Chapter 252
Even Iron Dog Invincible Maximus, who seemed to have nothing to fear in the world, couldn’t step forward recklessly as before in the face of the dense encirclement of the Dolls.
As he hesitated and looked back, Matilda Sedouforne, though furious that she ultimately couldn’t slap Alexandra’s cheek, had no choice but to frown and sharply shake her head.
It meant she was giving up.
No matter how out of control a noble young lady was, she wasn’t thoughtless enough to openly cause a disturbance in another family fortress.
“Let’s go! …I can’t stay here any longer because of these creepy things.”
Or maybe she was just scared of the Dolls.
Even so, it was completely understandable.
Even without the sensibilities of a Raver like Ms. Kali, who considered the Dolls to be dead things, anyone would find those sharp gazes from the gathered Dolls to be creepy.
The cold, eerie sensation of mechanical lenses, devoid of human emotion, seemingly weighing and calculating whether or not to dispose of me…
Should I say it was thanks to them? The scene, which had been so serious that it seemed someone was about to die, appeared to have entered a lull.
[Physical violence involving visitors is not permitted.]
“I get it, I get it! It’s all over now, so get lost, you stupid tin cans!”
Matilda Sedouforne snapped irritably and walked through the Dolls with Maximus leading the way, then looked back.
“You…Schneider and Alexandra Schneider, those bastards. Don’t think this is the end. Sedouforne and I will not forget what happened today, so you’d better be careful from now on.”
It was a vicious warning.
Even though she said it while clutching her swollen cheek, with a somewhat ridiculous appearance and slightly slurred pronunciation.
There was nothing good in the world to come from incurring the grudge of the Sedouforne Family, which was said not to fall far behind even Schneider.
Although I hadn’t played any role in the altercation just now (rather than fighting them, I had been busy trying to arrest Alexandra on our side. Shouldn’t the Sedouforne Family actually give me an award?),
I lowered my head and tried to hide my face, afraid they might remember me and retaliate just because I was a Schneider bodyguard.
I only raised my head after Matilda Sedouforne, Iron Dog Invincible Maximus, and the group of Sedouforne Family bodyguards disappeared.
Ms. Kali was still standing in her confident stance.
The Sedouforne Family said they wouldn’t forget today’s events, so wasn’t she afraid, especially since Ms. Kali must have left a strong impression by fighting on par with an A-rank Ronin?
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? With what?”
Her nonchalant voice, as if she didn’t even know what the problem was, made me feel frustrated. Did this senior get hit in the head while fighting?
“That noble just said it. She said she wouldn’t forget today, so we’d better be careful.”
“Ah, that? You’ll hear it often if you keep working as a bodyguard for the Schneider Family…especially for Young Lady Alexandra. It’s not just once or twice, and reacting to every little thing is exhausting. Just let it go and move on.”
I was dumbfounded.
Should I be appalled that hearing a noble’s threat wasn’t a one-time thing, or should I yell that it made no sense to just let a noble’s threat slide?
I had been thinking about this for a while, but just what kind of place the Schneider Family, and Security Team 4 were…
I felt sorry for Alexandra, but after experiencing it firsthand, even if I managed to escape Isiho’s shackles, I would absolutely never become a samurai for the Schneider Family.
“More importantly, phew…he’s an A-rank Ronin? He doesn’t get called A-rank for nothing. I almost got into big trouble.”
She said, clicking her tongue. Iron Dog Invincible Maximus’s impact really was strong.
“But you fought well, didn’t you? He even got injured.”
“Yeah. It was a Trump Card attack meant to kill, but it only left a small scratch. If we fight again, I’ll probably lose without a doubt. He’s no ordinary guy. The Team Leader-nim too…”
Huh? Ms. Kali stopped mid-sentence and tilted her head.
“Right, the Team Leader-nim!”
Realizing my mistake, I looked back too. I had completely forgotten. Team Leader-nim Hank was there!
When we ran over, Team Leader-nim Hank was picking himself up from among the shattered mirror fragments.
He was such a tough individual that even after flying and crashing so hard, there were no visible injuries.
As Ms. Kali hurriedly approached and supported him, Team Leader-nim Hank crumpled his face into a demonic expression and poured out all sorts of curses.
“This fucking son of a bitch, a retarded bastard who deserves to be deep-fried in shit water - it wouldn’t be enough even if I shoved him back into his mother’s womb and sewed it shut―.”
Uh…I listened for a bit and then covered my ears. Such creative and horrific words were flying out that it was hard for my pure ears and brain to handle.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m not okay. Damn it, am I getting old too…I fell hard for an obvious trick. What kind of lunatic is that? Openly using a radial bio-weapon in a noble family banquet hall? Does he think, fuck, that I don’t use one because I don’t have one?”
Team Leader-nim Hank grumbled like that, then fiercely whipped his head toward us.
He was looking in this direction, but this time he wasn’t angry at me like before. I hadn’t really done anything wrong.
Except for taking a shit in the restroom!
Other than that, I had done my absolute best.
The place Team Leader-nim Hank’s gaze landed was on the guilty Young Lady, Alexandra Amadeus Schneider, who, seemingly aware of her fault, was trying to hide behind me to avoid his eyes.
“…Young Lady.”
A single, resentful word uttered with a sigh.
Because of the accident Alexandra caused, Team Leader-nim Hank was subjected to verbal abuse and slapped multiple times by Matilda Sedouforne, and was even nearly severely injured by Iron Dog Invincible Maximus.
If she had a conscience, there was no way she could pretend not to notice. And Alexandra was someone with a conscience.
“Team Leader-nim Hank, um. I didn’t mean for this to happen…she spoke out of line first, and I didn’t know things would turn out like this―.”
“Yes, Young Lady. You probably didn’t mean for this to happen. However, I wish you would think a little about how things might turn out. Did you not know, or did you not want to know?”
At Team Leader-nim Hank’s bone-chilling words, Alexandra spoke in a voice that crawled back into her throat.
“I-I didn’t know…”
“No. The Artist went to your head, and you just committed the act without thinking. Just like always, and the same goes for this time.”
“…”
“It was fine before. You were young, Young Lady, and the accidents you caused were at a cute level. Not anymore. Young Lady, you are an adult. It is time for you to take responsibility for yourself, and if these problems keep occurring, we cannot handle the aftermath or the consequences for you forever. We are your bodyguards, not your nannies. How long will you keep repeating the same mistakes?”
Even if she wanted to deny it, not a single part of it was wrong. Alexandra replied like a scolded child.
“I understand…I’m sorry, Hank.”
“There is no need to be sorry. This is merely the presumptuous advice of a lowly bodyguard.”
“I will listen carefully. Truly.”
Strictly speaking, in their relationship, Alexandra was the superior and Team Leader-nim Hank was the subordinate.
However, Team Leader-nim Hank had the invisible authority to speak such uncomfortable truths to his escort target, Alexandra.
It was likely because of his contributions, having devoted and sacrificed himself countless times for Alexandra’s safety, just as he had shown a moment ago.
Suddenly, I wondered why Alexandra was looking for her own samurai.
'With him around, there’s really no need…'
“How about you return to the guest room now? There’s nothing good to come from causing any more of a commotion.”
“Right, I should do that.”
At Team Leader-nim Hank’s suggestion, Alexandra nodded dejectedly. She pushed past the Dolls, who were moving silently to clean up the stage that had become a pandemonium, and headed out of the banquet hall.
I followed, keeping an eye on our surroundings.
'This seems like a good thing. If a terror attack happens, they’ll first target the main banquet hall where there are the most people…'
Being in the guest room would be much better for escorting her than being attacked while in the banquet hall.
My head was a mess. Now that the fierce slapping bloodbath between Schneider and Sedouforne was over, I had to worry about the terror attack problem again!
It was a ridiculous thought, but I would have felt more at ease if I just hadn’t known.
Since I was the only one who knew and couldn’t tell anyone else, I was restless and could only stamp my feet in anxiety.
Of all things, because the commotion just now had dragged on for so long, there were only about 30 minutes left. This wasn’t even enough time for mental preparation―
[The Meredith Family has an announcement for all Visitors. In approximately 20 minutes, there will be a major announcement in the Main banquet Hall. We look forward to the participation of all our invited guests.]
In 20 minutes? Oh, damn it!
For a moment, the timing was so unbelievable that I wondered if the Meredith Family and the terrorists had conspired together.
Unfortunately, Alexandra’s ears perked up.
No. That cursed curiosity must not trigger an Activation again!
“Team Leader-nim Hank, there was an unpleasant incident…but since we received an invitation from the Meredith Family, shouldn’t we at least see what that major announcement is before we go? That way, I’ll have something to say to father.”
At the words Alexandra hesitantly spat out, I screamed internally.
I knew this would happen. This is bad.
I looked at Alexandra and shook my head vigorously, but she was so intimidated that she didn’t even spare me a glance, as if she had no room to pay attention to me.
I wanted to send her a telepathic message, if I could, telling her we shouldn’t go!
Instead, I looked toward Team Leader-nim Hank with desperate eyes. He was my only reliable resource now.
Judging by the atmosphere, a single firm 'No.' from Team Leader-nim Hank would make Alexandra give up obediently without being stubborn.
Wouldn’t Team Leader-nim Hank, who cared about Alexandra’s safety more than anything else, cut her off on his own?