DRD4

Chapter 4

“Ugh.”

The moment the paladin dropped to his knees and grabbed her by the throat, Helios erased her magic circle with his divine power. It was as if a flood poured over a wildfire—an overwhelming force that surged back and forth in an instant. He bent down to check on his subordinate.

“Gray, are you okay?”

“Yes… huff… yes…”

“Feels like I became the villain here.”

Enya looked down on them with a cold sneer.

“They call you Radiance, huh? Not bad, though your subordinate could use some manners.”

“Manners seem more necessary for you,” Helios replied sharply. His gaze shifted from the rolling cup at his feet back to her.

“Tower Mistress, magic use is prohibited in the palace. Not only did you use magic, but you also threatened my knight.”

Helios’s expression twisted as if he’d been betrayed, and he stood up abruptly.

Betrayed? She snorted. Not at all.

“Your little subordinate was simply punished for calling my name like a friend. How could that be a crime?”

“My subordinate isn’t a mere follower, she is a knight blessed by the gods.”

“Oh, really? No matter how I look at it, she’s a subordinate. You must’ve forgotten the blessing isn’t handed out to just anyone in the temple.”

Enya’s cold retort hit at the weakened standing of the temple. Perhaps because she had extended him a certain courtesy, a strange mix of shame and anger surged through her. Helios, too, shed the careful restraint he’d shown, leaving only a cold glare.

He stepped forward toward Enya, his fierce gaze blazing as if he could devour her whole.

“I will formally punish you for using magic on a paladin.”

“Ridiculous. Why don’t you formally challenge me to a duel? Throw down a glove—I’ll accept.”

“Oh.”

Helios, eyes half-lidded, touched the edge of his glove and chuckled softly.

“What knight duels a monster? They simply kill it.”

In an instant, he reduced Enya to the status of a monster, yet unlike before, his words were now smooth, deliberate. Even though Enya was enraged to the tips of her hair, meeting those transparent green eyes, she felt her will to fight suddenly dissipate.

Not because his beautiful features calmed her anger.

But because she confronted such clear contempt, reminding her sharply of her own situation.

Ah, he is a noble paladin who abandoned the capital, vanquished the Demon King, and saved the country. Whereas I am a murderer remembered in history.

Suppressing the turbulence in her mind, Enya turned away.

“I said it before—you’re not the person I was looking for.”

Far from a destined connection, this was more like a cursed one.

It was best to end the fight here. They’d likely never meet again anyway.

Yes, she believed that.

“Why did you do that?”

From early morning, a sharp voice pierced the air toward Helios. Gray, the paladin who had attacked Enya the night before, was in the infirmary, so today’s intruder was another paladin, Mari.

Mari, a dull blonde with a brownish tint, was the next most blunt in demeanor after Helios.

She stood firmly before Helios, towering over him in his office, inspecting her lord.

The only paladin commander on the continent, Helios Depert, looked perfectly in place, leaning casually in his chair. But instead of praising his appearance, Mari spat out a sharp admonition.

“It’s none other than ‘Enya Valencia.’ She isn’t someone you can afford to show flaws to; it’s better to make her an ally.”

Helios’s green eyes slowly lifted toward Mari.

“She’s not allowed.”

“Why not?”

Mari asked firmly, adding further explanation.

“She has ties to His Highness the Crown Prince. As the Tower Mistress, she’s extraordinarily capable, and more importantly, she hasn’t contracted with any nobles over the past several years of seclusion.”

Even if the title Radiance were purely due to his looks, Helios’s normally composed face contorted slightly.

“How can you align yourself with someone who killed her master and claimed a tower?”

“Think of it as a bitter medicine.”

“No one knows how sweet the poison is, Mari.”

Mari couldn’t come up with any convincing strategy to persuade him. Considering Enya’s extraordinary achievements, she couldn’t entirely blame him for his reaction, but the situation was urgent.

Over ten years ago, Helios Depert came alone to the western wastelands. He protected the country from monsters and developed the area enough to call it his domain.

Though the development was partly to facilitate wartime logistics, his rule brought prosperity, and the people desired him to become the new lord of the west.

However, as a member of the capital, he couldn’t claim official lands or secular titles, making it impossible for him to become lord of the west.

Still, it wasn’t entirely impossible. He could give up his position as paladin commander to receive a noble title. That was why he had returned to the capital.

To obtain a noble title, one had to abandon the command of the paladins, and someone had to promise that title. The Emperor could have done it, but he only praised Helios’s accomplishments verbally, offering no tangible reward. Indifference would be the correct word.

Helios feared that gaining power could threaten the Crown Prince, yet such extreme indifference was truly disconcerting.

Mari wanted to ask what had happened with his father, but Helios hadn’t spoken about the Emperor for over ten years. Under such circumstances, a subordinate had no choice but to withhold inquiries.

Still, she had to speak.

“The Emperor is indifferent to you, high-ranking nobles are busy curbing new powers, so the only remaining option is to ally with a Tower Mistress and receive a title from her.”

For ordinary titles, perhaps that would be sufficient. But to become a Western Count, a contract with a tower was essential. And finding a tower mistress without any existing contract was nearly impossible. Everything about the situation was tight.

“If you can’t even make a good impression, how could you afford to clash with Enya Valencia?”

“She’s already promised to Tower Mistress Raus.”

Once he secured a residence in the capital, Raus had agreed to grant Helios the title. Additionally, Raus would withdraw her contract with the Crown Prince and make a new one with Helios. All agreements with the Prince were already settled, leaving little room for objection.

“Commander, may I speak frankly?”

Mari opened her mouth firmly, showing no embarrassment.

“You seem to trust Tower Mistress Raus simply because she belongs to the Crown Prince. But for that reason alone, you cannot truly trust her. Relying solely on the Crown Prince could be dangerous.”

Currently, Helios’s most reliable ally was Ogatai. The drawback: Ogatai was his only ally. If the Prince withdrew, Helios’s position would become very precarious. Mari sighed.

“You need to create another trustworthy backup.”

“Do you mean the reliable backup is Enya Valencia?”

“Exactly. Enya Valencia, though the illegitimate child of the Valencia house, is known to be at odds with her family. No other force can interfere in the contract, and having made no agreements with any other domain, the unpaid taxes and debts could serve as leverage for negotiations in our favor.”

Even after such a rational explanation, Helios remained silent. Usually receptive to his knights’ opinions, today he was stubbornly immovable. Mari swallowed a sigh.

‘It must be because of the report.’

Long before the paladin order came to the capital, Mari had compiled detailed reports on each noble family and tower mistress, including the lineage, precepts, history, and achievements. Naturally, this included the Tower Mistress of Morgenda.

Excerpts read as follows:

“During the Argos Subjugation, Enya Valencia cast the spell ‘Mental Collapse,’ leading her side to victory.
The problem lies in the process.
To cast ‘Mental Collapse’ on a wide scale, she absorbed the magical power of her master and fellow mages at the front lines, annihilating both the enemy and her own allies.
She was immediately tried afterward, and combined with testimonies of discord with her tower’s staff, was sentenced to execution.
However, Crown Prince Ogatai, who had also participated, strongly defended her, and in September of that year, she was appointed as the next Tower Mistress of Morgenda, sparing her from punishment. Since then, she has resided in the tower in seclusion.
Despite being an illegitimate child from the slums, she became the Tower Mistress of Morgenda at a young age, earning both cold reception and high praise.
As a rare mentalist, she possesses the skill to challenge a Demon King.
Highly recommended for thorough consideration.”

Mari deemed Enya a suitable ally and presented the report to Helios with care.

Yet perhaps she overdid it.

Unlike other tower mistresses or nobles, Helios, who rarely showed emotion, expressed rare contempt after reading Enya Valencia’s report.

‘A creature worse than a beast.’

Mari hadn’t anticipated this reaction. After all, Helios was of royal blood, so she had assumed he’d admire Enya’s ruthless streak.

Mari regretted her misjudgment, speaking up.

“Commander… what happened yesterday was Gray’s fault. Enya Valencia is a Tower Mistress. No matter the title’s formality, calling her name freely and pointing at her is an insult punishable by death. Your leniency was merciful.”

Enya had only choked Gray slightly, which could indeed be called mercy.

“No matter the urgency, you negotiate with people, not beasts that do not know gratitude.”

Helios dismissed Mari’s words outright.

Clearly unwilling to listen further, he rubbed the ring on his finger with his thumb and leaned back in his chair. The bright, familiar sunlight streaming through the tall arched window illuminated his chiseled jaw.

He had participated in last night’s banquet under tension, yet had managed fairly well.

Though his nature was no better than an untamed beast, his cold, knightly demeanor made him appear appropriately noble, so there was no real issue.

Still, the flattery from nobles and the tedious reports he had to read were exhausting. Seeking rest from mental fatigue, he had chosen the garden.

He had wanted solitude, yet there she was, appearing as if by chance.

Night-colored hair, long and black, yet seemingly separate from the darkness. Eyes that shimmered with all the hues of the world despite their indifferent expression, green rather than black. An impression both feline and languid struck him like a hook.

‘If you go east, there’s a maze-like garden. You should rest there if you want.’

Perhaps because she hadn’t even shown interest, he had accidentally sat next to her and even accepted a drink. Watching her chew ice with delicate movements, stealing glances at her refined jaw and eyes… perhaps he had felt a nonsensical camaraderie.

Fountains, tempests… exchanging such trivial talk had become oddly comforting. Even if he considered the meeting fleeting, there was a strange sense of longing. Returning after so long, he felt an unexpected wave of thoughts, quietly mocking himself.

‘So… you should endure properly too.’

‘…’

‘Remember the things you’ve killed and the things you’ve protected.’

Somehow, those words struck a chord within him, causing him to blurt out his insignificant name. Impulsive, a mistake—but he had no regrets.