Caine couldn’t really be called a good person; he considered himself to be rather cold.
He certainly maintained basic manners, but if he were required to give anything more than that, he would choose to keep his distance. Even if someone shouted for help on the street, he would act as though he hadn’t heard them and let other passersby step in. If he were truly the only one around, he would provide only the bare minimum of assistance before immediately withdrawing the moment someone else arrived on the scene.
So, why would such a selfish man like Caine rush over the moment he heard someone’s scream?
Caine really wanted to say that he didn’t know, or use some cool phrase like ‘my body just moved on its own,’ but he knew exactly why he had acted.
The answer was simply that he now possessed the power to save others. It was that simple. If it were something like lending money, he would be unable to help. But if it were a matter of being attacked by monsters, the current Caine could easily repel them, so it was only natural to lend a hand.
This couldn’t really be called kindness; it was more like self-satisfaction. Caine didn’t want to be burdened by the weight of a guilty conscience later upon learning that something had happened to the victims.
…However, as it turned out, it wouldn’t have mattered even if Caine hadn’t been so proactive.
Before he could arrive at the source of the sound, he witnessed a beam of light fall from the sky, striking the black werewolf that was attempting to attack a young girl. The werewolf, standing about 3 meters tall, didn’t seem to expect such a powerful magical attack. It was obliterated without even realizing what had happened.
All that remained in its place was a large number of magic stones. No corpse was left behind to prove it was a special variant, though that wasn’t particularly important.
What mattered was that the young girl, whose legs had given out as she wept, was saved. Nearby, an injured boy saw this and fainted in relief.
As luck would have it, this pair was the same young noble master and the noble girl who had tried to drive Caine’s group away earlier so they could enjoy the lake view in private. Looking at the attendants lying scattered around, their lives uncertain, it appeared they had been ambushed by the werewolf.
If someone hadn’t used powerful magic to eliminate the mutated werewolf, the girl—who was the only one appearing unharmed—would have become the next victim.
The person who had defeated the monster before Caine could get there was positioned behind the creature, in a different direction from Caine. Although her attack on the werewolf was technically a surprise attack, given her level of mana, it probably would have only cost her a bit more effort even if the monster had noticed her. After all, someone capable of that kind of magic would surely have other spells specifically designed for agile monsters.
The newcomer was a pink-haired girl wearing a white robe. Immediately after eliminating the monster, she ran over to treat the young master who was closest to her, all while comforting the noble girl whose legs were still trembling from fear.
“Please do not worry. It is over.”
The girl, who appeared to be associated with the Church, had a voice that was incredibly soft and full of compassion, giving off an impression of gentleness underpinned by strength. Hearing those words, the noble girl didn’t simply faint in relief. Instead, she moved her shaking legs to quickly approach the young master and their savior.
“Master Todd… Master Todd was injured trying to protect me! Please, you must save him!” she cried out anxiously.
“Please rest easy. This boy… no, this young gentleman’s injuries are not fatal. The treatment will be finished soon.”
The healer’s ability to remain composed in the face of such panic made her look much more mature, even though she appeared to be around the same age as Edwina and Vanessa. Anyone, no matter how terrified, would likely feel soothed when met with such an attitude and a gentle smile.
Upon hearing that the young master was safe, the noble girl knelt down beside them, finally at peace.
From their conversation, it seemed that the arrogant young master hadn’t run away in the moment of crisis but had instead protected the girl he was with. His previous behavior had been obnoxious, but he had proven himself to be a man when it counted.
Since Caine had already arrived, it wouldn’t be right for him to just stand there, so he began checking the injuries of the surrounding guards. Corellia and Edwina arrived shortly after and began looking after the female attendants.
Fortunately, because help had arrived in time, no one had died. To put it another way, if no one had come, at least seven people would have died even if the werewolf had suddenly abandoned its attack on the girl.
Looking at the severe wounds, the melancholy on Edwina’s face was much more pronounced than usual. However, Corellia remained as calm as ever, silently casting healing magic on the female attendants.
While everyone besides the girl from the Church was an amateur when it came to healing magic, Caine, Corellia, and Edwina were still able to use low-level spells to alleviate the wounds and pain. They could leave the rest of the treatment to the mysterious girl.
In the end, it was a close call. From the accounts of the attendants who remained conscious, Caine and the others managed to piece together what had happened. It was just as Caine had guessed: they had been ambushed. Precisely because they were completely off guard, they had been defeated quite miserably.
After soothing the injured once more, Caine’s group began a formal conversation with the mysterious girl.
Facing someone he was meeting for the first time, Caine wore a polite smile that carried a hint of respect. It was the level of deference the girl deserved, and Caine had no intention of being rude.
However, the moment the white-robed girl spoke, Caine’s smile turned subtle.
“Whew, I’m glad we caught up. But Your Majesty, why do you look like this? Are you using a magical tool to change your appearance?”
The girl spoke with a very friendly smile, uttering words that felt somewhat nostalgic to Caine.
Almost instinctively, Caine looked at the white-haired, twin-tailed, masked girl beside him out of the corner of his eye. But Corellia showed absolutely no reaction, acting as if the girl’s words had nothing to do with her.
In reality, they didn’t. After all, she was currently just a woman traveling with Caine. What “Your Majesty”? How could a Queen possibly wear such flashy clothes and tie her hair in such youthful twin tails?
“Um, I think you might have misunderstood something. I am not Her Majesty.”
Seeing as the person most qualified to respond remained silent, Caine had to bite the bullet and continue the conversation with a strained smile.
“Oh, is that so? Ah, I see. My apologies. It seems I have been quite rude.”
Unfortunately, hearing Caine say this, the girl merely gave an ambiguous ‘say no more, I understand’ kind of smile. She nodded and apologized to Caine, but it was obvious she still thought Caine was Corellia.