When told to leave, tears fell from Claire’s eyes like raindrops.
Her gaze became uneasy, and her hands began to tremble.
Whatever hope she might have had, there was nothing Lloyd could offer her now.
Did she mistake him for some kind of cure-all?
Like a patient receiving a terminal diagnosis from a doctor, Claire’s trembling hand grabbed Lloyd’s sleeve.
“P-Please. Can’t you give me one more chance? Just once? Lee Han, please…”
Twist.
Her desperate plea trembled through his sleeve, but that was all it was—
Claire’s desperation and anxiety.
Lloyd couldn’t empathize with those feelings at all.
“P-Please…”
Knock.
Just as Claire tightened her grip on his sleeve—
—Knock! Knock!
A loud knock echoed, and the door opened.
Standing there was Yulia, her platinum blonde hair cascading down to her waist, and her blue eyes glowing even in the absence of light. Even her awkward smile was both beautiful and dignified.
“Um, I brought some cookies…”
Yulia stood there holding a plate with a few cute bear-shaped cookies.
The smell of freshly baked cookies filled the room.
“May I come in?”
Her expression was incredibly awkward as she looked over at Lloyd.
His eyes narrowed, and Yulia flinched, her shoulders trembling.
‘She must have been eavesdropping.’
The sound of her eyes darting around nervously was almost audible.
Still, her timing wasn’t bad, was it?
Claire, who had been clinging to Lloyd’s sleeve as if her life depended on it, slowly let go.
Yulia stared at Claire’s hand, practically drilling a hole through it with her gaze.
If she keeps that up, her eyes might just shoot fire.
“Of course. Thank you.”
Lloyd welcomed Yulia with a sigh.
“Ahem.”
With a light cough, Yulia entered the room.
Even the way she placed the plate on the table was as elegant as a dance move.
Claire, who had been staring blankly at this, suddenly widened her eyes.
Blink, Blink.
She quickly stood up, looking at Yulia.
“…P-Princess? Princess Yulia?”
“Ha… ha…”
Yulia raised the corners of her mouth as if she had been caught.
“Nice to see you, Lady Claire.”
“Why… Why is Your Highness here?”
“Because this institute belongs to me.”
“Oh… I heard you were traveling outside the palace…”
“As expected of the continent’s top trading company, you keep up with the news.”
“…Yes.”
“Please, have another cup of tea. Today, Lady Claire is our guest.”
Had they ever met before? Conversations between high-ranking nobles were often difficult to follow.
In any case, Claire was fidgeting and receiving the tea that the Princess was pouring for her.
An incredibly awkward atmosphere hung between them.
It was only natural, as it was unheard of in noble society for a princess to serve someone else.
Even though Yulia had left the palace, where such formalities were not strictly followed, it was still shocking.
Yulia casually opened her mouth as if passing the time.
“So, you know Lloyd?”
“Yes…? Ah, yes… We knew each other before. It’s a bit of a long story.”
“You don’t need to explain too much. I can tell just by the look of it how complicated it must be.”
“T-Thank you.”
Claire bowed her head.
Lloyd found himself impressed with Yulia.
Despite everything, Claire was one of the three heroes, a person with significant power and wealth. Technically, she might even be stronger than Yulia.
Yet Yulia effortlessly took control of the dynamics between them.
‘Is this the dignity of the Estrid bloodline?’
Yulia elegantly cut the stream of tea, not a drop spilling as she filled the cup.
Claire, carefully watching Yulia, sipped her tea.
Yulia smiled brightly and sat opposite Claire, next to Lloyd.
“It seems you two have a lot of history together, Lloyd.”
“Well, there’s been a bit of this and that.”
“Why am I, your master, only hearing about this now?”
“Pfft! Master? What?”
Claire spat out her tea in surprise.
Yulia covered her mouth with her hand and softly laughed.
“Did Lloyd not tell you?”
“…No?”
“This boy, he’s my servant, you see.”
Yulia particularly emphasized the words “my servant”, making her claim of ownership crystal clear.
‘The power struggles between noblewomen are truly terrifying.’
How did she manage to survive in the Hero’s Party?
Ah, come to think of it, she couldn’t.
Lloyd sighed softly as he looked at Claire.
Her eyes darted around uncontrollably, as if she no longer knew what was happening.
“I… I didn’t know that you were the servant of the Third Princess…”
“Though I phrased it that way, Lloyd is really my advisor. I respect him, so even though you know this, nothing will change for you, Lady Claire. You can still make requests or anything else as freely as before. However.”
Yulia emphasized the word “however” as she crossed her legs.
“You need to be certain about who he belongs to, so it’s easier to sort things out later, right?”
Though she smiled as she spoke, her voice was icy, with an underlying sense of authority.
Flinch.
Claire withdrew the hand that had been clutching Lloyd’s sleeve, placing it neatly under the table.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Claire nodded.
The days when she had been above the Third Princess were now weeks in the past. Since then, she had been brought low by the simultaneous outbreak of an illness and a rebellion.
“I won’t cause any trouble for the Princess or for Lee Han… I mean, for Lloyd.”
She muttered with her head down.
Yulia nodded with a smile, as if satisfied.
‘… Why is she so scary?’
Lloyd let out a small breath, feeling a chill at Yulia’s firm assertion of ownership.
But his fear was short-lived.
—Crash!
Another commotion arose near the door, drawing their attention.
This time, the village chief had nearly dropped a tray he was carrying. Was that a cake?
Barely catching the tray in time, the flustered chief exclaimed at Yulia.
“Princess… Are you saying you’re a princess, an actual princess?”
◆
The village chief’s commotion soon subsided.
After all, he was an experienced man, and he quickly accepted that Yulia was indeed a princess, adjusting his demeanor accordingly.
“Please forgive my previous rudeness, and know that it was never my intention to disrespect the Estrid bloodline…”
“I understand, I understand. You can stop now. Since I’ve left the palace, I don’t expect to be treated as Estrid royalty.”
“…Then, I’ll just return to the usual.”
“Yes, that would be best.”
And so, with the village chief behaving slightly more respectfully than before, the incident was brought to a close.
“The important thing is that from now on, we must engage in battle with the Seventh Death Squad.”
Lloyd said, drawing everyone’s attention.
The village chief pointed at Claire.
“I heard that this young lady was involved in quite the conspiracy. Is it safe for her to be here?”
“…How much did you overhear?”
The chief scratched his head at Lloyd’s question.
“From the very beginning.”
“Ugh.”
Lloyd sighed briefly before giving a concise explanation.
“Claire suffers from mana hypersensitivity, so my presence is crucial. While she’s been here, I’ve tested her sensitivity, and it’s true.”
“Ah, there’s no one more reliable than someone whose life depends on you.”
After easily convincing the chief, Lloyd turned to Claire with another question.
“First, we need to know about the strength of the Seventh Death Squad. Claire, you said you were attacked at the Easton branch, right? Who attacked you?”
“My… my butler suddenly turned on me.”
“Was he from the Seventh Death Squad?”
“N-No, but I did notice the mark of the Blood Cult on his arm.”
Hmm, this was new information.
Could the Blood Cult be connected to the Seventh Death Squad?
“This complicates things. We’re not equipped to handle both the Blood Cult and the Seventh Death Squad.”
Yulia muttered, but Lloyd shook his head.
“We’ll wipe them out in one fell swoop.”
“Wipe them out?”
“Yes. We’ll take down the Seventh Death Squad before they have a chance to ask the Blood Cult for help.”
Lloyd’s gesture of clenching his fist made the chief nod in approval.
“Bold, I like it.”
“…”
Yulia shook her head in disapproval, but she didn’t seem to have a better solution.
So, it was decided. They would strike the Seventh Death Squad.
Lloyd turned to Claire and asked.
“Do you have any information about the Seventh Death Squad?”
“Well, their hideout is incredibly complex, and you need some kind of certification to enter… the exact location is also unclear.”
Lloyd pulled a key from his pocket and dangled it.
“Uh… yeah, that should be enough.”
“Entry is no longer a problem. What about their strength?”
“They’re strong.”
“Be specific.”
Claire stood up and began drawing on the strategy board that had been prepared in advance, outlining the interior structure with clean lines.
“The first thing you’ll encounter is a receptionist.”
She added a description next to the drawing: about 180 cm tall, slender build, short hair, dressed in a uniform.
“He’s no ordinary fighter. He’s definitely one of the core members of the Seventh Death Squad. I estimate he’s somewhere between the third and fifth strongest.”
“Any specific abilities?”
“I’m not sure, but judging by the fact that he seems to have no mana, it’s likely he’s focused on physical enhancement.”
“Good.”
Lloyd’s response seemed to encourage Claire, and her voice grew a bit brighter.
“Next is the corridor and staircase leading to One’s office. There’s always a maid and a butler cleaning there whenever I go. They don’t bother hiding their mana, so it feels like a blatant warning.”
“They must be strong as well.”
Lloyd’s gaze settled on the space beyond the staircase and corridor.
It was a grand office, large enough to span at least two floors.
Claire pointed to her drawing and continued explaining.
“Finally, there’s One. She’s in her late twenties to early thirties, and every movement she makes exudes confidence. As for her abilities, she’s at least the strongest in Easton.”
Gulp.
Claire swallowed hard before continuing.
“I had this certainty that I wouldn’t be able to defeat her—or even land a scratch.”
Even though Claire was one of the three heroes who defeated the Demon King—though with Lloyd’s help—her abilities and combat experience were top-tier.
Yet, she was convinced she couldn’t even scratch this opponent.
A smile tugged at Lloyd’s lips.
“That kind of challenge is what makes a boss battle exciting.”
Of course, it wasn’t unfounded confidence.
One’s abilities and counters.
Lloyd already knew about them.
“Do you think this will work, Your Highness?”
“…I’m not sure… No, I’ve told you before, just speak normally, Chief. You’re making me use formal language too.”
“…Yes.”
Lloyd left the two nervous fools behind and turned to Claire.
“Claire.”
“Y-Yes!”
“I’ll call you if needed. You’re done for now.”
“B-But!”
Claire, who had been clinging to the idea of staying, tried to argue, but Lloyd shook his head firmly.
“Hasn’t your mana stabilized enough?”
Lloyd was using his senses to check her condition.
Her mana flow had been stable for a while now.
“Go back to your branch and make sure to draw the attention of the Seventh Death Squad members. There are probably one or two already infiltrated there. Since they’ve made a move, they’ll want to ensure you’re dealt with. Your job is to be the bait. Can you handle that?”
Lloyd’s command made Claire realize that he still needed her.
She quickly nodded.
“Y-Yes! I’ll do my best!”
With that, the preparations were complete.
Lloyd stood up and motioned for Yulia and the village chief to follow.
“Then shall we get going?”
