The Stolen Steed
“Yes. It’s the same senior I mentioned last time.”
I was slightly worried she might say she wanted to meet him, just as she had before. If she insisted, there would be no way for me to stop her.
“Will you be gone long?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t really make any promises.”
Thinking back to our last meeting, it could have ended quickly, but this time there was no urgent matter racing against the clock, and there was official business involved, so it was likely to take longer.
“Last time, the situation was what it was, so we didn’t get to talk much.”
We had to reach the trap on time, and the long-awaited reunion combined with the alcohol had made the atmosphere rather strange.
“You said it would be difficult?”
“Well, to some extent, yes.”
Honestly, even aside from the memories, it was difficult to keep meeting his gaze. Those captivating eyes that made you forget his gender, the bright smiles, and the unwavering, sincere affection shining through them were burdensome in more ways than one.
Not only could I not accept those feelings, but every time I realized my own heart fluttering at the sight of my senior dressed like a woman—despite knowing the truth—it sometimes even brought a touch of fear.
“What are you thinking about?”
She asked, as if she had read my expression. She seemed curious why I looked that way.
“……”
I hesitated, wondering if I should speak. I was curious how she felt about love between the same sex and what reaction she might have, but this wasn’t just my problem—it was Julian’s as well.
Regardless, my senior’s feelings were genuine. Not some lighthearted crush, but a steadfast, unwavering affection. Of course, I couldn’t be certain he hadn’t met or thought of anyone else, but at least the voice and gaze I had faced felt sincere.
I didn’t feel comfortable speaking carelessly about such feelings to others. Regardless of how she might take it, it wasn’t a topic to discuss out of mere curiosity.
“I’ll tell you if the chance comes up later.”
She looked somewhat dissatisfied, but didn’t press further. I walked over to the artifacts I had set aside and began putting them on one by one.
“I thought there wouldn’t be any fighting?”
“You never know.”
The last Rayburn clone probably wouldn’t pay me any mind, but the Dark Temple was still out there. And the issues with the High Assassin Guild hadn’t been fully resolved either. There was no harm in being cautious.
“Then I’ll be off. I’ll come again later.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“Yes. I should get going now. I’ll be back in the evening.”
The sun hadn’t even set yet. There was no need to rush, but it wouldn’t do to be too leisurely either.
“If you don’t come back, I’ll burn the books.”
Please don’t make jokes like that.
“Hehe.”
She laughed at my troubled expression.
“By the way, are there any novels or other entertaining books among these?”
Books written in demonic language, ancient tongue, or languages I didn’t know were impossible for me to identify. If there were magic circles, I could at least guess they were grimoires, but most of the books were just text without illustrations or symbols, so I had been treating them as mere decorations.
Of course, there were Denatel’s personal research results and records, but they were all gathered on one wall or in a hidden bookshelf inside the wall so they wouldn’t mix with the others.
Even excluding those, looking at the countless bookshelves and volumes, it didn’t seem like they could all be specialized texts or grimoires, but I had never mustered the courage to check until now.
“There are. From the far end over there to that point are novels, poetry, and prose—literature. That one bookshelf over there is all filled with books on composition.”
Composition?
“You mean books about music?”
“Yeah. Things like which tones each race prefers, composition techniques, famous songs popular in each era—mostly books on how to compose well.”
It was unexpected. So the lich Denatel had an interest in music?
“Denatel… composed music?”
I found it hard to believe. Literature I could understand. Even the greatest archmages who seemed to devote everything to magical research sometimes needed to look away from their studies and catch their breath. And with a body that was nothing but bones, there wasn’t much else he could do for exercise. I had expected he might read novels or something light for entertainment. But composition? That was truly beyond my expectations.
“Denatel said it was a long-standing hobby. He’d been doing it since he was young. If you look around, you’ll probably find a few storage crystals with his own compositions recorded on them.”
For a moment, I was at a loss as to how to process those words. The horrific and grotesque results of Denatel’s research during the last great war had always filled us with disgust. Especially his final moments—I still couldn’t bear to recall them even now.
And yet, to think that such a being possessed the refinement of a noble musician. It was surprising, but the emotion that rose even more strongly was intense anger.
Of course, it was an irrational feeling. There were hundreds, thousands of reasons to be angry at and loathe Denatel, but the fact that he had musical talent wasn’t one of them. Still, I couldn’t help but feel furious at the thought that he had composed music.
The image of that pathetic skeleton pretending to be a musician, composing with elegance, and then humming his own music in enjoyment made my blood boil. It was despicable—the sight of him creating so much pain, sorrow, and tragedy, yet still enjoying himself while pretending to be a normal person.
“…Are you okay?”
She approached me cautiously, took my hand, and looked at me with concern.
“Do you hate the idea of him composing? Should I burn them?”
At her careful question, I couldn’t help but smile, but the emotion swirling in my chest didn’t easily subside. To think that I had been calm while passing through his study and using his belongings for the past few years, only to feel this way just from hearing about his hobby.
“Please don’t talk about burning the books.”
I had no interest in composition, but these were books written in demonic or ancient languages. They were too valuable to burn in a fit of emotion.
“If you find any interesting books, let me know later. I can’t read them, but it would be nice to talk about the contents together someday.”
“Yeah. I will.”
She answered while glancing back and forth between my face and the bookshelf filled with music books. She was curious why I was acting this way, but chose not to ask out of consideration.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
“See you.”
Leaving her farewell behind, I stepped out of the study. I had forgotten my luggage inside, but it didn’t matter. There was no need to stop by the village, and I could spend the night in the study anyway.
“Alright, then……”
I turned to mount my horse. I had only put up a single layer of barrier since I planned to be back soon, but I had tied it securely to the tree, so it should still be right where……
“…Huh?”
The horse that should have been there was gone.
“……”
I looked around calmly. It wasn’t a matter of getting the direction wrong. I had definitely tied it to that bent tree. If I looked closely, I could even see the marks where the knot had been.
A hollow laugh escaped me. Thanks to that, the irritation and anger that had filled my chest and head disappeared. In that sense, it was a good thing—if you could call it that.
“I’ve been robbed.”
It was a place away from the road, where few people passed. I had been careless enough to only set up one layer of barrier because I thought I’d only be gone for a moment. But I never dreamed I would actually be robbed. There was no way a professional thief would be waiting here or using this as their hunting ground. That meant someone passing by had spotted the horse and taken it. But who on earth could have passed through here and not only dispelled the barrier but also stolen the horse?
“Either they have talent for magic, they’re quite powerful, or they’re just a reckless fool who kept pounding on the barrier until it broke.”
My luck really was terrible. To think that among the people passing through this road, there would be someone like that.
“This is… quite embarrassing.”
If I wanted to catch them, I could. If their destination was the capital, I could just return and report to the gate guards to find out the thief’s appearance. Even if not, if I expanded the search range and speed, there was a chance I could catch their trail quickly.
But the problem was time. At best, I might find them within a day, but the probability it would take longer was higher. Of course, there was also the possibility I wouldn’t catch them at all.
It pained me, but it seemed I had no choice but to give up.
“…Haa.”
Knowing how much a horse cost after what happened last time, this wasn’t something I would easily forget, but I couldn’t afford to waste time fretting over a single horse. Besides, it would be awkward to show such a scene to the guards or others.
The Deceiver’s Summoner getting his horse stolen and making a fuss trying to find it. Maybe in another place it would be fine, but not in the Ayman Kingdom.
“At least it’s fortunate that I didn’t leave anything else behind.”
The gifts and letters were all in my luggage. I had tied them behind the saddle at first but found it bothersome, so I put them in the bag instead. Looking back now, that had been the right decision.
“…It was a royal horse, too.”
Of course, Aegina or Ed wouldn’t say anything to me, but the thought of having a fine horse managed by the royal family stolen left a bitter taste.
“This time, I just wanted to ride a normal horse and feel like I was wandering around a bit.”
I reached out and summoned a red sigil in the air. I didn’t want to ride Zeculac this time. I didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention or misunderstandings by flying higher and faster, then landing far from the destination. Unlike Erill, riding him always felt too precarious.
“…Sorry, Erill.”
The image of a phoenix with wings as beautiful as flames appeared among the sigils.