“Ah, Father. This is Sir North. He'll be serving as my new escort knight in place of Sir Trey.”
As Sion introduced the knight who had entered behind him, Margrave Lichten tilted his head.
“Hm? I thought Sir North had retired from knighthood and returned to his hometown.”
“I actually sent someone to ask him to stay on as my escort knight a little longer.”
“I see. Well, even if it was your hometown, you didn't have any family or acquaintances there. Welcome back, Sir North.”
“Th-Thank you, Count.”
North, who had been staring at Kim Yoohyun, lowered his head in thanks at the margrave's words.
Even so, he kept glancing at Kim Yoohyun with a strange look in his eyes.
“Young Master Sion.”
“Lady Lucia, you're here as well.”
Lucia greeted him first with a bright smile.
Sion returned her smile, causing Laido to smack his lips and frown.
No matter how much his daughter liked the young man, and no matter how capable he turned out to be despite the rumors, as a father, he simply couldn't help feeling dissatisfied.
Thinking that every father with a daughter would feel the same way, Laido opened his mouth.
“Anyway, I judged that something strange might happen at the castle because of what happened at the temple. So I came to ask your opinion, Lichten. How about my disciple stays here until we're certain it's safe?”
“...?”
“I would be grateful if you did. But if that happens, won't you have to continue investigating the temple alone, Lord Laido? Will that be alright?”
“I was originally investigating it alone anyway. My disciple is hopeless when it comes to academic matters, so he's no help at all. I'm more than enough for anything related to the temple.”
“...?”
While Laido and Margrave Lichten continued talking, Sion and Sir North exchanged puzzled looks.
Could the temple they were talking about be the same one they were thinking of?
“Father.”
Lucia suddenly poked Laido in the side.
Laido let out an "Ah," then pointed at his daughter sitting beside him.
“And we'll need a capable mage as well, so my daughter plans to stay here too. She's not as good as me, but she's excellent at sensing traces of mana and its remnants.”
“...?”
The situation was becoming stranger and stranger.
Kim Yoohyun staying at the castle had already been unexpected, and now Lucia too?
Just as Sion was getting flustered, unsure what was going on, Margrave Lichten smiled faintly as if things had worked out well.
“As a matter of fact, my son mentioned something regarding your disciple, Lord Laido. I was planning to ask for his help in the upcoming war against the Kingdom of Nudia.”
“My disciple?”
“Yes. My son seems to have high expectations for him, saying he'll be a great help in battle.”
“Hm, your son really does have a good eye for people. My disciple is indeed a perfect killing machine, to the point where it's hard to believe he's human.”
“...It's a bit awkward hearing that from you, Master.”
Kim Yoohyun could face hundreds or even thousands with a single sword.
Laido was a monster who had once crushed even regular knights with his bare fists.
Only Lucia could laugh while those two monsters exchanged casual jokes.
“Father? Lord Laido?”
Sion cautiously cut into the conversation.
Margrave Lichten asked if he had something to say, and Sion glanced back and forth between Kim Yoohyun and Lucia before speaking.
“I don't know exactly what happened, but is this matter important enough that both of them need to stay in the castle?”
“What do you mean, Sion?”
“Even if I understand the reason, the knights of the territory might see it as a sign that you don't trust them, bringing outsiders into the castle to handle security.”
“Hm... You do have a point. Bringing in an outside swordsman without even discussing it with the knight commander could be seen as disrespectful.”
“And the family's mages might feel the same way. I'm not trying to belittle Lady Lucia or Lord Laido's disciple—Kim Yoohyun—but if people feel like a rolling stone has pushed out the stone already in place, internal discord can happen in an instant.”
Margrave Lichten nodded repeatedly, seemingly agreeing with Sion's words.
Laido also remained silent, merely sipping his tea, as if the issue had been bothering him as well.
“Young Master Sion.”
The one who broke the silence wasn't Kim Yoohyun, but Lucia.
“I understand your concerns. However, the matter is quite serious, so I don't think we have a choice. More importantly, this isn't something that should become widely known.”
“Lucia is right, brat. We kept the temple investigation secret as well. Only me, my daughter, and my disciple have been working on it. Well, to be precise, my disciple didn't do much except keep watch.”
“Watching the surroundings is the most important thing, Master.”
“You always have to get the last word in, you little punk. Anyway! This is for your sake, your father's sake, and for everyone in this castle and territory.”
The energy that escaped from the temple seemed to be sitting right beside him.
Sion glanced sideways at Sir North standing next to him.
No—at Lilith.
Then he recalled the conversation they had before coming to the reception room.
"...Hey, you crazy bastard. Have you lost your mind?"
The portrait Sion handed over was that of a middle-aged man.
Lilith looked utterly dumbfounded, but Sion remained calm.
"He left at dawn today. He can't have gone far yet, so you should be able to catch up to him, Lady Lilith."
"What are you talking about? You want me to kill him?"
"No. Just use mind control so he'll stay hidden somewhere quietly for a while. You're not trying to steal mana, so something like that should be easy, right?"
"It's not that easy, you know? It's just less tiring. More importantly, why does it have to be a man? There are plenty of women around! I'll transform into one of them!"
"No."
"Why?!"
"What do you think people will say if a guy who's supposedly turned over a new leaf suddenly shows up with a woman on his arm?"
And Lucia was here.
Remembering the affectionate looks she had given him before, Sion had a strong feeling that things would go badly if she saw him with another woman.
More precisely, he had a strong feeling that Lucia wouldn't be the problem—her father, Laido, would.
"Unbelievable. In all my years as a succubus, this is the first time someone's asked me to transform into a middle-aged man."
"So?"
"A thin woman, a curvy woman, a short woman, a tall woman. A married woman, or even a little girl..."
"Stop. That's enough."
Sion silenced Lilith and urged her to get moving.
Letting out a sigh, Lilith quickly left the room, tracked down the knight who hadn't gotten far yet, placed him under mind control, and suggested that he quietly help out somewhere secluded.
Since he had neither family nor acquaintances, no one would grow suspicious for a few days.
"But Sion, even if we do this, what changes?"
"What do you mean?"
"We're only buying a few days. I have to stay by your side forever, remember? How am I supposed to keep fooling everyone with this shriveled old man's body?"
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
Because Sion sounded so confident, Lilith had no choice but to trust him.
After finishing everything quickly, Lilith transformed into Sir North and entered the reception room with Sion.
So Laido, Kim Yoohyun, and Lucia were the ones investigating the temple...
In the original novel, Sion Klausen's idiotic actions had ruined not only Lucia's relationship with the Klausen territory, but Kim Yoohyun's as well.
Laido had probably let it slide once out of consideration for Lichten, but he undoubtedly resented Sion.
Naturally, the three of them would have left Klausen territory immediately, which was probably why the temple was forgotten until a Nudian knight discovered it later.
Things have already started deviating from the novel.
But the big picture hadn't changed.
The war would happen regardless, and Kim Yoohyun would participate.
The only difference was that Sion Klausen would now be joining as well.
My goal is to survive, not to help the story progress. I need to stay within the general flow while gathering as many useful cards as possible.
While kingdoms fought each other and racial alliances fiercely attacked the demon race, the continent's true enemy was sharpening its blade behind them.
And when humans, demons, and other races were all exhausted...
The attack began.
What remained for those who had wasted their strength in the wrong place was only blood, tears, and death.
Everyone else might get stabbed in the back, but I won't. I'll smash the heads of anyone who tries.
There was still more than a year until that day.
It wasn't much time to prepare perfectly, but it wasn't too little either.
Even now, powerful figures from the novel—people who would one day point their blades at the protagonist—were living somewhere.
If he could recruit as many of them as possible and keep them close, surviving wouldn't be that difficult.
Even if the world ends tomorrow, I'll protect my land and grow my apple orchard.
Then I'll sell those apples at outrageous prices to the lucky survivors.
That was Sion's philosophy for surviving in a harsh world.
“If Lord Laido insists, then let's do as he says. However, there will come a time when we'll need Kim Yoohyun's strength. When that happens...”
“Do whatever you want. Roast him, fry him, boil him—I won't stop you.”
Sion doubted Kim Yoohyun would quietly let himself be roasted, fried, or boiled.
Still, he simply smiled along with Margrave Lichten.
“Margrave.”
Kim Yoohyun, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.
“When will we depart?”
“If we want to strike after the enemy leaves their territory and reaches the border, dawn two days from now would be best. And to prevent information leaks, I plan to bring only carefully selected elite soldiers.”
“I see. Then forgive my bluntness, but let me say this. Once the battle begins, stay as far away from me as possible. The soldiers and knights might get caught up in it for no reason.”
It was a statement so confident it bordered on arrogance, yet no one laughed.
Sion knew Kim Yoohyun's sword better than anyone.
Laido and Margrave Lichten also recognized his strength.
“I'll keep that in mind. But before that, there's something I'd like to confirm.”
“If there's something you wish to confirm?”
“As Sion said, border regions tend to be rather closed-off. Outsiders are rarely welcomed.”
“...”
“So how about having a light spar with my knights this afternoon? If you show them your skills, they'll stop complaining about outsiders.”
A light spar.
At those words, Kim Yoohyun smiled with interest.
But to Sion, that smile looked like a devil grinning while wondering, Should I kill them all?
Praying that none of the territory's knights would die, Sion silently offered his prayers.
“That doesn't sound bad.”
“Then I'll make the arrangements. Ah, as for Lady Lucia—”
“Don't worry about that. I'll simply tell them she's my daughter.”
“...Are you sure? The secret could leak.”
“If they want to die, they can wag their tongues. If they want to live, they'll keep their mouths shut forever. There isn't a mage in the Kingdom of Hispania bold enough to ignore my warning.”
Laido's cold smile struck like a dagger.
Sion unconsciously swallowed dryly.
No matter how eccentric mages were, no one would recklessly speak after seeing that murderous smile.
“Then all that's left is preparing the knights. The number of participants will be—”
“Margrave.”
At Kim Yoohyun's call, Margrave Lichten looked at him questioningly.
Kim Yoohyun slowly turned his head and looked toward Sion.
“I'd like to spar with that man.”
“Hm?”
“Huh?”
The person Kim Yoohyun pointed at was not Sion.
It was Sir North—
Lilith in disguise.
