‘Just now... what was that?’

The water vanished like an illusion. Black water had definitely rushed over them... Hadn’t everyone been suffocating? Were they fine?

Ren blankly clutched the necklace.

His hair, his clothes, his body—none of them showed any sign of having gotten wet. Everything was dry and soft. Only the humid air, like a hallucination, remained.

Had he dreamed with his eyes open?

“Ren--!”

Clang! Claaang!

A scream-like shout and the sound of clashing blades snapped him back to himself. Ren turned his head toward the sound.

Peruan was forcing his way closer, crossing swords as he came. His clothes were disheveled, his hair damp with sweat. His shirt seemed to have been torn open, flashes of his chest showing through. Ren could not see his expression clearly, but the force with which he was cutting through people was terrifying.

Closing the distance little by little, Peruan wore a murderous look. With bloodshot eyes, he mercilessly kicked away those rushing at him and finally reached Ren.

The one who dealt with the man trying to attack Ren from behind was Cedric, who had been frozen until then. Pressing hard against the stage floor with his legs, he slid his body forward while still seated. Then he twisted his waist and kicked the man’s wrist aside. Before the sword even fell, Cedric swiftly spun up to his feet and struck the man hard on the back of the neck. The man, fist still extended, slowly tilted over.

Crash! Thud. Boom! Splash!

As the man collapsed, the blood pooled on the floor splattered across both their cheeks. Thick, sticky blood.

Cedric picked up the fallen sword and crouched beside Ren, who was still sitting on the floor. Even as he watched their surroundings, every nerve in him was turned toward Ren.

“Hey, you... you... What the hell were you thinking, idiot?”

He was ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) too shocked to even understand what had happened. His blood was rushing so hard his vision spun.

Cedric looked at Ren, stammering. With trembling hands, he grabbed Ren’s arm. His eyes moved frantically over Ren’s body.

“Cedric?”

Seeing the red hair before him, Ren came back to himself. Hah! The metallic stink of blood rushed in. The air was so full of it he almost gagged.

“What the hell did you...”

“A-are you okay?!”

Ren asked, stumbling over the words.

“I should be asking you that... Why... no. What was that just now? Magic?”

“...Magic? Ah......”

Cedric’s breathing was fast. Gasping, he stared at Ren, who looked stunned stiff.

When the sword-wielder had approached him, Cedric had given up.

Then he heard Ren calling him. The boy had come, dragging a cluster of light with him, and in that instant had jumped in front of the man to block him. The flashing sword had already been right before him... and Cedric had felt as if all the blood in his body drained away.

One second lasted forever. His hand trying to grab Ren moved only slowly. The sword rushed toward Ren’s chest. No! No......! Cedric clutched his throat and struggled to reach out, but his body did not move in the slightest. The moment Cedric was struck with horror—

Claaaaang--! Boom.

A noise sharp enough to tear his ears rang dully through them. The cluster of light Ren had brought wrapped around him in a circle. The sword could not cut through the light and rang like metal, and the man who had swung with killing intent shook all over as if struck by lightning before pitching face-first to the floor without even screaming.

It was definitely magic.

Though Ren, the one who had used it, looked completely dazed.

Cedric bit down on his lip. He forced himself to swallow all the words rising up.

“First. Hide behind me.”

He hid Ren behind his back and stood.

“Ren.”

Soon, Peruan, having cut down everyone blocking his way, arrived before Ren. Blood dripped from the blade of his sword. He shook the blood off and reached his hand toward Ren.

“Can you stand?”

“Peruan!”

At the sight of Ren’s unharmed face, Peruan felt deep relief.

And yet he thought he might get angry. His startled heart was pounding hard enough to hurt.

Did he have any idea what he had done?

Ren could not even stand properly. He swayed, then collapsed back onto the floor.

“Aren’t reinforcements coming?! What about the knights!”

Steeped in exhaustion and worry, he scrunched his eyebrows. It was the first time Ren had seen that irritated expression on him.

“Yes, well. My servant is late. Perhaps he has been murdered.”

But Peruan quickly changed his expression and smiled with narrowed eyes. His gaze flicked briefly to the necklace Ren held.

Hadn’t he said he would stop joking now? That was a damn vicious joke.

Someone, wearing a face drenched in melancholy, poked Peruan in the side.

“Why are you turning me into a dead man? Young. Master.”

“Tom. You were alive. Ah, I cannot tell you how glad I am. Please, help me protect my Ren.”

Tom looked at Peruan with deeply uneasy eyes, then collected his expression and opened his mouth.

“All the entrances were sealed. A magical device must have activated. I think we need to smash the magic stones in here before we can get out.”

Slaaash!

Even at this moment, blood was spraying. The people who had risen like zombies kept pushing in endlessly. They targeted Ren’s group while still not stopping their slaughter of the bound slaves.

As if killing was the goal.

“Tom, will you protect these people? If you have the strength to spare, the ones brought here as well. Cedric, I would like to ask you too.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, young master.”

“I will try to destroy the magical device.”

Peruan added, his eyes sunken deep.

“Ah, Tom. The first life to prioritize is Ren’s.”

His voice sounded like a warning.

Perhaps sensing his murderous intent, fewer humans rushed toward Ren. Tom adjusted his distance from Ren and blocked the masked people trying to kill the slaves indiscriminately.

Clang!

Sparks flew from the swords.

Cedric guarded Ren’s side, and Peruan tried to destroy the magical devices embedded throughout the walls, but it was nowhere near enough.

Slaaaash-!

Blood sprayed from the chest of the person Tom cut down.

“Aaaaaah!”

“Hey! If you don’t stop that, I’ll kill this kid— guh!”

“Beta!”

The ones who came running over were Kenta and Beta. Reading the situation, they stood behind Ren. Their panting breaths touched the back of his neck. They kept their mouths firmly shut. Each held a club in their hands.

Ruuumble.

What should they do? What were they supposed to do to get out of here!

Enemies were everywhere. He did not want any more people to die. But with the people gathered here now, they could not stop the masked ones. They could not even be sure they could hold out until the reinforcements Peruan had mentioned arrived.

If everyone died in the end like this... He hated that!

‘I have to get a grip.’

But he did not even have the strength to raise his body.

‘I have to do something too!’

Ruuuumble!

“I hear something! It’s going to collapse! Aah, what do we do!”

Ren looked up at the ceiling. The place that had cracked earlier was vibrating as if it might cave in.

Was it because of the necklace’s magic?

What should he do......!

Ren gripped the necklace as if he might crush it.

At that moment, golden light poured down from above the bunker like a waterfall.

And within it, Ren found someone he had not expected.

“Luman...?”

It was Luman.

Only his face was strangely clear within the pouring golden light.

***

Several days earlier.

The peaceful Loroe Territory.

A woman, beautiful yet far from graceful, was swinging a sword in the training yard.

“Hah! Haaah!”

The sword that struck straight downward was so swift even the knights tensed up.

“My laaady-!”

The one whining was that woman’s maid.

“You said you would stay demure like a capital lady!”

“Haa, hoo. Right. I decided to act like a capital lady, didn’t I?”

Kenilla grinned and lowered her sword.

That smile was so handsome it made the girl’s heart pound. It was full of knightly beauty that would not lose to any knight alive... Ah, this was not the time to be thinking that!

The maid shook her head hard and brought her a towel and water.

Kenilla accepted the towel and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“What is he doing?”

“What else would he be doing! He is making himself look handsome for lunch with you, my lady!”

“Oops. Then we should get ready too.”

“Hurry!”

At the maid’s urging, Kenilla moved as if she had no choice.

After returning to her room, Kenilla was surrounded by several maids, bathed in a tub floating with rose petals, and began dressing herself up in earnest.

Her beautifully braided hair was nothing short of pure, and her jewel-adorned beauty shone. Wearing a dress with a deeply exposed neckline said to be popular in the capital, and with powder applied over her entire face, chest, and arms to emphasize the current trend of “sickly beauty,” Kenilla looked almost like a doll.

“Is this really pretty?”

Kenilla asked in a somewhat pathetic voice.

“Yes! This is the latest fashion!”

For the sake of the maid, who proudly lifted her nose while holding a magazine called Keeping Up with Capital Trends, Kenilla swallowed her sigh.

“All right. If you say so, then it must be. Let’s go.”

“When you arrive, you must act coy in front of the Hero. You haven’t forgotten you agreed to behave like a capital lady, have you? A proud, cool, coy woman is beautiful......”

Kenilla let the maid’s sermon on beauty go in one ear and out the other.

It was not suitable weather for eating outside. Even in Loroe Territory, which held a mild current of air, this time of year still brought a spring chill fierce enough to make people shiver.

But a greenhouse garden was a different matter.

A splendid luncheon had been prepared in the greenhouse garden Lord Loroe was so proud of.

The lord’s castle was buzzing, from maids to servant girls to male servants, because it was the day of the “matchmaking meeting” for Kenilla, the eldest daughter who had stubbornly insisted she would not marry.

Many people peeked in to see the man she was meeting.

“Eek!”

“He just greeted me with his eyes!”

A man with platinum-blond hair burned white by the sunlight, a tall height that forced one to tilt the head back just to see his face, a sharp face filled with beautiful features, and amber eyes that completed it all... The young servant girls clutched their chests as if they might faint.

“What is his name......?”

“Don’t bother. What would you even do with his name?”

The untouchable man, who had greeted each of them with his eyes one by one, leisurely disappeared into the glass greenhouse. Melano, the servant who had escorted him there, glared at the young maids.

“Excuse me, lady. May I sit here?”

Melano, who had escorted Luman, opened his eyes wide. No, this was not some village woman he was seducing. How dare he be this rude to a noble lady!

But before Melano could step in, Kenilla Loroe moved faster.

“Sit or don’t. Do whatever you like.”

“Hic.”

This time, Kenilla’s maid drew in a sharp breath.

Disbelief spread across her face.

No, my lady! I told you to be proud and coy, not to spit words out like that!

The maid Rosaline and the servant Melano sensed it.

This matchmaking meeting had gone wrong somehow.