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TW: blood, gore
The night fell deep as Kyrie Buchanan took her slumber.
When she fell asleep, the Buchanan mansion also became quiet.
Leschaux looked around from the roof of the mansion. The Emperor’s army was camping around them. They were not poised for war, but they were exerting pressure on those who walked in and out of the Buchanan Mansion.  Leschaux’s role was to keep them in check.
Standing tall on the rooftop, Leschaux saw Nathaniel walking out of the main gate from the bottom. Unlike usual, he was not walking smoothly.
Standing in front of the army, Nathaniel stood slanted in a lazy position.
[Hello.]
He said hello in a drowsy and relaxed voice, like a drunk or drugged person. A person who appears to be the chief of the army came forward. He seemed to be flustered.
“Do you have any business?”
[Yes.]
Nathaniel replied weakly. Leschaux took out his sword because Nathaniel’s action was strange. If Nathaniel used his strength in the mansion, he knew that he had to stop him for even for a moment. However, contrary to his thoughts, Nataniel uttered a sigh-like whisper.
[I am supposed to go out with Kyrie tomorrow…….I think she’ll be surprised to see you all. I want you to step back.]
The chief raised his hand. The army held out their swords to Nathaniel without an answer. Nathaniel burst into a mad laugh.
[I see…..I guessed so.]
Nathaniel slowly pulled out his cane like pulling out a flower and it changed to the sword.
[Let’s finish it quietly. I don’t want to wake her up.]
After a confrontation enough to swallow the dry saliva, the soldiers rushed in. There was no shout. The soldiers all clenched their mouths and moved their swords as if they were determined to kill.
And Nathaniel stitched their swords together.
“This, this…!”
The soldiers opened their eyes wide. It was an unpredictable behavior.
[It’s been a while since we had a fight like this….]
Nathaniel muttered. He wiggled his body, drawing his blood, and then started walking, threaded through the swords.  The sword blade, which had been clumsy between the ribs, ripped the skin and bounced off the floor with a popping sound.  Even in the midst of it, the blue-eyed gentleman was relaxed and looked like a mountain breeze.
A soldier shouted and hit Nathaniel on the neck with a sword. His throat cracked. The cracked neck seemed to spill black blood, but it stuck back to the body as if it were connected to living clay.
[It doesn’t look good when it falls.]
The soldiers began to cry out in fear.
“Devil…You devil!”
“Y, You fooled us!”
[Well, you’ve always called me a god or a devil]
“Die! Please die! Oh, my god!”
[That’s my name too.]
Blood from Nathaniel turned black in front of the mansion. Leschaux tightened his grip on his sword. He watched as Nathaniel started piercing the heart of the soldiers surrounding Buchanan’s mansion.
[Haha.]
Rarely, Nathaniel even laughed out loud.
Finally, the chief screamed.
“Why are you doing this to us?”
His yelling has no difference from admitting fear. The soldiers have already lost their will to fight with the Lord Legend who does not die even if they kill him. Nathaniel put the cane sword back in, which he had never swung.
[I know why you’re doing this here, but it’s useless, so go back.]
“If we leave like this, we have nowhere to go!”
[That’s none of my business.]
Blue eyes flashed in the dark. The atmosphere was horrendous because of the blood on his face. However, the blood soon disappeared without a trace, revealing a slim and white face as usual.
[If you think your life is a waste, don’t get involved in this anymore. This is a fight between Orewinbridge and me.]
The Chief paused. Nathaniel easily pulled out the swords embedded in his heart and arms one by one and dropped them.
[Go and tell your Emperor. A week later, let’s meet at Cape Pobe outside Arellano. I have to take care of Kyrie, so prepare hard, whether it’s a trap or magic.]
“Do you think she’ll believe such nonsense…!”
[Believing it or not, Orewinbridge will decide.]
Even though the soldiers faltered and stepped down, the chief failed to give any significant orders. Nataniel smiled faintly.
[Yes, did you like the way I always forced you to act?]
As soon as he finished speaking, something black rose like a tsunami and soared to the end of the sky. It was endless darkness that seemed to swallow the night. As soon as they saw small eyes shining like stars at them, the soldiers ignored the command and began to run away.
“Ugh…..ahh!”
“R, run away!”
“How can I kill him?!”
“Monster, monster!”
As everyone stepped down, the black shadow suddenly subsided again.
Leschaux watched the whole scene. Even when Nathaniel, who was finally left alone, pulled out the last sword stuck in his rib. Blood poured out and quickly subsided. Nathaniel, who quickly returned in sophisticated robes, stretched his arms like broken birch branches. And slowly tilted his head, and he sighed shallowly.
[Leschaux]
It was a tired voice.
[Protect Kyrie ]
A sad look appeared in Leschaux’s eyes.
Nathaniel, who uttered the words that didn’t match him the most, stood still for a long time. He looked like the moon, but it was a night without even a moon to shine on him.
At that moment, Kyrie Buchanan tossed and turned in the mansion where Leschaux stood on top. Nathaniel instinctively flinched his head at a small murmur, probably just sleep talking. He breathed out a low breath once, and then straightened up again. Then returned to Nathaniel, an elegant and sophisticated Legendary Lord, and returned to the mansion to take care of Kyrie Buchanan.
Leschaux turned away after watching Buchanan’s servants rush out and clean up their abandoned weapons.
Now it was his turn to prepare for his last.
***
When Kyrie opened her eyes, Nathaniel was next to her. Nathaniel, who was reading in a sunny place, gently pulled the corners of his mouth as soon as she opened her eyes.
[Woke up?]
His greetings are unusual. Kyrie covered her unwashed face and shook her head roughly.
[Get ready and come out. I’ll be outside.]
A man who felt particularly shady in the sun got up from his seat and left the room.
Kyrie came out after finishing her makeup with her light hair. It’s always been like that these days. The world seemed to be beyond the hazy curtain.
“Mr. Nathaniel is in the gallery.”
A servant guided Kyrie. The hallway, in the spring sunshine, was clouded by dust that was slowly drifting through the air. She was preoccupied with Zhenya’s words throughout her walk.
‘No matter how sweet a dream is, it’s a dream. Wake up, Kyrie.’
What does it mean?
She thought she heard it somewhere. As soon as she was about to think deeper, a servant who was walking earlier opened the door of the gallery.
“Let’s go in.”
At the end of the gallery stood Nathaniel. Kyrie paused when she saw his side. It was her first time seeing such a pale and lifeless appearance that it was difficult to talk. He didn’t seem to be breathing.
The moment Kyrie breathed in an unfamiliar feeling, Nathaniel’s head slowly moved to her and smiled.
[You’re here.]
Then the dark atmosphere that was encroaching on the entire gallery disappeared in an instant.
“Yes, Mr. Nataniel.”
Kyrie blinked. Nathaniel also followed it gently in time for Kyrie blink.
[Why?]
“No, just now…….”
[Just now?]
Nathaniel gently tilted his head and repeated her words. Like an angel, his chastity casted worries over his face.
[If you are not feeling well, shall we cancel the outing?]
“No! I’m going to go!”
In a gentle voice, but Kyrie hurriedly shook off her thoughts.
[I was actually looking forward to it, too]
Nathaniel reached out with a noble movement. Kyrie held that long, cold hand. Her heart began to pound because of the strange anxiety, but she pretended not to know it.
‘I don’t want to wake up.’
Such a voice was heard from the inside.
Kyrie went on an outing with Nathaniel to a deserted lake park.
Throughout the park, Nathaniel seemed like a soulless person. He smiled indescribably sweetly when they met eyes, but his smile seemed to break quickly. However, when people around him passed by, he became a little edgy. And strangely enough, people seemed to be like that, too. Kyrie glanced at those who passed them, and gripped the parasol harder.
“Nataniel. Didn’t the people who just passed by talk about me?”
[Well, I don’t know.]
“I think I heard my name…….”
[We should go to a less crowded place.]
Nathaniel said so and turned very naturally to a place with few people.
In a park with a lake, Kyrie was throwing water swallows, and when the stone sank without bouncing a few times, she frowned in resentment.
“It doesn’t work.”
[Because you need a trick.]