Breck was about to say but closed his mouth. Come to think of it, Evangeline was still a woman. Although her disposition was completely different from Lily’s, she might be helpful.

“What would Your Highness like to receive as a gift from a lover?”

“The heart of a dragon.”

“Don’t speak from my perspective.”

“Land? Fertile land would be even better.”

“Aren’t you being too much from your perspective?”

“Something valuable that shows the person was thinking of me would be nice. But from your perspective, nothing normal would fall into that category. You can’t call a holy sword normal.”

“Do you want a holy sword?”

“Is that even a question?”

“It’s stuck in the mountain behind us, so take it if you can.”

Evangeline laughed loudly, saying the joke was too much.

“Just look at Briston. The protagonist there is very good at giving gifts to the women around him.”

“……”

“Haven’t you read it?”

Evangeline asked with interest. Had this man read the erotic novel modeled after him?

She found it entertaining. The recent serial hadn’t been published as a book yet, so she went through the trouble of buying the newspaper for the specific date. It was the only entertainment in this city, and it would surely sell well even in the Imperial capital.

It was full of absurd fantasies, but in a way, it was the image everyone wanted of the dragon slayer Revaston. Recently, Briston had been involved in the Imperial succession struggle, having a subtle relationship with his rival, the first princess. The hostile relationship turned into s*xual tension, and in today’s episode, they finally went behind the curtains at a party.

People must be eagerly waiting for ten days to pass.

“You’ve read it? Are you still reading it?”

Breck fell silent, then suddenly stood up. Evangeline looked up at him with a shameless face. She felt pleased to have gained the upper hand.

At that moment, there was a rustling sound of stepping on grass, and Breck’s body stiffened.

“Oh, Eva. Were you visiting?”

The lady of the house showed her face. Breck was flustered.

She wouldn’t have heard their conversation due to the sound barrier. But Breck felt guilty, thinking it looked like they were having a secret talk while squatting together, so he avoided her gaze.

Lily looked at him awkwardly. Evangeline quickly stood up.

“I just came to deliver something. I didn’t disturb him for long, so don’t worry, madam. I’ll be going now.”

She bowed gracefully and walked away quickly. It was annoying that Breck sighed, but honestly, it was amusing. How often does one get the chance to make Revaston uncomfortable?

Outside, her secretary Hector, dressed as a coachman, was waiting.

“How was it?”

“The same. He seems to be contemplating revealing his identity. How’s the situation?”

“Not very good. Sir Revaston showed up in the kingdom’s capital. There are many unfamiliar faces in this city.”

“Since the Imperial Secret Intelligence Service sent agents here, many countries must have sent people too. Half of them are likely foreign intelligence operatives. The demonic realm might also be moving.”

“Yes. We’ve increased personnel to ensure any unusual incidents are reported immediately. And we found the holy sword.”

“What?”

Evangeline looked at Hector in surprise. Hector maintained his usual calm expression, but the redness around his eyes suggested he was quite excited.

“Do you see that mountain over there?”

He pointed to the tallest mountain in the area, mostly consisting of low hills.

“It was stuck in a rock halfway up that mountain. Four agents who tried to approach it confirmed the sword’s hilt.”

“My goodness. Without any barriers?”

“Yes. It was just accessible… Of course, it couldn’t be pulled out. One agent who touched the pommel lost his sight.”

“Considering it ended with that, he’s lucky since he wasn’t authorized to touch the holy sword.”

Even so, it was almost as if the holy sword had been thrown away. The distance might be considerable, but given the local characteristics, there would be villages nearby, and it would be quite accessible.

Evangeline panted.

“Keep that information hidden. Hide the location. Set up barriers. My goodness.”

“The orders have already been given.”

“Well done.”

Of course, it was unlikely anyone other than Breck could handle the holy sword safely. But who knew? This was something that should never happen. Breck was a person with no ties to any country, so it was fine. But if it somehow fell into the hands of another country…

That didn’t mean they could take it. The Empire, where Breck had stayed the longest, already knew that no one among their knights could handle the holy sword.

“No, I have to go back now.”

Evangeline hurriedly turned to go back into the mansion but stopped. With her enhanced hearing, she picked up a sound that shouldn’t be heard by others. She stood still, biting her lower lip. She had no intention of hitting a sore spot.

Lily looked down at the flower bed, which looked rather empty without weeds. The place where Evangeline had been felt quite awkward. She knew Evangeline occasionally visited Breck, but it was the first time seeing it right in front of her.

She thought it would be okay. The trip had been enjoyable, and although they hadn’t explicitly stated it, Lily felt they had confirmed each other’s feelings. But seeing them squatting and talking together made her heart sink.

To make matters worse, Breck asked with an uncomfortable face,

“Do you have any orders for me?”

“Ah, no.”

Lily replied awkwardly.

“I just had some free time…”

Breck took off his gloves and threw them aside. He didn’t really want to see Lily’s face while he was troubled, but once he saw her, it was natural to kiss her.

“Uh, um.”

Lily flinched. She thought there was no one else in the garden, but maybe she was wrong. After all, Evangeline had been there.

But now she thought it didn’t matter. What’s wrong with dating a man she liked? The problem was that it might make Breck uncomfortable.

But since she initiated the kiss, it should be fine. Thinking so, she lightly touched her lips to Breck’s and asked,

“Do you have something on your mind?”

“…What?”

“A problem you can’t tell me but can tell Eva.”

Breck’s face stiffened slightly. It wasn’t wrong, but it was a matter he could never admit to.

“No.”

“Really?”

Lily replied as if it was no big deal. But Breck noticed that wasn’t the case.

‘Damn.’

But what should he do? If he had played the role of a hero under the name Breck, he could at least say, ‘That Breck is this Breck.’

[Why did you change your name? Can you tell me now? Wasn’t it necessary to hide that you were Breck?]

[I just thought the name was too rustic.]

[Do you think Revaston is a cool name?]

This is how the conversation would go. It was a matter of pride. He could tell Evangeline, ‘I was sixteen at the time, so it was a bit like that,’ but if he were to reveal his identity as Revaston to Lily, he wanted to appear as a more impressive man.

After all, in his hometown, there were more than a few people who knew embarrassing stories from his boyhood. But he could brush those off without a care. That was his childhood, and he was none other than Revaston.

But the embarrassing stories of Revaston must never be discovered. Some might ask what the big deal was about changing his name, but Breck remembered all too well how ashamed he had been at the time.

Moreover, he had hidden his identity to retire, so revealing it again for something not involving the end of the world seemed pointless.

[You told me your name was just Breck.]

What could he say in response to that?

He sighed. In truth, he knew that creating an appropriate status as Evangeline suggested was the better option.

[Even if I reveal it, I don’t think Lily will change much.]

But how would he handle all the tangled grudges and complex power relationships that came with that name?

No, it would be a problem even if nothing changed.

[Let’s break up now. You’re causing too much trouble.]

She might say something like that.

And there was the issue about Briston. Although it was purely a work of the author’s imagination, Breck knew well that people expected such an image of him. Lily also likely had preconceived notions about Revaston based on rumors and reputation.

While it was fine that something like the Maple Spirit Sisters didn’t exist, what about the Imperial Princess modeled after someone real? That person was even Evangeline, who had faced Lily. And then there were the Succubus Queen, the Dragon Lord’s homunculi, the Vampire Queen…