Ch.158Chapter 158. Wandering Evil (1)

What Reika saw was a small-framed person surrounded by a group.

A delicate-looking person with black hair, presumably female, standing among men much larger than herself created an unsettling atmosphere.

‘Could they be… thugs?’

Reika recalled the moment she had met Swen in the past.

Back then, some strange men had approached her and made her uncomfortable, but Swen and Irene had appeared to help her.

That feeling she had then—wanting to become a cool woman like Irene.

Even now, that thought still slumbered in a corner of her mind.

‘Should I help? I think I could…’

She wouldn’t even need to use magic; calling over a city patrol guard would resolve the situation.

Using magic might unnecessarily draw people’s attention, so calling for help would be safer.

‘Right. Rather than getting involved and making things worse, I should quickly go find someone—’

Just as she was about to act on that thought.

“Well then, I’ll go in first.”

‘…!’

Hearing the black-haired woman’s voice, Reika instinctively hid behind the wall.

Barely, she could hear bits of their conversation.

“That’s right, Jenis. Never forget that you’ve now got one foot in. You know what to do if you want to get what you want, right?”

“…I know.”

‘…Is that really a woman?’

Now that she heard the voice, she wasn’t sure.

It was somewhat androgynous… if anything, closer to a male voice.

“Well then, go in.”

“Yes.”

Then came the sound of footsteps—

Fortunately, the men disappeared in the opposite direction.

‘Whew…’

Reika let out a deep sigh.

From what she could tell, they weren’t picking a fight like what had happened to her; they seemed to know each other.

‘I almost embarrassed myself terribly…’

If she had gone to find a guard only to discover they were acquaintances, it would have been awkward.

‘But… something definitely felt off about it?’

The black-haired person who appeared to be a woman—though she wasn’t sure if they were male or female—had looked quite troubled.

Whatever the situation was… it wasn’t her place to interfere.

‘Right. If I get involved, I might cause trouble for Irene…’

While the Nighthart family servants had protected her in the past, now it was clearly Irene who was protecting her.

She didn’t want to cause problems for someone who treated her so well despite having no connection to her other than through Swen.

‘I should just go back.’

The sun would be setting soon anyway.

She needed to tidy up the lodgings before Irene returned.

Sica was away on business, and Irene, now the vice commander, always seemed busy assisting Serpina until late at night.

She sincerely wanted to handle the mundane tasks for someone who was so dedicated to their duties even after finishing work.

‘Since Irene is busy, I should step up here…!’

Having pushed the recent incident out of her mind, Reika headed back to the lodgings.

* * *

—That day.

After Serpina discovered that I had intervened to save her life, and she stole my first kiss—

I had been spending my time in a daze, doing nothing.

“But I have no intention of giving up on you. Those with Einhart blood never abandon what they desire. Whether it’s this continent, or you, Swen…”

“I’ll say it again. The people of House Einhart never let go of what they passionately desire. And—”

‘…Sigh.’

Even now, the sensation of her lips against mine remained vivid.

The taste of yuzu that filled my mouth, her pleasantly soft tongue, the expression on her face as she looked at me with unfocused eyes while letting out deep moans…

Just recalling the situation made my heart race; I couldn’t honestly say the experience was terrible, even as a lie.

I thought about her golden eyes that had stared at me as if she would devour me.

How did it come to this?

Thinking about it, Serpina was clearly different from other rulers from our very first meeting.

Originally—she was the blonde woman who had appeared in dreams I occasionally had after possessing this body in this world.

I couldn’t cross-verify since I stopped having those dreams after meeting her, but I was certain she was Serpina.

Moreover.

I felt strangely intimate with her.

I mean… even during that first kiss, although I was surprised at first, I definitely…

‘Felt something like peaceful reassurance.’

That yuzu-scented kiss was undeniably an intriguing experience for me.

It felt like finding a place where I rightfully belonged.

It’s difficult to explain in words… but anyway, I seemed to feel toward her some of the same attraction she apparently felt toward me.

Of course, I had no intention of changing my lord now—

But this subtle emotion that I had never felt for Lynn, Yurie, or even my first lord Luna was creating a whirlpool inside me, shaking my very being.

“Aren’t you curious about what might be born if we mix your talent with the noble blood of Einhart? Hehehe…♥”

‘Come to think of it, she said that too.’

It wasn’t difficult to find the hidden meaning in those words.

In other words… she wanted to have my child. I was perceptive enough to understand that much.

Should I consider that a marriage proposal?

But everything was happening too suddenly. And there were problems.

I had always thought Irene would be the first person I married.

“Excuse me…”

Of course, making a fuss about marriage might be excessive, but what would happen if I rejected a ruler’s proposal?

Would it mean execution?

Serpina had a tendency to be extreme, which honestly made me a bit afraid.

Although after actually meeting her, she had been surprisingly rational and logical in her judgments… but at our first meeting, it was entirely her will to imprison me.

And she had told me she would “destroy what she couldn’t possess.” Coming from Serpina, those words couldn’t be taken lightly.

“…Excuse me, Sir Swen…?”

So what should I do?

Should I quickly propose to Irene first?

In this continent, a man can have four wives, so I might not need to risk rejecting Serpina’s proposal.

No, of course there’s room to consider whether that should be considered a formal proposal, and more importantly, whether it’s even possible to take the monarch of a country, especially the legitimate imperial bloodline, as a secondary wife—

“Sir Swen!”

“…Huh?”

Sitting at the table in the lodgings, lost in thought, I was approached by Iolline with a worried expression.

“Are you alright? You seem completely zoned out.”

Oh dear.

I was so deep in thought that I hadn’t even noticed her speaking to me.

“No… it’s nothing. Just some personal matters.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief then.”

“What is it?”

“Well…”

Iolline hesitated for a moment, then told me the main point.

“I received a letter from my brother. He says he’ll return tomorrow.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

I nodded at her and said:

“I understand. You must have been uncomfortable all this time. Thank you for your patience.”

“Not at all. I was the one being stubborn, and… if it weren’t for you, Sir Swen, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

Iolline said that and then bowed to me at a 90-degree angle.

“Thank you so much. In the name of House Al Kaski, I will never forget this favor.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not the type to keep score of such things.”

“But… when I return, I’d like to compensate you with money at least—”

“No, no. I receive a salary from the state. I have enough money.”

While I did keep track when necessary, there didn’t seem to be much to gain from House Al Kaski, so I might as well earn some goodwill here.

Besides, what I would be doing after Jenis returned was investigating him, so accepting her gratitude also pricked my conscience.

“…I see.”

Iolline said that and then smiled at me.

Her smiling face was definitely unlike her brother’s, giving off a much more girlish impression.

“You’re a kind person, Sir Swen. Thank you.”

‘…’

Once again, I wondered why I had no information about the Al Kaski siblings.

I hoped it was nothing serious.

Though our acquaintance was brief, Senior Jenis didn’t seem like a bad person to me, and neither did the girl before me.

“I’ve been imposing on you. Please take care of yourself, Sir Swen.”

“You take care as well, Lady Iolline.”

After exchanging light greetings, I thought about how to act after Jenis returned.

Should I follow him?

Or should I just set up a situation where he could speak freely?

If he was really plotting something like treason, he wouldn’t talk willingly, so that might be dangerous… With such thoughts, I said goodbye to Iolline.

*

The next day.

For some reason, Jenis did not appear.

I spent the night alone at the lodgings, thinking once more about what to do when he arrived.

And after another day passed—

“…?”

“Excuse me…”

The person who came to the lodgings as the sun was setting was not Jenis, but Iolline.

Having spent several days with both of them, I could now notice the subtle differences between the twins.

“Lady Iolline? What brings you here? Where is Senior Jenis?”

“Sir Swen. Has my brother Jenis come here at all?”

“No.”

I had been waiting at the lodgings for Jenis all day yesterday and today without any special incidents, so I was certain no one had come.

“Well…”

Iolline spoke to me with an extremely troubled expression.

“It seems… I’ve lost contact with my brother.”