CH 51

Chapter 51: Shining Knight (9)

The situation was the same this morning too; the gazes kept following us.

My inner anxiety continued to grow in size, and now it was enough to show my feelings on my face.

With a slightly firmer face, I drew closer to Daisy. One hand was always on top of the sword, and my eyes looked around with vigilance.

“…..”

Daisy looked up at me as I drew closer. I couldn’t explain to her why I was doing this, so she couldn’t help but wonder about my actions.

“Then, do your best in class today.”

I took Daisy to the front of the classroom and bowed my head. She also waved at me and entered.

Judy and Asena, who were behind me, passed by.

Judy, like me, greeted Asena.

After receiving Judy’s greeting, Asena began to enter the classroom but stopped.

She blinked, slowly turning her head to look at me.

I felt her gaze and made eye contact with her.

Our gazes met in the air.

Had this moment finally come?

Was she also giving me an apology like Keirsey?

Was she, who had such high self-esteem, finally admitting her mistake?

But Asena just kept looking at me, then turning around, she entered the classroom helplessly. All the time, she didn't say anything.

I also shrugged as I looked at Judy who was left behind.

I felt bad thinking about it, but it seemed reconciliation wouldn't happen today.

Suddenly, I realized that regret was bigger than I thought. Maybe I too was looking forward to reconciling with her.

But it was not like I could go to her first.

Keirsey was the first to approach me and apologize, so I couldn’t give special treatment to Asena.

When many nobles had entered the classroom, the door closed and silence began to linger in the hallway where I and Judy were standing.

“So, how's it going?”

I greeted Judy.

When class started, we often had a conversation. This was how this little time usually went by.

'What should I talk about today?'

I started wondering about it.

Recently, conversations with Asena and Keirsey had decreased, so I also needed a new person to talk to;

Of course, apart from the atmosphere around us, the escort mission was an added reason I couldn’t talk to the twins.

“…”

Judy oddly didn’t answer my question. She didn’t seem to have even heard my words.

No, I was sure she heard them, but she... just didn’t react.

“…Judy? What's wrong?”

At my next question, she sighed and closed her eyes. With every unexpected action that followed, my nerves began to sharpen once again.

She seemed to have something important to say.

“…Cayden.”

She called me in a hoarse voice.

“….yes.”

“I said I wouldn’t, but I think I should tell you about it.”

“……What?”

I frowned and looked at Judy with half-closed eyes.

“…you told me to let you know if Asena showed any unusual behavior or met suspicious people.”

“…..”

At those words, my face hardened.

Because of what I had seen and felt recently, I was starting to guess what Judy was saying.

Did Asena really make a move? The gazes... I had been feeling lately weren’t just my ...misunderstanding?

And Judy’s following words solidified my doubts.

“…Sharon Payne. Do you know her?”

“…Payne?”

“Yeah... Asena met Sharon Payne.”

✧ ✧ ✧

Payne family...

It was called ‘the dagger of the Prysters’.

I didn’t think that they could be introduced in any more accurate words.

It was the family that didn’t appear much in the novel, but just before my transmigration, it was revealed how much espionage the Payne family had engaged in.

It was said that the twins regularly assigned Sharon Payne exceptionally difficult tasks, and time after time, she accomplished them with remarkable proficiency.

Of course, there were also some more reckless and more aggressive missions with a higher rate of success only because there was a giant like the Pryster family that could support the actions Sharon would commit.

I, too, after transmigrating into this world, was able to observe more closely what kind of relationship the Payne family had with the Prysters.

Even Grandma said that they were a capable group and that if anything happened, it would be wise to borrow their power.

But when I heard that name from Judy, my mood sank. Sharon’s name was a name I didn’t expect to hear during my academic life.

Because we were not in war or conflict with anyone; we did not need the Payne family.

Why would one need a dagger when there was no one to stab?

But Asena met Sharon Payne...

“……”

All the puzzles seemed to fit together.

The gardener who made eye contact with me, and others... Everyone was really looking at us.

Judy continued:

“…I don’t know what they were talking about. I didn't even enter inside.”

“…..”

“But I knew what the Payne family is known for… I thought I should tell you.”

My heart started pounding crazily.

Was the target Daisy? 

She knew I was escorting Daisy but was she still aiming for her? 

Because among those to whom Sharon would be loyal, I would also be included…

So it was more digestible to say that she was targeting Daisy rather than me.

“…thank you.”

Judy’s words filled my head with complicated thoughts. Eventually, I squatted down and thought.

What action should I take here?

Regardless of what Asena did, what should I do now?

Could I go up to Asena and ask what she was doing now? What if I stepped out? No, what if she didn’t say anything in the first place? The odds weren’t high in this situation where there were already people moving, but there was still a possibility that it was just a misunderstanding.

Besides, I had the desire to believe in Asena. Really, she shouldn’t have any reason to do this, anyway.

So, should I go to the middle bridge, Sharon Payne, and tell her to stop doing everything she was doing? But what if Sharon didn’t obey me? It was unlikely, but what if Daisy wasn’t the target and I was the target? Of course, it seemed nonsense, but as I was in a situation where I didn’t know the details, I couldn’t be sure of anything.

Sharon had a reason to not respect me as an adopted child in the first place, so it could also be that she was trying to get rid of me who was bothering Asena... It was not entirely impossible.

The head was complicated. Anxieties began to arise over a sudden problem.

“…when did this happen?”

I asked Judy.

“…two days ago.”

The timing matched too. The moment my senses sent me a danger signal also started yesterday…

First of all, what should I do if she was aiming for Daisy?

If the enemy had an element of surprise, would I be able to stop them?

If I allowed a lethal blow in a defenseless state, even Daisy could be put in a dangerous situation no matter how skilled I was.

But would Asena really do such a thing? Of course, even in the novel, she did a lot of things that didn’t make sense.

Because there were many times when the twins seemed to have the role of an executioner who removed unnecessary characters in the novel.

But as this place became a reality, or growing up with them, they had never committed such crimes out of nowhere.

So if...

If Asena decided to attack Daisy now, it could also be the starting point of the crazy behavior they showed in the novel.

Now I was starting to wonder what it would have been like if I hadn’t read the novel. Then I wouldn’t even have such an absurd suspicion.

I trusted Asena, whom I grew up with, and I would have believed that she would never do such a thing.

However, their villainous behaviors that were engraved in my head continued to create suspicions of ‘maybe’.

Maybe Asena decided to attack Daisy. I didn’t know why, but maybe it was true.

Maybe they were already evil? Maybe they were trying to cause a war? Or maybe they had something to gain from it.

“…..”

I closed my eyes. I needed to take action quickly.

✧ ✧ ✧

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. Maybe it was because my head was complicated, but the sun had already set while I was in thought, and it was time for Daisy to return to the dormitory.

I hadn’t talked to Asena yet. I felt the urge to ask her, but I hated that I doubted her in the first place.

The love I had for her in my heart kept telling me to trust her. Of course, there was solid evidence that someone was watching us, but nonetheless, I wanted to believe that this wasn’t Asena’s work.

While I was contemplating such things, Daisy looked at me while standing in front of the dormitory door that we had just arrived at.

“Cayden. Thank you for today.”

“…..”

“Hurry up and rest. Today…you look pretty tired.”

She slowly reached out as I looked at her, still restless and unable to answer.

She put her hand on my arm and said.

“…I don’t know what you’re worrying about... Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Yes?”

“Occasionally, I think you think alone a lot.”

“…..”

“Is it because you grew up as an older brother, so you feel more responsible? ...Sometimes... you have to learn to depend on others.”

“…..”

“Ah..! Is it because you just don't want to talk about it with me? Right! You have other friends to share your concerns with... Judy Ice or something.”

“Judy?”

“Yes. You both seem to be on friendly terms when you are together. Oh, I didn’t mean to say this. Anyway, I was trying to tell you not to be alone if you have a hard time. Sometimes it may act as a poison.”

Warmth spread from Daisy’s hand that was touching me. This warmth comforted even my heart.

Even though Daisy was younger than me, she seemed more mature than me.

How did she develop such a strong heart? I still shook like a reed when things concerned twins.

….Certainly, the more I looked, the more I understood why I liked Daisy while reading the novel. That thought at the time was not an illusion. I felt like Daisy had a really shiny personality.

I guess I also swore allegiance to Daisy during the escort because of that. And when I tried to be protective towards her as her escort, my words must have provoked the twins.

And Daisy might have become a target like that. As I organized these thoughts one by one, it became increasingly clear where my anxiety was coming from:

One was the possibility of twins becoming villains.

The second reason was seeing Daisy being attacked.

Both were the worst possibilities... I didn’t want to see even one of them happen.

“Daisy.”

Eventually, I spoke up.

“Yes?”

She blinked strangely and looked up at me.

“…Daisy, listen to me from now on.”

And then… my words, perhaps terrifying, had a strong power in her eyes. It seemed as if she had just firmed her heart at my words.

“I’m listening.”

“Daisy, recently there have been people spying on us.”

“…..yes?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure something is happening.”

“…..”

“Do you have conflicts with any family? It would be helpful for me to know.”

I asked Daisy out of hope that the twins weren’t the culprit, as if in the hope of grabbing a straw...

“…speaking of the conflict... the moment when the voices have risen recently… is the only time the twins and Cayden fought in this place…”

“…”

I cursed harshly in my mind and said to Daisy.

“Daisy. You have to be careful going forward. I’ll be by your side, but if you keep my words in mind, you won’t panic if something goes wrong.”

“…..”

Daisy nodded her head.

“…Haah. Daisy, I’m sorry for complicating your mind. Now go in and rest. I will go too.”

“…Okay, Cayden. That… see you tomorrow?”

She was definitely speaking to me in a harder voice than before. The fact that she had something to worry about made me feel uncomfortable as well.

Still, there was nothing I could do.

After saying goodbye to her, I left the women’s dormitory.

✧ ✧ ✧

I felt uncomfortable.

While walking, I tried to clear my complicated mind.

Emotions didn’t help... In the end, the solution to the problem was an action that could be accomplished with two arms and two legs. And only because the head was complicated, even the body was hardened. So now I had to empty my head.

But there were still some things left.

Today was the day I decided to meet Ewin. It was the evening when the sun had not yet completely set, so I think we had plenty of time to talk.

She was a younger sister I hadn’t seen in a long time, so I didn’t want to bring this ugly feeling to the time I'd meet her. Even if I felt uncomfortable, I wanted to have a reunion with a smile.

When I went past one big building, I could see Ewin in the distance. It seemed she came out of the kitchen and sat on a nearby tree stump, after work, enjoying the scenery.

Now that it had already been 10 years, my memory was hazy, but I think 8-year-old Ewin also liked to watch the sunset like this.

The reason I was not sure was that I could have mistaken the twins' habits for hers. Because the twins definitely liked the sunset.

Seeing her at ease, my emotions shifted, and the moment even I began to feel comfortable, my steps halted.

Someone caught my sight...

Between me and Ewin, behind one of the pillars, a man was wandering around.

I felt my chest go cold. My hand gripped the handle of the sword.

I had seen his back a lot lately... to the point I began to recognize his front appearance because of his back.

The fact that he was monitoring Ewin, gave me a reason.

I stopped thinking for once and took action.

I took a step forward and stood behind him. He was so engrossed in monitoring Ewin that he didn’t seem to notice my movements.

“Excuse me.”

I called him softly.

The man turned to me hurriedly. He then looked at my face, and the blood began to drain from his face.

“What are you doing?”

When I asked, the man panicked and waved his hands vaguely in the air several times before starting to make excuses in a trembling voice.

“Ah…! that..! So…! That woman over there is so pretty… like this-”

That was enough.

I grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the floor.

-Bang!

“Ugh!”

I climbed onto him and looked down at him.

I threw away all the polite behavior and asked him coldly.

“You know what happens if you lie to a Pryster.”

“..Uhhhh..”

The man was moaning in shock and pain under me. But it was clear that he was listening to me, so I continued to spit.

“Priysters of the past say they cut off such people's tongues.”

“No..! Ugh..really..”

“Don’t touch us.”

I spat out our motto and drew my sword.

Daisy and Ewin... They had already become people whom I considered on my side. So it was unforgivable for anyone to have bad intentions against them.

The man moaned while looking at the sharp blade.

“You know why am I doing this, right?”

“…Ugh…”

The man’s eyes were fixed on the blade that slowly approached his neck.

Soon after, the cold iron touched his neck, and he looked at me with wide-open eyes.

“Who is behind it?”

“I… I really…”

While my eyes searched him thoroughly, I didn’t miss something black painted on his skin.

With the half hand holding the sword, when I roughly dragged his clothes down, a pattern appeared.

I couldn’t figure out what the pattern was, but it was certain that this man belonged to some kind of organization.

“…So, what is this?”

“…sa…save me.”

“If you tell the truth, I will spare you.”

I gripped the handle of the sword tighter and said.