"Kkeuk..."

"What’s wrong, Instructor... or should I say, Director?"

"...It’s nothing. Don’t worry."

Inside the carriage heading towards the fortress city of Ester, Sylvia gave a gentle smile to the staff, trying to appear unaffected. Beneath, however, her hands trembled uncontrollably as she held them tightly.

'Without my sword, it’s like this again...'

When did it start, I wonder?
When did I develop such an obsession with the sword?
Wearing it at my waist, if I didn’t fiddle with it every moment, an overwhelming anxiety would rise inside me.

I’m not entirely sure, but it’s been quite a long time.
When I returned from the battlefield, I was with my sword.
Even when I came back from the monster-filled forest, the sword was in my hand.
It was perhaps inevitable for dependency to form.

So, if someone asked if this current phenomenon is just an extension of that dependency…
The answer is no.

I had long discarded the obsession with the sword.
I no longer feel anxiety if I don’t stroke my sword every so often.
Thanks to the head of the household’s measures, I no longer feel overwhelmed with anxiety without it.
Though the head of the household still thinks I’m obsessed with the sword...

'I can never say that the object of my dependency has shifted from the sword to the head of the household.'

In truth, the object of my obsession had long shifted to the head of the household.
When the head of the household disappears from my sight, I feel anxious.
When I’m far from him, my chest feels tight.
When I can’t sense him, my vision narrows, and I have trouble breathing.

At first, I thought it was just because I was worried about leaving the head of the household alone.
I believed it was some kind of obsession with staying by his side as his guard.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize that it wasn’t that.

Before long, the head of the household, who had once been alone, began to be surrounded by Charlotte, Yulia, and Yuri.
The head of the household, who had once been vulnerable without me, now had plenty of dependable forces at his side, even without me.

So, no longer can I claim that the source of this anxiety is just worry for the head of the household.
It’s just that I’ve become dependent on him and obsessed with him.
No excuses, it’s simply the truth.

"Haa..."

A deep sigh escaped from me.
How did I end up like this?
The wild Sylvia, who once needed only a small sword in my hand, now...

'This is all the head of the household’s fault...'

I had always thought that life was to be lived alone.
I believed there was no one in this world to trust, and that only my own healthy body was my asset.
That thought only grew stronger as I worked for the head of the household after being captured by the Vermont family.

But when did it start?
When did I begin to think maybe it would be okay to trust the head of the household?
When did I begin to feel that I could entrust my life to him?

'Ah. I get it. It was the day the head of the household saved my life... That’s when it all changed.'

When the monster swarm of ants attacked and the Arient territory was on the verge of destruction,
I stepped forward to buy time but was surrounded, nearly dying.
It was when the head of the household came to rescue me.
That was the turning point.

At that moment, the head of the household, who was much weaker than me,
who could do nothing on his own, and whom I thought needed my protection,
saved my life.
From that day, everything changed.

'Now it’s the opposite. It’s not the head of the household relying on me, but I’m the one who relies on him.'

I had never felt protected by anyone in my life.
But now, thanks to the head of the household, I live, I receive his help, and I rely on him greatly.
Since I realized that, my mental obsession has only grown stronger, and it has manifested physically.

This anxiety now.
Shaking hands, tightness in my chest, and difficulty breathing.
When the head of the household isn’t near me, I can’t even perform at my usual level.

'The head of the household must have sent me on this business trip to fix this...'

The purpose of this trip was clear.
Since this anxiety showed no signs of getting better, a more severe approach was taken.
It was a reasonable decision.
But what will happen if this dependency doesn’t improve even after this trip?

Will the head of the household leave a useless guard who can’t do anything without a target?
Will I end up being dismissed?
Will the proof on my neck, the symbol that I’m the head of the household’s property, be confiscated, and will I be kicked out?
The uncertainty of the future was now causing anxiety to creep in, and Sylvia’s pupils began to shrink.

"Director, we’ve arrived."
"Ah. Uh. Okay."

The voice of the staff beside me snapped me out of my thoughts.
Looking around, I realized the carriage had already come to a stop.
I had arrived in Ester without realizing how much time had passed as I’d been lost in my thoughts.

Sylvia calmly took a deep breath before stepping out of the carriage.
I can do this. It’ll be fine.
With those hopeful words, I tossed them into the sea of vague anxiety.

"I’m so worried about the instructor..."
"What should we do about the knight...?"
"...?"

Charlotte and Yuri leaned together on the window sill, constantly sighing.
Yulia, who was passing by them, tilted her head in confusion.
Who... is worried?
Did I hear that wrong?

"Why are you worried about Sylvia? She’s much stronger than any of us."
"That’s true, but..."
"Is it because she doesn’t have her sword? But she’s still really strong even with just her bare hands, right?"
"That’s true, but..."
"...?"

Charlotte and Yuri continued to drag out their words, sighing.
What’s the problem?
Yulia couldn’t understand at all.

"I can’t explain it well, but lately, the knight’s been so anxious. Especially when the sir isn’t around..."
"Right. Even when she comes to the training grounds without the Count, she feels off."
"...?"

I couldn’t feel any of that at all.
Is there some kind of sense that only those who practice martial arts would understand?
Not understanding what they were talking about, Yulia’s expression grew mysterious when she overheard some whispers from the maids.

"Oh my! Something big has happened in Ester!"
"What happened, maid?"
"Apparently, there was a huge mana storm in the Mana Field!"
"...!?"

The shocking news caused the children’s eyes to widen.
Charlotte immediately shouted.

"What’s a mana storm!?"

"What? What did you say?"
"It seems like there are some people who haven’t made it back..."

While returning from an expedition in the Mana Field, a mana storm had started raging, and the party rushed back to the fortress city.
Just as Sylvia was about to remove her drenched armor, the urgent news arrived.

"It was the northern gate guard. They were exploring the underground caves, and something happened. They probably couldn’t get out in time and got trapped."
"...?"

Sylvia clenched her teeth.
Mana storms.
A phenomenon where concentrated mana from the Mana Field swirls in the air, sweeping everything in its path.

Especially this time, the mana storm was exceptionally powerful, capable of breaking through most protective gear.
The only way to escape was to hide in sturdy buildings.
But there were still people who hadn’t made it to the fortress city before the mana storm hit...

"How many people are there? What’s the status of food and water?"
"There are 30 people, and I’m told they have no food or water."
"...?"

Being trapped in underground caves without food or water.
This mana storm was expected to last at least a month...
There’s no way they could survive without food or water for that long.

"Then, we should wait for the storm to die down and try to bring in a barrier mage to rescue them..."
"No time for that. The caves aren’t even that deep, but if they couldn’t get out, it means someone’s injured. We need to send a rescue team immediately before we have casualties."
"Sir...!"

At that moment, the Duke of the North arrived, and the soldiers bowed their heads.
Being trapped in the caves isn’t just about fighting hunger and thirst.
It means someone has been severely injured and has to survive without treatment.
They’ll have to fight off monsters that constantly swarm in the dark, damp places for 24 hours a day.

They won’t last three days, let alone a month.
The only choice now is to attempt a rescue with the current available personnel.
The Duke of the North immediately made that decision.

"This mana storm is strong enough to break through protective gear."
"Gather all the barrier mages. If the barrier breaks, the next mage will cast one, and if that breaks, another will cast, and we’ll push through the storm."
"Yes, understood, Your Grace."

With protective gear rendered useless, there was only one way left.
The barrier mages would have to work together to break through the storm and reach the caves, then bring the soldiers back safely.
The problem was, how many barrier mages were there in Ester...

'There probably aren’t even ten.'

The Duke of the North knew that there were only about ten barrier mages, and none of them were particularly skilled.
At best, they could make one or two trips to and from the caves before running out of mana, which meant only about 20 people could be rescued...
At least ten sacrifices would likely be necessary.
With the bleak future in sight, the Duke of the North squeezed his eyes shut.

"I will join the rescue."
"The bodyguard of Aslan Vermont... Or should I say, the director of Vermont Security now. Can you help?"
"Yes. I used to be an 8th-circle barrier mage..."
"...!?"

No. I thought he was just a bodyguard with some strength.
But an 8th-circle barrier mage... only two ranks below a grand mage!?
The unexpected talent stunned the Duke of the North, his eyes wide in surprise.