Chapter 2. Searching for the Child
The northern wind was cold and harsh. As it crossed the rugged mountain range, it made a metallic sound even without striking a blade.
Whenever Kaizen hunted monsters in that land, he would often be drenched in blood. He liked the scent of it in the barren and desolate north.
That was why he took Adele there.
And there, she died.
Kaizen always regretted bringing his beloved Adele to the unforgiving north. The fact that he remained alive while she was gone felt like a curse.
Last night, after a long time, she appeared in his dream. He wanted to hold her, but she only smiled from afar before vanishing like an illusion.
Then, around noon today, he received a letter from her friend. Enclosed was a pledge stating that if Irene gave birth to a daughter, she would be betrothed to his eldest son, Rikael.
The letter also requested that if the marriage could not proceed, he should at least protect the child. It specifically urged him never to send the child to the Viscount or the temple.
Adele used to say things that were difficult to understand.
‘The High Priest and the Viscount are abusing Irene too much. I wish she could escape from them.’
At the time, Kaizen thought Adele was merely speaking ill of them because she wanted to see her friend more often.
After all, Irene was practically revered as a saint.
But one day, she vanished without a trace.
If he hadn’t received secret information that the temple and the Viscount were searching for her, he wouldn’t have known she had fled on her own.
Sending such a letter on the brink of death must have meant she was truly desperate.
Kaizen could not ignore the plea of Adele’s friend.
‘If Irene has a daughter, she will marry Rikael. So, you should remember that too.’
Adele’s whispered words, as if sealing a promise, still echoed in his ears.
Adele was gone, but he still had to bring Irene’s daughter to him.
Without hesitation, he set off in his carriage toward where Irene was.
The child, about the same age as his five-year-old son Andy, spoke quite well.
Despite losing her mother, she was resilient and spoke with confidence.
When she lay down, Kaizen intended to offer his lap as a pillow, but for some reason, the child sat upright, never breaking her posture.
Her unusual composure amused him, and he found himself glancing at her from time to time.
Then—
“Stop the carriage at once!”
A sudden, unfamiliar voice rang out, and the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Kaizen had to steady the child as she lurched forward.
Someone dared to stop an Arcades carriage…
“I am Viscount Nopert. It seems I have been rude. Allow me to apologize in person.”
A rough voice spoke, followed by the sound of someone dismounting.
The child quickly moved to the opposite seat, then pulled a lap blanket over her face as if trying to hide.
Despite being only five, she was swift, intelligent, and exceptionally quick to adapt to the situation.
At the moment, when the child completely disappeared beneath the blanket, a cold glint flickered in Kaizen’s once-calm eyes.
With a faint smirk, he pulled back the curtain and surveyed the scenery outside.
“His Grace the Duke does not meet outsiders without a prior appointment. I suggest you turn back.”
Klein’s voice was both polite and intimidating.
There was only one person in the empire who would not bow before the name of Arcades.
And in reality, even the emperor was not truly exempt from that.
Let alone a mere viscount.
Kaizen expected him to retreat.
“I just need to see his face for a moment.”
But the viscount showed no signs of backing down.
Kaizen, sensing this would not end easily, slightly opened the carriage window.
“Klein, let him through.”
Even if the child was discovered, Kaizen had no intention of handing her over. If any trouble arose, he could simply kill the viscount.
With that in mind, he didn’t bother avoiding him.
Hearing approaching footsteps, he leaned closer to the window.
Viscount Nopert stood a few steps away from the window, bowing deeply. Watching him, Kaizen spoke coldly.
“Let’s hear your sincere apology, then.”
“It has been a long time, Your Grace.”
The viscount smiled subtly, pretending to be friendly. However, Kaizen’s voice grew even colder as he replied.
“Have we met before?”
“We met at the New Year’s banquet in the Imperial Palace seven years ago.”
The viscount’s eyes were filled with hope, as if he wished Kaizen to remember. But Kaizen had no such memory.
Perhaps because it was such a trivial encounter, he didn’t even care to recall it.
“Is that so? Well, that’s that. Now, when will you apologize?”
“…Pardon?”
“The apology. You said you needed to see me to apologize, didn’t you?”
The viscount, who had been bowing deeply, briefly stiffened. His sharp gaze flickered as he looked at the eagle crest on the carriage.
Raising his head slightly, he glanced beyond the duke, as if trying to peek inside.
“My apologies. It was dark, and I failed to properly recognize the crest on your carriage. Please forgive my discourtesy.”
“You are forgiven. Now, I believe we are done here.”
Kaizen, replying without hesitation, moved to close the window.
But the viscount quickly stepped forward and continued speaking.
“I am looking for a child. The child’s mother—ah! You are familiar with her, are you not? My sister, Irene. She was close to the duchess…”
Kaizen slowly withdrew his hand from the window, his gaze turning sharp and chilling as he locked eyes with the viscount.
“Yes, I remember. But why are you looking for the child here?”
“Regrettably, my sister passed away this morning, and the child has gone missing. I fear for their safety and have been searching all day, but to no avail. Have you perhaps seen a lone child around here?”
The viscount’s tone was polite, but Kaizen could sense the underlying sharpness in his words.
Now that he thought about it, Adele had always said:
‘The viscount is a cunning and selfish man. Do you know how much money he made off of Irene? Poor Irene, she was too kind for her own good.’
Since the viscount was aware of Irene and Adele’s friendship, he surely wouldn’t believe Kaizen’s presence here was a coincidence.
If Kaizen’s status were lower, the viscount would have already searched the carriage.
His willingness to bow to achieve his goal was impressive, but Kaizen had no intention of indulging him any further.
With a cold smirk, Kaizen replied calmly,
“That is unfortunate. However, I have not seen any child.”
Without further thought, he reached again to close the window.
But Viscount Nopert, desperate and lacking any sense of caution, blurted out,
“I know this is rude and presumptuous, but may I inspect the inside of your carriage?”
“Pfft…”
Kaizen let out a short, derisive laugh, his gaze turning deadly.
How dare he commit such an offense? No—did he truly believe he could survive such disrespect?
Kaizen almost welcomed the bloodlust rising within him.
If the child hadn’t been with him, he would have drawn his sword and beheaded the viscount on the spot.
It was a shame he couldn’t.
“Klein, ever since I secluded myself after losing my wife, it seems even stray dogs think they can challenge me.”
Instead, he decided to make use of the knight who knew him best.
As expected, before Kaizen even finished speaking, Klein had already drawn his sword and pressed it against the viscount’s throat.
“I will not tolerate any further disrespect.”
The cold blade, gleaming in the moonlight, seemed ready to spill blood at any moment.
Viscount Nopert visibly shrank under the overwhelming presence.
Klein, known as the invincible knight, would not hesitate to kill an emperor if the duke ordered it.
Reacting this strongly to a simple request to inspect the carriage—no wonder they call him the Beast of the North, or even a demon.
Now, more than ever, I was curious about what was inside. If Irene had been hiding, the Duke would have been her only hope for help.
Of course, I never actually expected to be allowed to see inside. My goal had already been achieved.
Grinding his teeth, the viscount bowed his head and stepped back.
“My apologies for the intrusion. I will take my leave now.”
***
It seemed like things outside had taken a dangerous turn. If he had insisted on seeing inside the carriage, that meant he had already sensed something.
Holding my breath, I listened carefully to the situation outside. The tension had nearly reached its breaking point, but in the end, the viscount backed down and disappeared.
Throughout the conversation, my heart felt like it was constantly dropping and rising again.
Even after I realized the viscount was gone and the carriage had started moving again, I remained curled up under the lap blanket for a long time.
“It’s safe now.”
Through the stifling darkness, the Duke’s calm voice reached me. Only then did I cautiously peek out from under the blanket.
“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I will never let that viscount take you. I will protect you from now on, so rest easy.”
His deep, steady voice filled the space like a resonating cave, seeping into my trembling heart like light. The fear faded, leaving behind a strange sense of awe.
“Thank you very much.”
Right now, all I could do was express my gratitude.
That he had come, just like in the original story—I could accept that. But everything beyond that, from his confrontation with the viscount onward, was entirely his own decision.
The Duke had chosen to hide me and even declared that he would continue to protect me.
After being thrown into this world with no direction, it felt like I had found a powerful ally. My first step had been a success.
“You may feel unfamiliar and uneasy since you don’t know anyone yet, but Madame Peltro and the maids will take good care of you. You can relax.”
“I am fine! If you just take me with you, I can take care of myself and grow up well!”
I shouted with all my might. Just being taken in was more than enough—I wouldn’t ask for anything more.
