Chapter 25
Karl’s expression was also a bit strange. It looked like the word “mister” bothered him.
‘But he does seem like a mister to a pickpocket.’
Even college students get called mister or miss by kindergartners.
He definitely looks older than me…
‘Right? He is older, right?’
He’s definitely an adult.
A face that mature and slightly dangerous-looking must belong to an adult—otherwise, that would be even more shocking.
‘Come to think of it, isn’t Duke Silence around this age too?’
I think he was said to be about three years older than me? Now that I’m seeing Karl like this, he seems around the same age as the duke.
They’d look good standing next to each other.
‘Since the duke must be handsome too.’
If he weren’t, there’s no way Reyna would’ve liked him. That’s something I absolutely cannot forgive.
‘Well, not that I was able to forgive it before either.’
Anyway, the duke is one of the main characters in the original story…
‘Maybe he’s even more handsome than Karl, who’s just an extra.’
But is it even possible to be more handsome than this?
‘…Probably not.’
This face looks like it could rival—or even surpass—the main male lead, Captain Istar.
While I was absentmindedly staring at Karl’s sharp eyebrows and defined features, the pickpocket suddenly poked me.
“You’re lying. He is scary.”
“It’s true. He’s actually pretty kind and gentle.”
“Hmmm.”
Karl’s voice grew softer after hearing me say that. I pretended not to notice.
Yeah. He doesn’t even let me walk on the ground or eat by myself. In some ways, I’m not lying.
But the pickpocket wasn’t buying it.
“You’re only saying that because he’s your boyfriend, right?”
“Tsk. Don’t say something so dangerous where people can hear you!”
Why do these misunderstandings keep happening?
At this rate, rumors of an affair will spread before the duke even shows up. I stared hard at the kid and opened my mouth.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Then why are you holding hands?”
“…Ah.”
Only after hearing that did I realize I was still holding Karl’s hand.
I quickly pulled my hand away with a bit of force. There was slight resistance, but my hand came free.
Karl looked down at the hand that had been holding mine, then gently clenched and released it.
I awkwardly waved my now-empty hand to emphasize that we weren’t holding hands anymore.
“…”
But it seemed it was too late to erase the kid’s misunderstanding. His eyes were full of distrust.
“Anyway, this is a problem. If he goes into our alley, everyone will run away the moment they see him.”
“…”
“I’m taking a risk bringing him with me, you know.”
“What are you going to do about that?” I asked Karl, blaming him with my eyes.
His pupils narrowed slightly as if adjusting to light.
“If that’s what bothers you…”
Right after that, Karl’s presence disappeared.
‘Huh?’
He now looked just like a regular person—so ordinary you wouldn’t even notice him standing there.
‘He can do that too?’
It wasn’t just hiding his presence. He had suppressed even his aura completely.
‘That’s much harder.’
If hiding presence is like avoiding eyes, this was a technique that disrupted perception even when someone was in plain sight.
I knew he was strong, but…
‘He’s not just a monster hunter—he’s knight order material.’
If he were in the capital, every knight order would be laying out red carpets to recruit him.
Of course, then they’d treat him like a slave—no, force him into a lifelong contract. Sword Masters age slowly, so they’d use him even in old age.
Karl looked at me as if asking, “Is this enough?” I turned to the pickpocket, who looked puzzled.
“Is this good enough?”
Step, step, step.
Three pairs of footsteps echoed as we walked silently.
I looked around at the unfamiliar back alley scenery.
‘It’s way more complicated than the capital’s alleys.’
The back alleys of Saint Portou were like a complete maze.
Anyone unfamiliar with the area could easily get lost.
‘So that’s what they meant when they said you can’t catch them even if you chase them.’
Karl, noticing my curious gaze, suddenly spoke.
“This district wasn’t originally part of the city.”
“…”
I looked up at him and let out a small hum.
“Hm.”
“What is it?”
“When I said you’re not a tour guide, you brushed me off. Now you’re explaining?”
“You looked curious.”
An unexpectedly kind answer. Just when I looked at him with surprise—
“It’s healthier than collecting concubines or mistresses.”
“…”
“So I figured I’d guide your attention to something better.”
“I knew it.”
I frowned slightly and decided to ask a question I’d been holding back.
“Why don’t you trust people? Did you get betrayed a lot as a kid or something?”
“…”
“Like, people smiling and laughing with you, then suddenly stabbing you in the back?”
It was meant as a joke, but Karl’s silent stare made me feel more and more uncomfortable.
‘That’s not true… right?’
I had a feeling that asking that question would uncover things I didn’t want to know.
As soon as the corners of Karl’s mouth slightly lifted, I hurriedly changed the subject.
“So, it wasn’t originally a city?”
“Yes. Saint Portou started as a small village.”
A small village, huh.
Hard to imagine, thinking of that bright white fortress at the entrance.
Karl continued in a relaxed tone, as if he understood my thoughts.
“The village was on the verge of destruction from frequent monster attacks, but it was revived by the blessing of a dragon.”
“That sounds like a cool legend.”
“That part isn’t the legend. The story about the dragon meeting a lover or making friends—that’s the legend.”
“So the part where a dragon came here is real?”
“That’s why people say the duke has dragon blood.”
His calm tone made it sound like he was simply stating facts. I glanced at Karl’s face.
‘This is weird.’
When I had to study for knight exams, history lectures nearly put me to sleep.
But listening to Karl felt like hearing a fairy tale read by a voice actor. Maybe because his voice is so attractive?
‘Just listening is fun.’
Still, it’d be rude to make him talk the whole time, right?
I added some responses to keep the conversation going.
I picked the part I was most curious about—the duke and the dragon.
“Then… did the dragon really have a relationship with a human?”
Is it weird to wonder about that part out of everything?
I hesitated a little, but Karl answered without surprise.
“There are different opinions about that.”
“Different opinions?”
“Some say the dragon gave its magical power to the duke’s family and left—so it’s just a metaphor for inherited power.”
“That makes sense.”
“Others say it gave the duke a dragon’s heart that can detect monsters—also a metaphor.”
“So there are multiple versions of the story.”
It was more interesting than I expected.
Despite his usual grumpy attitude, Karl was unexpectedly cooperative when talking about dragons and the duke’s family. He even seemed intellectual despite being all muscle.
‘Even smart holy knights still just feel like fanatical gorillas.’
The ones who studied more were just guys obsessed with scripture and doctrine.
‘Even the smart ones.’
They’d just recite chapters and verses, claiming even the stew we were eating was blessed by the gods.
Compared to that, dragon stories were much more interesting.
For the first time in a while, I felt generous and listened to Karl’s story.
“There is a version where the dragon falls in love with a human.”
“Oh, that one’s really popular in the capital.”
Maybe because he was talking about something he knew well, his voice softened…
“That’s my least favorite version.”
Take it back. Still grumpy.
“Why? Because people in the capital like it?”
“No. Because it’s a stupid story.”
“Stupid?”
“It’s such a human-centered tale, don’t you think?”
Karl looked down at me with a slightly more cynical smile than usual.
“A mighty being called a demon…”
“…”
“…chose to live a short human life just for one person. That’s just ridiculous.”
