Chapter 20

“What’s wrong with you?”

Are you protecting me now?

‘If so, it’s a bit impressive.’

I looked over his shoulder. A middle-aged couple came along with a woman in her early 20s.

“P-Please forgive me for the sudden rudeness!”

The couple bowed their heads.

“I was in the store and saw the lord, so I stopped involuntarily… we just wanted to say thank you for saving our daughter.”

‘Thank you?’

Contrary to the puzzled me, Rupert seemed to know something.

“Are you the family of the victim who returned home earlier?”

“Y-Yes……thank you so much for saving my daughter from those kidnappers.”

It was then that I understood the situation. This was what Rupert dealt with the knights before.

I don’t know for sure, but it seems that the kidnapped people were safely returned to their families.

“I was just doing my duties as a lord.”

Rupert’s response was quite chilly. He didn’t seem to intend to be the lord with a kind image.

At that moment, Leah whispered in my ear.

“Who are these people?”

I also replied in a small voice.

“Dad did a good job, so they came to say thank you.”

“Wow……!”

I smiled at Leah’s reaction.

Just imagining Leah disappearing is terrifying. It must have been more hellish than that couple actually went through.

That’s why they think of Rupert, who found their daughter, as their benefactor.

The wife opened her mouth with tears in her eyes.

“Still, the fact that the lord saved our daughter has not changed.”

Then she beckoned to the daughter behind her.

“Come on, Felly, come here. You said you wanted to see the lord for a long time.”

A young woman named Felly approached slowly.

Without thinking, I looked at her.

But the moment our eyes met, I felt something creepy.

‘What is that?’

She is obviously a victim of a crime, but why am I feeling this way?

My heart was pounding.

Anxiety that something was about to happen. Even my hands were trembling.

“Mom?”

Leah who sensitively sensed my change widened her eyes.

In order to hide my trembling hands, the hand that was holding onto Leah’s was released for a moment.

I clenched my fists so tight that my nails dug into my skin.

“Nothing.”

I said so to my daughter, but I couldn’t just ignore the ominous feeling.

I approached Rupert cautiously.

“Wait, Rupert, something strange—”

Kwaaang! [sfx]

Suddenly there was a loud roar from all directions. The people passing by murmuring.

At the same time, the couple in front of me screamed.

“Felly? What’s happened!”

“Ah ah ah ah—!”

The woman let out a painful scream.

Keuk, keuk! [sfx]

All her joints began to bend at odd angles.

I doubted my eyes.

Up until now, her normal body had swelled up.

At the same time, the black horns and wings sprouted. Her face was pointed like the beak of a bird, and the teeth of a beast sprouted. Her hands turned into sharp claws. Her skin was black and hard as stone.

“What the hell!”

It was terrifying.

“A monster, a monster has appeared!”

The people ran away, and the couple cried at the changed look of their daughter.

“Felly!”

In an instant, the words Aren had said came to my mind.

[Gargoyles have been discovered recently. There is nothing wrong with being careful.]

Before long, I realized what the creature was in front of me.

I muttered desperately.

“Gargoyle……”

It was only for a moment that I was captivated by the absurd sight.

As soon as I regained my composure, I checked the safety of my daughter next to me.

But there is no one by my side.

“Leah?”

Obviously, she was beside me.

***

“Damn it.”

Rupert was not vigilant enough when Noel approached him and was about to say something.

Then the woman in front of him suddenly turned into a monster and attacked him.

Moreover, the moment he was attacked by the Gargoyle, it was too late to know that Leah and Noel were behind him.

‘I must be crazy!’

If you get caught up in your emotions and make a wrong decision, you die. Rupert, who knew it better than anyone, made such a mistake.

‘Recently, I have found awareness ever since I got involved with Noel.’

There was awareness. I hate to admit it.

So I had to come to my senses.

He looked at the Gargoyle that went up to the sky in an instant and calmly grasped the situation. Is it going to attack other places first?

‘I was relieved that the abductees were rescued safely, but I was wrong.’

It seems that the magician had already used the abducted as test subjects.

The fact that no Gargoyle statues were found in the hideout was now fully explained.

I can’t believe that he succeeded in making a Gargoyle through a person other than a stone statue.

The black magicians who make this kind of magic are truly terrible.

‘There were four people who were saved.’

A roar was heard elsewhere at about the same time.

Perhaps at least four people in this city have turned into Gargoyles.

That was enough to throw the city into chaos.

I must quickly seize the command to evacuate people and subdue the Gargoyles.

Rupert turned around. I have to send them to a safe place first—

“Noel, where is Leah?”

Noel stood motionless.

The place was full of people running away, but Leah was nowhere to be seen. Rupert had a gut feeling that something was wrong.

Noel muttered with her white lips.

“I missed her.”

It’s all because of me.

No matter what happened, I should not let go of Leah’s hand.

“……”

Rupert bit his lip. Irritability suddenly rose.

Fortunately, he was a man who worked hard all his life not to be swayed by his emotions to the point of being pathological.

He immediately made a decision about what to do next.

In this situation, he should have other priority over finding Leah.

“Then you should go to a safe place first.”

“No! I need to find Leah.”

“It is better for at least you to be in a safe place first than for a mother and daughter to be both at a dangerous place.”

“I can’t. I’ll go find her.”

Noel had no intention of leaving until she found Leah. Never.

Rupert also noticed such a firm determination.

No more time to convince her.

After hesitating in the end, he exhaled slowly.

“……I will find her.”

Noel’s eyes widened as if surprised.

However, she did not seem to be moved by Rupert’s sudden appearance of father’s love.

Rather, she hardened.

“……”

He also noticed the change in her expression.

‘Maybe you noticed.’

Unfortunately, the guess was correct.

She answered coldly.

“Don’t lie, Rupert.”

If Noel didn’t know too much about him, she would have believed this.

She herself was not aware of the slight change of heart in a human named Rupert. Because she’s never been close enough to know.

‘But I knew the points ​​well.’

Because I read the story of his life. Also because I have been observing him so far.

I see.

This is a lie.

“Even in times like this, you shouldn’t be fooling me, Rupert.”

Noel shot him.

“You don’t think I’m aware that you’re going to prioritize the people over your daughter?”

Just because such a person had spent time with his daughter recently, no one could change overnight.

“You don’t love Leah enough to throw all your responsibilities.”

“……”

Rupert hardened his mouth. He couldn’t make any excuses.

“You must have just decided that finding a child who you don’t even know where she is, is a waste of time.”

“……”

“I’d rather you to be honest. You don’t have time, so the first thing to do is to calm this chaos. If that were the case, at least I could understand your position as a lord.”

Her tone was as bitter as a piece of ice.

“But it was the worst for a human being as a father trying to risk his daughter’s safety with a foolish lie!”

Rupert put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

“Noel Ainel, wait—”

Damn!

She slapped his hand softly. There was anger in her eyes.

“Don’t touch me, I will find Leah myself.”

Rupert sighed at that recklessness.

“What can you do in this mess?”

“……”

Noel turned around without answering.

He shouted.

“Noel, stop!”

There was no sign of hesitation even for a moment. Rupert clenched his fists as he watched her back look away. He struggled to stop his legs trying to follow her.

‘Damn it.’

After receiving only one teddy bear, he remembered the smiling child’s face.

‘No. Don’t think about it.’

He didn’t know what to do with such a woman. From the first meeting until now, it wasn’t even a sincere relationship.

Rupert convinced himself.

Never mind, do what you have to do.

In this situation, I couldn’t be swept away by feelings.

‘I can’t.’

He shouldn’t worry about anyone.

He shouldn’t love anyone.

Not even the smallest gap in his heart is allowed.