Chapter 35
“Eva…”
Franz’s eyes trembled as he looked at Eva, who had dropped to her knees in front of Levi.
It was obvious he relied heavily on this head maid named Eva.
Eva, for her part, pleaded desperately, as though trying to protect Franz.
“As the one responsible for all affairs of the household, I will gladly accept whatever punishment you see fit for my failure to serve the young master properly.”
Hm? That’s odd. Something about this feels strange.
Before I could tilt my head in puzzlement, Levi spoke.
“Stand up.”
Oho—sounded merciful, at least on the surface.
Of course, she was a head maid who had likely earned his trust over many years, but… was there perhaps some deeper connection tying her to Bastion beyond just service?
From Franz to Levi, Eva seemed to have a special relationship with these young masters, yet she kept her head bowed without moving.
It was a heartfelt plea to forgive Franz.
Franz, flustered, glanced from Eva to me—his gaze now holding far more hostility than before.
I chuckled dryly and whispered to Betty beside me.
“Betty, don’t you hear something?”
“Hear something? Ah, do you mean ringing in the ears—?”
“No.”
The sound of me and my brother-in-law going at it.
Ah, the joys of a peaceful in-law life—already running into obstacles.
‘Until Father returns, keep a low profile.’
That day, for Eva’s sake, Levi decided to take a step back.
It also helped that Franz had no intention of apologizing anytime soon, even if a blade was at his neck.
The message was simple: stay quiet and wait for Wolfgang, the head of the house, to return and issue a formal decision.
“…Even his rebellion looks like something out of a Hollywood movie.”
Maybe it’s because he looks like a child actor.
I looked out at the garden, where piles of paper airplanes had gathered.
Levi, essentially the acting head, had ordered him to keep to himself—so he couldn’t wander about freely—but that didn’t mean he’d behave meekly.
In the end, Franz chose a form of rebellion that screamed “I’m sulking!” in a way that was hard to punish—like endlessly throwing paper airplanes out the window, as he was now.
Ugh. This family of pretty faces is exhausting.
Not a single normal person among them.
I sighed heavily as I spent another day trying to keep the wolves company.
Still, as much as Franz’s personality was far from gentle…
‘Did he really pour oil on that marble floor?’
It was almost a foregone conclusion, but to me it still felt questionable.
And then, another problem cropped up.
“…Levi.”
“Yes.”
“Could you maybe ease up with the eyes a little?”
You’re making every passing servant backpedal in a panic.
Whether he cared or not, Levi’s gaze still shot lasers, and my worries only grew heavier.
This was it—the new problem.
Ever since I got hurt, Levi had been in constant guard-dog mode.
From morning until night, except when we slept, he refused to leave my side.
It was… admirable, yes, but also a huge problem.
This way, I couldn’t befriend any of the household staff.
I’d already made things awkward by getting into trouble with the second young master as soon as I arrived. At this rate, a wall between us would become permanent.
As I sighed for the umpteenth time, I felt Levi’s gaze on the side of my face again.
There he goes again.
Mechanically, I brushed aside my long hair.
“I told you, I’m fine. See? No bumps anywhere.”
Only after thoroughly inspecting my scalp did Levi finally nod.
It had been ages since the injury healed, yet he still needed to check several times a day.
‘Well… the bump was bigger than I thought, and it did heal quickly.’
Maybe my skull was stronger than average.
That’s when—
Clip-clop, clip-clop!
A burly man on horseback came thundering into the garden.
Benjamin happened to be outside the manor just then, and with fluid motion, the man exchanged letters with him before riding off.
“…Who’s that?”
“Casador.”
“Oh, the monster hunter?”
Levi nodded.
Ah, so they were exchanging important news between the wall and the manor.
Dusting off my hands from feeding the wolves jerky, I asked,
“How far is the wall from here?”
“About an hour by horseback.”
Not too far, then. No wonder monsters that breached the wall had been spotted near village homes.
Levi and I quickly left the wolves’ pen and approached Benjamin.
“Sir Benjamin.”
“Ah, Lady Asha.”
He was reading the letter on the spot, his expression far from pleasant.
My heart sank, and I blurted,
“What’s the news?”
“It’s nothing serious.”
He smiled reassuringly as he folded the letter.
But I’d already seen his rotten expression. How could I not worry?
And when you think about it—Wolfgang was only an hour away and still hadn’t returned for days.
‘A monster wave…’
An event where monster appearances spike exponentially.
The colder it gets, the more likely a wave will happen. That’s why Bastion held massive subjugations every winter—big enough for the Holy Kingdom to send priests to help.
And now, in the middle of summer, with no reinforcements, they had to handle it alone? Even Bastion might be overwhelmed.
I slapped my forehead with my palm.
“I should’ve known the moment they said, ‘It’s Bastion, it’ll be fine.’ Never trust men’s bravado.”
“No, truly, it’s nothing major…”
Benjamin scratched his head and admitted casually,
“It’s just that this monster wave seems to be the biggest on record.”
“…What?”
“Highest level ever documented.”
You lunatic.
I barely swallowed the curse that almost slipped out.
Why say something so awful with such a breezy thumbs-up?
“And that’s ‘nothing major’ to you?”
“It’ll just extend the subjugation by a few days. But…”
But? I knew there was more.
I swallowed nervously, and Benjamin muttered gravely,
“Insects.”
“…Insects?”
“When monster corpses pile up, insects multiply.”
Benjamin grimaced like it was the worst thing in the world.
Really? You’re more afraid of bugs than assassins or monsters?
Leaving me dumbfounded, Benjamin turned to Levi.
“In any case, we’ll need to strengthen security around the manor and the village. Monsters may wander down here. Let’s discuss the details.”
The young heir of Bastion nodded.
I tried to slip away to avoid the headache, but both Levi and Benjamin stopped me.
“Where are you going?”
“Where are you going, my lady?”
“Uh… giving you space to talk about important matters…”
Their looks clearly said there was no need for that, making my palms itch.
Right. I’m in Bastion too, huh.
So I got dragged along to what was essentially their tea-time-meets-strategy-session.
I barely understood anything and focused on eating the snacks on the table.
“…Then I’ll inform them to prepare accordingly. We should be ready to face a large number of mid-sized ones here at the manor.”
“Cough!”
I really wish I hadn’t understood that part.
That meant a horde of mid-sized monsters could attack this place.
I quickly washed down my crumbs with tea and asked,
“H-how much bigger is mid-sized compared to the one I saw before?”
“Hmm… about the size of your wolves.”
“And… medium-large? Large—? No, never mind, don’t tell me.”
I didn’t need to know. I hated the lingering fear, like trying to shower after a horror movie.
Benjamin soothed my obvious anxiety.
“Don’t worry. Unless you’re at the wall, you won’t see a large one.”
“…Can I trust that?”
“Of course. Only smaller, weaker ones make it past the wall.”
What nonsense.
I must’ve shown my doubt, because he laughed.
“During a monster wave, monsters literally pour out.”
To illustrate, Benjamin looked around and tipped over a jar of candy.
“Like this.”
“Ah—!”
No! My sugar!
I instinctively scrambled to catch them.
From big round candies to tiny star-shaped ones, they bounced and rolled across the table.
I tried to block them with my arms like building a dam, but catching them all was impossible.
The smaller ones especially slipped right through my fingers.
If I tried to grab them too, I’d risk losing the bigger candies I was holding.
I looked down at the handful of large candies left in my grasp.
“…I get it.”
It was about making the best choice for the situation.
When resources are limited, let the small issues go and focus on the bigger threats. Smart enough, though…
“But if you do that, villagers could still be in danger.”
Oh right—the perfect swing.
Just then, the tiny candies rolling away were neatly caught by Levi, Benjamin, and Betty.
Ah. Now I understood.
This was how the monster dam’s unbroken reputation had been built and maintained over so many years.
Not just the Bastion family, but the whole territory worked together.
For some reason, the candies in my arms felt heavier.
“…So you’re sure nothing bigger than mid-sized slips past the wall?”
“I guarantee it. And the master himself is there right now.”
Right. Wolfgang was there.
As much as I hated to admit it, thinking of his face eased my worries.
“And in truth, size isn’t always the thing to watch for. Some types are more dangerous, though they’re rare—”
“Whatever comes—”
At that moment, Levi slipped his candy into my arms and said,
“I’ll protect you.”
“Levi…”
It was a plain promise—almost an oath. No matter what happened, he would protect me.
I blinked, then chuckled softly.
Honestly.
“And you’re the one who’s been in the most danger.”
Levi flinched at my long, stubborn grudge.
Snickering to myself, I took the candies from Benjamin and Betty as well, and returned them all to the jar.
Every last one, neat and clean.
