# Chapter 8
“What’s with your face?”
Those were the first words Kailton uttered as soon as he entered the reception room and laid eyes on Roman.
Normally, Roman would have responded with a playful laugh, but today he held back his words. He had already confirmed his wretched appearance in the mirror at his lodgings that morning—he had been so sick that he could barely eat, and as a result, he had lost so much weight that he exuded a harsh atmosphere. It was so bad that even the Grand Duke’s butler, who was famous for being unflappable, had been startled at the sight of him.
As Roman brought his half-empty teacup back to his lips, Kailton approached, showing off his long legs, and sat down on the opposite sofa.
“Did something happen?”
His face showed no concern whatsoever, but there was a subtle worry in his voice. Thinking that only someone of his caliber would notice, Roman belatedly moved his lips.
“I spent the night with my bones and flesh burning.”
A faint smile immediately appeared on Kailton’s lips.
“Your partner must have had quite the stamina. But wasn’t it the 15th?”
Just as Roman knew Kailton well, the Grand Duke also knew him well. If Roman said he had ended up like this due to the aftereffects of taking suppressants, Kailton would immediately start asking all sorts of questions. Since Roman wanted to avoid receiving any more attention, he set down his teacup and changed the subject.
“How is Ruth?”
“He was crying, but he fell asleep a little while ago.”
“…I asked the wrong question.”
Even though Kailton knew Roman was asking about Ruth’s overall condition, he gave such an answer.
Roman recalled the face of the butler who had politely asked him to wait just a moment when he had visited the Grand Duke’s residence. He had waited for over twenty minutes while drinking tea as instructed, and apparently during that time they had been conducting their business in broad daylight.
In any case, since Kailton responded to his inquiry about Ruth’s well-being with a joke, it seemed Ruth was fortunately safe. Then it was time to ask about the kidnapper’s safety.
“Is Lord Elodin safe?”
“Regrettably, he is. My uncle made the first move, you see. When that stubborn old man came all the way to the estate and pleaded, I couldn’t very well say anything harsh.”
To others, it would have been easy to be deceived by such words, but once again Roman easily saw through Kailton’s true intentions.
“It seems Lord Elodin came along as well. I suppose you received a vow that he would never show himself again.”
“…This is why I like you.”
The trivial wordplay was enough. Keeping his gaze fixed on Roman’s face, Kailton brought up the main topic in a rather serious tone.
“Do you have any intention of going to Eslen with us this time? You helped find Ruth, so I’d like to give you appropriate compensation… “
His low voice, which had paused briefly, continued again.
“I’ll be direct. I need your help.”
“Please be more specific.”
At that, Kailton spoke smoothly, as if there were a script for a play in front of him.
“We’ll be returning soon, and I don’t think Ruth will bite if I just tell him to come along, so I’m thinking of giving him a guild to run… Since simply taking on requests and being responsible for operating one are quite different, I’d like you to help him until things are somewhat settled.”
It was a valid point. In fact, despite setting up the guild with thorough planning, Roman himself had to go through various unforeseen trials and errors in the beginning. However, unlike Roman, Ruth wasn’t alone.
“Don’t you have many excellent people among your close associates? It doesn’t necessarily have to be me.”
“That’s true. But if there’s someone he knows nearby, he’ll feel much more comfortable mentally.”
His words were filled with consideration for the other person to an almost unbelievable degree.
As someone who had known him since childhood, it was admirable, but… contrary to the Grand Duke’s concerns, Ruth had a surprisingly bold yet insensitive side. Moreover, he had strong survival skills, so he seemed like the type who could quickly adapt no matter where you threw him. In short, Roman thought the Grand Duke’s worries were needless, but seeing someone who used to be entirely self-centered now caring for someone as his partner was both amazing and heartwarming.
“Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity for you too? You could return to your roots and indulge in memories, and take this chance to meet some men from the northern region.”
At the joking remark, Roman responded playfully as well.
“The latter does sound somewhat appealing.”
“Ruth and I plan to go to Helaon before returning, but you can go ahead first if you’d like. Everyone will welcome you with open arms when you arrive.”
Among the knights he had once shared hardships with, there were still those who remained by the Grand Duke’s side. Roman wasn’t sure if they would actually welcome him with open arms when he went to Eslen, but they would certainly be happy to see each other after such a long time.
In any case, it was extremely rare for the Grand Duke to humble himself like this to ask someone for something. Since it wouldn’t be polite to refuse immediately, Roman smiled gently and gave a bland answer that would buy him some time.
“I’ll think about it.”
***
After leaving the Grand Duke’s residence, Roman’s next destination was the guild office.
“Woof! Woof!”
Recognizing Roman, Bark wagged his tail vigorously, expressing his joy with his whole body. When Roman fed him the jerky he had prepared in advance, Bark immediately became absorbed in the food. Still, Roman patted the head of the dog who continued to wag his plump tail as if it might fall off a couple of times before opening the back door and entering the guild building.
The hallway was quiet. After walking a few steps and turning right, a familiar wooden door came into view. Though it wasn’t a space that particularly required knocking, out of consideration for whoever might be inside, Roman lightly knocked on the door a couple of times before turning the handle.
“You’re back?”
Both Isabel’s greeting and the office decorated to her taste felt like it had been quite a while. Since he had been absent for over ten days, it actually had been a while.
“Did the job go well?”
“More or less. Let’s talk for a bit if you have time.”
“Would you like some tea?”
“I just had some.”
He had headed straight to the guild office after leaving the Grand Duke’s residence. Clever Isabel approached the table with a thick ledger without being told.
Soon, watching her sit across from him, Roman started with a perfunctory question.
“Was there anything unusual?”
“Of course not. I’ve organized everything, so please check it over.”
Roman chuckled and reached for the ledger.
‘You’d think she would ask more warmly how I’ve been or be curious about what kind of work I did.’
Or she might say that since he must be tired today, he should go home early, but as expected, Isabel was someone who exceeded his expectations.
Flip, flip—after turning a few pages, request forms written in handwriting other than his own began to appear. Roman scanned the text with quick eyes. After briefly reviewing the request details, the corresponding costs, and the names of the assigned guild members, there was indeed nothing to criticize. This explained why Isabel had handed over the ledger with such a confident expression.
The moment he turned one more page, Roman paused at a name that caught his eye.
Client: Margaret van Rood
The request details were the same as before. And in the place where guild members sign, there was likewise a familiar name written.
“It seems Mrs. Rood extended the request.”
“Yes. Diego came to the guild about that matter, so I discussed it with Hubert and approved it.”
“I don’t see Martin’s name.”
There was only one name written at the bottom. Neither Isabel nor Martin would make such a mistake. Unless…
“This time, she specifically requested only Diego. I carefully sent a reply saying that it would be more efficient with two people, but she said it was fine and to proceed as is.”
“……”
Roman kept silent with a somewhat stiff expression. As Isabel said, it was extremely rare to take on escort duties alone. After looking down at the request form for a moment, Roman raised his head and asked.
“Then what is Martin doing now?”
“He went to Fortea and returned this morning. So he’s probably resting at home.”
It seemed he had gone and completed some other job in the meantime. After turning a couple more pages, Roman spotted details with Martin’s name written on them, and after finishing the review, he closed the ledger.
Requests had been coming in steadily, and everything seemed to be running smoothly without any particular problems. This made Roman involuntarily think that things might be fine even without him.
“Is there anything else to report?”
“No. Curtis did come by, but it didn’t seem particularly important.”
The face of the genial man who led the commercial guild one block away came to mind. Since there was no particular message, it seemed he had come to suggest having a drink together.
“I’m going to step out for a bit.”
“When do you plan to return?”
“Tomorrow morning. If anyone comes looking for me, let them know.”
