episode_0022

After news of the villains’ attack reached the Perbache Imperial Mansion, the knights quickly prepared and went out to provide support.

The number is ten.

At first glance, it seemed like a small number, and the knights ranged from 1st to 4th ranks, but their power was beyond compare.

The knights are called one hundred men on the battlefield. What more could they be like, when there is even a first-class knight who can use the Mana Blade?

However, Francia could not join them, because, as John had said, her safety was the top priority.

Step by step.

A total of ten knights rode past, scanning the surroundings.

By the time they got to where John was.

“Oh my god.”

“What is this… … .”

I was able to find a street corner that was completely in chaos.

The Perbache Zodiac Mansion has the zodiac in its name, but it is quite a distance away.

Because the size of the mansion was so large, a lot of land had to be secured.

That’s why the road had to pass through undeveloped areas such as dirt roads and forests.

It was completely blown away.

There were traces of huge craters here and there, and broken trees and shattered rocks were strewn across the road.

“Is this a sign of battle?”

“Wouldn’t Harsen Youngsik have swept it all by himself?”

“That could be possible. It’s completely destroyed.”

“… He’s not a super wizard for nothing. His power is unbelievable.”

The knights slowed down and looked around as they advanced. And when they reached a clearing where black ash was swirling due to magical power, they were able to find Johann.

“Harsen Youngshik!”

The knights dismounted, quickly drew their swords, and approached him.

John pushed his bangs back.

“You’re late.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay. I’ve already sorted everything out.”

Johan, whose eyes were stung by the ash flying around, frowned and waved his hand in front of his face.

“The captain was dealt with, and the lower ranks were spared as a warning.”

“Have you figured out the identity?”

“Yes. They are hyenas who are active in the underworld.”

“If they are hyenas… … .”

He is a cancerous lump in the imperial society, taking on all sorts of dirty work handed down from the great families.

“Let’s go and talk about the details. What about your majesty?”

“You arrived at the mansion safely.”

“Yeah.”

John nodded as he mounted the horse they had brought.

“Let’s go back.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Francia was biting her fingernails in a state of anxiety in the lobby of the mansion.

‘Why have you moved already?’

There were two things she was worried about.

Johan’s safety and Cassis Lenokhonen’s hyenas started to move.

Since I had faith that Johan, who had even single-handedly defeated a special-class demon, would return safely, my anxiety wasn’t that great.

It was another matter that Cassis Lenokhonen’s hyenas had already started to move.

‘Is it true that my becoming a lover with Yohan caused such a huge butterfly effect?’

Cassis Lenokhonen’s real move comes after Crown Prince Fedelian’s machinations deepen and the two begin a war of nerves.

But this time, far from a war of nerves, there was no real contact, and yet the hyenas began to move. And they did so very boldly.

‘…They’re not after me. They’re after John.’

By comparing the disappeared past and present, I was able to quickly arrive at the correct answer.

They can’t achieve their goal unless they kill their lover, Johan Harsen. That must be their conclusion.

‘… If this happens, I will have no choice but to move faster.’

Francia has information about the unpredictable future. She knows the locations of many hidden coincidences in this world.

It was still a bit premature, and nothing that would shake society had happened, so we kept quiet.

‘This can’t go on.’

Wasn’t that the case during the den reconnaissance mission a while ago? Things went completely differently.

Originally, Francia should have been assigned to a different unit from Fedelian, and the demons should have flocked to her.

And then Fedelian appears, saves her, and ends it.

But this time, not only was she assigned to the same unit as Fedelian, but the movements of the demons were all directed towards Johan.

From here on out, I started to feel a sense of alarm.

‘If both of them move at the same time, even John will have a hard time handling it.’

We must support him both materially and spiritually, because John is desperately trying to be with him and for himself.

‘I guess I should take it out.’

She walked to the vault in the Pervace Zodiac Mansion.

Francia has not been able to do him any favors since she gave him the Book of Disaster, which was hidden in the Duke of Pervace’s mansion. Even though she has a lot of information that she cannot tell anyone.

But now it was different.

‘Once the flow has started, my goal is to break it, not to slightly disrupt it.’

She had been too complacent from the start. A brief moment of peace and happiness had made her loose.

Francia took out a pendant she had kept hidden in her safe. Seven stars twinkled brilliantly within the red gem.

Artifact.

The name is ‘Rubyon’, and it is a mythical artifact that allows you to avoid a situation that would be tantamount to death seven times.

This artifact has saved her many times before, so it will be of great help to Johan as well.

Not only that, we must use what will happen in the future to elevate John’s title and status to a level that is incomparable to what it is now.

‘I’m sorry, John. I’ll do my best.’

* * *

John arrived at the Perbace Zodiac Mansion in a shabby state.

Francia was waiting for him anxiously at the front gate.

“John!”

As soon as I saw him, I ran to him and hugged him.

“Francia.”

John smiled and patted her head lightly.

“What did I say? You’re stronger than you think.”

“Being strong and going into danger are two different things… … .”

Francia stared at John with her gleaming red eyes.

“You promised never to do this again.”

“Still, it was the best.”

“… … .”

“Because I can’t put Francia in danger.”

Francia, with her cheeks puffed out, could not continue speaking and just buried her face in John’s arms.

“That’s too much. I’m just worried about Yohan, but if you say that, I can’t say anything else.”

John smiled faintly and said as he pushed Francia away from his persistent clinging.

“Anyway, I’m going to wash up and go. I’m too dirty right now to hug Francia for long.”

“Oh, yes. Sorry. I’ll tell you to get ready right away.”

Francia turned her gaze and nodded to the butler next to her, who quickly entered the mansion with his servants.

“Take a rest. We’ll talk later.”

“Yes.”

John entered the mansion.

Let’s wait a moment, the butler has finished preparing the bath, and John can go in to wash himself.

Saaaa.

Lying in the bathtub, John looked up at the ceiling and recalled the previous fight.

‘Personal combat is harder than I imagined.’

If it had been a special level hyena, it would have been quite a struggle if it hadn’t been for the combination of Manryujigae and Yeongryujin.

John was not yet accustomed to using magic, and was at a level where he could not even fight.

What good is it if your affinity and operational skills are overwhelming? What good is it if you learn fraudulent super magic? You can’t fight important battles.

‘I need to focus more on training.’

I’ve been learning martial arts as a hobby since I was young, but it wasn’t until recently that I started using magic properly.

‘Still, I learned a lot and I was able to properly check the performance of the burst point.’

It would have been much quicker if I had just swept it away with a single twist, but where else would I get a chance like this? I should try it out while I can.

‘Anyway, this makes it clear what my level is.’

In a battle where there is no water fight, he is strong enough to defeat a special demon on his own, but he is woefully inadequate in one-on-one combat.

It’s natural since I have no experience.

‘Rather than learning other super magic now, let’s refine the magic we’ve learned.’

And it would be a good idea to cut off guys like Shadow and Hyena so that the Crown Prince and Cassis can’t do anything. I need to build up my sense of reality.

After finishing his thoughts, Johan got up from the bathtub. He dried himself with the towel the servants had prepared, and when he came out of the bathroom wearing a robe, Francia was waiting for him.

“Ah, you came out.”

Francia smiled fondly and patted the bedside table next to her with her palm.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

John shook his wet hair lightly and sat down next to her.

“Take this.”

“What is this?”

Francia handed over a jewel like a red ruby. It was extraordinary, filled with refined magical power.

“This is an amulet passed down from the Perbache family.”

“…Can I take this?”

“There’s no way it won’t work out. Johan will also become a member of the Perbace family.”

Francia said this, smiled, and kissed John on the cheek.

“Always carry this with you. The Duke of Pervace will protect Johan.”

“Thank you.”

John smiled faintly, holding a red jewel like a heart in his hand.

Francia leaned her face against his shoulder, her expression full of worry.

“Don’t you wonder why this keeps happening?”

She said it casually.

“I know. There are many nobles who don’t like the fact that I’m Francia’s lover.”

Even if it weren’t for Fedelian and Cassis, who had started to move in earnest, there were many people who were unhappy with the fact that Johan was in a relationship with Francia.

The high-ranking nobles of the empire think so, as do the elders of the imperial family.

Moreover, there are even loyal subjects who insist on making Francia the empress… … .

“The Duke also said. There are many nobles who are after Francia, so please protect Francia. Of course, I will answer.”

Francia opened her mouth for a moment, then closed it again. She seemed to have something to say, but it seemed like she couldn’t get it out easily.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I want to be with Francia too.”

Johan, who immediately noticed her state of mind, patted Francia’s head.

“I am a lucky man. Aren’t I in love with the most beautiful Francia in the empire?”

Then he laughed slyly.

“… I’m sorry. Thank you. And I like you.”

Francia once again hugged John’s arms and buried her face in his chest.

“I will work harder.”

“Just as is is fine.”

“No, I have to work harder.”

“Why?”

“That’s… ….”

Francia rolled her eyes here and there, then quickly avoided eye contact with him.

“Because I’m John’s lover?”

“… I see.”

John chuckled and laid back on the bed.

“I’m pretty tired, probably because I used a lot of magic power. Should I take a rest now?”

“Okay. I’ll be by your side today so that you can sleep comfortably.”

“Haha. Weren’t you always by my side?”

“… That’s true, but.”

The two locked eyes and soon burst into laughter.

It was a night when the moonlight was particularly beautiful.

* * *

“… I have no face.”

The hyena returned, battered and wounded, knelt down and bowed its head.

“Hmm.”

Cassis seemed to think for a moment, then drew her sword and stared at him with sunken purple eyes.

“Really… …I don’t like it.”

Scratch!

As the pitch-black horizon appeared, blood was sprayed into the air.

“I don’t like the idea of killing me someday.”

dump.

The hyena’s neck fell off and its body collapsed like a scarecrow.

“Put it away.”

“Yes!”

The knights who moved busily and removed the corpses at Cassis’s word. They were the Black Knights under his command in the House of Lenokhonen.

‘I don’t know how you knew I was the one who planned this.’

No evidence was left behind. The only hint was that the hyenas were moving around the Great House.

Can you infer from that alone that he was the one who planned it behind your back?

The correct answer he came up with was, well.

‘There might be an information organization.’

Cassis muttered as he slowly wiped his sword.

“By the way, there were a lot of 1st class civil servants and a lot of people, so did you overcome that all by yourself?”

It seemed that Johan Harsen was far from the typical high-ranking wizard.

‘It’s a shame that I can’t move right away since I was caught leading the way from behind… ‘

Cassis muttered as he drew his sword.

“See you later, Johan Harsen.”