Thwack!

The book, thrown with all her might, flew through the air, and the fleeing man was struck on the back of his head by its corner. As the staggering man turned his head, Ael took a startled step back when their eyes met.

It was because the man glared at her coldly.

“So you’re with the guild!”

He spat out incomprehensible words and then turned to charge at Ael. Suddenly, a sharp dagger appeared in one of the man’s hands.

“……!”

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Ael froze, unable to even scream. She had thought it might be dangerous, but she never imagined she’d be facing a knife in broad daylight.

The glinting dagger in the charging man’s hand was unbelievable. An attack like this in the capital, and in the central square no less!

Ael closed her eyes tightly, bracing for the pain about to befall her.

Thud!

At that moment, a dull sound was heard. Instead of the expected pain, Ael was enveloped by a dusty wind and an unfamiliar warmth.

“……?”

Faced with a situation different from what she had anticipated, Ael immediately opened her eyes. Something was blocking her view. What could it be?

Ael slowly raised her head.

Her gaze met blue eyes. In that moment, Ael stared at him blankly, forgetting that it was impolite to do so.

It was a man she had never seen before. Black hair with a slight brown tint under the sunlight. Thick, straight eyebrows. And beneath them, sparkling blue eyes.

Everything about the man was refreshingly handsome.

Ael momentarily forgot the situation and thought, “He’s really good-looking.”

“Are you alright?”

A clear, low voice resonated in her ear. Only then did Ael realize what state she was in and hastily pushed the man away.

Fortunately, the man immediately stepped back at Ael’s gesture. Behind him, she could see the fallen vagrant. What had happened?

The vagrant was on the ground, clutching his wrist and groaning, while the dagger he had been holding lay a few steps away.

“You bastard!”

“Grab him! Hold him down so he can’t move!”

Soon, the woman who had called for help earlier and men who seemed to be her companions rushed over to restrain the fallen man.

People who had been fleeing and pretending not to see now approached to help or remained a step away to watch.

‘I almost died…?’

Amidst the commotion, Ael, finally coming to her senses, looked at the dagger on the ground. Its blade gleamed with a blue light as it caught the sunlight.

That dangerous glint made her realize how great a danger she had just faced.

“Ah….”

Along with her startled feelings, pain from her injury became apparent. Ael staggered with a groan. It seemed she might collapse, but then a large hand grasped her arm.

The man who had embraced Ael earlier had approached again to support her.

“I apologize for grabbing you without permission. Are you really alright?”

“I-I’m f-fine.”

A voice that was anything but fine came out. Her teeth chattered and her body trembled with belated fear.

The man continued to hold her, not letting go until Ael calmed down.

A moment later, after the attacking man had been dragged away by people, the woman who had shouted to catch him approached Ael.

“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, we were able to catch that bastard!”

Although her clothes were quite elaborate, her manner of speech was far from the affected politeness of nobles. Then Ael noticed an unfamiliar accent in the woman’s speech.

“Are you… from the Empire?”

“Yes, I’m from the Empire. To be more precise, I’m Nisha, the branch manager of the Ash Guild’s Denertum branch. And the person who threw himself to kick that bastard is….”

The woman trailed off as she looked at the man supporting Ael. The man, seeming to understand, smiled slightly and introduced himself to Ael.

“I also work for the Ash Guild. My name is Kaile.”

“Ah, yes. Th-thank you, Mr. Kaile. But I’m fine now, so your hand….”

At Ael’s words, Kaile finally slowly released his supporting grip on her.

As the warmth that had been on her arm disappeared, Ael felt a strange sense of loss. She ended up rubbing the arm he had held for no reason.

Perhaps thinking this action stemmed from discomfort, Kaile bowed his head a little more and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I held on too long, thinking you might fall.”

“No, not at all! I should be thanking you for saving me. I could have died if not for you.”

In response to the man’s polite apology, Ael bowed her head even lower. Then she suddenly realized something. The envelope containing the letter paper she had been holding was gone.

“The letter paper!”

Ael quickly turned and scanned the ground. Where the vagrant had been dragged away, a crumpled paper envelope covered in footprints was visible.

Ael hurriedly approached the envelope. Her injured ankle stung, but that pain wasn’t important right now.

Ael’s hand trembled as she painfully bent down to pick up the envelope.

The envelope was in terrible condition. Nevertheless, Ael, not giving up hope, carefully opened the paper envelope.

“Ah….”

But the moment she took out the letter paper, what little hope remained escaped as a sigh.

The papers inside were not only crumpled but also torn. She took them all out to see if there might be any undamaged sheets, but it was a vain hope.

“What am I going to do…”

Ael’s face turned ashen.

She had already prepared herself for one round of Elize’s irritation for returning late. But now it wouldn’t end with just irritation.

If she went home like this, she would immediately be questioned about why she was so late, and then she’d have to explain what had happened.

‘I’ll probably just get scolded for doing unnecessary things.’

Moreover, Elize would surely torment her for days, saying the letter to the Grand Duke was delayed.

She would definitely raise her hand several times too. Ael’s cheek, not yet struck, began to ache.

At that moment, the low voice was heard again from above her head.

“It seems this happened because of us.”

“Ah, well….”

She couldn’t bring herself to deny it. As Ael hesitated, stammering her response, the man once again gave a refreshing smile and extended his hand politely to Ael.

“We can’t just let our benefactor go like this. Please allow us the opportunity to repay this favor.”

At his manner, Ael found herself extending her hand without realizing it. He gently took Ael’s hand and said,

“First, let’s have your injuries treated.”

* * *

“Lord Kalon! What are you thinking!”

“Why don’t you shout louder, Nisha? So everyone in this building can hear my name. Including the young lady who just came with us.”

Nisha put her hand to her forehead at Kalon’s nonchalant attitude.

She looked at Kaile, no, Kalon, who was holding a book in front of her.

Kalon Ash. Nisha always wondered what expression people would make if they knew that the owner of the Ash Guild, whom the public believed to be a middle-aged man, was actually this man in his late 20s standing before her eyes.

“I was already surprised when you suddenly arrived, even though you said you wouldn’t be here for another three months… but why did you bring her along when we could have just given her some compensation and sent her away…?”

As Nisha grumbled, not understanding, Kalon’s face, which had been wearing a gentle smile until just moments ago, hardened coldly.

“Don’t say that. Thanks to that young lady, we were able to catch that guy, weren’t we?”

“That’s true.”

“That guy, just from his movements, you could tell he wasn’t an ordinary vagrant. Moreover, when he rushed at us, he aimed precisely for the documents you were holding from the start. As if he knew they had just arrived today.”

“……”

“He didn’t seem to know I was Kalon, but in any case, it shows that the information security here isn’t perfect. Be careful.”

“I understand. I’ll be more thorough in my inspections.”

At his cold voice, Nisha set aside her previous friendly attitude and bowed respectfully.

She could feel the cold gaze pouring down on her head. Sweat began to run down Nisha’s spine.

Until just a few hours ago, they had been conversing lightly, almost like friends, but at times like this, she keenly felt that he was the one leading this vast Ash Guild.

“And I didn’t bring that young lady here just out of kindness.”

“What? Did you notice something suspicious about her?”

Nisha recalled the woman who had introduced herself as Ael. The woman who had helped them catch the attacker.

Her expression as she didn’t know what to do with her injured ankle and ruined belongings didn’t seem fake.

“This.”

“That’s… the book that person threw, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Kalon muttered while lightly tossing and catching the small book.

“Do you think it makes sense for a woman walking the streets of Denertum to be reading a book that even economic scholars at the Imperial Academy find difficult to understand?”