The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 11.1
“I have a very cute friend. I even named him Blue, but he’s very shy around strangers.”
The knight placed a cushion on the glass stand Leslun had seen and stepped back. The back of his hand was covered with thin scars.
Realizing that the “friend” the Crown Prince mentioned was an animal, Leslun glanced at him. His eyes seemed to ask what he should do. Kailos gave a casual order as if it were nothing.
“Wash him.”
With just those words, Kailos left with a cheerful smile. Aide Robin gave Leslun a look, then followed the Crown Prince with an expression that said there was no helping it.
Leslun turned to the friend inside the cage. He wondered what kind of problem might be waiting for him inside.
The cage was covered with cloth, hiding its contents. It had been wrapped tightly, as if not a single ray of light was to be let in. After hesitating, Leslun finally opened the cage door.
A low growl came from within. Leslun leaned closer, trying to see inside.
From the darkness, a pair of yellow lights flickered. If he were to put his hand in, it felt certain he would not be able to pull it out unscathed.
At the same time, Leslun sensed curious eyes fixed on him. It felt as if they were mocking him: go ahead, stick your hand in.
Especially the knight who had brought the cage seemed to be urging him on subtly, as though wondering why he was hesitating instead of putting his hand inside. It was clear the knight wanted Leslun to get hurt.
Leslun already knew they did not welcome his presence. It was strange enough that he had come out of prison alive, and on top of that he had even received treatment from a physician who served the royal family.
To the proud men who had made it through endless selections, Leslun was nothing but an eyesore. The fact that they had not even provided him with meals could be considered only natural.
—If you repeat such a mistake again, you will no longer be allowed to serve His Highness.
Having noticed the situation, Aide Robin had spoken up once and from then on had made sure Leslun received meals. But even so, the glares remained unfriendly. Some even blamed him, saying it was because he collapsed that the matter became troublesome.
Whether fortunate or not, this was not the first time Leslun faced such treatment. At the Camilo estate too, he had been resented for doing clerical work instead of menial chores despite being so young.
Leslun knew well how to handle situations like this.
When they refused to give him meals, he just endured it, as though he were starving. If he kept yielding, they might keep bullying him for a while, but eventually they would lose interest and move on.
—Boring brat.
Even if he resisted fiercely, nothing would change. He was a commoner, not physically strong, and had no one to turn to for help.
Having silently endured and endured again, Leslun, to satisfy their expectations, slipped his hand inside the cage.
The moment the tip of one finger went in, everyone’s eyes were fixed on him.
Leslun also looked down at his finger. It was so dark inside that he could not even see the tip of his own hand. His only thought was that if the beast inside the cage bit off his finger, it would be troublesome when he needed to write.
How much time had passed like that?
The beast inside the cage responded to the intruder who had violated its territory.
“Ugh.”
Leslun, who had been still, shuddered, and the onlookers widened their eyes in surprise.
He’s been bitten!
***
“Blue won’t stay still.”
Recalling how Leslun had only stared at the cage, Aide Robin voiced his concern. Kailos, on the other hand, looked completely nonchalant.
“Then Leslun will be in trouble, won’t he?”
He looked not only calm but even refreshed.
“Surely… that’s what you intended?”
At Robin’s suspicion, Kailos’s smile deepened.
“And you— you never seemed to like him, so why worry now?”
“When did I ever—”
“Are you asking me when you showed dislike, or are you trying to say you’re not worried right now?”
At Kailos’s sly question, Robin exhaled deeply to steady himself. The truth was, both things the Crown Prince said were correct, leaving him with nothing to argue.
“I was only bored after seeing him so calm all the time. I’m curious to see if he can really manage.”
“Is it right for Your Highness to torment a new aide like this?”
“Then go help him, if you want.”
The implication that he would not stop him made Robin narrow his eyes.
“If you’re going to glare like that, then go.”
“When he realizes just how absurd the order ‘wash him’ is, I wonder what expression he’ll make…”
When Robin shifted the subject, Kailos leaned his chin on one hand and crossed his legs.
“Well, it’s true. You can’t exactly wash the black mist inside the cage.”
More accurately, it should be said that the creature concealed itself within the black mist.
And what dwelled inside that mist was the guardian beast destined to carry on the next generation of the Empire.
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