“…Ren!”

Vivian screamed at the unbelievable sight before her.

The sword that had been fiercely flying towards her. And Ren, who had blocked it in front of her.

Even without seeing it, she could clearly tell what had happened.

Vivian hurriedly turned Ren around.

As expected…

A sword was embedded in his body. It just had to be the same spot that had already been deeply wounded before.

Vivian’s brown eyes were instantly filled with despair.

“…Lady Vivian, are you hurt anywhere?”

At the sound of Ren’s voice that soon followed, she came to her senses with a start.

Asking if she was hurt anywhere. Just what kind of question was that?

Despite not being able to properly speak a full sentence due to the pain, Ren was worrying about her.

“Are you really an idiot? Saying such things, at a time like this?”

Looking at his clothes drenched in fresh blood, Vivian held back her tears.

He was definitely an idiot, no doubt about it.

How could he even think to shield her when he was already in such a terrible state? Vivian simply could not understand him.

Yet Ren merely gave a soft smile that held a hint of playfulness.

“It looks worse than it is. I’m better off than you’d think.”

To Ren, this was not a lie.

When he had blocked Vivian, he had simultaneously cast a defensive barrier with his shadows.

The hastily created barrier had failed to completely block the attack, but fortunately, it had reduced its impact.

Of course, the sword still ended up embedded in his body, but…

If he could protect Vivian with just this level of pain, Ren was willing to endure it as much as needed.

However, it was a different case for Vivian.

She blamed herself for putting Ren in this situation.

‘If only I had been a little stronger…’

She did not regret confronting Belial itself.

Even if she had tried to run away with Ren and Damian, Siegfried would have likely caught up to them right away.

However, she hated herself for using her abilities to their limit just to land a single hit on Belial.

Belial had already fled with his subordinates, and now all that was left was to take the injured to the hospital.

The problem was that her legs would not move at all.

To make matters worse, the backlash from using her abilities was making her drowsy.

‘This won’t do…’

She was trying to endure with willpower alone, but it was not easy.

In the end, amid the feeling of helplessness, Vivian collapsed into Ren’s arms and passed out.

To cut to the conclusion, contrary to my worries, everyone who had remained at the Schneider estate was safely rescued.

It was thanks to Veronica’s soldiers who had immediately headed this way upon hearing the news.

They took the unconscious Damian and me to Veronica, and she summoned her personal physician to examine us.

Apparently, Ren, who had been in the worst condition, had actually walked out on his own two feet with vigor.

‘How is that even possible…?’

I heard that the physician had been so astonished to see Ren looking fine in expression and attitude despite having his body impaled. It was simply amazing.

And so, the treatment began, and nearly 3 weeks had already passed.

I recovered quickly as I only had minor wounds from the battle.

Ren also recovered unexpectedly fast considering how severely he had been injured.

He still could not use the arm on his heavily wounded shoulder side, but it was fortunate nonetheless.

However, there seemed to be no way to heal Damian, who had lost a leg.

It was the worst possible situation for an inspector.

Sadly, his misfortune did not end there.

Not only had the duke passed away, but the Schneider estate had ultimately fallen into the hands of demons and magical beasts.

We had succeeded in driving out Belial, but… unfortunately, a portal had already formed on the estate by then.

At first, the soldiers had tried to fight against the magical beasts in an attempt to win, but it was impossible to hold back the endless enemies pouring out from the portal.

In the end, the soldiers withdrew from the estate, and the empire declared that it had abandoned the Schneider territory.

In an instant, the empire’s strategic point had fallen into the clutches of demons, just like that.

‘In the end, it turned out like the original story.’

I had thought Siegfried might cause various incidents, riding on that momentum… but surprisingly, no notable incidents occurred after that.

‘Just what is he scheming?’

Siegfried, no, Belial, who was being strangely quiet.

It was clear he was plotting something, but there was no way to know and predict it in advance, which made me frustrated.

‘If only I really had the ability of foresight like the divine apostles of the past…’

Of course, unfortunately, this was difficult.

The foresight the divine apostles had obtained in the past was all because God had seen the future and conveyed it to them.

Now that God had already been destroyed, there was no one to tell me about the future, so despite being an apostle, it was impossible for me to have foresight.

In the end, all I could rely on was the information from the original story.

But even that was meaningless now. So many things had been twisted.

As I was lost in thought with my head hung low, Ren, who had been lying on the bed, spoke to me.

“They say demons have good regenerative abilities, but he was hit by divine power. He probably doesn’t even have the capacity to cause incidents while struggling to recover.”

Even though I had not voiced my concerns out loud, Ren spoke as if he had read my mind.

At his words that seemed intended to reassure me, I gave a bitter smile.

“If that’s the case, it would be fortunate, but…”

While I also hoped Ren’s words were true, I knew too well that the chances of that not being the case were high.

At that moment, as I was feeling gloomy, the doctor opened the door and entered.

“Could you please step out for a bit while I provide treatment?”

At his request, I hurriedly went outside.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, the doctor opened the door and came out, having finished the treatment. I went back inside.

“Ren, how are you feeling? Are you okay? Did the treatment hurt?”

When I asked with a worried tone, Ren shook his head, saying it was no big deal.

“They just changed the bandages to new ones. You don’t have to worry so much.”

Even if he says he’s fine like that, how can I not worry? The scene I had witnessed 3 weeks ago was still vivid in my mind.

As I looked at him with distressed eyes, not hiding my heartache, he reached out with one hand and pushed the corners of my mouth upwards.

It seemed he was concerned about me being gloomy all this time.

“But now that they say I can be discharged, don’t be so upset.”

“Already? I thought you still couldn’t use your other arm?”

“Well, that’s true, but… Anyway, all they can do here is apply medicine and change the bandages, so there won’t be much difference doing it at home.”

“I see. Then let’s go together. I’ll take you.”

“What? Together? It’s alright. You need to rest too, Lady Vivian…”

Seeing him refuse my suggestion in a way unlike his usual self, I tilted my head.

His eyes wavered as if he was flustered, almost as if he was hiding something.

‘…Come to think of it, where has Ren been staying recently?’

The first place I visited upon arriving in the human world was the hideout.

It was because I thought Ren would be there.

But when I went to the hideout after a long time, I couldn’t feel any traces of human presence at all.

It was cleanly organized, but there was no sense of it being lived in.

Without hiding the questions that had arisen, I asked straightforwardly.

“Where have you been staying these days? It didn’t seem like you were staying at the hideout.”

“That’s…”

Ren made a slightly troubled expression and hesitated.

Was there something difficult for him to say? After waiting for a moment, he began to explain slowly.

“At first, after you left, I stayed at the hideout. But after a while, assassins were stationed around your house and the paths you frequently took.”

“Assassins?”

Could it be that Siegfried had sent them? I continued to focus on Ren’s story.

“Yes. The assassins hadn’t taken over the area around the hideout, but just in case, I moved my residence. Coincidentally, Her Highness Princess Veronica provided me with a safe house.”

“So that’s what happened… Did you find out who sent the assassins?”

Ren hesitated again. In that moment, I could easily guess who the culprit was.

“…Leonie?”

When I asked with a voice full of tension, he carefully nodded.

Then he observed my reaction.

He must be worried that I might be hurt by this incident.

‘Of course, it would be a lie to say I’m not bitter at all, but…’

I can say with certainty. I’m alright.

I had already found out exactly how Leonie felt about me.

It would be foolish to be upset because of her any longer.

I do wonder how our relationship became so twisted, but what can I do?

My relationship with her was already beyond my control.

I raised the corners of my mouth as much as I could and smiled. So that Ren could be at ease.

And then, as if it was no big deal, I changed the subject in a playful tone.

“But if there are assassins, I guess I can’t go back home either? Well, I didn’t plan on going back anyway.”

It was hard to rule out the possibility that Siegfried had already figured out my home address, so returning there would be truly foolish.

The hideout was also near my house, so it would be just as unsafe.

‘I think I’ll have to find a place to stay for the time being…’

In the meantime, I had been staying here while Ren was recovering, but with the sudden discharge, it was difficult to know where to go.

As I was pondering with my eyes closed for a moment, Ren spoke first.

“Lady Vivian.”

“Yes?”

“The place is a bit cramped, but if you don’t mind…”

Ren paused for a moment and then continued.

“Let’s go to my house.”

Ren’s large hand grasped mine.