“Are you an idiot? What if he says he’ll do it there?”
Karina asked Mikhail as he prepared for the duel.
“If you want to be an escort, you have to prove your skills, right?”
Karina swallowed a sigh at his calm demeanor.
“No matter what, that’s the case. Do you know who you’re up against right now?”
“Aren’t you a knight? It looks like the very knight who escorted the Grand Duchess earlier.”
Yes.
The problem was that the knight named Guilford was an extraordinarily skilled man.
'It wouldn't be easy fighting anyone here in the first place...'
This was the end of the world, called the North.
It was a land of snowy fields where frozen eternity stretched endlessly.
The knights of the North, trained in this hellish place by the terrible monsters and harsh cold, were strong.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that they were the strongest on the continent. To think that he was dueling one of those knights?
"It's not too late. Why not give up now?"
“Why? Because you think I’ll lose?”
“They’re not ordinary knights, you know. An ordinary wizard wouldn’t even have time to cast magic, right? They might not just get slightly injured.”
“An ordinary wizard is no match for them...”
Mikhail glanced at the knights gathered in the training hall and smiled confidently.
“I don’t think there’s anyone strong enough to worry about.”
Karina frowned at his calm demeanor.
“Useless stubbornness...”
“If you’re going to do it, then call it confidence.”
“If you get hurt... Haa, no. Let’s stop.”
Karina sighed again.
“Don’t worry and trust me. Of course, I’m the Grand Duchess’ bodyguard. I shouldn’t be getting taken advantage of by some petty knights."
The atmosphere around him became serious with his provocative words.
'What are you going to do if you say something like that in this situation? What about this guy?'
Karina felt embarrassed and frustrated at Mikhail's boast.
How did things end up like this?
'I just wanted to get away from Jeremiah's surveillance.'
Karina put her hand on her head as if she had a headache.
Then she came to her senses again and spoke seriously.
“If it seems dangerous, just surrender and come down. I’ll take care of the rest. Understood?”
Mikhail smiled at her words.
“Are you worried about me right now? It feels good. Sometimes, I think this isn’t such a bad thing.”
“...”
Karina said that because she was worried that he might die or get seriously injured.
She felt really bad that he brushed it off so lightly as if it were a joke.
“Keep what I say in mind and go up quickly. And there’s something we need to talk about separately, right?”
Karina added, recalling when Mikhail revealed that he was a member of Magic Tower.
“Don’t forget what I said I’ll tell you in detail later.”
Karina warned him firmly and sent him to the training ground.
Mikhail stepped onto the training ground with leisurely steps. The previously quiet surroundings were abuzz.
As expected, the atmosphere was unusual. No, it was much more serious than expected.
“I thought you said there weren’t any strong people here?”
As if he had heard Mikhail’s words, Guilford, who had come out as the opponent, had an extremely unpleasant expression.
“I hope your skills are as sharp as your tongue.”
As soon as the match began, Guilford roughly pressed Mikhail.
His momentum was extremely vicious. Perhaps surprised by his opponent’s skills, Mikhail was unable to even mount a proper counterattack and was only busy dodging.
'I guess it won't work.'
Karina clenched her fists as she watched Mikhail's back.
He was still dodging well, though.
He looked so precarious that it wouldn't be strange if he got hit by a sword at any moment and fell down bleeding. No matter how much she thought about it, this was a match that he was no match for. The wall called the Northern Knight was too huge for a rookie wizard to overcome.
'I have to stop this fight.'
Karina, who had made up her mind, walked towards Jeremiah.
He was talking to the Knight Commander.
She thought they were talking about Mikhail, but they were actually talking about a prison escape.
It seemed like there were still escapees left who had yet to be caught.
Karina bit her lower lip at his attitude of not caring about Mikhail.
“Talk to me for a minute.”
“...What’s going on?”
“A one-on-one duel between a wizard and a knight. Don’t you think it’s lethal?”
In general, a wizard was no match for a knight in close combat. In order for a wizard to use magic, he had to memorize a spell, but he didn’t have that luxury when fighting a knight.
It might be fine if he was fighting on the battlefield or in a wide-open field, but in a duel in a narrow sparring arena, the wizard was at an overwhelming disadvantage.
“...That’s what he wanted.”
“No matter what, it’s like that. Asking an inexperienced wandering wizard to face Guilford? It’s just too much.”
However, despite Karina’s protests, Jeremiah didn’t even bat an eyelid.
“He said he would act as your escort in place of my knights. Then, shouldn’t he show his skills?”
“Are the knights here ordinary people? You know he can never win.”
"...Then my knights will be your escorts.”
“I think I’ve proven my skills to some extent.”
Standing face to face with Jeremiah. It would be natural for him to feel intimidated, but Mikhail didn’t seem to be affected at all.
A heavy silence descended.
The silence that had continued for a while was easily broken by Mikhail’s single word.
“Then, from now on, I will be in charge of protecting the Grand Duchess.”
Jeremiah reluctantly agreed with a stiff expression at his confident words.
“...I’ll leave it to you for now, but if you make even one mistake, I’ll fire you immediately.”
Karina asked Mikhail as he prepared for the duel.
“If you want to be an escort, you have to prove your skills, right?”
Karina swallowed a sigh at his calm demeanor.
“No matter what, that’s the case. Do you know who you’re up against right now?”
“Aren’t you a knight? It looks like the very knight who escorted the Grand Duchess earlier.”
Yes.
The problem was that the knight named Guilford was an extraordinarily skilled man.
'It wouldn't be easy fighting anyone here in the first place...'
This was the end of the world, called the North.
It was a land of snowy fields where frozen eternity stretched endlessly.
The knights of the North, trained in this hellish place by the terrible monsters and harsh cold, were strong.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that they were the strongest on the continent. To think that he was dueling one of those knights?
"It's not too late. Why not give up now?"
“Why? Because you think I’ll lose?”
“They’re not ordinary knights, you know. An ordinary wizard wouldn’t even have time to cast magic, right? They might not just get slightly injured.”
“An ordinary wizard is no match for them...”
Mikhail glanced at the knights gathered in the training hall and smiled confidently.
“I don’t think there’s anyone strong enough to worry about.”
Karina frowned at his calm demeanor.
“Useless stubbornness...”
“If you’re going to do it, then call it confidence.”
“If you get hurt... Haa, no. Let’s stop.”
Karina sighed again.
“Don’t worry and trust me. Of course, I’m the Grand Duchess’ bodyguard. I shouldn’t be getting taken advantage of by some petty knights."
The atmosphere around him became serious with his provocative words.
'What are you going to do if you say something like that in this situation? What about this guy?'
Karina felt embarrassed and frustrated at Mikhail's boast.
How did things end up like this?
'I just wanted to get away from Jeremiah's surveillance.'
Karina put her hand on her head as if she had a headache.
Then she came to her senses again and spoke seriously.
“If it seems dangerous, just surrender and come down. I’ll take care of the rest. Understood?”
Mikhail smiled at her words.
“Are you worried about me right now? It feels good. Sometimes, I think this isn’t such a bad thing.”
“...”
Karina said that because she was worried that he might die or get seriously injured.
She felt really bad that he brushed it off so lightly as if it were a joke.
“Keep what I say in mind and go up quickly. And there’s something we need to talk about separately, right?”
Karina added, recalling when Mikhail revealed that he was a member of Magic Tower.
“Don’t forget what I said I’ll tell you in detail later.”
Karina warned him firmly and sent him to the training ground.
***
Mikhail stepped onto the training ground with leisurely steps. The previously quiet surroundings were abuzz.
As expected, the atmosphere was unusual. No, it was much more serious than expected.
“I thought you said there weren’t any strong people here?”
As if he had heard Mikhail’s words, Guilford, who had come out as the opponent, had an extremely unpleasant expression.
“I hope your skills are as sharp as your tongue.”
As soon as the match began, Guilford roughly pressed Mikhail.
His momentum was extremely vicious. Perhaps surprised by his opponent’s skills, Mikhail was unable to even mount a proper counterattack and was only busy dodging.
'I guess it won't work.'
Karina clenched her fists as she watched Mikhail's back.
He was still dodging well, though.
He looked so precarious that it wouldn't be strange if he got hit by a sword at any moment and fell down bleeding. No matter how much she thought about it, this was a match that he was no match for. The wall called the Northern Knight was too huge for a rookie wizard to overcome.
'I have to stop this fight.'
Karina, who had made up her mind, walked towards Jeremiah.
He was talking to the Knight Commander.
She thought they were talking about Mikhail, but they were actually talking about a prison escape.
It seemed like there were still escapees left who had yet to be caught.
Karina bit her lower lip at his attitude of not caring about Mikhail.
“Talk to me for a minute.”
“...What’s going on?”
“A one-on-one duel between a wizard and a knight. Don’t you think it’s lethal?”
In general, a wizard was no match for a knight in close combat. In order for a wizard to use magic, he had to memorize a spell, but he didn’t have that luxury when fighting a knight.
It might be fine if he was fighting on the battlefield or in a wide-open field, but in a duel in a narrow sparring arena, the wizard was at an overwhelming disadvantage.
“...That’s what he wanted.”
“No matter what, it’s like that. Asking an inexperienced wandering wizard to face Guilford? It’s just too much.”
Guilford was one of the strongest men in the Knights Templar.
However, despite Karina’s protests, Jeremiah didn’t even bat an eyelid.
“He said he would act as your escort in place of my knights. Then, shouldn’t he show his skills?”
“Are the knights here ordinary people? You know he can never win.”
"...Then my knights will be your escorts.”
“Why on earth... are you doing this?”
“I am the one who should ask. What is the problem with my knights escorting you?”
“It’s not that they're escorting me, it’s that I don’t trust them.”
“What?”
Jeremiah’s face distorted at Karina’s words. At that moment.
Boom!
“...!”
Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out. Startled, Karina turned her head towards the training ground where the explosion had come from. However, she couldn’t see the situation in the training ground because of the man’s broad back blocking her way.
‘Jeremiah?’
The man who had been emitting a cold aura towards her just a moment ago was now standing in front of her as if blocking her way.
‘What? When did that happen...’
Now that she thought about it, she had seen his back blocking her way back then too, just like now, when there had been an explosion due to the prison break in the city. A small question suddenly occurred to her mind.
'No way, you were trying to protect me...'
Karina quickly shook her head.
'There's no way.'
She thought to herself firmly, driving away useless thoughts. And then she focused on the situation in front of her again.
'You don't think Mikhail got hurt in the meantime, do you?'
The place where the explosion was heard was the training ground, which made her even more worried.
Karina stuck her head out next to Jeremiah's broad back. The training ground was filled with white smoke. A man was staggering out of there.
“Knock knock knock. Did you use too much magic power?”
Karina’s eyes grew wide as if they were going to tear. The one who revealed himself while fanning himself was surprisingly Mikhail. Karina asked him.
“You’re not hurt?”
“Well, I fainted, but I don’t think I was seriously hurt.”
“Fainted?”
‘You walked out on your own two feet, so why did you faint all of a sudden?’
Karina frowned as if asking what he was talking about.
Only then did Mikhail, who understood what she meant, answer.
“Ah! You were asking about my well-being? Of course, I’m fine.”
“Then, the person who fainted...”
“That guy, you mean.”
Mikhail gestured across the training grounds.
Where he pointed.
One person was lying there as if dead.
It was Mikhail’s opponent, Guilford.
“...Huh?”
Karina’s eyes widened at the sight.
Mikhail, who she thought would lose, won.
And he won by an overwhelming margin.
“Huh... How did you do that?”
Mikhail answered her in a flustered voice.
“Strictly speaking, this is all because of the Grand Duchess. You were bragging that the knights here were incredibly strong. I overused my magic power just in case.”
“Huh?”
Karina looked at Mikhail with a complicated expression.
Everyone was dumbfounded by the unexpected situation, but Mikhail smirked.
Then he looked straight at Jeremiah and asked.
“Is this enough?”
“...”
“Well, I fainted, but I don’t think I was seriously hurt.”
“Fainted?”
‘You walked out on your own two feet, so why did you faint all of a sudden?’
Karina frowned as if asking what he was talking about.
Only then did Mikhail, who understood what she meant, answer.
“Ah! You were asking about my well-being? Of course, I’m fine.”
“Then, the person who fainted...”
“That guy, you mean.”
Mikhail gestured across the training grounds.
Where he pointed.
One person was lying there as if dead.
It was Mikhail’s opponent, Guilford.
“...Huh?”
Karina’s eyes widened at the sight.
Mikhail, who she thought would lose, won.
And he won by an overwhelming margin.
“Huh... How did you do that?”
Mikhail answered her in a flustered voice.
“Strictly speaking, this is all because of the Grand Duchess. You were bragging that the knights here were incredibly strong. I overused my magic power just in case.”
“Huh?”
Karina looked at Mikhail with a complicated expression.
Everyone was dumbfounded by the unexpected situation, but Mikhail smirked.
Then he looked straight at Jeremiah and asked.
“Is this enough?”
“...”
“I think I’ve proven my skills to some extent.”
Standing face to face with Jeremiah. It would be natural for him to feel intimidated, but Mikhail didn’t seem to be affected at all.
A heavy silence descended.
The silence that had continued for a while was easily broken by Mikhail’s single word.
“Then, from now on, I will be in charge of protecting the Grand Duchess.”
Jeremiah reluctantly agreed with a stiff expression at his confident words.
“...I’ll leave it to you for now, but if you make even one mistake, I’ll fire you immediately.”
His low voice and tone were filled with a murderous aura.
“That won’t happen.”
Mikhail replied confidently.
“I’ve been assigned to guard work.”
“...Yes?”
A dumbfounded voice flowed out from the communication port.
“What are you doing?”
“You heard. I told you I was going to be an escort.”
“...Escort? Who?”
“Grand Duchess of the Northern Colesberg.”
“...”
Even though he answered with a bright smile, there was no reply from the other party for a while. As soon as Mikhail had some time after the duel, he contacted Magic Tower.
He told her to contact Magic Tower himself to confirm because he heard that his identity was in question.
Anyway, if he contacted Magic Tower, his whereabouts would be revealed.
He needed to get along with Magic Tower in advance, and he thought that if he contacted them first, he would hear less nagging later.
“...Are you crazy?”
Maybe not.
“Anyway, since that’s what happened if they contact the Magic Tower from the North, your line will take care of it....”
“Are you really crazy?! You disappeared a few months ago, leaving behind only a note!”
Before Mikhail could finish his sentence, a shout was heard from beyond the magical communication port.
“I finally found you after going through all that trouble, and now you’re threatening me not to tell anyone! Like suddenly sending me money because security is short, or telling me to catch the real culprit of the northern prison explosion, you use every means at your disposal! Do you know how much I’m sweating in the middle!”
Mikhail’s adjutant Max spouted out his passionate speech without taking a breath, as if all his pent-up resentment had burst out.
“And now what? Escorting the Grand Duchess in the north? Where do you have time to waste in a place like that!”
Mikhail, who had been silently listening to Max’s confession, thought.
‘This guy. I guess he’s had a lot going on.’
Mikhail knew how to deal with this situation.
He began to pat the other person in a soft voice.
“I know, I know. But I’m asking you this because you’re capable and competent. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. You know that.”
“I won’t fall for that anymore! Come back to the magic tower immediately!”
Mikhail’s attempt to appease him with a carrot didn’t work today either.
'Oh, you punk. You're really excited. What should I do?'
Mikhail scratched the back of his head.
"Max, calm down and listen to me. I'm here for investigation purposes. Investigation purposes."
Despite the words that it was for an investigation, Max narrowed his eyes and gave him a look of distrust.
“What kind of investigation is this? You just want to play. If you’re going to waste your time up north, come back to Magic Tower right now! Do you have any idea how much work we have piled up right now?”
Mikhail ignored Max’s complaints without batting an eye and continued speaking.
“There’s something familiar about the Grand Duke here. It seems similar to what we’re looking for.”
“...!”
At those words, Max finally showed signs of calming down a little.
“...Is that true?”
“Really. I’m pretty good at guessing things like that.”
Max didn’t argue, though his expression turned sour at Mikhail’s boastfulness.
“I’m planning on staying here for a while and watching the Grand Duke. Wouldn’t it be better to stick around all day to see exactly what I feel? I’ve been working hard.”
“Whew, now that you say it, I see.”
Max sighed and pressed his temple with a pained expression.
Mikhail smiled in satisfaction at Max’s reaction.
However, that smile was quickly shattered by Max’s next words.
“But please understand that I will report everything to him this time.”
“What? Wait... !”
Before Mikhail could respond, the light from the magic communication port went out without a trace.
“Ah...”
Mikhail touched his forehead as he looked at the dark communication port.
“This... This time I’m going to get really screwed.”
Mikhail swallowed a sigh and thought back to how this all started.
Karina’s image naturally came to mind.
He told his adjutant Max that he was there to investigate, but that wasn’t true.
Accepting Karina’s offer to be her escort had been an impulsive act.
'Why did I do that?'
Even when he thought about it himself, he couldn't figure out why he had agreed so readily.
The fact that it was for investigation was an excuse he had only remembered later and added.
He remembered Karina's face, wide-eyed and surprised when he had beaten up the opposing fighter in the training ground.
"Haha."
He let out a hollow laugh as if it was ridiculous, but it didn't feel bad.
No. Rather, it was closer to a good thing.
Mikhail put the unlit communication port back into his bosom.
“Then shall we go again?"
A small smile hung on his lips for a long time as he walked.
“That won’t happen.”
Mikhail replied confidently.
***
“I’ve been assigned to guard work.”
“...Yes?”
A dumbfounded voice flowed out from the communication port.
“What are you doing?”
“You heard. I told you I was going to be an escort.”
“...Escort? Who?”
“Grand Duchess of the Northern Colesberg.”
“...”
Even though he answered with a bright smile, there was no reply from the other party for a while. As soon as Mikhail had some time after the duel, he contacted Magic Tower.
He told her to contact Magic Tower himself to confirm because he heard that his identity was in question.
Anyway, if he contacted Magic Tower, his whereabouts would be revealed.
He needed to get along with Magic Tower in advance, and he thought that if he contacted them first, he would hear less nagging later.
“...Are you crazy?”
Maybe not.
“Anyway, since that’s what happened if they contact the Magic Tower from the North, your line will take care of it....”
“Are you really crazy?! You disappeared a few months ago, leaving behind only a note!”
Before Mikhail could finish his sentence, a shout was heard from beyond the magical communication port.
“I finally found you after going through all that trouble, and now you’re threatening me not to tell anyone! Like suddenly sending me money because security is short, or telling me to catch the real culprit of the northern prison explosion, you use every means at your disposal! Do you know how much I’m sweating in the middle!”
Mikhail’s adjutant Max spouted out his passionate speech without taking a breath, as if all his pent-up resentment had burst out.
“And now what? Escorting the Grand Duchess in the north? Where do you have time to waste in a place like that!”
Mikhail, who had been silently listening to Max’s confession, thought.
‘This guy. I guess he’s had a lot going on.’
Mikhail knew how to deal with this situation.
He began to pat the other person in a soft voice.
“I know, I know. But I’m asking you this because you’re capable and competent. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. You know that.”
“I won’t fall for that anymore! Come back to the magic tower immediately!”
Mikhail’s attempt to appease him with a carrot didn’t work today either.
'Oh, you punk. You're really excited. What should I do?'
Mikhail scratched the back of his head.
"Max, calm down and listen to me. I'm here for investigation purposes. Investigation purposes."
Despite the words that it was for an investigation, Max narrowed his eyes and gave him a look of distrust.
“What kind of investigation is this? You just want to play. If you’re going to waste your time up north, come back to Magic Tower right now! Do you have any idea how much work we have piled up right now?”
Mikhail ignored Max’s complaints without batting an eye and continued speaking.
“There’s something familiar about the Grand Duke here. It seems similar to what we’re looking for.”
“...!”
At those words, Max finally showed signs of calming down a little.
“...Is that true?”
“Really. I’m pretty good at guessing things like that.”
Max didn’t argue, though his expression turned sour at Mikhail’s boastfulness.
“I’m planning on staying here for a while and watching the Grand Duke. Wouldn’t it be better to stick around all day to see exactly what I feel? I’ve been working hard.”
“Whew, now that you say it, I see.”
Max sighed and pressed his temple with a pained expression.
Mikhail smiled in satisfaction at Max’s reaction.
However, that smile was quickly shattered by Max’s next words.
“But please understand that I will report everything to him this time.”
“What? Wait... !”
Before Mikhail could respond, the light from the magic communication port went out without a trace.
“Ah...”
Mikhail touched his forehead as he looked at the dark communication port.
“This... This time I’m going to get really screwed.”
Mikhail swallowed a sigh and thought back to how this all started.
Karina’s image naturally came to mind.
He told his adjutant Max that he was there to investigate, but that wasn’t true.
Accepting Karina’s offer to be her escort had been an impulsive act.
'Why did I do that?'
Even when he thought about it himself, he couldn't figure out why he had agreed so readily.
The fact that it was for investigation was an excuse he had only remembered later and added.
He remembered Karina's face, wide-eyed and surprised when he had beaten up the opposing fighter in the training ground.
"Haha."
He let out a hollow laugh as if it was ridiculous, but it didn't feel bad.
No. Rather, it was closer to a good thing.
Mikhail put the unlit communication port back into his bosom.
“Then shall we go again?"
A small smile hung on his lips for a long time as he walked.
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