The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 51

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

51.

Swoosh-!

“You shouldn’t let your guard down just because they seem like easy opponents.”

That was Casian for you.

It wasn’t my first time seeing him wield a sword, but I was impressed anew.

‘As expected, the author-certified strongest in this world…’

While the knights dealt with one magical beast at a time, Casian alone was easily handling three or four.

And he was moving in a way that allowed the new knights he’d brought along to gain experience.

Meanwhile, I stayed obediently away from the combat.

“Fifth Squad. In that formation, your 11 o’clock position will be breached. Be careful.”

More precisely, I was in the air.

When word came that a Flare Dragon had appeared, I immediately pressed the mages into action.

‘Of course Casian will fight while protecting everyone like in the original!’

I expected that sight would be magnificent. But I didn’t just sit back and watch him do all the work.

Since I’d already stepped forward, I wanted to be a proper asset, and why would I just play around when there were corners to squeeze every advantage from?

Though I recalled the original story, I had never once thought of this place as anything other than my reality.

No, rather, precisely because I thought of it as reality, I wanted even more not to become some flashy protagonist from a work of fiction.

That’s why I needed to free up Casian’s body.

The lives of knights who would fall on the battlefield weren’t light enough to be dismissed as merely a single line of text.

‘They’re also comrades in arms…!’

I wanted to give the knights who had shared the demanding work of the Winter Palace whatever help I could provide.

So I requested the mages to create floating magical tools that included defensive and stealth functions.

‘What on earth do you normally think about to come up with such an absurd idea, Advisor Salice?’

I got it from raids I used to run to relieve stress in my previous life, why?

‘People kept calling you a witch, and now you really think you’ve become one.’

‘If we do this, we’ll have our mana completely drained for three months and won’t be able to work. The magic stones required are no joke either!’

Though I heard plenty of complaints.

The magic stone problem was also…

‘If Rose watches over the battlefield, we’ll preserve a considerable amount of our forces, so it’s worth the investment.’

Casian solved it using some of the magic stones he’d accumulated from rolling around battlefields.

So I intended to do my part to match the investment.

And for good reason…

‘When you say you’re investing, why do you look at me with such worried eyes?’

It’s unsettling.

It would be nice if he’d just treat me like a subordinate employee, but lately Casian’s gaze kept mixing in strange emotions.

Whether it was simply an obsession with not wanting to lose his advisor, or if childhood connections were unconsciously influencing him.

‘Or if there’s something he’s hiding…’

I could only speculate, but what was certain was that just as I worried about Casian, he was concerned about me too.

Well…

“Rose, why don’t you look after my side?”

Though Casian was moving his body far too lightly for someone who’d made me feel like being serious for a moment was a loss.

I casually ignored Casian’s words and shouted.

“First Squad, watch your 9 o’clock position!”

*

Crackling sounds echoed as shallow embers lightly burned the wood.

‘It’s been about a week now.’

During that time, thanks to the training Casian had conducted without letting his guard down and the coordination of the Royal Guard who trusted my words well, we’d been able to reach the middle slopes of the snowy mountains with no major losses except for minor injuries.

Though the number of magical beast appearances was increasing as we went deeper into the snowy mountains, morale hadn’t dropped, which was also encouraging.

“At this rate, the Saint’s entourage following behind should be able to come up easily too, right?”

It was already deep night. After finishing the cleanup of nearby magical beasts, Casian and I were standing watch together side by side at the campsite.

As soon as dinner ended, the other knights had hurried to sleep for efficiency’s sake, so the surroundings were quiet.

When I brought my cold hands close to the campfire where flames still flickered faintly, Casian naturally wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his embrace.

“Probably, if they just reach the main force, it’s a distance they could catch up in about three days.”

“That’s why we cleared magical beasts over such a wide range.”

“His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t slack off in a place like this either – he knows the lives of knights are precious.”

Casian draped a blanket over both our shoulders and handed me warmly heated tea.

“It’s a shame I can’t brew the coffee you like here.”

“It’s fine. No matter how comfortable it is having Your Highness here, this is still a battlefield – I’m not so ignorant of circumstances as to expect such luxuries.”

At my words, he laughed with a light rumbling sound from his throat.

“If Rose were ignorant of circumstances, there wouldn’t be anyone left among the Capital’s aristocracy.”

“Probably?”

Casian looked at me with gentle eyes at my self-aware answer.

Whenever I gave answers like this, he had a habit of showing he was strangely pleased.

Perhaps because even during this watch duty he was no different from usual, though this was a place where magical beasts could suddenly emerge, I felt strangely untroubled.

Even though,

“It’s starting to look like it’s reached its limit.”

I could see the barrier the priests had set up wavering.

“Right, I hope the Saint arrives in time.”

“Mm.”

Answering lightly, he leaned his head against mine and spoke playfully.

“Even if we can’t make the timing work, don’t worry too much – I’ll handle it somehow.”

Though his tone held no seriousness whatsoever, I was able to smile without the slightest doubt.

Grroooowl-

It was a deep night when the sounds of Flare Dragons rampaging could be heard.

*

Fortunately, the day after we talked about the Saint, a messenger bird arrived from the rear main force saying the Temple’s follow-up team had arrived.

Thanks to that, it seemed we’d be able to advance without slowing our pace.

However, the contents of the message the Administrator sent were quite suspicious.

Of course, considering how the Temple had been behaving up until now, it was certainly plausible…

‘But the Saint I know doesn’t have that kind of personality?’

Well, Casian’s actions had also flowed differently from what I’d predicted, so the same could be true for her.

‘But there’s a Flare Dragon here.’

With a dragon – the highest class among magical beasts – present, the Saint would just obediently stay put as the Temple ordered?

While keeping the Administrator’s warning in mind, I didn’t think about it too seriously.

“You have the face of someone who has backup plans in case the Saint doesn’t come.”

“That would be Your Highness.”

At my casual answer, Casian smiled softly.

“I’ll have to make sure to repay that trust.”

“Please trust us too, Advisor!”

“That’s right! Today morning we didn’t hear a single instruction from the Advisor about our defenses being breached!”

Following that, playful words poured out from the knights who’d grown close during the expedition.

Even though I’d informed the squad leaders about the message contents just in case, their morale wasn’t particularly dampened, which was truly fortunate.

After all, momentum is important in battle too.

And so, for four days.

We continued clearing a wide area as we headed toward the summit.

Though the barrier was precarious, it held out well until we nearly reached the summit.

However, perhaps because this was an era when the priests’ power wasn’t of very high purity.

“The barrier seems about to be destroyed. The temperature will rise rapidly and fire-type magical beasts will pour out, so everyone prepare!”

“Yes, Advisor!”

Now, on the 11th day of climbing the snowy mountains.

Crash, crash-crash-crash-!

The barrier was destroyed before the Saint could even arrive.

I threw forward the defensive magic tools I had obtained by working the mages hard, preparing for this exact contingency, and spoke.

“Formation change! Front line will be reorganized into squads of knights capable of using aura!”

I hurriedly relayed the barrier destruction contingency positions that Casian and I had reorganized while climbing up, not forgetting to increase altitude a bit more so they wouldn’t worry about me.

“Prince Casian takes the very front, original Fifth Squad takes the rear!”

The knights followed every single instruction I shouted out in preparation for the frantically pouring magical beasts without missing a beat.

After holding out for about thirty minutes like that, I raised my altitude a bit more.

Since we had climbed almost to the summit, just raising the altitude a little more caused the temperature to drop and breathing problems to arise, making me cough lightly.

“Rose, stop it!”

My superior noticed my condition like a ghost and shouted.

But if I don’t hurry, the knights that Casian carefully raised will be sacrificed.

Even though we expect some degree of sacrifice on battlefields like this, I wanted to try my best effort.

When I raised my arm to make a big circle showing I was fine, I could feel Casian’s face crumpling even from far away.

And actually, I really wasn’t fine.

‘Still, I have to find it.’

I watched the battlefield while turning my head from time to time.

Though the field of vision was narrower since it was snowy mountains.

I blinked my eyes while holding back my labored breathing.

And then, the next moment I found it.

Pink hair visible under a deeply pulled hood.

At the same time, I hoped she was the Saint.

‘Casian and the knights who can use aura should be fine, but.’

At this rate, there will be casualties.

Crunch, I chewed and swallowed a voice amplification candy, then put strength in my stomach and shouted.

“Your Grace! Please create the barrier!”

Simultaneously with my shout, she drew out a long spear, breaking through the puzzling behavior of the priests blocking around the Saint.

‘…A spear?’

The Saint?

And the next moment, the Saint shook off even the priests physically blocking her and threw the spear toward the summit without hesitation.

‘That’s impossible, at that distance it couldn’t possibly reach-‘

It shouldn’t be able to…

“A barrier, a barrier has formed!”

The thrown spear easily reached the summit and shattered, instantly beginning to restore the barrier.

And the next moment, when I checked on the Saint’s side, I had no choice but to rub my eyes.

‘The Saint is… showing off her biceps…?’

And she’s even striking a proper pose while doing it.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————