CHGD 08

Chapter 08

On the way from the library to the dining hall, Roaz kept trying to make conversation, perhaps because I looked bored.

At first, I thought it was his way of being considerate and responded to his chatter, but somehow the topics kept getting stranger.

“My lady, do you have any fantasies about knights? Like, what you’d want a knight to be like.”

“Hmm, not really.”

“Really? Then what do you expect from an escort?”

“As long as they keep me safe, that’s enough.”

Perhaps growing impatient because I was giving vague answers, his questions became more specific.

“Come to think of it, lunch is fish today. ……My lady, do you like octopus?”

“I neither like nor dislike it.”

“Not as food, but seeing them in person? For example, a monster that looks like an octopus. Have you ever seen one?”

“No, I haven’t.”

These weren’t topics suited for casual chat. But Roaz seemed desperate to confirm something with me, as if being chased by something.

Was it because I’d entered a castle of monsters? Once the suspicion started, there was no end to it. That doubt turned into certainty when the Count suddenly appeared during the meal.

“……Please, continue eating.”

After a brief exchange, the Count closed the door and left.

*Click—*

As the door closed, I spoke quietly.

“He’s gone, Count.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Roaz expressed his gratitude and emerged from the cupboard.

He brushed the dust off his clothes and glanced toward the door, as if confirming the Count was no longer nearby.

I swallowed the food in my mouth and asked.

“Why are you avoiding the Count?”

“Oh, no reason. Just felt like he’d nag me if I ran into him.”

When I narrowed my eyes at his suspicious behavior, Roaz chuckled and averted his gaze.

‘He crawled out of that narrow cupboard, didn’t he?’

I’d only just realized—Roaz was small. No, it wasn’t just his build. Roaz looked like a boy just over ten years old, more like a child than a knight.

It was clearly strange that I was only now thinking it odd that such a child was a knight.

Moreover, the escort knight himself was avoiding his master. In my memory, Roaz had been someone who conversed casually with the Count……

‘My memory is wrong.’

In that moment, I became certain that something was wrong with my memory.

No matter how monster-filled this castle was, there was no way I wouldn’t remember something as strange as a child that young serving as an escort knight.

‘But it’s certain there was an escort knight. Since my conversation with the Count was fine…… That means the original escort knight wasn’t Roaz.’

After piecing things together, I concluded that Roaz had usurped the escort knight’s position.

My memory had been overwritten.

‘Now then, what do I do about that kid.’

I continued my meal while observing Roaz.

The fact that my memory had been altered was unpleasant, but I wasn’t naive enough to show it.

Instead, I bided my time.

‘Reporting him to the Count is an option, but…… I don’t feel like it.’

For me, the Count was also a dangerous figure.

I couldn’t even tell whether this child was an ally or someone I should be wary of.

Still, one thing was certain: Roaz was avoiding the Count.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say. If this child’s goal wasn’t me but the Count……

‘He might become my ally.’

That would mean I’d secured one of the prerequisites for divorce or escape. I slowly opened my mouth.

“Roaz, come to think of it, I do have one thing I expect from my escort knight.”

“Oh, what is it?”

This was clearly a gamble. But I had an unfounded confidence that I would win.

Perhaps because every die I’d rolled since staying in this castle had come up six.

“I need someone on my side. A knight who would be loyal to me, even if it meant rebelling against the Count.”

“…….”

Roaz’s face hardened slightly.

I’d been noticing this since earlier—this child wasn’t good at managing expressions either. Rather, he was overly pure.

Monsters had no need to understand humans, so they wouldn’t need pretense or formality to deceive someone.

I wiped my mouth with a napkin, hiding my expression.

‘You think you’ve fooled me, but…… from what I see, you’re no different from the previous escort knight.’

Monsters who could kill with a gesture were frightening.

But humans could become more insidious than such monsters.

‘Besides, thanks to the Count earlier, I’m already a little used to this horror.’

I calmly continued my act.

“Roaz seems like someone with a lot to hide…… How about it? Would you like to make a deal with me?”

“……What do you think I’m hiding?”

“Shall I say it myself? Roaz…… no, *fake* escort knight.”

*Crack.*

A crack appeared in the cupboard’s glass behind Roaz. It was a threat of sorts, but to me, it was a signal of opportunity.

Anger meant my words had hit home.

There was nothing easier to handle than a simple monster.

—

Roaz was flustered.

To him, humans were nothing more than pests that arbitrarily invaded others’ homes.

When he revealed his true form, they bowed their heads; when they heard his voice, they screamed for mercy. That was the epitome of insignificant mortals—humans.

That was why the woman before him, Deliana, was an unfamiliar kind of human to him.

‘They said she was an ordinary human. Where did she go wrong?’

He glared at Deliana, who was meeting his gaze squarely.

Displeased with her eyes, he spread his aura to threaten her, but she didn’t budge.

‘This wasn’t part of the plan.’

Even he himself thought the operation to infiltrate Haster’s castle was perfect.

This castle, having become a separate world, wasn’t easy for even Roaz to enter. So he used Deliana’s mind as a medium to create a temporary passage.

He left no trace of using his power, nor any aftereffects on Deliana’s mind. Of course, Haster would have noticed his presence by now, but the fact that he’d entered the castle alone was already a success.

He’d planned to use Deliana, who now believed he was her escort knight, to attack Haster…… but she wasn’t moving as expected.

She showed no openings, and on the contrary, she suspected his existence.

‘How did she notice my identity?’

Roaz wasn’t particularly skilled at memory manipulation, but at the very least, it wasn’t at a level that humans could easily unravel.

They might develop suspicions, but he’d never seen someone fully recover their memories.

He wondered how a mere human had overcome his power.

‘And if she noticed, why is she acting so arrogant?’

An ordinary human should be begging for their life or trying to run to Haster for help.

But Deliana met his gaze and proposed a deal.

She didn’t even show signs of fear or anxiety. Even when he revealed the presence of his true form, her composure didn’t waver.

At first, her brazenness angered him, but that anger soon turned into interest.

No one gets scared just because an ant at their feet stares at them.

Showing a moment of mercy to a pathetic creature was nothing new to him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you have any proof I’m a fake?”

“Proof…….”

……But Roaz didn’t realize that his arrogant pride had just given Deliana a foothold.

Seeing Roaz’s simple response and relaxed attitude, a faint smile appeared on Deliana’s face.

Great beings could bend humans to their will with a single word or gesture, but they were ignorant of their insidious customs and subtleties.

The reason was simple.

Because those were concepts they had no need for.

The relationship between beings and humans was only one of worship, subservience, and fear—so there was no need to learn or understand human politics.

It wasn’t just Roaz who dismissed mortals who had never stood on the same level as them.

But this was Haster’s castle.

Roaz didn’t know that Deliana, the only human, stood on the same ground as a great being.

“If I don’t present proof, will you not believe me, Roaz?”

And so, he easily fell for her wordplay.

Like a country youth leaving his village for the first time, selling a family heirloom to a city merchant and buying a scrawny mule. His arrogance, unaware of his own ignorance, caught him by the ankle.

‘What does that mean?’

Roaz frowned deeply. *You* brought up the doubts first—why should *I* have to answer? His expression said it all.

“Well, because Roaz needs me.”

“I…….”

He’d waited to see how she’d blather on, but every word out of her mouth was absurd. Just as Roaz was about to retort in annoyance, Deliana spoke.

“Because the Count anticipated Roaz would come. He’s already finished preparing to capture you.”

“……!”

“You’ll need my help if you don’t want to be caught by the Count.”

Roaz’s body froze.

It was a dagger-like blow to Roaz, who had believed his plan was perfectly executed.

Haster noticing Roaz’s intrusion was within the plan.

Due to the nature of their existence, Haster couldn’t see through Roaz’s concealment, so as long as he hid himself, his safety was all but guaranteed.

But ‘preparing to capture’?

‘Did Haster have that kind of power?’

It was an operation that accounted for all of Haster’s abilities. Even if Haster appeared right now, he was confident he could escape safely.

But what if, just in case, Haster really had anticipated Roaz’s intrusion and laid some unknown trap……

Roaz swallowed hard.