Chapter 10

Vivian, who was walking only looking at his back, found something strange.

“There are no guards here?”

There was no one in the cool calm hallway. Vivian has never seen a space without guards, as she has been in the palace for many things. For some reason, they showed their presence everywhere in the palace, but they were not as invisible as they were here.

Roger’s shoulders suddenly shook. At first glance, it looked like a laugh.

“This is the palace used by the Knights.”

There are so many knights better than guards, who is protecting who?

Vivian understood what he was saying without difficulty and at the same time realized what a ridiculous idea she had.

As they were awkward, the conversation broke off as if it was cut with a knife. Of course, the first person to talk was Vivian. He moved his feet nonchalantly, as if he didn’t feel the atmosphere of the air being crushed.

Vivian managed to catch her eye on his wide back. His body is clearly covered in a black uniform, but she doesn’t know why his bare skin keeps glimmering in front of her.

Maybe it’s because he was in her dream last night.

‘Am I dreaming or something?”

She wasn’t sure about the hazy thought. Vivian rolled her eyes blankly and counted everything that had happened to her for days.

Return to her native country of Mosbana.

Order of Knights.

And….

“Is it okay for you to get engaged to me?”

Vivian spit it out and realized that she said something wrong.

“No, I’m not engaged, I’m pretending.”

Roger’s long walk paused as if he had been forcefully stopped. Soon he slowly turned his back and said gently. It’s a different move from his violent personality.

“And Lady.”

“What?”

“Do you mind pretending as if you were engaged to me?”

The question was simple, but the depth of his gaze was so deep as if he could see her insides, so her mind became faint for a moment. She felt like she was being tested on an edge.

Vivian smiled, wiping her neck as if she didn’t know that there was sweat.

“I’m fine, so I’ve accepted it.”

He smiled vaguely.

When the smile seemed to fade, he narrowed the distance and came close to her. The light leaking through the window frame was strong, but she couldn’t turn her eyes to that side at all. This is because the spirit of the man in front of her was so strong.

“Then I’m fine, too.”

His voice felt as if he were relieved. As if he had been waiting for Vivian’s affirmation. 

After finishing what he had to say, Roger turned his back and started walking again. Vivian followed quietly. What has changed is that his pace of walking is a little slower than before they talked.

“When are you going West?”

“About two weeks from now.”

“It’s faster than I thought.”

At the end of the barely woven conversation, a large door appeared. The door was luxurious, as the wooden construction would have carefully carved each and every one of them. Perhaps the carpenter was talented and never dreamed that the Knights would use this place.

Roger looked around Vivian with his big hand on the door.

“There are a lot of knights out on duty, so it’s too much to meet the entire Order today.”

“Oh, yes.”

“So today, I’ll introduce only the vice-captain.”

A man who used to insist on speaking informally in his dream insisted on honorifics in reality. Strangely different, subtly the same. Vivian nodded with indescribable thoughts.

Roger, who was about to open the door after finishing his business, paused again.

Soon he twitched his lips with a look that was confusing. It was not good to see the narrow space between the brows.

“You know, there are a lot of knights out here who have worked hard to get on this mission. So ····.”

Vivian nodded, unable to pinpoint what he was trying to say. At the same time, Roger stopped moving his lips. Like he didn’t know what to say. No, like it was hard to say.

It wasn’t long before he sighed deeply.

“I’m not good at beating around the bush, so I’ll just be straightforward. There are a few knights that disapprove of the Lady’s involvement in this Western mission.”

Roger threw a fastball with a bright look in his eyes. Vivian noticed why he brought it up at this point.

“He must be the vice-captain.”

As I saw him talking right before he introduced me to the vice-captain, I guessed it.

“Three in total, he is one of them.”

Vivian suddenly remembered the Countess who was raising her voice because she was worried about her.

But for her, this experience was outstanding.

She was ignored periodically because she did not have the power to intimidate people with her appearance like a knight with a sword on her waist and a uniform on her body.

Perhaps the knight that Roger talked about is also because he thinks of her as an immature aristocrat. Vivian already felt nervous, but somehow she put up with it and bent her lips.

“I’ll pay attention.”

Roger stared into her pale face. It’s like looking at her mood. When she saw him, she was pale and it was a scene that would be frowned upon by a crazy dog.

Knowing that Vivian’s expression was steady, he opened the door.

The middle of the big door split. Maybe it was because there was so much bad reputation about the Knights, but it felt like the abyss was spreading its mouth wide, not the door opening.

Vivian tried to come to her senses, erasing her useless thoughts.

However, unlike the hallway where light comes in and gives off a quiet atmosphere, the inside of the door was dark.

A neat desk with a few papers on it. A large bookshelf next to a window with a dim light. It was a space that looked like an office.

Roger stepped in first, followed by Vivian.

Three people looking at each other in a large office turned at the same time. The three men who found Roger straightened up. The gesture was only a courtesy to their grooming.

After checking them one by one, Roger’s gaze slanted back. Vivian sneaked out from behind him as if she had read his hint.

Her mouth corners, which were awkwardly bent, were stiff as if to mark her that it was her first time.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Vivian Lector.”

She heard that there was a knight who was not friendly, but Vivian greeted them nicely, thinking of her first impression. A knight who was standing in the middle, scared to introduce walked along.

Vivian was slightly surprised by the knight, but even before she could express it, an approaching knight threw his face at her.

“Are you a real spiritist?”

“What? Oh, well yeah.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. I’ve never seen one before.”

It was a man who reminded her of a cat whose eyes were raised in abundance. The man’s brown pupils stared at Vivian. His eyes glistened with exploration as if he had seen something amazing.

As the man’s gaze was about to become burdensome, a hand came in.

“Tainy. That’s rude.”

Roger stopped him in moderation. As he shook his big hand, Tainy, a cat-like knight, suddenly stepped back. Tainy soon leaned down with a playful smile, his hands on his chest. It was not a noble attitude but a gesture that exaggeratedly imitated it.

“Excuse me, my Lady. It’s my first time seeing a spiritist, so I was really curious.”

He pretended not to speak, but he was cleverly frivolous. Still, Vivian was able to ease the tension. This side seemed rather friendly to her.

“From the left are Enka, Tainy, and Ben.”

When Tainy fell back, Roger said the names of those in line one by one. Vivian was listening as if to memorize it.

As her eyes turned to the owner of the name, Vivian made eye contact with the knight who glared at her at the end. Roger was the man who introduced Ben.

Ben clapped his mouth loosely when his eyes met.

“Did you say Lady Lector?”

Vivian had a hunch. That this knight had a bad impression of her.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Vivian replied with a smile on her face.

Ben, who stood arm in arm, stared at her disapprovingly. It was an act of arrogance beyond rudeness.

“Do you know how to catch a demonic beast?”

Ben asked a blunt question. It was one of the questions Vivian expected just before she faced them.

“No, I don’t.”

Ben clicked his tongue before Vivian could finish answering. From every angle, it was obvious that he was unfriendly.

“Ben, stop it.”

Next to Vivian, Roger’s eyes were on him, and Enka whispered quietly.

But Ben didn’t stop.

“Do you even know what our Knights are going to do in the West?”

“You’re going to fight the demonic beasts, aren’t you?”

If anyone who doesn’t know the situation sees it, it will look like Ben’s stomach is upset after seeing Vivian. Ben is frowning and Vivian is smiling. It was like a spear and shield face to face.

Vivian thought Roger would meddle at this point, but somehow, he just stayed still like a wooden stone.

‘If your subordinate comes out like this, shouldn’t you stop him?’

Ben’s attitude now was apparently picking a fight with Vivian. But instead of meddling, Roger leaned against his desk and looked at them.

You helped me well at the banquet last time. No, when Tainy came close to me, you were so quick. Why on earth wouldn’t you do anything now?

“We’re not going out to play.”

Ben added while Vivian was struggling to believe Roger’s actions. Now, it’s a thorny word.

As expected, he was suspicious of Vivian’s ability. At first glance, the knight seemed to say, ‘If I don’t check the other person’s skills with my own eyes, I will not believe  it.’

Is that what this guy is like? Vivian let out a sigh of frustration.

“I have a question.”

Vivian looked at Enka, who didn’t stand up to her.

“Is this palace connected to the ground?”

“What?”

Enka looked a little puzzled. It seemed that he did not understand Vivian’s question at all. 

“I mean here. Is there a basement? Or is it directly connected to the ground?”

“It’s made up of single layers.”

That means that there is soil underneath the ground. Vivian responded with a smile to the satisfactory explanation.