Knock knock-!
"Young master, may I come in?"
"Yeah."
"Good morning as always! Last night...?"
The moment morning arrived, Luke showed up in the study without fail.
He had come in energetically to start the day with his usual greeting but froze in place.
Luke's gaze was fixed on the elf beside me, and he began rubbing his eyes repeatedly.
As if that would make Lena vanish.
"Young master, I think something's wrong with my eyes! I keep seeing things that aren't there!"
"What kind of nonsense is this first thing in the morning?"
"B-but there's some elf waving at me!"
"You're fine. You're seeing her clearly."
I gave a casual reply, but Luke pinched his own cheek.
They say people in extreme shock outright deny reality, and that described Luke perfectly right now.
But denying it wouldn't change the facts.
"Could you explain how an elf ended up by your side overnight?"
"These things happen in life."
"That's exactly why I'm asking—things like this shouldn't happen!"
Luke's shout rang in my ears.
I needed to explain to shut up this human megaphone, but after pulling an all-nighter, I had no energy left for that.
I shot Lena a look, asking her to handle the explanation instead.
At my request, Lena held up a thumb, signaling to leave it to her.
Then she smoothly drew a dagger from her chest.
I'd asked for an explanation, not for her to deal with him.
To stop her sudden action, I hurled an empty ink bottle.
Lena snatched it without even turning around and flung it right back at Luke.
"Eek!"
The ink bottle traced a clean arc and smacked into Luke's forehead.
Fortunately, Lena had controlled her strength, so he wasn't badly hurt.
Just a small lump on his forehead.
Had she thrown it full force, Luke's skull wouldn't have stayed intact.
"Don't raise your voice in front of the young master. You're probably the only servant in the world who yells at their lord like that."
"Well said! I've been itching to give this guy a proper thrashing anyway."
"Young master?!"
"If that's what the young master wants, I'll make sure to educate him thoroughly."
"Gasp...!"
Lena pulled out some binding rope and tugged it taut.
Seeing the tight rope made Luke's cheeks flush red.
I'd only meant to scare him a little, but I ended up witnessing his shady tastes.
This was worse than no prank at all, so I grabbed a stack of documents and smashed them into his face.
"Forget the education. Introduce yourselves first."
These two were my bodyguard and my exclusive servant.
They'd be seeing each other often, and if things stayed awkward, it would put me, their master, in an awkward spot.
I didn't expect them to become friends right away—just a basic introduction would do.
Reading my intent, Lena bowed politely.
"I'm Lena Evergreen, starting today as Young Master Heinz's bodyguard. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Luke, Young Master Heinz's exclusive servant. A bodyguard, you say?"
"That's right. She's precious manpower responsible for my safety from now on."
Luke narrowed his eyes and alternated glances between Lena and me.
He looked like he had something to say but was holding back.
I could see right through him, so I clicked my tongue and gave him permission to speak.
"If you have something to say about appointing Lena as my bodyguard, say it now. Don't bring it up later."
"Can we trust Lady Lena?"
"Of course. You think I'd appoint an unvetted stranger as my bodyguard? I've agreed to fair compensation, so relax."
"Did you draw up a separate master-servant contract?"
"No contract needed. I swear on the great mother goddess Gaia herself that I will never betray the young master."
"Hear that?"
Gaia was the chief deity worshipped by elves.
Having sworn on the Earth Mother Goddess, she absolutely couldn't betray me now.
Break the oath, and every elf would try to kill her for blaspheming their god.
As long as I didn't give Lena land and then take it back, I wouldn't incur her wrath.
Even after my explanation, Luke was still twisting his lips skeptically.
"Still don't trust her?"
"No, I'm convinced Lady Lena won't betray you. It's just... I don't know about her skills."
As a bodyguard, did she have the qualifications?
Luke's next concern was Lena's combat ability.
It was a fair suspicion since he knew nothing about her.
What would a naive boy who's never dipped into the underworld know anyway?
Lena knew that too, so she wasn't particularly offended.
"She's more than capable enough that you don't need to worry."
"Stronger than the knights in our house?"
"Yes."
I answered with full confidence, and after a moment's pause, Luke nodded reluctantly.
It felt like he was accepting it against his will.
Just as I was about to explain Lena's excellence in more detail...
Lena stepped in front of me with what seemed like a great idea.
With her back to me, she pretended to clasp her hands behind her while flashing me another thumbs-up.
Since she had a plan, I kept quiet and watched.
"I've accepted the young master's offer as his bodyguard, but it does bother me that my skills haven't been verified. If we leave it like this, people might suspect I seduced him to snag the position. I don't mind, but I can't tarnish the young master's honor."
"Hmm, yeah, that could happen."
"So I'll prove it myself. Could you summon the house knights to the training grounds?"
"Pardon? The knights?"
"Just the ones stationed at the estate. I wouldn't want to disturb those who are hard at work."
"Young master, what should we do?"
"She's the one requesting it, so we have to oblige. Assemble the knights at the training grounds."
"Understood!"
Luke left the study to gather the knights.
Watching his retreating figure, I shook my head as if to say I couldn't stop him.
"You sure about this? I'm not doubting your skills, but this is basically declaring war on the house knights."
"Didn't you tell me last night that even if a knight came, I could guarantee victory?"
"True, but..."
"Having pledged my loyalty, I have no choice but to believe your words over my own judgment."
Lena winked at me, emphasizing her trust.
She was an elf so sly, you couldn't hate her even if you tried.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Sigh! I was hoping for a break today, but what the hell is this?"
"I got called by that wastrel young master and came over, only to find the other knights summoned too."
"That brat's doing again? Lately, he's been stirring up all sorts of nonsense."
"How does a fine man like the family head end up with such a disappointment for a son? It's baffling."
I can hear you all, you bastards.
The moment I got Luke's report that they were assembled, I headed to the training grounds with Lena.
By chance, I overheard their conversation inside.
It was all trash-talking me.
Not surprising at all. I knew my reputation sucked.
I could forgive their rudeness. But could my bodyguard?
A glance to the side revealed the person who should have been there was gone.
Soon after, screams echoed from the training grounds, and my worst fears came true.
Lena had twisted a young knight's arm backward, inflicting pain.
"Gaaah!!"
"The knights of Altesia Count House are subpar. For knights to badmouth the family heir like that."
My head throbbed, but I felt good.
Had Lena just stood there seeking my approval, I'd have been disappointed.
Someone who acts despite expecting reprimand—that's a true loyalist.
In that sense, Lena's loyalty was genuine.
If I could just win her heart, I'd have a limited-time cheat character for good.
For that, I needed a bond that money or land couldn't buy. Living together, I'd earn it eventually.
"You bastard! Do you know where you are to cause a ruckus like this?!"
"Isn't this the Altesia family training grounds?"
"You knew that and still dared touch a house knight? That crime won't be taken lightly!"
Shing-!
The knights saw Lena as an intruder and drew their swords.
I was about to step in before things heated up further, but Lena signaled me with her eyes.
This was her stage— just watch.
"Come at me all you want, but if you lose, you'd better pack your bags. Useless knights are just expensive meat shields."
"A non-knight with a long tongue!"
The knight lunged with disciplined form.
Lena ducked low to evade, then slipped into his guard in an instant.
Before he could even assume a defensive stance, she kneed his exposed solar plexus.
"Guhk!"
"You're not ready to grab me from behind yet."
"Wha?!"
Lena's form blurred like mist.
The knight aiming for her back sliced empty air. Before he could react, Lena had taken his blind spot.
In the blink of an eye, she'd circled behind and wrapped wire around his neck.
Crackle-!
Sparks flew from Lena's fingertips. The knight convulsed violently and toppled forward.
Not high-voltage enough for burns, but plenty to knock him out.
Being an elf, her spirit arts are on another level.
Wind-like movement, mist afterimages, knockout currents.
All spirit arts phenomena.
Nature-attuned elves were said to commune with spirits, the origin of elements.
The special effects they produced with spirit power were called spirit arts in the wider world.
"Dealing with you one by one is a hassle. Come at me together."
"Such insolence...!"
"Pay for your arrogance!"
Knights surrounded Lena front and back.
They charged simultaneously, swinging swords at speeds hard to follow with the naked eye.
Tight trajectories filling the space inescapably.
Even Lena would have a tough time with this, I thought.
But her smile still brimmed with leisure.
"So naive. You actually rushed in together just because I taunted you."
Lena leaped high just a step before the blades reached her.
Whoosh-
She spun gracefully in midair.
Using a knight's head as a springboard, she leaped again. After toying with them spectacularly, she landed lightly on the ground.
Infuriated at being played, the knights fumed.
But they said nothing and stood frozen in place.
"It's over, young master."
"Huh?"
Lena had toyed with them, but the knights weren't down yet.
Still, she declared victory confidently.
I tilted my head in confusion, and Lena tapped her left shoulder.
Then I understood why she'd said it was over.
A dagger was embedded in each knight's shoulder.
They weren't the type to yield from that alone, but yellow pus oozed from their wounds.
A poison that didn't threaten life but robbed freedom of movement—coated on the daggers.
"Young master, how was my performance?"
"Flawless."
I praised her skills, but truthfully, my own level was too low to judge properly.
Especially that final dagger throw—I hadn't even caught when it happened.
Even so, Lena accepted the praise joyfully and puffed out her chest.
Thirsty for compliments, eh?
"Thank you for the overly generous praise. Then, may I make one request of you?"
"Go ahead."
"Please kick out these knights who lost to me. They're worthless in skill and only badmouth you—keeping them around is nothing but a loss."
"But without them, we'll have holes in Altesia's forces."
I didn't like them, but there was a reason we employed them.
If Altesia's military strength and morale dropped, other territories might flex on us.
We'd already earned enmity from Adenberg and Agulvein lately.
Adenberg especially had even put a hit on me, making them top priority.
Dumping the knights now would send them straight to those houses out of spite.
And they'd spill all of Altesia's military details.
"Don't worry about that. We can just fill the gaps."
"Got some knight acquaintances?"
"Not exactly, but I have dirt on some skilled ones. Weaknesses that force them to work like dogs for low pay."
"So, blackmail knights from other territories. Even so, that's..."
"By the way, they're all from Adenberg."
"What a fantastic idea. Do it now!"
Revenge must be had.