Chapter 15
The hero, Heros Akion, pressed his interlaced hands to his lips and lowered his gaze.
The end of his gaze reached a box the size of a fist placed on the table.
Heros slowly blinked and listened to the words being spoken.
“We were attacked as soon as we entered the mountain path. It seems they lay in ambush and waited for an opportunity.”
It was the words of his aide, Polin. Polin let out a sigh and lifted his monocle with his palm.
“It must have been those who knew that the Akion Grand Duke’s sacred relic was being transported through the Golden Chalice Guild. For now, since they’re all alive, we’ll appropriately torture them and find out the mastermind.”
Only then did Heros withdraw his gaze from the box and look at Edhert, the guild master sitting diagonally across from him.
Edhert, who had been trembling in utter fear, lifted his teacup and inadvertently met Heros’s eyes, and the moment he saw those chilling pupils, he immediately realized who the eyes of the rogue princess resembled. Like father, like daughter…….
“Guild Master.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“Who knew that the sacred relic was being transported?”
“No one besides me and the vice guild master. As you can see, we disguised it as an ordinary item.”
“Then how did the enemies set up an ambush?”
This wasn’t a question asked out of genuine curiosity. Edhert pulled his chin back like a turtle.
“I’ll go back and interrogate the vice guild master.”
“No. He’s already been brought here, so that’s enough. I’ll handle his interrogation myself.”
Heros, having undone his interlaced hands, tapped the table with his fingertips—tap, tap—letting out a short hum.
“However, the fact that this incident has drawn my attention is something I can’t overlook.”
Edhert was a middle-aged man with no power at all, but that didn’t mean he was slow-witted.
Since an accident had occurred while transporting the Grand Duke’s sacred relic, it was an unchangeable fact that the guild had failed to properly carry out its duties, no matter how intact the item was. Thus, he answered without even breathing.
“I’ll return the entire down payment. And I’ll pay a premium to find a new mercenary group. After that, please judge whether our condition is good or bad.”
“Not bad.”
Only then did Heros stop tapping the table.
Aide Polin shook his head, thinking that if he had lost his temper like that, he would have smashed the table again.
“By the way, is Lady Daphne alright?”
Edhert asked.
“If it weren’t for Lady Daphne, we would all have been dead for sure. The relic would have been taken too. I offer my thanks once more.”
Heros looked at Polin, and Polin quickly asked.
“I was just about to ask, Guild Master. What do you mean that Lady Daphne helped? Could you please explain in detail?”
Edhert, greatly relieved by the change in topic, rubbed his hands together.
“It’s exactly as I said. Just when we thought we were completely done for, Lady Daphne suddenly appeared and knocked the bandits away with a wooden sword!”
“A wooden sword?”
“Yes.”
Polin’s brows furrowed, and Heros’s eyebrows also knitted together. Heros asked.
“Have you ever taught Daphne swordsmanship separately?”
“No.”
“Then how did she deal with the bandits?”
“I don’t know.”
“Moreover, why was Daphne on the mountain path?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you know, then?”
“I’ll look into it and let you know.”
Edhert was accustomed to listening to the two’s strange banter, and taking advantage of the ensuing silence, he spoke again.
“After that, Lady Daphne collapsed immediately…… I’ve heard that her body is weak, and I’m worried that it might have worsened because of us.”
Heros recalled Daphne’s face as she was carried on the back of the elf doctor.
Her completely bloodless, snow-white face was filled with the shadow of death. There were bloodstains from her lips to her chin and chest, allowing him to predict that Daphne had vomited blood again.
So Heros became curious.
How could a child who might die just by sitting still have learned the sword, slipped out of the mansion, and gone to the mountain—and why had she saved these people?
Heros rose to his feet.
“The aide will interrogate the captured ones, and the guild master can rest and then return. I’ll delegate the rest based on the situation.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Where are you going, Your Excellency?”
Heros, picking up the box containing the relic, replied curtly.
“To find out.”
***
She had a dream.
It was a dream from the time when she had lived as a great dragon before entering this lowly human body.
A village was burning, and she discovered it too late. So she flew to a nearby lakeside, scooped up a full load of water, and tried to put out the fire. But the flames were too fierce and wouldn’t go out easily.
She shouted. Come out of the houses right now. If you just come out, I can protect you with magic and somehow keep your lives intact. Otherwise, you’ll burn to death.
She bellowed at the top of her lungs, but the humans living in the village didn’t come out.
Because she was a far greater disaster than the fire that devoured houses, choked breaths, and ultimately claimed lives.
In the end, she couldn’t save anyone.
When the embers had faded after time passed, she entered the houses to look.
The black ashes that resembled people were all huddled in the spots farthest from the front doors.
Why were they like this? If they had just come out, they wouldn’t have burned to death. They could have lived.
After mumbling like that for a long while, she finally admitted it.
That she was a disaster, and thus could save nothing.
But,
-If it weren’t for Lady Daphne, we all would have been dead for sure!
-Thank you so much! We will never forget this favor!
-Thank you!
Was hearing words of thanks the dream, or was watching the burning village the dream?
Either way,
It was the first time.
‘The chain of cause and effect has been severed.’
Daphne, waking from the dream, clutched her still-throbbing head and furrowed her brow.
‘So pointlessly like this……’
When she had been a dragon, how many enemies had she faced just for the reason of being a disaster?
Now that she no longer had to let such trivial enemies steal her attention, it was fortunate in one way.
‘But I’m curious why it turned out like this.’
She could look into that later.
With that thought, Daphne lowered her hand and looked around. Since she’d collapsed again, she planned to call Teti and make him bang his head.
But an unexpected person entered Daphne’s eyes.
“Damn it. My mood’s ruined.”
It was because Heros Akion was sitting on the sofa right there.
To open her eyes and see the hero’s face first thing.
Even in the worst of rags, there couldn’t be a situation as ragged as this.
“What business brings you to my room? If it’s nothing important, get out. I don’t want to exchange words with you.”
Heros, keeping his gaze fixed on the open book, said.
“I’ve been curious for a while, but why did your speech suddenly become like that?”
Daphne felt flustered for the first time in a long while.
As for why her speech was like this, she could only say it was her original way of speaking, but since this body hadn’t used her original speech, she couldn’t answer straightforwardly.
Rolling her eyes, Daphne soon glanced at the book Heros was holding and replied nonchalantly.
“I read the book wrong.”
“You must have been deeply immersed in it.”
Heros inserted a bookmark and set the book down.
“I have no intention of talking long with you either. Answer two questions, and I’ll leave.”
Daphne narrowed her eyes and stared at Heros.
“It’s truly strange. Your daughter was on the verge of death from illness and has just opened her eyes, yet not a single word asking if she’s okay.”
“Were we ever that close a family?”
Heros smirked and continued.
“Didn’t you once say you wouldn’t acknowledge me as your father? So I’m treating you not as my daughter but as a proper individual. If you don’t like that, you can become my daughter again.”
Recalling the abusive words Daphne had spat at him, he lifted the corner of his mouth in a grin and leaned his face toward Daphne.
“Daughter?”
“No.”
“Alright.”
Heros shrugged and pointed to the opposite sofa.
Daphne made a suspicious face but soon walked over with short steps and sat on the sofa.
“What are you curious about?”
“First.”
Heros pointed to the box on the desk.
“Did you know that the merchants were transporting the family’s sacred relic?”
“What is a sacred relic? And don’t hog the tea, hero—give me some too. I’m thirsty.”
Daphne slapped Heros’s hand—smack!—and snatched the teacup. Heros, momentarily stunned by Daphne’s unexpected action, quickly regained his composure.
“A sacred relic is a gift from the dragon passed down through generations in each family. If you want to see it, I’ll show you.”
“So I protected something as ragged as that. My mood’s turned ragged, so you don’t have to show me.”
“That’s why I want to show it even more.”
“I said I don’t want to see it.”
At Daphne’s dismay, Heros let out another chuckle.
“Second. Why did you save the merchants?”
“Because they were getting attacked by bad guys, so I saved them.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah. Just like that.”
“The word ‘just’ needs more explanation.”
“Why do I have to explain?”
“Because if you don’t, the Grand Duke’s investigators will bother you.”
“I’m at a disadvantage, huh.”
The hero bastard must fight with his mouth too. Look at how he doesn’t yield even a single word.
Daphne rolled her eyes again.
She hadn’t lied. It was literally ‘just’—her body had moved on its own. So she decided to speak honestly.
“Though you won’t believe it, it’s exactly that—just. When the weak are being attacked, isn’t it the duty of the strong to save them? That’s why I stepped in.”
“Hah?”
Heros was bewildered.
Until just a while ago, Daphne had fired a maid for stepping on her shadow and snatched a knife from the head chef for the food being cold.
For such a ruthless and cruel child to have saved the merchants ‘just’ like that?
Had she truly changed after dying and coming back to life?
Heros observed Daphne’s body, but even as a swordmaster, he couldn’t detect anything unusual about her.
“If you’re done saying what you have to say, get out. Now I need to rest.”
Hm. Seeing her still curse like this, maybe she hasn’t changed after all. Thinking ‘that’s more like it,’ Heros raised his eyes again.
“If you’re plotting something, it’s best to stop. I’m sick of your misdeeds too.”
“Thanks for the great advice.”
It felt somehow unfamiliar that it wasn’t unfolding into the old pattern of her crying and throwing tantrums, demanding he take responsibility for her life.
Heros unconsciously touched the scar on his face, then shook his head and held out the box he had set aside to Daphne.
“It’s the Lantern of the White Lion.”
The sacred relic passed down to successive Grand Dukes.
It’s a lantern that emits an enigmatic light, as if mixed with silver and gold. Inside it is filled with pure white powder that doesn’t disappear no matter how much it’s burned.
Heros lightly snapped his fingers to light the lantern.
“If you light it and sleep with it on, it’ll help with stamina recovery. Even if you don’t want to see it, it’s good to look at it.”
Leaving behind the strangely pure white light from the flame, he rose and walked toward the door.
“Since what I’m giving you is something you saved, I don’t need to say ‘good job.’ No need to see me out. Rest.”
Unknowingly, Daphne stared at Heros’s back.
What.
Is that saying it’s a gift for me?
But to say it in such a rude way?
‘What the……’
Daphne opened her mouth to speak again, but Heros had already left the room long ago.
So Daphne could only helplessly gaze at the flickering white light of the lantern without saying or doing anything.
For some reason, each of Heros’s words stuck in her throat like fish bones, making her chest feel tight.
Humans were truly hard to understand.
***
Not even two days after that, rumors spread through the capital.
It was about ‘that’ Daphne Akion, the problem child of the Akion Grand Duke family and the one they wanted to disown!
“S-So, you’re saying that rogue lady didn’t beat people but saved them?”
“From a band of thieves, no less?”
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By Anna
