Chapter 102: Eren [2]

“I thought that was it,” Lila continued, her voice steadying by force. “I thought… I would never make it out of that place alive.”

Her eyes flicked toward me for the briefest moment—no more than a breath.

“But someone saved me. And the other mercenary as well.”

Alice’s brow arched slightly. “Someone? Who exactly?”

Lila nodded once, her gaze firm.

“His name is Eren.”

“Eren? Who is that?”

Alice tilted her head slightly, her brows knitting in thought. The name meant nothing to her at first—no noble title, no House association, nothing that stood out. Just… Eren.

“A mercenary?” she asked, her voice cautious.

Lila hesitated, then shook her head. “I… I don’t know if that’s what he really is. He didn’t act like one. He asked for a job from me, and I gave him one.”

Alice studied her carefully, her sharp mind sifting through every word.

“Describe him.”

Lila blinked. “He was young, maybe sixteen years old. Dark hair. His eyes were green or blue? I don’t know anymore. He was calm, but… not cold.”

Alice leaned back slightly, arms folding across her chest. “That’s vague.”

Lila gave a wry smile. “You weren’t there, my lady. When he stood between me and that thing, it felt like… I don’t know. Like watching a knight from some old story. Except he didn’t wear armor. No crest. Just… a worn coat and quiet confidence.”

Alice’s gaze dropped to the floor, her mind already moving ten steps ahead.

Eren.

The name echoed in her thoughts.

Unfamiliar. And yet…

A man strong enough to save a group of mercenaries from a threat she herself wouldn’t dare face again. A man who didn’t ask for anything in return.

“Where is he now?” she asked.

Lila’s expression faltered. “I don’t know. After he got us out… he vanished. Like he never wanted to be found.”

Alice didn’t respond immediately. The room fell into a heavy silence.

Then, quietly, she murmured to herself,

“He is the ’Vigilante of the North’ that people were talking about.”

“I believe so too, my lady.”

At that moment, Hans stepped forward and gave a small nod toward Alice.

“According to the information provided by Miss Lila, it’s most likely that this Eren is the Vigilante of the North. Why? Because right after the incident, he tied the severed head of Bjron the Butcher to the clock tower and sent a message to all the North. That’s why I believe Eren is the Vigilante.”

As the conversation continued, I didn’t say anything. I just observed everyone in the room.

Alice and Hans.

The recent victim of Bjron the Butcher, Lila, and her mercenary, Mira.

All of this had happened far too fast for me to process.

One moment, I was killing Bjron as Eren—hanging his severed head on the clock tower in the central plaza—and the next, I was back in my role as the attendant of Alice Draken.

…And now here we were, talking about Eren, the Vigilante of the North.

Lila was trying to put on a brave face, but it wasn’t working. Every few moments, her hands trembled.

It seemed Hans had brought her here after learning she had survived the encounter. She must’ve insisted on giving her report directly to Lady Alice—maybe out of guilt… or gratitude.

Hans stood with his arms behind his back, posture rigid, his expression unreadable. A man of few words, but his presence always carried weight. It was no surprise he was the one connecting the pieces—he was meticulous like that.

Alice, meanwhile, had gone silent again. Her eyes weren’t focused on Lila anymore. They were somewhere distant—buried in thought, flickering with questions.

“Eren,” she said again, slower this time, like tasting the name on her tongue. “A sixteen-year-old boy… who killed Bjron. That butcher who killed humans—and ate them. You do realize what kind of man he was, don’t you?”

Lila nodded slowly, her voice hoarse. “Yes, my lady. That’s why I’m saying—this Eren killed him in front of my eyes, when I was chained in the butchering room of that psychopath.”

Alice closed her eyes for a brief moment, letting Lila’s words settle like dust in a room that had just been shaken.

She reopened them slowly.

“Chained,” she echoed softly. “So you saw it all.”

Lila’s hands curled tightly in her lap. “I did, my lady.”

The room held its breath.

Alice shifted slightly in her seat, her tone cool but composed.

“You said he didn’t act like a mercenary. Then what did he act like?”

Lila hesitated.

“…Like someone with nothing to prove. He moved like he’d done it all before. Like he didn’t enjoy the killing—but he didn’t hesitate either. And after it was done… he looked at me and said, ’You did right by hiring me.’ Just like that.”

As Lila said those words, there was some loneliness hidden in her voice.

Of course, Alice picked up on that sudden change—but she didn’t point it out.

Hans let out a quiet hum, the only sound besides the crackle of the hearth.

“You believe him to be some sort of hero?” Alice asked flatly, but her voice lacked the bite. It was curiosity more than skepticism.

“I don’t know about others, but he is a hero to me,” Lila said firmly. “I believe him to be someone dangerous… but with a line he won’t cross. He didn’t kill for glory. Or coin. Just… for justice.”

Alice stood slowly, her long coat brushing the back of her calves as she walked to the window. The northern wind pressed faintly against the glass.

“A boy with a sword sharper than his age. A killer with morals. And now a Vigilante,” she murmured, watching the cloudy skyline beyond.

“Lady Alice.” Hans stepped forward slightly. “Should I deploy someone to investigate? We might still find traces—”

“No.” Alice turned around, her gaze unusually focused. “If he wanted to be found, he would’ve stayed.”

She paused.

“But do keep an ear out. If he is the Vigilante, then this won’t be the last time he moves. Especially not with scum like Bjron out of the way.”

Hans bowed his head. “Understood.”

Then Alice’s gaze fell to me.

I straightened slightly under her stare, trying not to betray anything behind my eyes.

But her expression wasn’t accusatory. Just… curious.

“You’ve been silent all this time,” she said calmly. “What do you think of this Eren?”

I blinked, feeling the weight of every eye in the room land on me.

Lila. Mira. Hans.

And Alice, most of all.

A beat passed.

Then I gave the smallest smile.

My smile was brief—measured.

“I think,” I said slowly, “he’s someone who acts when others hesitate.”

Alice’s gaze didn’t shift. She studied me with that sharp, hawk-like perception of hers.

I didn’t flinch. Couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

I continued, voice steady, careful not to say too much.

“People like Bjron… they slip through cracks because everyone’s afraid to stand in the way. But someone did. Whether it was justice or vengeance, I don’t know. But I know this much—”

I let my words trail for a moment, then met her eyes.

“The North is safer because of him.”

A faint tension pulsed in the room.

Hans gave a slight nod, as though mentally logging my response.

Alice, however, said nothing at first. She looked thoughtful, as though I’d answered a question she hadn’t voiced.

“Hmm,” she said finally, the sound barely more than a breath. Then she turned away again, back to the window.

Lila let out a slow sigh, her shoulders relaxing just a touch. Mira shifted beside her, as if the spell had broken.

For now.

“Thank you, Lila,” Alice said at last. “That will be all for now. Rest. You’ve earned it.”

Lila stood and gave a stiff bow. “Yes, my lady.”

As she and Mira exited the chamber, Hans followed with a nod of acknowledgment to Alice.

That left the two of us alone.

The silence felt different now—denser. Measured.

Alice didn’t turn from the window as she spoke.

“You’re a strange one,” she murmured.

I said nothing.

Then she turned—her silver eyes meeting mine.

“You speak of him like you understand him,” she said softly. “Not in awe. Not like Lila did. But like a peer.”

That caught me off guard. Barely. I kept my expression smooth.

“I just said what I thought,” I replied, managing to sound casual.

She watched me for a moment longer, and for a brief heartbeat, I wondered if she’d say it—if she’d point a finger and speak the name out loud.

But instead…

A small smile tugged at her lips. The first real one I’d seen from her in days.

“I suppose we all wear masks,” she said, almost to herself. Then, with a slight shrug, she stepped away from the window.

“Come,” she added. “We’ve work to do. Whatever Eren is… he’s stirred the waters. And people like that always ripple further than they intend.”

I nodded, falling in step behind her. My role as Alice Draken’s attendant resumed. Quiet. Observant. Loyal.

But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think—

Eren was no longer just a whisper.

He had become a name people feared. A symbol. A myth already twisting into legend.

And yet… I was still here.

Still in the same halls, serving tea, polishing swords, arranging ledgers.

The boy who killed a monster.

The attendant who watched.

And the Vigilante of the North—

All the same person.

But for how long could I keep them apart?

—

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