All Set
After arriving at the Tryon estate, I explained everything to Brough and Marietta, then went to see Lord Doyle.
Once he heard the whole story from me, Lord Doyle didn’t hesitate at all and drank the lake water in one gulp.
Shortly after that—
“Huh? The pain’s gone?”
The effect was immediate.
He stepped lightly with a spring in his step, a movement that would’ve been unthinkable considering the heavily bandaged leg he’d had just moments before. Brough and Marietta both cried out in astonishment.
“I always thought the legendary elixirs of the Holy Dragon were just myths passed down through the ages, but… to think they actually exist.”
“I felt the same way.”
The holy water, as we dubbed it—short for the Holy Dragon’s water—demonstrated extraordinary power.
At the same time, though, I started to worry that more people might begin targeting Asletica. That’s why we decided it would be best to keep his race a secret for now. Maybe tell someone trustworthy like Village Chief Ganun, but keep it from the other villagers at least for the time being.
“We owe Asletica a proper thank-you.”
Lord Doyle murmured as he gazed at his now-healed leg.
Asletica had told us it was his way of thanking us for letting him stay in the lake he’d chosen as his final home, but Doyle still didn’t seem fully satisfied with that alone.
As the staff gathered, moved by the sight of Lord Doyle restored to full health, we received a perfectly timed visitor.
“Lord Doyle! Your ballroom attire is complete—we’ve brought it for you!”
A tailor from Gracela had come personally to deliver the finished outfit.
It seemed they’d heard of Lord Doyle’s leg injury and were shocked to see him walking around with ease.
“Is your injury all healed now!?”
“Oh, it wasn’t anything serious, really.”
Of course, we couldn’t tell him it was thanks to holy water from a Holy Dragon, so we brushed it off casually. He didn’t seem like a bad guy, but better safe than sorry.
Soon after, it was time for Lord Doyle to try on the clothes, so he headed to his room to change.
While we waited for him to finish, the tailor handed me a piece of paper.
“I have a letter for you, Sir Justin. It’s from Sir Campbell.”
“Mr. Campbell sent me a letter?”
Not using a familiar for delivery was just like him—old-fashioned.
But the timing of this letter… made me uneasy.
There was still some time before Lord Doyle would be ready, so I stepped away briefly to read the letter.
According to it—
“Hank’s going to be at the ball too, huh…”
The very man who’d set me up—Hank—was also attending the ball. The letter warned me to be careful.
Apparently, Mr. Campbell knew Hank was likely involved in my transfer from the royal capital to the remote Abbott region. Given Mr. Campbell’s close relationship with Vice-Commander Bellows, it wasn’t surprising that he’d picked up on that.
Still, Hank wouldn’t be attending as a knight, but rather as the son of the Delant family.
“So now he’s aiming for a duke’s daughter, huh…”
He used to be obsessed with Elina, but after being firmly rejected, he apparently moved on.
You could say he has no standards—but for someone like him, who’s willing to do anything for advancement, this ball is the perfect opportunity.
That said, he probably wouldn’t bother picking a fight with me this time.
That meant I could fully focus on my duty as a guard.
—Still, I don’t know why…
I had a really bad feeling about this.
I hoped it was just me being paranoid.
What do you think about this chapter?
