/
Erhan also changed the subject without further commenting on the hidden enemies of the Duchy.
“Joaquin is already a bit old, but he’s not a weak person who a kid like Kane can overpower. He’ll know better than that, and he won’t be able to try an assassination at all.”
I was pleased with his smart answer.
“Then the remaining option is one of the two.”
He looked into my eyes and said clearly.
“First, putting poison on the weapon. But he’ll be designated as a suspect right away, so he’ll have to run.”
“Hmm.”
“Second, causing a slight problem with the weapon and then waiting for someone to make a mistake. Commander Joaquin himself participates in sparring every morning training.”
Listening to Erhan’s explanation, I was lost in thought.
“During the training, if Commander Joaquin makes a big mistake unlike his usual self, the opponent can be seriously injured.”
“He might possibly choose the second method.”
I came to a conclusion.
For five years, the Duke of Cerceus did not hire any new staff and before that, Ferelmen’s assistant kept changing so they weren’t worried about planting people in the position, but their plan was broken because of me.
They probably don’t have a lot on their plate, enough to quickly push Aaron inside the Duchy.
It was clear that he would come up with a strategy that would last as long as possible without being caught.
“Thank you for the explanation, Master Erhan.”
It was a good choice to visit Erhan after all.
“Thanks to your advice I can see now what I have to do. I’ll take care of it, I might ask you for something again later. Then, I’ll get going
.”
I was about to say goodbye and leave but Erhan cut me off, folding his eyes and smiling beautifully.
“Lise, what are you going to do?”
“Uh
. First of all, an undercover investigation.”
“Alone? It’s dangerous. No matter how good you are, he’s a member of the Knights.”
“No, Diel is also
.”
“Do it with me.” When I mentioned Diel’s name, Erhan suddenly bent over to me and quickly whispered.
“What? Aren’t you busy?”
“What does Diel Molekin know about the structure of the Knights?”
“Well
.”
“If you’re going to do it, you should do it with me. Don’t you think so?”
I nodded because I didn’t think what he said was wrong. Of course, I also have to get help in areas I don’t know well. And with Erhan’s cooperation, it’ll be easy to plan.
“Then
. How about an operation like this?”
“I’m all ears.”
His black eyes, which were located under his long eyelashes, showed satisfaction.
I felt strangely awkward for some reason, but I let it aside and started talking about the plan I had come up with.
⊱⋅ ──────────── ⋅⊰
Erhan felt his heart pounding hard from the moment he first saw Lise after five years.
He had to look up when talking with her before, but now she was shorter than him, reaching just below his shoulders, so he had to look down at a low angle just to happily see her.
He smiled, wondering how someone could be this small and cute at the same time.
Only Lise could make him smile and feel like this.
Lise’s words in the past saying, “We are the only ones for each other,” fantastically seems to be true.
Yet, looking at her bright green eyes, he seemed to be fascinated by the dignified charm it exudes just like in the old days.
How nice would it be to stay together from morning till night like when they were children. He wanted to do the same things they used to do.
He wanted her to always keep an eye on him to see if he was eating well during mealtime, play with him when become bored, and when he cries that he couldn’t sleep, he wanted her to hold his hand and pet him all night.
He was convinced from the moment he saw her again, but there was no warmth in her eyes as she looked at him.
In addition, they seemed awkward as they met each other all grown-up after five years.
‘If there is a chance we could get closer, I’ll have to hold onto that at all costs.’
Another problem was that this was a really ambiguous time.
The empire legally forbids the association between adults and minors unless they were already engaged to each other when they were still young. And now it was between spring and summer, exactly between Erhan’s and Lise’s birthdays.
It was a time when he, an adult, could not just confess to Lise so casually.
Erhan wouldn’t care about the law if it was only his own business, but he didn’t want to do anything that could be a disadvantage as long as Lise was entangled.
Meanwhile, his mother said some nonsense about making Lise an adopted daughter and having her marry a good noble family.
Of course, she would have to have his permission since he’s the successor of Cerceus, but fearing that the Duchess would do it arbitrarily, Erhan quickly decided to receive his title as quickly as possible.
Furthermore, the group that was trying to harm Lise was still unidentified.
Hanging them outside the castle was not enough. He felt like his anger would only be relieved once he dug them out and destroyed them thoroughly.
However, there were other important reasons for rushing to the title ceremony. In fact, as soon as Erhan returned, he quickly grasped the problems of the Knights.
The empire was peaceful so the relaxed knights were engaging in a power struggle under the scene.
At the same time, Joaquin was leading the Order with absolute leadership and there was no immediate crisis, so the problem was somewhat subverted at the same time.
The Order, which had remained in the fortress, accepted Erhan as its master after five years of absence.
However, there was a limit to their loyalty to him since they hadn’t had time to spend together. Even training together every morning could not make loyalty the same as the knights who stayed together with him in Irvia.
Erhan was thinking that he should quickly finish his succession and take control of the Knights.
To do so, it was necessary to give them an injunction or to subdue them after a big incident happened.
Meanwhile, Lise warned him of the knights’ possible crisis.
‘It’s fate.’
While he was forlorn that she seemed to be less interested in him now since he was not sickly anymore, this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to build a strong bond again and become even close to each other.
Of course, Lise seemed to like his solid body, so morning training with the knights was also an absolute opportunity for him
‘
.I have to win her over as much as possible until Lise reaches adulthood.’
He had to do everything he could to win her favor.
One morning, which was similar to usual, the knights were all embarrassed when they saw Lise, who came with Erhan during morning training.
They knew that the brown-haired girl was the assistant doctor who was favored by the Duchess, but because she was always stuck inside her lab, she was not well acquainted with the Knights Order.
“Five years ago, I gave the little duke health supplements as a gift thinking of when he would return
.”
Lise began to explain by glancing at the big Erhan as if she were slightly embarrassed. Her voice, unfamiliar with lying, trembled slightly. Her expression was also much harder than usual, but only Erhan noticed it.
Erhan had to hold back the laughter that kept wanting to break out as he saw her clumsily lie.
“As you can see, he’s become too healthy, so he’s had a slight side effect.”
No matter how awkwardly Lise spoke, everyone couldn’t help but understand the explanation.
“The muscles on the right part of his body have developed too much in a short period of time so he can’t control his strength well. I need to keep an eye on him for some time, so I’ll follow Master Erhan for a while.”
The knights couldn’t answer because everyone’s mouth was wide agape seeing Erhan, who prepared a comfortable chair for Lise to sit on.
“Lise, sit here. Your legs might hurt while watching.”
“Yes.”
The knights who had been with him at Irvia were amazed.
They had been with him every day for more than five years but no one had ever heard or even thought that he would have such a sweet and gentle voice.
“You must be bored. Do you want me to bring you some snacks?”
“No, I don’t need it.”
“If your feet get cold, wear furry slippers
.”
“It’s spring, Master Erhan.”
And they were once more surprised to see Lise acting as if his kindness was something natural.
Erhan covered Lise’s lap with a blanket then turned around and spoke to the knights.
“For this reason, I’m the only one who will have to contend with Commander Joaquin in sparring every morning training for the time being.”
And as if he was someone else, there was a considerable gap between Erhan’s facial expression to his voice.
“Since I can’t control my strength, Joaquin is the only one who can take the brunt. And
.”
He took out the sword and said eerily.
“Don’t look at Lise, no matter how cute and pretty she is.”
Everyone looked away in unison.
“Don’t talk to her for no reason. Especially if you’re hurt, don’t snoop around and just go directly to the infirmary.”
Lise, who was looking at Erhan’s back, didn’t know how scary he looked.
⊱⋅ ──────────── ⋅⊰
I went to the knights training every morning to watch the sparring between Erhan and Joaquin. As I instructed him, he exerted excessive force only to the right.
Joaquin, who was completely unaware of the circumstances, coped with the disproportionate attack skillfully but was still sometimes overpowered.
‘By the way
.’
Watching Erhan freely handling the sword, I was quite overwhelmed with strange emotions.
‘In the old days, it was hard for him to run even just one lap.’
I felt a sense of incompatibility because he was so different from his childhood, but my eyes were also pleased.
It was a sight to the eyes seeing Erhan wielding his sword with his upper body undressed when it was hot, due to the habit he acquired in Irvia, making it difficult to look at Joaquin even if I was offered money.
Furthermore, I secretly watched out for Kane.
In fact, rather than coming to watch Erhan every day, my real target was to observe the spy.
As expected, he pretends to be engaged with the other knights but continues to look toward Erhan and Joaquin.
After the sparring, he would receive Joaquin’s weapons and store them in the armory. The key to the armory is only controlled by Commander Joaquin, Kaynes, and Erhan, the owner of the fortress.
When I said that we needed an ambush to get evidence, Erhan secretly took me to the armory during the night.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
I whispered, admiring the vast arsenal. In the meantime, Joaquin’s weapons were stored in the innermost part, in an individual space.
“The Duchy’s military power could be said to be quite good.”
Erhan replied with a smile.
“Though they’re a bit in shambles right now.”
“Where is Master Erhan’s weapon?”
“I personally take care of it.”
“Why?”
“Because I am not as old as Commander Joaquin.”
He replied while looking for a good place to hide, “And I feel relieved if it’s somewhere close.”
I was about to answer but Erhan instantaneously covered my mouth. Then he hugged my body and stooped down together, quickly hiding between the shields.
At the same time as he did that, he accidentally slipped, making him fall to the ground on his back, and I, who was held by him, was lying from above.