ESMLT 34

Chapter 34

“I don’t really want to go back yet either, Ms. Ria.”

Xien spoke with sleepy eyes as he lay on the lower bunk of the bed, blinking drowsily.

I thought he’d crawled back into bed after breakfast to sleep again—but it seemed he’d heard everything.

Since we hadn’t managed to find the former Tower Master’s remains, it wasn’t like I could stop him if he wanted to stay. Still…

You said you were fine… you said you were fine! Why are you acting like this again, you damn glass-hearted mackerel!

That was when—

“I will be returning. Do not forget our original agreement.”

Jaeger, who had been quietly watching us, spoke in a sharp, killing tone.

My nerves were starting to fray.

Ah, damn it. Then settle it among yourselves—why are you dumping the decision on me?

Two of them wanted to stay. One was stubbornly insisting on returning. And the last one—

Our eyes met, and Danha smiled gently, as if to say he’d be fine with any outcome.

It really comes down to Danha in the end.

With a sigh, I continued the train of thought I hadn’t been able to finish earlier.

Should I just abandon two and take the other two with me?

But of all people, the ones I’d be leaving behind would be the Empire’s Crown Prince and the Tower Master.

Leaving one Tower Master behind would already be questionable, but two Crown Princes? Even if they claimed it was their own decision, could I really be sure no one would later hold me morally responsible?

On the other hand, choosing to stay here and risk my life with them would only strengthen the suspicion that I had some purpose—that I needed to save them.

The original Redria would’ve returned the moment permission was granted.

No—she would’ve hidden the very existence of a warp scroll.

I let out a shallow sigh.

Honestly, my purpose being revealed wasn’t the real problem.

I was just trying to survive, after all.

The real issue was the secrets that would come with it: that I’d known the zombie outbreak was going to happen… and that the culprit was my brother.

I was lost in thought when—

“You look troubled, my lady.”

The Crown Prince shrugged cheerfully. I shot him a glare.

“Thanks to you.”

“Oh dear, my fault? Don’t worry about me—just leave already.”

My head hurt so badly I almost fell for it.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes. Even if I die, I suppose that’s just fate. What can you do?”

“……”

“Then I should say my goodbyes in advance.”

He walked around the table, scooped up the rabbit, and thrust it toward me.

“Goodbye, my lady.”

Holding the rabbit’s soft little paw, the Crown Prince waved it side to side.

Is he deliberately trying to get on my nerves?

“Eep…”

The rabbit, its squishy belly exposed, flushed red as if humiliated.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince pulled the rabbit back, touched its tail, and stared at it intently.

His honey-colored eyes widened.

“…Wait. You’re male? Then why have you been sleeping with the young lady all this time?”

He tucked the rabbit under his arm and returned to his seat.

Placing it beside his plate, he whispered,

“You’re sleeping with me from now on.”

“Eeeek…”

The rabbit trembled violently, staring at me with the face of someone who’d just received a murder threat from a legendary serial killer.

Why is he bullying an innocent rabbit like this?

I brushed my bangs back and glanced at the Crown Prince.

Then I looked at Xien, who had tossed out one line and gone straight back to sleep.

I did break my promise, but seeing him sleep like a child with that soft face is irritating for the first time.

Next, I glanced at Jaeger.

His gray eyes were sharp, like a hawk eyeing prey.

There was no other choice.

I had to gamble on Jaeger.

“I’ll go with the majority decision, so discuss it among yourselves.”

“Fine by me.”

The Crown Prince answered readily, lifting his glass.

“……”

“……”

The dazzlingly handsome man looked back and forth between Jaeger and me, then pulled the glass from his lips and grinned.

“You both look like you want to punch me.”

Oh, congratulations—welcome to my bucket list, you bastard.

* * *

Jaeger pulled back the curtain and looked out into the courtyard.

An axe lay discarded near a tree stump.

Behind it, Danha was wiping sweat after chopping firewood, while Redria installed security devices along the back gate fence.

Watching her, Jaeger spoke in a low, locked voice.

“What are you thinking?”

“What do you mean?”

Jaeger looked at Richard as if to say don’t play dumb.

“Eep…”

Richard, who had been laying the rabbit on the table and playing with its limbs, snorted at Jaeger’s sharp gaze.

“Don’t glare like that, Duke. I told you—I’m staying to investigate the incident.”

“Are you serious?”

“Didn’t you also suspect this wasn’t a natural disaster but someone’s doing? We won’t know whether it’s a calamity or a crime without examining the site.”

“It’s something that can be investigated after escaping. You know we should prioritize escape rather than staying in a place infested with zombies that could sink at any moment.”

Richard chuckled and draped an arm over the chair’s back. Freed, the rabbit fled to the edge of the table.

“If the holy district sinks, won’t all the evidence disappear? And how can you be sure we can come back after escaping? You know why the route to the holy district was changed to portals.”

Several years ago, monsters appeared in nearby waters, causing ships to vanish one after another.

Soon after, the Empire dismantled the harbor and established portal routes. The original westernmost coastal villages were wiped out by monsters, leaving portals as the only access.

Knowing this, Jaeger clenched his jaw, his expression darkening.

Richard laughed softly at the sight.

“Besides, we have the young lady’s warp scroll, so relax. And in the temple, the Saint you cherish so dearly is working hard. Strangely, we haven’t heard a word, though.”

Even as Jaeger’s gaze turned razor-sharp, Richard kept smiling.

“When you make that face, Duke, you look like some back-alley thug.”

Realizing he was referring to his eyebrow scar, Jaeger turned his face away, displeased.

Tilting his head, Richard studied him before speaking casually.

“When did you get that scar?”

For a moment, Jaeger’s gray eyes wavered before dropping. He rubbed the scar anxiously.

“…That’s none of your business.”

Richard’s eyes narrowed.

He’s been on edge since the forest at dawn.

Whether it was because of the woman in the temple—or because of Redria—Richard couldn’t tell yet.

Interesting thing is, he doesn’t seem to know the reason himself.

Richard grinned, his golden eyes curving as he rubbed his chin. His interest in the scar seemed to fade.

“So. I’ve explained why I’m staying in the western district… what about you, Duke?”

Jaeger, his expression returning to neutral, looked at the Crown Prince as if confused.

“What is your relationship with the young lady?”

“We have none.”

Richard sneered, tapping the wooden table with his fingertips.

“That’s hard to believe. You’re unusually hostile toward her—seems like you’ve known her for a long time.”

Jaeger stayed silent. Richard raised an eyebrow.

And that scar seems connected to it too.

After all, he touched it every time Redria was mentioned.

“Don’t be so stingy. Tell me a little. As you know, I’ve spent most of my life on the battlefield and I’m not exactly well-versed in petty imperial gossip.”

“……”

“Invoking your right to remain silent? Then at least tell me this—what happened in the forest at dawn that made you so desperate to kill the young lady, and now so anxious?”

“I already told you. Nothing happened.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

As if.

Richard’s golden eyes gleamed as he smiled slyly.

“Yeah, sure.”

Creeeak.

The sound of the bed frame shifting echoed.

Xien rose from the bed, tying back his messy hair as he walked toward them.

“Poor Ms. Ria. She picked up a pack of jackals thinking they were obedient dogs.”

With a lazy sigh, Xien perched himself on the sofa’s armrest.

He sat diagonally between Richard at the head of the table and Jaeger by the window.

Richard tilted his head toward him.

“Weren’t you sleeping?”

“How could I sleep with dogs barking this loud?”

“That’s an insult to the imperial family if I’ve ever heard one.”

“Then why don’t you die of shame?”

“You magical little punk—have you decided to throw your sanity away and live recklessly? You really need a filter on that mouth.”

As the two snapped at each other like barking dogs, Jaeger frowned, recalling breakfast.

Don’t tell me…