Zion, like a lion, raised his head at the sound of footsteps.

So Evie’s heart unknowingly sank.

Zion was sitting in a chair placed in the middle of the tent, using the original owner of the chair as a footrest.

To put one’s feet on a fallen person, it was a tremendous outrage, but somehow Zion Laurel suited that appearance excessively well. As if he was born to be like that.

With such a ferocious look, narrowing his eyes sharply, Evie, who met his eyes, could not help but gasp in surprise. Anyone other than Evie would have felt the same.

“What’s the matter here?”

On the other hand, Zion, who had reflexively put on a sharp look, softened his eyes at the sight of Evie.

Frozen at his perplexed voice, Evie finally breathed quietly.

Engaged with the Count in various ways, Evie had completely forgotten what kind of person he was.

No, she had never really felt it, about his essence that alone averted disaster.

But seeing Zion Laurel, who had taken over the army like this, it struck her anew what kind of person he was.

She was quite surprised, but Evie replied without showing it.

“Madame Marso said there was a big problem, so I came to see.”

Evie said so, glancing at his footrest.

So Zion pushed his footrest, the fainted investigator, with his foot and said,

“As you can see, there’s nothing wrong.”

“To my eyes, it looks like there is something wrong… How are you going to get home with all this laid out?”

As Evie spoke with concern, Zion made a really incongruous clear expression. Then he answered with a rather cheerful face.

“It’s fine. I plan to move tonight.”

“Move?”

“I don’t like the new landlord.”

Speaking so, Zion was mischievously composed.

Apparently, he seemed to have already settled it. His life in this village, and his response to Evie’s suggestion.

She was firmly refused, but Evie was not disappointed. In fact, she expected him to come out like this.

From the beginning, that arrogant and illmannered Count did not even hope to gently take Evie’s hand.

Now that Bayon’s army has intervened and made it annoying, it seemed that he had made up his mind to leave this time.

Evie thought it was not surprising, but she spoke as if she was very surprised.

“So you’re saying you’ll leave in the middle of the night?”

At Evie’s reaction, Zion seemed satisfied.

So Evie knitted her brows and added in an even more troublesome voice.

“I can’t believe it. That the Count would be such an irresponsible person.”

Evie’s blatant blame broke his satisfaction.

At unexpected words, Zion’s eyes narrowed, but Evie did not care and spoke more dramatically.

“If you leave like this, everyone will think something terrible has happened to the Count. Do you really think you can leave like this? You’re not even thinking about the wounds the children will receive… How about Madame Marso, who’s been running around in the middle of the night? Everyone’s heart will burn black, resenting the world that took you away, how will it be okay…”

Afterward, Evie lamented as if she had faced the most horrible tragedy in the world for being able to make such a ruthless decision.

So Zion muttered, unable to listen anymore.

“Is that something the threatening party should say?”

“A threat?”

But Evie, rather, opened her eyes wide and contradicted. Then she muttered, turning her face from a fool.

“I thought you’d know what a threat is by now…”

At that tiny voice, Zion was involuntarily flustered. The real threat he had suffered from Evie came to mind.

Regardless, Evie spelled it out clearly.

“What I did in the morning wasn’t a threat, it was a promise. A promise to protect your precious things.”

Evie spoke step by step as if teaching a child, and Zion made a face as if the whole attitude and words were disgusting.

So Evie laughed inwardly.

In empathy, Evie was also thinking something similar to Diez.

That Zion Laurel’s disposition was very similar to the vicious wild horses of the western mountain range.

Those superior and lofty beasts refuse all constraints, roaming the plains without restraint.
Tiena, beginning with herself, Zion Laurel, who thoroughly ignores everything around him, also seems that way at a glance.

But there is one trap here.

That is, even the wild horses of the western mountain range live together in groups.

“I thought this was a good proposal for both of us, but it seems it was difficult for you, Count. Even giving up your precious daily life because of me…”

Evie pretended to speak kindly, scratching Zion’s feelings again, and Zion responded dutifully once again.

For Evie Ariate, whose lifelong goal is to be a difficult person, Zion Laurel, who is already overwhelmingly difficult, was truly an interesting subject.

In Evie’s eyes, he was a person who could do anything he wanted, yet he didn’t want anything and settled in this rustic village.

That’s not to say he fit well into this humble world either.

The way he loitered around this village, his appearance was as awkward as a lion sitting in a chicken coop.

What do you want to do, who doesn’t belong here or there?