episode_0069

Donar, while driving the carriage, observed the person who occupied the seat next to him. Next to him was a man dressed in slightly shabby clothes. Judging by appearance alone, he was undoubtedly a commoner. However, the trained body beneath the clothes and the sword whose scabbard was wrapped in worn cloth and disguised as a bundle revealed that he was by no means a simple person. More precisely, he would be that man’s attendant. It seemed they tried to conceal it, but there are things that those who do the same work for a living cannot hide from each other.

“If you follow this road, you will see the inner castle.”

Donar drove the carriage according to his guide. The situation went back to when the man saw the children who were the owners of the horses. The man, who came to see the owners of the horses, did not say anything in front of the children. Only after the girl, who noticed the arrival of a stranger, put on the mask she had taken off did the man regain his senses.

“So, who is the owner of the horses?”

“These are the children you are looking at.”

He seemed to be contemplating, but continued to watch the girl.

“I’ve heard rumors of how outstanding Pasiphaenia’s knights are.”

And he suddenly brought up those words.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m curious if those rumors are true, so I’d like to invite you to the inner castle.”

Pasiphaenia and Lantua did not have much direct interaction. As repeatedly said, they were too far away to interfere or interact with each other. That’s why they came to Lantua. Still, they did know of truly famous stories. Therefore, wanting to see the truth for himself if it was a country difficult to interact with was not something to be considered strange. However, bringing up that story at that time was, no matter how he thought about it, odd.

So, even Donar could easily recognize that it was just a mere pretense. His purpose was consistent from the beginning. From the moment he first met and held the girl’s hand, to seeing the girl’s appearance directly, and inviting them to his castle. Decisively, the man got on the carriage with the children, saying he wanted to talk about the horses. At this point, it was so obvious that it was embarrassing.

“Could you perhaps prove that you are the owner of the inner castle?”

So, Donar asked, risking rudeness. He was worried that he might be in trouble if he claimed to be the owner of the castle and invited them, even though he wasn’t the owner.

“There’s no reason I can’t.”

With that answer, the man showed a silver badge that he shouldn’t normally possess, and told them to call in a hidden attendant to use as a guide, so there was no choice but to be convinced. If it was a lie, it would be too much of a disadvantage for the man, and the silver badge had the same pattern as the flag erected on the castle walls. Donar had no choice but to inform his colleagues and head to the inner castle, which was not in the plan, according to the guide’s instructions.

‘If it’s the inner castle of such a big city, there’s no way to get out of it.’

Donar felt that things were getting more and more complicated and worried about the children. He hoped nothing bad would happen. While moving toward the new destination, a cold aura was circulating inside the carriage that Donar was worried about. Perhaps it was a natural story. It was like a sudden uninvited guest suddenly got on the carriage. On one side, Usher was leaning against the girl while holding his dizzy head from motion sickness, glaring at the strange man. The other person seemed to find that funny and sneered.

“You’re quite the crybaby.”

“What’s it to you?”

Sharbi, who was riding in the carriage with the children and Sif at Donar’s request, noticed the man’s mood. He was relieved when the man shrugged and dismissed Usher’s growling words as if it were nothing. Sif also felt an unusual feeling from the man and was restless. Regardless, Usher was displeased with the man in front of him. If it hadn’t been for what Donar said, something would have happened a long time ago.

Even so, unable to shake off his displeasure with the man, Usher did not stop guarding him. The fact that he couldn’t tell what kind of expression he was making because of the deeply pressed robe was also unsettling, but he sensitively realized that the gaze inside the robe never left Belka. That’s why he endured the unbearable motion sickness. However, the reason Usher didn’t rush at the man was because he had a sense of what was going on. If he made a mistake, the girl could be harmed.

After some time of Usher and the man confronting each other in such a precarious atmosphere, they could tell that the carriage had stopped. Even though someone might get up from their seat thinking someone had arrived, when no one got up. Only after the door opened first and Donar announced the arrival did the confrontation end with the man getting up first and going out of the carriage. The inner castle that they arrived at was indeed a larger and more magnificent sight than any building Usher had ever seen. But even so, the reason why Usher was dissatisfied was probably because of the man who was now talking to Donar.

“Then I would like you to wait for a moment. Because I invited you earlier than planned, I think I need to prepare in a hurry.”

“Is that so.”

Donar was busy worrying about what was going to happen. At first, he thought it was just a pretense to invite a girl he liked, but it seemed that it wasn’t such a simple pretense. Still, he was a little relieved that the other person was rational. Among the powerful people he knew, there were plenty of people who only wielded power and acted as they pleased without thinking rationally. After confirming that he and his attendant had entered the inner castle first, he met Sharbi first.

“So, how was it?”

“How was it? I thought I was going to die.”

Sharbi was anxious that Usher might attack him, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. Still, he said he was exhausted from being nervous in preparation for something that might happen.

“Still, it’s still a headache. His eyes don’t leave the kid, you know?”

“I thought that might happen. I’m at a loss.”

He thought that something like that might happen someday, but he didn’t think it would happen this soon. The problem was that the girl was excessively beautiful, even excluding the fact that she was a witch. It was fortunate that the other person seemed to be rational, but that could be more of a headache. Besides, he needed to know why he was trying to invite them, so Donar ended up having to consult with Hermes about this matter.

“You don’t have to worry so much.”

“But Elder.”

“We don’t have anything to lose. Rather, if it was someone who wielded power arbitrarily, the matter might have grown, but it might have been easier to deal with.”

Donar could not understand his words. They have nothing to lose. Even if it was in their home country, weren’t they in a disadvantageous position in terms of power and other aspects?

“Normally, that would be the case. But Donar, you and the others don’t know what Pasiphaenia’s knight means.”

“…Aren’t we just abandoned dogs? We were expendable supplies that had no meaning there.”

At least 10 years ago, they might have been treated like pushovers, but they could have at least left with honor. But now, there seems to be no meaning. At his words, Hermes could not help but feel sorry.

“Yes, it seems like it was advice that didn’t take into account that you have been living under pressure.”

He paused for a moment to choose his words and said again.

“Then let’s talk like this. What does it mean to be able to fight a dragon, and what does it mean to catch a crayfish. You don’t know well.”

After that, the old man drove Donar out of the carriage as if chasing him away, saying that they had to realize it first. Even when he asked what to do about talking to that man as a representative.

“From now on, don’t rely on this old man in the back room and live with confidence. The leader of this merchant troupe was you from the beginning, not me.”

At times like this, he couldn’t help but resent his dullness.

“Even if you say that, I won’t understand, Elder.”

As Donar sighed, thinking about his consultation with Hermes, some people were approaching.

“Why are you acting so pathetic?”

“Is that you guys.”

Seeing them holding hands and following him closely as if chicks were walking in a row, he let out a chuckle. Donar vaguely knew that they were not at an age where he could treat them like children, but even so, he still thought they were children. He didn’t know why himself. He didn’t know if it was just because they were younger than him or because of their childlike aspects that occasionally came out. This was a slightly strange feeling.

“Why don’t you go see Sif, sister? I think she’s looking for you.”

“Is that so?”

Usher spoke as if he was being blunt, but he noticed the worry mixed in it. Donar smiled for no reason and ruffled his hair as if messing it up.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

“Oh, are you dodging? How about this!”

He got angry at Usher’s appearance of avoiding his touch, so he messed up his hair with both hands, so it wasn’t just stroking anymore.

“Ugh, really, my hair is all messed up.”

He didn’t pay much attention to his hair, but it was annoying when it was tangled, so Usher tried to fix his tangled hair. Donar had run away after messing up his hair a lot. There was a gaze that was staring at his appearance silently.

“…Stroking. Feels good?”

“Huh?”

The girl, who had slightly lowered her mask with both hands and revealed her face, was looking at him. Was it his imagination that the golden light seemed to be shining more brightly than usual? Usher unconsciously reached out his hand and placed it on her head. He realized a beat late that he had done such a thing and tried to lower his hand, but he couldn’t.

“Mmm.”

Because Belka was quietly closing her eyes and rubbing her head against his hand. It was new, but the girl’s hair that he was touching like that was really soft.