The Genius Son-in-law of the Swordmaster Household—Blessed by Authority

Déjà Vu (1)

Sunshine Castle.

Yuria's bedroom.

"Hhhng...! Uuuugh...! Ha, haa...!"

Veronica twisted her body, her face buried into the pillow as she lay on the bed.

It was time for Yuria to infuse Heavenly Energy to restore Veronica's shattered dantian.

The pain wracked her entire body as if she were being torn apart, only for strange pleasure to surge through her as the dead meridians reconnected.

"Huu...! Aaang...! Eut!"

Veronica hugged the pillow tightly, trying desperately to suppress her moans, but the tingling waves rising from deep within her stomach were impossible to keep down.

"... Big Sis."

Yuria's face, conducting the treatment, flushed as red as a ripe apple.

"C-could you... keep it down a bit? If someone hears from outside, they'll think I'm doing something weird."

"I—I'm trying... Hng! Please, a little gentler...! Uugh!"

"This is as gentle as I can be..."

"Uuuuugh...!"

Veronica felt as if her face would burst from shame.

To think she'd show her little sister such an unseemly side.

Yet each time the Heavenly Energy coursed through her veins, her hips bucked on their own, and electric tingles ran all the way down to her toes.

"Ah, aaang!"

In the end, Veronica bit down on the pillow to stifle a scream-like moan.

"Uuuut..."

—Squelch...

The pillow in her mouth became damp with Veronica's saliva.

"Uuugh..."

Yuria looked at the wetting pillow with an awkward expression.

"... That's my down feather pillow..."

Though it was her treasured pillow, she could hardly stop the treatment.

Without even a moment to cool her flushed cheeks, Yuria focused her aura in her fingertips once again.

For quite a while, the room filled with strange moans and heavy breathing.

"Whew... Good job, big sis. That's enough for today."

Yuria pulled her hand back and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Haa... haa..."

Veronica sprawled on the bed, drenched in sweat.

All the strength had left her body; she couldn't even move a finger.

"Uugh... My, my waist... I can't move it..."

Veronica mumbled with a trembling voice.

Yuria looked at her sister with embarrassment, then slowly got up from the bed.

"... You can lie down as long as you want. Rest well before coming out."

Yuria left the room, and a few minutes later—

The door opened quietly.

"Young lady Veronica?"

It was Eilie, the guard knight.

She rushed to her exhausted liege lord and wiped her sweat with a towel.

"Are you alright?"

"... Water, please."

Eilie quickly handed her water.

"Here you are."

—Gulp, gulp!

After drinking with Eilie's support, Veronica's eyes cleared a little as she asked,

"So... Did you check it out?"

"Yes. I investigated the mercenary named Khan as you ordered. However..."

With a troubled face, eilie handed over the report.

"As you expected, he does not seem to be an ordinary mercenary. There's no record of activity at all before and after the Frozen Sea incident in the North. The name Khan is likely an alias... His identity seems hastily fabricated just for that one day."

"As I thought... I figured as much."

Veronica's gaze grew deeper.

"It's ridiculous to think he was just a regular mercenary. This was what I expected."

Khan was far too skilled for a common mercenary.

He had also been suspiciously careful not to show his face.

And when saving her knights, he used an unidentified potion that supposedly exceeded even the Empire's royal potions.

None of it could be considered ordinary mercenary behavior.

"Hm..."

Veronica propped herself up against the headboard.

"That man... What was his goal?"

"If I may say... there's only one possibility, don't you think?"

"And what is that?"

"He clearly came to rescue you, young lady."

Khan had done only two things at that place.

He killed the Demon Cult's agents, and he saved Veronica and her attendants.

If his only goal had been to hunt the Demon Cult, he would have left right after cutting down the kraken.

But instead, he saved not only Veronica but also her knights using that mysterious potion, and even made sure there were surviving officers who could testify to High Priest Albrecht's betrayal.

"So it really is that..."

Veronica was thinking the same.

She couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but she was ninety percent convinced.

'The odds are high that Khan came to rescue me.'

But then why?

Leaving aside the question of why he rescued her, why had he hidden his identity?

'Just who are you... Khan.'

He'd saved her, a close companion of the Empire's third imperial princess and Hisperion's direct second daughter, so he could have demanded any reward.

Khan vanished without taking any credit or reward.

'He is definitely not someone from the Empire.'

If Khan were on the Empire's side, he wouldn't have bothered to hide his identity.

He would have made a fuss about saving her and tried to extract as much gold as possible.

'Then...'

Suddenly, the face of the Heavenly Sword Lord flashed through her mind.

'Father?'

Until now, the only person who protected her unconditionally was her father.

So, was Khan a secret knight sent by her father?

'No.'

Thinking it over, Veronica shook her head.

'If he were sent by Father, he wouldn't have just left after saving me. He would have brought me straight to Father. I'd have gotten a lengthy scolding, forced to undergo more training so I wouldn't pull such reckless stunts again, and assigned a personal guard. He wouldn't just leave like that.'

So, Khan wasn't a knight sent by her father either.

Then just who was he?

"Ah..."

Frustrated, Veronica sat up.

"Get me my clothes. I need some air."

"Yes, young lady."

Veronica dressed in light clothes and dismissed Eilie, then walked alone along the hallway.

'Khan...'

A man who'd saved her and disappeared without asking for anything.

How was she supposed to find him?

If she didn't hurry, she wouldn't be able to repay him or make him hers.

It was then—

—Step. Step.

Someone was walking toward her from the far end of the long corridor.

A tall man with gray hair.

It was Ian Greysel.

"Greetings, young lady Veronica."

"Ah... Yes, sir Ian. Good morning."

"Well then..."

—Nod.

Ian gave a light bow and passed Veronica by.

She dumbly watched his back.

'It really is similar...'

Maybe it was because she'd been thinking about that mercenary for half the day.

All she had to do was look at Ian, and Khan became even clearer in her mind.

'But still... That kind of back isn't common. Wow.'

If you put just a robe on that body, he'd be a perfect double for Khan.

"Um, sir Ian?"

Veronica called to Ian on impulse.

"...?"

Ian stopped walking and slowly turned around.

"By any chance..."

As she approached, Veronica asked a question she herself felt was pointless.

"Do you know of a mercenary named Khan? He has a very similar build to yours..."

Ian was silent for a moment.

Then he answered quietly.

"I know nothing about him, my lady."

He bowed briefly again and turned away.

'Huh...?'

Veronica's eyes widened.

'... A sense of incongruity?'

It was subtle, but she had felt embarrassment from Ian.

After years in the treacherous courts of the Empire and Hisperion, she was well-trained.

She could pick up the subtle facial expressions, breaths, and flickers of aura people showed when they lied.

Plus, Ian was notoriously bad at lying.

He'd unconsciously given off plenty of signals.

'Did he just lie?'

Veronica's eyes narrowed.

She clearly caught the fleeting embarrassment hidden behind Ian's indifferent face.

"Liar."

It was common among Hisperion women to become relentless if they sensed weakness.

Veronica hurried after Ian and grabbed his arm.

—Grab!

"...!"

Ian stiffened as he turned to look at her.

"You do know something, don't you."

Veronica looked up at Ian with sharp eyes.

"W-what? I mean, didn't I just say I don't know?"

Ian desperately pretended to be confused, but the awkward act only confirmed Veronica's suspicions.

"No. You know. I'm sure of it."

She stepped closer, pressing him.

"It's already obvious. Tell me."

Khan was an exceptional swordsman.

And if a swordsman of that caliber existed, it was most likely someone affiliated with Hisperion, the greatest sword family in the world.

Only Hisperion covertly employed master-level, intermediate-rank swordsmen as secret agents across the entire continent.

Ian Greysel was a member of Hisperion, so the odds were high he'd know something.

"Y-young lady... It's uncomfortable if you come too close..."

"Why did you lie? Exactly who is Khan? What are you hiding?"

Veronica pressed Ian against the wall.

"I mean..."

"I'm sure of it. Your reaction. You're hiding something. That's how people look when they get found out."

"Ugh..."

Ian couldn't hide his discomfort as sweat beaded on his brow.

Even with her dantian shattered, she could press him with this kind of intensity?

So this was what they meant by 'the women of Hisperion are built differently.'

Just then—

—Creeak...

A door near the corridor slowly opened.

"... Big Sis?"

Through the crack in the door, a pair of red eyes—chilly, almost eerie—peered out.

"Gasp...!"

Startled, Veronica let go of Ian's arm.

Yuria's gaze was sharp as a beast in the night.

"What are you doing grabbing Ian? Trying to seduce him? Recruit him?"

"N-no! Of course not! I-it's not like that! Ack!"

Veronica frantically waved her hands.

She was cowed by her sister's presence, but also realized she had gotten carried away and cornered Ian too aggressively.

"It's just... I wanted to ask him something..."

"If you want to ask something, use your words. Why are you grabbing Ian?"

Yuria narrowed her eyes and glared at Veronica.

Ian took his chance.

"Then, if you'll excuse me, young lady Veronica."

Ian slipped away and ducked into Yuria's office as if escaping.

"Ah, wait...!"

Veronica attempted to reach for him but froze under Yuria's glare.

"I'm watching you, big sis."

"O-okay..."

"I said I'm watching."

"A-all right..."

Yuria kept her eyes on Veronica until she closed the door slowly.

—Thud.

The hallway fell silent.

Left standing alone, Veronica stared blankly at the closed door.

"Phew..."

She pressed a hand to her chest and licked her lips as if regretful.

If only she'd pressed him a little more, she might have learned something.

'But that's alright.'

The corners of Veronica's lips curled up.

'To think I'd snag a lead in a place like this.'

A question she thought was pointless turned out to be the jackpot.

'Khan and Ian definitely have some sort of connection. I'm certain.'

His panicked reaction and clumsy lie—she was sure he knew something about Khan.

'What is he hiding? What does he know?'

Maybe Ian was a companion of Khan's, or... perhaps—

Given various circumstances, it wasn't likely, but...

'He might even be Khan himself.'

It was too soon to be sure, but the possibility was there.

Veronica's eyes smiled thinly.

"This is truly interesting."

She had thought she'd spend all her time in Sunshine Castle resting.

Life was certainly full of quirks.

To think she'd find a crucial lead here...

'I'd better approach with caution, so as not to offend Yuria.'

It seemed her time here would become far more rewarding than expected.