Those working at the castle hastily prepared a banquet to celebrate the lord's return.
The Great Hall, which had been closed ever since Drial and the Arhon Knights left for the battlefield, was opened for the first time in a long time.
Servants cleaned the great hall, and maids cooked in the kitchen. Joyful laughter was heard here and there.
Since Arhon was isolated from other fiefdoms, it was not possible to Invite distinguished guests right away, so Rune opened the castle gate and let the fiefdoms in.
Even so, there were many permanent residents who settled in Arhon but never saw their lord.
The great hall, which had been quiet with only the sound of footsteps, soon became noisy.
The banquet began, but there were no toasts or welcome speeches. Such behavior was not appropriate for a wind spiritist.
Drial sat and drank among the residents as if he had happened to attend a banquet.
The Lord and Lady's chairs were empty, but no one raised any questions. People loved being able to drink and eat as much meat as they wanted for free.
"My lord, when will the Arhon Knights return?"
A child sat on Drial's lap. Some residents noticed the child's rude attitude.
Drial casually hugged the child. That look was very sweet.
"The Arhon Knights will arrive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
"Are they coming riding a dragon Iike my Lord?"
"No, the wizards decided to open a portal leading from the north to Arhon. They said it would take a few days to open, so it will arrive the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"Wow! A wizard?"
The children who were eavesdropping on the conversation nearby cheered. Many children gathered around Drial.
"Wizards were also on the battlefield?"
"Why? Wizards aren't allowed to fight."
"The dragon the lord rode on was also tamed by a wizard?"
The children's eyes lit up and they poured out questions.
When the embarrassed parents tried to stop their child, Drial smiled and gestured that it was okay.
"A problem arose on the battlefield, and It could only be solved with the help of a wizard. Because of that, the wizards of the Magic Tower participated in the war, and thanks to their help, the war ended safely.
And the gold dragon je rode...
Drial secretly cast his gaze in the wrong direction. It was a habit that came out every time he lied.
"It's true that the wizard tamed it."
"And...!"
"Everyone likes wizards?"
"There are only four of you in the world!"
"If you're lucky, you might see one of them. One wizard decided to stay in Arhon for a while."
Excited children ran through the great hall, screaming.
Guardian Captain Zenon, who was listening to the story from a distance away, frowned. It was a very strange thing for a wizard to stay in Arhon.
Wizards were not to be carelessly involved in human affairs or any history.
That was an immutable rule set by the Gods in return for allowing wizards to use magic.
Zenon leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
What on earth happened on the northern battlefield that prompted the wizards to intervene?
Everyone was vaguely aware that a wizard had participated in the war.
After Drial headed north, rumors abounded that a magic barrier had appeared there.
Since there were only four wizards who could handle magic, they were probably the ones who set up the barrier. However, the reason for building the wall is unknown.
The people of Arhon, including Zenon, knew very little about that war.
All they knew was that the frost giants who had escaped from Hell had started a war. Je didn't know whether the Arhon Knights were safe or how many knights were killed.
"Do you think Madam is going to miss the banquet?"
As Zenon was lost in thought, a guardian whispered. Zenon raised his head and stared at the empty head table.
"She's probably working..."
"Shall we go and get her?"
"It's okay. Don't do anything stupid."
After dissuading his colleagues, Zenon left the great hall. Here and there, he saw idiots holding on to the fence and throwing up.
Zenon was disgusted with such people and looked for a place to rest for a while. But then footsteps followed from behind.
When he looked back, Drial was waving his hand with a smile on his face. Zenon, who was surprised, hurriedly showed courtesy.
"My Lord..."
"I wanted to ask the guys guarding the castle about Arhon's defense status, and they told me to go to you. Since you are the leader of the Arhon Guards, I'm sure you know this well. The name is probably... Did you say Zenon? Right?"
"It's an honor to remember me."
"The glory is. Oh, were you by any chance on your way home?"
"No. It's hot so I need to get some air...."
Before he could finish speaking, the wind picked up. Zenon unconsciously looked at Drial in the cool breeze.
Every time Drial playfully waved his finger, a cool breeze blew. It was impressive to see him freely handling the wind with his hands and feet.
It was rare for a spirit master to control the power of spirits to that degree. It was even rarer for a lord to create wind to cool a person's sweat.
Zenon bowed his head in gratitude. Drial stroked Zenon's head as if he were endearing his little brother.
"Shall we walk together for a moment? There are a lot of things I want to ask."
The two turned their backs to the noisy Great Hall.
When they moved to a quiet place where they could hear the sound of Insects, Drial opened his mouth.
"Can you explain what the Arhon Guard is? There was nothing like that when I lived here."
"This is the unit that Madam created to fill the void in the Arhon Knights. Half of the Guardians are from Arhon, and the other half are from outside the country. It's a mixed bag, but... Still, they kept Arhon safe all this time."
"What about being from a foreign country?"
"Madam actively accepted slash-and-burn farmers, runaways, and those who were expelled from other territories for not being able to pay taxes in order to increase the number of permanent residents. However, she put a condition on it..."
"It's a guardian activity."
"Yes. Fight in the Guardian Corps for more than three years. That was the condition."
Drial smiled strangely at Zenon's words.
"You would think that it would be better to live as a wanderer than to fight monsters."
Even when fighting low-level monsters, there were many cases where people lost their lives. Even the famous mercenary corps was prepared to lose half of its members when subjugating high-level monsters.
Moreover, because Arhon was a territory close to the border, high-level monsters frequently appeared in groups.
Even the permanent residents of Arhon cannot bear it and run away, but no matter how many stories a wanderer has, would he want to settle in a place like this?
"So, Madam promised to absolutely guarantee their life."
Drial, who was walking ahead, stopped. He looked back at Zenon with a puzzled expression. He looked like he had completely sobered up.
"They're going to fight a monster, but their life is guaranteed...?"
Zenon drew an arc on his lips in response to his astonishment.
"This may sound like nonsense. Everyone thought so. It was the same for me too. But she really kept her promise."
Drial recalled Lares's words.
He says that when the black dragon attacked Arhon, no one died...
He thought those were words meant to comfort Rune, who suffered a miscarriage while fighting a dragon.
How could Rune, who had never learned how to fight, let alone use a sword, protect Arhon and the Guardians?
“Zenon.”
"Please speak comfortably."
"It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but I don't know what happened in Arhon because I was in the northern battlefield. In the North, due to circumstances, the wizards completely blocked information from leaking out or coming in."
Blocking wizards and information... It was quite meaningful.
Zenon wanted to ask what happened on the northern battlefield, but he didn't want to disturb Drial because of his curiosity.
As expected, whenever Drial talked about the north, his eyes, as soft as moonlight, strangely sank.
Drial gazed at the office located high above. All other windows were dark, but only the office was bright. Rune was still working.
"So now I want to know everything that happened that day."
Golden eyes turned to Zenon.
"Tell me, Guardian Captain. What happened to Rune the day a black dragon attacked Arhon?"
***
Rune always woke up at three in the morning and went to sleep at midnight.
After protecting Arhon from the black dragons and the place where Drial would return, the routine was repeated.
Even if she lay down in bed, she couldn't fall asleep unless she overexerted her body. She hated alcohol and found drugs uncomfortable.
In order to tow Arhon safely in the future, she had to fall asleep even if it meant abusing her body through labor.
Working to the point of vomiting was a daily routine. She never thought it was difficult. If she rested even for a moment, anxiety would eat away at her mind.
Rune stared at the dark window and then lowered her gaze to the documents. She could vaguely hear the sounds of dozens of people talking in the direction of the Great Hall.
There was no change in her intention to divorce and leave Arhon. It was truly surprising that Drial refused to grant her a divorce, but her heart was firm.
She put the signed document in a corner and reviewed the appeals that came from all over Arhon.
The appeal was full of all kinds of miscellaneous stories.
Someone stole his own hen or punished a man who promised to be engaged to his own daughter but married someone else's girl.
Rune, who was flipping through sheets of paper one by one, straightened her head.
"My mother's body, buried four days ago, has disappeared. Except for my mother, all the cemeteries in the area were dug up and the bodies were missing.
The area around the tombstone is a mess, but I don't know if it was dug up by an animal or a monster.
I won't go far into the forest, so please help me find the missing body with the Arhon Guard. I beg my Lord's representative.
Posted by Hortos, who lives in Emur Village."
Rune confirmed the date the appeal was posted.
It was posted two days ago. If it was Emur Village, it was not far from Arhon Castle.
However, because it was a village where reclamation work had not yet been completed, monster attacks were frequent.
So, a sizable fence was placed around the village, and there was a mercenary unit that only resided in Emur Village.
She pondered over the fact that all the bodies in the cemetery had disappeared. She had never heard of a monster that only eats human corpses.
There was something strange about the incident being caused by a corpse-eating monster.
The body, which had been buried for a long time, had already become white and there was nothing to eat, so why was it taken out?
Rune, who was thinking deeply, furrowed her brows. It was at that moment that she felt something strange.
There was a knock on the door behind her. Shocked, Rune looked back.
A knock sounded from the tightly closed window. A blue wind rippled beyond the window.
Coincidentally, Rune knew of only one person who left the intact door open and went in and out through the window.
Hesitantly, she opened the window and saw the back of a man sitting on the window sill. There was a faint smell of alcohol coming from his broad back.
Drial turned his head and looked at Rune behind his back. The golden eyes were drenched in intoxication
"What are you doing here, Rune Helid?"
"I want to ask you something, Drial Stein. What are you doing here, leaving the door intact?"
"I don't see anyone in the Great Hall."
Runw had no intention of attending the banquet from the beginning.
It was a banquet prepared for Drial.
Although the preparations were hasty, she hoped Drial would enjoy the banquet comfortably. To maintain a happy atmosphere, Rune had to be absent.
She don't know why, but Drial approached her as if he wanted to restart their relationship. But she didn't want to do that, nor did she have the courage.
"Ho back. People will find you."
"Are you mad because I came in through the window?"
"This isn't the first time you've done this."
When Rune spoke as if she was used to it, Drial burst into laughter. Her heart was tickled by the cheerful smile on his face.
She remembered the time before she chose Drial as her husband. At that time, the two got along like any other friend.
As a boy, Drial sometimes came to Rune's room and knocked on the window. Even when he was told to come in through the door, he didn't listen.
Run like that kind of Drial.
The indifferent voice asking if anything had happened, the subtle affection, the soft wind, just everything about Drial Stein...
Rune suddenly remembered an old memory and smiled.
She broke that Drial herself. Rune wanted to run away from Drial.
"Stop now. I'm busy."
"Let's talk, let's talk."
"I have nothing to say."
"You said it during the day too. I have a lot of things I want to tell you."
"What are you talking about? If you're talking about divorce, you can do it now. It's not difficult to rewrite the divorce certificate."
Drial fell silent at the two words of divorce.
Rune tried to close the window. She deliberately didn't look at Drial's expression.
The window was almost closed. A bright blue wind rushed into the office and enveloped Rune.
The window that was forced open collided with the wall and rattled hard. Drial straightened up and get straight at Rune.
"Again, I'm not getting divorced."
"You'll change your mind in a few days."
"Nothing will change."
The golden eyes were resolute. Rune laughed bitterly.
"I don't know why you refuse to divorce me, but..."
"I swear to the World Tree and to all the Gods that support the world, I will never love someone like you."
Rune remembered the vow Drial made on their wedding day.
Her heart felt cold. Rune slowly backed away from the window as if running away. The expression disappeared from her face and her bright blue eyes suddenly sank. Rune muttered quietly.
"The woman you love lives in Arapi Village."
"Who?"
For the first time, confusion appeared on Drial's face, which showed no signs of backing down. The wind that stayed in his office dispersed and disappeared in an instant.
Rune looked straight at Drial. The eyes that resembled the sea were as dry as a desert. It felt like there was an empty sound in her gaze.
"The woman who tried to run away with you on our wedding day. After you left for war, she and her family settled in Arhon. You're going to think about divorcing me if you ever see that girl again."
As soon as she finished speaking, Rune closed the window.
Drial did not move from his seat until the sound of the window locking and curtains being drawn subsided into the darkness.
It was as if he had suddenly been doused with cold water.
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