Chapter 85

Everyone’s ears were stretched, wondering what they were talking about.

Besides, aren’t they two comrades who fought against a bellac together?

“I can’t leave because I’m on escort duty.”

Nina opened her mouth instead of Adrian. Benzel turned his eyes to her.

“It’ll just be for a moment.”

‘Here?’

Can’t he see how the crowd is looking over at them so intently?

“Go ahead, Nina.”

As Adrian looked back at her, Nina lowered her arms forward with an elegant smile.

“If Your Grace says it, then I shall go. Sir Jean, please take my place.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Jean answered and stood in Nina’s seat. She said to Benzel.

“Say what you want to say.”

“Let’s move somewhere.”

As Benzel took the lead, she followed with a grim smile. As soon as Benzel picked the right balcony and half-stamped the curtain, Nina stepped on his foot.

It wasn’t enough to break the bones of the back of his foot, but a few drops of tears came out. He deserves praise for not screaming as the commander of Lily Knights.

Benzel had to hold onto the balcony railing for a moment and swallow his groans.

“What are you doing in front of a crowd? If you want to talk to someone, talk to them properly.”

“Why should I do that when I’m not doing anything bad?”

“Because humans are beings who can listen even from behind with light in their eyes.”

Nina asked with her arms folded.

“So what’s the matter?”

Benzel made a very complicated expression to her question.

From his feet to his curly wheat-colored hair, he looked like a troubled golden retriever. With a face that seems to be thinking about how to pick up the ball on the floor when he already had a ball in his mouth.

Nina waited.

Benzel spent time thinking about meeting her, but when Nina finally said, ‘Tell me,’ he couldn’t figure out where to start.

He thought he’d only say stupid things once he opened his mouth. He dropped his head and peeked at Nina. Her golden eyes were looking at him without even batting. He thought she’d annoy him and force him to speak, but surprisingly she was quiet.

Benzel recalled the previous day.

After finishing his work about the bellac, he reported to Lady Vialentel and he also showed her the suspicious letter he received.

Vialentel showed little interest in the letter. Rather, she showed more interest in the bellac than he did.

“How was it? Did you fight?”

“It was Dame Nina, not me, who took the lead in fighting.”

“Dame Nina?”

Her face hardened at once.

“Why did you let the Commander of the Dark Knights fight ahead?”

“I was evacuating the civilians······.”

“That’s not what matters! An actual battle with a bellac is hard to find in the capital city. That was a great opportunity.”

Great opportunity.

The word popped out of his ears.

That was a great opportunity?

Having seen a bellac right in front of him, he knew it was by no means normal to appear.

Capitals and large cities are protected by barriers, but this was a daily routine in a territory that had none. Just merely imagining it sent chills down his spine.

“So how was Dame Nina?”

Benzel reported the battle in a dry manner, and Lady Vialentel murmured with a flat face.

“Bellacs are weaker than I thought······.“

Benzel pressed and held back, almost rebutting the word, ‘No,’ without realizing. Then the thoughtful Princess Vialentel soon told him.

“Make sure to not miss the opportunity in the future. Your reputation is very important to my plans.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You can go.”

“Your Highness, this letter······.“

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out.”

“Yes.”

Benzel felt something uncomfortable while answering her questions, but she is his master, and he must serve her until the day he dies.

“That day······.”

He opened his mouth.

Nina’s head tilted.

He swallowed his saliva and continued because he was told to keep talking.

“I was very surprised to see your sword skills that day. So I wanted to ask for a fight at least once······.”

“Is this your way of saying you wanted a fight? You could’ve just sent me a duel request.”

“I’m not asking for a duel.”

“Then what?”

“No, I just wanted to say your swordsmanship is excellent.”

“Thanks for the compliment. Is that it?”

“And.”

Benzel asked what he had been curious about.

“How did you know there was a member of the cult there?”

“Our knights are the most sensitive to the cult.”

At Nina’s words, Benzel shut his mouth.

There were no high-ranking nobles who did not know what happened in the Violet Forest two years ago.

It was just buried.

“That’s why I have a good hunch.”

“If you have such information, why didn’t you share it with the temple?”

“What? With the temple? Are you asking me that?”

Benzel was perplexed and asked carefully.

“Was the one who sent it really from the temple?”

“Would I lie about that?”

Nina sighed and looked at him.

“Benzel, it feels like we are going around in circles. Do you have any other things you want to say to me? Just say it directly.”

It was a tired tone. Benzel wondered if he had ever heard this kind of tone since he was five years old.

Then he suddenly came to his senses.

Words about his actions just now will spread in less than five minutes, and he had no choice but to explain them to Her Highness the Princess.

Does he have a reason important enough to call out Dame Nina, who was escorting the Duke, and talk to her privately?

None.

He felt embarrassed the moment he realized the fact.

He wanted to meet her and talk to her, but he didn’t have any reason to do so.

‘Oh, my God.’

Nina carefully asked as if the embarrassment had been conveyed to her as well.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s not······. I’m······.”

Benzel rubbed his face.

Nina stared at him and asked.

“Should we talk about what happened to the investigation that day?”

“Oh, I see. Yes.”

As if he had found a way to escape, Benzel looked up.

“We had a hard time cleaning up the body because of the poison. Some people have been poisoned, but there were no casualties. The pollution rate wasn’t high either.”

“That’s a relief.”

“On the contrary, there were a lot more people who got tangled up from running away and got hurt.”

“As expected.”

“There were no problems with the barriers. The biggest problem was that we don’t know where the bellac came from.”

“I see.”

At Nina’s insincere reply, Benzel slightly frowned. Only then did he find out that she had asked the question on purpose.

She knew he was embarrassed and threw something to say.

“I’m sorry.”

He can’t talk about the weirdness he felt when talking to the Princess.

Nina raised her eyes to Benzel’s apology.

He had a complex expression, so Nina turned her head and sighed loudly.

“It’s all right.”

Benzel was surprised by the unexpected answer. Nina continued.

“I don’t know what you’re apologizing for, but whatever it is, it’s fine.”

He gave a bitter smile.

“Because you’re the best sword in the empire?”

“Is the Commander of the Lily Knights admitting it now?”

Nina laughed, closed her eyes, and said savoring.

“Because I have my Young Master.”

“······.”

Benzel was speechless.

“······I see.”

That’s the only thing he managed to say.

I am fine with anything, as long as I have my master. He was envious of the trust between them that she was able to affirm like that.

“I’m going then.”

He got in the way of her leaving.

“What else?”

Nina asked. Benzel was going to say he wanted to meet again, but he changed his mind.

“May I ask for a favor?”

Even though he had nothing to say, it doesn’t feel like he has said everything yet, so he wanted to make a promise for the next meeting. He wanted to quit going around in circles like this next time.

“Contact me.”

Nina said so, pushing him, then she stepped out of the balcony and turned away.

As she strode up, Benzel froze in amazement. She jerked past him and jumped off the balcony.

‘I’m starting to feel a sense of déjà vu.’

Benzel could not follow her movements when she jumped off the balcony. He hurried out of the hall, and headed downstairs.

‘Where did she go? ‘

He looked around and soon found two long pigtails.

A man was stretched out like a frog underneath her feet, and she took off her coat and wrapped it around a standing Young Lady.

“What’s this······.”

As Benzel tried to figure out the situation, Nina looked up. She smiled softly at the moment she made eye contact.

“!”

He smiled unknowingly, and Nina raised her hand.

“Your Grace, this way.”