If I thought of it as a punishment for him telling me I have weak stamina, this was actually quite mild.
“If you take Vis as a guard… you may go for a short while.”
“Then, I’ll do that.”
Despite the lingering coldness, the permission was granted.
It was a conversation where it was hard to tell who was the servant, but it was definitely better to listen to her.
I headed outside with Bis.
“Ugh.”
[Are you alright?!]
However, my aching muscles buckled unexpectedly with every few steps.
Vis quickly rushed to support me, giving me a worried look.
We had just left the building, but he looked ready to insist we turn back.
“…Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I-I’m fine.”
Unlike Linda, he didn’t voice his opinion directly.
I had only stumbled because the situation last night was so sudden and I hadn’t prepared for it; it wasn’t that my body couldn’t walk.
I gave him a small smile to show I was fine, stepped away, and started walking again.
Still, the worried gazes from those around me were constant; it seemed my “fragile” image was only going to get worse.
My stumbling gait, which wasn’t even an act, played a big part in that.
I whispered toward my shoulder, making sure Vis, who was walking behind me, couldn’t hear.
“Did my brother leave safely?”
[Your brother? His skills from when he chased me are still there. The speed of his return was like the wind~]
Brother Marcus. He said he came without a word, and it seems he used a magic tool to return.
If Aren followed him, he must have gone quite far.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask why he had seen him off for such a long distance.
My slow steps were headed toward the Black Eagle Knights’ quarters.
It would be strange for me to visit suddenly in this state, so I was planning to take a long detour while keeping my ears open.
But before I could even do that, I saw the knights in that area moving about restlessly.
Their atmosphere was heavy and serious.
“…What’s happening?”
“I will go check.”
As if worried I might run over there, Vis quickly approached them to ask about the situation.
A knight, looking troubled and frowning, let his gaze wander before meeting mine.
He jumped in surprise, his expression hardening even further.
[Wouldn’t it be better if I checked it out?]
“No. Something like this should be checked in person.”
As I took a step forward, the knight, who had turned pale, blurted out a few words.
Hearing them, Vis’s face also turned as white as if the color had transferred to him.
He hurried back to me immediately.
“Lord Adrian. It seems… a knight has deserted.”
“A knight?”
Becoming a knight is difficult, and leaving is just as hard.
You can’t just leave whenever you want; you must receive permission from the lord of the house you belong to.
This is to prevent military information or secrets known only to knights from leaking out.
Even a King cannot take a knight under a Lord’s command without that Lord’s permission.
Usually, they would find the knight to confirm the reason for desertion, but depending on the case, the knight could lose their life.
A knight deserting when no problems had occurred yet…
“That knight’s name, by any chance…”
“Ah, yes. They say it’s Rodney.”
Just as I thought.
If there was a knight who would suddenly disappear from that order, it had to be Rodney.
He was said to have suffered mana exhaustion, but his recovery must have been unexpectedly fast.
Or perhaps he judged that he had no choice but to flee even if it meant pushing himself.
If that was the case, he wouldn’t be caught easily just because they were chasing him now.
I first sat down on a bench in the nearby garden.
As the warm sunlight wrapped around my body, my muscles seemed to relax a bit, and I felt much better. It was so cozy that I wanted to take a nap right then and there.
‘I need to get more information, though.’
It seemed it would take a while to move my body again once it had tasted rest.
How would things unfold now?
Was Klen being called by Brother Fabian related to this?
Where did Rodney go?
It would be easy for him to draw a teleportation circle to move alone, but they said that has to be drawn on both sides.
Would Rodney’s backer allow someone who failed a plan years in the making to return without any results?
‘Crossing the border directly won’t be easy…’
No matter how great a mage he was, crossing the border was no simple task.
Furthermore, if he was going to cross it himself, he would likely head to another country, not his home country.
[Someone is approaching.]
“Oh? Lord Adrian?”
“……?”
While I was lost in thought with my eyes closed, I heard a familiar voice.
I lifted my heavy eyelids and turned my head.
A girl walking toward me with an aura as soft as the sunlight was Madeline Berr.
Her neat, ivory dress suited her very well.
She held a large basket in her hand and smiled shyly.
“I didn’t expect to run into you in a place like this.”
She stood a little to the side rather than directly in front of me and greeted me carefully.
“Miss Madeline. It’s been a long time.”
“Were you resting?”
I think it was the first time I had seen her since the ball.
Even though I had asked her to dance first but ended up not dancing with her at all, there was no sign of disappointment on her face.
As expected, was Willoy the only one who was disappointed?
Madeline did something rare and stepped a little closer, then leaned her head toward me.
“Ah!”
I heard Vis sound flustered.
Her current action could be seen as inviting a kiss.
However, his feet wandered as if he were debating whether it was appropriate for him to step in and stop her.
I first raised my hand to signal him that he didn’t need to move.
There was no way this shy girl would suddenly do something so bold.
“Hm? Did you use perfume?”
As expected, she stopped her head a good distance away from me.
Then she tilted her head slightly.
“Perfume?”
“Yes. You smell very nice. A somewhat sweet… flower-like scent.”
“Flowers?”
“For Lord Adrian to use perfume. That’s rare.”
Before I could even fully understand her words, my body flinched and I moved to the very edge of the bench.
She raised her head and looked at me.
When my eyes met her innocent, unknowing ones, I was at a loss for words.
As I sat there frozen, unable to even make an excuse, her face turned bright red in an instant.
She hurriedly stood up straight and took a few steps back.
“Oh, I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to get so close!”
“Ahem. Oh, no. It’s fine…”
“Lord Adrian seems startled, so please be careful in the future.”
“Yes! I am truly sorry.”
My attempt to say it was okay was cut short.
