"Matthew is a demon?"
"You might fool others, but you can't fool my nose."
Northern Archduke Butlerh wrinkled his nose.
"Faint though it may be, I can smell the scent of a demon on you. What is your true nature?"
"Well... I'm not a demon. I'm human."
In the end, Matthew had no choice but to speak up himself.
"Both my parents were ordinary humans. Demons? I've only read about them in fairy tales, but I'm definitely not one."
"Then explain your scent."
"Hmm... I don't think I smell like anything in particular."
Matthew grabbed his collar and pretended to sniff himself.
Ferris's face filled with astonishment.
What the hell is that idiot doing in a situation like this?
"You're an amusing one."
"I hear that quite often."
Butlerh lightly spun his spear once.
"If you don't want to talk, then don't."
"It's not that I don't want to—I'm telling you, I really don't know."
"In any case..."
Thud.
He aimed his spear at Matthew.
"If I poke a hole in you with this spear, we'll find out."
"!"
Boom!!
In that split second, the tower wall crumbled.
Neither Heckenroze nor Ferris could comprehend what was happening.
All they knew was that Butlerh had thrust his spear at Matthew... and
"Oh no."
"Matthew...!"
Matthew, who had blocked the attack with his staff, was falling from the tower.
"To block that. You're no ordinary fellow."
"Father, what are you doing?! Attacking my benefactor out of the blue—"
"Quiet."
Butlerh threw himself toward where Matthew had fallen.
Even as he plummeted through the air, he glared at Heckenroze with the eyes of a beast.
"Bringing a demon here makes you guilty too."
"..."
"Stay put if you don't want to get hurt. It'll be over soon."
Whoosh!
His massive frame sliced through the air as he fell.
Falling from such a high tower with nothing but one's body would be suicide for an ordinary person.
But those words didn't apply to Butlerh.
Heckenroze groped along the wall and peered down. Below was an open training ground without a roof.
Neither Matthew nor Butlerh seemed injured from the landing.
It was an astonishing feat impossible for a normal human.
Both men were at least strong enough to reinforce their bodies with mana.
Matthew is strong, but Father is dangerous...!
Her father had lived solely to protect the North.
He had slain mountains of magical beasts and even dispatched demons in the past.
He was no mere bandit rabble that preyed on mountain passes—a true formidable foe.
Matthew might even die.
And by her own father's hand.
Her face drained of color at the thought.
"Hurry... I have to go."
"Milady!"
Thud thud thud!
Heckenroze began racing down from the tower.
Even if Matthew dodged the attacks somehow, no one knew how long he could keep it up.
Her breath quickly rose to her throat, her chest pounding fiercely.
By the time she reached the bottom, her hands numb from the frantic descent...
"What the hell is going on...?"
"Who the heck is that guy?"
Heckenroze noticed the crowd gathering around the training ground.
"Isn't that the benefactor the lady brought earlier?"
"Shouldn't we... intervene?"
"Intervene how? We'd just die."
Servants and knights alike had gathered outside the training ground, all staring at the same spot.
Whoosh!
Butlerh pressed Matthew with a spear thrust.
Matthew barely dodged every attack or parried with his staff.
To anyone watching, Butlerh clearly had the advantage.
"You rat! Reveal your true identity!"
"My name is Matthew. And I'm human."
"...Let's see how long you can keep up this childish game."
For a moment, the spear shaft bent and whipped like a living thing.
It was as if they were watching a serpent, not a spear shaft.
The knights watching couldn't hide their shock.
"No way."
"His Excellency is even using that technique...?"
Butlerh's spear was made from an extremely light and flexible magical beast material.
This allowed it to bend more easily than ordinary spears, making even the wielder unpredictable.
But what if one could 'predict' that bend through grueling training and raw physical prowess?
That was Butlerh von Atlante's unique spear art.
"...Serpentine Spear Art."
Named after the legendary serpent-like magical beast, Schpentaín.
The spear was already a weapon full of variables, and this added even more.
No matter how adept at evasion Matthew was, he couldn't dodge them all.
Clang clang clang clang!!
A flurry of astonishing strikes poured forth, gripping the onlookers with sweat in their palms.
The spear whipped freely, targeting Matthew's vitals.
Yet Matthew evaded the unpredictable assaults.
And with minimal movement at that.
"His Excellency is impressive, but dodging all that..."
"How's he blocking with that thin staff?"
"Is this sparring or serious?"
"His Excellency drew his spear art. And you're still saying that?"
"Then... why isn't that guy attacking?"
The crowd's attention shifted from Butlerh to Matthew.
Even with the Serpentine Spear Art unleashed, Matthew showed no notable reaction.
He merely dodged or occasionally deflected with his staff.
At a glance, it looked like he was being overwhelmingly pushed without counterattacking.
To Heckenroze, who knew his true strength, the scene was incomprehensible.
He hasn't even drawn his sword or attacked... Why?
She was well aware that his staff was a sword.
Moreover, simply evading could leave wounds on the attacker.
But why...?
"!"
At that moment, Matthew's gaze met hers.
His eyes weren't visible, so it could have been dismissed as imagination.
But Matthew clearly gave a bitter smile upon spotting her.
Only then did Heckenroze realize why he wasn't attacking.
No way... because of me?
Butlerh was Heckenroze's father and the Northern Archduke.
Attacking him like some street bandit—or worse, killing him—would spell trouble not just for Matthew, but for her as Butlerh's daughter.
That's why Matthew couldn't even draw his sword carelessly.
Even in a situation where a single thrust could kill him.
And yet here she was, casually spectating.
Slap!
"L-Lady?"
A sharp crack drew all eyes around her.
Heckenroze's pale cheek swelled red.
She had slapped herself hard.
Ignoring the stares, she steadied her breathing.
I have to fix this.
Matthew had honored her request not to speak.
She didn't know the truth about her father's demon claim yet.
But she couldn't condemn Matthew to death over an unresolved mystery.
Thud thud thud!
With a resolute expression, she dashed into the training ground.
"Wha-what?!"
"Milady! It's dangerous!"
No knight could grab someone charging in so suddenly.
Especially not in a battlefield where spears flew like rain.
"Father, stop this instant!"
Heckenroze spread her arms wide, blocking Matthew's front.
"You fool...!"
Groan!
Butlerh's arm muscles bulged as he thrust toward Matthew.
Continuing would impale his own reckless daughter.
Yet his tensed muscles couldn't fully halt the spear's momentum.
Heckenroze squeezed her eyes shut before the flashing spearhead.
This will do it.
Even if she got hurt, it would stop her father's rampage...
At least she could repay the debt of her life to Matthew.
Questions about demons could wait.
So she thought—until someone yanked her waist hard.
"That was dangerous."
"...!"
A soft whisper in her ear and the warmth against her side.
Heckenroze cautiously opened her eyes in confusion.
There stood...
"Glad you weren't hurt."
Matthew's relieved face looking at her.
His quickened breath from the fight tickled her nose.
Their faces were that close.
"Ma-Matthew...?"
Frozen, Heckenroze's eyes darted around.
Matthew's arm was wrapped around her waist...
And she was half-embraced in his arms, like a scene from a play.
Thump thump thump thump—
Whose heartbeat was it—his or hers—ringing in her ears?
Heckenroze felt like she was dreaming.
Until Butlerh approached.
"...You."
Thud.
Butlerh slammed his spear butt into the ground right before them.
Thanks to Heckenroze's intervention, no further attack came.
Matthew released her waist, helping her stand, then raised both hands high and stepped back from the lady.
"Please don't misunderstand. I have no intention of harming the lady."
"I can see that."
"And I'm not a demon."
"That much is clear now too."
"Clear now?"
Butlerh pointed a thick finger at something in response to Matthew's question.
It was Matthew's left ear.
"Look at your ear."
"My ear...? Ah."
Drip. Drip.
As Matthew touched his left earlobe, fresh red blood stained his fingers.
He must have nicked it on the spear blade while dodging frantically.
Butlerh's eyes trembled at the sight.
"The blood... it's not purple."
"Human blood is red, isn't it?"
"No, demon blood is purple."
The Empire classifies 'humanoids' into three types.
The human race, comprising 90% of imperial citizens.
Non-humans like dwarves, elves, beastkin, and so on.
And demons.
"Some say it's just like beastkin have ears, demons have horns—nothing more."
Butlerh shook his head grimly.
"Those fools have never faced a real demon. They're different from birth. One of countless reasons being... purple blood."
Both humanoids and non-humans have red blood.
Demons bleed purple, unlike them.
No one knew why. Little was known about demons anyway.
"The reason demon blood is purple lies in their filthy, ugly nature. That's what I think, having slain at least five of them."
"I see."
"Sorry for the misunderstanding. You still faintly carry a demon's scent, but you're no demon."
Butlerh signaled the surrounding knights.
They lowered their weapons, having subtly readied for combat whether intended or not.
With a single command from the Northern Archduke, they could have captured or attacked Matthew.
But Butlerh himself had declared him an ally.
"Matthew, your ear..."
As the tension eased, Heckenroze approached Matthew.
Her careful touch on his earlobe.
Thankfully not deep, but enough blood to drip onto his suit's shoulder.
"I'm sorry... because of me."
She lacked the power or charisma to stop her father.
She had nearly thrown herself in harm's way just to halt the attack.
Had she not, non-demon Matthew would have been gravely wounded.
She bit her lip at the thought.
He must be disillusioned...
The outsider who only knew the North from fairy tales faced suspicion from the guards right away.
And before her father, had to fend off sudden spear strikes.
She couldn't even imagine Matthew's feelings.
Even treating him as a benefactor in the territory might not soothe his anger...
As Heckenroze fidgeted with his innocent ear...
"I'm fine, so please don't worry."
"...Pardon?"
"Misunderstandings like this happen all the time."
Matthew gently took her hand and smiled.
As if it were nothing to him.
"Of course, this was the most heart-pounding misunderstanding of my life. Haha."
Thump.
Heckenroze felt her heart skip at his words.
Guilt, gratitude, and... complex emotions she'd never felt before.
All swirled within her, stirring chaos.
Matthew belatedly opened his mouth with an "Ah."
"My apologies. I shouldn't presume to hold the lady's hand."
"..."
"Um... Lady? My hand won't come loose."
Squeeze.
Matthew tried to pull away, while Heckenroze gripped tighter, refusing to let go.
Her eyes now held a strange fervor.