Chapter 123
123 Chapter
“Sir Einheart.”
While I was sitting on the floor of the training hall, catching my breath in silence after a long session, I called out to Rainer, who was sitting a bit farther away.
He looked up slightly, wiping the beads of sweat cascading down his silvery hair. His golden eyes sparkled like a beast’s, reflecting a blind intensity.
Maybe it was because I had just worked out, but his usual rosewood scent was stronger than ever, filling the space.
“Did you call for me, Mir?”
His low voice tickled my ears as it approached. Despite looking perfectly fine, his voice sounded quite subdued, perhaps indicating he was struggling more than he appeared.
Despite his brusque and ascetic demeanor, there was an inexplicable allure about him. I found myself momentarily lost in his face before I finally spoke.
“I have something serious to discuss. It’s a very important matter.”
Seeing my serious expression, Rainer straightened up, taking on a serious demeanor himself.
“The most suitable person to thwart the National Foundation Day terror together is Rainer.”
He was a strong warrior, at the Sword Expert level, and it felt like he was on the cusp of becoming a Sword Master.
Moreover, as the Captain of the Royal Second Knights Order, and with his father Noah, the Captain of the First Knights Order, both required to work for security during the festival, the Einheart family wasn’t participating in the procession.
“While they will be quite busy with security during the festival, it’s not like Rainer would just be sitting there. If he needed to slip away, he could probably manage it.”
Sensitive enough to detect subtle mana, and capable of moving freely during the procession—Rainer was the perfect candidate.
“Could you join me for the National Foundation Day festival?”
As soon as I asked Rainer directly, his expression turned ambiguous. His long, delicate silver eyelashes fluttered, hiding and revealing the gold of his eyes.
He slightly parted his lips and paused, seeming to hesitate before slowly responding.
“Is this… a date proposal?”
“••••••What?”
I blinked in surprise at Rainer’s unexpected remark. He appeared puzzled as if confused himself.
The tips of his ears turned red, like they had been painted with bright red paint.
“Because you asked me to participate… at the festival…”
“Ah.”
It was understandable that it could sound like that since I suddenly requested we participate together.
Feeling oddly flustered, I quickly shook my head.
What I meant was, it was about the incident that would occur during the festival.
“Ah… I see.”
Rainer nodded. His expression seemed slightly more serious, but there was no reason for him to feel that way, so it must have been my misunderstanding. I carefully continued.
“There’s going to be a bomb explosion during this National Foundation Day festival.”
Rainer’s face instantly hardened.
The quiet yet kind-hearted and shy Rainer transformed into Captain Einheart, his eyes now fixed on me as if demanding more details.
“I heard this from a whistleblower too. Though I can’t disclose who the perpetrators are as I was asked not to reveal it… it’s trustworthy information. A magic bomb is set to explode in the central square during the procession. I don’t know the exact location, so I’ll need to search for it on the festival day, and I’m asking for your help.”
As he listened to my explanation, Rainer’s expression grew more serious. He furrowed his brows and rubbed his chin.
“If you’re asking for my personal help like this, it must be a matter that needs to be kept confidential. It seems… there’s involvement from a powerful organization.”
Without needing further explanation, sharp Rainer deduced the nature of the perpetrators. I silently approved with a clenched fist.
“They say it’s a tremendously powerful bomb. If the terror succeeds, many people participating in the festival will die. Please… help me.”
I gazed at Rainer desperately. If I were to fail in stopping it myself, I felt I wouldn’t be able to cope with the guilt.
“Mir. This isn’t something you should be taking on.”
Rainer, who had been staring intently into my eyes, bit his lip before shaking his head.
“This is something I, as a knight of the Empire, should naturally assist with.”
“But, because of this, the Einheart family could get entangled in complex matters or face revenge.”
I said, muddled.
Even if we stop the terror, the aftermath is a problem.
After thwarting the terror, Rainer might face disciplinary action for not reporting it or for taking unilateral action, having known that a terror attack would occur.
Should it become known that the Kypros family was related to the terror, they wouldn’t escape ruin, so they couldn’t act recklessly, but they might secretly retaliate against Rainer, who intervened in their affairs.
“I will step forward as the mysterious mercenary Mir, so they shouldn’t be able to touch me… but Rainer has to act in an official capacity.”
No matter how much I wanted to stop the terror, I couldn’t help but worry about bringing harm to Rainer.
A headache brewed with my tangled thoughts. Perhaps having noticed the troubled expression on my face, Rainer gently grasped my cheek and pulled my face toward him.
His large, rough hand brushed against my mask.
With his face close, I widened my eyes slightly. Rainer fixed his honest gaze upon me.
“Don’t think strange thoughts. Even if it weren’t your request, if I had learned of this incident, I would have gladly stepped in to stop it. And since it’s your request, whatever it is, I will carry it out.”
Though his low, deep voice held the rigid tone of a knight, it sounded incredibly gentle to me. Staring into his unwavering golden eyes, I felt once again:
The one who walks on the straight path among those I know is Rainer Einheart.
“Alright. Then, please join me.”
I straightened my posture, brushing aside any lingering hesitation, and spoke confidently to him. Rainer finally smiled, seeming satisfied.
“As you wish.”
“Now, so what hurts?”
Caesar sighed deeply, looking at me with a gaze that resembled that of an adult looking at a 5-year-old child.
Sitting perched in his chair, Kal’s watchful eyes mirrored Caesar’s, just as Aria, seated by my bedside, affectionately swept my hair back.
“Ahem. Cough, cough. I feel dizzy, my throat hurts, my stomach aches a bit… My lungs and kidneys seem to be throbbing as well. My heart feels like it’s racing. My back hurts, so I suspect my kidneys have weakened too. Cough.”
Here I lay, trying my best to appear as sickly as possible while splayed on the bed, placing a wet cloth on my forehead like it was my first time faking illness.
‘Damn, they don’t look convinced at all.’
I glanced at the three of them, their expressions openly revealing that they thought, ‘We love you, but you’re clearly talking nonsense.’ Cold sweat dripped down my back.
With just a day left until the National Foundation Day, I had to find a way to avoid the procession at all costs.
I wanted to break an arm or something simple to get out of it, but it was a given that my family would probe me about how I broke my arm, so I couldn’t do that.
‘The only remaining option is to fake illness but… sigh…’
My father was a Sword Master who understood the flow of nature. My brother was an outstanding magician, and my younger sister was a half-fairy who could use healing powers to keenly read the condition of others.
Deceiving them wouldn’t be easy, not to mention I couldn’t bring myself to lie to those I loved.
“Hah… with those symptoms, you should be close to death… but our daughter doesn’t seem pale at all.”
“Ahem! As a child, how could I show any illness to my parents? My loyalty won’t permit it, so I’m doing my best to maintain my appearance.”
Hmph.
Sweating profusely under the scrutinizing gaze of the three, I fumbled for an excuse while glancing at the source of the sound.
“Ah. Sorry, continue.”
The maker of the noise was Kal. When our eyes met, he wore a face full of pity and fluttered his eyelashes, attempting to cover his mouth.
‘This guy for real…’
And, of course, I knew perfectly well that his mouth was grinning below his hands.
I rubbed my burning cheeks, filled with rising shame and self-loathing, and bit my lip tightly.
“So… I don’t think I can participate in the procession for the National Foundation Day tomorrow.”
“Is that so?”
Caesar nodded. He had a serious expression, apparently trying to play along, but it was clear from his eyes that he was barely containing his laughter.
“Forget the procession… but if my daughter is sick, how can I stand by? I should immediately contact the temple and ask for healing using holy power…”
“Wait a moment!”
As Caesar was about to step out and contact the temple, I grabbed his arm, and he turned back with a look that questioned what was wrong.
“What is it? With that youthful pope or that bulky substitute bishop, they would likely rush over if you just said you were sick. It’s probably better to call for the pope if you really want proper healing, right?”
Caesar flashed a smooth smile, clearly enjoying toying with me.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘There’s no need for holy power when I’m perfectly fine! If El comes and finds me in good health, I’ll be declared as the sick-faking princess with pope approval.’
If El somehow suspected my predicament and claimed I really was sick, I would have no face left to see her.
“It hurts enough that I can barely move my fingers, but I think just resting for two days will suffice. There’s no need to trouble anyone so busy.”
I gritted my teeth and forced a smile toward Caesar. His mouth twitched as if he could no longer contain his laughter.
“Seriously… that’s absurd yet adorable.”
Aria’s voice tickled my ears. Sitting by my head, she stifled her laughter with a gentle smile, eyes filled with affection.
“……Yes, Father.”
After hesitating between properly faking illness and just giving up, Caesar called me sweetly.
I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Since coming here, you’ve only requested something from me twice.”
As he slowly approached, Caesar knelt on one knee in front of my bed. His warm red eyes enveloped me entirely.
“The first was to save Aria, and the second was to invest in the Harness business. Do you remember?”
“……Yes.”
“Those were the only two times you directly asked me for something. Neither of those were for your own benefit, were they?”
A glimmer of emotion resembling sadness flickered across Caesar’s once-cold red eyes.
It was a feeling I hadn’t seen from him before; a feeling he had learned since I and Aria had come here.
“You’ve never once asked me for something for yourself.”
‘……Is that so?’
I forced a swallow to wet my dry throat. It was a revelation I had never considered before.
As I blankly blinked, Caesar slightly twisted his face before brushing my bangs aside with his large, beautiful hand. His touch seemed to carry an air of pity.
“Did you think you’d have to go this far just to avoid the procession? If you had just asked me… did you think I would ignore you and force you to participate, even if you didn’t want to?”
“…..I… didn’t…”
“Shh. A child with a sore throat shouldn’t mumble for no reason.”
Caesar playfully pressed a finger to my lips, his face revealing mischief. Feeling embarrassed yet incredibly touched by his gentle nature, my heart swelled.
“Don’t you want to ask why…?”
Even after I suddenly declared I wouldn’t participate, he simply smiled softly.
“There must be a good reason. I know that you’re not the type to act out publicly like this.”
Caesar’s voice was filled with trust toward me. I felt a swell of emotion and scrunched my face.
With a gentle touch, he stroked my hair.
“Next time, don’t go through all this trouble—just say it. Even if you can’t explain why, speak up confidently. Even if you asked for the world without reason, I would hand it to you without a word.”
I squeezed my eyes shut at his sweet voice. It was a dangerously excessive kindness.
As he quietly got up from his seat, Caesar opened my door, turning to Taylor, who was waiting outside.
“Mir won’t participate in this National Foundation Day procession due to illness. Please convey this to the royal family.”
