Chapter 11: The Nanny’s Little Schemes

Every time on a cold, harsh morning like today, when Yulia storms into my bedroom and yanks the covers away, I am swept awake by the frigid winds that rush in, shaking with cold and wishing for death, I can’t help but long for the leisurely days that feel as distant as heaven, those first six months after I arrived at Posein Fortress, a year and a half ago.

“Mr. Dante, wake up, wake up! It’s nine o’clock already! You promised to take me to see the ghouls being hunted this morning!”

“Please spare me, Lady Yulia! Give me back my covers and let me sleep for another half hour; I’ll go with you tonight instead…”

“Chilly winds, from my command, glamourous adornments.” Yulia, with an unhappy expression, began reciting a spell.

The room temperature noticeably dropped as the last flames in the fireplace instantly turned to frost.

“Damn it! Didn’t Lawrence’s documents say that unicorns can’t use attack magic on others? Why is it so effective against me?” Lawrence shivered as he crawled to put on the clothes scattered around.

“I’ll take you after I clean up; let’s just warm the room first, please!”

Thus, the half-hearted Dante and the eagerly excited Yulia arrived at the Hunter Settlement north of Posein Fortress before noon. The Hunter Settlement was a village built in an area north of Posein, unprotected by town walls.

Since the primary role of Posein Fortress is to suppress the rampant outbreaks caused by the overpopulation of ghouls occurring every few years, most beasts invading the perimeter are dealt with by the military. To avoid clashes with soldiers, the settlement is located at the boundary of the defensive area, established by skilled ghoul hunters themselves.

Yulia, as if she had memorized the paths in the camp, dashed through the disorganized wooden houses with glee.

As a protected child of a unicorn, although she can’t use direct attack magic on people, Yulia has a remarkable talent for supportive magic, allowing her to use various buff spells at such a young age. Now, having cast a white magic buff called “Light Blessing” on herself, Yulia moved through the Hunter camp like a swift crane, while Dante staggered behind, panting heavily.

“Wait! Could you at least use ‘Light Blessing’ on me? At this rate, I can’t keep up!”

“Hurry up! She’s about to set off!” Yulia quickened her pace without looking back.

“I found them!” Four tall, bearded hunters stood with their hands on their hips in front of Yulia, who completely ignored them and blinked innocently with sparkly eyes, dashing past them to embrace a small creature among the four, rubbing her cheek against it happily.

“Been a few days! Alice-chan has become even cuter!” Yulia’s bells-chiming voice rang out.

The one being hugged looked to be about Yulia’s age; at first shocked by the embrace, she quickly returned the warmth by pressing her face tightly against Yulia’s, exclaiming joyfully, “Yulia is even cuter now too!”

Everyone present, watching this exchange between the two girls as if they were deer nuzzling each other, was left dumbfounded.

Although Dante was bullied by Yulia all day long, he was nonetheless the “Commander of the Kingdom’s Strongest at the Northern Fortress of Posein,” known as Dante Greywhite, the Sword Demon.

As the four hunters gazed blankly at the scene of the two beautiful girls playing, lost in this bizarre yet captivating sight, Dante, already recovered his composure, noticed the truth.

Yulia kept pestering me, probably because of her loneliness from lacking playmates her age. The only ones around her are the rough military men or the serious, humorless Eleanor, so it made sense that she clung to me, this sunny, charming, and dashing guy, as her only play companion.

If I could find someone her age, I could free myself from this nanny duty. How come I only realized it now?

Exactly, as long as I can shift Yulia’s attachment from me to them, I can reclaim my long-desired leisure life.

With this thought, Dante suddenly felt invigorated, walking confidently up to everyone, interrupting this delightful scene.

“Yulia is a lively child, innocent and romantic, and her enthusiasm in greeting this girl was a little too much; I apologize for her rudeness. I am her protector, Dante Greywhite, currently serving at Posein Fortress. May I ask for your names, gentlemen?”

Though Dante intended to speak in a low voice, he couldn’t help but let a hint of pride seep into his tone as he relished the thought of escaping this troublemaker.

The four brawny hunters and the little girl were none other than Alice and her companions. Seeing Dante, a man of spirited demeanor and neatly simple attire, accompanied by Yulia, initially raised their curiosity. When they heard his enthusiastic introduction, they were further astonished. “Dante? Could it be that the Kingdom’s Strongest at Posein has arrived?”

The hunters hurriedly saluted this presumably impressive “Kingdom’s Strongest,” introducing themselves and shaking hands. Although they were slightly surprised to recognize his identity, Dante remained composed, returning their salutes with a slightly firmer stance to show respect.

During their handshake, the hunters sensed the keen eyes of Dante assessing them, causing a stir of anxiety: “It’s surprising that a master known as ‘Demon Sword’ would be such a refined young officer.”

Their open and hearty personalities meant they had little guile, leading to a significant misunderstanding of Dante’s seemingly “refined” demeanor.

If they had been soldiers in the fortress, they would have noticed the barely noticeable smile on Dante’s face while watching them—a look comparable to how Eleanor gazes at Dante when she sees Yulia making a fuss.

However, Dante remained oblivious to Eleanor’s hidden feelings of mockery, sympathy, and the resentment harbored since he broke off their engagement.

At this moment, despite being dressed like hunters, the four men looked no different from four oversized nannies to Dante.

He had long ensured that Yulia would never run into any trouble, so he actually preferred to find someone to pass on the “protector” role, allowing him to return to the castle, sit in his office, and count the days until he could become a nobleman and gain territory.

Dante’s first order of business was to assess the hunters’ abilities and character. Though his aide, Feng-Yinder, mentioned that a powerful former mercenary named Maern was among this group, it was still necessary to investigate whether Maern and his companions could handle Yulia’s over-the-top magic without losing their tempers.

The opportunity was right before him.

Yulia’s tight bond with this little girl, ignored albeit closely monitored by four hunters, was looking promising. As long as these seemingly silly hunters were trustworthy and willing to let Yulia play with their little companion and keep up with her playful antics, Dante could use the pretext of “how happy it would be to play with friends” to hand Yulia over to them without worry.

Dante’s mind was racing, watching as these people prepared to venture into the forest, likely to hunt ghouls. This was a perfect chance to evaluate the nanny’s capabilities.

He had previously learned that it was common for ordinary citizens to hunt solitary ghouls, so seeing those guys bringing along such a small girl probably meant they intended to teach her hunting skills. Perfect! I have a little unicorn hell-bent on seeing ghoul hunting, so I’ll just say hello and join them.

With a mild smile, Dante asked, “Are you gentlemen taking this girl to learn hunting? My Yulia is also very interested in hunting; if you don’t mind, may we join you?”

The four hunters exchanged glances. Although they had confidence in their skills and had heard from Alice that Yulia might be joining for some hunting this time, they planned to hunt the rare horned ghouls, venturing deep into the forest, and couldn’t guarantee everything would go smoothly.

However, they noticed Dante’s nonchalant attitude about joining, as if suggesting a stroll in a park in the capital, which only increased their admiration for him. They thought that as long as Dante was with them, even if he didn’t jump in to help, the hunt would likely hold little danger.

As for the little girl joining, they were not too troubled, as Reim had already explained Yulia’s capabilities.

Dante’s thoughts drifted to the joyous days before he began his nanny duties, feeling vigorous and ready to rush into the forest to eliminate all things that moved, with the intention to declare, “Alright, Yulia, you can learn hunting well from these uncles and aunties while I take my leave!”

But when he realized that they would be venturing deep into the forest to seek out rare ghouls—meaning they wouldn’t return to the fortress for several days—complaints and excuses were already too late.

What he initially thought would only involve hunting weak ghouls near the forest’s edge turned out to be an extensive expedition to the wilderness… If he had known that, he would have asked for clarity before agreeing to join!

Grumbling, Dante had Yulia use magic to contact Eleanor, letting her know they would be absent from the fortress for a week and sorting the routines with his aide. Then they set off together.

His aide Feng-Yinder, well aware that this high commander, although a slacker, was indeed the strongest in terms of weaponry, knew it would be inappropriate to let him skip his post for several days. Yet considering that his most common work seemed to involve lounging in the office on a multifunctional sofa for napping, he happily let this playful commander go enjoy his hunt.

Thus, with a frowning Dante, eager playful girls who looked “no different from regular humans,” and four experienced hunters, an unexpected hunting adventure began.

Ah, whoops! I meant, it should be an adventure with old hunters!