Madeleine was rescued, but Hiss was still captured, and above all, Marquis Hujan was targeting the noble family.

My body trembled slightly.

At that moment, my body leaned more towards Kirian. As if he knew what I was thinking, Kirian spoke softly.

“It’ll be okay. The Marquis, Hiss, and you, sister.”

It was a short phrase. For some reason, I felt relieved, just as Kirian had said. Everything seemed to be fine, just as Kirian said.

I twisted my body and rested my head on Kirian’s shoulder.

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

There was no hesitation in Kirian’s simple answer. It was spoken as a simple fact.

I realized once again. I rely on Kirian more than I thought.

“Close your eyes. You look tired, sister.”

When Kirian hesitated for a moment before sweeping my hair, my eyes closed gently.
When I was young, it seemed like I always found Kirian adorable. Somehow, Kirian has become an existence that I can’t find adorable anymore.

“Not cute at all…”

As I mumbled, a chuckling laughter was heard. It was not a cute laughter at all. Instead, it was a laugh that made me feel uneasy, as if mocking me for finding it cute. It didn’t suit my dignity as a sister.

Still, Kirian’s shoulder felt more comfortable than I expected, so I decided to forgive him.

Even though I deliberately referred to Kirian as my little brother, I probably knew all along. If I had truly considered him as a little brother, I wouldn’t have relied on him like this.

Kirian, while hugging, looked down at Reyna’s peaceful face as she slept.

Her expression was undisturbed, oblivious to my feelings. Still, the weight of expectations was welcome. I also hoped that Reyna could continue to lean on me like this.

“Ugh, have we arrived?”

At that moment, when the carriage stopped, Number 1 yawned loudly and stretched. He froze halfway through the stretch.

Number 1, who met the cold air outside with his bare feet, closed his mouth like a clam.

Fortunately, Reyna only wrinkled her forehead for a moment without waking up.

Number 1 alternately glanced at the sleeping Reyna and Kirian, who was quietly observing, and gestured silently to other members of the organization.

Thanks to that, Reyna didn’t make a move until Kirian gently lifted her off the carriage.

In front of the Marquis’s mansion, the Marquise and the Marquis were waiting for them.

“Welcome back.”

The Marquise greeted them gently, but her expression stiffened slightly when she saw Reyna sleeping in Kirian’s arms.

“Come here.”

The Marquise reached out to take Reyna, but Kirian stepped back like flowing water.

“It’s okay, Mother.”

Kirian smiled faintly, but the wrinkles caught between the Marquise’s eyebrows deepened.

“Reyna might wake up if we keep doing this.”

In response to Kirian’s logic, the Marquise forced a smile.

“Well, I guess so. Take your sister to her room, and then go to the forest right away to fetch some firewood. We have many guests, and the firewood in the rooms is running out.”

Although it was something the servants should take care of, Kirian nodded briefly without saying a word and disappeared into the Marquis’s mansion.

The Marquise glared at Kirian’s retreating figure with a complicated look.

“It seems like I’ve made a serious mistake in his education.”

As the Marquise ground her teeth, the Marquis patted her shoulder.

“But he hasn’t gone so far as to kill innocent people.”

As the Marquise twisted her hand, a sharp clinking sound rang out.

“No. Although we missed the timing a bit, we plan to educate him properly from now on.”

“Scoundrels.”

Lady Marjane, who had been watching everything with magic stones, slammed her fist on the desk.
The butler nearby flinched, but His, who had no focus in his eyes, didn’t even flinch.

Marquis Madjene smashed the shattered desk with his boot, but still, the anger didn’t subside. He felt like tearing apart the already dead and turned-to-ash mercenaries.

Now that it had come to this, there was no choice but to hurry with the plan.

Marquis Madjene gestured to the butler who had been watching beside him.

“Increase the number of commoners we capture by twice.”

The butler hesitated.

“I apologize, but there is no suitable place to put so many people to sleep.”

“Anywhere will do. Whether it’s an attic or a stable. Just keep them alive.”

Marquis Madjene flicked his finger.

“You’ll need to double the amount of magic harvested daily.”

“…Yes.”

The marquis’s gaze shifted to His.

“Increase the amount of magic stone excavation by twice.”

His, who was standing still as if in pain at those words, slowly furrowed his brow, seemingly in distress. However, he didn’t say anything.

“…Marquis.”

The butler cautiously spoke.

“We’ve obtained information that King Kshia has recently started paying attention to the accidents occurring continuously in the magic stone mines. If we proceed forcefully, it could jeopardize even the position of the crown prince.”

Marquis Madjene clicked his tongue as if irritated.

“If we scrutinize everything, we might miss our chance.”

The butler eventually remained silent. Having served Marquis Madjene since the previous marquis’s time, he had never felt as restless as he did recently.

Whether it was because he was anxious about the plan being exposed to the duke’s family, or because he was uncertain about whether Marquis Madjene’s plan would really succeed, he couldn’t truly know. As the events unfolded, the thought that Marquis Madjene’s ambitious madness might become a reality became increasingly intense.

The marquis issued another command to His.

“Mobilize Kshia soldiers within a fortnight.”

His nodded, but his face still contorted as if he had a splitting headache.

“We need to finish the work before the opponent takes the lead.”

But Marquis Madjene happily hummed as if he didn’t notice any of this.

“In a fortnight, we’ll strike the duke’s mansion.”