Encounter
Encounter
"Ah, is that so? Then whenever you need it, just let me know. I'll be ready."
After returning to the mansion and finishing tidying up, I explained what had happened to Gies, who was playing with the wyvern on the training grounds. The reply I got was truly concise.
"You answered without a moment's hesitation?" I asked.
"Because there's no reason to hesitate. Of course, if you were to tell me to charge in and fight, that'd be impossible, so I'd refuse. But as you said, it's not illegal and it's not against the will of the royal family, right? There's no reason not to help."
Though he didn't say it outright, Gies seemed to think he owed me and Ragnis a debt at a level that would take a lifetime to repay.
Not just a debt, the reason was that if he'd stayed entangled, he would have ended up involved in an unwanted rebellion.
"A rebellion? That's the kind of thing that would get your whole clan wiped out, isn't it? Even now, it makes my blood run cold from time to time. Even if they had succeeded, it would have been hard for me to see a good outcome. I already have the intention to help you, Eldmia, even if you asked me to do something against the royal family, assuming we wouldn't get caught."
"I've come to realize this time that the royal family's intelligence is not something to be taken lightly. Even if you asked secretly, wouldn't they know everything?"
"Then just consider it a heartfelt sentiment and please don't actually ask. Hahaha."
Gies, who knew how to jest and crack jokes, was truly reliable.
Thanks to his cheerful response, the only remaining schedule for today was to welcome Ragnis back after the trial ended.
Since the sun had almost set, I figured it wouldn't be long before we could all eat dinner together and laugh haha hoho about smashing Count Bosha's thugs. So I was lounging lazily in the room where Asilie was staying, going over the future plans.
But my expectations were completely wrong. Even as dinner time approached, those who had gone to the trial still hadn't been able to leave the courthouse.
"How long does a trial go on...?"
"It's a treason charge. Both sides will have prepared a lot, so it might go on till dawn."
Seeing Asilie mention something I'd never heard of as if it were obvious, my common sense must have been lacking.
"No, without even eating?"
"That's why when a long battle is expected, they go in loaded with an enormous amount of food and drink. I had to attend one once a long time ago... it was truly awful."
"Just hearing about it is awful, and it was a firsthand experience? That gives me chills."
When I even heard stories that sometimes due to lack of such preparation, people couldn't prove their innocence or the other's guilt and gave up from exhaustion, I gave up thinking altogether.
Whether I was the only one who felt culture shock from the insane length of the trial, the people of the mansion started preparing dinner as if it were natural, and eventually we too ate while chatting about this and that with Gies.
It was quite a while later, around midnight, that those who attended the trial returned.
Hearing the news from a maid, as soon as I came outside, I saw their faces looking gaunt from exhaustion, but I could tell at a glance they had gotten a good result and were satisfied.
"Ah, Eldmia. Feels like I haven't seen you in about three days."
And amidst them, Ragnis, who was being congratulated by Sheryl and those around her, spotted me and waved. There was no energy at all in the gesture, and dark circles had settled under eyes that had been perfectly fine until this morning.
"What kind of fight did you have in there...?"
"A fight that makes you pray to never have to set foot in a courtroom again for the rest of your life. You've worked hard hiding your presence all this time, Gies. After the trial tomorrow, you'll be able to return to your original life. I didn't have the composure to greet you properly."
Perhaps out of consideration for Ragnis, who was trying to smile as brightly as possible with hollow eyes, Gies only gave a light greeting and didn't try to continue the conversation.
I too decided not to point out that she had to go back inside after a short break.
I was curious about what had been said inside, but since most people were close to their physical limits, those who had remained at the mansion moved to prioritize providing them an environment to rest. Most would have to go back into the courtroom after a short sleep.
But Ragnis hesitated, as if wanting to say something more despite her exhaustion, and only after being practically pushed along by those around her did she head into the mansion to rest.
"Your father and the royal officials went straight to the royal palace. It seems like it's going to stay like this until the trial ends."
Sheryl, being a warrior and having relatively more stamina, remained and gave me a brief explanation.
But there wasn't anything particularly special about it. If I had known nothing, it would have been different, but since I had already picked up bits and pieces from all around about how this trial was going and had a rough estimate, the story Sheryl told was more of a progress report.
The Noble Faction raised this and that, only for the Royal Faction's defense to turn it into a counterattack, and so on.
Still, I was extremely glad to hear that Count Bosha seemed to have lost a bit of his composure in the midst of it.
"Hang in there for the rest of the time. Count Bosha might be growing haggard day by day, so keep an eye on him."
"...What the hell have you been up to?"
"I've been going around blowing up Count Bosha's illegal businesses. By the day after tomorrow, I plan to deal with his hidden private soldiers."
"That's comforting to hear, but it irks me that you're having all the fun by yourself."
Perhaps because it was quite regrettable that she couldn't join in my exhilarating destructive activities, Sheryl put on a slightly sulky expression.
◈
And so, after a bout of commotion welcoming those who returned late at night, the morning dawned. It goes without saying that no special incident or change occurred in the meantime.
The only differences were that Ragnis had come to stay at the Ogatorf mansion for a while, and Sir Renisa began tending to her safety with utmost dedication at her side. The other servants were sent back to the Levien manor as appropriate, but that one showed no intention of leaving for even a moment.
Today, hoping the trial would finish a bit early, after seeing off those who departed the mansion, Asilie and I, with a tail presumed to be Mongsun following us, set out to take care of various errands.
Most were just personal matters. Since I had some spare time, I went to the Adventurer's Guild to ask about the reward I still hadn't received for resolving the Abandoned Dungeon incident, then went to the Dwarf District to meet Mr. Balkun and leave another letter thanking Shadow Foot, among other errands.
Amidst that, rechecking the contents of the herb and tool pouches I hadn't been able to tend to recently, and with Asilie's help, refilling them to be fully prepared before tomorrow's battle, was my entire day's work.
I thought it wasn't much different from the activities of the past few days, but Asilie, perhaps because it felt like we were doing adventuring work together, seemed more cheerful than usual.
Since there wasn't that much to do, it was around noon when we had finished our errands and returned to the mansion.
"Eldmia. I have something I'd like to say."
It was Mongsun who came looking for us, just as we were about to savor the comfort felt the moment we crossed the main gate, having finished lunch, and spend time checking equipment in the room.
Since she had followed us all day yesterday but never directly spoke, it wasn't hard to guess what her visit meant.
"Did something stick?"
"Yes. But it didn't seem to be Count Bosha or his gang."
"Right now, other than them, who would be tailing me?"
"I suspect another information broker."
An information broker, huh. Come to think of it, I remembered that Zikmel had said there were about two more information brokers who deal with nobles besides him.
"Did Count Bosha commission them?"
The problem was I had no way of immediately knowing whether these guys were tailing me on commission, or just sniffing around out of curiosity. But fortunately, Mongsun resolved that part.
"The count does not trust information brokers. He's more the type to caution his subordinates to refrain from using them as much as possible. I suspect they're poking around voluntarily."
Since I hadn't done anything special outside, if the count wasn't directly involved, I didn't really care. It was their livelihood, after all.
On the contrary, if they found out what I'd been up to lately, it was obvious they'd immediately back off without a word.
"Actually, it doesn't matter either way, but... knowing one more information broker wouldn't hurt. Can you tail them?"
"Yes. It's not difficult."
Mongsun answered with a calm yet confident attitude. As Asilie said, being a professional must come with pride. That was fine with me.
"I don't plan on going out any more today, so I'll ask you to do it tomorrow or the day after. Until then, you should rest too."
"Understood."
Apparently that was all she needed, because Mongsun nonchalantly changed her face again and left the room. This... felt strangely like I had acquired a personal servant.
"Feels like I got a subordinate."
"A Servant of the Dream volunteering to cooperate. Eldi, you've suddenly become a pretty big deal, huh?"
Normally I would've just laughed off Asilie's playful joke, but this was Mongsun, who'd said her life was worth 100 gold coins, so I couldn't simply laugh it off.