IATVWAMOLS 107

107. A Healthy Body Makes for a Comfortable Mind

“Your Highness, can you tone it down a little?”

Our engagement, our two families, this and that—

Another one of his petty threats. At this point, I couldn’t even be bothered.

I cut Perwyn’s nonsense short.

“Whatever whim this is, if it’s some strange prank, stop it.”

“…Prank?”

Perwyn’s brows furrowed sharply.

His menacing aura was so intense that I shrank my shoulders without realizing it.

【Unknown: Prank? He looks dead serious to me.】

【Unknown: (¯⌓¯)】

If he’s serious, that’s even worse.

I’d rather dismiss Perwyn’s bizarre behavior as a meaningless whim.

But a favorability of 66% wasn’t a number I could just ignore.

At times like this, the only option was to pretend ignorance.

“I’m here to investigate what’s happening in Gareth Territory. I don’t have the time to waste on pointless quarrels with Your Highness.”

“Hmph.”

At my earnest persuasion, his hostility softened somewhat.

Even so, his eyes lingered stubbornly on my ring.

I really couldn’t understand this man.

‘Not sure when the favorability climbed this high while I wasn’t paying attention.’

I fiddled with the ring for no reason.

Yes, I knew it was an object that could easily cause misunderstandings.

But from the moment I used the item <Soulmate’s Couple Ring>, the ring was bound to me and could never disappear.

I couldn’t remove it of my own will either, so at home I deliberately wore gloves.

If Icart found out, blinded by jealousy, I had no idea what he might do.

‘I was finally relaxing away from Icart’s eyes for once…’

And here I run into Perwyn.

Worse, I never thought he’d even notice the thin ring on my hand.

Before he could press the issue, I quickly hid my ring-bearing hand under the other.

Though he didn’t stop staring at it with icy sharpness.

Meanwhile, the carriage climbed steadily uphill.

A glance out the window showed us ascending a mountain.

The gentle slope slowed the carriage’s pace until it finally halted.

“Seems we’ve arrived.”

When the carriage stopped completely, Perwyn stepped out first.

I moved to follow him when a large, calloused hand was held out to me.

“The terrain is treacherous, my lady. Please be careful.”

It was Perwyn’s loyal knight, Brecht.

When our eyes met, he quickly lowered his gaze. His manner was formal, courteous to the extreme.

His long lashes caught the moonlight with a soft shimmer.

“Thank you.”

I took his hand and stepped down from the carriage.

There was a quiet masculinity in his restrained demeanor.

The sharp lines of his features reflected his upright character, and his keen green eyes shone clear like flawless emeralds.

Truly, he radiated the dignity befitting the captain of a kingdom’s knights.

With his neat, righteous looks combined with such refined restraint, he was breathtakingly striking.

‘I almost regret how rarely I get to see him.’

If I remembered right, in the original story he played an active role as the heroine’s escort knight.

‘Come to think of it, hasn’t Brecht’s presence in this life been strangely minimal?’

In my previous life, fine. But this time, being close with Seraphine, I’d often glimpsed her daily life.

And yet, I couldn’t recall her properly meeting Brecht even once…

Could that really be okay?

I didn’t have long to dwell on the thought.

“Even though we’ve come all the way to the place the lady indicated, there’s nothing here.”

Perwyn scanned the area around us.

“What exactly are you planning to do now?”

“Hmm.”

He wasn’t wrong—there truly was nothing around.

It was a desolate plain, no other word for it.

Beyond, only ridges and weeds stretched endlessly, not a sign of human presence anywhere.

“There’s movement nearby, Your Highness.”

Brecht murmured cautiously, already shifting into a defensive stance.

As expected.

“There must be a protective barrier somewhere here. That lab we found earlier was hidden by one, so this must be the same.”

I explained to Perwyn.

“A barrier?”

“Yes. And it’s possible people are being held here too.”

That is, if the note delivered to Seraphine by that mysterious girl wasn’t a trap.

Perwyn nodded.

“Imperial guards, search the area. Find where the barrier lies hidden.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The knights scattered in all directions to look for the barrier.

But searching for an invisible ward in an empty plain was no better than finding a needle in a haystack.

As the knights struggled, I reached out telepathically to Kaien.

[How’s your body holding up?]

The reply came quickly.

[So-so.]

[Honestly, I just want to crash on a bed already. Guess my condition’s still trash.]

Grumbling from him was rare.

[What about you, Master? Have you reached the place?]

[I just got here too.]

[But looks like there’s another protective barrier here. How do we break it?]

It was a serious question. His response, not so much.

[I just flicked a finger and it shattered.]

This overpowered brat…

[I’m kidding, I’m kidding.]

[The best method is to release mana in the opposite flow of the barrier’s own magic. That cancels it out.]

[Or you can overwhelm it with a burst of mana greater than its maximum defense.]

[Hard to explain in words.]

“Hm.”

So basically, it had to be destroyed with magic.

[No other way? Like with brute force?]

We didn’t have any mages here, just a bunch of strong men.

‘Maybe I should’ve brought Kaien or Seraphine instead.’

The thought stung, but I shook it off.

Kaien was still badly injured, and Seraphine seemed shaken from her fight with the monsters.

Dragging them out here would’ve been reckless.

‘Besides, they have their own work to do at the hospital.’

Kaien’s next reply came.

[Breaking it with brute force? Wow. Gotta applaud the adventurous spirit.]

Oh, shut up.

[Barriers are all about power compatibility.]

[Trying to smash it with muscle is like breaking a rock with an egg.]

In other words, impossible.

I glanced around—the knights were still struggling hopelessly.

A waste of manpower and time.

“Your Highness, perhaps we should summon a mage—”

Suddenly—

Crash!

A sharp metallic thud rang out, like iron striking bulletproof glass.

Looking over, I saw a man slashing his sword at empty air.

“Sir Brecht?”

Crash! Crash! Craaash!

He struck the same spot again and again.

At last, a rending sound echoed. The protective barrier, unable to withstand his masterful swordsmanship, revealed itself.

Shards of transparent energy scattered like crystal fragments.

“Here, I’ve found it!”

The imperial guards rushed to Brecht’s side.

…He actually broke it with brute force?

[It’s broken.]

[Huh? What is?]

[Don’t tell me you mean the barrier… broken by brute strength?]

[Yep.]

There was a pause.

[You’re kidding, right? That’s impossible. No human could be that much of a monster.]

Well, there is.

Right beside me.

“Let’s go. Time is short.”

The monster in knight’s guise strode forward.

Late that night, Kaien and Seraphine arrived at the hospital.

The ward was silent.

Seraphine softened her steps, careful not to wake the sleeping patients.

She gently tapped the shoulder of a dozing orderly.

“Excuse me.”

“Wh-who… Oh, it’s you, the kind noble from before.”

The startled worker rubbed his eyes, quickly recognizing her.

“When you hadn’t come by midnight, I thought you wouldn’t show tonight. As luck has it, a bed just opened up—I’ll prepare it right away so you can rest.”

“No, the bed can wait. There’s something I’d like to ask first.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Do you know what happened to the girl who came with me? The one with long hair like this.”

She described the girl who had passed her the note. The orderly nodded in recognition.

“Ah, the girl who was admitted with you? She’s already discharged.”

“What? Already? But she hadn’t fully recovered yet…”

“She seemed in a terrible hurry. Left like she was running away, ignoring even the doctor’s pleas to stay.”

Seraphine looked around the beds, eyes full of worry.

“She left in such a rush…”

Beside her, Kaien muttered in a low voice.

“About that girl—could we check her personal details?”