Chapter 85

“…….”

“…….”

For about five seconds, both the goateed man and I stood in silence, staring each other down.

He wasn’t even of royal blood—how dare he look the Grand Duchess straight in the eye? I was just about ready to stab him when he finally opened his mouth.

“It’s an honor to meet the renowned Grand Duchess Karnian. I am Russell Cunningham, Chief Officer of Personnel under the Ministry of Military Affairs.”

Whatever reputation of mine he was referring to didn’t matter.

‘Military Affairs? Personnel Department?’

I’d never heard of such a division, but the name alone screamed, “We’re monitoring your knights’ movements.”

Just to be sure this place really existed, I glanced at Theodore—the descendant of a prestigious martial family—and he nodded solemnly.

Tch.

No way the Emperor would feel threatened just because our knights made a few moves.

“So then, Lord Cunningham—why did you detain the knights of House Karnian?”

Apparently not expecting me to dive straight into the heart of the matter, Russell Cunningham let out a slightly awkward laugh.

“Detained? My lady, you’re more… forthright than your appearance suggests.”

“No need to discuss my temperament here. What I want to know is simple: why were my knights, who properly used the magic gates according to protocol, apprehended?”

“Well, if you put it that way, I must also ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Why have you been calling knights to Roquate so frequently? Shouldn’t House Karnian be focusing all its efforts on subduing monsters at this time?”

The annoyance at being watched and the satisfaction of having guessed right struck me at once.

Still, I leaned back in my chair, masking all emotion with ease.

“Anyone overhearing you might think I was summoning dozens at a time. In truth, it’s barely three or four at a time—six at most. Neither His Majesty nor the Crown Princess would trouble themselves over such trifles. Odd, isn’t it?”

“You’re absolutely right, my lady. However, it’s precisely because unseen guardians remain vigilant that the Empire’s peace is preserved.”

“You mean men like yourself?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

For the record, both Cunningham and I were smiling pleasantly throughout the entire conversation.

It just felt like there was a murderous aura laced between our grins.

If this man really was a servant of the Emperor? Well then—thank you for your service.

Civil servants earning their salaries with actual work—who would complain?

But the more he spoke, the more certain I became.

This man wasn’t upright out of loyalty—he was simply another annoying type like Austin.

“Regardless, our knights came to Roquate with no hostile intent, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

And for this moment, I’d prepared something in advance.

With a flick of my hand, Clidane pulled a stiff, cylindrical case from his coat and handed it to Russell Cunningham.

“What’s this, my lady?”

“Take a look.”

“Surely… this isn’t some sort of bribe…”

“One more word out of your mouth, and I’ll file a formal complaint to the Imperial Household for defaming House Karnian. I believe the young heir of House Tregosnan sitting beside me will serve as a fine witness.”

Thanks to its long-standing martial tradition, many of House Tregosnan’s members had become instructors at the knight academies. Naturally, their students were scattered throughout both the military and knight orders.

Apparently, Cunningham hadn’t yet realized who Theodore was—his expression subtly shifted.

“Ha ha. Just a joke, of course.”

Joke, my foot. That’s just how your brain works.

Clicking his tongue slightly, Cunningham opened the case and examined the document inside—his eyes widened.

“A support certificate from the temple…?”

Indeed. It was a letter written and sealed personally by the Apostle of Plendena, verifying that House Karnian was supplying resources and personnel to the temple in preparation for the New Year’s Festival.

“As you said, the North is dealing with monsters. But even with this small detachment, we won’t fall apart, Lord Cunningham.”

“Of course not. I simply failed to consider that the temple would need outside support despite having its own holy knights…”

“You probably didn’t know, but I was raised at Plendena Temple until I came of age. So I have unusually close ties with them.”

Cunningham nodded quietly and handed the document case back to Clidane.

Just as I felt things were wrapping up and let my guard down—

“…?”

Even though Clidane had taken hold of one end of the case, Cunningham hadn’t released it.

“What is the meaning of—”

“But tell me, my lady,” Cunningham said, still smiling like someone playing a harmless prank, “if you had such a valid reason, why did you bring the knights in small groups?”

That caught me off guard.

I hadn’t anticipated that question and bit the inside of my cheek.

He continued.

“If the detachment doesn’t impact your overall strength, isn’t that odd? A less understanding official might think you’re toying with the Department of Personnel. Ha ha—of course, I don’t mean myself.”

My brain raced. But no matter how fast it turned, I couldn’t come up with a response to shut this man up.

Just as despair was creeping in, Theodore spoke.

“I am a knight myself, and I have experience commanding troops. I will answer in her stead, Lord Cunningham.”

“I’m listening.”

“When dealing with soldiers, fatigue must be taken into account. Especially in combat—it wears people down quickly. But since tolerance varies, I believe the commander sent different knights after each battle, based on their condition.”

“So you’re saying they were stragglers?”

That mocking reply was quickly silenced by Theodore.

“Or perhaps they were the ones who distinguished themselves most.”

I immediately followed up with a bright smile.

“I didn’t understand at first when Mother said she’d send them in waves, but now I see your point.”

Cunningham chuckled.

“Then please make sure to inform the Duke in the future, my lady. Otherwise, lowly civil servants like me may misunderstand.”

Wow, what a persistent little nitpicker.

“Are you asking me to defy my liege?”

When I responded coldly, all pretense dropped from his face.

“Surely not, my lady! This world is just brimming with… misunderstandings, ha ha.”

Why pick a fight if you’re just going to backpedal like that?

“Anyway, I’d like to retrieve my knights now.”

“Ah, of course. Allow me to escort you.”

Cunningham stood up at once and even held the door open with exaggerated politeness.

…Where did this sudden shift come from?

Was it my last remark? Or because I cleared his suspicions? I couldn’t ponder it further because of Theodore’s whisper.

“Well done. I probably didn’t even need to come.”

“No. It got dicey at the end.”

I had focused too much on avoiding suspicion, never predicting that he’d question why we split up the knights.

“You saved me. Thank you, Theo.”

When I offered my thanks, he smiled brightly.

It was then—

“Hey, what are you doing?!”

“Calm down! Put that down now!”

A commotion could be faintly heard. While Theodore and I looked puzzled, Cunningham frowned and hurried his steps.

We stood at a fork. The noise was coming from the right, but Cunningham was heading straight ahead.

“Wait, Lord Cunningham. Something’s happening over there.”

“There are guards assigned to that section. They’ll take care of it quickly. You should focus on retrieving your knights.”

But I couldn’t.

Because I could smell fire.

Well—‘smell’ wasn’t quite it. It was more of a feeling.

That suffocating heat lingering faintly in the air—the kind you sensed before the flames even showed.

The stronger Gabbie’s powers became, the more sensitive I got to this.

And in Roquate, where the population density was too high, a major fire would spell disaster.

But at least now… I’m here.

—And I’m here too.

Of course. Gabbie never missed a chance to brag. Oh right—you can hear everything.

—You bet I do.

Yeah, yeah.

I muttered a half-hearted reply, then turned to Cunningham with a hardened expression.

“I’m going over there.”

“…Excuse me?”

Ignoring his baffled response, I turned to Clidane.

“Sir Olce, escort Lord Cunningham and retrieve our knights.”

“My lady, you must flee first—”

“I’m going with Theodore, so don’t worry.”

“Then please, let me go with you instead of Lord Tregosnan. As your personal knight—”

“Sir Olce.”

I grabbed him by the collar and whispered, “Our knights over there will only trust someone from House Karnian. I believe in Theo, but I can’t force them to.”

“My lady…”

“And if this man tries anything suspicious again, you have permission to cut him down.”

His eyes widened slightly. His clenched jawline told me he’d bit down hard—but he nodded.

“Please be careful.”

“You too.”

I gave him a small smile and tugged Theodore’s arm.

“Let’s go, Theo.”

“Wait—why are you going that way?”

Cunningham tried to stop us, but Clidane blocked him swiftly.

“Your job is to escort me to the knights.”

Click.

A cold metallic sound rang out, followed by the sharp hiss of unsheathed steel.

That said enough. Cunningham didn’t speak again.

As satisfying as that was, the sense of fire growing closer—now mixed with a very real smell of fuel—was no laughing matter.

“Miss Minuelle, are you alright?”

“…Yeah.”

Theodore had noticed my increasingly short breaths. I wasn’t fine, but I nodded anyway—because we saw that scene next.

The Magic Gate Administration was, as the name implied, the main terminal overseeing the capital’s many magical gateways.

The place was vast—so much so that it felt like a giant bus terminal, with rows of gates organized by region.

People continued to materialize amid bursts of light on countless magic circles.

And at the farthest gate, standing like a boulder before a group of agitated mages—was a single figure.