Chapter 76
“Tiana, it’s all right. Papa’s come to help.”
The Duke spoke in a gentle voice he rarely used and stroked her back. To soothe Tiana he kept his face from hardening and tried to calm her with something like a smile.
“I-I, it’s… because of m-me—”
Tiana couldn’t hear the voices around her and her vision blurred.
“Tiana, it’s okay. It’s okay. Take a deep breath.”
The Duke urged her to steady her breathing. Still, her hyperventilating did not stop.
“Tiana, be at ease—.”
Fenrir spoke from behind the Duke.
“…Is this one a divine beast?”
The Duke immediately realized it was a divine beast.
Fenrir approached Tiana while the Duke held her protectively.
But the Duke, seeing Fenrir’s earlier actions and the lack of hostility now, did not push him away.
Fenrir moved closer and pressed his forehead to Tiana’s.
In that instant, a pleasant breeze blew and the area within a one-meter radius centered on Tiana and Fenrir glowed.
Then, as if she’d found calm, Tiana lost consciousness.
“What did you do to Tiana!”
Liam drew his sword from its sheath and lunged at Fenrir.
“Liam, stop.”
At the Duke’s command, Liam halted immediately.
“Tiana only slept. For now, putting her to sleep was the best course.”
“…”
(If only I’d stayed closer to Tiana.)
Liam bowed his head in frustration at his own helplessness.
“Are you the divine beast Fenrir?”
The Duke asked, seeking confirmation.
“Indeed. I am the divine beast granted the blessing of Lord Riel.”
“I see — so you caused this state as well. I am truly grateful.”
“Tiana’s danger was drawing near.”
(He just called her ‘Tiana’ earlier, too. What kind of connection is that? I’ll have to report this to the Duke later.)
Dino thought to himself.
“Why did you help her?”
“Because there is someone who takes Tiana under their care. I was curious.”
“Who is that being?”
“I cannot say, but suffice it to say they are of noble bearing.”
“I understand.”
The Duke mentally considered many possibilities from that one comment, then set them aside and turned his attention to the assassins Fenrir and the knights had felled.
The moment the assassins came into his sight, the Duke unleashed a sharp murderous aura — a pressure that tightened around the whole body.
Furious, the Duke drew his sword and, without a word, swung it at the neck of one assassin.
“P-please… help—”
Before he could finish speaking, the Duke severed his head.
Dahlia hugged Ellie tightly, hiding the sight from her.
“Wait.”
Seeing the Duke about to kill the assassin, Gilbert stepped in to stop him.
“You should make him suffer more before killing. Also, we don’t know the people behind them or their purpose.”
Gilbert’s words reached the Duke; though he understood, he first killed the two assassins.
“This is a warning. Your lives are in my hands. Avoid any strange behavior.”
The assassins trembled in fear at the Duke’s murderous intent.
After saying that, the Duke knocked the assassins unconscious.
“Bind them all. Put them in the dungeons.”
“Yes, sir!”
While the knights restrained the men, they prepared to send the exhausted Tiana and Ellie home and readied the carriage for departure.
