After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 48

“What in the world are you talking about? A relic breaking?”

Leo’s office.

Dex, who had rushed in, shouted, forgetting honorifics.

“How on earth did that happen? No, does that even make sense? It’s an ancient relic. Why would something that’s been fine all this time suddenly break?”

Leo rubbed his face, frowning at the barrage of questions Dex was pouring out in his fluster.

“Give it a rest. I’m more dumbfounded than you are.”

“Ugh! This is driving me crazy, seriously.”

Dex scratched the back of his head roughly and slumped into the chair opposite him.

“Let me see.”

At Dex’s request, Leo tore the leather cord of the necklace he was wearing and tossed it onto the table with a thud.

Dex frowned at this and grumbled.

“Be careful! It’s already broken, and you’re really.”

Dex carefully picked up the necklace and saw a long crack running down the middle of the relic.

Even at a glance, the light was dull, and a corner of his heart seemed to grow cold the moment he saw it.

“Still, it’s just a crack, not completely broken.”

He tried to keep a spark of hope alive, but Leo’s reply was devastating.

“The relic is done for.”

“Hey, we don’t know that yet.”

“Did you forget that I was just at the Imperial Palace with the Princess?”

“You made contact?”

“…”

“And it didn’t work?”

“The color didn’t change.”

“Ugh, damn it.”

Dex despaired and buried his face in his hands before finally calming down and asking, “When did this happen?”

“I don’t know. I just found out.”

He had managed to catch a little sleep in the carriage thanks to Isla, but it was not nearly enough to relieve his deep fatigue.

Returning to his office, Leo casually checked the necklace, thinking the color might have changed, and only then did he realize something was wrong with the relic.

“It must have been yesterday, I guess.”

“…”

“Damn it. It must have been too intense.”

Leo muttered a curse under his breath and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as if exhausted.

Dex pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“As you can see.”

Despite Leo’s answer, Dex scanned him from head to toe.

His face, neck, and hands looked fine, which put his mind at ease.

Of course, things under his clothes would be a mess.

‘Damn it. What is that guy supposed to do when even the relic breaks because of him?’

Yesterday was the night of the Supermoon.

As always, Leo had left the mansion before sunset and must have spent a hellish night.

‘I thought maybe something would be different since he went to the Imperial Palace with the Princess as soon as he got back.’

He had secretly hoped that this Supermoon would be different.

Because of the existence of the Princess, which had never been there before.

But judging from Leo’s words a moment ago, it seemed nothing had changed.

Even the relic was broken.

A heavy silence fell between the two men, who were at a loss for words.

It was truly bleak.

If he felt this way, then Leo, the person involved.

“Are you okay?”

“How could I be okay?”

Dex’s heart clenched at Leo’s hoarse voice.

Indeed. How could he possibly be okay?

The ancient relic, Absorber, was Leo’s only salvation.

A small salvation that allowed him to fall asleep, even if only for a fleeting moment.

The only means by which he, who had been robbed of the night, could reclaim it.

Fortunately, not right now, but.

“Is it because of the Princess?”

Leo raised an eyebrow at Dex’s dazed mutter.

“What are you talking about?”

“The Princess. Isn’t it divine providence that she was sent to you because the relic was about to break?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. What god?”

“Well, yeah. Where’s God? If there was one, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

Dex closed his mouth again and pondered.

Now that things had come to this, the only remaining hope was Isla’s existence. That’s why he was anxious.

‘This won’t do. We have to find a way.’

It was truly an emergency.

It would be a disaster if Isla suddenly died or disappeared one day.

The two had promised to marry, but they were still strangers, and anything could happen.

‘First, we need to strengthen the Princess’s protection.’

Dex’s mind began to race.

Time passed quickly, and several days went by.

Isla met with Gian of Dior once more and studied Eisenfelt in her spare time.

She had started studying after hearing Leo say that the Princess needed to know about Eisenfelt accurately when she tried to borrow money from him.

Of course, there were many things that Eisenfelt had intentionally not revealed to the Empire, but nevertheless, learning about the daily life of the North, which she had not known in detail, was definitely meaningful to her.

When she couldn’t find something in books or materials, she would ask Count Lucas, Dex, or Leo. Then they would tell her in detail without hiding anything, which became another opportunity to change her perception of Eisenfelt.

Her relationship with Diana was still not good, but it was merely that Diana unilaterally disliked Isla.

Bella would shake her head, saying that Isla was too good-natured, as Isla would only smile awkwardly whenever that happened.

And on the afternoon before the hunting ground survey.

Isla, who had a detailed map of Eisenfelt spread out on her desk, was lost in thought.

The map was full of traces of Isla’s study and notes.

How many people lived in the area, where the specialties grew, where the invasion of monsters or pirates mainly occurred, and the location of the port that Leo had mentioned, and so on.

In the meantime, she discovered a suspicious point.

“That’s strange. I thought the whole area was blocked off by Eisenfelt.”

Isla tilted her head and jumped up to open the door.

Outside the door, a neat-looking knight stood with an impeccable posture.

“Um, Vice Commander Ian Soden?”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Could you spare me some time?”

“Are you referring to me?”

“Yes. Vice Commander.”

Isla stepped aside by the open door and nodded with a bright smile.

He was the escort knight that Leo had brought and assigned to her yesterday afternoon.

Isla had protested, saying how could she have someone as high-ranking as a Vice Commander as her escort, but Leo had brushed off her refusal, saying it was only temporary anyway.

She thought he was only going to go to the hunting grounds with her.

It was burdensome, but she liked that she had someone to ask questions to at any time.

As Ian entered with a sullen face, Isla didn’t even think of waiting and took the lead to approach the map.

“Come here and take a look at this?”

“It’s the Border Zone.”

“You call this the Border Zone? What exactly does that mean?”

“The Border Zone exists along the Trazen Mountains here. Are you aware that gates that create monsters are generated along the Trazen Mountains?”

“Yes. That’s why monsters appear in the south, which is adjacent to the mountains.”

“That’s right. Fortunately, the larger the gate, the longer the generation cycle, so if we succeed in subjugating it once, we can reduce the damage just by standing guard. That’s why it’s a designated area.”

“So that means you’re still standing guard now?”

“Of course. Our members are guarding it 24 hours a day.”

Pride was evident in Ian’s tone.

“I see. Everyone must be working hard. What is the frequency of monster appearances during the guard?”

“Well, it varies from Border Zone to Border Zone, but is it about once or twice a week on average? It’s pretty relaxed unless a medium or large gate is generated sometimes. There’s also leeway.”

“Once or twice a week? Is it about the same in this area here?”

“Ah. That place is a little more frequent than average. The mountains that continue to the back are a bit deep.”

“I see…”

Isla tilted her head and asked again.

“Vice Commander, are there any residents living below this Border Zone?”

“Are you talking about below here?”

“Yes.”

Ian carefully examined the map she was pointing to and shook his head.

“There won’t be now. It used to be a place where people who made a living by hunting mainly lived, but now the Commander. That is, His Highness the Prince, has moved them all.”

“Moved?”

“Yes. He succeeded in subjugating the monsters. That’s also why most of the residents of Eisenhardt, who used to live scattered, now live around the fortress. Living together in the face of pirate or monster invasions was practically a suicidal act.”

“I see. I understand why the residents of Eisenhardt like His Highness.”

“The Commander is a hero of Eisenhardt.”

Respect for Leo was clearly revealed in Ian’s answer.

Feeling proud of herself at that, Isla smiled contentedly.

Her blue eyes were carefully fixed on the area below the Border Zone, which would be empty now.

Her cherry-like lips drew an arc, holding a smile.

“Thank you, Vice Commander. I think I found one thanks to you.”

“Found? What are you talking about?”

“A way to raise the reputation of Eisenhardt.”

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