Chapter 9

Gerald, who put Dahlia on the bed and stretched the curtains of her canopy, approached Jurgen.

The eyes of two men of similar height collided and sent out sparks in the air.

“This is my sister’s room. Sir, you can’t just walk in….”

“Isn’t she a guide?”

For a moment, Gerald’s frown crumpled fiercely. Jurgen wanted to check the woman’s condition. But Gerald donned a stern look and firmly blocked his way.

“She’s not a guide. My sister is a senior sentinel. And since this is the lady’s room, sir, please leave.”

“Sentinel?”

“Yes. My sister is a sentinel.”

Jurgen glanced at her shadow cast on the bed curtain. The attendants were busily moving for the sick patient, but, unbelievably, the power of a guide that had filled the room just before had disappeared without a trace.

“I was mistaken. Excuse me.”

After Jurgen politely apologized, he turned around. Then, Gerald quickly followed and blocked him.

“Sir Edelred, may I ask for your grade, if you don’t mind?”

“Why?”

“It is an ordinary question. I’ve heard rumors floating around within the Sentinel Academy. Rumor has it that you never took a rating test.”

“That’s true.”

“I wonder why.”

Jurgen lowered his distinctive languid gaze and took in the sight of his highly hostile state. His grade… .

It was a question everyone was curious about, but no one dared ask. No one dared to question the reason behind his actions. Maybe that’s why Gerald’s question was a bit surprising.

“If I had to pinpoint a reason, I’d say because it’s annoying… ?”

His eyes widened in surprise at the man’s unexpected answer. Then, after a moment it occurred to him that Jurgen was probably disparaging him with a quip, so the tips of his ears turned red.

“I was rude. I apologize.”

“Not rude. I was being honest.”

Gerald raised his eyes as if he was baffled. At his perplexed countenance Jurgen smiled gently.

“Are you a senior?”

“Yes. I will soon try out for the royal sentinels.”

“I see.”

After cutting off the conversation, he turned around. He wasn’t curious about him, he was curious about that woman.

He could not have confused the powers of a guide with the energy of a sentinel. Besides, the abilities of guides and sentinels were fundamentally different, so it was impossible to misunderstand them.

So what was that power?

A brief displeasure flickered over Jurgen’s graceful complexion.

It is possible to hide the magnitude of the power, but it is impossible for even a high-ranking sentinel to erase the traces of the power itself.

Jurgen recollected the woman’s face buried in her ‘brother’s’ neck.

They did not look alike.

Instinctively, sentinels found a guide and were drawn to their power. Sentinels were bound to confuse the instinct for love.

Jurgen tilted his head, remembering his expression as he looked at his sister. Interestingly, Gerald’s manner towards his sister a moment ago indicated that the relationship was not that of ordinary siblings.

But if she has the power of a guide, wouldn’t he be understandable?

But what about him declaring her a Sentinel?

Jurgen thought deeply after a very long time. As the same boring life repeated over and over, his character became more and more dry. He was exhausted. It was like reading a tedious and tiresome book over and over again. How dull.

But now, the future has changed.

Jurgen, who was walking across the blue carpeted hallway, halted at the sudden flash of memory.

“How unexpected.”

A faint smile crept across his lips.

***

Hot tea was placed in front of Count Howell and the Archduke of Leicester, both who were sitting across from each other. The South considered wind precious. So, there were a lot of windows in the mansion, and a wind chime was attached to each tree. The mysterious sound of glass tinkling came from somewhere in the breeze.

“Now tell me. The gate conjured this time is an intermediate level gate at most. Not a gate worthy of the Archduke to get involved with.”

Howell frankly brought up the subject without even touching the tea.

The only time Archduke Edelred bothered going to the capital was at the request of the emperor’s call, such as the coronation of the emperor or a grand banquet held by the imperial family.

Both families, respected by the nobility, were not interested in the social world. Their strong power did not require the leverage of high society. For that reason, all sorts of strange gossip abounded, but no one was foolish enough to utter it in front of them.

“The Count has been protecting the lands from the gates for a long time. Have you sensed anything unusual this time?”

“What do you mean unusual?”

The Archduke’s strict yet bold stare peered directly into Howell’s eyes. Branches with sharp leaves swayed in the windy current beyond the room’s wide open window.

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