SWY 22

At Sharhan’s grim murmur, Derry lowered his head deeply.

“I saw the people who arrived late to the festival run away in shock… but I don’t think many of them made it out alive.”

Considering how many had fled through the open city gates, Derry’s guess wasn’t far off. A heavy silence filled the cramped and suffocating room. Lestel and Sharhan were each lost in thought, while Derry hugged his knees, anxiously watching them both. His expression was a tangled mess of guilt, fear, unease, and sorrow. Whether it had been through coercion or not, his mentors and brothers had created that horrific tea called Paphun.

“Do you think Verden’s okay?”

Verden had the Red Wolves. They were only Second Rank mercenaries, but each one was skilled. They wouldn’t be easy to kill. Still, there was no guarantee that even Lestel’s caravan had made it out unharmed. As Sharhan stole glances at Lestel’s unreadable face, heavy with tension to the point even he couldn’t speak easily, a certain face suddenly flashed through his mind.

“Iris!”

Iris was Sharhan’s little sister. She was born much later, just twelve years old now, and he hadn’t been able to bring her with him, so he’d left her behind in Serman, the Ailun family’s territory. She had cried and begged to come with him, but he had already made up his mind to become a mercenary and earn money, so there had been no choice.

If that madman Lord Luhas had spread Paphun tea across the entire Empire, there was no way Serman was safe either. He had completely forgotten about it like a fool.

‘If something happens to Iris, I…’

She was the only family he had left after their parents died. Drenched in anxiety, Sharhan jumped to his feet and began pacing the room. He wanted to bolt out of there and run straight to Serman. Lestel caught his hand and tugged him back.

“Iris will be fine.”

“How would you know?! Damn it, I ran from the castle with nothing but the clothes on my back. I had no choice but to leave her with the nanny! I left two women alone without a single knight to guard them!”

“I assigned someone to her.”

“What?”

“During the break, I went home and left a knight with Iris. She’s been hiding in our territory ever since.”

“H-how did you know?”

“Your nanny’s husband is from our land. Other than you, I’m the only one who knows that, so there’s no risk of exposure. Anyway, the person I assigned is a free knight. Not part of a domain, but skilled. So sit down. Getting worked up here won’t change anything.”

A free knight was a knight without land, wandering rather than being tied to a domain. Unlike mercenaries, they held noble titles and had to uphold their honor. Naturally, they were skilled.

“Why’d you assign a knight to Iris?”

“You don’t need to thank me. But if you insist, I’ll accept it.”

“Ah…”

At last, Sharhan hesitantly sat down, glancing at Lestel.

“She may be a Kaios by blood, but Iris is adorable. Unlike you.”

Sharhan glared at Lestel, who gave a smug shrug and grinned in that annoying way of his. After hesitating for a moment, Sharhan finally said,

“Th-thanks.”

Lestel, surprised by the awkward gratitude, smirked playfully.

“I told you you didn’t have to, but look at you, saying thank you anyway. My honey’s finally grown up.”

“I wouldn’t have thanked you for anything else, but this is about Iris.”

“She’s the most important person to you, huh?”

“Of course. She’s my only sister.”

“And I’m your only childhood friend, your rival, and your nemesis.”

“So what? Want me to show my gratitude with a good punch?”

“I’ll pass on that. Words are enough. Good boy, honey.”

Lestel even ruffled his hair, and Sharhan was so overwhelmed that he nearly swatted the hand away, but held back.

‘Just this once.’

Thanks to Lestel, Iris might actually be safe. Maybe not as safe as she would’ve been behind the thick walls guarded by family knights, but still.

‘Damn it, that bastard uncle…’

While Sharhan was away at the academy, his parents died in a sudden accident. By the time he’d rushed back home, his so-called uncle had already taken control of the family.

It seemed the man had coveted the title and the dwindling scraps of wealth that came with it. He’d stolen the seal that should’ve gone to Sharhan. The few remaining knights and retainers had also sided with the uncle.

This same uncle, once a bastard child, had been raised and given the Kaios name by Sharhan’s father. And yet, he had betrayed the very man who had raised him.

After holding his father’s funeral, Sharhan fled the estate with Iris. He could have claimed his rightful position as heir, but the legal process would take time. He couldn’t bear the thought of Iris under that man’s control during that wait.

He feared his uncle would secretly sell Iris to some aging noble as a concubine. That monster had repaid grace with treachery, so who knew what he might do?

Between the title and Iris, Sharhan chose Iris without hesitation. He gave everything up, but that meant he had nothing. He hadn’t even packed properly. Becoming a mercenary had seemed like the only way to survive, so he left her with the nanny and departed.

Since then, he’d sent every coin he earned to the two of them, but they couldn’t have lived as comfortably as when they were in the estate. He had told them to spend freely and to hire mercenaries or a free knight for protection, but he doubted they had listened.

He had only said it out of concern. He knew it wasn’t realistic. Mercenaries were rough, and many were driven by greed, not honor.

He couldn’t imagine what they might do to two vulnerable women. Free knights, at least, had some sense of honor, but the nanny and Iris, having always lived inside the estate, wouldn’t have known where to find one. Especially when there were so few to begin with.

So every time he thought of them, worry had always come before longing. He hadn’t known Lestel had taken care of it.

‘Just a little longer.’

Lestel was still patting his head, like he was petting a dog or a cat. It made Sharhan feel weird, like he’d become smaller and cuter than Lestel. He told himself he’d count to ten and then swat that cocky hand away.

‘One, two, three… but how the hell did my uncle have enough money to win over all the retainers and knights?’

Sharhan remembered his uncle as someone who always cowered and watched his father’s mood. He lived off the money his father gave him, so it wasn’t like he had his own wealth.

So where had he gotten the money to seize the family?

The family had been in decline, and loyalty had been fading, but even so, no one should’ve chosen a bastard over the rightful heir. Especially not when Sharhan had been doing well at the academy.

He could have restored the Kaios name and rebuilt the family. For the retainers and knights to turn against him, his uncle must have dangled something irresistible, an enormous fortune or promise of power.

“…Nine, ten!”

Even while thinking about how his uncle had taken the estate so easily, Sharhan hadn’t forgotten to count. As soon as he hit ten, he moved to swat the hand away, but Lestel was faster. The moment Sharhan raised his arm, Lestel had already pulled back with a smug grin.

“Quick on the uptake, huh?”

“Honey, don’t I know you? We’ve spent enough time glued together for me to know exactly how far your patience stretches.”

“True. If I know you, you know me. Speaking of which…”

Sharhan leaned in close, lowering his voice into a menacing growl.

“What?”

“If you even think about Iris, you’re dead.”

Any man who wanted to marry Iris had to be the best of the best. Even if Lestel was perfect on paper, Sharhan would never allow this bastard to be the one.

Lestel’s face stiffened at the genuine menace in Sharhan’s words. He looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

“You think I’m some pervert who lusts after kids?!”

“Iris won’t stay a kid forever. When she grows up, she’s going to be the prettiest girl in the world.”

“Pretty or not, she’s like a little sister to me!”

“What do you mean your sister? She’s my sister.”

“If she’s your sister, then she’s my sister too, right? Honey? So could you stop looking at me like I’m some thief about to snatch her away? I swear, I’d rather die than get turned on by Iris.”

“You lunatic, don’t use filthy words like ‘turned on’ when talking about my pure little sister!”

“Then can I use them when I’m talking about you?”

Sharhan was so caught off guard by that unexpected reply that he opened his mouth to tell him to shut the hell up, but Derry cautiously interrupted them.

“Um… are you two, like, a couple?”