Chapter 57

“If they were to do such a thing to a noble because of a single book, it would be akin to clashing directly with the central authorities. The Temple, too, would have much to bear.”

I told them not to worry, then. Kairen smiled slightly at me.

“The Heir of Lallanne is quite bold.”

“Is that so?”

I retorted that I hadn’t been aware of that. Aren’t I quite ordinary for someone like me?

“Young Master Belosch looks tired, so shall we stop here for today?”

We had only just begun the introduction. However, honestly, my spirit dampened at his reaction before we had even started the real discussion. Swallowing a sigh, I put down the chalk and rubbed the dust off my fingertips.

Soon, Leonis scolded Kairen in a monotonous tone.

“You weren’t even invited, yet you went out of your way to come here and throw a wet blanket over things unnecessarily.”

“My bad!”

Kairen didn’t make excuses and apologized cleanly.

It was after we had ended the study session earlier than expected. I returned to my room and changed into simple attire. And just as I was about to leave the mansion, I bumped into Leonis and Kairen again in the garden. They seemed to have been seeing each other off.

Leonis scanned my outfit and asked.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Are you not planning to hold a study session tomorrow?”

He asked, mentioning that he hadn’t heard anything about a change in schedule.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“In that case, I don’t think there is any reason for you to go back.”

“I’m taking care of my flowers.”

“Flowers?”

“Yes. That’s why I can’t be away from home for too long.”

“But didn’t you stay for quite a long time last time?”

“That’s true, which is why most of them ended up dying.”

I replied that I was reflecting on my indifference back then and was now taking diligent care of them. Only then did Leonis keep his mouth shut. In truth, his lips twitched as if he wanted to say something more, but I didn’t delay any further.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Young Master. Please have a safe journey home, Young Master Belosch.”

“Ah, then I will see you next time, Lady Lallanne.”

After giving him a light smile, I turned my body first.

My heart was urgent the entire time I was heading home in the carriage borrowed from the Count’s estate. I had clearly thought Felix would be waiting for me, but when I actually arrived home, only an empty house greeted me.

I had brushed everything aside to come back because I was worried about Felix withering away in loneliness. The strength drained out of my shoulders. But that lasted only a moment; suddenly, spite welled up inside me.

Why aren’t you here? I thought you said you weren’t taking any requests for a while.

Where did you go! I threw a fit, rolling around on the cold bed, but in the end, Felix didn’t return until I was exhausted and fell asleep on my own.

Perhaps because I had fallen asleep early in the evening, I woke up in the deep of night. And by my side lay Felix, who had returned at some point. I wanted to pinch his nose and ask where on earth he had been, but I stopped when I saw he was sleeping very soundly.

I burrowed deeper into his embrace. At the rustling sound, Felix opened his eyes slightly, then pulled me in closer and closed them again.

Suddenly, a voice permeated with sleepiness asked.

“How was it?”

“What was?”

“The prayer book….”

I pouted. I didn’t know why he was asking when he wouldn’t even be able to hear me properly in his sleep. As expected, Felix couldn’t ask any further as he was overcome by sleep, even without my answer.

On the other hand, I was fully awake. I didn’t want to leave his embrace, so I watched Felix’s sleeping face until morning.

Felix only opened his eyes after day had fully broken. My mood wasn’t very good. Still, I placed the breakfast I had prepared on the table and scolded Felix sternly.

“You! You’re a grown man, and yet where are you running around until this late hour?”

“……?”

Felix looked at me as if I were absurd, stopping with the noodles on his fork. What was with that disrespectful look when he had nothing to be proud of? I put both hands on my waist and expressed with my whole body that I wouldn’t lose.

He continued his meal nonchalantly, as if I were completely laughable.

“Is that something for you to say? You go out for overnight stays at the drop of a hat.”

“You also don’t come home for days at a time once you go out for work.”

“That’s work. It’s for a living.”

“That was important work for me, too!”

“It wasn’t like your livelihood depended on it.”

“How can you only think about making a living?”

He handled his cutlery without replying, and soon emptied his plate. I watched Felix silently cleaning up the table and asked.

“Why are you in a bad mood?”

Felix answered with his back to me.

“Sorry, my attitude was poor.”

“Never mind the apology. It’s not like you did anything grandly wrong. More importantly, why are you in a bad mood?”

F.

I don’t know what to do with this feeling right now.

“Is it because I stayed out overnight? I told you beforehand that I might stay at the mansion for a day or two.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s really nothing. I’m sorry for being overly sensitive for no reason. So let’s stop here for now. It seems my state is a bit off today.”

“Fel.”

Iel called me, but I avoided responding and spent time unnecessarily wiping a plate I had already wiped clean. In the end, Iel seemed to decide to take a step back; she stopped questioning me further and prepared to go out.

Even though I didn’t ask, she informed me that she would be visiting her parents’ home today and that the purpose was to study the prayer book with her stepbrother. She chattered on in her usual tone that they had decided to divide the labor and collaborate to interpret the prayer book she had obtained this time.

“I’ll come straight home after finishing my study. I won’t stay out overnight anymore.”

You hear me? Her voice, scolding me for no reason, felt a little distant. Before stepping out the front door, Iel looked at me for a while, then turned her body. Soon, I was left alone in the house, sitting blankly before slowly raising myself up. I had to go out.

I delivered the content regarding the Temple’s movements to the shop linked to the Martial Regiment, and received additional information regarding the late Count of Lallanne’s past conduct. The most core information was likely in the Lallanne territory. However, that land had long since vanished. That was the reason I had no choice but to pick up pieces of information scattered across various regions, bit by bit.

When I was requested by the Temple to assassinate the Count of Lallanne, neither the unit nor I, the executor, bothered to find out the truth behind it. We thought it was a conflict entangled in the interests of high-ranking figures. I had the perception that it was best to ignore such things, as most of the time you only end up with a filthy aftertaste once you find out.

When I infiltrated to carry out the mission, I placed importance on liberating Iel, who seemed to be living under his thumb to the point where she couldn’t even breathe properly. Since the Count of Lallanne was a guy who deserved to die anyway, I thought there was no need to know what kind of guy he was. Back then, only the results mattered.

I should have looked into it properly instead.

I didn’t know that I would eventually feel the need to know properly about that guy.

A few days ago, after Iel went to her parents’ home for the prayer book matter, I had planned to enjoy some rest. On one hand, it was also practice for me to be fine even when Iel was away occasionally.

The experience of having my mind forcefully shattered thanks to the hallucinogen inhaled by Ugurtz made me look back at my state objectively, quite unexpectedly.

As a result, I understood that I had been in a quite sick state from the beginning. If my sanity had been intact in the first place, I would have immediately realized something was wrong and sought a doctor.

This way, it isn’t good for Iel. So, I thought I should try to get even a little bit better. That was what rest was.

But absurdly, as soon as I made up my mind, I was immediately asked for help by the Guild Leader. When I went to the base after being contacted through the shop, to my surprise, the Saint and her new attendant were waiting.

The Guild Leader, who had been sitting in front of them, rose to his feet as soon as I appeared. He dragged me to a corner of the building and asked in a low voice.

“What on earth did you do to the Saint?”

“Huh?”

Thinking it was some kind of nonsense, I raised my voice crookedly. ‘What on earth did I do?’ I’d only grabbed her by the collar a few times. If anything, I was the one who was harmed. That psycho used me to confirm Iel’s existence and dig into it.

It was something that should have resulted in bloodshed as soon as I realized it. However, I hadn’t finished confirming what kind of schemes were going on inside that head of hers. So, I was unavoidably leaving her in a grace period.

But since the Guild Leader wasn’t asking in that sense, I suppressed my temper somewhat and crossed my arms.

“Speak so I can understand.”

“She came to protest because you’re dropping out of the barrier construction.”

“I told you to put a few more people in.”

“I did. But what am I supposed to do when she won’t be convinced?”

“What am I supposed to do about it? You’re the Guild Leader.”

You shouldn’t have called me here; you should have handled it at your level. Perhaps my inner disdain for his incompetence was revealed on my face, for the Guild Leader said defensively.

“I called you because it couldn’t be handled at my level.”

“Is being incompetent something to brag about?”

“Hey, you impudent brat, seriously.”

Seeing the Guild Leader make a rare display of intense anger and raise his fist, it seemed the Saint was quite unreasonable. I knew that feeling too. But I had no intention of sympathizing with him.

“Hmph.”