Chapter 16

…Yes. There was a time like that.

A pointless past. So it’s all just stories gone by. Erich inhaled deeply again, filling his lungs with the forget-me-not scent.

“It’s because I care.”

The words the woman had just shot at him pierced Erich’s soul again. Truly, Beatrice Winter was unchanged.

Still beautiful,

Always, almost painfully, kind.

So kind that he wanted to possess her all for himself, feeling selfish. Erich unconsciously hugged Beatrice tightly.

The woman, gently stroking his hair, whispered quietly.

“I brought Liam.”

“Who’s that?”

“You know, about the <Sand Scorpion>. He’s the mage the Ivory Tower decided to dispatch. He’s talented. I guarantee it.”

“More than me?”

“Are you insane?”

Beatrice finally voiced the sentence she’d always thought,

And Erich, with his face buried in her chest, quietly chuckled.

His body shook, vibrating through hers.

“Beatrice.”

“Yeah.”

“As the head of Schwert, there’s something I need to confirm with the Tower Master. May I ask one question?”

Because it was the ‘Grand Duke Schwert’ voice, Beatrice instinctively tensed. She slid off his knee and sat right beside him.

Erich let go and slowly checked his attire. His collar, rumpled by the kiss, and the creased fabric began to return to its neat shape.

Beatrice, watching him, unconsciously straightened her own clothes.

It was irresistible.

“How severe is the Ivory Tower’s discord?”

Still within her expectations. Beatrice took a deep breath and answered, pretending to smooth her skirt.

“It’s pretty serious. The elders… hardly listen to me.”

“I see.”

“I tried to hide it as much as possible.”

“Indeed, so far there was suspicion but no proof. The Ivory Tower’s silence in that area has been impressive.”

“But how did you guess?”

Erich twisted his body toward her. Sitting side by side made it hard to see her face.

“<Sand Scorpion>.”

His dark blue eyes watched her closely.

“The <Sand Scorpion> is a first- to second-class monster.”

The standard for dividing monster ranks was simple.

How many people each individual could kill.

Some weak ones could barely kill a single person, while others could massacre over a thousand.

The <Sand Scorpion>, between first and second class, was inevitably dangerous. During the war, warriors and sorcerers did their best to wipe them out.

“The Ivory Tower elders couldn’t possibly be ignorant of the <Sand Scorpion>’s danger. They participated in the war.”

“Yeah.”

“But you said you assigned only one mage to a report of its appearance.”

Beatrice nodded quietly.

“To a place where lives could be at stake, you sent not just anyone, but your own disciple. And you value your disciple. Then isn’t the conclusion obvious?”

“……”

“The elders pressured you to send only one mage. Why? Because they believe the report is false. That’s why they insisted on dispatching just one.”

“Exactly.”

Beatrice smiled bitterly.

“But given your personality, you wouldn’t want to send just one. So naturally, I had to assume there’s division within the Ivory Tower.”

“…Yeah.”

The head of Schwert, who needed close cooperation with the Ivory Tower, stayed silent for a while. He neither spoke disappointment nor scolded her.

Feeling her own shortcomings exposed, Beatrice had to swallow her embarrassment alone.

“It’s my fault. I’m sorry. Still, I’ll make sure not to cause trouble for Schwert. The elders at least have enough sense for that.”

“It’s fine, nothing’s happened yet.”

“It mustn’t happen!”

Beatrice insisted confidently, but Erich’s lips twisted crookedly, as if questioning whether nothing would happen in the future.

Unable to return a sure denial, Beatrice dropped her head.

Just as she couldn’t hide her origins or love, discord and conflict couldn’t be hidden either. Sooner or later, the Ivory Tower’s cracks would show. She only hoped they wouldn’t lead to dire consequences.

With her head bowed, Beatrice didn’t notice the change in the man above her.

Erich von Schwert’s jaw tensed slightly as he looked down at her white crown. He was unconsciously gritting his teeth.

Knowing nothing, Beatrice suddenly lifted her head and mumbled.

“I really didn’t want to send Liam.”

“And?”

“You know the <Sand Scorpion>’s traits.”

Unlike ordinary scorpion venom, the <Sand Scorpion>’s poison was peculiar.

It was deadly to children and adults, but not so lethal to teenagers aged fifteen to nineteen.

The reason for its lower lethality in that age range wasn’t clearly explained, but the numbers were certain.

“I picked out sorcerers aged fifteen to nineteen. Liam trained directly under me, but the others didn’t.”

“Hm.”

“So Liam is the best candidate. I just… didn’t want to send him.”

“…Just as the Ivory Tower sent only one mage, Schwehrt has also assigned only one warrior. Do you want more support?”

Usually, warriors and sorcerers are matched one-to-one. It’s an unwritten rule.

But in this situation…

Beatrice, calculating carefully, shook her head. Erich raised an eyebrow at the unexpected answer.

“No matter how many warriors Schwehrt sends, they’ll still be between fifteen and nineteen, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If the <Sand Scorpion> really exists, and the kids see it, they’ll never be able to handle it.”

Training and real combat are different.

Erich and Beatrice survived the age of conflict and barely brought peace, but now the children grew soft in peace.

“They need to run. That’s the best option. And when that happens, I’ll have to go myself, kill the <Sand Scorpion>, and bring them back…”

“So, the fewer kids we have to rescue, the better.”

“Yeah. Even I have limits.”

“Even ‘we’ have limits. I’ll go with you. Remember, I’m dead without you.”

Right, that’s the kind of body he has.

Beatrice nodded obediently.

“…By the way, I told Maximine we’re dating. Is that okay?”

“Who’s Maximine?”

“My secretary. You met him in front of my room in the corridor.”

“Ah…”

Erich seemed to twirl her hair around his finger. When he tugged, her scalp tingled. After a few playful pulls, he whispered mischievously.

“Are you okay?”

“There’s nothing to not be okay about. But you’re at marriageable age. What about engagement?”

“……”

“And just so you know—if you keep sleeping with me and get engaged to another woman—”

“Isn’t it already a problem to get engaged to someone else while having your name on my chest?”

“True. I should fix that soon.”

Erich let out a big sigh. It was so heavy, Beatrice was about to protest.

He reached out and covered her entire face with his hand.

“That’s enough.”

His voice was a bit frayed. Hearing the tired tone, Beatrice’s fingers twitched.

“I really don’t want to hear marriage nagging from you. Especially not from you. How would you feel if I nagged you to marry?”

“…Sorry. I just…”

You’re the head of Schwert, after all. The only head of one of the most noble houses after the Imperial Family.

“That’s enough. I’ll handle marriage. Just come tonight to extend my life.”

“I’ll come after dinner.”

“Can I tie your wrist?”

“No, you lunatic.”

“So harsh.”

Are you insane?

Beatrice firmly pinched the hand covering her face.

* * *

The morning after a passionate night, Beatrice restored the statue of Grand Duke Schwert,

And at lunch, Liam succeeded in reconstructing the ice wall.

By evening, Erich introduced Liam to the Schwert warrior who would accompany him.

Her name was Hilda Enning.

A nineteen-year-old female warrior skilled in dagger arts and tracking.

Just because Beatrice glanced at her, Hilda tensed up. Like a mouse facing a snake, Beatrice felt a bit unfair.

Then she realized the reason.