“Lady Kristrad! I’m heading your way!”

A desperate shout was heard from afar. Laila stood with her eyes closed, pressing down on the ground with a long staff gripped in both hands. Her lips moved incessantly, quietly chanting incantations.

“Fall back!”

At Eustar’s command, the squad members forming a semicircle formation all vacated their positions at once. Simultaneously, Laila opened her eyes and stared directly at the demon beast charging towards her with its half-severed leg dangling.

“In the left shadow lies a soldier’s leg.”

A long howl was heard. The left side of the demon beast’s body seemed to be caught by an invisible string, pulled taut and then lifted into the air.

—Keeek—! Keeeek—!

As the demon beast thrashed, trying to swing its dangling right leg, viscous green liquid flowed from its maw.

As soon as it touched the ground, a terrible smell arose with smoke, creating a sunken pit. Some of it splattered far enough to melt the ground at Laila’s feet, but she paid no heed and raised her staff to point its tip at the demon beast.

“In the right shadow lies a witch’s hand. Whichever side it grasps, the only destination is the grave.”

—Kee……!

There was a squelching sound as the demon beast’s right leg was torn off while flailing in midair. Unable to withstand the strong pulling force from both sides, its soft body split in half, spilling out its innards.

The moment the split body hit the ground, Laila retched, covering her nose against the revolting stench.

Once the disposal was complete, the squad members who had retreated returned and sprinkled magically imbued sand blessed with consecration over the demon beast’s corpse. This was to decompose the body as quickly as possible, preventing other demon beasts from being attracted by the horrific smell.

“Are you alright, Laila?”

Eustar approached and offered a canteen. Laila immediately opened the lid and downed its contents in one breath without pause.

She felt the sensation of ice shards brushing her tongue and throat. In the northern winter, the incredibly cold air was enough to freeze even the water inside the canteen.

Wiping her mouth, Laila closed the canteen lid and let out a long sigh.

“The smell is awful.”

Eustar smiled and replied as he took back the canteen from her hand.

“That’s usually the case with insect-type demon beasts. You handled it very well. Thanks to you, we were able to eliminate it according to plan without disrupting our formation.”

Laila lifted her gaze as she listened to his praise, then turned her head towards the squad members disposing of the corpse. The demon beast’s body, which had resembled a giant grub, had already shrunk to about half its original size.

It had been four months since Eustar and Laila met, during which time the coldest and darkest month that was said to freeze one’s very marrow had passed, and the new year had arrived.

The weather was still cold, but Laila’s skills had improved remarkably over the past four months, and she was now performing as well as the more experienced squad members.

“It’s fortunate that it’s winter, at least.”

Laila nodded in agreement at Eustar’s words. The northeastern region where Gilonik, the 3rd branch of Tentinella, was located was known for its suffocating heat in summer and bone-chilling cold in winter.

If it had been the humid summer season, how would they have dealt with that terrible stench…? The mere thought was horrifying.

Shaking her head, Laila said,

“Let’s go back. I feel like I can still smell it if we stay here.”

Eustar smiled gently.

Marnak Deiamer, the head of the 4th branch Adiak, greeted Eustar and Laila with the same gentle expression as when they had first arrived. Being winter, he was wearing a thick priestly robe with a light lining of cotton inside.

At first glance, it looked quite luxurious, but upon closer inspection, patches of mending were visible here and there.

Although as the head of a Tentinella branch he could surely afford to wear new clothes whenever he wished, he seemed to still remember his duties and obligations as a priest.

“Welcome back. I’ve been observing your excellent work.”

Marnak said. Then, as if in prayer, he briefly clasped his hands together before extending them towards Laila.

Laila wore an awkward expression but briefly grasped his hands before letting go. She felt a warm energy flowing into her palms. It was the power of a priest capable of consecration. He shook hands with Eustar in the same manner before speaking.

“This is the first time a Geloderus has appeared in winter.”

Geloderus was the name of the demon beast they had just disposed of.

Similar to its appearance, it had insect-like habits and usually appeared in summer to cause trouble, but for some reason it had shown up this time in a season when ice hadn’t even melted, surprising the squad members.

However, for Eustar, this was actually a good opportunity. The insect-type demon beasts that appear in summer are much more fierce and difficult to deal with.

But the Geloderus that appeared this time seemed to move more sluggishly than those reported in summer, which is why he had deliberately brought Laila along.

“Are you alright, Laila?”

Eustar asked. Laila wrinkled her nose, seemingly still bothered by the stench clinging to her uniform, then rubbed her tingling cheeks with her palm.

“I told you from the start that demon beasts weren’t my area, Eustar. You said so yourself.”

When Laila looked at Eustar with a sulky expression, he burst out laughing.

“I did say that, but your skills have improved to the point where it would be a waste not to use them. Offensive magic is difficult to master and requires a certain level of physical fitness too. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to progress this quickly.”

Laila snorted softly as she used her fingertips to tidy her disheveled hair.

She always ended up covered in dust when dealing with demon beasts rather than ghosts, and it was amazing how Eustar always managed to maintain a presentable appearance despite his very long hair.

Perhaps that’s also due to the influence of the Deceptor, Laila thought.

“Are you heading back?”

Marnak asked as the two approached the portal.

Eustar nodded.

“We should. I’ll send the report later.”

“Understood, take care. Oh… come to think of it, there’s not much left of this year, is there?”

Laila momentarily failed to understand his words and looked up at Eustar with a puzzled expression. It had only been about a month since the new year, so what did he mean by not much left of this year?

However, Eustar nodded nonchalantly, confusing Laila even more.

“That’s right. Is there any problem?”

Marnak shook his head.

“No, nothing. I’m just concerned that you might be busy, Sir Eustar.”

“I shouldn’t be too busy. Well then, see you soon.”

“Yes, I’ll see you soon.”

With a faint smile and his hands clasped in a polite gesture, Marnak turned to look at Laila.

“Lady Kristrad, please take care as well. May the divine watch over you.”

“Yes, Marnak. Take care.”

With an awkward greeting, Laila stepped onto the portal and closed her eyes. It was a method she had found to reduce motion sickness during teleportation.

Transported to the main headquarters in Sierow Royal Palace, the two exchanged brief greetings with the squad members before heading outside. Laila blinked, trying to steady her slightly dizzy vision.

“Feeling dizzy?”

“I’m fine.”

Laila shook her head slightly as if shaking off water, and Eustar chuckled softly.

“You look like a puppy after a bath.”

“You’ve never even had a dog, have you?”

“But I’ve seen them. There was a time when it was fashionable for nobles to carry puppies around.”

“What was that conversation about earlier?”

As the topic changed, Eustar looked down at Laila with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean?”

Laila looked at him and said,

“What Branch Head Marnak said. About there not being much left of this year, what was that about?”

“Ah, that.”

Eustar tucked a strand of hair that was tickling his cheek behind his ear and turned his head to look ahead. For some reason, it was a gesture that seemed concerning. It almost seemed like he was deliberately avoiding Laila’s gaze.

“It’s about my elder brother’s birthday. There’s a birth celebration coming up.”

“Birth celebration…”

Laila echoed his words, then after a moment made an “Ah” sound.

Eustar said,

“The king’s birth celebration is quite a grand affair. Many nobles from the capital and provinces attend. Even the Tentinella branch heads all come to the royal palace then. That’s what he was referring to.”

Laila nodded at his words, then said nonchalantly,

“That’s a relief.”

“A relief? Why?”

“I’m just a squad member, not a branch head. So I don’t have to attend the birth celebration, right?”

It was a statement that could be considered impertinent depending on how one heard it, but Eustar just laughed as if amused. Laila wanted to emphasize that it wasn’t a joke, maintaining her indifferent expression, but…

After laughing for a while, Eustar said,

“That’s right, Laila. Since you’re not a branch head, you technically don’t have to attend. But it seems you’ve forgotten that you’re my wife.”

“Ah, damn. I forgot about that.”

Eustar laughed loudly once again.

“Your swearing has increased lately, my lady.”

Laila’s red eyes glared at him reproachfully.

“This much isn’t swearing. Compared to what you said when we were facing that demon beast last time. Don’t you remember? Back then, you…”

“Ah, stop. Please forget about that. I feel bad for making you hear such things. Honestly, it was really tough then, wasn’t it?”

Laila’s lips pouted slightly. Eustar looked down at her with gentle eyes, seeming to like even that expression.

He continued,

“Don’t worry. There won’t be anything you need to stress about.”

“You mean I don’t have to talk to people?”

“Well, that’s not quite…”

Laila made a snorting sound again.

“Then it’s a useless statement.”

As they continued their back-and-forth conversation, they had already reached the area leading to the central corridor of the royal palace. When Laila stopped in front of her room, Eustar turned around.

“Let’s have dinner together, Laila.”

However, Laila shook her head.

“I still feel like there’s a strange smell, so I have no appetite. I want to wash up and sleep a bit.”

A look of concern crossed Eustar’s face.

“You’ve been taking naps often lately. You also look tired. Are you not feeling well?”

Finally, a faint smile appeared on Laila’s lips. She was about to push the door handle but turned her head abruptly and said,

“You know you’ve been asking that almost every day lately, Eustar?”

“I ask because I’m worried. Speaking of which, I should take a look. You seem to have lost even more weight.”

His fingertips gently caressed Laila’s cheek. It was a plain gesture with no strange intentions, but Laila suddenly felt her forehead grow warm. Not wanting him to notice, she quickly pulled away and said,

“I haven’t lost any weight at all. You’ve been feeding me like you’re fattening me up, with two meals every day. What are you going to do if my uniform size doesn’t fit anymore?”