“You’ve grown well.”
He was treating him completely like a child. Isaac looked dumbfounded. Right. Who treats a full-grown man like that?
‘But to the Grand Duke, we really are like his children…’
Since I knew the backstory, I could sort of accept it. Isaac, on the other hand, clearly had no idea.
He looked visibly suspicious, wondering why the Grand Duke was acting so strangely.
Then suddenly, as if he’d figured something out, Isaac gasped in shock.
And once again, he firmly blocked the space between me and the Grand Duke, shouting:
“I cannot permit relationships with someone more than four years older!”
“……”
I slapped my forehead.
That’s not what this is….
The Grand Duke of Gehelain, who had also been staring at us with a puzzled face, soon realized what Isaac meant and turned pale.
He pointed at me, then at himself, mouth opening and closing without sound.
Even without hearing it, I could easily guess what he was thinking.
‘With this child? Me? Seriously?’
I’m losing my mind.
Finally, I shoved Isaac aside and began damage control.
“I apologize, Your Grace. There seems to have been a misunderstanding.”
“…Ahem.”
“Isaac, introduce yourself properly. The Grand Duke of Gehelain… knew our mother.”
Isaac’s eyes widened at my words. We had almost never spoken about our parents.
Even though Isaac probably had more memories with them than Yulia or I did, he had always silently gone along with the unspoken rule of not mentioning them.
“With our mother…?”
“The late Duke Walker was an extraordinary person,” the Grand Duke said, his face softening with recollection.
“In the inhuman battlefield, she alone strove not to lose her humanity.”
“……”
“I see. You must be her second son. Whenever we won a battle, she would pray over her necklace — she always said her second son had gifted it to her and cherished it dearly.”
Isaac’s expression twisted strangely.
“You’ve become an excellent knight, carrying on her will,” the Grand Duke said, smiling faintly. He looked truly pleased. In fact, Isaac was the only one among our siblings to follow in our mother’s footsteps.
“In that case, it seems your escort is sufficient. I won’t arrange extra guards on my side.”
It was clear his remark was aimed at Isaac.
“However, I’ll give you a summoning orb for emergencies. If something urgent happens, break this orb.”
He handed Tristan a red orb. This time, Tristan accepted it without protest.
“I gratefully accept your kindness.”
“Then please take care of yourself.”
When the Grand Duke gave a formal bow, Tristan also bowed in return.
And with that, we set off for the Tower of Nyx.
Stained-glass windows poured radiant sunlight into the hall. By chance, the rays gathered above one person’s head, illuminating him like a halo.
“Oh, Saint…”
“Lord of All…”
People breathed words of awe at the sight. Zion — the glorious name of God’s messenger — looked as though he had just descended from heaven.
He was silently offering his afternoon prayers, but the sight was so overwhelming that even the less devout felt reverence and dropped to their knees.
“Saint.”
At that moment, Paolo approached him on his knees.
“Sir Hazel, whom you summoned, has arrived. It’s time to rise.”
“……”
Zion slowly opened his eyes.
With a gentle smile, he nodded wordlessly.
Every step he took drew people’s eyes. When he reached the reception room, he dismissed Paolo with a whisper:
“I have private matters to discuss with Sir Hazel.”
“……!”
“I’d rather not give rise to needless rumors, so please ensure no one else enters.”
“Understood.”
Paolo was now convinced that this Hazel knight had some kind of intimate relationship with Zion.
Of course. How could a man in his prime live looking only at God? There was even a sneer hidden in his thoughts.
Still, not wanting to tarnish the Holy See’s name, Paolo dutifully kept watch at the door.
“Saint.”
Inside, Hazel quickly rose to her feet. Zion loosened the top button of his priest’s robe and gestured for her to sit.
“Sir Hazel. Did you find what I asked you to?”
“Yes. I surveyed the entire capital.”
She placed the measuring device he had lent her on the table, along with a sheet of parchment.
“These are the locations where remnants of black magic were detected. The Swanson Count’s villa showed the strongest reaction, followed by the outskirts of the capital. Weak traces appeared too many times to count.”
“It seems the black magicians were far bolder than we thought.”
Zion spread open the parchment. It was a map of the capital, marked meticulously.
“It’s a lot to ask, but please continue to investigate these places discreetly, as quickly as possible.”
“I will obey.”
“If anything strange happens, tell me immediately. And for reports, come see me privately, just like now.”
Hazel bowed once more.
“Um… does Priest Paolo also know about your movements, Saint?”
Zion smiled faintly at her cautious question.
“No. Paolo probably thinks we’re meeting in secret for… a tryst.”
Hazel’s face twisted in disgust. Even Zion, of all people, felt a little hurt.
“Ahem. Well… is it really something to be that disgusted about?”
“I’m sorry. I was just so repulsed…”
“……”
Twice wounded, Zion forced a smile, praised Hazel’s loyalty, then excused himself for another appointment.
When he opened the door, Paolo’s eyes flicked toward Hazel.
That glance was unpleasant, but making a scene could ruin everything, so she kept quiet.
Hazel ignored Paolo, gathered up the device and map, and rose. A saint’s orders were as good as God’s words. She could not waste a moment.
‘I should start with the Swanson estate.’
She carefully mapped out her plan. Next, she would circle the capital’s outskirts, then head to the underground auction site…
And then her eyes fell on one spot.
‘The Walker duchy.’
It was marked with a question mark — one of the few areas Hazel had yet to investigate.
When she had tried to visit, they hadn’t even opened the door, turning her away completely.
Hazel thought she might have learned far too much out of mere curiosity.
If she had passed by without knowing the family’s secret, their relationship could have remained as it was.
‘…Maybe I should leave that for last.’
“Isaac.”
On the road to Nyx’s Tower, I called out to Isaac.
We had stopped briefly in the forest for a rest. I was in the carriage, and since Isaac had been riding his horse, there hadn’t been much chance to talk.
“What’s going on? You didn’t even tell me you were coming with us.”
“Actually… I only found out after I got to work. They said they needed people for a special mission, and then called me in too.”
So they had picked elite knights from the Imperial Order, and Isaac had been one of them.
“Then why didn’t you say anything during the trip?”
Even up to our arrival via teleportation — even after we arrived — he had kept it secret.
“Well…”
Isaac gave a sheepish grin.
“Su-surprise~!”
“……”
“No, seriously. I thought it’d be nice to give you a little surprise. Like an event!”
I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Next time, tell me in advance. What if something dangerous happens?”
“Of course. If you weren’t coming along, I’d have tried to get out of this mission anyway.”
Isaac whispered, looking at me with puppy-dog eyes. He was obviously gauging my reaction.
He only pulled those puppy eyes when he was at a disadvantage.
‘I don’t know how he manages to make himself look so gentle with those eyes…’
It only made me marvel at how a face can be used — but it didn’t really work on me. Still, I couldn’t scold him here in front of the other knights, so I held it in.
“My lady. Is the carriage uncomfortable?”
Just then, Tristan, who had been enjoying the fresh air outside, addressed me.
“Thanks to your care, I’m traveling quite comfortably.”
The Crown Prince himself was riding on horseback, and here I was in a carriage. I couldn’t imagine a more luxurious arrangement.
The seat was a little sore from all the jolting, but I didn’t mention it.
“That’s good. The road is rougher than expected, so we’ll have to camp here tonight. Is that all right?”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t me but the knights preparing camp who would suffer.
“Good. Once the men collecting firewood return, we’ll have dinner…”
“Hey, Barrington!”
A knight behind us suddenly raised his voice. Turning my head, I saw him shouting at another knight in the distance.
“Barrington! What are you doing?! Didn’t you hear the order to assemble here immediately?!”
The officer in charge sounded furious. Yet the one called Barrington didn’t move.
Yes — he didn’t even flinch…
‘Huh?’
And then, in that instant—
I felt death.
