It was already midnight when I arrived at the Roach Mansion.
Of course, there was no one to greet me. On the contrary, it made me feel at ease.
So then, now I have to overcome another wall.
“So, are you really going to do it?”
I asked Selena beside me.
“Of course. Since I’m an escort, it’s more convenient to move around if I’m officially recognized.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to stay inside my room and just jump to Manggot whenever somebody comes?”
“I don’t want to do that. I’m not doing anything dangerous anyway.”
Selena let out a sigh while talking.
“You won’t regret it, will you? Being recognized by my father. Do you know who the lord of the Roach family is?”
“Yes, I do. It’s the same with anyone else. I am upright and free of shame.”
That’s not how it works.
Sigh, I let out a breath.
That’s right. Selena has never actually met Enfer. One day, she will have to.
“Fine, I warned you.”
I led Selena into the mansion.
I lightly knocked on the door of Enfer’s room.
“Father, it’s Frondier. I just arrived.”
When I said that, the sound in the room stopped momentarily. And slowly, a heavy voice that sounded the same whenever I heard it came out.
“Yes. Rest.”
He didn’t say anything except that he told me to rest, which meant that he wanted me to leave.
Although he hadn’t seen his son in more than a month, it seemed like he had no plans on seeing me.
“……Father, I hired an escort.”
“An escort?”
“Yes. She’s a skilled Pro who saved my life in Tyburn. So I would appreciate it if you let her use a room in the mansion. I’ll take care of all the other expenses……”
I felt nervous with every word I said, but Selena, who was behind me, was so brazen.
Well, Enfer probably wouldn’t care if I hired an escort or not. I thought that he would just say, ‘Do as you please,’ this time too.
‘Huh?’
At that moment, I heard the sound of ‘creak.’ It seemed like the sound of someone pushing back a chair. And then, thud, thud, heavy footsteps approached me.
And the door opened.
“…….”
I met Enfer’s gaze. It was an encounter between a father and a son, but it was an eye contact that was too tense.
I looked into those stern eyes for a while before speaking.
“I’m back. Father.”
It was something I had already said outside the door. Now, I should talk about the escort. But I felt like saying those words again.
“……Yes.”
Enfer replied back briefly. I wonder what it meant, or if it meant nothing at all.
“Is that girl your escort?”
“Ah, yes. Her name is Selena.”
That’s when I tried introducing Selena who was behind me.
Selena was trembling.
……What’s wrong with her?
“Is she really your escort? The one who protected you in Tyburn?”
Enfer’s eyebrows drew together, his eyes slightly suspicious. Well, given Selena’s current appearance, I’d probably feel the same way.
“Y-yes, that’s right. She’s saved my life several times. I think she’s just nervous right now.”
I decided to defend Selena as best I could since I already agreed to let her stay.
“I see.”
Enfer took a small step forward. In an instant, his aura fiercely locked onto Selena.
Thwack! Whoosh-
Selena instinctively jumped away to create distance. As she slid backwards, she reached into her dress.
By the time her slide came to an end, she was already in a combat-ready stance.
She was holding needles between every finger, and her face was covered in a cold sweat.
“…Hm, fine. You’re responsible for your own escort.”
Enfer seemed to lose interest and turned around to go back into his office.
In the end, it turned out as I expected. ‘You’re responsible for your own escort.’ But at least he saw Selena face-to-face and gave permission, so that’s good enough.
Thud.
At that moment, Selena collapsed to the floor. She didn’t faint. She just seemed exhausted.
I approached Selena and crouched down.
“I warned you.”
“I-I didn’t know it would be this bad… The moment I saw him, I felt like a mountain was crashing down on me.”
That’s a good way to put it.
“Frondier. I have something to tell you.”
At that moment, Enfer’s voice came from inside the office. Selena gasped reflexively and held her breath.
“Y-yes. What is it?”
“Azier is currently out. You won’t be able to see him for a while because his temporary teaching position at Constel has been postponed.”
“…What happened to my brother?”
Azier is out? That means personal training will be difficult for a while. I wanted to try out the dual-wielding swordsmanship using Neil Jack’ short sword, but it looks like I’ll have to put that off.
Enfer said, “Azier is currently on a pro mission. It’s an assignment from the palace.”