Chapter 5
‘It’s not like I grabbed him because I liked it or anything.’
I looked the man square in the eye with confidence.
Even upon second glance, his eyes were strikingly unique and beautiful.
The vertically slit pupils resembled those of a reptile more than a human.
‘Interesting.’
Thinking that, I fully withdrew my hand that had been touching his.
As I recalled the sensation of the leather glove, another thought came to me.
‘Wait… this is really fine leather, isn’t it?’
Moreover, the gloves he wore were embedded here and there with studs for grip—gear typically used by knights who wield large swords or heavy weapons.
‘Not something a bandit would use.’
As I suspected, he wasn’t a bandit—more likely a monster hunter.
Not that it would’ve mattered much even if he were a real bandit.
‘Worst case, I could still use even my minuscule holy power.’
Or fall back on the self-defense techniques the Order had drilled into me endlessly.
Of course, considering the heat radiating from his broad shoulders through the torn corset…
I might have to sacrifice at least one of my own shoulders in return.
‘Just how much muscle does he have to be this warm?’
While I steeled myself, Bess hurled curses at the man, and the old man coughed so hard he looked ready to fall through the floor of the carriage…
The man continued to stare at me intently, our bodies still closely pressed together.
“We’ve arrived!”
The old coachman’s voice rang out from outside.
The carriage came to a smooth stop.
The first to disembark was the man.
He moved so quickly and nimbly that I only noticed he was gone when the chill hit my shoulder.
“Ahem!”
The old man, his face flushed red, followed.
Then Bess, and finally me.
“……”
Just as I was about to step down—
The man held out his hand to me.
It was a courteous and polite gesture, like a noble escorting a lady.
‘A hunter knows etiquette? That’s unexpected.’
Perhaps he wasn’t even aware of what he was doing—he flinched slightly.
Before he could withdraw his hand, I quickly took it and stepped down.
Even on a second touch, it was clearly high-quality leather.
Maybe he wasn’t just any monster hunter but someone of considerable skill.
‘How much money do I even have to offer?’
What if he asked for an exorbitant price?
My dowry was generous, thanks to Father, but still…
Before I could even finish running mental calculations—
“Wow!”
Bess let out a gasp right beside me.
I instinctively looked up—and my mouth opened just like hers.
‘This is…’
The Fortress of Saint Portu, domain of Duke Caylen Silence.
Its first impression was of an enormous, gleaming white wall.
Quite literally, no matter how far back I tilted my head, the towering wall stretched endlessly upward.
Its ivory-white surface bore claw marks and traces left by monsters here and there.
Yet it stood unbroken, suggesting its remarkable durability.
The way it gleamed under the sun clearly served to blind monsters with weak vision and keep them at bay.
At both ends, the wall seamlessly connected to the rugged cliffs of Portu, encircling the area.
It was a perfect natural fortress.
‘Those watchtower positions are great for sniping too.’
Some habits die hard. Seeing such a solid military base made me itch with curiosity.
“Excuse me.”
Come to think of it, we rode in the same carriage, yet I never asked his name.
Might as well ask now.
I finally tore my gaze from the wall and turned my head.
“By the way, your name is… huh?”
Why is no one here?
I looked around in disbelief, but there wasn’t a trace of the man or the old man—not a single strand of hair.
He was holding my hand just moments ago…
“…Bess, did you see where that guy went?”
“Huh?”
Bess, still distracted by the grandeur of the fortress wall, replied blankly.
She hadn’t even noticed anything had changed.
Even the coachman seemed unaware of when the man and the old man had disappeared.
“A real expert. Disappeared without a trace.”
“A skilled guy like that leaving without payment? Isn’t that good for us?”
“Well, yeah, I was worried I might have to give him part of the dowry anyway.”
Bess shrugged after finishing her inspection of the wall.
“But he was kinda odd, wasn’t he? Dressed in rags, but handsome. And that body…”
“So you did think he was good-looking.”
“And the nerve! Touching you so casually like that!”
“……”
“What a perverted bastard. How could he touch a lady’s wrist like that…!”
Bess grew more furious as she spoke, her voice rising.
After a rapid-fire burst of insults, she finally tilted her head, her anger cooled.
“But still, it’s strange.”
“What is?”
“I’ve read things like this in romance novels.”
“Like what?”
“That the man from earlier turns out to actually be Duke Silence. That kind of thing.”
She gave me a sly look, her eyes filled with hopeful mischief.
As if willing to forgive him—if he turned out to be the Duke.
‘Well, for a background character, he was overly handsome…’
I crushed that hope on the spot.
“He’s probably not the Duke.”
“Why not?”
“If he were Duke Silence, he wouldn’t need to fight off the monsters like that.”
“Why not…?”
“Because the monsters would’ve fled on their own.”
“Oh.”
When we were attacked, the man had actively hunted the monsters.
More importantly, the monsters hadn’t run from him—they attacked.
‘If he were the Duke…’
His very presence would’ve been enough to keep the monsters far away from our carriage.
Monsters feared the dragon’s blood running through the Duke’s veins—his existence was like a living talisman against them.
“Why would someone born with that kind of power bother fighting?”
“You’ve got a point. Damn.”
Bess slapped her thigh in disappointment.
“Then he really was just a perverted creep.”
Leaving her to launch another barrage of curses, I turned my gaze back to the fortress walls.
It was finally time to enter Saint Portu.
A Few Hours Later
“Let’s just go back, shall we?”
I stood, arms crossed, facing off against a soldier who looked like he was ready to bite my head off.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t let you in.”
He didn’t sound very sorry at all.
He was a young redhead, his face speckled with freckles. He’d dashed over the moment I knocked on the fortress gate and said I’d come from the capital.
“And the reason?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
And true to being from Saint Portu, he was quite handsome.
Though his mean expression chipped away at his looks.
“We’re not accepting visitors right now.”
“Why not?”
Bess butted in, rolling up her sleeves with an angry scowl.
But the soldier didn’t flinch.
“The entire fortress is busy preparing for the winter monster migration.”
“……”
“And we’re in the middle of inventory season, so it’s even busier.”
“We’re not just visitors! How dare you treat my lady this way!”
“Bess.”
Despite my warning, Bess stomped her foot in frustration and shouted,
“We’re here with a decree from His Majesty the Emperor! Aren’t you afraid?!”
…That seemed to provoke the soldier instead.
“Let’s see it then. This ‘great’ decree.”
“What?”
“But too bad. His Grace the Duke, the one who would read it, is currently away fending off monster incursions.”
As shameless as he was, I did get some useful information—
That the Duke wasn’t here right now.
‘Is that good or bad?’
While I silently sighed, the soldier muttered bitterly.
His disdain for the imperial decree was obvious.
“Bring ten, a hundred of those decrees for all I care—we’re not letting anyone in. This isn’t the capital. It’s Saint Portu.”
From the sound of things, I wondered if this place even belonged to the Empire.
Echoing my thoughts, Bess cried out,
“What the heck! Ignoring His Majesty’s decree? That’s treason!”
“You think I haven’t heard that one before? Now scram.”
“Hey!”
“No one gets into Saint Portu when the Duke’s away.”
Even the mention of the Emperor didn’t sway the soldier.
As we continued our standoff, more soldiers approached from behind.
“What’s going on, Jeremy?”
“Guests from the capital with an imperial decree, apparently.”
“What? You’re still talking to them?”
Their attitude was just as rude.
Only the ones at the rear, who glanced at us more warily, seemed slightly better…
“……”
And the moment I saw the tired eyes of those particular soldiers, a scent drifted by—
The smell of roasted almonds… mixed with something like tar.
