Since he was no longer a patient, Calliphe didn’t hold back. She mercilessly pummeled Dietrich’s head with her fan and fist.

Slap slap! Thwack!

“Aaagh! Ow! It hurts, it huuurts!”

“Oh no, Baron!”

Dietrich’s butler was too scared of Calliphe to dare intervene and could only call out to his master.

With no one to interfere, Calliphe beat up Dietrich thoroughly and growled.

“You’re making such a fuss even after I saved you. Want to spit out that potion?”

Dietrich shouted while panting.

“The young Marquis would have sent a mage even if you hadn’t stepped in!”

“Would he really?”

Calliphe snapped her fan shut.

“Why don’t you test that theory?”

“What…?”

“After you do, send someone to Duke Ortega’s mansion if you’ve made up your mind.”

“What nonsense… Hey! Are you ignoring me?”

Calliphe turned away and disappeared while showing him her middle finger.

Dietrich let out a fierce hollow laugh.

‘Think I’ll just dance to your tune? Not a chance!’

But Calliphe’s confident attitude bothered him. That woman didn’t seem like someone who would use such a valuable potion without any thought.

“……Butler. Don’t mention that Calliphe Offensa was here.”

“Pardon? Ah, understood.”

Dietrich roughly wrapped himself in bandages and gauze and lay back down.

Right then, the healers who had left hurriedly returned.

“We’ve brought the healing mage sent by Young Marquis Caiman!”

The healer who had diagnosed Dietrich earlier looked at him wrapped in bandages and was dumbfounded.

“Hey, butler! How could you treat a patient on your own!”

“Oh dear. I’m sorry. I was so worried…… I should die of old age. Oh dear, oh dear.”

The healing mage beside them waved it off.

“It’s fine. Now that I’m here, it doesn’t matter.”

The healing mage placed their hands on Dietrich’s wounds and chanted a spell.

After light enveloped Dietrich for a while.

Dietrich slowly opened his eyes like he was just waking up and unwrapped the messy bandages.

Smooth skin was revealed underneath.

The other healers nearby exclaimed in admiration.

“As expected of someone sent by Young Marquis Caiman! To even heal magical beast poison!”

“Hmm?”

The confused healing mage checked Dietrich’s reaction and laughed.

“Of course. I did my best as the young Marquis specifically ordered. The young Marquis will be pleased.”

“…Thank you. I’ll visit soon.”

Dietrich said while not taking his eyes off the mage’s armband.

“I want to rest now, so everyone leave except the butler.”

After the mage and healers left, Dietrich gritted his teeth.

“Young Marquis Caiman… sending a 4-star mage instead of a 5-star one.”

Magic tower mages indicate their rank with the armband they wear.

To treat magical beast poison, a mage needed to be at least 5-star unless they were a priest.

So sending a 4-star mage meant…

“He just needs me barely alive.”

In other words, he only needed to live until the marriage with Calliphe.

‘Calliphe, did that woman predict this would happen?’

Until just recently, she had been desperately trying to curry favor with Young Marquis Caiman.

Something changed. For some reason, she didn’t seem as easy to deal with as before.

“Ha, d*mn it. Why did she help me anyway? This feels gross.”

Since his injuries were all healed, should he just pretend nothing happened and wash his hands of it?

“……Argh, seriously!”

He wanted to but couldn’t.

The Black Hand’s code was to return both grudges and favors twofold.

Though he had left, the Black Hand’s code was already the foundation of Dietrich’s life.

The butler perceptively brought paper and pen again.

“If you write a letter, I’ll deliver it personally.”

“Ah, r-right.”

Dietrich awkwardly picked up the pen.

Since he couldn’t write again, he planned to pretend to lose strength partway and order the butler to write for him.

But…

‘Huh? What’s this?’

He could… write!

The letters didn’t fly around randomly and were clearly visible.

“What’s going on? Why can I write again?”

“Baron?”

“Earlier it was clearly—”

Then, something occurred to him with a flash.

‘Could it be because of Calliphe…?’

Her visit was the only unusual factor.

‘Ha, am I crazy? What a ridiculous thought.’

But if there really was a connection?

Thinking about it that way, some things started to make sense. It was quite plausible even.

‘…I’ll ask her directly. I was planning to meet her anyway to repay the life debt.’

Dietrich handed the hastily written letter to the butler.

“Deliver this to Calliphe Offensa personally.”

* * *

[Sudden Quest reward calculation complete!]

[Obtained ‘Dietrich’, helper of the great council, as ‘Silver-haired Man’s’ favor.]

As expected, this was the right answer.

When I saw Dietrich beaten to a pulp, I had guessed he might be the reason for the delayed quest reward.

So I willingly used my last highest-grade potion.

As predicted, the mystery helper was Dietrich.

‘Honestly, it was a bit of a waste.’

But in the end, I would have saved him even without the quest.

Because I’m overflowing with love for humanity?

Not quite.

‘Because I want to be a proper guardian for Noah.’

Just that, nothing more.

Of course, since I paid such a high price, I plan to squeeze every drop of value out of Dietrich.

“Hehehe……”

“Why are you laughing like a villain? What are you planning now?”

Lynen, who was carrying me on his back, asked sourly.

Seeing me limping, he had offered his back first while wearing a grim expression.

If he hated it so much, he didn’t have to help. I thought living righteously must be quite tiring.

I quickly returned to an expressionless face.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, let’s go to Duke Ortega’s mansion. It’s not far from here.”

“…Someone might think that’s your private residence.”

“Will you give it to me?”

“Wake up from your dream.”

I could feel the curious gazes of the following Ortega servants watching us bicker.

The beastfolk called Raul was glaring at me while chewing on a handkerchief.

That’s when we came outside.

“Lady Calliphe!”

A group of servants spotted me and approached.

They were from House Offensa.

They were briefly surprised to see me being carried on Lynen’s back.

“Young lady, are you injured anywhere?”

I looked them over and asked.

“Where’s the healing mage?”

“They went to attend to someone who needed urgent treatment first.”

“Is there a patient here more urgent than me, a direct family member?”

“Well……”

I knew full well those healing mages were tending to Dietrich by now.

I pretended not to know and got angry.

“I need treatment and rest right now. Get out of my way and disappear.”

“Then we’ll escort you by carriage. The young Marquis specially sent a carriage to fetch you.”

I looked up and was dumbfounded at the ‘specially sent’ carriage they mentioned.

It was smaller and more worn than the carriage the servants had arrived in. Riding that would mean crushing my own dignity with my own hands.

‘I ought to smash that d*mn carriage—’

Just as I was gritting my teeth and gripping my fan tightly.

Rumble rumble! Neigh neigh!

Crash!

Suddenly, a brown public carriage came charging in and spectacularly crashed into the carriage sent by the young Marquis.

Right after, a burly person tumbled out.

My eyes opened wide.

“Maid? Why are you coming out of there?”

It was none other than the burly maid.

Then, from her arms, a small child rolled out like an acorn.

It was Noah, who had been protected by the burly maid’s muscles.

“Noah too?”

“Ah! La-Lady Calliphe!”

Noah, upon spotting me, ran over frantically. His cute face was a mess of tears and snot.

“Lady Calliphe. A-are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

“But……”

Getting down from Lynen’s back, I wiped Noah’s nose with a handkerchief.

“Blow.”

“Hnnng!”

“…Isn’t that my handkerchief?”

Tch. Caught.

I returned the handkerchief to Lynen who was glaring at me.

Meanwhile, the burly maid came over and fussed over me.

“Young lady, are you alright? They said it was a huge accident! That many people died and were injured!”

“Such rumors are going around?”

“Yes! That’s why we came as soon as we heard the news!”

“In that public carriage?”

“Ah, well… Neither I nor Young Master Noah have the authority to use the family carriages. We were also denied joining the escort the young Marquis prepared. Hehe……”

Well, Noah was just a child I sponsored after all.

Though he was treated as a young master, he had no real authority.

“So we went outside and caught a carriage.”

“How much did you harass the driver to make him crash like that?”

“Well, the young master kept hitting the carriage while urging him on.”

Noah did?

Not believing it, I looked down at Noah and was shocked.

“……”

Noah was trembling slightly with his lips tightly pressed together.

The burly maid said sympathetically.

“He couldn’t calm down no matter how much I comforted him on the way. He must have been very scared.”

That much?

‘Well, it was a major incident.’

Magical beasts going berserk and buildings collapsing.

Though damage was minimal thanks to quick handling before the guards arrived, the rumors seemed greatly exaggerated, so it must have been a big deal from an eight-year-old’s perspective.

I patted Noah’s shoulders.

“Don’t worry. That black duke over there took care of all the magical beasts.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Noah nodded.

Seeing his eyes sparkle while looking at Lynen, I continued with a smile.

“If anything happens, you can just live with that uncle.”

“……!”

Noah stared at me with wide eyes. His green eyes trembled and then.

“N-no. Nooooo… Waaah……”

He covered his face with both hands, crouched down, and began crying miserably.