STVWDTD Chapter 10

Where Are You Going Without Me?

Though a beauty, when expressionless her upturned eyes sharpened into a frightening impression.

When the person who looked like a delicate doll smiled with those pink eyes curving, the atmosphere changed.

"Our big sister is pretty, right?"

Flinch. At some point, a child who didn't even reach his thighs had attached himself to his side. He hadn't sensed the presence... His spine went cold.

"Ah, yeah."

The young man, who had been staring at Diana in a daze as if entranced, tried not to show his shock and answered.

"I don't like that mister. You agree, right, brother?"

Ah, so the commander is "mister" and he's "brother." The young man, whose mood improved with that one form of address, scratched his cheek.

Still, despite the infamy that the commander was crazed with blood, he was paradoxically also the north's pride.

Because he unfailingly stepped up and performed in wars that the imperial family and central nobles wouldn't touch.

When the commander took the lead, the north was safe.

No matter how much people called the Düberg Knight Order a gathering of ruffians, it was a place all northern knights aspired to.

The commander who led such a knight order was so impressive it hurt to say. Setting aside likes and dislikes.

Just as he wondered if he should tell some good story about the commander—

"After I suck him dry, I'll tear him away from big sister."

What? This kid is scary. The child's red eyes flashed as he muttered that big sister should meet the world's most wonderful man.

Whether no one heard the kid's voice or pretended not to hear, everyone did their own tasks.

"Noel, come here."

Noel, scampering over quickly, was like any other child.

The search party's march was smooth. Since it was a forest full of monsters and the knights couldn't bring horses, they traveled on foot.

With a child and woman accompanying them, everyone sent worried glances, but soon withdrew those gazes.

Though it must be hard to keep up with the large men's strides, Diana followed along well. That said, they didn't adjust their stride or speed for Diana.

She herself had asked not to be treated specially.

However, the unusual thing, if it could be called unusual, was that she occasionally stuck close to Rodrick for affectionate displays.

Even when Diana clung tightly to Rodrick, the knights no longer showed surprise.

They only lamented their fate with jaded eyes.

"Rodrick."

Diana approached Rodrick, paying no attention to the knights' gazes.

Since things had come to this, she should pretend to be in love—human nature, right?

She'd told Rodrick from the start anyway.

'Let's say I fell for you at first sight.'

'What?'

'That way it won't be strange when I touch you.'

'So you know you're the strange one?'

'I do have shame, you know?'

'...'

Rodrick had hardened his expression as if asking what he'd just heard.

Yeah, she'd probably been branded as a completely strange woman (pervert).

The funny thing was, the knights felt she wasn't one-sidedly in love—they sensed Rodrick liked her back.

There was no reason to correct it, so she left it alone. Either way, consistent contact with the quality treatment was necessary.

Especially reading mana drained her. She spoke looking into empty space.

"Rodrick, I think a crow is coming."

Shortly after, just as she said—caw—with the crow's cry, something glittering fell above their heads.

"Commander! This looks like the young lord's!"

It was none other than the sub male lead's earring.

"We move."

The group started marching again, following the crow. The deeper they went, the rougher the path became, and the monsters' appearances grew increasingly vicious.

The place they arrived at following the crow had logs scattered artificially here and there, but no trace of the sub male lead.

How many days has it been now? Diana roughly swept up her sweat-soaked hair.

Ugh, where the hell is this sub male lead?!

For days they hadn't secured water, so she couldn't wash and had become filthy. That said, she couldn't use precious drinking water for bathing.

Honestly, she'd thought once she read mana, she'd find the sub male lead quickly.

But there was something she'd overlooked. This was the Forest of Fiends.

According to Noel:

'The mana is colliding. It accumulates and collides, creating mana stones and monsters. This place is strange. Mana drains out and is created, it's chaotic. That's why it'll be hard for you to read mana, big sister.'

The more shocking part was what followed:

'This forest is poison for cursed people. The high-purity mana might drive them insane.'

Which is why she needed to absorb Rodrick's curse even more.

It would be troublesome if he went insane. She had no intention of hastening death.

At least even if she couldn't help find the missing person, she helped suppress Rodrick's madness, so she salvaged some conscience.

"Today we'll stop here—"

Thud. Thud.

The forest trembled. Trees were uprooted and the entire forest shook. Before Rodrick could finish speaking, he drew his sword.

Just when she thought a mountain was rising in the Black Forest, a reptile appeared, bristling with killing intent. A dragon subspecies.

Kwaaaa— Without any warning, the reptile spewed fire.

"Everyone, formation!"

Even without orders, the trained knights formed up and surrounded Diana and Noel.

In the midst of it, Rodrick had already moved far ahead.

Madness colored his eyes glowing bright blue. His lips twisted up in excitement at the killing.

Rodrick's condition seemed to be seriously deteriorating. Elated emotion showed nakedly from his back.

It was a day like any other. Battle with the monster began.

"Excuse me, Sir."

"Yes, please speak, my lady."

"Did you always travel around playing like this?"

She'd asked the vice-commander, but someone else jumped.

"Playing?! We're on guard duty too!"

Right. With the boss working hard, the underlings have it easy, she thought.

Diana sat on a large boulder that had been pulled up. A rock created by combat where none had been.

She blankly propped both hands on her knees and watched monster flesh scatter through the air.

Rodrick's movements were so clean they looked like a restrained dance.

With that level of skill, second brother would probably lose. Would he match eldest brother?

Was it because the search journey was arduous? Expression gradually disappeared from her face.

Diana had become a cold beauty as much as their liege lord.

"But is it all right?"

Daren asked, his gaze fixed on Rodrick.

"What is?"

Noel had somehow ended up securely nestled in Daren's arms, asleep.

It was bedtime for children in the new country.

"Such scenes would turn a lady's stomach."

At the very least, when monsters first appeared, she hadn't shown fear or screamed.

Even new recruits' legs trembled before monsters, unable to move.

That a delicately raised noble lady remained calm even exposed to killing intent was unexpected.

'Ah, what did I say again.'

"I'm from the Beatus family."

"..."

As if that one statement explained everything, Diana shrugged her shoulders.

The Beatus family wasn't called the villain family for nothing. Murder, torture, and of course curses—they did it all.

Right, her family could cast curses. Though she didn't know the method, they could cast curses using corrupted mana stones.

In the original work, the sub male lead Felice Schwartz suspected the imperial family, but there was a high probability it was her household that cursed his family.

Called the imperial family's dogs, the Beatus family did dirty work beneath the surface.

Having grown up in a household exposed to all kinds of evil deeds, monsters weren't objects of fear for Diana.

The knights' expressions grew peculiar after hearing her words.

"B-but miss, you stayed only at home, so isn't this your first time with such harsh work?"

Right. Everyone knew that. She was a homebody, as rumored.

But even at home, she'd tasted the world's harshness sufficiently.

Among the minimum duties her family assigned included all sorts of education.

Assassination techniques, of course, and they'd even taught bedroom arts—that said it all.

For the family's direct line, the training intensity was severe. As if making human weapons.

Thinking quietly about what she'd experienced, they weren't mentally sound.

Which is why she found shapeless ghosts the scariest in the world.

If it had form, she could maintain indifference.

"Curious?"

Diana, tilting her head obliquely with her chin propped, asked meaningfully.

The slightly lifted smile caught the eye, but her eyes weren't smiling.

Why did the unknown lady give off the liege lord's scent?

Shuddering at that coldness, the knights shook their heads.

"Not curious!"

"I see."

At the knights' disciplined answer, Diana smiled fully, genuinely.

The battle ended. Rodrick, who had driven his sword into the corpse, was stripping off his sticky black gloves and throwing them away.

Diana received the black gloves held in Daren's hand and headed toward Rodrick.

After fighting ended, only the vice-commander Daren was permitted to approach his sensitive side.

But an exception had appeared.

"Rodrick, good work."

Receiving the black leather gloves, Rodrick's face was expressionless. Diana didn't care about his reaction and acted affectionate.

"Look. I washed my hands."

"..."

She'd said it thinking he seemed to have mysophobia, but no answer.

"Rodrick, can you hear me?"

She rose on tiptoe and placed her hand on his cheek.

Perhaps because it was night and the temperature had dropped, her fingertips were cold. At that cool touch, Rodrick closed his eyes briefly.

The uncontrollably boiling energy subsided.

Rodrick, obediently leaning against her slender hand, looked like a docile lamb.

Like a trainer who'd trained a beast, Diana's position among the knights grew.

When the knights tactfully left to give the pair of lovers space, the two stood there having their time alone.

In reality, their conversation was far from romantic.

"Rodrick. I didn't want to say it in case I was a bother, but I want to wash."

"..."

Through narrowly opened eyelids, blue eyes relaxed languorously.

"Don't you want to wash too? You've been covered in monster blood alone for days? What good is just changing gloves?"

"...Right."

Really strange.

Rodrick's condition seemed too erratic. Acting sensitive and prickly, then sometimes becoming gentle and docile.

Like now. Even when she poked his cheek with her finger, he stayed still. He's not the type for this?

"I heard on the way here—there seemed to be a valley since I heard water sounds. I'll go wash first."

Whatever. She thought it no big deal and turned around. But she couldn't go far before stopping.

Rodrick had grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going alone?"

The sunken voice was heart-flutteringly attractive.

Where are you going without me? Was it an illusion that it sounded like that?