Vol 2 Chapter 17 (1/2)

2nd Volume, 17th Chapter 【Logins】

――When a rolled up paper had been fastened to the bird perched on a man’s shoulder, it took off into the moonlit sky.

He had swarthy skin. His body was garbed in a mantle so black it blended into the twilight. However, the mask which should be concealing his face was at the moment not.

「Fuee~ I knew putting nothing on would feel refres.h.i.+ngly comfortable.」

The man――Ren, retreated inside the building while carefreely saying so. Under the guidance of dim moonlight, impinging through the crevice in the decayed stone wall, he trod along the pathway.

「Captain~ I have contacted with the guys on standby in the village. Tomorrow, they will rendezvous here with the necessary goods, I think――Eh… Sis Rei? Where’s the captain?」

「Where that girl is asleep. By the way, you can’t possibly have called every member here, have you?」

「Of course not. I have instructed a few of them to stay behind.」

Ren and Rei… were twins with identical features, but it was evident from their conversation that sister Rei held the superior position…

「Still, since the orphanage will soon have no use, isn’t it wasteful to have them [masked men] stay there? If we threaten them [orphanage residents], they will keep quiet until our operation is over, I think.」

「It’s for caution’s sake. Even if they spilled the beans, no one would be able to find this place anyway. Also… a collar will be needed, so that guy doesn’t try anything strange.」

「Waa, killing would be no good. It would be terrible.」

「There’s no point in killing the hostage. We can play around, though, can’t we?」

「Uwaa, Sis Rei is the last person to say that~ back when we were attacking, your killing intent was so bare, you even got scolded.」

「…Shut up…」

「No, no. I haven’t even mentioned the resentment of dropping the candy, have I? Sis Rei has been spiteful since the olden days. Therefore, no matter how much time pa.s.ses――Ah, I was of course kidding. Please do without that whip, or my flesh will end up torn.」

When Rei’s hand girthed the whip on her waist, Ren bowed. Diverting the topic, he turned his gaze toward his sister and noticed her fist.

「Ah! Your hand has healed already? That’s great.」

「Because I can use healing magic… It’s not my forte, though…」

「So true~ …Ah, sorry… Still, back when we were fighting… there was a guy with the same hair color as us… Wasn’t he too strong? How could he outpush both of us?」

「I don’t know, either. He did seem to be from the same place as us, but the color of his skin was fair. I don’t think he’s from Togul.」

Souven Empire’s history was imbrued with invading other nations for territory expansion. Togul was originally a small state situated in the east of the Empire. A few decades ago, it had been a.s.similated into the Empire. Now, it had merely been reduced to one of the ‘places’. Ren and Rei were Togul natives. Their features slightly differed from those who lived in and around the Imperial Capital.

「I don’t want to fight against a compatriot.」

「…That’s irrelevant…」

「N~ and that guy who ambushed him… is just too much…」

「Exactly why I said that we need a collar.」

While scratching his head, Ren voiced another question.

「That guy――That butler, why has he tagged along? Even though he has no more business.」

「I have no idea. Because those two guards who were awake had witnessed the crime scene, he could not stay at the lord’s mansion. Probably that’s why? That said, why did he stop me from killing them… I don’t get it…」

「The captain doesn’t talk about him in detail either.」

「If you’re so interested, why don’t you ask the captain directly?」

「――――Sis Rei… Let’s ask together…」

————————

「N… u… here?」

Upon sensing incongruity from the corner of her eyes through to her cheeks, Marita, who had woken up, extended her finger.

The stains of dried up tears brought her memories back.

「――You have woken up, it seems.」

「Logins…」

Feeling rather wary than relieved upon the familiar voice, Marita, who was swollen with anger, raised her voice at the person next to her.

He was clad in the usual butler outfit. His gentle gaze wasn’t any different from usual either.

「I will have you explain everything. Before that… Seiji and Lim are safe, right?」

「Probably. Those two were unaccounted for factors.」

「Why… Why did you do that?」

「When Marita-sama has been released safe and sound, I’ll be gone. Therefore――「Didn’t you hear what I said? Explain everything.」

The screaming voice of the girl, who had her shoulders quivering, echoed inside the room.

「…Very well… Before that, can you promise me one thing?」

「What?」

「After you have listened to the story… No matter what you think of me, you will allow me to stay by your side until you have been released.」

「What… are you saying?」

「Will you?」

After contemplating briefly, Marita nodded slightly. Having received the answer, Logins unhurriedly opened his mouth.

「I’ll start off with the people who attacked the mansion. They’re specially trained soldiers of a certain nation. Their princ.i.p.al function is espionage in other nations. a.s.sa.s.sination and abduction of influential figures are incidental functions. This time, their objective is to disrupt the conclusion of the treaty between Lech.e.l.le Kingdom and the Western Archipelago States.」

「That… Ah, Logins, too… Someone close to Logins has been taken hostage, too, right? That’s why you’re being forced to――」

「I… guess… The root cause is different, though.」

The expression about Logins face indistinctly distorted. It was probably the fear of telling the girl the truth.

「――――Originally, I was a member of that unit.」

With Marita unable to understand his words right away, silence pervaded the air.

「――Eh… Has Logins not always been a butler?」

「Yes, it has been a decade or so. I served in all sincerity nonetheless.」

「Lie… It’s a lie… Right?」