Yuri let out a tiny scream inside his head and hesitated, wondering how to answer as cold sweat prickled at his skin. At that moment, Ophelia delivered a merciless blow.
"Was it not a crime, my lord, to hunt magical beasts without the lord's permit?"
Folding her arms, Ophelia tilted her head with one hand resting against her cheek. Her tone was gentle, but the reality she laid before Yuri was ice-cold.
"What? Really? That's a crime?"
Yuri blurted it out in a high, incredulous voice, his eyes flying wide. The turn this had taken was so far outside his expectations that his mind went blank.
"Yes. Magical beasts are resources that belong to the territory as well, so a lord's permission is required. In whose territory were you hunting them?"
Lieselotte asked the question in exasperation, her sharp gaze fixed squarely on him.
This is bad... really bad... I was using teleportation and bouncing all over the place...
"U-um..."
The words stuck in his throat as he searched his memory for all the places he had gone hunting.
I never even registered as an adventurer, so there was no way I could have gotten a permit in the first place...
As he fumbled for an answer, feeling sweat bead gradually across his brow, Celine gave a small smile and leaned close to his ear.
"My lord husband, I won't be angry... so do tell us properly, won't you?"
Her voice was so gentle that it sent an even colder chill down his spine.
"Um... I hunted in quite a few places... the mountain north of the capital, the Araratos Mountains... and the Black Forest, Schwarzwald..."
The instant Yuri named them so casually, the air in the room seemed to freeze. He kept talking without much thought, but when he glanced up, Celine and the others had gone rigid with shock.
"The Araratos Mountains and Schwarzwald...!? Those places are home not merely to A-rank magical beasts, but S-rank ones!"
Ophelia was trying to stay composed, but her voice trembled faintly. There was fear in her eyes she could not quite conceal.
Celine stared at Yuri, pale-faced and wide-eyed. Her lips trembled ever so slightly, and the depth of her agitation was written plainly across her face.
"Schwarzwald...? That place is one of the most dangerous there is, thick with miasma... Why would you ever go somewhere like that...?"
Tension seeped into her voice as well, until it shook so badly it was almost hard to breathe just listening to it.
The Black Forest—known as Schwarzwald—was a vast woodland that stretched deep beyond the Demon Forest, south of the Reberk Barony. Even at midday it remained dim, a world where light never reached the ground. For reasons unknown, a haze called miasma hung over it all year round, mercilessly eating away at the stamina of any who stepped inside. It was especially dangerous for those who could use magic, as the miasma threw their mana into disarray and could send their spells out of control. On top of that, the miasma had caused many magical beasts to mutate, making them even more ferocious. Even mages rarely dared set foot there, yet it was also a treasure trove where rare materials slumbered, home to plants that could endure the miasma and mutated magical beasts alike.
"Once you step into that miasma, even magic itself can go haywire! And you went there... alone...!"
Celine set a hand against Yuri's chest and clutched his clothes tightly with trembling fingers. Her eyes were dark with anxiety and fear, and the raw pain of her worry drove into Yuri's heart like a blade.
"Please... value your own life more. A place like that... a place where you'd have to stake your life... why would you...?"
Her voice shook more and more, until tears too great to hold back welled in her eyes. Those eyes spoke of one thing only: the terrible fear that she might lose Yuri. The force of that feeling was almost painful in how clearly it reached him.
Oh no, what do I do...? It's not like I ever meant to risk my life that much...
Yuri was panicking inwardly, but even so, the weight of Celine's words left him rattled. The grief on her face pierced him, and with it came a slow, creeping sense of discomfort.
I mean, honestly, I had plenty of room to spare... Kokuyou took everything out in one hit... And anyway, I was basically dragged there in the first place.
Lieselotte, for her part, was trying to look calm, but there was a stern light in her eyes. Frowning, she stared at Yuri with a gaze caught halfway between exasperation and anger.
"Lord Yuri... surely you did not go into the Black Forest without even knowing how dangerous it was...?"
Her cold tone could not hide how angry she was over the reckless thing he had done.
"The Black Forest is not simply a place where magical beasts appear. It is considered one of the most dangerous regions in the kingdom. Ordinary adventurers are not even permitted to set foot there."
Her expression remained severe as she continued.
"And that is not all. You went as far as the Araratos Mountains? They say dragons dwell there. To go near a dragon's lair goes beyond mere recklessness...!"
There was irritation in Lieselotte's voice that she could no longer suppress.
Towering to the east of the Reberk Barony, the Araratos Mountains formed a vast range that divided the continent east and west, feared by all for their harsh terrain and the dragons said to live there. Dragons possessed overwhelming magical power and had been handed down in legend since ancient times. One tale of those mountains told of a Hero who overcame a dragon's trial, won its aid, and drove back a great calamity. The town at the heart of the Reberk Barony had itself been founded as a resort settlement after the Hero was granted leave by a dragon to dwell at the foot of the mountains. Even so, it was still said that dragon nests lay deep within the range, and rumors never ceased that if one incurred their wrath, the entire region would be burned to ash.
"You did not know there were dragons in the Araratos Mountains...?"
Ophelia asked it with a hint of exasperation, but concern for Yuri shone in her eyes.
"Or is it that you happen to have a death wish, my lord?"
From the way her voice caught and quivered faintly, it was obvious what she was trying to say.
"My lord, Schwarzwald is not merely a dangerous place. At times, gates to another realm open there, and utterly unpredictable things occur. In fact, three years ago..."
Ophelia swallowed the rest and lowered her gaze slightly, but the anxiety in her eyes could not be hidden.
"Please, don't go to dangerous places anymore... If something happened to you... I... I wouldn't be able to bear it..."
Celine's anguished voice stabbed straight into Yuri's chest. In that moment, he was finally beginning to understand just how dangerous what he had been doing really was. Faced with their grave expressions and their tears, he could only manage a strained smile through the ache in his chest.
"I'm sorry... I'll be more careful from now on. Honestly, I had no idea it was that dangerous..."
"This is no laughing matter."
Celine's voice cut through the room, suddenly sharp. It was nothing like her usual softness, carrying a cold, cutting edge instead. Her eyes trembled, and behind them fear and anger swirled together. Startled by a reaction from Celine so unlike her, Yuri looked back at her in confusion.
"The calamity that emerged from Schwarzwald... You do not know how grievously the former king was wounded fighting it, my lord husband..."
The tremor in her words made it sound as though she were reliving some terrible memory.
The former king... meaning Celine's former husband, right...? Wasn't he supposed to have died of illness?
There had long been rumors whispered across the Kingdom of Oltania that the king, hailed as the strongest mage in the land, had really been poisoned to death by the Noble Consort. Never had Yuri imagined he might actually have lost his life because of a magical beast extermination campaign.
Celine covered her face with her own hands and forced out the words in a shaking voice.
"If... if you had gone there and something attacked you... I... I cannot bear the thought of losing you too..."
"I'm sorry... I'll never go alone again. And I won't leave any of you alone."
With that, Yuri drew Celine gently into his arms and softly stroked her back. Watching him, Lieselotte wiped at her own tears, then stepped forward in silence. Fixing Yuri with a serious gaze, she steadied her breath for a moment before speaking.
"Lord Yuri... no matter what happens, please... do not ever do anything that would make Mother cry like this again."
Though her voice trembled slightly, she managed to finish what she had to say.
"If anything were to happen to you... I would follow after you. Please never forget that."
Those words left Yuri speechless.
Wait... that far?
As he stood there stunned, Ophelia slipped in with a faint smile and a tone that sounded almost teasing.
"Yes, quite. My lord, you have not forgotten the pact between us, have you? If you die before restoring my honor and rebuilding House Claudius, I shall never forgive you."
Delivered with a soft smile, the words sounded almost like a light joke. But there was a chill in her eyes. It was as though the obsession hidden behind that smile had laid bare her true feelings. Yuri felt a shiver run down his spine at that brief expression, and yet her fierce resolve overwhelmed him into silence. Celine's tears, the unsteady light in Lieselotte's eyes, and the deadly seriousness hidden in Ophelia's teasing words... each of their feelings settled heavily on Yuri's heart.
In my last life and this one... no one has ever faced me this seriously before.
"I'm sorry for making all of you worry. And... thank you, for worrying about someone like me."
Letting out a small breath, Yuri gave them a smile and rubbed at his cheek in embarrassment.
After a little while, Celine finally calmed down in Yuri's arms. Perhaps ashamed of how badly she had lost her composure, she lowered her eyes, cheeks flushed red, and quietly tried to steady her breathing.
When he glanced around, he saw Katalina crouched beside the magical beast, continuing her appraisal with a serious expression. She ran her hands gently over its fur and hide, carefully stroking it as if feeling out its nature.
At the same time, Margaret and Fiona remained standing discreetly by the wall, keeping their gazes lowered as though trying not to intrude, quietly waiting for the conversation to end.
I really put them in an awkward spot...
Understanding how trying it must have been for the maids forced to stand by during such a scene, Yuri felt grateful to them even as embarrassment sat heavily in his chest.
"My lord husband, say that you hunted everything in the Demon Forest. Do you understand? No matter what anyone says, you must tell them it all came from the Demon Forest in the Reberk Barony."
Celine lifted her slightly flushed face and looked up at him as she made the request. The moist shine of her eyes and the faintly pleading note in her voice sent Yuri's heart leaping in his chest. Even through her day dress, the softness of her pressed against him, and each touch sent a new kind of tension through his pulse. Without even realizing it, Yuri pulled Celine into his arms once more. The sweet scent drifting from her hair teased at his nose, and each time her soft warmth reached him, his embrace tightened on its own.
"M-my lord husband...?"
Celine let out a small sound and looked up in surprise, eyes wide. There was a trace of uncertainty in them, yet she relaxed and let herself settle into him. Feeling her gaze on him, Yuri let himself drown for a fleeting moment in her sweetness and softness. How long had he been holding her like that? By the time he realized it, his own body had started to grow warm. Startled, he drew back a little, and Celine let out a small, disappointed sound. He barely held back the urge to pull her close again, gave a light cough, and forced himself to calm down.
"By the way, what happens if you don't get a magical-beast hunting permit from the Adventurers' Guild?"
Perhaps because she had been caught up in the sweet atmosphere between the two of them, Lieselotte answered with her own cheeks slightly red, looking away as she did so.
"Ordinarily, hunting magical beasts without a permit carries severe punishment. A fine alone may not be enough. In the worst case... it means losing your dominant hand."
At those words, Yuri went pale and fell silent. Cold sweat spread slowly across his back. Lieselotte glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then smiled with calm composure this time—but there was a cold, sharp light in her eyes.
"If it ever truly came to that... I will not be so lenient next time, Lord Yuri."
The weight of those words rang out, and Yuri could feel the chill racing down his spine.
She's serious...
Cold sweat refusing to stop, Yuri started to open his mouth in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood, only to swallow the words under the pressure radiating from Lieselotte.