***

After Daniel left.

I hurriedly opened the door.

The first thing I saw was Adriel struggling against Wit’s restraints.

I ignored him and called for Wit.

“Wit!”

“Master, Wit was watching Adriel well so he couldn’t escape! Kekeke.”

“Really? Thank you. But that’s not the issue right now.”

Phew. I exhaled deeply.

“Did you distribute flyers at Vincent Academy without knowing it was the Holy Knight Academy?”

“M-Master. Are you angry? Wit just worked hard doing what Master told him to…”

I had been furrowing my brow but slowly relaxed my expression.

That’s right. Wit was just doing what I told him to do.

Me getting angry now would just be taking out my frustrations unfairly.

“No, Wit. I didn’t mean to get angry. I was just anxious and without realizing… Sigh…”

I plopped down on the edge of the bed with a sigh.

Then my eyes met with Adriel’s, who was glaring at me murderously from Wit’s left side.

“…Could you untie the knight now?”

“Yes, Master…”

Snap-!

As Wit snapped his fingers, Adriel exhaled roughly and glared at me.

“You’re quite cunning, I see. Or should I say I’m the foolish one?”

“You were the one who asked about academies first, my lady. I merely answered your question.”

His expression clearly said, “What’s the problem?”

Yes, he’s not wrong.

Whatever the reason, that man just did what was natural.

But why do I feel this way?

Like cold water had been poured over my head.

“…You’re not wrong.”

I stared at the floor without saying anything.

Had I become too comfortable during our time together?

Had I unconsciously started thinking he was on my side?

Stockholm syndrome or whatever. I shouldn’t blame Adriel.

I was the one who needed to come to my senses.

I laughed like a sigh. Then, I slowly raised my head and sneered at him mockingly.

“But what a shame, isn’t it? To have missed your only chance to escape like this.”

“……”

What’s this?

I thought Adriel would certainly get upset.

But his reaction was completely different from what I expected.

His eyes widened in surprise as if he’d forgotten to breathe, and his lips tightly sealed.

What could that expression possibly mean?

…Whatever.

I should stop caring. I shouldn’t attach meaning to every single action of that man and just focus on what I need to do.

I shook off my thoughts and turned my head.

“…Wit?”

I wondered where he had suddenly disappeared to.

Wit was peeking out from behind a chair leg, watching my reaction cautiously.

“Are you like that because I got angry earlier?”

“No, Master…”

Yeah, right.

I patted my thigh.

“Come here for a moment? I have something to ask you.”

“You want to ask Wit something? What is it, Master? Master, ask Wit anything!”

Wit flew over to sit on my thigh, his face brightening as if he’d never been dejected.

“Wit. Those choice options you see above people’s heads. Do they appear above animals too?”

“Kekeke. Wit’s ability doesn’t work on animals, Master.”

“I see.”

I was just asking on the off chance. So it doesn’t work after all.

“Sigh… I’ve already accepted the request, so I can’t back out now.”

So I have no choice but to use that method.

Time to put to use the power of videos I watched in my previous life.

“Wit can make the request get canceled! Kekeke.”

“What? How?”

“Wit will kidnap that Holy Knight too!”

No way….

I was about to wave my hand to tell him not to say such nonsense.

But at that moment.

Adriel, who had looked somewhat confused, suddenly jerked his head up and gritted his teeth.

“If you touch the Captain, you demon, you will never die peacefully.”

Mom! That startled me.

Adriel’s red eyes flashed with anger.

Have I ever seen that man this angry before?

As I froze at his fierce, beast-like intensity, Adriel turned his head toward me.

“Am I not enough for you?”

“…Pardon?”

“This way of tormenting people. And to dare target the Captain…”

“No, I wasn’t planning to—”

“The Captain is the sword that protects the people of the Empire from demons, and a person closer to goodness than anyone else. He is not someone that creatures like you can treat carelessly.”

Seriously, this person keeps talking without listening to what I have to say.

“Excuse me.”

I lowered my voice as I called to him.

“I’m not going to touch your Captain.”

Only then did Adriel close his mouth and look at me.

I continued with a serious expression.

“I already regret kidnapping you so much. Do you think I’d be crazy enough to do that again?”

***

As promised, the next counseling session took place at Daniel’s home, the Captain of the Holy Knights.

“Hissss!”

“…You’re going to get bitten.”

“It’s fine.”

No, there’s already blood flowing from your hand!

Contrary to my concern, Daniel seemed accustomed to this and was wiping the blood with a towel.

“Hiss-!”

The brown cat that had injured Daniel backed away with its fur standing on end, hissing.

But at this point, it seems less like fear and more like dislike.

I looked sympathetically at the bear-like man struggling with the cat, then turned my gaze away.

White wallpaper and wooden furniture.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy, but there was one item that sent a chill down my spine.

‘Missing Person’

It was a missing person flyer saying that the Holy Knight Adriel was being searched for at the temple.

“I met Charles a month ago. He was wandering around near my house, and when I opened the door, he naturally came inside.”

Unfortunately, with my gaze fixed on the flyer, I couldn’t hear a word Daniel was saying.

“For a while, Charles followed me well. He would climb onto my lap and act cute, and even bring me mice he caught. But about a week ago, I suppose? At some point, Charles started being wary of me.”

If he’s put up missing-person flyers like that on the wall, it must mean he’s desperately looking for him.

While I couldn’t look directly at Daniel with my pupils shaking like an earthquake, he suddenly asked:

“Do you know Adriel?”

“No?!”

…You idiot.

Why don’t you just turn yourself in while you’re at it?

“Did I ask such a surprising question? You were staring at that spot, so I asked.”

Daniel, who had been looking at my silent self with curiosity, asked again.

“But do you really not know Adriel?”

After some thought, I corrected myself.

“Ah, what I meant was… I’ve never actually met him in person.”

Daniel nodded.

“I thought so. It’s rare to find people in this empire who don’t know Adriel.”

I had vaguely felt it before, but Adriel seemed to be quite a celebrity in the empire.

And I’ve gone and…

I developed a tremor I never had before.

“Are you also one of those who admire Adriel?”

“…Pardon?”

“Is that why you were so surprised by my question just now?”

Admire…?

I checked my attire again.

I was properly wearing my robe with the hood up, and there was nothing wrong with my voice modulation magic item.

He shouldn’t even be able to tell my gender, so how does he know I’m a woman?

Is it because of my build?

“I see I’m right.”

Seeing that I couldn’t readily answer, Daniel became more confident in his assumption.

“He’s quite a sinful child, isn’t he?”

As Daniel chuckled, his large frame shaking, the brown cat threw some paw punches at him.

Daniel silently took the hits and continued.

“So many people visit the temple saying they like him, yet he doesn’t spare them even a glance. He’s utterly heartless.”

That means… Adriel wasn’t just being harsh to Rosemary specifically.