“Please. Wait a moment. Listen to me.”

She said those words while pushing away Leon’s arm and rolling up her sleeve.

“……”

However, seeing the slender wrist stained with red blood only made Leon’s expression grow more serious. Kasha frowned and rubbed her left arm with the sleeve of her other arm.

“……?”

Leon was startled.

Her arm, after wiping away the blood, was completely unharmed. Without a single wound. For an injury that bled this much, it was impossible to heal with just a temporary infusion of Holy Power.

Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Kasha let out a sigh.

“I’m not the one who’s hurt.”

“You’re not…?”

“No.”

“Then whose blood is this?”

“The intruder’s.”

At her words, Leon’s expression turned serious again. Kasha continued speaking with the same solemn face.

“I… attacked the intruder. That’s why the blood.”

“You… attacked the intruder? With what?”

Kasha raised an eyebrow. As if asking if he was inquiring about the obvious.

Then she felt around the grass where she had been crouching and lifted something up.

A long, transparent mana stone emitted a bluish light, and at its end was a simple activation device.

Recognizing the object, Leon’s expression immediately turned peculiar.

‘Sir Leon. I have a favor to ask.’

‘What is it?’

The day before Leon left for Elor alone. For some reason, Kasha invited Leon into the master bedroom of the estate. Of course, it was possible because Daril was out.

Sitting across from Leon, who was needlessly tense with his hands clasped together, Kasha showed him that very object with a quite solemn face.

‘…What kind of magical tool is this?’

‘It’s a close-range attack magical tool.’

‘Close-range… attack?’

‘Yes. To be precise, it’s a self-defense magical tool. For subduing an opponent much stronger than the user.’

Hearing those words, Leon examined the magical tool closely. The structure itself was very simple. It was a slender and long mana stone with a handle and control device attached. It was also lightweight.

But upon closer inspection, the outer surface of the mana stone was coated with a rough, transparent substance.

Only after carefully examining it and touching it with his hand did Leon realize what it was.

‘This is malcarion, isn’t it?’

‘You know it.’

Kasha chuckled. She looked quite proud, making Leon unconsciously think how adorable she was.

Leon knew well that she rarely stuttered and laughed easily when talking about magical tools. And because of that, he found himself bringing up the topic of magical tools more often these days.

‘I heard malcarion is a dangerous substance.’

‘Usually it is.’

Malcarion is a substance known to have the effect of instantaneously amplifying the mana inherent in mana stones. However, it is notoriously difficult to handle and related accidents occur frequently, so even mages are reluctant to use it these days.

‘It’s made to… control the amplification power of malcarion and send a strong mana flow only to the body of the contact target instantaneously.’

‘Impressive.’

When Leon gave a genuine exclamation, Kasha’s face lit up with joy. Her eyes, which had turned a clear pink from the sunlight, sparkled noticeably. Wanting to see more of that expression, Leon continued asking questions.

‘It sends mana flow to the body of the contact target? But is that alone enough for self-defense?’

‘It can’t directly cause harm. But if it’s an ordinary person, not a mage… their body will be temporarily paralyzed by the abruptly injected mana. During that time, the user can either run away or gain time to counterattack.’

Leon was truly impressed by those words. Although it may not be of much use in urgent situations like combat, it was a magical tool perfectly suited for protecting the body of a frail woman like Kasha.

‘But what favor do you want to ask of me?’

‘Well… I’m curious about how effective this is on actual people, so I was wondering if I could test it on you, Sir Leon, just a little bit?’

‘…You want to use that self-defense magical tool on me right now?’

‘I did try using it on myself once, and seeing how I fainted right away… it seems to be effective. But I’m worried it might not work on a man with a large build like you, Sir Leon……’

‘Wait. You said you tested that magical tool directly? On yourself?’

When Kasha nodded as if it was obvious, Leon stared at her, at a loss for words, and let out a long sigh. Then, looking straight at her, he spoke.

‘All right. I’ll participate in the experiment. But promise me one thing. Next time, if you need a test subject, just tell me. Don’t go experimenting on yourself out of the blue.’

‘But……’

‘You’re asking me now because I’m a Holy Knight anyway. Even if something happens to my body, I can heal myself.’

Kasha looked at Leon, who had seen through her thoughts, with an apologetic gaze.

…Of course, even though she felt sorry, Kasha was not one to conduct experiments halfheartedly, and Leon had to lie sprawled on her bed for about 30 seconds that day, losing his memory.

The experience of lying on her bed itself was so unforgettable that he didn’t even mind the temporary paralysis of his body, but he was impressed by its performance anyway.

And now, that very magical tool that had impressed him was held in Kasha’s hand.

Leon was at a loss for words, unsure whether to say it was fortunate, that she did well, or to get angry at her recklessness.

At that moment, he noticed that the sleeve holding the magical tool was still stained with blood.

Regardless of whether she was injured or not, he had an overwhelming urge to find the unidentified assailant and teach them a lesson.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, he realized that Kasha’s hand was trembling. No, not just her hand. Her entire body, drenched in rain, was shivering.

It seemed that the temporary infusion of Holy Power was not enough to calm the shock. Her small face, pretending to be calm, was also noticeably pale.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders without saying a word. He could feel the trembling of her slender body gradually subsiding in his embrace.

Noticing how low the body temperature of the rain-soaked woman was, he held her even more tightly and whispered.

“Let’s go inside for now. We can talk once we’re inside.”

Kasha nodded weakly, as if she had no more energy to speak. Leon carried her, almost lifting her, and moved her inside the villa. Kasha did not refuse either.

“I was… half asleep. I thought I heard something in my sleep… so I opened my eyes and saw his silhouette entering through the balcony.”

Kasha, who had taken a quick shower and wrapped herself in a thick blanket, began her story with a gentle face like a young child. She was holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate in her hands.

The two were sitting side by side on the sofa in Leon’s room.

He had brought her here for now, partly to hear what had happened and partly because he couldn’t possibly leave her in that room as it was.

Suddenly, she shuddered as she looked out the window where the dawn light was seeping in.

It seemed the fear of the moment she saw his silhouette had come back to her. The tips of her fingers gripping the end of the sofa were tensed and pale.

Leon had a suffocating urge to hold her hand tightly and reassure her. However, he was barely restraining himself, aware that constantly making physical contact with her while she was startled was a cowardly act.

He spoke to her with the warmest gaze possible, as if to reassure her.

“You don’t have to tell me everything right now. You can rest enough and talk when you feel better. It’s not too late then.”

But Kasha shook her head. Her pressed lips were firm.

“…It’s okay. I can do it.”

Leon felt sorry for Kasha, who never allowed herself even a little leeway.

‘But if this is what you want.’

Leon continued the conversation as Kasha wished.

“So you discovered the assailant then and screamed? The guard said he heard a scream.”

“At that time… it wasn’t. I had just woken up, so my voice wouldn’t come out right away. Instead, I searched for the magical tool hidden under my pillow… and gripped it in my hand. I had practiced it so many times that I could do it even half-asleep.”

There was even determination in Kasha’s eyes as she said that.

In her eyes, Leon could read the nights she had spent at the villa, repeatedly practicing finding the magical tool in preparation for someone’s attack.

She must have been noticeably tired over the past few days because of those sleepless nights.

She probably anticipated something and made thorough preparations on her own, such as switching rooms with Eve.

And in fact, that ‘something’ did happen. In the form of an intruder’s invasion.

How on earth did she anticipate it?

What on earth does she know?

“……”

But despite all those suspicions, Leon only felt sorry for her trembling shoulders.

Thinking about the loneliness and fear she must have felt enduring all of this alone, he was on the verge of going crazy.

The weight of the secret she is trying to protect to the end is too heavy for that small woman to carry alone.

It pained him that he couldn’t immediately lighten that burden for her.

“…Then I waited for him to approach.”

As Kasha’s words continued, Leon barely managed to focus on the conversation again.

“You waited for him to approach?”

“Because this magical tool can’t be used unless in close proximity.”

“I see.”

Leon nodded at Kasha’s situational judgment and composure. It is never easy to remain so calm in the face of an opponent much stronger than oneself.

“Finally, he came close… and bent over me to check my face. He was startled. At that very moment, I pressed the magical tool against his body.”

“And then?”

“He collapsed right away.”

Kasha said it as if it were obvious, straightening her shoulders.

“Then why didn’t you call the guard at that point?”

“I tried to. But because he happened to collapse on top of me, it wasn’t easy to get my body out. While I was struggling, he started… to wake up again.”

The scream the guard heard must have been the one Kasha let out during that process. Imagining Kasha trapped under his body made Leon feel unbearably unpleasant, but he listened to the story, hiding his expression.

“I could feel him gradually regaining consciousness… but my body was still pinned down, and I had lost the magical tool so I couldn’t use it again. So, in a hurry, I reached out wildly and grabbed… the paper knife on the side table. Just at that moment, he lifted his body, so… with that, I stabbed him.”