Ch. 243
“Do you think I’m as crazy as you? Think about it. The problem right now is that you lost your family heirloom, not that I used my ability to erase metal. So why am I the one being called a thief? If we’re being honest, you’re the thief, not me.”
“……”
“Am I wrong? You’re the idiot who brought something so important out into this dangerous world. I’m the one who deserves an apology. Because of your harebrained actions, I got dragged into this mess. Why are you causing trouble for innocent people?”
I put on a brazen face, but in truth, I knew very well. If this blew up, I’d be the only one who suffered.
Making the Fedri family heirloom disappear was a serious crime that would inevitably cause problems, Saintess or not.
It was a grave matter that could potentially spark conflict between nations.
But since Rovenin was the one who made me commit this sin, he should share the responsibility.
[Master, you’re saying something different than before?]
[What? Are you going to spout nonsense again?]
[When you were kidnapped before. When the teachers scolded you, you said the slave trader was bad, but the lost child wasn’t at fault……]
[I was a child back then! But Rovenin is an adult, so he should take responsibility for his mistakes!]
Rovenin, as expected, didn’t agree with my opinion and looked ready to do something dangerous to me, but Ash, who was already on high alert, was just as quick to stop him.
To my eyes, it only looked like the two of them exchanging quick hand gestures, but it was clear some kind of struggle had just taken place.
“Calm down. It’s true that you are at fault!”
“……The way that woman talks is like she’s begging to be killed…….”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t use the sword I lent you to cut down the person who is revered as a Saintess.”
Seeing the veins bulging on Ash’s hand as he gripped both of Rovenin’s wrists, I realized that I was much bolder than I felt.
This is the courage forged by a Dragon!
“Hoo hoo hoo hoo! Think carefully about who’s in the more difficult position right now! You’re just a good-for-nothing from a Duke’s family, but I’m the Saintess of this era, respected and loved by everyone!”
“Is that something you should say yourself?”
“What can I do when it’s the truth?”
I swept my hair back over my shoulder with a flourish, but it didn’t look as good because of the part that had been cut off earlier.
“Crowell, now that I think about it, you were also a noble.”
“……Huh?”
“I’ll ask you. What rank is your family?”
It’s not that Rovenin was the kind of Duke’s son who bragged about his status, but the fact was, talking like this to him was enough to warrant punishment.
If he wanted to, I wouldn’t escape jail time. The crime of mocking and insulting the Duke’s family of the Empire is by no means light.
There was a considerable gap in status between me and Rovenin.
“Sigh, unless you’re going to propose to me, can you please stop caring about my family? Of course, I’d refuse a proposal anyway.”
“Are you really crazy?”
I could feel the sincerity in his words. Rovenin looked like he wanted to tear me apart with murderous intent, but I didn’t back down.
I’d been whipping him so much, it was about time to give him a carrot.
“You just need to understand this. If you mess with me, you’ll never be able to find out about Tenebra or the location of the Dragon Lair, so there’s no point in provoking me. You have more to lose than I do. If you treat me well…… who knows? Maybe I’ll take you to the Dragon Lair?”
“……Really? You said absolutely not earlier.”
“Yeah. I’m a liar.”
“Why did you change your mind?”
“The promise I made with the Dragon was to keep the location of the Lair a secret. But delivering a lunch box is okay…… ahem. I can’t tell you the location, but I thought it might be okay to go with me.”
I decided to change my thinking.
If I just sent him there, that would be leaking the location of the Lair, and Adelaide would be furious. But me taking one more human with me in 20 years, at the time I promised to meet Magi, is just delivering a lunch box.
If I can’t kill that guy on my own in 20 years, it’d be good to borrow Magi’s power to take care of him.
What’s the point of having a Dragon friend if you don’t use him at a time like this?
“……Are you really going to be nice to me?”
“Of course.”
“Rovenin! Anyone can see she’s trying to throw you into the Dragon’s mouth!”
Ash is great in many ways, but sometimes he’s more sensitive than necessary.
Why doesn’t he understand that good is good?
“What’s wrong with that? That’s what he wishes for.”
“That’s right. Meeting a Dragon and competing with its existence is my lifelong wish. I never thought it would be possible.”
“That’s a good wish.”
“If you help me, I’ll look at you a little more positively.”
“No thanks.”
“I’ll wait for Tenebra’s restoration too.”
Does he really want to meet a Dragon that badly? For the first time, the hostility in Rovenin’s eyes toward me lessened a little.
“When will you take me?”
“There’s a day I promised to meet. When that time comes.”
Rovenin and I dramatically made something like a truce.
Unbelievably, there was even a moment when we looked at each other with satisfied faces.
“Good. When is that?”
“In 20 years.”
“……That’s far away.”
“Phew…… Thank you, God.”
As much as Rovenin was disappointed, Ash was noticeably relieved.
As befitting a famous fighter on the continent, he became very simple in front of the opponent he wanted to fight, and thanks to that, I felt like I now knew a little about how to handle him.
I thought it was a good chance to subtly offer a handshake, but seeing that he didn’t even acknowledge it, it seemed I still had a long way to go.
[Still, it’s a happy ending, right? No blood was shed either.]
[No. Ash shed blood.]
[But it wasn’t Master’s blood, right?]
[That’s true.]
It would have been better if I had fought and beaten Rovenin, but unfortunately, now was not the time.
I wasn’t the strongest on the continent, and I’d never aimed for that. But to beat that socially inept redhead, I had a dirty feeling I’d have to aim to be the strongest on the continent, whether I wanted to or not.
My natural enemy was powerful, a monster with nothing in his head but the desire to get stronger.
—
Ash and I, having returned to the city, faced a common problem. From the carriage depot onward, Rovenin was following us like a shadow.
I tried getting annoyed and telling him to go away, tried appeasing him, Ash tried begging him, I tried cursing and throwing stones, but nothing worked.
Before I knew it, we were right in front of our lodgings, and I became impatient and grabbed Ash by the collar and shook him.
“Do something about him. He keeps following us!”
I whispered so no one else would hear, but that didn’t mean I was speaking kindly enough to be ignored.
“It’ll be a disaster if he really follows you around! That’s Rovenin Fedri. No matter how you look at it, it’s not natural to make him an ally!”
“I know that too, but…….”
“More than anything, you can’t use him as a Guardian. Even a foreigner like me knows that Duke Fedri is close to the Second Prince! Who would believe it if we said we met by chance on the street! The elders of the Empire aren’t fools!”
“Geenie, I appreciate you worrying about me, but calm down.”
“Even if we put aside whether or not to make him a Guardian! If that clueless guy sticks around, it’s only a matter of time before the kids find out about your identity! They’ll be calling you ‘Your Highness’! Then you’re completely ruined!”
Even though I was half-shouting into my own mouth, unable to control my temper, Ash remained calm.
Was I the only one who felt that Rovenin continuing to follow us was a serious problem?
“As you just experienced, Young Master Rovenin is not a person you can reason with. I don’t want to say bad things, but…… he’s not someone who understands common sense either. When he’s being stubborn like that, there’s nothing you can do but leave him alone.”
“How can you do that!”
No matter how much I pulled my hood down and covered more than half my face with a mask so it wouldn’t immediately scream “Rovenin Fedri” to passersby, it was impossible not to notice that scary, dark presence shadowing us.
The aura he exuded was on a completely different level from an ordinary traveler.
To put it bluntly, it was like a blood-stained knife lying in the street. His very existence grated on my nerves.
“He won’t do anything as rash as you think. The Young Master acts as he pleases, but he’s not a fool. Besides…… right now, he seems more interested in you than in me.”
“……Let’s be clear. It’s not me, it’s Tenebra.”
“Yes, try to get Tenebra back as soon as possible. That sword is what he wants most. Before it was a family heirloom, it was the sword he was most attached to. It’s the sword he’s been wielding and getting used to since he was nine years old. No other sword can fill that spot.”
“It’s not something I can do as I please, you know? It takes time…… and more than anything, I need the Dragon’s help.”
The last part I said especially quietly.
There were crowds all around and it was a busy evening, so it probably wouldn’t reach Rovenin’s ears, but I was still worried he might hear it.
If he caught that Dragon talk, things would get even worse.
“The Dragon’s help…… is it that difficult?”
“Yes. I can’t restore it alone.”
It was a relief that Ash at least understood what I meant.
“That’s a big problem. He is not someone who gives up easily before he gets what he wants.”
“Should I just tell him the location of the Lair? Then he’ll go away.”
“No. Geenie, him being in danger is one thing, but if you do that, you’ll lose the Dragon’s trust.”
“Of course I’d lie. I’d tell him to go the opposite way from where the real Lair is. Then at least he won’t bother us while he’s gone.”
“……As soon as he finds out he’s been tricked, he’ll try to kill you. I might not be able to stop him then.”
If I sent him somewhere as far away as possible, he wouldn’t be able to come back for half a year, right?
Ah, but Rovenin didn’t have Warp sickness like me, so there probably wasn’t a place that would take him that long.
I racked my brain trying to figure out how to get rid of that guy, but I already knew the answer.
“I guess the only way is for you and me to join forces and kill him?”
“I’ll contact the Fedri family as soon as it’s light tomorrow and ask them to send someone.”
Ash naturally ignored my perfect plan.
“Will that work?”
“We have to try.”
Even as he said it, he didn’t seem to have much hope for that method. It seemed that was simply the only measure he could take.
“It’s good to call them…… but please don’t tell me.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Rashamu isn’t coming, is he?”
Because my ominous premonitions had all been coming true lately, I couldn’t help but say the thought that flashed through my mind.