• CHAPTER  41

“You’re walking around perfectly healthy without a scratch, aren’t you, you damned bastard.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be overseas?”

I ignored Cassian’s uncharacteristically crude outburst and turned to Renach with a question.

I’d thought he was hard at work somewhere far away…

“I had a short break before my next appointment, so I went back to Bell Riska. Then I heard you’d already gone down south, and there were even rumors about monsters… Anyway, that’s why I’m here. So? Don’t you feel a little relieved now that your big brother’s come?”

Renach gave me a sly grin and casually slung an arm over my shoulder.

I stared at him in disbelief, then glanced over at Cassian.

Now that I thought about it, these two seemed to be spending a lot of time together lately.

Still, if Renach was here, that meant his escort knights—whom he always took with him on overseas trips—were likely nearby too.

In that case, there was no need for us to linger in this small village any longer.

“Right… You’re coming with us to El La Mar, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. The negotiations with the Sevis Trading Company got delayed, so I’ve got some time on my hands.”

“What about you, Sir Cassian?”

“Of course he’s coming. He may not be the Empire’s number one sword, but he’s at least number two.”

“You really say whatever you want, even with him right in front of you. I should’ve stayed back and rested in Bell Riska.”

Cassian muttered and shook his head.

I noticed the shadows under his eyes and turned to Seria.

“Were there any extra rooms left at the hotel we’re staying at? Seria, could you check with the hotel on your way to get Sir Seth?”

“Certainly. And where should I meet you afterward?”

“Hmm… Oppa, we were just about to go out for dinner. Do you know any good places around here?”

“…Renata, even if your brother is smart, how would he know good restaurants in a village he’s never been to?”

“So you don’t know. Should we just pick a place at random, then?”

“A noble young lady from one of the wealthiest families just suggesting we eat at some random diner… You’re a lot like His Highness Khalid in that regard.”

Why bring up Khalid now?

Sure, when we were younger, we’d often sneak out of the palace to grab street food. But I’d never thought of that as something that had particularly influenced me.

Still, now that Khalid’s name had come up, I couldn’t help wondering how he was doing.

The day he came to deliver the magical pistol… he’d looked even more worn out than Cassian.

“Don’t lump me together with him. I’m just tired of hotel food, that’s all.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s do what you said and walk into the first decent-looking place. Who knows? We might stumble upon a hidden gem.”

“I just want to eat something quickly and lie down already.”

Cassian sighed, rubbing his weary eyes.

He must have been dragged all the way out here after being tormented by Renach.

I gave a small chuckle and nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“If it turns out to be amazing, we could even buy the place and open branches across the Empire…”

“You’re supposed to be on vacation. Why are you still thinking about business, Oppa?”

Wanting to move things along, I lightly tapped Seria on the shoulder.

Understanding my cue immediately, she turned and walked off without another word.

Once she was gone, I gently took Renach’s hand, which was still dangling over my shoulder.

Then, taking his ever-cheerful self with me, I started walking.

“To be honest, this is our first time out of the hotel too, so we don’t know much about the area. By the way, there aren’t any monster problems in the foreign countries you visit, are there?”

“There are. I almost got dragged into a nest by one with green wings once.”

Renach said it with a bright smile, as if it were a casual story.

Behind us, Cassian, Lady Laura, Sir Malena, and the other knights followed.

It seemed we’d have to keep traveling this way for a while, thanks to the monster situation…

It was inconvenient, sure, but there wasn’t much we could do about it, so I decided to accept it.

While exchanging a few words with Renach, I pointed to a restaurant that had appeared ahead of us.

“I don’t know why there’s suddenly been such a spike in monster activity… Oh, Oppa. What do you think about this place? They serve seafood pasta.”

“Not bad. I’ve been missing Imperial-style fish dishes anyway.”

“What about you, Sir Cassian?”

“I’ll eat anything that’s edible.”

“Oh my.”

I burst into laughter at Cassian’s surprisingly serious tone.

He looked at me with a faintly dazed expression, perhaps caught off guard by my reaction.

Feeling awkward as our eyes met, I quickly tugged on Renach’s hand.

“Alright, let’s go in.”

“Why so hasty, Renata? We’ve got time.”

“Maybe you do, but look at the state Cassian is in.”

“Wow, so now you’re more worried about Cassian than your own brother, who’s been with you for over a decade?”

Renach grumbled like he was offended, but raised both hands in surrender, signaling he’d stop teasing.

We entered the restaurant, trailed by our sizable group.

The staff, just starting the dinner shift, stared at us in surprise.

“Um… how many in your party? I should mention, our prices are a bit on the high side.”

“Hey, hey.”

Another waiter nudged him in the ribs.

Realizing we were clearly dressed in fine, expensive garments, the waiter gave us a professional smile and guided us in.

“S-sorry about that. This is a quiet village—you don’t often see people like you coming through.”

“It’s fine. Could we see the menu?”

Renach asked as he sat at a table with a view of the ocean.

Cassian naturally pulled out the chair across from Renach—for me.

“Please, sit.”

“Thank you.”

Then he sat beside me without hesitation.

Wait—what? I’d expected him to sit next to Renach, so I was caught slightly off guard.

But I didn’t let it show. Maybe he’d finally had enough of Renach on the way here.

“I’ll have the Mediterranean-style steamed fish and white wine. Renata, you want the vongole pasta and salmon salad, right? Cassian, hurry up and decide. Let’s order the grilled seafood platter to share.”

“I want something hearty.”

“Hearty… hmm, just have this one, then.”

Cassian and Renach were clearly longtime friends, judging by their casual back-and-forth.

Rather than joining in, I gazed out at the vast horizon beyond Renach and watched the evening sun sinking down.

“So, Renata, back to what we were saying earlier.”

“Hm?”

“About the monsters. Apparently, they’re giving the entire continent a headache.”

Renach resumed, idly toying with his glass that had yellow flower petals floating in it.

“Even the Grand Duchy of Sevona and the Kingdom of Lark stopped their usual territorial tug-of-war.”

“On the western side of the continent?”

“Yeah. The borderlands between them used to be all military posturing, but now monsters keep showing up so frequently, it’s practically a warzone—only against monsters, not humans.”

“I see… so it’s the same in other countries too.”

I thought back to the international news I’d read last night in the hotel suite.

Come to think of it, even the smaller nations had reportedly halted long-standing conflicts.

Monsters appearing out of nowhere was no longer a shocking event—it was quickly becoming the new normal.

It made me wonder how carefully we’d have to plan our route back to Bell Riska.

I let out a soft sigh.

“It was terrifying. Reading about it in the papers didn’t feel real, but experiencing it firsthand… I thought I might actually die.”

“You’ve been through a lot. I should’ve been there for you.”

“Even if you were, I doubt you’d have been much help, Oppa.”

“Wow. You really know how to stab a guy with words.”

Renach was more the scholarly type than the physically capable kind.

“I’d be a better bodyguard for Lady Renata. That’s why Renach brought me along, after all.”

Cassian’s graceful hand moved quickly across the table as the dishes were served.

As the heir to the martial House of Hasius, he had a large build—and a matching appetite.

I nudged the grilled seafood platter toward him and twirled some of my pasta around my fork.

“Still, you don’t look like you’re about to collapse anymore. Earlier, I was worried you might pass out.”

“No way. I’d never.”

Cassian finally seemed a bit more at ease.

His narrow eyes crinkled in a soft smile as he gave me a nod of thanks for sharing the shrimp platter.