Describe how you feel suddenly encountering an article about the secret identity of your bodyguard.

“What on earth is he thinking?”

Given Raeyan’s reticent personality, it’s unlikely his identity was exposed, which means he must have revealed it himself…

I couldn’t even begin to guess what Raeyan was thinking to do something like this.

Greed, who was lying on the desk wagging his tail, tilted his head and asked:

[What’s the Black Gorge?]

“You don’t need to know.”

[Tch.]

Greed swatted the newspaper off the desk in response to my curt reply.

Such a temper.

It didn’t matter since I had already read everything I needed to.

“Hmm.”

I rested my chin on my hand and stared intently at the communication magic tool.

But as expected, the communication magic tool remained silent.

***

To get a scoop, journalists would venture into dangerous places. This was no exception even if the place was called the ‘Black Gorge’, known as the Valley of Death.

The appearance of someone claiming to be the heir of the extinct Vietan family!

This was a major event that could potentially turn the 4 Great Families into 5!

Journalists rushed to the Black Gorge, hoping to write the first article that would go down in Wallentian history.

Somehow, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Black Gorge where the subject of the tip-off was said to be.

“Our job ends here.”

“We hope you survive well on your own.”

The mercenaries they had hired to protect against monster attacks and other threats during the journey to the gorge left unceremoniously.

Entering the Black Gorge without guards was tantamount to s*icide.

But the scoop was right in front of them.

Though they came from different newspapers, the journalists banded together and stepped into the gorge.

Despite their intense nervousness, the entrance to the gorge was eerily quiet. The journalists who had been terrified of monster attacks began to relax.

“Well, I guess the entrance has already been cleared by the subjugation team.”

“How far in do we need to go to meet the subjugation team?”

“Let’s just keep going further in for now.”

Just as they were fearlessly quickening their pace…

“Aaah, aaargh.”

“Monsters…!”

Several monsters were charging at high speed from the right. Having spotted humans, the monsters had no reason to hesitate.

Grooowl!

With a chilling roar, a monster swung its large front paw.

“S-save me-!”

All the journalists curled up and squeezed their eyes shut.

However, the expected pain never came.

Slash-.

They only heard the clean sound of something being cut.

‘Is that the sound of my flesh being sliced?’

One journalist who cautiously opened his eyes saw the trajectory of a sword slicing through the air.

Slash!

“Eek!”

Another monster fell dead right before his eyes.

The sword strike that cleaved the monster in half showed no hesitation. A man dispatched the monsters that had attacked them with clean swordsmanship.

Shortly after, members of the subjugation team came running from deeper in the gorge.

“He’s already taken care of them.”

“Is there even any point in us being here?”

A soldier from the subjugation team grumbled as he ran towards the journalists. But the journalists’ gazes were fixed solely on the man before them.

This man casually flicks monster blood off his sword. Black hair, red eyes.

It was certain. This was the Mercenary King Ian.

They had heard that the Mercenary King Ian’s combat skills were impressive, but seeing it in person was on a whole different level.

As soon as they realized the identity of the man who had saved them, the journalists’ eyes lit up.

“Are you… the Mercenary King Ian?”

“We came after hearing a tip that you’re the heir of Vietan. Can we interview you?!”

“Please do an interview with us!”

The journalists began to clamor, competing to secure an interview with Raeyan.

“Are you really the heir of Vietan?!”

“Do you have proof that you’re the heir of Vietan!”

“Why are you revealing this now after keeping it hidden all this time?”

A barrage of questions poured out as the journalists tried to get even one answer from Raeyan.

Raeyan, who had been silently observing the journalists, quietly opened his mouth.

“Newspaper.”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have a newspaper?”

“Oh, I do!”

As journalists, they were naturally in the habit of reading newspapers. As one journalist started rummaging through his bag, the others followed suit, searching for newspapers.

Raeyan added another word.

“The most recent one.”

“Please look at our newspaper! It should be the most recent!”

Of course, even the ‘most recent’ was still a few days old, given the time it took to reach the Black Gorge.

Raeyan took one of the newspapers offered to him.

As soon as he saw the first page, Raeyan’s eyes softened slightly.

Right from the start, there was an article about Elodie.

The announcement of her as the heir to Severes was the biggest headline.

As the most talked-about figure in high society, there were several more articles about Elodie in the following pages.

Raeyan leisurely checked up on Elodie’s activities. It seemed she was doing well, just as he had thought, which was reassuring.

As he was flipping through a couple of pages, monsters, sensing the presence of humans, began to emerge, lumbering towards them.

“Monsters!”

A nearby soldier shouted a warning to Raeyan.

But Raeyan kept his gaze fixed on the newspaper.

The journalists began to murmur when Raeyan, who they expected to immediately dispatch the monsters, didn’t even glance at them.

Grrrr!

Excited by the humans’ commotion, the monsters charged in gleefully.

But the monsters froze in that very pose. As if time had stopped.

Raeyan, adjusting his grip on his sword, swung it casually while still reading the newspaper, and with each swing, the monsters fell one by one.

The journalists knew the identity of this miraculous power unfolding before their eyes.

“Power…!”

This power that could stop moving targets was undoubtedly a divine power.

“What was Vietan’s power again? Darkness?”

“Yes, it was darkness.”

“What is that power? Is he even human?”

Regardless of the journalists’ chatter, Raeyan perfectly dispatched every last monster.

All while keeping his gaze fixed on the newspaper.

‘Wow, he’s so cool…’

Having had their lives saved twice by that indifferent yet powerful strength, the journalists couldn’t help but be captivated.

***

Wallentian was thrown into chaos once again by Raeyan’s existence.

The revelation had stunned everyone—an heir to the Vietan family still lived, despite the line being thought extinct and erased from history.

‘They’d be even more shocked if they knew Raeyan was actually from the past.’

I tried to get news about Raeyan after learning he was in the Black Gorge, but due to the considerable distance, I was told it would take a few days to know anything.

Anyway, Raeyan.

He suddenly said something meaningful, and then out of nowhere, he goes to the Black Gorge?

Of course, Raeyan will return safely. He’s stronger than anyone I know.

Still, I couldn’t help but worry.

After pondering for a moment, I contacted Gretel and asked her to briefly check on what Raeyan was currently doing.

But what came back was Gretel’s timid response.

[I-I’m sorry, Miss Elodie. I’ve never had contact with Mr. Ian, so I can’t tell what he’s doing. …I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help. I’m trash…!]

Gretel began muttering self-deprecating comments out of nowhere.

I had overlooked the possibility that Raeyan and Gretel might not have had any contact. Come to think of it, I had rarely seen Raeyan speaking with anyone other than me.

“Calm down, Miss Gretel.”

[From now on, I’ll touch everyone I meet. You can count on me, Miss Elodie!]

“That’s just being a pervert, isn’t it?”

[It’s okay. If it’s for Miss Elodie!]

‘…This is bad. At this rate, Miss Gretel might actually become a pervert.’

I wish it was a joke, but it absolutely wasn’t. Gretel Sangpan was the type of person who would do what she said she would.

Recalling my recent conversation with Leon, I said to Gretel:

“I heard that even powers have limits. You might end up unable to use your clairvoyance even if you touch someone, right?”

[Is that so?]

“Yes.”

[I understand. I won’t do it.]

When I answered firmly, Gretel mumbled for a moment before ending the communication.

“Thank goodness. I’ve saved a lady’s honor.”

As I let out a sigh of relief, Greed snickered.

[Could have been an interesting spectacle. What a shame.]

What a nasty sin, as always. I tossed some snacks to Greed and drafted a document.

[Additional Supply Support for the Black Gorge Subjugation Team.]

Supplies. It was the only help I could offer to Raeyan, who hadn’t contacted me.

After finishing the supply support, and praying for his safe return, I got up from my seat.

There was one more thing I needed to take care of.

Sigh.

“Let’s do the homework, the homework.”

The so-called ‘Make Pavo Dorus Human’ project, that is.

“Accompany Miss Elodie for the time being. You have no reason to refuse, so don’t cause any trouble.”

Due to his father’s unfunny order, Pavo was currently accompanying Elodie Severes.

“Severes, what Severes. I don’t acknowledge that woman…”

Muttering quietly, he followed behind Elodie at a distance. After all, he couldn’t refuse since it was his father’s order.

Although they hadn’t exchanged a single word, Pavo insisted to himself that he was accompanying her since he was following her around.

Elodie’s daily routine was simple.

After waking up and getting ready, she would have breakfast and then receive successor lessons from his father, Viscount Dorus.

After lunch with the head of the family, she would go out and spend quite a long time at some mercenary group.

Returning to the mansion, she would receive more successor lessons, and after dinner, she would shut herself in her room and not come out.

Curious about what she was doing, he tried to peek at her door but was caught by a maid named Martha and nearly lost his life.

“Don’t you dare go near the young miss…”

That eerie mutter and face. It was scary enough to appear in nightmares.

‘What kind of maid has such a terrible personality?’

The mistress and the maid were just the same.

Anyway, he still didn’t like how she suddenly appeared out of nowhere and secured the successor position without doing anything.

How many days had he been doing this accompaniment that didn’t feel like an accompaniment?

Elodie, who had never spoken to him first, approached Pavo.

“Hello.”

“…What is it?”

He didn’t want to use polite speech, but he couldn’t help it since she was the successor after all.

Seeing Pavo’s pride being hurt in real time, Elodie smiled brightly.

“It’s nothing much, but there’s a place I go every weekend.”

“Where… is it?”

“The Perdia mansion.”

Ugh. Pavo frowned noticeably.

As the son of a Severes vassal, having grown up hearing insults about Perdia since birth, he automatically recoiled at the mere mention of the word Perdia.

“If you dislike Perdia that much, you don’t have to come along. I’ll tell Viscount Dorus.”

“No, I’m going!”

“You’re going?”

“…Yes.”

If he didn’t accompany her now, it was clear that woman would look down on him. Wasn’t she already looking at him with those condescending eyes!

Going to Perdia was no big deal.

Ha! Despite being surrounded by all sorts of terrifying rumors, it’s still just a house where people live, right?

…Or so he thought.

“Gasp. That fountain, it’s a poisoned fountain! You’re poisoned! You’ll die if you don’t get an antidote!”

Pavo ended up receiving an initiation rite as soon as he set foot in Perdia.