Manoco family, perhaps?

It could have been someone sent by Seruna, or it could have been someone sent by Rufilmo.

If it wasn’t either of them, there was also the possibility that Helcyon had assigned someone.

Is that all?

Perhaps the culprit who killed Charles has noticed that I am tracking them…

While pondering various thoughts and walking down the street, Askan whispered again in a low voice.

“Do you see that alley ahead? Pretend to turn the corner and slip away in that direction.”

“Got it.”

As I turned the corner as Askan suggested, I quickly hid my body in the dark alley.

As we concealed ourselves, soon, some men appeared in the place we were just at, looking around.

It was evident that they had noticed the individuals who had been following us.

“Who could it be?”

As I put my hand on the magical engineering weapon I had been hiding, ready to step forward, Askan grabbed my shoulder. Inadvertently turning my head, I realized that we were standing very close to each other.

“Leave it alone. The guards nearby will take care of it.”

“Guards?”

I hadn’t expected guards to be around us.

Instinctively, I looked back at the men who had been tailing us. Then, I saw Carlton and several guards appearing to corner them.

“Since when…”

Did the guards protect me?

I couldn’t finish my sentence due to the sudden confusion. However, Askan seemed to understand what I wanted to say.

“We’ve been protecting your safety since you entered my mansion. The assassins sent by the Manoco family have come searching for you several times during that time.”

“I had no idea.”

I was once again surprised. Askan had been dealing with potential threats before Zen and I even noticed.

With a sudden thought, I looked at Askan and asked again.

“Did this start even before receiving the imperial decree to protect me?”

Instead of a precise answer, Askan offered a wry smile.

He looked at my face, raised his head slightly, and whispered huskily in my ear.

“What does it matter now? The important thing is that no one can touch even a single hair on you from now on.”

If his voice had a color, it was undoubtedly this tone. The sound that reached my ears felt warm.

Without realizing it, I found myself looking at Askan’s face, which was glowing. Even in that state, it felt perfect.

Thump, thump—the sound of my heart pounding loudly felt like Askan could hear it.

“Hey, what’s the matter now?”

Unable to keep quiet, I coughed lightly and opened my mouth toward Askan.

“Hehe, anyway, I saw it. I feel a bit sorry to leave it all to the guards. I was thinking of going out and figuring out who orchestrated this…”

“Leave it alone. Carlton needs to experience some hardship.”

“Carlton?”
I looked at him again in confusion at the words that I couldn’t understand.

Askan opened his mouth with a smile that seemed to have a mysterious meaning.

“I feel like I’ve lost my military spirit lately, so I’m in the middle of training again.”

Somehow, I recalled a subtle atmosphere between Askan and Carlton not too long ago.

─ Like me more.

─ …What?

─ Very much, I hope you fall for the current me.

He was clearly making such a serious statement, but Carlton had burst into laughter without realizing it.

─ Pfft!

Surely he wasn’t planning to retaliate for that incident?

While giving him a suspicious look, Askan, on the other hand, looked around with a relaxed expression, seemingly unconcerned.

“I like this too.”

“What?”

“The feeling of just the two of us being lost in the crowded streets.”

As I turned my head again, I saw many people passing through the busy streets.

None of them had noticed us hiding in the dark alley.

It felt somewhat strange, like we were left behind in a separate space. At the same time, I could also sense a calm atmosphere that I hadn’t felt before.

“Yeah, not bad.”

As I agreed, Askan smiled faintly.

“Someday, I want to go to a place where only you and I can stay. I hope the first thing I see when I open my eyes is your face, and I want to spend the whole day talking and fall asleep by your side again.”

It wasn’t an impossible thing, but for some reason, it didn’t feel real. Perhaps it was because the imagination was too pleasant.

If possible, I wanted to spend such ordinary days with Askan someday.

“Then, once everything complicated is sorted out, shall we go on a trip?”

“A trip?”

Looking at Askan questioning with joy, I suddenly recalled the time ten years ago when I left on a journey and was surrounded by soldiers from the Ragent Empire.

I involuntarily stiffened my expression.

A trip—no matter how much time had passed, the thought of going somewhere with Askan made me anxious.

Askan looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked.

“Why?”

“No, suddenly, something bad came to mind…”

Although I didn’t explain clearly and left the end of the sentence vague, Askan seemed to have sensed that it was related to an event from his past that he couldn’t remember.

Askan’s expression darkened. I knew he didn’t like talking about the past, but now it seemed like he was avoiding it more than usual.