The Daybreak Volume 1 Chapter 4

A man whom I'd grown used to seeing as of late entered the room when I answered the knocking at the door with a, "Please come in." His olive brown hair wasn't rare in this kingdom.

No one would have thought that, contrary to his ordinary outer appearance, he was actually a mercenary who had reaped many lives on the battlefield.

"Alf……no, perhaps I should call you Alfred instead?"

Alfred looked like he had suddenly come to an understanding about something.

"Is that what you were discussing last night? In any event, I don't mind either way."

He could probably guess what had happened since he had been there with me when Rider had intruded.

"There was something I wanted to ask you, Alfred."

I had called Alfred to my room just because I wanted to ask him a question that I was probably also curious about on a personal level.

"Ask away."

His lips curled up into a wild smile as he spoke. He had evidently decided to put his original, cruder nature on display now that I knew that he was a mercenary. He wasn't being rude, but was keeping it within a permissible range so I could get familiar with him.

"I'm only asking out of curiosity, so you don't need to answer if you don't want to. Putting your responsibilities of being my bodyguard aside, isn't the job of pretending to be a servant not something a mercenary would normally take? I haven't heard anything about the details of the contract you have between yourself and Ricardo, so I was wondering why you agreed to take on this job at all."

"I see. You didn't ask Lord Ricardo?"

"No, because I was more curious about your thoughts on the matter, Alfred, rather than the details of your compensation."

"You're asking for something that's rather difficult to answer."

"Which is why I don't mind if you don't."

Alfread smiled wryly but seemed to be of mind to answer nevertheless, and he placed a hand on his chin and narrowed his eyes as though he was reminiscing about something.

"It's true that reward money caught my eye. After all, the mercenary business is most enjoyable only when you're able to earn money. But it would be a lie to say that there wasn't anything else that piqued my interest."

"Which is…?"

"My hometown is a village that has produced many mercenaries since ages ago, so there is a spirit to it that genuinely reveres the truly powerful. I am not an exception to its effects, and I had started to have respect for this Hero I kept hearing about before I'd even realized it. If I were to be frank, the first thought that came to mind when I heard that you were being sheltered was, 'How disappointing.'"

"Disappointing……you say?"

"Yes. I thought that it was disappointing for someone who had played such a large role in ending the war to simply hide himself away and disappear. I had heard the rumors before the average civilian did because I had also fought on the battlefield myself, and I was more than amazed by what I'd heard, even if they were likely embellished somewhat. That was my first motive."

In that case, I would have to give the spirit of Alfred's hometown my grat.i.tude.

A mean look had started to form on Alfred's face as I listened.

"But my motives have changed somewhat now. I can't bear to see how utterly defenseless you are, Lord Halka."

"……What do you mean by that?"

I was exasperated, rather than angry, because he had spoken in a way that suggested he was taking care of an infant or something.

"This was my first time meeting someone as unaware and defenseless as you are."

He placed a hand to his mouth as if he was trying to hold back laughter after he said this.

I acknowledged the fact that I was out of sync with most people because I had not been born in this world and wasn't fully used to living here yet, but was it really so bad that he was laughing at me for it?

Alfred threw a glance at me with narrowed eyes as I twisted my head to the side.

"You showed me a spell that allowed you to vanish out of sight a little while back, yes? I couldn't sense the spell at all. You could a.s.sa.s.sinate even the king quite easily with that kind of skill. And yet, you, the caster, never seemed to realize this at all."

Then, Alfred finally stopped laughing and peered into my face with a deeply affectionate smile. He continued,

"You're a very mysterious person. I've had many people whom I'd had to protect in the past, but you're the first person to make me want to protect you, Lord Halka. I will protect you, Lord Halka, for as long as neither my contract nor your personality changes."

A warm and heavy sense of relief budded within me upon hearing Alfred's words.

This was the one thing that I had wanted for him to say.

"Thank you."

"Not at all—this is my duty."

Then, once both of our features had collapsed into smiles, Alfred returned to being the servant that he had previously been and said,

"Oh, yes, Lord Ricardo contacted me earlier around noon. It looks like Baron Bridgestein's daughter, Lady Hershey Bridgestein, will be visiting as early as next week."

"Is that so?"

As expected of someone who worked as quickly as Ricardo. I had asked him to arrange someone to teach me the fundamentals of etiquette for me. I was prepared for the fact that I would not be able to fix everything about my manners because there wasn't enough time, but I at least wanted to get down the basics.

"What do you know of Lady Bridgestein, Alfred?"

"……I've heard that she is a very talented woman. However, I do not know much other than that."

Then I suppose I would simply have to wait until we met in person for the pleasure of knowing about her.

"In that case, Alfred, please bring me a few books……no, I'll ask someone else. Would you know if Ms. Falery is free?"

When I decided to call for Ms. Falery instead because I thought it would be best to have Alfred focus solely on my protection, he shook his head loosely and replied,

"Please feel free to order me around as you did before. "That" was also included in my contract. Are the books you want the same kind as before?"

He was putting emphasis on his contract just as mercenaries normally did, but I also felt like Alfred had said this out of his good will as well.

I felt like the distance between us had shortened drastically because he had told me what he was thinking in his heart. I could safely trust Alfred to watch my back as he was now. I would have probably relied on his strength even if he had only told me about the details of his contract and the reward he was receiving for his work, but I wouldn't have the same peace of mind that I had now.

I replied, "No," when Alfred asked me if I wanted magical tomes like I usually requested.

"Bring me something that has to do with the history of our kingdom and its neighbors."

There was a mountain of things that I had to prepare for, and my heart was strained by feelings of haste.

*

Baron Bridgestein's daughter, standing before me, was so different from what I imagined when I had heard that she was a talented woman that she was essentially the exact opposite of what I had expected her to be.

I will say that she most certainly looked the part of a n.o.ble as she stood elegantly atop the polished floor in the manor's hall.

I felt terrible for thinking this, but I could not help but think that her makeup, which did not go along well with the high quality of her clothes and put too much emphasis on her eyes, lowered the overall quality of her presentation.

She was probably still a young woman, but the excessive amount of makeup on her face made her appear several years older. If this was how n.o.blewomen generally did their makeup in this world, then I probably would not be able to keep up with it at all.

I buried my impressions deep within my chest and bowed my head low with a smile on my face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Bridgestein. Thank you so much for coming out of your way to visit."

She had come here for my sake. I had meant to greet her courteously so that I wouldn't hurt her feelings.

But Lady Bridgestein only sighed upon seeing me. She probably had not heard that I was not a n.o.ble. I had expected it, but most normal n.o.bles would probably react this way.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Glark. I will be acting as your teacher starting from today because it was Lord Ricardo's request."

She put a lot of stress on Ricardo's name. I had no doubt that the only reason she had accepted this request despite her obvious reluctance was because of his face. It worked out for the best this time, but I couldn't help but wonder if I'd get dragged into a battlefield of women's envy one day if he kept extending his courtesy like this.

I put aside the fact that I had been the one who made him do this and fretted over Ricardo's relations.h.i.+ps with women.

"By the way, what sort of relations.h.i.+p do you have with Lord Ricardo, Mr. Glark? Lord Ricardo said that you were related to his benefactor."

I actually was the benefactor in question, not just a relation. Ricardo had tricked her quite well by being vague.

"……Our relations.h.i.+p isn't very strong. I simply happened to catch his eye."

I hadn't lied. She didn't pursue the matter any further—perhaps she had given up because I was being just as ambiguous as Ricardo had been.

"Is that so?"

Still, her voice was chilly and she didn't bother to hide the fact that she was looking down at me for being a commoner. But it wasn't much fun to simply allow her to walk all over me like that. Should I get back at her a little?

"I don't really know why I caught his eye myself. But, seeing that he is willing to do so much for me, I can't help but wonder if he plans to keep me close by."

"My, is that really so?"

It was plainly obvious that my words had really got her thinking. After all, I had implied that there was a possibility that Ricardo would adopt me.

It looked like she had arrived at the conclusion that I had led her to.

"We will be spending a lot of time together from now on, so I will not mind if you call me by my first name."

I kept myself from laughing at Lady Bridgestein, who had suddenly turned rather cordial. Was she planning to let me call her "Mother" if Ricardo did end up adopting me and she somehow managed to win over his heart?

I felt the urge to smile at how adorably feminine she was.

"Then, Lady Hershey, please teach me well."

"Of course. Well, shall we begin?"

I reorganized my feelings as my lessons finally began.

My lessons on my first day were about the basic etiquette I had to remember if I was invited to a party.

It was rather difficult to memorize multiple gestures at once, even if each individual gesture was simple enough, and what was particularly difficult was that the same actions could be perceived as rude depending on the status of the other party. Time pa.s.sed quickly as I resented my poor memorization skills under Lady Hershey's strict guidance.

I was impressed by Ricardo's ability to judge people for choosing Lady Hershey as my teacher, as she taught me properly despite what her appearance might have suggested. The sound of someone knocking on the door asking for permission to enter echoed throughout the hall just as I had begun thinking that it was about time for my lessons to be over.

"Yes. Please come in."

I had no choice but to suspend my lessons for now. It was Ricardo who opened the door, and Lady Hershey welcomed him in with her eyes sparkling.

"Lord Ricardo!"

Her voice had raised a pitch higher than usual and she ran straight up to him in earnest like a young girl. d.a.m.n you, you sinful man.

He had probably returned earlier than usual because he was worried about my lessons. Ricardo was still wearing his knight's uniform when he curled his lips up into a smile and asked Lady Hershey about how I was doing.

"Thank you for agreeing to my request, Lady Hershey. What were your impressions after your first day of teaching him?"

"There are a few things that he isn't very good with, but things are proceeding satisfactorily overall. He's very determined, too, so I believe that he will get used to it quickly enough."

"That's good to hear. Please take care of him going forward as well."

Ricardo exchanged a few more pleasantries with Lady Hershey before turning around and walking up to me.

"How are things going with your lessons, Mr. Halka? ……Please don't press yourself too hard and make sure to take breaks when appropriate. I worry for you because you are always much too serious."

"I am not so serious as you are, Lord Ricardo. Are you sure you didn't overwork yourself just to come home early today?"

"Not at all. This wasn't all that difficult for me to accomplish."

Lady Hershey grabbed me by the shoulders as I dubiously confirmed the coloring of his face to see if he was telling the truth.

"Lord Ricardo, Mr. Halka is an excellent student who really makes teaching him feel worth my while. We've gotten quite close to each other today."

She pulled me closer to her body as she said this. She was probably trying to sell how close we were to Ricardo and she pressed her ample b.r.e.a.s.t.s against my back as if she meant to give me some kind of reward for my cooperation. We were both women, though, so it didn't make me happy at all.

I recalled how I had tricked her into thinking that I was about to be adopted by Ricardo, so I held in my laughter and kept my face unnaturally expressionless.

"Oh, yes. I was so surprised that he already had a good grasp of the basics—so much so that I could hardly believe he was born on the streets! I'm sure there will be many n.o.bles willing to accept him with open arms at this rate."

She had probably gauged the way Ricardo treated me and a.s.sumed that she would become more favorable in Ricardo's eyes if she praised me. Ricardo, however, did not look as happy as she had intended.

"Is that so……well, I'm sure it is."

He concurred with his mouth, but his face was oddly stiff. His face looked like he had failed at smiling properly.

"Lord Ricardo?"

"What is it?"

However, Ricardo did not answer even when Lady Hershey called out to him in worry. Perhaps he hadn't even realized it himself. I lost the chance to pursue the topic and ask him further because they had moved on to a different topic of conversation.

Ricardo started to look a little melancholy in my eyes once their conversation began to die down. They talked for a little while longer before Ricardo looked to the window and said,

"We've talked for quite some time. My apologies for keeping you here. Shall I see you off now?"

"My, what a shame. I was just starting to enjoy myself."

We saw Lady Hershey, who looked like she wanted to spend even a little more time with Ricardo, off to the front entrance. I started a conversation with Ricardo after she had climbed into her carriage and we saw her off, still looking pa.s.sionately out the window, until she disappeared from our view.

"Haha, she was very effeminate and adorable. She seems to think that I was going to become your adopted child."

"You didn't say tell her that, did you?"

"No. But I did tell her things that made it easy for her to a.s.sume."

"Is that why she was acting like that?"

Ricardo's mood cleared up as soon as he realized this. I found it curious how he had suddenly become strangely cheerful, since I'd thought that it'd put a bitter look on his face.

There was no way that he would be happy about me becoming his adopted child. Or, perhaps it he hadn't liked the way that Lady Hershey and I had grown so close?

No, it was Ricardo who had brought her here to begin with, so that shouldn't be the case.

Ultimately, I had no idea what had brought about the sudden change in his mood. Still, I was satisfied with the fact that he didn't seem to blame me for anything and eventually forgot to ask him about it.

*

I ended up studying etiquette alone today because Lady Hershey was busy and could not make it.

I had decided to take the chance to tackle what I was having the most trouble with……but this, too, proved to be rather difficult.

Ricardo had made time out of his busy schedule to coach me. I wanted to answer to his expectations, but my zealous efforts only rewarded me with empty results.

Alfred was standing by the wall and was unable to keep himself from laughing at how bad I was. There was a simple, but st.u.r.dy, sword hanging from his waist that hadn't been there back when I didn't know he was a mercenary.

I had been surprised when he pulled out a countless number of small knives from under his clothes when I asked him how he had been planning to protect me without a sword, and he probably kept his knives hidden on his person still.

Alfred was unable to keep silent as I moved about strangely and, while laughing at me, he said,

"What a surprise. With the way you're moving now, I can't imagine how you managed to run about the battlefield."

"……Let me say that I was in charge of rear support and leave it at that."

I did have a spell that raised one's physical abilities……but it would be an affront to magic itself if I used it just for a mere dance. I wanted to conquer this task through my own efforts without resorting to heretical means.

When I asked Alfred, who was still laughing at me, about how his dancing was, he danced much better than I did even though he had only been watching this entire time. I shouldn't have asked that of someone who already knew how to move his body well to begin with.

It was all good and well that I was able to keep my arms raised and my back straight and maintain my posture, but it was a little too much to ask me to lead my partner as well on top of that. I felt like the female role in the dance was easier on that account, but what I needed to learn was the male role.

Unable to simply watch and do nothing because my movements were so awkward, Ricardo spoke up and offered,

"Would you like me to dance with you, Lord Halka? Though, it may be a bit rude, I'll have to ask that you dance the female part considering our difference in height."

"You're right, I understand."

Ricardo walked up to me and took my hand with fluid movements while placing his other hand around my waist. I could tell that his hands were rough and that he was well-built regardless of whether I wanted to know or not because we were touching, and my heart began stirring up a fuss even though I normally ignored the fact that I was a woman.

My flimsy and child-like figure felt so lacking in comparison.

I chided myself for thinking such frivolous thoughts while he was coaching me devotedly and swallowed down my thoughts.

"Raise your head up a bit more."

"Yes."

I fumbled around in search of how high I was supposed to raise my head and ended up looking at his shoulder.

"Next, please keep up with my movements."

"All right."

He went slow at first. Then, he gradually raised the tempo.

I heard Ricardo keeping the rhythm by my ear. I got tripped up and nearly fell over several times as the footwork grew more complex.

Ricardo helped me stay upright using his physical strength alone each and every time I lost my balance and my posture crumbled.

I would probably have to build up my own physical strength to a.s.sist my partner with if I were to lead women in a dance like Ricardo did. I, who did not know just how excellent a specimen Ricardo was at the time, grew dizzy at the sight of the long road ahead of me.

"You can relax a bit and let the tension out of your body."

"Even if you say that……"

It was rather difficult. I knew I was being tense, but I didn't know what part of me I should relax.

My waist? My legs? My fingers?

Finally, my legs got tangled up and I ended up stepping on Ricardo's foot pretty hard.

"I'm so sorry!"

I apologized to Ricardo in a panic because I had put a lot of weight on my foot when I stepped on him and it had probably hurt.

Ricardo, however, did not look like he was hurting at all and he instead smiled with his lips curing up in a gentle arc and smoothly replied,

"I thought that a little bird had landed on my feet."

I was unable to endure his words and ended up thrusting him away to put some distance between us. You could say that it was my immediate response of rejection toward words I wasn't used to hearing.

I was at all sorts of limits because of Ricardo's lady-killing actions. It was difficult for me to work with someone like him as my partner as if everything was normal, and neither did I think I could bring myself to mimic him.

I know that people sometimes say things that set my teeth on edge, but to think that it would be so impactful when someone who suited those words said them!

"I can't do this! Do men really act like that?"

It was one thing for someone as handsome as Ricardo to say those things, but I would likely only be laughed at if I said them.

And I couldn't even change my face to make myself better-looking because I was planning to meet a few military personnel whom I had become acquainted with on the battlefield.

Ricardo smiled wryly as I grew gloomy from imaging me making an utter fool of myself and said,

"It's all right if you aren't able to emulate me perfectly. n.o.body thinks that you've taken any particular interest in dancing, and I don't believe there will be a problem as long as you match the rhythm of the music. And in addition, I will never leave your side. I will a.s.sume responsibility for your partner should anything happen."

I probably would have let myself be babied by his words if we had been at an actual dance.

That being said, Ricardo was really good at handling women, or rather, he seemed quite used to it. Women would have scorned most men for saying what he had said earlier, but I had no doubt that they would blush and get embarra.s.sed when Ricardo said it.

He had unmistakably made many people cry in the shadows whether he was aware of it or not. A man would be proud of something like this, perhaps, but I, as a woman, was rather conflicted about it.

"Ricardo, you're……quite skilled at making people feel good. I almost thought you were flirting with me."

I had said this as a light jest, thinking that he would surely shrug it off easily.

Ricardo, however, looked like he had been completely blindsided by my words and his porcelain-white skin flushed red in bashfulness.

"Flir……! I never had such intentions!"

The fl.u.s.tered way he explained himself was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with bewilderment. I had originally thought that he was someone who was skilled at seducing others, but it looked like I had been hasty in my conclusions.

"I simply…"

Ricardo started mumbling as though he could not figure out what to say as his excuse and placed a hand on his forehead while shaking his head. He continued,

"……I'm sorry, please excuse me."

Ricardo quickly left the room with his face still flushed crimson like he was trying to run away. Alf and I, who had been left behind, looked at each other.

"He's a lot purer than I thought, should I say?"

Alf looked like there was something he wanted to say in response to my words, but he probably refrained out of consideration for his employer. Instead, he simply said,

"……I wouldn't be too sure if that's entirely true."

*

I knew that I was in trouble the very moment I opened my eyes in the morning.

I noticed that my body was movingly slightly slower than what my brain was telling it to do when I opened my eyes, reached up to the ceiling, and slowly opened and closed my fist. My body felt rather heavy, too.

I had undoubtedly caught a cold.

Why now, of all times, when I'm so busy? I cursed in my heart before I jumped out of bed in an effort to blow away my fatigue.

The color of my face unexpectedly looked the same as usual when I looked in the mirror. There was a little redness to my face when I took a closer look, but, to the contrary, it actually made me look healthier. It didn't look like it was going to be a big deal.

I determined that I was physically fine and decided to keep silent about my condition because I didn't think it would be a problem.

Now was the time when I had to brace myself more than I had ever been before in my entire life. I thought that it was only natural that I would have to push myself a little.

Ms. Falery knocked on my door a few times and entered my room after I had pushed my arms through the sleeves of the clothes that had been prepared for me and I was finished with my morning preparations.

"Good morning, Lord Halka."

"Good morning."

We greeted each other normally. It looked like Ms. Falery hadn't noticed that I was sick at all.

"Please confirm my plans for today."

"No changes have been made in particular since you made them."

Lady Hershey was supposed to visit again today, if I recalled correctly. I determined that, as long as our lessons were the same as usual, I would be able to successfully hide my condition from her.

"Understood."

Someone else knocked on the door just as Ms. Falery bowed to me.

Alfred looked at me and frowned as soon as he entered the room.

"A cold, is it?"

I couldn't hide my surprise at how he had seen right through me in just one second. Ms. Falery opened her eyes wide in confusion and looked to Alfred and me, still speechless, in turns.

"You caught a cold, Lord Halka?"

She tilted her head to the side as she looked into my face but didn't look altogether convinced.

The changes to my physiology were so slight that most normal people couldn't tell that anything was out of the ordinary. The observation skills of a first-rate mercenary were truly something to be feared.

"Let's have you rest for the day,"

Alfred said decisively before he relentlessly began dis.h.i.+ng out orders.

"Falery, please go and inform Lady Bridgestein. She might had already begun preparing for Lord Halka's lessons. It will be rude if we don't inform her as soon as possible."

"Y-yes."

Alfred then looked to me once he had all but chased her out of the room.

The look on his face suggested that he was pondering over how he should go about persuading the stubborn person before him. How rude.

"Alfred. Please call Ms. Falery back. I'm not sick enough to change my plans."

"Please don't say something so unconvincing when your face is as red as it is."

"Ms. Falery didn't notice anything, you know. It's not a big deal."

I laughed to convey that he was making such a big deal out of nothing. That I didn't have the time to care about such trivial things right now.

"And just what are you basing your conclusions off of?"

Alfred let out a deep sigh and showed off traces of his irritation. The light in his eyes was so sharp that they robbed me of my intent to argue vehemently against him.

He grabbed my wrist with his large and strong hand.

I couldn't help but acknowledge that he really was a mercenary because he was so strong that I couldn't pull away from him even if I tried as hard as I could. I didn't budge an inch no matter which direction I tried to shake him off in. I could feel his strong determination as he refused to let me escape him.

"Be obedient and rest,"

he said as he half-dragged me over to the bed.

And then, he suddenly let go.

"Wah!"

I immediately wobbled in response and fell onto the bed.

I was at least a little shocked that I hadn't even been able to support myself against just this. I was finally forced to realize that my condition was worse than I had thought it was.

No wonder he was angry with me.

Alfred, on the other hand, was staring fixedly at his own hand, probably because even he hadn't expected that I would respond so feebly. If I wasn't mistaken, I thought that I had heard him whisper, "So fragile," under his breath.

I was quickly filled with remorse over Alfred's unexpected expression of surprise.

So he could look this defenseless too.

"I'm sorry."

"Not at all."

Alfred closed his eyes for a moment and it looked like he had willfully altered his mood.

I wondered just what on earth he was doing as he met with my gaze as I was sprawled out over the bed only to realize that he was coming closer to me and was peering intently at my face.

"Pardon me."

Alfred's face suddenly filled my entire field of vision as I blankly stared back at him.

How many sorrows had this person's eyes seen? And what did he feel whenever he stood on the battlefield?

I tried to find an answer as I peered into him but could not figure anything out. For some strange reason, I felt like Alfred, too, was trying to read something in the depths of my eyes.

Eventually, our foreheads touched. The temperature of his body was cool and pleasant to the touch. I closed my eyes at the sensation like a cat.

"What a terrible fever."

I see, so he was seeing how high my fever was. I was convinced as the thought popped into my head.

Alfred pulled his forehead away and, instead of being exasperated with me, quietly said,

"Rus.h.i.+ng things will lead you to making big mistakes. Please rest and regain your health for now. No one in this world would be exploited for being unlearned if these things could be mastered in just a few days."

His reasoning was completely sound.

I had no choice but to his accept his words since he had said them in admonishment but with a smile. Alfred looked a little relieved when I obediently went under my covers.

He was truly a faithful mercenary.

Yet another person knocked on the door, so I gave them my permission to enter. The look on Alfred's face changed when Ricardo appeared from the doorway, and he moved to stand against the wall as though they were changing places. Ricardo, who had finished his own morning preparations, looked as radiant as ever, but the expression on his face looked as anxious as a young child's.

Ricardo quickly walked up to my bedside and knelt before meeting my gaze.

"I heard that you were not feeling well."

I kept my face straight as I found it funny that there was another worrywart here with me. They were making such a big deal out of this. I laughed a little, as though to reject how serious they were being.

"It's true. But, as you can see, I'm not doing that poorly. I plan to be obedient and rest for the day, as Alfred has persuaded me to, but it's really not that big of a deal."

In complete contrast to myself, as I was smiling, the shadows in Ricardo's countenance grew darker and he reverently brought my hand up to his forehead.

"I beg of you, please don't make light of this. I am far too powerless against illness."

He looked like he was praying. His eyes were closed, and my hand was pressed against his skin like he was confirming my existence. He continued,

"It was my own lack of power that brought about this turn of events, even though I knew that you were pus.h.i.+ng yourself as of late, Lord Halka."

"That was my own fault……"

"No! It is unmistakably my sin."

Ricardo moaned as if in repentance. I was unable to stop him and could do nothing but stay still and keep listening like a statue.

"I allowed myself to be blinded by the things around me and failed to keep sight of what was most important, even though you are the one thing in my life that I can never replace. Originally, I didn't care about anything else as long as you were in good health, Lord Halka."

His confession made me realize what sort of position I was in anew. No one had ever broken their hearts over me to this extent before.

This being, who looked at me more closely than I saw myself and depended on me, was always asking what kind of person I was.

And the answer was always that I was his master. It made me feel how heavy his vow from that day was.

It looked like Ricardo was at a loss for what to say as I myself was pondering over what I should say to him.

Then, after a short while, he began speaking to me as though he had steeled himself and made up his mind. He had probably thought that his feelings wouldn't be conveyed to me properly if he didn't use those precise words.

And he was right.

"I lost my mother to a fever like yours that worsened."

His voice shattered my careless thoughts. The shock was so great I felt like I had been pierced by an arrow.

In this world, any malady, no matter how trivial, was an ally to the grim reaper. I had unfortunately lacked this piece of common sense because, though I had seen people die from their wounds on the battlefield, I had not seen anyone collapse in the middle of their daily life due to sickness while I lived isolated in the middle of a mountain. My teacher, who's death I had seen from up close, had died of old age.

It was only natural for Alfred and Ricardo to be worried over how little I was thinking about this.

Ricardo looked at me with clinging eyes like he was a child. Perhaps he was remembering how he had parted with his mother. What kind of face was he making?

Had there ever been anyone who expressed their feelings for me without hiding anything like this before?

It was troubling. But I certainly didn't hate it.

I was secretly peering into the faults of the man before me. The words that I ought to say to him came to me naturally. It was as though someone had whispered them in my ear.

"I will be all right."

The words meant the same thing as what I had told him earlier, but they were not as lightly said.

I had understood why they were so worried, and my words contained within them my prayer to blow away their dark premonitions.

I continued slowly as Ricardo turned his wavering cerulean eyes to me once again.

"I'll be all right. I will not be leaving my bed today, as you can see. And I won't overdo it. I'll get better before you know it."

Ricardo closed his eyes and digested my words before a mischievous smile formed on his face.

"……I'll hold you to that."

It looked like he had collected enough of himself to at least hide his childlike inner feelings. It relieved me to see Ricardo acting like he normally did, because it meant that I had not said the wrong thing.

Still, it looked like it'd be a boring day today. Alfred would probably stop me to matter what I tried to do.

"I'll have to head out soon."

Now that he mentioned it, I realized that it certainly was around the time when Ricardo generally left the house.

"Take care."

"I will. And please take care of yourself as well, Lord Halka."

Ricardo turned around as soon as the words left his mouth and he left the room without so much as looking back.

I didn't realize how his retreating figure had stolen away my gaze.

And neither did the fact that Alfred was looking at me with a complicated look on his face ever cross my mind.

My thoughts slowly grew duller.

My fever pressed down my eyelids into closing naturally.

The fact that someone was by my side and worrying over me brought back nostalgic memories as dreams.

"Jeez, you only ever tell me you're sick after it becomes a big deal. You should rely on me sooner."

It was my mother, who was rarely at home because both she and my father worked, who would say this and make porridge for me whenever I had I high fever. He long hair was tied back, and she was wearing an ap.r.o.n.

I watched in a daze from my bed as my mother placed the porridge she had made on my desk. My parents weren't home very often, and I didn't want to make them spend time fussing over me. Perhaps it was because I had spent so much time alone, but I had developed a habit of trying to resolve things on my own without consulting anyone whenever something came up.

"I'm sorry."

My mother laughed as she hand-fed me porridge with a spoon and said,

"You're supposed to say thank you at times like this, you know."

"Okay."

Warmth spread through my mouth. My mother was right by my side. What a happy time this was.

If I kept reflecting on this time, would it last forever?

"Mom…"

Oh, but I'm already aware that this is a dream. I won't be able to see her if I wake up.

Was I seeing this dream because I had heard Ricardo's story?

"Hmm?"

I smiled back as hard as I could when my mother smiled gently at me.

"Thanks."

It was around evening that day when my fever went down.

When I looked back on it later, I would come to know that this was my final day of rest.

*

It was the time when people were asleep and only the moon and the beasts were awake.

I cracked open my eyes because I thought I had heard someone's voice.

I could only see the black of darkness in my room, and it was still dark outside the window, which made me think that morning was still far off, so I knew it couldn't have been the voice of any of the servants who had woken up.

I thought that maybe I had groaned or something in my sleep, but I couldn't be too sure of that.

But I kicked off my covered and jumped out of bed like I had tumbled off when I heard the next voice.

"I've discovered several suspicious figures! Please wake up!!"

It was so dark I couldn't even see where my own hands were, but I was hesitant to turn on the lights because doing so would essentially be the same as freely giving away my position.

I heard the nostalgic sound of swords clas.h.i.+ng coming from outside that was mixed in with several voices that sounded like they were giving out orders. This room was designed so that it was possible to climb up through the window if you had the proper tools for it. I a.s.sumed that Ricardo would be guarding my door and swiftly turned my attention to the window, where the enemy would most likely come from.

I directed magic at myself and began chanting once I had thought as much through. The spell that I had refined affected even my muscle fibers and would allow my slender body to bring forth more strength than I actually had.

The voice I had heard earlier was undoubtedly Alfred's. It had come from the garden. In that case, it wouldn't be long before the enemy made it here.

When I heard something quiet and peeked out the window while being wary of arrows, I saw two figures using a tool that looked like rope with a hook on the end to climb up the window.

They had already investigated where my room was?!

If they already knew where I was, then it was probably a better plan to strike first rather than to stay hidden.

I picked up something heavy from the room, opened the window, and dropped it on one of the intruders. I heard someone make a noise that sounded like a frog croaking and the sound of something heavy cras.h.i.+ng down to the earth, so I figured I wouldn't have to face at least one of them anymore.

I tried to throw off the other intruder by cutting the rope, but I couldn't burn it off with magic, perhaps because it had been made with metallic threads or something.

The intruder finally made it into the room while I was struggling with the rope.

They opened the window with one hand and thrust in a short sword with the other. I dodged it by taking half a step back, but this allowed the enemy to enter the room completely.

What I saw in the darkness was the figure of an a.s.sa.s.sin whose black attire covered even their face. We stared at each other with our gazes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with bloodl.u.s.t. My high-strung arousal gave my brain just one simple command:

Kill, or be killed.

I readjusted my grip on my sword, which felt several times lighter than a wooden sword because of my magically increased strength. I swung it down with all the strength in my body along with its full weight.

My opponent tried to brush off my attack with only one hand because I was small, but the look on their face changed and they quickly held the hilt of their own sword with both hands because of my unexpected power.

I had wanted to deliver a fatal blow with the first strike, but it couldn't be helped.

It was already determined that I, who wasn't used to close-quarters combat, would lose if the fight dragged on. I had no choice but to win the fight with an unconventional method while my opponent was busy figuring out my flow.

My sword, which I had swung down from above, and my opponent's, who had guarded against mine, were locked against each other.

It looked like I had the upper hand in terms of strength. But my opponent's desperation kept things even between us as they glared at me over their trembling arms.

I couldn't have them pull out a cheap trick on me in this kind of situation. I decided that I had to make my move first and began chanting a spell quietly.

My opponent leapt back when they heard me, breaking the balance between us. They adjusted their posture and aimed their sharp sword at me yet again.

But that was exactly what I had been aiming for. I used that exact timing to release the spell I had chanted.

I heard my opponent voice their surprise with only a sharp breath from up close.

The a.s.sa.s.sin's blade, which had been thrust out to stab me with, suddenly changed course.

The sword was pulled toward the wall as if gravity had suddenly changed directions. My trick was simple——I had woven a spell of electromagnetism on the animal-shaped objects that had been placed along the wall.

I let go of my own sword, which I could no longer move freely. My sword was pulled smoothly to the animal-shaped objects.

And just then, while my opponent's eyes were drawn away, I mercilessly kicked them hard in the stomach.

"Gwah!"

They groaned and crumbled to the floor. I only finally looked away after I had confirmed that they did not so much as twitch.

There was another guest at my window, so I stole the collapsed a.s.sa.s.sin's sword and threw it. My guest, who had been trying to climb into the room at that very moment, failed to avoid the sword as it plunged into their chest.

The black figure fell down backward from the momentum of the sword.

I finally had a moment to gather my breathing after I confirmed that no one else had been climbing up the window after them.

It looked like I'd had the advantage at a first glance, but I had no doubt that I'd probably return to a life of requiring medical treatment again if I had to maintain my physical enhancement for over an hour.

And, more importantly, there was still something tugging at my mind.

It was generally normal to bring either a lot of people or another magician if you were trying to kill a magician. Which one was it this time?

I heard wild footsteps approaching, and Ricardo threw open the door and ran in the room shortly after. Judging by the way he wasn't in his nightclothes and was holding his sword, he had probably a.s.sumed that something like this would happen and had prepared for it in advance.

The blood splattered on his flushed cheeks told me that he had already fought before coming here.

"Are you safe!?"

"I'm all right. What about you?"

"I am well."

As he'd said, Ricardo didn't appear to be wounded and there didn't seem to have been a need to worry for him. A bright light lit up the room from outside the window when I was relieved that he was safe. It had come from the direction from which I'd heard Alfred's voice.

I ran to the window and vigorously climbed down using the tools that the a.s.sa.s.sins had left behind.

"Please wait!"

I heard Ricardo's voice coming from above as he leaned out of the window, but I started running without answering him.

Alfred was alone, and he was fighting a magician.

The garden, which should have been dark because there were no lights there, was flickering strangely, so that's where I was running to.

But the time between each flicker of light grew longer as I approached, and the light had disappeared completely by the time I arrived. Only the darkness continued endlessly. There were men in black clothes fallen on the gra.s.s in the garden. There were about seven or eight of them. Alfred's calling as a mercenary wasn't just for show, considering he had been able to defeat so many men in such a short period of time.

Alfred was standing in the midst of the men who were collapsed on the ground and was looking up at the sky. I followed suit and looked up as well, but found only the moon and the stars.

"Alfred?"

He only seemed to have noticed that I was there after I called out to him and turned to me forcefully.

"Please get down!"

I reacted to his words and instinctively crouched down.

Alfred ran toward me and cut down a vortex of flame that came down at me from the above with his sword. Apparently, a magician was shooting fire down from the sky. My head would have been burnt to a crisp if I had remained standing.

"Why did you come here!?"

Alfred said as he pulled me up and dragged me under a tree where we could hide. I saw that his clothes had been burnt here and there because he was close by.

"What about the enemy?"

"I've finished most of them. The only one remaining is the magician flying above us……and incidentally, why are you here, Lord Halka?"

"I came to back you up."

He sighed in utter exasperation.

"Please don't come out in the open when you're the enemy's target."

"I'm sorry, but I came because I thought you were fighting a magician."

A magician for a magician. This was a piece of common sense that had been beaten into me countless times on the battlefield. A magician was too much for a single swordsman.

"But……I see that you're a magician too, Alfred."

I was certain that there had been magic in his sword when he cut down the magician's flames. He would not have been able to cut through fire so cleanly otherwise. I only now understood how he had been able to become famous as a mercenary for defeating countless magicians on the battlefield.

"I'm not good enough to call myself a magician. I couldn't get a sense for spells no matter how hard I tried, so making my sword sharper is about the best I can do. That's why, to be honest, your support is a huge help."

He looked up again after saying his piece. I could see nothing but the darkness no matter how hard I strained my eyes.

But the same was true for the enemy as well, and their flames never hit their mark.

"The magician has already been flying for over thirty minutes. They've probably only been able to remain in flight for so long because they're using a special tool like a glider1. I could shoot them down if only I had some light."

A glider was a tool shaped like wings that you used by attaching it to your black like you were carrying it. It made it possible for a magician who knew how to control the wind to fly for long durations of time, but there weren't gliders in circulation because they were expensive, as the raw materials needed to make them were rare.

"I can provide you with light."

"Can your light reach the skies?"

"Yes. Only, doing so will give them a clear view of us as well."

Alfred looked at me and laughed ferociously.

"That's fine. All we need to do is defeat them first before they notice us."

I caught a glimpse of the incomprehensible feelings of someone who stepped out into battle by choice because he liked it in his laughter and drew back into myself in fear.

Alfred collected a bow and arrow from one of the men who were fallen on the ground, aimed it at the sky, and prepared himself all without ever knowing what the person standing next to him was feeling. I didn't know how powerful it was, but the bowstring, which had been pulled to its very limits, rang out in tension.

I released a vigorous burst of light magic when he signaled me with his eyes. A fist-sized ball of light rose into the air like it was being pulled up by a string and exploded forcefully in the skies.

I hadn't thought even in my wildest dreams that this spell, which I had designed because I had felt like making fireworks or something at one point, could ever be used this way, but the results were more than enough. It shone brightly on the now-plainly visible figure of someone flying clumsily in the sky. It looked like they had dropped their alt.i.tude to find us as we hid under the tree.

There was an unrestrainable smile of a victor pulling up the edges of Alfred's lips as he released a powerful arrow from the bow he had drawn to its very limit.

The arrow flew true and pierced the enemy's shoulder before he could attack us.

"Ah, aahh……!"

The magician's screams carried over the wind and reached my ears. The sky had already regained its darkness, but I could tell that the magician was no longer able to fly.

I could guess where they had generally landed upon hearing the sound of something cras.h.i.+ng in the distance. It wasn't all that far away.

It was just then that I saw that Ricardo had come running after me. I turned to him and instructed,

"Ricardo! The enemy magician fell from the sky and should be wounded. Please capture them!"

Ricardo quickly understood what I was saying and cast his sharp gaze over at where I was pointing.

"Understood!"

he shouted before he began sprinting. He didn't train every day just for show, and he was so fast I could barely see him before I realized.

"Why don't we head on over as well?"

"Of course."

I followed after Alfred once I had undone the physical enhancement spell I had cast on myself. The spell, while it seemed simple enough, was terribly fuel inefficient, and I was quickly overtaken by fatigue.

The enemy magician had not only used so much magic so freely, but they had also been shot with an arrow, so they were probably in too much pain to be able to cast any proper spells anymore. The reason why I preserved my magic despite this was because I was working on the base a.s.sumption that there would be a second wave of attacks.

I followed after Alfred and ran with my now-slower legs.

*

Ricardo had completed the job I had imposed on him by the time we made it over to where he was.

The magician who had been flying in the skies earlier was wearing all-black clothing that covered everything but his eyes, so he didn't look any different from the other intruders at a first glance.

Ricardo had already thrown the glider on their back far away, and he was restraining the magician from behind so he couldn't move. A m.u.f.fled groan escaped from the gag that had been placed in his mouth so he couldn't bite his tongue. It was obvious that his right leg was broken because it was bent at a strange angle.

Ricardo was looking down at the magician with a wintry look in his eyes.

"What should I do with him?"

Ricardo and Alfred wanted a decision from me. It was only natural for a servant and for someone hired by said servant to look to the master for decisions. But, it was someone that I was a little reluctant to do. Should I let him live, or should I kill him? My word would be absolute, and I could readily influence the enemy magician's fate.

"His facial structures and hair color are very similar to those from our own kingdom……but the glider is of Heliot make."

Ricardo observed the magician calmly even as I hesitated and couldn't answer.

The magician was either someone from Heliot, or he could have been someone from somewhere else who was made to look like he was from Heliot.

He glared at me and only me with sharp eyes like a wounded beast.

"Please undo his gag."

"……Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

Alfred was hesitant to free even a part of the enemy while he was still overflowing with bloodl.u.s.t.

I didn't mind if he bit his own tongue once the gag was taken off. We could probably stop him from this distance if he tried to chant a spell. I understood that there was still a certain extent of danger in undoing his gag. But, despite that, I still wanted to hear what he had to say to me no matter what.

"Please undo it,"

I said again, and Alfred undid the tightly bound gag from his mouth. But the magician remained silent on the ground even though his mouth had been freed.

"Where are you from?"

He ignored Ricardo, who pressed an inquiry from behind him, and only continued to glare at me.

"Where did you come from?"

Again, he showed no signed of answering. Since the situation hadn't changed, Alfred proposed,

"Shall I make him talk? I know a few spells to that extent."

He pulled out a small knife from his pocket and toyed with it in a threatening manner in his hands. The magician's visage paled ever so slightly.

"No, that won't be necessary."

I flatly turned down Alfred's offer. I had already accepted the fact that I would have to kill people, but defiling them lay outside the scope of my resolve.

Someone who valued life over all else would probably scorn me for my opinion. But, I felt that trampling over people was far more inhumane than simply killing them.

I was reluctant to trample over someone of my own accord. However, I didn't think that he would be allowed to live for much longer even if I let him live since he had failed his objective.

"……Are you taking pity on me?"

The magician finally opened his mouth. His hair-raising voice was so jam-packed with hatred that I felt like it was cutting into my flesh just from listening to it.

"Perhaps I am, if that's what you think."

It was simply that I disliked the idea of torturing him, but I felt no need to go out of my way to explain this. But the magician, who apparently didn't sit well with my answer, shouted back as though he was trying to bite at me.

"Don't f.u.c.k with me! Your hands are already dyed red with blood no matter how much you try to take back what you did, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Your hands are red with the blood of my compatriots!"

So he's from Heliot after all. His words just now made it clear where he had come from.

"Stop making fun of me, you demon! You slaughtered everyone, all of them, and yet you're taking pity on me?"

Was he conjuring up images of people he had once known well in his mind?

He spat out curses at me as though he was trying to wound me with his words.

"I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll f.u.c.king kill you! I'll cut you up into a thousand pieces and gouge out your eyes! I'll kill you and make you wish that you'll never be born as a human again!"

I listed to him with such composure as he flew into a rage with spit flying from his mouth and his eyes turning bloodshot that it was strange. I had seen me cursing at myself in my nightmares. It had now simply become a reality.

And more importantly, I had decided on what I wanted to do with him.

"Ricardo……please kill him."

"Understood."

Ricardo obeyed my order and swiftly brought his arms up behind the magician's head and under his chin. Then, Ricardo put some strength into his arms and twisted the magician's neck, and with a sharp sound, the magician never opened his mouth again.

I had no choice but to kill him since he had begun running his mouth on emotion alone. I had considered taking him prisoner and handing him back over to his country if he had spoken with reason. He would have at least had a chance to survive if only he had.

It was one thing if it was because his country had ordered him to kill me, or if he had otherwise been hired to do so, but I refused to show him mercy because he had tried to kill me because he wanted to. After all, people who were filled with resent and hatred would only come after my life over and over again.

I looked down at the corpse of someone I had killed for the first time in a while.

When I had first started running around the battlefield, I was so terrified that I couldn't sleep at night and deluded myself into thinking that they would resurrect and come after me or something, but that was now in the past.

I would no longer run from the sorrow and guilt that I was to carry for the rest of my life. There was a part of me who was so used to this that it was tiresome and had accepted this as something that could not be avoided.

I looked up with strong feelings to see that Ricardo was confirming that the magician was dead and told him,

"It's about time I made my move."

A second or even third wave of a.s.sa.s.sins would probably be sent after me if I maintained the current situation.

If that was the case, then I would strike first.

"Yes. I've finished the preparations."

Would I be able to disguise myself as a lion? I couldn't predict the future at all.

All I was certain of was that the path before me was steep.

↑ The original j.a.panese, hiyokuki (), is a made-up word. It is composed of the characters for comparative, wings, and machine.