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Uninvited guest.
What was I doing? Ah, right — the young lady said she was going home. I need to find the young lady’s people and see them to the carriage. While I’m at it, I’ll explain my situation, catch a ride with them, and make my escape south.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, courtesy of a castle lord with impaired judgment. Perhaps he even left the opening on purpose… no, no, that couldn’t be. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Find her people as fast as possible, hide in the rear of the carriage, slip out—
The plan to escape quietly had been ruined beyond hope. By the time Volmo came back to himself, his fist was already bunched in the other man’s collar.
《L-let go of me!》
《Not letting go, you — — —!》
The man could not make out the words Volmo was shouting at him, but he was sure of at least this much: it was cursing.
《So you’re saying I made all this up? Where there’s no fire, no smo—》
《Where-there’s-no-fire my ass — if you’re the sort who jams a pair of binoculars up a chimney and screams bloody murder at every wisp of cloud that drifts past, then of course it’ll look like there’s smoke!》
The two men tore at each other’s hair.
《If you really believe that, go say it out loud! Go say it to your own lord’s face!》
《Why you little…!》
《Is it really that you suspect her — that you genuinely think she’s a bad person? Don’t lie. It’s because she’s easy prey! Because there’ll be no consequences for hating her — that’s the only reason you hate her so freely!》
Volmo spat out the words without even registering what he was saying.
《That’s not it! I’m saying this because I’m genuinely worried — there are grounds for the suspicion!》
《You. Have you ever actually had a conversation with the madam? Have you ever actually tried to check if she’s the person you think she is?》
《Urrrgh…!》
《Talk to her, I said — talk! I also…》
Volmo’s fist, still clenched on the other man’s collar, loosened for a moment.
《I came around to liking you lot too, once I actually spoke to you!!》
In that instant, the other man’s forehead slammed into Volmo’s nose.
‘Ah, damn it.’
Feeling something hot run from his philtrum, he thought:
’…Kicking up this much of a commotion — my chance to escape is gone now.’
But he did not lower the fist he had raised.
Gus lay still on the enormous bed.
No — he had no choice but to lie still. A slightly-large and exceedingly precious cat was leaning against his right arm, fast asleep.
When I get up, I’ll be stiff for a while.
Gus, who had unintentionally fallen into a stress-induced afternoon nap, was sleeping in an awkward posture, feet planted on the floor with only his upper body lying on the bed.
This posture would surely wreck his back. But he could bear that much. Far too many other distracting thoughts demanded his attention.
The largest concern gripping his brain at that moment was not his aching back, nor his wife’s friend’s bombshell of a statement, nor worries about nation or world. Two utterly useless questions consumed him. There’s a wonderful scent coming from my right side — what do I do. And What embarrassing nonsense was that I said earlier.
Haa… what kind of pervert was I, talking like that…
For this moment alone, he was almost glad his wife could not understand a word he said.
He shot a sidelong glance to his right. The very center of his agonizing, his wife, slept with a peaceful face, her breath a contented purr.
Gus, very slowly so as not to shake the bed, lifted his left arm and moved it over toward the hair of his wife, whose head lay resting on his opposite arm. Very slowly, the way one strokes a cat without waking it.
《…》
Just raising the arm and moving it above his wife’s head took about a minute. Carefully he curled his fingers, reaching for her curly hair—
《My lord! Are you in there?》
Just then, the door was flung open and a castle hand burst in.
《…Is it urgent.》
Gus replied without even lifting his head from the bed. The voice was low in volume, but a heavy sound that resonated thickly through the low space between brain and ear.
《Ah, yes, er…》
《Answer with certainty.》
The castle lord, in a manner that did not fit his absurd posture, radiated a thick, murderous air.
《Is it urgent.》
《Er…》
《Urgent. Or not.》
The attendant clenched his fist tight to hide the sweat slicking his palm. No matter how frightened he might be, he was a proud worker of Fang Castle who always saw his duty through.
《Y-yes. It’s a matter requiring a summary ruling.》
《Is it.》
《Yes, yes…》
Gus let out a sigh. An extraordinarily restrained sigh, so that his shoulders would not heave.
《…》
《…》
Not the slightest motion stirred within the room.
《Um, in that case…》
《I’ll be up in five minutes.》
《Yes…》
《…》
《…》
《…》
《Ahem…》
《…》
《…》
《…》
《My lord, it has been five minutes.》
《…Very well.》
Once more, let it be said: no matter how frightened he might be, he was a proud worker of Fang Castle who always saw his duty through.
《You were in a fistfight?》
《I was.》
Volmo answered in a stuffed-up voice. A silk blood-staunching cloth had been crammed up one of his nostrils.
A man whose bravery was second to none, certainly, but an armchair warrior all the same. Against a hand of soldier-stock who outmatched him in both build and experience, he had had no way to win, and he wore the face of a man who had been badly roughed up. His expression was solemn, but his right eye-socket and lip were swollen to the size of a chestnut.
《Hmm. Even half-blood, there’s ‘barbarian’ blood flowing in you after all.》
Gus said it in a tone that wasn’t displeased. If anything, he sounded pleased.
《…Uh, sir, what happens now.》
《Fistfights happen all the time. This is actually the first time one’s risen to an actual punishment. To start—》
《No — I meant Miss Sebinya Gobir.》
《Ah.》
Gus flipped through a stack of papers and answered with disinterest.
《She’s already returned home.》
《I see…》
《As for her people, Ugli’s seen to them, so don’t worry.》
This amounted to saying that Volmo’s never-to-come-again chance to flee had vanished. Even so, what washed over him was not regret but relief at the news she had returned safely.
Volmo hesitated, then asked.
《Um, about what the young lady said earlier—》
《That is not what I called you here about.》
《No, please hear me out. There’s a misunderstanding—》
He was doing his best to defend Aspara. He had assumed the castle lord, not wanting to accept bad news, was deliberately refusing to listen in order to avoid the explanation. But Volmo held firm in his conviction. There was no way Aspara and Jack were in an illicit relationship.
Even at the cost of taking a few more hits, he had resolved to clear up the misunderstanding between the two of them.
《Foreigner.》
Gus, skimming the documents, didn’t raise his head; he only rolled his eyes upward to look at the other man.
《This is not something for you to be involved in.》
《But—!》
Volmo clenched his fist tight and cried out.
《Do you doubt the madam?》
《No.》
《Then—!》
《The conversation is to be had with my wife. Not with the likes of you.》
《Uh…》
At a response far more composed and sensible than he’d expected, he was startled into silence. It was not the sort of reply he had anticipated from the mouth of the King of Barbarians.
《Ah — I suppose I will need some help from you, though. This isn’t something Jack should be the one to translate.》
《Ah, yes…》
《Back to the main point. I came here to decide your disposition.》
Gus, speaking curtly, closed the file folder with a sharp clap.
Only then did Volmo realize he was in no position to be worrying about someone else. Yes, he was now standing trial under the regulations of the barbarians, famed for their cruelty, on the charge of assault.
The castle lord’s eyes moved thoughtfully, as if he were deliberating the sentence. The muscles in Volmo’s legs trembled along the track of that gaze. He clenched his fists tight and steeled himself.
A resented half-blood youth had just beaten a local senseless — Volmo remembered it as a dazzling display of martial skill and an overwhelming triumph — and the judge issuing the sentence was the barbarian king who disliked him. Worse still, it came right on the heels of the unsavory incident involving his own young lady. Some form of retaliatory sentence seemed all but certain.
《The sentence is—》
Caning? Flogging? I heard they still have crucifixion out here. Volmo did his level best to appear indifferent, but he had to bear down hard to steady his trembling legs.
《—Three days’ confinement.》
《…Pardon?》
《Three days’ confinement. Will you take it as unpaid days of labor, or receive pay and use three days of leave?》
《Pay… I get wages? And there’s leave as well?》
《Two days a month, twelve days seasonal leave. Fourteen if you have a child. Sick leave separate.》
《That’s a lot!》
Giving a kidnapped hostage wages for his work? Bewilderment shoved aside the tension and fear that had filled him only moments before.
《Wait… aren’t I being held as a hostage?》
《No, you are my wife’s gift.》
《Pardon?》
《If you have no further questions, I’ll be going…》
《No, I have a huge number of questions.》
《Ask Ugli. He handles most personnel matters.》
No, it wasn’t exactly a personnel-related question. It was a more fundamental sort of question.
But he could ask no further. Before he had a chance to pose the next one, Gus had vanished from the room as though he had a pot of honey hidden somewhere.
《Haa… and now where has Ugli got to…》
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