A rather bold voice was added, as if trying to instill confidence.

“I know quite a lot, you see.”

It was then.

Crash!

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Along with the sound of a glass breaking as it hit the floor from a corner of the tavern, an unexpected scream was heard. The quiet tavern turned into chaos in an instant.

“…Kill him!”

At the sudden shout, Delia’s shoulders visibly shrank in surprise.

‘Kill? Who? Here?’

As she quickly looked around to assess the situation, her eyes fell on Kaiel.

Amidst the chaos, only one person, Kaiel Ceder, remained calm.

As if he had anticipated something like this happening.

He slowly unfolded his arms. His voice, pitched extremely low, reached her ears clearly despite the noisy surroundings.

“…How tiresome.”

Before she could react to those words, two men shot out from the corner where the commotion had started.

“Out of the way!”

The path the two men had taken became a mess due to them recklessly pushing aside tables and people blocking their way.

People who were pushed aside and fell over could only watch where the two men were heading, unable to do anything in the sudden situation.

Delia, too, moved her eyes following the path of the two, and when she discovered Kaiel standing at the end of their path, she unconsciously stood up from her seat.

‘It’s Kaiel…!’

By the time she realized that the shout to kill was directed at Kaiel, the two men had passed by Delia and were close enough to be just a few steps away from Kaiel.

Yet Kaiel was just watching them quietly, without even a change in the expression of his eyes.

Even though it was clearly a threatening situation, his expression showed more annoyance than surprise or fear.

One of the men who ran towards him swung a blunt weapon with a loud shout, while the other stopped at a suitable distance and threw a dagger aimed at his neck.

‘No…!’

It was at that moment that Delia rushed forward and hugged Kaiel’s neck.

A moment later, there was a dull sound of the blunt weapon hitting something, and the dagger made no sound as if it had been stuck or embedded somewhere.

When the series of violent actions by the two unfamiliar men ended, surprisingly, Kaiel, who had been attacked, was unharmed without even a hair out of place.

He was even still holding the carefully wrapped bottle of alcohol for his younger sister.

As if nothing had happened, he remained cool and calm in the midst of the chaotic space that had become disorderly after a round of commotion.

If anything had changed, it was that one of his hands now held the dagger that had just flown towards him.

It happened in an instant, so fast that only those with quick eyes could have seen it, which means most people missed it.

Kaiel caught the fiercely flying dagger with minimal, controlled movement, grabbing it precisely by the handle, past the blade.

Then he cut off the wrist of the person swinging the blunt weapon in one swift motion.

As a result, the blunt weapon that didn’t even graze his clothes flew a little further and rolled on the floor.

There was no unnecessary movement at all. All of his actions were as natural as flowing water.

“Aaaaargh…!”

One man whose wrist had been cut off rolled on the floor with an agonizing scream.

Startled by his desperate cry, the other man stumbled back a few steps and then ran away out the door.

Soon, people began to tremble in fear, crawling under tables. When a bloody hand fell in front of their eyes, some even fainted and cried out for help.

Both the man writhing in pain after losing his hand and Duke Tranade standing in front of him with a still expressionless face were truly frightening, cruel, and brutal.

A moment later, Duke Tranade’s expression turned even colder. Those who saw this felt a chill and swallowed hard.

Perhaps the rumors were true after all.

Looking at the bloody scene before them, people thought that although his appearance might be different, his cruelty might be the same.

He was a terrifying person.

And… their familiar friend Delia was clinging to the neck of this cruel and terrifying Grand Duke Tranade,

“Wh-why is that girl doing that…!”

She was a terrifying person in a different sense.

Who would dare think of rushing at Grand Duke Tranade?

“What are you doing?”

Delia suddenly came to her senses at the voice ringing right above her head. The sound was so close that it gave her goosebumps.

She unconsciously raised her head to look in the direction of the voice.

Her eyes widened.

‘Ka-Kaiel…?’

He was looking down at her with a cold gaze, his face all scrunched up.

This time, it wasn’t just a small change in expression that only she could recognize. He was frowning so much that she forgot the fact that she was face to face with that handsome face up close.

There were only a few things Kaiel disliked enough to openly show his emotions. In this situation, it was probably…

‘Physical contact?’

Delia saw her arms tightly wrapped around his neck and shoulders.

‘Ah, because of this….’

At that moment, a cold wind blew through the open door. The wind swirled around her voluminous hair.

Her soft hair lightly brushed against Kaiel’s cheek and fell away.

His eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“Get off.”

Veins stood out on Kaiel’s neck as he spoke.

“Now.”

At his forceful words, Delia gently unwrapped her arms from his neck.

Her view lowered significantly. It seemed she had naturally been on tiptoe, clinging to his neck due to his height.

‘Sorry, sorry. I didn’t realize….’

The moment two men attacked Kaiel, Delia moved towards him without thinking.

She didn’t want her favorite character, one she had created herself, to get hurt.

Of course, Delia, who had never been in a physical fight, didn’t recklessly risk her life to stand in front of him.

What she relied on was the ability she had gained when she came to this world.

[Second, the ‘author’ is immortal unless they wish to die.]

Knowing this fact with both her mind and body, she didn’t worry about dying even in front of a weapon.

“I’m sorry for stepping in. I was trying to help.”

Delia adjusted her clothes and smiled slightly.

“I momentarily forgot that the Grand Duke moves through battlefields like his own home.”

After properly fastening the buttons of her cloak, Delia looked at him. Her large, clear green eyes, contrasting with her reddish hair, met his.

“I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

Delia looked at Kaiel but found it increasingly difficult to meet his gaze and turned her head away.

Seeing the people lying on the floor and a hand that had been severed, she suddenly thought,

‘You’re too strong…! Can I even kill you…?’

Though she knew his skills well as the author, seeing the blood-stained floor made her feel nauseous.

‘It feels like I’m seeing my own future.’

The thought that this world was a novel somewhat reduced her fear.

At that moment, she heard the sound of people sobbing behind her.

Turning around, Delia spoke kindly to the frightened people.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. He doesn’t harm innocent people. Get up, it’s okay.”

Reassured by her gentle words, the people who had been lying down began to get up and tidy the mess.

Even the person with a severed wrist crawled away from the scene.

The owner, Heather, stood up and dusted off her clothes.

Delia looked at her with concern.

“Heather, are you alright? What should we do with the store in such a mess….”

“Are you alright? My goodness….”

The owner, Heather, walked around to stand beside Delia, keeping as far away from the Grand Duke Tranade as possible, and bowed her head towards the Grand Duke.

“I’m sorry for my rudeness, Your Grace. I didn’t realize it was you. Please spare me…!”

When no answer came, Heather cautiously lifted her head and met Kaiel’s cold eyes, which startled her into hiccups. Kaiel sighed softly and, instead of replying, gestured for her to leave.

Even in that brief action, there was an overwhelming presence fitting for the ruler of Tranade.

“You.”

Then he spoke to Delia.

“Stop before you get dragged away by the guards for defamation. If you get caught… you’ll die.”

The laws of Sheriton were quite strict, so it was more of a warning than a threat.

Having said what he needed, Kaiel was about to leave the tavern without hesitation.

“Wait!”

Delia stopped him urgently.

“Take me with you, Your Grace. Please take me with you!”

Her tone was desperate, as if she couldn’t afford to miss this chance.

“Allow me to go with you, Your Grace.”

Kaiel stopped and turned his head slightly to look at her.

Why should I?

His cold eyes seemed to say.

Delia took a short breath under his gaze and spoke cheerfully again.

“I know a lot about Tranade, so I can help you, Your Grace.”

This time, Kaiel slowly turned his body to face her.

“…You must want to die by my hand instead of the guards. Fine.”

Kaiel’s voice dropped significantly. His hand slowly moved towards his sword.

“If you’re a stranger who knows too much, you must be eliminated.”

Despite his threatening words, Delia didn’t flinch.

“Take me first, and if I’m not helpful, then kill me! I’m sure I can help you.”