'Is this really Dale's house?'
I entered a three-story house in a residential neighborhood in the capital.
It was quiet and secluded, although it was not far from the shop-lined street.
It was the best house I had ever seen, and I wondered how he had found such a location.
I went up to the second floor, opened the windows wide, and marveled at the view.
"wow……!"
Not only could I see the shopping district, but I could also see the capital at a glance.
“Dale, you know, this place really….”
“Yes, it is.
It's just a bit old and unusable.”
"What?"
said Dale, looking very sorry.
“I'll look for another place as soon as I can.”
“No……that’s not what I meant…….I meant to say I like the house.”
Dale's face suddenly lit up.
He smiled in satisfaction.
“I'm glad you like it.”
“It's so beautiful, it's hard to believe you lived in a house like this all by yourself, Dale.”
“It was a house I used occasionally when I had work in the capital.”
“I'm quite happy with this house, Dale.”
“Dale, aren’t you a very rich man with a lot of money?
How can you say you’re looking for another house so easily?”
“…….”
“It's like you're going to get a real estate catalog from somewhere at any moment.”
Just then, Dale tore something off in his hand.
"What happened?
Why did you tear this paper?"
“……It had a bug on it.”
“Did you pick it up with this paper?”
Dale was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Okay."
“That's great, but why are you sweating like that?”
Dale looked at me nervously.
He looked terrified, too.
“I don't like insects.”
He quickly put the paper in the stove and burned it.
'Does he hate them that much?'
Despite his powerful physique, he seemed to be afraid of small insects.
But he could catch insects, so he was the best roommate.
“Mmm……!”
I leaned out the window.
It felt good to see something I haven't seen in a long time.
“It's been a long time since I've smelled the capital.”
The cold winter breeze entered my nostrils.
“I love it.”
A lot has changed in the three years I've been gone.
There were new roads and more buildings.
The Imperial Palace has been renovated and is now larger and more modern.
“That was probably the Knights' new building, right?”
"This is correct."
“But, Dale, this is a three-story house, so were all the floors yours?”
“I usually only use the second floor.”
The first floor of the house was reserved for guests, the second floor was for Dale, and the third floor was a mystery.
Was it a storeroom?
Not many single aristocratic men could afford a house like this.
Where did Dale get the money for this?
'Come to think about it, Dale was a top-tier mercenary with a high completion rate, even though he didn't accept many missions.'
Actually, I did a little more research.
And I discovered why Dale had a phenomenal 100% completion rate.
He wasn't a mercenary who got a lot of work.
Instead, he was a mercenary who only took dangerous jobs, those that paid him well.
‘It seems that he was a fallen noble.’
I thought he had good taste, but the furniture in this house today bears that out.
They are all expensive, handcrafted by artisans famous to the rising nobility.
Given the difficulty of purchasing them in the first place, I was sure that Dale was a gentleman.
'A fallen aristocrat with a story to tell.'
I stared at Dale.
That face, that story.
He looks like the hero of a novel.'
Not the hero of this novel, of course.
Just then, the strings of my hood unintentionally came undone.
“You have to tie the knot correctly so it doesn’t come loose.”
I raised my chin and deftly finished the ribbon knot.
“Thanks, Dale.”
He looked at me and smiled.
“What do you think I look like now?
Isn’t it strange?”
“Beautiful”
“Oh, you too, Dale!”
“Ouch.”
I know I punched Dale in the chest, but why does my arm hurt?
Is it because my muscles are tight?
I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
“I think I look like my mother because my hair is brown now.”
When I arrived in the capital, I drank a potion that changed the color of my hair and eyes.
Brown hair and brown eyes.
It was a normal and common color.
“You should call me Anne here.”
“Yes, Ann.”
“How about this, do you think the disguise is perfect?”
“…….”
Dale pressed his eyebrows together as if he had just encountered the most serious problem in the world.
“You can say no.”
“Even in disguise, you are beautiful.”
I was impressed with Dale's professionalism.
“But I guess there are no neighbors living here?”
“The building was originally used as a store, so it is not intended for residential use.”
"Show……."
I preferred the quiet of the neighborhood over the hustle and bustle.
“Okay, since we're in the capital, I'll take a look at the stores and see if I can find any glowing stones.”
“I'll be right back”
“No, no.”
She grabbed Dale's arm and he stiffened.
“Dale is not my servant, but my husband.
I meant for you to come with me.”
“Your husband……”
Dale stared at me as if contemplating my words.
"Understood."
His face brightened even more.
“I will get you there safely.”
* * *
It came out on the market for the first time in a long time.
I could see the carriages of many noble families, but I didn't recognize any of the faces.
“It feels like the end of the year, don't you think?”
“You're right, Anne.”
“Dale, come here.”
I pulled Dale close to me.
The capital was a far cry from where I had been hiding for the past three years.
I had deliberately chosen places to hide out of sight, but seeing them again after so long felt like I was possessed for the first time.
“Let's go to the stores there first.”
Once again, every shop was devoid of glowing stones.
“Did you find out anything about the guild?”
“Soon the news will arrive.”
“Good”
So all we have to do is wait.
“Dale is unusual, by the way.”
“…….”
Dale looked at me as he walked away nervously.
"He can spread the news up north, he's got a house, he doesn't seem to be short of money, and he's accepted my offer.
I want to know who you are, Dale."
Dale's golden eyes softened, and he looked at me, a slightly complicated expression on his face.
“Have you committed any crime?”
She whispered cautiously.
“Just kidding.”
“…….”
“So, Dale, what are you going to do in a year when our contract is up?”
I thought about it, and wondered about his future.
Where will he be and what will he do?
“By
That time, I'll probably be…….”
At that moment, I heard a chorus of people talking.
“……!
Wait, Dale!”
I pulled Dale tight.
“Look, here are the Imperial Knights.”
She held him tight and whispered, and Dale's eyes widened.
There were people who shouldn't be there now.
My brother's knights.