Chapter 106
A strange silence hung over the entire room. Still locked in that bizarre posture I couldn't tell was an arm around the shoulder or a shoulder attack, I sighed as I looked at El and Alessandro watching my reaction.
"You two look so unnatural like that—just relax."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than the two shoved each other away. Watching them put some distance between themselves like the other was some kind of bug, I couldn't help but laugh while wondering what the hell they were doing.
"Well then, I'll be on my way!"
Julian, who had been standing outside the door observing the situation, said cheerfully. His voice was thick with barely suppressed laughter.
"Julian? Already...?"
"Farewell!"
Cutting me off, Julian bolted away like a shot. He seemed like the type who enjoyed watching a fire from afar but had no intention of getting caught in the blaze.
I stared at the spot where Julian had vanished for a moment before turning back to the now-subdued pair. Alessandro was leaning against the bed, and El was sitting in the chair beside it.
"Mind if I ask a few questions?"
"Ah, of course."
"Naturally."
They answered simultaneously. Even that seemed to annoy them, as they edged another handspan away from each other—like five-year-olds who couldn't stand one another.
"Leo. What the hell are you even doing here?"
Leo being in the temple felt off to begin with. He rolled his eyes at my baffled look.
"Remember when I ran into that basilisk at the hunting tournament and got some minor scratches? They weren't serious, so I had no plans to get treated... but everyone insisted, so here I am, finally."
That was ages ago...
Not only is it ridiculous that a king went this long without treating his wounds, but a Sword Expert's regenerative abilities should've healed them by now.
I stared at Alessandro in disbelief, and he averted his eyes.
Doesn't seem like he's lying... The wounds might be real enough, but that's not the only reason he's here.
Narrowing my eyes, I turned to El.
"And you, El...?"
"I came here to treat this guy. He is a king, after all..."
A flicker of disillusionment with life passed through El's eyes before vanishing. When our gazes met, he flashed a bright smile as if to smooth it over.
"Got it. So, what was that about earlier—asking me to find something?"
I'd considered letting it slide, but curiosity won out. As soon as I brought it up directly, Alessandro flinched.
"...How much did you hear?"
"From the part about asking me to find it, up until you two started talking about war."
The two glanced at me nervously. They seemed embarrassed about escalating a petty spat to mentions of war.
Arms crossed, I alternated looks between them and shrugged.
"If it's something you can't tell me, I won't push. I was just curious."
Worried it might be something I shouldn't hear, I spoke softly to reassure Alessandro. He shook his head hurriedly.
"No, it's not that. What wouldn't I tell you? It was just... so trivial, I hesitated. But I'll tell you now."
Alessandro's expression turned serious.
"I'm looking for my nanny's keepsake."
"...Your nanny?"
El furrowed his brow as he asked. He clearly hadn't heard the details.
Looking for Leisha's relic, huh.
I narrowed my eyes. Alessandro only had one nanny: Leisha. He hadn't taken another after her death—and he was far too old for one anyway.
Did Leisha even have... relics like that?
It didn't appear in the original story, as far as I could recall. My memories of the original were fading, so I couldn't be certain, but it definitely wasn't in there.
She was an extra to begin with.
'Night of the Fairies' wasn't the kind of novel that lavished pages on disposable characters just to give trauma to one of the male leads.
She was surely just one person.
What did it mean to be a created being in the creator's world, unworthy of record? Even the original Kashmir Crisis had been such an existence—a consumable prop that stirred conflict and vanished.
Those characters, treated as expendable, must have had their own unrecorded stories.
A wave of melancholy hit me briefly, but Alessandro's continuing words snapped me out of it.
"Her name was 'Leisha.' I don't know her family name. She used to be a mage in the Magic Tower and placed second in the Imperial Academy's magic department, or so I heard."
"...A woman like that was your nanny?"
El narrowed his brow in disbelief. Leisha was hardly the type to fade into obscurity as 'the nanny who died protecting the prince.'
Alessandro nodded slowly, his expression heavy.
"...Yeah. She died six years ago."
Were Alessandro's light green eyes clouded with sorrow? The room's atmosphere grew heavier. El, arms crossed and tapping his fingers, tilted his head.
"So. Where's this keepsake?"
"I don't know."
El grimaced. Even I shot Alessandro an incredulous look, but he stood firm.
"I don't know the exact location. Just that it's somewhere in the Empire."
"You think the Empire's some rural estate? If you're going to comb the desert for a needle, I'll give it a shot too."
El smiled softly but his sarcasm cut deep. Hearing such words from that angelic face almost made me laugh.
Alessandro ruffled his own hair in frustration. The soft light brown locks fluttered.
"I don't know the precise spot, but I know how to find it. Leisha came to the Empire once, thirteen years ago. She said she left it here then. So if we trace where she went back then, we can find it."
It was a logical approach. I nodded briefly in agreement.
Alessandro glanced at me and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"I was hoping to track it down while I'm here... but this 'messenger of god' won't lift a finger, claiming it's not his business. No idea what to do."
El's shoulders twitched. I tilted my head slightly as I looked between them.
"Uh... want me to find it for you?"
"Really? You could do that?"
Alessandro's light green eyes sparkled. El's face, meanwhile, crumpled.
I nodded toward Alessandro's brightening expression.
"Yeah. I know all the top information brokers. If you have nowhere else to turn, I can help."
Mercenaries and info brokers ran in the same circles professionally. The ones I'd met as Mir could easily dig up a single person's past movements.
"It's not like I could refuse your request."
As a friend's favor, I'd have tackled something far tougher without complaint. I smiled at him, and Alessandro froze. Beneath his tousled light brown hair, his ears flushed red like spreading paint.
"Hold on."
El's voice cut through our lingering eye contact—chilly undertones wrapped in his usual gentle tone. Turning to him, he bloomed into a radiant smile.
"I've changed my mind. Helping someone in need is the duty of a divine messenger."
"Funny how your 'duty' only kicks in after Shushu shows up. That selective, is it?"
Alessandro's tone dripped with sarcasm, payback for earlier.
A faint wrinkle creased El's brow before smoothing away. His silver eyes gleamed like glass beads.
"I'll handle this one, Shushu. No need to dirty your precious hands on something like this."
"Hold on. I asked Shushu for—"
"If you want to advertise what an incompetent fool you are who needs Shushu's help, be my guest."
Alessandro clamped his mouth shut at El's icy murmur, delivered with a smile. Grinding his teeth behind a pride-wounded scowl, he flashed a rotten grin.
"...If you want to help that badly, I won't stop you. Give it a try."
Cold glares flew between El and Alessandro. Their faces screamed murder, but to me, they just looked like bickering kids.
Smirking inwardly, I spoke up.
"So. If El handles finding the keepsake, I don't need to do anything else?"
"Yeah. Ah, or..."
Alessandro paused as if reconsidering, then grinned at me—exposing his teeth in a refreshingly bright smile.
"If you're not too busy today, how about showing me around the capital?"
He proposed it in a gentle voice.
This is only his second time in the Empire, so he probably does need a guide.
I had nothing planned beyond visiting the temple, and El didn't look as upset as Julian had claimed, so going together seemed fine.
As I started to nod, a light touch tugged at my sleeve.
"No. I'd rather you come with me, Shushu."
Long sky-blue hair brushed my hem. Even standing still, the pitiful droop of his divinely blessed face stirred my protective instincts.
"I'm heading to the information guild today to fulfill his request. But I'm scared to go alone... Could you be my bodyguard knight for the day, Shushu?"
El's voice, clear and soft like rolling jade beads, whispered sweetly. Apparently, captivating people was a must-have skill for ruling an empire. Just listening felt like my mouth was filled with candied violets—I blinked dazedly for a moment.
"What nonsense... Is the papal title just for show? Why go yourself? Are all your holy knights pushovers? Why make Shushu your bodyguard?"
"Quiet. I checked while healing you—you're in critical condition with your brain on the fritz, so stay put in the temple."
"Ha! Is Shushu one of your minions? What a lost cause! The Empire's doomed with a pope pulling stunts like this!"
"I asked Shushu, so shut it. Atara Kingdom must pray for another millennium of irrelevance. Shushu, answer me. You'll go with me, right?"
Alessandro and El were like dog and cat. Watching them snarl like mortal enemies, I chuckled.
"You two seem pretty close."
Both turned to me, faces blooming with disbelief. But I meant it.
They're only bickering like this because they're on familiar terms.
Alessandro asking El for help proved they had some bond. He wouldn't have bothered if he thought El would refuse outright.
Leaving the two—who kept their distance like the other had a hundred legs—I stood.
"For today, going with El makes more sense."
"Why!"
Disappointment crossed Alessandro's face while triumph lit El's.
I smiled soothingly at Alessandro's baffled expression.
"The areas with info guilds are rough. Better for me to guard El as Mir than holy knights hiding their identities. No one would dare mess with us."
I owed El a lot as Mir and still hadn't repaid it all. This was my way of helping.
Raising my hand, I ruffled Alessandro's hair as he leaned against the bed. The soft light brown strands tangled between my fingers.
"I'll show you the city next time. Be good and wait. You can do that, right?"
A sulky pout settled on Alessandro's face, while El's glowed with victory.