Chapter 3

The one who came out from inside the mansion was a beautiful girl the same age as Ziel. She has wavy black hair and beautiful blue eyes. She has white and smooth skin and is about 165cm tall. Though not on the same level as Princess Aishia or Princess Freya, she looks lovely.

"Dad! You're home!" The girl smiled at Duke Hazell. She jogged then jumped into his arms.

"Yeah, I'm home, Clara." Duke Hazell returned the girl's hug with a warm smile.

Clara Castilene is the only daughter of Hazell Castilene and Eleanor Castilene. Her black hair is what she got from his father because Eleanor Castilene has blue hair and is not a native of the Neigal Kingdom.

"Dad, when did you arrive? And who is he?" After breaking free from his father's arms, she realized that there was someone she didn't know along with her father at this time.

"I just arrived, and your mother picked me up at the front. He is the one who will be your servant. His name is Ken Nijisaki." Duke Hazell introduces Ziel to Clara.

"Is that true? I thought you forgot about that. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Clara Castilene. It looks like we're not that far apart in age. I'm glad to be your acquaintance." Clara introduced herself to Ziel the same way her mother did. Looks elegant and dignified.

"My name is Ken Nijisaki. I am currently 16 years old. Please forgive me if my manners seem unrefined. I also feel happy to acquaintance with you." Ziel lowered his head and put his hand on his chest while introducing himself. He could see that Clara Castilene was very spoiled by her parents from their exchange.

"Oh, we turn out to be the same age! Hopefully, we can get along quickly. So please don't be too stiff." Clara smiled beautifully like a blooming flower.

"I understand. I am pleased to serve you, my lady." Ziel nodded slightly in response. He didn't show any expression at all when he saw Clara's beautiful smile.

"Okay. You already have a butler, and you can't be lazy with your training from now on, Clara. Now Ken needs to rest because it's a long journey and he starts working as your butler tomorrow. Raven, please take Ken to his room." Duke Hazell was feeling very tired and wanted to rest soon.

"Yes, my lord. I will take you to your room, Ken." Raven comes and walks towards the room reserved for Ziel.

"Yes. If so, I'll leave first." Ziel lowered his head to Duke Hazell, and the others then walked after raven.

***

At midnight in a room in the Castilene residence, Duke Hazell was sitting and reading the report in his hands.

Knock...knock...knock...

"Honey, it's me. May I come in?" Eleanor's voice came from behind the door.

"You can come in, honey." Duke Hazell answered while keep a looking at the report in his hand.

Eleanor came in and held a cup of tea in her hand. She put her teacup on her husband's desk, and she was sitting on a lounger not far from there.

"It's already midnight, honey. You just rested for a while after coming home from the previous trip. Is work that important?" Eleanor was worried to see her husband's face that looked tired.

"This is very important because it concerns the assault incident that happened to me today." Duke Hazell said with a darkened face.

"Did that person do it?" Eleanor wanted to know who had attacked her husband on the way back home.

"I still don't know who it is, but the person I suspect the most right now is that person. Marquis Jacob Remington." Duke Hazell sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair.

"Insolent bastard! So the previous attack on this mansion was his doing too!?" Eleanor gritted her teeth while holding back her anger.

"Calm down, honey. The most important thing right now was Clara's safety. Luckily I met Ken on this trip, so I didn't have to bother looking for anyone else anymore." Duke Hazell had a look of relief on his face.

"Can he be trusted, honey?" Eleanor asked Duke Hazell. She still had a little doubt about Ziel.

"You know how I am, right? I can't possibly make a suspicious person as Clara's guardian knight. Although I don't know exactly where he came from, I'm sure he's not a spy. It's just my feeling, but I believe it. He's the right person to protect Clara." Even though they had just met, Duke Hazell seemed to have trusted Ziel a lot.

"Well, if you think so, I believe in your decision." Eleanor smiled sweetly and no longer questioned her husband's decision. She stood up from her chair and approached Duke Hazell, then gave him a light kiss on the lips.

"Please don't stay up too late. I'm going back to my room, honey. Good night." She then walked out of the room.

"I understand. Good night, honey." Duke Hazell smiled at his wife and refocused on the report in his hand.

***

At midnight, Ziel suddenly opened his eyes and woke up from sleep.

"Haa... I haven't even started work yet, and trouble has arrived." Ziel sighed and quickly got up from his bed. Then he put on a robe to cover himself.

Ziel saw a dinner knife on the table next to his bed as he was about to leave. Then he took it and disappeared from his room.

***

Duke Hazell's residence was quite spacious. Apart from the luxurious and elegant mansion, the garden has a beautiful and colorful view. Many flowers and trees are planted there so that the residence looks gorgeous and refreshing. But tonight, behind the trees hide four people dressed in black and covering their faces.

"Execute according to plan! This time must not fail!" The man in black and holding a dagger gave an order. He looks like the leader of the group.

"So our target this time is Duke Hazell's daughter?" Another person in black spoke. He was carrying a wand-like magician in his hand.

"Yes, this is an order from the boss." The leader answered in a low voice.

"Hehe... can we enjoy it before we kill her?" Another person in black who was holding an ax in his hand spoke while laughing.

"No, we have to kill her as quickly as possible and get out of here. Do you understand?" The leader spoke threateningly.

"Okay... okay..." The person holding the ax answered nonchalantly.

"Yawn...let's finish soon because I'm sleepy." The last person was holding two tridents in his hand.

"Yeah, let's finish soon..." The leader suddenly stopped talking. He felt a terrifying aura that sent chills down his spine. He had never felt that way during his time as an assassin. He was like a kitten meeting a tiger. His body was shaking, and he couldn't move an inch.

It wasn't just him who felt it. All of his men fell silent, and their bodies were also shaking and dripping sweat from their foreheads.

"Get out of here!" The leader shouted from the top of his lungs to warn his men, but it was too late. A barrier had already formed and blocked their way out.

"Damn it! What is this? Quickly break this barrier and run away from here!" The leader shouted and attacked the barrier. But the barrier was not scratched in the slightest.

"No way! Not even a scratch with the strength of the captain, who is a dagger master!" The man in black who was holding an ax was shocked to see his captain's attack did not affect the barrier in front of him.

"I can't believe we can't break this barrier. Let's attack together!" The leader shouted in frustration at his subordinates.

They unleashed their full power attacks. Five magic circles and aura seals were visible on their bodies. The four people are at the master level.

[Lightning Ball]

[Mountain Breaks]

[Dead Slash]

[Piercing Heart]

Their combined attacks were aimed at a single point of the barrier. So the barrier would receive a greater impact as the attacks gathered in one place.

Boooooooommmmmm!