Chapter 26

Cough, cough.

The sneezing wouldn’t stop.

She stard blankly at the pile of collapsed stones. Eched’s slightly trembling eyes met hers.

“Are you insane…?”

“…”

His lips parted and closed again. His wandering gaze suggested even he hadn’t expected the wall to collapse entirely.

Letting out a deep sigh, she pressed her palm to her forehead, wondering how to deal with this mess.

She kicked a small stone with her foot, watching it crumble and roll away.

“…I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Eched, trying to explain himself, leaned against the right wall to come over. But the precariously balanced stones came tumbling down.

Startled, Eched quickly pulled his hand away, but the hole had already grown larger.

“I really didn’t mean to.”

And then he added, 

“The wall was shaking, so I tapped it, and it collapsed.”

“Maybe it was shaking because you tapped it. Or maybe your strength was just too much?”

If the wall collapsed from just a tap, that was a problem in itself.

“The wall really…”

Eched turned to Pell, who was standing behind him, as if asking for agreement.

Pell, catching his intent, nodded hesitantly and murmured that the wall had indeed been shaking.

“Of course it was.”

Half-listening to her excuse, she swept the scattered small stones into a pile with her foot.

‘Well, since Eched caused the damage, I’ll just have the repair bill sent to him.’

But what about cleaning? And where would we work while repairs were underway?

A single collapsed wall had created too many things to think about.

“I’ll have to call someone to clean up and bring in the annex manager.”

“Ah…”

Eched fell silent, and Pell sighed.

The current annex manager was a retired butler who had been in charge of Orgon’s etiquette education during his childhood. Known for his exceptional talent in building management, he was also infamous for being strict and eccentric.

When Orgon reached an age where he no longer needed etiquette lessons, the butler had submitted his resignation but stayed on at the Emperor’s request, now managing the annex.

Whenever inexperienced apprentice knights damaged the outer walls, they would receive a thorough scolding from him.

She and Pell, who had never caused trouble, used to watch from a distance as the knights were reprimanded… but now…

“This perfect wall! What have you done to it?!”

“…”

The elderly manager, who had rushed over in a single stride, unleashed a torrent of scolding.

Eched, Pell, and she stood in a line, enduring the lecture.

‘But why am I…?’

Though she stood quietly, listening to the reprimand, she felt unfairly accused.

She hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I mean… I didn’t cause—”

“Silence! Since this is the counseling office, Lady Shaterian, you must also be scolded together.”

Faced with the manager’s sharp glare, she clamped her mouth shut, unable to utter a word.

Memories of being scolded during etiquette lessons with Orgon as a child came flooding back.

‘I remember talking back a few times and getting scolded even more…’

“Are you listening?!”

“Yes, Sir…”

The manager turned sharply to glare at Eched, who wasn’t exempt from the scolding either.

“So, how exactly does one collapse a wall like this?!”

“…I just tapped it.”

“How does tapping a wall make it collapse?!”

“It’s true…”

Eched muttered softly, looking genuinely wronged. He resembled a dejected puppy.

The scolding, which had been pouring out non-stop, finally ceased when the repair workers arrived to assess the damage.

After briefly inspecting the wall, one of the workers scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“This will take a while to fix. The materials used for this wall are sourced from the Astrea Empire, so we’ll need to negotiate with a merchant.”

“Was the wall always this fragile?”

“It seems the wall was hastily constructed to fill an already open space. There are too many gaps between the stones, making it prone to collapse under impact.”

She tilted her head.

“So, this wasn’t originally a wall?”

“Yes. From here to here, judging by the upper structure, it was an arched open wall.”

“So, in conclusion, it was bound to collapse at any time?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Judging by the condition, the wall must have been shaking even before.”

Of course, she hadn’t known. Other than just now, she’d never approached the wall.

She cast a sharp glance at the manager. Having been scolded for no reason, she felt even more wronged.

“See? That’s what they’re saying.”

“Ahem. I’ll go report this to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Somehow, Orgon appeared behind her.

“Greetings to the Crown Prince of the Empire.”

Ignoring the bows directed at him, Orgon walked past them to inspect the gaping hole. With a hum, he examined the scattered stones and the collapsed wall.

“How did you know about this?”

“I heard the annex wall collapsed and sent someone to check. I thought I’d come to see for myself.”

It seemed the manager had sent someone to Orgon before coming here.

Orgon’s gaze lingered on the manager before shifting to the repair workers.

“So, how long will it take to fix the wall?”

“If the materials are available within the Empire, five to ten days. If not, we’ll need to import them, which will take at least a month or two.”

“That’s quite a while. Terry, we’ll need to set up a temporary counseling office elsewhere during the repairs.”

“Looks like it. Ugh, when will the moving be done?”

Looking at the dusty counseling office, she couldn’t help but sigh.

While they discussed, the manager called for workers to begin cleaning the area.

“Then, during the repairs, install a door here.”

“Understood.”

The repair workers left, saying they would contact her after sourcing the materials, and the manager drove them out, claiming they were in the way.

She, Eched, Pell, and Orgon stood in a line in the corridor, avoiding the workers carrying broken stones.

It seemed they couldn’t move their belongings until the cleaning was complete.

“Where should we set up the temporary counseling office?”

“I was thinking… Since it’s come to this, how about the Knight Commander’s office?”

“What?”

She looked at Orgon as if he had lost his mind.

But Eched seemed to have a different opinion.

With a suddenly bright expression, he nodded.

“That’s a good idea.”

“See? Even the Knight Commander agrees…”

“Why do I have to suffer because of Eched’s mistake?”

“It’s not suffering; you’re just sharing the Knight Commander’s office temporarily during the repairs.”

Orgon smirked as if he found her reaction ridiculous.

“The Knight Commander’s office is spacious, so it won’t be inconvenient.”

Of course, she knew that, but that wasn’t the issue.

“Besides, you’re not in a position to be walking around alone. Might as well switch your escort from Deputy Commander Eurell to Knight Commander Eched.”

“No!”

“No way!”

She and Pell shouted simultaneously.

Orgon and Eched both looked at them with puzzled expressions.

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“Well…”

“Well?”

A voice startled them. Turning around, they saw Eurell, who had returned after escorting Lucy.

“Well…”

‘Because he’s an invaluable member of the counseling team!’

…But saying that outright felt too calculating, and lying pricked her conscience.

Caught between Eched’s intense gaze and Eurell’s curious one, she found herself at a loss.

She didn’t know why she was paying attention to their reactions.

“Well then, I’ll just handle things here.”

She said, slipping out from under their gazes.

“They’re saying they’ll tear down the wall and rebuild it entirely. Sure, go ahead and work in a place filled with flying dust. Eurell, you might as well return to the 2nd Knight Order.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

“Wait. Eurell?”

She called out to him desperately, but his retreating back showed not a shred of hesitation.

Pell and she bid him farewell with heavy hearts.

In the end, they had no choice but to set up a temporary counseling office in the Knight Commander’s office.

***

Eched canceled all his external activities for the time being, citing her protection as the reason.

Her desk was placed side by side with Eched’s, and Pell’s desk was positioned vertically next to hers.

She found it extremely unpleasant to be so close to Eched even in the office.

But the upside? The work process became significantly faster.

The documents Pell handed over went straight past her to Eched’s hands. Compared to before, when she had to carry the documents to Eched herself, it was far more efficient.

‘Not that I particularly enjoy the work of the Knight Order anyway.’

“Pell. By the way, what happened to the person who was supposed to come for counseling, introduced by Bruf?”

“Ah… Sir Mesh said the issue he was worried about suddenly got resolved, so he won’t be coming for counseling.”

“Really? That’s good, but a bit disappointing.”

She thought she had secured a client, only for another opportunity to slip away.

Two days later, a visitor came to the merged office space.

“Um… Is this the counseling office?”

The man hesitated as he opened the door, flinching when he saw Eched and her sitting directly in front of him.

Pell approached him and asked, 

“Are you here for counseling?”

“Yes…”

Counseling!

Shaterian immediately stood up and walked toward the man.

“Alright. Please, have a seat here.”

While he guided him to the sofa, Pell tactfully brought some tea.

“As you know, this counseling office is under construction, so the situation isn’t ideal. If it’s a concern you’d rather not have others overhear, I can arrange a private reception room.”

At her words, the man quickly glanced around the office.

The sofa they were seated on was in a corner right next to the door, but the room was so quiet that even a whisper could be heard clearly.

The man soon shook his head.

“Actually, I’d like the Knight Commander to hear this as well.”

“The Knight Commander?”

“Yes.”

Eched put down the document he had been reading and willingly joined the session.

“And… I’d like the two of you to trust me.”

“Sorry, but I can’t guarantee we’ll believe everything you say. That will depend on what we hear. However, I promise not to listen with excessive skepticism.”

After a brief agreement and jotting down a few details, the man slowly began to speak.

“I… I’m scared of my roommate.”

The man’s voice trembled as he abruptly confessed his fear of his roommate.

He clasped his hands together as if trying to calm himself, but the shaking did not subside easily.

What caught her attention was the cloth wrapped around his neck. It was glaringly conspicuous.

“This? Oh…”

Noticing her gaze, the man let out a bitter laugh. Then, in one swift motion, he unwrapped it.

Underneath were vivid handprints. The marks were so severe they had turned dark purple, almost black.

She gasped at the sight of the serious injury.

“My roommate tried to kill me. He… He’s definitely possessed by a demon!”