Chapter 35: Desire Invariably Flows West (4)

[35] 5. Desire Invariably Flows West (4)

I made a big mistake.

I thought I couldn’t speak because I was out of breath.

But even though I had long since caught my breath, I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth. It was as if the sharp wind sweeping across the grasslands had taken my words away.

All I could do was hold onto her wrist tightly, as if she might disappear at any moment.

But the awkward standoff didn’t last long.

“Are you Rem, the vice-captain of the Rose Rem mercenary group?”

An androgynous voice. My eyes first landed on the countless spells carved on both forearms, then on her frivolous smile.

“My name is Betty Ailleyde, a pleasure to meet you.”

I froze for a moment, and then, barely managing to react, I shook her outstretched hand.

“Yes, but what business do you have…?”

“It’s a coincidence, I was just about to ask you the same thing. To be precise, I was going to ask for your understanding, rather than asking a question.”

I didn’t bother to hide my puzzled expression, then I suddenly realized she wasn’t a ‘he’, but a ‘she’.

Her clothes were that of a man, but the curves visible above them were clearly feminine.

She opens her mouth with an unsettling smile.

“Unfortunately, Parsley needs to leave right now. If you have something to discuss with her, could you come back later?”

The first thing I felt was resistance.

Considering Parsley’s history, it was inevitable.

In Axolotl, she had left without saying anything to me. And she didn’t answer my letters either.

There was no guarantee she wouldn’t just vanish again.

But it wasn’t me who spoke up.

“I’m sorry, Betty, but would you mind clearing my schedule today?”

I looked at Parsley with surprised eyes. She said firmly, a worried look on her face,

“I have something to discuss with an old friend.”

An old friend, I felt my lips curl up at those words.

However, Betty’s lips, on the other hand, froze coldly.

“Do you know who you’re planning to meet?”

“I do, just tell them I’m sorry.”

“You’re not going to get what you want by acting like that. Are you planning on having this long journey be all for nothing?”

“I’m just asking for them to reschedule by a day.”

Something about the conversation was going in a strange direction. I looked at Betty and Parsley, their gazes getting sharper by the second.

“Weren’t you the one who said that you’d do anything when you left the magic tower?”

“Didn’t I say that on the premise that what you said is true? You haven’t even checked the item yet.”

“Hold on.”

I couldn’t help but interrupt. Suppressing my reluctance, I spoke.

“Parsley, I’ll come to you later, if it’s alright with you.”

To be honest, the anxiety that she might disappear hadn’t gone away.

But I didn’t want her to suffer because of me.

“…No, I’ll come see you. I just need to go to the Rose Rem mercenary group’s camp, right?”

…And for some reason, she seemed to want this conversation more than I did.

Looking at Parsley with a suspicious eye as she pulled down her hat, I nodded.

“Yes, I’ll let them know.”

“Okay, I’ll go see you as soon as my business here is done. Then…”

Then her sharp gaze turned to Betty.

“Escort me.”

“Yes, Ms. Parsley.”

As if she hadn’t been about to fight just moments ago, Betty smiled brightly and nodded. And then, right before leaving, she looked at me for a moment.

It couldn’t have been for more than a second.

But in that short moment, I felt as if my true intentions had been completely read.

I just stood there, staring blankly as Parsley and Betty walked away.

And then, finally realizing that I also needed to meet the Captain, I started walking.

…But Ailleyde?

I feel like I’ve heard that last name somewhere…

***

“The Captain went out with the cavalry and hasn’t returned yet.”

That was what I was told as soon as I arrived at the Rose Rem Mercenary Group’s campsite.

Big-nosed guy was sitting on a crate, looking up at me. He seemed to have aged five years since I’d last seen him.

“Still? And why’s she out with the cavalry?”

“She was chatting with one of the knights, and then she’d go out to the battlefield with the cavalry every now and then. I don’t know why.”

But I could guess.

There must have been someone she knew.

“I guess even dog shit can be used as medicine…”

Clicking my tongue, I dragged a crate over and sat opposite him.

“So, tell me how badly you’ve suffered over the past few months that your already wrinkled face has gotten even more wrinkled.”

Big-nosed guy spoke immediately, as if he had been waiting for that.

“Hah, You have no idea, brother…”

And the story he told me was practically the same as what Dorn had told me.

A demoralizing moving fortress,

A lack of supplies due to the cut-off supply line,

And the cultists’ characteristically sinister and underhanded tactics.

But it wasn’t entirely new.

“A treasure?”

Big-nosed guy’s eyes, for once, sparkled.

“Yeah, brother, It’s already spread throughout the soldiers. They say that the cultists are doing this to protect some kind of treasure.”

“What kind of treasure?”

“Some say it’s a staff that can turn everything it touches into gold. Others say it’s a spring that grants eternal youth…”

I made a deflated expression.

“So in the end, no one actually knows. Isn’t the treasure itself just a rumor?”

“I thought so too, but this is what’s strange, you see? I got close with some guys who were on guard duty near the command post…”

I cut him off with a wave of my hand. I had too many worries to entertain this kind of conspiracy theory.

“Skip that. So the bottom line is that everything will be over once the supplies arrive?”

“Yeah, well, It was a struggle, but that’s the bottom line. In the end, even if the cultists have numbers, could the cultists ever stand a chance against a regular army?”

In the end, it’s the same conclusion Dorn came to.

But instead of feeling reassured, I frowned. Unease was lingering, like a stain that wouldn’t come out.

*Clop, clop, clop-*

It was the sound of horse hooves that cut through my worries.

“Ah, it seems the Captain’s here.”

I got up from my spot and turned to look towards the source of the sound.

And then…

I was struck by a memory.

Rose had always come back at sunset, around the time I’d put the stew on the fire.

She would be a dot in the distance, then a flicker of light, and finally, a knight on horseback.

And then, by the time the stew was ready, she would dismount. Removing her helmet, she’d reveal her face.

A face that always looked sad, with the corners of her eyes drooping

But a beautiful one nonetheless.

“Vice-Captain!!!”

…Not a stupid, grinning face like…

With a disdain look on my face. I looked at the Captain who moving towards me with a wide smile.

Then, as if giving up, I spread my arms and managed a smile.

After all, I was happy to see her after a few months.

I prepared to welcome her with a hug. She seemed to have the same idea, stretching her arms towards me.

Wait, but she seems to be aiming a bit high…

“Gah!”

“You had the audacity to start dating without my permission?! And you didn’t even contact me?!”

“W-Wait, Captain, I can’t…!”

“How could you do this to me!! How could you!!”

“Cap…tain… I can’t breathe…”

Feeling my consciousness fading, I pounded on her arms that were choking me.

***

Fortunately, I didn’t pass out. This was thanks to Feya’s intervention.

However, she couldn’t stop what happened next. No, maybe she just didn’t *want* to stop it.

“Explain.”

Inside the tent, filled with traces of daily life, the Captain glared at me as she sat at the table. I scratched my head and asked,

“Captain, you still have the return stone I gave you, right?”

The captain silently pulled out a necklace from her bosom. The return stone, dangling from a leather strap, came into view.

Good, at least my insurance(blackmail) is safe.

I peeked outside the tent and called out to Big-nosed guy.

“Big nose, can you bring Ms. Irene over?”

“Yes, sir.”

And then I looked back at the Captain.

“Explain.”

Her voice was shorter and sulkier than before. I was dumbfounded, so I asked.

“You’re not curious as to why I want to see Ms. Irene?”

“Just explain, quickly.”

I swallowed down a sigh. I sat across from her and said.

“Just what is it you want me to explain?”

“You and the would-be Saint are together now, right? Feya told me on the way here.”

I expected as much, but hearing her say it made me sigh once more.

“It’s not like that.”

“You had a passionate kiss on a snowy day.”

“…It’s really not like that.”

“You even told her to wait for you. You even proposed, saying you’d come back to her, even if you had to crawl with your teeth.”

“That’s really, not what happened.”

“And You’re even exchanging letters?”

I looked into her eyes and said firmly,

“No, we are not dating.”

The Captain’s eyes were now filled with bewilderment.

“Wait, you’re saying that after going *that* far, you’re not dating? Are you a scumbag, Rem?”

I was so taken aback that I couldn’t speak for a moment. Taking advantage of this gap, the commander nodded as if suddenly understanding.

“Well, I did hear from your past stories that you had a bit of a playboy streak…”

“No, why is the conversation heading in that direction?”

“Then what’s going on?”

I was speechless at her straightforward question.

I couldn’t help but avert my gaze. After a long pause, I finally spoke,

“We’re just… getting to know each other.”

I felt so pathetic, saying those words myself.

Getting to know each other…

Even a five-year-old wouldn’t use that expression.

But in that instant, I couldn’t come up with anything better.

“Rem, are you being shy right now?”

Some things become real only when put into words. I could feel my face burning up.

“No way, our Vice-Captain? The Vice-Captain who wouldn’t even bat an eyelash at a high-class brothel? You’re actually blushing?”

“Shut up, Captain.”

But the Captain, far from shutting up, just laughed louder. A laugh as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

I struggled to suppress the urge to hit her. It wasn’t hard.

“Congratulations.”

Because the moment she said that, everything else was washed away.

I looked up at the Captain.

Her face was now adorned with a smile, an artificial smile to cover her emotions.

“…Weren’t you against it?”

“Me? Why?”

She got up from her seat and plopped down next to me. A strong scent of roses wafted towards my nose.

“Rem, I’ve always said this, but there’s only one thing I want.”

Smiling, she places her finger on my chest.

“For you to be happy.”

The corners of her eyes curved upwards, and her blue eyes shined brightly.

“So how could I possibly hate the fact that you finally have a lover?”

Although her words had a sweet ring to them, I frowned, because there was something I wanted to say.

However, I didn’t get a chance to speak.

“Brother…?”

Big-nosed guy’s large nose peeked inside the tent as the tent flap slightly opened. The Captain, casually standing up, asked,

“What is it?”

“Well, Captain, it’s just… Ms. Irene is sick…”

Sick?

But she was perfectly fine this morning.

“I see. You can go.”

“Yes, brother. You rest well, Captain.”

The tent flap closed again.

The captain turned to me, her face now adorned with a playful smile.

“So, why did you bring the hero party’s porter?”

“You’re asking that now?”

“There’s always an order of priority when it comes to work.”

I let out a sigh and briefly explained Irene’s situation.

“…So, you’re going to use that return stone as leverage to get her to join the group, is that it?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re a real asshole, aren’t you, Rem?”

I shrugged.

“Gotta catch a break somehow.”

Besides, Irene was the only person I knew who could contact Amy. I couldn’t let her go, at least not until I met Amy again.

“So, it’s my turn to ask a question, right?”

I looked at the Captain, crossing my arms.

“What do you mean, you found a way to end our promise?”

The Captain seemed to have been waiting for that question. Her eyes immediately brightened as soon as I said it.

She hopped back onto the table. Rubbing her hands together, she smiled slyly.

“You heard the rumor about the cultists guarding a treasure, right?”

However, what she spoke wasn’t an answer, but a question. I frowned.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it. But it doesn’t seem very…”

“It’s true.”

I raised an eyebrow.

The Captain continued, looking down at her hands.

“It’s true that the cultists have a powerful artifact. I heard it directly from the captain of the Central Knights, so you can believe it. Of course, they aren’t really guarding it, though.”

“…How is that related to our promise?”

“That treasure can heal your heart.”

The Captain smiled.

“That was the promise, remember? I’ll fix what I broke.”