Vol 2 Chapter 20 (2/2)

「Earlier, what did this elf lady say…」

「Ilii, explain.」

Upon my query, it was instead the referred elf who spun her words. So, this person was Ilii. Then, Kane would be that knight.

「As you may have already surmised, I’m an elf. It’s not widely known, but elves have the power to read the mind, Albeit to only a small extent, of others… Rather, read the air of others.」

‘…eh? Wha- w- w- w- what did she just say?’

「Although it would be difficult to put it into words, what I felt in your case… was like gazing at a clear river. Calm yet strong. But there was also a trace of a child’s innocence somewhere, so it had a hint of fragility… that’s what I felt.」

‘Lameeeeeeee! Utterly embarra.s.sing. And even if it’s something deep down one’s mind, don’t peep! But I can’t say that!’

‘Gunuu… Huh? In other words, won’t they be able to check whether someone is a suspicious character or not from the outset?’

‘d.a.m.n.’

「That was that. This man here is the Captain of the Royal Guard Knights, Kane. Ilii is the Royal Court Magician. I personally invited both of them, that’s how capable they are.」

Upon his saying so, I wanted to peep at their complete status… The question, however, took precedence for now.

「What do you intend to do from this point on?」

「It’s obvious. We will be able to trace the whereabouts of the criminals by making the two the lad captured confess. Albert may have only let out an ‘aa’, but I won’t meekly stay still. This treaty may certainly have been that fellow’s initiative, but it now is momentous in deepening the bond between the countries.」

Muu, even if we were to submit, there was no guarantee that Marita would return safely. Since Albert-san decided not to act, wouldn’t it be better for me to… offer my cooperation to the king?

With the guidance of Kuroko, it wasn’t even necessary to make those two confess. The rescue force could immediately――

「But if we somehow failed in rescuing Marita safely…」

The king, upon hearing my words, halted and turned around.

「…Let me say this beforehand because there seems to be a difference in opinion. Lad, what in your opinion takes priority?」

「That… Marita returns safely.」

「I’m glad. But… my opinion differs. I of course want to help a much as I can… but in comparison――the treaty takes priority.」

…Eh?

「If you cannot come to terms with it, your work here is done. You may leave, lad.」

In other words… the king would eradicate the enemies――even if he had to use Marita as a s.h.i.+eld? And he would then proceed to sign the treaty with the west…

How… could he? Wasn’t marita the king’s niece?

I was shaking visibly. Then, I blurted something considerably discourteous out.

「What if… the king’s own family were in the same situation…?」

「――I would still do the same. That’s where I differ from Albert. And, what would you do?」

Although it might be an inappropriate question, it came about out of my values.

However――

「To be able to abandon a friend for the greater good… I’m not that much of an adult yet. Besides, the quest I received from the guild requires me to protect Marita.」

「Hou…」

I would act as my values dictated.

Even though I made such a crisp remark, the king with a somewhat smiling expression *gashari* laid his hand on my head and *guriguri* stroked it.

「Young blood, huh… It’s not a bad thing, though. Do as you like. It will be better if you come with us. Actually, you should come with us to know if it really is something you cannot come to terms with. However… if what you said turns out to be nothing more than empty words, I will have to take back what I said about you being promising.」

The king said this and resumed his stride. I was momentarily hesitant whether to follow him or not. I was rooted on the spot. When I thought Marita could be rescued safely if we cooperated, was it merely superficial?

I didn’t take such a development into consideration.

From the perspective of Albert-san, who was willing to accept their demands, I might have done something absolutely unnecessary.

「――Don’t mind him. Even if you didn’t come, Hardin-sama would forcibly attend the signing ceremony.」

When I raised my face upon words that seemed to have seen through my mind, eyes like jade jewels were directed at me. Ilii the elf’s eyes.

「Then, will Marita really be abandoned? …can my mind really not be read?」

「I don’t think Hardin-sama’s suggestion was that wrong, but Albert-sama strongly opposed it. Well then――」

Saying up to that point, Ilii quickly went away.

It would not be futile if I just followed him… would it?

At any rate, now that it had turned out like this, I had to move… Also, since I talked so big just now…

――To be honest, there was just one way I could think of.

Asking a certain someone for help. However, if I did that, I would have no place to live in this country.

‘…I don’t care. Didn’t I say I just wanted to save Marita?’

――I put the lord’s mansion off and returned to feeder pops’ for a while.

The sun had already risen. The interior was filled with the usual aroma.

‘Aah… it’s healing.’ After brutal encounters in succession, this usual view permeated deep into my heart.

Since I had decided to leave with Rook afterward, I had better order highly nutritious food. Who knew… it might end up being my last meal here.

Ou, Seiji? I didn’t know anything about your quest, but Lim seemed worried when you didn’t come back.

When Dario-san said so, I caught Lim coming downstairs from the corner of my eyes.

「…I’m glad you safely woke up.」

「――Seiji.」

Saying so, I a.s.sumed the posture of hugging Lim. The soft sensation I felt on my cheeks was surely my imagination.

It was a relief that Lim was a beastkin, not an elf. Correction, that she wasn’t able to read minds.

I, who deemed it indispensable to report the current status to Lim, recounted everything from A to Z, including what I intended to do thereafter, while shoving the breakfast down to my stomach.

「I… want to go, too.」

「Sorry, but I can’t take you with me this time.」

「Because I’m weak…? I guess.」

「…」

「Even though I earnestly intend to work hard to become strong… I can never catch up with Seiji.」

Watching Lim, the ears of whom had drooped and the eyes of whom had tears welled up; I was stricken with guilt. My strength was all about plunders. For lim, who diligently trained, to self deprecate like that was truly unjustified. As for her sentiment of wanting to save Marita… It was no less than mine.

Rather, if I over-play my skills to Lim, it would serve to drive her feelings further.

「Listen, Lim…」

「…Yes?」

「No… nothing. I’ll talk to you when I have returned safely… Probably…」

「…Okay, I understand…」

――I wrapped my conversation with Lim up. Content with my last breakfast, I left Merville.

If possible, I had better end it before the king took action.

The direction Kuroko indicated was south.

The direction was coincidentally the same. Only, I planned on continuing further down the south first――

――In a relatively spa.r.s.e area inside a forest, void of any signs of life, I was waiting for a certain someone.

As you would expect, the pace of the flying mount was brisk.

The black spot in the sky gradually enlarged. The person I was waiting for jumped down.

Although I was afraid I would be killed the moment we met, it ended up as being nothing more than a needless fear.

So as not to offend that person, I conveyed necessary details as briefly as possible and came straight to what I wanted that person to do.

「I did tell you… I would do any one thing you wanted, but are you really fine with that?」

「Yeah, an enemy’s enemy is a friend… Actually, it’s a little different―― It’s more like tossing anyone considered as an enemy into a vortex of disaster.」

「Did you just… call me a disaster?」

「It practically was for me back then… Sorry. Stop, please.」

「…I don’t care, really. Rather, wouldn’t it be troublesome for you if it came to light that you have a connection with me?」

「What happened in the past is in the past… uowaaaaa」

「What were you doing?」

「Nothing, really. Hahaha. Can you please talk to this fellow~ it still seems too early for me.」

「What…? That person wanted to get on your shoulder――umu…haahaa, interesting.」

「Oi, Kuroko… Don’t you be like that.」

「No, no. I was a little curious as to what would your wish be… but this is really interesting.」

「Thanks. By the way, you have been calling me ‘you’ for a while now… have you forgotten that we introduced ourselves.」

「Seiji… Agatsuma, was it?」

「I’m glad you remember. Well then, thanks again――Alba-san.」

Author’s note: Next time――『Ties, Cutting』

Don’t miss.

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