episode_0203

I left Klaus’s office.

The soldiers had been screaming so loudly. After closing the door and stepping out, the hallway was eerily quiet.

I walked through the dim hideout, where no one passed by and no voices could be heard.

First, I went to my bedroom.

Marie was staying there because I was bringing Uncle Joseph.

Blood drops were splattered on the path I had taken.

Even without looking, I knew my appearance must be a mess. If anyone saw me, they would be terrified and realize that something unusual had happened.

But I didn’t have time to wash my face or change my clothes.

Creeeak-.

When I pushed open the door, Marie, who had been sleeping, stirred awake.

“Ritsu Oppa…?”

She belatedly saw my appearance and her eyes widened.

Clothes stained black with blood.

Having appeared with dark crimson blood smeared on my face, hands, and forearms. Anyone who saw it would think I had just committed a “murder.”

It was remarkable that she didn’t scream. Perhaps Marie had understood my situation in that short amount of time.

Marie asked me in a trembling voice.

“What happened……?”

“Let’s go.”

That’s all I said.

In a voice that pleaded her not to ask any more questions.

Marie froze for a moment, then lowered her gaze with a tense expression.

“Yes.”

Together, we walked towards the hideout’s exit.

Since I hadn’t brought anything in the first place, there was nothing to take. I simply traversed the hideout’s long corridors with nothing but the clothes on my back and Rose Saber in hand.

As we passed behind the torture chamber, Marie, who had been quietly following, asked.

“What about Uncle Joseph…?”

“I’ll come for him later.”

Later.

I dismissed it with such a casual remark.

I don’t know if Marie was convinced, but I had no intention of leaving Uncle to die.

It was simply impossible to take Uncle with me in the current situation.

Moreover, he was nothing more than an inconvenient burden to my plans.

We continued past the torture chamber and arrived at the exit leading down to the underground waterway.

It was a relief that we didn’t encounter any soldiers until we reached this point. It wouldn’t matter much now, but I still didn’t want Marie to see me kill someone.

The underground waterway was dark. We retraced the path we had come, relying only on a single lantern.

The pharmacy owner hadn’t told me the way to the underground waterway, citing security reasons.

Even so, it was meaningless to me, who “could read memories.” All I had to do was slowly follow the traces they had left behind.

Because I could safely exit into one of Deseo’s back alleys.

“Haaah—.”

I took a deep breath.

Cool air and dim moonlight.

Having been trapped in the windowless hideout, I hadn’t realized it until now.

Deseo was deep in the early hours of the morning.

First, I stripped off my clothes and threw them aside. No matter how dark the night, walking around the streets in blood-stained clothes could lead to unexpected trouble.

I was tired and hungry. But all the inn doors were firmly closed.

Well, even if they were open, I would have been turned away empty-handed anyway, since I didn’t have a single penny.

In the end, Marie and I sat idly on the street.

We hid ourselves in the pitch-black shadows where even moonlight couldn’t reach, and I slumped my tired shoulders.

Clip-clop- clip-clop-.

This is Deseo, indeed.

Even at this late hour, someone was passing by on horseback.

But ‘a horse’—.

If I found a stable passing by, maybe I could catch some sleep there? Wouldn’t lying on a straw bale be a little warmer and softer?

It was while I was having such meaningless thoughts.

Clip-clop. Snort!

Suddenly, the horse stopped, and a lantern light rose towards us, hidden in the shadows.

“Hello there, young friends?”

A man in a fedora dismounted his horse and walked towards us.

I didn’t know who he was.

He seemed like an ordinary Deseo nobleman. However, I had never seen such a person speak to us, sitting on the street in the early morning.

It was then that I gripped my Rose Saber, ready to cut him down if necessary.

He kept his distance from me and asked several questions.

“Have you lost your way, perhaps?”

“…….”

“Your parents? Are you two siblings? You don’t look like it, but… anyway.”

“…….”

“Do you need help?”

I tried to drive him away by giving no response, but Marie, who was beside me, nodded.

The man smiled and gestured to his servant.

“Hey, you! Bring me my overcoat!”

The servant quickly brought a large overcoat that was hanging on the saddle.

The man in the fedora handed me the overcoat and said.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to be scared. My name is ‘Aban Verdunando’. I want to help you.”

***

With Aban’s help, we were able to avoid sleeping on the streets for the night.

He offered us the convenience of staying comfortably at his mansion.

He provided warm water to wash, clean clothes, and even soft beds. While not luxurious, it was an unbelievably generous treatment in Deseo, where everything was strictly priced.

To be honest, I wondered if this was also some kind of Deseo scam. Or I thought he must have approached us with some sinister intention. There were quite a few vicious rumors circulating, like Deseo merchants capturing orphans and selling them as slaves abroad.

So, I subtly read Aban’s memories, and he genuinely had stopped his carriage when he accidentally saw us on the road. He had helped us out of pure goodwill, with no other hidden meaning.

Marie thanked him profusely and said she would repay this kindness later.

He shook his head with a gentle smile.

“No. There’s no need to repay me. But if you must express your gratitude, give it to Her Great Majesty the Queen.”

“The Queen?”

“Yes. Her Majesty the Queen is sponsoring our foundation. The clothes you’re wearing and the beds are all made with royal support.”

With that, the man pointed to a large fireplace installed in one corner.

A large sign that read ‘Saint Lucretia Foundation’ hung there. There were also symbols indicating royal recognition, and Aban’s name was present as well.

Saint Lucretia?

It was a name I heard for the first time.

But, somehow, it didn’t feel unfamiliar.

As if I had heard it somewhere before, perhaps just a fleeting mention a very long time ago.

By the way, was there such a benevolent foundation in Deseo?

I thought ‘foundations’ here referred to organizations where madmen obsessed with making money by any means necessary gathered.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you? Come, let’s go to the dining room.”

There was a very long table in the dining room. Children about Marie’s age were already seated there, eating in a row.

Generally, a reverent atmosphere was maintained, but perhaps because they were children, giggling and chattering could occasionally be heard.

The dining table was large, but the food was certainly not fit for a noble’s banquet.

What I received were several thin slices of bread, a bowl of stew with vegetables and meat, a glass of milk, and a small plate of scrambled eggs with green onion oil.

…Still, it was clearly food that was too good to receive without any payment.

It was when I picked up a spoon to taste the stew.

“It feels like Brizedon.”

Marie suddenly said that.

Hearing that, I looked around.

……Right.

Our village always gathered in one place like this to eat together.

The aunts in the kitchen would wipe away their sweat as they diligently cooked. Tia and Marie would busily carry the dishes to the large dining table.

Ruyef, who had returned from chopping wood, would scoop a dipper of cool water from the stream to quench his thirst. Uncle Marvin, who received the dipper, would chuckle, asking if there was no beer instead of this.

It was our daily routine for my father and I to watch the harmonious scene of the villagers from our cabin, smiling contentedly.

Whether this was a mere coincidence, I couldn’t say.

Tia… did she want to reminisce about that happy past, even in this unfamiliar land of Deseo?

Is that why she’s sponsoring this foundation in the Queen’s name?

“…….”

I looked down at the table again. The food I longed for was visible on my left hand.

Scrambled eggs with vegetables.

It was a dish Tia often made well.

I scraped a little with my spoon and put it in my mouth. A fluffy yet crunchy texture. A sweet taste with a hint of saltiness. The aroma of oil from the vegetables, cooked at high heat, spread a pungent tang.

To be honest, it wasn’t the taste Tia had made.

Definitely not—.

Before I knew it, I was frantically spooning it into my mouth.

It felt like I had to.

Because only by eating like this, I felt I could feel Tia again, who was slowly fading from my memories.

Clink.

When I placed the spoon on the table, all the other children had disappeared somewhere.

Marie was also gone.

“How was the meal? Was it delicious?”

Aban asked me as he cleared away the remaining dishes.

“Yes.”

“That’s good.”

“Where is my sister?”

“Ah, she went to tour the academy with the other children.”

Academy?

Instead of answering, he gestured for me to follow, then walked towards the terrace and vigorously pulled back the curtains.

Whoosh—.

Beneath the clear sunlight, a building currently under construction appeared right before us.

It had a serene atmosphere with two tall spires. A bell hung atop one tower, and a small weathervane slowly turned.

It seemed like a building that used to be a banquet hall, but it appeared to be undergoing interior renovations, as scaffolding and boxes were piled around it.

In the rose-filled garden, Marie could be seen running around with her friends.

Aban folded his arms as if presenting his artwork and explained in a proud voice.

“That is the academy personally founded and named by Her Majesty the Queen. It’s currently undergoing interior construction and only preparing, but it will probably officially open and be able to accept students by winter. Naturally, those children will be its first students.”

He turned to me and said.

“Of course, you can also learn any discipline you wish.”

“I… I’m fine.”

“You don’t have to worry about money. It was the Queen’s wish that everyone, regardless of status, age, or gender, should be able to learn. She promised that the royal family would cover all tuition fees.”

I looked at the children in the garden.

Everyone was smiling.

Marie’s smile was a little awkward, but she seemed more excited than before.

I heard those children also had dark pasts.

But seeing their smiling faces like that… it truly made me understand what kind of place this foundation was.

“…….”

Right. That’s the kind of person she was.

A free spirit, always chasing ideals, who couldn’t be kept still in a cage.

Tia.

You haven’t changed at all, even after becoming Queen.

For the utopia you always dreamed of.

For the greater happiness of people.

You were doing everything you could in that position.

While you were working day and night to bring smiles to those children.

I was sharpening my blade in a dark rebel hideout, to overthrow this country….

“If you ever change your mind, come directly to this foundation.”

I scanned the building’s exterior, searching for the academy’s name.

And when my eyes, having finally found it, stopped there.

Aban also spoke at the same time.

“‘Ritsu Academy’ is always open.”