My voice trembled as I tried to soothe Shaula.
âIt is true that I have improved my physical abilities, but my fighting skills have not improved.â
âYes, Iâll bring my sword~â
Gaaah! That crazy dog is really!
Shaulaâs greatsword was more terrifying than any weapon I had ever seen in my life.
Even if you take out the legendary treasure sword displayed in the Imperial Palace, it will not have that bloody color.
Shaula meant it. It was a momentum that she would never be satisfied if she did not test me herself to see how much my body had improved.
I ran outside, avoiding Shaula, who was holding the sword that had been put down in the corner.
Sarah, who was bringing dessert, widened her eyes.
âYour Grace? Why?â
âIt might be dangerous, so donât follow me!â
I didnât know how to use my overflowing stamina like this, but I sprinted with all my might.
At first, I was planning to go to the bell tower where Aedis was.
But, to my dismay, Shaula followed, slowly wielding her greatsword, as if she had a clear vision of my destination.
âYour Grace, are you running better than usual? Do you want to go to the Master?â
âIf you know, stop followingâ¦â¦ â
âWill it be faster for Your Grace to go to the Master or for me to get ahead?â
ââ¦â
I donât know why I donât feel respected at all, even though she always called me Your Grace.
I turned around without a hitch.
As I entered the road I would not have taken otherwise, a building that looked particularly old even in the old-fashioned Cyclamen castle came into my sight.
It was a museum that was no longer in use.
Even if Shaula makes a riot, there are no employees that might get involved.
That one thing is a relief.
Itâs only a matter of time before she can catch up anyway, so I went inside.
The inside of the museum was really minimalistic.
It was a dusty space, so I opened the window first.
On one side of the museum, paintings that could not even be displayed on the wall were piled up like books.
I would believe it even if it was an antique shop, not an art museum.
Works that looked quite expensive, and works that no one seemed to take away even if they were left on the roadside were mixed up at random.
I picked up a broken pocket watch that had been lying on the floor.
Itâs a bit dirty, but thereâs a sapphire in the middle.
âItâs amazing that it wasnât stolen even though there was no security.â
As I tilted my head, I realized it again.
In retrospect, there were hardly any cases of problems among employees within the castle.
Even Sarah said that she did not feel it.
I put the pocket watch on the dirty table and looked around for a bit before Shaula followed me in.
There were few statues and most were paintings. However, the completed level was surprising.
Among them, the pictures that were too harsh were signedâ¦â¦ Andrei Kallakis.
ââ¦â¦The predecessor Grand Duke?â
For a moment, I thought it was an impersonation.
Because there was no way the painting painted by the nobles and even the heads of households can be left covered in dust like this.
However, it was such a messy painting that it was impossible not to burn it.
Even if Shaula draws with her feet, I think sheâll draw better than that.
It was the masterpiece of the predecessor Grand Dukeâ¦â¦. I looked through the files and picked up the picture with the most dust.
When I wiped the stain with my sleeve, it revealed a picture of Aedis, who looked like a demon, with black hair and blue eyes.
As if he had failed to adjust the proportions, Aedis in the frame had a face five times larger than his body.
ââ¦â
I-I think Aedis must have been very close with the predecessor Grand Duke.
Aedis in the frame was staring, as if wanting to kill someone, with his eyes wide open.
Perhaps it was the predecessor Grand Duke who was drawing this picture.
I was a little curious about what Aedis would have said when he saw the finished version.
â¦â¦Even then, Aedisâs name must have been restricted, right?
Grand Duke.
Aedis.
ä¸Um, Your Grace Aedis?
From the first time we met, Aedis had asked me to call him by name.
If I was the only person who called Aedisâs name for 500 years, that would be upsetting and sad.
Despite this, I also thanked the predecessor Grand Duke for being friendly with Aedis.
I put the picture of Aedis drawn by the predecessor Grand Duke on the side.
I was going to take good care of it and hang it in my private room, but Shaula came running in after kicking the door.
âYour Grace, is it a useless attempt to run away while spraying such a nice fragrance?â
I stared at Shaula, who appeared triumphantly.
Itâs really annoying, but she followed along really hard.
ä¸ I wondered what it would be like to have an escort knight for you too.
Well, the one that Aedis brought from the quarry far away because of me in⦠I donât know if itâs a wild dog or not, so Iâll have to take care of her.
Although I was wary of Shaulaâs greatsword, I looked at it.
âShaula, would you like to be my escort knight?â
Her head tilted.
âWhat escort knight all of a sudden?â
âConsidering your dislike of being in one place, I wonât ask you to do it for a long time. Are you interested?â
âWell. If you entertain me, I might be interested.â
Shaula smiled sheepishly and spread her hand without holding her greatsword.
âLook up.â
â¦â¦You want me to look up?
Shaula reassured me, who was raising a questionable glance.
âDid you say that your fighting skills are the same? I wonât respond. Letâs see how much. Huh?â
It was hard to believe her when she said that she wouldnât respond, as I know very well that her body always reacts before her head.
âUmm.â
âYour Grace, you want me to be your escort knight, right?â
It seems that I have dug my own grave, but I decided to trust it when I had the strength to deal with it.
âPut down your sword.â
âIs it ok to entrust your life to me while distrusting me so much?â
âThere has to be a minimum safety device. I know that my life is precious.â
Sharla shrugged her shoulders and threw her greatsword away.
Thud! She did and it was on the floor.
It was good that I told her to put it down. That great sword, wouldnât it weigh a few hundred kilograms?
I gently loosened my hand and walked over to Sharla.
If itâs punching, I have tried it with Karlen. It wasnât difficult. Itâs easier if itâs not the face.
I thought she would find it boring if I used just a little power, so I took a deep breath and clenched my fist.
It was clearly the palm of my hand that I used to hit, but with a loud bang, Shaula broke through the wall.
âCough, cough, what dustâ¦â¦ Shaula?â
I felt that the energy I had left was exhausted all at once, and the strength I had gained from the blood of the beast was draining away.
I thought that my body had barely returned to normal, but the momentum emanating from Shaula, who flew far away, breaking through the wall and creating dust, was unusual.
She approached me menacingly, step by step, covered in dust and soil.
âYour Grace, I think this is enough. You donât need a separate weapon, right?â
âCalm, calm down. Iâm out of power.â
Of course, Shaula wasnât Shaula if she listened to me.
She was already very excited.
âItâs been a while since Iâve been able to play properly.â
Ahh! That personâs eyes have a problem!
âCrazy! Aedis!â
As I called my husbandâs name without hesitation, Shaula grunted as she barely held onto the edge of her reason.
âAre you going to ask the Master to hide you again? Your Grace, arenât you too cowardly?â
âYou look like youâre going to die right now. Whatâs there to be cowardly about?â
âConsidering that I look like Iâm going to die, shouldnât you look relaxed with that trash by your side?â
âWhy trashâ¦â¦ It might look like it, but itâs not anyway!â
Shaula couldnât have guessed that the picture I had was one of Aedis.
Well, it might be a good thing if she saw it as a person instead of a monster with a gigantic human faceâ¦â¦
It was when I was arguing with Shaula and stepping back.
Hearing my voice, he immediately came to me. A person neither she nor I had expected at all.
Red eyes, like cherry pudding, were exposed through the thick dust.
âYour Grace? Anyone there?â
As if still sleepy, Regen rubbed his eyes and looked around, looking for me.
His frizzy silver hair stretched out in all directions, and his pajamas, which fit his body perfectly, were revealing his wrists and ankles, as if strangely reduced in size.
Besides, Regen was barefooted. He only called me as if he had just woken up from bed.
âEh, Lord?!â
I called Aedis, but why did Regen come?
I wondered if I had seen wrongly, but even when I closed and opened my eyes, the eight-year-old child remained the same.
Shaulaâs gaze was also fixed on Regen.
But I was worried since Regen had a sleepy look on his face and wondered if he had really woken up.
âLord, how did you get here? No, when did you wake up?â
âI was just sleeping, and I heard Your Graceâs voiceâ¦â¦â
ââ¦â¦You heard my voice in the room?â
What does that mean?
As I narrowed my eyes a little, Shaula tapped me. Hey, it hurts.
âYour Grace, canât you feel anything about the Lord?â
âI lost the effects.â
Regen wiped his dazzled eyes, as if he was embarrassed.
âWas I wrongâ¦? I came here because I heard Your Graceâs voice.â
âNo way? Come here, Lord.â
When I raised my lips to make a smile, Rezen felt a little relieved and clung to my side.
â¦â¦He seems to have grown a bit taller?
Something was terribly strange.
Changes have occurred in his body as well.
The fact that he heard my voice from a distant inward bedroom and came to the art museum.
Stroking Rehenâs hair, I asked Shaula.
âShaula, what do you feel about the Lord?â
âMagic power. Itâs also incredibly strong.â
ââ¦â¦â
âGilbert probably felt it too?â
ââ¦â¦â
âThe reason he hates me is because his skills are not equal to mine. But thereâs one more reason? In the future, it will be f*cking interesting, right?â
With a really sinister sound, Shaula whistled.