Chapter 15

The strange energy emanating from Gusto was even stronger than before.

Now, Shaterian knew that the energy was that of dark sorcery.

“Lady Shaterian, didn’t I warn you? I told you not to smile like that at others.”

As his gloomy voice echoed, the energy around him began to stir.

It was a sinister energy that made her stomach churn just by looking at it.

“Step back.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Eurell stood directly in front of Gusto with his sword drawn, while Bruf positioned himself in front of Shaterian as if to shield her.

“You said his whereabouts couldn’t be traced. How is he here?”

“I’m not sure, but based on his sudden appearance, it seems he used dark sorcery to teleport and conceal himself.”

“Dark sorcery can do that?”

“I’m not well-versed in that field either.”

Taking a deep breath, Eurell stepped forward.

“Regardless, Gusto Avidita, I will arrest you here and now.”

There was no need for further words.

Eurell dashed forward in an instant and swung his sword down.

But the blade was blocked by an intangible barrier, producing an ear-piercing screech as sparks flew.

Eurell, maintaining his composure, raised his sword and struck again.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out, but the dark barrier surrounding Gusto showed no sign of breaking. Instead, the blade of Eurell’s sword began to wear down from the contact.

Inside the sphere created by dark sorcery, Gusto smirked.

“You won’t defeat me with that.”

Eurell’s gaze remained unwavering as his sword became enveloped in golden aura.

“That, too.”

Gusto was confident, but Eurell didn’t bother with more words. He swung his sword once again.

Clang!

This time, the result was different.

Gusto’s face twisted in shock.

The sword, now imbued with divine energy in addition to the aura, easily overcame the dark sorcery.

The dark energy forming the sphere around Gusto began to dissipate, scattering like smoke.

Clang! Clang!

Unlike before, each swing of Eurell’s sword now caused the barrier created by Gusto to crumble.

Eurell’s blade finally pierced through Gusto’s energy and struck the man’s shoulder.

Gusto screamed in pain.

Eurell didn’t miss the opportunity. As Gusto staggered, he lunged forward and struck the same spot again.

Another scream erupted from Gusto.

At that moment, Shaterian felt an overwhelming energy from somewhere and turned to Eurell in alarm.

“Eurell!”

Black smoke suddenly erupted from Gusto’s body, engulfing Eurell.

Fortunately, Eurell escaped the smoke before it could consume him entirely.

Though only the hilt of his sword remained, Eurell seemed unharmed. He must have enveloped himself in divine energy just as the dark sorcery began to spread.

But it was too soon to relax.

Once the smoke cleared, Gusto, who had been lying on the ground, was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone stood in confusion until, suddenly, a hand emerged from behind Shaterian and sent Bruf flying.

Bruf was thrown to the ground and rolled to a stop at Eurell’s feet.

The hand that had struck Bruf now wrapped around Shaterian’s neck.

A searing heat pressed against her back.

“Lady Shaterian, come with me to my sanctuary.”

Gusto, his voice strained from the battle with Eurell, fumbled through his belongings with his free hand.

The arm around her neck trembled slightly.

Bruf and Eurell, who had risen to their feet, hesitated to attack, fearing for Shaterian’s safety.

Gritting her teeth, Shaterian grabbed the arm around her neck with all her strength.

“Gusto, why don’t you go there yourself?”

With that, she kicked his shin and twisted his injured arm.

Gusto screamed and threw her aside. Both of them tumbled to the ground.

“I knew it…! You’re always…!”

Furious, Gusto muttered incomprehensible words as he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and tried to tear it.

“Argh!”

Eched suddenly appeared and struck Gusto down.

…Where had he come from?

“Urgh, ugh!”

While Shaterian stared in shock, Eched calmly subdued Gusto, his expression unbothered.

Gusto, now completely overpowered, soon lost consciousness and went still.

“How…?”

Shaterian looked at Eched in disbelief. He seemed to have come straight here after returning to the palace, still wearing the attire from his expedition.

“Are you hurt?”

“….”

Eched’s tone was calm.

Normally, Shaterian would have responded with sarcasm or annoyance, but this time, she simply nodded.

“Commander!”

From a distance, knights clad in the uniform of the 1st Knight Order came running.

They looked at Gusto, who was lying unconscious under Eched, and then at Shaterian, their expressions filled with confusion.

Eched stepped off Gusto and gave his orders.

“He’s a dark sorcery user. Use items imbued with divine energy to restrain him.”

“What? A dark sorcery user?”

The knights moved swiftly, though their murmurs of disbelief about the situation could still be heard.

As the commotion continued, Eched approached Shaterian, who was still sitting on the ground.

He knelt on one knee to meet her gaze.

“Can you stand?”

“…No.”

It was awkward. Seeing him seemed to have made her tension dissipate, leaving her legs too weak to support her.

Her hands trembled as well, though she wasn’t sure if it was from fear.

“Don’t tremble. You’re safe.”

Eched gently took her trembling hands in his own, steadying them.

Inside the black leather gloves, her hands were completely enveloped.

Shaterian froze at the unexpectedly tender gesture.

For a moment, she was startled by the look of compassion that crossed Eched’s face.

“I should carry you.”

“What?”

Suddenly, her view shifted upward.

It wasn’t until she met the bewildered eyes of the knights that she realized what had happened.

“What, what are you doing?! Put me down right now!”

“You don’t seem to have the strength to walk, so stay still.”

“No! I can walk! Put me down immediately!”

‘Can’t you see their flustered faces?!’

She felt like she wouldn’t survive this man’s antics. As if the wild rumors about her weren’t bad enough, now he was adding fuel to the fire.

Eched, who was suspiciously watching her desperate protests, eventually put her down. Shaterian had to muster all her strength to stand and avoid collapsing again.

She clenched her teeth, determined not to end up in his arms again, which would surely lead to death by embarrassment.

Staggering like a newborn calf, she approached Bruf, who was leaning on Eurell for support.

“Bruf…”

“Chief, are you alright?”

Bruf limped toward her, his voice filled with concern.

“I am so sorry, Lady Shaterian. My lack of skill caused this…”

Eurell, looking utterly dejected, couldn’t even finish his sentence and hung his head low. He looked both apologetic and humiliated.

Both Bruf, who was more injured but still asked about her condition first, and Eurell, who blamed himself for failing to protect her, tugged at her heart.

“I’m fine, really. I didn’t get hurt thanks to you two. If I’d been alone, I wouldn’t be in the Imperial Palace anymore. Thank you. But Bruf, is your leg okay?”

“Yes, it’s just a minor sprain. Nothing serious.”

Bruf wiggled his leg to demonstrate, only to wince in pain and groan.

“Let’s go to the Crown Prince’s palace. You can get treated there.”

She decided to call the palace physician to treat him. Using his recovery as an excuse to keep him at the Crown Prince’s palace for a while didn’t seem like a bad idea either.

As they walked, Shaterian stumbled without realizing it. Fortunately, Eched caught her arm, preventing her from falling.

“You might as well let me carry you.”

“Absolutely not.”

Her refusal was firm. She tried to shake off his grip on her arm, but his hold was too strong.

“Let go, will you?”

“Let’s just go like this. I need to hear your explanation.”

‘So persistent.’

With Eched holding her arm, she continued walking.

It wasn’t quite being escorted, nor was it being dragged away—it was an awkward in-between.

In such a strange manner, they eventually arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace.

They brought Bruf into the drawing room and sat him down. Shaterian ordered a maid to summon the palace physician, then finally allowed herself to sit and catch her breath.

Before long, Orgon came rushing into the room in a panic.

“Terry! I heard Gusto appeared. Are you hurt anywhere?”

Orgon scanned her from head to toe, looking for injuries, and gasped at the sight of the scrapes on her palms.

“It’s just a little scratch; why are you overreacting? Look at Bruf and Eurell instead. Eurell was surrounded by dark sorcery.”

“I’m fine.”

Orgon glanced at Eurell and nodded.

“Deputy Commander Eurell seems alright.”

Then, he turned to look at Bruf’s leg. His shoe had been removed, revealing a nasty bruise.

“Y-Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”

The palace physician, drenched in sweat, stumbled into the room.

“You’re late.”

“Huff, huff! If you run so fast, I… can’t keep up.”

“Check Terry’s injuries first.”

Despite her protests, Orgon insisted on applying ointment to the scrapes on her palms.

They left Bruf in the care of the palace physician and moved to another room to talk.

“Eurell, what will you do about your sword?”

“It was provided by the palace, so it’s fine.”

“Huh? Don’t knights usually carry their own swords?”

“Aura users don’t pay much attention to that.”

“Is it the ‘a craftsman doesn’t blame his tools’ philosophy?”

“Yes.”

Shaterian had meant it as a joke, but Eurell’s serious response left her speechless.

‘Well, Eurell is a master craftsman, I suppose.’

Still, why did she have to deal with the unpleasant aftermath?

“Do you know the saying, ‘The fuller the ear of rice, the lower it bows’?”

(“The fuller the ear of rice, the lower it bows” is a Japanese proverb that means the more a person has, the more humble they should be. It’s a metaphor for humility, a virtue that’s highly valued in Japan.)

She asked Eurell, who tilted his head, clearly unfamiliar with the phrase.

“It means the greater a person’s achievements, the more humble they should be.”

“Whoever came up with that must have been mediocre and trying to sound profound.”

Orgon interjected with a scoff.

‘Why is the male lead butting in here?!’

Fine, you’re both amazing. My neck just hurts from looking up at you two.

They moved to a room adjacent to the drawing room, where Bruf was being treated.

Once seated, tea was promptly served at Orgon’s request.

Eched fixed his gaze on Shaterian and asked,

“Now, explain. Why is a dark sorcery user targeting Lady Shaterian?”