The sun was setting, and darkness was thickening in the sky.
And so, the day of the Weinstein family was also coming to an end.
“Yaaawn… I’m so full, I’m sleepy.”
“If you eat and go right to sleep, you’ll gain weight.”
“I’m not going to sleep right away!?”
As Rudell said this to Leje, who was yawning widely, she shot him a sharp glare.
Seeing her reaction, Rudell chuckled and opened the door to the study.
“Ah, another day passes like this~”
Leje, stretched out as if tired, immediately settled into the sofa by the fireplace.
Leaving Leje behind, Rudell went over to the fireplace and picked up some firewood piled to the side.
He tossed a suitably-sized log into the fireplace and carefully placed his fingertips on it.
At that moment, a tiny spark flared up from his fingertips, and he carefully transferred the flame to the log.
The spark on the log began to grow, and it wasn’t long before the fireplace crackled to life, exuding warmth.
Seeing this, Rudell leaned back in the empty sofa and pulled out a book with a satisfied smile.
Under normal circumstances, Leje would have said something like reading a book is lame, or that she’d rather learn something useful during that time…
“…”
However, for some unknown reason, Leje was watching him silently with a dissatisfied expression.
This was her way of showing she wanted to respect Rudell, but…
“Why aren’t you saying anything for once?”
Rudell, unaware of this, asked in confusion.
“…”
Anyway, here comes the slap…
Just as Leje was about to throw a punch due to her rising frustration, she barely managed to calm her trembling fist and seated herself.
“Now that I think about it, I feel like I haven’t respected your tastes enough until now. I guess this could be considered a reward I’m giving you.”
“Huh…”
Is there really no such thing as sensitivity for this guy?
With that thought, Leje replied to his question, and a dumbfounded groan escaped from Rudell’s mouth.
Whether that could be called a reward was a secondary matter, but Rudell wasn’t used to seeing Leje act like this.
‘Could it be she’s seriously sick or something?’
Thinking he should ask Alma next time he visits the Duke’s estate, Rudell cautiously opened his book.
Thus, a low silence began to drift through the study, along with crackling sounds…
“…”
Not long after, Rudell took his eyes off the book and turned his head.
And with a snicker, he broke into a faint smile.
Whether she was tired or bored, Leje had dozed off while leaning on the armrest of the sofa.
“You really don’t have to try to fit in.”
Muttering this, Rudell set down the book and carefully got up.
Approaching the sleeping Leje, Rudell slowly lifted her body.
Even so, Leje showed no signs of waking up, and Rudell lightly shook his head in disbelief.
Even though she was practically a human weapon, she was completely defenseless while sleeping…
Feeling Leje’s weight, which was much lighter than it appeared, Rudell began to walk.
Amid the dim light of the hallway, the sound of footsteps echoed, and when Rudell arrived at Leje’s room, he gently laid her down on her bed.
Tick-tock.
Amid the sound of the clock ticking, Rudell watched the sleeping Leje’s face, breathing softly.
Her neat features and pale skin looked like a masterpiece created by a sculptor with great care.
Illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the window, she appeared almost ethereal, possessing a mysterious allure that made it hard for anyone to take their eyes off her.
Although he didn’t show it, Rudell was also one of those who was completely captivated by her charm.
“If only her personality wasn’t so awful…”
To put it nicely, she was strong-minded. To put it badly, she was a bit of a tough nut, and that was the biggest factor dragging down Rudell’s evaluation of her.
Of course, this didn’t mean it was a bad thing.
Human character is inevitably influenced by the life one has lived.
Comparing to the original cold personality, this version of Leje could be seen as more human.
However, Rudell’s taste just happened to lean towards gentler and quieter women.
“Okay, I guess I should start moving soon.”
Having admired Leje’s sleeping figure for a few minutes, Rudell muttered and got up.
Though her day ended here, Rudell’s day was far from over.
“Good night, Leje.”
She could hardly hear him, but saying this, Rudell carefully began to step outside the bedroom.
*
Recently, the Weinstein territory was experiencing a period of peace like never before.
Aside from occasional monster groups that attacked the village, it had always been a quiet territory, and recently, those monster groups had ceased to appear altogether.
People of the territory voiced their anxiety over this sudden turn of events, but that didn’t last long.
True to human adaptability, they began to accept this peace as part of their daily lives.
Of course, behind that peace, Rudell’s efforts were at play.
Kyaaaaaah!?
In the vast forest located to the north of Weinstein County.
In ancient tongues, it was called Silva Tenebris.
In modern language, it was known as the Forest of Darkness, where fierce battles were currently underway.
Kyaaaaaah!! Kyaaaaaah!!
With a roar, the manticore—a monster resembling a lion with a massive body, large wings, and a spiked tail—was engulfed in flames.
In agony from the burning pain, the manticore thrashed wildly, incinerating everything it touched, while Rudell maintained his distance to avoid it.
After several seconds of the fire-engulfed manticore rampaging…
Boom! With an explosive sound, the charred manticore collapsed to the ground, finally ceasing its movements.
“Haah…”
After briefly watching the scene, Rudell took a short sigh and removed his hood that had been covering his face.
The forest was a mess from the aftermath of the battle.
Only the blackened corpses remained, vaguely telling of what had happened.
Looking at the sparks beginning to flicker, he waved his hand lightly toward the air.
At that moment, a gust of wind filled with cold air extinguished the sparks, and as he surveyed the now-quiet forest, he nodded with satisfaction.
“Guess this is enough for today.”
The lair of the monsters near the village was all dealt with.
If left like this, it could be peacefully quiet for another month without monster attacks.
“I’m getting used to this.”
It had already been a year since he began self-studying magic.
At first, even defeating a single goblin lair alone was challenging, but now he could easily handle large monsters that would normally require multiple heavily armed soldiers to defeat.
Grrr… “Shall I head back soon?”
Just as he was stretching to relieve the tension in his body from the battle, he mumbled this.
“Young master.”
“Whoa!?”
Startled by the voice emerging from the darkness, Rudell shouted.
At the same time, a man emerged from the shadows.
With a slender physique and dressed in dark colors to blend into the darkness, his striking black hair and red eyes caught attention.
“Don’t scare me like that, Kyle.”
His name was Kyle.
In the original novel, he was one of the protagonist’s companions and a loyal supporter.
Originally an ordinary boy who had become a slave at a young age, he joined the protagonist’s party and played the role of a faithful supporter.
“I-I’m sorry! I will atone with my life!!”
As Kyle bowed his head and took out a dagger from his waist, Rudell grumbled.
“No, no! Don’t do that! I told you not to!”
Upon seeing this, Rudell shouted in a fluster, and Kyle stood up, sheathing the dagger.
“I told you not to assign meaning to every word I say…”
Rudell held his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
In the original, Kyle’s loyalty was over-the-top to an almost absurd extent.
Having been rescued by the protagonist from his life as a slave, the way he treated the protagonist resembled something close to worship rather than gratitude.
And even now, a little over a year since he was saved by Rudell instead of the protagonist, this behavior hadn’t changed much.
“Understood.”
“So? What happened?”
At Rudell’s question, Kyle bowed his head, and Rudell looked at him and asked.
“Just as the young master said, suspicious individuals have entered the territory.”
“Really…”
The time when the main story of the novel was about to begin was approaching.
This meant that the villain group from the original novel was beginning to move as well.
If his predictions were correct, it signified that the world would soon plunge into great chaos.
‘I can’t let this happen.’
Now that he was entangled with Leje, Rudell had only one choice left.
Strike first.
If he couldn’t avoid it, he would smash everything before the events transpired.
The time spent self-learning magic was all preparation for this.
Preparation to smash anything that would disturb his peaceful life.
“Lead the way. I’m going to welcome the uninvited guests.”
“Yes, young master.”
With a serious expression, Kyle bowed his head and began to move…
And Rudell followed behind him, stepping into the forest shrouded in darkness.
