Chapter 86

While the bald old man was causing a commotion, Jin, who had approached me, whispered cautiously.

"Senior. A heat not unlike that of a flame was generated and disappeared in an instant just now. How did you do that?"

This?

"The Devil's Ironing Technique."

"Excuse me?"

"It's a technique borrowed from ironing."

Jin, who had been looking at me with a blank face, soon nodded as if he had realized something.

"Oh! I see. I understand what you mean. I think I understand why you advised me to focus on household chores. You are amazing, Senior. I admire you."

It seems like he has misunderstood something.

But since he seemed to have gained some of the enlightenment he had long desired, I decided to keep quiet.

"What... what is this..."

At that moment, a sigh filled with confusion reached my ears.

Thinking something had happened again, I turned my head...

"Serenei Viscount! Have you gone mad? Pouring horse manure!"

Sure enough, a large clump of horse manure was perched on top of Medeis Viscount's head.

To be precise, it was horse manure that Mon had scooped up with a shovel at Serenei Viscount's command.

"This..."

Above Medeis Viscount, who wore a bewildered expression, a relaxed voice poured out.

"Are you feeling a bit cooler now? Hmm. It feels good to have my lost hair grow back after pouring it on my head, doesn't it?"

"Serenei Viscount! Have you gone mad! Defending that mad maid, how could you...!"

Medeis Viscount's half-crazed eyes turned to the young nobles standing awkwardly behind him.

Medeis Viscount bared his teeth at them. The old man, whose face had turned blue from red, trembled and shouted.

"You! You must have seen with your own eyes how Serenei Viscount treated me? Treating me nicely, this insolent... this ignorant trash! I will... today's incident, I will..."

"Mon."

Mon, who had been serving Serenei Viscount from behind, approached Medeis Viscount.

Mon, wearing leather gloves, swung his hand.

Smack.

The old man, not just his right cheek but his entire face, turned black as he shouted.

"How dare you, on anyone's face!"

Smack.

"Serenei Viscount! What are you doing! Stop immediately!"

"Stop it!"

Smack.

"Please stop... "

Smack.

"..."

Smack.

"..."

"Ah, it's finally quiet. Isn't that right, Mon?"

Mon threw the manure-stained gloves to the ground.

"Yes."

At the moment when everyone fell silent again.

Serenei Viscount, looking down at Medeis Viscount's bald head, which was swollen like a waterlogged mushroom, spoke tenderly.

"Viscount."

"..."

"Do you know why I stay quiet? Because Calapha ordered me to."

I perked up my ears.

I was curious whether Serenei Viscount was a real person, a persona borrowed by Ruga, or a fictional identity he used.

"Yes, Calapha... It's also the reason why you are eager to catch my eye. I am Calapha's Hunter."

The atmosphere around became even colder. It seemed he had hit a nerve.

"What is a Hunter of Calapha?"

Mon, who was slightly taken aback by my whispered question, answered straightforwardly.

"A person appointed by Calapha and His Majesty the King, with the authority to enter and exit Calapha's outskirts and the royal palace, and to execute criminals independently. They are called Hunters because they spend most of their time abroad dealing with defectors."

So that's why it's hard to meet him.

'I've heard that even the king's relatives find it difficult to obtain access to the royal palace. It must be a position with considerable authority.'

It was also a position that was perfectly suitable for Calapha to use.

Serenei Viscount, slowly brushing back his bangs, whispered.

"Thanks to you, my rather good mood has hit rock bottom. It's been a long time since I've felt this way. Should I thank you?"

"..."

"Viscount, you're not answering."

"..."

"Moreover, you look very tired today. Your face is swollen, and you have injuries. You're not young anymore, are you? Isn't that right, Mon?"

"I will prepare a carriage to take Viscount Medeis back to his townhouse comfortably."

Mon made a light gesture, and the servants who had been waiting silently suddenly sprang into action.

These were the same people who had ignored him when he called for water, but this time they rushed out and dragged the manure-covered Medeis Viscount away.

A strawberry stained with chocolate gritted its teeth and shouted.

"His Majesty the King will not forgive this!"

"His Majesty the King?"

"Yes! How could His Majesty the King look kindly upon someone who dares to use the great Calapha as a shield, boasting of his power and abusing authority! I will certainly inform His Majesty the King about today's incident..."

"Forgiveness."

Serenei Viscount, who had been stroking his chin thoughtfully, smiled brightly.

"I'm curious whether he will forgive me or not. Shall I go see him right now?"

"What?"

"Mon, open the door."

"Yes."

What's happening? He said he has access to the royal palace, is he really going there?

Before I could wonder, Mon pulled out a leather case from his jacket pocket, which looked valuable at first glance.

The item he carefully removed from the case was a golden key and lock, adorned with gems of various colors.

Mon, walking towards the stable, suddenly stopped and turned to his master.

"Is it alright to use this door?"

"Is there a closer one?"

"No. Then..."

Click.

The golden lock dangled in the wooden crevice.

Mon inserted the golden key into the lock and turned it. The actions were as crude and sloppy as if he were playing with a doll.

But soon, beyond the opened door...

"Come on, Viscount Medeis, don't dawdle. You need to go to His Majesty the King with tears and snot streaming down your face, don't you?"

Instead of a horse's head, a beautiful garden, like a paradise, was spread out.

Yes, it was a garden.

The vast summer garden of the Astrosa Kingdom.

A land of rose vines under a hazy gray sky.

"Mon? Help Count Kwan to support Viscount Medeis. It will smell, but bear with it for a moment."

"Understood."

As Mon and the servants dragged the old man, who was shouting at the top of his lungs, I quickly approached Serenei Viscount from behind and whispered.

"Are you okay?"

He looked down at me silently, then laughed as he brushed off the leaves that had splattered on my head from the whipping.

"Who? Medeis Viscount? Well, his face is swollen, but he's not dead."

I wasn't asking about the old man's condition.

It seemed he meant it was roughly okay, so I informed the others.

"I'll go beyond this point alone. The rest of you stay in the castle."

Since it was related to me.

I trusted Serenei Viscount's boldness, but as outsiders, we didn't know what would happen to us.

If something went wrong, it would be right for me to take the blame.

In response to my words, Yegersee, who had been pretending to be interested in the situation, hurried over.

"Are you going alone? That's not possible, Miss Daisy. I will protect Miss Daisy..."

"I will go with her, so Yegersee, stay in the castle."

Deshero stopped the excited Yegersee.

Wait. Who decided to go?

"Count?"

"Yes. It would be better for me to go than Yegersee. In many ways."

"Though I am worried, it seems Count is right."

Yegersee, stepping back with a regretful face, Deshero said to me.

"Miss Daisy is an imperial citizen. As a noble of Pen Rota and the representative of Lord Raphael, my presence will allow for the best possible response in any situation."

This is like trying to remove a stone and ending up with a rock.

'I might as well take Yegersee with me. Why did an inconvenient person have to be involved?'

But since his argument was so reasonable, I couldn't help but nod.

We stepped into the door.

The summer garden.

There was no better way to describe the garden of the Astrosa Castle.

The garden, filled with the scent of summer, was densely packed with circular trellises of blooming roses.

The thick red fragrance made my head spin.

Everyone, except Serenei Viscount, walked with tense faces.

As the smell of manure grew stronger, my rationality, which had been far away, returned.

'Coming to the castle for this kind of thing.'

I've experienced all sorts of ridiculous things in my life.

While I was sinking into a subtle sense of doubt, Serenei Viscount slowed his pace and approached me.

"Miss Daisy. May I ask you a question?"

It was sudden, but I nodded slightly, thinking there was nothing I couldn't hear.

"What do you think of me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm. It might be easier to give you options. Do you think it would be more terrifying if I were your child or your lover?"

"Me?"

"Yes, Miss Daisy."

What is this nonsense?