After Ersi had already left, the knights discovered the remnants sprawled behind the stage.
Included among them were slaves and drugs that were set to be auctioned off today—every single one tied to criminal activity.
But when the knights arrived, the remnants had already been tied up as if someone had beaten them to it.
And the scene was a complete mess, as if a storm had passed through.
“Hey, look at this.”
“Shit…”
The knights, wondering who could have done this, soon fell silent upon seeing the massive hole in the wall.
A hole so large that it seemed as if a giant had passed through.
The moment they saw it, they pushed aside their confusion and hurriedly ran to report to Gelrod.
They were in an uproar, insisting that some third party must have intervened and that the person responsible was definitely not ordinary, so they needed to issue a warrant immediately.
But when he heard their report, Gelrod simply laughed heartily.
“Hahaha!
Well now, what a remarkable person!”
And with that, he just dismissed the whole thing.
The knights, who had never heard of Ersi, were bewildered but obeyed his orders nonetheless.
Right now, my most beloved character is in my arms.
Not resisting at all, like a beautifully crafted doll.
‘She’s really beautiful.’
Even though she hadn’t been able to wash for days and looked a complete mess, her natural beauty remained untouched.
In a few years, she would grow into such a stunning beauty that people would turn their heads just to get another look.
In fact, she did. Maybe she would even surpass her illustration.
But that’s a concern for the distant future.
“Haa-
This is life.”
As I said before, my favorite character is in my arms right now.
Who in their lifetime would ever experience a dreamlike situation like this?
The faint warmth I could feel through her clothes, the soft skin unique to children.
The fact that I could physically feel this dream-come-true moment overwhelmed me with emotion.
“…This is disgusting.”
Ah, even the way she looks at me with contempt is so beautiful.
It stung a little, but more than that, my heart pounded.
I might just develop some strange preferences at this rate.
“Let me go, you pervert.”
“No way. What if you hurt your feet?”
It’s not like I’m forcing her into my arms just because I want to.
She wasn’t even wearing socks, let alone shoes.
If she walked around barefoot, she’d get hurt.
That’s the only reason I’m holding her.
Absolutely. It’s not because of my personal desires.
“What do you plan to do with me?”
“What do you mean?
Don’t you trust the person who saved you?”
“I don’t.”
Not can’t trust, but won’t trust.
She’s rejecting the idea entirely.
“I’m not a bad person, you know?
We’re going to a good place, so you don’t need to be so tense.”
“…Yeah, you’re definitely a pervert.”
What the hell did she interpret from my words to make her look even more disgusted?
This is weird.
I clearly saved her, so why is my favorability rating hitting rock bottom?
Oh, whatever.
Not like I’m letting her go anyway.
She can misunderstand all she wants.
Besides, we’re almost home.
“Alright, we’re here.
This is where we’ll be living together from now on.”
A large mansion with a sprawling garden—even I, the owner, had to admit its size.
Just then, some of the servants who were out trimming the grass looked up.
“Ah.
Welcome home, Master—who is that child?”
The servant trailed off, looking puzzled.
Well, I did leave empty-handed and return carrying a child, so it was only natural they’d be curious.
The others were also murmuring amongst themselves, speculating about our little protagonist.
“It’s nothing.
Just keep doing what you were doing.”
Explaining everything was a hassle, and they’d find out eventually anyway.
Besides, I had someone else I’d need to explain things to.
As I stepped inside the mansion, my butler was already waiting for me.
“Welcome home, Master.
I trust everything went well?”
Despite being over sixty, he was still in excellent shape.
His sharp gaze, honed from his years as the former head of the knight order, made him all the more formidable.
His personality was just as sharp—unyielding and disciplined.
That’s why I could trust him more than anyone.
“Yeah.
Nothing happened while I was gone, right, Ord?”
“Indeed.
There were no incidents at the mansion… but it seems there was for you, Master.”
Straightening his back, Ord shifted his gaze toward the girl in my arms.
Even though he meant no harm, his naturally intimidating eyes made her tremble slightly.
Well, it made sense. From my perspective, he was practically the final boss. Even I found him terrifying.
‘I need to be careful with what I say. If anything sounds suspicious, he’ll interrogate me all night.’
To deceive this natural-born nagger, I needed to craft a lie so good it was practically my soul’s masterpiece.
If I failed, my eardrums might not survive the night.
After setting the girl down, I finally spoke the words I had carefully prepared.
“She’s my distant relative’s daughter.
Her name is Serena.
Her parents died in an accident, so I decided to take her in.”
Sorry.
I just killed off your parents without even knowing if they were still alive.
So could you please stop looking at me like, what the hell is this guy talking about?
If I had known this would happen, I would have rehearsed this with her first.
Oh, and by the way, I came up with the name Serena myself.
I wanted to give her a beautiful name, and that one seemed to suit her perfectly.
“…I see.
However, I was under the impression that the Master had no such relatives.”
“Well, yeah, I didn’t know either until a few days ago.
I was just as shocked when I heard about it.
But she’s my little sister now, so I’ll take good care of her.”
Suspicion flickered in his eyes, but I had to act as naturally as possible.
Ord wouldn’t outright refuse since I had already taken responsibility, but I didn’t want to suffer through an endless lecture later.
“You said you were just going out for a bit…”
Thankfully, my persuasion seemed to have worked.
The way he let out a small sigh and shook his head slightly—it was a habit of his whenever he had nothing more to say.
What a relief.
Right?
Feeling reassured, I turned to look at Serena, but she was too busy clinging to my leg, glancing around warily, still unfamiliar with the mansion’s environment.
“Ord, can you take Serena to an empty room?
Make sure it’s the biggest and best one available.”
You know, like the one my mother and father used to stay in.
“Understood.
Miss Serena, would you please follow me?”
Ord knelt on one knee and extended his hand with a warm smile.
The imposing aura of a hardened warrior from earlier had vanished, replaced by the kind expression of a gentle grandfather.
Well, he always did have a soft spot for children.
Serena hesitated for a moment, glancing between me and Ord before finally reaching out and carefully taking his hand.
Alright, time for me to get back to work.
“But, Master?”
“Hm?
What?”
“You didn’t consult me about this matter at all, so later, I expect you to listen to my grievances.”
…Damn it.
I’m screwed.
“The room Miss Serena will be using needs some cleaning, so for today, please stay here.
I apologize if it’s not to your liking.”
Despite his words, the room Ord led her to was actually quite nice.
Not a single crack or sign of wear, complete with a bed and a desk.
It might not have been extravagant enough for a noble’s mansion, but compared to the cage she had been locked in, it was an unimaginable luxury.
Still, Serena hesitated at the doorway, as if she couldn’t fully grasp the reality of her situation.
‘…She must have been through a lot.’
Ord had already figured out that Serena wasn’t actually Ersi’s distant relative.
Whenever she spoke, she would subtly avert her eyes—that was one of her tells.
She might have thought she had fooled him, but having watched over Ersi since childhood, there was no way she could deceive his trained eyes.
Even so, Ord didn’t press the issue.
If his master, Ersi, had made this decision, there must have been a reason for it.
His duty was simply to follow.
‘She must have lived a harsh life.
Even at such a young age.’
Her tangled hair, her soot-stained clothes that looked like they had been dragged through the dirt countless times—just from that, he could roughly imagine what her past had been like.
So, with the gentlest smile he could muster, Ord placed a reassuring hand on her small shoulder.
“It’s alright.
You belong here, Miss Serena.”
His kind words eased her trembling, if only slightly.
Thanks to that, Serena finally stepped into the room and walked over to the bed before perching on the edge.
The soft mattress beneath her was unlike anything she had ever felt before.
A strange urge to lie down and sink into its comfort washed over her.
“Then, I shall take my leave.
I will return once the bath is prepared, so until then, please rest.”
Seeing that she had relaxed a little, Ord gave a polite bow before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.
Left alone, Serena sat there blankly for a moment before finally lying down on the bed.
Soft.
Even without warmth, it was so comfortable that she could fall asleep right then and there.
Just like the arms that had held her earlier.
“…She’s strange.”
Why was that woman being so nice to someone she had only met today?
There had to be some hidden agenda.
She had seen it so many times before—people who smiled sweetly, only to eventually reveal their true nature.
“Does she think I’ll fall for it…?
No way. I won’t be fooled.”
The hand that reached out to her, the warm smile—none of it was enough to break the deep distrust she held toward the world and its people.
So Serena made a firm decision.
She would escape from this mansion the first chance she got.
…But until then, she might as well enjoy the comfort.
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