Ch.107Blood and Iron Rejects You (3)

“His Majesty said you’re free to do as you please until he calls for you. He’s quite busy, so he’ll probably summon you after some time has passed.”

At those words, Irene’s ears perked up.

If she didn’t have to meet the Emperor right away, perhaps she could spend some time exploring with Evan.

Irene set down her lemon tea and glanced at Evan.

When their eyes met, she smiled wryly at Evan’s faint smile.

Evan must be thinking the same thing as her. As Irene’s expression relaxed, Kaisel addressed Evan.

“You’ll probably need to stay here for a few days. You’re free to move around the palace as you wish, but providing accommodations falls under my jurisdiction.”

“I’m worried it might be an imposition.”

At Irene’s words, Kaisel started to smile slightly,

but seeing Evan staring at him intently, he just shrugged nonchalantly.

Fighting alongside someone in life-or-death situations should count for something, shouldn’t it?

After glancing at Evan briefly, Kaisel sighed deeply and looked away.

It was difficult to maintain their previous closeness when both the man and woman were jealous of him.

Evan himself didn’t seem to notice, but he was also quite wary of other men.

Who would dare approach those two? Looking at the couple, Kaisel suddenly chuckled as a thought occurred to him.

“Ah, by the way, did you know about this?”

“About what, sir?”

“Your story might become a book. Funny, isn’t it?”

A book? Evan exchanged glances with Irene and let out a hollow laugh.

Had rumors spread so much that they warranted a book? He expected rumors to spread after some time, but a book?

Since he had entered this world while reading a novel, the idea resonated with Evan in a peculiar way.

“Will it be some kind of fairy tale?”

“I suppose so. The ending will be the same, won’t it? ‘And they lived happily ever after.’ That kind of ending.”

Evan chuckled at Kaisel’s words.

A fairy tale ending—perhaps that would be the hardest thing to achieve.

When he was young and still innocent, he thought such endings were natural,

but living through life had taught him that those were actually the most difficult to attain.

Like others, like people, like fairy tales. Reality wasn’t so ideal,

and to simply wait for such an ending… there was still much to do.

“I’ll have to work hard to make that happen.”

At those words, laden with various meanings, Irene looked at Evan.

In the phrase “lived happily ever after,” Irene particularly liked the word “together.”

They were together now, but would they still be together later?

If their feelings changed and everything ended… just imagining it was terrible,

so Irene quietly touched her cheek and squeezed her eyes shut.

…Surely that wouldn’t happen. Irene decided not to let her guard down until they were married.

How could she bring up marriage seriously?

Of course, if she created a fait accompli, Evan would have to marry her whether he liked it or not,

but could pregnancy really happen in just one night? Still trying to soothe her dry mouth with lemon tea, Irene sighed quietly.

But directly pressuring him was embarrassing,

so she would glance at Evan but quickly roll her eyes away when their gazes met.

Evan’s mind was completely filled with thoughts about what lay ahead.

He wondered if Scarlet, who would soon appear, would become entangled with the Crown Prince as in the original story.

Then there was Hatan to deal with, along with the remaining forces of Extinction.

And the red moon they spoke of… But thinking about it here wouldn’t change anything,

so Evan pressed his throbbing head once and stood up from his seat.

“Are you leaving?”

“I want to look around the imperial city a bit. With Irene.”

“Irene,” huh? Seeing Evan now openly calling her by name, Kaisel responded with an awkward voice.

“Do as you please. Whatever you two do is your freedom now, isn’t it? I’ll arrange accommodations for you. They should be ready when you return.”

“We won’t be out long. We’ll be back before dark.”

As Irene bowed her head slightly, Kaisel nodded and headed outside.

After Kaisel disappeared, a strange silence filled the room. Irene glanced at Evan and carefully moved her lips.

To think he would call her by name in front of the Crown Prince… wasn’t Evan embarrassed at all?

But Evan’s expression remained composed, so Irene lowered her head and pressed it against Evan’s chest.

Thud-

As her head naturally touched him, Evan gently embraced Irene’s head.

After a while of listening to his heartbeat in Evan’s arms, Irene spoke.

“…You can let go now.”

“I don’t want to.”

How many times a day did they embrace like this?

When Evan pulled Irene closer by the waist, she placed her hands on his back, making the excuse that she had no choice.

She frowned at the slightly stiff feel of his shirt, then smiled at the warmth coming through it.

The sound of his heartbeat, and his breathing mixed with it.

His back, still with firm muscles, felt scarred under her touch,

suddenly reminding Irene of last night’s memories, making her blush and gently push Evan away.

It was the same for Evan, so the two looked at each other with flushed cheeks before naturally starting to walk.

#

What Evan was looking for outside wasn’t any sightseeing spot. It was Count Kasim, who should still be in the imperial city.

If it weren’t for him, Evan wouldn’t have been able to save Irene—he would have died instead.

Irene nodded in agreement when she heard Evan’s explanation.

“We should thank him. If it weren’t for Count Kasim’s help… neither of us would be here.”

“His Highness said he’s still in the imperial city, so he’s probably at the same place as before.”

Evan felt quite grateful to Count Kasim.

The light spirit he had given him before still had remnants in his body,

and it had helped him considerably when approaching Master status.

The light spirit had played a significant role in developing the Master’s domain.

If he hadn’t received it then, the fight with Biltain would have been much longer.

When they arrived at Count Kasim’s residence, which they had visited before, the door opened and Count Kasim approached them.

Looking extremely happy with a smile spread across his face, Irene smiled faintly.

“Well, damn. So you’re alive.”

“It’s been a while, Count.”

“I thought you were surely dead, but here you are alive. I heard rumors but was still half in doubt. Forgive this old man.”

Forgiveness? Evan looked at Count Kasim and patted his shoulder.

The only thing in his eyes was pure gratitude, which felt quite burdensome.

In truth, he hadn’t died because of the light spirit, had he?

Although the fight had a time limit, he ultimately died because Biltain pierced his heart.

What reason was there to blame Count Kasim? All he needed right now was cold beer and sausage. Just those two things.

“I hear dwarven ale beer is quite popular these days. Could you treat us to some?”

“Treat? Just say the word. I can provide as much as you want!”

Evan smiled brightly at Count Kasim’s hearty laugh.

After going inside and receiving a large glass, Evan watched the yellow liquid being poured and spoke.

“It was very helpful. The light spirit still remains in my heart. Will it stay there forever?”

“As long as you don’t use it enough to burst your heart, it will. But… how often would a Master fight enough to burst his heart? With Biltain dead, all that’s left are small fry.”

“We still don’t know exactly what Extinction is aiming for. It doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

“Heh… that’s true. By the way, I really had no idea you two were in that kind of relationship.”

Irene’s shoulders jerked at Count Kasim’s words.

She had been contemplating whether to drink from the empty glass when the sudden remark broke her thoughts.

Understanding what he meant by “that kind of relationship,” Irene naturally took Evan’s hand and placed it on her knee.

As Count Kasim opened his eyes wide in admiration, Irene smiled calmly and spoke.

“I’ve heard a lot from Evan. Apparently, the light spirit was your help.”

“I gave it to him, but in the end, it only put Lord Evan in danger. There’s no need to thank me.”

“…Danger?”

Irene frowned. Put him in danger?

Recalling that Evan had only told her he received help, without mentioning any danger,

Irene looked at Count Kasim. Seeing his face turn pale as he set down his beer glass, Irene spoke in an unusually cold voice.

“Explain. So I can understand.”

A moment later, after hearing Count Kasim’s full explanation, Irene glared at Evan.

He would have died even if his heart hadn’t been stabbed? And he kept this from her?

She wanted to get angry right away, but seeing Evan watching her nervously, her anger seemed to melt away.

He looked just like a wet puppy. His drooping eyebrows made her heart ache,

so Irene ended up just squeezing his hand without being able to scold him.

Still, thinking she should give him a small punishment, she pinched the back of his hand lightly and spoke.

“Don’t hide things like this from me in the future. Understand?”

“…I understand.”

“If you do it again… I won’t hold your hand for days.”

At those words, Evan’s face turned pale, and Irene smiled with satisfaction.

Count Kasim laughed helplessly at the couple, then took another swig of beer, remembering the family he had lost.

It was a bitter drink. As the subtle aroma of barley filled his mouth, he touched his slightly reddened face and spoke.

“Anyway, I have nothing to say except thank you. Extinction… they’re enemies I’ve wanted to deal with all my life.”

“It’s too early to thank me. Extinction still has a long way to go.”

“Even so, unlike before, there’s hope now. All thanks to you.”

Then, as if remembering something, Count Kasim blinked his eyes wide and continued.

“By the way, Gerard asked me to convey his thanks. Gerard is my friend. Like me, he’s a blacksmith who lost his family to Extinction.”

“…By Gerard, do you mean the one who runs a jewelry shop?”

“You knew? Well, you said you lived in the north, so perhaps you’ve met him.”

Gerard—recalling that name, Evan smiled quietly.

Who would have thought that the strict craftsman he met at the jewelry shop was friends with Count Kasim?

Was that why the quality of the ring he requested was so high?

Glancing at the sapphire ring that still shone bright blue,

he caught Irene’s eye and naturally held her hand with the ring.

“Is that the ring? The one Gerard made?”

“Yes. I didn’t know then, but now I understand why he made it so meticulously.”

“…Well, perhaps various spells are engraved on it. If he recognized you, he might have given his own reward.”

Count Kasim didn’t get drunk until the large oak barrel of beer was empty.

He laughed heartily while drinking with Evan for a long time,

and Evan, who cleared his intoxication with mana, kept him company until the red-faced Count Kasim said he was tired and went inside.

Irene had deliberately avoided alcohol, so Evan made cold iced tea for her and plopped down beside her.

“You must have been bored. With no one to drink with.”

“It’s fine. You know what happens when I drink.”

Evan smiled bitterly as Irene lightly licked her lips.

Indeed, Irene was dangerous when drunk. After drinking some iced tea,

Irene smiled at the sweet taste in her mouth and held Evan’s hand.

It was time to return to the palace, so after briefly saying goodbye to Count Kasim, the two headed straight back.

“Evan, you’re not hiding anything else from me, are you?”

“No, I’m not. Really.”

If there was anything, it would be the fact that he had been reincarnated into a novel,

but Evan thought that was meaningless now.

This was no longer a fictional world to him.

He was already Evan Fried, and this world was his reality, irreplaceable by anything else.

When Evan answered firmly, Irene, pleased with his response, linked her arm with his.

And her cheeks instantly turned red—it was an embarrassing action even for her.

Irene kept her head down and focused on matching her steps with Evan’s.

This was the first time she had linked arms with him. The wind blew past her reddened ears,

making her shoulders twitch repeatedly, and Irene swallowed.

“…If you’re going to be this embarrassed, wouldn’t it be better to just let go?”

“No.”

Irene glanced at Evan briefly and carefully moved her lips.

“…I need to get used to this too. We’ll be doing this all the time later.”

“You plan to do this all the time?”

How cute. Evan gently stroked Irene’s earlobe and entered the palace with their arms linked.

The guards smiled warmly at the sight, but Irene felt even more embarrassed by their smiles.

“Rooms have been prepared for you both.”

Following the maids’ guidance inside, there were two rooms side by side.

The rooms were clearly luxurious. After glancing at them, Evan addressed the maid.

“Please convey our thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince. You may go now.”

“Understood. Then.”

After the maids disappeared, Evan tried to withdraw his arm to break the link.

However, Irene tightened her grip on his arm and looked at him,

so Evan, unable to pull away, addressed her with an awkward expression.

“Irene, shouldn’t we rest now? I’ll wash up and come out, so let’s meet a little later.”

“…That’s not it.”

Irene looked at the two rooms with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

Why separate the rooms? If they knew they were a couple… couldn’t they have given them one room?

Pulling slightly on the linked arm, Irene looked at Evan with sparkling eyes and moved her lips.

“Can we sleep together?”