Chapter 38
Rache Archion smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yes, Daphne is my younger sister.”
At his answer, the children gasped in unison and clasped their hands together.
“I heard Daphne is a hero!”
“She’s even younger than us, right? And yet she stopped a bomb attack! That’s amazing! I don’t think I could ever do something like that!”
The children were surely praising Daphne out of pure admiration. But Rache couldn’t accept such straightforward praise.
His stomach twisted uncomfortably. The carefully constructed mask of a kind person trembled.
“Um…”
“Could you tell us a bit more about Daphne? How does she train at the mansion usually?”
“Was she extraordinary even as a child? And the rumors that she was a troublemaker—were they all lies?”
Rache’s lips trembled. The cracks in his mask were about to show.
Then—
“Is Daphne Archion really a hero?”
Someone placed a hand on Rache’s shoulder and poked their head in.
The strong scent of whiskey told Rache immediately who it was.
“Kenric!”
Kenric Dryde.
He had been Rache’s only close friend and companion even before Rache was adopted into the Archion family.
“Long time no see.”
Kenric smiled warmly with the one eye not covered by an eyepatch.
His gray hair swept to one side, and his wine-colored eyes shone like fine wine.
The left eye, hidden beneath the eyepatch, had been lost years ago in a battle with a dark magician.
Yet his large build, wide smile, steadfast eyes, and sharp jawline gave no hint that he was missing an eye. He looked confident, as if it was no flaw at all.
Seeing Kenric, the children’s faces lit up.
Kenric was a celebrated hero from the Northern War.
“Ah, hello, Kenric!”
“Hello!”
The children clasped their hands together and looked up at him, their faces glowing with excitement.
“Are you the new trainee Guardians?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“So you’ve already been swept up by baseless rumors, I see.”
Kenric clicked his tongue and gently patted the children’s heads.
“You’re too young to understand, but Daphne Archion is a truly troublesome kid. Just recounting the mischief she’s caused could keep you up for two nights straight. Everyone calls her a hero now, but in time, all the behind-the-scenes stories will come out.”
The children’s eyes rolled in confusion.
That was strange. They had been told Daphne stopped a terrorist attack, so why was Kenric—the hero of the battlefield—saying this?
They were utterly bewildered.
“B-but…”
“I heard Daphne saved people!”
“That must’ve been a coincidence.”
Kenric replied firmly.
“Definitely a coincidence. That crazy troublemaker wouldn’t do good deeds on purpose. Never.”
He shook his shoulders slightly, but the sincerity in his voice was undeniable. The children exchanged nervous glances.
Then Kenric addressed Rache.
“Ah, sorry. She’s your sister, and I probably said too much.”
Rache looked briefly startled but then shook his head with a soft smile.
“No, it’s fine. The truth matters just as much as appearances.”
“Exactly. Pretending to be a false hero is never acceptable.”
Hearing Rache affirm this, it became clear that Kenric was speaking honestly.
Yes. Kenric wouldn’t speak carelessly! And neither would Rache! So the famous troublemaker must have spread false rumors.
The children were eager to share this revelation with the other trainee Guardians. They stomped their feet and nodded repeatedly.
“W-we’ll be going now!”
“Goodbye!”
As the children disappeared around the corner, Rache slammed his fist against the wall.
“Argh! Damn it! Bloody hell!”
Rache’s flustered, shaking form was completely different from when he was with the children.
Without his mask of a kind person, he was back to being his unruly, brash self.
“Daphne! Daphne!! Why is she still alive? She was supposed to die! They said it was incurable!”
“Calm down.”
“No! I’m not saying she should die. It’s good she’s alive. But can’t she live quietly? Can’t she stay under the radar? Why does she always cause trouble?”
“I said calm down.”
“Do you think I can calm down?!”
Rache exhaled sharply and pressed his hand to his forehead.
He really hated Daphne.
He had hated her so much that, as soon as he turned twelve, he had run away from the mansion to become a trainee Guardian just to avoid her.
And now this again!
“This is insane. The family, the royal court… everyone. They don’t even bother checking the truth behind these ridiculous rumors!”
Rache buried his face in his hands in frustration.
“Hey, snap out of it.”
Kenric, who had been hesitating, patted Rache on the back.
“Why not think of it as a good thing?”
“What?”
Rache’s face turned to shock.
“You’re serious?”
Despite the sharp tone, Kenric shrugged.
“Think about it. They believed the rumor as fact, right? Then we just need to show them the truth. Show them Daphne as she really is.”
“She hasn’t changed anyway. Still bratty, still annoying. If the Guardians and knights see her like that, the rumors will sort themselves out.”
Rache’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Really…?”
“She’ll probably cause some trouble anyway. It’s obvious. So you don’t need to worry about it.”
Rache thought for a moment, then muttered in a low voice, tugging at his chin.
“You’ve only honed your instincts on the battlefield, haven’t you?”
“Instincts? Of course. You ungrateful brat.”
Kenric ruffled Rache’s hair while frowning, muttering that Rache was always a handful.
Rache Archion had originally been the child of the fallen noble Evet family.
Ten years ago, as the war dragged on, regional nobles lost their funds and territories, including Rache’s family.
Fortunately, the Duke of Evet had fought alongside Heros Archion and entrusted Rache to him as he was dying. That’s how Rache was adopted into the Archion household.
“Back then, he was at least a decent kid.”
Kenric clicked his tongue, looking down at Rache.
“Is your foster father coming this time?”
Rache, fixing his messy hair, paused for a moment before answering nonchalantly.
“No. Only Daphne is coming.”
“It’s been a long time since you saw your family, hasn’t it?”
Rache’s briefly softened expression contorted again.
“What family? The side that abandoned me? Or the side that left me behind?”
He ground his teeth and muttered.
“Doesn’t matter if I see either of them.”
And with that, he left. He walked confidently, but there was a subtle loneliness about him.
Kenric watched Rache’s forlorn back and shrugged.
“What a mess.”
Where had it all gone wrong? Kenric could never tell.
Meanwhile…
Tada-dak!
The sound of running echoed down the corridor.
Thump, thump, thump! Heavy footsteps shook the floor and stopped at Daphne’s door.
The person at the door wiped their mouth with the back of their hand, took a deep breath, and calmed their chest.
“Daphne!”
Then they flung the door open.
“You joined the hunt for the Dark Magician! Of course, our Daphne! Daphne who never tolerates injustice! Daphne who crushes all evildoers! Teity truly respects you with all her heart!”
“……”
Daphne frowned at Teity, who was babbling oddly the moment she entered.
“You failed to bring the Grand Sage, huh?”
“Ha, really? Does it seem like that? Hahaha! No way! Hahaha!”
Teity laughed, holding her waist and leaning back, then quickly clasped her hands behind her back and bowed.
Bang!
“I’m sorry.”
Sigh.
Daphne set down her coffee cup and let out a long breath.
