Episode 28
Translator : Missme Editor : Aru

“That’s true. Because it’s a stolen thing. If we use it anywhere and the rumours go out, I’ll be taken to the court.”

The enchanted fabric should have been used quietly to avoid the other’s eyes in the future.

Which means we need to create a chance for Ari to be alone with Ash.

Ari’s eyes shook uneasily when I brought it up.

“Will the villain be alone with me…..?”

“I’ll help.”

Since then, the discussion has started. How on earth will Ari and Ash create their own chance?

As the plausible plan came to an outline, she asked suddenly.

“Are we doing it tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Let’s do it tomorrow fast. Let’s strike the iron while it’s hot.”

There was a point in Ari’s remarks about the date of the plan’s execution.

But I shook my head in agony.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Tomorrow……let’s do something else first.”

This is something that just came to mind. But it was necessary to do anyway

“I’m going to find an escort for you. Tomorrow.”

“Escort?”

Ari put a question mark on his face.

I nodded slowly.

***

Ari needs a personal escort.

I have this idea on my mind from before. I couldn’t leave Ari’s safety to Sir Davery for a long time in the future.

Sir Davery was a perfect escort who fit for such excellent work, but he was tasked to be my escort. There were many restrictions to protect Ari.

Take the hostage situation at the banquet hall as an example.

Sir Davery neglected Ari to protect me there, and the defenceless Ari was taken dangerously as a hostage.

Without Ash, she might have died once and I would consume the beads again.

There is no way that such a thing will never happen again. And I couldn’t blame Sir Davery for that.

Because he only doing his duty.

And there is another constraint.

Because he is my escort and he will always be by my side, Ari had to be in the same place with me naturally to get help from him.

Such a problem happened in the early morning.

In order to avoid the crisis’s regular visit in the morning, Ari had to wake up early and come out to the living room where I was, it repeated not only in a day or two but every day, so I could feel Ari’s complaining of fatigue.

‘She seems to have a lot of morning’s sleep.’

If there was an escort by her side while she was sleeping in the morning, Ari would be able to sleep well until late.

For reference, it is simple to say that we have been aware of these problems but we just finally will solve them now.

Because there was no other way before.

Because there’s no one to put as Ari’s escort who equivalent, or even a little less, to Sir Davery.

So, when I first recognized this problem, I stumbled on it with the idea of leaving it up to Ash in the future, but that’s not the fundamental solution.

In order for Ari to be safe even after I run away from this mansion, she also needed a good escort.

Now, is there a solution that we’ve ‘never’ had before?

Of course.

‘The Enchanted Cloth!’

I trusted this and now loading myself into the carriage with Ari.

It’s too early in the morning now. It wasn’t time for Ari to be in danger.

“Eonni, can I really get an escort?” In the middle of the sound of horse hooves, Ari asked me.

I made a boast.

“Just trust me.”

Ari’s escort I was aiming for was simple.

‘The Winner of the Sword Competition.’

At least two swordsmanship competitions were held a year in the capital.

Dry festival in spring and harvest festival in autumn.

In addition, if I included the events held on a national day, there were quite a few winners in a year.

I had spotted one of them as Ari’s personal escort.

‘Let me see.’

I took out the paper I put in my arms again and unfolded it. The paper, which was of poor quality, rustled.

I sent someone to the guild early in the morning to buy some necessary information.

The personal details and materials of the winners of all official swordsmanship competitions over the last five years, those who do not yet belong to any family and remain as free articles.

Winning a swordsmanship competition usually proves that he has excellent skills.

In the family that needed talent, they naturally tried to recruit such winners.

But it meant one thing if he didn’t enter any family.

‘Their standard really high.’

In other words. It’s either asking for a huge payment or hold out to be recruited for a high-rank aristocrat. Such cases were common.

There are a total of four high-rank articles, and one of them was a female.

As I stared at the paper containing the portrait, Sir Davery, who was sitting opposite me wondering.

“It won’t be easy.”

“Are you trying to ruin my mood ?”

“I’m just talking about the typical situation.”

The swordsmanship winner who remains as free articles is often desired.

Ari couldn’t meet their demands, money or status.

To Sir Davery, who does not know about the Enchanted Cloth, of course, will only show such objective facts. I shrugged my shoulders.

“It’s all right, I’ll show you an unusual situation this time.”

All I have to do is having the knight to sign the contract.

It was impossible for a prim and proud knight to violate a contract he signed himself for any reason.

Dissolve it gently with the enchanted cloth to steal his rational judgment, and make him sign the contract, then making him as Ari’s escort.

‘I’m a little bit of a villain, but…..’

It’s not that I don’t realize that technically, I’m close to doing something like that, but I still think it’s not bad for the other party.

Ari is a good person from a good aristocrat family, and a good aristocrat will naturally be a good employer.

I heard that there are many nasty aristocrats, who rolled their own escort articles into rough and choreful work as if they were servants.

How much angel is Ari compared to those guys? Besides, she’s pretty and nice.

‘If you stay as Ari’s escort a little more, you’ll soon like Ari.’

Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to serve a person who is personally you are also interested in?

I thought so and rationalized my own plan.

“Well, shall we go to Sir Linda Eiffel right away?”

Soon I got out of the carriage. Arrived at one of the busy residential areas of the capital.

Linda Eiffel was the only female knight on the paper.

I thought it would be better to find a woman escort because I needed her to be with Ari at all times.

“Let’s go!”

Linda Eiffel, whatever you want, I’ll let you down with the enchanted cloth!

And…

“As you can see.”

“…..”

“I’m hurt.”

Linda Eiffel raised her left hand in an expressionless face.

“I’m left-handed. If you’re here to recruit me, you’d have figured that out, right?”

“Uh…”

“The injury is pretty big. It’s going to take a while to be able to swing the sword as before. If you really need me, come back after this year.”

Linda soon hid her splintered hand and kicked us out.

I stood on the street blankly.

It wasn’t a very good start.

Not being able to speak to the unexpected situation, Sir Davery murmured beside me.

“It’s really unusual.”

It was backbiting for what I said in the carriage, ‘I’ll show you an unusual situation.’ When I glared, he said a word to comfort me.

“You can’t be full at first drink, my lady. And wouldn’t it be better not to be able to say anything than to be rejected after said something?”

“Shut your mouth.”

Ari, who stands next to me shouted, “Eonni, fighting!’ making me little encouraged.

“I can’t help it. Then next is Sir Brant Billen!”

Let’s not have any regrets about the past. I got my strength up quickly.

Brant Billen was quite skilled who won the last two consecutive swordsmanship competitions.

He was only second in line because he was a man, but I would be very reassured and relieved to have him as Ari’s escort.

I bravely headed to the cafe where Sir Brant would stop by at this time.

And…

“100,000 gold.”

Brant Billen said briefly.

I overheard a cough behind me. That was Sir Davery.

100,000 gold is roughly 500 to 700 million won in Korean currency when I lived in the past.

No matter how noble a man was, 100,000 gold was not an easy amount to get. However, Sir Brant continued to speak.

“And the payment is done every year.”

“Yes, I understand your opinion. Shall we move on and talk more?”

I didn’t blink at all. It doesn’t matter if you ask for 100,000 gold or a million gold.

The enchanted cloth will solve everything.

I’ll believe Mr Enchanted Cloth and tried to move to a quiet place where there were no people.

But it was then.

“Never less than that. That’s how much it costs to treat my brother.”

“…yes?”

“If I don’t continue with the treatment with the money I earn, I won’t be able to save my brother with his incurable diseases.”

No, wait a minute.

Suddenly, there’s a drama behind it…?

“Sir Brant’s brother, I hope he gets well.”

Eventually, I reversed my offer and walked out of the Turtle Cafe.

This situation wasn’t good, from the start till the second time. It was an unusual flow.

Sir Davery give me real consolation this time.

“We still have half the time left. Let’s trying to get a better person.”

It was a plausible consolation. Then I heard a rumble from the sky.

I looked up and saw dark clouds.

“……”

No, no. That black cloud would be just a black cloud. It’s just a simple weather phenomenon that has nothing to do with today’s day.

Somehow I tried to shake off the surging anxiety.

***

Damn it.

Sir Davery said nothing, whether he thought it was a time when comforting and teasing were unnecessary.

The dark cloud was a prophecy. I eventually crumpled up the useless paper and threw it on the floor.

‘Why!’

The situation was not much different for the remaining two who were busy visiting.

One is not supposed to emigrate to meet their separated family when they were young, and the other one just hurried down to the news that their fiance, who promised their future, is dying in their hometown.

‘Is it going to end like this?’

Why are there so many stories? What should I’ve done then?

There’s even no situation that can be handled with the enchanted cloth to be taken out. I wasn’t a psychopath without blood or tears or a shameless cold-blooded man.

It wasn’t too much of inhumanity to ignore such circumstances and use the enchanted cloth to seal the contract.

“Let’s just…..go eat.”

I turned my feet weakly.

I headed to the biggest, most colourful, and most crowded restaurant around me.

Not purely because I was really hungry, but because while I was looking for people on paper, it was already twelve o’clock.

It’s time for Ari to be in danger. It was only natural to be safe in a big building rather than outside.

Clank–

“Welcome.”

I refused the staff guide to show us to the scenic window and just went inside.

Considering that something might jump in after breaking the window, so it’s better to avoid the window seat.

Sure enough.

Shatter–

“Argh!”