Chapter 13
“Why are you screaming?”
“You don’t have to show me!”
Helix, who had taken off his upper garments, turned around.
It was over.
Lea thought it instantly.
She wasn’t sure what exactly was over, but she strongly felt that something had completely fallen apart.
His cold, refined face looked pure yet strangely seductive, still damp from the water.
Wet silver hair draped over his broad shoulders, scattering an almost wild allure. Droplets slid down from his hair, tracing his wide chest and sculpted abdomen before gathering at his hollow navel.
If I’ve seen a man like this… am I doomed to never date in this life?
Blinking and unable to even breathe properly, she stared blankly as Helix held out his clothes.
“Wear this.”
“…Huh?”
“You said you were cold, didn’t you? This should be a bit drier than yours.”
❀ ❀ ❀
Meanwhile—
In the northern region, there were others besides Lea hunting monsters.
It was the expedition led by Prince Patrick Payron.
Kroooaah!
Crunch!
With a light sweep of his greatsword through the air, the head of the roaring monster flew off just as easily.
The decapitated monster collapsed on the spot.
Thud.
“Thirteen.”
Luyan spoke indifferently, casually spinning his greatsword with one hand.
“Any more?”
“Huff… huff…”
A knight from the expedition who had been following him caught his breath and shook his head.
“You’ve already… huff… taken down twelve… and you’re still asking that? Huff… The monsters that appeared today were all taken care of by Sir Piert already.”
The knight looked at Luyan with a weary expression.
His technique was so clean that even after slaying such massive monsters, not a single drop of blood had splattered onto his dazzling blond hair.
No matter how many times they saw it, his skill was always astonishing. The other knights chimed in as well.
“Haah… leave some for us to swing our swords at.”
“Hah. Let’s hope we never meet you in a tournament.”
Prince Patrick himself shook his head.
“Truly, in terms of swordsmanship alone, he’s the best in Payron.”
In many ways, he was a highly desirable talent. The prince’s eyes burned as they rested on Luyan.
Patrick had ambition.
He intended to use this expedition as an opportunity—to make Luyan Piert his right hand.
The House of Piert was politically moderate and not aligned with the pro-empire faction.
And Luyan Piert, the second son of that house and a genius swordsman—if he became his right hand, Patrick could establish a far more stable reign upon ascending the throne.
I must secure the House of Piert to ensure the future.
He felt a sense of urgency.
Patrick Payron—the only child of the Payron king and heir to the throne.
His slender, refined body resembled that of his late queen mother. With the royal lineage, he possessed striking red eyes and reddish-blond hair.
His diligent and graceful demeanor, unlike his intense aura, gave him a favorable impression. The public of Payron regarded him as a ruler-in-the-making, one who possessed both charismatic authority and a merciful king’s disposition.
But the prince could not let his guard down.
The Kingdom of Payron was a small nation bordering the powerful Oken Empire to the west.
Because of this, imperial influence constantly seeped into Payron, and many nobles were pro-empire.
At the head of those nobles stood Grand Duke Kaloshi, the king’s uncle, who wielded significant power. He also had great ambition for the throne, and with four sons—three legitimate and one illegitimate—he posed a serious threat.
There was no telling when he might use the empire as backing to kill Prince Patrick and seize the throne.
Right now, the prince desperately needed a powerful ally.
I must make Luyan Piert one of my own.
How?
Luyan was not someone easily bound by others.
He had wealth, status, talent, and freedom—an untouchable man.
If there was one weakness…
It was his younger sister, Lea Piert, whom he seemed to treasure like gold and diamonds.
Patrick pondered.
Should I go to Helkan, where she’s said to be recovering, and build a connection with that young lady first?
❀ ❀ ❀
Lea Piert was not at the Helkan villa at that moment.
She was in an unknown riverside cave, holding a fireball in one hand and clothes in the other, struggling.
“Hah. Finally dry.”
Lea handed over the clothes dried with her fireball, and Helix accepted them quietly.
He looked slightly awkward.
“Should I dry your hair too?”
“No.”
She had offered him clothes because he said he was cold, but then she asked for more mana instead. Using the extra mana he provided, she had begun drying the clothes with a fireball.
He had seen many mages before, but this was the first time he’d seen someone use fire magic to dry clothes.
My contractor is… quite unusual in many ways.
Helix glanced at Lea, who was diligently drying her own hair.
“Why?”
Lea, sensing his gaze, asked.
“Nothing.”
“What is it?”
Though she said that, she smiled slightly. Helix quickly turned his head away.
“Let’s leave quickly. Everyone at the villa must be worried.”
“Yeah. We should.”
The two stepped out of the cave energetically.
“…But where is this?”
“…No idea.”
Lea, born with an innate sense of direction that was hopelessly bad, went blank.
Helix, whose sense of direction had been forcibly lost after being sealed for so long that the landscape had completely changed, was equally disoriented.
“Let’s follow the river upstream for now.”
And a few hours later—
The two, still wandering aimlessly, were discovered by a girl gathering herbs.
Her large robe, wrapped tightly around her body, was covered in dirt and grass, with burnt edges giving off a faint smoky smell.
“…W-what are you two doing?”
The girl asked, trembling.
A noble lady.
And a guardian.
Unable to reveal the truth, the two fell silent.
A loud rumbling broke the silence.
Grrrroooowl…
The herb-gathering girl’s expression changed.
Looking at them with sympathy, she asked,
“Would you like to come to our home?”
❀ ❀ ❀
The girl lived in a nearby village with her older sister and her niece.
The two sisters treated Lea and Helix kindly.
“Please try this.”
The older sister served them steaming potato stew. After they devoured the food hungrily, the younger girl reached out her hand.
“If you take off your robe, I can wash it for you.”
Lea pulled her hood down further to cover her face and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t take it off.”
Revealing her identity here might trouble the sisters.
But the girl didn’t back down.
“It’s gotten so dirty—are you really going to keep wearing it? It’ll be quick! Just a moment!”
Just as she reached to remove Lea’s hood—
Thud.
Helix stood up and gently pushed the hood back down over Lea’s head.
His large hand covered the hood, almost completely hiding her face.
“I appreciate the thought.”
He spoke in a low but firm voice.
“Oh, no, that’s not—”
The sisters flinched.
Not just the sisters—Lea was surprised too.
His single sentence had changed the atmosphere.
“…”
How strange.
Lea blinked beneath the hood.
The large hand resting above her blocked most of her view, yet she didn’t feel suffocated at all.
Why did it feel so… warm and reassuring?
She felt oddly flustered.
Strange. I can’t see ahead, so why do I feel this calm and secure?
Unconsciously, she swallowed.
Gulp.
While she did so, the older sister grabbed the younger girl’s arm.
“Hey, that’s rude. Apologize.”
“I-I’m sorry. I just wanted to help…”
“It’s fine.”
Helix’s tone was gentle but firm, and the sisters stepped back hesitantly.
“Hehe, then please come by anytime you need something.”
“Stay and rest a bit.”
“We appreciate your kindness.”
After his brief reply, Helix finally removed his hand from Lea’s hood.
She exhaled the breath she had been holding.
“Phew…”
“Did I make you uncomfortable?”
Helix asked softly, as if apologizing.
“I saw that you seemed troubled.”
“No, you did well.”
Lea almost added that it was reassuring, but stopped herself.
Well, this wasn’t the time for compliments.
Scratching her cheek, she looked around the house. The young niece of the sisters approached them without understanding the atmosphere.
“Meow.”
The baby, with chubby arms, reached out toward Lea.
“Meow?”
Lea smiled, making eye contact and mimicking the child’s small, animal-like sounds.
Thump.
The baby’s tiny mouth opened wide, eyes sparkling.
A look of being completely smitten.
“Meow!”
“Meow~ Is that so? Aww, you’re so cute.”
Helix watched Lea and the baby.
I don’t know who’s the one being called cute.
He had thought she was only someone who confidently pushed her opinions and spoke bluntly.
But seeing this side of her—
Her voice suited such softness, and her playful, matching responses to the child felt oddly fitting.
He shook his head.
Seeing a different side of his contractor must have surprised him. He was thinking unnecessary things.
Meanwhile, the baby hugged Lea’s leg.
“Oh my!”
“W-wait, let go of her!”
The sisters panicked and rushed forward, but Lea stopped them with a smile.
“It’s fine. She’s cute.”
As she bent down to hug the baby—
Whoosh.
A large hand suddenly appeared and scooped the baby up.
“Waa!”
The startled baby cried out, but fell silent upon meeting Helix’s eyes.
Expressionless, Helix lifted the baby.
His large, delicate hand moved gently.
Pat, pat.
He lightly patted the baby’s back.
The baby blinked in surprise at the touch.
Leaning against his broad chest, supported by his strong arms—
“Ah… ba…”
The baby wriggled closer into Helix’s embrace.
“Ba… ba…”
At that moment, the baby’s mother turned away, overcome with emotion.
“Sob…!”
“Ah, sis… are you thinking of your husband? Don’t cry, okay?”
Sensing the mood shift, Lea nudged Helix.
The two quickly stepped outside the sisters’ cottage.
Lea scolded him.
“Why did you suddenly pick up the baby and make people cry? It looked like the father had passed away not long ago.”
“I didn’t know the father was gone.”
“You should’ve known at a glance… no, I suppose I expected too much from someone as rigid as you.”
She shook her head, and Helix looked at her, squinting slightly in the sunlight.
Only her pale chin was visible beneath her deeply lowered hood.
He was curious.
What kind of face was hidden under that hood?
“…Lea, aren’t your standards for noticing things a bit too high?”
“You’re just too slow at learning, Helix.”
She teased with a laugh.
“Still, I’ll let it slide. You’re handsome.”
Helix unconsciously tightened his grip.
