Manggot is a cave inside a cliff, but its interior forms a city.
Commercial and residential areas are clearly divided, and most facilities used by humans are fully equipped.
Selena stood in front of her house, staring blankly for a while.
“Why did you come back, Jei?”
Hagley spoke from behind her.
Selena got a bit hot-headed at Hagley asking a similar question to Frondier.
“…I was kicked out.”
“Kicked out? By Frondier?”
“Yes. Everything not related to personal escort duty should be settled here.”
That’s right. Selena murmured with a sigh swallowed in her voice. The tremor was half sobbing.
“This is the first time in my life I’ve been ignored to this extent.”
“It’s your first time trying to seduce a man, isn’t it?”
“Still! I was confident! Even Hagley said it was possible with me!”
“……Hmm.”
Hagley stroked his chin.
Indeed, this situation was something even Hagley hadn’t anticipated.
Frondier is originally an owner of immense inferiority complex. Just being called ‘young master’ by Hagley made him beam with joy.
He thought that if he had a beauty like Selena around him, especially one trying to seduce him, he’d be smitten in no time.
“You said I could seduce him……. I thought so too, so I can’t complain……. But it was really scary…….”
Whether she was talking to herself or to be heard, Selena muttered in a dying voice. A strange sound emerged as if she was really crying.
“You just need time. There’s no way Frondier wouldn’t be tempted by you. He’s just bluffing right now.”
“Bluffing…… You call that bluffing…….”
Selena still seemed to hear Frondier’s cold voice in her ears. She thought she was going to die. And it hadn’t even been a day since the mission started.
“For now, focus on escorting Frondier. But pay special attention to your gestures and expressions. Frondier won’t be able to say anything about that.”
“……Yes.”
In fact, Frondier hadn’t commented much on her seductive speech and behavior. Realizing this, Selena nodded.
……But him not commenting, could it mean that it was ineffective from the start?
“He’ll eventually fall for it.”
Hagley said with full confidence.
“Because there’s no woman who loves Frondier.”
* * *
The next day, following Ludwig’s order, I headed to the barracks. With Selena.
The barracks seemed to be divided by floors for knights and soldiers. Soldiers on the first floor, knights on the second.
I paused for a moment then climbed the stairs.
“Hey, you’re not supposed to be this way.”
Someone was looking down at me with a smirking smile from atop the stairs.
……Who is this? Neither from Frondier’s memory nor from the game’s knowledge do I recognize this face.
Moreover, his posture, too casual for a knight, and the low rank without any sense of authority.
In other words, a nobody. I ignored him and passed by.
“Didn’t you hear? You belong on the first floor,”
Snap.
As I tried to pass, he tried to grab my arm, but I easily brushed him off.
But the feel of brushing him off felt oddly unsatisfactory. What’s with this guy, not a knight?
“This crazy bastard dares to bring a woman here.”
Embarrassed by having his hand brushed off, he reached out towards Selena.
Ah, this isn’t good.
Selena held out her fingertips to him. Hic, the man froze, terrified. Selena held a needle between her index and middle fingers. I don’t know where she suddenly pulled it out from, but it was enough to intimidate her opponent.
“I’m in a really bad mood right now, so don’t touch me.”
Selena’s murderous voice seemed to growl. The man flinched at the sound and backed away.
It seemed like she was really in a bad mood.
The reason why Selena’s in a bad mood is…
Well, I don’t know.
Creak-
I entered a room with a sign that said ‘Waiting Room.’
An empty room with a few long chairs, spacious but extremely simple.
There were about a dozen people inside.
As I entered, their gazes slowly turned toward me.
One of them looked at me and said with a blank expression.
“…You really brought a woman. You really were crazy.”
I looked around.
Of course, I thought they would all be people I didn’t know, but I was wrong.
Robert was in the corner, the furthest inside. He put his finger to his lips when he saw me.
I guess that means don’t act like we know each other.
“Maureen must’ve gone to meet you. Didn’t you see him?”
“There was one causing trouble.”
Yes, that guy. I understood when the knight answered.
The knights’ armor varied in style and design, and the patterns engraved on the armor were all different.
The knights dispatched to Tyburn are brought from almost all over the Empire, but their numbers are small. Knights are a vital force everywhere.
“Hey, how long do you think you’ll last?”
One of them suddenly asked me.
“How long?”
“Uh, we’re making a bet.”
The guy who answered grinned.
“When you’ll kick the bucket.”
At that, the waiting room erupted with laughter. They were really excited as if they had heard something funny.
Only about four or five people didn’t laugh, including Robert from earlier.
“Then I’ll bet,”
I slowly spoke.
“That no one here will die for a month.”
The laughter stopped at my words. They looked at me as if I had said something ridiculous.
“Are you really crazy? Hey, do you know where this is? Tyburn. No one dies here for a month? Are you out of your mind?”
“Really? Then let me ask you this. Who do you think will die ‘except me’? Is there anyone crazy enough to want to die?”
The knights’ expressions hardened.
The reason these guys are making such a vulgar bet is because this is Tyburn.
In a place where you’re going to die anyway, people can’t help but go a little crazy. Those who don’t usually die first.
I think I understand to some extent the psychology of calling me crazy, crazy.
But I don’t intend to fight these guys.
Rather, I needed them.
“I’ll say it again.”
And,
“No one here will die while I’m in Tyburn.”
They too will bitterly realize that they need me.