Ch.13A Woman with No Eye for Men (Complete)

# Lily was sitting with her back against the pillar. The pillar was thick enough to completely hide a person. If Kain had deliberately walked around to the side, he would have seen Lily burying her face and swallowing her tears, but he didn’t want to go that far.

Whenever Lily felt tears coming, she inhaled deeply. Rather than letting them flow, she was forcibly holding them back.

Kain sat on the opposite side of the pillar that Lily was leaning against, facing the sun. The sunlight poured down as if trying to peek at the crying woman, but considerate clouds provided adequate cover.

Her crying seemed to have subsided a bit.

“Have you eaten lunch?”

Though he already knew the answer, he still had to ask.

“I looked around briefly, and there are many places now. There weren’t any when I graduated. I’ll go buy something to eat. Can you watch this for me?”

He gently pushed his cane backward. After a moment of silence, Lily pulled the cane toward herself.

“This too.”

Kain returned Lily’s handkerchief. Without turning his body, he just reached his arm around the pillar.

“Well. I tried to dust it off, but since it’s so white and clean, the bits on the corners wouldn’t come off easily.”

A sound somewhere between a choke and a gasp escaped her.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Kain stood up abruptly. The small plaza was close to the back gate, but going that way would take time, so he simply jumped over the wall. If nothing else, his athletic abilities had improved, making it easier to climb over than during his student days.

A moment later, Kain returned with a basket. It contained bread studded with raisins and dried fruits, some cookies, a leather flask filled with low-alcohol drink, and a bit of cheese.

Lily was still in the same place. She hadn’t moved at all, still hiding her body in the shadows. Kain quietly set the basket down beside the pillar and sat facing the bright side, leaning against the pillar.

Leaning against the pillar, the two ate in silence. Thankfully, students who came by moved elsewhere as if they hadn’t seen anything. After all, loners don’t have just one secret place.

When the basket was empty, they felt a bit more satisfied. Or perhaps it was because of the beer. Kain had definitely asked for something with low alcohol content, but his face felt flushed. Was it because of the sunlight? Or because of what he was about to say?

“Hey. Thanks for earlier. I was too flustered to say it then.”

“For what, sir?”

“Godfrey.” Kain took another sip. “I should have broken his ankle when we fought before. Thanks for stepping in.”

“…It was nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing.” Kain picked up a small stone that had fallen to the ground. He rolled it around in his palm.

“I didn’t even know the proper dueling rules.”

“You learned what you didn’t know, so that’s fine. And I’m grateful for your kind heart.”

“I don’t understand.” Lily’s words were slow. Her tongue was slightly slurred. It seemed the beer wasn’t low in alcohol after all.

“I don’t really know anything properly. I speak like a fool and surprise others. I’m inconsiderate, slow to act, incompetent…”

“Who’s spouting such nonsense?”

“Father…” Lily’s words broke off momentarily. “Earlier. In front of everyone.”

“What did you do?”

“I greeted him.”

“And?”

“That was all.”

Kain recalled the whispers of the students from earlier. Whispers he had heard while searching for Lily. They said the White Blood Knights Commander had shouted in the plaza where most people gathered.

A disgrace to the family. A stupid dullard. He regretted the time spent raising such a child. He said she was a cursed child who should never have been born. That’s what they said he had shouted.

‘Crazy old man.’

So the Knight Commander had immediately hurled insults at his daughter who had come to greet him after a long time. They said he was becoming more eccentric by the day, and it seemed that was true.

Lily seemed to want to say something, making small choking sounds. Kain decided to wait. But he couldn’t contain the anger boiling inside him.

“Ah, damn it.”

Finally, Kain picked up a pebble and threw it. The stone shattered when it hit the wall.

“No. Why would you be inconsiderate? Incompetent? And slow? Would someone slow be able to swiftly steal the Security Bureau section chief’s briefcase and run away? That doesn’t make sense.”

Between the choking sounds, a laugh burst out.

“…Even if you say that, I won’t give it back.”

“You won.”

“Pardon?”

“I said you won. I’ve decided to postpone my retirement.”

There was a sharp intake of breath. She must have drunk too quickly, as he could hear her pounding her chest. But the next words he heard were:

“You’re lying…”

Her tone was half-believing, half-doubting.

“I’m not lying. Director Verneith should be waiting at the east entrance. I think by now he’s probably disguised as a mail coach driver, completely drunk and asleep.

And I was going to tell you later, but the difference between a fake retirement and a real one depends on whether you’ve submitted your confidential clearance to the Internal Affairs Department. Fortunately, I haven’t submitted it to Internal Affairs. As Boehm and Bom said, writing a retirement letter is part of the standard procedure when taking on dangerous missions, so no one thinks it’s strange. How about that? Does it still sound like a lie?”

From behind the pillar, Lily reached out her hand. It gently rested on the back of Kain’s hand. Like caressing a fragile piece of porcelain. Like holding onto a dream she didn’t want to break.

“It still feels like a lie.”

“Then let’s go check together. Whether it’s a lie or not. We’ll go to the Director first, then head south. What do you think?”

“The south, you say?”

“Yes. The professor asked me to do a job. It’s a difficult one. It might be a dark task. If it seems wrong along the way, we can turn back. If you don’t want to…”

Lily emerged from the shadows. Though she covered her face with her right hand, she linked her left arm with Kain’s.

“I want to go.”

Kain turned his head to the opposite side.

“Then let’s rest a bit before we go. Let the alcohol wear off.”

Kain rested his head against the pillar, which was warm from the sunlight. Though it was hard to see clearly because it was hidden, Lily was probably in a similar posture.

“Is it because of work?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you staying briefly because of work?”

Was it because of work? That wasn’t exactly the right answer. What Kain had been seeking was an answer, a meaning. An understanding of what he had done so far. An answer to what meaning his actions had.

But how could he explain that to Lily?

“Yes. I’m planning to do just one more job.”

“So it’s because of work. Not because of me.”

Kain remained silent. Lily moved closer to Kain’s side.

“Still. Still, thank you.”

“Whetstone.”

A giggling laugh. She seemed to have lightened up a bit. Most likely her eyes were swollen. Kain looked up at the sky. It seemed like it would rain soon. When it got dark, when the rain fell, it could provide adequate cover.

So until then, it was okay to stall for time.

“Right. I’m not staying because of you. However, if you hadn’t insisted that you didn’t know where the Internal Affairs Department was, I wouldn’t have gone to the annex with you. If you had properly known about the dueling law, you couldn’t have challenged Godfrey to a duel twice.

If you hadn’t stalled for time like that, we wouldn’t have had the honor of riding in the professor’s carriage. And I wouldn’t have taken on one more job. This is all because of what you did. Do you still think you’re incompetent?”

Lily’s fingers fidgeted on the back of Kain’s hand.

“That wasn’t my intention.”

“But that’s how it turned out.”

His shoulder and neck tickled. It was because Lily’s blonde hair was slightly draped over them. After wondering what to do, Kain tilted his shoulder. He felt a pleasant weight. A pleasantness that was not permitted to Kain, that was too burdensome for him.

“That’s why it still feels like a lie.”

The thought briefly crossed his mind that they were too close, but soon he thought, what does it matter, and decided to leave it be. They were both tired, both drunk. He had asked for a low-alcohol drink, but that stupid owner must have misunderstood the order.

Instead, he felt languid and sleepy. Even though rain clouds were approaching.

“Thank you.”

“What are you so thankful for?”

“For seeing me as I am. For lending me your shoulder. For accepting my stubbornness.”

The sky darkened. A wind laden with moisture blew. Everything around suddenly became damp. Kain decided to count to five inwardly. After five, he would get up.

“For listening to what I have to say. Thank you.”

Kain counted five more.

* * * * *

Sure enough, Director Verneith was sleeping with his feet up on the mail coach driver’s seat. They managed to wake the Director just before the heavy rain poured down, and the three of them got inside the carriage.

“I thought I was going to grow old and die waiting for you two.”

Though Director Verneith said this, the strong smell of wine wafted from him. He seemed to have enjoyed quite a satisfying meal.

“So. How much have you heard?”

Lily looked at Kain, and Kain nodded.

“Congratulations. I heard you’re remarrying.”

“What nonsense. My wife is still alive and well.”

“I must have misheard. I heard you’re committing bigamy.”

Verneith and Kain chuckled.

If Kain had said even a word of what he’d heard from Anna, Verneith would have immediately roared in anger. What Anna had told him had to remain a secret even from Verneith. The Security Bureau does only the Security Bureau’s work and turns a blind eye to everything else. That’s the principle.

Verneith tapped two chests placed on the floor. They looked like they could serve as beds if covered with cloth.

“I’ve put your equipment and reading materials in here. To think that I, a director no less, have to prepare for kids’ field trips… You know the route, right? Follow the Imperial direct territories. Only use the Security Bureau’s designated places for sleeping, resting, and drivers.”

“Of course I know.”

“However, you’ll have to drive to the final destination yourself. It’s not Imperial territory.”

It meant they shouldn’t reveal to the Security Bureau drivers that they were going to the Otranto Monastery.

But at the same time, Kain wondered if this movement had any significance. They were scheduled to meet with the Pope’s people at the monastery. If they were bringing an investigation team as well, it would be quite a large-scale movement, and if so, it couldn’t go unnoticed.

“And. Agent Lily.”

“Yes.”

Verneith’s expression became serious.

“I know you’re still a trainee, but given the nature of the case, I’ll teach you quickly. If you feel it’s too much, withdraw. An agent should know how to temporarily withdraw, catch their breath, and then strike fiercely again. No one else can make that judgment for you. Even with sufficient preparation, agents can’t overcome all crises. Let alone rushing in recklessly without preparation? It’s meaningless. As a swordswoman, you should understand what I’m saying.”

“I understand.”

Determination appeared on Lily’s face. Verneith extended his hand. Lily grasped it in return.

“…I meant give me the bag.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Lily bowed her head deeply and handed over Kain’s briefcase. Verneith opened the bag and carefully examined the documents.

“Why did you stop writing this midway?”

“I was busy.”

“Clumsy fellow… Here. Ink and pen. Write as I dictate. You, a section chief, can’t even memorize the retirement security pledge? What have you been doing?”

One would need to be at least a department head level to be able to write that pledge with eyes closed. Kain grinned and wrote as dictated. Since he had written on a rough wooden board earlier, the ink spread differently from the top part, but it wasn’t noticeable unless one looked carefully.

Heavy raindrops hit the walls of the carriage. Verneith, grabbing his bag, opened the door and ran between the alleyways. After waiting briefly, someone climbed onto the driver’s seat. It must be a Security Bureau employee.

With a “hyah!” sound, the carriage slowly started moving.

Lightning flashed outside the window. Despite facing the headwind, the driver increased the speed. The two horses neighed and galloped. They probably didn’t want to get wet in the rain either.

“Um, what are we going to do there?”

Lily asked cautiously. Kain pondered for a moment how to explain. His head felt heavy and wasn’t working well. Too many things had happened in one day.

“Just sleep for now.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s quite a journey before we reach the first city, and it’s dangerous if both of us are asleep. Since we’re disguised as a mail coach, there’s a risk of highway robbers attacking. So we need to take turns sleeping. You can sleep properly at the inn. Understood? Once we pass the first city, we’ll take the Imperial central road, so it should be better.”

Though puzzled, Lily unrolled her sleeping bag. Made of wool leather, it was quite fluffy. Soon, Lily fell asleep. The road was bumpy, the wheels jumped, and the carriage was famous for causing bruises all over the body after a long ride, but it seemed the six months of training hadn’t been meaningless.

After confirming that Lily was deeply asleep, Kain took out Anna’s document from his pocket. There was no text visible. It seemed to be written in ink that would only reveal its content when exposed to candlelight or heat.

Though tired, he couldn’t sleep.

When he opened the box prepared by Verneith, he saw professional booklets about the heroes. Among them were accounts written by the heroes themselves about their adventures.

Even if they continued traveling by carriage, it would take at least a week to reach their destination. And books could be read anytime. Lily stirred uncomfortably. Kain unfolded a blanket and covered her.

‘Can I keep taking her along?’

Lily is straightforward. And straightforward things tend to endure. People might be lenient towards those who bend, but they can be ruthless towards those who endure.

Perhaps Lily too would wear down, standing and enduring until she reached a point of no return, and eventually collapse. Before that happens, he should send her back.

A week later, they arrived at the enclosed monastery. And not long after, they encountered the shadow holding the scabbard.