Chapter 86: A Fool’s Love (5)

[86] 13. A Fool’s Love (5)

As soon as she entered the tent, Feya felt the tension in the air. It was as if an invisible force were pulling at the space.

Of course, Feya wasn’t the type to care about such things.

“What’s going on?”

Sheila, who had been whispering with the knights, turned to look at Feya. Her bloodshot eyes seemed to be burning.

“We found the Captain.”

Her bony finger tapped at the map.

“Right here, there was a sighting in Belfast.”

“Belfast? How did she get all the way there?”

“It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we’ve finally found her.”

Sheila said, picking up her sword. Then she suddenly turned to Feya with a puzzled expression.

“What’s with that look on your face?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Your expression is dark. Don’t tell me you’re not up for it?”

“Me…?”

Feya touched the corners of her lips in bewilderment. Indeed, she could feel the drooping curve under her fingertips.

She instantly understood why.

The fact that Rosalia was in Belfast…

…Meant that she had given up on Rem.

In other words, Rem had been abandoned.

“…It’s nothing.”

Feya swallowed down the heat rising within her and shook her head.

*I thought knights had at least some honor,* she thought, *To abandon someone who took an arrow for you.*

She unconsciously tightened her grip on her axe.

“So, when are we leaving to catch her?”

“Now.”

“Alright, I’ll get my gear…”

“You stay here, barbarian.”

A dumbfounded expression appeared on Feya’s face.

“Wait, what?”

“You’re the guard dog now.”

Sheila spoke calmly as she equipped herself.

“His Highness the Prince will be arriving here soon. We need to leave someone to welcome him.”

“….You can make the other guys do that, why do I have to take on that role?”

“That day when that mage was hit with the arrow…”

Feya’s shoulders trembled at those words. Sheila, glaring at her with burning eyes, continued.

“I heard you stopped all the other knights who were trying to subdue him and fought against him alone.”

And lost.

Sheila emphasized that last word, “lost,” a sly smile appearing on her lips.

“Knowing that, do you really think I’d trust you enough to bring you on the mission?”

…Feya couldn’t say anything.

***

That night,

The campsite, now deserted after most of the knights left, was silent. Only the croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets could be heard.

In that silence, Feya stood before a lake that reflected the stars in the sky.

*Plop-*

A flat stone skips across the starry lake, created ripples. Unfortunately, it doesn’t reach the other side of the lake.

It sank, a little past the center of the lake.

Feya sighed and said,

“…Nothing’s going my way…”

Of course, she knew that life was a bitch, that things rarely go as planned.

But this time, it felt different.

She couldn’t exactly explain it… but it felt like someone was deliberately pushing her down into a pit.

Rem losing his memories was one thing,

and Sheila, who’d practically excluded her from the mission, was another.

…Of course, the latter was entirely her fault, but still.

It felt like fate was deliberately trying to beat her down.

Feya found another flat stone and tossed it onto the lake. But this time, too, it didn’t reach the other side.

Clicking her tongue, Feya picked up another stone.

Then, with all her might, she threw it at the presence she had been sensing since a moment ago.

*Thwack-!*

The sound of the stone piercing through a tree.

Feya picked up another stone and said,

“I missed on purpose. Get out here, now.”

The silhouette, hidden in the forest’s darkness, flinched. Then, with hesitant steps, it slowly walked out.

“F-Feya…”

“Rem…?”

Rem, his face pale, was looking down at his feet, his shoulders trembling. In his hand was a piece of bread.

“I-I’m sorry… I thought you might be hungry, so…”

Feya couldn’t even sigh. She just quickly approached Rem and checked his condition.

“…Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I-I’m fine… You missed on purpose, right?”

Rem, despite his trembling body, forced a smile. Did he really think that was a joke?

Rubbing the space between her eyebrows, Feya sighed.

“… Sorry. I thought you were someone else…”

“Oh, no, it’s okay…! I shouldn’t have just approached you like that. Hehe…”

A hollow, carefree laugh. But then, as if he’d just remembered something, Rem held out the bread.

“Ah, um, so, would you like some bread? Um… there’s a bit of sawdust on it… but, I’ll quickly remove the parts with sawdust for you…!”

And Rem started to meticulously brush the sawdust off from the bread. His movements seemed almost desperate.

That’s why Feya couldn’t help but ask.

“Why are you going this far?”

“…What?”

Frowning, Feya said,

“I told you already. I’m your enemy.”

Evidently, Feya had told Rem everything she knew.

That he was once a magic tool shop owner.

That he was caught up in all this because Feya took him hostage,

that he was originally Rosalia’s companion,

and that he’d lost his memories after taking an arrow for her.

The reason she’d done that was simple.

Because he was the man who had given her a refreshing defeat.

He was worthy of that much respect.

But, even after hearing everything, he had still prepared a meal for her. He cleaned her tent and even smiled at her.

As if she were his benefactor.

Feya couldn’t understand it.

“Honestly, I thought you’d slit my throat and run away while I was sleeping.”

“H-How could I do that to you…! ”

Rem shrieked, his face white. Then he continued with a trembling voice.

“I swear on Alain, I would never do such a thing. Never. No matter what.”

“That’s why I’m asking you, *why*?”

Feya sat down on a rock. Resting her chin on her hand, she looked at Rem.

“To be honest, I just don’t get it. Why?”

Rem’s answer came only after a long pause.

“…Because you’re a good person.”

Feya raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of bull…”

Her body moved before her words.

*Clang-!*

Only after swinging her axe did Feya realize that she had deflected a flying dagger.

Her blue eyes glared into the darkness of the forest where the dagger had come from.

“Come out.”

Just like Rem had earlier, a figure emerged from the forest. But unlike Rem, her movements were steady, without a hint of hesitation.

Starlight flowed down her red hair.

Bewilderment spread across Feya’s face.

“Rosalia…? But you were supposed to be in Belfast…”

Then realization struck,

and Feya burst out laughing.

No, it wasn’t just laughter.

“You fed them false information? To save your companion?”

Feya was laughing out of genuine joy.

Rosalia, noticing this, asked with a puzzled look on her face.

“…Why are you laughing?”

“Because your timing is perfect.”

The campsite, deserted after most of the knights had left.

Sheila, who had been tricked and was probably wandering around Belfast by now.

And Rem, right here, beside her.

If she handed Rem over to Rosalia now, all her problems would be solved.

Of course, his memories were still gone, but Rosalia would handle that, somehow.

Feya, feeling both joy and relief, spoke,

“Just wait here a moment, I’ll very briefly explain…”

But unfortunately, Feya was right.

It seemed that fate was determined to beat her up.

*Whoosh-*

A red streak slashed across the night sky.

It lingered for a moment, then painted a red flower in the Milky Way.

It was a distress signal flare.

Feya’s eyes, wide with disbelief, turned toward Rem, who is holding the magic tool that still had smoke coming out from it. Rem pulled out a dagger, and then pointed it towards… his ‘enemy’.

Towards… Rosalia, not Feya.

At that moment, Feya realized one thing.

She hadn’t told Rem what his companion, Rosalia, looked like.

Through her dazed mind, Rem’s trembling voice flowed in.

“I-I sent the signal. The knights will come soon…! I-I’ll stay here and fight by your side…!”

Feya’s dazed eyes naturally turned towards Rosalia.

“…Just what have you done?”

Rosalia’s face twisted into a demonic expression.

A murderous intent she’d never seen before was condensed in her eyes.

…For the first time since her pet fox had died, Feya felt like crying.

***

There’s no point in describing the fight that followed. It was a complete farce.

Rosalia, blinded by rage, was trying to tear Feya apart.

Feya was desperately trying to talk her down, and

Rem was trying to stop Rosalia.

It was a fight befitting the word ‘idiotic’.

What brought down the curtain to this farce were the torches that rushed in from the other side of the forest.

Reinforcements.

Rosalia shot a murderous glare at Feya before fleeing into the forest’s darkness.

It was a victory more pathetic than defeat.

However, Rem didn’t realize that.

“F-Feya…! We won…!”

He walked toward Feya with a bright expression. But suddenly noticing Feya’s mood, he cautiously asks.

“I-I helped right…? I didn’t get in the way or…”

“That was your companion just now.”

Rem’s face went blank.

“What…?”

“I told you, didn’t I? You had a companion. That woman just now was her. She came to save you.”

The joy that had been on Rem’s face slowly transformed into horror. Feya sighed, feeling a deep despair.

“…And I was planning to hand you over to her.”

…It didn’t take long for that horror to turn into dejection.

***

Shortly after, the knights who arrived at the scene found, instead of an enemy, two people sunk in deep depression.