Fled Without Realizing I Had Prevented the Apocalypse

The Empire’s Second Star.
Scarlet Frausia observed the intentions of the man standing before her.
Kyle Amillan.
Although he’s now more famous as the Empire’s First Star and as a wanted criminal, originally he was known as the “Ill-fated Child of Raziel.”
The sole survivor of the Kingdom of Raziel, which had completely perished and become a land of Contaminants and occasionally appearing magical realms.
Because of this, many people bombarded him with questions about what happened in the Kingdom of Raziel, but Kyle never answered anyone’s questions.
He even emitted killing intent towards those who asked such questions.
That intense killing intent was enough to make Scarlet momentarily mistake Kyle for someone of her own kind.
‘To such a person, I’ve conveyed news of a ghost from the past appearing.’
Scarlet knows that people don’t change so easily.
If a person has changed, they’re either a different person or wearing a mask.
Therefore, one’s true nature doesn’t change.

So, how would someone who had consistently emitted killing intent at the mere mention of a few words about the past react to hearing such information?
Although his power has significantly decreased compared to before, he’s still the person who took the position of the Empire’s First Star, surpassing her.
If she were to face Kyle right now with her unique weapon, Bloodred, in hand, she would probably win seven out of ten times.
But conversely, that means she could lose three times even in his weakened state.
‘Well, what will you do?’
Scarlet watched Kyle while barely suppressing the ecstasy and excitement from showing on her face.
Although Scarlet had already declared she wouldn’t subjugate Kyle, it’s different if the target of subjugation rushes at her directly.
Even if there’s a slight flaw in the finished product, the taste of that dessert is certainly guaranteed, so if he rushes in himself, Scarlet was ready to savor that taste at any time.
Moreover, unlike his usual cool demeanor, a Kyle immersed in emotion.
It would probably be an exquisite delicacy that she wouldn’t easily experience.
Scarlet prepared to draw her sword at any moment, anticipating Kyle’s reaction.
However.
“A survivor of the Kingdom of Raziel…”
“Yes.”
“I see. Is that all?”
“……?”
Kyle’s reaction was so unexpected that even the expressionless Scarlet momentarily opened her eyes wide.
“Another survivor of the Kingdom of Raziel besides me. It’s certainly surprising. But I don’t think you would have brought this up for just that.”
“W-Well, that’s true.”
Although she was flustered by the unexpected attitude, Scarlet quickly managed her expression.
A Sword Master is a being that transcends ordinary humans in all aspects.

This rule doesn’t deviate when it comes to managing expressions and controlling emotions.
Moreover, Scarlet originally showed exceptional abilities in these areas compared to others.
Quickly hiding her bewilderment, Scarlet opened her mouth.
“The Intelligence Department has requested cooperation. A request to protect the identity of the survivor of the Kingdom of Raziel.”
“A request from the Intelligence Department to protect an identity. It probably came to the Special Forces, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then couldn’t you just send one of your subordinates? The Intelligence Department wouldn’t have requested you as the protection detail unless they’re crazy.”
Kyle looked at Scarlet with questioning eyes.
No matter how much he calls her crazy, on the surface, she’s still known as the Empire’s Second Star.
Besides commanding all of the Imperial Knight Orders, she naturally has at least one unit in the Special Forces that she can directly manage and operate.

“Ah, well…”
But judging by Scarlet’s attitude as she spoke, it seems there’s been a problem with that unit.
Watching Scarlet struggle to answer, Kyle immediately realized what the problem was.
“Did you have a group sparring session?”
“…Yes. Since you weren’t there, I had no one to cross swords with.”
“What about the unit members?”
“They’re all in the hospital. According to the priest, they all need about a month of recuperation.”

Weaklings.
Watching Scarlet grumble like that, Kyle heaved a deep sigh.
Probably, as she said, the members of the Special Forces aren’t weak.

Special Forces.
Especially if they’re assigned to one of the Empire’s Stars, they’re the elite of the elite.
It’s just that their sparring opponent happened to be a Sword Master.
“VIP protection. What’s the pay?”
“I believe it’s 2 million per day.”
“2 million…”
Objectively, it’s a lot of money, but for Kyle right now, it’s not that much.
Even just looking at the present, didn’t he earn the hefty sum of 20 million sel in just three days through premium delivery?
Unlike requests where he can extract money efficiently in a short time by just exerting effort, the Empire’s protection missions often tend to be long-term.

The biggest drawback is that it’s not done on a daily basis like these premium deliveries he’s doing now, but on a weekly basis. It could even extend to monthly if things go wrong.
Moreover, considering that his accumulated debt has surpassed hundreds of millions, it was even more so.
Having finished his thoughts, Kyle was about to convey his decision to Scarlet.
But.
“Ah, if you’re worried about the pay, I’ll take it from my salary.”
“…What?”
“The amount… 40 million sel should be sufficient, right?”
“I accept.”
The amount Scarlet offered was too large to refuse the request.

“The southern part of the Empire, you say?”

After accepting Scarlet’s request, I immediately headed to the southern part of the Empire.
Although I had already met Scarlet, there was no reason to stay long at the Araxis mansion.
The Count Araxis, his wife, and the young lady showed regretful expressions, but it was originally nothing more or less than a relationship between a client and a mercenary, so I didn’t have any particular attachments.
“Seeing that Count Araxis sent you a separate thank you message, it seems you resolved things well.”
“Come to think of it, is it okay to add such content to the request without giving me any prior notice?”
Having arrived in the southern part of the Empire like that, I was first communicating with Beatrice.
Of course, there isn’t a developed scientific civilization like in the world I originally lived in, but this is a world where magic has developed.
Naturally, long-distance communication is also done through magic.
Mana stones, a byproduct of monsters. A magical engineering tool created by utilizing the magic power from these mana stones and the magic circles of high-ranking magicians.
Looking at Beatrice’s face appearing on a device reminiscent of Earth’s beam projector, I frowned.
“Oh my, I didn’t add anything to the request. You clearly delivered the Goddess’s Tear, and everything that happened after that was all your choice, Kyle, wasn’t it?”
Showing a smile first and then covering her expression with a fan.
It’s like looking at a fox with multiple tails.
“You say it’s my choice when you already judged that I would subjugate the demon contractor and sent me…”
“Such a caring person. But thanks to that, you received a hefty reward, didn’t you?”
“……”
Remembering the reward received from the Count’s family, my mouth automatically closes.
Certainly, the reward received this time was substantial.
On top of the originally scheduled 2 million for the premium delivery request, the Count added a whopping 20 million sel.
It’s essentially like receiving double the request fee.
‘I’d like to add more, but I don’t have the financial leeway due to purchasing the Goddess’s Tear. Instead, know that the Araxis Count family will not forget your kindness.’
Even if I don’t pay much attention to the latter content, receiving 40 million sel in total is what’s important.
Since it was in the form of receiving money through the request fee, even if I give Beatrice a commission of 20 million sel for mediating the request, there’s no commission on personal gratuities.
If I add the 40 million sel I’m about to receive from Scarlet now to the money earned like that, the amount I need to repay becomes exactly 100 million sel.
Of course, 100 million sel is still a large sum, but considering the amount I originally had to repay, it’s enough to bring tears of joy.

However, I didn’t shed tears.
Shedding tears will be for the moment when this damned debt relationship ends.
“I certainly did hear news that a survivor of the Kingdom of Raziel had returned in the south.”
“Where on earth do you get such news from?”

“Oh my. The Empire’s 5 Great Merchant Guilds didn’t get their position by gambling. Of course, we can’t beat the Imperial Intelligence Department, but at least in terms of the amount of information, I dare say we can compete.”
I wish there was even a little exaggeration mixed in, but the most frightening thing is that those words are true.
The fact that a mere merchant has information gathering abilities comparable to a country’s intelligence department.
I know well how incredibly significant that is.

“Anyway, I’ll look into that survivor as well.”
“…No, that doesn’t seem necessary.”
“Pardon?”
Ignoring Beatrice’s bewildered voice, I looked out through the open window at the scenery outside.
The blue sky, the gentle breeze blowing, the clustered buildings, and people gathered in a wide circle on the street, looking at someone.
My gaze naturally turns to the center of the circle.
An appearance that captivates the light of surrounding objects just by walking down the street.
Even without possessing powers like magic or divine energy, her innate skin creates an illusion of emitting a halo.
A face that’s simply unforgettable.
And added to that.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Blessings upon you for your kindness.”
“I hope you’ve had a good day.”
A kindness unbefitting her status.

A woman who doesn’t forget the kindness she’s received and tries to repay it somehow. Yet she still feels noble and dignified. I watched such a woman for a moment before uttering her name.
“Arlea de Raziel.”
She wasn’t simply a survivor of the Kingdom of Raziel.
She was a princess of the royal family of the Kingdom of Raziel, which was known to have been completely wiped out in an accident.
Among them, she was the most prominent First Princess.