He admits he has a beautiful face, but is it really enough to make one lose their mind like that? More importantly, to be welcoming the Grand Duke while staring blankly at his face like that—isn't that rude?
Ahem.
As he deliberately cleared his throat, Luzon turned to look at Callion and hurriedly bowed his head with a pale face.
"I committed a brief act of rudeness in the honor of meeting the Master of Hessengard. Please forgive my displeasure."
"Anger? I was just looking at you; was my expression really that fierce?" As Callion was thinking this, Erna waved her hand dismissively and spoke.
“It’s done. Who are you?”
“I am Luzon, the deputy commander of the Haldis Regional Security Force.”
“I see, Luzon. You may get up. I’d like to hear an explanation of the current situation.”
As Erna gave the order, he quickly stood up and reported the situation so far.
"Fortunately, there have been no major clashes since the isolation began. The people inside are taking refuge in their homes, and food is being distributed at set times under the supervision of the security forces. However, at this rate, there will be very little water left that we prepared in advance, so rescuing the people inside before then is the top priority."
This time, Callion asked him a question.
“How long do you think the people inside can hold out as long as possible?”
"I think it will take about three days at most. Aside from the security forces, most of the people here are ordinary residents or visitors, and they are expressing extreme anxiety about the current situation. If the rescue is delayed beyond that, there is a high probability that people will not comply with the controls."
Erna and Callion nodded in unison at Luzon's words. As he said, a person under extreme tension does not stay sane for very long. It was clear that once three days passed, the number of people acting recklessly in their desperate search for a way to survive would increase. Then, the rescue operation would become even more difficult.
Just then, a "Pop!" sound was heard on the surface of the lake, and ripples rose. Looking in that direction, they saw several things resembling the heads of spiny fish floating on the water. They were the monsters that had appeared here.
"It comes up like that about once an hour to breathe and then goes back in."
"It's smaller than I thought."
Erna spoke in surprise at the size, which was only about half of what she had expected.
“Yes. It is a creature smaller than the average size of a monster. It has the head of a fish but a body similar to a dog, with webbing between its claws. We caught one and examined it, finding that its teeth and claws were poisonous. Although healing is possible, the poison causes burning pain upon contact, so you can expect a person bitten or scratched to lose their combat ability for several days.”
At the squad leader's explanation, the expressions of the knights and mages standing behind darkened. The knights, in particular, looked extremely troubled. They have to fight by engaging in direct combat. However, if the enemy possesses such poison, dealing with them becomes extremely difficult.
Then Erna said.
“If poison possesses such power, its actual combat ability wouldn’t be all that strong. After all, poison is typically possessed by the weak.”
Luzon quickly nodded at Erna's serious words.
“That is correct. They are difficult to deal with simply because there are many of them and they possess venom, but if you look at them one by one, they are not strong monsters.”
Callion stared intently at Erna as she talked with Luzon.
It was the first time Erna had been seen working like this. Although both of them were fulfilling their duties as Grand Dukes protecting Hessengard, they had never once worked together. The only time the two of them had seen each other working was during council meetings.
At those meetings, sarcasm would erupt before anyone could even exchange ten sentences, so it was common to simply listen without speaking at all. If it seemed like the conversation would drag on, they would often just take the members who were going to speak and leave for another room.
So, for the first time, Callion saw Erna working outside the Grand Duke's castle. She was the one who always mocked him and picked fights. But now, she was grasping and analyzing the situation faster than anyone else and approaching the task with seriousness. Just as Callion was comparing her current appearance to the image of her rolling around on the sofa in the couple's bedroom, Erna shouted loudly.
“Orpheus!”
Orpheus, who was arranging the wizards, immediately approached Erna.
“What’s going on?”
“Do you remember the magic we talked about last time? I mean the wide-area protection magic.”
“Yes. I remember. Surely you aren’t planning to use that this time, are you?”
“I think that’s the right thing to do. These monsters are troublesome to touch, and they are spread out too widely and in large numbers. If we try to fight them while expending our mana with small spells, we’ll get exhausted first, so let’s be determined to take them all out at once.”
“Understood. Then it will take about a day to prepare. You, Grand Duke, will finish quickly, but the assisting mages aren't quite used to it yet.”
"Alright. Still, tell them to hurry."
Erna and Orpheus quickly formulated a plan for the future. Callion, who had been watching them, joined in on their conversation.
"I wish you would let me know exactly when, what, and where you are going to do it."
“Why?”
“That way, we can move without overlapping with our Knights. It would be troublesome if there were magic in our path. You wouldn't want the Knights to interrupt while you're casting a spell, would you?”
“That’s true.”
A faint look of annoyance crossed Erna's face. Anyone could see that she was saying, "This is a hassle." However, upon seeing Luzon standing beside her, she immediately relaxed her expression, smiled gently, and spoke.
"Don't worry too much. It might take some time to prepare, but it doesn't seem like there will be any major issues, so tell the standing security forces and villagers to rest assured."
“Yes, yes!”
At Erna's laughter, Luzon blushed and saluted her, even stammering. Callion watched Luzon walk away with a still displeased look. Then he spoke to Erna.
"You're quite kind to people."
“...What do you want to say?”
At Callion's words, Erna glared at him with a fierce look. It was a gaze that seemed to say, "Are you picking a fight even here?" Her eyes swept across his face before slowly moving downward.
“...?”
Callion also slowly lowered his head, following her gaze. Then, his expression hardened when he saw where her eyes had stopped.
“What are you looking at?”
“Uh, uh? It’s nothing!”
Erna hurriedly turned her head and walked away to where the wizards were. Watching her retreating figure, Callion looked down again.
'That can't be.'
Erna was the type to recoil at the mere touch of him. There was no reason for her to stare intently between his legs. Callion averted his gaze and went to where the Knights were. After all, he and Erna were moving separately.
It looks like it will take about a week.
It will take at least that long to deal with the monsters, rescue the people trapped in Haldis, and clean up the mess within three days.
"Ha..."
Callion sighed. That meant he wouldn't have to face Erna at night for about a week.
"It’s a relief... I suppose?"
Although it was something he had longed for, Callion approached Cedric with a strangely uneasy feeling. He, too, had to issue orders to the Knights to recapture Haldis.
And five hours later.
“Why are you here?”
“Why are you here?”
Erna and Callion were facing each other again.
The place where the two met was a mansion on the outskirts of Haldis, rented as temporary lodging. It was hastily prepared by the local representative for the knights and mages from the Grand Duke's castle and was scheduled to serve as a base until the monsters were completely eradicated.
Just like at the Grand Duke's castle, Erna and Callion divided the mansion in half under an unspoken agreement. Erna and the wizards used the left side, while Callion and the knights used the right. People who came to help from nearby villages set up tables and large cauldrons in the garden to prepare food, while Erna and Callion each called upon those familiar with the geography of Luzon or the surrounding area, spread out maps, and discussed how to subdue the monsters.
The meeting continued until late at night. Erna went up to the second floor of the mansion after seeing the wizards use magic to contact those inside Haldis and confirm their safety.
Just then, at the end of the hallway on the second floor, Orpheus was giving instructions to the wizards.
"Orpheus."
“Grand Duke! Have you made good contact with the inside of Haldis?”
“Yeah, they say there are no problems. I could hear people happy that the wizards have arrived. But more importantly, I’d like to rest...”
“If you go straight from here and then turn, you will reach the main hallway on the second floor. The large white door in the very center is the room the Grand Duke will be using. Hmm... the structure is similar to the Grand Duke’s castle. You know, right? The largest room is in the middle of the middle floor.”
As if words alone were not enough to reassure him, Orpheus was about to take the lead when another sorcerer looked for her to confirm the order. When she asked her to wait a moment so she could guide Erna first, Erna shook her head.
“I can find my room by myself. I’m not a child.”
"Still..."
“Don’t worry, go to the people who are looking for you. Then I’m leaving.”
Erna waved her hand at Orpheus as if to tell her not to follow, then walked down the hallway alone. As she turned the corner just as Orpheus had said, a wide hallway covered with a red carpet came into view. Walking straight along it, she saw a large, ornately carved white wooden door, just as Orpheus had described.
Ahem.
As he deliberately cleared his throat, Luzon turned to look at Callion and hurriedly bowed his head with a pale face.
"I committed a brief act of rudeness in the honor of meeting the Master of Hessengard. Please forgive my displeasure."
"Anger? I was just looking at you; was my expression really that fierce?" As Callion was thinking this, Erna waved her hand dismissively and spoke.
“It’s done. Who are you?”
“I am Luzon, the deputy commander of the Haldis Regional Security Force.”
“I see, Luzon. You may get up. I’d like to hear an explanation of the current situation.”
As Erna gave the order, he quickly stood up and reported the situation so far.
"Fortunately, there have been no major clashes since the isolation began. The people inside are taking refuge in their homes, and food is being distributed at set times under the supervision of the security forces. However, at this rate, there will be very little water left that we prepared in advance, so rescuing the people inside before then is the top priority."
This time, Callion asked him a question.
“How long do you think the people inside can hold out as long as possible?”
"I think it will take about three days at most. Aside from the security forces, most of the people here are ordinary residents or visitors, and they are expressing extreme anxiety about the current situation. If the rescue is delayed beyond that, there is a high probability that people will not comply with the controls."
Erna and Callion nodded in unison at Luzon's words. As he said, a person under extreme tension does not stay sane for very long. It was clear that once three days passed, the number of people acting recklessly in their desperate search for a way to survive would increase. Then, the rescue operation would become even more difficult.
Just then, a "Pop!" sound was heard on the surface of the lake, and ripples rose. Looking in that direction, they saw several things resembling the heads of spiny fish floating on the water. They were the monsters that had appeared here.
"It comes up like that about once an hour to breathe and then goes back in."
"It's smaller than I thought."
Erna spoke in surprise at the size, which was only about half of what she had expected.
“Yes. It is a creature smaller than the average size of a monster. It has the head of a fish but a body similar to a dog, with webbing between its claws. We caught one and examined it, finding that its teeth and claws were poisonous. Although healing is possible, the poison causes burning pain upon contact, so you can expect a person bitten or scratched to lose their combat ability for several days.”
At the squad leader's explanation, the expressions of the knights and mages standing behind darkened. The knights, in particular, looked extremely troubled. They have to fight by engaging in direct combat. However, if the enemy possesses such poison, dealing with them becomes extremely difficult.
Then Erna said.
“If poison possesses such power, its actual combat ability wouldn’t be all that strong. After all, poison is typically possessed by the weak.”
Luzon quickly nodded at Erna's serious words.
“That is correct. They are difficult to deal with simply because there are many of them and they possess venom, but if you look at them one by one, they are not strong monsters.”
Callion stared intently at Erna as she talked with Luzon.
It was the first time Erna had been seen working like this. Although both of them were fulfilling their duties as Grand Dukes protecting Hessengard, they had never once worked together. The only time the two of them had seen each other working was during council meetings.
At those meetings, sarcasm would erupt before anyone could even exchange ten sentences, so it was common to simply listen without speaking at all. If it seemed like the conversation would drag on, they would often just take the members who were going to speak and leave for another room.
So, for the first time, Callion saw Erna working outside the Grand Duke's castle. She was the one who always mocked him and picked fights. But now, she was grasping and analyzing the situation faster than anyone else and approaching the task with seriousness. Just as Callion was comparing her current appearance to the image of her rolling around on the sofa in the couple's bedroom, Erna shouted loudly.
“Orpheus!”
Orpheus, who was arranging the wizards, immediately approached Erna.
“What’s going on?”
“Do you remember the magic we talked about last time? I mean the wide-area protection magic.”
“Yes. I remember. Surely you aren’t planning to use that this time, are you?”
“I think that’s the right thing to do. These monsters are troublesome to touch, and they are spread out too widely and in large numbers. If we try to fight them while expending our mana with small spells, we’ll get exhausted first, so let’s be determined to take them all out at once.”
“Understood. Then it will take about a day to prepare. You, Grand Duke, will finish quickly, but the assisting mages aren't quite used to it yet.”
"Alright. Still, tell them to hurry."
Erna and Orpheus quickly formulated a plan for the future. Callion, who had been watching them, joined in on their conversation.
"I wish you would let me know exactly when, what, and where you are going to do it."
“Why?”
“That way, we can move without overlapping with our Knights. It would be troublesome if there were magic in our path. You wouldn't want the Knights to interrupt while you're casting a spell, would you?”
“That’s true.”
A faint look of annoyance crossed Erna's face. Anyone could see that she was saying, "This is a hassle." However, upon seeing Luzon standing beside her, she immediately relaxed her expression, smiled gently, and spoke.
"Don't worry too much. It might take some time to prepare, but it doesn't seem like there will be any major issues, so tell the standing security forces and villagers to rest assured."
“Yes, yes!”
At Erna's laughter, Luzon blushed and saluted her, even stammering. Callion watched Luzon walk away with a still displeased look. Then he spoke to Erna.
"You're quite kind to people."
“...What do you want to say?”
At Callion's words, Erna glared at him with a fierce look. It was a gaze that seemed to say, "Are you picking a fight even here?" Her eyes swept across his face before slowly moving downward.
“...?”
Callion also slowly lowered his head, following her gaze. Then, his expression hardened when he saw where her eyes had stopped.
“What are you looking at?”
“Uh, uh? It’s nothing!”
Erna hurriedly turned her head and walked away to where the wizards were. Watching her retreating figure, Callion looked down again.
'That can't be.'
Erna was the type to recoil at the mere touch of him. There was no reason for her to stare intently between his legs. Callion averted his gaze and went to where the Knights were. After all, he and Erna were moving separately.
It looks like it will take about a week.
It will take at least that long to deal with the monsters, rescue the people trapped in Haldis, and clean up the mess within three days.
"Ha..."
Callion sighed. That meant he wouldn't have to face Erna at night for about a week.
"It’s a relief... I suppose?"
Although it was something he had longed for, Callion approached Cedric with a strangely uneasy feeling. He, too, had to issue orders to the Knights to recapture Haldis.
And five hours later.
“Why are you here?”
“Why are you here?”
Erna and Callion were facing each other again.
The place where the two met was a mansion on the outskirts of Haldis, rented as temporary lodging. It was hastily prepared by the local representative for the knights and mages from the Grand Duke's castle and was scheduled to serve as a base until the monsters were completely eradicated.
Just like at the Grand Duke's castle, Erna and Callion divided the mansion in half under an unspoken agreement. Erna and the wizards used the left side, while Callion and the knights used the right. People who came to help from nearby villages set up tables and large cauldrons in the garden to prepare food, while Erna and Callion each called upon those familiar with the geography of Luzon or the surrounding area, spread out maps, and discussed how to subdue the monsters.
The meeting continued until late at night. Erna went up to the second floor of the mansion after seeing the wizards use magic to contact those inside Haldis and confirm their safety.
Just then, at the end of the hallway on the second floor, Orpheus was giving instructions to the wizards.
"Orpheus."
“Grand Duke! Have you made good contact with the inside of Haldis?”
“Yeah, they say there are no problems. I could hear people happy that the wizards have arrived. But more importantly, I’d like to rest...”
“If you go straight from here and then turn, you will reach the main hallway on the second floor. The large white door in the very center is the room the Grand Duke will be using. Hmm... the structure is similar to the Grand Duke’s castle. You know, right? The largest room is in the middle of the middle floor.”
As if words alone were not enough to reassure him, Orpheus was about to take the lead when another sorcerer looked for her to confirm the order. When she asked her to wait a moment so she could guide Erna first, Erna shook her head.
“I can find my room by myself. I’m not a child.”
"Still..."
“Don’t worry, go to the people who are looking for you. Then I’m leaving.”
Erna waved her hand at Orpheus as if to tell her not to follow, then walked down the hallway alone. As she turned the corner just as Orpheus had said, a wide hallway covered with a red carpet came into view. Walking straight along it, she saw a large, ornately carved white wooden door, just as Orpheus had described.
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