You, Who’s Kind Only To Me - Chapter 7

“I suppose I’ve always had a bit of luck on my side.”

“It certainly seems that way.”

“And Your Excellency doesn’t appear to be any different.”

“…I’d like to refute that.”

Despite their light banter, their demeanor was sharp, and they kept a keen eye on their surroundings.

The darkness around them deepened. Despite confirming that the sun was high in the sky before they set off, this place felt as if it belonged to a different world, shrouded in darkness.

Sshh…

A thick fog enveloped the entire island. Lucas, who had been watching the creeping darkness on the ground, asked the chief of staff.

“The reason altar rituals were strongly prohibited since ancient times is to prevent the roots of the prayer from reaching the ‘Nightmare,’ whatever their purpose may be.”

“That’s correct, Your Excellency.”

“Historically, a few times, individuals enchanted by the dream’s allure have appeared, but… it’s hard to say that anything significant happened.”

The events of ten years ago were nothing short of a disaster…

“At best, they were just small monsters drawn by unauthorized magic, and they weren’t difficult to defeat. They were creatures we were familiar with.”

Monsters, as a concept, can be a disaster for powerless civilians, even small goblins can be a menace. However, for knights who have completed their training, it’s not a significant problem.

Unless there are an incredibly large number of them, they form groups, or they are large monsters like ogres or trolls, which might require a whole knight order to handle, dealing with a few small individuals can be done by a junior knight on their own.

The ability to handle such situations was due to their knowledge of tactics. Creatures they were familiar with were less likely to become a menace.

“But, ‘that thing’ over there does seem like something we’ve never seen before.”

However, what if it’s ‘unknown’? A presence beyond human perception, which is what humans fear the most.

“Hohoho, looks like we won’t be leaving work early today.”

“It seems that way.”

“I wonder if the ritual at the altar was really successful?”

“Well, I guess we’ll find out from now on.”

Kiiieeeek!

Simultaneously, sharp screams erupted. Lucas, who had swiftly cut down the darkness that emerged from the ground aiming at the chief of staff, grimaced.

Chaeeng! Chaeng! Swords clashed in various places.

Among them, Gillian, who wielded the most dazzling blade, guarded the Duke. Lucas, after swinging his sword again to repel the darkness that had surged towards him, looked around his surroundings.

‘Physical force seems to work, but it doesn’t feel like they’re taking hits. The only thing that works… maybe auras?’

It was the most frustrating situation. While not causing any actual damage, being affected by the aura meant that the enemies were highly likely magical creatures.

Mages were elite individuals, and most of them tended to stay within their own ‘domains.’

Accumulating mana within their domains and using it as a basis to ‘manifest’ magic was the way magic worked in the current era.

However, most mages couldn’t exert more than 30% of their original power outside of their domains, which was a significant limitation.

They were very reluctant to move their domains or venture outside of them, so Lucas, as the realm’s security measure and an advanced researcher, chose to bring Gillian here rather than a wizard who was also a high-ranking researcher.

‘Perhaps I should have brought that troublemaker with me, despite the inconvenience.’

Thinking of the red-haired chatterbox, Lucas swung his sword again.

The darkness seemed to have sensed that the opponent was not to be underestimated and hesitated for a moment, then abruptly withdrew to the floor. Lucas swung his sword a bit too late, and the only sound of the sword striking the hard floor could be heard.

The fog thickened around them. Lucas examined for any further signs of the adversary but realized there were no longer any indications of an enemy presence. He sheathed his sword.

Gillian, who had taken back his aura, approached Lucas.

“What shall we do?”

“Magical beings don’t just appear out of thin air. There must be a core that supplies mana.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to bring Ian along?”

He fell silent for a moment, then spoke.

“The dog serves as a kind of barrier. If we leave the core that creates these ominous things from the outside world untouched… we can’t guarantee what might happen while we’re away.”

“….I understand.”

“I wish we could stay, but you know… At least a few of us should go back and report the situation.”

“You should return as well, Your Excellency. We’ll stay here.”

“Yes, that’s right. No matter how important this task is, your safety is our top priority.”

When a few knights tried to interject, Lucas chuckled wryly.

“I appreciate your concern, but I’ll stay.”

“Your Excellency!”

“As expected, it seems like only I can hear it.”

He gazed into the foggy interior of the island that had been obscuring their view.

“This singing… “

Ah- aahh–, ah—

He clenched the hilt of his sword tightly, feeling a high-pitched note resonating in his mind, a melody that had been haunting him since the darkness began its assault..

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