had him investigated, and he was giving it to her.”

“Pregnant.”

Raphlet repeated the High Priest’s words in a dazed tone.

Was she really pregnant at that time?

“If she is pregnant, that would of course be your child, right? Who else fits the prophecy here?”

Every word from the High Priest seemed to hit him in the head.

‘You don’t want to have children?’

She remembered Yuriel’s thin eyelashes that were shaking, and her fearful face that couldn’t bear to look at him.

‘I see….’

Yuriel was hurt by his unresponsive attitude. Raphlet could not keep his composure and held his breath.

What had he done to Yuriel?

His hands trembled as if in a seizure. Yuriel’s expression as if she had lost something did not leave his head.

No, no.

“I didn’t answer.”

“What do you mean?”

Raphlet, who was terrified thinking of Yuriel’s reaction, opened his mouth unknowingly. Hearing the muttering without meaning, the High Priest furrowed his eyebrows.

Raphlet thought, looking down at his trembling fingers.

‘Let’s talk again when we come back.’

Looking at Yuriel’s back, he clearly said that.

It’s still not too late. There is still a chance.

Raphlet let out a breath that had barely stopped.

Holding his breath, he suppressed his anxiety. He must go back to Yuriel.

Dealing with the High Priest came later.

The first thing he had to do was explain to Yuriel the misunderstanding he had.

Raphlet immediately moved to return to Yuriel.

“Why are monsters here… !”

Monsters that appeared from nowhere were indiscriminately attacking the knights. The High Priest looked very perplexed.

Realizing that the Grand Duchess was not with the Grand Duke, Raphlet bit his lips. It was clear that she had unleashed the monsters into the castle.

Without having an escort, the High Priest was alone with Raphlet, and he quickly grabbed Raphlet’s arm.

It seemed that he was afraid that Raphlet would jump out.

“The knights will take care of the monsters, so Commander Raphlet, you are here to protect me….”

An anxiety for his own safety and concern for Raphlet’s condition were evident on his face. The High Priest was regretting that even a drop of Raphlet’s blood would be shed.

A breath leaked out at the more extreme treatment than when he was treated as the saint. Raphlet shook his hand and spoke coldly.

“Call another knight.”

Raphlet turned around. The High Priest nervously shouted at Raphlet, who was about to leave him behind.

“If I am not safe, even your maid will not be able to make it to the Imperial Capital! If you don’t say that she’s the saint, you should know that the knights will come to kill her again.”

The High Priest said threateningly. The High Priest was elated as Raphlet stopped moving after he shouted to Raphlet’s back.

Raphlet thought quietly as his body stopped.

The Grand Duchess, his mother, unleashed monsters into the castle. It was no different from saying that no one would leave this place alive.

Contrary to the lack of decisiveness and the somewhat weak-minded Grand Duke, she often handled things radically.

If it was her will, the High Priest would not be able to leave the castle either. Raphlet asked in a subdued voice.

“… Did you tell Mother that you found out who I was?”

“Of course, I have to receive the research information….”

The High Priest nodded his head showing it was obvious.

Raphlet was convinced of his predictions.

The High Priest was also planning to kill the knights of Albraka here. Having confirmed it, he didn’t have to waste time on the High Priest anymore.

However, it seemed that the time wasted on the High Priest was too long.

Raphlet found Yuriel mixed among the monsters.

Yuriel with gloomy eyes, with a gun in her hand.

The uneasiness that had been suppressed shook his head uncomfortably again.

＊＊＊

Of course, the first thing Yuriel looked for was Raphlet.

She was afraid that Raphlet’s blood might be mixed with the blood that had fallen to the ground.

The knights swinging their swords at them were blocked by monsters. It was harder than she thought to see the knights with familiar faces getting hurt, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Even though the magic lamp was shining brightly, it was still dark, so it was difficult to find Raphlet among the knights.

Yuriel anxiously looked for Raphlet.

You’re not hurt are you?

The Grand Duke was protected among the Knights of Mogris. Among them, Raphlet was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah.”

Raphlet finally entered Yuriel’s gaze. Next to him was the High Priest.

A low sigh escaped from Yuriel’s mouth when she checked where the High Priest was located.

Raphlet’s face hardened from what he had heard from the High Priest. He was approaching Yuriel, shoving away the High Priest who was clinging to him.

Yuriel looked at Raphlet and shook her head.

Even though he entered the monsters’ attack range, Raphlet was not being attacked. It was in the middle of the battle, so the other knights didn’t seem to notice it yet.

‘Step back. Lord Raphlet.’

Yuriel moved her lips and expressed her intention to him. It was far away, but Raphlet would have recognized it.

Seeing Yuriel’s refusal, Raphlet stopped. Perhaps it was because he had approached one step less that the light of the magic lamp did not reach his face. Yuriel could not easily tell Raphlet’s expression.

It was dangerous, so it was when she wanted to tell him to step back a little more.

Yuriel felt a cool sensation on the back of her neck and turned around. She could see the blue eyes staring at him.

It’s a familiar knight’s face. A knight who was quick on his feet and had always approached Raphlet with a cheerful face. He was a man who often talked with Yuriel.

As she recognized his face, she felt terrible pain.

The sword from the knight hiding among the monsters pierced Yuriel’s chest.

Yuriel looked at the knight’s face who stabbed her chest. Standing at the vanguard with Raphlet, the knight was always quick to execute orders.

Yuriel stared blankly at his face and let out a moan of pain. The knight’s face contorted.

“How can you deceive us like that? How much Commander Raphlet cared for you!”

He said to Yuriel.

His reaction was what Yuriel wanted. Looking at the knight’s face full of betrayal and criticism, Yuriel opened her lips.

She didn’t want Raphlet to see her being attacked in a place like this.

Lord Raphlet.

No matter how hard she moved her lips, the only thing that came out was a light sigh.

Her head kept falling down because of the unbearable pain. After reuniting with Raphlet, her belly became noticeably swollen.

Tears that were difficult to determine whether it was of pain or sorrow fell from Yuriel’s eyes.

Chapter 116

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The sword that stabbed Yuriel pulled backwards. The monsters attacked the knight and quickly re-established the defense line, but it was already too late.

Yuriel’s body fell to the floor.

The monsters with Yuriel in the middle did not know what to do and moved together. They felt impatient as if they had a broken egg in front of them.

This is the end, Yuriel thought, putting her hand on her stomach.

She felt as if a weak fetal movement was happening at the tip of her finger. She wasn’t sure because her whole body was shaking like throbbing.

Thoughts continued sporadically. It felt like her thoughts were being erased because she couldn’t breathe properly.

She was worried about not seeing the High Priest die, but that thought vanished after a while.

She trusted that Baraha would handle it according to her will.

Anxiety and worry were washed away one by one, and only Raphlet’s face remained clear.

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel felt a hand supporting her. Cold fingers touched her cheek. Even with her blurred vision, she recognized at once that it was Raphlet.

“Ugh….”

“It’s okay, it’s not too bad. It’s not serious, so…. don’t worry. It will be fine.”

Raphlet said as he covered Yuriel’s wounds with his coat. Yuriel groaned painfully as she received a hand pressing hard against her chest.

“It, hurts….”

“I’m sorry, hang in there.”

As she barely opened her lips, Raphlet calmed Yuriel in a calm voice. A weak finger touched the back of Raphlet’s hand.

“Do..n’t….”

It was close to a miracle that she was breathing like this.

To Yuriel, the miracle was not warmly welcomed. The reason she came here was to die.

The longer she lived, the longer she felt the pain.

They would one day discover that Raphlet was not the saint if she was still alive.

Knowing that he didn’t want children, she had no reason to live.

Yuriel pushed him away, meaninglessly blocking the wound. Raphlet tilted his head to Yuriel and said,

He ordered Yuriel in a firm tone.

“No, even if it hurts, endure it. You’re going to have the child, and you have to stay by my side.”

Yuriel’s body, which had been stretched without strength, shook. Seeing Yuriel’s reaction, Raphlet whispered to her over and over again.

“You wanted to have the child. Aren’t you wondering if the child will look like you or me?”

“The child….”

“Yuriel, I want it to be like you.”

Yuriel gave strength to the finger that touched the back of Raphlet’s hand.

As if he was waiting, he wrapped his other hand around Yuriel’s hand.

Immediately after mentioning the word ‘child’, Raphlet paused for a moment as if he had realized something.

The monster core, that is what is now in Yuriel’s body.

Raphlet, who had fallen into despair at the sight of a wound that an ordinary person could not survive from, thought of something.

Those who received the monster’s core had superior resilience compared to others. Although her heart was pierced, Yuriel was still alive.

So she was being affected by the monster core. The fact that Yuriel was pregnant couldn’t be more fortunate.

“It’s okay. If it’s my child, if you’re holding a monster…. You can be safe.”

Raphlet said with his eyes fixed on Yuriel.

It would be possible to restore Yuriel, but that’s the problem. He must create a comfortable place for her, the child, and Raphlet himself.

Raphlet’s eyes darkened.

All the knights here, the High Priest, and even his parents are all unhelpful beings.

What was helpful….

Raphlet confirmed the energy of the monsters protecting Yuriel.

Only the monsters were helpful.

“So, get some sleep. Then everything will be fine.”

Upon hearing Raphlet’s words, Yuriel moved her lips with difficulty. A pathetic smile formed on Yuriel’s face.

She had a sad face as if she had heard a friendly lie.

Yuriel followed his voice and closed her eyes.

Raphlet did not take his eyes off of Yuriel for a moment as she closed her eyes in disbelief.

He wished he had comforted Yuriel even with lies.

He lived his life wisely. He had to be more sincere and virtuous than others so that no one would discover his secrets. He suppressed his sensitive nature and forcibly pretended to be composed.

Nature did not disappear.

The destructive lust that Raphlet felt toward Yuriel changed the target, but it still remained.

It was very fortunate for Raphlet that it was aimed at people other than Yuriel.

After hearing the High Priest’s words, he realized what was the reason for his desire to destroy Yuriel.

Because Yuriel was the saint. Since the saint is a being who inevitably threatens monsters, he instinctively understood that she was a being that would harm him.

After she became pregnant, the desire for destruction towards Yuriel decreased significantly. Now, the desire to protect Yuriel was the only thing left.

Raphlet’s lust for destruction was directed at those who attacked Yuriel.

Yuriel had finally found a place where the desire that could not be released could be resolved.

What he needs is a nest.

A place where Yuriel can have peace of mind.

Raphlet grabbed Yuriel and stood up.

The monsters calmed down when the anxious monsters knew that the young was safe.

“… Commander Raphlet.”

After Yuriel collapsed, the battle fell into a lull.

The knights of Albraka, who had lost their target, were watching Raphlet’s actions. Raphlet’s surroundings as he was holding Yuriel was quiet.

The stillness was foreign.

Those who were watching Raphlet noticed where the alienation was coming from.

Like Yuriel, Raphlet was not attacked even though he was among the monsters.

The knights of Albraka stared blankly at the dreadful sight. They have seen such sights.

Monsters have a habit of taking the strongest individual as their leader. Even if another group appears, they gain the upper hand without fighting.

Just like the monsters who are now accepting Raphlet.

Raphlet moved Yuriel to a safe place and turned around.

The knights who saw Raphlet’s back, who had always been at the forefront, were now facing his face in battle.

The golden eyes seen under the magic lamp gleamed with murderous intent towards the knights.

＊＊＊

Yuriel slowly opened her eyes. The surrounding was quiet enough to hear the sound of snow falling.

The view of the snow pouring out of the window was peaceful. It was still before sunrise.

Watching the snowfall sometimes blurs reality and dreams.

It was the same this time. As if left alone, Yuriel woke up in a quiet room.

She was obviously stabbed in the chest and collapsed.

“Is it a dream?”

The feeling was different from the precognitive dream she usually had. Her precognitive dreams tormented her, leaving behind vivid afterimages even after waking from her dream.

She couldn’t wake up so peacefully on the day she had the precognitive dream.

Her body felt light as if her fatigue was completely relieved.

There was no chest wound either….

“It moved… ?”

She felt the fetal movement. Yuriel jumped out of bed.

“Madam told me to come to her as soon as the baby moved!”

The Grand Duchess immediately urged her to come and find her when she felt the fetal movement. This is an important moment to ensure that the baby is growing properly.

After leaving Raphlet’s room, Yuriel ran down the building that was quieter than usual.

Yuriel didn’t notice anything strange until the moment she put the key to the basement.

“… Madam, are you here?”

When she opened the door to the basement, a cold wind came in. Yuriel crouched in the cold wind and went down the stairs.

“This… what….”

Yuriel glanced around the room that became a mess with the ugly broken test containers.

“Was there an earthquake?”

Being careful not to step on the broken pieces, Yuriel inspected the laboratory.

If it hadn’t been for an earthquake last night, there wouldn’t have been such a mess. Yuriel looked around the laboratory anxiously and found a torn experiment log.

It was a journal in which the Grand Duchess recorded Yuriel’s condition.

Among the journals, the most important records were torn and burned, or a little bit of ashes remained on the floor.

It was not an earthquake.

Yuriel stopped examining the laboratory. As she frantically exited the laboratory, she stepped on the debris that had filled the laboratory.

A shard pierced her foot that was on thin slippers. There was some pain, but it went away quickly.

She didn’t even care that she was supposed to be hiding.

Yuriel felt the castle was strangely silent. Even at dawn, it was normal for servants to diligently go to and from the castle.

Yuriel looked at the snow-covered garden with a white face. There were no human footprints in the snow.

Something was definitely wrong.

“Lord Raphlet!”

Yuriel, who was walking around the large garden, headed towards the front gate with a sudden memory.

Yuriel stopped at the front gate.

The snow that had fallen overnight was piled up in a strange shape. A bulging snowball appeared as if covering a fallen person.

Chapter 117 END

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Mogris Castle became a huge cemetery. Yuriel recognized it with a surprisingly clean mind.

It was still snowing heavily in the garden where there were only the dead.

Yuriel turned her gaze away from the bumpy snow pile. It was so quiet that the sound of falling snow was heard in her ears.

Large footprints were sparsely stamped on the edge of the snow-covered area that people could not see.

It’s a monster’s footprint.

The footprints did not completely disappear as if they had just passed. Yuriel followed the trail and moved as if possessed.

Her feet were soaked in the snow because she was wearing thin slippers that she only used in the bedroom, but strangely, she didn’t feel the cold.

She didn’t feel any pain at all when she stepped on a shard of glass in the laboratory a while ago. Yuriel, who was walking in the monster’s footsteps, looked into the soles of her feet, saw the unscathed skin, and blinked.

There was nothing left, as if all cold sensations, pain, and human traces had been cut away.

Following the monster’s footsteps, Yuriel entered the forest and reached a point where there were countless traces. The monsters’ footprints were engraved on the ground.

There were too many trails to follow.

She didn’t know where to go to get to where she wanted to go.

Yuriel followed only one trace. From every moment she remembered, Yuriel followed only one path.

Following Raphlet was all Yuriel wanted.

She felt like she had lost it all now. Vague and despondent.

Among the countless footprints leading to the forest, one of them seemed to have been Raphlet’s. She wanted to find a way, but her body didn’t move.

She followed Raphlet all her life. As if it was all her own.

“Lord Raphlet….”

The late morning sun was slowly emerging from behind. As bright as Raphlet’s pupils, golden sunlight passed through the trees and poured down behind Yuriel.

Was Raphlet also lying under the snow grave in the garden?

“Then what about me?”

What happened to me?

If her memory was not a dream, Yuriel was surely stabbed in the chest.

Standing and breathing….

Yuriel, who was continuing her thoughts, stopped breathing.

It’s so cold but no breath comes out. She felt a dull sensation as if she had taken a powerful paralytic drug.

“Ah….”

Yuriel, checking her own physical condition, noticed the only sensation that was not dull.

The child is moving.

The last words she remembered came to mind.

‘Yuriel, I want it to be like you.’

The memory of how Raphlet comforted her by telling a lie that he had never said before.

She remembered him whispering softly with a distorted face, and Yuriel sat down.

The hem of her skirt was wet with snow.

Yuriel hugged her stomach and burst into tears. It was like being submerged in water. Even her own crying was awkward as if it wasn’t her.

“Lord, Lord Raph, let….”

A voice mingled with weeping was pathetic.

Even if Raphlet had fallen under the grave, Yuriel had to live.

‘Get some sleep. Then everything will be fine.’

Raphlet asked Yuriel to get some sleep and wake up. He also asked her to have his child.

It felt like she had a dream like this before.

Yuriel thought as she looked at the tears falling on the back of her hand and onto the ground.

Yuriel, whose stomach was full as she was now, was defenseless as if she was being chased by someone, and her feet without shoes turned bright red as if they were frostbitten.

She was wandering through the forest with her tingling feet moving quickly.

After that, Raphlet appeared and covered Yuriel’s mouth. Around that time the voices of several people began to be heard in the forest.

Contrary to her dream, Yuriel, who raised her head while recalling the dream, was still faced with a quiet forest.

Only the sound of the wind blew past her ears.

There was no sound of birds chirping at dawn.

There was no way Raphlet could threaten her, so at the time she thought she was just having a nightmare.

“If it was a precognitive dream, it would have been nice….”

Even if Raphlet threatened her, it would have been better for him to be here.

“Yuriel.”

As Yuriel shook her head and muttered in despair, a low voice called out to her.

“What are you doing?”

Yuriel’s head moved quickly. Yuriel swung her neck and froze when she saw the man approaching her.

Raphlet was standing in front of Yuriel with his forehead slightly furrowed.

Raphlet’s face could not be seen properly because of the direct light.

His lips seemed to curve softly, but not precisely.

Yuriel rubbed her tear-clouded eyes with the back of her hand and grabbed the hem of the trousers right in front of her.

She wanted to check his face properly, but she couldn’t get up.

Raphlet bowed down as if he knew what Yuriel meant.

She couldn’t think of anything as she looked at him as she slumped on the ground.

What does that matter now whether he sits on the ground or not?

“How are you alive? Yesterday…. No, what about me? How am I alive?”

Yuriel, who grabbed Raphlet’s cheek with both hands, who was sitting on the ground with her, asked without hesitation.

“You had a child.”

“What’s wrong with the child?”

“I am a monster, my child is also a monster.”

“What does that have to do with my wounds….”

Yuriel, who was listening to Raphlet, realized something and opened her mouth slightly.

Monster core. The monster core that even the child had gave an effect on her body.

Raphlet looked at Yuriel’s face and waited until she came to her senses, facing a story that was more unrealistic than her dream.

Yuriel, who found out why she was alive, asked a question.

“Is anyone alive?”

“No.”

Raphlet said in a quiet voice. Upon hearing the answer that came out without hesitation, Yuriel was stunned.

“Lord Raphlet.”

“No one is alive. Yuriel.”

All the knights were dead, so there was no way Albraka could stand still.

The knights will come back to Mogris. After looking for traces and discovering that Raphlet had harmed the knights….

Yuriel looked at Raphlet anxiously.

“I’ll say I did everything, so Lord Raphlet should run away… ”

Still, he would be fine as long as he was alive. Yuriel thought so and spoke the words to make Raphlet run away.

Yuriel’s words were devoured by the others’ voices before they could even be finished.

“Commander Raphlet. We’ve finished cleaning up.”

The knight who stabbed Yuriel appeared behind Raphlet with a calm face and spoke.

“Yes. Now go back.”

She couldn’t figure out how things went.

“Huh? How did this happen… .”

Yuriel muttered while looking at the knight and Raphlet’s faces alternately.

“No one is alive.”

“What?”

“Let’s get up and go back. Mogris, the Imperial Capital will all be yours. Rest assured that no one will harm you and the child.”

Raphlet said with an expression and tone that looked light as if a load had been lifted off his shoulders.

Yuriel held his large hand as he reached out to hold her and raised her body.

While holding his hand and walking side by side, she realized that Raphlet did not speak formal words to himself, which he did even in front of the knights, and that he was naturally polite to his subordinates.

＊＊＊

The train to the Imperial Capital, where the Knights of Albraka was located, was unusually full.

It is a train from the Grand Duke Mogris’ residence to the Imperial Capital. The knights in Albraka Knights uniform were boarding onto the train leaving the terminal.

Yuriel sat next to Raphlet and observed the knights busily moving their luggage.

“Miss Yuriel. Is there anything you need?”

Unlike Raphlet and Yuriel, who sat quietly, a busy knight noticed Yuriel’s eyes and asked.

Yuriel smiled and shook her head.

“No. Nothing.”

“Call me anytime if you need anything.”

He responded with curved eyes, following Yuriel’s laughter.

None of the knights who received the core transplant died.

She was able to understand Raphlet’s words that no one is alive.

They were revived as monsters, not humans. Monsters who obey Raphlet’s orders.

All the people in the train were monsters.

Raphlet covered her full belly with a blanket.

“We can take a break, so tell me if you’re tired.”

“Since I died and came back to life, I haven’t had a hard time at all.”

Yuriel answered playfully, resting her head on Raphlet’s shoulder, who covered her with a blanket.

As Yuriel leaned comfortably and was going to close her eyes, she saw Baraha sitting on the opposite seat.

Baraha looked at the busily moving knights and smirked briefly.

“Who would have predicted that the monsters would enter the Imperial Palace on a train made for everyone’s convenience….”

Unlike the others, when Baraha died, the memories and intelligence seemed to remain vividly when he was resurrected as a monster.

He was in a state similar to Yuriel, and he had the reason to not obey Raphlet’s orders unconditionally.

Even though Baraha knew, he cooperated with Raphlet’s plan as if it was natural.

It was embarrassing to even call it a grand plan.

Raphlet will return to the Imperial Capital and take over the Knights of Albraka.

The Knights, created to oppose the monsters, will be transformed into a nest to protect Yuriel and the child.

She came to love monsters more than people, so it didn’t matter what happened to the people of the Imperial Capital.

Yuriel buried her face in Raphlet’s shoulder and mumbled.

“You kept your promise to come and pick me up.”

She was a little out of breath because of joy.

The moment Yuriel took a long breath, a loud whistle rang out.

Soon, the train full of monsters began to move.

Even the Mogris castle was filled with only monsters that Raphlet had left behind. Yuriel leaned comfortably on Raphlet and closed her eyes.

END

hello, effe here! we have reached the end of Stigma Effect~! 

i know there is a lot of unanswered questions, listing them here so you don’t have to: 

-who is baraha before? why does shudmuel’s hypnosis ‘awakens’ his ability to prophesize? what made him ‘special’
-he wasn’t affected at the end and doesn’t feel the need to obey raphlet like yuriel, so are they both the saint??
-does helio know the child who gave him that weird book is baraha?
-why does he still keep the book and why does he present it as the book of prophecy??? (irl if someone were to hand you a weird book, you’ll just throw it away) 
-what will happen to helio?? he allowed raphlet to go find yuriel so at least he’s good? it’s a waste for him to become a ‘zombie’

aaaaaaaa, i’ve been waiting if the author ever made an after story but none atm, i hope the manhwa gave some closure somehow. 

anyways, thank you for reading and loving Stigma Effect! please thank the previous translator and team and kuroneko_chan our current proofreader!