Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Monster-like person."

Jess chewed on the words inwardly and opened her mouth again.

"Rumor has it that the two sisters were not on very good terms."

"Is that all?"

A dry voice echoed in the office. Jess ostentatiously shuffled through some papers and said,

"There are some unsavory rumors circulating in high society. Shall I read them to you?"

Jess's expression, as she skimmed the documents, became quite serious. However, there was no reply from Raygrain. Jess, who had observed Raygrain for a long time, easily understood his intentions.

Jess continued in a pale voice.

"Firstly, evidence was found of an attempt to illegally distribute poisons or herbs. It is presumed that they were intended for Miss Erina."

"Secondly."

"It seems she was contacting people associated with Miss Erina. It has been confirmed that she spread bad rumors. The number of people she bribed, including men, women, and children, exceeds 40. Shall I read you the list?"

"That's enough. I only wondered if there was another reason for your visit."

Raygrain's indifferent gaze then turned to the documents. There were no more words. Jess cleared her throat and carefully conveyed her opinion.

"Something seems suspicious."

"What?"

"Isn't it obvious? She is known as the mad dog of the Netri family in the South. Rumor has it that once she targets someone, they cannot escape, not just Miss Erina."

"I see."

There was no emotion in his reply. Jess reiterated her opinion, met with the same indifferent reaction as when listening to the cold wind of the North.

"Perhaps Your Highness has some purpose..."

"Jess."

His cool blue eyes pierced him. Jess quickly straightened her relaxed posture.

Raygrain asked in a monotone voice.

"Do you think I would be defeated by a lady who spreads all sorts of information just to get a poison from the South?"

It wasn't a scolding tone, nor was it annoyance or anger, but it felt more intimidating than any command.

"That's not what I meant..."

Raygrain stopped moving and stared at Jess with an expressionless gaze. It was a silent signal to leave, but Jess remained still. His dry gaze then returned to the documents.

Scratch, scratch, the silence of the office.

It was Raygrain who first broke the heavy atmosphere.

"Is the subjugation force not here yet?"

"...Yes. It's been two weeks already."

"Who is leading the charge?"

"Nevid."

Nevid was a loyal retainer who had served the Blenga family his entire life, and to Jess, he was a childhood friend and comrade-in-arms. Normally, Raygrain would have led the command himself, not Nevid, but that was not possible these days.

Recently, Raygrain's emotions had been completely depleted. He used to show occasional changes in expression, but now there was no trace of emotion on his face.

Compared to the former Duke, his emotional depletion was faster and accelerating.

Sometimes, when he looked at Jess with empty eyes, Jess would be seized by an inexplicable, primal fear. Those eyes were the same even when he saw the Blenga knights dying during each subjugation.

His gaze, voice, tone of speech.

Everything was not only dry but also seemed to have hardened, like land about to crack from a long drought. In a situation where there was no successor, his condition was a dangerous red flag.

As his emotions disappeared, he calculated and acted more thoroughly with his mind, and now there was no human aspect left in Raygrain.

It wasn't like this from the beginning, but circumstances had made him this way. How many times had he filled trivial emotions in daily life and then poured them out to their limit during monster subjugations?

When he came to his senses, Raygrain rarely felt emotions unless it was something extraordinary.

To revive an emotion once felt, he had to experience something more stimulating and intense. It was fortunate if he could even feel that much. The last emotion Jess remembered him feeling was 'fatigue'.

Even that had disappeared a year ago.

Monsters continued to pour in, and the North was not an easy place to simply wait for emotions to return.

Jess forced herself to speak calmly.

"You know him. He's not the kind of friend to be out of contact for so long."

"He must be dead."

"..."

Raygrain casually uttered the words Jess couldn't bring herself to say. Even then, there was no emotion in his voice.

"Did he have a defensive magic stone?"

"...Yes."

"It would be troublesome if a monster ate it, so we must find the body. Send out a search party."

"...Understood."

He hadn't slept a wink worrying about him, but it ended so easily.

If they could at least hold his funeral, he would have to be satisfied with that.

"The border region."

"The situation is unusual. To simply say the number of monsters has increased, their numbers are unnaturally large."

"I'll go myself."

Raygrain rose with unhesitating movements, as if there was no need to wait any longer.

Jess quickly stood in front of him, blocking his path.

"No, you can't."

"I'm strong enough even without sword energy."

"I know. I'm not worried because Your Highness's basic skills are so excellent. But that's only when Your Highness has emotions and can choose whether or not to use your abilities."

Despite Raygrain's sharp gaze, he stood his ground. The air in the office changed. His indifferent gaze had now become a blade, pressing down on Jess. Jess, pale, swallowed dryly and continued.

"Even if you look at me like that, I will object. Your Highness knows that if this situation continues, Your Highness will also eventually follow the rules of the Blenga family..."

He couldn't finish his last words, his expression twisting sadly. At that moment, a faint creak came from outside the door. Jess's sharp sword quickly pointed at the office door.

"In the Blenga family, it is the law to always identify oneself first. State your name."

Jess's keen sword hummed with friction against the air. Raygrain stopped his sharp movement with one hand.

"It's not someone who would be a threat. Lower your sword."

Jess slowly returned the sword to its sheath, looking suspicious. Then, Raygrain's monotone voice resonated heavily through the space.

"Who is it?"

The slightly open door slowly widened. Through the gap, red hair appeared, and soon Shuer's figure was revealed.

She held up one hand awkwardly and said,

"Uh... can I object too?"

Shuer blinked at the sudden gaze on her. The subtly sharp atmosphere was disorienting. She wiggled her fingers like waves and asked,

"I don't have voting rights in this atmosphere, do I?"

"Let's hear it."

Raygrain leaned back in his heavy desk chair, faced her, and nodded. It was as if he was telling her to speak. Shuer rolled her eyes and looked around.

She didn't know what the situation was, but she clearly heard that he intended to go in place of the subjugation force that hadn't returned. And that he had already lost his emotions was a bonus.

Wasn't it the same condition as before he died?

That alone made her feel uneasy.

She knew in her head that there was still a year left until that time, but she didn't want to send him to his death.

'No, let's omit the word 'death' because it's bad luck.'