Chapter 73 : The Proposal

“Ah, I’ve kept you far too long when you’ve only just awoken.”

Count Stavanger looked at me for a moment longer, then rose from his seat.

“You must still be weary. Rest well. There are servants waiting outside—tell them if you need anything at all.”

He gave a polite nod and left, closing the door behind him.

Click.

“….”

I lay there staring at the ceiling, replaying his words, his expression, his eyes, his entire manner.

He was nothing like Baron Barankia.

The baron had sneered at me for being a commoner and tried to have me killed in secret. But this count had saved me from the Knight of Frost and even paid for my treatment.

For now, he seemed like someone I could trust.

If he’d wanted me dead, he could have killed me long ago.

But… there was something far more pressing.

How was I still alive?

After driving my blade into the Knight of Frost’s chest, I had been engulfed by the ice erupting beneath my feet.

All I remembered was the sensation of cold death swallowing me whole.

That was the last thing I knew.

And yet… I lived.

I’d assumed the count had somehow negotiated with him, but that wasn’t the case.

The count insisted I had defeated the Knight of Frost.

His gaze had been steady, his tone sincere, as if wondering why I didn’t already know.

He truly believed I had slain that monster.

“…What the hell?”

I lay still, staring at the ceiling—until a voice I had longed to hear resonated in my head.

The voice of someone who knew the truth.

[Awake, are you?]

“…Master.”

[Foolish brat. How long were you planning to lie there? Such laziness is proof of your poor training.]

The Heavenly Demon’s voice was as curt as ever.

“What happened?”

[Nothing unusual. Things went as you remember.]

“The count says I defeated the Knight of Frost.”

[Did you not drive your sword into his heart? That’s what he must have seen.]

“Oh… then what happened to him?”

[After being pierced, he staggered and fled.]

“…Really? He looked perfectly fine.”

[He wasn’t, clearly.]

“Ahh. That makes sense.”

No one could take a sword through the heart and stay unscathed.

He’d only acted like nothing was wrong. In reality, he must have been badly wounded.

I pictured that cold bastard stumbling away with his stone-faced expression cracking, and a laugh slipped out of me.

“Heheh.”

*[…] *

“So then, what happened after?”

[As you suspect. The count found you unconscious and took you away.]

Piecing it together:

Hans, hearing royal knights were hunting me, had gone to Count Stavanger for aid. The count rushed to find me and arrived just in time to witness the fight.

The Knight of Frost had trapped me in ice, then retreated. The count freed me from the prison of ice and carried me back.

“…Hm?”

Something about it felt off.

I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the puzzle pieces didn’t quite fit.

And this pain wracking my body—it wasn’t only the backlash of summoning the Blood Moon.

My instincts told me there was another reason.

My suspicions pointed straight to the Heavenly Demon.

“Master.”

[What?]

“Did you… do something?”

[What could I have done?]

“That’s what I’m asking you.”

[If you’ve time to spout nonsense, use it to meditate instead.]

Dodging the question.

My suspicion deepened.

I obeyed his words and began breathing cultivation.

“Fine. Time to check for myself.”

It was best done sitting up, but lying down wasn’t impossible—though I risked drifting into sleep.

I closed my eyes and sank inward.

First, I examined my inner energy.

The situation wasn’t good.

The vast pool of internal energy I once had was nearly gone, leaving only a thin layer sloshing faintly at the bottom of my dantian.

“…Mm.”

Not unexpected.

I’d poured everything into that battle.

So of course my internal energy had been spent as well.

“…Huh?”

But something else was strange.

Meridians I had never once used were suddenly burst wide open, swollen as though a river had been forced into them after days of torrential rain.

They had been torn open roughly, unnaturally.

No wonder my body hurt so much.

“…Hrm.”

It looked suspiciously like the handiwork of the Heavenly Demon.

My suspicions sharpened—and then he chuckled.

[Your perception has improved.]

My doubt hardened into certainty.

“Ha. So you did do something.”

He replied without care.

[I borrowed your body for a moment. It was the brink of death, after all.]

So it had been him who saved me. The method was unexpected, but the truth was plain.

Gratitude welled up, but I wasn’t the kind of man to show it easily. I grumbled instead.

“Seriously? Possessing my body without permission? I thought you were just a voice stuck in my head. You're renting me out like an inn now?”

He snorted.

[You think I wanted to step onto the stage? You were so damn pathetic, you almost died. What else was I supposed to do?]

“Then at least teach me some more techniques.”

[Tsk tsk. Save your begging.]

“Begging? More like demanding. Hand ‘em over.”

[Not until you master the Night Sky Star Moon Art. Train harder.]

“…Tch.”

There was nothing to do but resume cultivating, so I did—grumbling all the while.

Before long, the focus lulled me toward sleep.

I surrendered and drifted off.

Several days passed.

A priest known for treating internal injuries visited me.

He channeled waves of gentle light through my body.

I asked in awe, “Ohhh. Is this the blessing of the mysterious Night Goddess, Ketel?”

The priest frowned.

“No. I serve Hope, the Sun God of midday.”

“…Oh. I see.”

“Yes.”

“…Hope is fine too, I guess.”

“….”

Whatever the case, it worked. My body grew far stronger.

The pain that once stabbed at every movement dulled considerably.

Only my left arm remained weak, bound in splints and suspended with a cloth sling around my neck.

But I was never one to stay indoors.

The confinement gnawed at me.

So one day, I stepped outside the building.

But I couldn’t wander far.

The Count had warned me again and again to stay hidden.

If word got out that the Devil of Red Eyes was here, it would cause no end of trouble.

Still, since the annex where I was staying was a fair distance from the Count’s main estate, I didn’t need to worry too much.

So, what did I do after finally stepping outside?

“No, no, that’s not how you do it.”

“Then how?”

“You’ve got to make the flowers show! The flowers are the whole point!”

“Easy for you to say. Try doing it with one hand!”

I was sitting in a sunlit field with Joy, weaving flower bracelets.

It was a practical choice, really.

With my arm in this state, swinging a sword was out of the question for now, and I needed to restore my inner energy.

Qi, after all, is the energy of nature.

So instead of cooping myself up indoors, it was far more effective to sit outside surrounded by sunlight and greenery.

Like now—sitting in the warm sun, in a field of fresh green grass.

Of course, it wasn’t the right place to drop into deep meditation, but weaving flower bracelets while practicing breathing techniques worked just fine.

That’s how I ended up playing with Joy.

And, strangely enough… it was fun.

Like waking from a bad dream.

One moment I had been floundering in a blood-soaked mire against fiends, and now here I was, weaving wildflowers in a sunlit meadow with an innocent child.

It soothed me. My weary, dried-out soul was finding peace again.

Free for once from the constant pressure of pursuit, I laughed quietly in the sunlight.

“Heheh.”

A knight who had been sneaking glances at me flinched and looked away in a panic.

When I met his eyes, he quickly averted his gaze, pretending to watch something else intently.

“….”

Joy and I weren’t alone in the field.

Knights of House Stavanger were stationed all around us, keeping watch like a protective ring.

Their polished armor gleamed, their swords looked sharp and costly, and their eyes swept the surroundings like hawks.

Yet they weren’t very intimidating.

Not with flower bracelets around their wrists and flower crowns perched on their heads.

All courtesy of the little girl sitting in front of me, weaving flowers with her tiny hands.

I noticed a bunch of wildflowers dangling from one knight’s scabbard like a keychain.

He caught my gaze and spoke.

“Sir Ashuban. Is something the matter…?”

I pointed at the flowers.

“Pretty. Don’t you think so, Sir Walpole?”

Walpole gave an awkward smile.

“Ah… yes.”

He was younger than me, and one of the few knights who seemed genuinely friendly.

I’d heard he even volunteered to guard me.

Most of the others looked at me with fear or suspicion.

When I’d begun walking around the manor again, the knights stationed there had given me strange looks.

Later, I realized what it was—reverence.

…Just what had the Heavenly Demon done with my body?

“Uncle.”

“Mm?”

Joy was fiddling with flowers as she asked,

“What happened to the bracelet I gave you before?”

“Oh, that? It was on my left arm but…”

I quickly pulled aside the bandages to check my wrist.

“…But it’s gone.”

“Hmm.”

It must have broken when I was frozen during the fight with the Knight of Frost.

“That bastard broke it. Don’t worry, I’ll get revenge for you.”

Joy stared at me, then turned her head sharply with a sulky tone.

“I don’t need that.”

“Huh?”

I blinked at her in surprise, then shot a desperate glance at Walpole, who had been watching in amusement.

I could cut down monsters with ease, but calming a child? That was beyond me.

As I exchanged helpless looks with Walpole, Joy spoke again.

“…I can always make more bracelets. But don’t go taking revenge.”

She walked over and slipped the tenth bracelet she’d made onto my arm.

“Understand?”

Her big round eyes met mine, waiting for confirmation.

My instinct was to scowl and say, No, I don’t care what you think. One day I’ll return what the Knight of Frost did to me tenfold.

But looking into those wide, innocent eyes, I couldn’t say it.

I just nodded.

“…Alright.”

Joy broke into a smile.

That smile melted the darkness in me like snow in sunlight.

Why was I always so weak to kids?

Since receiving should mean giving, I made something for her in return.

Weaving with one hand was clumsy, but I managed to twist together a small flower ring.

“Hand.”

I slipped it roughly onto her finger.

“How’s that? Pretty, right?”

Joy looked at the crooked ring, then said,

“Not really. You should’ve used bigger flowers.”

…This brat.

She peered up at me mischievously.

“Uncle.”

“What.”

“You put it on my fourth finger.”

“…So what?”

Only then did I realize—I’d slipped it onto her ring finger without thinking.

Joy grinned.

“That means you’re asking me to marry you.”

“What?”

She sprang to her feet and bolted toward the manor.

“Hehehe! Uncle proposed to me!”

“Hey! That’s not what it means!”

“I’m telling Mom and Dad!”

“Stop right there!”

I tried to jump up, but my breathing faltered and I collapsed back down.

“Ugh.”

All I could do was stare helplessly as Joy ran off, giggling all the way.

…Hans was going to kill me.

Beside me, Walpole murmured, watching her disappear,

“So then… shall I officiate the wedding?”

“Shut it.”

“Yes, sir.”

He answered with a grin.

Around us, the other knights twitched their lips, clearly holding back laughter. When I caught their eyes, they coughed and quickly turned away, pretending to scan the horizon.

“Tch. This damned place and its ridiculous customs.”

In my mind, the Heavenly Demon’s snickering rang out, smug and irritating.

I tore at a clump of flowers in frustration when footsteps sounded.

I looked up—someone was approaching from the main estate.

“…Huh?”

That face was familiar.

Clang!

The knights snapped into formation and saluted as one.

(End of Chapter)

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