Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 40

[Translation By Divinity]

Damian blinked and looked at Lilliana beside Pascal, who circled her finger in the air, signaling that it was okay.

“You fought four against one and won instantly…”

“Uh…”

Damian hesitated in his response, looking at Lilliana, and she gave him an okay sign with her thumb and index finger.

“That’s also true.”

“Hmm, hmm.”

Pascal hummed and nodded again without offering any further comments.

Damian felt tense, unable to discern Pascal’s intentions. He couldn’t let his guard down, not knowing what kind of strange or awkward request Lilliana had mentioned. It seemed likely that it was related to the recent incident.

As Damian discreetly wiped the sweat from his palms on his clothes, their coffee arrived. He inwardly clicked his tongue, seeing the hot coffee placed in front of him. ‘If I had known the atmosphere would be like this, I would have ordered a cold drink.’

Pascal took a sip of her tea and spoke again.

“How old are you now, Damian?”

“I’m 21.”

“Quite young.”

Pascal, indirectly commenting on his young age, looked Damian up and down.

He looked like he was Lilliana’s age, but his eyes told a different story.

Behind his indifferent expression, his blue-gray eyes were mature, or rather, sharpened by the bitterness of life. This was especially true since he had been recently discharged from the military.

“You said you were a former soldier, right?”

“Ah, yes. I volunteered two years ago and was discharged last month.”

“Lily told me you volunteered for the war between Lebe and Suvelz…”

Damian reflexively touched the remaining part of his right arm with his left hand and nodded.

“That’s correct. I lost my right arm there. That’s why I was honorably discharged…”

Perhaps due to nervousness, he ended up saying more than he was asked.

“And your rank?”

“I was a Second Lieutenant.”

“Oh my, at your age?”

Pascal reacted similarly to Lilliana.

“Damian received two medals as a non-commissioned officer, so he got promoted quickly. Isn’t that amazing?”

Lilliana subtly joined the conversation, worried that Damian might get tired of the barrage of questions. At Lilliana’s words, Pascal pushed her glasses up her nose with her finger and muttered,

“Then… I suppose his skills are guaranteed.”

Sunlight glinted off Pascal’s glasses. For some reason, Damian felt intimidated by that sight.

“Skills? Guaranteed?”

Damian gulped, and Pascal spoke,

“Damian, I have a proposition for you.”

“Yes? Please, go ahead.”

“Would you be interested in working as a bodyguard?”

Damian’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected offer. She continued with a serious expression.

“It’s bodyguard work, but the workload won’t be too heavy. We can also accommodate any conditions you might have.”

Damian froze for a moment with a bewildered expression, then quickly waved his hand.

“Ah… Wait a moment. I might be a retired soldier, but bodyguard work is a bit different from being in the military. I have no experience guarding someone.”

The sudden offer was one thing, but Damian wasn’t confident in his ability to do the job, and his physical condition wasn’t ideal either.

“And I’m still receiving treatment for the aftereffects of the war. I’m not in a state to protect anyone. And I don’t have my right arm…”

As Damian listed the reasons why he had to refuse Pascal’s offer, she nodded and crossed her arms.

“I see. Your right arm is the biggest obstacle.”

“Yes. I can’t bodyguard someone with one arm…”

“Asher Olon, the most famous prosthetic craftsman.”

Damian flinched at the name that came out of Pascal’s mouth.

“They say Asher Olon’s prosthetics are almost functionally identical to real arms. Would that be sufficient?”

“I, um, what do you mean…”

“If you’re refusing because of your right arm, I’m saying I can solve that problem for you.”

Damian’s ears perked up at those words. But Asher Olon’s prosthetics weren’t something ordinary people could easily afford. Damian spoke cautiously.

“Do you… know the price?”

“Yes, I looked into it beforehand. I can cover that cost.”

Damian looked at Pascal with a dazed expression at her words.

This woman had come fully prepared to corner Damian, even dangling the enticing bait of an Asher Olon prosthetic.

If he could get an Asher Olon prosthetic, the pay for the job didn’t matter. It was already more than enough support for the work involved.

However, while it was common to work hard and receive little pay, there were few legitimate ways to earn a lot of money for easy work. Before getting caught up in Pascal’s bait, Damian regained his composure and asked,

“Could this job… involve death?”

“Ah…”

Pascal’s eyes darted around.

‘Tsk, being a soldier, he’s sharp in that regard.’

But she quickly regained her composure and said confidently,

“Isn’t that the case with any bodyguard job, not just this one?”

Damian narrowed his eyes.

“Ahahaha, I won’t say it’s not dangerous. That would be a lie.”

Pascal waved her hand dismissively. Lilliana, beside her, was shaking her head. Damian glanced at her, and she mouthed the words,

‘Refuse.’

Before flatly refusing, Damian asked one more question.

“Who am I supposed to protect?”

Pascal smiled and pointed to her side.

“Lily.”

Lilliana, the subject of the conversation, rubbed her face in embarrassment. Damian looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

“What are you doing that you need a bodyguard?”

“No, it’s not that I’m doing anything strange…”

Lilliana looked a bit wronged. Pascal continued,

“I can protect Lilliana while she’s in the east. But I can’t move from there due to my current situation. Even coming to Nichio today was quite a stretch. So, I can’t be with Lilliana while she’s here, and I won’t be able to help her if anything happens. That’s why she needs a bodyguard.”

Damian narrowed his eyes, and Lilliana, resting her chin on her hands, chewed on the straw that came with her ade and said,

“I don’t mind whatever you choose, but you can refuse if you don’t want to. You don’t have to feel pressured by my aunt.”

“Oh, Lily, I’m not forcing him. I’m just saying I can meet his conditions.”

Damian, feeling uneasy about the whole situation, said to Pascal,

“Who am I supposed to protect Lilliana from? I need to know at least that much to decide whether to accept the offer or not.”

Pascal, who had been actively speaking until now, suddenly fell silent. When Damian looked at Lilliana instead, she also avoided his gaze.

“That’s…”

Pascal laughed.

“That’s a bit difficult to explain.”

“No. I need to know to accept. If it’s beyond my capabilities, it’ll just be a waste of your money, Ms. Pascal.”

Damian said firmly, and Pascal turned her head away and muttered, “Tsk, he’s picky,” in a low voice. Lilliana nudged Pascal’s side and explained on her behalf.

“It’s not that we’re testing you; it’s just a sensitive matter that’s difficult to explain. We don’t want to share information you don’t need to know unless you take the job. If you accept, we’ll tell you then.”

Lilliana sighed softly.

“So, if you’re not confident, just refuse. We won’t blame you. You don’t have any obligation to do this.”

“But I don’t mind even if it’s a waste of money. Out of all the people I can hire within my capabilities, everyone else is the same except for you.”

Pascal said, pushing Lilliana’s head away.