Even though he was far away, she knew perfectly well that he was still quietly keeping an eye on her.

But how should I put it?

It was not that she disliked it. She really did not dislike it.

But at the same time, acting openly warm and familiar with him still felt a little awkward.

In any case, what mattered right now was that Juella’s standing had changed enormously.

“You’re not someone a child from a completely ruined family with no proper title can just come barging in and terrorize anymore.”

“Co-completely...!”

“Why? What?”

Was I wrong?

“Your family is completely ruined, isn’t it?”

She had heard he had even been kicked out of the mansion he used to live in a few days ago.

No, really, they say even a ruined rich family can last three years.

So how was it that that household had not even made it three months?

The reason that man kept coming here every day to harass Juella was because he had been reduced to practically sleeping on the street.

“And you’re honestly hilarious. I heard you still haven’t come to your senses?”

Even if they had once been family, Juella still seemed to worry about him here and there, so Camilla had looked into it a little. And the situation really was hopeless.

That bastard Mantits. Even after turning his family into that mess, he was apparently still loitering around gambling dens.

“I heard you even stole your younger sister’s jewelry and sold it.”

And it was not just jewelry.

What more was there to say about someone who secretly swept away everything in the house that could be turned into money and ran straight to a gambling den with it?

She had even heard that Countess Bakes, who used to adore her son beyond reason, had told Mantits he should just go die.

After hearing all of that, Juella seemed to have stripped away even the last speck of affection she had left for him.

“Grow up already, you idiot.”

Aren’t you ashamed to live like that?

“And you—stay away from anywhere children are from now on.”

Especially anywhere innocent kids like Rio are.

“I’d hate for them to learn anything from trash like you.”

“You little—!”

Mantits, who had been standing there with his face flushed red the whole time, finally raised the fist he had been clenching.

He had listened and listened, and now this had gone too far!

Yes, his family might be in a difficult situation right now, but how dare lowborn trash with no standing at all run their mouths at him like this!

“Ugh... urk! Aaaagh!”

But the face of the man lunging at Camilla was instantly /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ overtaken by confusion.

His body had suddenly lifted up into the air completely against his will.

Only for a moment, though.

A second later, Mantits was hurled to one side and slammed down with a tremendous crash.

“Gaaah...!”

Whoa, hey. That had to hurt.

The sound of him slamming into the ground was so loud that Camilla reflexively squeezed her eyes shut.

Did he pass out or something?

The man who had been crying out in pain suddenly went quiet.

More importantly, what was that?

Who threw him?

Only then did Camilla turn her head to grasp what had happened—and her mouth fell open.

One person was slowly walking toward Mantits.

“What is this piece of trash?”

A man looking down at Mantits with cold eyes.

His voice held not even the slightest trace of emotion toward him, and it seemed to drop the temperature around them several degrees.

“...Arsian?”

At her call, Arsian turned his head, and the expression that had been frozen over softened at once, the corners of his eyes folding gently as if he had never been giving off such a chilling presence.

“Were you startled?”

But only for a moment.

As Arsian kept checking Camilla’s complexion, his gaze immediately turned cold again at the sight of her slightly dazed expression.

He had assumed Camilla was startled because Mantits had tried to use violence just moments ago.

Arsian’s face turned vicious in an instant as he looked toward Mantits sprawled in the corner.

“Should I kill him?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he strode toward Mantits, and only then did Camilla snap back to herself and hurriedly reach out.

“That’s not it!”

More than anyone, she knew that Arsian did not say things like that casually. Tightening her grip on the hand she had caught, Camilla shook her head hard.

Like hell I’d be startled because of trash like that.

If anything, that bastard was alive because of you.

Does Mantits even know?

That he had almost frozen to death just now.

[That’s a shame. I could’ve made an ice statue out of him.]

That Aisla, the Spirit King of Winter who had been constantly following her around these days, had just been about to flick a hand toward Mantits.

“When did you get to the capital?”

“Just now.”

At Camilla’s question, the answer that came back was mild, as if he had not been radiating killing intent a moment ago.

“How did you know I was here?”

“I went to the café, and they told me you were here.”

Arsian let out a small laugh at the sight of Camilla staring up at him with eyes rounded wide like a rabbit’s.

He reached out toward her face, meaning to brush the strand of hair that had slipped loose gently behind her ear.

“.......”

But at that moment, he paused, realizing the state he was in.

He had come to see her the moment he arrived in the capital, so his whole body was covered in dust.

I should’ve washed up first.

He had not noticed it before, but he thought he might even smell like sweat. Arsian drew back the hand he had extended and took a step backward.

But once again, that action was cut short.

“Arsian.”

Because of Camilla’s voice calling him so gently.

...Strange.

No matter how many times he heard it, it always felt strange.

I was sick of it.

No—he still hated it. He hated hearing anyone say his name.

A name that proved he belonged to House Sephra.

Every time someone called him by that name, nausea rose in him. It felt like a noose he could never escape, no matter how badly he wanted to break free.

So why was it different?

Why was it that whenever she called his name, his chest turned warm and ticklish, and an unexplainable softness wrapped around him?

“Arsian.”

When he gave no answer, she said his name again.

As if she had read all of those feelings from him, she smiled faintly, then reached out and gently stroked his hair.

“Welcome back.”

Arsian closed his eyes for a moment and savored the warmth of her hand patting him, and soon a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as well.

“I’m back.”

*****

“It’s been a while.”

“Did you get back safely?”

“Thanks to you.”

Like Arsian, the Duke of Sephra had also gone off to other regions to deal with the remnants of Eva Faith, and he had returned at around the same time. Fatigue showed clearly on his face as well.

Even for him, it seemed that a war against an enemy with no visible end took more out of him than expected.

“Hang in there just a little longer. It’ll all quiet down soon.”

“Hmm.”

As if Camilla’s words did not sound like simple encouragement, the Duke of Sephra, who had been sitting in a somewhat languid posture, did not take his eyes off her.

Still, he only looked at her. He did not ask any questions.

He really hasn’t changed.

Camilla let out a brief laugh to herself. This was one thing she truly liked about the Duke of Sephra.

Even if he was curious about something, he would never force the other person to speak before they chose to say it themselves.

Though the other two seem incredibly frustrated by that.

Unlike Camilla, the Duke of Sorpel and the Duke of Jevillan absolutely hated that silent side of the Duke of Sephra.

There had been one time in particular.

“Hey! If you’re curious about something, just ask!”

“You have a mouth, so why don’t you use it? Why do you think things through by yourself and reach conclusions by yourself?”

“He’s always been like this. Ever since way back. Drives people insane.”

Beside Camilla, who had been playing with the divine beasts, the three dukes had started bickering childishly as they usually did.

After quietly listening to the nonstop chirping of his two old friends for a while, the Duke of Sephra suddenly opened his mouth.

“There is actually something I’m curious about... but is it really alright if I ask?”

“Of course it is!”

“Please, for the love of God, ask instead of sitting there with your mouth shut!”

“A while back.”

That was the moment Pandora’s box opened.

“A while back?”

“When?”

“When we were at the academy.”

“...The academy?”

“Which one of you two was the first to suggest secretly copying my assignment and turning it in? I got a zero too because of it.”

“.......”

“.......”

“And which one of you was it that broke the sword I treasured 23 years ago and ran off?”

“.......”

“.......”

“And around three years ago, I went through a lot to get a 100-year-old bottle of Chabord... but I never even got a sip of it. I still really wonder which one of you drank my liquor in secret and filled the bottle back up with water.”

“...Who was it? Who told him to start asking questions?”

“You did, you bastard! Why did you make him talk?! Silence is a wonderful thing! Why are you making such a fuss about getting him to talk, huh?!”

After that day, even those two seemed to have mostly accepted it.

“That’s what I heard. Without the leader, Eva Faith can’t last long.”

That was what Aisla, the Spirit King of Winter, had said.

No matter how much anyone stole divine artifacts and tried to use them, without the leader, the lives of those who had taken other people’s bodies had limits.