Episode 29
Translator : Missme Editor : Aru

Maybe around half an hour has passed since we entered the restaurant. A person burst into the restaurant, breaking the window glass out of nowhere.

“Ugh.”

I was trying to stand still on the ground, but I failed and fell on the floor. The black mask the man was wearing peeled off.

A black mask covering his face in broad daylight? Isn’t this too suspicious?

The man, who had a very strong feeling of the criminal, soon got up and looked around in a hurry, and soon came out and ran towards Ari.

I knew he would do that.

Whatever the man’s purpose was hostage-taking, it was a set step for him to go after Ari.

Sir Davery grabbed his sword.

It was then.

“Ugh!”

The man fell to the floor with a scream.

Sir Davery did not budge from his seat.

I asked just in case.

“Invisible, lightning swords skill?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

At the same time as Sir Davery denied it, then a woman approached.

A woman of the slender build was taller than a man of great stature. I saw her wearing a waistband first.

‘Sword?’

Standing in front of the fallen man, she said coldly.

“Dead-down pussy. How can you rob a house in broad daylight and on top of that with no sword?”

A poor man who can’t even pick an empty house to rob. The woman who added that kicked the man’s ankle the next moment.

Woodeudeukk–

“Argh!”

It seemed to be broken. Right? It was definitely a crunching sound.

Judging by the ears, not eyes, I covered Sir Davery and Ari’s eyes as soon as she kicked the man.

Sir Davery said.

“She’s…”

“Do you know them? The man who is lying on the floor and the woman who’s beating him up?”

“It’s her.”

Then Sir Davery put her name on the lips.

“Dylan. She’s famous.”

“How famous is she?”

Is it because I saw the sword in her waist a little while ago?

Sir Davery explained.

“She’s Hidden’s fifth straight winner.”

“If it’s Hidden…”

I quickly turned the memory circuit to a familiar name.

Soon I remember it.

“It’s……gambling sword contest, isn’t it?”

Hiden.

Originally, it was the name of a small village outside the capital.

It was named Hidden because it was hidden in such a corner that it would be hard to find if they weren’t determined enough.

As such, Hidden was originally a village name but was used to refer to something else about 10 years ago.

A secret gambling parlour in which masked the swordplay-contest being held on the rear side of the town.

Only those with money could sit there, and the audience bet on the player to be a winner on each match.

Technically it was illegal under the current imperial law to gamble people as subjects, but rumours have it has been operating for a long time with the backing of a high-rank aristocrat behind them.

“Five straight wins?”

I couldn’t hide my surprise.

No wonder Hidden’s participant didn’t take part in the national swordsmanship contest.

It wasn’t all about betting money, there must be something that attracted them.

Only the humble but talented were selected, and those who were selected saw the dividend and were allowed to kill in the Hidden’s battlefield

Winning five times in such a way meant that she was great, no need to hear any further.

“…what about her knighthood?”

“What?”

“Does she have a family that belongs to? No, right? If she’s been in Hidden.”

“Not that I know of, but…..”

I sprang to my feet.

Sir Davery, who noticed something at the moment, changed his face, but it was too late.

“Lady, you can’t……”

“Dylan!”

Dillan was relentlessly treading on a man who was not able to fight at this time.

She turned around to the sound called her name.

I went up to her ignoring what Sir Davery wanted to say.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lydia Widgreen of the Widgreen family.”

“……”

“I’d like to talk to you for a moment. Is that okay?”

I glanced down at the floor doing that. There is something rolling around near the man’s head.

‘You threw that and got it right.’

Accuracy, power. Well, I like it very much.

Dylan’s dark blue eyes that looked like winter sea turned towards me.

I glanced at her and gave her a smile.

“No.”

But Dylan’s voice that came out was hard.

“I don’t want to.”

“…..”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t change words with nobility.”

That was it. Dylan then began to tread on the man smartly again.

I was dumbfounded.

‘Oh, come to think of it.’

I forgot. Hidden’s participants didn’t usually think well of the aristocracy.

In a way, it was natural. In their eyes, the nobility is nothing more than a rich gambler who puts them in an unruly and illegal arena for self-interest.

Although they were forced to participate in Hidden Contest for money, they often did not have many favourable feelings for the aristocrats (attendees) who treat themselves as long-term horses or dogs.

‘What do I do?

I was embarrassed.

‘I don’t want to miss her.’

I liked Dylan. She had all the conditions I wanted.

Excellent ability, gender as a woman.

And the bold hand that throws a stone at the thief’s head is also attractive.

Ari’s crisis is likely to be dealt with like that.

‘The method is……’

I looked around. There were too many people here to borrow the power of the enchanted cloth.

I have to move to another place somehow. But how?

Dylan did not show any disgust or hostility toward me, but she showed a firm determination not to talk to me separately.

I bit the flesh inside my lips.

At that moment, I heard a reassuring voice from the customer that the employee called the security forces from a little distance and that they would be here soon.

The security forces.

‘That’s it!’

Immediately, I spoke to Dylan.

“The security guard will come.”

So? he continued with a look of indifference.

“Looking at the situation, it looks like you chased this man because he’s a thief, right?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not with me, but I’m sure it has a lot to do with you. Do you have any proof that this man is a thief in your house?”

Dylan, who has been beating the man – he’s been beating a man so far – eventually stopped.

Her eyes were distorted.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve publicly beaten a man to death in front of many people, and when a man claims he never stole in front of the security force and was unjustly assaulted for no reason, is there any evidence to refute it?”

The man who sneaked a glance was empty-handed.

It seemed like he had escaped all this way because he wasn’t able to steal anything properly.

The man’s poor workmanship helped me.

“There are a lot of people who can testify that this man has been beaten up by you, but I don’t think there’s any other means but your argument to prove he’s a thief.”

“Is that what you want to say?”

I laid my hand on my chest.

“I’ll testify.”

“…..”

“This man jumped at me, determined to hurt me. You just stopped him and punished him. So even if you can’t prove that he’s a thief, your actions will be justified, right?”

There is no evidence that the thief was after me or Ari. This collar fell on the floor before it grazed to me or Ari.

However, it was not necessary to think about whether the security forces would prioritize the words of the man or me.

Of course, Dylan could not have known that.

“What do you say?”

“…..”

“What I want is very simple. I just need to talk to you for a moment separately.”

It would be quite a headache if Dylan, who is not a nobleman, was caught by the security forces for an assault.

No matter how it is, this situation is not something she could solve.

“Just five minutes is fine.”

Then I held back and smiled as I watched Dylan’s head move up and down briefly.

***

After handing over the man to the dispatched security forces, I testified, and spent some time, it was past lunchtime.

A quiet place to talk to Dylan has been set to be her house.

I learned one more thing I didn’t know about her on the way, which is that she…….

‘I accepted my lady’s offer because it might help me, but on the other hand, it was because my lady was beautiful.’

‘What?’

‘Cause I like beautiful people.’

…….that’s what she told me.

I was embarrassed, but I said thank you first.

I arrived at Dylan’s house and let her and Ari have a chat in the room, and waited in the living room with Sir Davery.

I explained how to recruit her as Ari’s escort earlier and secretly handed over the enchanted cloth.

Sir Davery saw me in high spirits and spoke to me.

“You look happy.”

“What?”

“Do you think it’ll work out?”

It seemed strange that I had come forward and brought the situation all the way here, and that the most important process was left to Ari and waited at such a leisurely pace.

“Yes, absolutely.”

“I wonder why you’re so sure.”

“You don’t think it’s going to work?”

It seemed as if he was picking on me for a moment, But Sir Davery then told me. It was not an answer, but a different form of a question.

“Dylan, do you know why she’s famous?”

“You told me that. She’s won five times at Hidden.”

“That’s not all.”

Then he said something shocking.

“She broke the wrist of a nobleman who was mocking her.”

“Ugh.”

What?

“It became a very famous story. It’s been years since I’ve seen her.”

“……how did she get away?”

Imperial law thoroughly defends the aristocracy.

Dylan seems to be a commoner, but it was hard to understand right away that she was fine after she broke one aristocrat’s wrist.

“She was lucky. Just in time, another nobleman who had a grudge against that nobleman’s children stood as a witness.”

Dylan didn’t break it, but he was the one who was running wild and fell and broke his own wrist.

The ‘witnessed’ nobleman, who had been his enemy for a long time, testified so.

There were no other witnesses.

“But don’t you have the right to summary disposal in that situation?”

A nobleman can kill a commoner who injures himself on the spot without trial. That was the law.

“He tried, but failed.”

“Aha.”

It is not possible to punish publicly because of the witness, and he tries to retaliate privately by pushing her out of force.

There was admiration.

“Dylan must be really strong.”

As expected, I like her very much.

“…..that’s all?”

“Then?”

“She’s broken someone’s wrist. Completely to the other side.”

“You know, the nobleman, he gets what he deserved, right? You said because he mocked Dylan. It’s okay because Ari won’t do that.”

I spoke with a resolute voice. It’s because Ari was worth it.

Sir Davery heard my answer and laughed as if he could not hear anything.

“As expected from siblings..…”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing.”