Please Support My Revenge - Chapter 59

“I…,”

Lobelia’s words faltered. Did she expect him to walk away? Of course, she did. Because Jade…

No, the duke is a good person.

Habitually trying to push away negative thoughts and impressions of Jade, Lobelia shook her head inwardly. It was an undeniable fact that Jade was a good person. Lobelia, who used to calculate every exchange meticulously, maintain a balance of power, and act calculatedly, had now changed. Through her experiences in Merdanion, she had come to see Jade in a much friendlier light.

Let’s not be afraid of kindness, Lobelia encouraged herself.

“Please,” she said, nodding lightly with a faint smile.

Jade took her hand and explained how to step onto the footrest and mount the carriage. But mounting his words was much more difficult than mounting a carriage. Lobelia struggled a few times and then awkwardly looked at Jade.

..he should lift me, she murmured, remembering how Jade used to lift her onto the carriage. She instinctively opened her arms wide, allowing him to hold her waist and lift her. Strangely, Jade hesitated to touch her body.

“Your Grace?” Lobelia called out with her arms wide open. The gaze of the other knights began to shift towards them. Jade looked very embarrassed, cleared his throat, and then cautiously wrapped his hand around Lobelia’s waist. Soon, Lobelia was able to sit on the saddle. With skilled and agile movements, Jade, sitting behind Lobelia, took hold of the reins. Lobelia chuckled as she noticed Jade’s firm grip on the reins.

“Let’s go,” Jade said, and the knights began to move. The reconnaissance was challenging. The knights were exhausted from keeping watch in all directions for the demons that could appear at any moment, and Lobelia was struggling to adapt to riding a huge warhorse for the first time in her life.

However, despite the efforts of the knights and Lobelia, the first day of reconnaissance passed without any incidents. When they returned to the camp, Lobelia immediately slumped onto the dirt floor as soon as she dismounted the horse. Coming down from the constantly swaying horseback to the solid ground, she finally felt a bit more stable. The knights, who seemed tireless, busily prepared for the evening. Lobelia sat in a corner, watching them cook soup in a large pot. That’s when she overheard a group of knights gossiping about her.

“The duke has fallen for the refugee woman?”

One of the knights preparing ingredients shouted, drawing attention. The other knights gestured for him to be quieter, but the following words were not much softer.

“That can’t be true.”

“Then why is he following her around during the reconnaissance? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. If he had feelings for her, he wouldn’t take her on reconnaissance, he would have taken her to a safe place.”

“Then…”

The knights began to speculate freely. Hearing the absurd gossip about herself, Lobelia chuckled. That’s when…

“It’s quite a chatter.”

A chilly voice was heard. Was it Jade? Lobelia, turning her gaze, was surprised to find an unexpected face.

“If you have time to chat, then sharpen your sword more sharply.”

“S-Sir Jeremynnes!”

“I apologize! I will make sure to correct it!”

It was Joachim. Lobelia watched as Joachim chased away the knights. After all the knights had left, Joachim approached Lobelia. It seemed as if he had known she was here from the beginning. Lobelia stood up awkwardly, and Joachim, who had been standing in front of her awkwardly, opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Please don’t worry. I will continue to monitor them closely.”

Lobelia widened her eyes.

“You show respect to refugees too?”

“…Since the moment the duke accepted you, you are no longer just a simple refugee.”

Joachim seemed momentarily flustered but soon offered a plausible explanation. Lobelia could barely contain her laughter. Joachim was truly consistent. Knowing that his kindness towards her was not insincere made her feel a little more at ease. Perhaps she could interact with Joachim more naturally in the future.

“Thank you,” Lobelia said with a smile, surprising Joachim.

“Why?”

“I thought you were quite different from my first impression.”

“What was your first impression of me?” Joachim blushed at Lobelia’s question.

“Well…”

“You didn’t think you’d thank someone for help?”

“No!” Joachim quickly shook his head.

“I just…”

“I know. Based on your first impression, you didn’t think you’d easily accept help, right?”

Lobelia smiled, reassuring him. She was well aware that her first impression was sharp and neurotic. She used to be incredibly defensive in front of strangers. But not anymore. Lobelia felt that the things surrounding her were slowly changing her.

he first encounter with the demons was dramatic. On the second day since Lobelia joined the reconnaissance unit, the demons appeared for the first time in front of the knights. Lobelia didn’t notice the appearance of the demons. She didn’t even understand the meaning when she saw Jade raise his clenched fist into the air. Only when the knights all held their breath and stood still did she realize that something unusual was happening. Jade dismounted first and then helped Lobelia down. She was to seek shelter in a safe place designated by Jade. -Krrr…

The knights, each clutching their swords, were waiting, and finally, Lobelia began to sense the presence of the demons as well. She tensed up and looked around Joachim’s shoulder to survey the situation.

There, she saw a large, gaping mouth from which thick, dark-red bodily fluids were dripping. Lobelia had never seen a demon in person before. She had read descriptions of demons in the original work, but since the original focused more on the romance and business aspects, it did not provide detailed descriptions of the demons.

The demon she saw was… “Terrifying,” Lobelia shuddered.

It was her first time encountering such a horrifying creature in her life. The demon that appeared before them seemed to be a creature resembling a cross between a lizard and a dragon, with huge wings. However, it could not fly freely and instead stood on the ground on all fours.

Every time the demon’s feet touched the ground, deep indentations formed, and mysterious black smoke briefly appeared and then disappeared.

Thump, thump.

Lobelia could hear the pounding of her own heart. The demon sniffed the ground and then turned its head this way and that. Was it a coincidence? Or a mistake? Lobelia felt as though she had locked eyes with the demon. Its golden eyes, and vertically slit pupils, flashed brightly towards Lobelia. She swallowed hard and quickly averted her gaze. Although she couldn’t have made eye contact with the demon from her safe zone, she did so just in case it drew the demon’s attention.

As she turned her gaze, she saw Jade, who had drawn his sword, ready to confront the demon. Alternating her gaze between the demon and Jade, Lobelia suddenly felt dumbfounded.

“Was he dreaming every night about becoming such a creature until he met me?”

Every night, turning into a monster that walked on all fours, seeing the world with eyes not human, and dripping with unknown bodily fluids? If it were her, she would have screamed and been unable to bear it. Even if she had such a dream for just one night, her mind would have been disturbed, and she would have been haunted by it all day.

But Jade endured it. For a whole five years… Lobelia looked at Jade with new eyes. His traumas, which she had previously passed off as part of his healing process, now appeared in a new light.

“How…,” Lobelia bit her lip. While she was lost in her thoughts about Jade’s traumas, the battle began. The knights fought with all their might. But among them, Jade stood out. In the tense situation, he suppressed the urge of the martial spirit that enveloped his entire body and skillfully commanded the knights.

Although he did not step onto the front line for fear of having a seizure by wielding a sword directly against the demon, his command shone brightly even from the rear. The knights struggled and eventually defeated the demon. The demon, with its wings broken, collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Let me finish it.”

Jade pushed through the knights and approached, placing his hand on the handle of his sword. His shoulders stiffened noticeably. After exhaling a sigh, he drew his sword and swiftly struck the demon’s neck, severing it in an instant.

Pshh!

A strange sound was heard as black smoke and blood sprayed from the severed neck. Frowning, Jade quickly sheathed his sword. As if he were afraid of something, he hurriedly sheathed his sword.

“Finish it off.”

And so, the first encounter and battle with the demon ended. The knights returned to the camp, washing off the demon’s bodily fluids from their armor, tending to their wounds, and spending time.

Soon, night fell. Lobelia went to Jade’s barracks to sleep. Originally, she had intended to give him a different barracks, but since the camp was already full, she had no choice but to stay with him.

Lobelia was completely at ease, but Jade was always taken aback whenever she entered his barracks. However, today was a bit different. Jade, despite Lobelia entering, did not seem to notice her presence and was staring blankly at the lamp on the table. Lobelia was about to call out to him but stopped herself. His mood seemed off. She cautiously lay down on the makeshift bed he had prepared. After a while, she heard Jade extinguish the lamp and get up, then the sound of him lying down on the bed. Lobelia closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but her mind was too cluttered for sleep to come easily. She thought about the demon she had seen today and Jade, fighting the inner curse while exterminating it. He had been regularly using the sleep incense, so at least he hadn’t had any nightmares since they met.

“So, I’m doing everything I can to help him. There’s no need to feel burdened just because I saw a demon today.”

As she organized her complicated thoughts, Lobelia began to drift off to sleep. Just then, she heard Jade faintly groaning.