I doubted my ears.

I doubted and doubted again.

Did I hear that right?

I can't take it anymore. That woman's head is made of stone.

This son of a bitch. Let's settle this... Did I mishear that?

I barely managed to get the words out.

"...What?"

At my stupid reaction, Arthur said in a still calm tone.

"I said I'm thinking of proposing to Lady Ophelia. What do you think, leader?"

Arthur, who said that, had an indescribably upright expression, just like I had seen a little while ago.

A candle that was burning upright was reflected in his eyes, which looked particularly clear today.

I could see that firm wick.

The moment I saw it, I realized.

'This bastard. He's serious?'

A curse slipped out of my mouth.

"Damn it."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you cursing?"

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to."

I apologized and thought to myself.

'...Why did I suddenly curse?'

Even I couldn't understand the reason. It was reflexive.

Although I couldn't understand the clear reason, when I thought back on it, I could understand the identity of the emotion.

It was a burning anger.

'From teacher and student to lovers? Is this okay?'

I don't know why, but I'm angry.

My insides are boiling.

I want to smash that shameless face into the ground right now.

The Heavenly Demon giggled and teased me.

[Are you jealous?]

"What? Jealous? That's ridiculous. I'm not a kid."

"...Leader?"

I answered with a solemn face.

"I was talking to myself."

"...."

Arthur, who was staring at me blankly for a moment, said.

"Leader, you should go see a doctor."

"I'll take care of that myself."

I scratched my cheek and looked around.

It was late at night when everyone was asleep.

Even the annoying spirits were sleeping with their heads on my lap, breathing softly.

There was no one else who had heard this shocking news.

I couldn't sleep, so I was just staring at the flames, and what a bolt from the blue.

I glanced at Camus, who was sleeping and snoring next to me, and said.

"Did you tell Camus too?"

Arthur shook his head.

"You're the first."

I ran my hand through my hair nervously and looked at Arthur.

I think I know why the Black Prince couldn't keep his hands off his hair.

"...I thought you disliked Lady Ophelia."

"Me? Why?"

Arthur's eyes widened slightly.

"Where is the reason for that?"

"Why? Every time Lady Ophelia approached, you made a face like you had chewed on shit."

Arthur hesitated for a moment and chose his words.

"...Actually, every time Lady Ophelia approached, my heart pounded so much that I had a hard time."

"Damn it."

"I was nervous and tried to maintain my composure. I didn't know it would look like that on the outside."

"...."

A moment of silence drifted between us.

I looked at the campfire, which was dancing with flames.

I broke a dry branch in half and threw it in, and then I asked casually.

"Since when?"

Arthur seemed to be lost in thought for a moment and became quiet.

And then, as his blunt expression began to soften, I cut him off.

"No, shut up. I don't want to hear it."

"...I haven't said anything yet?"

"For some reason, I'm getting angry. I don't want to hear your love story, so shut up."

"...."

Arthur, who was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression for a moment, asked.

"So, what do you think, leader?"

I answered honestly.

"Isn't it too soon? It hasn't been long since you met, and you're already proposing."

Arthur looked at the campfire silently for a while.

"Leader. I am a mercenary."

I looked at him for a moment, wondering what he was going to say, and then answered.

"I'm a mercenary too."

"It's different from the leader."

"What's different?"

"The leader is the owner of a platinum tag. I'm not a great mercenary like the leader."

Arthur took something out of his bosom.

It was a silver tag.

"I've been on the verge of death many times. I thought I was used to it by now."

And then Arthur gently stroked the faded silver tag.

It was like he was treating an old friend.

"But I was mistaken."

Arthur looked at me.

"The attack a few days ago. If the leader hadn't noticed it in advance and warned us. If we hadn't prepared thoroughly. I would have definitely died."

"Hmm."

"I finally realized. That death was lurking closer than I thought. That I had survived so far purely because I was lucky."

I didn't have to hear the rest to know. Because I was like that once.

How long can that luck last?

I quietly stared into Arthur's eyes.

They were clear and deep, like a spring in a deep mountain.

They were definitely not the eyes of a man steeped in defeatism.

"Then... are you going to retire like this?"

"...."

"To be honest, your skills are not bad. Your mana management is also decent. You're on the younger side. You're not at a level to stay at a silver tag. If you work hard, you'll be able to get a gold tag someday."

"I don't have such a grand goal. I started being a mercenary to make a living in the first place."

"Is that so?"

Arthur looked at Camus, who was sleeping soundly next to him, and said.

"Looking at Senior Camus, I often thought. That when I reach his age, the only things that will increase are wrinkles and scars."

"Hmm."

"And then my skills will gradually decline, and my abilities will regress. What will I do then? Since the only thing I know how to do is be a mercenary, I'll try other things and then come back. I'll have to cover my lagging reflexes with experience, and if I make a mistake, I'll be gone."

"...."

"If I'm unlucky, I'll go in one shot. If I'm lucky, I'll become a pitiful cripple who lives the rest of his life begging on the streets. No, looking at it this way, going in one shot is actually the lucky side."

...Isn't that almost a curse?

"Keung..."

As if having a nightmare, Camus tossed and turned.

Looking at Camus, Arthur muttered quietly.

"Every time I saw him, it was like I was seeing my future. Of course, he's a great mercenary, but it's not the path I want."

Arthur said, as if making a declaration in a quiet tone.

"Being a mercenary. It's not something you can do for a long time."

That's true.

If you have any sense, it's normal to say that you'll make money quickly and then quit being a mercenary.

Isn't it a dangerous job where you could be stabbed to death tomorrow?

He was a man of great insight.

Suddenly, I thought of the man who had become the branch manager of the mercenary guild in the lower town and was living a leisurely life.

"Hmm."

I realized it here.

The paths are diverging.

Arthur is going on a different path from me.

No, can this be called diverging?

In the first place, Arthur was a man who had lived with a different path in mind from me.

If I was trying to see the end of this path, Arthur was a man who had lived with the goal of getting off this path.

I quite liked his heavy words and actions, so I was thinking of casually suggesting that he join the corps, but it's a pity.

"Have you seen Lady Ophelia?"

I nodded quietly.

"I have."

"She's a truly lovely woman. Although she's clumsy and immature in many ways. So she experiences many failures and frustrations. But every time, she's a woman who gets up bravely again."

"...."

"It was a night when everyone was asleep. I was on watch and happened to see Lady Ophelia crying quietly, holding her breath. She didn't show any sign of it in front of me during the day."

Did that happen?

"I suddenly felt like I wanted to comfort her. But I had to stop."

"Why?"

"What right do I have? What right do I have to dare to comfort her?"

I don't think you need a right to comfort someone... but this serious man seems to think differently.

"I thought that if we became a couple, I would have the right to comfort her. It started from there."

"I see."

"Although she lost her father, she's enduring bravely. With a woman like that, I think I can live well. I think we can overcome any adversity that comes our way together."

"...."

"I... don't want to wither away alone without any meaning. With her, I think I can definitely find some meaning."

Was Arthur always this talkative?

I stared blankly at Arthur, who had become excessively talkative.

He was looking at the campfire with a faint smile.

'This guy. He's serious.'

Judging by how he's talking so smoothly, he must have been thinking about retirement often?

So he had been thinking about how to live after retiring from being a mercenary.

And then he faced death up close and smelled the scent of death.

A realization must have hit him.

Something like, 'I can't live like this'.

And then he met a woman he liked.

Then, the man's decision is natural.

I thought for a moment and then asked.

"You haven't told Lady Ophelia yet, right?"

"That's right."

"But if Lady Ophelia refuses, it's all for nothing, right?"

Arthur blinked his eyes.

"That's true."

I held on to a glimmer of hope.

The next day.

Arthur, smiling brightly, which was unlike him, shattered my glimmer of hope.

"She accepted my proposal."

...Damn it.

***

The escort was peaceful.

It was in vain that I had not let my guard down, expecting the Dark Heaven Cult guys to attack again.

There wasn't much left until the destination.

As we gradually got closer to the capital, we would start to see large and small cities that had sprung up around it.

At that time, the guys wouldn't be able to act recklessly.

So if they were to attack again, it would be today...

There's no news.

It's a pity.

Arthur had returned to his job of escorting the third and fourth carriages from being Lady Ophelia's carriage teacher.

The reason was simple.

"So. Has Lady Ophelia's carriage driving skills improved?"

"A lot. She can now drive skillfully by herself. Although she gets a little flustered in unexpected situations."

"Really?"

"That's right."

"Then return to your original position."

"...."

Arthur's face, which had been reporting to me with a proud face, instantly stiffened.

I didn't avoid his gaze and raised one corner of my mouth.

'Do you think I'll just watch you two being all lovey-dovey? No way. If you're going to do it, do it where I can't see you. You son of a bitch.'

The Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue.

[What a petty bastard.]

"What do you mean? I'm just doing my job as the leader of the escort mission."

[Tsk, tsk...]

I got off the carriage to patrol the procession for a round, as usual, on the back of a deer spirit.

And then Arthur followed me as if he had been waiting.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what? Isn't this what we always do together?"

I ordered in a cold tone.

"Who said we're going together? Return to your position."

"...."

Arthur glared at me for a moment and then returned to his position.

I slowly went back through the procession and received reports from the mercenaries.

And then, when I reached the back.

I praised Lady Ophelia, who had become a prospective bride.

"Lady Ophelia. Your carriage driving skills are extraordinary."

"Ah, th-thank you!"

"It's to the point where I suspect you've received separate bridal lessons."

"...What? Ah!"

Ophelia's face instantly turned bright red.

"W-w-what are you talking about!"

The flustered Ophelia moved her hands in a hurry.

And then she pulled the reins to one side, and the carriage suddenly left the procession and ran to one side.

"St-stop! Stop!"

The very flustered Lady Ophelia shook the reins wildly.

The speed increased.

Dudududu!

Since there weren't many trees and it was just a rolling plain, the carriage went over a hill and moved away without hesitation.

"...."

"...."

I stared at the scene blankly and then instructed the mercenary who was in charge of that carriage.

"I'll go, so you maintain this speed."

"...Alright, leader."

I received a salute from Schmitt, who was at the rear, and then chased after the runaway bride.

It wasn't difficult to catch up.

Because the deer spirit was several times faster than a horse.

"Lady Ophelia."

"Ah! Mr. Ashuban! They're not listening to me! They're not stopping!"

"Hmm."

I could clearly see Arthur's path of suffering.

How is Arthur going to live with this troublemaker of a woman?

I immediately jumped up from the deer's back and landed on the driver's seat next to her.

"Lady Ophelia. You're about to become a bride, what are you going to do if you can't even drive a carriage?"

Ophelia looked at me with wide eyes.

"Did Mr. Arthur tell you?"

"I didn't know that the leader also had the duty of counseling."

"It was a secret!"

"Don't worry, I'm the only one who knows. By the way, that's not what's important right now. If this continues, it will look like you're running away because you don't want to marry Mr. Arthur."

"That's not it! Mr. Arthur is so kind, and cool, and..."

Seeing Lady Ophelia, whose cheeks were flushed and who was stammering, for some reason, I got angry.

'Ah, this is annoying.'

As I was thinking about kidnapping the bride...

—Ugh! The smell!

—It's terrible!

—It hurts my nose!

—Where is it coming from?

The spirits who had been following me reacted.

I hurriedly looked around.

And then, in the distance, a group of completely black guys were surrounding us.

The guys were approaching, emitting a black energy.

I had the illusion that darkness was suddenly falling on the daytime plain.

"...Damn it."

"Ah, Mr. Ashuban!"

"Shh. Be calm."

No matter how important the escort goods are, they can't be more important than Mr. Arthur's new bride.

"Excuse me for a moment."

"Kyaa!"

I jumped off the carriage, holding Lady Ophelia.

The carriage ran hard towards the black-dyed siege, and then it was hit by the black aura thrown by the guys and fell on its side and rolled.

Why do you have to kill the innocent horses? You evil bastards.

But it wasn't surprising because the evil bastards have a nature of killing first and asking questions later.

They seemed to have already taken the potion, as they didn't look normal.

Their height seemed to be about twice mine when I roughly estimated the distance, and their build was three or four times larger than an ordinary man.

However, the symbol of a magical beast was not very prominent.

From a distance, they looked like just overly large people.

It was as if the physical transformation had not occurred randomly, but had been controlled to some extent.

From the guys, I could feel a calmly sharpened killing intent, as if the ferocious wildness of a magical beast had been well refined.

It looked as if the energy of the potion had been well managed.

So, it would be appropriate to see them as magical beasts with swords.

They seemed difficult to deal with because their intelligence remained, even though they had the power of a magical beast and an ominous mana.

A feeling of being one step up from the half-man, half-beasts I had met so far.

I reassured Ophelia, who was trembling as she watched the guys who were slowly closing the siege.

In the gentlest and calmest tone possible. As if nothing would happen.

"Lady Ophelia. Listen to me carefully."

"Yes, yes."

"From now on, you're going to slowly sit down and curl up. Think of making your body as small as possible. Like a hedgehog."

"L-like this?"

"That's right. You're doing well. And now you're going to close your eyes, and you must not open them until I say so."

"Close... my eyes?"

"Do you trust me?"

Lady Ophelia looked at me for a moment.

And then, she nodded with a determined face.

"...I trust you."

I said in a gentle tone.

"If you close your eyes for a moment and then open them, nothing will have happened."

I drew my sword and drew a circle around Lady Ophelia.

Nothing will be able to invade this circle.

Because the bride must return to the groom.

Dozens of half-man, half-beasts with swords were slowly approaching.

It looked as if darkness was gradually falling.

I met the eyes of the black magician who was behind them. It was the one I had seen the other day.

The guy stared at me for a moment, and then he held out his staff.

"Attack."

The guys rushed in from all sides with black aura on their weapons.

"Huu..."

I closed my eyes and recognized the circle I had drawn.

This circle is my interval.

If you come in, I'll cut you.

If you come in even by a hair's breadth, I'll cut you.

Even if a black fate pokes its head in, there will be no exception.

A faint moonlight bloomed on the half-sword.

"Come. You damn fate."

I muttered softly.

"I'll crush you all."

(End of Chapter)