Chapter 91

Aristide patted my back gently, and the steady vibration calmed my heart. It had been a long time since I felt so sentimental, and I gradually began to feel embarrassed. I wiped my teary eyes with my hand and, thinking it was time to step away, lifted my face from Aristide's chest.

(…What is that?)

Something caught the corner of my eye, and I turned to look at the wall. It seemed there was an unnatural gap in the deep blue wallpaper, which was in the elegant Lidorian style.

(What could it be?)

I thought it might be a seam in the wallpaper, but the gap seemed to be gradually widening, giving me the illusion that it was opening. I squinted to get a better look.

"What's wrong, Melfi?"

"That, the wall—"

Aristide, noticing my expression, followed my gaze. It didn't just seem like a gap; it felt as if we were being watched. Aristide sighed heavily and spoke in a low voice to the wall.

"Chaos, what are you doing there?"

(Chaos? Chaos?)

As I alternated my gaze between Aristide and the gap in the wall, a voice that shouldn't have been there spoke, and it was indeed Chaos's voice. At the same time, a unique magic circle, inscribed in ancient magic language, appeared on the wall, faintly glowing. Although I couldn't see it clearly because Aristide's body was in the way, there was definitely an opening. It seemed to be one of the magical hidden doors found throughout Midleague.

"I have returned."

The figure that emerged from the hidden door in the wall was Chaos, who had been on leave. He must have come straight here after returning, as he was still in his riding gear.

"Welcome back, Chaos."

I hurriedly stepped out from Aristide's embrace, standing a bit away from him due to my embarrassment. I hoped my eyes weren't red. I had only cried a little, and I didn't want Chaos to notice.

"Thank you for watching over the capricious lord, Lady Melfi. You must have been tired."

"No! He was very well-behaved... Ah, um—"

"Well-behaved."

When Chaos called me "watcher," I instinctively responded as if I were playing with my half-brother Louis during a martial raid. Chaos was grinning and repeating "well-behaved," while Aristide looked displeased.

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. I haven't seen the lord behave so well since he was a child."

Before Chaos went on leave, I had been asked by Aristide to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't slack off. As I had planned to handle paperwork as well, and Chaos was in favor of it, it seemed like a good opportunity. In reality, Aristide had been very diligent in his inspections (which I had witnessed firsthand) and had completed most of the paperwork.

"Be quiet, Chaos. If you have a report, get on with it."

Aristide, looking annoyed, extended his hand toward Chaos. I had thought Chaos was on leave until the day after tomorrow. Chaos glanced at me, and I thought about leaving the room to avoid interrupting, but Aristide stepped closer and took my hand, indicating I should stay.

"Quickly, take out what's in your pocket."

"Is it all right?"

"Is there even a choice? Melfi will eventually be my deputy. She needs to handle such troublesome matters."

Encouraged by Aristide, Chaos reluctantly pulled out a cylinder with a black background and red patterns. It was a "scroll tube" used to carry letters, especially official documents. The color and decoration of the tube conveyed different meanings based on its contents.

(Black with red... It feels dangerous.)

A black tube usually indicated a death notice, which was why I rarely saw them (incidentally, the tube Aristide sent to his father was golden and lavishly decorated for a celebratory occasion). I had never seen a black tube with red patterns before.

Aristide took the scroll tube, broke the magical seal, and pulled out the letter. The paper was white, but the text seemed to glow red.

"It's been a while since the king himself issued an urgent extermination request. What's the target?"

"A single maddened Lagradragon and several other maddened beasts. The location is the Parivain Forest Park. There have been no human casualties from the Lagradragon yet, but it has wings, so it could come to a populated area at any time."

A maddened Lagradragon is a serious matter. Indeed, the Parivain Forest Park, located in the royal territory, is a popular place open to the public, especially during autumn when it hosts the Grand Ball. Now, with the snow just starting to fall, there would be nobles enjoying winter activities. The nearby towns serve as lodging for these nobles, so if the Lagradragon were to head there, it would be very dangerous. Moreover, with other maddened beasts present...

"Ah, a Lagradragon. It's no wonder I was called. Chaos, I'm sorry to ask, but please prepare the formation and get ready immediately."

"I've already entrusted that to Myran."

"What about the temperature?"

"The cold has intensified, so it might be best to use the Gresshel Dragon for the round trip."

"The local transportation will be by horse. The kingdom's warhorses are accustomed to dragons."

Despite the urgent request from the king, Aristide and Chaos seemed to handle the situation with ease, discussing the details smoothly. I could only listen, unsure of what to do in such a situation.

"We'll leave tonight if possible, or tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Understood. But, is that all right for us?"

After the initial discussion, Chaos looked at me, seeming even more hesitant than before.

"It's fine! I won't say anything foolish like wanting to eat the maddened Lagradragon!"

While I might have considered it if it weren't maddened, now wasn't the time for such thoughts. My emphatic statement made Chaos look uncomfortable. It was unusual to see him, the efficient and capable knight, looking so flustered.

"No, whether it's a Lagradragon or anything else, it's possible to bring it back, so there's no problem."

"That's right, Melfi. How about the tail? It could be useful for experiments to extract the poison."

"Lord, not just the tail... but, um, there's one more... report."

"What is it, Chaos? Is there something else... No, wait, don't say it. I get it, I won't hear anything."

Aristide seemed to have figured something out from Chaos's expression. I didn't understand what was going on, but Aristide's hand, which was holding mine, was sweating, suggesting it wasn't a good report.

"Ha... This is all because the lord abandoned the report to that person."

"Be quiet. It just gives me a bad feeling. Don't say anything, Chaos."

"Alright, I won't say anything. I won't, I promise."

Chaos reached into his pocket again and pulled out a small, light pink butterfly with delicate wings.

"Actually, along with the extermination request, I received a personal letter for Lady Melfi."

"Me?"

The butterfly flew toward me, leaving a trail of sparkling light. It seemed to be a magical letter, fluttering around me.

"Melfi! Don't touch that butterfly, it's a bad spell."

Aristide pulled me away from the butterfly as I reached out to touch it.

"But it looks like a beautiful spell..."

"That's how enemies lull you into a false sense of security."

"Enemies?!"

I tried to pull my hand back, but it was too late. The light pink butterfly landed on my fingertip and slowly closed its wings. Then, an unfamiliar voice came from the butterfly.

"Hello, Lady Melfi of the Marshall Raid family. It's nice to meet you. I'm your new big brother, Maxim."

Maxim is the current king of the Langdias Kingdom and Aristide's older brother. I was surprised and focused on the butterfly on my fingertip. I had only heard the king's voice once, on the day of my debut in society, and I certainly didn't remember it. The cheerful and playful voice of the king made Aristide growl and mutter, "This insolent one."

If Aristide reacted this strongly, it must be the king's voice.

"I'm sorry for my rude brother, who took you away without any preparation. Are you comfortable? As an apology, I've made various arrangements. Please come and pick them up when you visit. I'd be happy if you could stay with me while Aristide is in the forest. Oh, and the person who will be your new big sister is looking forward to meeting her cute little sister."

"You damn—!"

Aristide used a very strong word, and I flinched.

"S-Sorry, Melfi. I wasn't talking to you. It's just that my foolish brother said something ridiculous."

With that, Aristide crushed the light pink butterfly. Although it wasn't a formal letter (it seemed more like a personal prank), it was still a message from the king.

"Is that alright?"

"It's just a prank. Don't worry about it, Melfi."

If Aristide said it was nothing, then it was nothing. I had wanted to say something to Aristide's brother someday, but seeing the good relationship between them made me feel relieved.

"Lord... I thought this might happen, so I also took a letter. It's not a matter of life or death, but the king said that if you refuse, Lady Melfi's summoning will be unavoidable."

Chaos, looking tired, pulled out a real letter. The white envelope was sealed with the royal crest of the Langdias Kingdom, and Aristide's magical eye flared up.