“Now that I’ve given you my name, may I ask yours?”

“......”

A blond man spoke in a voice as gentle as could be.

It was hard to believe he was the same one who’d been watching the ghouls’ massacre with an indifferent expression just moments ago.

And yet—

‘...Disgusting.’

That gentleness.

It made Ariella feel like goosebumps were crawling over her skin.

If she thought of it as one noble speaking to another, it wasn’t that strange, but...

That kind of attitude...

She’d never received it even back in the nobles’ homeland, before she fell to this land.

Still.

“...My name is Ariella. My title is the same as yours—a count.”

“Oh... Lady Ariella! Even your name is beautiful.”

This was a situation where she could lose her life if she misstepped.

And it wasn’t just her.

Bound by the Oath of Retainers, she had to put her master’s safety first no matter what.

Whether she liked the way that man was acting or not—

now that the other side had lowered its hostility, responding in kind was the safest choice.

‘Still... something’s off.’ 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Even so, Ariella felt a strange awkwardness in this conversation with him.

Before she could think too deeply about it, the noble who had introduced himself as Rashir bowed his head politely and spoke.

“First, let me offer my apologies, Lady Ariella.”

“Apologies?”

“I believed the ghouls here had begun acting independently without their master’s orders. They were hastily-made ghouls, so I thought there might be defective ones among them. But... it seems that was my mistake.”

“......”

“They were serving you.”

As he said that, the man gave Ariella a quick once-over.

“I acknowledge it was entirely my fault. I never imagined they’d be serving such a refined and elegant noble.”

“......”

“And that one who fought my knights over there earlier... the one giving off that peculiar scent—was that one also under your command? There are some odd points, but it seemed to be quite an excellent knight. You can often tell the master’s dignity by looking at the servant. I can more than guess what a splendid noble you must be.”

He was apologizing for his rudeness, in his own way, while also trying to praise her.

Ariella only frowned, unable to make sense of his intent.

“Hm... It seems I’ve wounded your feelings quite a bit with my discourtesy.”

“...At least you seem to understand you were discourteous. That’s something.”

“Haha, well then. If we keep talking, it’ll only stoke your anger, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

As if he’d been hurt by her attitude, Rashir shrugged once, then continued with a slightly more serious expression.

“I came here under my head’s orders, to make this place my territory.”

“...!”

“But you were already established here.”

At those words, Ariella’s body twitched slightly.

“You understand what that means... I’m sure you’ve already realized it.”

He spoke with a soft smile, but Ariella didn’t feel comfortable at all hearing it.

“...Of course.”

He’d received an order from the head of his bloodline and come to rule this land.

But.

There was already another lord established on that land.

As far as Ariella knew, there was only one thing that could mean.

‘Someone who doesn’t obey the head’s command... can only be a noble of another bloodline.’

Half-lidded, Ariella stared sharply at him.

Sssrk...

Her nails lengthened.

The glow in her red eyes deepened.

“Of course I understood from the start.”

A meeting between hostile bloodlines.

If so, there was only fighting left.

She prepared to battle that man, but...

“From the start!”

“...Huh?”

“Just as I thought. Unlike me, you noticed the situation from the beginning. Well... that’s why you arrived here so quickly.”

Unlike her, who was hardening her resolve to fight, Rashir sounded almost impressed.

“Thinking about it, I realize I was truly foolish. After all, it’s our head we’re talking about, isn’t it? I shouldn’t have thought our head would grant a territory so easily...”

As if he’d gained some sudden insight, he spoke with a pleasant smile.

“Two lords assigned to one territory. Normally it would be nonsense, but... considering our head’s disposition, it isn’t hard to understand what’s going on.”

“...?”

“Haha. It seems we’ve been placed under our head’s test.”

Ariella had no idea what he was talking about, but whether she understood or not—

“Our house words... the blood of Melchiorn takes by strength.”

He clenched his fist, then looked straight at Ariella.

“You and I! The one who proves greater strength between us... will seize the right to be this land’s master. That’s what it means.”

After saying that, he turned his back with an easy air.

The ornate cloak draped over him fluttered in the darkness.

“It’s a shame I’ve ended up having to contend with a beautiful woman like you.”

“...?”

“But perhaps this, too, is fate. If we desire something, we seize it with strength—that is our way...”

The ornate procession he’d brought with him began leaving the city.

“I’ll return in two days, Count. You and I—let’s stake everything we have and duel.”

And the noble’s procession that left like that soon went far enough that it could no longer be seen from the city.

And then...

“...?”

Ariella could only stand there with her mouth slightly open, staring blankly at their retreating backs.

***

A noble appeared out of nowhere, massacred this city’s ghouls, babbled about something ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) she couldn’t understand, then satisfied alone, turned around and left.

“I don’t really know what’s going on, but...”

Once he was gone, Ariella’s head filled with countless question marks at the incomprehensible situation, but—

“...At least that’s a relief.”

Even so, the relief of having gotten through it without a major problem was stronger.

Ariella’s fighting strength was badly damaged compared to before.

Fighting another noble before that strength recovered wasn’t desirable.

Even if she managed to win somehow, it was obvious the damage would be severe.

“Master... no. My knight!”

As that thought reached her, Ariella let out a brief sigh of relief, then turned her head and shouted with a frown.

“What in the world did you do?!”

“......”

“It’s lucky we got past it, but if you’d slipped up even a little—”

But.

Despite her shouting—

“...My knight?”

“Ah.”

Her master.

Sergeant Shin Youngjun.

“...Sorry... no, excuse me.”

Staring blankly—

he was looking down at his own hand.

***

“...What’s wrong?”

“...A little.”

Unlike how she’d been furious just before, Ariella looked at me with concern.

But unfortunately, I couldn’t really take her words in.

Frowning, I stared blankly down at my hand and thought.

‘Just now... what was that?’

What felt strange wasn’t anything else.

Just before.

That fight I ended up joining without meaning to.

Thinking about it calmly—

‘It was a fight I shouldn’t have taken.’

A fight with another noble.

Full of danger, and even if I won, there was nothing to gain.

A perfect example of high risk, low return.

Those ghouls had begged me to save them, but—

it could easily have tied directly to my own survival.

No matter what anyone asked, I shouldn’t have joined that fight.

And yet.

‘The moment I recognized what they wanted...’

No—more precisely.

Without realizing it, the thought that I had to answer that wish flashed through my mind, and then, in that instant—

‘My body started moving.’

I couldn’t even tell which came first—whether I realized that thought first, or whether my body moved first.

I couldn’t separate it at all.

From the start, it felt like something other than my will was moving my body.

‘This... isn’t good.’

There was no choice but to frown.

A world where you could lose your life to a small mistake.

Maybe it would be different if I were still in the Legion, but right now I didn’t even have the Legion’s protection.

And in a situation like this, for my body to move regardless of my will...

I’d been lucky he just left, but—

if something went wrong, it could have led to something serious.

‘If it happens again before I know the cause...’

...To be honest.

About this unknown phenomenon happening in my body—

I was even feeling a little fear.

“I don’t know what it is, but... for now, let’s go back into the city.”

Watching me, Ariella spoke carefully.

“It would be better to talk in more detail inside. He could come back.”

“Ah.”

She was right.

He’d left for now, but he could change his mind and return at any time.

It wasn’t good to get lost in thoughts here.

“Oh, and tell the other humans outside to come into the city as well.”

“...?”

But.

Her next words left me confused.

The other humans.

Meaning, the unit—she was telling me to bring them into the city.

“...Is that really okay?”

“Now that we know there’s another noble nearby, being outside the city is more dangerous. If they get noticed by a noble wandering around here, there’s no way to protect them... It’s better to protect them inside this city.”

“But.”

The reason I’d sent the unit outside the city—

was because of the ones filling this city...

‘Because we can’t trust the ghouls.’

They were following Ariella’s and my orders for now, but unless they were ghouls Ariella had made herself, we couldn’t blindly trust their loyalty.

While Ariella and I were absent, they might be drawn to fresh blood and attack the unit—That was my judgment.

“You don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

“...?”

“Look at them.”

Ariella said that and looked around.

I followed her gaze and turned my eyes the same way.

“It was certainly a dangerous decision to step in so suddenly. As far as I’m concerned, I have no choice but to scold you for it, but...”

And then—

what appeared before my eyes was—

“It seems it’s a little different for them.”

Countless ghouls filling this city.

Those ghouls.

“Ah... the knight is looking at us.”

“Watching over... and protecting things as low as us.”

They were looking at us...

No.

They were looking at me.

“Didn’t I tell you? That you could perform a knight’s duties well.”

Watching that, Ariella said with a pleased smile.

And that was because—

“It seems they now understand on their own who they should serve.”

From those countless ghouls—

I could taste a deep longing and loyalty.