Kyle's lunch gets interrupted, while Tara and Bernard are forced to defend themselves
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Episode 58. 77kg (2)
"D-Darling, please..."
Nick couldn't help but feel sorry for Count Philip Reese as he stood there, sweating profusely, unable to do anything about it.
Philip’s gaze shifted between Diane and the Prince, not quite sure whether the meat he was eating was going to hit his nose or enter his mouth.
Kyle was the Commander-in-chief of the Military, the head of the Ministry of Security, and the only sword master who had mastered the Imperial martial arts to the last chapter.
Moreover, he was a ruthless Prince who would not tolerate corruption or mistakes.
His wife was treating the Prince very freely just because she was his only relative.
Philip's fork moved faster. He desperately wanted to finish this meal as quickly as possible. He felt like he was walking on thin ice, and on the verge of losing his footing.
‘I won't ever get used to this, no matter how often I see it.'
Heedless of the Count's thoughts, the Second Prince nonchalantly changed the subject as if nothing had happened.
"How long are you staying?"
"Hmm.... Well Philip's mother in the South is sad. She says she misses us too much. So we’re only planning on staying for about a week before we have to leave."
"Only a week... Do you have some kind of hidden treasure on your estate, brother-in-law?"
‘...Brother-in-law. I'll never get used to him calling me that.'
Count Philip winced and fumbled with his fork for a moment.
As he set it down, his eyes locked with Kyle's, and he remembered how surprised he'd been when Diane had first introduced him as her cousin. The meat he'd been eating at the time had gotten caught in his throat, and he'd nearly choked.
That wasn't all. The aura he'd felt from the Prince when they'd first met had been terrifying, as if Kyle had wanted to murder him from the first moment he laid eyes on him.
He still couldn't forget that terrifying first encounter, and as a result, every time he looked at the Prince, the memory of that day would come back to him as if permanently imprinted in his mind. Even now, he couldn't help but falter in front of him.
"Aww. Little brother, are you sad that your older sister will be leaving soon?"*
"...That's not how adults speak to one another... Can you please not do that?"
"No. You should have someone like me around. Don't you agree, Lord Bright?"
Diane directed her question at Nick, who was standing stock still to the side.
Kyle, Diane, and Philip's gazes all fell on Nick, and he realized that his answer at this moment would determine the rest of the afternoon.
"Ah...ha...Ah that's...Not at all!"
"Geez! If Lord Bright can't even answer me properly, you must be very strict with your knights, Kyle. If you're always so serious all the time, you'll never be able to relax.... Isn't that right, Lord Bright?"
‘This is a very awkward position to be in...'
Nick swallowed hard and replied with a straight face.
"No! I am blessed to be able to serve his Highness, and it is a true honour for both me and my family!"
"No need for flattery, Nick."
"Never! I mean it."
"Tsk tsk, how on earth will you manage to keep him...."
‘Ah...'
Nick could feel a chill on the back of his neck. He tensed, but fortunately the topic changed and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, when am I getting a niece or nephew?"
"Oh my! How rude Kyle...!"
"Ahem...Ack...!"
Water spurted out of Philip's mouth and nostrils at the same time.
Although he had married Diane because of her outspokenness and honesty, he sometimes wished she would be more restrained in front of the Prince. But, since he was hopelessly compliant where his wife was concerned, he could only suffer in silence like this.*
"Perhaps such a task is too strenuous for you, brother-in-law?”
"Pardon?"
Philip unconsciously wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched his wife glare at the Prince.
"Ha ha... No, Your Highness, not at all."
After an awkward hour had passed, dessert was served, and Diane looked out the window, then suddenly jumped to her feet.
"Oh my! How horrible. Someone appears to be in trouble."
At Diane's words, Kyle and Philip turned to the window, and Nick looked outside as well.
"That Lady...!"
On the other side of the back door of [The Kingdom, an a la carte restaurant beloved by the Imperial Palace], there was a now all-too-familiar face.
From the looks of it, she was in quite the predicament.
"Kyle, the Department of Security...." Diane started to say in a deeply worried voice.
She was unable to take her gaze away from the window.
But Kyle was quicker.
"Hmm. There's never a dull moment with her."
"Huh?"
"Nick. You escort the Count and Countess."
"Yes. Your Highness!"
"You're going there yourself?" Diane asked in surprise, her eyes widening at the sight of Kyle buckling his sword on his side.
.
"Yes."
"But... Kyle...."
"Don't worry. I'm not the same person I used to be. I can tidy this up.... I'm a Sword Master now."
"Yes, that's right... You're stronger now."
"Stay here for a while, I'm going to go check on my secretary."
"Pardon?"
Leaving a wide-eyed Diane in his wake, Kyle opened the door and stepped outside.
"Did you hear what Kyle just said?"
"Yes, he said Sword Master."
Diane shook her head gently at Philip's words, her gaze still fixed on the window.
"No, not that. He said 'my secretary', didn't he, Lord Bright?"
The question was directed at Nick, who was also slightly taken aback, but she was right, so he explained what he knew.
"A third-ranked secretary who just passed the administrative examinations and was assigned to the Military."
"The big man?"
"No. The red-haired young lady next to him. She's the secretary who was assigned to the Military."
"Ah.... That's interesting. Does Kyle usually get involved in matters of security like this?"
"He sometimes steps in...”
Now that Nick thought about it, His Highness hadn't taken action to do these things personally since becoming the Second Prince.
Perhaps, he'd done so before Nick joined the Order of the Phoenix, but not that he knew of.
"Very rarely."
"I see. And apparently that's his secretary.... Hmm.... Hmm...."
After a moment of silence as if Diane was organizing her thoughts, she turned to Philip in realization.
"Philip, that young lady looks very brave. If you look closely, she doesn't seem to be frightened, does she?"
"To think… That there's another woman as brave as you are, Darling."
Nick, who was listening in on the conversation, glanced back and forth between Countess Diane Reese and Tara Elias outside the window several times as a thought occurred to him.
"Ah... No wonder. That's why she felt so familiar... It's not the way she looks, but... yes, she does indeed resemble the Countess quite a bit!"
***
An alley behind [The Kingdom - The Imperial Palace's favourite a la carte restaurant] in the downtown area around Capital Square.
It was the thugs from Lackton Street.
It was amazing how every street thug used the exact same lines. As if they all had the same scriptwriter.
However, the situation was a bit concerning. The three thugs in front of us had multiplied into at least fifteen, if not more, and they tightly blocked us off from the front and back.
Each of them seemed to have a weapon on their person, and their expressions were as boasting and cruel as ever.
"I told you, didn't I? It's really that red-headed pig of a noble lady. And that guy over there with the axe, I told you all about him, right? I told you so."
Thug 1 chuckled and slapped the man next to him on the back, then paused to make a threat.
"I told you to keep an eye out, didn't I? I wasn't ready for it last time, and you got the drop on us. I ran away that time, but today, you'll see, I'm gonna kick your ass."
"....."
Their threatening atmosphere caused the few people on the street and in the back alley to scramble for cover, fearing they'd be caught in the altercation.
"Come on, let's get it over with before security forces get here! I want to make sure everyone understands what happens when you mess with the Lackton brothers. Do you understand?"
"Yeah!"
The reply echoed through the back alley. Pedestrians on the boulevard stopped to watch, but no one came to help.
This was truly an indifferent world. This was why moral education needed to be prioritized in elementary, middle, and high schools.
But, I suppose this was also the kind of world where you would be considered foolish for stepping forward in a situation like this.
Just like me in my previous life, when I'd gone out on my own to help someone and gotten myself killed....
The brown-haired man who drew his sword first seemed to have the highest position in the gang.
"We're outnumbered, so they can attack you from one of the directions I can't block. It's best if you stick with me. You could try to run away through the middle, but then you're likely to be out of range of my protection."
"Uh. Wh-what if I fight as well?"
"I can do it on my own, but since you've been learning from me until now, my Lady, you can at least defend yourself enough to protect yourself. I'll help you...."
After a quick scan of the current situation, Bernard spoke again with a serious expression.
"Can you fight?"
I swallowed hard. A real fight with a real weapon.
"......"
Ugggh... My transmigrated life had suddenly taken a dramatic turn.
I nodded vigorously instead of answering.
"I want you to stay right behind me, and if I attack, you defend. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
A mere four steps ahead, the thugs circling us began to pull weapons out of their clothes one after the other.
At the same time, Bernard adjusted his axe with an ominous glare and shoved me and Beth behind him.
"Ah... Miss...?”
"It's okay, Beth. You just need to stay alert. Sit between Bernard and me and don't move. Do you understand?”
"Y-Yes, Miss."
Beth's body trembled all over, but she remained still, wrapping her arms around herself and crouching down to get out of the way of the fight.
Seeing that, I drew the axe I had received from Bernard.
When Bernard saw me take out my axe, he explained the plan in detail.
"Remember the first form of the Battle Axe? Lower your posture and aim for the legs."
"Got it, Bernard."
I hadn't been expecting to use the axe I'd been gifted so soon. I prayed to God that it was worth the two months of training I'd put into it.
I stretched my fingers and curled them tightly around the end of the hilt, then slowly did it again. The grip felt solid in my hand.
Was this... What it felt like to be a warrior?
...No. I was just feeling that strange mixture of nervousness and fear that peaked before a fight.
I wasn't too worried because Bernard was here, but it was the first time I'd ever been in the middle of a melee like this. I vowed that I would not faint in the middle of the fight.
Hah... Why did my life here have to be so difficult!
"Kekeke. The little piggy must be crazy. Look at her pink axe!"
They all looked at me and laughed.
‘Yeah, laugh at me all you want. Go ahead and look down on me so your guard will slip.’
".... I'll move in on two. You have to strike one beat faster than them. Do you understand?"
"Okay. Haa.. I'm shaking, Bernard."
"Don't worry. I've got you covered."
Crap, I wanted to cry. He was so cool.
But there was no time for admiration, shortly thereafter Bernard started counting down
"One. Two!"
"Hah!" With a shout, Bernard leaped out of position towards the closing ranks of the enemy.
As this wasn't a battlefield, Bernard didn't use the sharp edge of his blade. He was good with an axe, but there were too many of them.
We were also completelysurrounded, so whenever he hit a person, he would jump back into a defensive stance to protect Beth and me.
He attacked, but Bernard's priority was defense.
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