Yuri didn't let the moment pass. He sprinted forward at full speed.
Just before the man's fist could reach the craftsman, Yuri hurled himself in, catching the blow with his face by the narrowest of margins.
The force sent him spinning through the air toward the wall. Naturally, he didn't forget his punchline either.
"Hblagh!"
As splintered wood from the collapsed shelf lay scattered across the floor, Lily stood frozen in place while Elise came running over, pale-faced and shouting at the top of her lungs.
"L-Lord Strauss, Baron-Consort of Reberk!"
With dust still hanging in the air, Yuri shoved aside the wrecked shelf and climbed to his feet.
"Ow, ow, ow... That was awful. My nose is bleeding. How are you going to make this right?"
Yuri rubbed at his nose, but when he looked at his hand, there was no blood on it.
Huh? It's not bleeding?
"A-are you all right, Baron-Consort?"
Deliberately raising her voice so everyone around could hear, Elise rushed to Yuri's side. Then, with all eyes on them, she edged closer and whispered under her breath.
"Lord Yuri, your nose isn't bleeding..."
For an instant, a look of Oops flashed across Yuri's face. Then, after a brief hesitation, he calmly drove his right fist into his own cheek.
"What!?"
Everyone there cried out in shock. Once Yuri confirmed that blood was now dripping steadily from his nose, he twisted his face in pain, pointed at the man who had sent him flying, and shouted again.
"Ow... That was awful. Look, my nose is bleeding! How are you going to make this right?"
With blood dripping from his nose, Yuri jabbed a finger at the man who had punched him.
"You did that to yourself!"
The Fielders snapped back in perfect harmony. Perhaps Elise realized Yuri was throwing himself bodily into the act, because she seemed to steel herself and, as if deciding to throw caution to the wind, raised her voice even higher.
"D-do you realize who stands before you? This man is none other than the Baron-Consort of Reberk, husband to Lady Celine, the former Virtuous Consort! You wretches stand too high before him! Lower your heads! Kneel!"
At this side of Elise he rarely saw, Yuri could not help marveling inwardly. Her trembling voice, packed to the brim with as much force as she could muster, was gallant in its own way—and adorable. But perhaps she herself knew this was far outside her usual character, because she was clutching the hem of her skirt with teary eyes.
Wow. For an improvised performance, Elise is really something.
Applauding her quietly in his heart, Yuri let drops of blood patter from his nose as he turned a look on the Fielders that plainly said, Well then—what are you going to do about this?
As silence fell over the room, one of the Fielders finally seemed to come to his senses and spoke.
"Hey... if he's the Baron-Consort of Reberk, then he's a noble, right? Even if he did it to himself, we're still the ones who hit him. A commoner drawing noble blood... this is seriously bad, isn't it?"
At those words, the other Fielders began to go pale as well. Laying a hand on a noble's person was a grave crime for a commoner—one punishable by death. And if Yuri was Lady Celine's husband, then all the more so. Former or not, she had once been royalty. If they had caused bloodshed involving the husband of someone like that, it was the sort of affair that could get them not merely thrown in prison, but sentenced to forced labor as slaves.
The Fielders looked at one another, exchanging uneasy glances, then all at once began preparing to flee.
"H-Hey, this has nothing to do with me!"
"W-wait, I was just following orders!"
"Oh, screw this! I'm not dying for this!"
They bolted for the workshop doors in all directions and rushed out into the street in a panic, scattering one after another. The only one left behind in the workshop was a single man from the Rosenkreuz Trading Company. The same man who had been shouting so boldly just moments before now stood there petrified, clearly terrified now that all his allies had abandoned him. Elise turned to face him, stepped in front of Elena as though shielding her, and took one cold step forward.
"So? What will you do now?"
At Elise's question, the man visibly flinched and began backing away, his voice trembling as he tried to protest.
"Y-you people... do you have any idea what's going to happen because of this? The ones at fault are that tailor shop over there! We've got people backing us too...!"
But there was not a trace of the bluster he had shown before. All that remained was weakness. Yuri watched him with inward exasperation.
"If you would be so kind as to leave, please. The Saint-Elmo Trading Company will mediate this matter. If there is a problem with the transaction, then let us settle it through proper channels."
With a chilly smile, Elise delivered those words like a verdict from above. The man let out a pitiful scream—"Eeeek!"—then fled after tossing back one last, "You'll regret this!"
By the time the uproar had settled, the craftsmen who had been hiding in the back of the workshop finally emerged and began tidying the wrecked room. In the dusty air, one of the female artisans came to Elena's side, gently helped her into a chair, and softly rubbed her shoulder.
"Miss Elena, I'm sorry I couldn't help you..."
"It's all right. As the master's daughter, I'm the one responsible..."
Elena gave a small smile, but faint exhaustion and anxiety still lingered in her eyes.
"I can't let everyone else bear the burden for me."
In the midst of it all, Lily quietly walked over to Yuri's side. With a worried look, she took out a cloth and gently pressed it to his nose.
"My lord husband... please don't move. Your nose is still bleeding..."
At Lily's soft voice and gentle touch, Yuri's expression relaxed a little. Blushing slightly, he took a small bottle out of his inner pocket.
"I'll be fine once I drink this."
With that, he downed the contents in a single gulp, and before their eyes, Yuri's injuries began to heal. Elise's eyes went wide.
"L-Lord Strauss... is that... a potion, by any chance?"
"Uh, yeah. A potion."
Yuri gave a light smile, but Elise only leaned in further, her eyes shining now.
"Wait... was it specially given to you by the Church?"
At that question, a cold sweat ran down Yuri's back, and he glanced aside.
This is bad. I can't exactly tell her I bought medicine from another world with my Merchant Gift...
"No, um... I made it myself. I make this sort of thing as a hobby."
He shrugged awkwardly. Elise stared at him in even greater astonishment.
"You mean... Lord Strauss made it himself!?"
As Elise looked at him with wide eyes, Yuri scratched his head uncomfortably and let his gaze drift.
"Well, uh... yeah, maybe... something like that."
Elise stood there speechless for a while, then began muttering something under her breath.
"Could it be... no... surely...?"
Hm? Could what be true?
Not really understanding what she meant, Yuri nodded anyway.
"Right, yeah, I made it. Yep, I made it. Let's go with that."
At that, Elise suddenly leaned in close with a grave expression and whispered in an urgent tone.
"...Please, never say such a thing in public again. If rumors spread, the Church will set its sights on you!"
At the seriousness in her face, Yuri gave a wry nod.
"R-right. Got it. I'll keep quiet."
"All right, let's head back."
He said it a little too quickly, trying to cover his awkwardness, and Lily gave a soft little smile in response, speaking in her usual sweet, hesitant way.
"M-my lord husband, um... haven't you forgotten why we came here?"
Lily tilted her head and looked up at him anxiously. Yuri froze for an instant, then hurriedly pasted his smile back on.
"R-right. We did have business here. There are a few things I'd like to ask, so could you come to the company offices with us?"
When Yuri asked quietly, Elise nodded at once.
"Yes, of course, Lord Strauss."
Elise turned to Elena with a newly composed expression and spoke gently.
"Elena, then let's go to the company together. Would you be willing to tell us what happened?"
Elena lowered her eyes for a moment, as if unsure, but at the softness in Elise's voice, she finally gave a small nod.
"...All right."