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nChapter 72

n“Ruby.”

n“…Yes.”

n“I asked you what happened. I don’t really understand the situation right now.”

nMy tongue stung and I felt nauseous.

nYou don’t have to confirm this unnecessary thing.

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n“Tha… uhn, waaaaah-”

nIt was then.

nIn an atmosphere of sudden seriousness, Leah, who just wanted to find her hairpin, stopped looking at us and burst into tears.

nShe seemed to have been scared.

nI wanted to cry with her.

nBut if I cried here, it would only be a negative factor.

nI wanted an innocent childish image, not an impudent idiot image.

nTo make matters worse, the damn poisoning attempt was helping to create a clear picture of perpetrator and victim.

nSir Ivan seemed briefly enraptured by this unexpected disturbance.

nAnd as soon as Leah began to cry, the floating spell was lifted.

nIf I had not been the subject of this situation, I would have been deeply moved by Sir Ivan’s unexpected brotherly behaviour.

n“What the… Leah, Leah. Hey, why are you crying all of a sudden?”

n“M-My, my hairpin, my hairpin, because of me, uhhhnn!”

nPoor Leah seemed to have judged that Freya and I fought over her pretty hairpin. I’d rather it be that way.

nEllenia was still waiting for an answer with her eyes fixed on me.

nSir Ivan, who had been struggling to sweep back his pale yellow hair, also turned his eyes to me.

n“Good lord. What in the world happened, my lady?”

nI gulped at his low voice.

nMaybe it was because I’d only seen his usual abusive behavior, but he seemed like a different person when he acted calm.

n“My lady?”

nIn the series of my silent replies, Sir Ivan pressed again, his eyes slightly distorted, perhaps irritated.

nHe looked scarier than just being angry with her face as if she were a girl-like face.

nAs the heart beat like a rabbit in front of a fox, the white panic pressed down in my head.

nThis was what Freya was trying to tell me.

nShe didn’t have to go through all this trouble in the first place.

nNo matter how I may be, in the end…….

nDamn it, I just want to live.

nI just don’t want to die.

nWhy do you keep putting me on the edge?

n“Ruby, why aren’t you saying anything?”

n“Stop it, Ellen. I don’t want any more fuss. I think she was just surprised. You should go now, sir. My lady is very frightened.”

nFreya’s eyes, gently interrupting and putting her hand on Ellenia’s shoulder, quickly swept past me.

nFunny, it was a reproachful look. As if I should have been the one to do this.

n“Huu…. Brother, you idiot!”

n“Huh, what are you doing? You little–!”

nLeah, who suddenly bit her brother’s wrist while wiping tears, now moved her small hands up and down.

nShe was asking him to bend over.

nSir Ivan grumbled but sat with one knee bent.

nWhat was he doing?

nWhile Leah whispered something into Sir Ivan’s ear, everyone was just looking away.

nNo matter what he heard, Sir Ivan soon scratched his head and straightened himself, approaching me closely.

nNo, why are you making me nervous all of a sudden?….

n“My lady, I know you’re not someone to do this for no reason. There seems to have been some misunderstanding, could you please continue what you were about to say?”

nIt was a tone one would use with a child.

nAlmost a whisper.

nWhat I was going to say earlier, I don’t think it would make any difference.

n“It’s not a matter for me to interfere, but I want to make sure you don’t get in trouble.”

nWhat does that mean? You’re afraid I’ll run away from home again?

nYou’re afraid I’ll do something?

n“I didn’t do anything.”

n“Yes…?”

n“I didn’t do anything and I won’t do anything.”

nMy frozen tongue rolled out as my lips parted.

nAs these words flowed out, my body trembled.

nI’m crazy, really crazy.

nSir Ivan, staring at me with blank eyes, looked back.

nEllenia’s expression, which hadn’t changed for a while, was indescribable. What was she thinking?

n“What do you mean, my lady?”

n“I didn’t do anything just now.….”

n“No, so you’re saying Lady Furiana made something up?”

nIn the midst of a stir again, Freya smiled. As if she had been waiting.

n“Yes, let’s just move on.”

n“…Frey, let’s start with your clothes. This is the end of today’s meeting. I’m sure you all understand.”

nAs Ellenia finally turned away from me and moved, the tense atmosphere completely disappeared.

nWhile awkward and unsatisfactory greetings were pouring out, I was caught in a dizzy spell and stared stiffly at the tip of my toes.

nThe gazes above my head stung.

nIt’s all right, it’s all right. It would have eventually happened. For once, this is fine.….

nI would like to believe so.

n“Now, I want Durahan to show up.”

nCamu, who uttered a low groan, grabbed the legs of the gnome and tossed them down the road.

nThe final cry from the gnome echoed loudly.

n“Typical workaholic symptoms.”

nIzek recited.

nHe was rubbing his blade with a piece of cloth. At his feet, there was a body of gnome beginning to melt down like a lump of sticky slime.

nThe only monsters he encountered these days were these.

n“I don’t think that’s something you get to say.”

n“At least I know how to enjoy this relaxation.”

nDespite Camu’s irritating remarks, Izek grinned if he was in a good mood.

nThese days, Camu saw him smile a lot.

nHe really couldn’t get used to it.

nReflecting on that thought, Camu crumpled his forehead.

nWhat was so good about it?

nSince when has he been so happy about his wife?

nHe wanted to call him an ignorant b*stard, but he knew it wouldn’t hurt much.

nBecause he was far too mature for something like self-reflection.

n“Damn it, if you’re so worried about your wife, you should just find and kill them all or it’ll be a pain later. They’re all just monsters anyway. What’s wrong with you?”

n“If we want to get rid of it, we need to get rid of all these minions. They’re hiding on their own, so do we really need to relax?”

n“Thanks to you, only some are enjoying our vacation. Only the incompetent ones took on all the chores like a workaholic, so they were the most excited.”

nCamu usually expressed great pride in the fact that he was a member of the minority elite.

nAnd that pride was often refracted in the direction of disparaging other colleagues’ abilities.

nTheir leader, who regarded patriotism and camaraderie as the highest creed, would have scolded him if he knew.

n“It is not good to call your colleagues incompetent.”

n“Aren’t you doing this just in case other monsters run into your wife’s friends and kill them? How long have you cared for monsters? Just so that your wife wouldn’t run away from home?”

nIf you want to be merciful, you should be human.

nCamu still vividly remembered the sight of a poacher woman who was summarily disposed of on the day she found Rudbeckia in the frost forest.

nPaladins of Brittania had the power to dispose of sinners on behalf of the king. And the poacher was a felon.

nHer arm would have been cut off if she had been arrested and taken in accordance with the procedure.

nHowever, Izek did not cut off the arm of the woman who was begging for her life in the midst of her madness.

nHe didn’t kill her.

nHe cut out her tongue alive and pulled out her eyeballs.

nThe reason was obvious, but Camu, the owner of a surprisingly delicate soul, still felt sick when he recalled it.

nFurthermore, he became more and more unlucky.

nHe was such a cruel b*stard, but he was so into his wife that he was pretending to be sweet and coy.

n“If you’re so unhappy, you can take a vacation too. Don’t follow me around and chatter.”

n“Ah, this lovestruck b*stard.”

n(T

/N: almost wrote simp LMAO)

nGalar was sitting next to a tree nest a short distance away, smoking leaf cigarettes.

nIzek approached Galar, who was crouching like a real bear, and similarly pulled out a leaf cigarette.

nHis sweat-drenched silver hair scattered in the wind.

nThen, he spoke excitedly, “I’m glad the lizard cub keeps disappearing. Otherwise, we’d be grinding to capture him alive by now, just to put him in the gladiatorial match.”

nThere was a small smile in his red eyes, sweat clinging to his long eyelashes.

nSoon, there was a gentle whistle.

nCamu and Galar exchanged glances for a moment.

nGalar’s gaze was one of a shocked man.

nHe never thought he’d see that tough nut whistling in his life, and it was a shame that other people didn’t see this.

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n“You said it well. But he can’t escape if he crawls out and attacks, right? And speaking of the gladiatorial match, do you really believe it’s a good idea for you to attend?”

n“I guess my stomach would hurt if I don’t win again.”

n“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re going to have a fight with the monsters on the subject of making sure your wife’s friends don’t die? What are you up to? What if she gets shocked while watching?”

n“……you’ve been getting weirdly chatty lately.”

nIzek’s eyes narrowed.

nHis lips placed on the tip of the leaf, moved to form a smirk.

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