The One Who Stays by Your Side in Your Darkest Hour #11
“My lady, did you enjoy yourself today?”
“Ah… yes. I truly did.”
Leni’s face softened a little.
Her body was still slightly stiff, but the snow drifting down as if to fill the entire sky seemed to unravel her tension.
The pursuers, who had appeared as mere dots, had drawn close enough for their faces to be distinguishable.
Alon Ricgard rode at the front, a knight at his side urging his horse forward in tandem.
Emil watched the approaching lord and his retinue, then whispered to Leni.
“My lady, can you make out the faces of those riding beside Alon Ricgard?”
“Yes, I see them.”
“Then commit them to memory.”
Emil’s voice was low and quiet.
“They are your enemies, my lady.”
Leni’s body stiffened again.
“Priest… what do you…”
She looked at him with fear in her eyes.
Damn. Did I frighten her too much?
“Please be at ease, my lady. Alon Ricgard would never dare harm you—the princess. So set your mind at rest.”
Though he might very well try to kill me. Hell, maybe I should just abandon the princess and run while I still can.
Despite those dark thoughts, Emil gently stroked Leni’s hair, slow and soothing, until her shoulders eased.
She gave a small nod and an awkward smile, as if comforted.
“…Yes.”
“Good.”
Yes. That was enough.
Leni could be allowed to smile.
The worrying was Emil’s burden to bear.
Alon’s party finally reached them.
When they were close enough for voices to carry clearly, Emil stepped forward first with a courteous greeting.
“May peace be with you. I greet the lord. What brings you all this way?”
“That is what I should be asking, priest. What business brings you all the way out here?”
Alon’s tone was openly hostile.
Leni flinched, but Emil answered as though the aggression meant nothing.
“Lady Leni suddenly wished to see the sea. I could hardly refuse her.”
“The sea? Then why come this far without a word to me? You should have informed someone before departing.”
Yet you chased after us without informing anyone yourself.
Emil kept the retort behind his teeth. He had to appear unconcerned, as if the matter were trivial.
“Ah, my lord. How could I possibly disobey the lady? She told me that if we went to see the sea, you would surely send escorts, and then we could not enjoy it in peace. That is why she slipped away like this.”
“…Is that the truth?”
When Alon turned his gaze on her, Leni gave a quiet nod.
“Yes, Lord Alon. It was my idea to come out… The priest has done nothing wrong.”
Alon Ricgard’s brow furrowed deeply.
Or was it his scalp? With no hair to speak of, it was impossible to tell.
“Hmm…”
Alon glared at Emil with bulging eyes.
Emil swept his gaze across the party. Every man was armed, as though prepared for battle.
It’s certain. The one who orchestrated Leni’s kidnapping… is this man. Alon Ricgard.
A suffocating silence fell.
Alon stared daggers at Emil, and Emil had to maintain an air of perfect calm.
“…It seems I may have been mistaken.”
Alon finally gave a nod.
Had it worked? Of course Alon was no fool; he must have sensed something amiss. Yet at least he had refrained from treating Leni roughly. He would not show open hostility.
“You understand, then, my lord?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Alon nodded once more, then lifted one hand in a lazy flick.
Emil felt a chill race down his spine.
That was a signal.
The knight standing beside him immediately drove a boot into Emil’s stomach.
“—Ugh!”
He could have dodged. Instead, Emil took the blow.
Because every knight surrounding them now had a hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
“I understand perfectly, priest. You are a fool who cannot tell the difference between places where you belong and places where you do not, and so you shove your head into every affair.”
Alon’s voice was ice-cold.
That damned bald, pot-bellied bastard.
Leni cried out in alarm.
“Alon Ricgard! What are you doing? Get away from the priest right—”
“—Silence the princess.”
The knights surged forward and seized her.
Leni thrashed, but it was futile.
“If you lay so much as a finger on the priest, I will kill you. I will kill you in the most horrible way imaginable!”
“But you cannot, can you, princess? Not while the curse is absent from your body.”
Alon let out a revolting, guttural laugh.
Leni spoke through clenched teeth, voice strained.
“Ugh… Are you not afraid of my sister? Alena will kill you. Just wait and see!”
“Oh, I am afraid, princess. That is precisely why I have always harbored the desire to erase every being that frightens me from this world.”
Leni looked stricken.
Her sister could only mean the current king’s eldest daughter, the rightful heir to the throne.
In other words, Alon’s words amounted to treason.
“You… you always spoke of your loyalty to the royal family. Yet…”
“Ah, I remain ever loyal to the royal family. But the royal family is not composed solely of Princess Alena, is it?”
Alon’s smile was oily and unpleasant.
Leni ground her teeth.
“Damon… Don’t tell me you’ve joined hands with Uncle Damon?”
“That is not something you need to know. I was merely ordered to avoid harming the princess as much as possible. I had not wished to step forward myself, but…”
Emil already knew the rest.
Because someone had defeated the kidnappers.
Damn it. I should never have interfered.
Even as he cursed himself, doubt gnawed at him. If he had known the full situation, would he truly have allowed Leni to be taken?
Since Alon Ricgard had set his sights on her, she would have fallen into those hands sooner or later. Would he have let it happen cleanly, at least?
In the past he would have answered without hesitation: yes. Never involve yourself in problems you cannot solve.
But this child…
“—My lord, someone approaches.”
One of Alon’s knights spoke up.
Beyond the hill, the shadow of a figure could indeed be seen creeping into view.
A small party was coming.
Or rather, not much of a party at all—only a man on horseback and another leading a packhorse by the reins.
“Oh, we’ve finally found people. What a relief. Though there seem to be quite a few of you.”
The mounted man smiled as he spoke.
He looked every inch a knight.
He rode straight toward Alon’s group, reined in sharply, and asked without preamble.
“Excuse me, might I ask for directions? Of course I may, right? My deepest thanks. Ah, it’s like this, you see. Would you happen to know the way to Iredain? I’ve come all the way from afar to reach Iredain, but with the snow I’ve completely lost my bearings… Which way should I go?”
The man gave the impression of someone whose mind never stayed still.
Alon and his knights appeared to share the exact same impression; every face twisted into a frown.
“Head northeast and keep going straight. You’ll reach Iredain. Now be on your way, knight.”
Alon waved a dismissive hand, as though shooing away an annoyance, and pointed.
“I see. My, how kind you are. Thank you ever so much. By the way, what are all of you doing here? If it’s no trouble, perhaps we could travel together.”
“We have our own affairs. We must decline.”
The knight gave a crooked smile.
“Hmm. Would those affairs happen to involve threatening a young girl? That is what it looks like from where I stand.”
Alon shot the man an irritated glance, then jerked his chin at the knight beside him.
“Galin.”
The knight named Galin stepped forward.
“Listen here. Do you have any idea who this man is, speaking so rudely?”
“I’m afraid I do not.”
“This is the great lord of Iredain, Alon Ricgard. Now that you know, be on your way.”
“Good heavens, is that true?”
The knight feigned exaggerated shock.
“I can scarcely believe it. I have never heard that the great lord of Iredain was a villain who seized young girls and tormented them.”
“How dare you!”
Galin drew his sword.
“If you value your life, begone at once! I don’t know which backwater you crawled out of, but by your shabby appearance you look like a wandering knight. To show such insolence in whose territory—”
Galin never finished the sentence.
The stranger’s blade flashed like lightning. He deflected Galin’s sword, sent it spinning to the ground, then struck the knight’s head with the flat of his own blade, knocking him flat.
“Urk!”
The rest of the knights drew their weapons in alarm and leveled them at the stranger all at once.
Who is this man?
He cannot possibly fight them all.
“…Just who the hell are you?”
Alon glared at him with murder in his eyes.
The knight remained utterly composed.
“You asked where I’m from? Then I shall answer. I come from Locni.”
Locni.
As far as Emil knew, that was a fortress near the capital, Myrdin.
“My friends call me the cheerful one. My name is Neil Bloodfire.”
Neil Bloodfire. The name sounded familiar.
Perhaps Pidea mentioned him?
Alon Ricgard clearly recognized it. His face drained of color. He pointed a trembling finger at the knight, body shaking violently.
“Bl-Bloodfire… Then you are…”
“Correct. A knight who serves the Esterien royal family, dispatched by order of Her Highness Crown Princess Alena Esterien to protect Her Highness Princess Irenie Esterien. I am Neil Bloodfire.”
Neil turned his head and looked their way.
Straight at Leni.
He smiled warmly.
“It has been a long time, Princess Irenie. I trust you have been well?”