EWH Chapter 53

Berry blinked, at a loss for words due to the welling confusion. Seeing her reaction, Nathan added with a small cough,

“…Of course, only if you’re not in a hurry.”

Berry quietly stared at the hand extended before her. The pale hand was slender for a man, but it was a hand with one more knuckle than hers. At a glance, it could have been an exciting situation. She even thought it was a scene that could appear in a romance novel. In fact, she had read about a similar situation in a book before. However, Berry was not one to blindly believe what she saw and harbor romantic notions of destiny.

Was Nathan Nover the type of person who would act this way towards the opposite sex?

If someone were to ask that, based on her experience, Berry could confidently say no. Even if there had been an exchange of goodwill between them as individuals, she could assert that there had never been any interest between them as members of the opposite sex. Wasn’t that the case until just a moment ago? So, when someone who had never acted that way suddenly behaved like this, it was wise to assume there was another reason he couldn’t speak of.

Berry’s contemplation was a brief moment of hesitation that took place only in her mind. Quickly reaching that conclusion internally, Berry smiled gently and placed her hand on top of the one offered before her.

“Shall we do that then? I have something to brag about to the two of them.”

She could ask about the details later, Berry thought. At that, Nathan smiled slightly and tried to pull Berry’s hand towards him. No, he tried to.

“Miss Belle, what are you saying? You need to go to Valona.”

“Calvin.”

Calvin hastily interrupted the two with his hand, looking somewhat troubled. Seeing him, Berry shrugged her shoulders.

“You heard everything, didn’t you? That’s how it turned out. I’m sorry for suddenly changing the schedule, but it’s not a schedule that requires us to leave today, and it’s fine even if I’m not there. I’ll return to Centiar with my friend, so Calvin, please escort these company carriages to Valona as planned.”

Up until this point, Berry’s mood was quite good. She was mentally planning to show Nathan around Centiar’s tourist attractions first, carefully organizing her itinerary.

“No, miss. I have a duty to escort you safely under the orders of the company’s master.”

“I can explain that to him when I return.”

Although she wasn’t born and raised in Centiar, Berry had spent quite a lot of time here, so she knew the place fairly well. Things like what was famous, what was delicious, what was nice to see, and so on. As she was making a plan that was more than enough to show her friend an enjoyable time, Calvin’s voice interjected.

“Miss! What if some scandal arises from an unmarried man and woman being alone together?!”

At those words, Berry’s face crumpled without mercy. It was not only an extremely rude remark but also an ignorant one. A scandal? Even if it were the old-fashioned past, let alone nowadays, it was rare for scandals to circulate in such a way just because a man and a woman were together.

“How rude, Calvin! Do you even realize in front of whom you’re thoughtlessly running your mouth? Even if he’s young, he’s the head of a family! You may be a mercenary and have lived a life without regard for status, but have some decency. There’s a limit to looking down on nobility. Even if he were to charge you with a crime and bring you to court, you wouldn’t be able to utter a word and would receive punishment!”

Even after becoming a noblewoman, Berry addressed them respectfully as a sign of respect from one person to another. However, perhaps because of that, there were occasionally those who crossed the line like this. They would be moved at first, thinking, ‘A noble is treating a subordinate with respect,’ but soon they would forget their place and make missteps. Just as Berry was about to say more in anger, Nathan calmly spoke up.

“I don’t think I have any reason to prove my identity to you, but my identity is clear. I am Viscount Nover. Moreover, we weren’t planning to act alone in the first place. Right?”

“Exactly! I was going to bring my maid and a few guards with me. I’m really sorry, Nathan. I’ll apologize on his behalf for his rudeness.”

“It’s fine, I don’t really mind.”

Saying that, Nathan smiled slightly. It must have been a rude and unpleasant remark, but he truly seemed not to mind at all.

“You heard him, right? But if you’re still worried, we can stop by the company first.”

“Hah, if you insist, I have no choice…”

Scratching his head as if it were a headache and sighing, Calvin calmly grasped the handle of the long sword strapped to his back. However, perhaps because his demeanor was too nonchalant, Berry could only blankly watch the scene of the sword being drawn from its sheath before her eyes.

‘Huh, a sword…?’

That was all Berry could think of at that moment.

The moment when everything seemed to move slowly, in reality, everything happened in an instant. As the blade, gleaming in the light, was swung down towards Berry, her body was abruptly pulled back by Nathan, and she tumbled to the ground. Berry let out a short scream. However, Nathan had no time to pay attention to that.

Clang!

Simultaneously, the blades clashed, creating a thunderous sound.

“Ugh!”

At the subsequent groan, Berry hurriedly propped herself up on the ground and raised her head. The sight that unfolded before her eyes made her eyes tremble uncontrollably.

The one who had let out a short groan was Nathan. At some point, a wand in the shape of a spear had appeared in his hand. His entire arm holding the wand was trembling. Although he had barely blocked Calvin’s strike, blood dripped from his palm onto the ground, perhaps because the impact of that brief collision had torn his hand.

“Tsk, what a waste of effort!”

Clicking his tongue at the long spear that had luckily blocked his long sword, Calvin’s gaze met the murky green eyes contorted in pain. Just from a light swing, the opponent seemed to be struggling, his hand holding the spear trembling. It was quite pitiful. However, that feeling was one thing, and the task at hand was another. For Calvin, the request he had received in advance took precedence. So, obstacles had to be eliminated.

“…Hey, mercenary. Murdering a noble carries a severe punishment. Are you causing this commotion with the consequences in mind?”

“Oh, noble sir. That’s quite a scary story. But what can I do? I may not know much about the many noble families, but I’ve heard of your family name. I’m well aware of the friends of the young lady I serve.”

Calvin searched his memory. Viscount Nover… Come to think of it, he had heard that name before. Indeed…

“I heard the family has fallen.”

“…”

“How long do you think that mere title of nobility will protect you?”

Calvin had no reason to fear the man before him, even if he was a noble. The family had fallen, the territory had become a ruin, and what power could a young viscount with only a title possess?

“Even if you die here, there will be no one to hold us accountable for that crime.”

“…That may be true.”

Clang, clang!

As the long sword scraped against the tip of the wand, sparks flew. Seeing Nathan being pushed back, Calvin sneered.

“And I didn’t mention it. There just so happens to be a group of kobolds here that have been harassing people. Even if what happens here comes to light, the suspicion will fall on the kobolds, not us. And our employer has more than enough power to make that happen.”

He had thought the man might be capable of close combat, considering he was using a spear despite his appearance as a mage. However, his grip on the spear was utterly clumsy. He wasn’t skilled in close combat. As expected, he was indeed a mage, just as he appeared. In that case, the best course of action was to stick close and prevent him from casting magic.

Clang! Clang!

Each time Calvin swung his sword, Nathan was barely able to block it. Retreating step by step, Nathan tightly gripped the spear. Calvin was completely underestimating him. Thus, he was simply applying pressure by wildly swinging an ordinary lump of metal without infusing it with mana. And that petty carelessness was exactly what Nathan wanted.

“Hey, noble sir. Have you ever properly held a spear? That’s not how you hold it!”

“…This isn’t a real spear!”

In response, Nathan didn’t show any fear and instead spoke those words with a crooked smile. Along with a glimmering purple light from his fingertips, the wand vanished. As the spear he had been struggling against suddenly disappeared, Calvin lost his balance and staggered, unable to withstand his own strength. For a moment, a ripple crossed Calvin’s face.

‘A magical tool that conceals its true form!’

It was the first time he had actually seen one. It was quite an expensive item, and since there were very few people who could make it, it was extremely rare for someone to possess one. Calvin had only heard rumors about it among mercenaries but had never seen it in person until now. Therefore, he was momentarily flustered and noticed a beat too late that the wand, which had reappeared, was being swung towards his head. It was too late to block, so he had no choice but to hurriedly retreat backward.

“What are you doing?! Prepare for battle!”

Leaping back to create distance, Calvin shouted at the mercenaries scattered around him. The other members of the company seemed equally surprised by the sudden situation, but the mercenaries regained their senses at Calvin’s words and drew their weapons.

And Nathan, who had keenly noticed that fact, shouted towards his back.

“Now!”

As Nathan gave the signal, Ali, who had been quietly observing the situation from the back, raised one hand with a mischievous smile peeking out from between his robes. His voice was playful as he shouted, and the world shook.

“[Overturn!]”

The words uttered in a lively voice were more destructive than expected. At that moment, the ground violently trembled. The earth twisted in an instant. No, it would be more accurate to say it was overturned.

Crack, crack!

The clumps of soil beneath their feet seemed to come alive. Simultaneously with Ali’s shout, the area around where they stood began to shake wildly as if a massive earthquake had occurred, and cracks started to form in the ground. The terrain distorted.

Due to the sudden situation, everyone standing there lost their balance and fell. Amidst the shaking, only Nathan and Ali, who had caused this situation, remained standing. The startled screams of people and the neighing of horses mingled with the ominous sight of dozens of crows taking flight from the forest, painting the sky black. All of it combined was truly a scene of chaos.

“Don’t break the carriages!”

Belatedly, Nathan shouted those words to Ali.

“Hey, you should have told me that sooner! It’s hard to control, you know!”

Boom, boom!

The next moment, the ground beneath them caved in as if exploding. A hazy cloud of dust obscured their vision. People coughed here and there. Nathan was no exception. Soon after, a strong gust of wind blew. Thanks to that, the dust cloud filling the surroundings was dispersed by the wind, and Nathan let out a hollow laugh at the sight that was revealed.

“Ha, as expected… It’s quite a sight.”

It was beyond what he had imagined.