It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 183

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden…!”

Just as he had expected, they weren’t knights.

The rough, untamed mana unique to mercenaries clashed violently against Halid’s.

The first strike he’d tempered slightly. The second, he did not.

“There must be some misunderstanding—”

“What misunderstanding?

The men who had been feigning confusion changed their tone the moment they realized death was inches away.

“Secure the woman first!”

The one who lunged close, clearly used to short weapons, found himself slammed against the wall when Halid drove an elbow into his ribs, then Halid bolted up toward the third floor after the other.

“I’ll warn you once. Take another step and you die.”

He showed his back, far too easy a target. Halid didn’t expect the skill of Lionel, but he had hoped for at least one hidden card, something to make this less dull.

That was why he was being kind enough to warn him.

“Damn it! Die!”

Sensing something monstrous, the mercenary twisted around, teeth bared, and hurled his dagger.

The speed and force of it would’ve been hard for even a seasoned fighter to dodge, yet Halid flicked his sword, deflecting both blades midair in one smooth motion. The mercenary’s eyes widened in horror.

“No one said there’d be a monster like this!”

“I told you to take it seriously.”

Halid even waited, generously, until they gave up the pretense of being knights and drew their real weapons.

“If you give it your best, I might even feel like sparing you.”

They were desperate, but so was he.

‘Just this once.’

He wanted to perfect that single strike, the one that would surprise Lionel.

Had they been ordinary small fry, he’d have finished them quickly. But to his judgment, they were skilled enough that even Calitas rarely produced fighters of their level. So he granted them the chance to show their full strength.

Only…

‘How disappointing.’

Not even three minutes later, both mercenaries were reduced to bloodied rags, and Halid could only sheath his sword with mild dissatisfaction.

He glanced down at the ruined hallway and frowned.

‘Did I make too much noise, perhaps?’

He wondered if Serenia had woken in fright.

‘I should tell her everything’s fine.’

The fairy of the birch forest had always been timid, even as a child.

Halid took out his handkerchief and wiped the blood off his cheek and hands, then made his way toward the Duke’s chamber.

Normally she stayed in the newly refurbished duchess’s room, but for some reason, she was here today.

He passed through the parlor and stopped before the bedroom door, knocking softly. No reply.

“Lady Diloette, I’ll be entering for a moment.”

She was likely awake already, but Halid opened the door quietly all the same.

And there he found her asleep on the bed, oblivious to the world.

For all the commotion, she hadn’t stirred. He guessed the soundproofing must have been near perfect.

‘It seems I worried for nothing.’

With a faint laugh, Halid turned to leave, but his gaze lingered on her sleeping face.

Among Calitas’s direct bloodline, those with fairy heritage sometimes inherited special eyes. Halid was one of them. He could see things others could not.

And what he saw before him now was a person bathed in the warmest, softest light in the world.

The girl who had changed a cynical boy, who once scoffed at fairy tales. To him, she was still exactly as she had been then.

‘When the fairy returns to this land, the frozen north of Calitas will finally thaw, and spring will come again.’

That was what his late mother had told him. He had thought Serenia might truly bring that spring back. That was why he had searched so desperately for her.

But…

She was soon to be another man’s wife. And from the way they looked at each other, they seemed deeply in love.

Even looking at her like this might already be an offense.

‘She’s safe. That’s all that matters. I should go take care of the cleanup.’