/
Soon, they prepared light refreshments and tea in front of them, along with Giovanne’s eyes staring openly at Catherine.
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
Her cheek was so stinging that she couldn’t ignore it. Giovanne opened his mouth as if waiting.
“I have a lot to say. First of all, I have no idea what  Lady is thinking. I am one of the greatest wizards on the continent, but I am not objectively comparable to Grand Duke Cesare.”
Well, no matter how good he is, he can’t compare it to Cesare. He is a man who is very good at his self-objectification. She liked it.
“But what’s your intention to learn from me?”
With all his strength, he’s trying to hold her up rather than press her. But Catherine knew how dangerous that was.
‘I need to know how to protect myself.’
Strictly speaking, the beings she had to deal with were not the Great Devil but the Great Devil’s contractors.
‘Even if the superiority of power exists, the other contractors are also supported by the Great Devil.’
Besides, since they’re all special people, they will soon find out she wasn’t a big deal.
But Catherine didn’t want them to look down on her. Her goal for the rest of her life is to live a comfortable life without worries.
To do this, she must enjoy Cesare’s wealth and power without dying. And in order not to die—.
“His Highness Cesare is too principled.”
She needed a cool teacher who wouldn’t protect her. However, since she couldn’t explain such facts one by one, she added a word roughly.
“I need the strength to become stronger right away. But he regards shallow learning as the root of his corruption. If you pursue only strength, you will end up not learning anything properly. It’s so frustrating to learn step by step from the beginning.”
That’s a pretty plausible lie, as she says.
Catherine knew that Giovanne would laugh at her story. But he didn’t feel that way at all. Instead, he frowned and laughed as if it were cute.
“It’s like looking at my childhood. Well, wizards have their own philosophy. The Grand Duke is not wrong. Especially the Lady with dangerous roots.”
The ashes of the third cigarette he smokes fall into the mug.
“But isn’t it important to live the life you want to live? So let me help you. It’s going to be very, very enjoyable.”
It was a genuinely exciting smile.
After all, they are wizards. Regardless of position, gender, or age, they were all crazy about exploration.
“Thank you. Old man—No, teacher, I’ll trust you.”
“Hmm, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you why you must be so strong.”
“I have someone to protect.”
Giovanne smiled deeper.
“Oh, that’s a very romantic reason. I like it very much. Why don’t you tell me who it is?”
This time, it seemed as if there was no need to lie. In the future, where she will continue to receive help, she will be able to receive the appropriate lessons if she informs the person she wants to protect.
“It’s Grand Duke Cesare.”
Above the forehead, eyebrows are drawn in a straight line. Giovanne’s upper body was stretched out, and he stuck his ears in.
“Who?”
“Grand Duke Cesare Jean Uld Christopher.”
“…From what?”
“Of course, from dangerous people.”
Damian muttered while Giovanne was lost in thought with a mysterious look.
“It’s like an ant guarding a dragon.”
Haha. Laughing dryly, Giovanne clapped strongly.
“Okay! Now that we’ve concluded let’s tour the Hanging Garden.”
Catherine spoke to Damian in a nervous voice.
“Why are the people here so anxious if they can’t brag about it?”
“Even if I said 100 times that I don’t need it, he’s a man who won’t even listen.”
Giovanne jumped out of his seat. He opened the door of the drawing-room and said.
“Come on, get up and go outside, Lady.”
Two neatly dressed women came in from over the door.
“With my beautiful ladies.”
The two led Catherine and Damian out of the drawing-room. Seeing the two women wrapped around Catherine and babbling incessantly, Damian followed from a distance.
“Hello, cute Lady?”
“Oy my! Look at your skin. Is it because you were young? Why is it so soft and nice?”
“Is this Young Lady the culprit?”
“I’m not sure. Giovanne is anxious to recruit her.”
“No wonder he went out wearing his precious pineapple shirt!”
As expected, she wasn’t the only one who thought that pineapple shirt was terrible.
The tower’s exterior walls they passed by were half glass and half stone. So no matter which way she walked, she could see the panoramic view of the Hanging Garden. It was such beautiful scenery that it was admirable.
“You look just like a young aristocratic Lady. You’re a very smart wizard, aren’t you?”
“That’s amazing, Lady. We’ve never seen Giovanne so desperate.”
Is that desperate? The definition of desperation in Busperfield seemed to be similar to being miserable. Catherine didn’t hide her curiosity.
“Do you live here with Giovanni, Unnies?”
Perhaps the expression that ‘Unnies’ felt good, the women covered their mouths and laughed.
“Yes, there is no other man in the world who is as rich, handsome, and kind as Giovanne.”
“It’s good to have compassion even if you don’t have love.”
“Love? What’s the big deal about that? All that’s left is money anyway, Lady.”
“So Lady, when you can, you should take Giovanne’s power and wealth. he gives generously to those he likes.”
Catherine, fed up with endless chatter, slowed down little by little. Before she knew it, Damian whispered to her.
“Probably the Nephilim who contracted with Giovanne. Because not all Nephilim walk the path of a wizard.”
The treatment of Nephilim, who can’t use magic, is ironic. From the point of view of wizards, this is because there is no reason to contract with a Nephilim who is not a wizard.
Because of this, most Nephilim, who are not wizards, can’t find a contractor even after their lifespan has expired, turning into a disaster.
‘Are you accepting such a Nephilim like me?’
A contract is a matter of intertwining the fates of each other. Giovanne, who gladly accepted the fate of these many women, was considered admirable. His impression and inner feelings, which seemed like a handsome bully, seemed slightly different.
“Lady.”
“Why?”
“The conversation the Lady and Giovanne Busperfield had. I guess you made a pretty risky deal, right?”
He looked like he was listening and he didn’t miss a single word.
“You’re pretty quick-witted.”
“Did you get permission from His Highness Cesare?”
No.
“I should tell him soon. In the meantime, pretend you don’t know.”
A look of disbelief pierced Catherine’s face.
“I’ll be honest. I’m so anxious, I think I’m going to run to Cesare right away unless there is a reason I can understand? Why are you leaving all of a sudden?”
The reason why she’s leaving? It may seem that way to Damian, but Catherine had decided after much deliberation.
Except for the circumstances in which she uncovered her roots. She said with sincerity.
“I told you before, right? To protect Cesare.”
“…Was that serious?”
Damian’s eyes turned to the gaze of a crazy woman with flowers on her head. Why are you looking like that?
“If the original meaning is too big, it is difficult to understand at once. This was decided to protect Cesare and protect me. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you in detail right now.”
“I know from my experience that such a decision usually makes a bigger deal.”
“It’s all right. It’ll work out somehow.”
So please don’t run to Cesare and tell him. Whether Catherine’s wishes were delivered well, Damian didn’t question her intentions anymore.
It was when Catherine and Damian passed the long hallway with women who chatted happily. At the far crossroads, a slim, very tall woman gradually drew closer and passed with a nod to the women.
Catherine stopped suddenly and lowered her head. A tall woman with voluptuous blond hair and pearly white skin.
If her eyes were not wrong, the woman was Belial. Catherine barely looked up and checked Belial’s back as she passed by. One of the women said.
“I wonder who it is? Even with the shoes off, she’s noticeably taller. Maybe it’s not much different from Giovanne?”
Was she blind for a second? But no matter how much she remembered, the woman was right Belial.
“Bell-ssi is Giovanne’s strategic partner. She is responsible for distributing the magic tools produced here to the continent.”
Giovanne’s partner.
“If we meet later, let’s greet her. She is a pleasant person.”
Pleasant? Even in the abyss, it seemed pleasant. But if she finds out where she’s been hiding, she’ll go from pleased to aggressive in an instant.
Catherine calmed down by the sudden appearance of Belial. Having said she was Giovanne’s partner, it was highly likely that he was the contractor of the Great Devil Belial.
‘But I never felt that way when I met Percyville. How could that be?’
Did Giovanne notice it? Is she the only one who didn’t recognize it? It was difficult to grasp the situation properly, so it was frustrating as if her breathing was blocked.
Biiiip.
It was then.
Loud alarms began to sound throughout the tower. The blinking red light looked dangerous just by looking at it. As if to protect Catherine, the ladies wrapped themselves around her and pushed her against the wall.
“What sound it is?”
“It’s a top-level warning.”
“Top-level warning? Did you encounter a typhoon?”
“No. The Hanging Garden is the best fortress on earth, made of advanced magic. Typhoons can’t even scratch it.”
Even in the midst of this, they still remember to brag.
“Why is this kind of fortress on high alert?”
“We don’t know either. When a top-level alarm goes off, it’s usually when the commander-in-chief has to step up—”
The ladies who answered were also very perplexed.
Woooong.
At that moment, she felt a huge vibration outside the tower. Everyone’s eyes turned out the window. A huge red summoning circle was being drawn that could barely be captured at a glance.
“…What is that?”
Suddenly, the devil that appeared from within was engulfed in rough waves and foam. It was a sperm whale, Remor. Someone shouted in an urgent voice.
“It’s Remor! That bloody big whale must be Remor!”
“I, it’s Grand Duke Cesare. Grand Duke Cesare has appeared in Busperfield!”
The atmosphere of the tower suddenly became bustling. The women who were trying to protect Catherine asked Damian.
“Protect the Lady, knight. We’ll find out the situation and come back!”
The lady moves away. At the time, Catherine had only one thought.
She wants to go home.