episode_0133

=====[ Orde Zenbel ]=====

“Mmm….”

Orde Zenbel, the fourth finger of the Kumyeokcheonhoe, closed his eyes and let out a low sigh. The connection he had shared with the familiar spirit was severed by the familiar spirit’s death.

The knight of betrayal, Brünhilde, not only betrayed her homeland and the warrior party she belonged to, but also ruthlessly betrayed the cooperative proposal extended by the Kumyeokcheonhoe.

Could she be considered a manifestation of betrayal living solely to betray?

For Orde, it was an unexpected turn of events.

Although he had dispatched a doppelganger as a contingency against potential risks, the danger he anticipated was being exposed by other enemies before encountering Brünhilde.

Brünhilde herself was now a fugitive and criminal with nowhere to turn. It was unimaginable that she would reject their proposal, given their shared predicament.

“Good grief, choosing betrayal in that situation. What on earth…?”

It was a nonsensical act of betrayal. The only lifeline for Brünhilde to rely on was the hand extended by the Kumyeokcheonhoe.

If she were to reject even that, there were only two fates awaiting her.

Either disappear into obscurity where no one could find her and live quietly as if dead for the rest of her life, or be relentlessly pursued and eventually captured and executed.

Surely Brünhilde must have foreseen such outcomes. If she understood how to think, it was only natural that she should join hands with them.

Not to sever the head of the doppelganger using the extended hand as bait.

“Was she truly a woman devoid of any thought…? No, that can’t be. A woman who was once a kingdom knight and a former member of a warrior party, could she really be that foolish…?”

Orde let out a deep sigh.

They say when faced with an excessively perplexing situation, anger doesn’t arise. It was a state of mind where feelings of defeat and confusion pushed anger aside.

Losing the doppelganger was inconsequential, but failing to recruit Brünhilde was a profoundly embarrassing failure.

Their plan to persuade her to help eliminate Heid had already faltered before it even began.

Nevertheless, that was a failure that could somehow be redeemed.

With Brünhilde, things would be easier, and luring the Raine Kingdom army into a trap was something achievable even without her.

The true problem Orde faced. The reason he could only sigh in defeat was…

“…Perhaps it was because I entrusted persuasion to the doppelganger. I leaked too much information.”

The doppelganger he dispatched carelessly blabbed most of the operation plans to the enemy.

He could confidently say that he would never have done such a thing himself.

However, the doppelganger imitating Orde perfectly read and replicated his memories and thought patterns, yet committed such a reckless mistake.

A fatal error that could potentially ruin the entire operation.

In fact, this was due to the order Orde gave the doppelganger: “Find Brünhilde, persuade her, and bring her in as an ally.”

The top priority for monsters under his command was to fulfill their master’s orders.

Since Orde had instructed the doppelganger to capture Brünhilde, the doppelganger went to great lengths to persuade her, even at the risk of exposing the plan.

Orde would never admit that it was all due to his ambiguous command.

Regardless, the deed was done, and the aftermath remained solely Orde’s responsibility.

To salvage what could potentially become a disastrous emergency situation, Orde came to a conclusion…

“…Keep your mouth shut.”

Surprisingly, it was doing nothing.

It wasn’t mobilizing all remaining monsters to find Brunhilde and block her entrance, nor reporting it to other executives, just keeping quiet with sealed lips.

Truly a priest-like abyssal conclusion.

“There’s no point in reporting it, it only makes things awkward for me. It’s better to prepare for escape in advance and quietly slip away if things go awry.”

An attitude that considers camaraderie as unattainable, treating allies as competitors, thinking only of oneself.

…Well, from Orde’s perspective, it was a natural conclusion.

Even though the executives of the Kuma Yoke Council were both abyssal priests, they immediately turned on each other at the slightest sign of weakness.

Starting with Orde himself, who had criticized and mocked Arianne for allowing her subordinate to be captured by Heid and leak confidential information.

As a result, Arianne had to step down from her position as the council’s second-in-command.

Thinking that such criticism and scrutiny would soon turn towards him, he couldn’t bring himself to report the truth accurately.

And then, two days later.

At a meeting of the abyssal priests, Orde reported that he had successfully tracked Brunhilde but failed to recruit her due to her excessive caution.

He received some teasing for it, but it was bearable. Since the fact that the plan itself had been leaked was never mentioned, Orde’s position within his organization remained stable without any shake-ups.

It was a fortunate turn of events. For Orde alone.

=====[ Hilde ]=====

The next morning.

The sight that greeted my eyes upon waking up was the face of a girl lying like a doll with my right arm as a pillow.

Her long eyelashes gently closed, holding my left hand tightly with both hands, slightly parted lips as if waiting for a kiss.

She seemed so deeply asleep that just looking at her made me want to smile.

You know, when a small animal like a kitten or puppy is curled up asleep, it’s so cute that you can’t help but laugh?

It was kind of like that.

Honestly, being this quiet… she’s cute. Like a little angel from a comic book or game.

Although once night falls, she’s pretty much in a league of her own when it comes to being a troublemaker.

“Hmm…”

I let out a soft groan, carefully moving my body slightly to free myself, pulling my arm out cautiously to avoid waking Freide.

Leaving the cave could wait a bit longer, so I decided to let her sleep a little more without disturbing her.

“Ugh…”

However, even those careful movements seemed to disturb her deep sleep, as Freide stirred slightly, murmuring and tossing around.

“Please… don’t leave… stay by my side… Miss Hilde….”

What kind of dream is she having to murmur like this? If someone hears her, they might think I’m some heartless parent abandoning their child.

“Sigh…”

I sighed lightly as I sat back down next to her.

Listening to her plea not to leave, my heart felt strangely uneasy.

It’s like looking at a stray dog getting wet in the rain. Is it pitiful or sad? Well, come to think of it, aren’t they the same thing?

Anyway, ignoring her and leaving her be gave me a feeling like my heart was being pricked. It would probably feel the same for anyone else, not just me.

A young-looking girl pleading not to be abandoned while sleeping, and yet I almost ignored her. It’s like humanity has lost its compassion.

Of course, Freide isn’t a fragile child but a mighty warrior wielding a giant sword, yet compassion tends to be influenced more by appearances than reality. I was no different.

“Okay, okay. I’m here. It’s alright.”

Therefore, I carefully lifted Freide’s head onto my thigh and gently stroked it to comfort her, whispering softly.

“Don’t leave….”

“Don’t worry. Where would I go leaving you behind? I won’t leave. I won’t abandon you. Never again. So, don’t worry.”

Kind, gentle, and affectionate consolation that could even change the content of the dream the other person is having.

After whispering a few times like that, Freide’s slightly furrowed expression brightened considerably. A small smile even appeared at the corner of her mouth.

I chuckled as I looked down at her face.

I wondered if my calling was in the service industry. With this level of service ability, I could have excelled in any field I applied to, perhaps becoming a top player in the industry.

If only I could have left comments in this tone for that persistent writer, maybe I could have stopped his serialization.

Thinking back now, I probably had about 30% stake in his decision to halt the series.

No, let’s make it 20%… No, no. Let’s go with 10%.

30% is too much. Whatever.

As I continued to stroke Freide’s hair for a while, not long after, her eyelids slowly rose.

“Ah… ”

Her golden eyes, as if made of melted gold, looked up at me with a hazy gaze.

After a few seconds, Freide blinked a couple of times and then hugged my face with both arms, laughing softly.

“Hilde….”

Then, in a voice still groggy from sleep, she mumbled my name, pulled my head down, and kissed my cheek.

It was a moist morning.