Chapter 97 – With an Old Colleague.

Benia looked at Lucia and frowned slightly as if she was troubled.

“Lady Erpojanette…”

“It’s been a while, right? Sir Salute.”

They also had acquaintances. Benia brought Anis with her, and since she often stopped by to teach, her greetings were exchanged.

“But you suddenly tore the gate to pieces and invaded someone else’s dormitory. Even though you are Anis’ teacher, aren’t you being too shameless?”

“Feeling.”

At least now they were enemies. Benia groaned as if she had been stabbed when Lucia put the back of her hand to her mouth and glanced at the gate, which was strewn like corn.

‘Good. You really don’t have a thorough personality.’

She expected it when she ran into Tiaran, but she could guess that it was impulsive on her part to make the gate like that.

“I would like to politely apologize for that.”

“Then Tiaran should give up and go back…”

“That is a separate issue. In the case of the main gate, I will compensate you at my own expense.”

“Tch.”

Lucia tried to use that as an excuse to send Benia back, but was she really able to say that she was the leader of the royal knights? The attempt to secretly bury information about Taaran was blocked.

“I will take Garion with me.”

“That’s right. It’s not Garion. It’s Tiaran!”

“Garion is Garion.”

Tiaran had already explained that Garion was her pseudonym, but that wasn’t what was important to them right now.

“”…””

Puzzle! As their eyes collided and a cold atmosphere flowed, Anis and Crusha also stood facing Benia as if they were taking Lucia’s side.

“Good. Titles aside, why do you want to take Tiaran away now?”

“It looks like you know something about Garion.”

Benia flinched at Lucia’s question, wriggled her eyebrows, and glanced at Tiaran. In the meantime, she did not forget her war of nerves with Lucia, putting emphasis on the word ‘to some extent’.

“If it’s a hero’s party, it’s worth talking about, right?”

He answered as if he didn’t think anything of it, but somehow Benia looked at him with even more resentment.

“… You said it even though you knew Anise’s identity.”

“If you didn’t know, you didn’t tell me, right?”

If not a true hero, who else would you tell your story to?

“Heh, that’s better, because that kind of thing is inconvenient.”

Instead, as her Tiaran looked at her incomprehensibly, Venia sighed and looked straight at him with her ruby ​​eyes, as if there was nothing she could do.

“You are too precious to remain as an adventurer. Come with me, Garion.”

“Wait! You’re ignoring me…!”

“I’m talking to Garion right now.”

“What?!”

Lucia protested to her and felt her breath taken away when she saw her cold red eyes return to her. But she was sure.

‘As expected, this person also has feelings for Tiaran!’

It was a reaction that could not have come out without that. Even now, she seemed more upset because her conversation with him was interrupted than anything else.

‘What should I do?’

Lucia vaguely guessed that another enemy would appear one day, but she never imagined that one of them would be Anise’s teacher and the leader of the royal knights.

‘And with the mysterious position of an old colleague!’

Even in novels, aren’t old colleagues an element that evokes strange emotions? That’s why Lucia’s intuition was ringing her highest alarm bells about Benia.

She was fretting over the thought that maybe Tiaran might really follow Benia.

“You? Me? Why?”

What I heard were Tiaran’s words full of doubts.

“Why? That’s right…”

“Don’t say the word ‘hero.’ You wouldn’t say that with a normal hero in front of you.”

“No, that’s it.”

Tiaran, who was looking at her red eyes as she rolled her eyes here and there as if she was at a loss for words, was searching for something to say, truly could not understand why Benia had come to see her.

“I compromised by staying quiet and not getting involved with the church, and I wasn’t a real hero anyway, right?”

“No! Garion is…!”

Benia was about to shout urgently, but when he saw something in her, he bit her lip and swallowed, unable to continue her words. When she glanced at where her gaze had landed, she saw Anise quietly watching them with her golden eyes.

‘Well, he shows affection as a disciple.’

The problem is that it is absurd to just look at a simple disciple.

‘Should I call this love-hate?’

Tiaran, who confirmed the complex and delicate nature of her emotions, thought for a moment before continuing.

“You and I just met by chance and ended up working together, right? I wouldn’t say no if we could meet for a drink once in a while.”

For Tiaran, Benia was in a situation where her co-worker, who she used to work with at the same company, suddenly showed up and started yelling at her, asking her to go with him.

‘It’s not like I didn’t reach an agreement with my previous employer.’

It was surprising, but the church really didn’t interfere at all after he quit.

‘When I quit, I thought they would at least send a chase team.’

Since their attitude toward me was so hostile, I expected them to throw up when they no longer needed me, so I prepared a lot, but to my disappointment, that didn’t happen.

The church gently let him go as promised. That’s why Tiaran has been living quietly in the outskirts, as promised by them.

“… I see? You were thinking of it as work, work?”

Benia, who was pondering his words carefully, looked at Tiaran with sparkling ruby ​​eyes as if she had found a way out.

“You work and get paid, but if that’s not work, what is it?”

I don’t think there’s any need to say that I realized that.

“If work is a problem, join the Royal Knights.”

“Huh?”

What came out of Benia’s mouth was a scouting suggestion.

“Isn’t that within your authority?! I understand that the Royal Knights are appointed directly by Her Majesty the Queen!”

Lucia, who had been silent for a while due to their conversation up to now, shouted, but Benia did not back down.

“If you were the leader of the Royal Knights, it would be no small task to report her talent to the Queen and make a suggestion. The Queen would definitely accept it if she was as talented as Tiaran.”

“Ouch!”

Before she knew it, Benia had forgotten her respect and treated her informally, but Lucia could not refute her. Moreover, it is not an ordinary knighthood, but a royal knighthood.

It is no exaggeration to say that it was the Queen’s personal guard, so its power and benefits were nothing compared to ordinary knights. It can be said that being given a title is basic.

‘Ugh! Even if it’s messed up, why is this big guy messed up!’

It’s a very good condition from anyone’s perspective, but wouldn’t it be a nuisance to keep her because we can’t guarantee that she can do something? Therefore, even if Lucia wants to hold on to Tiaran, she is suffering from a situation where she cannot do so comfortably.

“That would be impossible.”

“Wait! Wait! Wait!!! You know that right now, and you’re rejecting it?!”

“No, why are you even more surprised?”

She should have been happy with Tiaran’s calm answer, but instead she was holding his shoulder and shaking him as if she was interrogating him.

“Well, it’s a strange offer not to take it, right?!”

It’s not like being an ordinary knight, it’s the Royal Knights. That reputation and influence are at a level that can sometimes influence the decision of the next crown prince.

As the saying goes, it would not be wrong to think of it as an order of knights or an armed group with the title of nobility. Why would you refuse to be a part of such a place?

“Since ancient times, parachutes have been a thorn in the public eye.”

“Could you please speak in a language I can understand?”

Lucia also couldn’t understand Tiaran’s way of thinking.

“That’s right. Why are you refusing?”

Fortunately, Benia also approaches with her fierce face and asks whether she is the only one who has such doubts.

“I don’t want to waste time on pointless fights. Above all, I’m already a hero.”

“Could it be of Anise?”

As Benia looked at her, perhaps to confirm her truth, Anis nodded, and her face became even more blank.

“Not a hero…?”

“So. Even though I’m not a hero?”

For some reason, seeing Benia asking that fact over and over again made Lucia uneasy.

“Admit it…”

Trembling hands, the tip of the rapier shaking accordingly. Although it looks unstable, the momentum it exudes is sharper and cooler than ever.

“I can’t admit it!!!”

Eventually, what came out of Benia’s mouth was a voice like a shrill, tearing scream. Lucia wanted to criticize her, saying that even if she was Annis’ teacher, what qualifications did she have?

‘Are you crying?’

That’s because I could see faint but clearly reddened tears around Benia’s sharply raised eyes. Thanks to this, she realized that her voice was coming out of her anger.

“If you can’t admit it, there’s only one way left.”

“Anis?! What suddenly?”

In the meantime, Anis, who had seemed to be observing the situation until now, was seen raising her sword and pointing it at Benia, which made things even more confusing.

“What does this mean?”

On the contrary, Benia seemed to have calmed down after seeing that and returned to face Anis with a calm voice. Anise also looked at her and said, without any sign of being pushed away or intimidated.

“If Master can’t admit it, you have no choice but to make him admit it, right?”

Just like Master said in the old days. After hearing Anise’s story, Benia’s red eyes became cold and cold.

“Okay. If it’s a challenge, I’ll accept it.”