Raymond’s gaze sharpened, and at the same time, a pair of crimson eyes opened within his shadow, staring at Ian.
“My subordinates report that yesterday, a stranger broke into the village. After being captured and interrogated, he refused to reveal his background or purpose…”
“So, Mr. Cat, can you tell me what your real objective is?”
Raymond paused, his sharp eyes locked firmly onto Ian.
Yet the handsome, black-haired youth before him remained completely at ease, even in the face of the chief (Fifth Rank) knight’s discerning gaze.
“I’m sorry, Lord Raymond. I truly only came here to save Shirleyviel…”
Strictly speaking, Ian wasn’t lying—he’d merely omitted a few details and reasons.
Ian’s answer didn’t surprise Raymond. What made him frown was the conclusion from his beast companion.
Raymond’s beast companion, the ‘Shadow Wolf’, could easily see into a person’s heart and perceive all their emotions.
From Ian, the Shadow Wolf hadn’t detected a single trace of deceit, which greatly surprised Raymond.
After a long silence, Raymond finally spoke.
“All right, Mr. Cat. You truly aren’t lying. However, for my lady’s safety, I can’t allow someone of unknown origin to remain in the village. So I’m sorry, Mr. Cat…”
Now it was Ian’s turn to fall silent. He understood Raymond’s decision.
If he were the bodyguard, he wouldn’t let someone with unclear origins and motives stay near his employer either.
Ian hadn’t revealed his background because of his agreement with Marquis Bert and also to avoid getting entangled in the plot as much as possible.
But he hadn’t expected the problem to arise here.
[Shirleyviel Connalt: Correction 10% (Stable)]
He glanced at the System panel and saw that Shirleyviel Connalt’s status had stabilized.
After a brief thought, Ian decided to accept Raymond’s suggestion and leave for now.
Anyway, there was still some time before the main plot started. Leaving for a few days shouldn’t be a big deal.
“All right, Lord Raymond. I’m willing to leave the village…”
Hearing Ian’s answer, Raymond breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to use force against someone who had helped him, either.
“Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Cat…”
“Just call me Ian.”
“Very well, please wait a moment, Mr. Ian. Although it’s a shame you can’t stay in Erna Village, it’s a fact that you’ve helped us.”
As he spoke, Raymond reached out his hand, and from his shadow, a large wolf’s head emerged. The wolf’s mouth held a bag, which it placed in Raymond’s hand before retreating back into the shadow.
“Mr. Ian, this is your reward for bringing the young lady back.”
Ian glanced at the bag Raymond held out.
Inside were dozens of gold coins, each engraved with the Connalt family crest—a wolf’s head encircling a white maple.
By Ian’s rough estimation, there were at least fifty coins.
Fifty gold coins—considering that a typical family wouldn’t even spend five gold coins in an entire year, this was a hefty sum.
For a knight order’s captain, this was by no means a casual token of appreciation.
Raymond’s “thank you” was far more generous than Ian had expected.
After a brief pause, Ian accepted the pouch without hesitation.
He’d left the Filimon Family in a hurry and hadn’t brought his private funds. This reward had come at just the right time.
“Thank you for your generosity, Lord Raymond.”
Ian carefully stowed away the pouch, not bothering with any false modesty.
“This is what you deserve.”
Raymond nodded.
“My subordinates will escort you beyond the village limits to ensure your safety along the road. After that… I wish you a safe journey, Mr. Ian.”
A result that satisfied both parties always brought relief.
***
Afterward, accompanied by two guards from the White Maple Wolf Knights, Ian left Erna Village.
There were still three months left until Shirleyviel’s plotline began, so there was no need to rush.
Ian set out toward White Maple City.
On the way, he devoted part of his attention to the System interface, checking his task status and available resources.
When his gaze swept over the [Corrected (Ongoing) Female Lead] list, he couldn’t help but frown.
There were two names on the list:
- Otillia Filimon (Status: Corrected/???)
- Shirleyviel Connalt (Status: Correcting, Correction 10%)
Those three ‘???’ had appeared ever since Otillia’s correction value reached its maximum.
The System’s explanation was to ignore the error, and since Otillia hadn’t shown any abnormalities for quite some time, Ian didn’t pay it much mind.
The problem lay in how Otillia’s name was displayed.
Ian remembered that her name had previously been a gentle, pale pink.
But now, it had turned a vivid, striking black-red—so conspicuous it was hard to ignore.
It looked just like the title font from a horror movie back in his previous life.
That uneasy feeling he’d had when leaving the Filimon Family returned to Ian’s heart.
“System, what’s going on with Otillia Filimon’s name color? Wasn’t it pink before? What does this black-red mean? Has something happened to her?”
Just in case, Ian asked the System.
[Ding. Replying to host, this is the System’s personalized theme display function.
The host can freely adjust display color, font, etc., to suit personal aesthetic or for easier distinction.
The current color is a randomly switched System theme color: ‘Theme of Abyss and Danger’. Would you like to change it?]
The System’s electronic voice was as calm as ever.
Personalized themes? Random switches?
Ian’s mouth twitched. He felt this explanation was… a bit too casual.
But the sense of unease brought by that black-red color was all too real.
“You’re sure it’s just a display issue? It has nothing to do with her actual state?”
[System confirms: this is only a visual effect for the interface and does not affect any actual data or status feedback. Otillia Filimon’s correction status is stable. There’s no need to worry. If the host dislikes this color, you may mentally say ‘change theme’ to adjust it.]
The System’s answer left no room for doubt.
Ian half believed it. He tried mentally saying “change theme.”
Sure enough, just as the System had said, Otillia’s name began flashing through different colors: emerald green, sky blue, bright yellow, soft violet…
In the end, Ian settled on a relatively gentle shade of silver-grey.
Looking at it now… it did seem more normal… right?
But the initial jolt and lingering sense of unease left by that black-red color hadn’t completely faded.
He shook his head and forced himself to set the doubt aside for now.
Since the System insisted, there was nothing more he could do. The most important thing right now was Shirleyviel’s task.
‘As long as you can run, it’s not a bug!’.jpg
***
A few hours later, the grand White Maple City came into view.
Towering white walls gleamed under the sunlight, and carriages and pedestrians flowed through the gates—a lively human bustle in stark contrast to the tranquility of Erna Village.
Ian paid the city entrance tax and entered this famed northern city with the crowd.
His top priority now was to find a place to stay, gather information, and reconsider his approach to getting close to Shirleyviel.
With the fifty gold coins from Raymond, he was well prepared. He soon found a clean, reasonably priced inn called Oak Barrel and Feather Quill in a relatively quiet and secure part of the city, paying for a week in advance.
Settling in, Ian sat by the window, gazing out at the bustling crowds on the street, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the tabletop.