CH 50

There was a bite to his words, but I just looked at him, trying not to break my smile. However, the man across from me just responded with a smile as if to say that what he said was just an absurdity. I shrugged and replied,

“As you know, it’s a territory that has been vacant for a long time. I just thought it was a matter of urgency to get the territory army in order.”

“You are right.”

… Was he such a character that was hard to read?

After realizing that this was a world different from the one in the book, it might be rude to refer to the man as a ‘character,’ but I found myself thinking that way without realizing it.

Come to think of it, all I knew about Edwin Roelich was his personality as portrayed in the novel. In romance novels, it was unlikely that a detailed description would be given to a sub-male lead.

He was simply portrayed as a knight with a sense of responsibility who was admired by everyone in the kingdom.

And sometimes, he appeared as a man deeply in love with the female protagonist, Violet, so much that he even gave up his loyalty to the royal family.

Ironically, I only know what he looks like when he loves someone. In other words, I only know his private life.

However, it had not been long since the wedding of the protagonists in <I Picked Up My Husband> was ruined by monsters.

The man in front of me not only showed no signs of heartbreak, but also maintained the appearance of an attractive knight that everyone respected.

It’s not surprising, really. No matter how deeply in love you are, isn’t it the appropriate attitude for an office worker to go to work even with swollen eyes? Just because your love is over doesn’t mean your life is over.

However, after seeing him in person, who felt completely different from what I had read in the book, I finally realized something.

Edwin is truly a living person.

Feeling that same strange feeling again from my first encounter with Sir Ted, I decided to change the topic.

“… I heard that the appearance of monsters has gotten worse these days. I suppose it might be a burden for you to be away for a long time.”

“You’re right.”

I hesitated for a moment and then gathered my courage to ask him a question.

“… Pardon me, but what exactly… is the identity of the person behind the scenes you mentioned before? Have you, Sir Roelich, ever participated in such an investigation?”

“It was impossible to do it like the wizards, but yes, I have participated.”

“By any chance, did you notice any suspicious presence… or signs during that process?”

I want to hear personal experiences that have not been publicly disclosed, the kind that would make a knight sweat in their palms just by listening.

As I looked at him with sparkling eyes, Edwin Roelich stared at me with a strange expression.

Fine, I’ve heard that such coquetry was unbecoming of me. But is it a knight’s way to embarrass a lady like this? Huh?

I was grumbling inside, but I was trying not to let my expression crumble when Edwin suddenly spoke up.

“Oh, I apologize. It’s just a little surprising… that Your Lordship [1] is asking me that. I thought you wouldn’t be interested.”

It’s true that I’m not interested. I just wanted to know what you know. I said with a slightly furrowed brow.

“I’m somewhat disappointed. I was paying attention to you since you are Sir Ted’s brother.”

“I see.”

With a slightly hesitant expression, Edwin opened his mouth, leaving the compliments for the sake of formality that should have followed unsaid.

“But, well, I don’t think this matter necessarily… requires Your Lordship to know this in such detail.”

“…What does that mean? Even Ensis has been subjected to the invasion of monsters. As the Lord, I think this is something I should be sufficiently curious about.”

“Ah, I don’t mean to imply that Your Lordship has nothing to do with this. But… if I may be so bold to say…”

“…….”

“I can’t help but feel a little novel that I am having this conversation with Your Lordship.”

What are you saying all of a sudden? I was trying to prevent the atmosphere from becoming tense, but the person in question said something even more bizarre.

“I have seen Your Lordship since I was very young. I’m sure you must have felt the same way. As a member of the highly esteemed Catlan family and being someone who had entered high society, it was inevitable that I had to keep my distance.”

“…. I suppose that’s how it was.”

“The young lady… Your Lordship at that time was dignified, but there was a sharpness to you like a honed sword, so all I could do was watch from afar. And now… as you mentioned, you have become the Lord my younger brother serves, so perhaps our relationship has become even closer.”

And yet?

“It was only then that it occurred to me that perhaps, I would have no further entanglements with Your Lordship.”

“…….”

“And even now… I feel like this might be our last conversation. It’s strange, isn’t it? We are still in a position where we cannot avoid seeing each other in the future, and even if we do, we could at least exchange greetings.”

I looked at him strangely.

The me from that time, who was like a sharpened sword, would have been the true owner of this body, Liddell Catlan, not the current me.

Back then, Liddell was just considered a simple noble lady, but now that ‘I’ have possessed this body, I feel like a person who has no relation to her at all.

It’s like…just as my younger brother had little significance in the story of the ‘main characters’, I felt that even after the story ended, I myself would have no weight in our lives.

Of course, there was no way the man in front of me could know that.

I looked at him with a strange gaze as he said something I hadn’t expected.

“… I’m sorry for suddenly bringing up this topic. It was a rather absurd thing to say…”

Edwin looked at me, and then broke the silence with a broad smile, as if to make up for the awkwardness of the moment and said something that made me wonder what he was thinking.

“The details of the investigation will soon be officially announced by the royal family. What I have experienced and felt are insignificant things to tell, so I think it will be much more helpful for you to wait for the announcement.”

With that, Edwin bowed his head politely.

“And please take good care of my brother, Your Lordship.”

“… Don’t worry about that. I’ve said it many times before, but Sir Teddius is a knight second to none. I’m always worried that I’m not a good enough master for him.”

“In that case, I’m relieved.”

Only then did the handsome man show a slightly sincere and gentle smile.

As if that was all he had to say, he rose to his feet, then, as if suddenly remembering something, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me.

It was a letter sealed with beeswax and imprinted with the royal seal.

“I was going to give this to you before I left…. It’s a summons from the royal family.”

“What…”

“It contains orders from the royal family for you, Your Lordship, to explain the ability of Hisch Riot… no, Hisch Ensis.”

Did he already know? I looked at him incredulously.

As I pondered whether to ask him naturally, ‘What ability?’, Edwin smiled a little apologetically and said, “To be honest, if I had not found a clue, I would have left without delivering it to you until the end. “

“…….”

“As for your husband, I would be grateful if you could pass this message along… No matter how small and weak the witness may be, it would be best if in the future you could leave no trace.”

After uttering those words, which were not at all chivalrous, he bid farewell politely, saying “Then, Your Lordship, may you be well until we meet again,” and left.

Looking back, it seems that it was indeed the first and last conversation I had with Edwin Roelich that lasted a long time.

It was the moment when Edwin’s strange intuition was exactly right, as he had said, “No further entanglements.”

Pungent smoke filled the air. Along with the sound of crackling, the smell of something burning tickled his nose.

The smell was so disgusting that people passing by couldn’t help but scrunch their faces.

The man, who had been silently watching the corpses of monsters burn, soon held his hands to the fire to warm them up.

At first, he too was disgusted by the nauseating smell, but after it had happened so many times, it didn’t even bother him anymore.

He suddenly looked up at the sky. Cloudy or clear skies were commonplace, but strangely enough, the sky looked red today.

It was as if the sky was vigorously sucking up the blood that had stained the ground.

As the man was lost in his poetic musings, a fellow soldier approached him shaking. He too reached out to the flames to warm his hand.

Glancing briefly at the burning monsters’ corpses they were using as burning firewood, the soldier clicked his tongue and said:

“I don’t know what’s with all the monsters these days. They’re becoming increasingly bizarre in appearance.”

The man, who had been looking up at the sky, lowered his gaze at the soldier’s words. One of the monsters, engulfed into the flames, had arms and legs attached to its body that clearly did not belong to it.

“I bet I could sew better than that.”

At first, the monsters had appeared normal. But as time passed, more and more monsters that looked like they were tangled up with various parts began to appear.