Chapter 30
Why were those bastards fighting each other all of a sudden?
Two gazes collided in midair, and sparks seemed to fly between them.
A strange, prickling tension began to spread.
Kael frowned slightly.
Mercenaries?
But the combination was odd for mercenaries.
One red-haired man, one huge brute of a man, and even a short little girl.
He had no idea what kind of lineup that was supposed to be.
[Ho. That redhead has some skill to him.]
...Are they strong?
[Yes. They’re not the sort who learned their craft halfheartedly.]
Kael didn’t show it on his face, but honestly, he was a little surprised.
Balmung was stingy to a fault when it came to praise.
When he’d first seen Luke, he’d only been willing to say he had “the basics.”
For Balmung to rate someone this highly meant those people were no ordinary sorts.
“Wow, look at those eyes. They’re just like the captain’s.”
“Mm... maybe a little? Haha...”
While Kael and Baren were locked in their standoff, Linvel and Bram were chatting away beside them.
Baren shot them both a sidelong glare and let out a low sigh.
“...Hoo.”
His blood was already running hot.
He wanted to draw his sword right now and cross blades with the man before him.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had made this long journey for exactly that reason.
The man who had killed Harkan, the Butcher.
Just what kind of fangs was he hiding? Baren was so curious it nearly made him dizzy.
His mouth watered.
Like a beast staring down its prey, the instincts he had been suppressing slowly began to wake.
...What is wrong with this guy?
Kael frowned at Baren’s sticky, hungry stare.
One look was enough to tell him the man wasn’t normal. There had to be something wrong with his head.
He really didn’t want to get involved, and he sure as hell didn’t want to deal with him, but now that they’d come all the way here, it didn’t look easy to send them back.
He had no choice. Kael asked in a casual tone, “Have you all eaten yet?”
“...Eaten?”
“Out of nowhere? Right now?”
Linvel looked baffled.
“It’s about lunchtime. I don’t know where you’ve come from, but we’re all just trying to get by. If you haven’t eaten yet, you can join us.”
“No, even so...”
Grrrrowl.
At that moment, Linvel’s stomach let out an enormous rumble.
Silence fell for a beat.
Linvel’s face flushed red.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten anything all day.
They’d run out of preserved rations during the journey.
“Uh... if it’s not too much trouble, could we maybe have a meal?”
Bram scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and asked with a simple, honest smile.
And so Baren’s group followed Kael to the guard office cafeteria.
“Sniff, sniff. Whoa, what is that smell? This is no joke!”
Merrin, who had ended up tagging along by accident, gasped in a fuss.
“Huh, look at that... It looks incredible.”
Apparently very hungry, Merrin swallowed hard and stared at the food. One of the guards laughed and said, “Anyone would think you’ve been starving. Your father would be offended if he heard that.”
“Come on, it’s fine. It’s true, isn’t it? And he isn’t here right now, is he?”
Merrin answered with complete nonchalance.
Children raised in Nox really were different.
When they reached the serving counter, Hagen looked baffled at the unfamiliar faces.
“These people are...?”
“Guests. They said they’re really hungry, so give them a generous helping.”
Hagen nodded, and the two rats began serving food.
Linvel still couldn’t lift her head, probably because she was mortified by what had just happened. Instead of the quiet group, Bram stepped forward and said, “Mm. It smells wonderful.”
“Our cook’s got pretty good hands. Dig in.”
“Haha, now I feel bad. Thank you, then. We’ll enjoy it gratefully.”
“Hmph, guard food is still just guard food...”
“Linvel! You can’t say that! They’ve gone to the trouble of feeding us, so be polite!”
“...Tch. Annoying.”
Linvel turned her head away with a sullen expression.
After receiving their meals, they sat down.
The menu was simple, but the spread was excellent.
Today’s meal was tomato meatballs, cream soup, and a salad made from mashed potatoes and cheese.
Merrin was the first to taste it, and her eyes went wide.
“...Huh. This is ridiculously good...”
“...Aren’t you being a little too dramatic?”
“Just try it already! You’ll see what I mean!”
“Compared to you people, my palate is more refined...”
“Shut up! Just taste it before you judge!”
Merrin shoved a meatball into Linvel’s mouth.
...Munch, munch.
Linvel’s expression changed by the second as the meatball sat in her mouth.
The corners of her lips twitched.
Then, after swallowing, Linvel began stuffing food into her mouth with frightening speed.
She hated to admit it.
“...It’s not bad.”
Seeing that, Bram and Baren both picked up their spoons as well.
After tasting the food, the two of them looked genuinely stunned too.
Clink, clink.
The conversation died down for a while, and everyone focused on eating.
When the meal was nearly over, Kael finally spoke.
“So where exactly are you all from?”
Baren slowly set down his utensils and looked at Kael.
“Baren.”
“...?”
“Kaiser Baren is my name.”
Baren grinned, and Kael frowned.
I asked where you came from, and this idiot just blurts out his name... what am I supposed to do with that?
He’d already figured the guy wasn’t normal, but he hadn’t expected him to be this loose a screw.
Then Luke, seated nearby, widened his eyes in surprise.
“...Kaiser Baren? Surely you mean the Knight of Crimson Flame?”
The moment he heard “Knight of Crimson Flame,” something clicked in Kael’s mind.
If he was the Knight of Crimson Flame, then he was definitely...
“...One of the Imperial 5 Swords?”
Baren’s smile deepened.
It was the smile of confirmation.
...Damn it.
Kael cursed inwardly.
A much bigger monster had shown up than he’d imagined.
No wonder the old man’s been generous with his praise.
No, generous wasn’t the word for it.
The Imperial 5 Swords were the pinnacle of the Empire’s knights.
Calling Baren “pretty good” was actually a rather stingy assessment.
If these guys only counted as “pretty good,” then every other knight might as well go die in a ditch.
No, why the hell are these people so obsessed with not letting others live in peace?
He had finally started to catch his breath, and now they’d come here to harass him.
As irritation rose in him, a strange tension also seeped in.
The man standing before him was one of the Imperial 5 Swords.
And hanging at Kael’s waist was the national treasure the Empire was scouring the world for with bloodshot eyes.
What if they found out?
Then he’d be saying goodbye to this life on the spot.
...I die if I show anything.
Kael even swallowed his saliva carefully.
He absolutely could not let his emotions show.
One wrong move, and he might arouse suspicion.
“What brings one of the Imperial 5 Swords to a backwater city like this? I hear you’ve been pretty busy lately.”
“Who knows? Want to take a guess?”
Baren bared his teeth in a grin.
He was smiling in a way that seemed deliberately meant to provoke Kael.
“Captain, after getting a free meal, that kind of attitude is a bit... Don’t you think so too, Linvel?”
“Huh? Uh... a little?”
At the other members’ rebuke, Baren’s brow furrowed.
Come to think of it, it really was rude to act like this after being fed.
Scratching his head hard, Baren let out a sigh.
“...Haa. I came because I was asked. I heard you know Adelia.”
“We’re not exactly close.”
“Either way, she told me to deliver this to you.”
Baren set a small box on the table.
Kael looked at it with a reluctant expression. Honestly, he didn’t want to take it.
It wasn’t that he felt burdened; he simply didn’t want this relationship to get any deeper than it already was.
I’m going through all this hell because of who, exactly?
He felt like human distrust had probably taken root in his heart because of Adelia.
She had boasted she would make it up to him, on her honor and all that. Then, the moment she returned, she’d been demoted to some exile post.
In the end, things had somehow worked out, but the sense of betrayal he’d felt back then had truly gone all the way to the bone.
“What is it?”
“How should I know? That woman who gave you the gift would know.”
Baren snorted as if he couldn’t care less.
The more Kael looked at him, the more he seemed to be far removed from anything resembling a knight.
Judging by his attitude and personality alone, he looked more like a mercenary.
Baren stared at Kael for a while before speaking again.
“I know I’m not really in a position to say this after you’ve fed me, but I’ve got a personality that just can’t stand not knowing things.”
“...Is that so?”
Baren’s mouth slowly curled upward.
Was Harkan, that monster, really killed by you?
At that moment, Baren’s voice drove itself into Kael’s mind.
[It’s telepathy.]
Balmung said it as though it were nothing.
Damn it, what was this, some martial arts novel?
Ah, was that supposed to be a secret? If so, I apologize. But I’m really curious. You don’t look weak, but... no matter how I see it, you don’t seem strong enough to kill that monster.
Baren tilted his head and spoke aloud.
“So I’d appreciate it if you’d explain it in a way I can understand.”
“...”
Kael’s head was a mess at the moment.
How did he know? Did Adelia tell him?
That woman really can’t keep her mouth shut, can she?
It was ridiculous.
She’d acted like she would guard the secret with her life, and then barely any time had passed before she couldn’t stop herself from blabbing.
Adelia’s image in Kael’s mind kept sinking lower and lower.
...This is getting annoying.
For Kael, who needed to avoid attention, this was a very bad situation.
...Old man, can you take that guy if you step in?
[Hm. Probably not easily. Not if he doesn’t let his guard down like that fool did last time.]
Hell.
So there really was no answer.
If Balmung said that much, then Baren was definitely absurdly strong.
Kael didn’t want to fight him if he could help it.
Even if he could win, it wasn’t like he could just cut down one of the Imperial 5 Swords now that he was finally thinking he might be able to live quietly after leaving the capital.
He couldn’t win, and even if he somehow did, that would be a problem of its own. If word got out, who was going to deal with the fallout?
As Kael kept his mouth shut, disappointment slowly spread across Baren’s face.
“What’s with you? Why aren’t you saying anything? So it was a lie after all? Then just admit it cleanly here and...”
“You should know when to stop.”
At that moment, Luke, who had been quietly watching the situation, spoke up.
“I never expected the Knight of Crimson Flame I’d only heard rumors about to be this rude. What exactly do you think you’re doing? If you’re so eager to face our captain, I’ll take your place.”
Baren’s gaze shifted to Luke.
“Sorry, but could you step aside, cat? I don’t think this is your place to jump in.”
“Well, now. I’m curious whether you’ll still say that after a cat bites you.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned ugly.
“If you’re begging to play this much, I can’t help it.”
Baren stared at Luke and let out a snort.
He slowly stood up.
“You might shit yourself before you know it.”
“Do the Imperial 5 Swords fight with their tongues instead of swords?”
...Why the hell were these guys fighting each other?
Kael wore a sour expression.