Chapter 33 — The Road to Rendinium
Chapter 33 — The Road to Rendinium
Translation: Godtl
It was the morning of the fifth day since the carriage had left the capital.
Now, just two more days of travel and they would reach Rendinium.
Outside, the servants driving the carriage were changing shifts, eating, and taking their rest.
And the knights gathered in small groups, chewing on dried meat while polishing their swords.
Lelia, who had slightly lifted the tent cover to peek outside, withdrew her hand weakly.
'Why is my body so hot...?'
Lelia lay there in the same spot where she had first hidden herself.
For the past several days, late at night when the procession stopped to rest, she had secretly slipped in and out.
Since they usually rested near rivers or streams, she had been able to drink enough water.
To avoid being detected by the knights who were sensitive to presence, she deliberately only went where the servants were sleeping.
However, perhaps because she hadn't eaten any food at all, there was no strength left in her body.
Taking stamina recovery medicine had its limits too. She needed to open the screen again to retrieve medicine from her inventory, but she didn't even have the energy for that.
It felt as though her entire body was boiling.
'I won't die like this, will I...?'
Lelia gropingly placed her hand on her necklace, but her consciousness faded then and there, and she fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, strangely, the whole world was bright. She was definitely hiding in the carriage's cargo area, so it should have been pitch dark.
"……!"
The moment she sensed something was wrong, Lelia's eyes snapped open.
And like a startled animal, she quickly sat up. Despair lingered in Lelia's eyes as she surveyed her surroundings.
"…What is this, exactly."
"Where did she follow us from?"
"I told you I saw her? She's the kid I saw in the capital."
"Then she followed us from there? Without being caught all this time? Does that make sense?"
"I don't know either. She's just a child, and she doesn't even have killing intent, so how would we notice?"
Large knights in blue armor were surrounding her and talking amongst themselves.
They all had deep frowns on their faces, which was enough to make Lelia feel afraid.
'To be discovered...'
Overcome with surging fear, Lelia unconsciously clutched her bag tightly.
"She seems scared."
"...."
The knights were flustered as they looked at Lelia like that.
Frozen with fear, Lelia couldn't think straight. She was on the verge of crying like a child. This was even more so because she had been starving the whole time.
As tears began to well up in her eyes, the knights grew even more flustered.
In that situation, Lelia could barely manage to think rationally.
'Sleeping powder...'
Thinking she needed to escape, she instinctively fumbled to take out the sleeping powder from her bag.
However, her body wouldn't move as she wished. Even just wiggling her fingers drained her strength rapidly.
Like this, even if she managed to take out the sleeping powder, she wouldn't be able to spray it at the knights.
That was when it happened.
"What is the situation? A child secretly snuck into the carriage?"
A very low and dignified voice was heard.
When the owner of that voice appeared, the knights surrounding Lelia straightened their backs and bowed their heads.
"It seems she followed us from the capital."
"The capital?"
Listening to the conversation, Lelia slowly blinked her eyes.
"...."
The owner of the voice was an elderly man, both tall and large in build.
With wrinkles forming on his forehead, he bent his waist to look at Lelia.
"So it's a girl."
"...!"
At that sight, Lelia buried her head and trembled. The man before her had an intense gaze, just like a lion.
The knights felt restless, as if they had become bad people who had brought in a wild animal's baby and were tormenting it.
"...Bring a physician."
When the man gave the command in a low voice, one of the knights said, "Understood!" and disappeared.
After that, the man lowered his posture even more to meet Lelia's eye level. The old man gazed at Lelia for a while before speaking.
"You followed us all the way from the capital... You must be hungry. Aren't you?"
"...."
It was a thick, low voice, but not hostile. Rather, it was a gentle tone.
A kind adult's tone that she had never heard even once since returning to her home country.
It was a tone that made her feel somehow at ease, so Lelia carefully lowered her bag and lifted her head.
When their eyes met, the grandfather with a fierce face like a tiger grinned.
"...!"
Startled by that smile, Lelia buried her head again.
"...Pfft."
And one of the knights watching couldn't hold back his laughter and burst out.
"...Are you mocking me?"
"N-no, sir. My nephew also says I look scary when he sees my face and trembles like that."
"Are you saying I look scary."
"...Yes, of course..."
The knight said firmly, as if he couldn't bring himself to say empty words about that particular matter.
The old man's face had a fierce impression even to his subordinate knights. He was a ruggedly handsome man, but his gaze was remarkably sharp.
In his youth, he was probably quite a popular handsome man.
But even back then, he probably had that scary impression. The knight thought to himself.
If he weren't a noble with a title, he would surely look like someone doing secret work in the underworld.
"Hmm..."
The old man pondered for a moment, then gently curled up the corners of his mouth and spoke carefully.
"Are you not hungry?"
It was a question addressed to Lelia. At the kind tone, Lelia slowly lifted her head again. And then, she carefully nodded.
"Come, then. Let's go. I'll give you food."
The old man held out his large, thick hand.
Lelia couldn't bring herself to take it and just stared at the hand for a moment. It was the first time an adult had reached out their hand to her.
Lelia grabbed a large chicken leg and tore into it greedily.
From across from her, the tiger-like old man from earlier watched Lelia eating like a beggar with what seemed like fascination.
Lelia paid no mind to his gaze and diligently devoured the food.
This person seemed to be a truly wealthy noble.
'To put such precious spices generously on camping food.'
Moreover, the clothes he wore looked very high-quality. Though he looked a bit scary, he didn't seem like a bad person.
'Giving food to a child who secretly snuck in means he's definitely not a bad person. He's not just not a bad person—he's an angel. An angel.'
Thinking that, Lelia picked up another chicken leg and began eating.
The old noble narrowed his eyes as he watched her.
"Truly... strangely...."
"Yes?"
"...Never mind, eat first."
Lelia didn't stop eating until her once-hollow stomach protruded roundedly.
When she had filled her stomach like that, the old noble handed her warm water. Lelia blew on it gently and drank slowly.
"Now then, shall we talk? Why did you hide in the carriage? Little one?"
"...."
'Little one.'
Lelia was bewildered by the address she was hearing for the first time. She knew that grandfathers and grandmothers usually called their young grandchildren that way.
But it was her first time hearing it directly, so the feeling was strange.
'Well. I am ten years old, but my appearance probably looks even younger than that.'
More importantly, how to answer now was more important.
Lelia pondered for a moment.
This grandfather definitely didn't look like a bad person.
If she played her cards right, she might receive help.
Moreover, seeing how he unhesitatingly called her 'little one,' he seemed to be someone especially lenient toward young children like herself.
'I need to look pitiful and helpless.'
So that she absolutely wouldn't be sent back to the capital.
After her deliberation, Lelia gazed at the old man. Seeing that he didn't rush her to answer quickly but waited, he was definitely a good person.
Lelia slowly began to speak.
"Actually... my, my father hates me. So I was running away."
".... Were you abused?"
"...."
Abuse... was it. Lelia hesitated to answer.
In any case, Emperor Perseus didn't know that she was his own daughter.
Since he knew her as Iris's child who had tormented the wife he loved, she understood why he would hate her.
But saying it wasn't abuse was also ambiguous. After all, he was her biological parent.
When Lelia couldn't answer, the old noble made his own judgment and spoke.
"Seeing how gaunt you are, I can guess. How old are you?"
"...Ten years old."
"Ten years old and this small?"
The old noble frowned. He recalled for a moment how his fully-grown children were around ten years of age.
He didn't remember exactly, but in any case, they would have been much bigger than the child before his eyes.
The old noble soon chuckled and asked.
"I see, so you ran away, then? How brave. Where were you thinking of running to?"
"...I haven't thought about that yet."
"For a young child to wander alone, the city is dangerous. The countryside is equally dangerous too."
"But where I originally lived is even more dangerous for me!"
When Lelia answered sharply, the old noble made a thoughtful hum. If a young child spoke to this extent, the abuse must have been severe, he thought.
However, it appeared differently to Lelia.
'Is he perhaps trying to send me back to the capital?'
Lelia looked at the old noble with earnest eyes. She absolutely must not return to the capital.
"Please, please help me."
"...."
If that old noble were to have his knights send Lelia back to the capital, everything would become a bubble.
'Emperor Perseus might find me detestable and try to kill me outright.'
With that earnest feeling, Lelia joined both hands and pleaded with the old noble.
"Please help me.... I don't want to go back. You can just pretend you don't know! I won't follow you from here on. So please just don't send me back to the...."
"Do you know how to read?"
At the sudden question, Lelia blinked and nodded as she answered.
"...Yes."
Perhaps thanks to Lelia's earnest plea, the old noble made a proposition.
"My knight order happens to need a squire to help with work. Can you do it?"
"...!"
Lelia's eyes went round. A squire was a young child who ran errands for high-ranking nobles or knights.
Fearing the old noble might change his mind, Lelia quickly nodded.
"Good, then let's go together to Rendinium for now."
"Th-thank you."
Lelia said with a deep bow of her head. She was bewildered. She hadn't imagined the problem would be solved so easily.
"What is your name?"
"...."
Lelia tightly sealed her lips. Revealing her name was dangerous.
However, the old noble casually ordered one of the knights standing nearby.
"Take her to the company commander."
"Understood."
Guided by the knight, they arrived at a place where knights in blue armor were similarly organizing their luggage.
The guiding knight led Lelia to one knight who was brushing a horse's coat among them.
"...."
Lelia stared at that knight. It was a very tall female knight.
Come to think of it, only female knights were gathered here.
When the knights 'gazes gathered on Lelia, Lelia's body stiffened.
No matter that the old noble had given permission, if the knights she would personally serve with minor errands disliked her, it would be troublesome.
"What a cute little one. How old are you?"
Fortunately, one female knight stepped forward and asked, meeting Lelia's eyes. It was a knight with long hair tied in a single braid.
At the unexpectedly gentle voice, Lelia answered cautiously.
"I'm ten years old."
"To have such a cute squire, not a servant, we're blessed. Sir Tethys."
At the knight's words, the female knight who had been brushing the horse approached Lelia.
"Call me Sir Tethys. First, we should get you changed. You're too scruffy."
"...."
Fortunately, there was no sign of displeasure or suspicion toward Lelia.
Lelia inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.