Chapter 93………………………………….
“Are you… saying you’ll kill Kaidan?”
At that moment, a huge shock struck the carriage.
“Gah!”
Kaidan instinctively shielded Lin’s head as she inhaled sharply.
Through the closed window, a loud, violent noise could be heard, followed shortly by…
Knock, knock.
A familiar voice called out urgently, sounding unlike usual.
“I apologize, Lady Soju. Someone who was blown into our path during the attack hit the carriage.”
It was explained that during the intense battle, the enemy had been pushed back with force and collided with another, flying all the way to their carriage.
Kae’s words came quickly as he tried to reassure Lin that it wasn’t dangerous—the enemy was already incapacitated, practically a corpse. The impact on the carriage wasn’t an ambush; it was just debris from the ongoing fight.
Amid Kae’s heavy breathing, the urgency of the outside situation came across vividly.
“I will make sure the attack never reaches here. Please, stay calm.”
After saying that, Kae spoke briefly to the guards around the carriage before moving away again.
“……”
Lin’s lips trembled without her realizing it.
Kaidan tried awkwardly to calm the trembling he felt emanating from her.
“It’s okay. If a knight says that, it means they were probably already dead or lost an arm or two. There’s no way you’re in danger.”
Kaidan’s calm voice made him seem completely unfazed by the situation.
To him, the assassination attempt seemed trivial; what was more shocking to him was seeing the girl trembling before him. Lin was even more stunned.
They… really tried to kill Kaidan… those huge grown-ups…
In her mind, Lin imagined enormous assassins surrounding Kaidan, threatening him, each blow capable of making the carriage shudder.
“I’m scared…”
She murmured almost in a whisper. Kaidan looked down at her tenderly.
Her lips moved again, finishing her thought:
“Even inside the carriage, with so many knights around, I’m scared… but Kaidan was all alone.”
Kaidan froze, staring into Lin’s golden eyes glistening with tears.
Lin was shocked—not just because she had witnessed human combat for the first time—but more so by how unnervingly accustomed Kaidan seemed to such events.
The hero… Kaidan has been through this since he was a child…
In the original story, this line about the hero’s childhood only briefly passed. How often must such things have occurred in front of the boy?
Lin bit her lip, trembling from the fear still filling her mind, but she grasped Kaidan’s hand tightly.
He had to go through this alone… it must have been even scarier than for me… poor Kaidan.
Tears welling up, Lin hugged the boy before her. She gently patted Kaidan’s back with her small hands, whispering repeatedly:
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll protect you.”
“What?”
“You’re my benefactor, Kaidan. I’ll help you. Don’t worry.”
Kaidan’s lips twitched at the word benefactor, but…
He’s more scared than me, yet worrying about me…
He swallowed the lump in his throat. There was no real reason for reassurance, yet…
“It’ll all be okay.”
The warmth from her pats only made his body feel safe for now.
“……”
Kaidan slowly closed his eyes, accepting her quiet comfort.
Thud.
The boy’s head dropped. Lin gasped.
“Ka-Kaidan?”
[He’s fine. Calm down.]
Caligo’s calm voice reached Lin, whose eyes were wide like a rabbit’s.
[He just fainted. Must have relaxed once the tension eased.]
As Caligo said, perhaps Kaidan had indeed fainted from the sudden fatigue.
Bang!
Instinctively, he shifted into his beast form to recover.
As a black tiger, Kaidan’s body bore minor wounds, hidden by his dark fur.
Each deep sigh caused his bandaged torso to rise and fall.
“Kaidan…”
Lin looked at him tenderly and carefully draped a blanket over him.
Unlike Lin, worried eyes on Kaidan, Caligo’s gaze toward the black tiger was unreadable.
[…….]
This was a form never seen in the wild. Silently observing Kaidan, Caligo seemed lost in thought.
Time passed unnoticed as each got absorbed in their own thoughts.
After a while:
“Lady Soju, this is Kae.”
With a light knock, Kae entered the carriage and informed Lin of the situation.
“The group of attackers who followed Tigris Youngs have all been dealt with. There is no longer any danger nearby.”
Not only had they eliminated the assassins who targeted Kaidan, but they had also cleared the battlefield so Lin would not witness any shocking scenes. It had taken some time.
Kae brushed near his jaw, checking for lingering bloodstains, then continued:
“All the attackers have been neutralized, but the individuals accompanying Tigris Youngs were brought along. They claim to be knights of House Tigris.”
He gestured to Kaidan’s knight, who followed behind him.
Earlier, it was impossible to let a stranger into the carriage with only Lin inside. Now, with backup knights ready and Kae nearby to supervise, they had been brought along.
After a quick assessment, it was confirmed that he was indeed a knight of the Tigris family.
“Kaidan’s knight? Come in, come in.”
Lin cheered, and Kae joined the carriage with Kaidan’s knight to monitor the situation.
The spacious carriage could easily accommodate two children and two knights.
“Nice to meet you. I am Merok, a knight serving Kaidan of the Tigris family.”
Lin greeted Merok, then quickly asked Kae:
“Can we depart immediately?”
“Yes. If you give the order, everyone will finish preparations quickly. Shall I relay the command?”
“Yes. We need to get Kaidan to a doctor as soon as possible. I’ll hear the details on the way.”
“Understood.”
Lin urged them to leave, keeping a worried eye on the fainted black tiger.
Kae nodded and quickly finished outside preparations before returning.
“We will depart immediately.”
As they moved, Lin felt the carriage bump more than before, due to the increased speed. She looked around at everyone inside:
Caligo. Kae. Kaidan’s knight Merok. Kaidan in his black tiger form.
Lin, still concerned for the unconscious Kaidan, finally spoke:
“I want to know what happened to Kaidan.”
“I’ll explain.”
Merok, who seemed unwell as well, coughed while covering his mouth before speaking.
“I have served the Tigris family for many years as a bodyguard, specifically for Kaidan’s father.”
Merok’s face darkened as he spoke of Kaidan’s father.
“Perhaps Kaidan has already told you, but the group that attacked us were assassins sent by my lord’s younger brother, the Regent.”
Kaidan’s enemy. Merok’s teeth clenched at the mention of the Regent.
We need every possible ally to help Kaidan right now.
Merok continued, sharing everything he knew. He had already been informed by Kaidan about Lin’s preliminary engagement and the alliance with the Pegasus family, so he could speak freely.
If this moves the young lady of Pegasus, it’s beneficial to Kaidan.
Rushing to treat the unconscious Kaidan, Lin listened carefully to Merok’s explanation.
The story Lin heard in the carriage left her expression somber.
However, when they arrived at Pegasus Castle, an unexpected guest was waiting for her.
