“Who is handling it?”
The moment they returned to the Keilos estate, Eren immediately began preparing to head out again.
“Sir Ferento has gone to the site with the First Knight Order.”
As if he had clenched his molars tightly, Eren’s jaw twitched slightly.
“So that is why Lady Gloria hosted the banquet. She deliberately aimed for the moment we were away.”
Indeed, with the man from Gelloa Village currently in the North, the only ones who would find it inconvenient were those from the East.
Knowing that, Liselotte felt uneasy.
‘So, Duke Gloria didn’t know until now that there had been a survivor near Gelloa Village.’
Valen’s report had stated that there was no one there.
That could be taken to mean that once outsiders began rummaging through the village, a beastlike man appeared belatedly.
At the same time, the image of him guarding the ashes surfaced in her mind.
Over her thoughts came Eren’s command.
“Tell them it is acceptable to kill him but bring him back with his body intact.”
A rather frightening exchange passed between Ail and Eren.
Liselotte could only stare wide-eyed at this first glimpse of Eren’s ruthless side.
‘This is the first time I have seen him personally take command.’
Always considerate, Eren had never wanted to show her this side of his life.
And since Liselotte wasn’t the type to interfere needlessly if she couldn’t be of help, she had naturally never had the opportunity to witness it.
Perhaps because of that, Eren’s sharp-edged demeanor felt unexpectedly unfamiliar.
As if he had noticed her gaze, Eren belatedly called out to her in a slightly softened voice.
“Liselotte. It is dangerous, so please remain in your room with guards as much as possible.”
“Do not worry. You know, right?”
That the Word of Command didn’t work on her.
Liselotte swallowed the rest of her words out of habit.
After doing so, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
‘Wait. They use the Word of Command anyway, do they not?’
From what she had seen during the carriage ambush, it seemed the assassins also used minor sword techniques, but this time, the distance between the Keilos estate and the group appeared to be considerable.
The fact that the man reacted from such a distance meant there had to be a reason other than a physical one.
For instance…
‘The Word of Command.’
After gauging the situation, Liselotte asked Ail.
“Where is the man brought from Gelloa Village?”
“He keeps trying to leave the estate, so he is currently in a standoff with the guards. Perhaps because communication is impossible, it feels as though he regards us as enemies.”
“Did you say he started going wild after that group appeared?”
“Yes.”
“Could you possibly bring the man to me for a moment?”
No sooner had the question left her mouth than Ail and Eren both objected at the same time.
“Your Highness, would that not be dangerous?”
“That will not do.”
How could they both reject it without a moment’s hesitation?
Eren in particular had a rigid attitude, as if not a single drop of blood would come out even if he were pricked with a needle.
“Once things are resolved, we will choose the right moment. Then you can meet him in a safe place. Not now.”
“What matters right now is that the man must not leave the estate.”
“Even so, he is someone with only his wild instincts left.”
“If he is being controlled by the Word of Command, then I might be able to help.”
Standing by, ready to intervene if necessary, Ail tilted his head as though he had just heard something strange.
“I apologize, Princess Liselotte. That is… could you explain how you could be of help?”
At the same time, completely opposite answers burst out from Eren and Liselotte.
“You don’t need to know.”
“The Word of Command does not work on me.”
Ail’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, and he sucked in a sharp breath.
“Pardon…?”
Frozen in place, he seemed to ponder for a moment, then asked again, even louder.
“What?!”
“Liselotte.”
Eren subtly shook his head, signaling her to be cautious.
It was an unspoken message not to reveal her ability unnecessarily.
However, Ail was someone trustworthy.
More than anything, rather than continuing a standoff, wouldn’t it be far easier and safer to simply undo it if an incantation had been placed on him?
“Even if Sir Ferento subdues the group, the same thing could happen again at any time. In that case, would it not be easier for me to just undo it?”
“Well… that is true, but…”
Still unable to believe it, Ail murmured as if spellbound.
Seeing that Eren remained resolute, Liselotte quietly took hold of his arm.
Startled, his shoulder trembled slightly.
Liselotte met his gaze and smiled brightly.
“Eren. There will be guards with me, right?”
“…Even so, that will not do.”
“Really? You said you would grant everything I wanted. Were the words you said at the wedding all lies?”
“They were not lies, but that did not mean dangerous things like this were acceptable.”
“If it becomes dangerous, I will run away. And I am not making an unreasonable request either. Even in Gelloa Village, that man did not rush at me.”
When Liselotte stared at him intently, Eren turned his head away, as if uncomfortable.
Pressing his lips tightly as though holding something back, he offered no reply, as if staging a silent protest.
When Liselotte lightly shook his arm, he squeezed his eyes shut and pretended not to notice.
There was no way Liselotte would give up just because of that.
If there was one thing she had confidence in, it was her persistence and tenacity.
“Then give him to me as a gift. I like the man brought from Gelloa Village more than jewels.”
“A man whose name you do not even know…?!”
Eren, who had turned his head sharply and snapped back without thinking, swept a hand down his face the moment he looked at her.
“Ha… All right. But I will be there as well.”
“Wow! Great!”
No sooner had permission been given than Ail, coming back to his senses, called out briskly.
“If you wait briefly in the guest room, we will bring him shortly.”
***
The guest room was, quite literally, a complete mess.
The bed had been bitten, torn, and clawed to the point that none of its original shape remained, and the fabric of the carpet, table coverings, and even the curtains was little better than rags.
Marsha, seemingly embarrassed, fussed over a creaking chair, brushing it off unnecessarily as she made excuses.
“Oh dear, that man behaved completely like a beast, so none of the furniture survived. I will bring a new chair.”
“No, it is fine. If something new comes in, it might feel unfamiliar and make him go even wilder.”
Eren, still standing with his arms crossed in a crooked posture, looked displeased with the situation.
Not long after, a loud crash echoed from the corridor.
“Grab him!”
“Tighten the chains. If they loosen even a little, he will bolt immediately!”
The knights’ resolute voices rang out, stiff with tension.
“Grrr… Kaah!”
“Damn it, he tore off the gag!”
As he struggled, the dull sound of someone being struck echoed.
With the door right in front of them, it finally opened after some time.
The knights, disheveled, and the man from Gelloa Village, tightly bound in chains and almost dragged along, came into view.
As soon as the guest room door closed, the man quickly turned and tried to rush back out.
The knights used their entire bodies to restrain him, turning him so Liselotte could see.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess. It would be best to keep this much distance. There is a chance he might bite…”
Before the knight could finish speaking, the man twisted his body like a massive fish.
Before, he had been so weak that he couldn’t stand again after being pushed once, but since coming to the North and being properly fed, he looked healthier.
In the midst of grappling with the knights, he collapsed to the floor along with them.
Just as Eren reached for his sword.
Liselotte raised her hand to stop him.
“Eren, wait.”
Thud, the fallen man lay still for a moment, as if he had lost consciousness.
Just as the thought crossed her mind that he might be dead, he began crawling across the floor using his whole body like a maggot.
“Kkiing, kking…”
Letting out a pitiful sound, the man moved toward Liselotte.
The man, who had crawled over bearing wounds from his struggle with the knights, lay on the floor and looked up at Liselotte.
Unlike his savage behavior moments ago, he now looked as though he were hoping for something.
“…Hello?”
When Liselotte lowered her head and greeted him while examining his face closely, the man tilted his head.
“Grng?”
Marsha, who had been hiding in the corner of the room, covered her mouth with her hand and murmured.
“My goodness… Even when we gave him meat, he charged at us…”
When Liselotte reached out and gently stroked his face, the man closed one eye as if he felt good.
It seemed her ability worked on him as well.
