Anyway, Cedric was the type of person who would chase after someone to return a found item. So she didn’t think much of it.

But Cedric clearly doesn’t know her. This possessed body couldn’t possibly know the Duke.

So why is he looking at her like that?

Just like someone who has something to say.

As Charlie’s tangled questions grew, it happened.

“Form ranks!!”

Cedric’s urgent voice shook the ravine.

* * *

As soon as they left the forest and entered the ravine, monsters poured out from all directions.

They were trolls that had escaped from their habitat amidst the confusion.

“Wh-why are there trolls…”

The imperial army faltered as they encountered the group of huge, hideous trolls.

Trolls, known as the great wolves of the sky that swallow the sun, were monsters with blue-green skin and monstrous forms.

Massive bodies like boulders. Overwhelming stamina and strong attack power. They wielded clubs, used one-hit magic, and had excellent regenerative abilities.

Although their intelligence was low, the trolls’ one-hit magic had such tremendous destructive power that it was said to ignore defense magic.

If hit directly by an attack, even a master-level fighter could die instantly.

But trolls had a major weakness.

They hated light.

Trolls were nocturnal creatures that were active at night.

Therefore, they could be dealt with by using light to avoid rather than defend against them.

But now, wasn’t it broad daylight with the sun high in the sky?

What on earth was going on?

Logan, who had turned pale, looked at Cedric.

“Commander-in-chief…”

Cedric’s complexion had also turned ashen.

Trolls without their weakness to light, this might be worse than the wyvern incident.

The trolls, breathing heavily with rough growls, seemed to number at least several dozen at a glance.

Moreover, they were monsters with a nature similar to Cedric, who had the ability of earth.

“Fall back!”

Hearing the commander-in-chief’s order, a coordinated movement followed.

After checking on the soldiers, Cedric stretched out his hand.

At that moment, the ground around the expedition rose, forming a massive wall.

It was Cedric’s ability, the power of earth.

But this would only buy time while sapping the trolls’ strength, not providing a solution.

Moreover, it wouldn’t hold for long.

Bang-! Crash-!

Soon, the wall shook with a thunderous sound from the trolls’ strikes.

“Prepare for attack! We’ll launch a full assault the moment the wall crumbles!”

“Yes!”

“The trolls’ weak point is the heart. If you attack anywhere else, they’ll regenerate and counter with one-hit magic. You must pierce the heart in one go! Understood?!”

“Yes, sir!!”

* * *

“Damn it…”

Noel clenched his fist.

Trolls were large and had strong stamina, limiting the effectiveness of wind-based defense.

Moreover, their excellent regenerative abilities meant that attacking anywhere but their weak point would result in death by their one-hit magic.

And that wasn’t all. The ravine was surrounded by rocks on all sides.

One wrong gust of wind could trigger a landslide, endangering the expedition.

“At this rate, we’ll have to carve out their hearts one by one.”

Noel muttered as if talking to himself.

Wind had many facets.

A gentle breeze is light and uplifting. But a storm that sweeps everything away is also wind.

“How troublesome.”

Noel released the magic power he had kept sealed.

It wasn’t just Hector who had been hiding his strength.

Kieran’s eyes widened at Noel’s powerful aura, which she was feeling for the first time.

How much time had passed?

The wall that had been making thunderous sounds began to crack with a creaking sound.

“Defend.”

At Noel’s quiet words, Kieran raised her voice.

“Form defensive ranks!”

The knights closed in, raising their magic shields.

Simultaneously, a powerful wind shield enveloped the Wilkins family.

“Kieran.”

Noel turned to look at Kieran.

Kieran and the knights, whose specialty was evasion, would surely die.

“No matter what happens, stay here and don’t come out.”

“……!”

Noel, with his smile gone, looked terribly cold-blooded.

“Even if we’re all annihilated, absolutely do not leave the shield.”

* * *

“Your Grace.”

Leon looked at Hector.

If he revealed his power here, Kaisis would know.

That’s why the Hunt family had always stayed far behind, only cleaning up afterwards.

But it was too much for the imperial army alone to handle the trolls.

Hector, watching from behind, knew well that the Wilkins knights wouldn’t step forward.

There would be massive casualties, and the expedition would inevitably be delayed.

Moreover, the mind-controlled trolls were in an awakened state, so frenzied that they didn’t even react to light.

Hector looked down intently at Charlie in his arms.

— Not long ago —

“Your Grace, have you confessed?”

When Charlie went to prepare Kieran’s refreshments, Leon had asked Hector.

It was a question that suddenly occurred to him while talking about the Grand Duchess.

As expected, Hector looked puzzled.

“Confess?”

Leon glanced at Hector with narrowed eyes.

“You didn’t just… pass over it vaguely without clearly establishing your relationship, whether you’re lovers or what kind of relationship you have… did you?”

“……”

Hector’s silence continued, implying his affirmation.

I knew it would be like this. Leon felt like pounding his chest in frustration.

His lord, the one and only Grand Duke Hector of the Graham Empire, was an untouchable existence.

Especially to Leon and the knights, he was like a living god.

Even if that god was the god of war and death.

Probably anyone who saw Hector rushing out covered in blood would think the same.

And that’s not all. Hector was material for a capable ruler.

Even while staying in the North due to the oath, he cultivated and firmly led the barren northern lands.

In fact, after Hector became the head of the family, the northern region where the duchy was located achieved numerous developments.

It was more abundant than Lewis’s west, more powerful than Edwards’ east, and wealthier than Wilkins’ south.

But when it came to romance, he was utterly hopeless.

Leon passionately argued.

“This won’t do. The moment she asks, ‘What are we? Just purification partners?!’ it’s over.”

“Over?!”

Hector’s eyebrows twitched.

“With women, you need to clearly and directly say, ‘Let’s be lovers from today on.’ Just like that! You need to make a contract.”

“I already made a contract.”

“Don’t tell me… you mean the affiliation guide?”

“……”

Once again, silence affirming the question followed.

Leon’s shoulders slumped, deflated.

“That and this are completely different. Besides, doesn’t Charlie think it’s a maid contract?”

Hector hadn’t yet told Charlie about the affiliation guide.

And Hector was pheromone-insensitive. Unlike the unmarried Tanner, Leon was quite experienced in dating.

Therefore, if one had to pick who knew women best among the three, it would undoubtedly be Leon.

As Hector remained silent at this plausible argument, Leon added.

“I hear that the affiliation guide can be unilaterally terminated. What if she happens to fall for another man?”

“That won’t…”

[What do you mean there weren’t, men are scattered all over like you’re tripping over them. If you were to live with them all, you’d need to build a palace. No, you can’t live together. If you put them together, they’d tear each other apart.]

At that moment, the fortune teller’s prophecy flashed through Hector’s mind.

His brow furrowed involuntarily, and a murderous aura spread around him.

“Then I’ll tear them apart.”

“T-tear…”

Leon hurriedly spoke.

Hector was indeed the type of person who could tear someone apart with his bare hands and have strength to spare.

“There’s a theory that if you confess on the last day of the Blessing Period, she won’t look at anyone else and will marry you.”

It was a story passed down among the people.

Of course, the part about not looking at anyone else was a lie Leon just made up.

Anyway, there was no harm in making things clear.

Besides, Charlie didn’t show much reaction to pheromones, but wasn’t she very weak to visual stimuli?

And on the night of the Eve, it wasn’t just Charlie and Hector who heard the fortune teller’s prophecy.

Leon, who had been eavesdropping outside the tent, heard it clearly too.

“You put a ring engraved with the Hunt family crest on her finger and make a promise!”

“Promise?”

“Yes! Tell her not to look at anyone else!”

For instance, Cedric, the temple man who they say would make the temple overflow with women if he appeared.

Or Noel, the social butterfly who they say can cause knotting just by making eye contact.

Or Kaisis, who is also a Grand Master like Hector, and an emperor who makes even him gasp in awe.

* * *

Hector’s brow furrowed at the memory he recalled.

The schedule was already delayed from what was planned.

If they suffered massive damage here, they might miss the Blessing Period.

Also, this was a situation he had anticipated and prepared for.

[You have no luck with men. It’s your fate to attract only men inferior to you.]

And he was not an inferior man.

“It’s nothing.”

Hector patted Charlie, who was trembling in fear.