Chapter 102. Pulsation (4)
I woke up. My eyes slowly opened.
Sunlight was streaming in through the window.
For so reason, I felt like I had a familiar dream. I couldn't rember the contents, though. I had a feeling it wasn't a pleasant dream.
‘Did I have a restless sleep?’
I montarily repeated the thought blankly to myself.
Yesterday was the day I fought in the outer district and returned. My body should have been tired, but I had a nightmare.
Perhaps it was because I didn't get a good night's sleep.
And it didn't take even a second to find the cause as soon as I opened my eyes.
“...”
Glancing down at my chest at the strange pressure, I discovered a single girl curled up and sleeping, rolled into a ball.
I asked emotionlessly.
“What are you doing?”
“Mm.”
Then, the red-haired girl who had been lying face down on my chest opened her eyes slightly, slowly rubbed them, and mumbled sleepily.
“Sothing is wrong.”
“Wrong, what is wrong?”
“This room. There's only one bed.”
Naturally, it was originally a room for one person. But even so, climbing onto my chest and sleeping on top of like a paperweight seed very strange.
Sirocco, burying her white cheek into my chest like rice cake, talking nonsense in a defenseless state in her sleep. I simply replied to her.
“Go to the room you were assigned.”
Naturally, there should have been a bed there. However, Sirocco didn't even answer and stretched out, then lightly put her feet on the ground.
“Yawn. Well, I haven't been to that one yet, have I?”
I couldn't tell if she was still sleepy or if she was awake. Sirocco walked out the door, which opened with a creak, swaying her tail back and forth.
“EEK!”
“B-Beast-kin... Excuse ...”
As soon as she rubbed her eyes and opened the door, I saw the butlers and maids passing by in the corridor flinching at the sight of Sirocco.
It seed it was still too early for them to accept Beast-kin without aversion.
Perhaps it was even more so because Sirocco was a 10th Tier Mage.
With that, Sirocco closed the door and swayed her tail as she disappeared sowhere. Watching her retreating figure, I sighed in slight disbelief.
She must really be going to check out her room.
But she probably doesn't even know the location.
Rustle.
Just then, a cool touch gripped my wrist.
Turning to look, the hand that had grabbed my wrist had already unbuttoned my sleeve and rolled it up.
The inner part of my exposed forearm revealed the bruises and wounds newly acquired from the recent mission.
Glancing up while lying on the bed, I saw a silver-haired maid standing there.
“...”
Beside the bed, Lien looked down at quietly with eyes colder than usual. And then, she spoke in a consistently frigid voice.
“I thought wrong.”
“What about?”
“I shouldn't have sent you alone.”
Lien approached .
In her closer silver-blue eyes, I inhaled sharply. Her gaze was as cold as ice.
But that was only for a mont. Lien bent down and pulled out a first-aid kit from under the bed. Then she unrolled the bandage inside the dical supplies.
“What was the reason you had to get this hurt?”
“Because I needed to.”
I had no intention of making excuses.
Although it was out of necessity, it was I who had ignored the contract with Lien and rushed into a dangerous area. If one were to assign responsibility, it would lie with .
And it was also true that I got hurt doing so.
Instead of answering, Lien glanced at , then silently applied clean disinfectant to the wound and bandaged it. Her silver hair flowed down her cheek.
“...”
In the silence, I felt a sowhat strange sensation.
Lien was clearly angry.
However, at this mont, while she was treating my wound, I felt a slight sense of peace for so reason.
It was a strange emotion that I couldn't even understand myself.
I swallowed back the wry smile that was about to appear. Well, when had I ever thought I was completely sane?
“Honestly. I still can't accept your attitude.”
Just then, Lien said frigidly as she was bandaging.
At those words, I nodded emotionlessly.
“I suppose so.”
Why I was so eager to take on missions. And why I would risk danger to succeed.
From Lien's perspective, there would be insufficient explanation for all of it. It would be stranger if she simply accepted it.
Even if I explained, she probably wouldn't believe it.
“As long as you have the Young Master's body. I cannot stop you by force.”
Lien looked back at . Her clearly shining silver-blue eyes looked down at frigidly.
“Therefore, from now on, I will also judge and act according to my will to protect the Young Master's body. I will definitely accompany you on any missions where accompanying you is possible. I can no longer leave you like this.”
“Alright.”
I answered calmly. I could trust Lien's judgnt, of all people.
Lien doesn't do anything that would harm . Since I knew that better than anyone, there was no reason to refuse her help.
Besides, considering the encounter with Flare last ti, and other unforeseen situations that might arise differently from the original plot.
If I could receive Lien's help on missions where she could accompany , there was nothing better.
I spoke slowly.
“You act as you wish. There will be no reason for to stop you.”
Just then. The tip of Lien's white hand, which had been bandaging, trembled slightly, then she turned sharply to look at .
“...!!”
Suddenly feeling sothing strange, I turned to look at her, and right before my eyes, Lien was looking at with clearly agitated eyes.
“You, you. How could you...”
She parted her lips with a sowhat blank expression.
“...Always, the words that person said...”
However, she soon bit her lip slightly and turned her head away. I turned my eyes and looked at the retreating Lien for a mont, then slowly opened my mouth.
“That's a strange reaction.”
“...”
Lien flinched. Then, with her head still turned away, she glanced back at only with her eyes over her silver hair.
“You seed strangely agitated a few tis before when you looked at . What's the reason?”
“It's just my problem. There's no need for to tell you.”
Saying that, Lien lowered her head for a mont.
But contrary to her cold reply, her eyes were faintly but surely trembling.
After being silently agitated for a while, she finally closed her eyes and shook her head.
“No, at least. For now... you don't need to know.”
“Then I'll take it as such.”
I nodded emotionlessly.
I was just curious about the exact reason why the always emotionless Lien would react so intensely. There was no imdiate need for an answer.
Just then, Lien, who had finished bandaging and secured it with a pin, stood up, tidied the apron of her maid uniform, and changed the subject.
“...And, there was a ssage from the Executive Office.”
“A ssage?”
“It's about a mission. A summons has been issued.”
My head tilted slightly for a mont. It was rare for the Executive Office to summon a Direct Lineage mber first regarding a mission.
Then what was this situation?
Lien, who had turned and was heading for the door, glanced back with emotionless eyes and added.
“It feels bad.”
***
“I have co upon being summoned.”
Guided by the butler, I entered the Executive Office, and outside the window, which shone with the midday sun, a view of the city unfolded.
And at the desk in the Executive Office, positioned against that background, Grantel was seated as usual, glancing at and greeting with a deep voice.
“You've arrived, Young Master Enoch.”
“I heard you summoned regarding a mission.”
“That is correct.”
Grantel montarily put down the fountain pen that had been traversing the desk and motioned for to sit.
Then he clasped his hands on the desk and said.
“About that. It seems I must convey important information to Young Master Enoch this ti.”
“For you to say that, what is it?”
I knew Grantel wasn't the type to make a fuss. For so reason, I didn't have a good feeling.
Grantel slowly took out a black docunt file with the simple Elsyde crest embossed in silver.
“Coincidentally, it seems I must speak of what I hinted at last ti, imdiately.”
A hint?
At those words, I instantly guessed what he would say next.
“...Surely not. Is it a Designated Mission?”
“That is correct.”
Grantel deepened his gaze and looked at intently.
“To Enoch Elsyde, currently the 9th Tier. A [Designated Mission] requesting dispatch has arrived as an official docunt.”
It was as expected.
I slowly clenched my fist. A Designated Mission was a dispatch mission requested by a group or individual with specific authority or privilege.
It was a system where they designated a specific Mage from the Elsyde Main House to entrust them with a requested task. The story was that they had specifically nad Enoch.
“It seems there won't be a right to refuse. Is that correct?”
I asked just to confirm.
But naturally, Grantel nodded.
“There are various types of missions for the Main House, so that can be chosen voluntarily and so that cannot. A Designated Mission falls under the latter.”
“Hmm.”
I almost let out a groan right away.
Although I had heard from Grantel several tis about my rising fa since last ti, I didn't expect the impact to show imdiately like this.
‘That’s exactly why it’s a problem.’
This was because there was a very high possibility of being assigned an unwanted mission in a Designated Mission.
Naturally, from my perspective, I wanted to interfere as little as possible with the flow of the original story that wasn't related to my interests.
In that regard, being forced into a mission like this wasn't a good thing.
Getting involved in unnecessary affairs might twist the original plot in an unforeseen way.
‘...No, wait a minute.’
But in that brief mont, I turned things over in my mind and paused.
Thinking about it, this situation might not be so bad.
There was information that could be inferred from the special nature of a Designated Mission.
“For now, let's hear it.”
Only then would I understand sothing. Grantel nodded, opened the docunt file, and took sothing out onto the desk.
A white, high-quality envelope finished with a gold border.
At the familiar appearance of the emblem stamped on the outer envelope, I inhaled sharply.
It was the sa emblem as the one stamped on the cargo magic carriage of The Order that I found in the Underworld of the northern outer city during the first private mission I undertook.
I knew the affiliation all too well.
“The Order, is it?”
“That is correct.”
Grantel slowly nodded his head.
“However, this matter, strictly speaking, is a request from the Holy Residence, which is the headquarters of The Order, rather than The Order itself. Furthermore, the requester is specific.”
“The requester?”
“Yes. That person seems to have designated Young Master Enoch personally and wishes for you to participate as an escort in the relief efforts undertaken by the healers going to the remote region this ti.”
I tilted my head and asked back.
“That person, you say?”
“The person who designated Sir Enoch is none other than this person.”
Grantel pushed the photograph clipped onto the docunt on the desk towards with his fingertip. Seeing it, I instantly widened my eyes without realizing it.
Attached there was a photo of a girl.
A girl with lustrous, bright blonde hair flowing like a waterfall down her back and skin of fair complexion.
Wearing a thin, airy white cloth over a jet-black nun's habit, with a white veil on her head draped long down her back, her appearance resembled a wedding dress.
However, with large side slits on both sides of the ankle-length skirt, exposing her fair thighs completely. It was an unconventional outfit that one might hardly consider a religious figure at first glance.
There was no way I couldn't recognize her.
“...Saintess.”
A cold voice montarily flowed out from deep within my throat. Grantel nodded in front of .
“The Saintess of The Order has personally designated Young Master Enoch as her escort for this occasion.”
Grantel lightly tapped the table and said.
“However, first, there are a few issues.”
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