I waited for the second-line heroine.
Though I’d never even seen her before, she abruptly asked to meet and, in the process, massacred people from her subordinate’s business.
Regardless, I waited.
Soon, upon receiving a support request, she would arrive with her army.
How delightful… or not.
How did things get this tangled up?
Evelyn had merely planned to use Serena as bait.
With the reputation of the Duke of Rose’s family name, even the successor of Lusevian would surely take an interest.
But Evelyn ended up slaughtering the people working under Serena instead.
“Ah,” I held my forehead.
Seeing this, Evelyn asked, “Why are you like this? If you’re tired, feel free to lean on me for a moment.”
“I’m… fine.”
“Really? Pity… Well, that’s that.”
Evelyn, Lumia, Kalian, and I had come to a café near the office.
Originally, we were supposed to wait for Serena in the office, but it was too filthy with blood and excrement to stay there.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I had a light meal earlier where Lumia was working.”
“Then I, too, shall settle for a light coffee.”
She casually ordered from the server.
The rest of us, pale and heads down, were far from being in a state to eat or drink anything.
To be fair, Evelyn wasn’t entirely at fault.
In this world, a knight has the right to take a life when their honor is insulted, and she had merely exercised that right.
In fact, Evelyn’s methods were considered clean compared to the many who toy with human lives in this world.
Clack, clack.
Soon after, over a hundred soldiers appeared on horseback.
These weren’t random rabble but properly trained knights.
The commander at the front halted everyone with a light gesture, and some dismounted to check the now-corpse-laden office.
After receiving their reports, the commander briefly surveyed the surroundings and locked eyes with us.
“They’re coming.”
The café patrons seemed clueless as to why soldiers had gathered outside, but we knew all too well.
Kalian and Lumia turned pale and lowered their heads.
“Keep your heads up. Did you commit a crime or something?”
“Didn’t we?”
“Maybe, but that’s exactly why you should act more brazenly. Being shameless can be advantageous in situations like this.”
I told Kalian, but he only buried his face into the table, avoiding their gaze.
Jingle.
The commander outside entered the café with his soldiers.
His stern expression made it clear he was ready to fight, one hand already resting on his sword, ready to draw at any moment.
The patrons, sensing the tension, parted like the Red Sea to make way for them.
“I received a report of a raid by merchants. Were you the ones responsible?”
The commander directed his question to me.
Why me, of all people?
With Kalian and Lumia collapsed on the table and Evelyn leisurely sipping her coffee as if nothing had happened, I was the only one left to answer.
“And who might you be?” I asked.
“We are soldiers of the Lusevian family. Were you the ones who did this to the merchants?”
“Well, about that…”
Honestly, this was convenient.
I had a plausible excuse ready to smooth over the situation.
But before I could even open my mouth, Evelyn nodded and spoke.
“Yes, we did it.”
“It seems you have no intention of hiding it.”
“We merely cleaned up the trash. Why should we feel ashamed?”
“How dare you…!”
The commander moved to draw his sword, but the moment his eyes met Evelyn’s, he instinctively froze.
Amid the armed soldiers, Evelyn remained as calm as if she were enjoying a gentle breeze in a garden.
“Are you prepared for the consequences? If you draw that sword, all of you will die here today.”
“How insolent…!”
“Ignorance is not a sin, but it doesn’t guarantee your survival either. The first thing you should have done was ask who we are.”
The commander’s gaze faltered.
He didn’t know Evelyn’s identity yet, but he could tell from the conversation that she wasn’t an ordinary person.
Among the soldiers, a peculiar laugh broke out.
“Nyahaha, she speaks absolute truth, nya.”
The playful voice, strange laughter, and even stranger speech pattern caught everyone’s attention.
A woman in a robe stepped forward from the group of soldiers, smiling broadly enough to reveal her teeth.
“The first step in any transaction is asking who your counterpart is. It’s an honor to meet you, Evelyn of the Rose family, nya.”
“When introducing yourself, you should show your face.”
“Of course, nya.”
She removed her robe, revealing platinum-blonde hair that shimmered brightly, topped with pointed cat ears.
Her curious green eyes examined both Evelyn and me.
Serena Lusevian.
The second heroine and a remarkable merchant, she belonged to the beastkin—a race with mixed animal and human blood but largely resembling humans.
Her tail poked out from under her robe.
“Allow me to introduce myself formally, nya. I’m Serena, a member of the Lusevian family and a merchant, nya. If you need anything, feel free to ask, nya.”
She extended a hand to Evelyn.
“I’ve heard much about the Lusevian family.”
“Oh? What an honor, nya. For the heir of the Rose family to recognize us.”
“I’ve heard you’re money-obsessed merchants who lack honor and authority, thinking money solves everything.”
Wait a second.
Things were going well; why ruin it now?
Is she still angry?
Please, try to hold it in.
Fighting at the first meeting will only complicate things further—even if the situation is already a disaster.
“Nyahaha.”
Serena brushed it off with the lighthearted laugh characteristic of merchants.
“That’s precisely correct, nya. I’m a merchant who loves money and stakes my life on it. To us, that’s practically a compliment, nya.”
“You’re quite an easygoing person.”
“Nyaha. That aside… I’d like to discuss that matter, nya.”
Serena pointed toward the ruined office.
Here it comes.
“They were diligent workers earning me money, but Evelyn destroyed them all, nya. I’d like an explanation about how you intend to compensate for that, nya.”
“Compensation? There will be none. In fact, you should be bowing to us.”
“And why is that, nya?”
“Your poorly managed subordinates insulted us and wasted our time. Cleaning up the trash should warrant your gratitude, wouldn’t you say?”
“Nyahaha. I cannot accept that reasoning, nya.”
Serena shook her head and pulled out a contract from her pocket.
“They were working under legitimate rights, nya. Not even Evelyn can ignore that, nya.”
“And what if I do?”
“Then I’ll ensure you pay for it, nya. That’s our specialty. Should I assume Evelyn is the mastermind, nya?”
Though the atmosphere seemed calm, the content of their conversation was growing increasingly tense.
I didn’t want the two families to start a fight, so I decided it was time to intervene.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
As I stood up abruptly, Serena turned her gaze toward me.
“She’s not the one who orchestrated this.”
“Then who is it, nya?”
“It’s the Empire’s most handsome man, the strongest warrior, the future savior of the world, and the top student of the Academy… Kalian Bright, right here.”
“Kalian?”
I pointed to Kalian, who was still slumped over on the table.
At that, Kalian’s body twitched visibly.
“Nyah… I see… Kalian Bright. So, it wasn’t the Rose family, nya. That makes this discussion much easier, nya.”
“You little—are you mocking the family of my dear friend, Kalian?”
“Compared to the Rose family? Absolutely, nya.”
Serena’s tail swayed playfully as she lingered near the still-slumped Kalian, like a cat finding an amusing toy.
“Get up, nya.”
“I know everything, nya. This debt will be thoroughly extracted from the Bright family. If they lack money, we’ll take items, and if not items, then their lives and breath.”
Overwhelmed by guilt for his mistakes and the terror of a woman standing so close, Kalian pretended to sleep, clutching onto that act for dear life.
I tapped his shoulder lightly.
“Kalian, get up.”
“You’re fine. Just lift your head, and everything will be sorted out.”
If Kalian were an ordinary person, Serena would have squeezed him dry with interest added.
Though Serena appeared whimsical, she had an exceptionally calculating mind as a merchant.
But… things would be different with Kalian.
The reason I calmly awaited Serena even after creating this colossal mess wasn’t that I was an irrational fool.
“Ahem… Ah, well-rested. What’s going on, Wade?”
Feigning awkwardness, Kalian raised his head.
Even after keeping his face buried in the table, his godlike appearance was unhidden.
His flawless skin and jewel-like eyes came into full view.
“Hunya?!”
Serena leapt backward, landing atop the shoulder of the commander behind her.
Her eyes trembled violently, and her tail wagged nonstop.
Hooked.
This was why I’d handed over all the responsibility to Kalian in the first place.
The reason I pinned the blame on him in front of this heroine I needed to befriend.
Serena… was a hopeless superficialist.
For someone who approached everything with cold calculation, beautiful or handsome people were the only ones who could unravel her composure.
And now, witnessing the most breathtaking face in the entire world, it was no wonder.
Even in the original story, she fell for Kalian at first sight before exchanging a single word.
Feigning innocence, I asked,
“Why the reaction, Miss Serena?”
“Nyah… What is that person, nya?!”
“Ah, as I just mentioned, he’s ‘my dearest friend’ and the top student of this year’s Arcana Academy, Kalian Bright. Since you’re also enrolling this year, you must’ve at least heard of him.”
“Nyah… Top student Kalian… I did hear the name, nya. Rumors said he was handsome, but I didn’t expect this….”
“Hmm? Shouldn’t you finish your sentence?”
As I pressed her, Serena turned red, squirming before finally surrendering.
“I-I didn’t know he was such a heartthrob, nya…”
“Sorry, what was that? I didn’t quite catch it.”
“He’s handsome, nya! The world’s most handsome man, nya!”
At her outburst, Evelyn and Kalian exchanged complex looks, while the Lusevian soldiers pretended they’d heard nothing, averting their gazes.
Serena descended from the commander’s shoulder and cautiously approached Kalian.
With cat-like movements, she slowly, very slowly, reached out with her curled hand, aiming to touch Kalian’s face.
That’s when I grabbed her wrist.
“Hold on.”
“Nyah?!”
Her heart was already in Kalian’s—or rather, my—hands.
Now was the perfect opportunity to take full advantage of it.
“Listen, cat. Are you seriously planning to touch my friend without permission? And for free, no less?”
I scolded her with a smug expression.