Matthias had been busy the entire time.
He reported the mining output and situation to Dane, and inspected the current state of the magical beast defense line. After running around frantically for a while, he finally found a moment to breathe.
"Phew."
Just as he caught his breath, he noticed a group of people gathered around a campfire in the corner of the mine.
What particularly caught his eye was—
'Is that the Lady?'
A striking head of red hair was visible at the center of the group.
'Why are they gathered like that?'
Matthias approached them stealthily, careful not to be noticed.
But once he reached a certain distance,
"-!"
Helena, who had been standing behind Rose, suddenly turned her head. Looking directly toward Matthias.
'…How did she know?'
Matthias paused in place, flustered. But after confirming it was Matthias, Helena turned her eyes away again without any change in expression.
'Did she… let it slide?'
Thanks to Helena's tacit approval, Matthias was able to approach again. He pressed himself against a nearby wall and listened in on the conversation.
"Wow, it's so spicy I keep wanting more. I especially love this chewy texture."
"That's exactly the flavor we eat this for. It's a taste you simply can't get from ordinary meat, truly."
The knights and Rose were chatting excitedly, trading remarks back and forth. Matthias realized who they were.
'It's those Mabeol Explorer bastards.'
They were the ones who would bring in experimental magical beast dishes and ask to have them distributed as the day's meal, often putting the mess cooks in difficult positions.
'…Wait, are they eating magical beast food right now?'
Matthias peeked around the edge of the wall, hardly believing it.
"Are you really not going to try it? It's genuinely delicious. There's only one piece left."
One knight asked Helena, who was standing silently behind Rose.
"I'm fine."
Helena flashed a bright smile, but her eyes were lifeless. Faced with such a flawless rejection that left no room to press further, the knight backed off without pushing more.
"Most people feel put off by its appearance. But if you set aside your preconceptions, there's nothing better."
"I think magical beast food is generally like that. The taste gets underrated because of how it looks."
"Ugh, this Pikkebal with a glass of whiskey would be absolutely incredible."
"Are you suggesting drinking while on duty?"
"…Did you mishear me?"
One careless knight blurted out nonsense and found himself in trouble.
"What other magical beast dishes have you tried?"
Another knight hastily jumped in to save him. Rose smiled subtly and obligingly answered the question.
"Orc meat steak, slime pudding, and……."
As Rose counted on her fingers, listing items that could have been either dish names or magical beast names, the knights gaped in astonishment.
"Did Master Fabri make them for you? That's impressive. He selected only the finest ingredients."
"Did you eat them alone, or with His Excellency?"
"With His Excellency."
The knights' eyes sparkled at Rose's answer. Their eyes brimmed with admiration and fondness toward her.
"Then what's the most memorable dish you've had so far?"
When one knight asked with a voice full of curiosity, Rose pondered for a moment before answering.
"For me… lake fish sashimi."
A gentle smile spread across Rose's lips.
"It was my first magical beast dish… and the taste was unique. It was memorable for many reasons."
"Wait, lake fish sashimi was your first magical beast dish?"
The knights started in surprise and made a commotion.
"That's a really difficult dish to handle. To have it as your first magical beast dish… Wow… Haah…."
"You started with the final boss, so to speak. And you still didn't leave the world of magical beast food after eating that. You've got remarkable nerve."
"As expected, the person His Excellency chose is truly different……!"
One of the knights spoke to Rose in a sly tone.
"Our Mabeol Explorer membership requirement is whether you can enjoy lake fish sashimi. My Lady, you've already met that condition."
Matthias, listening in, was dumbfounded.
'They're trying to recruit her into the Mabeol Explorers?'
He couldn't listen any longer.
*Thud.*
He deliberately made his footsteps loud as he revealed himself.
"Gasp!"
"Commander!"
The knights who spotted Matthias hastily scrambled to their feet. One knight even shoved the last piece into his mouth to destroy the evidence.
"……."
Matthias stood there for a moment, glaring at them.
The fact that those bastards couldn't resist pushing magical beast food on the Lady was infuriating enough.
But what bothered him more was the fact that Rose genuinely seemed to enjoy magical beast food, and that Fabri seemed to value her quite highly.
'So Master Fabri did that for her.'
However she did it, this tiny woman had apparently won over even the notoriously difficult head chef.
'Hmph. Food preferences can be faked easily enough.'
Lake fish sashimi was impossible to eat with a faked palate, but Matthias tried hard to ignore that fact.
Then he opened his mouth.
"My Lady, do you have a moment?"
"Of course."
When Rose rose obediently, Helena adjusted her clothes.
*Sweep.*
Matthias glared coldly at the knights, who were anxiously watching his mood.
"Clean this up. Quickly."
He said only that. Then he left with Rose and Helena.
"Huh? What was that?"
"Is he not going to scold us?"
The knights exchanged bewildered looks.
Matthias's reaction had been more temperate than expected. They had expected him to explode in a rage and start pointing fingers at them at any moment.
"Maybe because the Lady was there?"
"…Aha."
"Good to know."
And so the knights had figured out a way to avoid being scolded by Matthias.
In truth, the reason Matthias didn't explode was because Helena was standing behind Rose.
Either way, despite the different reasoning, the conclusion they reached was similar enough.
"The path ahead is uneven. Would you care to take my arm as we walk?"
Matthias offered his arm to Rose with an attitude that was far from warm.
"If you were to be injured, His Excellency would have my head. Like last time."
For a moment, Matthias and Rose's eyes met.
Matthias was certain Rose would read the blade hidden in his words, the coldness dwelling in his eyes.
How would she react, he wondered?
"With Sir Matthias here, that won't happen."
Rose replied with a faint smile on her lips.
"Then I'll be in your care."
And she placed her hand on Matthias's arm.
"…Understood."
Matthias acknowledged that he had been outmaneuvered.
'As long as you're here, I won't get hurt' — or perhaps, 'You wouldn't let me get hurt.'
Rose's soft rebuttal had struck precisely at his weak point.
"I heard you had quite an ordeal last time."
Matthias walked as if giving her a tour of the mine, and as if taking a light stroll.
"I'm told His Excellency was remarkably zealous in rescuing you."
At the same time, he dropped a heavy topic into the conversation.
"As the master of Schmaichel now has more to protect, it concerns me as his Knight Commander."
In response to his pointed remark that she was increasing His Excellency's vulnerabilities—
"You share the same concern as I do."
Rose countered with a serene expression.
"I'm doing my best not to hold His Excellency back. I'm helping him to the fullest of my abilities."
"I wonder. Are you saying you wouldn't run away even if a magical beast appeared?"
"People each have different fields where they can demonstrate their abilities. If Sir Matthias cuts down enemies with a sword, then I'll aid His Excellency in my own way."
Her answer was flawless, so Matthias decided to escalate a notch.
"As you're well aware, most of the women who entered Schmaichel harbored insolent motives."
"Yes."
"So please understand that I have no choice but to be suspicious of you."
"I understand. His Excellency must be pleased by your loyalty as well, Sir Matthias."
When he openly declared hostilities, she countered by implying: feel free to do as you please, but His Excellency will learn of it as well.
'This tiny thing is not to be underestimated.'
But Matthias wasn't about to back down. With a composed expression, he began his interrogation of Rose.
"To be honest, I was a bit surprised when I first met you, My Lady. I don't believe I'd seen you at the Academy."
"The classes I took with His Excellency rarely overlapped. We were in different years, too. I studied under Professor Albert."
Suspicious past… none.
"Do you keep in frequent contact with your family? It must be lonely, coming here alone."
"Since arriving at Schmaichel Castle, I haven't contacted my family even once."
Interference from in-laws… none.
"With a head maid at your disposal, you must be leaving household matters to her and resting comfortably?"
"I have the keys to the storage room. I've taken Selma as my assistant and am gradually managing the household myself."
Idling around… no. She'd even earned Selma's approval.
"Then you must be managing funds freely. Your wardrobe and jewelry box must have grown quite full."
"Most of those were purchased by His Excellency. He even watched the dress fittings with me."
Squandering the family fortune… no. Most seemed to have been bought enthusiastically by His Excellency.
'Hmm.'
Matthias swallowed a sigh that rose from deep within his chest.
Honestly… he didn't want to admit it, but truly, honestly speaking……
'She's… not bad.'
There was nothing about her that rubbed him the wrong way.
She maintained a submissive attitude, yet when needed, expressed calm, logical opinions. Despite her innocent face, her gaze was steady, and her voice held no wavering.
Compared to the women who only had flashy faces and acted like vipers, this woman was simply……
'…No, it's too early to let my guard down.'
Matthias tried hard to prop up his heart, which kept wanting to lean in her favor.
But before he knew it, his pace had slowed to match Rose's. He'd noticed a light sheen of sweat forming on her smooth forehead.
"I'll ask just one last thing."
Matthias spoke, looking straight into Rose's eyes.
"The position of the lady of Schmaichel is like a poisoned chalice. If a moment comes when you must abandon your family, what would you do?"
As if they'd made a pact, both of them stopped at the same time.
"Would you stand on His Excellency's side without hesitation?"
Rose didn't avoid Matthias's piercing gaze. She stared at him with unshaken, tranquil eyes.
"Of course."
Like an evergreen that never lost its verdure even in winter, her green eyes spoke a vow of constancy.
"I have been on His Excellency's side all along, and I will continue to be. Just as you have been, Sir Matthias."