What do you mean, three hundred people? You’ve never liked having others hovering around you and getting in your way.
That was why he always entered the meeting hall alone.
“Are you trying to argue with me over that?”
“That’s not what I’m saying! I’m talking about the current situation!”
“What? A thief blaming the victim now? Have you lost your mind?!”
“Did I say anything wrong?!”
The meeting hall was already in chaos. Nobles seated on either side pointed fingers as they shouted over one another.
Even after all these years, scenes like this never changed. It was almost nostalgic.
“Our region suffered losses because your side failed to defend the border!”
“How was I supposed to know things would turn out this way?! What next, are you going to blame the rain on me too?!”
“Looks like you finally understand what people are saying.”
“You son of—”
Step.
“Huh...?”
“Ah!”
“Ahem...”
The noisy hall fell silent in an instant. All because Kainel just entered the room.
This part hasn’t changed either.
Back then, as soon as that man appeared, everyone would immediately shut their mouths.
Well, his presence alone is enough to dominate a room.
Several nobles who had been yelling earlier stared at Kainel in alarm before hurriedly sitting back down.
“......”
However, Kainel paid them no mind as he walked past and took his seat. Without sparing anyone so much as a glance, he closed his eyes. It seemed he had no intention of speaking before the Emperor or Crown Prince arrived.
“So, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“You still don’t understand? With comprehension skills like that, it’s no wonder you failed to manage your own territory and dragged ours into this mess.”
“You b*stard, are you done talking?”
“Do I look done? How many times do I have to repeat myself before you understand? The soldiers should be sent to our side, not yours!”
Since Kainel remained silent, the nobles gradually began raising their voices again. The same people who had been carefully watching his expression were now back to shouting at the top of their lungs.
Ceres didn’t even need to hear the whole story. It was obvious that everyone was desperately clinging to what they already had.
A faint sneer tugged at the corner of her lips as she stood behind Kainel.
“If you fail to present a proper defense plan again this time, I won’t let it slide!”
What a load of crap.
“What exactly are you going to do about it?! Protecting your territory is your own responsibility, so why do you always come screaming at us?!”
Bullsh*t.
“Your territory receives more support from the Imperial Family than ours does! Obviously you should be contributing more!”
Pathetic.
Those idiots already had more than enough on their plates, yet every single time, they acted like they were being starved.
Geez, were they beggars or something?
Why were they always throwing tantrums and demanding more?
Hm?
One by one, the arguing nobles suddenly turned toward Ceres.
Wait. Did I say that out loud?
Even if she did, she was certain she didn’t speak loudly enough for anyone to hear.
Ceres awkwardly forced a smile. She tilted her head when she realized everyone’s attention wasn’t actually on her.
It was on Kainel.
Why? Is he dozing off?
From where she stood behind him, nothing looked different. Kainel still sat there with his chin resting against his hand.
But unlike Ceres, the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° nobles facing him directly couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Just now... was he smiling?
His eyes remained closed, yet a faint, gentle smile rested on his face.
.
.
.
Chapter 18: A Corpse Mauled by a Monster
Jingle.
“......?”
“We’re closed.”
It was late, nearly midnight.
For the first time in a while, Ceres had stopped by the shop. She was waiting for Ben from the Sky Guild with only a single dim lamp left on.
She had spent so much time stuck beside Kainel lately that she wasn’t able to check on Antonian and the other children’s training. So instead, she had sent Ben in her place. Tonight, he was supposed to report back on how the children were progressing.
“Ah... you’re closed... cough.”
A man stepped into the shop even though business hours were already over.
A gray robe was pulled low over his face, making it difficult to see him clearly. But his voice sounded fairly young.
“Cough...! Cough!”
“......?”
“Cough, cough... cough cough cough!”
...Sorry, but if you’re planning to die, could you at least do it outside?
Ceres stared at the man hacking his lungs out in bewilderment.
What’s wrong with him?
Please don’t leave her with a corpse to clean up in the middle of the shop.
Letting out a sigh, Ceres rose from her seat and headed into the kitchen. Opening her subspace, she pulled out a few herbs good for coughs and brewed them into tea.
“Cough, cough!”
“Drink this.”
“Hm? Ah, thank you... Cough! Cough.“
Ceres watched the man as he accepted the warm herbal tea.
She couldn’t see his complexion, but the sound of his coughing was heavy. This wasn’t an ordinary cough. Whatever illness he had, it already settled deep into his body.
“Haa...”
A long breath escaped him after a few sips of tea. His breathing sounded steadier than before.
Once he set the teacup down, he slowly removed the robe covering him.
...Wow, he’s pretty.
So this was the kind of face people meant when they described someone as breathtakingly beautiful. How could a man look like that?
Soft lavender hair fell to his shoulders, and his pale skin looked almost translucent. The combination suited him very well.
“What tea is this? It’s good.”
“If you’re done drinking, you should leave now. We’re closed.”
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t realize you closed this early.”
“You do know how to read a clock, right?”
“Hm?”
Ceres pointed toward the clock hanging on one side of the shop. After noticing the hour hand already pointing at twelve, the man chuckled awkwardly.
“I really did come late.”
Ceres gave him a look that said Then hurry up and leave, before lowering her gaze back to the ledger she had been reading earlier.
Ever since Kainel stopped showing up at the shop, business had gone back to being peacefully normal. The Black Mercenary Corps even stopped by for a company dinner recently.
I think I also heard the mercenaries complaining about why their group dinners always had to be held here, but...
Not her problem.
Their commander is one of our shop’s most loyal regulars, after all.
She seriously hoped that he would keep that position forever and never step down.
“Thank you for the tea.”
At the man’s farewell, Ceres looked up to see him leaving the shop with a bright smile. Then she noticed something left behind on the table.
A single gold coin gleamed beneath the dim light. It seemed he had left it as payment for the tea.
“If you’re going to pay, at least pay properly.”
Do you know how much those herbs cost? The ingredients alone were worth more than two gold coins.
I only gave them to you because I didn’t want to deal with a corpse in my shop. You should be thankful.
“What’s with the gold coin?”
When Ceres picked it up, a familiar voice came from behind her. It was Ben, the member of the Sky Guild she had been waiting for.
“What about the kids?”
“They all made it home safely.”
“Does anyone get hurt?”
“I’m genuinely curious, but what exactly is that place?”
Ben finally asked the question that had been bothering him for a while. Ever since he first stepped foot there, he’d thought the training grounds were strange.
No, strange wasn’t enough. That place was downright bizarre.
Their injuries heal instantly!
One of the children had fallen during training and gotten hurt badly enough to bleed. Ben had clearly seen blood gush out, only for the wound to heal moments later.
The children acted like it was perfectly normal, but Ben had stood there frozen with his mouth hanging open afterward.
“Is that place really just a normal training ground?”
“Yeah. You don’t need to know anything else.”
“So it’s not actually normal, then?”
He should’ve known something was off when he saw a snow-covered mountain.
Ignoring Ben, Ceres turned her head toward the direction the man had disappeared.
Maybe I should’ve told him to visit House Ellesia.
Would that have been too meddlesome? Surely, he wasn’t about to collapse somewhere and die, right?
That’d be a problem.
If he died around here, things would get troublesome for her too. The last place he visited was this shop, and she even handed him medicinal tea herself.
That was just asking for troublesome misunderstandings.
“Excuse me, are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah. I’m not.”
He’s pretty, though. He kind of resembled someone.
“I’m telling you that training ground is weird!”
“You’re noisy.”
***
“So, that’s the woman my brother’s been interested in lately?”
After putting some distance between himself and the shop, the man in the gray robe spoke quietly.
“Yes. Apparently, they’ve been glued together these days.”
As though he had been waiting nearby all along, another man emerged from the darkness. He looked to be in his late twenties.
“I also heard that Lord Cheion personally hired her as a temporary secretary. They say he visits this shop almost every day as well.”
“Hm.”
A faint smile spread across Alex’s face as he gazed at the dimly lit shop.
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