Chapter 68:

Elric’s mind was complicated.

Was that attitude really coming from goodwill, or was it her own strategy to keep him away from the battlefield?

Although he was stuck in East Wivin, Elric had been steadily receiving news from the West.

He couldn’t be unaware of the clash between the Demon King and the Saint, the ensuing tension among the western nations, and his own strategic value.

However, he had no intention of heading to the battlefield right away.

His sharpened senses were focused on removing Ygrett and protecting Tyria in the midst of all this.

That’s why he was emitting a killing aura, but Ygrett, supposedly one of the Seven Strongest, was not significantly affected.

No, her mind was elsewhere from the beginning, so she couldn’t even notice his killing intent.

‘Really… it’s troublesome when you stare at me so intensely like this.’

Ygrett sipped her tea, her cheeks reddening.

Elric’s gaze was too intense.

A more intense look than when they met on the battlefield, and a clean, handsome face different from back then.

As the pressure increased, a fleeting thought crossed her mind.

‘…Could it be?’

‘Does he still like me?’

‘Even while living a married life, he hasn’t been able to forget me?’

‘How could this be! Am I the obstacle between those two?’

Clatter!

Ygrett dropped her teacup in astonishment.

It was the thought process of an arrogant magician filled with self-love.

Elric spoke up.

“Speak plainly…”

“Sorry!”

Ygrett intercepted his words.

She closed her eyes tightly.

Her head turned sharply as she spoke.

“I can’t accept your feelings!”

‘You two look best when you’re together!’

‘I’m satisfied just watching from the sidelines!’

‘No, I just want to watch!’

“Forget about me!”

Her resolute words were a prime example of what happens when communication breaks down.

For Elric, it was absurd and completely incomprehensible, but amidst all this, a feeling instinctively emerged.

‘Annoying.’

‘Creepy.’

With such feelings and a surge of questions, he raised his voice in anger.

“What kind of bullshit are you spewing?”

His old mercenary habits slipped out.

Since he couldn’t communicate with her, he thought he might as well draw his sword and threaten her.

Just as that thought crossed his mind.

Knock, knock―

-Young master, s-s-someone is here…!

What kind of day was it today that yet another interrupter had arrived?

* * *

The reception room was bustling.

The atmosphere was filled with a gloom that resembled a funeral.

Elric was filled with anger.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Tyria was filled with anxiety.

Ygrett was lost in her own world, and Edward was trembling with fear.

Elbus and the prince, who had his fedora pulled down tightly, watched the scene with interest.

In this place of different minds and dreams, Elbus, the only one openly revealing his true identity, spoke up.

“Wow, it seems I picked the wrong day. I didn’t expect it to be this crowded.”

Elbus’s gaze swept around the room.

Elric frowned. Edward adjusted his beard to ensure his disguise wasn’t revealed.

“I was so impressed by our meeting at the last banquet that I decided to pay a brief visit. I hope I’m not imposing?”

“…If you had told me in advance, I would have made preparations. I can only apologize for the lack of hospitality.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

Elbus smoothly brushed off Elric’s words and continued.

“I should first explain the purpose of my visit. I came to introduce this person… Could we speak privately for a moment?”

Elbus pointed to the prince.

Although he was only showing the lower half of his face, Elric immediately recognized his identity.

They had already met before.

“…We have dinner soon, but if it’s brief, it’s fine.”

“Good, then….”

Elbus’s gaze turned to Ygrett and Edward.

Edward stepped forward.

“Well, I came here to see the magician.”

“Huh? Me?” Ygrett responded with a disgruntled expression.

A vein bulged on Edward’s forehead.

“Yes! You!”

Because Ygrett had flown off without listening properly, this whole mess had erupted. He was filled with frustration, but he couldn’t show it openly.

He wasn’t bold enough to defy his shareholder.

“Great. Then this gentleman can speak with the magician while we have our own discussion?”

The situation began to settle.

Edward planned to shut Ygrett up first.

Given Elric’s demeanor, it seemed unlikely that the prince’s goal would be achieved. Therefore, he needed to focus on Elric himself.

‘I must survive. Should I bow my head first? Luckily, this woman didn’t start casting spells right away.’

If he could calm Elric down and apologize, everything would be resolved neatly.

So now, it was about time….

“Could you please wait a moment?”

Ad

Tyria spoke for the first time.

She looked down at the floor with a calm expression and said,

“I urgently need to discuss something with the family head. I apologize.”

Everyone fell silent.

Especially Elric, who was greatly taken aback.

Thump, thump.

His heart began to beat rapidly.

* * *

She knew it was improper behavior.

Under normal circumstances, she would never have kept important guests waiting separately.

Yet, despite that, Tyria acted on emotion.

It was for a selfish reason.

She felt like she would suffocate and die if she didn’t do something.

“I instructed the guests to be shown to their rooms,” Elric said, his expression somewhat awkward. His posture was slightly slouched.

Tyria sat in the office chair and quietly watched him. Her heart pounded harder and her throat felt parched.

“…Family head.”

“Speak.”

“I think an explanation is needed regarding those guests.”

In truth, she was afraid of the answer.

Ad

What if, as the girl said, the two had promised to marry?

What if there were memories between them that she didn’t know about?

And if, as a result, she would be abandoned?

Naturally, her lips began to tremble. She tried to calm herself, feeling ashamed of her desperation, but it wasn’t easy.

“I’m sorry. I said I wouldn’t ask about the past.”

What must he think of me, clinging on so pathetically like this?

Tyria clenched her fists and lowered her head. Her hair concealed her expression.

Elric’s gaze wavered.

“They…”

He had little to say. To explain his connection with them, he would have to recount the past ten years. He hated that thought.

The mere idea of telling her what kind of person he had been, felt like a thorn in his throat.

His grip tightened on his staff. Even amidst this, seeing Tyria so visibly distressed pained him.

It was guilt.

The realization that he had been lying about himself, and the fact that she, who rarely showed her emotions, was now visibly troubled, weighed on him. He felt compelled to reassure her, so he hastily made up an explanation.

“As you know, I met Prince Graham. The magician is someone I met while traveling. There’s nothing more between us.”

It was a flimsy patch-up. Excuses that bypass the brain are usually full of holes, especially in situations like this. Incomplete explanations only deepen misunderstandings.

“…If a promised engagement is considered nothing more.”

Tyria’s face scrunched up.

“Then what am I to you?”

Elric had never seen her look like that.

She seemed like someone floundering in a vast sea of despair. Her face, desperate for an answer, was etched with sorrowful lines. She looked so fragile and pitiful, as if she might die at any moment. Her unique mystique added to the image, and what was imprinted on Elric’s retinas was like a painting of despair.

Ad

However, setting that aside, he thought,

“?”

What on earth is she talking about?

Edward dragged Ygrett to the back of the mansion.

Finally, Ygrett, who had been following quietly, spoke up.

“Can you let go now?”

At her angry voice, Edward immediately released his grip and knelt down.

“Nooooniiiiim!!!” (ED Note: respectful form for a woman, mostly used as big sister.)

His voice was filled with sobs. Edward’s eyes were brimming with tears. His face, filled with the fear of potentially dying today, was utterly pitiful.

However, it wasn’t an emotion Ygrett could empathize with. After all, she was a woman who lived in a flower garden even in the coldest winter. Still, she was in a good mood and offered some comforting words.

“Don’t worry. Besides Kasha, no one noticed our identities. You think I wouldn’t consider that?”

“That’s the problem! What on earth were you thinking….”

“Don’t yap at me. It’s noisy.”

Ygrett scratched her ear. Even at this moment, she was thinking about Kasha and Tyria. Remembering the two sitting together in the reception room, she couldn’t help but smile again.

“Hey, wimp.”

“Yes…?”

“Don’t they look really good together?”

Oblivious to the situation, Ygrett continued babbling.

“I originally planned to take Kasha with me, but seeing the two of them together, I just couldn’t interfere. So, I decided to leave, but then, it seems Kasha still has feelings for me? I want to end this clearly. You have to help me.”

Edward found her words incomprehensible. So, his immediate thought was:

‘Is she crazy?’

Actually, yes. Thinking back, Ygrett was notoriously known as a lunatic in the West.

“Are you listening to me?”

Is it even worth listening to? Despite his thoughts, Edward nodded. No matter what, the major shareholder is the boss.

“So here’s what we’ll do. While talking to that lady… hehehe… the lady, I made an excuse. I said I came to find my fiancé. So, you will play the role of the fiancé….”

Swish!

Ygrett waved her hand, and out of thin air, a gaunt knight appeared.

“Ugh!”

“…We’ll use him. If I say I have someone I like, won’t he give up?”

It was Ricky, the deputy commander of the Seoryeong Knights. The reason for his discovery was obvious. Even though she was one of the Seven Strongest, she couldn’t fail to notice an assassin’s presence.

“Hey, stop pretending to faint and get up.”

Ricky, trembling, lifted his head. The Grim Reaper of the Inferno was grinning at him.

Ricky had no idea what was happening. He had hidden as Danal instructed, and unfortunately, these people had come to the very place he was hiding, and he got caught.

‘Ah, this is the end of my long life’, he thought.

At that moment, Ygrett spoke.

“You need to play the role of my fiancé.”

Ricky was stunned.

“Me? Really?”

His response came out reflexively.