CHAPTER 137………………………………………………….
When I looked down over the ridge, Zeke was standing below, leaning his back against the railing of the terrace on the lower floor.
“Planning to jump? I wouldn’t really recommend it.”
“…There’s an emergency ladder on the side.”
“Didn’t know that.”
Zeke said that and let out a short chuckle. Despite the chaos that had just unfolded, he still carried his usual air of ease.
Compared to roaming battlefields, was putting a sword to the crown prince’s throat really nothing to him?
“I always thought you were a young lady I couldn’t quite read. Do you often enjoy late-night walks?”
“…….”
“Still, why not restrain yourself tonight? You haven’t been back that long. What if one of your siblings wanders into your room and finds you gone?”
Zeke snickered and went on.
“At that point, who knows what those panicked siblings might do?”
“…How long have you been there? That room should’ve been empty.”
“Not long.”
Zeke casually took a pipe out of his coat, then, catching my glance, slipped it back in.
“And you’re wondering how I happened to be standing here at such a perfect moment? A hunch. You ever get those sometimes? That strange kind of intuition.”
“Do you?”
“Maybe it’s an ability I inherited as a descendant of a prophet?”
Puh-huh. Zeke let out a soft, amused laugh. Maybe that really was the case.
“And besides, you’re always doing the most unpredictable things. I had a feeling—and sure enough.”
He smiled faintly and snapped his fingers. This is exactly why I hate perceptive adults.
“So, where were you headed?”
“…To the Hendricks marquisate.”
“Why there?”
“To ask if they can dismantle this bracelet.”
I stretched out my arm so the bracelet dangling from my wrist was clearly visible to him.
“Hm. It does look like no ordinary bracelet. But why?”
“It’s something they gave me when they let me go. I can’t take it off by myself… I thought Hendricks might know a way.”
“Not sure about that. They seem busy processing divine stones to repair this dagger.”
As he spoke, Zeke tossed the toothless dagger into the air and caught it again.
That was a bit rough for something treated as a quasi-relic.
“Why go to Hendricks in the middle of the night? You could wait until morning.”
“I’d rather no one knew. If they find out about this bracelet, everyone will worry.”
And not just worry. They might order every magitech scholar on the continent to be summoned on the spot.
They’d probably stand guard all night, afraid something might go wrong with the bracelet.
‘And purely hypothetically, if this bracelet turns out to be a magitech item that can’t be removed no matter what…’
Just as my thoughts began to spiral, Zeke suddenly said,
“Trying to run away again?”
“!”
“If the bracelet won’t come off, you’re planning to run, aren’t you? That’s why you don’t want to tell the family.”
“…That’s—”
“Well, if they knew what you were really thinking, this household would be turned upside down again.”
Zeke chuckled softly.
I lost my words and pressed my lips together. He’d hit the nail on the head—I had no excuse.
“How did I know? You really resemble Begonia in that way…”
My mother?
Zeke’s eyes took on a distant look, as if recalling a faraway past—like an explorer tracing the faint remnants of memory with his fingertips.
“Is that what your siblings would want?”
“…It doesn’t matter. I can’t just sit by and let my family be put in danger because of me.”
There was no telling what kind of magic might still be bound to that bracelet.
There was no reason for the rest of my family to shoulder all that risk with me.
“Shuhill was like that too.”
“Pardon?”
“He was afraid his power might hurt others, so he couldn’t even practice properly. But that’s not the right answer.”
“…….”
“If you just cower in fear, nothing ever gets solved.”
When I didn’t respond, Zeke began talking about Shuhill—how wary the boy had been of him at first, how he’d changed lately, how he’d gotten fairly good at controlling his strength…
“If I’d married in time, I might’ve had a daughter about that age.”
A faint smile drifted across Zeke’s face as he said it.
Seeing that expression made something sharp prick at my heart.
‘What do you even know about me?’
If I had overwhelming strength like Shuhill’s, I would’ve faced it head-on and tried my hardest. But my problem wasn’t something like that.
It was the inherent limitation of being a dark mage.
‘I know that running away won’t bring a conclusion. But facing it doesn’t necessarily solve anything either.’
I knew Zeke meant well, but his words didn’t truly reach me.
“Well, the choice is yours in the end.”
As if he’d read my thoughts, Zeke added,
“I didn’t see anything tonight.”
“…What?”
“That’s what you should understand.”
With that, Zeke opened the terrace door and went back inside before I could say anything else.
Left alone on the terrace, I shivered as the dawn air grew steadily colder and let out a deep sigh.
My thoughts only became more tangled.
And then there was that remark about resembling my mother. Hearing that always made me feel strange.
The mother I knew was far more confident than I was—someone who always shone brilliantly, like the sun itself.
What on earth did Zeke see in me that reminded him of her? I had no idea.
“Whew.”
My eyes landed on the emergency ladder set against the side of the terrace. If I truly wanted to, I could head straight to Hendricks and disappear forever…
‘…Right. I said I wanted time to talk it over with my family. Claude would probably give me another day or two.’
If that was the case, maybe it was okay to be a little selfish—just for now.
“I’m really fine, I told you.”
Despite my repeated protests, Hazel wouldn’t budge.
“Just pretend I’m not here and relax.”
“How am I supposed to do that? I just said I wanted to take a walk in the garden…”
“I’m not stopping you.”
Hazel replied firmly. I mean, it wasn’t like I was going out to the marketplace—just the garden right in front of the house. Did that really warrant a holy knight escort?
I glanced around, hoping for backup, but my siblings all quietly avoided my gaze.
A silent agreement with Hazel!
As I stood there feeling betrayed, Edmond cleared his throat and added quietly,
“It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. And Hazel’s a holy knight we can trust…”
Wasn’t he the one saying just the other day that getting close to a holy knight was a bad idea? Edmond flipped his stance in an instant and looked shamelessly unapologetic.
As I let out a hollow laugh, Isaac and Yulia chimed in too.
“Exactly.”
“You’ll feel safer with Hazel.”
When I shot them a glare, they buried their faces in their plates like nothing had happened. I could clearly see there was nothing left but salad.
Unbelievable.
Hazel herself showed no sign of backing down. In the end, I headed out for a walk in the garden with her.
Warm sunlight poured down, and flowers were in full bloom everywhere, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
I’d often seen wildflowers in the Frostwood Forest, but a well-tended garden had its own unique scent.
“Come over here.”
When I gestured to my side, Hazel shook her head.
“Half a step behind is the basic rule of escort duty.”
“And talking casually to the person you’re escorting is fine?”
“…….”
“Don’t be so stiff—just walk with me. Please?”
At that, Hazel reluctantly moved to my side.
“It feels like it’s been a long time since we walked like this together. Back at the academy, we used to have lunch and walk around pretty often…”
That stopped once Hazel switched her major to the knight division.
She’d transferred late, so she skipped lunch and focused on training just to keep up with everyone else.
“I used to eat with Natalie and watch you run laps on the field. We even bet on how many laps you’d do.”
“I’ve heard.”
“Back then, I felt bad seeing you struggle so much. And now look—you’ve become such a reliable knight, protecting me.”
I grinned and nudged her playfully.
I’d been really taken aback when Hazel suddenly declared she wanted to become a holy knight…
“That’s why I became one. To protect what’s precious.”
Hazel murmured in a much lower voice.
“If you don’t protect it, it gets taken away.”
“…….”
That was another reason I hadn’t been able to dissuade her back then.
As the breeze gently blew my hair, I tucked it behind my ear and said,
“Is Harry’s death anniversary coming up?”
“Yeah.”
Forever thirteen—Harry Bisset.
Hazel’s younger brother, a tragic boy who lost his life to monsters.
“It’s already been this long.”
I still vividly remembered Hazel collapsing in shock when she first heard the news at the academy.
The Hazel who returned after Harry’s funeral was no longer the same Hazel.
—I have to become a holy knight.
—Hazel…
—I’ve heard before that I have divine power. Back then, I pretended not to know, because there was no reason to choose such a harsh path. But now it’s different.
How could I ever forget that bloodshot gaze, veins burst and eyes burning red?
—I’ll kill them all. The monsters—and the dark mages too.
And my own heart, torn to shreds.
—I’ll kill every last one with my own hands.
All I could do was nod.
—…I’ll support you.
That was my answer.
