Chapter 126: Weak Convictions Are Meaningless (5)

Henya could say with certainty that there had never been a moment in her life when she realized so much in such a short time.

Why did I tell a complete stranger my secret?

They say highly refined skills were indistinguishable from magic; Keter’s way with words approached the realm of magic. It wasn’t mere coincidence or a lapse in judgment—Keter had struck when Henya was in the place she felt safest, and hit her weakest point. More importantly, Keter had nothing to lose even if she didn’t answer the question. That was why he could ask without hesitation.

Henya, on the other hand, had never once imagined that a stranger would run off after hearing her secret. After all, this was Eslow’s palace, the safest place in the world. She had firm faith that even if someone were a stranger, they wouldn’t dare act carelessly here.

“Even so, shouldn’t he have at least asked for my permission first?!”

Henya, fuming, hurried to get ready. She wiped off her makeup, took off her dress, and finally put on her jet-black armor before she left the room.

But even then, she couldn’t just rush straight to Wid; she had to be extremely cautious. Although Eslow had granted Henya unlimited freedom, there was one exception: her future spouse.

“I don’t care who it is. But I won’t acknowledge him as my son-in-law if he cannot withstand one of my blows.”

Withstanding a blow from Eslow, the Lord of the South, was a feat that even a Grandmaster would have to bet their life on. For someone like Wid, who couldn’t even kill a bug, blocking his strike was as likely as the sun falling from the sky.

That was the reason Henya was so desperate to keep Wid a secret from her father. Even her choice to wear the conspicuous armor during their secret meetings was because it was a level five magic tool. The armor, outlined in gold, was a level five magic tool called Rainbow Black, on par with, or even superior to, artifacts. It had dozens of support enchantments.

Among them, Henya activated three specific spells to erase her presence: Veil and Sound Suppression, both four-circle magic spells, and Perception Reduction, a six-circle spell. Combined, these spells made her completely undetectable.

Even from Father.

But that was a huge misconception. The Palace of Arms was no ordinary structure; it was a domain, a privilege granted only to seven-star Transcendentals. Eslow’s personal domain was called Frontier Tombstone. Within it, Eslow wielded divine-level authority, similar to Lillian’s power.

He knew everything that Keter was doing around the palace, the fact that he had met Henya, and that he had suddenly left. He simply didn’t care, just as no one cared what an ant on the roadside was doing.

But Henya was the exception. Eslow held a deep interest in her, and he even had a curfew only for her.

“Off to meet that fish-smelling commoner again.”

Eslow was aware of Wid. To him, Wid was no different from a fish. Henya would be horrified if she knew.

“She’s just at that age where curiosity runs high.”

But Eslow didn’t realize that Henya loved Wid. He assumed it was the sort of passing amusement that all nobles experienced at least once.

“Learn and feel as much as you can, my dear Henya. You are my hope—”

Eslow exhaled a cloud of smoke from his pipe and murmured softly, “—and you will be my greatest weapon.”

* * *

Keter prided himself on knowing a lot and being deeply understanding. But there was one thing that he neither knew well nor understood: love.

“What do you think love is?”

“Huh...?”

Wid blinked at the sudden question from Keter, who had appeared out of nowhere. Any other commoner might have thought Keter was insane, but Wid was different.

He thought for a moment, then answered sincerely, “To act for the one you love and make it real. I think that’s love.”

“Oh?”

Keter’s eyes narrowed with interest. Wid’s answer was solid.

Then do I love freedom?

Keter thought Wid’s answer had a point, as he did act for freedom and made it happen. However, he still had lingering questions.

“So... what’s the difference between liking someone and loving them?” Keter asked.

Without hesitation, as if he had considered this before, Wid replied, “I think you can give up on something you like. For example, I like fishing. But when it rains, I give up fishing and enjoy listening to the raindrops at home. It’s partly because I dislike the rain, but it’s also because I would catch a cold if I went to fish in the rain. But if someone I loved were in danger. I would leave the house to help them, even if it was in the middle of a storm.”

“So, you’re saying love is something you would sacrifice for?”

“Yes. I can sacrifice for it.”

Hearing Wid’s confident answer, Keter narrowed his eyes even more.

He’s like Dork.

Unlike Dork, Wid desired nothing; he was someone content with the life he had. But like Wid said, if it came down to it, he would throw his life away to protect his beliefs, even if he was weak enough to lose to a stray dog.

“Sorry for not introducing myself first. I’m Keter, a Solver.”

“Oh, Mr. Keter. I see. But how did you know to come find me?”

“Henya and I are friends.”

“Oh... You’re Miss Henya’s friend... Oh, does that mean... you’re a noble?”

Startled, Wid quickly lowered his head to bow, but Keter stopped him from doing so by holding his forehead up with his finger.

“Cut the formalities. There’s something more important.”

“Something more important? If it’s about asking me to stop seeing Miss Henya, I will do it.”

“Do you hate her?”

“N-no.”

“Then do you like her? No, do you love her?”

“Ugh...”

Keter’s way of skipping all the fluff and getting straight to the point made Wid’s head hurt. Most of all, he couldn’t understand why Keter was asking, and he feared his answer might determine his fate. Could a commoner like him dare to love someone like Henya—a knight, and beautiful at that? He didn’t know the law, but instinctively, he thought it was impossible.

But..

...Is that a crime? Can loving someone truly be a crime?

At that moment, Keter’s gaze sharpened. He sensed that Wid was not going to hesitate anymore.

To stay true to his beliefs, Wid said, “Yes. I like Miss Henya. I enjoy talking to her. I know someone like me isn’t allowed that kind of thing. I’m only able to be near her because she’s kind. So I sincerely hope I never cause her any trouble.”

Though small and frail, Wid stood tall. Even serial killers avoided Keter’s gaze, yet Wid looked straight into his eyes without flinching.

Keter smiled.

“No wonder Henya loves you. You might be small, but your heart’s huge.”

“Haha, thanks for the... Wait, what?”

Wid couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Love? Henya loves me?

“Yeah. She’s totally head over heels for you.”

Seeing Wid’s dumbfounded expression, Keter repeated it.

“T-That can’t be! Someone like me?!”

Wid frantically shook his head, his face now bright red.

“What about you? Do you love Henya? Or is it just a simple crush? Tell me. I swear on noble honor I won’t tell anyone.”

“N-No matter how I think about it, someone like me loving Miss Henya is absurd. Just being by her side is more than I deserve. There’s no way I could possibly love...”

“Okay, got it. I guess I misunderstood. I thought you loved her. So, you wouldn’t mind if I got into her bed, right?”

“What?!”

Understanding what Keter meant, Wid’s expression changed. Wid was usually timid and maintained a certain distance away from people. But this time, he instinctively stepped forward.

Keter shrugged.

“Of course, I don’t love her. I wouldn’t sacrifice myself for her.”

Suddenly, the mood darkened. It was only Wid’s imagination, but it felt like the world dimmed around him. He thought he smelled blood from Keter and saw devilish horns rising in his shadow.

“All I want is just a night of fun.”

Wid, unaware of Henya’s status, clenched his fists.

“T-That’s not gentlemanly! Please don’t!”

“When someone tells me not to, I just want to do it more. Anyway, see ya.”

Keter turned to leave, but Wid grabbed his collar.

Keter smiled faintly and said, “You know, grabbing a noble’s collar without permission usually gets a commoner’s fingers chopped off. Didn’t know that? Well, now you do. Let go.”

“What should I do? Please tell me.”

“Your fingers. Off of me.”

His tone wasn’t angry, but Wid felt shivers run down his entire body. It felt like a cold snake was coiling around his neck.

“I don’t know why you came here or asked those questions. But if I’ve done something wrong, then please kill me. Miss Henya has done nothing wrong.”

“So you’d die for her?”

“...Yes.”

It was a declaration of conviction.

Whoosh!

Keter suddenly turned and pressed both of Wid’s cheeks together with one hand.

“Isn’t that love?”

“Eh...?”

“Didn’t you say you would sacrifice yourself for someone you love?”

“I-I did...”

“You said you wouldn’t risk your life for someone you just like, right?”

“...”

Wid’s gaze wavered. He had tried to hide it, but failed. He loved Henya; he had just tried to bury the feeling deep inside because he knew it was impossible and shameless.

“Relax. I’m on your side.”

Keter let go of Wid’s face. He tried to sling an arm over Wid’s shoulders, but the height difference made him crouch so low it strained his knees. He gave up.

“You’re on my side...?”

“I want you and Henya to be together.”

“That’s very kind of you, but... why would you go that far to help me? You just met me, and I have nothing.”

“I don’t care what you have. I just love turning the impossible into possible.”

And besides, he just realized that if he put Henya, a daughter of the Lord of the South, in his debt, he could surely use that to his advantage someday. It was fun

and

profitable; there was no way Keter would pass up on that.

“Uh, should I be saying thank you...? But I’m really sorry... I want to handle my relationship myself. It’s not that I’m rejecting your kindness, Mr. Keter. It’s just that love feels like a very personal matter—something that should be resolved between the two people involved.”

“You don’t know who Henya is, do you?”

“Huh? Isn’t she a knight?”

“You know Eslow, right?”

“Of course I do! Who doesn’t know Lord Eslow? He’s the Lord of the South and the lord of this very city I live in!”

“Henya is Eslow’s daughter.”

“...What?”

Very few people knew the truth about Henya. Part of it was because she avoided social gatherings, but the bigger reason was that Eslow deliberately kept her out of the spotlight.

Eslow, who had lived for over two hundred years, had many children—more than twenty, easily, but he rarely treated them like his own. He didn’t know most of their names, nor did he want to.

Henya, however, was different. She was his only daughter; maybe that was why he treasured her so deeply. The more perceptive nobles knew better than to approach her, as the oblivious ones were already dead. There was no one left who dared make a move on Henya.

Henya herself only ever introduced herself as a knight of Eslow, never as his daughter. As a result, most nobles assumed she was merely a female knight serving the Eslow family.

Wid froze like a statue, hearing Henya’s true identity from Keter. She was beautiful, charming, and strong. He had always seen her as a flower perched on a cliff—something he could never attain.

But he had been wrong. Henya wasn’t a flower on a cliff; she was a flower blooming in the middle of a vast ocean—a flower made of clouds, floating high in the unreachable sky.

Romances between nobles and commoners were a classic fairytale trope. But even in those tales, it was usually the male noble who married a beautiful and capable commoner woman. The reverse was practically nonexistent.

M-Miss Henya is... Lord Eslow’s daughter? Then... why? Why would someone like her... love someone like me?

Wid looked to Keter, who was smiling innocently, with not even a trace of malice. There wasn’t a hint of deception or manipulation. And really, what could anyone possibly gain by lying to a commoner like him?

It made no sense, yet it was so shocking that Wid couldn’t bring himself to believe it right away.

Keter, who could read Wid’s thoughts like an open book, spoke first, “You don’t believe it, huh?”

“Honestly... no. That Miss Henya loves me, and that she’s the daughter of the Lord of the South.. It all just sounds like a dream.”

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“If you’re struggling to believe it, imagine how I feel. That’s why I think we should confirm it.”

“Confirm it?”

“Yeah. Let’s check whether you two really love each other—whether Henya’s idea of love matches yours—or if it was all just a passing whim.”

“Uh... um...”

Wid couldn’t bring himself to agree.

Who was he to test her love? What right did he have?

At that moment, Keter extended a hand to him.

“Thanks for cooperating. Let’s give it our best shot.”

“Huh? I never said I would...”

Thwack!

A weak conviction was easily used and swayed by one that carried strength.