The World Has Become Kinder to Her - Chapter 17

The 6th Knight Division was in a state of high tension. Their training officer, Hession, was in a foul mood, and the intensity of a knight who ranked among the top five in the empire radiated from him. His palpable killing intent forced the members to move swiftly during their training. Despite having run dozens of laps around the training grounds, their shouts were still thunderous.

“Damn it…”

Just thinking about last night made Hession’s blood boil. Frederick Abran—an incredibly skilled wizard with an ethereal appearance like a snow fairy. The world praised him as the next Tower Lord, but after what happened last night, Hession’s opinion had changed.

‘That obnoxious bastard!’

Why had the gods gifted such magical talent to a scoundrel like him? The moment Lotus was out of sight, the silver-haired nuisance had revealed his true colors.

––*Phew, it was hard trying to speak so politely in front of Lotus. Praise me, mouth.*

Frederick had muttered to himself with that infuriating smile, sending Hession’s blood pressure skyrocketing.

––*How dare you call her “Lotus” without her permission or any familiarity!*

––*Lotus said I could call her by name. Of course, I asked her to call me by mine too, but she must be shy—she hasn’t done it yet.*

––…

It was 100% a lie. Hession could hear his teeth grinding. Frederick’s voice continued to echo in his ears.

––*Anyway, let’s finish what we were talking about earlier. There’s no need to overthink it. I have no intention of blaming Lotus for interfering with the investigation, not even a little. But blaming the Marquis of Estelle is a different matter. Still, if you offer me a small room here, it would all be resolved smoothly, wouldn’t that be nice?*

The Marquis of Estelle’s face twisted in displeasure.

Hession had already heard rumors that the eldest son of the Abran family had a certain temper, but seeing him in person, Frederick exceeded all expectations.

Both the Marquis and Hession were proud men, unyielding by nature. They had nearly decided to fight the Magic Tower rather than grant Frederick a room in their mansion, thinking his request was just a ploy. 

It was almost certain that they would lose and suffer for it, but by joining forces with a few other high-ranking noble families, they could at least inflict some damage on the Magic Tower.

After all, the Magic Tower was often referred to as a bottomless money pit. However, Frederick’s next words made them reconsider.

––*Ah, right. As for a little incentive, this secret investigation is related to “time” and “Lotus.”*

The moment he said those words, a vivid memory of a dream they had both experienced a few days ago flashed through the minds of the Marquis and Hession.

‘Was that prophetic dream not just a coincidence?’

‘What does Lotus have to do with this? Could she be in danger?’

Neither knew that the other had had a similar dream, so they both remained silent, lost in thought. It was Hession who spoke first.

––*Are you saying that Lotus might be in danger?*

––*That’s why I was watching the area. It’s how I managed to catch her when she accidentally fell.*

––*We are grateful for saving her. But are you sure your story isn’t influenced by some personal motive?*

Hession’s green eyes, so similar to Lotus’s, met Frederick’s silver ones. The smile disappeared from Frederick’s face, and his usual carefree demeanor gave way to something more serious.

––*Would I lie about Lotus’s safety? I swear on my mana.*

A wizard’s promise made on their mana was as binding as staking their entire being. It was a solemn oath, rooted in a notorious incident where a wizard who broke such a promise had suffered a mana explosion within their own body, leaving them a dried husk.

––*I’m making this request to protect Lotus.*

––*Why do you want to protect Lotus? I find your motives suspicious.*

––*Oh dear, Sir Estelle, have you never been in love? What other reason could a man have to risk everything to protect a woman?*

Hession bit his lip hard, recalling Frederick’s last words. *Love? Who loves whom? Ridiculous.*

‘If that dream wasn’t real, then where and when did he supposedly meet Lotus?’

At most, they might have brushed past each other at some large banquet or party.

In Hession’s dream, it seemed like the two had met many times in various places over a long period, but Lotus always looked uneasy when she was with Frederick. As an illegitimate child of the Marquis, she was struggling to keep up with someone like him.

A rational person might say this: *A dream is just a dream.* No matter how vivid or how deeply it stirs the dreamer’s heart, it’s still just a dream.

The Frederick in the dream and the Frederick in reality were different. In the dream, he was sly but strangely infallible, an absolute presence. But in reality…

“He’s just an incredibly, incredibly irritating wizard.”

Hession clenched his fists. No matter how skilled Frederick was, he wasn’t the Tower Lord yet. If Frederick thought that last night’s events meant Hession and the Marquis of Estelle had completely yielded to him, he was sorely mistaken.

To prevent the dream from becoming a reality, Hession vowed, again and again, to stop Frederick from getting any closer to Lotus. His resolve burned within him, and he barely managed to calm his rising blood pressure. But the trials weren’t over yet.

“What did you just say?”

“I asked if I could stay at the Estelle mansion for a while to assist Lord Abran with his work.”

Kenneth Zahard, the commander of the 1st Knight Division, who had supposedly taken leave due to poor health, suddenly appeared under the blazing afternoon sun to make such a request. Hession didn’t know how to react. 

As a fellow swordsman and knight, Hession had always respected Kenneth, but after having that strange dream and now seeing him make such an absurd request—just like Frederick—Hession felt the last bits of that respect slipping away.

“…And what exactly did Lord Abran tell you? Whatever you heard, the Marquis of Estelle has no room for uninvited guests. Lord Abran alone is more than enough.”

Hession’s voice trembled with the anger that had been building up, but Kenneth, watching him with calm, detached eyes, replied coolly.

“I’m telling you this because I’ve judged that Lord Abran cannot handle this alone. I’m making the same request as him. If he is allowed to stay and I am not, how do you expect me to interpret that?”

“What nonsense!”

“Should I take it that the Marquis of Estelle is looking down on the House of Zahard?”

Hession’s eyes widened. That sounded like a threat—something Frederick might say. He could hardly believe that such words were coming from Kenneth, a man known not only for his exceptional swordsmanship but also for his noble and upright character. Had he misheard?

“Lord Zahard, are you threatening me?”

“If it concerns the safety of Lady Estelle, I can and will do much more. I could even invoke imperial authority to handle this, but I’d prefer not to escalate the situation, which is why I’m asking you personally.”

Among the noble young men of Hession’s generation, only Frederick, the prospective Tower Lord, and Kenneth, who had been appointed commander of the 1st Knight Division at a young age, could obtain an audience with the emperor with a simple request.

Regardless of the families that backed them, both men were recognized for their outstanding abilities.

Even though Hession didn’t know if Kenneth would really go that far, the mere fact that he *could* filled him with unease.

“…Why are you so concerned about my sister’s safety?”

“Because she is someone of great importance to me.”

At least Kenneth had enough conscience not to use the insufferable word “love,” unlike Frederick, but the meaning behind his words was essentially the same.

Lotus was certainly an attractive woman, but why had men suddenly started professing their feelings for her? Had he, in his aloofness, missed some significant event between Lotus and these men before her debutante ball?

Or had something about the way she appeared at last night’s banquet left such a deep impression?

Hession felt a headache creeping in, the kind that made his head feel like it was splitting and his chest tighten with frustration.

*That strange dream… Was I not the only one who had it? Could it have been a prophetic dream?*

What if he wasn’t the only one? If Frederick and Kenneth, who had both made strange requests recently, had also dreamt it? Or even more unsettling, what if there were others who had shared the same dream?

*Did Lotus dream it too?*

His greatest concern in that moment was for her. 

In the future, where Lotus had endured even more trials and pain, she outwardly acted as if everything was fine, even if inside she might have killed herself a hundred or a thousand times over.

At the very least, Hession hoped that Lotus hadn’t shared the dream. It wasn’t a bright or joyous future; it was the sight of her miserable fate, and seeing that would be unbearably cruel.

“Sir Estelle.”

Kenneth’s low voice pulled Hession out of his thoughts.

“What must I do to convince you that my request is purely for the safety of Lady Estelle?”

There was only one answer Hession wanted to give to that question:

*We will protect Lotus within the Marquis of Estelle’s estate, so it would be appreciated if you stopped concerning yourself.*

But denying Kenneth after having already allowed Frederick would make them look foolish. Hession couldn’t answer so easily.

*If I refuse here, and he goes to the emperor with this ridiculous request…*

The emperor would likely approve it without hesitation. He wouldn’t lose anything, and would be inclined to grant a small request from a talented member of the empire. From an outsider’s perspective, it was such a trivial matter.

And if Frederick’s claim about a secret investigation related to time was true, the emperor himself might become unnecessarily interested.

It was something they would have to accept anyway, and refusing now would only escalate the situation. Both Frederick and Kenneth likely understood this well, which was why they were making these outrageous requests with such confidence.

Hession wasn’t oblivious to these dynamics. In fact, he was quite sharp, which was why, while not at Kenneth’s level, he had achieved a high mastery of the sword at a young age.

He had also noticed that in the past few days, Lotus seemed more anxious and on edge, rather than happy, despite how the attitudes of the staff and the Marquis of Estelle had changed to be more accommodating.

When Lotus found out that Frederick would be staying at the mansion, her expression had been one of outright distaste.

How would she react if she learned Kenneth would be staying too?

––*Don’t worry. I won’t let him do anything to harm you.*

That’s what Hession had confidently promised Lotus, but could he really protect her?

For the first time in his life, both yesterday and today, Hession felt powerless in his position and influence.

As vice-commander of the 6th Knight Division and the future head of the Marquis of Estelle family, he had always taken pride in his roles. But arguing with Frederick and Kenneth had shown him that there were always greater powers above him.

*Damn it!*

If he was to prevent that vivid nightmare from coming true, if he was to protect his half-sister from predators like them, he would need to grow much stronger than he was now.

Having fallen into complacency after mastering swordsmanship to a certain degree, Hession now had a new goal.

*If it means not having to endure this mess, I’ll have to become the best swordsman in the empire!*

It seemed likely that the training regimen for the 6th Knight Division would become twice as difficult in the days to come.