Chapter 77

It’s only because Nina defeated it easily, but if she was just a normal soldier, even a specialized spear wouldn’t work on it.

Judging from the feeling she got from cutting it, fire also wouldn’t work. Even if you pour oil and set it on fire, it would’ve moved just fine. The human side would only be even more disadvantageous.

In short, if it weren’t for Nina, there would have been a huge number of casualties.

‘In addition, I felt the same ominous feeling that I got at that time.’

The sensation of the unpleasant radio waves she felt when the mouse bellacs popped out on the Green Hall incident.

Nina bent her head up. While she was pressing the hood that was slipping off, she said.

“Well, we’re not in a relationship to talk about this. I’ll go then.”

“Wait.”

He tried to catch her in panic but recalled the mistake he made earlier and quickly blocked her in the front.

“What is it?”

She looked up at him. While looking at those shining golden eyes under the dark hood, Benzel said.

“Can I meet you one more time?”

“What······.”

Nina’s tone of voice was a bit fused with bewilderment, and Benzel hurriedly continued.

“Leaving aside the master’s we serve, from one knight to another, I have something I want to share.”

“Do it now.”

“It’s not something I could tell now······.”

Why is he mumbling like this?

“Fine, I got it.”

Nina agreed lightly. She doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but she’ll let him tell her once. That’s all. Her words brightened up Benzel’s face.

“If you want, I can arrange for you to participate in the investigation.”

“No need.”

Nina, with her hands fluttering, said, “I’m going now.” Then she spun around, avoiding him, and disappeared at a quick pace.

Looking at her, Benzel sighed.

When he closed his eyes, he remembered the sword that was perfectly swung around.

A clear silver trajectory.

The ideal he had always imagined, was realized right there.

As a knight, and another person who holds a weapon, he wanted to talk to her again once. He took a letter out of his arms.

‘Who the hell······. And why?’

Benzel put the letter back and moved on.

He had to quickly report this to his lord, the imperial princess.

────── •❆• ──────

“It’s been a long time since I had a day off.”

Nina lay on the sofa like a cat in spring and mumbled. Jean, who was escorting her instead, squinted.

“Are you all right?”

She didn’t raise her head but just waved her hand up.

It’s a sign that she’s perfectly fine.

Adrian hung a quill on the rack and leaned deeply against his chair.

“How was the Commander of the Lily Knights?”

Nina stood up to his question. Looking at her swollen cheeks full of complaints, Jean tried to hold back his laughter.

The pigtails were untied, and her silver-white hair was flowing smoothly.

“He’s not bad, but he’s awkward since he’s never faced any bellacs before. I’m sure he had his fair share of fighting humans though.”

“Would he have won without you?”

“Seeing as he had a sword with Lency steel, and he had very strong limbs. I’m sure he would have won. But he’s not the type with speed, so he would’ve struggled to kill it. I’m sure there would be casualties too.”

The centipede’s head was about this big.

As she drew a circle, Jean was appalled.

“I really hate it. Why do bellacs keep turning up like insects.”

“Because it’s efficient?”

At Nina’s words, Jean sighed and said, “I really hate it.”

“He doesn’t even have a uniform. What about poison?”

“I blew it with North Wind, it would have been hard to keep the fight going for a long time because the bellac was quite agile. Come to think of it, Benzel was poisoned, is he okay?”

“Benzel?”

“The Commander of the Lily Knights.”

Adrian tilted his head to Nina’s answer and asked.

“I know that. Have you become friends, that’s why you’re calling each other by name?”

“No, I’m just unilaterally calling his name.”

The Commander of the Lily Knights was too long to mention, Nina hugged one of her legs on the couch.

“Why do all the members of the cult use their lives like a dog? Do they think the Fallen Spirit King will be nice to them if they do that?”

Once a villain, forever a villain.

Nina shrugged her mouth, and Adrian replied.

“He promises eternal life and wealth.”

“No, he already lost once. Why do they stick to the loser?”

“Because they don’t think that’s the case. They think it was only a fabricated story by the temple.”

“Anyway, the original story didn’t come from the temple. They just  took it and twisted it······.”

Nina thought of the high priest.

‘Come to think of it, it’s only natural that the pagans borrowed the original from the temple. It’s a religion created by the Great Temple after all.’

Nina sighed and continued.

“Whatever the reason is, it only means that they will be a big headache for us. However······. I know a theory that could probably help us win.”

“What is it?”

Jean asked, and Nina looked at the spirit sentence on her right wrist and said.

“The cult, haven’t they made a contract with the fallen spirit?”

“What?”

Jean’s voice rose with surprise. Nina looked at her sentence and continued with a dark face.

“When I first met the spirits, they said that they don’t ask for a body or soul unless they’re a corrupt spirit. Conversely, if you say there’s a corrupt spirit, it’s only natural to be asking for that, right?”

That’s how they control the bellacs.

“Hey, that’s too······. Isn’t this whole situation getting too big?”

Nina dropped her arm and nodded at Jean’s words.

“I think so, too. But when the bellacs moved, I had this similar feeling I only felt when I was interacting with the spirits. However, it’s somehow different from that time, it felt very unpleasant.”

“I felt it in the Green Hall, too.” (Adrian)

To Adrian’s words, Nina said, “Then it must be something that only contractors could feel.”

“Though of course, it’s only my opinion.” (Nina)

Since this is not in the original content of the novel, she had no choice but to make a hypothesis.

“You don’t need to worry if your theory is correct or not. We can just move accordingly in the meantime, if it’s wrong, we can always correct it.”

Nina’s expression lightened at Adrian’s words.

“Let’s base it on your assumptions first.”

Can you be this perfect from the beginning?

Then Jean said,

“But if I signed a contract with a fallen spirit, I would rather fight myself. Why would I use a bellac?”

When the bellac dies, I die.

“No way, I can’t believe Jean caught a loophole so quickly.”

“No······.”

Jean scratched his cheek.

Nina tilted her head because his reaction was very much not like him. He’d usually say, “What do you take me for?”

“I’ve already thought about it long ago, that I would like to sign a contract with a spirit.”

Nina grinned.

It’s not even as if someone had unwantedly looked inside his mind, but he was having a hard time confessing as if he was being pointed with a knife.

“Yeah, that would be great. Jean has seen me and the young master using the spirit, right? It’s not like you don’t believe in the existence of a spirit.”

“I don’t know what spirits there are, I don’t know how to make a contract with them······. Nor can’t I speak good chants.”

“En.”

Nina looked at him with an ambiguous sound. She doesn’t think she should pursue it further here, but she’ll have to make time later.

“That’s how my off-duty ended. The list of delicious restaurants in the capital was useless.”

“When did you make that list?”

“When I asked Mimina, she said there was an Imperial Capital Information booklet.”

Jean’s green eyes became round.

“Is there such a thing?”

“You didn’t know that, did you? There is.”

“People who don’t live in the capital were usually ignorant of things like that, they only heard it from people from other places.”

At Jean’s words, Nina stuck out her tongue, saying, “You’re from Luverne too.”

Jean coughed in vain.

“And it’s not just a one-time-only off-duty. You can go again next time.”

“But I don’t know how long we’re going to stay in the capital. How long are we going to stay here?”

“We’ll be here until the social season is over.”

“Then I’ll be off duty twice.”

Nina’s face brightened.

Adrian said, holding up the quill he hung again.

“You don’t have to escort me tonight. I have a personal business.”

“Don’t you know that a nobleman has to take an escort even on personal business? You have to take me with you when you’re having an affair.”

Adrian replied briefly to Nina, “I don’t need it.”

“Nonsense. Then what’s the purpose of me following you here······.”

She muttered, grumbling.

“Do you have a date? Then I’ll follow you secretly. I’ll never get caught.”

“······No. No matter what, not tonight.”

Firmly cut off, Nina whined for a while, then left the room in a sullen mood. When Jean confirmed she was gone, he said.

“Your Grace, I agree with her. It’s dangerous to go around the capital alone.”

“I’m not going around alone, so it’s okay.”

Jean shut up at the remark because he had nothing more to say.

‘Nina will come to my room again tonight and rumble on.’

He swallowed a sigh, but it didn’t happen that night.

First of all, there was a person who knocked on Nina’s bedroom window.

It was Adrian himself.