Green hair sprouting out like an old crow’s, matched with forest-like pale green eyes.
A woman clad in light leather armor walked through the door.
Arin.
The commander of the Black Raven Knights and the only spirit knight in this world. One of the children taken in by Evan when they were young.
In the original story, she also appeared as Louis’s escort knight. Having recruited her first based on knowledge from the original work.
Yet here she was, single-handedly taking down three Royal Nests and finally returning to the ducal house.
Arin knelt, looking up at me.
“It’s been a while, Duke.”
“Yeah, it has.”
Still, her tone remained stiff.
I used to find it uncomfortable and asked her to change it, but I eventually gave up. I realized it was impossible due to her personality, which strictly differentiates between public and private.
Clearing my mind of distractions, I awaited Arin to speak.
“I have a report.”
She rose and began reporting the information she had gathered during her investigation.
“There are a total of thirteen Royal Nests found within the Hardenberg territory, and we successfully cleared twelve of them.”
“That’s quite a lot.”
The Royal Nest.
A branch office collecting information while managing the Emperor’s eyes and hands. There are two or three in each region, maintaining some connections with the higher-ups.
In the past life, it served a role similar to that of an information agency. Thus, it was an institution whose existence was kept strictly secret within the Empire.
Only when one reached the high-ranking status of Duke could they barely become aware of its existence, showing just how secretive it was.
However, for there to be a whopping thirteen hidden within my territory…it was a considerable number, even considering the size of the Hardenberg estate.
I suppressed a sigh, nodding my head instead.
Arin continued her report.
“I discovered a clue regarding one of their new projects.”
“What is it?”
A new project.
Knowing the nature of such an organization, it probably wasn’t good news.
“The project is named ‘Sacrificial Lamb.’ The exact details haven’t been revealed, but it seems related to the House of Hardenberg.”
“Indeed…”
So, they’re finally starting to make moves over there? It was only natural, considering how long they’ve been running rampant. It almost felt like it was too late.
They’d been wreaking havoc from behind, and only now were they starting a project?
‘Not to be taken lightly, though.’
I had no intention of letting my guard down.
After all, the opponent is the Imperial Family; they would likely attempt methods beyond imagination. For now, my priority was to gather information about that project through the crows.
“You did well.”
“Um, if I may…?”
Arin, glancing around as if expecting something, caught my eye. I couldn’t help but chuckle and approached her.
Then, I roughly ruffled her hair with one hand. Though I thought she was grown-up now, occasionally indulging in this manner hadn’t changed.
Had that little slave girl grown up so much since then?
A bitter smile surfaced as I felt the fleeting passage of time.
“Thank you for your hard work, Arin.”
“..Thank you, Father.”
Father, huh.
That was a title I hadn’t heard in a long time. Evan had stopped calling me that, feeling too embarrassed to do so.
Thud.
Suddenly, a sound of something falling caught my attention.
Turning, I saw Adele staring at me, wide-eyed. She rolled her eyes awkwardly before offering a hesitant smile.
“Y-you have a daughter, Duke.”
“I think there’s some misunderstanding here.”
She seemed to be completely misunderstanding the situation.
“N-no, what could there be to misunderstand?”
Her usual rambling had me sighing.
Adele was gesturing dismissively, yet her trembling eyes were betraying her.
It was obvious she was experiencing a different kind of misunderstanding altogether.
I slowly walked over to her.
Adele’s eyes were spinning. I took her hands in mine.
She appeared startled by my sudden action, silencing her gaze.
Playfully, I pressed my lips to her hand.
“Geh!”
She let out a strange sound, cheeks turning beet red. I stifled a laugh from the sight.
Given the events of the past few days, I was slightly worried, but she still looked innocent.
“I only love you, Adele.”
“Geh!”
I ignored the sound of someone swallowing their breath outside.
“W-well…!”
Stammering, she turned her head to avoid my gaze. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I released her hands.
“Are you alright?”
“…It’s nothing.”
She shook her head in response to my glance, slightly stepping back. While I felt relieved, another sound of breath swallowing broke through.
Turning my head, I found Arin covering her face with both hands.
She seemed thoroughly intrigued, peeking at us through her fingers.
“Ah! I-I’m not trying to interrupt!”
She exclaimed and tried to hurriedly exit the room. I grasped Arin’s shoulder and spoke up.
“At least introduce yourself before you go.”
“Ah, right!”
“Excuse me,” she said, bowing slightly. Adele looked momentarily taken aback, but Arin quickly resumed a saluting posture.
With measured grace, Arin raised one hand and spoke in her earlier calm voice.
“I am Arin, commander of the Black Raven Knights.”
Adele, regaining her composure, greeted her in the noble manner expected.
“I am Adele von Este. Nice to meet you.”
“I look forward to working with you, milady!”
Why is everyone calling her “milady”? I don’t recall teaching her such expressions when she was younger.
For a moment, I put those thoughts aside, and Arin’s booming voice drew Adele to nod awkwardly.
Arin’s precise posture seemed to make her a bit uncomfortable. I sighed and added,
“She’s the commander of the order Evan belongs to, and also one of the rare half-elves.”
“Ah, right.”
As if supporting my statement, Arin nodded fervently. It seemed to pique Adele’s interest as she moved closer.
“A half-elf?!”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“How wonderful! I am also a descendant of elves.”
Adele’s sudden declaration raised a question in my mind. It was a setup I hadn’t heard in the original work, and it left me slightly bewildered.
Looking at Adele, I muttered as if to herself, “Louis told me.”
“That guy?”
There’s no way she would lie. Elves were known to be the most truthful race, almost tabooed against lying. Though I never encountered such a mention in the original story, what could this mean?
‘Could it be…’
While reading the original, I sensed something odd.
Despite being on the Emperor’s side, she seemed to have a strangely favorable opinion toward Adele.
It was suspicious that the meticulous Louis even entertained her proposal, seeing her as little more than an enemy.
Could it really be because Adele is a descendant of elves?
‘So you didn’t send Adele back for that reason…’
It felt like the pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together.
The reason Louis gave Adele information about the Information Guild might have been because he believed she would return it.
But why he had shared such info with her at all, I would need to explore later.
For now, I set that thought aside.
“Really?!”
Arin’s tone shot up, making Adele flinch slightly.
Stars seemed to twinkle in Arin’s eyes. With her excitement, my head began to throb.
Talking to her with that sparkle in her eyes became increasingly difficult.
“…Yes.”
Adele replied a bit dazedly, prompting Arin to edge closer.
Feeling pressured, Adele began to back up slowly, yet the distance between them never changed.
“Have you ever seen a spirit?”
“What’s a spirit?”
“Oh, you don’t know.”
It was a little awkward to say this but…
If I were to borrow some expressions from my past life, she would be what you’d call a spirit enthusiast. Though spirits were nearly extinct in this land, her passion for them was immense.
Even Evan would become a wreck after a conversation about spirits with Arin.
Having known my own zeal, I had tried to rein it in a bit over the years. It was hard to believe Adele would end up pushing that rein down like this.
While she excitedly described spirits, she opened her right hand.
“Though I’m a half-elf… I can still see my friend!”
A small green spirit emerged from Arin’s palm, wrapped in flames, looking around in confusion.
After reaching a high level of magic, I too could now see her spirit.
Of course, I didn’t bother revealing that to Arin; I simply wanted to stay clear of her spirit discussions.
“Look, I can do this too!”
While passionately continuing her explanation, Arin showcased her spirit’s antics.
“This green flame is… a spirit?”
“Yes! Isn’t it cute?”
“It is cute.”
Well, as long as they found joy in their conversation, it didn’t matter much to me. I almost felt foolish for worrying deeply about their relationship.
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