Chapter 80

During my morning patrol, I made contact with Holger and informed him that no further surveillance of the Saint was necessary.

As expected, Juliana was involved in Kuntz’s murder. Having confirmed that much was enough; I had no intention of getting any further involved. That woman was far too dangerous to approach.

For the same reason, I intended to turn down Elke’s request. She had asked me to join her investigation into the Saint’s conduct, but I no longer wanted to go anywhere near Juliana.

When I arrived at the apartment on Titman Street, Elke was waiting for me.

“Good morning, Senpai. You certainly went on a rampage last night, didn’t you?”

“You were watching?”

“Yes. From downwind, so you wouldn’t notice me.”

Elke and her people had been tracking the Saint’s movements. If Juliana had moved, it was only natural they would follow.

“What was all that yesterday? I was quite surprised when a battle suddenly broke out.”

“That was a duel.”

I explained to Elke that Juliana could use Charm magic and that she was involved in Kuntz’s murder.

“So that’s what happened.”

“Yeah. Which is why I’m done with the Saint for good. I won’t be helping with your investigation, Elke.”

Elke looked a bit disappointed.

“I thought you and I would have made a good team. There’s even been talk of scouting you for the Shadow Knights.”

I was happy to have my abilities recognized, but I preferred being Lady Clara’s attendant. I had no desire to do intelligence work for anyone other than myself.

“Sorry, but you’ll have to give up on that.”

“I was even told to seduce you if I had to, but if a Saint who can use Charm couldn’t manage it, someone like me doesn’t stand a chance.”

True. While I liked Elke because she was quite sexy in her own way, I was devoted to Lady Clara.

…I had a feeling Akito would fall for a honey trap in an instant, but I decided to keep that to myself. In his case, I was afraid he’d actually drown in the pleasure.

“By the way, is the Saint really going to marry into Francea?”

“Who knows? For now, she’s the leading candidate, but she’s just one of several. I don’t know how the higher-ups will judge things after this report.”

The Prince seemed smitten, but Saxens might be reluctant to marry off a noble daughter who came with so much baggage. If it became a problem later and Francea started complaining, it would be unbearable. Perhaps they would fall back on the original plan of sending someone from the royal family instead.

Personally, I felt I could rest easier if Juliana went to some far-off foreign country.

“Well, thanks for everything. Sorry about the kidnapping the other day. I’d appreciate it if we could maintain a cooperative relationship.”

“I was the one who drew my sword first, so let’s just call it water under the bridge.”

“Should I give you a massage as an apology?”

“Ugh, I’ll pass on that. That thing is seriously dangerous. I’m afraid I’d end up obsessed with you!”

We were able to part ways with bright smiles. Establishing a connection with an organization that possessed some of the best information-gathering capabilities in Saxens was a plus for me. I intended to treasure my relationship with Elke.

When I returned to the barracks in time for lunch, the place was in an uproar. I wondered if some bigwig from headquarters had arrived. I had to make sure it didn’t leak that I’d been skipping patrol to meet Holger and Elke.

As soon as he saw me, Hans came running over.

“Ah, Sir Hinoharu! You’re finally back. You have a visitor.”

A visitor for me? If it were a merchant like Shonai, that would be one thing, but I couldn’t think of anyone who would visit a soldier like Hinoharu. My few acquaintances were Holger and Elke, and I’d just seen them.

“It’s the Saint. Lady Juliana Cebarai is waiting for you in Lady Ansbach’s room.”

A shiver of dread ran through me. Had she come for revenge after yesterday? And she’d dragged Lady Clara into it.

I shed my coat, removed my sword, changed into something easier to move in, and did some light stretches. It was fine; I was calm. Depending on the situation, a fight might break out right here. I wanted to avoid that since it would cause trouble for Lady Clara, but it depended on the opponent’s next move. I had to be ready to respond to any situation instantly.

Standing before the office were the Saint’s escort knights. When they saw me, they threw gazes of pure hatred my way. There wasn’t a trace left of yesterday’s injuries. They must have been treated by a healer.

“What are you doing here?”

I asked Heuberger, who was closest to me, but he was trembling with rage, his face twisted into a grimace of absolute bitterness.

What a waste of a handsome face.

“I haven’t been told a thing. The Saint is inside, so you should ask her yourself.”

He looked as though he were desperately suppressing the urge to draw his sword right then and there. I suppose he couldn’t exactly draw steel at the South District Guard Post without a valid reason. It would be difficult for him to explain that he wanted revenge for the humiliation of wetting himself due to my paralysis magic.

I gave the knights a cursory glance and knocked on the door.

“It’s Corporal Hinoharu.”

“Ah, come in.”

To my surprise, Lady Clara’s voice sounded perfectly normal. She even sounded somewhat cheerful.

Stepping into the room, I found the atmosphere was a total reversal of the tension in the hallway; it was quite peaceful. Lady Clara and Emma were sitting side-by-side, and the Saint sat across from them, sipping tea. Fiene was acting as the server, and I felt a twinge of bashfulness, as if I’d accidentally stumbled into an aristocratic tea party for girls.

“Welcome back. I hear Lady Juliana has something she wishes to discuss with you, Kota.”

Despite having done nothing wrong, Lady Clara’s smile made me feel a pang of guilt. I suppose this is what it feels like to keep a secret.

“Hinoharu. I must apologize for my behavior last night.”

Juliana stood up from her chair and greeted me face-to-face.

“Don’t mention it. Did you have some business with me?”

Noticing my stiff expression, Lady Clara and Emma both shot me perplexed looks.

“Yes. First, please accept this.”

Juliana handed me a box wrapped in beautiful cloth.

“It’s a cake I baked. It’s my first time, made under the guidance of my nanny, but it’s quite—”

“I cannot accept it.”

Without moving my hands so much as a millimeter, I signaled my refusal.

“Sir Hinoharu, such an attitude is beyond rude to Lady Juliana!”

Emma, who was clearly partial to the Saint, tried to mediate, but I ignored her.

“If there is nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

As I turned on my heel to exit, Juliana raised her voice.

“Hinoharu… last night, you took from me the thing most precious to a woman.”

Wait, what?

“What are you saying…?”

“You were so passionate last night, so intense… even though my heart was deeply wounded, I couldn’t help but be drawn to you.”

This rotten Saint… purposely phrasing things to cause a misunderstanding. But I wasn’t about to let something like that shake me.

“All that happened was that I challenged you to a duel. Your feelings, my Lady, are nothing but a nuisance to me.”

Hah! I said it straight to her face!

Emma was flustered, clearly at a loss for what to do. Lady Clara… I couldn’t read anything from her expression. She seemed to be silently observing the development of the situation. Though, was it just my imagination, or did the room temperature just drop by about a degree?

I hadn’t told Lady Clara a single word about last night. I had no intention of mentioning it since the matter was settled, but it looked like that was no longer an option.

Even in the face of my cold attitude, Juliana pressed on further.

“I don’t mean to be a nuisance. I simply wanted to apologize properly to you, Hinoharu. For casting that spell, and for not considering your feelings…”

The worst part was that, to an outsider, it looked as though Juliana was genuinely apologizing from the bottom of her heart. Even I felt a flicker of that sincerity. No, no—I can’t let her trick me.

“Please, find it in your heart to forgive me.”

With those words, Juliana took off her shoes. Wait, surely she wasn’t…?

Before I could stop her, Juliana dropped to both knees, clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed her head low. It was the local equivalent of a Japanese dogeza.^[TL/N: Kneeling on the ground and bowing your head until it touches the floor.

“Please, stop this!!”

This was not a sight I wanted to see. I hurriedly moved to pull her back up to her feet.

“I accept your apology! That’s enough, really. So please, just stop involving yourself with me!”

I was the one practically begging now.

“I want to start over with you, Hinoharu, from the moment we first met. If that is what it takes for you to accept me, I am prepared to kneel before the barracks gate every single day to beg your forgiveness!”

Give me a break. Is this some new form of revenge?! If the Saint did something like that, I’d become the most famous person in the capital overnight. Her fanbase ranged from slum-dwellers to royalty and clergy. If things went south, I could even become a target for assassination.

“I understand. Everything in the past… let’s forget it. Just… please, have mercy…”

Today, for the first time in my life, I learned the true terror of a yandere.