Imagining is noble aristocracy.
Straighten your waist, slightly lift your chin, and let your eyes softly gaze down.
In that state, I opened my mouth while looking directly into Lydia’s eyes.
“Lady Lydia.”
“……!”
Her half-closed eyes widened in surprise.
For the usually expressionless Lydia, this was quite the emotional reaction.
Seeing her trembling red eyes, I realized it would take her some time to gather her thoughts.
I quickly organized my setup, since this was my specialty.
Let’s see… Since I’m wearing adventurer attire, I can’t pass as a regular noble. Let’s settle on being a fallen noble.
A noble family that has fallen due to political strife. They hold a title but nothing else.
My parents were killed by assassins, and the only remaining younger brother became the enemy’s concubine to save me.
…And he committed suicide the day after their first night together.
What transpired, I do not know. However, one thing was certain.
I am the only one left.
Only I can revive the family.
Only I have the right to seek revenge.
I will do anything for that.
I wouldn’t hesitate to wield a sword I’ve never held before, to mingle among the renowned adventurers, and even… to take advantage of a young knight who knows little about the world.
I would never shy away from that.
…Okay. It got a bit dark, but for a fallen aristocracy, this much background is necessary.
It’s not a bad concept for a foolish noble to play adventurer with just one knight as escort, dashing through a labyrinth.
What’s important here is how much I can satisfy Lydia’s romantic dreams, right?
And if she’s a knight, she’s likely to prefer serving a backstory-laden young lord over a simpleton.
There are minor issues with not knowing noble etiquette… but this is all part of the act. As long as it seems plausible, it should be fine.
With a solid image in my head, I followed through.
“I desire you, Lady Lydia.”
*
Lydia took a deep breath.
The Jonah she knew was a small, cute, pink-haired boy whose actions belied his appearance.
Despite his dark past, he tried hard not to show it, and although he had learned communication a bit incorrectly, he was still very obedient.
Given his background, he radiated a lively charm, but he was far from someone she could call a young lord.
So how about the Jonah in front of her now?
He stood firm with an unyielding posture, as if he wouldn’t bend even if he were to break. Although he was looking up at her, it felt for some reason like he was looking down, and his pink eyes gleamed with fierce determination.
A will that was solid as rock and wouldn’t waver in the face of any storm.
The completely transformed Jonah opened his mouth.
“I desire you, Lady Lydia.”
“…Huh?”
While a confused Lydia made a foolish sound, Jonah took elegant steps closer.
Not fast. If anything, a bit slow. But that was what made each calculated step all the more captivating.
Before long, Jonah arrived right in front of Lydia, a bitter smile on his lips.
“Of course, what I can offer you is limited. I can’t give you a magnificent weapon, high honor, or even a small piece of land.”
To some, it could sound like pessimism. But there wasn’t a hint of negativity in Jonah’s voice.
It simply resonated like a calm proclamation of facts.
“In exchange, I will give you everything of mine.”
“What…?”
Lydia instinctively frowned. She thought he had broken the earlier promise to avoid inappropriate appeals.
It was a hasty judgment, though.
“Oh dear, are you interested in my body? That’s not bad. If you need, I could offer it anytime… but not right now.”
Suddenly, Jonah’s atmosphere shifted again.
Until just a moment ago, he exuded the calm, graceful weight of a true noble.
But what emanated from Jonah now was something distinctly more visceral.
“Lady Lydia, you spoke to me about not abandoning me. About always being by my side. Was that true?”
“…Yes.”
Still muddled, Lydia reflexively responded to Jonah’s words.
After all, despite everything, she genuinely wanted to help him.
Since she accepted Ellie’s request, it was only natural to aid someone who aspired to be a knight… it wasn’t some grand gesture.
Lydia had developed sympathy for Jonah.
She knew about his past. She understood his peculiarities, and still saw him struggling to find happiness like anyone else.
It’s only natural for one to want to help such a person. Maybe not everyone would feel the same, but for Lydia, that was true.
However, had Jonah seen through Lydia’s superficial sentiments? His eyes curved like crescent moons.
“Then, would you fall with me to the very depths of hell?”
“…What?”
His eyes sparkled with an intrigue that seemed both cheerful and sorrowful.
The meaning behind them was clear: stepping in with half-hearted resolve would lead to significant regret.
It was something raw that she had never seen before, not the usual playfulness or the flicker of beliefs she noticed earlier.
Overwhelmed by that dense emotion, Lydia heard Jonah’s voice in her ear.
“If you agree, I will offer you everything.”
“Everything…?”
“Yes. Would you like my body and heart? Or perhaps a reputation stretching from the highest to the lowest in the world? I can hand over gods’ artifacts resting in the labyrinth… if you’d be the vanguard of my revenge.”
“……!”
Only after hearing that last utterance did she realize what emotion lay within Jonah’s eyes.
A fiery desire for revenge that seemed ready to burn the world down, even consuming himself in the process.
‘…I was thinking wrong.’
I thought I could escape from One Who Devours the Twilight and teach Jonah to live a normal life since I had already succeeded.
But that was not the case.
Having gone through such experiences, how could he live casually and without a care?
Revenge.
Only revenge could truly liberate Jonah from his past.
Lydia stared blankly at Jonah. What stood before her was neither a pitiful child nor a slightly sexy, adorable one. It was a ravenous being of revenge.
A beautifully haunting specter slowly reached out its hand toward Lydia, extending its palm.
A completely ordinary gesture, yet every detail followed noble etiquette.
For Lydia, who came from a humble knightly background, it was near impossible to find fault, as it was at an impeccable level.
Though she was already dazed, she could not help but be doubly astonished by this.
One Who Devours the Twilight may be a zealot cultist, but… that doesn’t change the fact that his roots lay in the priesthood.
They might teach the rituals of clergy, but they’d never teach the etiquette of nobility.
Then, what on earth is this gentle gesture unfolding before me?
‘I… don’t know all of Jonah.’
I understand that he was kidnapped by One Who Devours the Twilight during his childhood. But before that? Was Jonah really a back-alley orphan? If so, then who were his parents?
In reality, this world is shaped by Jonah’s elaborate setting, and thus the etiquette wasn’t forgotten in his head.
It was merely coincidental that my relaxed thoughts of what noble etiquette might feel like matched up perfectly… but that was the kind of matter Lydia simply didn’t know.
Lydia, who couldn’t speak in shock for what felt like the umpteenth time today, felt Jonah’s palm urging her to choose.
“……”
“……”
There were no words exchanged. All that existed amidst the silence was an unwavering trust.
Jonah genuinely believed that if Lydia was with him, he could achieve his revenge.
The moment she realized it, a spark ignited in Lydia’s heart.
A knight sacrifices themselves for one who acknowledges them. And right before her was someone trusting her more than anyone else in the world, perhaps even herself.
In a moment of impulsiveness. But with a gut instinct that this would be no mistake, she surrendered her body to the moment.
Click.
Kneeling on one knee, Lydia accepted Jonah’s hand.
Then, almost as if waiting, a melodious voice recited the ancient vows.
“I declare, my will is your will, and my glory is your glory. You shall become my agent.”
“I swear here. I shall devote everything to fulfill your wishes. Please accept this sword.”
Gently kissing the back of his hand, she presented a longsword.
Jonah held it with both hands, kissing the hilt, and then gently placed it on Lydia’s shoulder.
And with a voice that swept together gratitude and mischief, he whispered.
“That makes us accomplices, doesn’t it, Lady Lydia?”
“Ah….”
Lydia realized in a daze what she had just done. As Jonah hoisted her up, he returned the sword.
“I have a request for the loyal knight, Lady Lydia.”
“What is it…?”
As Lydia awkwardly added honorifics, Jonah had completely returned to his usual self, wearing a sly smile.
“Please skin the Iron Wolf for its leather!”
“……?”
The abrupt dose of reality hit her like a wake-up call. While Lydia tilted her head, still dazed, Jonah puffed up with pride.
“I won, right? So hurry up and get the Iron Wolf hide! Are you just going to waste 80 copper like this?!”
“…….”
Lydia closed her eyes in silence.
‘My first experience (the vow) is…’
Feeling as if she’d just had a terrible nightmare.
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