IHIMML Chapter 74

 

Kaien stared blankly at Philome, then his lips twitched.

“……Is this a confession? You accepted it, right?”

“……Please don’t ruin the mood, seriously.”

Philome felt deflated and tried to pull her hand away. But Kaien tightened his grip and pulled her closer.

“Ah!”

Since the carriage was moving quickly, the momentum caused Philome to end up sitting on Kaien’s lap.

She instinctively tried to get up, but Kaien’s thick arm wrapped tightly around her waist, making it impossible.

“……I didn’t accept your confession.”

“That’s fine; you don’t have to accept it right now.”

Kaien smiled.

His violet eyes sparkled, creating a soft atmosphere.

“I’m already satisfied with what you said.”

It was true.

Kaien felt happier than he ever had from someone else’s words. It was almost inappropriate for the serious situation they were in.

For the first time, he experienced what was described as “feeling like you could fly.”

The thought that being with him would make her always smile and be happy overwhelmed him to the point of breathlessness.

Kaien chuckled as he looked up at Philome. Philome froze at the sight of Kaien’s face so close to hers. This was the first time she had seen him with such an unguarded expression.

It was a vulnerability different from when he had been tormented by the risk of going on a rampage.

“Then Liazell should come down with us.”

“That’s right. Since I’m going down too.”

Since Liazell had not yet found a suitable match, she was unstable and needed Philome. Although she hadn’t thought much about it when she was going, the idea of Liazell going with her made her a bit anxious.

‘Was this how Kaien felt?’

Noticing Philome’s feelings, Kaien added, “By the way, you don’t need to worry about Liazell.”

“Why not?”

“……You haven’t seen Liazell spar, have you?”

“No. She said she was embarrassed, so I haven’t seen it.”

“Liazell is a born knight. If she can last a few minutes against me, can you understand?”

Philome gaped, recalling Kaien’s skills.

“So it’s not that she’s embarrassed because she can’t do it…”

“She’s too good and wants to act modest.”

Kaien didn’t bother to mention that Liazell broke a couple of swords every time they sparred.

As their conversation was coming to an end, the carriage urgently entered the Wintbell Duke’s estate. The relaxed expressions of both of them changed.

It was time to put the conversation aside and move quickly.

“First, you take care of Liazell. I’ll finish preparing to head north.”

“Okay, I will.”

After quickly dividing their roles, they got out of the carriage as soon as it stopped.

Almost simultaneously, they encountered Sebastian and Madonna, who had rushed out upon hearing the news.

“Are we ready?”

Taking a breath, Sebastian replied to Kaien’s question.

“Almost done.”

“Madonna, can you help get Liazell ready to come down?”

“Yes, Lady Philome.”

Philome and Madonna entered the mansion, while Kaien checked on the knights packing their belongings, meticulously inspecting the luggage.

Liazell, who was spending time with Sophia and Harnen, felt flustered but suppressed her curiosity at the sight of busy Philome and quietly followed her lead.

In fact, most of the preparations were done by the servants, so Liazell stayed close to Emma, remaining still.

“Are you also getting ready to go north, Miss?”

“North? Is that where Grandma and Grandpa are?”

“Yes, that’s right. Do you remember them?”

Liazell shook her head cautiously.

Her memories before becoming a transcendent being were so vague and distant that she didn’t have any clear recollections of the two.

“Miss, do you remember the monsters that Bear and I talked about?”

At those words, Liazell’s expression stiffened.

“Yes, I remember.”

Bear and Emma had informed Liazell, the future duke, in detail about the monsters, instilling a sense of vigilance. Because of this, Liazell, despite her young age, knew a lot about monsters and didn’t treat their stories lightly.

“Could it be that the monsters have awakened?”

Bear and Emma had only heard snippets of the current situation, needing to explain it to Liazell.

Bear nodded and adjusted Liazell’s hair.

“Yes. The Duke has to go down, so the suitable match, Lady Philome, will accompany him. However, since your condition isn’t completely stable, you will be going as well.”

“I hope I won’t cause any unnecessary problems…”

“It’s okay. With Lady Philome here, you won’t go on a rampage, nor will you suffer like before.”

Liazell nodded, but her expression was not very bright.

Even though she hadn’t felt pain for nearly a month since meeting Philome, the memories of that time were still vivid.

“I won’t hurt anyone because I mismanage my strength, right?”

“You’ve been practicing all this time, so it won’t be a problem. And you don’t really need to worry about controlling your strength against the monsters, right?”

Liazell, who always had to focus all her attention on controlling her strength except when facing Kaien, smiled brightly.

“That’s true?”

“And most of the time, the Duke will take the lead, so you won’t have to face the monsters directly. You just need to protect Lady Philome!”

“Okay, I will!”

To Liazell, Philome was someone she needed to protect, especially since Philome was neither a magician nor a knight. It felt oddly strange that someone she thought of as a child would be protecting her.

“Boss!”

Meanwhile, Harnen rushed up to Philome.

“Harnen? You’re not gone yet?”

“Huff, how could I leave the boss behind and go back!”

As soon as they arrived at the mansion, Philome had roughly explained the situation to Harnen and sent him back to the office. However, Harnen returned by carriage.

“I brought all the spirit scrolls I had. Huff, huff. With this, it should be advantageous when fighting the monsters, right?”

The reason Harnen had gone to the office in the first place was to retrieve the remaining spirit scrolls. Since he had already given Kaien the amount he needed, it was fine to bring back the leftovers.

“Are you planning to go too?”

“Of course! Were you planning to go alone, huff?”

Philome tried to persuade Harnen but soon fell silent. Although Harnen usually followed Philome’s words well, he could be stubborn, and there was little she could do about it. Even if she warned him of the danger, he would likely argue about why she would let the boss go alone.

Moreover, given the cold conditions in the north where it was hard to find water, Harnen’s abilities as a spirit master would be a great help, so she couldn’t simply say no.

“…Alright.”

“Oh yeah!”

“Wow, with everyone going, it won’t be lonely!”

Sophia was delighted to hear that Harnen would be joining them.

Seeing this, Philome, who was preparing to head north and feeling nervous, couldn’t help but smile.

At that moment, a familiar voice came from nearby.

“Philome.”

“Duke, are you done?”

“Yes. What about you?”

“I’m all set too. By the way, is it okay that Harnen is coming along?”

Kaien nodded without hesitation.

“It’s fine. We’ve secured the spirit scrolls anyway.”

They had finished their preparations, wearing thick clothes with heat stones inside to withstand the cold of the north.

It would be quick to take a carriage to the nearby portal and teleport to the north. They had already sent word ahead that someone would be coming, so the news should have reached the north by now.

One by one, they climbed onto the carriage, which was protected by magic, leaving only Philome and Kaien behind.

“Philome.”

Kaien adjusted Philome’s clothes more carefully.

Even though winter was slowly starting in the capital and it was getting cold, it was too warm to wear such thick clothes with heat stones. Philome could feel her body heating up.

“Promise me you’ll come back in the spring without getting hurt at all.”

“You promise the same, Duke.”

At Philome’s words, Kaien chuckled.

He knew that her words were somewhat fanciful. Unlike her, he would have to engage in battle with the monsters directly.

For her, being careful was enough, but that was impossible for Kaien.

“I promise.”

Yet, despite knowing this, Kaien made the promise.

They smiled at each other.