# Chapter 55
—
Leon muttered.
“Are you… truly insane?”
Instead of answering, Arthur used Spatial Leap.
At the same time, Marshal stepped forward to shield Leon.
*Kang—!*
The ringing clash of metal resounded as Marshal and Arthur began exchanging blows.
Watching the scene unfold, Leon let out a hollow laugh.
‘Is he really out of his mind?’
Not only did this man raise a blade against a member of the imperial family, he even declared his intent to kill.
Leon had seen all kinds of lunatics in his time, but this was the first he’d ever experienced something like this.
*Cheng—!*
In that moment, Marshal staggered back.
The slit-eyed man exhaled ragged breaths as he tightened his grip on his sword.
Having just completed several assignments, his stamina had fallen dangerously low.
Seeing this, Leon sighed and activated his own ability.
*Swaaak—!*
With a strange sound, Marshal’s body was drawn into Leon’s eyes.
Arthur froze for an instant, his eyes narrowing, as Leon leapt up into the air and spoke.
“Do you… really think you can handle the consequences of this?”
“I already told you. As long as His Highness dies, there’ll be no consequences to handle.”
With that, Arthur tried to seize Leon by activating the gnome’s ability, but failed.
Leon, suspended in midair, muttered under his breath.
“…I’ll be seeing you soon, Arthur Bayern.”
Arthur’s eyes sharpened as he raised his pistol.
But in a flash of light, Leon vanished first.
Arthur, left standing in place, let out a sigh.
“Damn it, let him slip….”
Scratching his head, he shrugged.
“Well… can’t be helped. Letting him go isn’t the worst outcome either.”
If he killed him, that would’ve been fine. If he escaped, that was fine too.
‘One way or another, Leon Madrid is an industrial spy who stole imperial secrets. He won’t be able to openly bring up what happened today.’
Both sides had their weak points, but the one with more to lose was the prince.
There was no way Leon could raise the issue immediately.
‘The real question is why Leon Madrid is entangled with an industrial spy, and why he staged this spectacle….’
That part was still hard to pin down.
What was certain, however, was that the Leon Madrid Arthur knew from the future was very different from the one he faced now.
“Well… I suppose I’ll have to be satisfied with this much for today.”
The result felt absurdly hollow compared to the effort he’d put in, and Arthur clicked his tongue in frustration.
“…?”
Where Leon Madrid had disappeared—
A dazzling heap of hundreds of gold coins glittered in plain view.
Arthur blinked, then belatedly let out an exclamation.
“Oh… don’t tell me this is an illusion?”
—
—
The incident came to a close.
No one knew exactly how the rumor had spread, but word that Marshal Dust had been captured was already circulating through District D-42.
Because of that, not only did the thousand mercenaries who had gathered withdraw, but even the city officials cleanly pulled out.
The corpses of mercenaries uncovered during the investigation told the story of how this affair had ended.
And so the next day arrived.
Arthur, still weighed down by lingering fatigue, squinted at the morning paper with half-closed eyes.
“This is how it turns out?”
The previous day’s events were plastered across the front page of the weekly.
Normally, incidents in the back alleys would be buried beneath the surface, so this was highly unusual.
‘It feels like someone deliberately spread the rumor… was that the plan all along?’
Rubbing his chin, Arthur pondered.
Ever since realizing that Keras was Marshal Dust, he had held one persistent doubt.
Why had Keras leaked information to Carpe and the others?
If he had truly wanted to disappear, quietly hiding would’ve been better.
But seeing the news article now, Arthur began to suspect that perhaps this uproar was intentional.
‘Rather than vanishing quietly, he intended to fake his death by amplifying the chaos?’
The thought struck him.
For a bounty of only a thousand gold, mercenaries from across Arcane had swarmed.
Even Black Cross, one of the underworld’s organizations, had joined in.
‘In those circumstances… surviving as Marshal Dust would be unthinkable.’
Indeed, one passage in the article mentioned Black Cross, subtly implying Marshal Dust’s death.
It described how a ruthless syndicate of the underworld had become the ones to capture a wanted man.
‘…If this was intentional, it’s brilliant.’
Death was a far more effective disappearance than any mere vanishing act.
Especially with pursuers from the imperial household itself.
Which was why Arthur had no choice but to re-examine the Seventh Prince, who had appeared alongside Marshal Dust.
‘If my guess is right, then even that playboy or wastrel image was manufactured. But why? Why go so far?’
Why would someone in such a privileged position as an imperial prince feel the need to conceal his true ability?
As he wrestled with the thought, Arthur smirked.
“Maybe… I should’ve pushed myself harder and caught him yesterday, tch….”
Trailing off, Arthur rose from his seat.
He didn’t have the time to dwell deeper on it—he had an appointment.
‘I need to meet Elin for lunch….’
Though he still hadn’t shaken off the fatigue from the night before and wanted to rest, he couldn’t break his promise.
‘I’ll also ask about Godfather Holan, and plenty of other things.’
With that in mind, Arthur asked Anna to prepare him for an outing.
“You’re going out again today, young master?”
“Yeah. Things are busy lately.”
As he answered, he slipped into the clothes Anna handed him.
Watching him, Anna let out a low breath of admiration.
A crisp white shirt paired with neat trousers—perhaps because of his tall build, they suited him perfectly.
But what really caught Anna’s eye wasn’t his height.
Noticing the slightly darker circles under his eyes, she murmured.
“How odd… why does young master look more handsome by the day?”
“…? What are you talking about, Anna?”
“Even with dark circles today… you somehow look more handsome.”
“….”
“Am I the strange one here?”
Arthur nodded at her serious question.
“Yeah, you probably are. You should see a doctor.”
“I thought so… hm. Maybe it’s just my imagination.”
Muttering, Anna handed him a cloak.
Arthur draped it over his shoulders and cast her a sidelong glance.
‘Why does she keep saying I look more handsome? I don’t see any difference myself….’
But he didn’t dwell on it.
Perhaps due to last night’s exhaustion, his mind wasn’t working at full speed.
Fighting to stay upright despite feeling like he could collapse with just a nudge, Arthur left the mansion.
“Young master, please return safely!”
After thirty minutes riding the limousine prepared in advance, he finally arrived at Elin’s mansion.
Stepping out of the car, Arthur let out an exclamation as he gazed upon the estate.
“Oh…”
Roses and cosmos.
The mansion, surrounded by hundreds of blossoms, was stunningly beautiful.
—
—
Arthur, standing before the door, slapped his cheeks lightly before knocking.
‘Still drowsy. This is bad….’
He owed Elin a great deal.
She had been the one to approach him first when he had been alone.
Arthur didn’t want to act rudely toward someone like that. So he rolled his shoulders, forcing some energy into his body.
Only after finishing his preparation did he knock.
\[Who is it?]
“This is Arthur Bayern. I’ve come to see Elin.”
The door opened, and a maid hurried forward to greet him.
“Welcome, young master. I am Hera, Lady Elin’s personal maid.”
“Hello.”
Arthur also bowed his head.
Startled, Hera fumbled.
“N-no, how could you lower your head to someone like me….”
“Please don’t mind it. It’s just a habit.”
“A… habit?”
Lifting his head, Arthur replied.
“Yes. Just a habit, so there’s no need to think too much of it.”
At his calm tone, Elin’s maid Hera blinked before belatedly answering.
“Y-yes! Then, allow me to escort you inside.”
Rather than leading him straight to Elin’s chambers, Hera first guided Arthur to the reception room.
“My lady isn’t quite ready yet, so you’ll need to wait a little. Is that alright, young master?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“There are several drinks available. Is there anything you’d like, young master?”
Arthur thought for a moment before replying.
“Do you have coffee?”
“Yes, we do.”
“Then… could I have it with three shots—no, five extra shots, please?”
Hera’s eyes went wide.
“F-five shots, young master?”
“Yes. I didn’t sleep much last night….”
Seeing him trail off, Hera hesitated, then offered a suggestion.
“If you’re drowsy, wouldn’t green tea be better than coffee, young master?”
“Green tea?”
“Yes. We have a very fine one that’s excellent for clearing away sleepiness. If you’d like, I’ll prepare that for you instead.”
Arthur stroked his chin before nodding.
“Alright, I’ll have that then.”
“Very well. Please excuse me.”
Bowing precisely, Hera withdrew.
Left alone, Arthur stretched and finally took in his surroundings.
The pastel interior gave the house a warm, gentle atmosphere.
And, facing south, the home was bathed in soft sunlight that maintained a comfortable temperature.
Arthur murmured in a drowsy voice as the soothing atmosphere relaxed both body and mind.
“It’s… cozy. Doesn’t even feel like I’m in someone else’s home.”
Perhaps because of that—
The sleepiness he had been barely holding back began to flood him again.
He knew he shouldn’t, but the physical fatigue from last night kept dragging him under.
Pinching his thigh, he barely managed to fight it off when a voice called to him.
“Ah, Arthur?”
He turned his head at once, eyes widening.
“El…lin?”
Arthur trailed off, feeling his drowsiness vanish in an instant as he thought to himself:
‘She looks… really beautiful today.’
Her glossy hair, the faint blush on her cheeks—perhaps from makeup.
Everything suited Elin perfectly.
And the light pink dress she wore was so elaborate, he couldn’t pretend not to notice.
Arthur felt flustered.
‘Wasn’t today just… a meal?’
She was dressed as though for a ball.
Before he could say anything, Elin also opened her mouth.
For some reason, she looked shocked, and her emotions showed plainly on her face.
An awkward silence fell—
Until Hera, bringing the green tea, noticed the two standing apart and tilted her head.
“…What are you two doing?”
“…!”
“Why are you just staring blankly at each other…?”
At Hera’s question, Elin hurriedly turned her head.
“H-how long have you been there, Hera?”
“I just arrived, my lady.”
“Haha… really? And what’s that in your hands?”
“Green tea, for Young Master Arthur….”
“I’ll take it! I’ll give it to him!”
Blurting it out, Elin snatched the tea.
Hera blinked, then caught sight of Elin’s reddened ears.
‘…Hmm.’
Muttering inwardly, Hera looked away—
Only to notice the strikingly handsome young noble watching with a drowsy expression.
‘At this rate… it’s no wonder my lady is flustered.’
Smiling to herself, Hera bowed.
“Then, I’ll leave you two to it. Enjoy your time together.”
With that, Hera withdrew, leaving another silence in her wake.
At last, unable to endure it, Elin spoke.
“Y-you came early.”
“….”
“Like… ten minutes? No, thirty minutes earlier than the appointed time?”
Snapping out of his daze, Arthur blinked.
“Hey, Elin?”
“Y-yes!?”
“Do you have hand tremors?”
“…What?”
“Why are your hands….”
Elin paused, then belatedly noticed her own trembling hands.
“…Huh? Why are they shaking?”
“….”
“Maybe… because I trained too hard in swordsmanship yesterday?”
Her excuse sounded odd, and Arthur blinked again.
‘She seems… completely unsettled.’
Thinking so, Arthur finally downed the green tea.
Just as Hera said, it was of excellent quality, with a fine taste.
And the drowsiness pressing in on him began to fade, clearing the fog in his head.
Relieved, Arthur smiled slightly and suggested,
“Shall we head out, then?”
“…Huh?”
“We promised to have a meal together today, didn’t we?”
Elin’s eyes widened.
“Ah… right! We did! But what should we eat? Do you have something in mind?”
“Hmm… not really. I don’t have much of an appetite right now….”
Trailing off, Arthur suddenly recalled a memory.
Arcane’s marketplace.
Natalie Restaurant, where he had once dined with Angelina.
Not only was the food excellent, but the atmosphere had been remarkable.
‘That place… would be perfect.’
He already felt indebted to Elin in many ways.
If he was going to treat her, that would be the ideal place.
Having reached that conclusion, Arthur confidently proposed,
“Then, how about we go to a place I know? It’s a really great spot. I’m sure you’ll absolutely love it, Elin.”
—
