* * *

After the deafening commotion, the Count retired to his bed-chamber to rest his mind and body. Naturally, Cadel had to accompany him.

“How could you not have seen the Shadow Envoy approaching? To me, he was behind my back, but to you, wasn’t he across from you? Was it true that you were really watching? You weren’t doing anything else, were you?”

The Count sat on a chair in his bedroom, sipped his drink, and interrogated Cadel. He couldn’t bring up the fact that he had dozed off to a person who looked as if he was going to start a fight at any moment, so Cadel shook his head as if he was truly aggrieved.

“I really didn’t see anything, Your Grace. I didn’t feel a thing. An assassin of the Shadow Envoy’s caliber would have used stealth that would have been difficult to see with the naked eye.”

“He’s at a level where you can’t chase him even if he’s right in front of you.…….”

The Count’s hand holding the drink trembled. Cadel cautiously opened his mouth, catching a glimpse of the alcohol spilling over the table.

“If you are that anxious, I will put a barrier around your body, just for tonight.”

“You mean all night? Is that possible?”

“……It would be possible with a thin barrier.”

There was no need to do that, but it was difficult to act coldly in front of someone who was panicking as if they were about to go crazy. Besides, it was true that the Count had been ambushed while Cadel was distracted. He felt a shallow sense of responsibility.

The Count stalked toward Cadel, his eyes shining as if Cadel were an angel from heaven.

“Then, put up a barrier right now! And let’s sleep here together tonight. You don’t have to go far.”

“Pardon……?”

“It’s a big bed for one person anyway. No pressure, let’s share.”

The Count’s hand was clammy and sweaty as he gripped Cadel’s. Cadel glanced back and forth between the Count’s pale face and the bed, then gingerly twisted his hand away.

“You don’t need to worry about it. If you’re worried about being separate, I’ll…… I’ll stay up all night today. Just pull up a chair, that’s all I need.”

For Cadel, sharing a bed with a stranger wasn’t a big deal. They were of the same sex, and it wasn’t like they had any special feelings for each other. But for some reason, he couldn’t help but think of his subordinates’ faces. He felt so uncomfortable that he couldn’t bring himself to say yes.

The Count nodded vigorously and patted his chest as if he didn’t care about anything as long as Cadel was there.

“Now I’ll create a barrier. Because it is a barrier of wind, there will be no difficulty in seeing ahead, but there will be some noise.”

“I don’t care. Go ahead and put it up.”

Cadel muttered incoherent nonsense that had no effect, then drew the languid barrier around him. Then the Count staggered to the bed, making a sound like a deflated balloon.

“I’ll put a chair by the bed, and you can sit here.”

“……Let’s do that.”

Cadel ended up staying up all night, admiring the Count’s sleeping face. Even if he was as handsome as his subordinates, the Count’s face would make one angry if they looked at it for too long.

Stifling a sigh, Cadel pushed the chair away from the bed and sat down on it. The sound of the wind around him must have been quite disturbing, but the Count in bed quickly drifted off to sleep, which wasn’t unreasonable after the day’s ranting and raving had gnawed at his nerves and he’d been drinking heavily.

‘I’m sorry, but I’m just glad you’re the target.’

If Yozen had appeared in another family, that would have been a cause for concern. Yozen might not have listened to the members from the beginning, and unnecessary friction may have arisen. It was better to face that man himself.

‘By the way…….’

Cadel, leaning against the backrest, opened his eyes softly.

He didn’t see Yozen brand the Count with his own two eyes. He could only take the Count’s word for it, the only victim. But he felt almost certain. Because of the black spot on the Count’s chest.

‘The spot was definitely the [Dark Engrave], and I’m pretty sure Yozen was there.’

[Dark Engrave] was one of Yozen Vardikta’s skills, a sort of ‘bull’s eye’ in a nutshell. By marking a part of the enemy’s body with a smudge, you could inflict great damage after a certain number of turns.

With a bull’s eye, the opponent literally had his neck out for Yozen. His attacks were unavoidable. This was true of most of his attacks, so they were always guaranteed to deal lethal damage unless the enemy had a shield in advance.

‘If we can’t stop it, that bastard will be at least seriously injured.’

A spot appeared not anywhere else but near the heart. Death was probably unavoidable. Thinking about that made Cadel feel a strange sense of discomfort, but now there was something else that bothered him more.

‘He must have seen me.’

The Count didn’t notice him, and the only other person in the room was in a daze. It had been a fairly easy infiltration for Yozen. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t pay attention to the man sitting across from him.

‘The reason he ignored me and left…… was because he perceived me as an enemy?’

It was worth being cautious. Anyone who saw Cadel would have seen him as someone who was helping Yozen’s target. Cadel clicked his tongue in annoyance at the unpleasant misunderstanding and crossed his arms.

He was an assassin, so he was probably already on high alert, and now that Cadel had raised that alertness, it was going to be harder to recruit Yozen.

‘If I hadn’t dozed off at that point, I would have had a chance to talk to him. Why did I let my mind wander there?’

At that time, Cadel was driving away the sleep that was slowly coming on him by criticizing his past self. A soft light spread from his necklace, and Kunra’s voice rang in his head.

[Hey, you halfling. Be careful.]

Now, who’s calling me a halfling? Kunra’s inconsiderate title made Cadel’s stomach churn, but there was no way to vent.

Rat tat!

Along with the sound of metal scraping, he felt a dull impact on his back. Cadel, out of breath, quickly turned around, and a faint shadow passed before his eyes.

[There’s a scratch in your armor. Regeneration takes time, so stay awake, halfling.]