Emilie, who received instructions from Philomel, stepped back and the cat-like Le Guin turned back into a human.
âCan we trust this human? Even if he obeys now, she could betray us at any moment.â
âIt wonât be easy to betray us when she thinks of the nanny. Lexion said heâs taken measures to prevent any contingencies. Iâm not sure what that means, thoughâŠâ
In response to Philomelâs answer, Lexion approached with a smile.
âCome to think of it, Phil still doesnât know my area of expertise.â
âArea of expertiseâŠ?â
âEach magician has their own specialized field. Guess what mine is? Try to guess once.â
âHmmâŠâ
Philomel pondered seriously.
Jeremiah, who had gained the nickname Frozen Earldom, specialized in ice magic. If thatâs the case, then what about LexionâŠ
âFire magic?
ââŠDonât judge by hair color.â
âHaha, Iâm caught.â
As Jeremiah smirked, Lexion lightly glanced in his direction and opened his mouth.
âI can only use fireball that I learned at the age of ten if we go by the fire magic. My area of expertise is this.â
He tapped his temple with his finger.
âAre you serious?â
âYes, I can cast quite a few useful spells.â
Lexion stuck out his red tongue.
âFor example, if you try to talk about a forbidden subject, your tongue will dry up.â
â⊠Does that mean you wonât be able to use your tongue for the rest of your life?â
Philomel shuddered.
âYou have good comprehension.â
Jeremiah snorted.
âJust kill her. Sheâs just making a fuss.â
âYou donât understand. If a dubious death occurs in the royal palace, the magicians will be the first to be investigated. Do you want to be charged with murder?â
âIsnât it just because your skills are lacking?â
âCanât have a conversation with an idiot.â
âWhat? You littleâŠâ
ââŠâ
Philomel simply stopped talking.
***
Two days had passed since then, but there were no rumors that any of Ellensiaâs maids had suddenly dried up their tongues.
Emilie seemed to be following Philomelâs orders immediately.
Philomelâs orders were simple.
She was to ask for information about Ellensia, becoming Philomelâs eyes and ears. In other words, she was just being a spy.
Her conscience pricked at her a little, but she had resigned herself to leaving it at the palace. She had an instinctual feeling that walking only the straight path would not lead her to the truth of the book.
It was on the way back to her room after her usual walk.
In front of the State Guest House, Philomel met a familiar face.
A scruffy-looking man approached Philomel with joy.
âYour Highness!â
ââŠMartin.â
It was Philomelâs former escort knight, Martin. âOh, long time no see, Your Highness. Oh! So youâre not a princess anymore.â
âSo, what brings you here?â
âWhy else would a guard come? Of course, I came to guard you.â
â⊠Me?â
Philomel asked with one eyebrow furrowed, unable to understand what he was saying.
âOf course. Even if the real princess appears, youâre the only person in this land.â
But Martin just laughed naturally and thumped his chest.
Philomel was taken aback.
âHeâs just sitting here and itâs ridiculous. If he comes here because he has nowhere else to go, thereâs nothing I can do.â
Martin Siance.
He was the younger brother of Viscount Siance and was once a promising knight, but due to his lazy personality, he was now just a mediocre knight.
She had forgotten about his existence for a while, but now she saw that he had been kept with other courtiers who had accompanied Philomel.
âWhile itâs good news that other courtiers have been released⊠this guy should have stayed locked up.â
She hated Martin very much, even though she brought him along for various reasons.
She didnât like the way he pestered her from the first time they metâŠ
âHeâs just a noble with no substance.â
âHe stood in front of many nobles, saying he wanted to see the festival.â
At the age of nine, Martang witnessed the servants threatening themselves and became even more disgusted.
âIt still makes me angry when I think about it.â
Philomel declared coldly.
âYou can stop being my escort now.â
âWhat?â
âIâm firing you from your position as my knight. Find another job.â
âWhy?â
âLack of diligence.â
âWhen did IâŠ?â
âYou spent your working hours chatting and playing with other palace members, were late due to hangovers, didnât participate in regular duels with young knights, and most importantly, you didnât even know when I disappeared.â
As Philomel listed his laziness one by one with her hands, Martang was at a loss for words.
Without hesitating, Philomel summed it up briskly.
âIf you want witnesses, thereâs plenty. Shall I call them?â
âThis is an unfair accusation!â
âWhat is?â
âYou turned a blind eye even though you knew everything, Philomel!â
Well, he wasnât wrong.
Philomel had ignored his faults so far, and sometimes even protected him.
Martin cried out, feeling unjust, as he wrapped his head in his hands.
âWhy are you blaming me now?â
Why? WellâŠ
âBecause youâre the easiest palace knight to handle!â
When Philomel had dismissed all the maids and servants at the age of nine, everyone present stayed put for the sake of fleeing.
From a logical standpoint, Philomel was close to catching a star in the sky by kicking out a fully trained knight and running away.
Because the opponent was Martin, she had the opportunity to escape while he was slacking off.
âYou didnât do this before! You trusted and followed me!â
Not understanding the circumstances, Martin mistakenly believed that the princess liked him enough to cover up his mistakes.
âYou even said that you regard me as your uncle!â
Because people around her, even the Emperor, kept suggesting changing the escort, she told many lies.
But she should have avoided saying things like, âmore than anyone, I rely on you.â
Philomel bit her tongue inwardly.
âWhy did you change?â
At the moment when Martin was approaching her with his hand to touch her body, the sound of a sword being unsheathed was heard.
âWant to die?â
A sword blocked Martinâs path.
âJeremiah!â
Philomel looked at the person who had suddenly appeared, hiding the scar on his neck with his necklace. Although he had hidden his true intentions, it was clearly Jeremiah.
âI told you not to come out of the room!â
Martin reflexively stepped back.
âWhat, who are you? A knight? Youâre not a member of the knightsâ association. How did you get into the palace?â
âYou can do whatever you want.â
âWhat, what? Philomel! Who is this young man dressed in blue?â
âThatâŠâ
Is he a relative? A guest? How should I explain?
âWere you looking for a new guard? Have you found a new guard?â
Before Philomel could deny it, Jeremiah answered.
âYes. A new guard.â
Why was he suddenly like that?
âFrom now on, Iâll be in charge of guarding her, so you can leave,â
Jeremiah answered in a cold voice.
A little later,
Philomel sighed as she looked up at Jeremiah.
âJeremiahâŠwhy did you lie?â
âI wasnât lying because Iâll really become your guard.â
Jeremiah answered indifferently.
Martin, who was excited by the mention of a new guard, suggested a challenge instead of a proposal.
âLetâs determine who is fit to guard Philomel in a duel!â
If he set his mind to it, he could easily dominate someone like Jeremiah, who likes a child. Since Jeremiah accepted the proposal, the two were on their way to the training area.
âDo you really want to be my guard?â
âYou have to pay for my meals. You also needed a guard, right?â
Thatâs true. Eustis had been sending knight lists daily, putting pressure. She had promised the Emperor to keep her guard close, even if she had to give up other palace privileges. She had no choice but to accept him as her guard.
So it was better for Philomel in many ways for Jeremiah to become her guardâŠ
But there was a problem.
âJeremiah, have you been knighted?â
Then, Jeremiah pulled out his knightâs badge from his pocket silently.
âIâve been knighted as a magic knight.â
Unlike knights who had to go through training for up to ten years, magic knights who applied as mages only needed to demonstrate their abilities and identity to be recognized as knights, even for a short period.
This was because there was an absolute shortage of talented people who were proficient in both magic and swordsmanship.
She knew he was a mage, but she didnât know he had knight qualifications. It wasnât even written in âPrincess Ellensia.â As they arrived at the training area, Martin, who was warming up, caught Philomelâs eye.
âPhilomel! Iâll show you the fact that there is no one like me. Letâs fight fairly with real swords, not practice ones, you coward who steals othersâ positions!â
Not a practice sword, but a real one?
Philomel wanted to stop, but Jeremiah drew his sword first.
âBe careful. He used to be a pretty skilled knight,â
Philomel whispered.
Ignoring her concerns, the match overwhelmingly headed in Jeremiahâs favor.
âUgh!â
âAck!â
âUghh, cough cough!â
Martin barely escaped with his blunt movements â a result of years of laziness and overindulgence. In the end, he dropped his sword and fell to his knees, shouting âI surrender! I surrender!â But the sword continued to rush towards Martheinâs neck.
Dangerous! Without realizing it, Philomel yelled out.
âJeremiah!â
He stopped.
As Philomel yelled out, Jeremiah quickly picked up his sword as if nothing had happened.
âJeremiah⊠if I hadnât stopped him, he would have killed himâ
There werenât many spectators around the training grounds, but Jeremiah couldnât be turned into a murderer in front of them.
Regardless, this was how Philomelâs position as a princess and high-ranking guestâs escort knight was given to a stranger, a young mage knight.
Jeremiah showed off his skills by playing with the princessâ former escort in front of others as if he were a child.
Afterward, Jeremiah was called in for an investigation by the palace guards about his unauthorized weaponry.
However, with the help of count Polan, who had been asked by Philomel, he was able to pass through without any problems. Unlike the inner palace guards, the outer palace guards had more flexible standards for entry. But it was mostly thanks to Count Polanâs efforts.
At first, even Count Polan expressed concerns that Jeremiah might not be a good knight. ButâŠ
âIn fact, heâs a dear friend I met when I went missing. Heâs a noble person who willingly offered his help when I had nothing to offer and fought off the villains with no hesitation. And I wish to continue our relationship⊠Is it too greedy if I want that?â
Philomel recounted the incident where Jeremiah had helped her when she was almost tricked by a con artist, further persuading Count Polan to cooperate with her request for Jeremiah to become her escort.
Furthermore, even the Emperor promised to help persuade him.